voice of asia sept 12 2014

VOICE OF ASIA 1 FRIDAY, September 12, 2014

Vol. 27 No. 37 Friday, September 12, 2014 • Published Weekly from Houston • 713-774-5140 20 Pages ( 2 sections) 50 cents E-mail: [email protected]

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LOS ANGELES, CA – September 2, 2014 - Hanmi Financial Cor-

poration (NASDAQ: HAFC) (“Hanmi”), the holding com-pany for Hanmi Bank (the “Bank”), today announced that it has completed its ac-quisition of Central Bancorp, Inc., the parent company of United Central Bank, effective as of August 31, 2014.

With the merger complete, Hanmi becomes the second largest Korean American Bank in the United States with 50 banking offices and three loan production offices serving different communi-ties across California, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Texas, Virginia, and Washington. The combined entity has approxi-mately $4.4 billion in assets, $2.8 billion in gross loans, and $3.7 billion in deposits, pro-viding Hanmi with the leading deposit market share among Korean American Banks in Illinois, Texas, and Virginia

Hanmi Financial Corp. Completes Acquisition of Central Bancorp, Inc.

Hanmi Financial Corporation President and CEO C. G. Kum, (center) seen addressing the press conference at their Houston-Gessner branch on Friday, Sep. 5th, 2014. Seated far left is Chairman Joseph K. Rho and far right is Bonnie Lee, COO. Photo by Jacob David, VOA.

Onam celebrated by Malayalee Association of Greater Houston

along with a substantial market share in California.

“The completion of our merger with United Central Bank is a momentous occasion for Hanmi,” said C. G. Kum, President and CEO. “Having opened our first branch in Los Angeles in 1982 with the clear mission of helping immigrants achieve the American Dream, we are thrilled to now provide our customers with 50 branches across the United States. With this expanded geographic pres-ence, we will broaden our mar-ket share from our core Ko-rean American customer base to the wider Asian American and mainstream communities, making Hanmi the first Korean American Bank to extend into these additional communities.”

Mr. Kum continued, “I am very pleased that the transac-tion has proceeded so smoothly, and we can now fully focus our efforts on integrating the two banks as quickly as possible.

With the new Hanmi Bank, all of our loyal customers will have the benefit of a larger product offering, improved lending ca-pacity, and enhanced customer service.”

The transaction was an-nounced December 16, 2013 and approved by shareholders of Central Bancorp on April 17, 2014. The combined companies will operate as Hanmi Financial Corporation and Hanmi Bank, respectively, with banking op-erations conducted under the Hanmi Bank brand.

About Hanmi Financial Cor-poration

Headquartered in Los Angeles, Hanmi Bank, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hanmi Financial Corporation, provides services to the multi-ethnic communi-ties across California, Texas, Il-linois, Virginia, New Jersey and New York with 50 full-service branches as well as loan produc-

tion offices in Texas, Virginia, and Washington State. Hanmi Bank specializes in commercial, SBA and trade finance lending,

and is a recognized community leader. Hanmi Bank’s mission is to provide a full range of quality products and premier services

to its customers and to maxi-mize shareholder value. Addi-tional information is available at www.hanmi.com

by Shobana Muratee

STAFFORD, TX - The mythical King Mahabali (aka Maveli) made his dramatic entry into

the hall accompanied by the thunder-ous sounds of the chendas (drums), being led by a host of dainty ladies dressed in white and gold, each hold-ing a basket of flowers. He stopped at the large Pookkalam (colorful flower mat) as the drums continued beating loudly. An ancient Hindu tradition ob-served by the Malayalees of the South Indian state of Kerala was brought to witness on Saturday, September 6th at the St. Thomas Orthodox Commu-nity Hall in Stafford, as part of the Onam celebrations hosted by the Ma-layalee Association of Greater Hous-ton (MAGH). “This is a very unique function that we are attending,” Chief Guest, Consul General of India, Hous-ton, Parvathaneni Harish said in his message. “In no other church will you have an Onam celebration of this na-ture. This is unique because this is In-dia,” he pointed out. He commended the efforts of MAGH in bringing such cultural treasures of ancient India to the Houston area.

Welcoming the guests, MAGH Sec-retary Surendran Koran explained the significance of Onam with the story of Raja Maveli, the benevolent king of the Kerala people who was cast away to the nether world by Lord Vishu, who came in the form (avatar) of Vanama. However, Raja Maveli requested for a boom to pay a visit to his people each year and Lord Vishu grated him his wish. To keep his promise Raja Maveli comes each year around harvest time and that occasion is celebrated as Onam. Koran explained how MAGH helped uphold these ancient traditions and customs here in Houston for over two decades for the better of the fu-ture generation. He recognized Chief Guest, Hon. P Harish and his wife Han-dita Harish, Fort Bend ISD Trustee KP George, the Rev. Fr. Mathew, MAGH President Thomas Varkey (Mysore Thampy), Babu Thomas and Yinka Ogundare, Development Manager of Grand Canyon University. Each did the honors of lighting the traditional lamp marking of an auspicious start of the festivities.

Elsy Francis, MAGH Women’s Representative was the Mistress of Ceremonies and she was assisted by

program coordinator Ramesh Athiyodi in conducting the entire program very efficiently. There were a wide range of dances - from classical dance by Sunanda Nair’s Dance School to Bol-lywood-style dance with ‘Midnight Express’ by a troupe of young boys and girls. Classical and semi-classi-cal songs were sung by professional singers Surajit and Elizabeth. Young Judit read a story in Malayalam that she learnt at the MAGH Malayalam School.

Rev. Fr. Mathew expressed how pleased he was to see a festive mood and the togetherness of the people. “Without any barriers of color, caste, creed or religion, to be under one um-brella, to witness we are all one, all Malayalees.” Later, he spoke in Ma-layalam explaining the true meaning Pookalam or Onathappan, the flower mat and stressed how important it was for the younger generation to know such things.

The feast was a sumptuous spread of the delicacies of Kerala, served in a traditional manner (banana leaf) and people ate sans utensils as they would in India. The sight of rows of families seated together sharing a meal in ca-maraderie was very uplifting and a true memory to cherish. A traditional welcome to Raja Maveli: A custom observed for years in Kerala during the celebration of Onam. Photo VOA

Mrs. Moani and Mr. Thomas pose near the PookalamMembers of MAGH with K P George, Rev. Fr. Mathew, Consul General P. Harish and Yinka Ogundare. Photos by Kalith Talison, Reflection Media Inc.

VOICE OF ASIA 2 FRIDAY, September 12, 2014OP-ED/COMMENTARY/ANALYSIS

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 Columnists:Legal: Richard M. AldermanLegal: Sharlene Sharmila RichardsMedical: Kesavan Shan, MDResearch: Prof. Meenakshi BhattacharjeeHealth Insurance: Sudhir MathuriaAstrology: Hardik Vyas

VoiceofAsiaOnline.com

Online Editor: Shobana Muratee

All rights reserved. No material herein or portions thereof may be published without the consent of the publisher. Voice of Asia assumes no liability resulting from action taken based on the information included herein. 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]

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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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Eleven years after the 9/11 attacks, regular re-minders about that aw-

ful day persist, whenever you pass through an airport, see the altered Manhattan skyline or hear about the latest casualties in Afghanistan. Less visibly, millions of security cameras track your movements, and the government has amassed vast powers to snoop on you.

But the palpable sense of fear that gripped the nation has dis-sipated, and terrorism has taken a back seat to the economy and other issues in the presiden-tial campaign, something that would have been unimaginable in the fall of 2001.

As important as the econo-my is, terrorism shouldn’t be relegated to an afterthought. Of the many things done fol-lowing 9/11, some were smart (reinforcing cockpit doors on jetliners) and some were silly (the color-coded alert system). After 11 years, it’s time to re-assess the threat and recalibrate the responses.

The threat has evolved. Osa-ma bin Laden is dead, and his al-Qaeda organization is on the ropes, far less able to mount a 9/11-style attack. Its effort to recruit Muslims in the USA for terrorism has mostly been a flop. Al-Qaeda operatives mounted “a major sales cam-paign,” says RAND Corp. ter-rorism expert Brian Michael Jenkins, “but they’re not sell-ing a lot of cars.”

At the same time, the threat is far from eradicated. Bin Laden’s successor, Ayman al-Zawahri, remains at large. The Taliban, which sheltered bin Laden be-fore 9/11, continues trying to reclaim power in Afghanistan. Radical Islamists are seeking a foothold in failing states in the Middle East and Africa. A showdown over Iran’s nuclear program could bring about a re-surgence of Iranian-sponsored terrorism, either from Tehran or its Hezbollah allies. Then there’s the continuing danger from home-grown terrorists, be they self-activated jihadists like Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan or non-Muslim anti-government fanatics.

The nation’s homeland secu-

rity response to this evolving threat has spawned both suc-cess and excess.

Say what you will about airline security — and critics have said just about everything — the central fact remains: Since 9/11, there has not been a successful terrorist attack on a U.S. airliner, despite terror-ists’ continued obsession with planes. Terrorists must contend with more sophisticated no-fly lists, baggage screeners, full-body scanners, steel reinforced cockpit doors and vigilant pas-sengers.

At the same time, U.S. intel-ligence and law enforcement have been better informed and coordinated than in the days before 9/11, when the fractured system failed to connect the dots of a cataclysmic threat. Despite some close calls, no-tably the fumbled warnings about the 2009 Christmas Day underwear bomber, more than 20 plots have been thwarted in the planning stages.

That’s the good news.

As for excess, there’s still room to apply more common sense to the airport screening process. The Transportation Security Administration has fi-nally started to do this with the very young and the very old,

and with the PreCheck program for frequent fliers who’ve gone through a clearance process. Too much effort, however, continues to be expended on removing shoes, seizing tooth-paste and even testing bever-ages purchased beyond the checkpoints, rather than on try-ing to identify the tiny sliver of travelers who pose a threat.

Outside the airport, laws passed after 9/11 gave the gov-ernment vast new powers to spy on American citizens without the traditional protections that courts have always provided. History shows that if you give authorities this kind of power, it will be abused.

Perhaps the most vivid exam-ple of excess is the emergence of a bloated, security-industrial complex. The Department of Homeland Security now has an annual budget of $40 billion, up from about $30 billion in its first full year. A Washing-ton Postinvestigation in 2010 found more than 3,200 govern-ment agencies and outside con-tractors devoted to counterter-rorism. Surely the peril can be addressed in a more efficient, less wasteful way.

Former New Jersey governor Thomas Kean, who co-chaired the 9/11 Commission, tells us “this is exactly the right time”

to re-examine the threat and response. He’d like to see Con-gress do the job itself.

But if that can’t happen — ei-ther because members are too partisan or find it impossible to decide what not to do — then the job should go to another in-dependent commission, which could provide the necessary political cover.

Courtesy USAToday

Eleven years after 9/11, time to recalibrate

VOICE OF ASIAremembers the heroes of 9/11

NYPD Deputy ChiefJoseph Curry at the World Trade Center


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Friday, September 12, 2014 • www.voiceofasiaonline.com • • Email: [email protected] • Tel: 713-774-5140

by Somdatta Gangopadhyay

‘Ganpati Bappa Morya/Mangalmurti Morya’ (Hail the Lord Ganpati/

Hail the idol of best wishes) was the chant accompanied by dhol beats as the sign of inau-guration of the Ganpati Utsav, Houston, 2014. Organized by the Houston Maharashtra Man-dal (HMM), this year saw US

Representative for Texas, Hon-orable Ms.Sheila Jackson Lee, as the Chief Guest for the fes-tive evening. Identifying Lord Ganesha as the Lord of good luck, Lee expressed her wish to visit Central India the origin of the Ganpati Utsav, and said ‘I need good luck to take back to Washington DC.’ It was a proud moment for the HMM, as Ms. Megha Ozarker, Presi-

Ganpati Bappa Showering Good Luck

Houston Maharashtra Mandal hosts Ganesh Utsav

dent, HMM said, ‘Honorable Sheila Jackson Lee presented our “Houston Maharashtra Mandal” with the “Certificate of Congressional Recogni-tion”. This is a moment to be proud of our community and its integrity.’

A warm Namaskar was ad-dressed to the crowd by Ms. Megha Ozarker followed by an introduction to the vari-ous sponsors including BEST (Business and Engineering So-lutions)for sponsoring Modak, and also Vishala Restaurant and Katy Bombay Bazar as some of the other sponsors. The evening also unveiled some of the talents including Nitish Kulkarni for composing and recording his own album in Hollywood.

In order to bring laugh-ter in the air, a comedy show

was presented followed by an amalgamation of diya dance and a creative devotional dance. Dancers were dressed in colourful costumes. ‘It takes months to practice for a five minute dance and many people gather during practice sessions and that too builds a stronger friendship and team spirit.’, said Ozarker. Another dance performance soon came up as a dedication to Lord Ganesha. The crowd cheered as dancers moved to the tunes of ‘Deva Shri Ganesha’ a song from Bollywood. Gauri Desai, Swa-ti Dutta, Suparna Apte were some of the talents from this show. Devotion wrapped in Qawwali dance came up next. In the words of Kranti Vara-vadekar, a Houston resident since 35 years, ex-President, HMM, ‘I’m the oldest and my co-dancers are younger. So

thanks to Nishad Kanhere and Dipti Maydeo-Kanhere and Kalpana Sarode, Jyoti Toraskar the entire “Nachu Ganaray-achya Rangi” team!! We all thoroughly enjoyed the dances and Kokum with Kanhere epi-sode.’ , said Ozarker. An Hon-orary presentation of drama personalities Mr.Sharad Ka-vadi and Ms.Sudha Kavadi was an attraction for the drama lovers.

Dancers gradually spread all over the auditorium waving saffron flags. ‘Saffron is the colour of Bairagya (sacrifice) and Ganesh’, stated Mr.Aditya Deshpande, member of cultur-al committee, HMM. A sump-tuous dinner was a part which concluded the event.

The Ganpati Utsav aimed at bringing everyone under one roof, as in the words of the President, HMM, ‘The real purpose of HMM 2014 Ga-

Ganeshji idol carried by Nimish and Dipti Jagtap. Ganeshji wel-comed with Dhol Tasha and Lezim dance for almost 0.5 hr.

I’m accepting new ideas and moving with the generation.’ Choreographed by Dipti Kan-here, the dance added sparkle to the evening as male dancers wore glittering white costume and females wore glittering red and green costumes. ‘Special

Honorable Sheila Jackson Lee presenting HMM President, Megha Ozarker with HMM Commu-nity’s “Certificate of Congressional Recognition” for its success.

nesh Utsav is to bring people together and enjoy. The future generation also learns a lot from these gatherings. Many high school students worked as volunteers and helped HMM Committee Members to orga-nize this big event.’

Extraordinary Achievements and Marathi Shala Exam Toppers recognized at 2014 HMM Ganeshotsav.


Q. I purchased a new pedigree puppy. As soon as I got it home, it became very ill. I immediately brought it to the veterinarian, but after two days and $1,000 in expenses, the puppy died. The vet said that the dog was extremely ill the day I bought it. The seller refuses to help pay the vet bills or even give me my money back. What are my legal rights?

A. Under the law, unless you bought the dog “as is,” you get what is called a warranty of “merchantability.” This is a warranty that the law implies in any contract for the sale of “goods.” Under the law, a dog is considered a “good,” just like any other product you purchase. Under this warranty, any merchant who sells a product warrants that it is “fit for its ordinary purpose,” and will “pass without objection in the trade.” In my opinion, this basically means that you have a guarantee that the puppy is healthy, or at least not seriously ill, at the time of the sale. If you can show that the dog had a serious medical problem at the time you purchased it, my opinion is that the seller has breached the warranty of merchantability and should be liable for damages.

If there is a breach of warranty, you will be entitled to all of the damages you suffered as a result of the breach. That includes the cost of the puppy, as well as your medical bills. You also would have a claim under the Deceptive Trade Practices Act, which entitles you to attorney’s fees, and up to three times your damage if the seller knew the puppy was sick when it was sold. I suggest you let the seller know you know your rights, and you expect your money back or a new puppy, and that you expect to be compensated for some or all of the vet bills. If you cannot settle the matter, consider a claim in justice court.

Q. My wife and I recently attended a free seminar about a living trust. They said that we would save a lot of money on estate taxes and it would simplify probate. Our estate is worth a total of about $900,000. The living trust would cost us over $1,500. We already have a will. Is it worth it?

A. Based on what you say, you will not owe any estate taxes at your death. Starting this year, estate taxes are due only if your estate is worth $5,340,000 or more. More importantly, a living trust does not eliminate liability for estate taxes. In my opinion, most people in Texas do not need a living trust. I suggest you speak with another attorney and have him or her compare the benefits and costs of a living trust and a will. In many cases, a will and some simple estate plan-ning is all you will need.

Q. How long do I have to file a lemon law complaint?

A. You may file a compliant within the shorter of the following time periods: 30 months after you bought the car; or, six months after the warranty on the car expires; or, six months after the car reaches 24,000 miles. Remember, the lemon law applies only to new cars. If you would like a free booklet that discusses your rights under this law, go to http://www.txdmv.gov/publica-tions, or call 800-622-8682.

Q. Last year, my ex-husband promised our daughter he would pay for half of her college educa-tion. Now that she has graduated he says he cannot afford to pay. Is this considered a verbal contract? Is it enforceable? Can she take him to justice court?

A. In most cases, verbal agreements are just as enforceable as those in writing. In this case, however, the agreement may not be enforceable for reasons other than the fact it was verbal.

Under a legal doctrine know as “consideration,” a promise, even if made in writing, is not enforceable unless it asks for something in return. A promise to make a gift generally is not en-forceable as a contract. For example, if he said, “If you work hard, get a job, and graduate with a B average, I will pay ½ your college tuition,” the promise would be binding if she did what he required. He asked for something in exchange for his promise, and that is “consideration.” On the other hand, if he said, “Because I love you, I will pay ½ of your tuition costs,” the promise is merely a promise to make a gift, and is not enforceable. The bottom line is that if your ex-hus-band simply made a bare promise to pay for your daughter’s education as a gift, the promise

You may want to speak with a family law attorney about the enforceability of the promise, and also about the possibility of amending your child support agreement to require the payment of college tuition.

Remember, if you have a consumer problem the Texas Consumer Complaint Center may be able to help. You may contact the Complaint Center at www.texasccc.com, or 877-839-8422.

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Patanjali Yogpeeth board members at M D Anderson Cancer Center: L-R: Dr. Durga Agrawal, Dr. Sen Pathak, Shekhar Agrawal, Dr. Shirley Telles, Dr. Lorenzo Cohen, Dr. Debu Tripathy & Dr. Alejandro Chaoul

by Manu Shah

HOUSTON: Why do we conduct clini-cal investigations to

prove the benefits of yoga? Are the effects seen in the laborato-ry similar to those described in the ancient scriptures? Are the results described by the sages still applicable today as the environment and the food we eat is radically different? These were some of the thought pro-voking questions Dr. Shelley Telles raised during her re-search based presentation to a packed audience at India House and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston last week.

Dr. Telles is the Director of Patanjali Research Institute at Haridwar and one of the most prominent researchers of yoga. She was invited as the Chief Guest speaker at the renowned Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY. She holds an MBBS and PhD in Neurophysiology and has spent years conducting ex-periments to study the mental and physical effects of yoga, pranayama and meditation on the human body.

According to her, “people are skeptical” and if we are to pop-ularize yoga there is a need for scientific evidence. Experiments are conducted as scientifically as any other clinical investigation - energy expenditure, autonomic variables, blood flow and brain waves of the subjects are mea-

Yoga’s benefits proved in a lab

sured using state of the art equip-ment. There is also a strong emphasis on qualitative analysis which is asking the subjects how they feel after a yoga or medita-tion session.

Dr. Telles described some ran-domized controlled trials she has supervised and stated that there is a correlation between the ancient texts and present stud-ies. In a study on the effects of various meditative practices, she found that sensory perception and sleep patterns are enhanced after meditation. There are three kinds of sleep – light sleep, deep sleep and dream sleep. Deep sleep is restorative and promotes growth in children and repair in adults while dream sleep wipes out unnecessary daytime memo-ries. However if one is prone to excessive dreams, the body’s restorative powers are reduced. Dr. Telles found meditation im-proves deep sleep and reduces dream sleep.

In a survey, 23% of software professionals were found to be taking anti- anxiety medications as well as experiencing muscular discomfort and dry eye or low-ered tear formation. The findings of a two month study on 200 software professionals showed those who practiced yoga re-duced their “techno stress” while the group which relaxed but did not practice yoga showed no im-provement.

Yoga has been used by Dr. Telles in the rehabilitation of

blind children who after only 3 weeks of practice showed reduced fear levels and an im-proved sense of hearing. Hostil-ity levels reduced in girls in a remand home and in an interest-ing study on a group of 69 elders, she found 60 minutes of yoga and meditation a day improved memory, gait, balance, sleep and lung functions in them.

Fat cells in our bodies produce Leptin which is a natural appe-tite suppressant but most people override the body’s signal and overeat. Dr. Telles found that practicing yoga helped one heed the signal better and thus sustain weight.

In answer to a question about why yoga is better than going to the gym, Dr. Telles remarked that yoga “is a lifestyle which im-pacts a person’s emotional well-being, alleviates stress and helps one face stressors with greater resilience.”

After hearing the proven ben-efits of yoga, an enthusiastic crowd rolled out their yoga mats and followed Dr. Telles through 45 minutes of chanting cum yoga exercises.

During her visit to Houston, Dr. Telles also met with doctors and researchers at the MD Anderson Cancer Center to explore the pos-sibility of using herbs manufac-tured by Patanjali Ayurved Ltd. to benefit people with cancer.

For more information, please visitwww.pyptusa.org

VOICE OF ASIA 5 FRIDAY, September 12, 2014COMMUNITY

Sewa International Houston had its Gala Fundraiser Help

‘2014 on September 5th 2014 at V.P.S.S Haveli. The fund-raiser is part of Sewa Inter-nationals endeavour to raise funds for its various programs in Greater Houston area.

The evening was really a big success with who’s who of the Indian community in full attendance. The chief guest for the evening was Indian Council General of Houston Sri Harish Parvathaneni and his wife Nandita Harish.

In his opening address Shri Harish urged the present gath-ering to go ahead and contrib-

Sewa ‘Help 2014’ raises over $110,000

ute generously for the cause of Sewa International.The evening began with the light-ing of the ceremonial lamp and bhajan by Kashmira.

Preanka DeSki, and Chris-tine Bobbyn of channel 13, were the MC’s of the eve-ning and did a fabulous job making sure things were on schedule and also that Sewa’s values were put across with emphasis.

The Opening Address of Sewa Houston’s President Smt Sarojini Gupta gave the audience an idea about all the work Sewa Interna-tional has done over the past year. She highlighted the

various new programs Sewa has introduced like Stop Diabetes movement, Family workshops,a nd also the new sewing and computer classes run for the refugee families at the Los Arcos apartment.

The evenings entertain-ment comprised of three shows that included:

Elemental dance by Anjali performing art center was a Spiritual dance performance

based on classical dance forms.

Bollywood Dance fusion was an upbeat fusion dance that set the mood of the eve-ning and Amrapali a dance drama by Kalakriti’s Kusum Sharma ,a leading figure in dance and music in Hous-ton.

All through the evening there were pledge appeals by eminent people of the com-

munity like paediatrician and philanthropist Sanghamitra Misra ji, senior community leader Sri Subhash Gupta ji and HGH president Shri Sharad Aminji.

As a result of their passion-ate pledge appeals Sewa In-ternational was able to raise more than $110,000.

The audience really en-joyed the program and also appreciated the work done by Sewa International. The shows were followed by a scrumptious dinner catered by VPSS.

All in all It was a great event and the best part of this event was that it was planned organized and ex-ecuted by the volunteers of Sewa Houston.

Sarojini Gupta, Sewa President delivering her address.

Amrapali a dance drama by Kalakriti’s Kusum Sharma was among the attractions of the gala.

Sewa International members, volunteers and supporters being recognized on the event. Sewa President Sarojini Gupta with Sewa volunteers.

Chief Guest Hon. Sri Harish Parvathaneni and his wife Nandita.

Obama appoints India-American to Fulbright scholarship board

WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama has appointed another Indian-American to a key administration post as member of prestigious J William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.

Obama announced Maneesh K Goyal’s ap-pointment and other key administration posts yes-terday, the White House said in a statement.

“These men and wom-en have demonstrated knowledge and dedication throughout their careers. I am grateful they have cho-sen to take on these impor-tant roles, and I look for-ward to working with them in the months and years to come,” Obama was quoted as saying in the statement.

The 12-member J Wil-liam Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board over-sees the State Depart-ment’s Fulbright scholar-ship program. The board members also select stu-dents, scholars, teachers and others who participate in the Fulbright exchange program.

Goyal is founder and president of MKG, an event marketing agency he started in 2001. In 2013, he co-founded Live in the Grey, a resource and con-sultancy focused on work-place culture.

He also serves on the US Advisory Council for the American India Founda-tion.

VOICE OF ASIA 6 FRIDAY, September 12, 2014COMMUNITY

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ISKCON of Houston Radhastami & Goswami

Academy Grand Opening

by Chaitanya Charitamrita das

Tuesday September 2, 2014 harsh traffic and construction noise bel-

low out of the Houston free-ways with frenzied commuters and truckers… just another day in paradise; later in the early evening reality reveals a place most wonderful.

At the Hare Krishna Dham on 34th Street I am entering into another realm of Houston, a transcendental one, a secret and secure oasis for all. Miracu-lously the blaring of truck and car horns have become soothing emanations from the sound of a conch-shell, the street lights and signals now sparkle as reflec-tions from the sequins and orna-ments upon a magnificent Altar.

Sri Sri Radha Nilamadhava came out of Alter to witness Goswami Academy grand opening.

How has this happened? It is none other than Sri Sri Radha’s blessings in action. This is a cel-ebration of Radhastami at ISK-CON of Houston, plus a grand opening for a new school, GO-SWAMI ACADEMY / GOKUL KIDZ Kindergarten-4 and Pre-school, making this now a dou-ble special-event day!

Since it is Srimati Radha-rani’s appearance day, many have called upon Her to cel-ebrate Her glories, She humbly abides, but for Her, all Glories go to a partner on Her right, Her beloved Sri Sri Nila-Madhava. Radha has modestly lifted her long radiant skirt and gracefully reveals Her beautiful lotus-like feet, bringing feelings of bliss and ecstasy to all who view.

Appropriately, the evening’s

guest speaker is Mrs. Subhra M. Lind, the Temple’s new school principal. Sharing the pastimes of dear Radharani is not an or-dinary thing, great discretion is needed. Mrs. Lind enunci-ated the story of the “Tormented Jackal” which seemed best for the guests, for this “Jackal” is part of all of us. Summariz-ing, a lone Jackal wanders into the local village and is being harassed by children and naïve citizens to the extreme anguish. Retreating to a burrow, a fire is placed at the entrance and the Jackal is piteously whelping. Radha hears of the animal’s plight comes to the Jackals aid, embarrassing and humbling the obsessive villagers. The sym-bolism of this burning material world, badgering entities and our “Jackal” like minds are im-

bued in this tale and it is only the mercy of God and His asso-ciates we can escape.

Bringing such storied pas-times is also part of the GOS-WAMI ACADEMY agenda. The school motto; “Education for Perfection” is reviving es-sential Spiritual knowledge and practical application in modern academia using an inquiry based curriculum within the founda-tions of our existence. There are also other goals in Spiritual and character development, life enhancing creative arts and ad-vancement of consciousness and technology.

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhak-tivedanta Swami brought these important Vedic celebrations to us from the East and was also emphatic about our chil-dren’s education. The schools

started in Texas in the 70’s are now primers for GOSWAMI ACADEMY. His grace Maha-raja Tamal Krishna Goswami also confirmed this and asked his disciples in Houston to be-gin schools. It is in their honor all have dedicated to continue this most important heritage.

The analogy of a “learning tree” comes to mind and from the 150 plus years of Vedic edu-cation in America, there have been many branches, some twisted, some fruitless, re-gardless the roots of Goswami Academy are strong and deep into the Vedic Sampradaya (Disciplic School System). The trunk of devotion and limbs of wisdom are sound, the remain-ing branches are being carefully pruned. There is no doubt that these schools are succeeding in transplanting the universal

Vedic knowledge to the West, and fulfill the World’s thirst for moral sustenance and hunger of technological understanding. The children themselves will confidentially say “I was there”, and the future of humanity, sen-tient beings, environment and the Earth itself will be much brighter.

Concluding this magnificent day with all the excitement, grandeur and school com-memorations a sumptuous feast was served, people dined and smiled continuously and many were taking birthday cake home for another taste of Radharani’s bliss on the following day… fortunately I managed to taste some too.

For details, please contact 713 714 2250 or visit www.gos-wamiacademy.org

All Indian Engineers, Architects, Designers and Technicians Celebrating 20 Years Of Outstanding Service To The Greater Houston Engineering & Architectural Community.

ATTENTION: INDIAN ENGINEERS & ARCHITECTS

When: Wednesday, Sept 24th, 2014, 6:30 pm – 9:30 pm

Where: Hilton Post Oak, 2001 Post Oak Blvd., Houston

AMERICAN SOCIETY OF INDIAN ENGINEERS

For More Info – Visit website www.asiehouston.org or call

Sekhar Ambadapudi 281-235-9202 Showri Nandagiri 713-294-3944

Lotus feet of Srimati Radharani and Sri Sri Radha Nilamadhava. Photos: Nagalla Nagaraj.

VOICE OF ASIA 7 FRIDAY, September 12, 2014DIASPORA

Chicago, IL, September 3rd, 2014: The 9th an-nual Global Healthcare

Summit (GHS) 2015, organized by the Association of Ameri-can Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) in collaboration with the Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, will be held at the prestigious Trident Oberoi Hotel, Nariman Point, Mumbai, India from January 2nd to 4th, 2015.

“Harnessing the power of Indian doctors worldwide, the AAPI Global Healthcare Sum-mit platform has evolved with the support of prominent global and Indian medical associations; including IMA, MCI, ASI, IPS, APA, API, ICON, JCI, AHA, Johns Hopkins and GAPIO,” says Dr. Ravi Jahagirdar, presi-dent of AAPI. In addition, sev-eral international healthcare in-dustry partners are looking for opportunities to participate in this event for greater collabora-tion on Research & Develop-ment and philanthropic engage-ments, he adds.

According to him, “Senior leaders from leading healthcare organizations such as pharma-ceuticals, device and medical equipment manufacturers and major medical teaching insti-tuitons, hospitals and from the Ministries – Health, External/Overseas Affairs and regulatory bodies are collaborating with AAPI with the ultimate goal to provide access to high quality and affordable healthcare to all people of India.”

While elaborating on the themes and areas that are going to be covered during the Sum-mit, Dr. Seema Jain, President-Elect of AAPI, says, “In our ef-forts to realize the core mission of AAPI, which is to share the best from leading experts from around the world, to collaborate on clinical challenges, research and development, philanthropy, policy and standards formula-tion, the Summit in Mumbai will have clinical tracks that are of vital to healthcare in India.”

Chronic diseases, notably dia-betes, cardiovascular, hyperten-sion, COPD, oncology, maternal and infant mortality, and emerg-ing ones - trauma and head inju-ry, transplant and minimally in-vasive robotic surgeries are only some of those that are going to be covered during this Summit. An exclusive Healthcare CEO forum brings the healthcare industry perspective, with se-nior Government officials, both Union and State providing the legislative wisdom. Hands-on workshops provide supervised skill transfer.

Bringing to the focus of the delegates and the various insti-tutions that support this event, the Summit will also highlight the meaningful gains so far, and spearhead further initia-tives through education, train-ing, panel discussions and the results of such will be presented at the Mumbai event, dissemi-nating the information to health providers up to District and Ta-luka levels across India utiliz-ing innovative technology by streaming live webcast of the proceedings directly from the GHS venue.

While elaborating the objec-tives of the Summit, Dr. Ajay Lodha, Vice President of AAPI, said, “This innovative Summit is aimed at advancing the ac-cessibility, affordability and the quality of world-class health-care to the people of India. Among other areas, the Sum-mit will focus on prevention, diagnosis, treatment options and share ways to truly improve healthcare transcending global boundaries.”

This international health care summit is a progressive trans-formation from the first Indo-US

AAPI s Global Healthcare Sum-mit 2015 to be held in MumbaiThe groundbreaking Summit from January 2-4, 2015 will discuss ways to bring the most innovative, efficient and cost effective healthcare solutions for India

Prof. Dr. L. K. Maheswari can be seen holding a Memento, standing, sixth from Left in the back row.]

Reliving BITS memories, BITSAA Hous-ton Chapter – BITSians’ day 2014

HOUSTON - BITSAA Houston Chapter met at Udipi Restaurant, Sugar

Land, Texas to celebrate its 2nd Anniversary coinciding with the BITSians’ day, which is annually celebrated on first Friday in August, by 40,000 plus BITSAA alumni all over the world.

More than 30 BITSians, young and old, came together, driving from as far as Woodlands. The highlight of the event was the presence of a recent graduate from BITS,Pilani- Dubai campus, which happens to be the only Overseas Engineering college wholly administered and run by an Institution located in India. .

It was a nostalgic and wistful re-union for all the members who shared their life-changing experiences dur-ing their undergraduate student life at all 4 campuses of BITS.

The anecdotal references about the campus life at BITS as narrated by spouses were especially amusing to hear from the spouses of BITSians!

It was exhilarating to have BIT-Sians from 1954 batch to 2009, along with their families, reunite for the event.

BITSians have broken the stereo-typical image of engineers and have become successful in non-traditional fields such as film making, music composition and book writing. Sev-eral have become successful entre-preneurs in Silcon Valley..

Prof. L K Maheswari, the Chief Guest of Honor for the evening had just retired from BITS, Pilani after serving the institute for more tha 40 years.

Mr. Dinkar Nandwana, of batch 2007, had ably put together and emceed the program. Mr. Krishna Vavilala, a native Houstonian and the senior most alumni of Pilani from batch 1954,presented Prof. L K Maheswari with a memento who thanked him for the services rendered to BITS, Pilani.

Prof. L K Maheswari, after he re-ceiving his Phd in Electronics from Pilani, has joined the Institution in 1971 and served as Vice chancellor of BITS till 2010 and then as an Ad-visor till July 2014. Prof. Maheswari shared some of his most memorable and challenging experiences during the expansion of BITS from a single campus at Pilani to four campuses increasing the college enrollment

four-folds. With great sense of pride he

mentioned that BITS management was approached by Government of Andhra Pradesh and Dubai to set up its branch in Hyderabad and Dubai respectively. He affirmatively stated that

BITS stands out from most of the Indian colleges as it admits students solely on merit and not based on quo-tas or reservations. He also shared the challenges faced by BITS man-agement and his role in introducing the All-India Entrance

Examination, called BITS Admis-sion Test (BITSAT) for admitting stu-dents in its undergraduate program.

With great pride he announced that BITSAT has set a gold standard among all other competitive exams in the country.

Prof. L K Maheshwari’s speech was followed by dinner and group snaps.

For more info. abot BITSAA Houston Cahpter, you may contact Mr. Krishna Vavilala @ 713-795-5169 or Mr.Dinkar Nandwana @ 217-974-0623

Dr. Ravi Jahagirdar, President of AAPI, Dr. Seema Jain, President_Elect of AAPI, and Dr. Jayesh Shah, Immediate Past President of AAPI leading a strategic plannuing session in Mumbai regarding GHS 2015.

Healthcare Summit launched by AAPI USA in 2007. Since then, AAPI has organized eight Indo - US/Global Healthcare Summits and developed stra-tegic alliances with various or-ganizations. It is these learning and relationships that have now enabled AAPI and participating organizations to plan ahead and prepare for an outstanding event that is expected to have over 300 very prominent and talent-ed physicians and surgeons of Indian oriing from around the world and are very passionate about serving their homeland, Mother India.

Healthcare in India is one of the largest sectors, in terms of revenue and employment. India is making significant improve-ments in the healthcare infra-structure and is building modern medical facilities throughout India. Indian doctors have made

tremendous progress in the 21st century and India is now being touted as a medical tourism hub.

At the same time, hundreds of millions suffer and die as a re-sult of lack of access to healthy living conditions or effective health care provisions in many parts of the world, particularly in India. “The coming together of so many of us gives hope these individuals and families that they no longer need to despair.,” Dr. Jahadirdar says. “Being or-ganized at this critical phase, GHS 2015 is aimed at exploring possibilities for greater collabo-ration and cooperation between the physicians and health care providers in India with those of Indian origin and major health-care providers abroad,” he ex-plains

For more information, please visit www.aapighsindia.org or www.aapiusa.org

VOICE OF ASIA 8 FRIDAY, September 12, 2014WORLD/US/ASIA

WASHINGTON, September 9, 2014 (AFP) - Americans and Congress have grown hawkish in their views of jihadists, ac-cording to a Tuesday poll and lawmakers who say President Barack Obama should take stronger military action against the Islamic State (IS).

The increasingly aggressive stance frames the backdrop of Obama’s upcoming speech to the nation Wednesday, when he will lay out what the White House says will be his “strate-gy for degrading and ultimately destroying the terrorist group.”

In the Washington Post/ABC News poll, Americans over-whelmingly favored taking tougher steps against IS, with 52 percent of respondents say-ing Obama has been “too cau-tious” in his approach to the extremist forces rampaging across parts of Iraq and Syria.

Eight percent said his ap-proach was too aggressive, while 35 percent said it was about right.

Nine in 10 Americans de-clared IS a serious threat.

Respondents favored ongo-ing airstrikes against the group in Iraq by 71 percent to 23 per-cent, and they responded 65 to 28 percent in favor of expand-ing airstrikes into Syria, where the administration has shown reluctance in getting involved

Americans support tougher action against jihadists: poll

A protestor holds a placard during a rally in front of the White House on August 16, 2014 in Wash-ington, DC (AFP Photo/Mandel Ngan)

in the ongoing civil war.

In Congress, Republicans and Democrats alike are calling for more presidential resolve in bringing down IS.

Many lawmakers feel Obama already has authority under the War Powers Resolution to conduct military strikes on Iraq and Syria, but voices from both parties have called for a formal vote to authorize the use of force.

“I am looking for a strategy from the president that takes on this terrorist threat and defeats it,” House Speaker John Boeh-ner told reporters.

Boehner and other congres-sional leaders were to be briefed by Obama later Tuesday.

Obama has sought to down-play the prospect of re-inserting US ground troops into Iraq, but Boehner declined to rule out the possibility of a role for US soldiers beyond their advisory or protective capacity.

Obama “needs to show that

he can be a leader, that he can coalesce the Arab League part-ners in a way that he hasn’t in the past,” House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers told Fox News.

But Republican Congress-man Adam Kinzinger said law-makers are ready to green-light presidential action now.

“If he chooses to come to Congress, I think it would pass overwhelmingly,” Kinzinger said.

Calls to intensify military ac-tion against IS go beyond the traditional circle of interven-tionists. Senator Rand Paul, who has been deeply skeptical of US overseas intervention, has recently joined calls to de-stroy IS.

According to Democrat Senator Dianne Feinstein, who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee, Obama has the authority to launch more air-strikes.

“The question is how long that lasts,” she said.

With full pomp and flair, for the unprec-edented first time in

the United States of America, a Huge 3 day religious festival for traditional South Asians “Ganesh Utsav” was orches-trated by 1947 Production & Entertainment, Inc. in associa-tion with Zee TV & India.com in Edison, NJ. Across from Hill Top complex, the main artery of Oak tree road turned into a flickering saffron Gajanana re-ception road.

A replica of much celebrated Lord Ganesha, imposing 14 feet tall Statue was brought in

Thousands Flock to Edison to revere Lord Ganesh

LAHORE, September 9, 2014 (AFP) - At least 11 worshippers

were killed when the roof of a mosque collapsed in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore Tues-day and an unknown number are still buried under rubble, officials said.

The accident happened in Daroghawala, a low-income neighbourhood in the outer city with narrow and congested streets that hampered rescue ef-forts.

Recent monsoon rains that have caused deadly flooding in Pakistan’s Kashmir region and Punjab province may have con-

At least 11 die in Pakistan mosque collapse: officials

A 14 feet tall statue of Lord Ganesha

from Mumbai, India and placed on a platform, visible from far and away, under a big canopy. On the 29th of August, the day of “Ganesh Chaturthi”, the “Emperor of the faithful”, re-mover of all ills and Obstacles, was invited in with his fam-ily. Amid traditional Sanskrit chanting, the Idol of Elephant head God was infused by the Divine Cosmic Consciousness, a religious ritual called “Prana Pratistha”. Hundreds of faith-ful followers witnessed this entirely spiritual experience with chants of “Ganapati Bap-pa Moriya” flowing through the atmosphere. In three days, thousands upon thousands of devotees patiently waited their turn in 90 to 100 degree heat, to have a closer look and bow to the Almighty God who is al-ways First to be invited to all pujas. People travelled some distance from Boston, Atlan-ta, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Connecticut, as far as from Canada and Colorado to partake in one of a kind Ga-nesh Festival.

In another first, over 1000 lbs. Modak, a sweet dumpling, believed to be favorite food of Ganesh, especially created by Chowpatty Caterers, was on befitting display to the right side of the Humongous Idol for the benefit of the worshippers.

On 31st August, at the end of this highly Religious event, al-most 1100 lbs. of Modak was distributed amongst devotees as Prasad.

An unparalleled planning and execution was on display all around. All the thousands devo-tees attending the festival were overwhelmed with the flow of faith and spirituality. Amply supported by Township of Edi-son, their Police, Fire and other departments, it was an amazing fest to say the least. Zee T.V. brought in two sparkling dia-monds from India, the winners of their fantastic show “Sa Re Ga Ma Pa” in 2012, Mr. Jasraj Joshi as well as Ms. Arshpreet Kaur, to perform live for two hours each, on Aug. 30 as well as Aug. 31st. Along with them, there were a number of perfor-mances from local talents to keep the audience involved on a separate Entertainment stage.

It was a frozen moment in time as Thousands bid adieu to the revered God Ganesh until next year. On the last day of the celebrations, as if to express its approval to the Festival, some strong thunderstorms lashed North, South and West in the State of New Jersey, the weath-er system driven by the Rain God Indra’s command, seemed to part in two distinct stratas, as if to spare the Blessed Ga-

A variety of cultural programs were a part of the 3-day celebrations

nesh Festivities and other than a few sprinkles, the festival concluded with much passion as was witnessed through the weekend.

Ms. Arshpreet Kaur, of Sa re Ga Ma fame seen performing live. Another winner of the same show, Mr. Jasraj Joshi also performed on two days.

Read latest on National & South Asia on our website:www.VoiceofAsiaonline.com

tributed to the collapse, Punjab food minister Bilal Yasin told AFP.

“Rescuers have pulled the bodies of eleven people from the rubble and two of them are teenage boys,” Rizwan Naseer, a senior rescue official told AFP.

Local government official Usman Ahmed confirmed the roof collapse and toll.

The body of a 70-year-old man had also been brought out, Naseer said, while seven wounded had been rescued. A crane and excavators had start-ed work, he added.


SYDNEY / MELBOURNE

COUNTY NEWS

SUGAR LAND, TX—Sugar Land Animal Services is

extending reduced adoption fees of $20 for cats and re-ducing the dog adoption fee to $40 through Oct. 19. The fee includes vaccinations, spaying/neutering and a mi-crochip with a lifetime reg-istration.

Through the month of Sep-tember, the shelter will give out $20 PetsMart gift cards with every black cat adop-tion, while supplies lasts, for the Black Cat Blow-out event.

All shelter pets include a sleepover option allowing

FORT BEND ISD - The prekindergarten experi-ence can have a great

influence on a child’s educa-tional career and helps set the stage for lifelong learning. To help serve area four-year-old children who are eligible for prekindergarten, Fort Bend ISD is continuing enrollment for the half-day program at several el-ementary schools.

The following elementary schools currently have imme-diate availability in the after-noon prekindergarten program: Blue Ridge, Briargate, Colony Meadows, Hunters Glen, Lan-tern Lane, Mission West, Parks, Pecan Grove, Ridgegate and Ridgemont. Parents may also check the FBISD Curriculum website at www.fortbendisd.com/Page/1025 for a list of ad-ditional elementary campuses that offer prekndergarten pro-grams and information regard-ing registration requirements.

To be eligible for prekinder-garten, a child must be four

MISSOURI CITY - The EXPO is the longest-running of

its kind in Fort Bend County and will feature opening re-marks by Mayor Allen Owen during the pre-event presenta-tion at 4:30 p.m. “Council and staff have made a concerted effort in the past few years to grow and expand the broad business opportunities within City limits. From our award-winning business parks such as Lakeview to our new small business initiative to a recently approved new business park near the Highway 90A and

City to Host 10th Anniversary of Fort Bend’s Longest-Running Business Expo Sept. 29 at Hampton Inn & Suites

Beltway 8 intersection, the City takes a proactive approach to economic development,” he said. “We are excited to host the Business Showcase EXPO for the first time in Missouri City and showcase our diverse business community.”

A popular resource for Fort Bend business owners and community leaders through-out the past 10 years, Business Showcase chose Missouri City as its exclusive partner for the 10th-anniversary showcase, which is sponsored by River-stone, Minute Maid, Witt’s Ca-

Marking a milestone anniversary, Business Showcase will partner with Missouri City on Monday, Sept. 29, from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. to host its 10th Annual EXPO at the Hampton Inn & Suites, 4909 Hwy. 6.

tering and Lasagna House. The EXPO is also offering addition-al sponsorship spots starting at $300; exhibitor booths begin at $175.

“This Business EXPO has already given the platform to more than 150 emerging and established companies to step into the spotlight and showcase their services to an audience that believes in encouraging local business growth,” said Namita Asthana with Business Showcase. “This grassroots platform works best to market and promote your business.

Both as a business owner and a consumer of local business, you get to know the local eco-system.”

For more information on ob-taining an exhibitor booth, visit www.BusinessShowcase.net or call 713.598.5454.

For more information about Missouri City, please watch the City website: www.missourici-tytx.gov, like us on Facebook—fb/MissouriCityTX, follow us on Twitter—@MissouriCityTX, and watch Missouri City Televi-sion (Ch. 16 on Comcast).

potential families to try out a pet in their home for three to five days. If it’s a perfect match, just return to Animal Services to finalize the adop-tion.

The City also hosts adop-tion events at Petsmart, 16758 Southwest Freeway. Adoptable animals from the City’s animal shelter are dis-played on a daily basis. Cats are housed at Petsmart seven days a week, and dogs stay at the store on Fridays, Satur-days and Sundays.

For more information, con-tact Sugar Land Animal Ser-vices, 101 Gillingham Lane, at (281) 275-A-DOG (2364).

Sugar Land Extends Re-duced Pet Adoption Fees

years old on or before Sep-tember 1, be a Fort Bend ISD resident, and meet one of the following specifications:

Limited English proficient because a language other than English is the primary language spoken in the home (Students qualifying by language will be tested to determine placement in the program.), or

Qualify according to the Fed-eral Income Eligibility Guide-lines (Parents must bring proof of income, documentation for at least one month of income, including current check stubs, child support statement of pay-ment, SNAP qualification let-ter, etc.), or

Be homeless, or Have current or previous

conservatorship of the Depart-ment of Family and Protective Services, or

Is the dependent child of an active U.S. Armed Forces member or a U.S. Armed Forc-es member who has been in-jured or killed while on active duty.

Families with students who meet the eligibility require-ments are encouraged to con-tact the campus Attendance Clerk to make an appointment to register. Spaces are filled on a “first-come, first-served” basis, and will not be held be-cause of missing documents. If

Prekindergarten Openings Still Avail-able at Fort Bend ISD Campuses

281-825-5335844-TAJ-4-YOU

Los Angeles | Washington | PhiladelphiaHouston | Staten Island | New York

Detroit |Chicago | Florida

there are no openings at a fam-ily’s chosen school, the fam-ily will be directed to the next nearest campus.

For more information, con-tact the elementary campus At-tendance Clerk or visit the pre-kindergarten website at www.fortbendisd.com/Page/1025.

Read your community stories Online Visit:www.VoiceofAsiaOnline.com


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Vol. 27 No. 37 Friday, September 12, 2014 Section 2 Email: [email protected] Tel: 713-774-5140

ONLINE.COMvoiceofasiaonline.com LIFESTYLE

by Annie BANERJI

NEW DELHI, - “Wiz-ard of Oz” heroine Dorothy only had to

click her ruby red slippers to-gether and they would spirit her home to Kansas.

Now, an Indian high-tech start-up is promising to do the same in real life with a new, GPS-enabled smart sports shoe that vibrates to give the wearer directions.

The fiery red sneakers, which will also count the number of steps taken, distance travelled and calories burned, will go on sale in September under the name LeChal, which means “take me along” in Hindi.

The shoes come with a de-tachable Bluetooth transceiver that links to a smartphone app to direct the wearer using Google maps, sending a vibrat-ing signal to indicate a left or right turn.

They are the brainchild of 30-year-old Krispian Law-rence and Anirudh Sharma, 28, two engineering graduates who founded their tech start-up Ducere in a small apartment in 2011 with backing from angel investors and now employ 50 people.

SMART SHOES: CEO of Ducere Technologies, Krispian Lawrence poses with the inner soles, left, and a pair of GPS-enabled smart sports shoes, to be marketed under the name ‘LeChal’ in Hydera-bad. (AFP)

Indian start-up launches shoes that show you the way

“We got this idea and rea-lised that it would really help visually challenged people, it would work without any audio or physical distractions,” said Lawrence in an interview with AFP.

“But then we were trying it out on ourselves and suddenly we were like, ‘wait a minute, even I would want this,’ because it felt so liberating not having to look down at your phone or being tied to anything.”

“The footwear works instinc-tively. Imagine if someone taps your right shoulder, your body naturally reacts to turn right, and that’s how LeChal works.”

- Growing sector -

Smart shoes aimed at specific demographic markets -- such as dementia sufferers and children whose parents want to keep track of their movements -- are already commercially avail-able.

But Lawrence and Sharma believe theirs will be the first to target mass-market consumers, and have focused on creating stylish rather than purely func-tional footwear.

As well as the red sneaker, they are marketing an insole to

allow users to slip the technol-ogy into their own shoes.

“Earlier, wearable technology was always seen as machine-like, nerdy glasses or watches, but now that is changing,” said Lawrence.

They say they have 25,000 advance orders for the shoes, which will retail at between $100 and $150.

Demand has so far mostly been through word of mouth and through the lechal.com website. But the company is in talks with retailers to stock the shoes ahead of the holiday season in India and the United States.

It forecasts it will sell more than 100,000 pairs of the shoes, which are manufactured in Chi-na, by next April.

Wearable technology is a growing global sector. Market tracker IDC forecast in April that sales would triple this year to 19 million units worldwide, growing to 111.9 million by 2018.

The industry’s rapid growth has given rise to fears about privacy, although Ducere says it will record no data on users and maintains robust security.

The company still hopes its product will be useful for vi-sually impaired people, and experts at the L.V. Prasad Eye Institute in the southern city of Hyderabad are testing its suit-ability.

“It’s a perfect intuitive wear-able item. You may forget to wear a belt or a helmet, but shoes you can never leave the house without,” said Anthony Vipin Das, a doctor at the in-stitute.

“LeChal solves orientation and direction problems, it’s a good assistant to the cane.”

Possible problems include battery failure or loss of Blu-etooth connectivity, which Das says could be fixed by provid-ing a live feed of a user’s posi-tion to a friend or relative, with their consent.

The company says it could use a portion of any future

profits to subsidise the shoes for disabled users.

For all the shoes’ high-tech features, Lawrence’s favou-rite thing is that he no longer loses his phone -- if the wearer moves too far from his or her phone, the shoes buzz to warn them.

“I’m a very forgetful person and the best part is that the shoes don’t let you forget your phone,” he said.

LONDON - From super-long tongues to leaping cats, a host of weird and

wacky landmarks have made the cut for 60th anniversary edition of the Guinness World Records book launched on Wednesday.

The new edition reflects on six decades of record-breaking, while also featuring the latest additions to the oddball hall of fame.

They include Californian Nick Stoeberl, possessor of the world’s longest tongue at 10.1 centime-tres (four inches).

British film buff Nick Bennett earned a place in the compendi-um for having the largest collec-tion of James Bond memorabilia, with 12,463 items from model cars to posters displayed in a shrine in his house.

“I’m still collecting... And there’s still stuff arriving today,” said Bennett, who started collect-ing in 1995.

In Japan, Akiko Obata has the largest collection of plastic food, with more than 8,000 items in-cluding giant plastic burgers, donuts and dishes of everything from soup to desserts filling her apartment.

Meanwhile Alley of the United States takes the longest jump by a cat record, at an impressive six feet (1.83 metres). The white, black and ginger cat leapt the distance between two small plat-forms.

Brewers Guinness launched their famous records book in 1955 to settle disputes among drinkers.

Since then, more than 132 mil-lion copies of their annual com-pendium have been sold in 20 languages in more than 100 coun-tries.

All the record attempts are as-

Long tongues and leaping cats in 60th World Records book

A recent handout picture released by the Guinness World Records on Sep-tember 9, 2014, shows Nick Stoeberl from California, who has secured his place in the 2015 book for having the longest tongue that measures 10.1cm.

sessed by adjudicators from the organisation.

New inclusions this year include Inke Siefker of San Francisco, who set a record for furthest ar-row shot on target with the use of feet (6.10 metres, 20 feet) -- done by operating a bow with her legs while standing on her hands.

Meanwhile Karsten Maas in Germany has invented the world’s longest usable golf club at 14 feet and five inches (4.39 metres).

Maas conceded his invention was not the most practical as “the weight and length of the club make striking the ball really exhausting. Plus, I don’t have a caddy!”

And Londoner Yannick Read who created the smallest known caravan -- measuring under 2.4 metres (seven feet, 10 inches) in length.

“It’s even got a kettle so you can make yourself a nice cup of tea,” Read said in a promotional video.

Other records included the most oceans rowed, awarded to Si-mon Chalk, and heaviest weight lifted with beard, taken by Anta-nas Kontrimas who picked up a woman attached by a harness to his grey beard.

Aside from the new records, the 2015 book looks back at records from the last 60 years including British runner Roger Bannister’s sub-four-minute mile and Michael Jackson’s music industry land-marks.

“This is an important landmark edition for Guinness World Re-cords, giving us the opportunity to look back at how records have changed over these six extraordi-nary decades,” said editor Craig Glenday.

“Of course, we’ve still had to process around 50,000 claims in this past year alone, giving us plenty of new and updated records to choose from... and making it a really difficult task to decide what makes the final cut.”


Friday, September 12, 2014 Section 2 Email: [email protected] Tel: 713-774-5140

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Weak public spend-ing on education in East Asia is leav-

ing families to pick up the tab, heaping huge burdens on par-ents who want to get children through college, a new global report has found.

Improving academic results, particularly in maths, are being underwritten by pricey private tutoring despite the society-wide benefits of a better-educat-ed population, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) said.

A common challenge for the region’s governments is “to build better systems of pub-lic support to enable talented people from all sorts of back-grounds to take part in higher education”, said Andreas Schleicher, director of educa-tion at the OECD.

Six-year-old Japanese elemetary student Seishi Nishida (2nd row L blue shirt) raises his hand along with classmates at school in Tokyo on June 11, 2013. Asian parents increasingly pick up tab for childrens’ education. Photo By Yoshikazu Tsuno

Asian parents underwrite weak education spending: OECD

“East Asian countries spend relatively limited public bud-gets for education,” he said during a video conferencing for Tokyo-based journalists.

“A lot of the burden for fi-nancing of education, particu-larly higher education, (falls on) parents, families. That’s a chronic trend among East Asian countries,” he said.

In Japan 30.5 percent of mon-ey spent on education across all levels comes from private sources, the OECD found in its “Education at a Glance 2014” report. In South Korea, the fig-ure is even higher at 37.2 per-cent.

These compare with an OECD average of 16.1 percent. European countries tend to have a higher proportion of the cost of education borne by the public sector, with 97.2 percent

of Sweden’s education bills picked up by the state.

The private contribution to the cost of tertiary education alone -- university or college -- in Japan and South Korea is even higher, at 65.5 percent and 73.0 percent respectively. This compares with an OECD aver-age of 30.8 percent.

The report also highlighted a 2012 finding that 15-year-olds in East Asia do better in maths than their peers elsewhere, de-spite relatively smaller public spending on education.

In 2012 students in Shang-hai, China, had the best global score in the subject, followed

by those in Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Korea.

The value that society places on education is a clear benefit to the ultimate performance of these students, said Schleicher, even though this does not al-ways show up in public spend-ing commitments.

“Children from all sorts of backgrounds take part in edu-cation and achieve good results, despite relatively weak public support systems,” he said.

“I actually attribute that largely to high values that fam-ilies, parents and everyone and teachers place on education, much more so than the rest of the world,” he said.

WA S H I N G T O N , September 9, 2014 (AFP) - Nine in

10 American children eat too much salt, greatly raising their risk of high blood pressure and heart disease as they grow old-er, experts said Tuesday.

More than 40 percent of the sodium children consume comes from what are typically their favorite foods, including pizza, sandwich meats, cheese, chicken nuggets and pasta dishes, said the report by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Kids aged 6-18 eat an aver-age of about 3,300 milligrams of sodium a day before salt is added at the table, the report said. That is far higher than the

Nine in 10 children in US eat too much salt: experts

2,300 milligrams per day rec-ommended by the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

“Too many children are con-suming way too much sodium, and the result will be risks of high blood pressure and heart disease in the future,” said CDC director Tom Frieden.

“Most sodium is from pro-cessed and restaurant food, not the salt shaker. Reducing so-dium intake will help our chil-dren avoid tragic and expensive health problems.”

The data was based on find-ings from the CDC’s 2009-2010 National Health and Nu-trition Examination Survey.

Lunch and dinner tended to be the most salty meals of the day, said the report.

“Most sodium is already in food before you buy it or or-der it. About 65 percent comes

from store foods, 13 percent from fast food and pizza res-taurant foods, and nine percent from school cafeteria foods.”

Parents and caregivers are urged to give kids plenty of fruit and vegetables, alongside wholesome, unprocessed foods as often as possible, the CDC said in a statement.

Schools could help by reduc-ing sodium in food and putting lower-sodium alternatives in vending machines and cafete-rias, it added.

“The dangerously high levels of sodium children are con-suming demand action from the Food and Drug Administra-tion,” said the Center for Sci-ence in the Public Interest, a consumer group.

“We are sentencing all too many children to premature death from heart disease and stroke.”

A cook prepares fries in a cafe at the Frietmuseum in Bruges Sep-tember 27, 2011. REUTERS/Thierry Roge

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Houston crowns Mrs. and Mr. Bollywood

L to R - Kiran Gulati (Mrs. Bollywood 2nd Runner Up), Pavana Gadde (Mrs. Bollywood 1st Runner Up), Raveena Tandon, Ruchika Dias (Founder & CEO Bollywood Shake), Nina Desai (Mrs. Bollywood Houston 2014). Photo Credit Murali Santhana.

HOUSTON - The first ever Mrs. & Mr. Bollywood Houston pageant organized

by Ruchika Dias, Founder and CEO of Bollywood Shake was held on Sat-urday, Sept 6th at the Hilton Americas in downtown Houston. The event de-livered all it promised and more! The Houston crowd came out in big num-bers elegantly dressed for a memora-ble evening of fun and entertainment.

The event began with the guests en-tering the beautiful and exquisite ven-ue where they were met with a visual treat with the very classy ballroom decorated by Deco-Art.

The show included dance perfor-mances by Bollywood Shake’s dance troupe and a spectacular performance by celebrity Bollywood singer and Houston’s own Mauli Dave who sang songs like Balam Pichkari and Mayya Mayya.

The judging panel included Bolly-wood actress Raveena Tandon, sing-

er and reality TV series host Mauli Dave, upcoming star Mahesh Sriram, Amiralli Dodhiya of New York Life, Jahan Siddiq and Hina Lakhani from Kaaya Salon. The MCs for the night were Syeda Hasan, RJ on Houston’s NPR station and Syed Ali, a Sangeet Radio RJ. Grand sponsors of the event were Amiralli Dodhiya from New York Life, Kaaya Salon & Spa, Kohi-noor Diamonds & Parinaz boutique.

Bollywood celebrity guest Raveena Tandon got a true Bollywood style entry with the song Tu Cheez Badi Hai Mast Mast from her film Mohra played out by Bollywood Shake danc-ers and dhol players.

The Mrs. Bollywood Pageant con-sisted of three Rounds: Round 1, choreographed by Raza Hasan was the Introduction Round where the 12 contestants were dressed in exquisite designer sarees. A short introduc-tion video was also played for each contestant that included glimpses of their talent. Round 2 was the formal

round where the Mrs. Bollywood con-testants wore stunning and gorgeous bridal clothing accompanied Mauli as she sang “Dil Mera Muft Ka” and “Halkat Jawani” and Round 3 was the question and answer round where the Final 6 contestants got a question each from a judge ranging from “if you get a chance, what is one thing you would change in your life?” from Mauli Dave to Kiran Kaur to “if a genie of-fers you three wishes, what will you wish for?” from Raveena Tandon to Shaneel Mitha.

The show also included a Mr. Bol-lywood contest where the five male contestants got a chance to showcase their talent in Round 1. In Round 2, the Mr. Bollywood contestants came out in Ethnic wear to the song “Maria” by Ricky Martin.

Ms. Tandon was welcomed by Ru-chika Dias on stage and their interac-tion was very entertaining to watch. Ms. Tandon talked about how she had visited Houston several times. Ruchi-

ka then praised Raveena on her punc-tuality and professionalism.

Mrs Bollywood Winners were an-nounced as: Nina Desai winner of title Mrs. Bollywood 2014, Pavana Gadde, , 1st Runner up and Kiran Gulati, 2nd Runner up.

Special Awards recepients were:

Beautiful Smile- Shaneel Mitha, Beautiful Skin- Heena Ali, Perfect 10 - Reshu Bagga, People Choice/FB Award - Ruchi Singh & Mrs Talented - Dimpy Kaur Virk.

The title of Mr. Bollywood 2014 was bestowed on Waqas Syed while Varun Gupta was selected as the 1st Runner up and Parminder Singh as the 2nd Runner up.

This event was a true celebration of married women who showed that you can still pursue your dreams after mar-

riage. Although only one could win the crown, all the contestants are win-ners because they took the bold step of participating in the pageant and show-casing their personality and talent.

Kudos to Ruchika Dias and the en-tire Bollywood Shake team for putting together an entertaining and well orga-nized event which was truly a one-of-a-kind show for Houston. Bollywood Shake would like to thank all its spon-sors, volunteers and Houston for mak-ing this event possible! This will be an annual event – so look out for the next one! Look out for the next Bollywood Shake pageant event - the Miss Bol-lywood pageant in March 2015.

The event was also featured on ABC 13, Fox 26 Houston and TV-Asia!

This report can also be viewed on www.voiceofasiaonline.com

Mr. Bollywood 2014 winner, Waqas Syed gets the sash from Bollywood ac-tress Raveena Tandon. Photo by Harsh M Photography.

VOICE OF ASIA 15 FRIDAY, September 12, 2014HEALTHHEALTHY LIVING Friday, September 12, 2014 Section 2 Email: [email protected] Tel: 713-774-5140

Learn How Social Security Credits Are Earned

When you work and pay Social Security taxes,

you earn up to a maximum of four “credits” for each year. The way you earn a credit has changed over the years.

• Before 1978, em-ployers reported your earnings every 3 months and we called credits “quarters of coverage,” or QCs. Back then, you got a QC or credit if you earned at least $50 in a 3-month calen-dar quarter.

• In 1978, employers started reporting your earn-ings just once a year. Credits are now based on your total wages and self-employment income during the year, no matter when you did the ac-tual work. You might work all year to earn four credits, or you might earn enough for all four in a much shorter length of time.

The amount of earnings it takes to earn a credit has changed since 1978. In the year 2014, you must earn $1,200 in covered earnings to get one Social Security or Medicare work credit and $4,800 to get the maximum four credits for the year.

Note: You do not earn cred-its for pension payments or for interest or dividends on sav-ings and investments. You do not pay Social Security tax on that kind of income.

During your lifetime, you probably will earn more cred-its than the minimum number you need to be eligible for benefits. These extra credits do not increase your benefit amount. Your average earn-ings over your working years determine how much your monthly payment will be.

Many people wonder how their benefit is figured. Social Security benefits are based on your lifetime earnings. Your actual earnings are adjusted or “indexed” to account for changes in average wages since the year the earnings were received. Then Social Security calculates your aver-age indexed monthly earnings during the 35 years in which you earned the most. We apply a formula to these earnings and arrive at your basic benefit, or “primary insurance amount”. This is how much you would receive at your full retirement age—65 or older, depending on your date of birth.

On the back of this page is a worksheet you can use to es-timate your retirement benefit if you were born in 1952. It is only an estimate; for specific information, talk with a Social Security representative.

Factors that can change the

amount of your retirement benefit

You choose to get benefits before your full re-

tirement age. You can begin to receive Social Security ben-efits as early as age 62, but at a reduced rate. Your basic ben-efit will be reduced by a certain percentage if you retire before reaching full retirement age.

You are eligible for cost-of-living benefit increases starting with the year you be-come age 62. This is true even if you do not get benefits un-til your full retirement age or even age 70. Cost-of-living increases are added to your benefit beginning with the year you reach 62 up to the year you start receiving benefits.

You delay your retirement past your full retirement age. Social Security benefits are increased by a certain percent-age (depending on your date of birth) if you delay receiv-ing benefits until after your full retirement age. If you do so, your benefit amount will be increased until you start taking benefits or you reach age 70.

Credits are the “building blocks” we use to find out whether you have the mini-mum amount of covered work to qualify for each type of So-cial Security benefits. If you stop working before you have enough credits to qualify for benefits, your credits will stay on your record. If you return to work later on, you can add more credits so that you can qualify. No benefits can be paid if you do not have enough credits.

As you make plans for your retirement, you may ask, “How much will I get from Social Security?” To find out, you can use the Retirement Estima-tor at www.socialsecurity.gov/estimator. Workers age 18 and older also can go online, create a personal account and request their Social Security Statement. To review your Statement, go to www.socialsecurity.gov/myaccount.

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HOUSTON – (Sept. 8, 2014) – M. Sriram Iyengar, Ph.D., was

one of nine faculty members of The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) who has received the University of Texas System Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award. The award recognizes those who deliver the highest quality of instruction in the classroom, the laboratory, the field or online.

Iyengar is an associate pro-fessor in the UTHealth School of Biomedical Informatics. His research interests include clini-cal informatics, symbolic sys-tems biology and public health informatics. Iyengar is a mem-ber of the Gulf Coast Consortia for Quantitative Biomedical Sciences.

“What I try hardest to impart to students is why my subject, biomedical informatics, is won-derful, exciting and important. Also, how they can advance the field, and how their contri-butions could improve people’s lives,” Iyengar wrote.

Iyengar received his bachelor of technology in electrical en-gineering at the Indian Institute of Technology in Madras, India and his masters’ degree in elec-trical communication engineer-ing at The Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore, India. He completed a masters’ degree in statistics and a doctorate degree in computer science from Ohio State University.

“The UTHealth faculty mem-

bers who have been honored with this prestigious teaching award exemplify the dedication of UTHealth in providing the highest level of education for our students,” said UTHealth President Giuseppe Colasurdo, M.D.

Faculty members were as-sessed on criteria including classroom expertise, curricula quality, innovative course de-velopment and student learning outcomes. A total of 39 new members from UT health insti-tutions were elected this year.

“It is the UT System’s re-

M. Sriram Iyengar is one of UT Health faculty members honored with Regents’ teaching award

sponsibility to provide a world-class education for students at our institutions,” said Regent Robert L. Stillwell, who chairs the Health Affairs Committee for the Board of Regents. “Rec-ognizing teaching excellence is an important part of the over-all commitment to improving the quality of higher education across the state.”

UTHealth educates more health care professionals than any other health-related insti-tution in Texas. The UTHealth award recipients come from all of its six schools:

Award winners received $25,000 and were honored at a ceremony Aug. 20 at the Uni-versity of Texas at Austin’s Shirley Bird Perry Ballroom in the Texas Union.

The UT System educates two-thirds of the state’s health care professionals annually and accounts for nearly 70 percent of all research funds awarded to public universities in Texas. A complete list of winners by institution can be found on the Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Awards website: http://www.utsystem.edu/teachingawards/.

M. Sriram Iyengar, Ph.D UT

by Kerry SHERIDAN

WA S H I N G T O N , September 8, 2014 (AFP) - Clusters of

severe respiratory illness across a dozen US states have raised concern about the spread of an unusual virus that is striking children but not adults, health officials said Monday.

The culprit in most cases

Rare respiratory virus infects ‘clusters’ of US kids

identified so far is enterovi-rus 68, or EV-D68, said as-sistant surgeon general Anne Schuchat.

She said “about 12 states” have reported apparent clusters to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“The situation is evolving quickly,” she said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if there are many

more.”

No deaths have been reported this year, but infants, children and teenagers are most vulner-able, and some states have seen a spike in hospitalizations, she said.

According to US media re-ports, the affected states in-clude Colorado, Georgia, Illi-nois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky,

Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio and Oklahoma.

“This isn’t a new virus,” Schuchat told reporters, noting that it was first discovered in 1962.

However, it “is fairly uncom-mon, and we don’t know as much about it as we do about some of the other common en-teroviruses,” she said.

“It can cause mild or severe respiratory illness, yet the full spectrum of all of the illness-es it can cause are not well-defined, and that is something people are looking into with these clusters.”

Clusters of EV-D68 have also been seen recently in Japan and the Philippines, she said.

While EV-D68 was report-edly uncovered in some tests in children who were afflicted with a polio-like syndrome ear-lier this year, Schuchat said no neurological symptoms have been seen in this summer’s US cases.

“I’m not aware of new severe neurologic symptoms being linked with this strain. As of this summer’s investigation we have not seen that,” Schuchat said.

The virus likely spreads from person to person when an in-fected person coughs or sneez-es, or when someone touches an infected surface.

There is no vaccine against enterovirus-D68, and experts do not understand why it is emerging and spreading now.

Hand-washing and good hy-

giene are considered the only ways to prevent its spread.

A report from the Centers for Disease Control released Monday detailed initial reports of severe respiratory illness clusters in Kansas City, Mis-souri and Chicago, Illinois last month.

Schuchat said 19 of 22 speci-mens in Kansas City and 11 of 14 from Chicago tested posi-tive for EV-D68. The age of those infected ranged from six weeks to 16 years.

All of the Kansas City pa-tients and 10 of 11 Chicago cases were sent to a pediatric intensive care unit for respira-tory distress.

“We are just beginning to un-derstand the clusters in Kansas City and Chicago,” Schuchat said, declining to give a com-plete number of cases.

Sampson Davis, an emergen-cy room physician at New Jer-sey’s Meadowlands Hospital Medical Center, said parents should seek help if they notice their child has trouble breath-ing.

“Children in particular with asthma or respiratory illnesses are impacted more by this vi-rus,” said Davis.

Parents should seek emer-gency care “when a child has increased difficulty breath-ing, uncontrollable cough and shortness of breath,” he said.

VOICE OF ASIA 16 FRIDAY, September 12, 2014HEALTH, SC & TECHEvil not so banal, says disturbing new probe

Paris (AFP) - What prompts ordinary people to commit acts of evil?

The question has been debated by philosophers, moralists, his-torians and scientists for centu-ries.

One idea that carries much weight today is this: you, me -- almost anyone -- is capable of carrying out atrocities if ordered to do so.

Commanded by an authoritar-ian figure, and wishing to con-form, we could bulldoze homes, burn books, separate parents from children or even slaugh-ter them, and our much-prized conscience would not as much as flicker.

Called the “banality of evil,” the theory has been proffered as an explanation for why ordinary, educated Germans took part in the Jewish genocide of World War II.

Now psychologists, having re-viewed an opinion-shaping ex-periment carried out more than 50 years ago, are calling for a rethink.

“The more we read and the more data we collect, the less evidence we find to support the banality of evil idea, the no-tion that participants are sim-ply ‘thoughtless’ or ‘mindless’ zombies who don’t know what they’re doing and just go along for the sake of it,” said Alex Haslam, a professor at the Uni-versity of Queensland in Aus-tralia.

“Our sense is that some form of identification, and hence choice, generally underpins all tyrannical behaviour.”

Their detective work focused on legendary experiments con-ducted in 1961 by Yale Univer-sity psychologist Stanley Mil-gram.

Volunteers, told they were taking part in an experiment on learning, were led to believe they were administering an elec-tric shock to a man, dubbed the “learner” who had to memorise pairs of words.

Hollow-eyed, emaciated male prisoners, victims of Nazi genocide against Jews of Europe & others, gripping barbed wire fence in wonderment at their liberation by Amer. forces from the cruelties of Buchenwald concentration camp. (Photo by Margaret Bourke-White//Time Life Pictures/Getty Images)

SCIENCE-PSYCHOLOGY

- Evil of Eichmann -

Every time the learner made a mistake, the “teacher” was told by a stern-faced, lab-coated offi-cial to crank up the shock, start-ing with a mild 15 volts and cli-maxing at a lethal 450 volts.

The experiment was fake -- the learner was an actor and the shocks never happened. The teacher could hear, but not see, the learner.

Frighteningly, in one test, nearly two-thirds of volunteers continued all the way to “lethal” voltage, even when the learner pleaded for mercy, wept or screamed in agony.

These experiments became enshrined in textbooks as an il-lustration of how the conscience can be put on hold under orders.

The findings meshed with a landmark book by the writer Hannah Arendt on the 1961 trial

of Adolf Eichmann, an architect of the Holocaust.

Far from the monster she had expected, Arendt found that Eichmann came across more like a petty bureaucrat, prompt-ing her to coin the term “banality of evil” to suggest how ordinary people, by conforming, could commit atrocities.

The new research, published in the British Journal of Social Psychology, took a closer look at Milgram’s “teachers”.

A team sifted through a box in the Yale archives that contained comments written by the vol-unteers after they were told the purpose of the experiment, and that the torture had been fake.

Of the 800 participants, 659 submitted a reaction. Some said they had felt unease or distress during the tests, but most re-ported being positive about the experience, some extremely so.

-’Unconscionable things’ -

“To be part of such an impor-tant experiment can only make one feel good,” said one.

“I feel I have contributed in some small way toward the de-velopment of man and his at-titudes towards others,” said another.

“If it [is] your belief that these studies will benefit mankind then I say we should have more of them,” said another.

Were these happy comments spurred by relief, after volun-teers learned they had not, in fact, hurt anyone?

No, suggests the paper. A sense of pleasure, of duty fulfilled, of having served a higher calling, pervaded the comment cards.

Milgram had also given the volunteers a dose of mission-

priming before the experiment. Without saying what it entailed, he told them that what they would do would advance the cause of knowledge.

Participants’ awe of Ivy-League Yale played a role, too -- obedience levels were higher there than when experiments were conducted in offices in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

Milgram “was a skilful drama-tist as well as a psychologist,” said Kathryn Millard, a profes-sor at Macquarie University, Sydney.

Far from supinely obeying the lab-coated overseer, volunteers escalated the shocks believing they were acting for a noble cause -- science, argues the pa-per.

“The ethical issues here (are) more complex than commonly supposed,” Haslam told AFP by email.

NEW YORK - It’s not the first with a smartwatch or mobile payments

system, but Apple is likely to use its market muscle and sense of style and innovation to redefine those categories.

With its ambitious series of product announcements, Apple has returned to its familiar for-mula -- without creating any new product categories, it seeks to refine and perfect them to make them a must-have for consum-ers.

“Innovation is back at Apple after a three-year pause,” said Trip Chowdhry at Global Equi-ties Research, referring to the pe-riod since the death of co-founder Steve Jobs in 2011.

Apple’s long-anticipated event on Tuesday unveiled the com-pany’s first smartwatch and two large-screen versions of the iP-hone, and a mobile payment sys-tem that ties into the devices.

Chowdhry called the Apple Watch “groundbreaking,” and far superior to rival devices using Google’s Android Wear software, even though it has come out well after rivals like Pebble, Samsung

Apple hopes secret sauce can reshape markets

“It is apparent Milgram as-suaged participants’ concerns by making them believe in a nox-ious ideology -- namely, that it is acceptable to do otherwise un-conscionable things in the cause of science.”

Stephen Reicher, a professor at the University of St Andrews in Scotland, said the implica-tions were far-reaching.

It showed that ordinary people could commit acts of extraordi-nary harm, but that thoughtless-ness was not the main motivator, he said.

“We argue that people are aware of what they are doing, but that they think it is the right thing to do,” he said.

“This comes from identifica-tion with a cause -- and an ac-ceptance that the authority is a legitimate representative of that cause.”

Gear and Motorola 360.“Right now, none of the An-

droid Wear devices comes even close to what Apple Watch can do in terms of user interface and capabilities,” Chowdhry said in a note to clients.

The analyst predicted that Apple Pay, the mobile system allowing users to tap the new iPhone or smartwatch, would be a “runaway success” because of the convenience and security built into the phones, and would also give consumers a reason to upgrade their handsets.

Jonathan Collins at ABI Re-search offered a similar view, saying Apple may boost the wearables segment with its smartwatch.

“Given the power and reach of the company and the strength of its brand this cannot be under-estimated,” Collins said in a re-search note.

“Apple has a long history of making existing technologies appeal to a far wider audience and going on to make its offer-ing synonymous with the wider market.”


Friday, September 12, 2014 Section 2 Email: [email protected] Tel: 713-774-5140

BUSINESSONLINE.COMvoiceofasiaonline.com

by Manu Shah

HOUSTON: IACCGH began the count-down to its 15th An-

nual Gala 2014 by saluting the entrepreneurial spirit, profes-sional accomplishments, pub-lic service endeavors and the strong philosophy of giving back displayed by members of the Chamber and the Indo American community.

One hundred and twenty five members and guests gathered at the upscale Mr. Peeples restaurant to congratulate the IACCGH 2014 award winners - Sonal Bhuchar, Pinakin and Pallavi Dinesh, Dr. Devinder Bhatia, Judge Ravi K. Sandill and GAIL and their US part-ners Cheniere, Carrizo and Do-minion. Our famed Southern hospitality was on full display thanks to Dr. Lucky Chopra, underwriter of the celebratory dinner. IACCGH advisors Dr. Renu Khator and Paul Hamil-ton, Past Presidents and mem-bers of the Board were also present.

IACCGH Founding Secre-tary, Jagdip Ahluwalia, who currently serves as Executive Director, walked the guests down memory lane while IACCGH President, Sanjay Ramabhadran announced the names of the award winners.

The winners thanked IACCGH for this honor and looked forward to receiving the award at the 15th Annual Gala to be held on 27th Sep-tember. Gala Keynote Speak-er, US Senator John Cornyn will be presenting the awards to the winners.

The winners were selected for their diverse contribu-tions in the fields of entrepre-neurship, energy, education, healthcare and public service. They are:

Dr. Devinder Bhatia, a highly respected and sought after tho-racic surgeon and the first Indo American to be appointed to the Texas Medical Board. He and wife Gina are well known philanthropists and give self-lessly of their time and money

IACCGH announces the 2014 Award Winners

to support many nonprofit or-ganizations. He is known to conduct several surgeries free of charge for those in need.

Yet another first is Sonal Bhuchar who was the first Indo American to serve as Chair-person of Fort Bend ISD. A physiotherapist by profession, she has been a forceful advo-cate about the need for better educational opportunities and healthcare and has strived to improve the quality of life and excellence in the community. She has served with multiple nonprofits like the Sugar Land Exchange Club and Child Ad-vocates of Fort Bend and led the formation of the Student Leadership and legislative ad-vocacy programs in FBISD.

The Entrepreneur Award of the Year goes to Pallavi and Pinakin Dinesh. A rare com-bination of ambition, hard

work and vision, the duo, have transformed their Company, Amzer Corporation from a small organization to one with a global footprint. They manufacture, distribute and sell innovative accessories for smartphones and tablets and are “inspired by real life” in everything they do.

Judge Ravi K. Sandill, 127th District Court judge won plaudits for his distinguished law career as well as for be-ing elected county wide in Harris County. He is also the first Indo American District court judge to serve in Texas. He runs a disciplined court and believes that “appearing before a jury is not the time for a lawyer to be learning his case”. It’s no wonder he cleared over 7000 cases dur-ing his first three years on the bench. He is extremely active

in the Bar Association, is a graduate of Leadership Hous-ton and currently a Fellow of the American Leadership Fo-rum. In addition, he shines the spotlight on critical issues related to Houston in a weekly breakfast meeting.

GAIL, India Ltd and its part-ners Carrizo Oil & Gas, Inc., Cheniere Energy, Inc. and Dominion Cove Point LNG are being felicitated for their groundbreaking efforts in se-curing India’s energy needs and facilitating Indo US bilat-eral trade. Jayanta Sinha, Pres-ident, GAIL Global (USA) and Gerry Morton, VP of Carrizo Oil and Gas, Inc. were present at the dinner.

IACCGH lauds the winners for their tremendous contribu-tions that help make our world, country and city a safer and better place. The awards will be presented at the 15th An-nual Gala to be held on 27th September.

(For sponsorship opportuni-ties or for tickets to the 15th Annual Gala to be held on 27th September, 2014 at the Hilton Americas, please contact 713-624-7131 or email [email protected])

IACCGH President Sanjay Ramabhadran addressing the gathering at Mr. Peeples restaurant.

IACCGH Award Winners of 2014 L-R: Pallavi Dinesh, Sonal Bhuchar, Dr. Devinder Bhatia,. Judge R.K. Sandill, Gerry Morton, VP of Carrizo Oil & Gas Inc. Jayanta Sinha, President G.A.I.L Global USA

VOICE OF ASIA 18 FRIDAY, September 12, 2014HOROSCOPEYour Horoscope for the Week of September 12, 2014

Aries (A,L,E) 21 March to 20 AprilYou will face practical concerns. What needs to get done will get done, because you

are in a frame of mind to deal directly. Don’t fret about the fact that your personal independence may be a bit limited now. The work you do now is money in the bank for future freedom, maybe even that long-desired trip you’ve wished for some time.

Good time for a sit down planning chat. Get out those maps and schedules. It’s not too soon to start thinking about that trip of a lifetime.

Taurus (B,V,U) 21 April to 20 MayFeel the Reconnection to your roots. You may have a certain person on your mind,

perhaps someone who was in your life until recently. You may have be the one to take the bull by the horns and make the date. It is highly possible that this reunion will prove something to both of you; you belong together, in every way. A sudden inspiration may

hit. It may have to do with furthering your education levels. There is no question that information is power these days.

Gemini (K,CHH,GH) 21 May to 20 JuneThink about improvements and ideas about how they could be accomplished. The

problem may be getting to the right people, with the right information, and you may be frustrated. Keep on digging and you will find what you are looking for. In the meantime, it is vital not to make any rash moves or uneducated guesses. Calm your tensions in one

of two ways. Discuss the situation with a trustworthy friend or get a strenuous physical workout.

Cancer (D,H) 21 June to 22 JulyYou need to concentrate on your goals. What you have to do seems not only tedious,

but also somehow irrelevant. In a way, this is a blessing, because it opens you up to operating in a new, rather unconventional manner. People will notice and applaud your ingenuity. Relations with the most important people in your life are, for the most part,

positive. It is important not to focus on work while talking with your mate. Instead, talk of romantic times the two of you have shared and enjoyed. Turn on your charm.

Leo (M) 23 July to 22 AugustSweet harmony in your professional & personal life. You and your partner will find your-

selves getting along about everything. You are very much in favor and may even enjoy an encouraging talk with a superior. It should make you feel more confident about your future and much more secure about in your position, right where you are. Store up the compliments

and feed on them during any rough days in the future. You may lack cooperation from work associates. Even if you feel that others are not carrying their weight, do not react in an emotional manner.

Virgo (P) 23 August to 22 SeptemberBe attentive on the next phase of an ongoing project, personal or professional. Now

it’s time to deal with practical matters rather than the purely theoretical. This may involve a move or a purchase of new property. Because you are such a whiz at getting down to the fine print, you will have little difficulty squaring things. Fortunately, you

have a cooperative and willing group around you, both at home and in other endeavors. Your energy should be high and your wits sharp. Keep them about you to avoid friction on the home front. Chil-dren or a mate or partner may be a little out of sorts, but you could handle it by being creative.

Libra (R,T) 23 Sept to 22 OctLittle concerns on your overall financial situation, as well as your long-term goals. You’ve

got plenty of things you would like to do, but it is vital to be selective. If you attempt them all, you will scatter your forces. Take it one day at a time. Your relationships should move forward into a more promising territory. You may want to take time to look at & appreciate others intentions. Make sure to include your financial partner, who will not be critical, even

if you are the one who has fallen into a spending pattern that’s hurting the big picture.

Scorpio (N,Y)23 Oct to 21 NovMoney, money & more money. You could be unhealthily focused on what you con-

sider the inadequacies of your home environment. Don’t despair, do something! Even small cosmetic changes could make a huge difference, especially in your attitude. If

someone else has to approve, approach him or her with a positive outlook. Give good reasons why your plan will benefit everyone. Wherever you land at week’s end, you will find yourself surrounded by agreeable people who share your mood. Join in the revelry, but avoid excesses of any kind.

Sagittarius (BH,F,DH,TH) 22 Nov to 21 DecSmooth the waters, You’ll have plenty of spirit, more than one person may appear

to want. Don’t allow them to knock you off your course. It may be superiors who find fault. Fortunately you can take it with good grace and simply keep on trucking. You may find that mates or partners suddenly want to change the rules. Your partner may be

reacting to a simple attack of nerves. You may have to be the one who changes their mind, both with a sunny disposition and possibly a logical explanation of why you do things the way you do.

Capricorn (KH,J) 22 Dec to 20 JanTeamwork & compromise, as Anyone who interacts with you will find you not only

delightful company, but a great teammate as well. You exude good feelings and you are sensitive to the needs of others. This general atmosphere spills over into your private life. Plan to spend the week-end, just the you & family, totally reveling in each other’s

company. Something you have in mind, perhaps an old idea about redoing your space, may be a snare and a delusion. For one thing, cash may not be flowing too freely.

Aquarius (G,S,SH) 21 Jan to 19 FebMood swings that may have you full of optimism one moment, but frustrated at

unexpected setbacks the next. Don’t get knocked off your feet if someone throws you a curveball. You are certainly able to keep up your excellent batting average. Those around you may react giddily to sudden changes, you will be able to keep your head. Use this to your best advantage. In your romantic/partnered life, expect both peace and

harmony to reign. Your mate will be a godsend.

Pisces (D,CH,Z) 20 Feb to 20 MarchYou perhaps not being delighted with the upheavals around you, but at least you can

handle them. You are able to deflect the possible barbs that are tossed your way, even those about your imperfections in word or deed. It is vital to bring your understanding of others to bear. You know why they are tossing guilt your way and you can empa-thize. It will help to focus on what all of you together could achieve. A discussion with

your one and only who understands you will help you even more. Your insights are sharp, especially at how to ‘stop controversy’ and heal clashes, particularly with authority figures, in-laws, spouse, extended family over ‘money’ or ‘control/discipline’ issues.

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

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VOICE OF ASIA 19 FRIDAY, September 12, 2014CLASSIFIEDSHINDI PRARTHANADo you need PRAYER?Do you need a MIRACLE in your life?Can we pray for the CHILDLESS couple?

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Temp News/ Special Projects ProducerKTRK-TV, the ABC owned station located in Houston, TX is looking for a temporary multimedia producer who can execute all aspects of the broadcast and digital story-telling process. Will be expected to come up with original content daily for broadcast and digital platforms. Must be comfortable juggling multiple projects at once and managing various crews. Needs to be a strong researcher, writer, field producer, com-municator and leader. Responsibilities will include working on a variety of news, programming, and digital projects. Qualified candidates must have at least 5 years television broadcast writing experience and must be creative self-starters. All Interested applicants must apply online at disneycareers.com, ref job #212035BR. Please upload a cover letter, resume and list of references. Equal Opportunity Employer – Female/ Minority/ Veteran/ Disability. No Telephone Calls.

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