VOICE OF ASIA 2 FRIDAY, October 11, 2013OP-ED/OPIONS/VIEWS

Publisher: Koshy ThomasAssociate Publisher: Sherly PhilipEditor-in-Chief: Shobana MurateeAustin Correspondent: Sherine ThomasMarketing: Jacob DavidProduction: AR VadlamaniOffice Manager: Priyan Mathew Voice of Asia TV News

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by Dilip Bobb

There’s nothing quite like Indian festivals to dispel the doom

and gloom. From now till Diwali, it will be a riot (sic) of music and masti, feasting and fasting, gifting and get-ting, flush (cards, not toilets) and flash, praying and party-ing. The place where it all comes together is the tradi-tional mela with its stalls, games, entertainment and fireworks. Here’s what to look forward to at this year’s fair.

The Samosa Stall: This year’s version has been re-named the Lalu Special. Dumped in boiling oil, the samosas are moved from the frying pan to the fire and served on a newspaper with his famous comment: “Jab tak rahega samosa mein aloo, tab tak rahega Bihar main Lalu”. The courts may have knocked the stuffing out of him politically and demol-ished any pretences of politi-cians being sacred cows, but he still has the consolation of having the time to make hay while the son shines.

The Roller Coaster Ride: Designed by the prominent firm of RG & Co, this high speed ride, called ‘The Con-gress Corkscrew’, takes ev-eryone through scary twists and turns, so that those on top suddenly find them-selves at the bottom, or sus-

pended mid-air, thanks to sudden d i r e c t i o n changes and backtrack-ing. It’s a ride full of thrills and spills, most-ly the latter, thanks to the design firm’s efforts at re-

The Festival Frenzyengineering the existing ap-paratus, including the driv-ing seat.

The Teen Patti Table:This is where games of chance are played with an element of risk. This year’s version is also known as the Telengana Tangle, and is based on the “heads you lose, tails you win theory”. This means that you gamble on losing a few heads and hope that you gain the tails, a.k.a, voters, when the finals are played. This high-stakes game requires nerves of steel, a good sense of timing and a sizeable kitty to cover setbacks when your bluff is called.

Merry Go Round: Always a popular attraction, this year it has been given a new spin. Painted in saffron and stamped with the lotus sym-bol, it revolves faster and faster so that all the faces be-come a blur, reduced equally in status thanks to the Power

of One. Accompanied by plenty of special effects and donning of NaMo masks, the ride can be heady and stomach-churning, so ensure there’s a toilet nearby.

Hit The Wicket: The lat-est version is called the Srini Special, after its creator, and the game is all about Being in Control of Cricket in India (BCCI). It bears a strong re-semblance to musical chairs, with the aim being to ce-ment your place at the top of the table and use all sorts of googlies, doosras and other spot-fixing methodology to stump the opposition, not to mention the courts, and stay on top of the game. It helps if the bail remains intact.

The Food Stall: Visitors will miss the onion bhaji this year since it has shifted to another nearby stall stocking high-priced luxury items. But there is plenty of other

foodstuff on offer, available on presentation of your Aad-haar card, which involves running idhar and udhar to get the card, present it to those running the stall—who will have it home deliv-ered—neatly wrapped in red tape and stamped “Compli-ments of Sonia Gandhi”.

Pin the Tail on the Don-key: Hugely popular with the younger generation, this involves being blindfolded and trying to find the right spot to pin a tail on the im-age of a donkey. This year’s version is more politically correct and the donkey has been replaced by crouching tigers or hidden dragons, to ensure that it is as close as possible to the manner in which voters will be exer-cising their franchise in the upcoming elections.

(Courtesy; : Indian Ex-press, Sun Oct 06 2013).

by Kusum Vyas

What could collectively be described as Ke-

nya’s 9/11, occurred ten years and eleven days after the terror-ist attack on America. Septem-ber 21, 2013, heavily armed, well-trained al Qaeda-linked al-Shabab jihadists stormed into Nairobi’s swanky West-gate Mall and unleashed an unprecedented blood bath mak-ing it the deadliest terror attack on Kenyan soil since al Qaeda blew up the U.S. Embassy in 1998. During the four day siege, they held center stage, sending out a flurry of tweets, evoking a chilling reminder that the in-ternational terrorist enterprise inspired by bin Laden is more complex, tech-savvy and lethal than ever before with the same intent and capability to strike indiscriminately.

Kenyans saw up close and personal, gruesome images of defenseless men, women and children being maimed and mowed down by grenades and automatic fire. By the fourth day, 69 civilians and foreign-ers had been killed, the mall

Westgate Carnage: Kenya’s 9/11 Momentreduced to a pile of smoking rubble trapping untold num-bers, images of which were so reminiscent of New York on 9/11.

The gruesome attack has been painful for me since Kenya is my birth country where I have extended family and friends. I have personally known some of the victims, many my chil-dren’s age or younger. I mourn their loss and share the grief of my fellow Kenyans.

A model of Africa’s economic success, a country widely per-ceived as an oasis of peace and prosperity in a troubled region, Kenya is a place of exquisite beauty and a cosmopolitan pot-pourri. Kenya’s GDP increased 5.2% in the first quarter of 2013. Kenyans, who benefited from economic advancement enjoy increased spending power, and together with expatriates, have

driven demand for property, luxury goods, fine dining, the arts and services.

Ironically Kenya’s suc-cess is now imperiled by the vile ideology of the jihadists. Their target was not acciden-tal: Westgate Mall is typically frequented by expatriates, dip-lomats and affluent Kenyans. It is a symbol of Kenya’s grow-ing prosperity and intrinsically woven cosmopolitanism. As on 9/11, the jihadists were attack-ing an affluent, modern, demo-cratic way of life. The victims were a cross-section of those who participated most fully in Kenya’s economic growth.

However, the attack was about much more than Kenya’s economic success - it was a bru-tal way of punishing Kenya for its military intervention in Oc-tober 2011 to oust al-Shabab from Somalia. It was timed for

Saturday to inflict maximum damage when the mall was hosting a children’s day event and packed with young chil-dren and their families.

From the moment the jihad-ists struck, it was obvious that there was a religious dimension to the attack. Media reports, substantiated by survivors, said the heavily armed attackers called out for Muslims to iden-tify themselves and leave, while weeding out non-Muslims for execution by asking them to name Prophet Mohammed’s mother or recite the ‘Shahada’ - the Islamic declaration of faith. The victims were lined up and gunned down with AK-47s af-ter failing to answer correctly.

The writer Kusum Vyas is the founder of Founder of Green Kumbh Movement. She can be reached at kusumvyasusa@gmail.com

Old Name : BARKAT ALI ALIJI BHAI KAROVALIA

New Name: BARKAT ALIJI KAROVALIA

NAME CHANGEI would like to change my name as follows:

It is unfortunate that S.N. Bose who first put forward the idea of particles giving mass to matter a century ago has not been remembered by the world (“‘God particle’ theorists get Nobel Prize in physics,” Oct.9).

The scientists who went forward from the prototype of his theory have won the Nobel. Satyendranath Bose should be re-membered by his homeland.

The government needs to recognise his efforts, though post-humously.

S.G. Raveendranath,

Thiruvananthapuram

(The Hindu)

Physics Nobel

Don’t ignore the childrenAfter years of neglect,

childhood tubercu-losis — which ac-

counts for over six per cent of the global TB burden — is finally getting due attention. WHO recently published its first-ever targeted road map outlining the steps needed to move towards zero childhood TB deaths. The report comes close on the heels of the or-ganisation including for the first time the estimates of the global TB burden in children below 15 years in its 2012 global tuberculosis report. Last year also saw childhood TB getting special focus in the World TB Day theme.

Though over half-a-million new cases are reported every year from across the world in those who are HIV negative, the actual TB burden must be much higher. The reasons are pretty obvious. Most of what is reported are only the cases of sputum smear-positive pul-monary TB. However, spu-tum smear-negative disease is most frequent even in pul-monary TB. Most often, all cases of extra-pulmonary TB go unreported even though this category of TB accounts for “approximately 20-30 per cent.” Unlike adolescents, children under five may not produce sputum for examina-tion. In the absence of sputum samples, there is no highly reliable and easily usable di-

agnostic tool to confirm the disease, especially in devel-oping countries where TB is endemic and malnourishment is high. Hence, developing reliable and affordable tests has become a great research priority.

As a result, high burden countries like India, where 10-20 per cent of all TB oc-curs in children, need to find alternative strategies to tar-get vulnerable children who are more prone to becoming infected and diseased. Imple-menting the WHO’s close contact screening of chil-dren under five from house-holds where an adult has been newly diagnosed with sputum smear-positive pul-monary TB would go a long way in achieving the desired results. Adults would have spread the infection to chil-dren in the same household before seeking treatment. A

clinical examination of chil-dren combined with laborato-ry confirmation in suspicious cases would go a long way in revealing their TB status. This approach has twin ad-vantages. While the diseased would be put on treatment without delay, the asymptom-atic children would end up getting a preventive therapy. A prophylactic treatment us-ing a single drug — isoniazid — once daily for six months would cut down the number of young ones who may become diseased. It would reduce the TB load and the mortality rate. Yet, in India’s TB control programme, contact screening is way down in the priority list. There are challenges, but training health workers and adopting minor changes to the existing system alone can yield good results. What’s the government waiting for?

(Courtesy: The Hindu)

VOICE OF ASIA 12 FRIDAY, October 11, 2013

VOICE OF ASIA 15 FRIDAY, October 11, 2013

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by Jennie MATTHEW

NEW YORK CITY - If baby yoga seems so yes-terday and Twinkle, Twin-

kle Little Star so last century, then the newest craze among trendsetter New York parents is for you: Baby DJ School.

DJ, composer and playwright Natalie Elizabeth Weiss is offering an eight-week program to teach ba-bies hip-hop, how to mix their own music and play air guitar with the best of them.

And her clients? Professional families in Brooklyn, New York, one of the most competitive cities in the world where wealthy parents are notorious for lavishing cash and attention on their progeny’s early development.

“Parents love it. They freak out. They all want to bring their friends. It’s growing so quickly,” Weiss told AFP.

With songs such as “That’s Why Daddy Loves Disco,” and modern DJ equipment, she teaches tots un-der three about electro, hip-hop and house; how to play records, match beats and create funky samples.

“Baby DJ, put your hands up, put your hands up, up,” raps Weiss at the start of the lesson as five toddlers sit or stumble around rugs on the floor of a vintage clothes and vinyl shop in Brooklyn.

Some smile and look excited. Their parents push their children’s arms up and down in time to the beat.

“Baby DJ, you got to get up if you wanna get down,” croons Weiss.

She believes nursery rhymes -- such as Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and Baa Baa Black Sheep, which basically have the same melody -- are not challenging enough.

Instead she offers babies rhythm, and the chance to play with mixing songs.

“They’re like geniuses -- just be-cause they can’t say what they’re learning doesn’t mean they aren’t,” she told a local television network before the class.

The children certainly love press-ing the buttons and pushing the slider on her DJ deck, but in a 45-minute class, not all the kids look convinced at all times. A toddler takes part in a “Baby DJ School” class, aimed at preschool children to learn the basics on how to mix music,

in New York, October 7, 2013. AFP Photo

Can your baby DJ? They can in New York

“Let’s try the disco arm move,” cries Weiss, jabbing her arm diago-nally into the air and down to the side.

One toddler picks his nose and an-other chucks a record on the floor.

But the parents are hooked, clap-ping on the beat and jiggling their hips.

Alexis Langsfeld, mom to 20-month-old Ellie and part-time emer-gency physician, is a big fan.

“It’s kind of a combination of ex-ploring the world, and physics and music,” she enthuses.

If her daughter is too young to start traditional music lessons on a violin or piano, Baby DJ School is perfect.

“This is much more like sliding and pushing and it makes a lot of sense. You’re using someone else’s tools for them to make their own music,” Langsfeld says.

Ellie loves the classes, she adds, noting: “She definitely gets her little moves on.”

Warren Bernard, an art school professor, has brought 22-month son Charles to his second Baby DJ lesson.

“I figured, you know, DJ class let’s see what happens,” Bernard

told AFP.“People take their kids to go swim-

ming... there could be worse things that a baby could do at this age.

“I don’t know if this is going to be his profession when he grows up, but hey, it’s all about exposing your children to as many things as possible.”

Weiss, who has taught experimen-tal electronic workshops to older children, got the Baby DJ School idea when she showed a friend’s tot how her equipment works.

The boy is now one of the more enthusiastic class members.

“(I) whipped it out, showed him the basics -- he picked it up like that,” she told AFP, clicking her fin-gers.

“He’s already working with but-tons, knobs and levers in all his toys. It’s not any more complicated to move a volume knob up than it is to move a train across the tracks on a little wooden train set.”

Celeste Kidd, assistant professor of brain and cognitive sciences at the University of Rochester, says musical play offers young children a lot of potential.

“Young children are typically very good at identifying what sort of activities best suit their develop-mental needs,” she told AFP in an email.

“There is a lot of learning poten-tial in musical play, including DJing if a kid shows interest and someone is willing to offer their equipment to a toddler.”

With head phone on a toddler gets ready for his “Baby DJ School” class AFP Photo

VOICE OF ASIA 16 FRIDAY, October 11, 2013

Friday, October 11, 2013 Section 2 Email: voiceasia@aol.com Tel: 713-774-5140

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by Brigitte DUSSEAU

NEW YORK CITY, (AFP) - In a city plas-tered with images of

stick-thin models, New York is waging a new campaign to boost self-esteem among girls as young as seven.

Adult women the world over struggle with poor body image, but a publicly funded body-beautiful campaign is trying to tackle the problem, target-ing girls as early as elementary school.

More than 80 percent of 10 year old girls are afraid of be-ing fat and by middle school, 40-70 percent of girls are dis-satisfied with two or more parts of their body, says City Hall.

Body satisfaction hits rock bottom between the ages of 12 and 15, it added.

But this week the city sought to change all that by putting up posters on buses, in the subway and in phone booths declaring: “I am a girl, I am beautiful the way I am.”

The concept is to teach the women of tomorrow that their worth comes not from their ap-pearance, but from their char-acter, skills and attributes.

Fifteen young, smiling girls who are defiantly normal and come from the cross-section of New York society -- white, Latino, African American and Asian -- are fronting the cam-paign.

They have been photo-graphed playing basketball and chess, or running. One holds a book, another a baseball bat. Several are overweight, others wear braces. One young girl is in a wheelchair.

The quotes vary but all em-phasize their qualities.

“I am funny, playful, daring, strong, curious, smart, brave, healthy, friendly and caring,” says the caption to a photo-graph of DeVoray, a sturdy-looking African American of 12 years old.

“I am creative, a leader, smart, daring, tough, loving, astute and outgoing,” says an-other.

New York campaigns to boost girls’ self-esteem

WASHINGTON DC, September 2013 – Whether it’s by

foot, bike, car or public trans-portation, our ability to function in the modern world depends on our ability to move. Whatever you do, wherever you go, you need a way to get there. And, with global urban populations on the increase and energy and climate change issues front and center, the demand for creating transportation solutions that are quick, safe, reliable and sus-tainable has never been more urgent.

This fall, 35,000 students from 1,200 schools in 37 re-gions nationally will take on this challenge in the 2013-14 Future City® Competition, as they are asked to tackle Tomor-row’s Transit: Design A Way To Move People In And Around Your City.

Open any newspaper, read a blog or watch the news on TV and it’s quickly apparent why transportation is one of the most critical issues of our time. Transportation impacts our economy, competitiveness, productivity, health, energy needs, environment and quality of life. Decisions made today will directly affect generations to come. Future City puts its student competitors in real world situations and asks them to be the problem solvers as they brainstorm ideas and de-sign solutions.

Future City has been proven to deliver on its educational promise. In 2011-12, Concord Evaluation Group conducted an independent evaluation of the Future City Program. The study found that participating stu-dents built 21st century skills, learned how their communi-ties worked, gained a greater appreciation for engineering, discovered team building skills and became more informed citizens. It also found a statisti-cally significant improvement in students’ ability to apply the engineering design process to real-world problems.

During the Future City Com-petition, students work as a team to design a virtual city us-ing SimCity™ software. They research a city wide issue and write an essay with their find-

This image courtesy of the New York City Mayor’s Office shows a poster for New York City Girls’ self esteem. AFP photo.

Real health benefitsSamantha Levine, director of

the New York City Girls proj-ect, says the campaign will ex-tend later in the month to short videos played in taxis.

“New York City is one of the most diverse cities in the nation with strong, successful women in every area of leadership,” said Mayor Michael Bloomberg in launching the campaign.

“Yet girls are struggling with body image issues at younger and younger ages, a struggle that has negative public health consequences including eat-ing disorders, bullying, alcohol abuse, early onset of sexual ac-tivity and obesity.”

Although 63 percent of girls recognize that the female im-age pumped out by the fashion world is unrealistic, 60 percent say they compare their bodies to those of models and 48 per-

cent would like to be as thin.Nearly a third undereat or

starve themselves to be thinner, city hall says.

“Our goal is to help girls be-lieve that they are valued for so much more than their appear-ance, and that they don’t need to struggle to meet someone else’s idea of beauty,” says Levine.

Twanna Cameron, mother of DeVoray, says her daugh-ter thought it was important “to show other girls that they are beautiful just the way they are.”

The campaign runs for four weeks on buses and in phone booths, and for eight weeks on the subway. It will be followed by a pilot program in half a dozen schools and at 75 after-school clubs.

Free fitness classes are also being offered to girls.

What Will Tomorrow’s Transpor-tation Look Like?

Moving Urban Populations With Safety, Speed And Energy Efficiency Is The 2013-14 Future City Competition® Challenge

Over 35,000 Middle Schoolers from Across the United States Tasked With Re-Imagining Trans-portation Systems

ings and solutions. They build a tabletop scale model of their city using recycled materials costing no more than $100 and they write a brief narrative pro-moting their city. In January, they present their version of the future to a panel of judges at Regional Competitions.

The 37 teams that win their Regional Competitions receive round-trip transportation and hotel accommodations so they can compete at the National Finals held in Washington, DC February 16 – 18, 2014. Fierce competition over four days re-sults in one team taking home the grand prize of a trip to U.S. Space Camp and $7,500 for their school’s STEM program (provided by Bentley Systems, Inc).

Greg Bentley, CEO of Bent-ley Systems, a sponsor of the National Engineers Week Fu-ture City Competition for the past 18 years, said, “At Bent-ley Systems, through our role in providing the software to support the world’s road, rail, and transit designers, construc-tors, and operators, we can help investment in transportation infrastructure to sustain our economies and environment. But all of this is dependent upon successfully sustaining the infrastructure professions through programs such as the Future City Competition. For those of us on the technology side, it is exciting to be able to apply advances in information mobility for improving the mo-bility of people and the flow of goods and services. I can think of no better way to inspire students to become an infra-structure professional then to enable them to experience this same excitement as they learn about careers in engineering that combine technology and teamwork to help improve the world.”

“The need to address trans-portation efficiency becomes more critical as the world’s population continues to grow,” said Michael Alvarez, Manager of Shell’s Workforce Develop-ment. “At Shell, we continue to evaluate solutions that allow for greater efficiency in transporta-tion. We are proud to sponsor the Future City competition as

the students take on these im-portant issues of tomorrow.”

Sixth, seventh and eighth graders are eligible to take part in the competition which is a team-based STEM event. South Texas/Houston Regional Competition registration is now open to teams from all public schools, private schools, home schools, and service clubs. Schools can register by go-ing to www.futurecity.org and register under Houston region. Regional coordinator (Dr Zafar Taqvi) Z.Taqvi@IEEE.Org can be contacted for addition infor-mation on the regional event. For all information about Fu-ture City, to register, or to vol-unteer, and for all educational resources, visit www.futurecity.org. The deadline to register is October 31, 2013. Future City is also looking for engineer-ing and technical professionals who may be interested in serv-ing as mentors.

Major funding for the Nation-al Finals comes from Bentley Systems, Incorporated and the Shell Oil Company. Additional program support comes from S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation, CH2M HILL and Electronic Arts.

About National Engineers Week Foundation

National Engineers Week Foundation is the parent or-ganization of the Future City Competition. The Foundation works year-round to sustain and grow a dynamic engineer-ing profession critical to public health, safety and welfare. The Foundation supports engineer-ing outreach, education, and celebration through a network of thousands of volunteers in its partner coalition of more than 100 professional societies, major corporations and govern-ment agencies. Together we meet a vital need: introducing students, parents, and educators to engineering, engaging them in hands-on engineering experi-ences, and making science and math relevant. The Foundation and coalition are actively put-ting the E in STEM.

For more information, visit www.eweek.org.

by Gunalan KarunJames E. Taylor High School

“Why should anyone want to be led by you?” It is a question that plagues all leaders, experienced

and inexperienced and for good rea-son: without followers a leader has no-body to lead. Although there may not be an absolute answer to this question, as part of the Youth Leadership Devel-opment Program of Houston (YLDP) I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to explore the captivating world of a leader.

On September 28, 2013 the YLDP class of 2014 comprised of around 43 members met for the first session of the year at the Houston India House. Naturally most of us were nervous, but our doubts, if any existed, were quick-ly dispelled with the arrival of keynote speaker Vijay Goradia, founder of Vinmar International, who related his incredible story of hardship, sacrifice, and success.

Mr. Goradia’s presentation was es-pecially fascinating due to his use of highly specific examples from his life to portray his points, making his speech wholly authentic and relatable. For example, Mr. Goradia explained that passion was an essential quality

The Power of Leadershipof a leader, a point that he exemplified using his childhood experiences. He also taught me that almost anything can be viewed with a creative lens and that we should strive to redefine conventional boundaries as leaders. Yet the best aspect of Mr. Goradia’s speech was that he not only guided us on how to succeed, but also showed us how to cope with failure. All leaders no matter how intelligent will eventu-ally face some failure, but according to Mr. Goradia it is the ones that turn the failure into an opportunity that can distinguish themselves.

From the experience, I’ve come to understand that the unpredictability present in the road to becoming a leader is in fact a gift because it inspires me to find my own cre-ative path. Regardless of where my life journey takes me I know one thing for certain: I will constantly strive to push the boundaries of what is possible and make a change that is remembered in the world.

For more on YLDP, visit www.yldphouston.org/

Speaker Vijay Goradia YLDP Directors with guest Speaker Vijay Goradia

YLDP Batch of 2013

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When something goes wrong on a trip, the first question many flyers ask

is, “What are my rights?” The short answer is fairly simple: The U.S. and the European Economic Community (EEC) have established some very specific rights for air travelers. In ad-dition, contracts of carriage between passengers and carriers establish some promised rights, but those heav-ily one-sided contracts seldom call for any specific compensation or enforce-ment teeth in the event the carrier fails to meet its “promises.”

Either way, it’s important for pas-sengers to know their rights when faced with air-travel snafus, from de-layed flights to overbooked planes. The following is a primer on basic air-passenger rights in the U.S. and Europe.

Honest fares in Europe and the U.S.

When booking a flight, the price you see is the price you pay—that’s the law. The EEC and the U.S. De-partment of Transportation (DOT) re-quire airlines to display the full cost of an air ticket, including all mandatory airline charges, governmental taxes and user fees, in online postings and other advertising. Travel providers, from online travel agencies (OTAs) to airline websites, must clearly display full prices or face penalties.

U.S. air-passenger rights: bump-ing

The DOT mandates certain air-trav-el rights, including passenger rights in cases of involuntary bumping, by re-quiring airlines to cover them in their contracts. (Check the DOT’s FAQ sheet for full particulars.)

When an airline bumps you invol-untarily due to overbooking, it may owe you compensation—unless the airline can get you to your destination within one hour of your scheduled ar-rival, in which case it owes you no compensation.

If your airline can get you to your destination between one and two hours of your scheduled arrival on a domes-tic flight, or between one and four hours on an international trip, it owes you compensation of 200 percent of the one-way fare to your destination, up to $650. If the airline can’t make these time requirements, it owes you 400 percent of the fare, up to $1,300. If your airline elects to arrange alter-nate transportation on another airline, it must cover all of the expenses and extras that the new airline might as-sess.

In any case, you get to keep your original ticket, which you can use for a subsequent trip or have refunded. DOT adjusts compensation values for inflation every two years.

As a practical matter, only about 10 percent of overbooked travelers get in-voluntarily bumped. Instead, most ac-cept airlines’ offers of confirmed seats on later flights, plus vouchers for up to several hundred dollars toward fu-ture tickets and cash for meals. These rules also apply to “zero fare” tickets, most notably frequent-flyer awards, with monetary amounts based on the prices of similar tickets. They apply to all domestic flights and international

(Photo: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

flights departing from the U.S. but not to inbound international flights. Travelers must have confirmed reser-vations on scheduled flights and meet the airline’s check-in and gate-arrival deadlines.

Involuntary-denied-boarding rules do not apply to flights on planes with fewer than 30 passengers (this is not a serious flaw, as almost all regional airlines now use larger planes). And, most importantly, these rules do not apply when an airline bumps a trav-eler for any reason other than over-booking—for example, as a result of a switch to a smaller plane, for weight-and-balance issues on planes that seat 30 to 60 passengers, or if a flight is delayed or canceled.

U.S. air-passenger rights: delays and cancellations

If, for any reason, your flight is canceled, substantially delayed or rescheduled, you have the right to re-route at no extra cost or to receive a full refund, even on a nonrefundable ticket. Airline policies vary, however, about what constitutes a “substantial” delay or schedule change.

Federal rules require that domestic airlines and foreign carriers flying into the U.S. file “Customer Service Plans,” which describe what the air-line promises to do in the case of a long list of circumstances, including delays, cancellations, and diversion events, among others. (For the most part, these commitments are restate-ments, in plain language, of the more detailed legalese of each airline’s of-ficial contract of carriage.) Contracts and service plans generally call for meal vouchers when a delay extends over a normal meal time and for ho-tel accommodations in the event of an overnight delay. But implementation varies by airline.

In the event of a delay, a few airlines say that they will transfer you to an-other airline if that carrier can get you to your destination earlier than your original flight. A few others say they “may” transfer you, but the decision is

theirs, and still other airlines only of-fer a seat on their own next-available flight. Neither customer-service plans nor contracts of carriage call for spe-cific compensation when an airline fails to meet its commitment.

U.S. air-passenger rights: tarmac delays

(Photo: Alex Grimm/Getty Images)

During a lengthy tarmac delay in the U.S. (upon either arrival or departure), the DOT mandates that an airline may not keep you on a plane for more than three hours (on a domestic flight) or four hours (on an international flight) without allowing you to get off if you wish, subject to security and safety considerations. Each airline is also obligated to provide food and water after two hours of delay, provide up-dates to passengers every 30 minutes, and assure that airplane lavatories are operable.

When an airline violates the tar-mac rules, you re-ceive no compen-sation. Instead, the DOT fines the airline.

Europe air-passenger rights: bumping and overbooking

The EEC’s Reg-

ulation EC261 establishes passen-ger rights similar to—and generally exceeding—U.S. DOT requirements. The current rules apply when you board a flight on either a scheduled or charter airline at any airport within an EEC member state and also when you fly into an EEC airport on an airline based in the EEC, Norway or Switzer-

land. As in the U.S., you must meet check-in deadlines and other airline requirements for the rules to apply. And compensation applies if you’re on a frequent-flyer ticket.

If an airline is unable to get you to your final destination within three hours of your scheduled arrival, EEC requirements call for “Article 7” com-pensation: €250 for passengers on flights of 1,500 km or less in distance; €400 for passengers on flights of more than 1,500 km within the EEC or flights of 1,500 to 3,500 km outside the EEC; and €600 for passengers on all flights of 3,501 km or more outside the EEC. All flights from the EEC to North America are longer than 3,500 km (2,175 miles). On connecting flights, the distance is calculated to your final destination, not to some in-termediate hub. Upon request, airlines must also offer “Article 8” assistance, either rerouting bumped passengers or offering them full refunds.

If you’re bumped, the EEC regula-

tion also requires that airlines provide “Article 9” care: meals and refresh-ments in reasonable relation to waiting time, hotel accommodations in cases where a stay of one or more nights be-comes necessary, and transport.

The EEC directive does not limit this bumping compensation just to in-stances of overbooking. It applies to any instance except those related to weather or other “extraordinary cir-cumstances.”

Europe air-passenger rights: de-lays and cancellations

EC261 says that if your flight is canceled, you’re entitled to Article 7, Article 8 and Article 9 provisions. The Article 7 financial compensation does not apply, however, if an airline noti-fies you of a cancellation more than two weeks before departure, if the airline notifies you seven to 14 days in advance and reroutes you to arrive in your final destination within four hours of your originally scheduled time, or if you’re informed less than seven days in advance but the air-line can reroute you to arrive at your destination within two hours of your original arrival time. Cancellation penalties do not apply when the can-cellation is caused by “extraordinary circumstances which could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken.”

In the event of a delay of three hours or more, you are entitled to the stan-dard Article 7 compensation. Also, if the delay exceeds five hours, you are entitled to an Article 8 refund. These

provisions also apply to extended tar-mac delays.

Europe air-passenger rights: en-forcement

It’s easy to print a complaint form from the EEC passenger-rights web-site and send it to the airline. But studies have uncovered many cases in which airlines did not offer compensa-tion or inform travelers of their rights to it, as well as some cases in which airlines stonewalled legitimate claims. Reports also indicate that some U.S. citizens have had difficulties receiv-ing compensation from European air-lines for delays and cancellations on inbound flights covered by the EEC regulations. The situation is appar-ently bad enough that several online start-ups are offering legal assistance to travelers attempting to collect from recalcitrant airlines. Among the start-ups are refund.me, Flight-Delayed, and EUclaim. Typically, these outfits assess either a flat fee or 25 percent of the compensation recovered.

VOICE OF ASIA 21 FRIDAY, October 11, 2013HEALTHHEALTHY LIVING Friday, October 11, 2013 Section 2 Email: voiceasia@aol.com Tel: 713-774-5140

Sudha Chittaluru, M.DInternal Medicine - Board Certified

First Colony Primary Care

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by Kerry SHERIDAN

WA S H I N G T O N , (AFP) - Some diseases just have

a bad name. But even when their commonly known labels glorify Nazi doctors or slander certain ethnic groups, old hab-its are hard to change, experts say.

Medical conditions, viruses and even personality quirks have long been named after places, famous athletes, pio-neering doctors and literary giants.

The H1N1 influenza that sparked a worldwide pandem-ic in 2009 was initially called Mexican swine flu, while Pick-wickian syndrome is another name for obesity hypoventila-tion syndrome, based on a fat character in a Charles Dickens novel.

The most recent affliction to make headlines is Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coro-navirus, or MERS-CoV, which has killed 58 of the 130 people infected since 2012.

The illness has been found in Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Jordan, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.

Its name initially referred to Saudi Arabia, because an Egyptian scientist first identi-fied it in a Saudi patient.

But, according to Ron Fouchier, a leading scientist at Erasmus Medical Center in the Netherlands where the analysis was done, Saudi of-ficials “were not pleased.”

“We then renamed the virus isolate HCoV-EMC for human coronavirus Erasmus MC, to take away any sensitivities,” he told AFP.

That was 10 years ago.Yet “there are still some

doctors outside of the United States that give a diagnosis of Hallervorden-Spatz,” said Wood, mentioning families in South America and India.

A study out last year said use of the term Hallervorden-Spatz has declined by about half since the 1990s, which researcher Michael Shevell of McGill University described as “an unconscious collective de-

When diseases have a bad name, change is hardBut Fouchier said Saudi

leaders were not pleased by the new name either, so he and other investigators con-vened, discussed and agreed unanimously on a new name: MERS-CoV.

The World Health Organi-zation approved the name in May, but added: “WHO gen-erally prefers that virus names do not refer to the region or place of the initial detection.”NO CENTRAL AUTHOR-ITY

With no central regulatory body for names, diseases and conditions can end up with multiple or contentious labels.

“Where there’s disagree-ment, it can get messy,” said Stephanie Morrison, an expert with the Genetics Home Ref-erence at the US National Li-brary of Medicine.

Some inappropriate names have quickly disappeared.

HIV/AIDS was once referred to as 4-H disease, referring to Haitians, homosexuals, hemo-philiacs and heroin. Another name that was introduced in 1982 but soon vanished was GRID, for Gay-related immu-nodeficiency.

No longer are diseases regu-larly named after their discov-erers, but many persist, like Alzheimer’s disease (after a German psychiatrist) and Tourette’s syndrome (after a French neurologist).

Naming conditions after geographic places has created memorable descriptors -- but which tend to offend.

The naming of a new drug-resistant superbug in 2009 after New Delhi sparked out-cry in India, where medical

experts and parliamentarians said the name cast the city as a dirty place.

The enzyme was named New Delhi metallo-lactamase-1, or NDM-1, and its related gene blaNDM-1, after it was found in an Indian man who had set-tled in Sweden but became ill on a visit to India in 2007.

The superbug has since been found around the world, noted Ajai Singh, a doctor in Mum-bai who has likened the label to “name calling.”

He proposed creating an in-ternational commission for creating medical monikers -- but it has not happened.

And “the name NDM-1 con-tinues to be widely used. Habits die hard, even with scientists,” he told AFP in an email.NAZI NAMES LINGER

Even when the scientific community agrees that a name should change, as in the case of a rare neurological defect named Hallervorden-Spatz dis-ease after the Nazi doctors who first described it, the process can take decades.

“I don’t want the disease to have anything to do with them,” said Patty Wood, whose daughter Kimbi, now 27, was diagnosed at age three when she gradually lost the ability to walk and talk.

When Wood learned that Ju-lius Hallervorden and his boss Hugo Spatz did their research on the brains of exterminated children, she changed the name of the advocacy group she founded to the Neurode-generation with Brain Iron Ac-cumulation (NBIA) Disorders Association and urged doctors to change their habits as well.

cision by the neurologic com-munity to ‘do the right thing.’”

SHAKESPEARE ANY-ONE?

Other names spring from less controversial sources. For in-stance, Irish doctors recently suggested naming the death-bed habit of grasping at bed-clothes as “Henry V sign.”

The description is seen in Shakespeare’s Henry V, in which Mistress Quickly de-scribes the nearing death of

Falstaff, saying she saw him “fumble with the sheets and play with flowers and smile upon his fingers’ ends.’”

Fergus Shanahan, chair of the department of medicine at University College Cork, said the name worked “because most people know Shake-speare to some degree.”

“It is a kind of shorthand description for something that is quite complex but also very common.”

Sudhir Mathuria

Medicare Open Enroll-ment October 15 Thru December 7Only Comes Once A Year. Are You Ready?

by:Sudhir Mathuria

As the days get shorter and the nights get cooler, you can expect

to hear more about Medicare. That’s because October 15 – De-cember 7 is Medicare Open En-rollment, and it’s your chance to review your health care cover-age and see if you need to make any changes, or if you’re happy sticking with the plan you have.

This year, you may hear a lot about the Health Insurance Marketplace. The Marketplace Open Enrollment period (Oc-tober 1, 2013–March 31, 2014) overlaps with the Medicare Open Enrollment period (Oc-tober 15–December 7, 2013). The Marketplace is designed to help people who don’t have any health coverage. If you have health coverage through Medi-care, the Marketplace won’t have any effect on your Medi-care coverage.

Look around – you’ll find a wealth of information about your Medicare benefits, espe-cially in these everyday places:

For example-Look through your mail carefully — you may get important notices from your current plan, Medicare, or So-cial Security about changes to your coverage or any extra help you may get paying for prescrip-tion drugs.

Also look for your Medicare & You handbook. Like an old friend, it shows up around the same time every year. If you de-cided to “go paperless,” you’ll get an email pointing you to medicare.gov where you can get all the same information.

You’ll also start to see bro-chures from companies that of-fer Medicare health and drug plans. Just remember, be smart

about protecting your personal information and your identity — plans aren’t allowed to call or come to your home without an invitation from you. And, it’s against the law for someone who knows that you have Medicare to sell you a Marketplace plan.

In your computer-Comparing your plan choices is a good idea. Medicare Plan Finder is ready with all of the 2014 cost information to make it as easy as possible. Enter the drugs you take to find out how you can lower your costs. Take a moment as you enjoy these crisp mornings to tune into the Medicare information that’s out there. You may find a local event — and yes we can help you choose the right plan for you that serves your needs.

Now’s the time to enjoy the choice and control you have

over your health care coverage. Call us to-day.

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

com

It is that time of the year when flu season begins. As a primary care physi-

cian, I encourage my patients to receive flu vaccination to prevent flu.

Influenza is commonly known as the “flu”. It is caused by the influenza virus. Most common symptoms are fever, muscle aches, head ache, sore throat, cough, exhaustion and occasionally runny nose.

Complications of influenza are greater in persons 65 years of age and older, young chil-dren, pregnant women in the second and third trimester and persons of any age with under-lying medical conditions.

The best way to prevent flu is by taking the flu vaccine. It takes about two weeks to de-velop immunity after receiving the vaccine. A common myth among people is that the flu vaccine causes “flu”. The in-jectable vaccine has inactivated (killed) virus and cannot cause the flu. CDC recommends flu vaccination to anyone that is 6

months of age and older. Even though the effectiveness of the vaccine varies in different age groups, it can lessen severity of illness, decrease complica-tions, reduce hospitalizations and lower fatality rate.

People who have a severe re-action to eggs should not take the flu vaccine. People with any active infection should wait until they have recovered to receive the vaccine. People with a history of Guillain-Barre syndrome or any other specific conditions should discuss with their physician if they are can-didates to receive flu vaccine. Pregnant women should dis-cuss with their obstetrician be-fore receiving the vaccine.

Other important methods of preventing flu are by good handwashing, avoiding touch-ing eyes, nose or mouth, cover-ing the cough or sneeze prop-erly and avoiding people with respiratory symptoms.

As a primary care physician, Dr. Chittaluru emphasizes on a healthy life-style, lifestyle modifications and preventive care. She encourages annual physicals to detect conditions like hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol etc. to get them treated timely. Physicals also include screening tests at appropriate ages for cancers of the prostate, colon, breast and cervix. She is accepting new patients, for appointments, call First Colony Primary Care at (281) 494-3460 or visit first-colonyprimarycare.com or fa-cebook.com/Dr.Chittaluru.

Influenza: Time For Your Flu Shot

Dr Sudha Chittaluru

by Renita Tisha Pinto, Health Me Up Oct 3, 2013,

Some Indian dishes contain healthy ingredients like vegeta-bles, whole grains and other rou-tine ingredients such as pulses, lentils and legumes.

However, depending on the re-gional cooking style or how the dish is cooked, it may be high in calories. In fact, often times, some dishes are extremely high in calories because of additions like cream, ghee, butter and sug-ar. If you are looking to adopt a hearthealthy diet or just trying to watch your waistline, there are certain high calorie Indian foods that are best avoided. Let’s have a look.

Chicken korma curryIt’s a mild creamy-style chick-

en dish, popularly served in most of households.Main ingredients include chicken, ginger- garlic paste, Butter or ghee.

Calorie intake - Appoximately 800-870kcal.

SamosasFried pastry with a savory

filling such as spiced potatoes, onions, or peas. They are a pop-ular snack especially in the eve-nings.. Main ingredients include potato-stuffing, chicken (rare), vegetable, oil and salt.

Calorie intake - Approximate-ly 260kcal for 2pcs (vegetarian samosas) and 320kcal for 2pcs (non-vegetarian samosas).

Tandoori chickenTandoori chicken is a popular

Indian dish consisting of roasted chicken prepared with yogurt and spices.

Calorie intake - Approximate-ly 264-300kcal for one entire leg of chicken.

Chicken madrasIt’s a spicy curry that can be

made with chicken, pork, beef and even mince beef or lamb as a Keema Madras.

Calorie intake - Approximate-

ly 450-500kcal per 100-200gms

Pilau riceA dish consisting of rice fla-

voured with spices and cooked in stock, to which meat, poul-try, vegetables or fish may be added.

Calorie intake - Approximate-ly 449kcal per serving.

Onion bhajiThis is a spicy Indian snack

that consists of a core, similar to potato fritters, with several vari-ants. It is usually used as a top-ping on various Indian meals but has become popular to eat alone as a snack

Calorie intake - 190 kcal per 2-3 pcs (depending on size).

Chicken tikka masalaChicken tikka masala is a dish

of roasted chicken chunks in a spicy sauce. The sauce is usu-ally creamy, spiced and orange-coloured. Interestingly, this isn’t a traditional Indian dish. It got its name from the resemblance in spices to chicken tikkas, a popu-lar starter in mughlai cuisine. However, it has become very popular in India and abroad.

Calorie intake - Approximate-ly 438- 557 kcal per small bowl (depending on amount of butter used)

Chicken curryChicken curry is a common

delicacy in India. The main in-gredients in this dish are chick-en and curry. The curry powder along with an array of other spices including masala powder, saffron, ginger and so on, are mixed to form a sauce to blend in with the chicken.

Calorie intake - Approximate-ly 583 kcal per serving.

Lamb rogan joshRogan josh is an aromatic

lamb dish, which is one of the signature recipes of Kashmiri cuisine. Rogan josh is cooked in oil at intense heat. (Times of India)

20 High calorie Indian dishes to avoid

NEW DELHI, - Woody Al-len has pulled his latest movie “Blue Jasmine” from in India because he objects to manda-tory anti-tobacco warnings be-ing displayed during smoking

scenes, reports said Tuesday.PVR Pictures, Indian distrib-

utor of the critically acclaimed film, said the director consid-ered the required additions -- written warnings that ap-pear on-screen during smoking

scenes -- unacceptable, accord-ing to Dow Jones Newswires.

India’s rules on showing warnings against smoking in films are part of a government drive to curb tobacco use.

Some 1.5 million people

could die each year from to-bacco use in India by 2020, a report by the International To-bacco Control Project forecast recently.

The country’s anti-smoking rules have been challenged on

free-speech grounds, but its Supreme Court has upheld the compulsory warnings.

The film, starring Cate Blanchette as a rich widow who falls on hard times af-ter her husband is arrested for fraud, was slated for release in India last weekend.

Critics have declared Blanch-ette’s performance could win her an Oscar, and say that “Blue Jasmine” is Allen’s best movie accomplishment in re-cent years.

The warnings shown during smoking scenes in India are on top of graphic anti-tobacco warnings typically shown be-fore movies start and during intermissions.

The Woody Allen movie has

two smoking scenes that would require on-screen warnings in India about the dangers of to-bacco use.

PVR Pictures said: “He (Al-len) feels like when the scroll comes, attention goes to it rath-er than the scene,” according to an Indian media report.

India has also banned smok-ing in public places to fight to-bacco use but the ban is widely ignored.

Leading Indian filmmaker and producer Shoojit Sircar praised Allen’s action.

Sircar said he was “glad Woody Allen took a stand. Those (anti-smoking) visuals are disturbing for viewers,” according to Indian television network CNN-IBN.

Woody Allen pulls “Blue Jasmine” from India over anti- smoking ads

VOICE OF ASIA 22 FRIDAY, October 11, 2013HEALTH, SC & TECH

by Paul HANDLEYWASHINGTON, October 2,

2013 (AFP) - The former Play-boy centerfold strikes a sultry pose in a bar, the sleek black cigarette in her hand and a handsome dude at her side.

“I love being single. But here’s what I don’t love: a kiss that tastes like an ashtray. Blecch,” she says.

“Now that I’ve switched to blu, I feel better about myself. And I feel free to have one al-most anywhere.”

Sex and freedom: the slick advertisement for Lorillard’s blu eCigs, starring TV person-ality Jenny McCarthy, shows how Big Tobacco is pushing into electronic cigarettes.

They are seeking to take command of a market they fear could one day supplant tradi-tional tobacco.

In just the past few months British American Tobacco, Lorillard, Reynolds American, Altria and others have launched e-cigarettes, with a message that they can be smoked or “vaped” anywhere that regular cigarettes are banned or dis-dained.

“We see huge potential for this market, both domestically and globally,” said Richard Smith, spokesman for Reyn-olds American, parent of to-bacco powerhouse RJ Reyn-olds and producer of the VUSE e-cigarette, which it recently introduced in Colorado to test the market.

“Adult tobacco consumers are making it known that they want convenient tobacco prod-ucts they can use in a variety of settings, giving them the free-dom to enjoy tobacco on their own terms,” he said.

Lorillard’s blu -- a brand it bought for $135 million (100 million euros) in April -- has stolen a march in the US mar-ket on competitors.

Altria, parent of Philip Mor-

2 Americans, German win Medicine Nobel Prize for cell transport system

STOCKHOLM: The 2013 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medi-

cine has been awarded jointly to Americans James E Roth-man, Randy W Schekman and German-born Thomas C Süd-hof for their discoveries of ma-chinery regulating vesicle traf-fic, a major transport system in our cells.

The 2013 Nobel Prize hon-ours the three scientists who have solved the mystery of how the cell organises its transport system.

Each cell is a factory that produces and exports mol-ecules. For instance, insulin is

manufactured and released into the blood and chemical sig-nals called neurotransmitters are sent from one nerve cell to another. These molecules are transported around the cell in small packages called vesicles.

The three Nobel Laureates have discovered the molecular principles that govern how this cargo is delivered to the right place at the right time in the cell. Randy Schekman discov-ered a set of genes that were re-quired for vesicle traffic. James Rothman unravelled protein machinery that allows vesicles to fuse with their targets to per-mit transfer of cargo.

Thomas Südhof revealed how signals instruct vesicles to release their cargo with preci-sion. Through their discover-ies, Rothman, Schekman and Südhof have revealed the ex-quisitely precise control system for the transport and delivery of cellular cargo. Disturbances in this system have deleteri-ous effects and contribute to conditions such as neurologi-cal diseases, diabetes, and im-munological disorders. The 2013 Nobel Laureates: James E Rothman was born 1950 in Haverhill, Massachusetts, USA. He received his PhD from Harvard Medical School

in 1976, was a postdoctoral fel-low at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and moved in 1978 to Stanford University in California, where he started his research on the vesicles of the cell. Rothman has also worked at Princeton University, Me-morial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Institute and Columbia Univer-sity. In 2008, he joined the fac-ulty of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, USA, where he is currently Professor and Chairman in the Depart-ment of Cell Biology. Randy W Schekman was born 1948 in St Paul, Minnesota, USA, studied at the University of California in Los Angeles and at Stanford University, where he obtained his PhD in 1974 under the su-pervision of Arthur Kornberg (Nobel Prize 1959) and in the same department that Rothman joined a few years later.

In 1976, Schekman joined the faculty of the University of Cal-ifornia at Berkeley, where he is currently Professor in the De-partment of Molecular and Cell biology. Schekman is also an investigator of Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Thomas C Südhof was born in 1955 in Göt-tingen, Germany. He studied at the Georg-August-Universität in Göttingen, where he received an MD in 1982 and a Doctor-ate in neurochemistry the same year. In 1983, he moved to the University of Texas Southwest-ern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas, USA, as a postdoctoral fellow with Michael Brown and Joseph Goldstein (who shared the 1985 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine). Süd-hof became an investigator of Howard Hughes Medical Insti-tute in 1991 and was appointed Professor of Molecular and Cellular Physiology at Stanford University in 2008.

ris, has test-launched its Mark-Ten in Indiana, and BAT kicked off the Vype across Britain in July.

Meanwhile NJOY, an inde-pendent with Silicon Valley and Hollywood startup capital, has also carved out significant market space.

Bonnie Herzog, an industry specialist at Wells Fargo Se-curities, forecasts $2 billion in e-cigarette sales in the United States by the end of this year -- two percent of the tobacco mar-ket -- and $10 billion by 2017.

“Consumption of e-cigs could surpass consumption of traditional cigs within the next decade,” she said.

Companies say the recogni-tion level of e-cigarettes is al-ready widespread in the United States and Europe. Some 37 percent of smokers in Europe have sampled them.

But the takeup rate is still low, and the big tobacco firms say their challenge is to figure out why.

“The experience is quite dif-ferent than a cigarette,” said Des Naughton, managing di-rector of Nicoventures, the BAT subsidiary behind Vype.

“The product and how it per-forms is quite different from a cigarette. Obviously there are people who try it and find it’s not for them.”

The products available are di-verse: disposable and recharge-able, some designed to look like old-fashioned cigarettes and some striving to be differ-ent.

Some stick to traditional to-bacco flavors while others, like blu, explore tastes like those in an ice cream parlor: “Cherry Crush”, “Java Jolt” or “Pina Colada.”

“The opportunity remains for companies like ourselves... to understand the potential, the technology involved, and improve what’s on offer,” said

Naughton.‘You can smoke at a basket-

ball game’Marketing too is still in in-

fancy.NJOY, in a pioneering tele-

vision ad during the hugely watched Super Bowl champi-onship in February, emphasized

“the look, feel and flavor of the real thing.”

Naughton says the focus for BAT is still in enlightening consumers, persuading them to

“give it a go.”Blu however has gone the

lifestyle route, long a sure win-ner for cigarettes, emphasizing

Big tobacco pushes into e-cigs

VOICE OF ASIA 23 FRIDAY, October 11, 2013

Friday, October 11, 2013 Section 2 Email: voiceasia@aol.com Tel: 713-774-5140

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HOUSTON- The I n d o - A m e r i c a n Chamber of Com-

merce of Greater Hous-ton prides itself in opening doors and providing access to its members not only at IACCGH events but also at events hosted by its resource partners.

On Tuesday, September 24, 2013 5 Chamber members had the opportunity to ex-hibit at the monthly “Greater Houston Business Procure-ment Forum” at the Houston Community College South-west @ W. Loop South. The Chamber emailed its members offering them the opportunity to exhibit at the

Indo American Chamber of Commerce Finds New Ways To Showcase Its Business Members

breakfast and five chamber members displaying banners that stated they were “Proud members of the IACCGH” benefited from the opportu-

nity as is evident from their testimonials.

“Wallis State Bank was honored to be part of the

Greater Houston Business

Procurement Forum on Sep-tember 24, 2013. Our bank was being well represented and the experience was priceless. We met many po-

tential clients and connected with other vendors for future partnering. We also met SBA representatives at the event which will hopefully lead to

future relations with the orig-ination. We hope to be part of this prestigious event in the forthcoming years”.

Rajiv B Bhavsar, SVP/Commercial Lending Offi-cer, Wallis State Bank

“We thank IACCGH for the opportunity for

TechOne Centre to partici-pate as an exhibitor at the Sept. 2013 Houston Business Procurement Forum.

The event was rewarding to TechOne Centre. The “el-evator pitch” by each of us for the entire audience gener-ated interest and traffic to our tables. We made several con-tacts that are already leading

Rajiv B Bhavsar, SVP ,Wallis State Bank with collegue Khan at their table (left) next to Go Out Source.

Bijay Dixit, CEO, Unique Photo Images with his exhibit. “Proud members of the IACCGH”

to opportunities. We also had the opportunity to meet other exhibitors with whom we are building relationships and possible business. Thank you

very much for this opportuni-ty! Without the initiative and hard work of IACCGH, we would not have participated in this event and gained from the exposure”.

CV Rao, President www.TechOneCentre.com

“Thank you very much for providing us an opportu-

nity to participate in “Greater Houston Procurement Fo-rum” through IACCGH sup-port and sponsorship. w sin-cerely appreciate it.

It was indeed great expe-rience. We met a lot of po-tential new clients and have started talking with them about future business oppor-tunity. I will keep you up-dated about our success but our attendance at event was worth the time and efforts”.

Rupesh Sanghavi , CEO, ErgodE Inc www.GoOut-Source.com

“As usual the Chamber works hard to help its

members by using its con-nections and contacts to open new doors to business op-portunities and I was able to meet many potential clients at the business procurement breakfast”.

Bijay Dixit, CEO, Unique Photo Images, uniquephoto-images.com,

“As a new member of IACCGH we found the

opportunity to showcase our products and services at the breakfast a great opportunity to expand our business. We thank IACCGH for doing this for its members”.

Nupur Kapadia, PNM Printing & Sign, Inc. www.pnmprinting.com

IACCGH members participate at the TechOne Centre

VOICE OF ASIA 24 FRIDAY, October 11, 2013BUSINESS

WA S H I N G T O N , October 7, 2013 (AFP) - The United

States launches on Tuesday a new $100 bill that comes with, for the iconic greenback, a new touch of color, as well as spe-cial features to foil counterfeit-ers.

In its first remake since 1969, the $100 banknote, which takes a key role in cash transactions worldwide, sports the tradi-tional portrait of statesman Benjamin Franklin, a leader of the American Revolution, on the front and a picture of Phila-delphia’s Independence Hall on the back.

But it adds a yellowish “100” in one corner and, next to Frank-lin, a tan quill and bronze-col-ored inkwell that holds inside it the Philadelphia Liberty Bell in changing colors from darker brown to green, depending on

US launches new $100 banknote

A view of a the new 2009 series $100 bill is displayed October 4, 2013 in Washington (AFP, Brendan Smialowski)

the angle the note is held.Cutting vertically through

the middle of the banknote is a blue security ribbon that shows “100” and smaller Liberty Bells in darker blue, which appear to

move as the note is shifted.The new design comes pri-

marily to fight the increasing sophistication of counterfeit-ers, Sonja Danburg, program manager in charge of currency

education at the Federal Re-serve, told AFP.

“It’s our most global bank note. Between a half and two-thirds of them are circulating outside of the United States, and it’s also the most counter-feited of US denominations outside of the United States,” she said.

“We want to stay ahead of counterfeiting threats, we want to protect the public.”

The new note hits the streets in the United States on Tues-day, and it will take some days before banks ship them to branches and counterparts around the world.

With some $900 billion of them still out on the market, and mostly abroad, Danburg stressed, the old $100 note will continue to be honored, with no time limit.

By Salil Panchal (AFP) – 2 hours ago

Mumbai — Walmart and Indian firm Bharti announced

Wednesday they were ending their retail partnership, with the US giant saying India’s foreign investment rules were partly to blame for the split.

The companies said they would “independently own and operate separate business formats”, ending an alliance aimed at building Walmart’s presence in India’s potentially lucrative retail sector.

The world’s biggest retailer has operated since 2007 in In-dia as a wholesaler via its part-nership with Bharti, but it was restricted from selling directly to consumers.

Walmart said it wanted to op-erate supermarkets in India af-ter New Delhi moved last year to open up the retail sector to

WA S H I N G T O N , October 9, 2013 (AFP) - Janet Yel-

len, nominated by President Barack Obama to run the Fed-eral Reserve, will be the first woman to hold what Obama has called one of the world’s top policy-making jobs.

The move reduces by one the number of top power po-sitions in the US government that women have not held -- a list that includes president, vice president and head of the Su-preme Court.

But while the nomination marks a first for the US central bank, the United States is hard-ly a trailblazer.

C e n t r a l B a n k N e w s . i n f o counts 14 women among the 180-odd central bank chiefs worldwide.

Argentina and Russia have named women to run their cen-tral banks, as have Cameroon and Botswana in Africa, and Argentina, Honduras and El Salvador in Latin America.

In the United States, women have been at the top level of central bank policy-making only since 1978, when Nancy Teeters joined the very mascu-line world of the Fed’s board of governors and the Federal Open Market Committee.

Since then, around a dozen women have joined the Fed, either as governors or as chairs of one of its 12 regional reserve banks.

Yellen has done both. She was a governor from 1994 to 1997, and president of the Fed-eral Reserve Bank of San Fran-cisco from 2004 to 2010. Since

Yellen Fed pick a new milestone for women in power jobs

US giant Walmart and India’s Bharti end joint venture

Janet Yellen is slated to be the first woman to serve as chair of the Federal Reserve. AFP Photo

then, she has been Fed vice chairman.

But the US central bank re-mains mainly a province of men. One female member of the board of governors, Eliza-beth Duke, resigned at the end of August.

Another, Sarah Raskin, will soon depart for a job at the US Treasury. That will leave Yellen, Esther George, presi-dent of the Fed’s Kansas City branch, and Sandra Pianalto at the Cleveland branch.

The process of choosing a re-placement for Ben Bernanke as the foremost monetary policy maker in the US, and indeed the world, was steeped in gen-der politics.

Yellen was pitched against the man believed to be the White House favorite -- former Trea-sury secretary Larry Summers, who, like Yellen, is a brilliant economist but often a magnet for ire from women.

“Janet Yellen is clearly is the best person for the job -- male or female,” the National Or-ganization for Women said on its website when it called on Obama to back her.

“But in addition, she would be the first woman Fed Chair and provide better gender balance to the circle of the president’s top advisers -- something that is sorely missing in his second administration.”

Sheila Bair, a former chair-

woman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the US bank regulator, said there was “a horrible whispering cam-paign in Washington” against Yellen that is “tinged with sex-ist arguments.”

As if he were aware that he was walking on eggshells, Obama goofed early on when talking about the two candi-dates, referring to both as “mis-ter” before embarrassingly cor-recting himself to say “Mrs.” Yellen.

When Summers -- who faced strong opposition from Demo-crats and Republicans in the Senate, which must approve the nomination -- finally pulled out, the path became clear for Yellen.

foreign companies as part of steps to boost a sharply slow-ing economy.

But the group has been frus-trated by the government’s new conditions for foreign direct investment (FDI), an internal bribery probe and the faltering relationship with Bharti, owner of India’s top mobile phone firm.

Walmart told AFP in an email the decision to split with Bharti was based on “external and internal factors, including the new FDI policy”.

“Under the requirements contained in the new FDI pol-icy Walmart could not invest in multi-brand retail through the existing Bharti Retail busi-ness,” a Walmart India spokes-person said in the email, with-out elaborating.

Walmart must now find an-other local partner to own 49 percent of the business if it plans to push ahead with op-erating supermarkets under the government’s rules.

A year ago, New Delhi al-lowed foreign supermarkets to establish 51 percent joint ven-tures in the country as part of a drive to seek outside invest-ment, but so far none have ap-plied.

Analysts said the split showed the government must do more to improve FDI rules to attract

overseas companies and spur economic growth, which has slackened to a decade-low.

“This could further caution international firms looking to enter India,” said Saloni Nan-gia, president of consultancy firm Technopak, of Walmart’s announcement.

“From a destination perspec-tive, foreign firms want to be in India. But from a policy and doing-business perspective, it is different. The government needs to do more to facilitate this,” she said.

Opposition lawmakers in the past have expressed concern over Walmart’s entry, saying it would hurt local “mom and pop” stores.

With the Bharti venture end-ing, Walmart is not expected to rush into making fresh India investments, said Sonam Uda-si, head of research with IDBI

capital.“Walmart will study the on-

the-ground situation, particu-larly future government poli-cies in retail,” he told AFP.

Walmart said in July it was unable to meet the govern-ment’s requirements -- stipu-lating that 30 percent of its products must come from local small-scale industries -- for it to open retail stores.

A senior Indian commerce ministry official late Wednes-day said the government had “no plans to relax the 30 per-cent local sourcing norms”.

India’s FDI policy “cannot be company specific,” the offi-cial, Saurabh Chandra, told the Press Trust of India.

Under the breakup terms, Walmart will acquire Bharti’s stake in the wholesale business, giving it 100 percent owner-ship.

Nangia said Walmart is likely to stay focused on its cash-and-carry business, which would help to build up its supply chain to support any future re-tail venture.

Scott Price, president and chief executive of Walmart Asia, said the company would “continue to advocate for in-vestment conditions that allow FDI multi-brand retail in In-dia”.

Customers shop at a Walmart store in Chicago on August 15, 2013 (GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File, Scott Olson)

A view of the Bharti Walmart Best Price wholesale store in Manawala, outside Amritsar, pictured on September 19, 2012 (AFP/File, Narinder Nanu).

Apple is planning to reveal iPad updates at an invitation-only

event later this month, the tech-nology news website AllTh-ingsD reported Tuesday.

The next-generation iPad is expected to be thinner than its predecessor and boast im-proved camera capabilities.

Apple planning iPad news: reportAn upgraded version of the iPad mini is likely to list an improved screen among its features.

The event will be held on Oc-tober 22, according to AllTh-ingsD. Apple declined to com-ment on the report, which cited unnamed sources.

The iPad remains the larg-est-selling tablet, according to surveys, but its market share is being eroded by rivals using the Google Android operating system.

Apple was expected to dis-cuss its computer operating system and its laptop line at the event, timed for the start of

the year-end holiday shopping season.

Apple is coming off a wildly successful launch of two new iPhone models last month. The California firm said it sold a record nine million iPhones in the three days after launching two new versions of the smart-phone.

NEW YORK CITY, Oc-tober 9, 2013 (AFP) - The dollar Wednes-

day advanced against major currencies after President

Obama tapped Janet Yellen to lead the US Federal Reserve, signaling a continuation of the Fed’s easy-money policy.

Around 2200 GMT, the euro traded at $1.3523, down from $1.3572 on Tuesday.

The greenback bought 97.37 Japanese yen, up from 96.86.

The euro also rose against the yen, trading at 131.74 from 131.47.

Analysts said Yellen’s nomi-nation restored a note of nor-malcy to Washington, where a

Dollar firms as Obama taps Yellen for Fed

government shutdown dragged into a ninth day with no sign of political compromise on a bud-get for the 2014 fiscal year that began October 1.

“While the selection of Yel-len, a known policy dove, would generally be seen as negative for the dollar, an active Federal Reserve could be seen as posi-tive for an economy that could become increasingly vulnerable to fiscal headwinds from a cha-otic backdrop in Washington,” said Omer Esiner, chief mar-ket analyst at Commonwealth Forex Exchange.

Joe Manimbo, senior mar-ket analyst at Western Union Business Solutions, said that Yellen’s nomination “offered

a momentary distraction to the only game in town these days, America’s ongoing political crisis in Washington.”

Obama on Wednesday in-vited Republican and Demo-cratic lawmakers to the White House to try to work through budget disagreements that have resulted in the partial govern-ment shutdown and threatens to cause a debt default if the two sides fail to raise the bor-rowing limit by an October 17 deadline.

Among other currencies, the British pound fell to $1.5954 from $1.6084 Tuesday.

The dollar rose to 0.9100 Swiss franc from 0.9037.

VOICE OF ASIA 25 FRIDAY, October 11, 2013FEATURE

UMA MANTRAVADIAttorney and Counselor at Law

Experienced, Honest & AggressiveEmail: uma@mantralaw.com

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Your Horoscope(For week beginning Friday, October 11, 2013)

As per Indian Vedic Astrology the Moon sign is considered, in which every Rashi has control over certain letters, which are initials of your name. Whereas in Western system of Sun Sign, all the people born in one month belong to the same sign. For example, every year approximately around 21 of March to 20th April, the Sun is moving in the Aries Constellation. So all the people born in that month belong to the Sign of Aries. If you were born in between those two dates then you are a Aries born.

Hardik Vyas, Astrologer Cell : 832-298-9950

Aries (A,L,E) 21 March to 20 AprilA rude awakening to situations around you. Your partners may paint a rosy picture but if matters don’t work out the way you expect, you could be very upset. Take a look at the truth of any situation, no matter what anyone else might say. Try not to go overboard with

promotional efforts or the additional expenses. Be sure you don’t let flattery lead you down the wrong road. You may be counting on unreliable sources of income now. If you trust that checks will arrive on time, hedge your bets and make sure they were mailed as promised.

Taurus(B,V,U)21 April to 20 MayTravel & humanitarian issues, will lead you. Let your natural enthusiasm take you into uncharted territory. Explore the waters of new partnership activity as well. Life may be more abundant than you could have ever imagined. Don’t put on the blinders just

yet. Sensitivity can be a positive and valuable commodity but when those feelings are close to the surface, they can turn into feelings of insecurity. Your sensitivity may come in handy when it comes to an appeal to others for aid.

Gemini (K,CHH,GH) 21 May to 20 JuneYou need to get a better perspective on things. Make the effort to understand what is going on by having sensitive discussions. You need to get ready to accept all the good things that are coming your way, because this is a perfect time for new starts and there are indications of fabulous financial conditions. Your mate could seem unpredictable to you. You might

be tempted to let go of the relationship for all the wrong reasons. Look deeper in order to understand motivations.

Cancer (D,H) 21 June to 22 JulyGet yourself completely organized. You need to prepare for changes in your personal life as well as in public or professional situations. Your social consciousness could lead you to situations that might help resolve some global problems. You may feel as if you are plugged into a source of very high energy. Considering the opportunities that await

you, you have good reason to be excited. Pay attention to gut instincts that tell you where the treasures of the world are buried.

Leo (M) 23 July to 22 AugustCollect additional income that is owed to you. Financial matters demand your careful at-tention. To avoid going down the garden path of unfulfilled dreams, take care of all practi-cal matters. Keep your eye on your goals, but take precautions. Secure the situation with practical measures. Partnership projects could seem uncertain. If someone you depend on

lets you down or acts in an unpredictable manner, you may need to discuss the situation more thoroughly. You could discover that the actions of others have little to do with you.

Virgo(P) 23 August to 22 SeptemberQuestions about areas of your life that come under fire. You may be unwilling to con-front the cost of an entertainment project until it’s too late. If you are disappointed as a result, you may blame yourself and may even become ill over it. Anything that is related to partnership activities or your home life could be a source of uncertainty. You

may be uncertain whether you should take the next step toward a more exciting life or maintain the status quo.

Libra(R,T)23 Sept to 22 OctFriends and associates that could prove to be very unreliable. New responsibilities could seem burdensome now. You need to make an effort to adjust to the demands of you. If you’re under too much pressure, your health could suffer. You need to be needed and you may have to carefully structure your time to accommodate everything you want to do. With some patience and understanding on your part, however, you’ll realize what

could occur in the lives of others to cause them to have to completely re-adjust their routines.

Scorpio(N,Y)23 Oct to 21 NovSomething or someone that tends to get under your skin. If you are resentful toward friends or associates, you may have to struggle with those feelings. You may find it difficult to keep a smile on your face when you see funds slipping through your fingers. A partner or your

mate may appear to take the easy way out and ignore your struggle to balance everything that’s going on around you. Don’t let stress tempt you to play games or plan ways to get even.

Sagittarius(BH,F,DH,TH)22 Nov to 21 DecChanges, even though you want your life could stay exactly the same. After all, that makes you feel safe and secure. Change doesn’t have to be frightening, in fact, major changes taking place in your creative life, could awaken you to new talents and abili-ties. Remember that there is always another step to take and that things may not actu-

ally be as they seem. Don’t resist these changes. You are developing new levels of consciousness, and these changes are part of that development.

Capricorn(KH,J)22 Dec to 20 JanWorking situations that could seem very stressful. Others may try to give you more than your share of the load. Learn to say no, especially if you’re tired and need rest. You may need to get extra rest to keep nervous reactions under control. Try not to get upset over misunder-standings. Others may tend to think out loud & cause you to lose your temper. You may need

to blow off some steam. Utilize your natural sense of humor to help yourself to see things from a different perspective.

Aquarius (G,S,SH) 21 Jan to 19 FebStrong emotional & physical ties may be waiting for you. You may be so high on life that you forget to look at the reality of some things. Be especially careful with financial matters, because you could be overconfident of your success. You may be very vul-nerable and sensitive, especially when it comes to your own creativity and your need for self-expression. Don’t let anyone tell you what you can and can’t do. Show your

leadership and avoid overly aggressive behavior.

Pisces(D,CH,Z)20 Feb to 20 MarchUncertainty in your career. You may want to bury your head in the sand. Your awareness of something that is not fair or just at your job could make you want to walk away from some career situations. Be sure you don’t cut off your nose to spite your face. If some as-sociates behave like traumatized children, treat them that way. Give people the attention they require.

by Ammu Kannampilly

New Delhi — A cramped, one-room shop tucked away

in Delhi University seems an unlikely battleground for a publishing war that, academ-ics warn, threatens quality of and access to education in the world’s second most popu-lous nation.

The busy shop, where pho-tocopiers churn out papers for a steady stream of students for a small fee, is at the centre of a court battle brought by three venerable academic presses over the interpretation of In-dia’s copyright law.

The lawsuit, filed by Cam-bridge University Press, Ox-ford University Press and Taylor & Francis against Delhi University and the shop threatens production of “course packs” -- de facto “textbooks” made of photo-copied portions of various books.

Course packs are common throughout much of the de-veloping world -- where most university students cannot af-ford to purchase new or even second-hand textbooks -- and are seen as key to the spread of education there.

Distinguished Indian aca-demics have lined up to ex-press dismay over the suit, including Nobel Prize winner and Harvard University pro-fessor Amartya Sen, warning that these packs could be-come expensive, or unavail-able altogether, hitting stu-dents hard.

“As an OUP (Oxford Uni-versity Press) author I would like to urge my publisher to not draw on the full force of the law to make these course packs impossible to gener-ate and use,” Sen wrote in an open letter last September, a month after the case was filed in the Supreme Court.

“Educational publishers have to balance various in-terests, and the cause (access to) of education must surely be a very important one,” he wrote.

Experts fear that the case could set a precedent that forces the closure of such shops in India. Universi-ties that still want to provide packs to their students could instead be forced into poten-tially expensive licencing ar-rangements with publishers to

reproduce the texts.Amita Baviskar, associate

professor at the Institute of Economic Growth at Delhi University, who has cam-paigned against the suit, calls it “a case of big-name pub-lishers bullying academics, students and a small shop to make more profit”.

“If the court rules in fa-vour of the publishers, ac-cess to educational material will become more expensive and the quality of students’ learning will suffer. Students will struggle without course packs,” Baviskar told AFP.

Indian copyright law al-ready allows students and academics to photocopy textbook excerpts freely for educational use, under a “fair dealing” provision, according to Baviskar.

Publishers, however, argue that this provision, while al-lowing an individual to copy small numbers of pages for academic use, doesn’t extend to a profit-making photocopy-ing shop generating entire course packs.

According to Sudhir Mal-hotra, president of the Fed-eration of Indian Publishers, “a photocopying shop which copies excerpts from vari-ous books and then sells the resulting course pack for a profit...this is not fair use, this is commercial exploitation of private property”.

“It’s not as if photocopiers are doing it for free. So why blame publishers for wanting their share?” Malhotra told AFP.

The practice of copying textbook excerpts is “typical of emerging economies”, ac-cording to copyright experts like Jeremy de Beer, associate professor of law at the Uni-versity of Ottawa in Canada.

His published work on the issue includes a 2010 book on copyright law and access to education in eight develop-ing nations, including South Africa, Senegal, Egypt and Kenya.

“What I found was that most universities lack the resources to buy brand-new copies of academic books, so photocopying is integral to the education there,” de Beer told AFP in a phone interview.

Most libraries de Beer vis-ited housed only one copy of

each textbook on the syllabus, making it necessary to photo-copy whole books, he said.

-- Licencing deals long re-sisted --

Publishers do not expect a massive boom in textbook sales even if the lawsuit suc-ceeds, he said. Instead Indian universities are expected to be pushed into new copying ar-rangements with publishers.

“As far as this case in India is concerned, publishers have an ulterior motive. They want to create a system whereby the university obtains a copy-ing licence from the publisher in exchange for a flat fee per student,” he said.

So far, universities have been reluctant to sign licence deals, saying they can rely -- through their small photo-copy shops -- on “fair use” legal provisions to photocopy material.

The Supreme Court of Can-ada in 2004 ruled on a simi-lar case filed by three legal publishers against the Law Society of Upper Canada. Its verdict supported the Law Society’s right to photocopy library materials.

The crucial issue, accord-ing to de Beer, is whether an Indian court will regard a privately-held photocopy-ing shop in the same light as a not-for-profit library, and whether the court supports li-cencing deals.

“If the court in Delhi sup-ports licencing then publish-ers can use India as an exam-ple to drive a global trend,” he said.

“In the past, Indian courts have set precedents with im-portant implications for other emerging economies,” he said, citing landmark rulings on issues like pharmaceutical patents that helped expand access to cheap drugs in de-veloping nations.

“This case has the poten-tial to create similar shock waves.”

Prem Vipin said his shop in Delhi University, with its six-odd photocopiers and mounds of papers, remains open as the court battle drags on. But he fears for the future, not just for his business but for the students too.

“We face tough times. But it is the students who will suffer the most,” he said.

Small university shop at centre of India publishing row

Students pick up photocopied material from the Rameshwari Photocopy Service at Delhi Univer-sity in New Delhi on September 18, 2013 (AFP/File, Sajjad Hussain)

VOICE OF ASIA 26 FRIDAY, October 11, 2013COMMUNITY EVENTSRELIGIOUS INSTITUTES & ORGANIZATIONS OF HOUSTON - call Voice of Asia 713-774-5140

Mahatma Gandhi Library

Prog: October 1, 2013. Gandhi Jayanti – Gandhiji’s Birthday, by Bechtel Diversity Advisory Council(DAC) on Tuesday, October 6, 2013.-1000 Lights for Peace on Sunday.

Mission Church of GodProg: Only Hindi Church In Stafford, TX. Hindi Prayers. Do You Need Prayer?Join us for services every Sunday 6 pm - 8 pm.Location: 235 Ave E, Stafford, TX 77477Contact: Call 281-229-9979 for details.

Hare Krishna Dham (ISKCON) Prog: Diwali Celebrations on Sun. Nov. 3rd, 5:30 PM Govardhan Puja - Mon. Nov 4th 6:30 PMDrama & Cultural Events: Sun. Nov 10th 5:00 PM Everyday, 7 Aratis and bhoga offerings daily. Sunday Festi-val: 5.30 p.m. to 7.30 p.m. Location: 1320 West 34th St, Houston, TX 77018.Contact:281-433-1635/E-mail harekrishnadham@gmail.com Website: www.iskconhouston.org

Shri Radha Krishna TempleProg: Mataji Ki Chowki on Friday October 11, 2013 start-ing at 8PM.Prasaad will be served after Program.Location:11625 Beechnut, Houston, TX 77072Phone: 281-933-8100 Website: www.SRKT.org.

Sri Krishn Dham

Prog:Unmatched gift - classes conducted on how to stop self inflicted, miserable suffering. We meet on 3rd. Sunday of each month at 1 PM. Devotee volunteers are invited. Contact:Sushree Arjun Sang: 832-252-7272 or write to: duatvusa@gmail.com.

India House

Prog: Free Yoga classes every Tues, Thurs, & SatFree Dance classes every SunFree Computer classes every Mon, Wed, & Thurs Medical Clinic every Sat Cultural Library every SunFor info call 713-929-1900Email: info@indiahouseinc.orgWebsite: www.indiahouseinc.org

Chinmaya MissionProg: Location:10353 Synott Road, Sugar Land, TX77498.Phone: 832.541.0059.Website:www.chinmayahous-ton.org.

Sri Saumyakasi Sivalaya Temple Hrs: 9 am to noon and 5 to 9 pm. Sri Astalaksmi puja: 7 pm.Sri Laksmi Archana will be performed on request all day. Location:same as Chinmaya Mission.Website: www.saumyakasi.org;

Hindu Temple of The WoodlandsProg: Location: 7601 S. Forest Gate Drive at Woodlands Parkway, Spring, TX 77382.Contact: info@woodlandshin-dutemple.org, 832-585-0001Website: www.woodlandshindutemple.org.

VSNA, Houston Prog: Monthly Mahamane event. Puja, Vachana Sahithya discourses, Aarthi and PrasadContact: vsnahouston@gmail.com/832-545-1185 (Jyoti Biradar)Facebook: https://www.face-book.com/VSNA.HOUSTONWebsite: https://sites.google.com/site/bsusorg/home

BAPSProg: Location: 1150 Brand Rd. Stafford, TX.Contact: 281-765-2277 Web:

Sri Meenakshi

Temple Prog: October 5th through Oc-tober 13th: Navrathri Celbra-tions: Daily special Alankaram , Golu and cultural eventsOctober 11th, Friday:6.30 - 9.30 pm: Suvasini PujaOctober 26th, Saturday:Free Health fair, all day festivities.Location: 17130 McLean Road Pearland, TX 77584Contact: (281) 489-0358

Arsha Vidya Bharati

Prog.:Sanskrit classes and special worship sessions for all agesLocation: 2918 Renoir, Sugar Land, TX 77479Contact: 281-606-5607 or AVB.Houston@gmail.comWeb-site: https://sites.google.com/site/avbtexas/classes

Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Baitus Samee MosqueProg: Friday Prayer - 1:30 PM Children’s Classes | Interfaith meeting | Location: 1333 Spears Rd, Houston, TX 77067Imam - Mohammed Zafarullah Contact : Work: 281-875-3400 | Cell: 713-874-4363 Zafarullah_Hanjra@hotmail.comwww.Alislam.org

Ashirwad - A Blessing TempleProg: Regular prog :Sloka Classes for kids and teens. Location: Katy, Hwy 249 & Sugar Land. Contact: 281.995.0930/ 281.808.2159

Vedanta Society of Greater HoustonProg: Vedanta teachings Sun-days at 10:30 AMLocation: at 14809 Lindita Dr. Houston, TX -77083. Website: www.vedantahous-ton.org

ISSOProg: Darshan daily from 7.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 8.30 p.m.; Aarti daily from

7.45 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Location: 10080 Synott Road, Sugar Land, TX 77478Phone: 281-530-2565 Web:

VPSS HoustonProg: Health Fair 2013 on Sat.Oct 26, 7:30 AM -2:00PMLocation VPSS Vallabh Hall, 11715 Belfort Village Dr. Houston 77031. Contact:713-530-2900Website:www.vpsshaveli.org

Shri Satyanarayan Sai Puja DarshanProg: Daily from 10:00 a.m. to 1:p.m. and 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Every Thursday Abhishek Location: 16338 Kensing-ton Dr, Ste 110, Sugar Land 77479. Phone: 713-933-8821 / 9359.

Gurdwara Sahib of SW HoustonProg: Sundays Dewan 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. 1:00 p.m. Langar Location:14811 Lindita Drive, Houston, TX 77083Phone: 281-498-5200Website: www.gurdwaraswh.com

Sri Ashtalakshmi TempleProg: Sri Vishnu Sahasranama Stotra Parayanam: daily 6.30 p.m. Location:10098 Synott Road. Sugar Land, TX 77478Phone: 281- 498-2344 Website: www.ashtalakshmi.org

Hindu Worship SocietyProg: Open all days except Thursdays (by appt). Regular Puja and Prasad. Sunday Ser-vice 11:30 AM to 1:30 Location: 2223 Wirtcrest Lane Houston TX 77055.

Barsana Dham Houston ChapterProg: Satsang every Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Location: India House, 8888 West Belfort 77031Phone: (713) 855-9818 for detailsWebsite: www.jkphouston.org Weekly Radio Program-1460

AM Saturdays 10-11 a.m.

Lakshmi Narayan MandirProg: Every Friday Satsangh from 7:30 pm to 9 pm. Bhajans and Devi Puja, Discourses. Location: 12530 Ann Louise Road, Houston, 77086. Phone: Contact Vishnu at (832) 309- 7181.

JVB Preksha Meditation CenterProg: Annual Family Camp “Understanding Joy & Sor-row” on March 29 - 31, 2013 (Good Friday Weekend) Bell-ville, TX. Location: 14102 Schiller Road, Houston TX 77082Phone: 281.596.9642 Website: www.jvbhouston.org

Patanjali Yogpeeth CenterProg: Free Yoga Classes every Sat/Sun from 8 am to 9:30 amLocation: Arya Samaj @Schil-ler Road. Contact: 281-579-9433. Websites: www.pyptusa.org

Jain Center of HoustonProg: Location: 3905 Arc St. Hous-ton, TX 77063Contact: 281-606-JAIN; Email: ecjsh@jain-houston.orgWebsite:www.jain-houston.org

Durga Bari Society Prog: Sandhya Arati at 6:30 p.m.; Sunday: 9:00 a.m.- 7:00 p.m. Location: 13944 Schiller Road. Contact: 281-597-8100 Website:www.houstondur-gabari.org

Gayatri Pariwar of Houston

Prog: Sundays Satsang, Bal-Sanskar Shala, from 11am to 1pm. Location: 5645 Hillcroft, Suite # 307, Houston, TX 77036. Website: http://www.gayatri-pariwarhouston.org/ “

Sri Guruvayurap-pan Temple

Prog: Bhajans: Sat.7:00 -8:00 p.m.; Sundays 9:00 a.m.-1:00 a.m.Location: 1620 Ormandy Street, Houston, TX 77035Contact: 713-729-8994

Govindaji Gaudiya MathProg:Satsang every Sunday evening from 5 - 7 p.m. Vedic heritage classes for kids 5-14. Location: 16628 Kieth Harrow blvd. Houston, TX 77084Contact: 281-499-3347/281-491-4114.

Sathya Sai Baba CentersProg: Sundays from 3:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at two locationsLocations: Contact: (North) 832-418-3842 or (South) 281-788-4786. Website:www.saicenterofhous-ton.org

Telugu Christian FellowshipProg; Every third Saturday 6:30 PM. Worship is in EnglishLocation: The Triumph Church, 10555 West Airport Boulevard, Stafford, TX 77477.Contact:713-301-6444Website:

Brahma Kumaris Meditation CenterProg: Daily classes in Raja Yoga Meditation To register call or email.Contact:832-379-8888/ Email: houston@bktexas.comWebsite: bktexas.com

Bethesda Houston Tamil ChurchProg: Prog: Sundays Tamil Worship: 5 – 7pm Sunday school : in English. Bethesda Family Fellowship: in English 10.30 am-12.30 pm Free Tutorial for all children Mondays & Wednesdays 5-6 pm. Ladies Bible Study: Thur 9 am. Location: 1092, Suite F&G, Stafford. Tex 77477 Tel:281-317-7331 Contact: 281-317-7331Website:bethesdahoustontamilchurch.org

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Phone: 713-774-5140QR To advertise, call:

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Accountants

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Accounting, Tax Returns, Cost Accounting, Peachtree, Sales Tax, Franchise Tax.Visit our website www.karanika.net

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Restaurants

Gourmet India - Restaurant & Catering for home and office parties, Dine in Business Lunches,

conferences & parties, On-site dining, corporate lunch packages Ph: 281-493-5435

India’s Restaurant & Catering for special parties and corporate events. Preferred Wine list, Authentic vegetarian & non-vegetarian dishes, finest

Indian cuisine with chef’s special dishes Ph: 713-266-0131/ 0805

Shiva Indian Restaurant & Catering specializing in North Indian cuisine, Office and Corporate catering.

• 2514 Times Blvd. Rice Village, Ph: 713-523-4753

• 2130 Lone Star Dr. Sugar Land, Ph: 281-494-2981

Bakery• BAKERY • CAKE SHOPPE • CAFE

5700A Hillcroft Ave. Houston, TX 77036713-785-1212 www.houstonhotbreads.com

EGGLESS cakes Available

VEEDONE CONSTRUCTION, LLC. - ROOFINGRoofing, Siding, Gutters and Fence

WIND & HAIL INSURANCE CLAIMS SPECIALIST(281) 701-7760 www.VeeDone.com

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