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The Musudan missile has a range of 1,800-2,500 miles, but not enough to hit mainland America from Korea.
MP and business honcho Vijay Mallya and (right) Essar Groups Ravikant Ruia
(from left): NYC councilman Daniel Halloran; state Senator Malcolm A. Smith, and Assemblyman Eric Stevenson
New York: For the second time in three days, prosecutors announced corruption charges Thursday against a New York state lawmaker, this time accusing him of accepting bribes from busi-
nessmen who wanted his help in running and maintaining adult day-care centers. On Tuesday, US attorney in Manhattan, Preet Bharara announced charges against
state Senator Malcolm A. Smith and five others, including NYC councilman Daniel Halloran, on charges Smith had tried to buy his way onto the 2013 mayoral Continued on page 4
Washington: Hidden dealings of politicians, con artists and the mega-rich in more than 170 countries, including India, have been exposed by a group of international journalists sifting through a trove of 2.5 million secret files, Described as perhaps the largest cross-border journalism collaboration in history, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) claimed to have laid bare the secrets of more than 120,000 offshore companies and trusts and nearly 130,000 individuals and agents. These individuals and companies have invested in tax havens such as the British Virgin Islands, the Cook Islands, Singapore, Samoa and other offshore hideaways. The 612 Indians in this list include two members of Parliament Vivekanand Gaddam and Vijay Mallya and industrialists such as Essar Groups Ravikant Ruia, Teja Raju (son of jailed Satyam founder Ramalingam Raju), and Indiabulls Saurabh Mittal. The trails lead back to redoubtable corporates such as Dabur, Berger Paints, Onida, Khatau and MRF Tires. The list also includes businessmen who have had a brush with the Income-Tax department and the CBI. Several of the offshore investments were made in possible violation
of foreign exchange rules. Many of the world's top's banks - including UBS, Clariden and Deutsche Bank - have aggressively worked to provide their customers with secrecy-cloaked companies in offshore hideaways. "What we found as we started digging in the records is a pretty extensive collection of dodgy characters: Wall Street fraudsters, Ponzi schemers, figures connected to organized crime, to arms dealing, money launderers," said Michael Hudson, a senior editor at the ICIJ. Worldwide, the Tax Justice Network estimates that between $21 trillion and $32 trillion of private wealth is held offshore, out of reach of national treasuries. This translates to up to $280 billion a year in lost taxes. ICIJ collaborated with 38 media organizations around the world, including The Washington Post, The Guardian, BBC and The Indian Express, for this ambitious global project. For instance, a cluster of 28 "sham directors'' have been identified as having served as the on-paper representatives of more than 21,000 companies between them, with some individual directors representing as many as Continued on page 4
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Arise: The art of Innocence painting by Anand Jon (right) New York: A New York court has sentenced Indian fashion designer Anand Jon Alexander to five years jail for admittedly forcing oral sex on an aspiring female model under a plea bargain deal. Alexander already serving 59 years to life in California for molesting 16 would-be models had originally been charged in Manhattan with sex attacks on 12 women and girls, including first degree rape. Prosecutors dropped all but one of those cases when Alexander struck his no-additional-jail plea deal here in February. As his prison time in New York amounts to time already served, no years will be added onto his California sentence, Alexander's attorney said. At his sentencing Tuesday by a Manhattan Court, he was named a high-risk sex offender and sexually violent predator. "Anand Jon is a predator. He is a threat to the community," assistant district attorney Maxine Rosenthal said. Judge Cassandra Mullen ask Alexander several times if he had anything to say about his sentencing. "I'd like to thank everyone for being here," he finally replied in a courtroom full of supporters, some wearing "Free Anand Jon" t-shirts. But he did not apologize to the victim. Known professionally as Anand Jon, India-born Alexander launched a fashion line in 1999 and built it into a high-flying career. He was featured on "America's Next Top Model," worked with such celebrities as Paris Hilton and Mary J. Blige and was among 20 people profiled by Newsweek in 2006 as up-andcoming players in various industries. Defence lawyers said Alexander hopes to overturn his California conviction by arguing he had ineffective counsel there. Outside the court, his mother Shashi Abraham and sister Sanjana Jon both proclaimed Alexander's innocence.
The US delegation with Modi. NIAPPI chairman Shalabh Kumar (bearded) is to the right of Modi.
The meeting had assumed significance as the US has been denying Modi a visa for his alleged role in the 2002 Gujarat riots. Ron Somers, president of the USIndia Business Council (USIBC), Cathy M. Rodgers, Republican Congresswoman from Washington state, apart from Cynthia Lummis and Aaron Schock were members of the delegation that met Modi. NIAPPI chairman Shalabh Kumar said the US delegation's visit to India was a trade mission. "A flexible package was offered (to those) who wanted to do business with India," he said. Kumar said the visit took place in accordance with US laws.
"Who pays...is not a report available publicly," he said. Kumar said the US business delegation will visit Punjab before flying back to the US. Vijay Jolly, president, Delhi Study Group, who is also convener of Overseas Friends of BJP, said the delegation members had spent their own money during their visit to India. "There was no sponsorship of government of India, the US government, Gujarat government or the BJP," he said. He said the US delegation invited Modi to the US and he had accepted it. "There was no talk of visa," Jolly said.
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of Music, Metuchen, NJ for last one and half years. Survani is a preschooler at Little Flower Montessori School in Edison New Jersey and Ishaan is a first grader at John Marshall Elementary school in Edison New Jersey. and any other expenses incurred. Please donate a life to this needy person. Blood group B+ or O+. Contact phone No. 516-661-6531 or 516-661-6528. Thank you.
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Wanted donor to donate kidney for critically ill patient of kidney failure. Donor will be compensated for loss of work
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INOCs Senior Vice-President Shudh Prakash Singh apprised Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde of the issue in New Delhi. mandatory for those between the ages of 21 and 50 though the holder can avail of the service as an option. The argument is that the OCI card and lifelong visa have the number of the US passport included in them. When a US passport is renewed, the new number should appear on the OCI card and the visa, for which a re-issuance is necessary. The rationale put forth is contradictory, the letter said. Since it admits that renewal of passports, regardless of age, always creates a new number, but renewal of passports for individuals under the age of 20 and above the age of 50 warrants re-issuance and a fee.
Rajat Gupta sues Parag Saxena over Silk Road Fund Death penalty sought in double murder
New York: Former Goldman Sachs Group direcstatement that the lawsuit is without merit. tor Rajat Gupta, who was convicted of insider Since Mr. Gupta's conviction of conspiracy and setrading last year, is suing business partner curities fraud in June of 2012, the firm has been acParag Saxena, alleging Saxena is trying to gain tively working to sever all ties with him including ofcontrol of an investment firm they co-founded, fering to buy his remaining investment stake," the firm The Wall Street Journal reported March 22. said, according to Bloomberg. Gupta and Saxena co-founded IndiaNew Silk Routes team of over 25 profesfocused private-equity firm New Silk sionals continues to focus on the business Route Partners Ltd. in 2007. and remains excited about opportunities in Gupta claims in the lawsuit, filed Asia and India and realizing value from March 21, that with insider trading its existing portfolio of investments for charges pending, he, at Saxenas reits investors and stakeholders. quest, distanced himself from the firm by Based in New York, New Silk Route giving up control of voting shares. has offices in Mumbai, Dubai and Gupta, 64, quit as chairman, but retained Bangalore, according to its Web site. the right to appoint a member of the comGupta, who was chairman, led panys two-member board, the lawsuit the firm with Saxena and senior Parag Saxena claims. adviser Victor Menezes. The problem came when Saxena tried to block Guptas Gupta took a voluntary leave of absence from the firm nominee to the board in March to gain unfettered con- in March 2011 to avoid any distraction and ensure New trol over New Silk Route, the lawsuit said. Silk Route's continued focus on the execution of its inNew Silk Route, a $1.4 billion private-equity firm that vestment strategy," the firm said in a statement, focuses on South Asia and the Middle East, said in a Bloomberg reported.
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software engineer from Guntur, P Sarath Kumar, who settled down in the United States, went missing since Sunday after his visit to the Niagara Falls. The 33-year-old went to the Niagara Falls along with his wife and the family of his cousin Srinivas. After it was noticed that he was not on the tourist bus in which they were traveling back, the family searched for him but couldn't locate him. Sarath's wife Manjula later lodged a complaint with the police. Sarath had been working with software giant TCS for the past seven years and was residing in Chicago. He married Manjula, a divorcee from Srikakulam. Sources said that Sarath and Manjula were allegedly in a relationship even before the marriage of the latter ever since they met in US. While Manjula was working with Motorola, Sarath was with TCS. Sources said Manjula divorced her first husband and married Sarath about two years ago.
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P Sarath Kumar went missing from Niagara Falls
Sarath along with his wife went to Washington DC and took Srinivas and other family members to Niagara Falls. They had all taken a tourist bus to return home from the Niagara Falls on Sunday evening. However, after a while, Manjula and Srinivas noticed that Sarath had not boarded the bus. They then got down and took another cab to reach the waterfalls and started searching for Sarath. However, they could not track him.
he Consulate General of India, New York, hosted an Interactive Business meeting on March 26, 2013 with CEOs and Regional Heads of PSUs and Indian companies based in Eastern USA. The interactive session was attended by 22 executives from financial, information technology and travel trade, along with media representatives. Dr. Devyani Khobragade, Acting Consul General, New York, welcomed attendees to the first of series of upcoming interactive sessions. She gave an overview of the Indian governments priorities and focus in the area of economic cooperation with the US government. She then inquired regarding individual companies future plans, priorities and challenges in doing business in the United States. Several queries that came up for discussion were 1) Travel Advisory and Tourism Trade, 2) FATCA, slowing down of economy and inflows of foreign funds to India, 3)Indian government's approach toward investors/businesses going to India 4) Positive India branding with US media, espe-
cially regarding IT success story and creation of jobs in the US market, 5) H1B quotas and processing time, new immigration laws impacting Indian students and professional etc. Acting Consul General assured that these issues will be highlighted to relevant departments/ministries in India and the US government. Participants also ensured that they will send in information required for follow-up. Networking session followed the discussions.
Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center to host book talk with Nalini Natarajan
he Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center will welcome Nalini Natarajan, professor of English at the University of Puerto Rico, Friday, April 5, for a brown-bag book talk with her as she discusses her book Atlantic Gandhi. Participants are encouraged to bring their lunch to the event, which runs from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the CFCH Conference Room on the second floor of Capital Gallery, located at 600 Maryland Ave. S.W., Washington, D.C. The book talk is part of the public program series of the Asian Pacific American Centers Indian American Heritage Project, an initiative that aims to tell the multigenerational story of Indian Americans in America. Among the many program activities will be conversations and performances about Indian American art, comedy, cuisine, dance, film, television, literature and music. The book discussion with Natarajan is one of the first public programs this year, kicking off programs throughout the year and into 2015. The Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center is proud to be able to feature Professor Natarajan speaking about Atlantic Gandhi, said Masum Momaya, Smithsonian curator. Her work exemplifies our continuous collective learning and sharing of how pivotal moments and movements in American history have global ties.
he Nanubhai Education Foundation will celebrate 9 successful years by hosting a Fundraising Gala in New York City on May 10th. This much anticipated annual event will take place at Midtown Loft and Terrace, in the heart of New York City in Midtown Manhattan. Spokesman for Nanubhai Education Foundation, actor Manish Dayal, along with fashion designer Payal Singhal, actors Pooja Kumar, Sheth, Neelu Sodhi, Samrat Chakrabarti, celebrity photographer and star of Bravo TVs Double Exposure Indrani Pal-Chaudhuri, and Indian Supermodel Nina Manuel, will come forth to
honor and raise funds for the progress of education in rural India. Previous gala supporters have included actors Kal Penn and Sendhil Ramamurthy. The gala is the primary source to raise funds for the Nanubhai Education Foundations Teacher Training and Professional Development Program, which focuses on enhancing the teaching skills, classroom management techniques and English language capabilities of local teachers. Tickets are available online at http://www.nanubhai.org/annual-gala and a portion of the ticket price will be tax-deductible.
Atlantic Gandhi examines Gandhis experience as a traveler moving from a classic colony, India, to the plantation and mining society of South Africa and argues that his diasporic life resonates with recent perspectives on the Atlanticas an ocean that not just transported the victims of a greedy plantation system, but also saw the ferment of revolutionary ideas. Most people think of Gandhiji as the nonviolent, spiritual man in a loincloth leading the struggle for independence on the subcontinent, said Natarajan. There was however, another, earlier Gandhi, a world traveler catapulted from his provincial Gujarati childhood and early youth to the multiracial plantation politics more customarily associated with the Atlantic world. From the perspective of Atlantic, plantation and diaspora studies, the book looks at this ocean-faring cosmopolitan from below, Atlantic Gandhi in the context of the solidarities and struggles of his diasporic life in South Africa. It argues that, in diaspora, he constructed India. The center is set to open its groundbreaking exhibition, Beyond Bollywood: Indian Americans Shape the Nation, in December 2013, which is expected to reach 7 million visitors before traveling to museums, libraries and community centers across the country.
ews Corp Star has announced the launch of Star Watch an interactive monthly guide to the TV schedule and programming highlights for Star Plus, Life OK and Star Gold channels. For Windows type http://www.youblish-
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Ro Khanna to challenge Mike Honda, Bobby Jindals approval rating using Obama campaign operatives drops to 38%: Poll
Fremont: Ro Khanna, the Obama re-election formerly a high-rankcampaign, will serve as ing trade official in the Khannas campaign Obama administration, manager. announced Apr. 2 his Congress has simbid for Californias ply not focused on an 17th District congreseconomic growth agensional seat, which is da or supporting entrecurrently being held by preneurs. We need to Mike Honda. have the right tax and Khanna and Honda trade policies that will are both Democrats encourage companies likely to be pitted to stay in the United against each other in States and invest here, 2014, due to new state he said. Ro Khanna mandates which allow We need to figure two opponents from the same party to run out how to encourage more small- and mediagainst each other in the general election. The um-size businesses to take advantage of overdistrict from which Honda received 73 per- seas markets and export. And we need to foscent of the vote against Republican challenger ter entrepreneurship, said Khanna, the author Evelyn Li in 2012 stretches from Cupertino of Entrepreneurial Nation: Why to South Fremont and covers huge swaths of Manufacturing Is Still Key to America's the Silicon Valley. Almost half of District 17s Future, which was released by McGraw Hill residents are Asian American; Fremont is last August. home to one of the largest concentrations of Khanna, the former Deputy Assistant South Asians in the U.S. Secretary for the U.S. and Foreign Both candidates have aggressively begun Commercial Service in the Commerce campaigning, 20 months before the general Department, said he will push aggressively to election. Khanna has already amassed $1.2 make the Silicon Valleys advanced electronmillion for his congressional bid, according to ics, semiconductors, and also clean technolohis Dec. 31, 2012 Federal Elections gy products available to markets overseas Commission report. He has also recruited sev- without unfair tariffs or restrictions. He also eral key members of President Obamas re- hopes to aid small and medium businesses to election campaign team, including Steve gain access to capital to be able to export their Spinner, who will serve as Khannas cam- products abroad. paign chair. According to several media To keep up with a global economy, Khanna sources, Spinner, a top fundraiser for Obama opined that children need to learn to code as a in both his 2008 and 2012 campaigns, was at second language and to be exposed to the core of a $535 million dollar loan by the entrepreneurship from an early age. Obama administration to thin film solar cell Honda released a statement Monday that manufacturer Solyndra, shortly before the said: "I've taken every one of my campaigns company went bankrupt in 2011. seriously and this will be no different. I'm Jeremy Bird, who served as the Obama grateful for the early support I've received, campaigns national field director, will serve from President Obama to local leaders across as a general consultant to Khannas campaign. the district, and I'm looking forward to our Leah Cowan, formerly a field director with strongest campaign yet in 2014." 41-year-old Jindal, who is receiving great attention at the national level, has an approval rating of 38 per cent. There has been quite a substantial drop from his 51 per cent approval rating in October, the poll said. Surprisingly, according to the poll conducted by Southern Media and Opinion Research, both Lt Governor Jay Dardenne and US Senator David Vitter -- both possible candidates for Jindal's job in 2015 -had approval ratings near 60 per cent. "A number of issues contributed to Jindal's low performance (in the poll), including state cuts to higher education and health care, plans to privatize the charity hospital system and the governor's proposed state tax overhaul," Southern Media and Opinion Research said in a statement. Jindal's spokesman said that the Governor is focused on creating more jobs and improving the States' economy. "We care more about the unemployment numbers than approval numbers, and right now, we still have too many Louisianans unemployed and underemployed," Jindal's spokesman Kyle Plotkin, said. "That's why our number one focus is growing the economy and creating jobs so that we can make Louisiana the best place in the world to raise a family and find a good paying job," he said.
Washington, DC: Amid speculation over a 2016 presidential bid by Louisiana's Indian-American Governor Bobby Jindal, his approval rating has dropped to a low 38 per cent. According to a latest poll released, Jindal is even running behind US President Barack Obama, in his own State, where in recent weeks he has come up with some innovative measures like elimination of income tax and increasing sales tax. Into the second term of his governorship,
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President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama and daughters Sasha and Malia, along with Kid President Robby Novak, join children on the South Lawn for the 2013 White House Easter Egg Roll, April 1, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)
IN BRIEF
n Indian-American arms dealer has been sentenced to six months of home detention with electronic monitoring and fined $30,000 for hiding his relationship with Indian defence officials during a background check for a high-security job in the US. Gurpreet Singh Kohli, 58, of Potomac, Maryland, pleaded guilty to the charges. According to his plea agreement, from November 2002 through March 2011, Kohli operated Navtec, LLC from his residence and locations in India. Navtec was registered with the US Department of State to act as a broker in the sale and transfer of US-manufactured defence electronics and related components. The majority of Navtec's customers were Indian government and military and defence-related agencies. From September 2003 through April 4, 2011, Kohli also held a full-time position with a
defence electronics and weapons manufacturer based in Maryland, for which he was required to obtain and maintain a US government security clearance. As part of his job, Kohli was involved in developing business opportunities with Indian military and defence-related government entities. Kohli did not reveal to his employer the full scope of his activities with Navtec, nor did he reveal his employment with the Maryland company to all of Navtec's US-based clients, federal prosecutors alleged. According to court documents, Kohli admitted that during two separate background investigations by the Office of Personnel Management relating to his security clearance, required to maintain his employment with the Maryland defence contractor, he made a number of false statements and representations regarding his activities for Navtec and his contacts with foreign nationals.
Leading a staff of 45, Kants believe they are witnessing a sea change, not only for victims of violent rapes, but also for victims of human trafficking since the gang-rape of a 23-year-old woman from Delhi on a bus last December galvanized India and led to the passage of a tough law on sexual harassment."When we saw the mass uprising, we said 'This is the moment we've been waiting for,'" Ravi was quoted as saying. "It's been a turning point, not only for us, but for women's groups around the country." "People thought: This could be my sister. This could be my daughter," Nishi told the Post. Vital Voices is hoping that the brothers' presence at the awards will encourage female advocates to embrace their male allies - and encourage American men to take the initiative, the Post said. "Men should take up this issue. It's half of our population, and women are the priority," Ravi was quoted as saying. "Women build families. They build children and generations."
ore than 400 physicians and their families of Carolinas Indian-American Physicians came together to join in a celebration of medical excellence, professional achievements, business successes and rich cultural heritage, as Dr. Amit Shah, president of CIPS told the delegates who had come from across the nation on March 22nd, 2013 at the Renaissance Charlotte Suites. They had come together to celebrate their achievements and contributions to the society during the annual convention and General Body Meeting of American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI). The three-day celebrations were filled with events that showcased the rich cultural heritage of India, professional excellence of the participating physicians of the North and South Carolinas through CME and non CME lectures, and the successful businesses the NRIs have come to be associated with in this adapted motherland of theirs. Through the enlightening CME presentations by experts, the physicians were educated on: Meaningful Use of EMR & CMS Guidelines; Expanding the Role of the Hospitalist in Healthcare; Cardiovascular Health Issues in South Asian Population; and Opportunities for Voluntary Healthcare Services in India. Other presentations included: Its Not Just a Mans Disease; Life After Loss; Good Night, Sleep Tight; Teens, Why They Do What They Do; and We Can Bring Home the Dough and Roll Out the Rotis. The CME programs were arranged and conducted by the CME committee comprising of Dr. Pramod Sethi (Guilford neurology in Greensboro), Dr.
Venkat Challa from Raleigh NC, and Dr. Santosh Gopalakrishnan from Charlotte, NC. A discussion on Indo-US Relations: The Past, Present, & Future, was moderated by Toni Sawhne. Honorable Mention of the CIPS Woman of the Year was given to Dr. Animita Saha for services to the underprivileged sections of the society in the US. CIPS Woman of the Year 2013 Award went to Rekha Rajani of the Wells Fargo Bank for her works for the poor and the homeless both here in the US and India. Acknowledging the achievements and contributions of individuals, Dr. Vinod Jindal, an Ophthalmologist and Retina specialist, currently serving as the Medical Director of New Century Ophthalmology Group was honored for his community work. Simran Rajani of We Will Win was honored for raising awareness about the serious injuries and illnesses that can destroy the lives of youth, and encouraging the community to contribute towards the cost of rehabilitating these young children from their struggles to stand on their own feet.
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transformative." BRAIN "aims to help researchers find new ways to treat, cure, and even prevent brain disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease, epilepsy, and traumatic brain injury", the White House said in a release. The money to study the brain would support research by the National Institutes of Health, the Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the National Science Foundation. The research would involve both federal research agencies and private partners. A major goal is to reveal "how individual brain cells and complex neural circuits interact at the speed of thought", the White House said. "Our ultimate objective is a deep understanding of the human brain and its understanding," said DARPA director Arati Prabhakar in a conference call with reporters.
New York: American Express Web site came under attack last Thursday, and was offline for two hours. It was the latest in unusually powerful attacks on American financial institutions that began last September, costing millions of dollars, reported The New York Times. JPMorgan Chase was taken offline by a similar attack. Another attack incapacitated 32,000 computers at South Koreas banks and TV networks. The perpetrators of these attacks, officials and experts say, appear intent on disabling financial transactions and operations. Earlier online attacks were thought to be aimed at financial fraud or economic espionage, but the new threat is that attackers, possibly with state backing, are bent on destruction. The attacks have changed from espionage to destruction, said Alan Paller, director of research at the SANS Institute, a cybersecurity training organization. Nations are actively testing how far they can go before we will respond. A group that calls itself the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Cyber Fighters has claimed responsibility for the recent attacks. The group says it is retaliating for an anti-Islamic video posted on YouTube last fall. But American intelligence officials and industry investigators say they believe the group is a convenient cover for Iran, though no smoking gun has been found. North Korea is considered the most likely source of the attacks on South Korea, though investigators are struggling to follow the digital trail. The North Korean government of Kim Jong-un has openly declared that it is seeking online targets in its neighbor to the south to exact economic damage. Representatives of American Express, while confirmed that the company was under attack Thursday last week, insisted that there was no evidence that customer data had been compromised. The Obama administration has publicly urged companies to be more transparent about attacks, but often security experts and lawyers give the opposite advice. The largest contingent of instigators of attacks in the private sector, government officials and researchers say, remains Chinese hackers intent on stealing corporate secrets. American officials are currently weighing their response options, but the issues involved are complex. At a meeting of banking executives, regulators and representatives from the departments of Homeland Security and Treasury last December, some pressed the United States to hit back at the hackers, while others argued that doing so would only lead to more aggressive attacks, according to two people who attended the meeting.
Cyberattacks now aim to destroy NRA task force calls for guns as path to school safety
Washington: With the Senate set to debate gun control this month, a National Rifle Association task force released a 225-page report on Tuesday that called for armed police officers, security guards or staff members in every American school, and urged states to loosen gun restrictions to allow trained teachers and administrators to carry weapons. Asa Hutchinson, a former Republican congressman from Arkansas who led the task force, unveiled the report at a packed news conference with unusually heavy security, including a bomb-sniffing yellow Labrador retriever. A dozen officers in plain clothes and uniforms stood watch as he spoke; one warned photographers to remain stationary during the event. Among the studys central conclusions is that the presence of armed security personnel adds a layer of security and diminishes response time in a shooting, Hutchinson said. He cited a 1997 Mississippi case in which an assistant principal ran to his truck to retrieve a .45-caliber semiautomatic pistol and subdued a gunman who had killed two students. The recommendations which also included expanding the police presence in schools drew immediate criticism from gun control advocates and many Democrats, who have been fighting to tighten gun restrictions after the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., in December. Arming the teacher is merely a response to the last tragedy, said Representative Mike Thompson, a California Democrat who is chairman of a House task force on gun violence. The one before that was in a shopping mall in Oregon, and the one before that was in a movie theater in Colorado. I dont think the proper response is to arm all the projectionists in the movie theaters or all the vendors in the mall. After the Newtown shooting, Wayne LaPierre, the rifle associations executive director, announced that it would devise a plan to put armed guards in every school. Technically, Mr. Hutchisons task force is independent of the rifle association, even though it paid for the study, and LaPierre was not present on Tuesday. But critics see no distinction between the two.
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hen 33 year old attorney Chad Lupinacci was elected this past November to the New York State Assembly from the tenth district, which includes parts of Western Huntington, Elwood, Lloyd Harbor and Babylon, the political buzz from within the political insiders in west Suffolk County was that a young rising star in the Republican Party had just been born. It was widely seen by the countys both Democrat and Republican leaders as no small accomplishment for Lupinaccci, a non-incumbent running in a Democrat leaning district, to have handily defeated by 56-44% his well-funded Democrat opponent Joseph Dujmic Jr., an assistant Suffolk County Attorney well known in the region for his work in child abuse and neglect cases. And yet due to the tragic circumstance that led to his first seeking the office, Lupinacci, at first, found it difficult to fully enjoy his victory. In an interview he gave me in his Huntington office last week, the new Assemblyman described, with a discernible sound of sadness in his voice, his long professional relationship and personal friendship with the late iconic Republican Assemblyman James Conte, whose terminal illness last year, after 24 years of service in the Assembly, first opened the Tenth Districts Republican line, from which Lupinacci first launched his successful campaign to replace him. (He later gained the Conservative Party, Independence Party and
Working Families lines.) My victory was bittersweet. It was very sad to see how the Assemblymans declining health made it impossible for him to run for re-election {in 2012}, he lamented. While I knew his health was rapidly deteriorating, his death this past October just a few weeks before I was elected to the seat he had so proudly held for so many years was devastating. Lupinacci, who had worked closely with Conte as his Community Liaison for several years in the mid2000s, had actually first met him years earlier. While an undergraduate at Hofstra University, Lupinacci, as part of the schools political science departments internship program, had been chosen to intern for Conte, who was then the Republican Partys ranking minority member on the Education Committee.
This internship was to play a decisive role in the career path of the future assemblyman. My internship under Assemblyman Conte is what first inspired me to become involved in governmental issues, he explained. I got a first hand understanding of how the state legislative process works. and a first hand understanding of the importance and complexities of issues relating to education through the Assemblymans work on that {education} committee. This early involvement in educational issues made an obvious impression upon the young Lupinacci who in 2004 ran and was elected to the school board in the South Huntington Union Free School District - a position to which he was to be re-elected to two threeyear terms and which he just recently relinquished upon his election to
the assembly. He described to me how his experience as a school board member has influenced the positions he has taken on legislation relating to public education. In my years on the school board, I saw how heavy handed and arbitrary State Education Department officials could be. While well meaning, they frequently force upon local schools mandates, often costly and unfunded, which hurt rather than help our students and teachers. As an Assemblyman I support policies that give greater autonomy to local school districts, which possess a far better understanding of the needs of their students than do the bureaucrats {at the State Education Department} in Albany. I am not alone in this thinking. Both Republican and Democrat legislators throughout Long Island support policies that grant a greater amount of autonomy to local school boards. Education here {on Long Island} is not a partisan issue that separates Republicans from Democrats. But there are partisan issues in the Assembly which do in fact divide Democrats from Republicans, regardless of geography. On the economy the freshman Assemblyman has clashed with some Democrats over issues relating to business taxes and the governments over regulation of small business owners. I try, he said, to convince my Democrat colleagues that by lowering taxes on small business and by removing unnecessary regulations placed on them, we will help create private sector jobs and at the same time lower prices for the consumer, who in reality pays for the cost of these regulations
and these higher business taxes every day at the store register. Lupinacci follows a similar line of Republican thought on property taxes. Contending that enormous areas of alleged waste and fraud contained in the state budget are responsible for New York State homeowners paying among the highest real estate taxes in America, he promised to work on legislation that will curtail the tremendous waste and fraud found in the budget Including in our enormous Medicaid funding. The savings found there alone will enable us to reduce the tax burden placed on homeowners across the state. The Assemblyman also adheres to conventional Republican thinking concerning crime and public safety, believing that the first responsibility of government is to protect its citizens. It is governments most fundamental responsibility, he stated, to provide a safe and secure environment for its citizens. Nothing else government could ever do for its citizens would matter, unless they and their children feel safe and secure as they live their daily lives I have worked and will continue to work with my Republican and Democrat colleagues in the Assembly to craft legislation that will serve to create the safest possible environment for every one of our citizens. His beloved predecessor would have expected no less. Robert Golomb is a nationally published columnist. He writes on a range of educational, political, cultural and international topics. MrBob347@aol.com.
Caroline Kennedy
Washington: Caroline Kennedy, the only living child of President John F. Kennedy, is expected to be named US ambassador to Japan. The 55year-old Kennedy daughter is a lawyer and author of 10 books. She played a crucial part in President Obamas reelection campaign, making several appearances on his behalf in swing state New Hampshire and echoing the attack that Mitt Romney was the wrong candidate for women. She will replace John Roos, who has served as ambassador since 2009, and succeed other luminaries like Walter Mondale, Howard Baker, and Tom Schieffer.
Supporters of gay marriage demonstrating at the Supreme Court in Washington when it was hearing two related cases.
October showed that 3.4 percent of American adults identify themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender with non-whites more likely to do so. There well might be many more both white and non-white who have yet to come out of the closet. According to a recent survey by the Pew Research Centre, 1 in 7 American adults say their initial opposition to same-sex marriage has turned to support. Before 2012, no major presidential nominee favored same-sex marriage, but after Barack Obama finally "evolved" into a supporter in May before sailing to an
easy victory over Mitt Romney in November, many a politician have changed their minds. Among then leading potential 2016 Democratic presidential contender Hillary Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton who during his 1996 re-election bid signed the very Defence of Marriage Act (DOMA) denying federal benefits to same sex couples, into law, calling it a "mistake." Earlier Senator Rob Portman of Ohio became the first Republican in the Senate to back same-sex marriage, explaining his decision was
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INDIA
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Nothing to hide, 2G records with JPC: PM Growth can only be inclusive: Rahul Gandhi
New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh virtually rejected BJP leader Yashwant Sinha's demand that he appear before the JPC on the 2G spectrum controversy, saying that all records in the case were with the panel and he had nothing to hide. "You are aware that all pertinent records and documents available with the government have already been placed at the disposal of the JPC," the prime minister said in response to Sinha's letter. "I have said from the beginning that neither the government nor I have anything to hide in this matter," he said. "The decision as to what evidence should be sought and which individuals should be asked to appear before the JPC is a matter that needs to be decided internally by the JPC and its chairman," the prime minister wrote. In a letter Monday, Sinha had asked the prime minister to appear before the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) looking into the 2G spectrum allocation. Sinha had said that former Minister A. Raja had leveled "serious allegations" against the prime minister and he should appear before the panel if he had nothing to hide. With the prime minister having rebuffed his demand, Sinha said Wednesday that failure to do appear before the JPC would send a loud and clear signal that Manmohan Singh had something to hide. Talking to reporters in Chennai, Sinha said if the prime minister said his conscience was New Delhi: Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi pitched for inclusive growth, saying whenever certain groups like women, tribals and Dalits have been left behind, India has fallen back. Spelling out his priorities for India's growth, he said: "The biggest danger is excluding people, excluding the poor, the middle class, the tribals, the Dalits." "Whenever we excluded women, the minorities, Dalits... we have always fallen back," the 42-year-old Gandhi scion said, addressing the annual general meeting of the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) here. Gandhi, formally addressing a gathering such as this for the first time, said: "India is the largest pool of human capital people have ever known, and probably will ever know. It was this movement of people... this tremendous movement of people and ideas that is going to define this country in the 21st century." "Democracy and technology have triggered a non-
Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi reversible chain reaction in India. This reaction is unstoppable, nobody can stop it," he said. Gandhi said: "The government cannot build infrastructure alone. We need your (the industry's) help. It has to be done jointly." The Congress vice president said: "It is our duty to provide India with a physical infrastructure to enable this unprecedented movement of people and ideas." Industry chamber CII's annual general meetings, over the years, have seen many political bigwigs cutting across party lines making an appearance to enunciate their vision for economic growth. Congress president and Rahul's mother Sonia Gandhi has attended the meeting at least twice in the past. This year's AGM was inaugurated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh clear, he should offer to appear before JPC. "By not appearing before the JPC, the prime minister is sending a signal loud and clear that he has something to hide," he said. Sinha also accused JPC Chairman P.C. Chako of behaving in a "partisan manner". Chacko Wednesday rejected Sinha's demand for prime minister's appearance before the panel probing the 2G issue, saying the committee had passed that phase. "We are now preparing the draft of the committee report for which the commitee has authorised its chairman unanimously," said Chacko, who is also a Congress spokesperson. Chacko rubbished Sinha's demand for calling the prime minister before the JPC as a "political stunt". Chacko also rejected criticism for not calling Raja before the panel despite the DMK leader's insistence.
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INDIA
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West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee called the death of Students' Federation of India (SFI) leader 'unfortunate'
been conducted. It also alleged that she was trying to establish the death as an "accident". The chief minister visited the state-run hospital where Gupta succumbed to his injuries. She said many activists of her party had
been killed when they crashed into lamp posts while traveling by trains. State Left Front chairman and CPI-M state secretary Biman Bose said Banerjee's comment on the SFI leader's death before any
issue. Sources said that under Gujarat Lokayukta Act, 1986, power of selection and appointment of new Lokayukta had been vested with the governor and chief justice of high court. In Delhi, BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman said that the Gujarat Lokayukta bill had provided for creation of multi-member body in accordance with suggestions of central government. Contending that the new bill "will not disturb appointment" of Justice Mehta, she stressed that the chief minister will be in the ambit of the bill. She rejected suggestions that the bill had taken away powers of governor.
Lucknow: Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Mulayam Singh Yadav once again targeted the Congress, saying it intimidated alliance partners and forced them to support it. He added that the Congress intimidated its allies by putting the fear of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into them. Addressing party workers at the SP headquarters in the state capital, Yadav - whose 22 MPs in the Lok Sabha are crucial for the survival of the Manmohan Singh led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government - said that the Congress had "thousands of hands" which it uses to send its rivals behind bars. "The union government has the CBI. It can get anyone arrested and jailed," Yadav added. He also praised Jan Sangh founder Shyama Prasad Mukherjee. "Mukherjee was a fighter and contributed greatly to the freedom struggle" he added. Yadav had last month heaped praise on Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K. Advani and had vouched for the honesty of former prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee. Yadav has been under attack from Steel Minister Beni Prasad Verma and the SP looked set to pull the
rug from under the UPA's feet. However, it stopped short after crisis managers from both parties worked overtime to ensure a ceasefire for the time being.
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INDIA
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Astronaut Sunita Williams being honored at the National Science Center in New Delhi
astronaut and it happened as her career progressed. "My father is a doctor and biology is in our family. I love animals so I had thought of becoming a
veterinarian but I didn't manage to get into the college of my choice so joined the US Naval Academy. Then I wanted to be diver in Navy but ended up becoming a pilot,"
Kolkata: Calling Indians creative and innovative, US astronaut Sunita Williams said that an international space program was the "right way to go". "What I see when I come to India is that there are a lot of creative and innovative people who are ready and willing to jump ahead and be entrepreneurial and add to any programme out there," Williams said at a media conference at the Science City auditorium here Tuesday. "I have had a real honour and privilege to be a part of a space programme that is not only US but also international. That is the right way to have a space programme, international, because it is our planet, not one country. I see myself as citizen of the universe and I think we are all lucky," Williams added. Williams, 47, who holds the world record for the most
spacewalk time - 50 hours 40 minutes - by a female astronaut, is in India on a week-long trip. "The international space program is alive and kicking and is wanting more and more people," said the US-born Williams, whose father is from Mehsana in Gujarat. "Once we leave our atmosphere, we have to seriously think about being protected from radiation. Even just going to the moon... there is increase in radiation," said Williams, who also holds the record for the longest spaceflight time by a female astronaut - 322 days in space on two missions. "There are a lot of things that we have to understand and another thing the people have to like each other quite a bit... learn to interact with each other. We also get to learn about leadership and powership," added Williams.
Media Partner
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OP-ED
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of enmity with Sri Lanka. Yet, India can ill afford to be involved in another dispute with a neighboring country when its relations with other neighbors like Pakistan and China remain fraught. Thankfully, the AIADMK supremo and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa's focus seems to be on consolidating her position in the state. She hasn't yet evinced any interest in becoming prime minister. Another state-based leader, the Samajwadi Party's (SP) Mulayam Singh Yadav, has been more candid about his aspirations. The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister, who has now stepped down in favour of his son, Akhilesh, has let it be known that since he is "not a saint", he cannot be expected to be coy about pressing his claim for the topmost post. To advance towards this goal, his tactic at the moment is to berate the Congress and float rumours about a Third Front. Since it is a feature of Indian politics that conjectures about a nonCongress, non-BJP front surface
on the eve of almost every general election, there is nothing surprising about the latest speculation. What is odd is that it is someone like Mulayam Singh who is being projected - mostly by himself - as leader of the still nebulous alliance, which will make him a prime ministerial candidate. The oddness of the claim comes from his background. Although Mulayam Singh has been the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh more than once, his regime has been associated more with complaints about lawlessness than about the state's advancement. In fact, the main reason why the SP lost in 2007 to Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) was popular disenchantment with the SP's rule. It is another matter that Mayawati squandered her chances by concentrating on building statues of herself and other Dalit icons instead of on the state's development. But one of the promises which Akhilesh Yadav made both before and after
becoming chief minister was to tame the unruly SP cadres. It isn't only the propensity of the SP's followers to take the law into their own hands which raises questions about Mulayam Singh Yadav's credentials. He was long known to be opposed to both English and computers apparently because he felt that his rural support base comprising the backward castes had no time for these preferences of the urban intelligentsia comprising mainly the upper castes. Ironically, if Mulayam Singh is currently harboring dreams about being PM, it was his bete noire, Mayawati, who nurtured similar illusions before the last general election. Moreover, she was egged on at the time by the Left after it had broken away from the Manmohan Singh government on the nuclear deal issue. As an exercise in opportunism, Mulayam Singh is now accusing Congress members of being cheats and deceivers, while Mayawati is keeping her options open.
BRICS countries account for 40 percent of the world population and 27 percent of global Gross Domestic Product. icance with an appetite for big-ticket lending, were seen toeing the line of the West (read the US) with voting rights for decision-making also skewed heavily in favour of rich nations. Memory is still fresh about how the current World Bank President Jim Yong Kim made it to the top post last year. Ever since the World Bank was founded in 1944, its president has always been an American. Last year, there was a call to name a person from emerging economies as its chief. The US rather craftily pushed for Jim who may be born in Seoul, but is a Korean American with a US passport. Similarly, when the Asian economies including India when Manmohan Singh was finance minister - were forced to knock on the doors of the IMF in the 1990s, they were treated differently vis-a-vis European nations, with harsher conditionalities, higher interest rates and stricter reforms directive. With such history, Presidents Dilma Rousseff of Brazil, Vladimir Putin of Russia, Xi Jinping of China and Jacob Zuma of South Africa, along with India's Manmohan Singh, collectively representing the world's major emerging economies, will certainly want a World Bank- and an IMFlike institution of their own.
For the record, what people have been talking about is that BRICS countries account for 40 percent of the world population and 27 percent of global Gross Domestic Product. But among them, they boast a whopping $4.5 trillion in foreign exchange reserves, or 40 percent of what is held globally, compared to the capital of $205.4 billion contributed by the 188 member countries of the World Bank. Little wonder both the World Bank and the IMF were quick to react. "On the development bank we're following the initiative with great interest," IMF spokesman Gerry Rice said in Washington. "The issue it seeks to address, which is the infrastructure gap in the developing countries, is indeed a key constraint to sustainable growth, especially in Africa, and hence of direct concern to us." The World Bank had a similar comment. The Doubting Thomases point out that some major contours of the proposed BRICS bank have yet to be defined and crucial issues remain unaddressed: Will its governance model go by consensus or voting rights? Where will it be domiciled? What will be the size of the corpus, for China is pushing for $100 billion and some others are comfortable with $50 billion? No doubt these will require a lot of effort to reconcile.
The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times.
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CULTURE
15
Vedic Heritage Inc. of Long Island held its spring classical music and dance program on March 30 with Kiran Bedi as Chief Guest.
Vedic Heritage Trustees, P K Lunavat & wife Sangeeta, Kusum Gupta and Nilima Madan with Dr Kiran Bedi (chief guest) and members of her G-30 team.
Among the remarkable winners was a seven year old boy Vivek Pandya on the Tabla.
doing and was constantly cheered by the audience. There were 23 performances in all and the judges had a hard time making their decisions. Among the remarkable winners was Vivek Pandya, 7, on the Tabla, a six year old Devanshi who sang 'Khamaj', a solo Bharatanatyam dance by Megan Gupta, two young girls Archa Joshi and Naquiya Choonawala who danced Kathak, a vocalist Pranay Lunavat who gave a German Classical recital and a mature almost professional young lady Radhika Vishwanathan who danced in Bharatnatyam/ Kuchipudi style. Other great performances were by young Veena players and various
dances by groups of mostly petite or junior age groups in classical Bharatanatyam, Kathak and energetic folk dances from different states of India like Gujarat, Maharashtra and Rajasthan. The effort made by all the teachers and Gurus of these children was commendable and the enthusiasm shown by the children and their hard work was admirable. It was an evening of sheer celebration in the spirit of the Holi festival where everyone was constantly declared a winner by all judges as they all did so well. The South Asian Times was the Media Partner of the event.
Folk dance by Sneha Raj, Annika Raj, Diya Mahtani, Ariana Mascarcelli, Eesha Butani, Riya Bhal, Nihira Pathak, Sahana Shah , Jadalina Sarita, Amandeep Kaur, Aliana Vij, Ashleen Bhasin & little Aiden Mascarelli as Krishna (dance Guru Shilapa Mithaiwala).
Classical Bharatanatyam by Sneha Narayanan, Aishwarya Ganesh, Bhavani Sankaralingam, Khoshna Ande, Saumya Ragachitra Foundation Veena players: Ramya Iyer, Shetty, Shriya Shetty, Shruti Balaji, Navaya Misra (dance Srinidhi Rao & Lakshmi Rao. Guru Raj Tejaswini and choregarpher Radha Vardhacharya)
Kathak by Moksha Mehra, Kajal Parikh, Mansi Kinare, Kinjal Sharma, Sneha Daulatani, Eesha Patel, and Priyanka Rane.
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HOLI IN TRISTATE
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HOLI IN TRISTATE
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Colors of the rainbow, so pretty in the sky, Multicultural Holi by Surati in Jersey City S are also on the faces of people going by
New Yorkers celebrate Holi at NYC Bhangras Holi Hai in Manhattan.
(Photos : Xitij Joshi )
uratis Holi Hai 2013 was held March 30 at Hamilton Square in Jersey City, NJ, and was attended by over 500 adults and children of different ethnicities. The premier event showcased the cultures of India along with other cultures of the world - featuring a program of Indian classical, folk and Bollywood, along with Western acts of Jazz, Modern, Contemporary and Popular dance and music, a traditional Holi Mela and celebration with Color Playing (Organic Colors), Live Band, Bhangra and dhol, DJ, Dancing, Food, Drinks, Rangoli, Henna, Thandai, a variety of Vendors and Festivities and was enjoyed by all. Among the Surati artistes who performed were Sweta Goswami (classical, innovative and Bollywood), Kamakshi Saxena (jazz, modern, innovative), Jennifer Salazar (tap, jazz), Calai Chandra (Bharatanatyam), and, of course, Rimli Roy (Odissi, innovative, dance drama / story-telling). Live band "Eventually Epic" with Jayanta Banerjee performed Indian movie songs and American pop music. Bollywood Funk conducted a special performance and dance along workshop. DJ Sumie and the punjabi dholis (drummers) rocked the dance floor. Celebs and dignitaries who attended the event included Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy, Deputy Mayor Raj Mukherji, Councilwoman Viola Richardson, Councilman Steven Fulop, Councilman Rolando Lavarro, Ms. Pooja Kumar (Lead actress of Vishwaroopam), and Actor/Anchor Obaid Kadwani. The event was made possible in part by the NJ State Council on the Arts Dept. of State, a partner agency of the National endowment for the Arts, administered by the Hudson County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs, Thomas A. Degise, County executive and the board of chosen freeholders. Surati for Performing Arts, Education and Entertainment's has a mission to promote Indian art and culture, educate and enrich the community primarily through arts. Its founder-director is Rimli Roy, who is a recipient of grants from the Hudson County Office of Cultural & Heritage Affairs and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. At the event, Roy announced their association as cultural ambassadors for Institute of Research for Rural and Agricultural Development, a nonprofit working for women's empowerment and providing clean water to rural areas in India.
On display was a Bollywood Holi songs inspired interactive art installation by artist Shailja Gupta.
By Nupur Joshi
he colors of the rainbow, so pretty in the sky, are also on the faces of people going by. Louis Armstrong, the musician behind What a Wonderful World had the right idea when writing the song. Colors are quite beautiful when displayed on the faces of people surrounding oneself and there is no better day to take joy from this beauty than during Holi. Holi, or the Festival of Colors, is a major Hindu festival, next only to Diwali. It welcomes the arrival of spring while commemorating the triumph of good over evil in the mythological story of Hiranyakashipu, the king of demons, and his son, Prahlada, wherein the latter is a devotee of Vishnu much to the chagrin of his father. When the holiday comes around, however, there is no need for one to be a Hindu
in order to enjoy the festivities. The fourth Holi Hai festival organized by NYC Bhangra, founded by Megha Kalia, demonstrated just that. On Sunday, March 31, hundreds of people of varied ethnic and religious backgrounds filtered into a park in Midtown Manhattan to celebrate Holi. Despite many beliefs, the event was not simply a gathering in order to play with colors. While color inarguably played a significant role during the event, a large emphasis was placed on giving upcoming artists a platform to showcase their musical and dance talents. A number of singing and dancing groups performed including NYC Bhangra Dance Company and Rutgers University Dhol Effect (RUDE). All in all, the event brought smiles to the faces of many people while imparting unto them the significance of Holi and leaving them eager for celebrations in coming years.
Dr Narendra Hadpawat, RANA President, with the hasya poets (from right) Dr Praveen Shukla and Sanjay Jhala, and Mrs Hansa Hadpawat.
Vinod Jain. Two world famous Hindi poets, Praveen Shukla and Sanjay Jhala were invited from India who entertained guests for a four-hour program. In addition, children and ladies performed colorful Rajasthani folk dances. Authentic Rajasthani cuisine of Dal Batti Churma was served for dinner. RANA President Dr Narendra
Hadpawat stated that the mission of RANA is to preserve and promote Rajasthani culture and values in North America, particularly among the younger generation. For this RANA is also cosponsoring a program with the Rajasthan Government for our children to visit Rajasthan for two weeks at no cost to themselves.
The multicultural program included Western acts of Jazz, Modern, Contemporary and Popular dance and music.
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IPL FEVER
Catching the IPL fever, Bollywood stars Akshay Kumar, Sonakshi Sinha and Imran Khan promoted their upcoming movie ``Once Upon A Time in Mumbai Again`` in Kolkata on April 3.
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Artist Seema Kohli with her bat art installation in the capital
fields. We want the price art works between Rs.300,000 and Rs.500,000," Sapra said. The imageries were a contrast to the bats - the medium. Inspired by Indian mythology, traditions and lifestyles, the artists interpreted anecdotes from Krishna Leela, Ramayana, lifestyles, nature, ethnic iconography and Indian figurative motifs to bring out the synergy between the culture of cricket and the Indian way of life.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD
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It was rare to see the Mangeshkar siblings - Lata, Asha, Hridayanath, Usha and Meena together
n a rare show, singer Lata Mangeshkar felicitated younger sister Asha Bhosle with the Hridaynath Mangeshkar Award at a function that saw all the Mangeshkar siblings come together. Asha, known for evergreen songs like "Dum maro dum", "Mehbooba mehbooba", "Mera kuch saaman", "Piya tu ab to aaja", "Chura liya hai tum ne" and "Dil cheez kya hai"
during her six-decade career, performed live for three hours Sunday night. Asha, 79, who was rewarded Rs.100,000, said she would add some more money and donate the entire amount to those affected by the drought here. Her brother Hridaynath accompanied her in singing a few songs at the event, packed with fans.
etired actor-filmmaker Manoj Kumar lodged a criminal case in a local Mumbai court against superstar Shah Rukh Khan and choreographer-director Farah Khan for allegedly defaming in their 2007 movie "Om Shanti Om". Among other things, the 75-year old actor has demanded registration of a first information report against Shah Rukh and Farah for alleged offences pertaining to cheating, defamation, criminal breach of trust and conspiracy, in his complaint before the Andheri Metropolitan Court. The case is related to a scene in the blockbuster movie in which Shah Rukh had mimicked Manoj Kumar in a manner which the veteran actor found objectionable. The magistrate, while adjourning the matter till Friday, has directed that a CD of the movie containing
Manoj Kumar lodged a case against SRK and Farah Khan for allegedly defaming him in 'Om Shanti Om'
the objectionable scene be produced before the court. Manoj Kumar had filed a defamation case in 2008, but had
withdrawn it after Shah Rukh and Farah Khan apologized and assured that the objectionable scene would be deleted from the movie.
umbai local trains play an important role in Vidya Balan and Emraan Hashmi-starrer "Ghanchakkar", so the makers have decided to promote the film in local trains. A source close to the team revealed that the Mumbai local trains play a vital role in the film, so "when promotion strategies were being discussed, promotions on train was considered an important idea". "Emraan and Vidya are set to promote the film on the local trains in four cities including Mumbai, Delhi, Indore and Lucknow," added the source. "Ghanchakkar" promos, released digitally, garnered positive response from the audience.
anbir Kapoor-Priyanka Chopra starrer Barfi! (2012) may have failed to woo the jury at the Academy Awards or the National Awards but the film has managed to bag the Grand Jury Award for Best Filmat this years Okinawa International Film Festival, Japan. The film was up against critically acclaimed international films from last year, including 'Beasts of the Southern Wild' (USA) that had received four Academy Award nominations and even won three awards at Cannes 2012. Talking about winning the award, a happy Anurag Basu (director) says, This is not just an honour for me or my film, its
an honour for the entire country. This award proves that Barfi! is a universal film. I am doubly happy because it won over
Oscar-nominated films. A few people thought Barfi!s selection for the Oscars was a wrong decision.
estoring classics is like "restoring heritage", says seasoned actor Farooque Sheikh, who rues that many good films perished but is happy over steps being taken to save other masterpieces like his "Chashme Buddoor". One of the best classic comedies of all time, Sai Paranjpye-directed 1981 film "Chashme Buddoor" has finally been digitally restored. "It's a pity that we haven't restored many memorable films yet. Indian films are like a national heritage that reflects our society in various times," Farooque said. "It's like restoring the part of the heritage. The future generation will get to see how it was earlier and will get a fair idea. "But I am happy that at least now we have started the registra-
Interview
tion process for such films. However, it saddens me that we haven't restored many good films, which are a part of our cultural history," he added. The 65-year-old showed his acting acumen in a string of commercially successful and critically acclaimed films "Noorie", "Saath Saath", "Umrao Jaan", "Bazaar", "Katha" and "Biwi Ho To Aisi" among others. "Earlier, we used to make films by starting from head (content) and then used to come to the tail (money part), but these days we are starting from tail and then come to the head," he said. Not seen in too many films nowadays, Farooque finds acting satisfying and would like to be an actor in his next birth as well.
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DIASPORA
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Savita Halappanavar
Savitas husband Praveen Halappanavar said he was not satisfied with the report because it did not answer the question why she was refused abortion even when her life seemed in danger and despite repeated requests. Savita (31) was 17 weeks pregnant when she was admitted to Galway University Hospital on
October 21 with severe back pain. She was found to be miscarrying but according to her husband, doctors refused to abort citing Irelands strict anti-abortion law. A week later she died of septicaemia and E.coli. An inquest into Savitas death will resume next week. It opened last year but was adjourned.
People smeared with colored powder pose for a photograph during Holi festival celebrations at the Shree Lakshmi Narayan temple in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
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SUBCONTINENT
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All shootings were canceled while theaters remained closed during the fast
SIFAA at T. Nagar here. This is the second fast after March 19 which was organized by Tamil Nadu Film Directors Association (TANTIS). Prakash Raj, Vishal Krishna, Silambarasan, Dhanush, Bharath, Jiiva, Jeyam Ravi, Arya, Suriya,
Karthi, Lakshmi Rai, Ramya Krishnan and Lakshmy Ramakrishnan also observed a silent protest. Many actors who couldn't be part of the fast March 19 were present. All shootings were canceled while
Pak yet to give 'Shoe hurling shows Pakistanis feeling miserable' report on Indian prisoner's death
Islamabad: A shoe thrown at former Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf shows Pakistanis are feeling miserable since they have been "suffering greedy politicians and generals for too long", a Pakistani daily said. An editorial in the Daily Times said that Musharraf found himself in a rather embarrassing spot Friday at the Sindh High Court when a lawyer hurled a shoe at him. "...In a crude and very basic form of protest, one of the lawyers present in the court that day threw his shoe at Musharraf while he was walking into the courtroom. While the shoe missed its intended target, it left the 'politician' shaken up and distressed." The daily noted that shoe throwing has become a universal form of protest recently ever since an
Chamel Singh (left) New Delhi: As Pakistani authorities denied that Indian prisoner Chamel Singh had died after being assaulted by jail staff, External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid said India was waiting for a full and detailed report on the circumstances of his death. Khurshid, asked if he accepted Pakistan's explanation of the death, said: "I don't have to take Pakistan's explanation... We are awaiting the autopsy, and when a full report is given to us and detailed investigation report given, we will be able to reflect on it." Asked when India would be given the report, he said: "We have been told that it will be given to us." A senior official of Kot Lakhpat Jail in Lahore, where Chamel Singh died in January, had Sunday termed as "malicious Indian propaganda" the reports that Singh died after allegedly being tortured in the jail and said a stroke was the reason. Singh, said to be in his 60s and serving a five-year-term for espionage, had died at the state-run Jinnah Hospital on Jan 15. During an autopsy done on March 13 nearly two months after his death marks of injury had reportedly been found on Singh's body.
The shoe-throwing incident points to worse to come for Musharraf,' says the daily
enraged Iraqi man threw his shoe at then US president George Bush in 2008.
"The shoe throwing incident validates this point and perhaps points to worse to come for Musharraf."
that the trip was aimed at persuading Bilawal to return to the country.
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INTERNATIONAL
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are fully prepared and capable of doing so and the DPRK understands that." His comments came as North Korea ratcheted up an almost daily string of threats toward the US, South Korea and Japan with an announcement that it would revive a long-dormant nuclear reactor and ramp up production of atomic weapons material. A North Korean official said the country would quickly begin "readjusting and restarting" the facilities at its main Nyongbyon nuclear
complex, including the plutonium reactor and a uranium enrichment plant, which was shuttered as part of international nuclear disarmament talks in 2007 that have since stalled. Kerry said such a step would be "a direct violation" of North Korea's international commitments. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said that development would be "extremely alarming" while the White House said President Barack Obama's entire
renounces terrorism. The daily quoting sources in his delegation said "there had been no discussions" on the issue of Taliban office. Karzai also complained that his government had been disrespected by the West.
Mandela making 'steady progress' in hospital Truce broken, Israeli aircraft hit Gaza Strip
Johannesburg: Former South African president Nelson Mandela was in good spirits while recovering from lung infection at a Pretorial hospital, the South African presidency said. US President Barack Obama said he was "deeply concerned with Nelson Mandela's health", adding that "we will be keeping him in our thoughts and prayers". Earlier, when asked whether people should prepare for the inevitable, President Zuma said: "In Zulu, when someone passes away who is very old, people say he or she has gone home. I think those are some of the things we should be thinking about." Mandela has a history of lung problems after suffering from tuberculosis towards the end of Gaza City: Israeli aircraft carried out apparent warning strikes in the Gaza Strip early Wednesday, hitting empty fields after a militant rocket earlier struck waste ground in southern Israel. Palestinian security sources said the strikes, the first since the end of a deadly eight-day confrontation between Israel and Hamas militants in November, hit in two spots close to Gaza City and another site further north toward the frontier with Israel. No US President Barack Obama said one was injured. he was deeply concerned with The Israeli military confirmed two attacks. Nelson Mandela's health "In response to several rocket fire incidents his 27-year term for national liberation move- directed at Israel, an Israel Air Force aircraft ment. He became the first democratically- targeted overnight two extensive terror sites in elected president of South Africa in 1994 fol- the Northern Gaza Strip," it said in a statement. lowing the end of apartheid. "Accurate hits were identified." Gaza mili-
tants fired a rocket into southern Israel after the death in custody of a Palestinian who suffered from cancer, Israeli police said. "There was a rocket that was fired," police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said. "It landed in an open area," he said, adding there were no immediate reports of casualties or property damage.
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BUSINESS
23
Mukesh Ambani will utilise Anil Ambani-led Rel Comm's optical fiber network for 4G telecom services
related assets," the statement said. The agreement provides for joint working agreements to be put in place immediately for upgradation of the optic fiber network to ensure seamless delivery of next generation services.
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SPORTS
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Shah Rukh Khan and the leading ladies of Bollywood enthralled spectators with their performances
Jumping into the arena bordered by artificial crags and peaks, cheerleaders in bright hues of red, white, and blue embraced the stage in jumps and lifts as golden curtains drew back to reveal acrobats cartwheeling across the stage. Spectators cheered as the flying drummers from Europe descended from the roof while back on the grass children grooved to Pritam's composition in a flurry of pompoms, tassels, umbrellas and shimmering red and gold flags. Gymnasts in shiny costumes
bobbed across the stage and playground whirling streamers as violinists struck up a soulful note. Meanwhile, Chinese women percussionists positioned across the lawn fired up the musical gala as nine balloons representing the teams synced up to the giant ball that went up sporting the IPL logo. Amid the cultural mix, cricket also took the centrestage as captains of the nine participating teams joined hands to sign the ICC spirit of cricket pledge "Play hard, play fair" with former Indian cricketer
Ravi Shastri administering the oath. The IPL trophy was dropped into Kolkata Knight Rider captain Gautam Gambhir's hands by a woman breezing through the air suspended to a mass of balloons. Khan made a grand entrance to a track from "Don" in the much anticipated Bollywood showdown. Breaking out to hits like "Chammak Challo", "Koi Mil Gaya", "Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhen", King Khan garnered maximum audience applause. Mesmerising spectators by grooving to hits like "Angrezi
beat", "Sajday Main" and "Yo Yo Honey Singh", Deepika took to the stage in a black outfit. The glam quotient went up a notch as Katrina gracefully yet energetically performed to hits like "Tera Hone Laga Hoon", "Chikni Chameli", "Touch Me" etc. looking elegant in a black ghagra and choli. Indian singer Usha Uthup and Bollywood music director Bappi Lahiri kept the audiences enthralled with disco tracks "Koi Yahan Nache Nache", "Hari Om Hari" and "Rambha Ho".
Kolkata: Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Gautam Gambhir was ecstatic as the defending champions made a winning start to their title defence, beating Delhi Daredevils by six wickets convincingly in the Indian Premier League (IPL) opener. Gambhir lauded his bowlers for restricting the visitors to 128. "Restricting the opposition to 128 was a fantastic effort. We are a very good fielding side as well. I still feel Balaji did a very good job, so did Binga (Brett Lee)," said Gambhir. "Overall everyone did a very good job. 150 was a good total, but we wanted to be positive when we start-
ed the chase. Points on the table is always very satisfying," he added. Knight Riders's mystery spinner Sunil Narine, who bagged four for 13, was the key in bowling put Daredevils for a paltry total. Narine was also adjudged as Man of the Match. Narine said the track as the Den was offering more spin that last year. "It assists the spinners a lot, everyone played their part. Lit more turn and bounce than last year," he said. Daredevils skipper Mahela Jaywardene said losing wickets at regular intervals hampered the team's chances.
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HEALTH
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With pollen season arriving, here is some advice from an expert on preventing and minimizing allergy symptoms. He also introduces oral drops as allergy vaccination, comparing it with the more common allergy shots.
giving allergy vaccination, instead of allergy injections -- it is done as oral drops and can be done at home! As we open up this latest modality of allergen immunotherapy, we will continue to provide current services that include needle-free skin tests for environmental allergens (pollen, cat, dog, dust mites, mold etc); food allergens (peanut, tree nuts, milk, eggs, wheat, soy, fish, shellfish etc); Penicillin and Local Anesthetic testing, Insect venom tests (bees, yellow jacket, wasp, hornet etc); Patch tests (for common cosmetics and contact chemicals) and Special Food Component blood tests for peanut, eggs, milk components. Allergy vaccination: Shots or drops If you have environmental allergies to indoor - outdoor triggers, the best treatment option that brings you close to cure - is Allergy Vaccination. It is also known as Allergen Immunotherapy. Most of you may be familiar with the traditional "allergy shots" or Subcutaneous Immunotherapy. The new approach that is gaining attention in the U.S. is "Allergy Drops", also known as Sublingula Immunotherapy. In March alone, major news media like NY Times, CNN, ABC, NBC had segments and interviews of allergists talking about allergy drops. The allergy shots as well as drops contain FDA approved environmental allergens that
By Dr Atul Shah
ollen season is here! For most, the arrival of spring season means looking forward to outdoor activities. For the pollen allergic individuals, it is again that time of year to suffer. An estimated 26-30 million Americans have hay fever symptoms each year. Seasonal allergy symptoms can be prevented and minimized with certain steps. If you have seasonal symptoms every year, you can get tested to identify the triggers. Depending on where you live and the time of the year when you have symptoms, your triggers can be tree pollen, grass pollen, weeds, ragweed or mold spores. Limiting outdoor activities when the pollen is very high and staying indoors with air conditioning can reduce exposure to pollen and other triggers. Keeping the bedroom windows closed and car windows rolled up while driving can be helpful. You may consider taking a shower, washing the hair and changing the clothes after pollen exposure outdoors. There are
help reduce the sensitivity of an allergic individual over time. The allergen is given at a small but tolerable dose and increased following a specific schedule. As the dose of the allergen is increased, allergic individual develops tolerance to the allergen and does not develop the same allergic symptoms with exposure. The process of administration is different. The shots require the administration in a medical setting, at least once a week. The drops require daily administration, under the tongue, but can be done at home. The process of oral administration is awaiting FDA clearance. Most allergy practices offer allergy shots, while only a select few advanced centers offer science based oral allergy drops. Our practice has joined the ranks of these select few in November 2012, offering high dose oral drops based on the latest scientific data. The major health insurance companies pay for allergy shots, while only a select few are currently covering the cost of oral drops. As more and more patients demand to their insurance companies to include the oral drops in their coverage, we believe that it will improve with time. For many patients choosing to go for oral drops, saving time and convenience outweighs the cost of allergy drops. Dr. Shah is a Board Certified Allergist & Asthma Specialist in Shirley, NY and he has offered a Free eBook to our readers at www.Center4AsthmaAllergy.com.
Many Indians fall into the pre-hypertension category where they think they are absolutely fine and don't pay attention to their rising blood pressure.
ous heart problem, say doctors. In India, experts say a large number of people are in the pre-hypertension category - BP of 130/90 against the normal range of 120/90. People with BP of above 140/90 are considered to be in the hypertension category. High BP, as of today, remains inadequately controlled in India as a large number of cases go undetected. "The incidence of high blood pressure ranges from 20 to 39 percent in urban areas and 12 to 17 percent in rural areas," says Sailesh Mohan, senior research scientist and associate professor in the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI). PHFI is a public-private initiative that works on promoting health issues. High BP is, however, both preventable and treatable. For many people, lifestyle changes such as
for 2013, with special focus on it on World Health Day on April 7. Blaming Indian food habits and a sedentary lifestyle, Kasliwal said: "Most of us grab snacks like namkeens and samosas when hungry between meals. Not only do these have a high salt content but they are also sources of trans-fats." Experts estimate that the number of patients in India with high BP is likely to rise from about 140 million in 2008 to nearly 215 million by 2030 along with an increase in the risk of complications such as heart attacks, strokes, kidney problems and other serious illnesses. The problem is further compounded as high BP is a silent killer because it can remain undetected and manifest years later as a seri-
cutting down on salt; eating a balanced diet; avoiding harmful use of alcohol; getting regular exercise; and avoiding tobacco use are sufficient to control blood pressure. For others, medication is required. Rohit Sobti, a physician with regional medical services in the WHO, said it is easy to prevent the problem if people just control their diet and change their lifestyle. It is important to get BP checked regularly and avoid self-medication. Kasliwal said a simple measure like restricting the salt intake per person to less than five gm per day and half an hour of exercise can help control hypertension that is assuming epic proportions in the country. He said that coronary as well as cerebral strokes and even dementia in old age can be a direct result of high BP. One of the voluntary targets proposed by WHO and likely to be approved by the World Health Assembly in May this year is to achieve a 30 per cent reduction in average salt consumption by 2025 from the consumption level in the year 2010. There were nine global targets, which may be adopted. These included reducing deaths due to hypertension by 25 percent by 2025, encouraging physical activity and avoiding tobacco, Sobti said.
26
FEATURES
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Almond blossoms in Srinagar's 'Badamwari'. Almonds are among the first fruit trees to blossom.
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LIFESTYLE
27
In a paper just published in the International Journal of Energy, Environment and Engineering, the scientists say highways can be used to generate solar power, if a roof of solar panels was laid over them, across the length of the roads.
space can contribute to energy generation without extra land costs." The proposal by Harinarayana and co-worker Pragya Sharma is based on case studies they carried out on two highways passing through Gujarat, using computer simulation. From their computations, they estimate that a PV roof cover over the four-lane 205 km-long Ahmedabad-Rajkot highway can generate 104 MW of power while the Ahmedabad-Vadodara national highway, 93 km long, can generate 61 MW of electricity. "We can suggest that the same concept can be extended for use on the 52,584-kilometre long national and state highways in India with four lanes or more," the scientists said. The four-lane 5,839-km long Golden Quadrilateral Highway, for example, connecting Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata, can potentially generate 4,418 MW of power while the NorthSouth-East-West Corridor highway of 7,300 km connecting Srinagar, Kanyakumari, Porbandar and Silchar has 5,524 MW capacity of power generation. "If having solar panel roof over the national highways proves successful, one can think of using all our rail network as well for solar energy generation," Harinarayana said. The GERMI scientists claim that apart from producing power, the solar highway concept, if implemented, can generate jobs for both skilled and unskilled people. "Additionally, the shade provided by the over-head solar panels would result in improved vehicle efficiency and longer tyre life, besides reduction in road maintenance costs," Harinarayana said. "Another benefit of having a roof over the highways is rainwater harvesting at selected locations," he said.
The scientists point out that the Jawaharlal Nehru Solar Mission (JNSM) launched by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Jan 2010 could not reach its target of 1,200 MW electricity by March 2013 due to various problems. "Again, there is no roadmap or clear plan to reach its 20 GW target by 2022," said Harinarayana. He said the solar highway concept has the potential for large-scale generation of electricity with grid connectivity in short time. "This requires one-time investment for constructing a simple elevated structure covering the national highways," he said. According to Harinarayana, Gujarat state is ideally suited to take a lead in implementing the proposal. The state, he said, has already made great strides in harnessing sunlight by establishing a large solar park near Charanka in the Kutch region, launching the fiveMW solar roof top program in Gandhinagar, and also erection of solar panels on a water canal. He said GERMI would be ready to demonstrate the feasibility of the solar highway through a 1MW pilot scale project once the government gives approval.
28
HUMOR
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If germs don't kill you, our new health plan surely will
osses all over Asia are drastically revising their company health plans, their aim being to cut costs and kill off weaker members of staff. Trim medical benefits enough and half the staff will resign or die of bad diagnoses. "Runny nose? Take two bottles of paracetamol and a pufferfish. Next." Some bosses opt for "fire and theft" coverage, policies which only pay out if a sick staff member gets robbed while on fire. (At some newspapers for which I've worked, this combo of events probably happened to staff quite a lot.) One boss asked your humble narrator to edit his staff announcement about the new medical scheme. After studying the situation, I offered to write it for him. NOTICE TO ALL EMPLOYEES. Some of you have noted that we have switched to a new company health plan. Rumours are circulating that this is a trick designed to cause staff to resign so that we can get rid of you without paying severance fees. This is a complete lie with no truth in it whatsoghfghfghfghf. Sorry. Had to cross my fingers while typing that sentence. 1) The cupboard storing stationery supplies such as Stanley knives, staplers and Sellotape will now be found in the staff medical clinic marked Surgical Appliances.
2) Yes, the clinic's tongue depressors now have orange stains and taste of ice popsicles. This should not be seen as a problem. Everyone loves popsicles. 3) Blocked vein operations and proctology explorations have been outsourced to a 24-hour operation called the E-Z Drain Clearing Co. 4) Staff who need internal examinations will note that a pair of X-Ray Specs from Toys R Us can be found in the top drawer of the clinic desk. 5) If you need pills of any sort, we have free
tablets from a company called Placebo Manufacturing Co Ltd. Each comes with a label you can fill in yourself, and a Hallmark card saying: "Believe". 6) Pregnancy coverage is now written into the scheme. However, it applies only to male staff members. 7) Dental operations will now be carried out by the engineering department, since these guys' tools and power drills lie idle most of the year. 8) Some staff members have pointed out that the doctors at the in-house clinic look similar to staff at the research and development division we closed last year. Hey, a guy in a white coat is a guy in a white coat, right? 9) As in the best schemes, staff may choose outside doctors. You can select from a list of two excellent "physicians", conveniently located in nearby slums, both with realisticlooking practice certificates. Use the in-house clinic at your own risk. We accept no liability even for things which are entirely our fault. Batteries not included. One death per customer. Enjoy. *-* A woman gave birth while roaring through town on a motorbike. And bikes being noisy, bumpy things, she didn't notice, media reports said. The baby promptly flew off the bike and landed in the road. New mama zoomed off over the horizon in a cloud of dust. The baby's luck turned. A female passenger in the bus behind spotted it and stopped the vehicle. Ancharee Mookta picked up the baby and gave it to another motorcyclist, who rushed it to hospital, the Pattaya Daily News said. Later, police managed to trace the mother. I would have loved to have overheard the conversation when cops finally found her in Bangkok, Thailand. "Excuse me, madam. I think you dropped this." Anyway, this kid is going to have the greatest first line ever for his biography. "I left home at an early age, when I was 0.3 of a second old."
*-* Student scientists have created a cow dung air-freshener. The secret of concentrating the smell is to collect the cow poop fresh and then ferment it for several days, Rintya Miki Aprianti and Dwi Nailul Izzah told judges at the Indonesian Science Project Olympiad last week. They want to patent their invention, pointing out that no one else has ever made a cow dung air-freshener. Well, that's a surprise. No doubt the students picture the average Indonesian housewife looking over her faultless dining room as her guests approach, thinking: "What would be a perfect final touch? If only cow dung was available in a handy spray-top container!" Now it is. Next: Feet-flavored shoe deodorizer. *-* Laptop users were horrified to find their government-sponsored computers were preset to open with images of ugly politicians. Any attempt to alter this caused the computers to shut down, the Times of India reported. Politicians Akhilesh Yadav and his father Mulayam thought this would help make them popular, but it made users annoyed. Don't these guys know ANYTHING about nerds? To make them happy you need a screensaver of the luscious Kasumi from Dead or Alive. *-* News reports say cinemas in China sold not one ticket for the bio-pic of Lei Feng, the idolized perfect communist. Baffling. Who wouldn't want to go see a bio-pic of a guy invented by the world's least imaginative individuals and filmed by the world's worst filmmakers? Go figure. *-* When Kim Jong Un waved to soldiers from the deck of a boat recently, disaster almost followed: the men ran into the water after their adored leader, a news video shows. This could form the basis of a daring, weapons-free attack. You just stick a Kim lookalike on a boat and have him sail up and down the coast till everybody's dead. *-*
by Mahendra Shah
Mahendra Shah is an architect by education, entrepreneur by profession, artist and humorist, cartoonist and writer by hobby. He has been recording the plight of the immigrant Indians for the past many years in his cartoons. Hailing from Gujarat, he lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
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ASTROLOGY
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Chandigarh, India: +91-172- 256 2832, 257 2874 Delhi, India: +91-11- 2644 9898, 2648 9899 psharma@premastrologer.com; www.premastrologer.com
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ii) Careful: Did you check background of the astrologer before disclosing your secrets. iii) Fee: Discuss the charges before, dont feel shy. Its his business. iv) Expectation: Expect the best, if the outcome is not as desired, never give up. v) Consult: Take second opinion before spending thousands on cure/remedies.
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30
SPIRITUAL AWARENESS
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here is an amusing saying regarding the health of the physical body. It is said that the loss of health results in four things: the first is being ill; the second is a pill; the third is the bill; and the fourth, in some cases, is the will. I would like to add an option to provide a healing effect for an illnessand that is to be still! Let us explore how meditation, the art of being still, can have healing effects for our body, our mind, our emotions, our soul, and the world. Healing the body through meditation Meditation provides physical benefits. Medical researchers have been explor ing the bodymind connection. They have linked certain illnesses to our state of mind and emotional condition. They found that when we undergo mental stress, emotional pain, or depression, our physical resistance to disease drops. Spending time in meditation reduces stress. One meditation study, by Dr. John L. Craven, published in the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, states: Controlled studies have found consistent reductions in anxiety in meditators. . . . Several stressrelated conditions have demonstrated improvement during clini cal trials of meditation including: hypertension, insomnia, asthma, chronic pain, cardiac tachyarrhythmias, phobic anxiety. (Craven, Dr. John L., Meditation and Psychotherapy, Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, Vol. 34, October 1989, pp. 64853). In another study, Dr. Ilan Kutz states: As the ability to meditate develops, a hierarchy of sensation develops, ranging from deep relaxation to marked emotional and cognitive alterations. . . . Many of these peripheral changes are compatible with decreased arousal of the sympathetic nervous system. . . . The peripheral physiological changes have proven to be of value as a primary or adjunctive treatment for a variety of medical disorders such as hypertension and cardiac
arrhythmias, as well as in relieving anxiety states and pain. (Kutz, MD, Ilan, et al., Meditation and Psychotherapy, American Journal of Psychiatry, Vol. 142, January 1985, pp. 18). Many medical centers and hospitals now offer classes in meditation to reduce stress and eliminate certain illnesses. Meditation can heal our physical body by healing our mind and our emotional state. By becoming absorbed within, we divert our attention from feeling the effects of illness. In near-
rise above physical pain by connecting with the power within. The freedom from pain of those having near-death experience corroborates the protection from pain afforded to those who perfect the practice of medi tation. We do not need a neardeath experience to tap into this inner power. We can access it naturally in the comfort of our homes through meditation. Healing the mind through meditation Our minds are often agitated by
nate the lack of balance caused by mental stress. By spending time in meditation, we create a calm haven to restore equilibrium to our mental functioning. Researchers who record brain activity find that our brain waves measure from 1320 Hz when we are involved with stressful situations at work, driving in traffic, or in a fight-orflight mode. In meditation, brain waves register between 58 Hz, a state of deep relaxation. In medita tion, stress levels are reduced. The mind becomes
tors, psychologists, social workers, or psychiatrists, they can increase their healing by meditating. Meditation helps in several ways. First, by going within through meditation, we see our lives from a clear angle of vision. We rec ognize the roots of our pains and solve the problems. Many are not aware of why they act and feel the way they do. By raising our consciousness, we become aware of the causes. We can pinpoint the areas in which we need to work. Second, in meditation, we contact the source of love. The Current of Light and Sound is made of the same essence as our soul and the Over3 soullove, consciousness, and bliss. As we contact the divine current, we experience divine love. We connect with the love of God latent within. It is said, God is love, the soul is love, and the way back to God is through love. Contact with godly love fills us with more love than we can ever imagine. This can fill the hole that may be the root cause of ones emotional pain. Through meditations healing power, one can mitigate and eliminate emotional pain. How doctors can help their patients While providing medical care and treatment to patients, many doctors are advising patients to spend time in meditation as a preventative health care measure and a supplement to medical treatment. Doctors can learn a beneficial introductory meditation technique: Jyoti meditation. This form of meditation can be done by anyone of any religion, culture, or age. It is a safe process that involves sitting in silence. By concentrating the attention at a point between and behind the two eyebrows, we find Light within. Sitting in meditation will fill us with peace, calm, and joy. By spending time daily in meditation, we come in contact with a healing power within that can transform our lives and give us relief and solace for a happy life. For more www.sos.org information:
Meditation is a way to eliminate the lack of balance caused by mental stress. By spending time in meditation, we create a calm haven to restore equilibrium to our mental functioning. Researchers who record brain activity find that our brain waves measure from 1320 Hz when we are involved with stressful situations at work, driving in traffic, or in a fight-orflight mode. In meditation, brain waves register between 58 Hz, a state of deep relaxation. In meditation, stress levels are reduced. The mind becomes calm, and, in turn, calms the body.
death experiences, people who underwent excruciatingly painful accidents were lifted above pain when they left the body. With their return to the body, millions of people had the same message to reporttheir pain ended when they entered a world of Light. These accounts confirm what saints have saidthere is a healing power of the divine that we can tap into when we shift our consciousness from the physical body to our spiritual side. We can pressures. Life has become complicated. People have too much to do and not enough time to do it. Some people hold jobs that require long hours and too much responsibility. Others work two jobs and raise a family. People snapthey become irritable, offbalance, and stressed-out. They may act in ways that are not themselves. Sometimes they take out their frustrations on their loved ones. Meditation is a way to elimicalm, and, in turn, calms the body. Through meditation, we bring a healing of our mental state. We can then function more effectively and peacefully in this world. Healing emotional pain through meditation Meditation can supplement therapy to heal emotional pain. As people work on their emotional problems with the guidance of trained specialists, doc-
Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj is an internationally recognized spiritual leader and Master of Jyoti Meditation who affirms the transcendent oneness at the heart of all religions and mystic traditions, emphasizing ethical living and meditation as building blocks for achieving inner and outer peace. www.sos.org.
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