<b>Indian origin US town council member takes oath on Gita </b><!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->New York, Jan 6 (IANS) Sudhanshu Prasad, a doctor of Indian origin who has been elected as a member of the town council of Edison, New Jersey, took his oath of office on the Bhagvad Gita, Hinduism's sacred text, and says he aims to improve relations between Indian Americans and other groups in the US town.
While being sworn in as a member of the Edison Township Council on Jan 1, Prasad chose to take the oath of office on the Bhagvad Gita, which he said he grew up believing in.
The Bhagvad Gita 'is where my conscience is', said Prasad who belongs to the Democratic Party.
Prasad, an internal medicine specialist and former chairman of the J.F.K. Medical Centre's
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<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Modi steals the show </b>
Pioneer News Service | New Delhi
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday hogged the limelight at Pravasi Bharatiya Divas. He batted for Indian cricketers and called for protecting the country's self-esteem and asked the nation to stand by Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) or the People of Indian Origin (PIO) in their hours of trial and tribulations.Â
<b>"The country's self-respect must be protected. It is not just the question of one cricketer but of the whole country," Modi said, slamming the ban on off-spinner Harbhajan Singh for three Tests for his alleged racial remarks against Andrew Symonds</b>.
But more than this, Modi also stole the limelight from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh by making a much more powerful plea for India's intervention in helping the NRIs in cases of harassment.
Earlier, the Prime Minister in his address at the meeting urged the NRIs to maintain better contacts with the Indian Embassies through regular interactions and vice versa to deal with any situation. The Prime Minister's remark came in the context of attacks on PIOs and NRIs in Malaysia and Kenya.
"The security and welfare of Indian residents living abroad is a top priority of our diplomatic missions. I urge community leaders to develop better liaison and coordination with our missions to better serve our non-resident communities. It is through such engagements that the Embassies will become more responsive to the needs of overseas Indians," said Singh in his address.
Soon after this, Modi said, <b>"Our Embassies are doing very well. When NRIs are in distress, the country should express solidarity with them," </b>Modi said.
<b>Mediapersons mobbed Modi after the Prime Minister concluded his address. Sporting a black suit and looking like an MNC executive, Modi was the centre of attraction. When he moved to the Exhibition Pavilion, the crowd comprising mediapersons and NRI delegates followed him.
After he inaugurated the Gujarat Pavilion, others requested him to have a look at their exhibits as well. And Modi did not disappoint them. He took a round of the pavilion.</b>
"Gujarat has done a lot of work in social and infrastructure sectors. Besides Gujarat's image as an industrial State, the Government has implemented social welfare schemes targeting poor," Modi said.
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Is anybody following the SF Zoo tiger attack which killed one and injured two people? the two people are turning out to be two brothers named Dhaliwal. The media is making out as if they deserved the attack as they think the victims provoked the tiger. Lost in this media campaign is the fact that the zoo did not have adequate protection for its visitors. Saying the victims had taunted the tiger begs the question how did the tiger maul the victims from a safe enclosure evenif they taunted it?
And what would the media response be if the victims were more mainstream?
Whatever it is Zoo fault. Whether these guys were taunting or not , how tiger was able to escape? Zoo failed to follow proper procedure.
These guys are lawyered up. Zoo is trying to minimize loss by targeting victim. Zoo knows they have to shed millions, they are worried about future insurance etc.
National media is doing fine, only local media is bit negative, don't forget Kamala Harris is around. <!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->The high-profile lawyer hired by the brothers, Mark John Geragos attacked the zoo for what he called a "vicious, defamatory smear campaign" that falsely suggested his clients were armed with slingshots and had been drinking that day outside the zoo at an establishment that was in fact closed that day.
He said he is planning to file a defamation lawsuit against the public relations agency, Singer Associates. San Francisco Zoo administrators knew the wall surrounding the tiger habitat, at 12 feet high, "couldn't hold a house cat," charged attorney Geragos, best known for defending pop-star Michael Jackson and actress Winona Ryder [Images].
"In an attempt to distract attention from its failure to ensure the safety of its patrons, a so-called crisis management team hired by the zoo has made repeated media attacks on the Dhaliwal brothers," alleged Geragos.
"On a daily basis these agents of the zoo have made numerous false statements which constitute actionable defamation."
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<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->For one thing, said Matt Davis, a San Francisco personal-injury lawyer and former deputy city attorney, noted that the zoo, which was free to the public in 1952, now charges $11for adult tickets.
<b>"Once you start charging admission, your responsibility to the patrons increases," </b>he said.
In addition, it remains subject to the traditional rule that a zookeeper, like a dynamite-hauler or anyone else engaged in what the law classifies as "ultra-hazardous activities," can be held responsible for injuries caused by those activities even if it did nothing wrong.
Also, <b>it shouldn't be hard for a plaintiff suing over the tiger attack to prove that both the city, which designed the zoo and owns the land and animals, and the Zoological Society, which is responsible for day-to-day operations, were negligent</b>.
<b>"Based on the facts that have come out, this is a clear-cut case of negligence," </b>said John Diamond, a professor at UC Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco. <b>He cited the zoo director's admission that the moat wall around the tiger grotto was 4 feet below national safety standards, and 7 1/2 feet shorter than zoo officials had said it was.</b>
<b>"There's no excuse for having an enclosure that does not conform to industry standards and allows a wild animal to escape," </b>Diamond told the paper. link
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<b>Mauling Victim Taunted Tiger, Police Say</b>
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Toxicology results for Dhaliwal showed that his blood alcohol level was 0.16 - twice the legal limit for driving, according to the affidavit. His 24-year-old brother, Kulbir, and Sousa also had alcohol in their blood but within the legal limit, Matthews wrote.
All three also had marijuana in their systems, Matthews said. Kulbir Dhaliwal told police that the three had smoked pot and each had "a couple shots of vodka" before leaving San Jose for the zoo on Christmas Day, the affidavit said.
Police found a small amount of marijuana in Kulbir Dhaliwal's 2002 BMW, which the victims rode to the zoo, as well as a partially filled bottle of vodka, according to court documents.
Investigators also recovered messages and images from the cell phones, but apparently nothing incriminating in connection with the tiger attack, the Chronicle reported.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<b>S.F. Zoo mauling investigation winding down</b><!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->The police investigation into the tiger attack at the San Francisco Zoo <b>will soon be reclassified as "inactive" after a search failed to turn up evidence that the victims taunted the animal or committed other crimes</b>, authorities said Friday.
Sources close to the case said the investigation into the Christmas Day attack could be shelved as soon as next week and will not be reopened unless new information comes to light. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak for the department
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<b>In an inventory of what they found in their search, police said the car contained a partly filled bottle of Grey Goose vodka and a kit commonly used to defeat drug testing, which included a vial of unisex synthetic urine.</b>
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An attorney for the Sousa family, <b>Michael Cardoza, said it was clear police had been pressured to conduct their search despite a shortage of evidence that the Dhaliwals and Sousa had committed a crime</b>.
<b>"You wonder who is pulling the strings here," he said. "If they were looking at bringing manslaughter (against the Dhaliwals for Sousa's death), that is unbelievable."</b>
Police said all three young men had been drinking and smoked marijuana before going to the zoo. Cardoza, however, ridiculed the idea that their condition had anything to do with the attack.
<b>"Come on, how many people go out there to the zoo a little stoned?" he said. "This is ridiculous. Is that a reason to dirty the kids up?"</b> <!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo-->
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<b>Chennai woman escapes dowry torture in US</b><!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Chennai: In a shocking case of dowry harassment, a Chennai-based woman was forced to flee from US and take refuge with her family in Tamil Nadu. Muthumari Bhadrinath says she escaped her husbandâs torture after eight years of marriage.
Finally in the safety of her family, the 38-year-old has now filed a complaint with the Chennai police.
<b>âHe abused me physically, beat me for 15-20 minutes daily. He bit me on my hands. When I requested him to take me to a doctor, he took me there and told the doctor it was a bee bite,â </b>she says.
<b>With no help in America, she flew back to Chennai</b>, leaving her four-year-old daughter behind. She says her daughter suffers from a heart disease.
Now, with the help of Congress leader Jayanthi Natarajan, Muthumari is beginning her fight to get her daughter back.
âI'm going to definitely move that embassies of all countries should have a hotline number where women of Indian origin can contact them if they're in trouble and seek help,â says Natarajan.
The Chennai police say say they have contacted Muthumari's husband in the United States and will file an FIR.
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She could have told Doctor during examination, she could have called 911. Lot of thing she can do. If her husband is abusive, US is a best place to put such person in right place. It is very easy. Some how, I don't buy her story.
In fact, just yesterday, I reported such incidence to local authority and it seems they had taken action. Couple is either Gujarati/Marathi. Not sure who is abusing who, but they fight lot and it starts around 1.30 am and last till 4 am. I think I am abused by them, by not getting sleep. <!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo-->
India unbound: NRIs do their bit
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Â
<b>Amar Bose paved the way for breakthrough technology in acoustics (TOI Photo)Â
Of Raman Effect and Bose-Einstein Condensation, you might have an idea. But have you heard about the Chandrasekhar Limit, or Karmarkarâs Algorithm, or Viswanathâs Constant?</b>
Long before Indians got into nuts and bolts, their contributions to the world of pure science was the stuff of legends - whether it was Aryabhata and Brahmaguptaâs postulation of zero, or Buddhayanaâs calculation of the value of Pi, or Shridharaâs rules for finding out the volume of a sphere.
The rich theoretical tradition continues to this day as Indian scientists, engineers and mathematicians traverse the world. <b>Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, the legendary C V Ramanâs equally famous nephew who taught at the University of Chicago, calculated the eponymous limit to describe the maximum non-rotating mass which can be supported against gravitational collapse, commonly given as being about 1.4 solar masses</b>.
<b>Narendra Karmarkar, who taught at Caltech and UC Berkeley before returning to India, introduced the eponymous algorithm in 1984 to solve linear programming problems</b>. <b>In 1999, Diwakar Viswanath, a computer scientist at the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute in Berkeley, California, arrived at the mathematical constant in number theory that carries his name. </b>
While the Indian legacy in conceptual thinking has been kept alive by such advances in theory, the second half of the 20th century also saw Indian-born scientists and engineers in the west contribute substantially to discovery and innovation. <b>In 1948, Yellapragada Subba Rao synthesized Aureomycrin, the first of the tetracycline antibiotics, and Methotrexate, used to alleviate several types of cancer, including childhood leukemia.</b> "He lived, so that you could live longer," it was said of him. <b>In 1952, Narendra Singh Kapany, building on the work of Irish physicist John Tyndall that had shown that light could travel in a curve inside a material (water), conducted experiments that led to the invention of optical fibre</b>. In 1956, underwhelmed by the performance of high-end stereo speaker systems, <b>Amar Gopal Bose undertook experiments that paved the way for breakthrough technology in acoustics and led to the formation of Bose Corporation.</b>
While these were the early pioneers, Indian contributions to the world of technology breakthroughs in the last quarter century are just too many to chronicle in a short article. <b>From Lasik eye surgery, which is built on the work of University of California scientist Mani Lal Bhaumik and IBM engineer Rangaswamy Srinivasan (whose grand-nephew Krishna Bharat gave the world Google News), to advances in catalytic convertors in automobile engines (credited to Fordâs Haren Gandhi), Indian contributions span the spectrum of science, medicine and engineering</b>.
In fact, many of the Indian-engineered or-inspired inventions are so much a part of our life now that they donât even stand out. How often do you associate Windows, whose early versions were largely wrought by desi heads, with Indians? Or <b>the rewritable CD, which was based on the work of Dr Praveen Chaudhuri, who now heads the Brookhaven National Laboratory?</b>
Thereâs no better place to get a sense of how deep the Indian contribution runs than the legendary Bell Labs, the 84-year-old institution whose inventions and discoveries crowd every part of our homes. This is where a young scientist named <b>Mohan Sondhi invented the echo canceller, which made phone conversations clear; where Bishnu Atalâs digital speech coding innovations dramatically expanded the benefits of cellular phone technology to millions of users; where C Kumar Patel invented the carbon dioxide laser; and where Arun Netravaliâs work led to the development of the High-Definition Television. </b>
But all this would seem like skimming the surface if one considers the past decade. Each year, since 2000, desis are present in greater numbers in every major annual list recognizing innovative work - from MITâs young tech innovators list to the National Academy of Sciences recognition for distinguished scientists, to science talent searches conducted by Intel, Lucent and Westinghouse. Next only to the US, which remains the world leader in modern advances despite its relative decline, India seems all geed up to make the world a better place.Â
must read - <b>'I feel at home in the US military'</b><!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Do you have any problems being a vegetarian in the army?</b>
I have never had a problem with being a vegetarian. The army supplies what we call MRE [Meals Ready to Eat]. I think out of every six meals supplied by the MRE at least one is vegetarian. Vegetarian meals are available in the combat zones, too.
You may find it difficult to believe this: But there are some people who wonder whether vegetarians can really fight in an army.
[Chuckles]. I am not in a body-building business. The idea is to have an athlete's body and a sharp mind. And I have that. I eat healthy food, and I think I am in excellent shape because of my diet. I don't think, because of my diet and my healthy lifestyle, I will have to worry about my health even as I grow older.
<b>You grew up in a small Virginia city. Was being a vegetarian a problem for you?</b>
It was never a problem. My mother is an excellent cook and anything she cooks, be it North Indian or South Indian vegetarian food, I have enjoyed it.
Many young Indian Americans say they were bullied in school because their classmates could not understand them being vegetarians.
Surely, it happened to me, too. I was bullied and teased about my diet. Some of my classmates thought I was on a strange diet. But I kept my course and never wavered. Ours is a close-knit family, and family values are very important to me. I knew my family wanted me to be a vegetarian for good reasons. So I did not succumb to bullies. And I never felt something was wrong with my diet.
<b>How did you handle your classmates? </b>
For one thing, I told my classmates that my parents had instilled in me a respect for all living creatures and I was following a Hindu religious tradition. Slowly, they got to appreciate my position. They also knew that I was not blindly following something my parents had told me.
What life lessons did you learn from that school experience?
It showed me how to stick to my convictions. I learned how to argue well. I learned about integrity and fortitude. I learned about being social and at the same time maintaining my own identity.
Many immigrants, including South Asians here, either change one of their names or edit them. So you have a Krishna becoming Chris, and Mukesh turning into Mike.
It is true! I have heard of many such names, and I have wondered why people do such things.
<b>You never edited your name or asked someone to call you Roger or Rich?</b>
It took my teachers a long time in the school to get my name right! But right from my childhood, I never thought of getting an American name, even if some people made fun of my given name. Later, I would tell myself that I will never change my name if I were to discover that the name meant something offensive, for instance a curse word, in any other language. Besides, I always remember that I really do not own the name, Rajiv Srinivasan.
What do you mean by that?
This name, Rajiv Srinivasan, I am carrying for my parents. They had a good reason to choose my name, I am carrying their tradition. If I were to change my name, I would be giving away the gift my parents gave me. To change it would be disrespectful to my parents.
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03-07-2008, 05:24 AM (This post was last modified: 03-07-2008, 05:25 AM by dhu.)
Effect of Christianized/Secularized environment:
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->They know where their parents come from and about our history and about the typical Indian stories we all tell our kids but they don't think or feel like Indians who are born and raised in India like you and me. They question the "morality" of Indian stories and the violence in most stories like why some kings kill and make their own brothers and wives suffer!! <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
The sixth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas conference was organized at New Delhi on 7-9 January, 2008. The event was organized in partnership with the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).
The theme for this yearâs PBD was âEngaging the Diaspora: the way forwardâ. The Conference included plenary sessions on âSocial Development Challenges in India: Health & Educationâ, âInvestment & Infrastructureâ, âTrade & Business Opportunitiesâ, âDevelopmental Challenges of States: Partnership Opportunitiesâ, âDiaspora Philanthropy: Empowerment of Rural Womenâ. Concurrent Sessions on âKnowledge Economyâ, âCultureâ and âChallenges in Women Empowerment and Leadershipâ and Regional Working Sessions on âGulfâ, âAsia-Pacificâ, âAfricaâ, âAmericasâ and âEuropeâ were also held as part of the Conference. In all, 1500 people participated in the conference. A list indicating the number of registered participants, country-wise, is enclosed.
A highlight of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2008 was a plenary session on âDiaspora Philanthropy: Empowerment of Rural Womenâ. It was for the first time the potential of overseas Indian engagement through innovative schemes such as extension of micro-credit through self help group of women for their empowerment was discussed.
The direct outcome of this session is a proposal to establish and promote an âIndia Development Foundationâ as an autonomous not-for-profit Trust. The foundation will serve as a credible institutional mechanism to lead overseas Indian philanthropic propensities into human development efforts in India.
The Foundation will assist overseas Indians to contribute to the cause of education, health and rural development in their erstwhile home villages, districts or states in partnership with credible NGOs and philanthropic organizations engaged in the social development sector in the country.
During PBD 2008 held at New Delhi, Prime Minister of India announced the establishment of Prime Ministerâs Global Council of People of Indian Origin.
This Council will comprise of people of Indian Origin from a variety of disciplines who are recognized as leaders in their respective fields, not only in their country of residence but globally as well.
The council would serve as a high level platform for the Prime Minister to draw upon the experience, knowledge and wisdom of the best Indian minds wherever they may be based. The council would function as a sounding board and a âthink tankâ to
a) effectively address the concerns and problems of Overseas Indians and
b) encouraging the Overseas Indians to share their expertise, experience and
c) to promote an environment for attracting the resources of Overseas Indians for development opportunities in India.
The process of establishment of the council is underway and it is expected to start functioning before the next Pravasi Bharatiya Divas.
Washington, March 12: A Indian-American High School girl has bagged a whopping USD 100,000 Intel scholarship for developing a model to identify early stage colon cancer patients with a high risk for recurrence, beating competition from 1,600 others.
Shivani Sud, 17, of North Carolina won the the Intel Foundation's top award aimed at honouring the next generation of scientists and innovators in the US.
For her research project, Sud developed a model that analysed the specific âmolecular signaturesâ of tumors from patients with stage II colon cancer.
She then used this information to identify those at higher risk for tumor recurrence and propose potentially effective drugs for treatment, Intel said in a media release.
"That proud feeling comes from doing what I do and not just the acknowledgment of it," Sud, who attends Jordan High School, was quoted as saying by The News and Observer of Durham.
Sud said her interest in cancer research started very early on as a result of a relative developing cancer. "I saw how hard that was for my family.
"I saw how that kind of changed my outlook on life, because when you're 6 years old, you don't think about topics such as death or dying from this type of cancer -- having your life change drastically," she said.
This year's Intel Science Talent Search finalists came from 19 states and represented 35 high schools throughout the United States.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
The Crime Branch of Delhi Police has arrested five persons including a former call centre owner and a commerce graduate for using credit cards details of British citizens and committing a fraud worth Rs 30 lakh.
According to the police, an accomplice of the accused who is absconding skimmed <b>the magnetic information from the credit cards of customers when he went to United Kingdom and provided that information to his other gang members in Delhi. The gang would then transfer the information on to a plain credit card and either withdraw money or shop with it.</b>
The mastermind behind the crime, identified as, Vivek Kumar (27) hails from Bangalore and is a B.Com graduate. Kumar learnt the skill to clone credit cards while working as a business development executive for a computer firm in Hyderabad. The other accused are identified as <b>Nafees Ahmed (37), Raju Khan (27), Brijesh Yadav (27) and Dildar Hussain (32) </b>used the credit cards details provided by Kumar. Nafees owned a call centre and he was simultaneously working for HDFC Bank.
Raju worked at a petrol pump in Nazafgarh and Dildar Hussain worked at a tailoring unit in South Extension. Brijesh used to work as a driver for Nafees. "We have recovered 21 cloned credit cards from their possession. They used a fake credit card for only one transaction. They created a network of shopkeepers to swipe the cards. We have arrested two of them - Raju and Dildar, and detained the shopkeeper for interrogation," said the officer.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->HINDU SUPPORT FUND
LIBEL LAWSUIT AGAINST NARAIN KATARIA AND
ARISH SAHANI
Indian National Overseas Congress, Inc. has filed a law suit in the Supreme Court of the Sate of New York in the amount of $100 million against Dr. Bharat Barai, Narain Kataria and Arish Sahani for putting an advertisement in The New York Times, dated October 6, 2007. The plaintiff Dr. Surinder Malhotra, Chief Executive Officer of Indian Overseas Congress states in the complaint that false statements have been made in the advertisement regarding the professional conduct of his boss Sonia Gandhi, Chairwoman of the Indian National Congress Party, and her son, Mr. Rahul Gandhi.
Dr. Bharat Barai has decided to fight his case on his own.
We have established HINDU SUPPORT FUNDÂ to meet the attorneysâ fees and related expenses.
APPEAL TO OUR COLLEAGUES FOR HELP
Narain Kataria and Arish Sahani have hired the law firm of Kornstein Veisz Wexler & Pollard, L.L.P. to represent them. This law firm is known for its integrity and caliber. We were asked to pay $25,000.00 as soon as possible if we wanted to retain this law firm. On April 17, we paid $8,333.00 â one third of $25,000.00 - to the attorneys. We have to pay $16,600.00 in another 60 days.Â
This is an exorbitant amount by any yardstick and beyond our capacity to pay.
We have been serving Hindu community for more than 25 years.  Hence we appeal to our community to come forward and help us out.
Moreover, if the case prolongs for a year or so, we may have to pay $250,000.00.
Hindu Support Fund will be supervised, controlled and audited by the following community leaders:
K. Guruvayurappan         (908) 244-3258
Jayesh Patel               (732) 688-2658
Prof. A.V. Raghunath        (516) 796-3509
Prasad Yalamanchi          (630) 885-3180
Note:Â Four or five more names will be added to this list in a couple of days.
Under the circumstances, we request you to write your check in the name of
HINDU SUPPORT FUND and mail it to:
Narain Kataria, 41-67 Judge Street (5P), Elmhurst, New York 11373.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact either of the undersigned at any time.
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