The Indian Panorama

Month: June 2015

  • Anti-Muslim Group Launches Muhammad Cartoon Billboard Campaign in St. Louis

    Anti-Muslim Group Launches Muhammad Cartoon Billboard Campaign in St. Louis

    In April, the AFDI, a self-described human rights advocacy group, hosted a “Draw Muhammad” cartoon contest in Garland, Texas. The event was attacked by two shooters, both of whom were killed after injuring a security guard.

    While many criticized the contest as provocative and bigoted, AFDI champions themselves as the defenders of free-speech under the First Amendment, and took their “cause” a step further when they submitted the winning cartoon to run as an ad in the transit system of the nation’s capital city.

    The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) promptly moved to suspend all issue-related and “advocacy” content from its property, thereby preventing the group from running the ad.

    But that didn’t stop the group from pushing the cartoon.

    Washington, DC Metro
    © FLICKR/ CHRIS MARTINO DC Transit Halts ‘Issue-Related’ Ads After Muhammad Cartoon Submission

    Earlier Today, June 9, AFDI President Pamela Geller announced a new billboard campaign in St. Louis  featuring the Muhammad cartoon.  The drawing depicts a caricature of an angry Prophet Muhammad, waving a sword and shouting “You can’t draw me!” Also illustrated is the artist’s hand holding a pencil with a speech bubble saying “That’s why I draw you,” in response.

    According to Breitbart.com where the announcement first appeared, the cartoon is now on 100 billboards in St. Louis under a “Support Free Speech” campaign.

    Geller released a statement regarding the new campaign, painting it as a necessary fight for her group, as “the media and the cultural and political elites continue to self-enforce the Sharia [Islamic Law] without the consent of the American people by refusing to show any depictions of Muhammad.”

    Many view AFDI as a far-right anti-Muslim organization. The Southern Poverty Law Center, a nonprofit civil rights organization, listed AFDI as a hate group in 2011, calling it a “propaganda powerhouse” that paints any and all Muslims as radical terrorists.

    AFDI has sponsored several anti-Muslim ads that have appeared in Washington, San Francisco, and New York public transportation systems in recent years.

     

  • Dr. Hiten Madhani Wins 2015 Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award

    Dr. Hiten Madhani Wins 2015 Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award

    The Associated Students of the Graduate Division (ASGD) and the Graduate Division Alumni Association (GDAA) have selected Dr. Hiten Madhani, MD, PhD, as this year’s Outstanding Faculty Mentorship Awardee.

    Dr. Madhani is a professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics. A graduate of UCSF himself, Madhani now focuses on researching “the battles within and between organisms that drive the evolution of eukaryotic organisms,” as described on his lab website. Specifically, the lab studies the mechanisms of chromatin- and RNA-based gene control and mechanisms of fungal virulence.

    Elected to the American Academy of Microbiology last year, he is the author of a textbook on yeast as a model organism, and Nature Genetics described it as “one of the most pleasantly readable books in biology…a ‘must read’ for anyone beginning to experiment with yeast.”

    Dr. Madhani received glowing nomination letters from former students, and it is clear that he is deeply committed to both his science and the scientists in his lab.

    In keeping with the clarity of his book, Madhani’s nomination letters describe him as “a superb lecturer, presenting topics thoroughly, cogently, and in a historical context.” Beyond his thorough knowledge of scientific history and current inquiries, his deep “admiration for scientific ingenuity and clever experiments is contagious.”

    On a more personal level, one letter described Hiten as “a truly life-altering mentor…[whose] deep intellectual curiosity and pure excitement for science kept me excited about my work, even when things were going slowly.” Madhani is deeply committed to his students’ work, sending emails even on nights and weekends because he is hard at work thinking about what experiments to do and “contacting intellectual or scientific collaborators…from all over the world” for even small questions. As a scientist, Madhani leads by example, working hard even though he has already “made it” because he is simply that excited about the science.

    Importantly, as physician-scientist, Madhani is supportive of his MSTP students who have to return to medical school well beyond their time in his lab.

    Dr. Madhani will unfortunately be traveling during the Graduate Division Commencement Ceremony at the William J. Rutter Center on the Mission Bay Campus on May 16. Phillip Dumesic, an MSTP student and former member of the Madhani Lab, will present the award.

    While Dr. Madhani was the recipient of the award, there were many other deserving nominees. The other nominees are listed as follows:

    • Manish K. Aghi, Biomedical Sciences and Neurological Surgery
    • Allan Balmain, Biochemistry and Biophysics
    • Charles Chiu, Laboratory Medicine
    • Ryan Hernandez, Bioengineering & Therapeutic Sciences
    • Richard M. Locksley, Medicine
    • Emmanuelle Passegue, Medicine
    • Betty Smoot, Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences
    • Elizabeth Watkins, Anthropology, History, and Social Medicine
    • Noah Zaitlen, Medicine

    University of California San Francisco – Website Link

  • Indian American Doctor Ankur Roy, 38, of Miami, FL, Sentenced To 75 Months

    Indian American Doctor Ankur Roy, 38, of Miami, FL, Sentenced To 75 Months

    Indian American doctors seem to be in the limelight this year with numerous cases of fraud being investigated and the number of convictions growing.

    Dr. Ankur Roy, 38, of Miami Beach, Florida was operating Selectcare Health, Inc which is an outpatient physical and respiratory therapy centres located in Park Ridge and Skokiealong.

    He along with his codefendants Dipen Desai and Akash Patel were found guilty and are being sentenced to federal prison for engaging in a $2.5 million health care fraud scheme.

    Roy and his co-defendants submitted false and fraudulent health insurance claim forms to Medicare and Blue Cross Blue Shield for respiratory therapy services that were never provided to patients.

    Roy was sentenced June 5, to 75 months in prison followed by 3 years of supervision after his release by U.S. District Court Judge Gary Feinerman. Roy was charged in 2013 with two co-defendants who both pled guilty; Dipen Desai, who was sentenced to 27 months’ imprisonment in December 2014, and Akash Patel, who is scheduled to be sentenced in July. Roy was convicted of five counts of the indictment by a jury in July 2014.

    “Defendant Roy’s fraud deprived Medicare and Blue Cross Blue Shield of over $2.5 million, a substantial sum of money that should have gone to pay for medical services for senior citizens, and not to line his and his partners’ pockets,”  Assistant U.S. Attorney Maureen Merin argued at sentencing.

    The sentence today was announced by Zachary T. Fardon, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Robert J. Holley, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Chicago; Lamont Pugh III, Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago Regional Office of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General; and James Vanderberg, Special Agent-in-Charge of the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General in Chicago.

    The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Maureen Merin.

  • Indian American Ex. Cop Rajat Sharda to serve 5-7 years in jail for rape

    Indian American Ex. Cop Rajat Sharda to serve 5-7 years in jail for rape

    Indian American Rajat Sharda, the first Indian / desi officer in the history of the Worcester, MA, Police Department, was sentenced to 5-to-7 years in prison on Monday, June 8, after being found guilty of rape

    Sharda kept his head down and maintained he was innocent of rape, apparently fighting back emotions.

    A Worcester Superior Court jury found Sharda guilty last week of sexually assaulting a woman in August 2013 after he found the woman and a man having sex in vehicle. The woman testified that Sharda inappropriately touched her and masturbated in front of her while in full police uniform.

    “I don’t agree with the decision. I don’t agree with the verdict,” Defense Attorney Ettenberg said. “My client is innocent.”

    The jury found Sharda guilty of rape, larceny under $250, witness intimidation and open and gross lewdness. Judge David Ricciardone sentenced Sharda to the prison sentence for the rape charge and 10 years of probation for the other charges.

    “He had a badge. He had a gun,” Assistant District Attorney Ryan Donahue said before the judge issued his ruling. “His actions are frankly disgusting.”

    Donahue argued for a higher sentence, stating that Sharda violated the public’s trust and abused his power as an officer.

    Defense attorney Peter Ettenberg argued to have any jail time imposed by the judge be suspended with probation. Ettenberg said he is filing an appeal in his client’s case.

    A father of a 1-year-old boy, Sharda is a religious man who serves meals to the homeless and is part of an extremely close-knit family, Ettenberg said. Sending Sharda to jail would be torture, the defense lawyer argued.

    Sharda  was part of a police recruit class that was laid off due to the fiscal downfall, but eventually he was brought back in late-2011.

     

  • Yeh Hai Mohabbatein: Raman to be accused of selling Simmi’s daughter

    Yeh Hai Mohabbatein: Raman to be accused of selling Simmi’s daughter

    In the last episode, we saw Ishita(Divyanka Tripathi) barging into the court an stopping Simmi and Subbu’s(Amit Tandon) wedding. She stated that upon speaking to Shaila Bhua in London she was informed that Subbu is a dangerous man and isn’t right to marry Simmi. The bhallas were shocked and Subbu enraged. He grabbed Ishita by the neck and tried to kill her. He was stopped by Raman(Karan Patel), who shoved him aside and warned him to keep away from Ishita. Subbu left, vouching that he will destroy the Bhallas. Meanwhile, Ishita was trying to figure out as to why Subbu was hell bent on seeking revenge against her family. The episode ended with her telling Raman that they should visit Subbu’s psychiatrist and tell her about his attack on Ishita, so that they could get some information out of the doctor.

    In the upcoming episode, a shocking turn of events will take place where Raman will be accused of selling Simmi’s daughter.We are guessing this story will be planted by Subbu where a breaking news item will present Raman as a rich businessman who sold Simmi’s little girl Ananya to get a sum of Rs 15 lakhs! The Bhallas will be shocked with this accusation. Ishita on the other hand will be joined by Hamari Adhuri Kahani’s Vidya Balan, who will promote her upcoming film on the show. She and Ishita will look into Subbu’s medical records and try and figure out the incidents from his past.

    Well what can be said? After all YHM has been able to keep it’s popularity with audiences in India and abroad afloat. Keep watching YHM……

  • It was all about Love for Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh IIFA 2015

    It was all about Love for Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh IIFA 2015

    This year at IIFA, it was Shahid Kapoor and Kangana Ranaut, who were the show stoppers and walked away with most prestigious awards. But we hear that hosting of Ranveer Singh and Arjun Kapoor was the highlight of the entire event.

    One of the top moments of the IIFA night was when Ranveer Singh came down one knee to propose to Deepika Padukone at centre stage in front of huge crowd. Well, it was quite an amusing sight for the audience to see Ranveer and Deepika  on stage getting all lovey dovey. When Ranveer was done reciting poems and shayaris for Deepika, a fan from the crowd yelled,” I love you, Deepika”. To this, Ranveer gave a quick reply,” Watch it bro!” Awww, what more could define their love?

    That’s not it, Ranveer and Deepika even sported a matching wardrobe. While Ranveer made a grand entry to IIFA green carpet, dressed in red ensemble, hugging and kissing Shahid Kapoor and Hrithik Roshan, Deepika Padukone made a rather graceful entry wearing a stunning red and black sari, posing elegantly for pictures. Seems like red is the colour of Ranveer and Deepika’s love.

    It was quite evident in IIFA 2015 that Ranveer’s spontaneity and Deepika’s graceful elegance complement each other really well.

    Waiting to watch the event when aired to witness all these lovely moments.

  • B- town hunk Varun Dhawan replaces Salman Khan in Shhuddhi

    B- town hunk Varun Dhawan replaces Salman Khan in Shhuddhi

    Salman Khan recently announced on Twitter that Varun Dhawan has replaced him in Karan Johar’s much-awaited production venture Shhuddhi. Must say many were surprised hearing this piece of information. Later, the Dharma head honcho himself declared that VD and Alia Bhatt would be seen in his film Shhuddhi which will be directed by Karan Malhotra.

    And now its the ABCD 2 actor who has finally spoken about KJo’s dream project. During a recent interview, the good looking actor was asked if replacing Salman Khan in Shhuddhi is the biggest challenge he has ever faced and here’s what he said: ” I think so much has been said about the film and so much has been spoken about the film already that I don’t want to add fuel to the fire. I think Karan Malhotra and Karan Johar have a certain vision. I think Shhuddhi is a story that if told correctly will change a lot of things just in terms of story telling and what’s the film about. So I don’t want to say anything. Let Karan direct me and lets see what happens. We still have to work, its a long way away. In Badlapur, a played a 40 year old man, so for me that was a very big challenge considering how old I am and to be able to play a character of that age in general.”

    The actor further added, “I think Shhuddhi has been made into something really big by the media because they are keenly anticipating it which they should, I guess. And I am lucky because of that. I have never had a film being spoken so much about. So there is pressure obviously about that. But there is no fun without pressure and I love challenges.”

    Going by Varun’s reply, it seems he is all set  to take on the challenge and perform his best. We too wish him All the Best for his project.

  • ABCD 2 starring Varun Dhawan and Sharaddha Kapoor in trouble with the Censor Board

    ABCD 2 starring Varun Dhawan and Sharaddha Kapoor in trouble with the Censor Board

    Buzz is that the  film’s director Remo D’Souza has been approached by the board with regards to the usage of a line that is derogatory to Indians.

    Varun Dhawan and Shraddha Kapoor’s ABCD 2 is all set to hit our screens on June 19.Good news for the team, is that it has been cleared by the Censor Board Of Film Certification and been given a ‘U’ certificate. The board however did have its share of problems with Remo regarding a line used in the film, which was derogatory to the Indian audience. Reports suggest that the board has asked the director to remove the line ‘All Indians are beggars’ as it could be offend the Indian audience.

    The line has been chopped off from the film and the rest of the scenes are untouched. A source from the Censor Board, while talking to an entertainment portal revealed,” We were mesmerized by Varun Dhawan, Shraddha Kapoor and Prabhudheva’s dancing. The film is clean healthy family fare. And we all felt there was no reason to not give the film a ‘U’ certification. However one line had to go. It referred to Indians in a derogatory manner. Censor guidelines specify that no utterances insulting any nationality or community must be allowed.”

    Well if “All is Well” then we are all set to watch the dancing newbies together. Wish Ramzan day will be lucky for the director.

  • Type 2 Diabetes – How to Watch it, Control it, Live with it

    Type 2 Diabetes – How to Watch it, Control it, Live with it

    A diagnosis of type 2 diabetes can bring with it feelings of guilt, regret and fear. While many have a genetic predisposition to the disease, it’s also tied to diet and weight problems. Its effects can be devastating–among them, blindness, heart disease and debilitating nerve damage.

    The truth is that because of its association with a less than healthy lifestyle, diabetes often doesn’t elicit the same level of sympathy as many other chronic conditions. Yet it is a disease without a cure, one that can only be managed–and that requires a deep personal commitment.

    Diabetes is a problem with your body that causes blood glucose (sugar) levels to rise higher than normal. This is also called hyperglycemia. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes.

    If you have type 2 diabetes your body does not use insulin properly. This is called insulin resistance. At first, your pancreas makes extra insulin to make up for it. But, over time it isn’t able to keep up and can’t make enough insulin to keep your blood glucose at normal levels.

    Learn more on how to mange and control at http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/type-2/

     

  • Indian minister booked for burning journalist to death over a Facebook post

    Indian minister booked for burning journalist to death over a Facebook post

    Uttar Pradesh Minister Ram Murti Singh Verma has been booked along with five others in connection with the killing of a journalist by allegedly setting him on fire in Shahjahanpur district.

    Journalist Jagendra Singh was burnt to death for a Facebook post against Ram Murti. According to reports in CNN IBN, Singh’s family has claimed that a police officer allegedly set him on fire.

    Singh had reportedly written about Ram Murti’s involvement in illegal mining and forced occupation of land etc.

    “An FIR has been registered against Minister for Backward Classes Welfare Ram Murti Singh Verma, Inspector Sri Prakash Rai, and four others identified as Gufran, Akash Gupta, Amit Pratap Singh, and Bhure for allegedly killing Jagendra Singh by setting him afire,” police said.

    he FIR has been lodged under IPC 302 (murder), 120 B (criminal conspiracy), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) and 506 (criminal intimidation).

    The FIR was registered at the Puwayan police station on Tuesday afternoon on the basis of a complaint by Jagendra’s son Raghvendra after the journalist died during treatment at a hospital in Lucknow on Monday night, police said.

    According to the family members of the deceased, Jagendra had made a Facebook post against the minister regarding his alleged involvement in illegal mining and land grabbing.

    The family alleged that during a raid at the journalist’s house at Awas Vikas colony in Sadar Bazar area of Shahjahanpur on June 1, he was set on fire, following which he was taken to a hospital in Lucknow.

    Before his death, Jagendra had accused Ram Murti Singh Verma of “unleashing” a reign of terror on him and his family for his investigative reports and comments against the minister.

    The journalist had alleged earlier that he sustained burn injuries during a raid by Inspector Sri Prakash Rai at his house.

    He reportedly told Inspector General (Civil Defence) Amitabh Thakur two days ago at the civil hospital in Lucknow that he was also attacked on April 28 near his house by the minister’s henchmen but no action was taken in the case.

    “He told me he was hounded for exposing the ministers alleged involvement in illegal mining and forced occupation of land,” Mr Thakur confirmed.

  • AAP in crisis control: After arrest, Jitender Singh Tomar resigns as Law Minister

    AAP in crisis control: After arrest, Jitender Singh Tomar resigns as Law Minister

    House after his arrest in fake degree case, Jitender Singh on Tuesday stepped down as law minister of Delhi, sending his resignation to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

    “Jitender Singh Tomar put in his papers a while back. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has accepted the resignation,” Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said.

    “We shall forward Tomar’s resignation letter to Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung tomorrow (Wednesday) morning,” he added.

    In his resignation letter, Tomar said he did not want to affect the image of the Aam Aadmi Party or its Delhi government.

    Earlier, the arrest of Tomar on charges of fraud and cheating further escalated tensions between the central and state governments, with Sisodia accusing Delhi Police of carrying out a “political vendetta”.

    The face-off between the two governments intensified through the day with another public showdown brewing over transfers involving the Anti-Corruption Branch and the Delhi Home Secretary.

    While remanding Tomar to four days in police custody, a Delhi court said the police action “seemed like a farce exercise” after documents revealed that the arrest notice was issued after the minister was detained.

    The police arrested Tomar, a first-time MLA from Trinagar, at 11 am following an investigation into a complaint by the Bar Council of Delhi that he had obtained a fake law degree from the Institute of Legal Studies College in Munger, Bihar.

    The arrest comes at a time when Lt Governor Najeeb Jung and the Delhi government have locked horns over administrative control of the national capital.

    The Delhi government was quick to condemn Tomar’s arrest. “In the last three months, the AAP government in Delhi has shaken the roots of corruption. Dictatorial ways are being used to create an emergency-like situation in Delhi,” Sisodia said.

  • Record job openings could signal boost to wages

    Record job openings could signal boost to wages

    Job openings hit a record high in April, and data signal that employers are having trouble filling spots and holding onto workers, trends that should support wages, economists said earlier today, June 9.

    The U.S. Department of Labor reported that job openings at U.S. workplaces rose to a record 5.38 million at the end of April, up 22% from a year earlier and the highest since the series began in late 2000. As has been the case since February, openings have outpaced hires.

    “This could be one reason we are seeing wages beginning to accelerate,” said Neil Dutta, head of U.S. economics at Renaissance Macro Research.

    Dutta explained that while businesses are posting job openings, some aren’t being filled, signaling a worker shortage and tightness that could support accelerating wages. Even though there are more than eight million unemployed workers, hiring managers may be having trouble finding employees with the right skill sets at current wage rates. So businesses may have to raise compensation.

    Here’s another good sign for wage growth: The number of workers who quit in April was up 11% from a year earlier. That trend signals that more workers have become confident in the economy, willing to exchange some career stability for new job opportunities.

    More quits “should be supportive of increased wage pressure in the coming months,” Sarah House, an economist with Wells Fargo Securities, wrote in a research note.

    The Labor Department’s report on underlying employment trends is based on its monthly Job Openings and Labor Turnover survey, also known as JOLTS. Federal Reserve Chairwoman Janet Yellen has said she pays close attention to the report.

    The report on openings echoed other positive jobs data released Tuesday. The National Federation of Independent Business said there was a rise in optimism among its members in May, with growth for hiring plans and current job openings. Similarly, a separate report on private employers recently found that small businesses picked up hiring in May, adding the most workers in five months.

    “The latest NFIB and JOLT surveys illustrate that the bigger than expected gain in employment in May was no fluke. Labor market conditions are strengthening and wage growth will accelerate further,” according to a research note from Capital Economics.

    A tighter labor market that leads to higher wages should create a virtuous cycle in which families spend more and further support growth.

  • India-Origin Padmasree Warrior Steps Down as Cisco’s CTO

    India-Origin Padmasree Warrior Steps Down as Cisco’s CTO

    India-born Padmasree Warrior, one of Silicon Valley’s high-profile female executives, has stepped down from her post of Chief Technology Officer at global IT giant Cisco after a significant restructuring of top management under incoming CEO Chuck Robbins.

    Ms Warrior, named last month by Forbes among the world’s 100 most powerful women, will move into a strategic advisor role “effective immediately” and will stay on in this new role “through the transition” until September, Cisco said.

    Under the restructuring announced last week, the 10 leaders who will sit on Cisco’s new executive leadership team will include India-born Pankaj Patel, Executive Vice President and Chief Development Officer.

    Ms Warrior, 54, had joined Cisco in 2008 and had served as chief technology officer and senior vice president of engineering during her seven years at the company.

    “Padmasree has led the success of many of our strategic partnerships and will remain with us until September to help finalise some of our key partnerships for the future. I am grateful for the impact she’s had on Cisco and her commitment to helping us finalise these important alliances,” the Cisco CEO said.

    In her advisory post, Ms Warrior “is charged with aligning technology development and corporate strategy to enable Cisco to anticipate, shape, and lead major market transitions,” Cisco said.

    She will help “direct technology and operational innovation across the company and oversees strategic partnerships, mergers and acquisitions, the integration of new business models, the incubation of new technologies, and the cultivation of world-class technical talent.”

    Ms Warrior, an alumnus of the IIT-Delhi and Cornell University, was ranked 84th in this year’s Forbes list of 100 Most Powerful Women in the world and has regularly received various leadership awards.

    She is a member of the Board of Trustees for Cornell University and serves on the Gap Inc. Board of Directors. She also sits on the Board of Directors for Thorn (formerly DNA Foundation).

    Cisco said Mr Patel will continue to lead Cisco’s 25,000 development engineers and the company’s $36 billion technology portfolio.

    In previous roles at Cisco, Mr Patel served as Senior Vice President and General Manager for the company’s service provider business, which achieved market segment leadership in routing, video and mobility under his leadership.

    He was a founding leader of Cisco’s first multi-service access business unit, developing strategy for access routers and voice-over-packet technology and delivery. He had joined Cisco through the company’s acquisition of Stratacom in 1996.

  • Indian American Doctor Accused of Fraud – faces up to 30 years in prison

    Indian American Doctor Accused of Fraud – faces up to 30 years in prison

    Indian American physician Pawan Kumar Jain of New Mexico has been arraigned in a US federal court on a multiple-count superseding indictment that he allegedly over-prescribed pain medication that resulted in the deaths of four patients.While Jain pleaded not guilty plea to the 114-count superseding indictment and remains in custody pending trial, he still faces up to 30 years in prison and over a million dollars in fine.

    The indictment charged Mr Jain with 61 counts of unlawfully dispensing controlled substances and 50 counts of healthcare fraud.

    The superseding indictment, which was filed last month adds two new counts of the unlawful dispensing of controlled substances resulting in death and a new count of healthcare fraud resulting in death.

    According to the superseding indictment, Mr Jain allegedly committed the offenses charged between April 2009 and June 2010.

    Mr Jain was a licensed physician with a neurology subspecialty who operated a pain management medical practice in Las Cruces.

    Mr Jain’s medical license was suspended in June 2012 and subsequently revoked in December 2012 by the New Mexico Medical Board.

    The charges allege that Mr Jain unlawfully dispensed prescription painkillers, primarily Oxycodone and methadone, to patients outside the usual course of medical practice and without a legitimate medical purpose.

    It is also alleged that he engaged in a scheme to defraud two health care benefit programs, Medicare and Medicaid, by causing claims to be submitted for payment for prescription medications he dispensed to patients outside the usual course of medical practice and without legitimate medical purpose.

  • Investments in Billions coming Into India

    Investments in Billions coming Into India

    The results have been mostly positive for India and the surrounding region after Narendra Modi took office. Among other social achievements, Modi’s government has managed to enact important policy reforms, increase public investments in infrastructure, lower food inflation and generally open India up to business on a global scale.

    While “the halo effect has come off the Modi phenomenon” somewhat, India nonetheless remains “the most promising major emerging market story on a five- to 10-year view globally.”

    Looking ahead, analysts forecast that India’s economy will expand between 7.5 percent and 8.5 percent for the 2015 and 2016 fiscal years, faster than any other G20 nation, including China

    India will have the largest, and among the youngest, workforces in the world, and will need to create jobs for the roughly one hundred million young Indians who will enter the job market in the coming decade.

    By 2050, India is expected to be the world’s second-largest economy based on purchasing power parity, following China.

    Global investors recognize these positive data points and are piling into Indian equities, especially now that aggressive monetary easing in the country seems likely. CLSA Limited’s Wood points out that $737 million a month on average have flowed into India-focused mutual funds since Modi took office last May, a dramatic reversal from the amounts seen prior to that.

    India-China-growth

     

  • Hundreds of Sikhs March in UK to Protest Operation Blue Star

    Hundreds of Sikhs March in UK to Protest Operation Blue Star

    London (TIP): Hundreds of Sikhs marched through central London today,  June 7, to mark the 31st anniversary of Operation Blue Star in 1984

    The London march from Hyde Park to Waterloo Palace, was led by five Sikhs in ceremonial dress with swords drawn, and included floats on the themes of “truth”, “freedom” and “justice”.

    Sikh families from across various cities in England, including Edinburgh, Birmingham and Leicester, travelled to Hyde Park to mark their protest.

    Operation Blue Star was carried out in 1984 when Indian Army stormed Sikhism’s holiest shrine to flush out militants.

    Hundreds sat on the grass as they listened to speaker after speaker giving speeches in Punjabi, condemning the attack.

    The military operation in Golden Temple in Amritsar by the Indian Army to flush out terrorists has been labelled as “Genocide84 Remembrance March and Freedom Rally” by the Federation of Sikh Organisations (FSO-UK).

    The UK Sikh community was also angered by the revelation in previously secret papers published by the UK government last year, which suggested that an SAS officer was recruited to help Indian Army plan the operation.

    The FSO UK has demanded an independent enquiry into the British role in the incident, which led to the deaths of hundreds holed up inside the temple complex as well as military personnel.

    “Our government owes us the truth in terms of what their role was,” said Dabinder Jit Singh, one of the British Sikhs at yesterday’s rally.

    Last year, then UK Foreign Secretary William Hague had said that under Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, a single British military adviser travelled to India and told the Indian intelligence service that a military operation should only be put into place as a last resort, adding that British military advice had “limited impact”.

    The protesters also used yesterday’s event to protest India’s alleged failure to prevent the killing of thousands of Sikhs in rioting in 1984.

  • Indian American in Spotlight Again: Researcher Uses Wi-Fi to Power Camera

    Indian American in Spotlight Again: Researcher Uses Wi-Fi to Power Camera

    Mr Talla simply connected an antenna to a temperature sensor, placed it close to a Wi-Fi router and measured the resulting voltages in the device and for how long it can operate on the remote power source alone.

    Even more ambitiously, the team also connected a camera to their antenna.

    This was a low-power sensor capable of producing 174 x 144 pixel black and white images, which requires 10.4 milliJoules(mJ) of energy per picture.

    To store energy, they attached a low leakage capacitor to the camera which activates when the capacitor is charged and continues operating until the voltage drops to 2.4 Volts.

    The images were stored in a 64 KB random access memory (RAM). In the subsequent tests, the camera performed remarkably well.

    “The battery-free camera can operate up to [about five metres from the router, with an image capture every 35 minutes,” Mr Talla told MIT Technology Review.

    By adding a rechargeable battery, he increased the distance to seven metres.

    The router could even power the camera through a brick wall, demonstrating that it would be possible to attach the device outside while keeping the power supply inside.

    “The technology would be hugely useful for surveillance, perhaps connected to a movement sensor to trigger the camera when something moves in its field of view,” Mr Talla noted.

    The team also connected their antenna to a Jawbone fitness tracker and used it to recharge the battery that powered it.

    “Using this, we charge a Jawbone device in the vicinity of the power-over-Wi-Fi router from a no-charge state to 41 per cent charged state in 2.5 hours,” the team pointed out.

    According to the MIT report, power-over-Wi-Fi could be the enabling technology that finally brings the “Internet of Things” to life.

  • American Companies Buy Back $71 Billion of Stock in May

    American equities continue their trend of rewarding shareholders in the form of dividends and stock buybacks. The amount in buybacks is expected to reach a staggering $1.2 trillion by year’s end, surpassing the all-time high of $863 billion set in 2007.

    Stock market research firm Birinyi Associates reports that U.S. companies repurchased over $71 billion of shares in May alone.

  • Indian American Bollywood actress Aarthi Agarwal, 31, dies in NJ

    Indian American Bollywood actress Aarthi Agarwal, 31, dies in NJ

    Indian American New Jersey-born Bollywood actress Aarthi Agarwal has died at the age of 31 after reported liposuction surgery went wrong.

    • Agarwal, 31, reportedly underwent liposuction surgery a month ago
    • Star died in Atlantic City after developing respiratory problems
    • She had been acting in films of various Indian languages since age 16

    She died of cardiac arrest at a hospital in Atlantic City after respiratory problems, according to her manager.

    The death on Friday is thought to come roughly a month after the actress received liposuction surgery in the United States.

    She made her debut in Bollywood at age 16, but shot to fame with her performance in 2001’s Nuvvu Naaku Nachav, according to the International Business Times.

    Despite being born in America, she soon became a rising star in Indian cinema.

    The actress was particularly popular in the ‘Tollywood’ Telugu language film industry, but also starred in Tamil and Hindi films.

    In 2005 she acted in a career-high five films, according to the Indian Express. However, she also reportedly tried to commit suicide that year after a relationship with a co-star soured and a lack of new movie offers.

    Her marriage to a US engineer in 2007 ended in divorce two years later.

    She reportedly moved back to New Jersey to live with her parents in Egg Harbor Township.

    Though her career had slowed down in recent years, Agarwal’s latest film, Ranam 2, was released on Friday.

  • Stan Wawrinka Wins French Open – Dashes Novak Djokovic’s Dream

    Stan Wawrinka Wins French Open – Dashes Novak Djokovic’s Dream

    Stanislas Wawrinka - the 2015 French Open Champ! - AFP PHOTO
    Stanislas Wawrinka – the 2015 French Open Champ! – AFP PHOTO

    Stan Wawrinka spectacularly shattered Novak Djokovic’s dream of a career Grand Slam on Sunday when he became the oldest winner of the French Open in 25 years.

    The 30-year-old Swiss claimed a famous 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 victory to secure his second career major after the 2014 Australian Open.

    It ended world number one Djokovic’s bid to become only the eighth man to secure a career Slam as he slumped to his third defeat in a Roland Garros final in four years.

    Wawrinka became the oldest champion in Paris since Andres Gomez in 1990 after just his fourth win in 21 meetings against the Serb.

    “It’s really hard to believe but it has finally happened,” said Wawrinka, who fired 60 winners past the Serb.

    “It was the match of my life. But bravo to Novak, it’s a great challenge, the biggest one to play him.”

    “It’s a special moment for me.”

    Sunday’s shock defeat, meanwhile, was only Djokovic’s third in 44 outings in 2015 and ended his 28-match win streak.

    It was also his eighth loss in 16 finals at the majors.

    Djokovic, playing in his 16th Grand Slam final to Wawrinka’s second, had the Swiss player under siege in the first set.

    Eighth-seeded Wawrinka had to save break points in the opening game — which featured a 39-shot rally — and the fifth.

    But the world number one broke through for a 4-3 lead when Wawrinka served up a double fault.

    The battling 30-year-old Swiss saved two set points in the 10th game — one after a botched forehand put-away by Djokovic — and then carved out a first break opportunity.

    That was swiftly saved and the Serb gobbled up the opener after 43 minutes, celebrating with a mighty, arena-shaking roar.

    Wawrinka cranked up the forehand winners early in the second set but was unable to convert two break points in the fourth game as Djokovic’s renowned powers of recovery made him an intimidating target to pass.

    Wawrinka, who had knocked Roger Federer out in the quarter-finals, saw another break point disappear in the sixth game.

    In the eighth, it was the same story as Djokovic saved another break point causing Wawrinka to violently smash his racquet into the net in frustration.

    But he wasn’t to be denied as Djokovic surrendered the set in the 10th game with a wild backhand, collecting a warning for destroying his racquet in the Paris clay.

    Djokovic was playing for the third day in succession having needed five sets to beat Andy Murray in the semi-finals.

    He looked suddenly jaded and unplugged, fighting off three break opportunities in the second game of the third set.

    He dropped serve again to trail 4-2 and when he carved out a break point in the next game it was his first such morsel since the seventh game of the opener.

    It was no surprise when Wawrinka wrapped up the set in the ninth game with Djokovic having no answer to his opponent’s lethal battery of down the line backhands and pinpoint accurate forehand winners.

    Djokovic found a late lease of life for a break at 2-0 and held for 3-0 in the fourth set.

    But back stormed Wawrinka, retrieving the break on the back of a 30-stroke rally before Djokovic saved two more break points to go to 4-3.

    In a rollercoaster fourth set, the Swiss saved three break points in the eighth game and on the back of three of probably his finest ever backhands broke for 5-4.

    And it was another textbook backhand that won him the title on a second match point.

  • Save Jobs USA Continue Fight To Keep H-4 Work Rule Challenge Alive

    Save Jobs USA Continue Fight To Keep H-4 Work Rule Challenge Alive

    Save Jobs USA urged a D.C. federal court Tuesday to keep alive their challenge to a new U.S. Department of Homeland Security H-4 visa rule that allows certain spouses of high-skilled immigrants to get work authorization, saying the department wrongly argued that they didn’t properly plead an injury.
    Save Jobs USA, a group of former Southern California Edison tech workers who say they were replaced by foreign nationals on H-1B visas, filed an opposition to the government’s motion to have the case tossed, arguing that the group has standing to challenge the H-4 visa rule because the rule harmed its members and that DHS was wrong to argue otherwise.

    The opposition, filed on the day the DHS rule took effect, also contended that dismissal at this stage would be premature.

    “The fundamental problem DHS faces making a lack of standing argument is that the H-4 rule creates injury so widespread that nearly every American worker has been injured by it and thus possesses standing to challenge it,” the opposition said. “The court should reject DHS’s argument.”

    Under the regulation, certain H-4 visa holders who are married to foreign workers on H-1B visas and have begun the process of becoming legal permanent residents themselves can apply for their own temporary work permits.

    The group launched its suit on April 23, a month before the H-4 employment rule was slated to go into effect. Save Jobs argues that DHS lacks statutory authority to allow H-4 visa holders to work and that the rule’s purpose is simply to increase foreign labor by drawing more people to the H-1B program. The group also contends that the rule is arbitrary and capricious since the law restricts H-4 visas to residency only.

    The group says the H-4 work rule hurts its members by increasing the number of “economic competitors” and depriving them of protections from foreign labor.

    On Sunday, U.S. District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan denied Save Jobs’ bid for a preliminary injunction, saying the group failed to show it would suffer irreparable harm without the order. The rule went into effect Tuesday, allowing certain H-4 visa holders to begin applying for work authorization.

    Earlier this month, DHS strongly urged Judge Chutkan to dismiss the suit, arguing that Save Jobs has failed to show that its members directly compete with any potential beneficiaries of the new rule and has fallen far short of showing how the members have been hurt for standing purposes.

    But Save Jobs’ opposition Tuesday listed several injuries it suffered as a result of the H-4 rule, including that the rule deprives it of statutory protections from foreign labor, creates increased competition from both H-1B and H-4 workers and confers benefits on Save Jobs’ H-1B competitors.

    DHS’ motion to dismiss has “once again employed its repeatedly failed argument that a plaintiff who alleges competitive standing injury must prove that she or he applied for a job and didn’t get the job but for an alien worker,” the group said.

    Further, Save Jobs said it properly stated a viable claim that DHS acted beyond its authority in promulgating the H-4 rule because it has no authority to authorize H-4 visa holders to work.

    The group also reiterated its contention that DHS acted arbitrarily and capriciously in enacting the rule, in part by overturning a nearly five-decade-old policy of Congress.

    “Unlike the work visas in the H category, the H-4 visa contains no protections for American workers,” it said. “By allowing aliens to work on an H-4 visa, instead of a guest worker visa, DHS circumvents the protections for domestic labor in the immigration system.”

    Ultimately, Save Jobs said the case boils down to whether, under the Immigration and Nationality Act, Congress defines the classes of noncitizens allowed to work in the U.S. and DHS has broad authority to determine which individuals within those classes may be admitted, or whether DHS and Congress share “dual authority” to define those classes.

    “The outcome has major implications because, should the court hold that DHS has ‘dual authority’ to define classes of aliens allowed to work in the U.S., the entire system of admitting nonimmigrant labor into the United States will be upended,” the opposition said.

  • PLUTO’S MOONS TUMBLING IN ABSOLUTE CHAOS: NASA

    PLUTO’S MOONS TUMBLING IN ABSOLUTE CHAOS: NASA

    WASHINGTON (TIP): NASA’s Hubble space telescope has provided the first glimpse of Pluto’s moons that wobble unpredictably, tumbling in absolute chaos.

    It means if you lived on one of Pluto’s moons, you might have a hard time determining when, or from which direction, the Sun will rise each day.

    “Hubble has provided a new view of Pluto and its moons revealing a cosmic dance with a chaotic rhythm,” said John Grunsfeld, associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington, DC.

    When the New Horizons spacecraft flies through the Pluto system in July, we will get a chance to see what these moons look like up close and personal, he added in a NASA statement.

    Comprehensive analysis of the data shows that two of Pluto’s moons, Nix and Hydra, wobble unpredictably.

    The moons wobble because they are embedded in a gravitational field that shifts constantly.

    This shift is created by the double planet system of Pluto and Charon as they whirl about each other.

    Pluto and Charon are called a double planet because they share a common centre of gravity located in the space between the bodies.

    Their variable gravitational field sends the smaller moons tumbling erratically.

    The effect is strengthened by the football-like, rather than spherical, shape of the moons.

    Scientists believe it is likely that Pluto’s other two moons, Kerberos and Styx, are in a similar situation.

    The astonishing results were found by Mark Showalter of the SETI Institute in Mountain View, California and Doug Hamilton of the University of Maryland at College Park.

    They also found three of Pluto’s moons are presently locked together in resonance, meaning there is a precise ratio for their orbital periods.

    “We are learning chaos may be a common trait of binary systems,” Hamilton said. “It might even have consequences for life on planets if found in such systems.”

    “Pluto will continue to surprise us when New Horizons flies past it in July,” Showalter said.

    The New Horizons spacecraft may help settle the oddities uncovered by Hubble. The new findings will also provide important new constraints on the sequence of events that led to the formation of the system.

  • Young solar system around nearby star discovered

    WASHINGTON (TIP): An international team has discovered a young planetary system that shares remarkable similarities to our own early solar system.

    The images reveal a ring-like disk of debris surrounding a Sun-like star, in a birth environment similar to our Sun.

    The disk appears to be sculpted by at least one unseen solar system-like planet, is roughly the same size as our solar system’s Kuiper Belt and may contain dust and icy particles.

    Located just beyond Neptune’s orbit, the Kuiper Belt contains numerous icy dwarf planets such as Pluto, Haumea, and Makemake. This work provides a valuable key to understanding the early formation of the Sun and planets. “The discovery of the bright ring of orbiting the star HD 115600 changes everything. It is kind of like looking at outer solar system when it was a toddler,” said lead astronomer Thayne Currie from the Subaru Telescope in Hawaii.

    Remarkably, the ring is almost exactly the same distance from its host star as the Kuiper Belt is from the Sun and it receives about the same amount of light.

    The star itself is just slightly more massive than the Sun. Its birth cloud is very similar to the nebula in which the Sun formed some 4.5 billion years ago.

    It is also home to thousands of remnants from the earliest stages of icy planet formation, and thus provides a key to understanding the early solar system.

    The results are very promising.

    “The study of cold, Kuiper belt-like debris rings around nearby young Sun-like stars provides the best picture of what our own early, outer solar system might have been like,” the authors said.

    The paper is set for publication in the Astrophysical Journal Letters.

  • MOON FORMED 4.47 BILLION YEARS AGO: STUDY

    WASHINGTON (TIP): Moon may have been created about 4.47 billion years ago, according to a new study of meteorites that provides clues to the giant collision which formed Earth and the lunar body.

    A giant impact between a large protoplanet and the proto-Earth formed the Moon. The timing of this giant impact, however, is uncertain, with the ages of the most ancient lunar samples returned by the Apollo astronauts still being debated.

    Research indicates numerous kilometre-sized fragments from the giant impact struck main belt asteroids at much higher velocities than typical main belt collisions, heating the surface and leaving behind a permanent record of the impact event.

    Collisions on these asteroids in more recent times delivered these shocked remnants to Earth, which scientists have now used to date the age of the Moon.

    By modelling the evolution of giant impact debris over time and fitting the results to ancient impact heat signatures in stony meteorites, the team was able to infer the Moon formed about 4.47 billion years ago, in agreement with many previous estimates.

  • HELPFUL TIPS FOR YOGA PRACTICE

    HELPFUL TIPS FOR YOGA PRACTICE

    If you have been practicing yoga asana for some time, some of these tips won’t be new to you. For the neophyte, certainly the advice will come handy.

    HELPFUL TIPS FOR YOGA PRACTICE sidePREPARATION: Best time to practice asanas is in the morning. Finish your ablutions, have a bath, and practice before breakfast. Wear loose, comfortable clothes. No shoes or belts. Best is to buy a sticky yoga mat (costs $10 onward) though a folded soft blanket will do too. The surface to do yoga should be neither too soft, nor too hard.

    YOGA STUDIO: In America, most neighborhoods have yoga studios, with varying price structures. Shop around. Look at lineage if any. Prefer one belonging to a larger organization, solid affiliation or certification.

    SELF-LEARNING: It is best to learn yoga from an experienced teacher or yoga master. At the same time, one can argue that while the results you  get from yoga practice may be profound and far-reaching, and its effects on the body-mind system subtle, the practice of asanas itself is not rocket science. You can learn on your own.

    [quote_center]Yoga apps and online[/quote_center]

    We know Baba Ramdev got his first surge of popularity when hundreds of thousands of people started practicing yoga following his instructions on his TV program on Aastha and other channels. Here in America with its DIY culture, many yoga studios and health clubs are offering online yoga classes that allow people to practice at home. Smartphone apps makes it still easier. Digital yoga lets beginners try it out away from strangers’ gaze, and without investing much. Yoga-gear giant Gaiam Inc has acquired the Yoga Studio app, which features 65 classes. It costs $3.99 but many other popular apps are free. While 60- to 90-minute classes are standard in a studio, online viewers often gravitate toward targeted workouts as short as 10-15 minutes. Adriene Mishler, an Austin, Texas,-based yogi, offers her classes free online at her YouTube channel, Yoga With Adriene.

    DO NOT OVER-REACH: Remember the only sutra in Patanjali’s Yoga Darshana about postures is – sthira sukham asanam. A posture should be stable and comfortable. You aspire and move towards the final position of the posture, but if you can reach only halfway, that is fine then. With regular practice you will get there one day. Some yoga schools like Iyengar’s have props like cubical blocks and ropes as aids, but better not try them on your own.

    [quote_center]A basic set of asanas[/quote_center]

    HELPFUL TIPS FOR YOGA PRACTICE INNERIf you can spare just 10-15 minutes a day for yoga practice, this is one set of asanas and sequence to follow: Vajrasana (legs folded, sitting on soles of feet), Paschimottanasana (sitting forward bend), Sarvangasana (shoulder stand), Halasana (plough), Bhujangasana (cobra), Shalabhasana (locust), Ardha Matsyendrasana (spinal twist), and  Pada Hastasana (standing forward bend). Finish with shavasana or copse posture. Mind you, the best known asana – shirsasana or the headstand – is discouraged by many masters these days.

    SHAVASANA: You always end a session of yoga asanas with Shavasana, literally, the corpse pose. Many yoga classes may have an elaborate/longer version of the Shavasana. In the basic pose, you lie down on the back with legs stretched and about one foot apart; arms on the sides 6 inches away from the body; neck tilted to one side. Relax. Lie down in Shavasana after every asana or as and when you feel tired or strained.

    BREATHING DURING ASANAS: One idea is to keep aware of breathing during asanas. And, of course, in some asanas, automatically you will feel like exhaling long and deep and pausing for a while before inhaling – that is the way to consciously do it too.

    ANULOM VILOM PRANAYAMA: Thereare many elaborate pranayama (for example, Kapalbhati, which is Baba Ramdev’s favorite). Anulom vilom (alternate breathing) is the easiest and simple to practice. Sit erect in any meditative pose. Press your middle and ring finger on the left nostril and breathe out gently through the right nostril. Inhale through the right nostril. Now press down with the thumb on the right nostril and exhale through the left. Inhale through the left. Exhale through the right, and so on for about 5 minutes.

    SURYA NAMASKAR: Surya Namaskar or the Sun Salutation is one of the most well-known yoga routines. As stand alone you can do a few rounds of Surya Namaskar when having limited time available. Best done early in the morning  for several health benefits. The routine consists of 12 sequenced forward and backward bending movements that stretch and flex the spinal column. It has a deep effect in detoxifying the organs through copious oxygenation and has a deeper relaxing effect.

    COMPLEMENTARY/CONTRARY POSTURES: A forward bending asana should be followed by backward bending posture; a downward bending asana balanced by an upward bending.

    Yoga must before meditation When overzealous meditators start doing long sittings, the experienced teachers dissuade them and strongly recommend first grounding the mind with asana and pranayama. It is not a crass thing to focus too much on the body. Being physically fit is important in spiritual pursuits too. In fact, the yogis and rishis of yore devised
    asana/pranayama and even ayurveda so the spiritual aspirants stay healthy, physically and mentally. The higher chakra over-activation, caused by meditation without the grounding power of asanas and karma yoga can have deleterious consequences. I remember in the advanced residential courses I attended while in the Transcendental Meditation movement, each 20-30 minute meditation session was preceded by 10 minutes of yoga and 5 minutes of anulom vilom pranayama. Together this set was called a rounding. Depending on time available one could do 2-3 rounding in the morning and 2-3 in the evening.