The Indian Panorama

Tag: California

  • Marine and Navy Helicopter Landing at Eisenhower Park

    Marine and Navy Helicopter Landing at Eisenhower Park

    Navy “Leap Frogs” Parachute Team and Navy/Marine Raid Force Demonstrations Part of 2017 Fleet Week

    MINEOLA, NY (TIP): Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano has announced that Nassau County will once again host a Marine and Navy Helicopter Landing in Eisenhower Park on Saturday, May 27th as part of the “Fleet Week 2017” activities in New York City. The free event, billed “Raid New York” will be the only Marine/Navy helicopter landing on Long Island. Spectators are invited to board the aircraft once landed and meet with military personnel.

    Navy Landing at 10:00 a.m.

    The U.S. Navy Parachute Team, the Leap Frogs, based in San Diego, California will perform an aerial parachute demonstration showcasing the skills of the Naval Special Warfare Team. The team is celebrating their 43rd Anniversary this year. In addition, a combined team of members from the U.S. Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team (EOD) and a Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron will present a mine countermeasures demonstration. The EOD technicians are stationed in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

    Marine Landing at 12:30 p.m.

    The CH-53 Sea Stallion, MV-22 Osprey and AH-1W Cobras will perform an area sweep and transport a Marine Raid Force to the landing zone. Marines will perform an assault demonstration, after which the helicopters will land and will be available for public display, along with the weapons typically used by a Marine Corps Rifle Platoon. Marines supporting this event are part of a Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force from the II Marine Expeditionary Force based at Camp LeJeune, North Carolina.

    The Helicopter Landing will be taking place on the Kite Field, just south of the Veterans Memorial in Eisenhower Park, with parking at field 6A and adjoining parking fields. Please note: New safety regulations have redefined spectator areas, so all are advised to arrive early.

    Northwell Health will also have a presence at the event with displays, vehicles and entertainment and support for participating military personnel.

    At 930 acres, Eisenhower Park is the largest park in Nassau County and is centrally located in East Meadow with entrances at Hempstead Turnpike at East Meadow Avenue and Merrick Avenue at Stewart Avenue.

    For more information about this event, please call (516) 572- 0200 or visit www.nassaucountyny.gov/parks.

     

  • MASSIVE LAVA WAVES SPOTTED ON JUPITER’S MOON IO

    MASSIVE LAVA WAVES SPOTTED ON JUPITER’S MOON IO

    MASSIVE LAVA WAVES SPOTTED ON JUPITER’S MOON IO

    LOS ANGELES (TIP): Scientists have detected two massive waves sweeping across the largest lava lake on Jupiter’s moon Io — the most volcanically active body in our solar system.

    Taking advantage of a rare orbitalalignment between two of Jupiter’s moons, Io and Europa, researchers at University of California (UC) Berkeley have obtained an exceptionally detailed map of the largest lava lake on Io.

    On March 8 in 2015, Europa passed in front of Io, gradually blocking out light from the volcanic moon.

    Since Europa’s surface is coated in water ice, it reflects very little sunlight at infrared wavelengths, allowing researchers to accurately isolate the heat emanating from volcanoes on Io’s surface.

    The infrared data showed that the surface temperature of Io’s massive molten lake steadily increased from one end to the other, suggesting that the lava had overturned in two waves that each swept from west to east at about a kilometre per day.

    Overturning lava is a popular explanation for the periodic brightening and dimming of the hot spot, called Loki Patera after the Norse god.

    The most active volcanic site on Io, Loki Patera is about 200 km across. The hot region of the patera has a surface area of 21,500 square kilometres.

    “If Loki Patera is a sea of lava, it encompasses an area more than a million times that of a typical lava lake on Earth,” said Katherine de Kleer, a graduate student at UC Berkeley.

    “In this scenario, portions of cool crust sink, exposing the incandescent magma underneath and causing a brightening in the infrared,” said de Kleer.

    “This is the first useful map of the entire patera. It shows not one but two resurfacing waves sweeping around the patera. This is much more complex than what was previously thought,” said Ashley Davies, of the NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in the US.

    “This is a step forward in trying to understand volcanism on Io, which we have been observing for more than 15 years, and in particular the volcanic activity at Loki Patera,” said Imke de Pater, a UC Berkeley professor of astronomy.

    The images were obtained by the twin 8.4-metre mirrors of the Large Binocular Telescope Observatory in the mountains Arizona, linked together as an interferometer using advanced adaptive optics to remove atmospheric blurring.

    Source: PTI

     

  • US judge blocks Trump order to restrict funding for ‘sanctuary cities’

    US judge blocks Trump order to restrict funding for ‘sanctuary cities’

    SAN FRANCISCO (TIP): A US judge on April 23 blocked President Donald Trump’s executive order that sought to withhold federal funds from so-called sanctuary cities, dealing another legal blow to the administration’s efforts to toughen immigration enforcement.

    The ruling from US District Judge William Orrick III in San Francisco said Trump’s Jan. 25 order targeted broad categories of federal funding for sanctuary governments and that plaintiffs challenging the order were likely to succeed in proving it unconstitutional.

    The Republican president’s moves on immigration have galvanized legal advocacy groups, along with Democratic city and state governments, to oppose them in court. The administration suffered an earlier defeat when two federal judges suspended executive orders restricting travel from several Muslim-majority countries. The government has appealed those decisions.

    Reince Priebus, Trump’s White House chief of staff, told reporters the administration was taking action to appeal the ruling, adding: “The idea that an agency can’t put in some reasonable restrictions on how some of these monies are spent is something that will be overturned eventually.”

    “It’s the 9th Circuit going bananas,” Priebus said, referring to the West Coast judicial district where the judge ruled. “We’ll win at the Supreme Court level at some point.”

    The US Justice Department said in a statement it would follow existing federal law with respect to sanctuary jurisdictions, as well as enforce conditions tied to federal grants.

    Sanctuary cities generally offer safe harbor to illegal immigrants and often do not use municipal funds or resources to advance the enforcement of federal immigration laws. Dozens of local governments and cities, including New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, have joined the growing “sanctuary” movement.

    Supporters of the sanctuary policy argue that enlisting police cooperation in rounding up immigrants for removal undermines communities’ trust in local police, particularly among Latinos.

    The Trump administration contends that local authorities endanger public safety when they decline to hand over for deportation illegal immigrants arrested for crimes.

    The executive order by Trump, who made cracking down on illegal immigration a cornerstone of his 2016 presidential campaign, directed such funding to be restricted once the Homeland Security Department determines what constitutes a sanctuary city.

    Santa Clara County, which includes the city of San Jose and several smaller Silicon Valley communities, sued in February, saying Trump’s order was unconstitutional. San Francisco filed a similar lawsuit.

    ‘Crumbling under the weight’

    The Justice Department threatened last week to cut some funding to California as well as eight cities and counties across the United States.

    The department singled out Chicago and New York as two cities “crumbling under the weight of illegal immigration and violent crime,” even though New York City is experiencing its lowest crime levels in decades and experts say Chicago’s recent spike in violent crime has little to do with illegal immigration. Santa Clara County receives about$1.7 billion in federal and federally dependent funds annually, about 35 percent of its total revenues. The county argued it was owed millions of dollars of federal funding every day and that its budgetary planning process had been thrown into disarray by the order.

    The Justice Department said the counties had taken an overly broad interpretation of the president’s order, which it said would affect only Justice Department and Homeland Security funds, a fraction of the grant money received by the counties.

    In his ruling, Orrick said the language of the order made it clear it sought to withhold funds beyond law enforcement.

    “And if there was doubt about the scope of the Order, the President and Attorney General have erased it with their public comments,” Orrick wrote.

    The judge cited comments from Trump calling the order “a weapon” to use against jurisdictions that disagree with his immigration policies.

    “Federal funding that bears no meaningful relationship to immigration enforcement cannot be threatened merely because a jurisdiction chooses an immigration enforcement strategy of which the President disapproves,” Orrick wrote.

    Dave Cortese, president of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, said in a statement: “The politics of fear emanating from the Trump White House has just suffered a major setback.” (Reuters)

  • Ro Khanna’s take on Trump’s Budget Proposal – Its “Dumb” & “Inhumane”

    Ro Khanna’s take on Trump’s Budget Proposal – Its “Dumb” & “Inhumane”

    Washington:  Indian-American Congressman Ro Khanna has termed as “dumb” some of the budget proposals of US President Donald Trump and described the move to cut foreign aid as “inhumane”.

    Khanna, the first-time Democratic lawmaker elected to the House of Representatives from a Congressional District in California, hoped that the ruling Republican party, which has majority in both the House and the Senate, would work against passage of the budgetary proposals of Trump.

    “I am really concerned about the community block grants, the USD three billion cut. It is shocking to me given someone campaigned on America first, building American cities. Here USD three billion that goes to building American cities, transportation, infrastructure, job training.

    “I cannot think of a more a dumb proposal than frankly than cutting that. Hopefully the Republicans will push back on that,” he told TYT Politics news YouTube channel yesterday.

    Khanna said he is concerned that the Republicans may not push back on foreign aid, given that the White House has proposed a massive budgetary cut in it.

    “Gorge Bush, I disagreed with about everything Bush/Cheney did. The one thing he did that we should all give him credit for is he helped save people in Africa with HIV. We put billions of dollars in foreign aid to help people with the antiviral drugs and we are going to cut that. That is so inhumane. So I think defending the foreign aid budget, which is less than one per cent, which is going to humanitarian causes,” Khanna said.

    “One of the things that annoyed me so much about Trump’s speech was when he said, ‘Well, it is America’s national interest and America first, and all nations follow their self- interest’. I thought the whole idea about American exceptionalism is we are not all nations. Yeah, other nations just follow their national interest, we care about morality.

    We care about humanity. That is what makes America exceptional, so we should care about the moral case, about what we are going to do for other countries,” he said.

    Alleging that the Republicans want to dismantle the New Deal Coalition, Khanna said this is the reason why they are “so much allowance” to Trump.

    “You talk to members of Congress and they do not agree with everything he says even Republicans. They are as embarrassed. But why do they give him such a pass? Why are not they speaking out? It is because he is helping achieve their vision, which is the dismantling of the administrative state.

    The dismantling of the New Deal in a way that even Ronald Reagan did and so they are saying, ‘Okay, we are going to make the bargain with the devil’. He is giving us what we want. Let us ignore everything else,” he said.

    Commenting on the Democratic party’s defeat, he said the party leadership have to come out with an economic platform that would appeal to people in states like Michigan, Ohio, Arkansas, Kentucky and places that they lost.

    “We have got to be willing to take a risk on something bold. I think that is really where the frustration with the base is, is they see the same type of incrementalism. It is not just a messaging problem. It is not just okay with we use some different word, or George Lakoff, we have the wrong frame. It is a vision problem. It is a substance problem. They are hurting,” Khanna said.

    He said globalization has eviscerated in part the middle class, and the money has gone to corporate interest.

    “The money has gone to CEOs. They feel that their wages have stagnated since 1979 to today for most middle-class families. The cost of healthcare has gone up. The cost education has gone up. Why would not you be upset? Why would not you be angry? They do not see the Democratic Party having done anything for them,” he said.

    Khanna said there is a stagnation of ideas in the Democratic party and there is need for a new vision.

    “We need people who are going to put out the bold ideas for the Democrats, just like Paul Ryan and Newt Gingrich and others did for the Republicans. Barry Goldwater, Reagan, they moved the Republican Party. We need that same energy. I had said somewhat facetiously but I believe it, let us fire all the Democratic consultants. Put Robert Reich, Stephanie Kelton and Paul Krugman in a room and they do a hell of a better job coming up with their agenda,” he said.

    Responding to a question, Khanna said American democracy is extraordinary.

    “I think that American democracy is still extraordinary. My own story: I am of Hindu faith, parents immigrated, was born in Philadelphia, I am 40 years old, I represent a district which is the most economically successful district in the world with Apple and Google,” he said.

    “There is an openness to the American political system that is extraordinary for all its flaws. That is what I hope people will understand that they do not feel disenfranchised.

    If the Democratic Party is the vehicle, great. If that is not the vehicle, go protest, go run as a third-party, but be engaged,” Khanna added.

  • Indian American lawmakers express concern regarding Hate Crimes against Indian Americans in Bay Area

    Indian American lawmakers express concern regarding Hate Crimes against Indian Americans in Bay Area

    WASHINGTON (TIP): Silicon Valley Indian American Elected Legislative Officials expressed their concern regarding increasing hate crimes against Indian Americans in the Bay Area.

     

    In a joint statement Congressman Ro Khanna, Assembly member Ash Kalra, Mayor Pradeep Gupta (South San Francisco), Mayor Savita Vaidhyanathan (Cupertino), Councilmember Arun Goel (Dublin),
    Councilmember Raj Salwan (Fremont), and Councilmember Rishi Kumar (Saratoga) urged to promote diversity and equality to create an America where people continue to treat each other with respect.

    “In the past few months, we have seen a number of hate crimes against Indian Americans in our own backyard. In San Jose, an Indian man driving a foreign car was questioned about his loyalty to America and told to ‘go back to [his] own country,’ an incident he later described as his ‘first racial encounter in his 41 years as a resident of this country.’ In Fremont, an Indian woman was slapped in an incident that was categorized a hate crime. There are other minor incidences that have not yet been reported to law enforcement officials.

    “All of us are deeply hurt and saddened by these recent happenings, more so with the recent shooting in Kansas and Seattle. It is very unsettling that these hate crimes have popped up in Silicon Valley as well, where diversity and culture are so dearly treasured. America after all, has always been a nation of immigrants and has always valued the work and ideas that immigrants bring to its shores. That people are being attacked simply because of their skin color or their nation of origin is unacceptable and shameful.

    “We, the undersigned, pledge that we will make it a priority to protect all minorities and immigrants from such attacks. We are invested in rolling back the climate of hatred that is seemingly sweeping the country, collaborating towards a society in harmony, working together for simple American values, and building a prosperous Silicon Valley and America. Together, we can promote diversity and equality to create an America where we continue to treat each other with respect.

    “We have great confidence in the fundamental decency and kindness of the American people. We know these attacks represent a fringe that is not representative of our values. We are confident that here, in the Bay Area, we will rise above these attacks and be a model for the country of tolerance and respect.”

  • Four Indian Americans chosen for Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers

    WASHINGTON (TIP): On January 9, President Barack Obama named 102 scientists and researchers including Four Indian-Americans as recipients of the Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), the highest honor bestowed by the United States Government on science and engineering professionals in the early stages of their independent research careers.

    The ‘Fab Four’ Indian scientists are Pankaj Lal from Montclair State University, Kaushik Roy Chowdhury from Northeastern University, Manish Arora from Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Aradhna Tripati from University of California, Los Angeles.

    ‘I congratulate these outstanding scientists and engineers on their impactful work,” President Obama said. “These innovators are working to help keep the United States on the cutting edge, showing that Federal investments in science lead to advancements that expand our knowledge of the world around us and contribute to our economy.”

    Pankaj Lal, PhD, is an associate professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Studies and associate director PSEG Institute for Sustainability Studies, Montclair State University. He undertakes integrative, interdisciplinary research that explores interconnections among society and the environment.

    Kaushik Roy Chowdhury is Associate Professor in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at Northeastern University and Faculty Fellow of the College of Engineering. He was earlier Assistant Professor in the same university from 2009-2015.

    Manish Arora, B.D.S., M.P.H., Ph.D., is the Director of Exposure Biology at the Senator Frank Lautenberg Environmental Health Sciences Laboratory in the Department of Preventive Medicine. Dr. Arora is an environmental epidemiologist and exposure biologist.

    Aradhna Tripati is Associate Professor. Department of Earth and Space Sciences, Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, Institute of the Environment and Sustainability at University of California, Los Angeles.

    The Presidential Early Career Awards highlight the key role that the Administration places in encouraging and accelerating American innovation to grow the economy and tackle greatest challenges.

    The awards, established by President Clinton in 1996, are coordinated by the Office of Science and Technology Policy within the Executive Office of the President. Awardees are selected for their pursuit of innovative research at the frontiers of science and technology and their commitment to community service as demonstrated through scientific leadership, public education, or community outreach.

  • American Scientist Peter Wolynes elected to Indian National Science Academy

    American Scientist Peter Wolynes elected to Indian National Science Academy

    American chemist Peter Wolynes of Rice University has been elected a foreign fellow of the Indian National Science Academy, an honor bestowed on fewer than 100 scholars worldwide.

    Wolynes is the Bullard-Welch Foundation Professor of Science, a professor of chemistry and a senior scientist with Rice’s Center for Theoretical Biological Physics at the BioScience Research Collaborative.

    His research focuses on many-body phenomena in biology, chemistry and physics, and he is one the foremost experts on protein folding; he built a theoretical framework that describes the statistical energy landscapes that govern how proteins fold.

    Wolynes received an A.B. from Indiana University in 1971 and a Ph.D. in chemical physics from Harvard University in 1976. He joined Harvard’s faculty a year later, and he also taught at the University of Illinois and the University of California at San Diego before joining Rice’s faculty in 2011.

    He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, a foreign member of the Royal Society and a fellow of the American Physical Society, the Biophysical Society, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Philosophical Society. He finished a three-year term as a member of the National Academy of Sciences Council in July.

    His many awards include a trio of prestigious honors from the American Chemical Society: the ACS Award in Pure Chemistry in 1986, the Peter Debye Award in Physical Chemistry in 2000 and the ACS Award in Theoretical Chemistry in 2012.

  • Sikh Techie Beaten, Hair Cut With Knife In Alleged Hate Crime In California

    Sikh Techie Beaten, Hair Cut With Knife In Alleged Hate Crime In California

    RICHMOND (KTVU) — A national group is urging that authorities pursue hate charges for two men who allegedly attacked a Richmond man apparently because of his religious beliefs.

    The Sikh Coalition, a national group, sent a letter Friday to the Richmond police chief and the Contra Costa District Attorney, urging them to investigate the attack last month on Maan Singh Khalsa.

    Khalsa, 41, is a member of the Sikh Center in El Sobrante and a U.S. citizen who works for the Social Security Agency.

    Harsimran Kaur, the Sikh Coalition legal director, said Maan Singh Khalsa was attacked near the Hilltop Mall at Blume and Hilltop Drive about 9 p.m. on Sunday Sept. 25. He told police that a white Ford F-150 with as many as six men pulled up and someone threw a beer can at him. When he turned toward Interstate 80 and stopped at a light, he said the suspects approached the car and grabbed him through the window.

    Authorities said Chase Little, 31, of Beaumont, Texas, and Dustin Albarado, 35, of Louisiana, were arrested in connection with the incident on felony assault charges. The two posted bail and were released. The Contra Costa County district attorney’s office has not yet said if it will pursue hate crime charges against the suspects.

    “They started beating him in the face. They took a knife. His turban got knocked off. They ended up cutting off part of his hair. They said cut his f–ing hair,’” said Kaur, who says Khalsa received severe injuries.

    Photos show him with a patch over one eye that is seen in another photo swollen shut. A third photo shows a blackened finger with stitches.

    “He may need three root canals, his finger was severely cut by the knife,” Kaur said. “It may need to be amputated. He got a black eye and other cuts and bruises.”

    The Sikh Center’s leaders say emotionally, too, is the pain of having one’s hair cut which violates Sikh beliefs.

    “We are not supposed to cut our hairs ever. It’s one of our five articles of faith,” said Karanbir Singh, vice-president of the Sikh Center, who says the entire community is stunned.

    “He is a very nice man, a very good man. He never fights with anybody,” said Tarlok Singh, a Sikh Center member, who was surprised to see his fellow worshiper’s injuries following the attack.

    Khalsa called 911 during the assault and Richmond police arrested Little and Albarado.

    “My concern is they said ‘cut his f—ing hair’. so I don’t understand why someone would say that unless that they were they were specifically targeting a person,” said Kaur, who added that Maan Singh Khalsa reported that there were other men in the truck who have not been arrested.

  • Bill To Designate Pakistan As A Terrorist State Moved In US

    Bill To Designate Pakistan As A Terrorist State Moved In US

    In a humiliating setback to Islamabad ahead of PM Nawaz Sharif’s speech before the UN General Assembly, two American lawmakers have introduced legislation in the US Congress to designate Pakistan as a state sponsor of terrorism.

    The bill was moved by Congressman Ted Poe, a Republican member of the House of Representatives from Texas, jointly with Dana Rohrabacher, a Republican from California who heads the House’s sub-committee on Europe, Eurasia and emerging threats.

    If enacted, the Bill will require the President to give a report to Congress within 90 days on whether Pakistan had supported international terrorism, or not. Within 30 days thereafter, the secretary of state will either determine Pakistan is a state sponsor of terrorism, or say why not.

    This is not the first time that there is talk of formally designating Pakistan a terrorist state. Such a measure was earlier discussed in 1993 after Pakistan engineered the Mumbai serial blasts. But, Islamabad escaped punishment by pretending to be an ally in the war on terror.

  • Indian American Gary Singh talks about homelessness in Manteca City, California

    Indian American Gary Singh talks about homelessness in Manteca City, California

    One of the fundamental causes of homelessness is the widening housing affordability gap says Manteca City Council hopeful Gary Singh in his response to the question “Any thoughts on how the City of Manteca can improve the homeless situation in Manteca?”

    The question was posed to all candidates  for the city council job. Singh’s response appears below in its entirety.

    Going through a recession has caused the gap to widen significantly over the past decade. Homelessness is not just our city’s issue but a nationwide issue. The City of Manteca cannot does not have the means to solve this problem on our own. We need to use our surrounding cities and county resources and also create a coalition of non-profits and churches that want to help these individuals so we can work together as a unit utilizing a holistic approach to solving this difficult problem.

    Homeless individuals are not all the same. Some, unfortunately, were hit with hard times and others are taking advantage of the system — panhandling to get money and exploiting the system. We need to help the individuals that truly want to turn their lives around and guide them to community resources that will help them get there. Research on modern homelessness has taught us that investment in permanent housing is extraordinarily effective in reducing homelessness as well as being a cost-effective measure. Numerous research studies have consistently confirmed that long-term housing assistance not only successfully reduces homelessness, it is also less expensive than temporary shelter.

    We can leverage additional financial resources by accessing federal housing assistance. These programs are one of the most successful housing-based solutions to reduce homelessness. The two largest programs are public housing and Section 8 vouchers. Housing vouchers allow low-income households to rent modest market-rate housing of their choice and provides a flexible subsidy that adjusts with the family’s income over time.

    Another way to address homelessness involves moving the long-term street homeless population – the majority of whom are living with mental illness, substance abuse and other serious health problems – directly into subsidized housing or a faith-based shelter. This would link them to support services, either on-site or in the community. From there, the ultimate goal would be to help teach these individuals the life skills that can offer the opportunity to get a job that would allow them to become self-reliant.

    Building a traditional shelter in Manteca is not the solution to our chronic homeless problem. When I recently visited the St Mary’s shelter in Stockton, it is clear that many do not want to use these facilities because of the rules prohibiting drug and alcohol use or the prohibition on pets. Before I even got to the shelter what I saw was a veritable “tent city”.

    These are individuals that do not want to follow the rules and choose to live outside the shelter and only go inside to get meals. Being homeless is not a crime and shelter staff cannot force them into one of the available programs. They have to make the decision to improve their lives on their own.

    For those with a criminal history that makes it difficult to find employment, the Sheriff has a great plan that would address their underlying issues. He proposes a special homeless court and a helpful “program center” as a way to channel homeless lawbreakers into programs that treat their problems and provide needed services and where they can be guided to housing and future independence.

    The vision is to transform several empty Honor Farm barracks into transitional housing and a service center staffed by county agencies and community non-profits. Currently, several Honor Farm barracks stand empty at the jail compound and more will become vacant in coming years as a new facility is built. The proposal would allow a homeless person convicted of a misdemeanor to choose the “program center” instead of jail. This would allow individuals to be screened, identifying causes of the person’s homelessness. The court would then order appropriate programs such as alcohol, drug or mental health treatment. At the same time, staff could help with things like obtaining a driver’s license, settling unpaid fines and untangling other barriers to self-sufficiency. This plan would not only free up jail space, but tackle the barriers to overcoming homelessness.

    In order to make any of this possible, we need to build a local and countywide consensus and the unified political will to address his growing problem. We also need an ongoing commitment by all the municipalities and the community-based organizations to provide funding and the appropriate services to address the many faces of homelessness. This is not just a Manteca problem and it needs to be tackled in a collaborative way.

    For further questions or thoughts, I can be reached at SinghForCouncil@gmail.com, Website: SinghForManteca.Com, 209-612-6161.

  • Ash Kalra Receives multiples Endorsements

    Ash Kalra Receives multiples Endorsements

    Ash Kalra, an Indian American city councilman in San Jose, Calif., in his bid to win the State Assembly Seat for the 27th District, announced key endorsements from civil rights leader Dolores Huerta, Rep. Zoe Lofgren and a former opponent, Kalra’s campaign recently announced.

    Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren declared her support for Ash Kalra in the open seat race for the Assembly in District 27. As the only Congressional member in this district, Zoe’s support holds enormous weight in this contentious race.

    ” I am proud to endorse Ash Kalra for California State Assembly and I urge you to join me in supporting him. Over the years, when I’ve advocated for Human Rights, Ash was there with me. When we fought for immigration reform, Ash was there. When we fought for housing opportunities so our sons and daughters could live in the communities they grew up in, Ash was a leader.  When it came to improving education, Ash stepped forward.  In short, Ash Kalra has been a stand out leader while serving on the City Council. He is smart, articulate and will be an effective leader in Sacramento. I believe he will represent our community instead of special interests.  In my experience with him, he is honest, committed to the public good and a hard worker. Voters have a rare opportunity to select this outstanding individual to represent them in the California Legislature,” said Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren.

    The campaign received additional good news as the lone Republican in the June Primary, ESUHSD Trustee Van Le, formally endorsed Ash Kalra, joining two other Primary opponents, Democrats ARUSD Trustee Esau Herrera and community activist Cong T. Do.

    Ash Kalra
    Ash Kalra

    “I am so grateful to Congresswoman Lofgren for her support in this race and for the years of leadership she has shown in this district. She is a national leader on pushing comprehensive immigration reform and has led our California Congressional delegation with honor,” commented Ash Kalra, “I am further humbled to receive the support of three of my former opponents. They are all outstanding community leaders and have proven their strong support from the community by garnering over 20,000 votes accounting for over 26% of ballots cast. Their confidence in my ability to represent our city well in Sacramento is a great source of pride as we continue our movement towards Election Day.”

    Zoe Lofgren has represented San Jose in the United State Congress since 1995. As the Chair of the California Democratic Congressional Delegation and the highest-ranking Democrat and former chair of the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security, Lofgren is recognized as a leader within the party and a champion for immigrants’ rights in San Jose. She is the only Congressional Member representing Assembly District 27.

    In 2008, Ash Kalra was elected to the San Jose City Council. Ash is one of two candidates in the open seat race for California State Assembly that will be vacated by termed-out Assemblyperson Nora Campos. For a full list of organizations and individuals who have endorsed Ash Kalra, please visit AshKalra.com.

  • 2 Indian-American Women Named White House Fellows

    2 Indian-American Women Named White House Fellows

    WASHINGTON: Two Indian-American women have been selected for the prestigious White House Fellow programme that offers first-hand experience of working at the highest levels of the US federal government.

    Astrophysicist Anjali Tripathi from California and physician Tina R Shah from Chicago are among the 16 White House Fellows appointed from across the nation for the year 2016-17, officials said.

    Shah is a Pulmonary and Critical Care physician-scientist focused on transforming healthcare delivery for patients with chronic diseases.

    She recently completed her clinical fellowship at the University of Chicago (UC), where she redesigned the care cycle for patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), dramatically reducing hospital re-admissions.

    As the recipient of the inaugural UC Innovations Grant, Shah also led an inter-professional research team to evaluate this value-based care delivery programme.

    Shah was a trustee for the Chicago Medical Society and has held leadership positions in other medical societies to advocate for her patients and for a sustainable medical workforce. She received a BS and an MD from the Pennsylvania State University/Jefferson Medical College accelerated six- year medical program and MPH from Harvard.

    Tripathi, an astrophysicist recently at Harvard University, focuses on the formation and evolution of planets. She has pioneered the characterisation of planet forming environments and developed the first 3D simulations of planets evaporating due to extreme atmospheric heating.

    Tripathi has also been involved in modelling the Milky Way and the search for dark matter. Previously, she has conducted particle physics, seismology and engineering research at Fermilab, Caltech, MIT, and NASA JPL, as part of the mission operations team for the Mars Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity.

    Her commitment to improving her community has been recognised by Harvard, MIT, and the American Red Cross. Tripathi will receive her Ph.D. in Astronomy from Harvard, where she earned an AM in Astronomy as an NSF Graduate Research Fellow. She received M Phil in Astronomy from Cambridge University as a Marshall Scholar and SB in Physics, with a minor in Applied International Studies, from MIT.

    The White House Fellows Program was created in 1964 by President Lyndon B Johnson to give promising American leaders “first hand, high-level experience with the workings of the Federal government and to increase their sense of participation in national affairs”.

    Selection as a White House Fellow is highly competitive and based on a record of professional achievement, evidence of leadership potential and a proven commitment to public service. Each Fellow must possess the knowledge and skills necessary to contribute meaningfully at senior levels of the Federal government.

  • More than 82,000 people flee Southern California wildfire

    More than 82,000 people flee Southern California wildfire

    LOS ANGELES (TIP): A new wildfire spread on August 16 at a staggering pace in every direction through drought parched canyons east of Los Angeles, growing to 14 square miles in a matter of hours and forcing the evacuation of more than 82,000 people from mountain communities.

    The blaze in Cajon Pass caused serious problems for a swath of mountain communities. About 82,500 people from some 34,500 homes were under mandatory evacuation orders, San Bernardino County fire spokesman Eric Sherwin said. Some structures had already burned but it wasn’t yet clear whether they were homes.

    Evacuated areas included the ski-resort town of Wrightwood, where some 4,500 people live.

    The flames also forced the shutdown of a section of Interstate 15, the main highway between Southern California and Las Vegas.

    As that fire surged, a major blaze north of San Francisco was fading and some 4,000 people in the town of Clearlake were allowed to return home.

    Their relief, however, was tempered with anger at a man who authorities believe set the blaze that wiped out several blocks of a small town over the weekend along with 16 smaller fires dating back to last summer.

    The wildfires were the latest in a weekslong stretch of heat- and drought-driven fires across California that raged well before the official start of wildfire season in early autumn. Blue Mountain Farms, a horse ranch in Phelan, was in the path of the fire about 60 miles east of Los Angeles, just as it was for another fire in the area a year ago.

    “Breathing smoke again, just like last year,” Shannon Anderson, a partner in the ranch, said as she panted into the telephone. “It’s raining ash.”

    Ranch hands used hoses to wet down fences and anything else that could burn.

    Six firefighters protecting homes were briefly trapped by flames and in serious danger before they took shelter in a safe structure, the San Bernardino County Fire Department said in a statement. (AP)

  • Rep. Darrell Issa Introduces Bipartisan Bill to Thwart #H-1B Abuse

    Rep. Darrell Issa Introduces Bipartisan Bill to Thwart #H-1B Abuse

    With the topic of U.S. jobs filled by foreign workers fanning the heat of the presidential campaign, Rep. Darrell Issa has introduced bipartisan legislation designed to close loopholes in the H1-B temporary visa program to ensure that only the most highly skilled foreign applicants can work in the United States.

    The new House bill that would restrict the controversial visa program for highly skilled overseas employees, specially from the Technology (IT) sector.

    The “Protect and Grow American Jobs Act” bill, H.R. 5801, led by Issa, was introduced with support from the entire San Diego congressional delegation, industry stakeholders and immigration policy leaders, including Congressman Lamar Smith, R-Texas, according to a statement released by Issa’s office.

    U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa is proposing to change certain exemptions that allow companies to hire more foreign workers when qualified U.S. candidates are not available.

    “First and foremost, this bill is about protecting American jobs,” Issa said in a statement.

    The program ensures American companies can attract the best talent worldwide, he said. “Unfortunately, in recent years, this important program has become abused and exploited as a loophole for companies to replace American workers with cheaper labor from overseas,” he said.

    “The bill we’ve put forward is simple, bipartisan and will go a long way to fixing one of the many problems with our broken immigration system,” he added.

    Issa pointed to what he called abuses by Southern California Edison, the Rosemead-based utility, one of many U.S. companies hiring foreign workers under the H-1B program.

    Last year, federal officials investigated two outsourcing firms used by the company to hire foreign workers and found no wrongdoing. The company’s hiring practices came under scrutiny in 2014, after Edison announced it would lay off hundreds of workers, including information technology employees. Critics charged some of those workers were replaced by foreign hires.

    Issa’s bill seeks to change certain exemptions to a cap on the visas as they apply to employers with more than 15 percent of their employees on H-1B visas.

    The employers are required to attest they are unable to fill their positions with qualified U.S. workers when they seek more of the H-1B visas.

    But companies can bypass the “attestation” requirement if the foreign workers has a master’s degree or higher, or is paid more than $60,000 per year.

    Issa proposes doing away with the master’s degree exemption, and raising the salary cap from $60,000 to $100,000, thus making it harder for companies to add to their H-1B employees.

    A large share of H1-B visas go to workers from India. Shikha Bhatnagar, director of the South Asian Network in Artesia, opposes the bill and argues there’s a demand for foreign workers.

    “It is my impression that there is a need for bringing in qualified tech professionals from overseas,” she said.

    Some H-1B visa critics don’t think the bill goes far enough. John Miano, co-author of a book that takes aim at the program, said lawmakers don’t want to impose too many restrictions on the visas.

    “There is too much money being made here,” said Miano. “There is a chain of people making money off replacing Americans with foreign workers.”

    Miano said since the exemptions in question apply only to companies with a share of H-1B workers above 15 percent, the impact of the bill if it passes would be limited.

    The federal government limits the number of H-1B visas to 65,000 each fiscal year. But another 20,000 can be exempted from the cap if the foreigners hold a U.S. master’s degree or higher.

    Colleges and universities, related nonprofits and government research organizations can also petition for exemptions from the 65,000 limit when hiring H-1B employees.

    Attempts to reform the H-1B program have been pushed by both Republicans and Democrats who argue that the visas allow companies to pay lower wages to foreign workers while displacing U.S. workers.

    Issa’s bill, which would be taken up by the GOP-controlled House, has seven co-sponsors, including four Democrats.

  • Indians Across The World Mark Independence Day With Fervor

    Indians Across The World Mark Independence Day With Fervor

    BEIJING/WASHINGTON: Soaked in patriotism, hundreds of Indians today proudly marked the country’s 70th Independence Day, as the national flag fluttered and the national anthem reverberated at Indian missions across the world.

    Indians in countries like China, the US, Thailand and Singapore joined people in India to celebrate the day with recital of patriotic songs and dance performances representing the diverse ethnicity of India.

    In Beijing, Indian Ambassador Vijay Gokhale hoisted the tricolour in the embassy premises at a function that was attended by members of the Indian community.

    A large of number of Indian professionals besides embassy staff took part in the flag hoisting ceremony along with their families.

    Mr Gokhale also read out President Pranab Mukherjee’s address to the nation followed by recital of patriotic songs. In Shanghai, Consulate General of India Prakash Gupta hosted the celebrations. Gupta unfurled the tricolour besides reading out excerpts from the President’s address. A similar celebration was held at the Indian Consulate in Guangzhou led by Consulate General Y K Sailas Thangal.

    In the US, the Independence Day was celebrated on a large scale in Fremont in California and Edison in New Jersey where thousands of people attended the event amid a colorful cultural extravaganza.

    In cities like Dallas, Houston, Chicago, Orlando and Minneapolis, community organisations held cultural events over the weekend to celebrate the Independence Day. The patriotic fervour also gripped Indian missions across Southeast Asia, as hundreds of Indian nationals, ethnic Indians and India lovers gathered.

    In Bangkok, Indian Ambassador Bhawant Singh Bishnoi said, “2016 has been a most significant year for our bilateral relationships”.

    Mr Bishnoi, in his speech to over 500 people gathered at the embassy premises, said Thailand remains one of India’s “closest” friends.

    “People to people linkages are one of the most important aspects of our bilateral relationships. Central to this is the role played by the Indian community,” he said and commended the significant contribution by ethnic Indians and Indian nationals to the economic and social development of Thailand.

    Indian Embassies, High Commissions and Consulates echoed with melodious strains of the national anthem as children and the hundreds of Indians joined to sing patriotic songs in Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Yangon, Laos, Cambodia, the Philippines, Indonesia and Brunei.

    In Singapore, India’s High Commissioner Vijay Thakur Singh celebrated the day, reading out President Mukherjee’s Independence Day message to some 600 Indians.

    Students from local Indian schools also sang patriotic songs and staged dance performances in a cultural show. In a congratulatory message on the Independence Day of India, Singaporean President Tony Tan Keng Yam reaffirmed strong bilateral relations and underlined that “relations between Singapore and India remain strong and will grow despite challenges in the global economy”.

    “As our people-to-people relations flourish, I am delighted by the excellent progress in bilateral projects and initiatives on various fronts including trade, skills development, defence cooperation, and Smart Cities development,” said Mr Tan.

    In Kuala Lumpur, High Commissioner TS Tirumurti hoisted the flag at India House. About 350 people attended the ceremony that also witnessed a Carnatic singing performance. The High Commissioner also flagged off a Malaysia- Thailand-Myanmar-India car rally by Vinayak Mission that will cover 46,000 Kms and end in Salem Tamil Nadu.

    In Hanoi, around 250 members of the Indian community and friends of India attended the hoisting of the flag by Ambassador P Harish, who also read out the President’s address.

  • Gurbaksh Chahal, Indian-Origin Silicon Valley Mogul, Jailed In Domestic Violence Case

    Gurbaksh Chahal, Indian-Origin Silicon Valley Mogul, Jailed In Domestic Violence Case

    A Silicon Valley internet mogul who sold his startup for $300 million at the age of 25 and appeared on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” as a highly eligible bachelor was sentenced on Friday to a year in jail for violating his probation in a domestic violence case.

    However, Gurbaksh Chahal, 34, will not immediately begin serving the sentence because San Francisco Superior Court Judge Tracie Brown cited questions about the evidence while giving him time to appeal her ruling.

    Brown determined last month that Chahal had violated the probation ordered after he pleaded guilty in 2014 to misdemeanor charges of battery and domestic violence battery.

    Prosecutors said surveillance footage from his San Francisco penthouse showed him punching and kicking his girlfriend more than 100 times and trying to smother her with a pillow.

    Chahal entered his plea to the reduced charges after the woman stopped cooperating with authorities and a judge said the video could not be used as evidence because it had been improperly obtained.

    He was accused of violating his probation by kicking another girlfriend, who also didn’t cooperate with prosecutors.

    x

    Chahal said both women had cheated on him, according to prosecutors.

    Chahal’s attorney, James Lassart, said in court on Friday that his client was denied his right to question the woman during his probation revocation hearing when she failed to attend the proceeding.

    “In this instance, the constitution requires that my client be allowed to confront his accuser,” Lassart said.

    Brown allowed the penthouse video to be admitted as evidence in the probation hearing, and she reviewed it privately before issuing her ruling last month.

    Lassart said the judge should not consider the video in her sentencing because it had previously been ruled inadmissible.

    The footage has not been played in court or made public.

    Assistant District Attorney O’Bryan Kenney called for a sentence of 18 months, saying Chahal had shown no remorse and committed a second act of violence just months after his domestic violence conviction.

    “He clearly didn’t get the message,” Kenney told the judge.

    Chahal made $300 million in 2007 when he sold his digital advertising company to Yahoo. A year later, he appeared on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” in a segment that highlighted his success and promoted him as a highly eligible bachelor.

    Chahal’s legal woes extend beyond the criminal case. Two former employees have sued him for discrimination, painting him as a bullying boss who thought little of women.

    Patricia Glaser, the lawyer representing Chahal in the lawsuits, did not return an email or call seeking comment. An email to Chahal’s online advertising technology company, Gravity4, was not returned. A message to his Twitter account also went unanswered.

    Faced with the initial domestic violence charges, Chahal got help from powerful former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown and the former chief financial officer for the state of California, Steve Westly, according to one of the lawsuits and emails between Westly and Chahal reported by The Wall Street Journal.

    Westly, who was on the board of a company Chahal founded, suggested the businessman reach out to Willie Brown, according to a 2015 lawsuit by Yousef Khraibut, a former Gravity4 employee.

    Chahal told Khraibut that he paid Brown a $250,000 retainer to exert pressure on the district attorney to dismiss the charges, saying Brown had the “juice” to make them disappear, the lawsuit said.

    Brown did not return a message left at his law office.

    He said in a radio interview last September that he was asked to put together a legal team to defend Chahal but did nothing unethical and returned most of the $250,000.

    Westly, whose name has been mentioned as a possible gubernatorial candidate in 2018, said in a statement that he doesn’t comment on ongoing legal cases but added that domestic violence in any form is inexcusable.

    In court documents, Chahal shot back that Khraibut was fired for not doing his work and was seeking publicity.

  • Kanak Jha, the youngest member of Team USA in Rio

    Kanak Jha, the youngest member of Team USA in Rio

    For someone born on June 19, 2000, Kanak Jha has done well to fit in with the older crowds. This year, 16-year-old Kanak Jha picked up the paddle as the youngest member of the United States’ Olympic team in Rio. He is the first American born in the 2000s to qualify for the Olympics. He’s also the youngest person in the history of the sport of table tennis to qualify for the Olympics.

    His final win at the Olympic qualifier was the reason why U.S. table tennis gets to compete in the team event. While California-born, he trains in Sweden because the sport is more competitive and popular in Europe. He’s going into his junior year of high school, though he won’t be going into a “traditional secondary school environment,” NBC Olympics reports. He takes online classes.

    Kanak, who had begun playing table tennis at age 5, didn’t start taking the sport more seriously until he was 9 or 10, when he stopped calling it “ping-pong” and started calling it table tennis. Kanak competed in both singles, and team competitions at the Olympics.

    He believes age is just a number when it comes to his abilities. “I don’t think about it at all,” he tells NBC Olympics. “I’m just trying to prepare for the Olympics. In the end, it doesn’t really matter how old you are.”

    He’s one of the 16-year-olds going to the Olympics for Team USA this year, including Laurie Hernandez, a gymnast. His 19-year-old sister, Prachi, is also talented at table tennis — she’s also a national team member.

    “It’s definitely a very great experience,” Jha says. “I didn’t know the atmosphere would be as good as it was in this match.”

    He knows what a VHS is and grew up watching a few video tapes. Before Pokémon took off on people’s iPhones, he remembers collecting stacks of the trading cards. His iPod includes classics by Michael Jackson  and Queen. Jha is still a kid but he also holds the distinction of being the first U.S. Olympian born in 2000 to compete at the Summer Games. He competed in Thursday’s preliminary round of table tennis, losing 4–1 to 23-year-old Nima Alamian of Iran.

    The 16-year-old isn’t quite finished yet—he’ll compete in the team event on Aug. 12—but he’s here to enjoy his first Olympics. He did a good job of doing just that on Friday night at the Opening Ceremony, which included selfies with the U.S. men’s basketball team, Michael Phelps, Jordan Burroughs and several other athletes that he gets to call teammates. At this point, his phone is packed with photos of these famous encounters, as he also snapped away at Olympic team processing, taking photos with members of the track team and gold-medalist fencer Mariel Zagunis.

    The son to immigrant parents from India, Jha started playing at five years old and has never been a stranger to facing much older competition. When he was seven, he played someone 10 times his age but still came away with the victory over the 70-year-old, his father Arun recalls.

    “I didn’t really have too many expectations going into that semifinals match and it was kind of a dream that I played so well,” Jha says. “It gave me a lot of confidence and I started to think about the Olympics more.”

    In 2013, Jha had a very successful season, winning 27 of his 28 matches. That’s when he made his first trip out to Sweden to explore his options playing table tennis at an elite level. “We had all two years planned out with the Olympics as the final moment of the goal and decided to give it a shot,” Arun says. “For Kanak to go into very formalized training with league matches, he would have to stay in Europe. The realization of the Olympics was in 2013.”

    In table tennis, it’s common for American players to head over to Europe or Asia to train and dedicate most of their life to the game. So in 2015, at just 15 years old, Jha made the move to Hamlstad, Sweden, with his sister, Prachi. Table tennis remains Jha’s sole focus as he takes online classes and will enter his junior year of high school in the fall. When he’s not practicing, he’s your typical 16-year-old hanging out with friends, playing with his dog Shadow or watching Breaking Bad on Netflix—which he watched sometimes hours at a time.

    “I see these athletes and so many of them are gold medalists in their sport,” Jha told the media in late July. “It’s humbling to be around them. Many of them don’t know I’m 16.”

  • Ford recalls 830,000 vehicles to fix faulty door latches

    Ford recalls 830,000 vehicles to fix faulty door latches

    WASHINGTON (TIP): Ford Motor Company on August 4 announced the recall of 830,000 cars and vans in the United States and Mexico for the replacement of faulty side-door latches.

    While drivers may have difficulty in shutting doors, doors may also open after having been closed, posing a safety risk, the company said.

    “In certain situations where the door is able to be closed, the door may unlatch while driving, increasing the risk of injury,” it said.

    Ford said there was one reported accident and one reported injury that may be related to the defect.

    Recalled vehicles include certain 2013 to 2015 C-MAX cars and Escape sport utility vehicles, 2012-2015 model years of the Focus, and 2014-2016 Transit Connect vans as well as 2015 Mustang and Lincoln MKC model years.

    Reported problems were more prevalent in hotter, sunnier climates, meaning the recall was focused on US states across the south, Hawaii, California and the Pacific Northwest, the company said.

    About 61,000 of the affected cars are in Mexico.

    The announcement follows recent recalls of Ford vehicles in 2016 and 2015, including Lincoln MKC and Ford Explorer vehicles for the replacement of engine block heaters and of F-650 and F-750 trucks to replace cable connector clips in parking brakes.

    The company in May recalled 271,000 2013 and 2014 F-150 pickups to replace brake master cylinders.

    Recorded in the third quarter, this latest recall will cost$270 million, the company said in a regulatory filing. But Ford remains on track to achieve 2016 pre-tax results equal the $10.8 billion reported last year, it said. Source: AFP

  • Sikh-American Delegate Begins Republican Party Convention 2nd Day with ‘Ardaas’

    Sikh-American Delegate Begins Republican Party Convention 2nd Day with ‘Ardaas’

    CLEVELAND (TIP): In a first for the Republican Party, a Sikh-American woman opened the second day of the national convention here with the ‘Ardaas’- a Sikh prayer.

    Harmeet Dhillon, vice chairwoman of the California Republican Party, delivered the Sikh prayer on the national stage here in Punjabi and then translated it into English.

    It was the first such instance for the Republican National Convention but it was not the first time the 47-year-old San Francisco lawyer upended expectations, the Los Angeles Times reported.

    Born in Chandigarh, she emigrated with her parents to England and then to the Bronx, New York.

    Her father, an orthopedic surgeon, soon moved the family to rural Smithfield in central North Carolina.

    “I think this is an inclusive party. I’ve never felt anything but included since Day One,” Dhillon was quoted as saying by The Mercury News.

    Diversity was showcased by the party in Cleveland as when California’s Republicans formally proclaimed their support for Trump, the state party turned to Shirley Husar, who is black, to make the announcement.

  • 2016 MassMutual South Asian Spelling Bee announces Atlanta and Charlotte winners

    2016 MassMutual South Asian Spelling Bee announces Atlanta and Charlotte winners

    NEW JERSEY (TIP): The South Asian Spelling Bee, now sponsored by Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) with its acquisition of MetLife’s Premiere Client Group, continues its legacy in its ninthyear (www.SouthAsianSpellingBee.com) .

    In the Spelling Bee’s quest to find the best spellers in the South Asian community, families arrived this past weekend to participate in the day long regionals in Atlanta and Charlotte.

    Atlanta winners
    Atlanta winners

    In the Atlanta Regional, Sreeniketh Vogoti (13) of Saint Johns, Florida was the regional champ, NavyaMurugesan (14) of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, was the first runner up, and Pavani Chittemsetty(10) of Bentonville, Arkansas, was second runner up.

    In Seattle, Snehaa Ganesh Kumar (13) from Folsom, California was named regional champ, Siyona Mishra(12) from Orlando, Florida was first runner up, and Akshra Paimagam (13) of Charlotte, North Carolina, wasthe second runner-up.

    Seattle winners
    Seattle winners

    The South Asian Spelling Bee is designed to attract top talent and new spellers and to encourage participants as young as five to interact with other spellers; gain stage confidence; acquire camera savvy;and compete for coveted prizes and titles.

    The event is open to children of South Asian descent up to 14 years of age. It gives them the opportunity totest their spelling skills within their core peer group. Interested spellers should have their parent or guardianregister them online at www.SouthAsianSpellingBee.com.

    Organized by Touchdown Media Inc., the South Asian Spelling Bee is conducted in 12 locations across theUnited States starting June 11. Regional level events will be held in Los Angeles, the Bay Area, Dallas, Houston, Chicago, Seattle, Atlanta, Charlotte, Washington, D.C. Metro, New Jersey, New York and Boston.

    In addition, Accra, Ghana, was announced as the thirteenth location from which spellers of South Asiandescent will qualify for the finals. All events are free to attend and open to the public.

    “It’s been a great experience building this platform, and we as a team now look forward to this new inningwith MassMutual to further expand and create a veritable platform for the community,” said Rahul Walia,founder of the South Asian Spelling Bee and CEO of Touchdown Media Inc.

    “We are excited to be part of the Spelling Bee program,” said Wonhong Lee, Assistant Vice President,Diverse Markets, MassMutual Financial Group. “We understand this event emphasizes the importance ofeducation within the South Asian community. It naturally aligns with MassMutual’s mission to providefinancial education and promote financial health in the communities we serve.”

    The top two spellers of each regional competition will advance to the August finals in New Jersey. As in previous years, the $10,000 champion’s grand prize will be awarded to the top winner.

  • Eid-al- Fitr wishes from HAB Bank

    Eid-al- Fitr wishes from HAB Bank

    On behalf of HAB BANK, I would like to extend our warmest wishes as we celebrate Eid-al-Fitr throughout the U.S. Eid reminds us of the many achievements and contributions of Muslim Americans to building the very fabric of our nation.

    Saleem Iqbal President & CEO HAB BANK, New York
    Saleem Iqbal
    President & CEO
    HAB BANK, New York

    As we celebrate Eid-al- Fitr this year, we also can take pride in our achievements as a community despite the challenges that lie ahead. We have, in a short span of time, been able to establish ourselves as a community engaged at so many levels, culturally and economically, and determined to pursue our American dream of achieving success in our adopted homeland.

    HAB BANK, since its inception in 1983 as a New York State chartered bank, has played a vital role in nurturing communities through its network of branches in New York, New Jersey, and California. We are proud to be the first bank in the U.S. solely focused on meeting and serving the banking needs of South Asian community.

    We are honored to join in celebrating this blessed holiday and reaffirm our Bank’s commitment to South Asian community in the U.S.

    Saleem Iqbal

  • Indian American Physicist Donates USD 11 Million To UCLA

    Indian American Physicist Donates USD 11 Million To UCLA

    WASHINGTON:  An Indian-American physicist has donated USD 11 million to University of California to establish a center devoted to advancing knowledge of the basic laws of nature, the largest donation in the history of the varsity.

    “I thank Mani Bhaumik for his philanthropic leadership and for believing in UCLA,” said UCLA Chancellor Gene Block.

    The Mani L Bhaumik Institute for Theoretical Physics is intended to become a world-leading center for theoretical physics research and intellectual inquiry, the university said in a statement.

    The Bhaumik Institute will host visiting scholars, organise seminars and conferences for the academic community, and begin a public outreach programme to teach the community about scientific advances made by UCLA physicists.

    Bhaumik rose from poverty to become an eminent scientist who played a key role in developing the laser technology that paved the way for Lasik eye surgery.

    He was born in a remote village in West Bengal, and as a child slept on rags in the thatched-roof mud hut he shared with his parents and six siblings.

    “I didn’t own a pair of shoes until I was 16 and walked four miles to school and back in my bare feet,” he added in the UCLA statement.

    Studying under renowned physicist Satyendra Bose, he earned a master’s degree at the University of Calcutta. In 1958, Bhaumik became the first student to earn a doctorate, also in physics, from the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur. Bhaumik came to UCLA in 1959 – “with USD 3 in my pocket”, he said – on a Sloan Foundation postdoctoral fellowship. The people of his village raised the money for his airfare, the statement said.

    “Everyone was treated equally, not like back at home where the poor were treated like dirt. In 1961, Bhaumik joined Xerox Electro-Optical Systems as a laser scientist. He later served as director of the laser technology laboratory at Northrop’s corporate research
    laboratory.

    In 1973, he announced the conclusive demonstration of the world’s first efficient excimer laser, a form of ultraviolet laser now commonly used for high-precision machining and for cutting biological tissue cleanly without damaging surrounding
    tissue.

    Bhaumik is a fellow of the American Physical Society and of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and, in 2011, Indian awarded him the prestigious Padma Shri for distinguished service in science and engineering.

    “It’s very difficult to raise funds for this area, because people don’t understand what theoretical physicists do. But physics holds the answers to the most fundamental questions of our very existence.Imagine what could be solved right here at UCLA,” he said.

  • Five Indian Americans win Regional ‘EY Entrepreneur of the Year’ Award

    Five Indian Americans win Regional ‘EY Entrepreneur of the Year’ Award

    EY recently announced the regional winners of the Entrepreneur of the year award who will now can compete at the national level.

    According to EY, the awards program recognizes entrepreneurs who demonstrate excellence and extraordinary success in such areas as innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities.

    The business leaders were selected by a panel of independent judges.

    Among the dozens of Indian-American finalists for the regional prize the winners were Jyoti Bansal, Dr. Subhash Makhija, Shri Thanedar, Raj Malik and Anurag Jain.

    Bansal, the founder, executive chairman and chief strategist of San Francisco-based AppDynamics won in the technology category of the California Regional.

    Makhija, the co-founder and chief executive officer of Clark, N.J.-based Global eProduce, was chosen in the New Jersey regional at a June 23 gala event.

    Thanedar is the owner, chief executive and chief scientist at Ann Arbor, Mich.-based Avomeen Analytical Services.

    Malik is the president and chief executive officer of the Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas-based BIOWORLD Merchandising. He won in the consumer products category at the Southwest regional June 25 banquet.

    Malik’s company is a leading design and distribution company of licensed and private-label apparel and accessories with a focus on pop culture and youth brands. The company went from a one-man operation to now having more than 250 employees.

    Jain is the chairman at Access Healthcare, a Dallas, Texas-area company. The company, which is an outsourcer of healthcare information technology and business process related work, was honored in the technology and tech services category.

    For winning their respective regional competitions, Bansal, Makhija, Thanedar, Malik and Jain will advance to the EY Entrepreneur of The Year national program.

    Award recipients in several national categories, as well as the EY Entrepreneur of The Year Overall National Award winner, will be announced at the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year National Awards gala in Palm Springs, Calif., on Nov. 19, 2016. The awards are the culminating event of the Strategic Growth Forum.

    The winner of the national program then will have the chance to compete in the EY World Entrepreneur of the Year in Monaco in June 2017.

  • GOPIO-CT honors 5 and gives 4 college scholarships

    GOPIO-CT honors 5 and gives 4 college scholarships

    It was a memorable evening in every possible way. The Ballroom at The Hilton Hotel in Stamford, CT was filled with more than 200 invited guests from across the state of Connecticut, including community leaders, elected officials, and honorees and their families on Saturday, June 18, 2016. The event was the 10th annual Gala and awards nite organized by The Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) Connecticut Chapter honoring five for their achievements and contributions to the community: The gala included a cocktail reception, dinner, music, live DJ and dances by participants, eloquent speeches, touching lifestories and inspiring narratives on the lives of the five distinguished honorees.

    Prominent among those who had attended and spoke at the annual gala included, Congressman Jim Himes, Stamford Mayor David Martin, Norwalk Mayor Harry Rilling, Connecticut State Senators Tony Hwang and Toni Boucher and CT State Assemblyman Dan Carter.

    Sachin Lawande, President and CEO of Visteon Corporation (Van Buren, MI), was recognized for his achievement as a Corporate Leader. Visteon is one of the world’s leading suppliers of vehicle cockpit electronics, serving auto manufacturers around the globe. Sachin was described to be leading a rapid evolution of electronics technology and software to meet the demands of the connected car era. In his response, Laweande, while thanking GOPIO-CT, he said, “May this award given to me today be an inspiration to the younger generation.”

    Anjali Sharma, a Greenwich resident, was honored for Community Service and promoting philanthropy. Anjali, a Trustee of AIF, has worked tirelessly to as a humanist and philanthropist to promote India’s development. She won the loudest applause from the audience for her simple narration of the many effort she and her organization do to bring a little cheer in the lives of hundreds of people in India she has been instrumental in touching with her monetary help. While acknowledging the award, Sharma applauded GOPIUO and said, “Your efforts show that you are working to have our community integrated with the mainstream world.”

    Annapurna Duleep, a  former Norwalk Councilwoman, was recognized for her contributions and achievements in Political Involvement. Anna is the first woman and South Asian to be elected Sheriff of Norwalk City in 2014.  She is an ardent proponent of gun control.  Duleep urged the participants and the larger Indian American community to “Join with me in the effort to take the community to the next level.”

    GOPIO-CT President’s Young Professional Achiever Award was given to Roopa Modha of Shelton, who has been working tirelessly to promote women’s issues using her legal expertise to further women’s causes. Her commitment is to empower women and bring the issues of domestic violence and rape into the public domain. A lawyer by profession, She attended the White House’s United State of Women Summit in 2016.

    Dr. Thomas Abraham, Founder President of GOPIO International who is also a Trustee of GOPIO-CT, while introducing, David Smith, FACHE of Stamford Hospital as the recipient of the Friend of GOPIO and the Indian American community award, said, “For the first time, GOPIO-CT is recognizing an employee of an institution. Mr. Smith currently serves as Senior Vice President, Strategy and Chief Strategy and Network Development Officer at Stamford Health, Stamford, Connecticut.  He has worked in the Health Care Sector for over 35 years. He is an ardent supporter of good health and healthy food habits. David has supported IndianAmerican community for many years.” In his response, shared with the audience as to how he developed an increasing taste for India and the people from this large nation. He spoke about his his close association with many people of Indian origin in the US.

    GOPIO-CT President’s Young Professional Achiever Award was given to Roopa Modha, who has been working tirelessly to promote women’s issues using her legal expertise to further women’s causes. Her commitment is to empower women and bring the issues of domestic violence and rape into the public domain. In her passionate address, Modha hoped that “this award will inspire many more to join in the efforts to make a just world.” She urged the audience to “be passionate about making a positive impact on others.”

    For the second year in a row, GOPIO-CT Scholarship for College Tuitions were given to Gunja Shah, a prospective student at Massachussetts College of Pharmacy; Tanusri Balla, entering University of Pennsylvania; Nikita Jaaswal, who has enrolled to begin her studies at University of California; and Sirin Vahora, amother of two, who has accepted into Norwalk Community Ciollege’s Nursing Program. GOPIO-CT Scholarship Committee consisted of Sanjay Santhanam (Chairman), Hari Srinivasan, Tara Sharma, and Priya Easwaran coordinated GOPIO-CT efforts and led the fundraising at the event to expand the scholarship to other parts of Connecticut in the coming years.

    Proclamations from Governor Malloy, Mayor David Martin, and US Senator Richard Bllomenthal to the awardees were read out at the awards ceremony. In welcoming the guests and dignitaries, Shelly Nichani, President of GOPIO-CT said “We are celebrating the achievements of five distinguished individuals and the award is a reflection of their remarkable accomplishments and commendable services.” He said, over the last ten years, GOPIO-CT has become an active and dynamic organization hosting interactive sessions with policy makers and academicians, community events, youth mentoring and networking workshops, and working with other area organizations to help create a better future.

    Congressman Jim Himes, who represents Connecticut’s 4th District in the United States House of Representatives, where he is serving his fourth term, said he was delighted to be at the event to honor the accomplishments of so many talented individuals. He complimented the IndianAmerican community as the highly educated 3.2 million strong, making tremendous contributions to the economic quality of this country.

    “You are the community. You are not part of the community,” Mayor David Martin told the Indian Americans. Pointing to the historic nature of the upcoming general elections in November, Mayor Martin urged the members to register and vote, and thus become ensure that your voices are heard.”

    Mayor Harry Rilling said “I am honored to be here to celebrate among friends and am thankful for the warm welcome the Indian community has always extended to me and my family.” He also congratulated GOPIO-CT for its 10 years of service and bringing the Indian community together.

    Niraj Baxi, the President of International GOPIO congratulated the awardees for “bringing honor to your Indian heritage. We are all very proud of you.” He said he was “delighted to be part of the celebration in Connecticut honoring distinguished IndianAmericans and David Smith, a Friend of GOPIO.”the Friend of GOPIO and the Indian Community award.

  • Indian American Authors voice opposition to Donald Trump

    Indian American Authors voice opposition to Donald Trump

    WASHINGTON (TIP): Two Indian American authors are among hundreds of writers who have voiced their opposition to presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, slamming him for “encouraging aggression” among his followers, intimidating dissenters and denigrating women and minorities.

    Samina Ali from California and Mira Jacob of New York joined hundreds of writers from across the U.S. in adding their names to an online public petition against Trump, 69, whom they referred to as a dictator who “appeals to the most violent elements in society.”

    Ali is an award-winning author, activist and cultural commentator, according to her profile on her website. Her debut novel ‘Madras on Rainy Days’ won France’s prestigious Prix Premier Roman Etranger award and was a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award in Fiction.

    Jacob, who currently teaches fiction at New York University, is the author of the critically acclaimed novel ‘The Sleepwalker’s Guide to Dancing’ which was shortlisted for India’s Tata First Literature Award.

    Mira Jacob
    Mira Jacob

    Among the big names signing the petition are Stephen King, David Eggers, Amy Tan, Junot Diaz and Cheryl Strayed. In the “open letter to the American people” on the literary website Lithub, the writers voiced their opposition to Trump, saying that mere wealth or celebrity status does not qualify “anyone to speak for the United States, to lead its military, to maintain its alliances, or to represent its people” and, as writers, they are aware of the many ways that “language can be abused in the name of power.” “Unequivocally” opposing Trump’s candidacy for president of the U.S., the writers said the rise of a political candidate who “deliberately appeals to the basest and most violent elements in society, who encourages aggression among his followers, shouts down opponents, intimidates dissenters, and denigrates women and minorities, demands, from each of us, an immediate and forceful response.”

    They said American history, despite periods of nativism and bigotry, has brought people of different backgrounds together and not pitted them against one another.

    “The history of dictatorship is the history of manipulation and division, demagoguery and lies,” the writers said.