The Indian Panorama

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  • The 2014 MetLife South Asian Spelling Bee reaches Texas

    The 2014 MetLife South Asian Spelling Bee reaches Texas

    Dallas & Houston winners announced

    DALLAS (TIP): The 2014 MetLife South Asian Spelling Bee (www.SouthAsianSpellingBee.com) continued its 12-city tour past weekend with events in Dallas and Houston. MetLife, a leading global provider of insurance, annuities and employee benefit programs, is serving as the event’s title sponsor for the sixth consecutive year. With a huge turnout this year as well, the Bee attracted some top talent as well as young and new spellers that competed for the coveted prizes and titles.

    “It is very heartening to see that each year we get fresh faces and new talent which is a continuing testimony to our community’s strength in this craft,” said Rahul Walia, Founder – South Asian Spelling Bee. In Dallas, Vanya Shivashankar from Olathe, KS was the regional champ and Ananya Kodali from Highland Village, TX was the first runner up while Ansun Sujoe from Forth Worth, TX was second runner up. In Houston, Shourav Dasari from Spring, TX was the regional champ and Shobha Dasari from Spring, TX was first runner up while Tanya Roysam from Friendswood, TX was second runner up.

    “MetLife congratulates all the spellers who participated in this year’s events,” said Laurel Daring, assistant vice president, Diverse Markets, MetLife. “We’re proud to serve as the Bee’s title sponsor as part of our commitment to the South Asian communities we serve across the country and as a fun, educational contest for the hundreds of students that compete each year.”


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    Houston Winners: (From L to R) Rahul Walia, Founder of the South Asian Spelling Bee with Second Runner Up Tanya Roysam from Friendswood, TX; Regional Champ Shourav Dasari from Spring, TX and First Runner Up Shobha Dasari from Spring, TX.

    Along with MetLife, food brand Kawan and education company C2Education have also come on board as sponsors for this event. As always, SONY Entertainment Television Asia is the exclusive broadcast partner for the MetLife South Asian Spelling Bee and will be airing the series across 120 countries. “Kawan is proud to support this platform that helps in the overall growth of the child.We look forward to seeing this year’s talent and are happy to be part of the process to find the best speller from the South Asian community,” said Tim Tan, Director – International Business, Kawan Food, makers of the world’s most popular Roti Paratha Brand in the world – Kawan Paratha.

    “C2 Education is very honored to be associated with the MetLife South Asian Spelling Bee for the third consecutive year. Seeing the children’s enthusiasm and dedication to succeed is truly inspiring”, said Steve Helgeson, Director of School and Community Partnerships, C2Education. “Once again, we are proud to be associated with the Bee and are looking forward to showcasing the journey in the quest for the best speller.

    We look forward to yet another successful year,” said Jaideep Janakiram, Head of North America, Sony Entertainment Television-Asia. The winners received cash prizes of $500, $300 and $200 respectively. Children up to 14 years of age are eligible to participate and the contest saw spellers of even 6 years of age compete and make it past a few rounds. There are 10 more cities on the anvil and for more information and to register your child,
    please visitwww.SouthAsianSpellingBee.com.

    The top two winners plus one parent each from every city will be given an all expenses paid trip to NJ on August 15 for the FINALS. SONY Entertainment Television Asia is the exclusive broadcast partner for the MetLife South Asian Spelling Bee and will be airing the series across 120 countries. Find us on Facebook at South Asian Spelling Bee and you can follow us on our Twitter handle at Spell South Asian. To reserve your FREE passes to the Finals, please log on towww.SouthAsianSpellingBee.com and fill in your details

    About Touchdown Media Inc.:
    Touchdown Media Inc. is a specialized South Asian advertising and promotions firm based in New Jersey. Now in its 11th successful year, Touchdown has helped clients- both mainstream and otherwise, reach out to the lucrative South Asian market, Touchdown Media represents more than 35 years of collective experience in this niche market. As a full service ad firm, Touchdown has helped many clients achieve their media and marketing goals within the South Asian Diaspora in the US.

    About MetLife:
    MetLife, Inc. (NYSE: MET), through its subsidiaries and affiliates (“MetLife”), is a leading global provider of insurance, annuities and employee benefit programs. MetLife holds leading market positions in the United States, Japan, Latin America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. For more information, visit www.metlife.com.

  • Bergdahl scheduled to arrive in Texas today

    Bergdahl scheduled to arrive in Texas today

    WASHINGTON (TIP): Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who has been recovering in Germany after five years as a Taliban captive, is returning to the United States on June 13, but he will not receive the promotion that would have been automatic had he still been held prisoner. Rear Adm. John Kirby, the Pentagon press secretary, said on Thursday that Bergdahl had left Germany on board a US military aircraft and was expected to arrive at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, early Friday morning.

    A US official, meanwhile, said the promotion list, which would have boosted Bergdahl to staff sergeant, was expected to be released this week and he would not be on it. Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told The Associated Press last week that the promotion would no longer be automatic because Bergdahl is now free and any promotion would be based on routine duty requirements, such as proper levels of training and education as well as job performance.

    The US official said medical personnel had determined that Bergdahl was ready to move on to the third phase of his reintegration process, which would happen at Brooke. The official was not authorized to provide details about Bergdahl’s promotion by name and spoke Thursday on condition of anonymity. Officials had previously said the intention was for Bergdahl to be reunited with his family at Brooke and to spend an undetermined period there in further recuperation.

    Officials have kept a lid on details of Bergdahl’s condition and his travel plans out of concern that he not be rushed back into the public spotlight after a lengthy period in captivity and amid a public uproar over the circumstances of his capture and release. Officials also said on June 12 that the Army has not yet formally begun a new review into the circumstances of Bergdahl’s capture and whether he walked away without leave or was deserting the Army when he was found and taken by insurgents.

  • Dallas to become learning lab for students seeking digital badges

    Dallas to become learning lab for students seeking digital badges

    DALLAS: Students who spend the summer visiting museums, the zoo and public libraries could earn special digital badges through the new Dallas City of Learning project. The project, which kicks off Monday, June 9, is designed to help students show mastery of a skill and show off their accomplishments with badges that are similar to scouting badges.

    Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings and the nonprofit group Big Thought announced the launch of the initiative last week. Big Thought focuses on building partnerships to improve public education through creative learning. This summer’s pilot program is geared to youths ages 5 to 18 and is expected to reach more than 10,000 kids. The activities for the kids run the gamut – hands-on experiences at Dallas public libraries, visits to museums, theater camp sessions and studying animal behavior at the Dallas Zoo.

    The goal is for students to expand their knowledge and collect digital badges to showcase achievements to family, schools and potential employers. Several cities are using the program, which kicked off last year in Chicago, and officials are hoping the program will help participants gain college admission, land internships and secure job interviews. More than 50 organizations have partnered in the initiative in Dallas. Corporate donors are McDermott Foundation, Texas Instruments and Bank of America.

    “Powerful learning occurs when kids explore their interests on their own time in hands-on, collaborative ways,” Rawlings said in the news release. “Dallas is ensuring that all our children have the opportunity to pursue their passions outside the classroom, helping them develop essential skills like critical thinking and problem solving. No matter their interests, talents, background or resources, Dallas’ youth will have access to exciting opportunities to discover and develop creative and intellectual skills.” More information and a searchable database of activities can be found at dallascityoflearning.org. Events can be filtered by location, age range and whether events are free or paid. The initiative wraps up Aug. 25.

  • After shooting, California mulls new gun law

    After shooting, California mulls new gun law

    LOS ANGELES (TIP): Just days after a 22-year-old killed six college students and himself near the campus of the University of California, Santa Barbara, state lawmakers are championing legislation that would permit law enforcement officials and private individuals to seek a restraining order from a judge that would keep people with a potential propensity for violence from buying or owning a gun. The process would be similar to the one currently used for restraining orders in cases of domestic violence.

    The legislation is being introduced this week in response to the attack on Friday by Elliot O Rodger, who was able to buy three guns and go on a rampage despite warnings from his family and mental health professionals that he was unstable and possibly dangerous. Although mass shootings have not translated into stricter gun control laws nationally, they have prompted changes on the state level — largely limiting access to guns, but in some cases loosening existing laws.

    But California, which already has some of the strictest gun control laws in the country, could go even further. The legislation, known as a gun violence restraining order, would allow people to notify courts or law enforcement officials if they are concerned that a family member or friend is at risk of committing violence. Gun control advocates have recently started pushing for such restraining orders in statehouses, expanding on similar laws passed in Connecticut, Indiana and Texas. The bill is expected to face opposition from National Rifle Association.

  • Professor Raj K. Goyal awarded prestigious Middleton Award

    Professor Raj K. Goyal awarded prestigious Middleton Award

    Zafar Iqbal
    WASHINGTON (TIP):Raj K. Goyal received the prestigious Middleton Award at the National Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Research Week on Wednesday, May 22, 2014 for his life time contribution to advancing the field in biomedical research. The Middleton Award is the highest award in biomedical research given by the VA. Dr. Goyal earned his M.B.B.S. degree from Panjab University in 1960 and completed post-graduation (M.D.) at Maulana Azad Medical College, University of Delhi in 1965.

    After a Postdoctoral Fellowship at Yale University School of Medicine, he joined as a faculty member at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston in 1971 and later served as Professor of Medicine at University of Texas Health Center until 1981. He is currently at Harvard Medical School, Boston, holding endowed chairs of Mallinckrodt Professor of Medicine and Charlotte F. and Irving W. Rabb Professor of Medicine. He is also the Director of the Swallowing and Motility Program at the VA Boston Healthcare System.

    He is nationally and internationally recognized for research that has advanced the diagnosis and treatment of esophageal diseases and gastrointestinal motility disorders (diseases of the gut). Dr. Goyal and his team have published more than 200 original research papers in well-reputed medical science journals. Their work has helped provide the foundation for the current understanding of major clinical disorders such as gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD), irritable bowel syndrome IBS), and swallowing disorders, among others. Dr. Goyal can be reached at Raj_Goyal@hms.harvard.edu.

  • Indian origin mom in US keeps dead son’s body in bathtub as part of Hindu rituals

    Indian origin mom in US keeps dead son’s body in bathtub as part of Hindu rituals

    NEW YORK (TIP): Indian origin mom Pallavi Dhawan, who resides in Texas, Dallas has reportedly been accused for killing her 10-year-old son and keeping her body in bathtub for 4 days, which she said that she was following Hindu last rites rituals. Dhawan who packed his son in ice wrote in an affidavit that she did not hurt or kill her son and loved him with all of her heart and never would hurt him in anyway, the New York Daily News reported.

    The 38-year-old is now facing murder charges after she admitted to the Frisco police that she had committed the crime. The Texas mom had mentioned in her affidavit after she realized that her son was dead, she went in a state of shock and wanted only to know who would perform his last rites and therefore, waited for her hubby to come. Dhawan added that his son’s last rites were most imperative and she was not sure if anyone outside the Hindu culture would understand the Hindu belief of rebirth and how important last rites rituals were to allow a soul’s next life to be peaceful.

  • India-US Relations

    India-US Relations

    Dear Editor,
    In my view because of India’s non-alliance policy towards America the US India relationship always at neutral level. During the past 45 years since 1968, many times Americans from the mainstream have asked me about the Hindu majority of India. There is so much information about Hindus of India, yet even elites of America remains relatively ignorant of majority culture of India.

    Just for your information, Swami Shiva(Douglas Blue) of Ram Krishna Temple of Hollywood was trying to help me with my rent last week. My landlord, Dr. Otis Henise, asked him ” with which Christian Church do you belong”. Mind you he is a 79 year old retired dentist, three years of Air Force service, and a Ph.D. in Psychology from UT, Texas. Still he often addresses me as an “Indian without the feathers”, all be it teasingly.

    He believes Rahul Gandhi is related to Mohandas K. Gandhi. This is this arrogance of Americans in general about Christianity, about being the policeman as well as the SAVIOUR of the Third World make India United States relationship unstable. Due to the outspokenness of educated Indians like myself and rise of American Indians of all religious backgrounds in the field of medicine, IT, business and even politics like the governor Bobby Jindal and Nicky Haily hopefully make us mainstream Americans and persuade American government to realize that good relationship with the largest democracy in the world is essential for global economy and survival.

    We must all be bold and united as the Jewish American community and try to impress on the American media and public at large that we are very much like Americans despite our different outlooks on religion and the life itself. CNN is doing a good job through our distinguished reporters like Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Fareed Zakaria. Don’t you think so? Your publication is also a great medium of truthful information about India. Good luck and God Bless.

  • Celebrating LBJ’s Legacy: A Reminder of Texas’ Civil Rights Challenges Today

    Celebrating LBJ’s Legacy: A Reminder of Texas’ Civil Rights Challenges Today

    DALLAS, TX (TIP): This week, the civil rights legacy of President Lyndon B. Johnson is being celebrated and every Texan should be proud.

    President Barack Obama and three living former U.S. Presidents — George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter — are visiting the LBJ Presidential Library in Austin to discuss such issues as same-sex marriage, immigration policy, race, women, and education and to honor President Johnson’s tremendous leadership in winning passage of the Civil Rights Act in 1964 and the Voting Rights Act in 1965.

    Together, these laws set out to ban discrimination based on race, color, sex, religion, or national origin and our nation is better, stronger and more righteous because of LBJ’s courage, vision and iron will. In the years since the passage of these benchmark symbols of American progress, other Texas leaders — Senator Lloyd Bentsen, Congresswoman Barbara Jordan, Congressman Henry B. Gonzalez, Governor Ann Richards, Speaker Jim Wright and many others — have honored Johnson’s legacy by continuing to work on behalf of all Texans.

    It is important, though, that this occasion in Austin also acknowledge the shadow hanging over the Lone Star state because of how some Texas political leaders continue to engage in ugly and overt discrimination against Texas Hispanics and African Americans. Our current Governor, our Attorney General and some leaders in the State House and State Senate are marring Texas’ proud legacy of civil rights heroes like Lyndon B. Johnson.

    In Texas two years ago, a three-judge federal court ruled that Texas leaders intentionally discriminated against Hispanic and African American Texans when they drew up and adopted discriminatory congressional and legislative district lines. Less than a year later, a different federal court found that Texas leaders discriminated against Hispanic and African American Texans in enacting a restrictive new Voter ID law. No other state in the country has adopted a redistricting plan or a voter ID law that has been found to violate the Voting Rights Act.

    This didn’t happen 50 years ago or even 15 years ago. It happened two years ago — and it happened because legislative leaders passed these laws under the guidance of Attorney General Greg Abbott, with the support and encouragement of Governor Rick Perry. Back in 1964, when LBJ passed the Civil Rights Act, Hispanics and African Americans combined made up less than 20 percent of the Texas population. Today, these Texans and other minorities constitute more than half of our state’s citizens. Abbott, Perry and GOP legislative leaders should be working to win the support of this rapidly growing part of the Texas electorate.

    Instead, they have chosen to undermine and suppress the strength and influence of minority voters — to cheat these Texans out of their chance to vote for candidates they care about and policies they believe in. In Texas today, those fighting for civil rights don’t wield fire hoses in the streets or collect taxes and administer tests at the polls.

    But the Texas politicians who fight voting fairness today use the Texas Attorney General’s office and legislative weapons that have the same effect, often using them against the same minority senior citizens who fought the early civil rights battles. It is profoundly important to honor President Johnson’s historic contributions to justice and democracy — and to appreciate how hard he fought for the rights of every Texan and every American. We cannot properly honor President Johnson or his legacy, however, unless we are also unafraid to call out the current state leaders who somehow see their own ambitions and political future dependent upon discounting and suppressing the precious voting rights of Texas voters.

  • Hindu Temple burned to ground in Pakistan – the Muslim response

    Hindu Temple burned to ground in Pakistan – the Muslim response

    DALLAS, TX (TIP): The World Muslim Congress is joined by the Institute of Quranic knowledge and Intrafaith Religious Acceptance of Quran, and Pakistan American Association of Texas in condemning the violent act of burning the Hindu Temple in Larkana, Sindh, by an aggressive mob, unfortunately in the name of peace; Islam.

    Reuters reported, “Hundreds of angry Pakistanis attacked a Hindu temple and set it on fire in southern Pakistan overnight following a rumour that a member of the Hindu community had desecrated the Koran, police and community leaders said on Sunday.” As Muslims, we are embarrassed with the acts of these men who acted on their own, and we condemn these acts unequivocally, commented Mike Ghouse who heads the World Muslim Congress, a think tank in Dallas, Texas.

    We do however, appreciate one small ray of hope, “The Pakistani Muslim scholars have denounced attacks on a Hindu temple in Sindh’s Larkana district, calling for urgent probe into the incident in which protests against Qur’an desecration turned into violent clashes.” The Muslim majority is deeply concerned about it, and we urge Muslims around the world in general and Pakistani Muslims in particular to create a fund to rebuild the temple that is the least one can do to fellow countrymen.

    Every society has a responsibility to guard the safety of its minorities, women, seniors and the children; no one should feel fearful of the majorities that is the hallmark of civil societies. Dr. Basheer Ahmed of IQRA and Dr. Amer Suleman of PAAT felt the responsibility to take that first step in building a cohesive Pakistan where every Pakistani feels safe. The least we can do is to contribute towards restoring the Temple. The Pakistan American Association of Texas is celebrating the Pakistan day on March 23rd in Dallas, and has generously donated a booth at the Mela to raise the funds.

    All proceeds will go towards restoration of the temple. We have ways to go; a few among us feel insecure in our faith. God is not going anywhere, Quran will not disappear if someone desecrates or burns it, nor Prophet will be affected by any acts, they have been around, and Alhamdu Lillah they will be there forever. It is odd that Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mahmood Ashrafi, the Chairman of the Pakistan Ulema Council (PUC), told The News on Monday, March 17, “Our religion, Islam, preaches peace, love and forbearance,” Then he goes on to justify the violence. “However, it is also necessary that the followers of other religions should respect the sentiments of the Muslims.” This is disrespectful to Islam’s principles of peace.

    Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) prayed for those who threw rocks at him on his way to Taif, even Arch angel Gabriel offered to crush the miscreants, but prophet did not extract a pound of flesh, nor did he blame the miscreants, he forgave them and prayed for them unconditionally. That is the religion of peace, and that is the model we need to follow. While Law and order brings the situation under control; it does not put off the fires completely, the dying sparks grow and explode again unless they are addressed. Muslims at large are at fault for allowing the abuse of blasphemy laws in Pakistan, which is anathema to the Character of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), regarded as mercy to the mankind.

    It is time for us Muslims to mean it, that we the followers of Prophet Muhammad follow the principles of peace he taught us; indeed he was Rahmatul Aalameen – a mercy to mankind. No human should fear us, instead they should feel safe and secure and say it out of their hearts that Muslims are peace loving people and follow the principles of their prophet. Do Prophet Muhammad , Quran and God need our protection? If we believe that they need our protection, then we are dead wrong. As Muslims, we need to believe in the prophet, he is not going anywhere nor will he be hurt or harmed with any insults.

    Islam stands on its own; it does not need our defense, and it is silly to protect God or the Prophet, they are not weaklings or our property to protect, they belong to the whole universe, don’t they? If they curse the prophet, prophet is not going to be cursed, let us have the strength in our faith and return badness with Good, as he guided us to do; we know all the examples of his work, can we not be Rahmatul Aalameen to the people of the Alam?

    Contact information
    1. Mike Ghouse, President, WMC, MikeGhouse@aol.com (214) 325-1916
    2. Dr. Basheer Ahmed, President, IQRA, mbahmed05@yahoo.com
    3. Dr. Amer Suleman, President, PAAT, suleman.amer@gmail.com

    Funds can be donated to PAAT or IQRA, and funds of over $100.00 can be donated online at America Together Foundation http://americatogetherfoundation.com/d onate/ – 100% of the proceeds will go the restoration of the temple. All donations will be reported, and donations of over $100 will be listed at WorldMuslimCongress.com website.

  • Texas executes man convicted of killing teenage girl

    Texas executes man convicted of killing teenage girl

    WASHINGTON (TIP): Texas on April 3 executed a suspected serial killer convicted of stabbing a teenage girl to death, a day after a federal appeals court rejected his challenge over the drugs to be used in his lethal injection.

    Tommy Lynn Sells, 49, was pronounced dead at 6:27pm CDT (2327 GMT) after receiving a lethal dose of drugs at a state prison in Huntsville, Texas, the state’s Department of Criminal Justice said. He made no final statement.

    Sells was the 15th person executed in the United States this year and the fifth in Texas, the state that executes more people than any other in the nation, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. Attorneys for Sells had challenged the state’s lack of disclosure about the supplier of the drugs to be used to kill him, winning a temporary stay from a federal judge in Houston that was overturned hours later by a federal appeals panel.

    The appeals court said the case might be different if the state were using a drug never before used or unheard of, whose effectiveness was completely unknown, which was not the case. The US Supreme Court denied his last appeals about an hour before the execution. After the stay was denied, attorneys for Sells said they hoped the US Supreme Court and Texas courts ultimately will find transparency essential to protect the rights of prisoners.

    “Without transparency about lethal injections, particularly the source and purity of drugs to be used, it is impossible to ensure that executions are humane and constitutional,” attorneys Maurie Levin and Jonathan Ross said in a statement. Sells was convicted of stabbing a 13-year-old girl to death and attempting to kill a 10-year-old girl on New Year’s Eve of 1999 at the Del Rio home of a man who owed him drug money, according to court documents.

    Sells went to the house to sexually assault the girl as pay-back for the drug debt. He broke in, found her sleeping on a bunk bed and began assaulting her. When she awoke, he stabbed her multiple times and slashed her throat, killing her, court documents showed. Sells then slit the throat of a 10-year-old girl who was sleeping in the top bunk. After he fled, that girl walked to a nearby neighbor’s house to get help, court documents showed. According to various media reports, Sells confessed to as many as 70 murders, starting when he was 16 years old. Texas has executed 513 people since the US Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976.

  • Tiger Woods to miss Masters after back surgery

    Tiger Woods to miss Masters after back surgery

    LOS ANGELES (TIP):World number one Tiger Woods said Tuesday he will miss the Masters after undergoing back surgery earlier this week to treat a pinched nerve that has been troubling him for several months. “Sad to say I’m missing the Masters. Thanks to the fans for so many kind wishes,” Woods, a 14-time major champion chasing the all-time record 18 majors won by Jack Nicklaus, said on Twitter and on his website. It will be the first time Woods has missed golf’s premier tournament, which starts on Thursday for the 78th time, since he made his debut at Augusta National in Georgia as an amateur in 1995.

    It will also raise more question marks over whether he can ever catch up with Nicklaus, although he insists he can still do it. The surgery was performed on Monday in Park City, Utah, by neurosurgeon Charles Rich, and the 38- year-old will require several weeks rehabilitation. “After attempting to get ready for the Masters, and failing to make the necessary progress, I decided, in consultation with my doctors, to have this procedure done,” Woods said in a statement. “I’d like to express my disappointment to the Augusta National membership, staff, volunteers and patrons that I will not be at the Masters.

    “It’s a week that’s very special to me. It also looks like I’ll be forced to miss several upcoming tournaments to focus on my rehabilitation and getting healthy. “It’s tough right now, but I’m absolutely optimistic about the future,” said Woods, who has had a succession of crippling injuries over the last few years to his knees, wrists and now back, the payback for years of employing one of the most dynamic swings in all of golf. He may yet be joined on the absent list at Augusta by great rival and three-time previous winner Phil Mickelson, who was forced to pull out of last week’s Texas Open with a strained muscle in his side.

    Earlier in the year he too was sidelined with back pain. Woods has played in every Masters since 1995 and has become the tournament’s star turn and biggest draw. The following year, he missed his only cut at Augusta National just a few months prior to turning pro. In 1997, in his first major championship as a pro,Woods won the Masters by a record 12 shots, the first of his 14 major titles. He went on to win the Masters in 2001, 2002 and 2005. Since his last victory at Augusta, Woods has seven top-10 finishes in eight appearances and six top-5s, including last year, when he tied for fourth, four strokes behind winner Adam Scott.

    But Woods has endured a nightmare start to a crucial year in his quest to set golf’s major win record. Last month he withdrew in the final round of the Honda Classic, then battled back spasms to a last-round 78 at Doral and skipped the Arnold Palmer Invitational, typically his last warmup for the first major of the year at Augusta National. He will begin intensive rehabilitation within a week, with doctors estimating he could be chipping and putting again in three weeks, and playing again sometime this summer in time for the US and British Opens.

  • Fort Hood Shooting leaves 3 dead, 16 injured

    Fort Hood Shooting leaves 3 dead, 16 injured

    Psychiatric issues behind shooter’s behavior

    WASHINGTON (TIP): Specialist Ivan Lopez has been identified by authorities as the man who opened fire at Fort Hood in Texas on Wednesday, April 2, killing three people before committing suicide. Sixteen more people were injured when Ivan opened fire at Fort Hood, the sprawling Army post in Texas still on edge after a mass shooting there left 13 dead in 2009, officials said.

    The gunman also died. He was engaged by military police before he fatally shot himself in the head, said the Army post’s commander, Lt. Gen. Mark A. Milley. The suspect, a soldier who had served in Iraq, “had behavioral health and mental health” issues, Milley told reporters late Wednesday.

    A day after a shooting rampage at Fort Hood, Texas, left three soldiers dead and 16 wounded, a key question looms over the investigation: Why? Authorities are still piecing together the answer, but seem to be homing in on at least one thing that they say might have made 34-year-old Spc. Ivan Lopez pull the trigger. have very strong evidence that he had a medical history that indicates an unstable psychiatric or psychological condition. (We’re) going through all records to ensure that is, in fact, correct. But we believe that to be the fundamental underlying causal factor,” Lt. Gen. Mark Milley, the post’s commanding general, told reporters Thursday.

    The rampage started around 4 p.m. Wednesday, when Lopez fired his .45-caliber handgun at two buildings at the sprawling Texas military facility. When a police officer confronted him later, he put the gun to his head and pulled the trigger, ending his life. The gunman was an experienced soldier who was grappling with mental illness, officials said. But they haven’t pinpointed why he opened fire. Authorities are interviewing witnesses and “looking at what the trigger event was” that led to the shooting, including a possible altercation with a fellow soldier “that immediately preceded the shooting,” Milley said.

    Investigators say they haven’t found any links to domestic or international terrorist organizations, but they’re keeping open minds. “At this point we have not yet ruled out anything whatsoever,” Milley said. “We are committed to letting the investigation run its course.” Another key question for investigators: did any gaps in safety and security measures allow the shooting to take place? “Obviously something went wrong,” U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told reporters on Thursday.

    But he stressed that investigators were still trying to piece together the events leading up to the shooting. “We know a lot of things 24 hours later, but we don’t know everything,” Hagel said. “What happened? What motivated this person to do this? Where was the gap? Why did we have a gap? Why did it happen? … I think we are going to find out, and we will do everything possible to implement those reforms and fill those kinds of gaps.”

  • Cops Find 100 People in Texas Home in Apparent Smuggling Bust

    Cops Find 100 People in Texas Home in Apparent Smuggling Bust

    HOUSTON (TIP): Police in Houston find more than 100 people crammed into a 1,500-square-foot, single-family house while searching for a woman who was reported missing.

    Most are from Guatemala, Mexico, Honduras and El Salvador Houston police searching for a woman who had been reported missing by her family discovered a house overflowing with more than 100 people Wednesday, March 19 in what appeared to be part of a human smuggling operation.

    Police discovered the home just outside Houston while searching for a 24-year-old woman who had been reported missing, along with her two young children, the Associated Press reports. When they searched the home, they found 94 men-all in their undergarments and without shoes-and 15 women (including the missing woman and her children) in a 1,500-square-foot house.

    The people were lying in filth in several small rooms with access to only one bathroom, the AP reports. Police spokesman John Cannon said most of the people had been in the home for a few days, and one woman said she had been there more than two weeks. “It was just filth, very squalid-like conditions inside,” Cannon said. “Trash bags with clothing piled as high as you can see. … Some were just sitting on top of one another because there was just no room.”

    Houston police handed over investigation of the matter to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which said the people in the home were primarily from Guatemala, Mexico, Honduras and El Salvador. A pregnant woman and a man were taken to the hospital for treatment, and all others will be fed and questioned. A spokesman for ICE told the AP it was too early in the investigation to say whether the house was part of a human trafficking operation, but it appeared that way. The ICE spokesman also said it has been years since police discovered a house in the Houston area with that many people inside; in 2012, police found a house containing 86 people.

  • Veterans unemployment rises in Texas, falls nationally

    Veterans unemployment rises in Texas, falls nationally

    DALLAS (TIP): The unemployment rate of military veterans rose in Texas last year, showing it’s still tough for returning soldiers to find a job even as the economy improves.Rates are highest among veterans who have returned home since the September 2001 terrorist attacks.

    In Texas, 19,000 of those veterans, or 8.7 percent, were out of work last year, according to information released Thursday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s up from 8.3 percent in 2012 and much higher than the 2013 average unemployment rate of 6.3 percent for all Texans. A similar trend was seen for all veterans in 2013: While the unemployment rate in Texas rose slightly, it declined nationally.

    Andy Nguyen, a former U.S. Marine and president of Dallas nonprofit Honor Courage Commitment, thinks part of the reason for the increase in Texas is that more veterans are returning to Texas or moving here to look for work.”I have seen more companies be more receptive about hiring veterans,” said Nguyen, whose nonprofit recruits, educates and mentors new veterans. “It’s getting better each year, but there’s still a huge gap and a long way to go.”

    The U.S. unemployment rate for post-9/11 veterans edged down to 9 percent in 2013, from 9.9 percent in 2012. However the number of unemployed vets was the same at 205,000 as more veterans entered the workforce. Also, last year’s rate was well above the nation’s overall unemployment rate of 6.7 percent for 2013. When Glenn Roper retired as an Army lieutenant colonel last August without another job, he and his family sat down to make some tough decisions.

    He gave up his gym membership, his wife cut manicures and pedicures, his two teenagers didn’t play youth sports, and they ate out less. Roper landed a job in late October as an inventory analyst with a Dallas wireless equipment provider after searching for six months. He credits networking through LinkedIn and Nguyen’s group with helping him get hired. Still, he said it was a major transition – and one that many veterans struggle with. “You have to get into the corporate life,” Roper, 49, said. “You have to learn a new language. You have to learn to sell yourself. I had to go get a business suit.”

    Women, younger vets
    Women and younger veterans have fared the worst in the job market. “Women have a lot more to deal with – they’re often mothers with families to maintain – and more of our recent veterans are women,” said Jim Reid, president of Momentum Texas Inc., a Dallas nonprofit that helps new veterans find a job or start a business. “People returning from Afghanistan and Iraq need down time. A lot of them tend to be very young with no employment experience.”

  • John Sharp: Education is key to a bright future for Texas

    John Sharp: Education is key to a bright future for Texas

    FORT WORTH (TIP): The future of this state can be predicted just by peeking into an elementary school classroom. As businesses continue to flock to Texas, it’s more crucial than ever to create a skilled workforce – which means encouraging Texas’ youth to go to college, Texas A&M Chancellor John Sharp said Thursday, March 20.

    “We have got to start paying attention to the most important economic asset,” Sharp told a crowd of more than 200 gathered for the Jim Wright Symposium at Texas Christian University. “That is those students sitting in first grade classrooms.” Sharp, who became chancellor of the Texas A&M University System in late 2011, served as a Democrat in the Texas House and Senate for years before serving on the state’s Railroad Commission and as Texas’ Comptroller.

    Narrowly defeated by fellow Texas A&M alum Republican Rick Perry in 1998, as they both sought to become the state’s next lieutenant governor, the two have worked together over the years on issues such as overhauling state business taxes. (Sharp did note Thursday that he had a higher grade point average in school than Perry). Sharp, who has deep local ties since his daughter Victoria was adopted from the Gladney Center for Adoption in Fort Worth, has been in town more frequently since Texas A&M opened a law school in Fort Worth.

    On Thursday, however, his focus was on “the good and the bad of what’s headed to Texas.” While cattle, cotton and oil and gas have dictated much of the state’s success in the past, the future will be carved out by whether there are enough educated youths to fill the jobs that will be open. To get to that point, mediocrity can’t be tolerated in Texas public schools or colleges, he said. Especially at a time in which the bulk of jobs in the coming years will require at least some higher education, according to data by the Center on Education and the Workforce.

    “If Texas cannot produce a higher percentage of its population able to fill this demand, businesses, including the state’s 52 Fortune 500 companies, may begin to look elsewhere for future employees,” Patrick Kobler, program coordinator for The Alliance to Reform Education Leadership at the George W. Bush Institute, recently blogged. “Preparing more students to succeed in, and ultimately complete, higher education can help ensure businesses continue relocating to – and not out of – Texas.”Kobler noted that a third of the state’s 25- to 34- year-olds have earned an associate degree or higher.

    Sharp said two of the most frequent questions he received as comptroller from businesses looking to relocate in Texas was: How many 18 to 20 year olds live in various Texas counties? And what’s the education level of those youths?That is why today’s children must be encouraged to attend college and become more accustomed to the question, “Where are you going to college?” rather than “Are you going to college”? “If we do this right, we are going to create an economic development system in Texas that literally is going to smoke everyone else,” Sharp said.

  • Ray Jasper, Ex-Rapper Who Killed Studio Owner, Executed In Texas

    Ray Jasper, Ex-Rapper Who Killed Studio Owner, Executed In Texas

    HUNTSVILLE, TX (TIP): A former San Antonio rap musician has been executed for a knife attack and robbery that left a recording studio owner dead.Ray Jasper was injected with a lethal dose of pentobarbital Wednesday, March 19, for the November 1998 stabbing death of 33-yearold David Alejandro.

    Jasper had acknowledged he slit Alejandro’s throat to steal equipment from the San Antonio studio. But he insisted a partner was responsible for Alejandro’s fatal stab wounds. Jasper’s execution was the third in Texas this year.

    Another is set for next week before the state begins using a new batch of pentobarbital obtained through a different pharmacy.The injection came after lawyers for Jasper, who was black, argued a black potential juror at Jasper’s San Antonio trial in 2000 was questioned and disqualified improperly because of race.

  • Texas Honors Student Fatally Shot In The Back By Police Was Legally Drunk: Autopsy

    Texas Honors Student Fatally Shot In The Back By Police Was Legally Drunk: Autopsy

    SAN ANTONIO (TIP): A San Antonio university student killed by a university police officer was shot five times, including a fatal wound to the upper back, during the altercation last year, according to an autopsy report released Thursday, March 20.

    The autopsy on University of Incarnate Word student Robert Cameron Redus also showed the 23-year-old had a blood-alcohol level of .155 percent, nearly twice the legal limit of .08 percent, and showed trace amounts of marijuana in his system, the Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office reported. University police Cpl. Christopher Carter stopped Redus after seeing him drive erratically near campus, according to an offense report by police in Alamo Heights, near the San Antonio campus.

    A witness has said Redus was scuffling with Carter when he was shot Dec. 6. Carter told investigators that Redus resisted arrest repeatedly, grabbed his police baton and began hitting him until he retrieved it from Redus, Alamo Heights Police Chief Richard Pruitt said. Carter said he then drew his gun and warned Redus repeatedly to stop or be shot, but then he opened fire when Redus charged at him with arms raised, Pruitt said.

    Carter fired six times, hitting Redus in the left eye, upper chest, left elbow, right hip and upper back. The report does not indicate the sequence in which the wounds were inflicted, but the back wound was judged the most immediately lethal. Carter remains on administrative leave pending the results of an investigation by the Texas Rangers. Redus’ family members have said they understand Redus was resisting arrest, but they contend he was initially cooperative and question the justification in shooting an unarmed student. “We continue to wait on justice to be done,” a family statement issued Thursday concluded.

  • Texas DPS launches crimes against children unit

    Texas DPS launches crimes against children unit

    AUSTIN (TIP): The youngest crime victims in Texas have another law enforcement unit ready to help. The Department of Public Safety has announced creation of the Texas Crimes Against Children Center within the Texas Rangers division.

    DPS on Tuesday, March 18 said the center will help protect children through the collection and dissemination of intelligence, investigative support and cooperation with victim-assistance counselors. Center staff will also help coordinate investigations related to missing and exploited children, trafficking, child abductions and other high-risk threats to young people.

    DPS already teaches law officers about indicators to identify and recover missing or exploited children during standard traffic stops. The agency, with help from that program, has initiated more than 30 criminal investigations and recovered 112 missing or endangered children since 2010.

  • INDIAN WOMAN IN US FOUND GUILTY OF SETTING HUSBAND AFIRE

    INDIAN WOMAN IN US FOUND GUILTY OF SETTING HUSBAND AFIRE

    HOUSTON: A 27-year-old Indian-origin woman in the US state of Texas has been found guilty of causing arson that killed her husband two years ago. Shriya Bimal Patel was convicted on Monday of dousing her husband Biman Patel in gasoline and setting him on fire in 2012.

    Bimal, 29, died at the burn centre of the San Antonio Military Medical Center, nearly five months after the April 17 incident. She faces five to 99 years in prison. In closing arguments on Monday, the state asked jurors to recommend a life sentence for Shriya, who witnesses have said intentionally ignited an explosion that killed Bimal. Defence lawyers, however, sought probation for her.

    They said Shriya would be deported to India should she receive community supervision. Testimonies ended on Friday when defence attorneys called their only witness, an associate professor of Indian culture from the University of Texas. Her lawyers have argued that her husband killed himself and forced her to help.

    Prosecutors said Shriya, who had studied in London and lived in Dubai was used to an upper-class lifestyle, was upset because Bimal did not lived up to her expectations. They said she was disappointed that Bimal had been laid off from a telemarketing job and was struggling to pay his rent.

  • FBI docs reveal alleged Islamist terror training compound in Texas

    FBI docs reveal alleged Islamist terror training compound in Texas

    AUSTIN, TX (TIP): About three hours away from Austin, Texas, sits what declassified FBI documents say is an alleged Islamist training compound, the Clarion Project reported Tuesday, March 11.

    According to the Clarion Project, the enclave in Texas is one of 22 such compounds owned by the group, Muslims of the Americas, an organization linked to radical Pakistani Muslim cleric Sheikh Mubarak Ali Gilani. According to the documents obtained by Clarion, the network is headquartered in “Islamberg,” a community in rural New York.

    The Texas compound, located in Brazoria County near Sweeny, is known as “Mahmoudberg.” According to Clarion, a spokesman for the group declared the U.S. to be a Muslim-majority country, a claim easily debunked.Clarion also cited a 2007 FBI report that said MOA members have been involved in at least 10 murders, one disappearance, three firebombings, one attempted firebombing, two explosive bombings and one attempted bombing.

    “The documented propensity for violence by this organization supports the belief the leadership of the MOA extols membership to pursue a policy of jihad or holy war against individuals or groups it considers enemies of Islam, which includes the U.S. Government. Members of the MOA are encouraged to travel to Pakistan to receive religious and military/terrorist training from Sheikh Gilani,” the document added.

    Local residents have reported gunfire in the area, but that is common in rural Texas. Clarion posted pictures of shells it claims to have found in the vicinity. The compound was also the site of a 2002 shooting incident where one member of the group reportedly shot another. FBI documents revealed that group members did not cooperate with authorities and women wearing veils were not permitted to speak directly with officers.

    The organization has been in Texas since the 1980s and maintains an outreach facility in Houston, Clarion added. Authorities also raided a nearly 45-acre “compound” about 70 miles south of Dallas in 1991 after a MOA/Jamaat-ul-Fuqra bomb plot in Toronto was foiled. The organization is allowed to operate in the country, Clarion said, because the State Department has not designated MOA/Jamaat ul-Fuqra as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.

    “The group is thus permitted to organize in the U.S. until that happens,” Clarion said, even though the State Department has recognized the organization’s terrorist agenda. In 1998, the State Department called the group an “Islamic sect that seeks to purify Islam through violence.” “Jamaat ul-Fuqra has never been designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. It was included in several recent annual terrorism reports under ‘other terrorist groups,’ i.e., groups that had carried out acts of terrorism but that were not formally designated by the Secretary of State.

    However, because of the group’s inactivity during 2000, it was not included in the most recent terrorism report covering that calendar year,” a State Department spokesman said in 2002. Nevertheless, the FBI is concerned about the organization, and Clarion said the group needs to be designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization “before it’s too late.”

  • Texas man found guilty in Lafayette federal court of attempted sex crime

    Texas man found guilty in Lafayette federal court of attempted sex crime

    LAFAYETTE, TX (TIP): A Texas man was convicted this week in a federal trial for trying to entice a 14-year-old into a sexual relationship through online chats in 2012, U.S. Attorney Stephanie Finley said in an emailed release.

    Elton Ray Jones, 67, of Zavalla, Texas, faces 10 years to life in a federal prison after a jury found him guilty of one count of trying to entice a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity. After a two-day trial, the jury deliberated for one hour before announcing the verdict Tuesday.

    Finley said Jones engaged in online conversations with a law enforcement officer posing as a 14-year-old girl in an online chat room from Sept. 11, 2012, to Oct. 17, 2012. “Jones engaged in explicit conversations with the girl and planned a sexual encounter,” Finley said. Jones was arrested Oct. 17, 2012, in Lafayette after traveling from Texas for the date.

    In addition to the possible life sentence, Jones faces five years to life of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. He also will be ordered to register as a sex offender if he’s released. U.S. District Judge Elizabeth Foote, who presided over the trial, did not set a date for sentencing. The case was part of a U.S. Department of Justice program called Project Safe Childhood, a federal policeprosecutor initiative designed to combat the sexual exploitation of children.

  • Texas dad killed daughter, her lesbian lover because he disliked that she was gay: mom

    Texas dad killed daughter, her lesbian lover because he disliked that she was gay: mom

    DALLAS (TIP): A Texas dad disgusted with his daughter’s lesbian lifestyle murdered the young woman and her lover, the girl’s mother said in a shocking twist to a gruesome case.

    James Cosby, 46, bludgeoned his daughter Britney Cosby to death and shot her lover, Crystal Jackson, on March 6 before dumping the bodies near the ferry gate in Port Bolivar, Texas, police believe.The bodies were found near a Dumpster around 7:30 a.m. the next day outside a Fisherman’s Cove food mart.

    Both women were 24. Britney’s mother told KHOU-TV that Cosby was angry his daughter was gay. “He said it to me a few times that he did not like the idea of her being gay,” Loranda McDonald told the TV station. “But, like I told him, there’s nothing we could do about that. That’s who she is. We can’t change her lifestyle.”

    Capital murder charges are pending against James Cosby, a registered sex offender released from prison in October, Galveston Sheriff Office Capt. Barry Cook told the Daily News. The murder weapons have not been recovered and Britney Cosby’s recently purchased 2006 Kia Sorento is still missing. (Source: KHOU-TV)

  • University of Texas, San Antonio wins Bhangra competition

    University of Texas, San Antonio wins Bhangra competition

    DALLAS (TIP): As in the past, competitions in Bhangra- the folk dance of Punjab- and Garba- the folk dance of Gujarat- were held at Southern Methodist University of Dallas. It was a kind of a record breaking event in which a large number of organizations participated and a very large number of audiences turned up.

    The event was jointly managed by Indian Punjabi Students’ Association and Punjabi Cultural Association of Dallas. 7 Bhangra teams and 6 Garba teams vied for honors. It is worth mentioning that spectators were thrilled to watch the Bhangra performances in which the local youth participated who presented the folk dance of Punjab in different styles.

    5

    The performances were so good that the three judges had a great difficulty in deciding their order of merit. However, the three judges unanimously decided that University of Texas, San Antonio Bhangra team was the best performer. The second position went to the Massachusetts team.

    In a joint statement, the PCANT group members Gurinder Daula, Manjit Johal, chairman Kuldip Dhillon and president Jasmel Sandhu, said that the quality of performances was excellent and that the young participants must be encouraged in every way. The ceremonies were conducted by Parminder Singh Deo, Javin Malli, Osama Siddiqui and Nimesh Patel. The organizers had a special word of appreciation and gratitude for Radio Wasda Rahe Punjab and Fun Asia.

  • Indian woman accused of killing husband in US faces life term

    Indian woman accused of killing husband in US faces life term

    DALLAS (TIP): US prosecutors have rested their case against a 27-yearold Indian-origin woman, who faces life sentence for allegedly killing her husband by setting him afire two years ago.

    Shriya Patel’s trial began on March 4 in Austin,Texas, with prosecutors accusing her of luring her husband into the bathtub for a massage, dousing him with gasoline and then setting him ablaze before shutting him in the bathroom. Bimal Patel, 29, died at the burn centre of the San Antonio Military Medical Center, nearly five months after the April 17, 2012, incident.

    Judge David Crain told jurors the defense will begin making its case today. In testimony yesterday, the state presented evidence from DNA experts who said Shriya Patel’s fingerprints were found on a 10-gallon white bucket that contained gasoline and plastic bags that witnesses have said were used to cover the sprinklers in the couple’s North Austin apartment. Testing results on prints found on a red gas can could not be matched to her, witnesses said.

    She faces a life sentence in prison without parole if convicted, the Austin American- Statesman reported. Under cross-examination, the crime scene specialists testified that they were not asked to test the materials in the apartment until last month, nearly two years after the incident. The defense received the DNA evidence on Monday, they said. The evidence came during a heated cross-examination of an arson investigator in the capital murder trial for Shriya Patel.

    Her lawyers are arguing that her husband killed himself and forced her to help. In opening statement, assistant district attorney Jim Young said Bimal Patel, who had been born in India, “grew up basically an American kid” in Amarillo. He went to Texas Tech and moved to Austin, where he became involved in business, but his father was a traditionalist and had pushed him to seek a partner through an arranged marriage service in India, the prosecutor said.

    Through this service, he submitted a resume and met Shriya Patel, Young said. The two married, but it took about a year for her to get her passport to come to the US, and she had only been in the country a week when she decided to kill her husband, the prosecutor said.

  • Mother searching for missing Texas teen last seen on Butler campus

    Mother searching for missing Texas teen last seen on Butler campus

    INDIANAPOLIS (TIP) – A 15-year-old boy more then eight hundred miles away from home is missing in Indianapolis. Stephen Colbert is in town from Wylie, Texas, which is close to the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

    He’s here to take part in a large band festival called the Music For All National Festival. School administrators said there are about 60 students and chaperones in their specific delegation.According to IMPD, the last time anyone saw the 15-year-old was Thursday night at Clowes Hall on the campus of Butler University.Friday night the teen’s mother came to Indianapolis on a frantic search for answers.

    She’s talking to police and desperate to find her son. Kristen Colbert said her son Stephen wouldn’t simply disappear. “I just need more answers. I feel like I’m in the dark,” she told FOX 59 moments after arriving in Indianapolis. She hopped on a plane Friday afternoon from Dallas to Indianapolis. Colbert said her son, a clarinet player, is a good student, a model big-brother, and responsible young man.

    “The last text message was at two o’clock yesterday. He told me he’d arrived safely here in Indianapolis and that was the last contact I had with him,” said Colbert.Colbert tells us Stephen left the JW Marriott on Thursday and went to performances at Butler’s campus with his school group that night. He promised he’d call and keep her in the loop. But Stephen never checked back into his hotel room Thursday night.

    IMPD said there’s surveillance video showing he never got back off the bus at the hotel.“I’m glad I’m here. I need to search for him and try and find him and bring him home,” said Kristen Colbert.IMPD and Butler Police searched the area around campus Friday with no luck. Police said right now, this isn’t being investigated as an abduction case, so talking to Colbert’s parents is crucial.His mother brought the student’s laptop for police to analyze.

    While Kristen Colbert is in Indianapolis, her husband is in Texas, with plans to come to the city soon.“He’s not the type of kid who would run away. He’s pretty serious-minded,” said Erick Colbert, in an interview with our Dallas-Fort Worth FOX affiliate.Both parents are hoping someone in Indianapolis can help them find Stephen. Administrators with the Wylie ISD in Wylie, Texas are on the way to Indianapolis. The superintendent and others were to have arrived by plane Friday night.