REMEMBERING MUMBAI - 26/11

The Indo American Political Action of Committee of Greater Houston (IAPAC) remembers the attack of terrorists with pain and sorrow.

President Obama made the following statement at his address to the Parliament of India during his recent visit to India: “And we'll continue to insist to Pakistan's leaders that terrorist safe havens within their borders are unacceptable, and that terrorists behind the Mumbai attacks must be brought to justice.”

Subsequently, the joint statement issued by President Obama and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh gave a call against terrorism and said that all terror networks, “including the Lashkar-e-Taiba, must be defeated.”

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sent a message of solidarity Thursday to mark the assaults, in which 10 men stormed the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus station, the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower and Oberoi-Trident hotels, and the Jewish cultural center, Chabad House.
"As the people of the United States gather with family to celebrate Thanksgiving, we pause to remember the horrific attack on innocent men, women and children that occurred in Mumbai two years ago," Clinton said in a statement. "Now, as then, the American people stand in solidarity with the people of India and honor those who lost their lives.
"President Obama's recent visit to India underscored our nations' shared belief in liberty, democracy and mutual respect for all people. As the people of Mumbai gather in temples, mosques, churches, gurdwaras and synagogues to honor those who perished on November 26, 2008, they send a message of resolve, resilience and mutual respect that is far louder and more powerful than any terrorist's guns and bombs."

A Ministry of External Affairs of India Press Release on November 25th 2010 states that the Government of India has conveyed to Pakistan its regret that despite the repeated assurances given by Pakistan’s leadership at the highest level and the extensive cooperation extended by India in connection with the ongoing trial and investigation in Pakistan on the Mumbai terrorist attacks, substantive and verifiable progress has not been made on bringing all the perpetrators and masterminds of the heinous attacks to justice. India has once again called upon Pakistan to fulfill its stated commitment to bring all the perpetrators of the Mumbai terrorist attacks to justice and unravel the larger conspiracy behind the attacks. A time-bound fulfillment of its stated commitments by Pakistan would not only go a long way towards building trust and confidence between the two countries but would also be a reflection of Pakistan’s commitment to combat terrorism comprehensively. Lack of tangible progress in delivering on this vital commitment is increasingly being viewed in the Indian public opinion as dilatory and lacking in seriousness.
Indians will march for peace, pray, and lay wreaths in memory of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, in which 164 people were killed.

IAPAC remembers all those who lost their lives and extends its condolences to the families of the victims.

IAPAC once again calls upon global leaders to show their resolve to bring the perpetrators to justice quickly and take all possible measures to impress upon the Government of Pakistan to take steps towards this end.

Best wishes,
Ramesh Anand

Cell: 832-7316133

EMail: rhappy@gmail.com

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

In 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest feast that is acknowledged today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies. For more than two centuries, days of thanksgiving were celebrated by individual colonies and states. It wasn't until 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, that President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day to be held each November.

For additional information on Thanksgiving, visit:

http://www.history.com/topics/thanksgiving

Best wishes'

Ramesh Anand
Cell: 832-7316133
EMail: rhappy@gmail.com

Happy Gurpurab!

HAPPY GURPURAB!

Happy Gurpurab to all the Sikhs and to everyone who is a well-wisherof the ideals of Sikhism....

LET US ALL CELEBRATE JANAM DIVAS,PRAKASH UTSAV DIVAS OF SHRI GURU NANAK DEV JI...Happy GURPURAB..!!

Raj karega khalsa, aakee rehae naa koe,Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh!Happy Gurpurab....!

DASVEN PATSHAH SRI GURU NANAK DEV JEE DE JANAM DIHA SARIYAN NUNWADHAIYAN...!!Happy GURPURAB..!!

Nanak Nich kahe vichaar,Waria na jaava ek waar,Jo tud bhave sai bhali kaar,Tu sada salamat nirankaarGurpurb Dee Lakh Lakh Wadai..!!

Raj karega khalsa, aakee rehae naa koe,Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh!

Happy Gurpurab....!

For additional information on Gurpurab, visit:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gurpurab

Funeral for Mr. Keshu Patel

vaasaamsi jeernaani yathaa vihaaya navaani gr.hnaathi naro' paraani

thathaa sareeraani vihaaya jeernany-anyaani samyaathi navaani de'hi

"As a man casts off worn-out garments and puts on new ones,

so the embodied soul casts off the worn-out body and enters other new ones."

With deepest sympathy to the family of
Shri Keshubhai Patel
Past President, India Culture Center, Houston, TX
Who passed away on November 15, 2010

Funeral Services
will be held on November 18, 2010 11AM Onwards
Garden Oaks Funeral Home, 13430 Bellaire Blvd, Houston TX 77083

Bhajan
November 18, 2010 7PM Onwards
Residence of the Patels:
14127, Renn Rd., Houston, TX 77083

Happy Halloween

HAPPY HALLOWEEN


Halloween is one of the oldest holidays with origins going back thousands of years. The holiday we know as Halloween has had many influences from many cultures over the centuries. From the Roman's Pomona Day, to the Celtic festival of Samhain, to the Christian holidays of All Saints and All Souls Days. For additional information: http://www.holidays.net/halloween/story.htm


Chief John Chen of HPD Reminds Trick or Treaters to Have Fun but Stay Safe Motorists should use extra caution and watch out for children who are trick or treating, especially after dark. HPD also wants to remind parents of some basic safety tips such as:Never let children walk alone.Do not allow children to enter the cars or homes of strangers.Children should always have an adult inspect candy before eating anything, and never eat any unwrapped food.Children should wear light colored or reflective costumes and should carry a flashlight or other light source to make them more visible. For more Halloween safety tips go to our website www.houstonpolice.org and click on the Keep Houston Safe icon

Mid term election bulletin

Are you ready to cast your vote during the mid-term elections?

As most of you are aware, Midterm elections are general elections in the United States that are held two years after the quadrennial (four-year) elections for the President of the United States (i.e. near the midpoint of the four-year presidential term). Members of United States Congress (including all 435 seats in the United States House of Representatives and full terms for 33 or 34 of the 100 seats in the United States Senate) are elected.

In addition, 34 of the 50 U.S. states elect their governors to four-year terms during midterm elections, while Vermont and New Hampshire elect governors to two-year terms in both midterm and presidential elections. Thus, 36 governors are elected during midterm elections. Many states also elect officers to their state legislatures and county offices every two years, in both midterm and presidential election years. Special elections are often held in conjunction with regular elections, so additional Senators and governors may be elected to partial terms.

Your decision will weigh on a number of critical issues in this year’s mid-term elections: employment, healthcare, the border and immigration, unemployment, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and more. The more educated you are, the more you determine your future.

IAPAC is privileged to be your non partisan political voice.

You will find some useful information re: the midterm elections. Please review the links. Forward the mail to all your friends and associates.

Each vote matters – please make yours count – by voting in what you believe is correct!

This is for information only. Please check with your local city and county office to insure you have all the details.

Ramesh Anand
President


VOTING DATES

First Day of Early Voting - October 18, 2010 (moves to next business day, Monday)
Last Day to Apply for Ballot by Mail (Received, not Postmarked) - October 26, 2010 (must be received, not merely postmarked)
Last Day of Early Voting - October 29, 2010

eSLATE
Beginning with the November 8, 2005 Constitutional Amendment Election, the eSlate polling place voting system and the Ballot Now digital ballot imaging system from Hart InterCivic, Inc. will replace our 20-year old central-count, optical scan system.
For more information, please visit: http://tinyurl.com/27jtogx

More information on voting including where you can vote, etc, please visit:
For residents of Harris County, please visit: http://www.harrisvotes.com/
For residents of Fort Bend County, please visit: http://tinyurl.com/27txl6x

JOINT ELECTIONS FOR PROPOSITIONS YOU MAY BE REQUIRED TO VOTE ON:

Some Harris County & Fort Bend County residents have additional propositions on the
ballot this November. The voting precincts that are affected are
listed with each group below (based upon information from the Ft Bend
Elections Office). Please note that some precincts may be split, so
even if your precinct number appears, your section of the precinct may
not be included in the joint election.

Brazoria-Fort Bend MUD 1 City of Houston Katy ISD

Brazoria-Fort Bend Co MUD 1: precinct 1134
Proposition: The issuance of bonds for recreational facilities and the
levy of taxes in payment of the bonds.

___________________________________________________________________________________________

City of Houston Special Election: precincts 2017, 2023, 2031, 2036,
2051, 2052, 2055, 2056, 2116, 2123, 3004, 3032, 3038, 3043, 3086,
3095, 3098, 3099, 3101, 3130, 3132, 3133, 4126

Proposition 1 Charter Amendment Proposition: Relating to the creation
of a dedicated funding source to enhance, improve and renew drainage
systems and streets. Shall the City Charter of the City of Houston be
amended to provide for the enhancement, improvement and ongoing
renewal of Houston's drainage and streets by creating a dedicated
pay-as-you-go fund for drainage and streets?

Proposition 2 Charter Amendment Proposition: Relating to residency
requirements for District Council office for the November 2011 General
Election. Shall the City Charter of the City of Houston be amended to
provide that for the general election to be held in November 2011, and
for the purpose of redistricting, the required period of residency to
file for the office of District Council Member shall be reduced from
12 months to 6 months preceding the election day?

Proposition 3 Charter Amendment Proposition: An amendment to the City
Charter relating to the use of photographic traffic signal enforcement
systems (red light cameras). Shall the City of Houston continue to use
red light cameras to enforce state or local laws relating to traffic
safety?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________



Katy ISD District Bond Election: precincts 3004, 3006, 3014, 3038,
3122, 3130, 3132, 3133, 3142, 3143, 3144
Proposition: The issuance of $459,795,000 school building bonds for
the construction, acquisition and equipment of school buildings in the
district (including the rehabilitation, renovation and improvement
thereof) and the purchase of the necessary sites for school buildings
and the purchase of new school buses, and the levying of the tax in
payment thereof.

City of Houston - Proposition 1.
In response to requests from some of our members for information on Proposition 1, we have provided links to details on the same. We have also provided links to the opinions of both sides of the aisle. Check them out and research further to arrive at your conclusions

About Proposition 1 - http://www.houstontx.gov/mayor/proponeprinciples.pdf
Stop Proposition 1 - http://www.stopprop1.com/
Yes for Proposition 1 - http://www.voteforprop1.com/

SAMPLE BALLOTS
Some of us are intimidated when we are at the Booth and see the ballot for the first time.
Please visit the links below and you can review Sample Ballots of Harris County and Fort bend County. You can check out the candidates running for office and research their candidature, if desired. You are one step closer to taking an educated decision on whom and what you vote for.
Sample Ballot – Harris County: http://tinyurl.com/y8dmtvc
Sample ballot – Fort Bend County: http://tinyurl.com/2gyhn77

Address to the Nation by the President of India

Address to the Nation by the President of India
Her Excellency Shrimati Pratibha Devisingh Patil
on the eve of the 64th Independence Day
14th August, 2010.

My Fellow Citizens,

On the eve of our 64th Independence Day, I extend my warmest greetings to all of you from all walks of life, living in India and overseas. I convey special greetings to the brave personnel of our Armed Forces and the Para-military forces who guard our frontiers and to our Central and State police, as well as our internal security forces. I also compliment every citizen of this country whose hard work, productive prowess and enterprising zeal have put India among the front ranks of the nations of the world. I convey my heartfelt condolences to all those who have lost their loved ones, suffered injuries and whose properties have been destroyed in the recent cloud burst in Leh.

Dear Citizens,

Every year, we celebrate our Independence Day with great fervor as well as joy and justifiably so, as it commemorates that day, when after many years of subjugation, our country gained its freedom. Indeed, in the annals of history, 15th of August 1947 will always be remembered as a day of an extraordinary accomplishment, of when India won its freedom with unparalleled fortitude and unique means. Under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi, our movement for attaining freedom through Ahimsa and Satyagraha spread throughout the country, inspiring people in a manner rarely seen. Millions and millions of our men and women, willingly and enthusiastically responded to his call. They united to become an immense force that defeated the mightiest colonial power. Free India, was thus born.

As citizens of free India, we must reflect on the values and principles which were in the minds and hearts of those who fought and sacrificed for our freedom. They drew inspiration from the values nurtured in the country through millennia. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru once described Gandhiji as, “embodying the old spirit of India, who held aloft the torch of freedom”. Gandhiji’s thoughts and his life were truly an expression of the philosophy of our ancient civilization in which peace and harmony, non-violence and truth, human dignity and compassion were given great prominence. Are we now forgetting these principles? Are we overlooking them? No, we should not. These are eternal values, which have sustained our nation, our society and also each one of us as individuals. Gandhiji’s thinking continues to have deep influence and is of increasing relevance in the world, with 2nd October, his birthday, being observed every year as the International Day of Non-Violence.

Dear Citizens,

We are at a historic phase when the world is shifting course. It is impacting our economy, polity, trade, commerce, education and pace of life. In this era of transformation, India definitely cannot lag behind. Our entire effort must be to ensure that there is overall development in which all people prosper. However, can our political approaches, economic progress and scientific advances be combined with values of human welfare, tolerance, mutual respect and selflessness propounded by learned men, leaders, philosophers and thinkers of our country? Our past and our future are linked. The future beckons us and the past guides us.

What has been our past? India, a mature and a harmonious society, had a rich tradition of learning and a philosophy based on experiences and knowledge of thousands of years. Swami Vivekananda spoke of India as, “the ancient land, where wisdom made its home before it went into any other country”. Ours is a land where religions have taken birth and all religions of the world have found a place. Ours is a land where different languages, cultures and customs flourished. So well known was India for its piety, scholarship and centres of study, that it attracted travellers from across the world. From early times, India always looked at progress and moral growth as mutually inclusive rather than mutually exclusive concepts. India’s depth of thought was matched by its material prosperity. Its fine goods, its spices, its silk, its cotton, were much sought after. India’s traders went to distant lands both to the East and the West, carrying with them not only goods from India, but also its reputation as a land of great culture and wealth.

We are the inheritors of this great civilization whose legacy has been passed on from generation to generation. We can be worthy heirs if we follow, in the true sense, the ideals of political, social and economic justice. Lip service will not do. We have to be ardent adherents. We are also duty-bound to pass on this rich inheritance to our younger generation - the 540 million youth. We place great hope on them and rightly so. They have been demonstrating their capabilities and strengths in various fields of human activity in India and abroad. Whether in multi-national business enterprises or the IT industry or financial organizations or global scientific bodies, young Indians are joining their ranks and making their mark. In sports, they have been bringing laurels to the country. Our youth are the architects of the nation’s future. We must educate them and inculcate in them a spirit of sacrifice, dedication, patriotism and service to the nation. This way, they would be ready to face the future with confidence and build on the achievements made so far.

Dear Citizens,
Where does our country stand today? Our credentials as the world’s largest democracy have been further reinforced with the deepening of democracy at all levels. We have elected bodies existing from the national to the grassroot level. Democracy has given citizens the right to participate in the affairs of the nation. It has become a way of life in India. On the economic front, we are ranked as the world’s fourth largest economy based on purchasing power parity and one of the fastest growing. The resilience of our economy was evident during the global financial crisis which we weathered, better than many other countries. The future holds great potential and promise. However, many issues demand attention and the way we address them is important.

Foremost, among our tasks is to ensure the welfare of all. It is for this reason that India has adopted inclusive growth as a pillar of its economic edifice and is pro-actively pursuing it. Our task will be complete only when no one sleeps on a hungry stomach, when no one sleeps on the footpath and when every child is in school. Therefore, fittingly, education, capacity building, housing, healthcare and nutrition are a priority on the agenda of the Government. All of us should also pause to think how as responsible citizens, each one of us can contribute to Government efforts in these areas. It is a huge task to be achieved for a billion plus population, but we should not be overwhelmed. In every village and in every colony of every town, city or metropolis, people can come forward to form groups to work for the disadvantaged. Some amongst us may ask, what difference can these small efforts make? For them, I recall a story of a man walking down a beach, moments after a storm. He noticed a person ahead of him picking up starfish washed ashore and throwing them back into the sea. He asked the person how his efforts could make any difference, as the beach was long and there were lakhs of starfish washed ashore who would die. The person looked at the starfish in his hand and threw it into the water saying, "it makes a difference to this one". The message is clear - every effort, big or small, does make a difference.

Dear Citizens,

I believe that empowerment through education is important as it opens many doors of opportunity. The Right to Education Act has made free and compulsory primary education for children a fundamental right. It is important that secondary education is also universalized, as we seek to increase enrollment levels in higher education. This will provide the “brain power” for the nation. We are living in an age where innovation is shaping many areas of human activity. New technologies can enhance our agriculture and industrial productivity. Efficient technologies can facilitate the optimum utilization of capital, labour and resources. We have seen the impact of mobile telephone connectivity even in our villages. Innovation and invention were always given weightage as agents of change but perhaps never as high as now. The categorization of nations as rich and poor, developed and developing may well be overtaken by a new definition of those nations that innovate rapidly, as opposed to those which do so on a lower scale. To be in the forefront of cutting edge technologies, research and development in all fields must be encouraged and pursued in the country.

We must also speed up the construction of physical infrastructure. We need new roads, ports, airports, power projects as well as reinforcement of existing facilities. The augmentation will fill the infrastructural deficit that impedes overall economic growth and is, in many ways, out of sync with our image of an emerging global player.

Our industries must continue to grow. Indian companies should persist with efforts to be efficient and globally competitive. Some are already making their presence felt overseas. Our agriculture requires a fresh perspective, with new and radical ideas to steer it towards a second Green Revolution, so that agriculture production, productivity and profitability are increased. This is essential for our food security as well as price stabilization. At the same time, agriculture cannot be looked at in isolation. It needs to be connected with other sectors of the economy. Linking industry with agriculture would provide a basis for growth of industry in the rural areas and also promote agriculture business. Models of farming which give economies of scale, while protecting the interests of the farmer must be explored. Efficient distribution networks that link farmers with the consumers should be encouraged, so as to bring greater remuneration to farmers for their produce, while giving a price advantage to the consumer. Value addition on-site will generate employment and income opportunities for the local population. Support to the rural poor and farm labour through skill development, vocational training and social welfare programmes, must be a priority. The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act is an important mechanism for providing livelihood. If specific local conditions are taken into account in its implementation and innovative approaches for convergence of various Government schemes encouraged, rural growth will be greatly enhanced. For example, agricultural productivity in rain fed areas can be increased with improved farm practices as well as conservation of soil and water, with the construction of farm ponds and village tanks and their proper upkeep and de-silting. Undertaking such activities in a coordinated manner can make a meaningful difference.

However, achievement of goals and targets is dependent on an effective governance structure. Powers have been given to those in Government for formulating policies and for implementation on the field. It should always be remembered that this power must be used in a responsible manner. Zero tolerance towards corruption and working with the highest standards of public service will definitely result in efficient governance systems and will have a multiplier effect on development and growth.



Dear Citizens,

We must be law abiding and also work for moral upliftment. I mention this because with an increasing emphasis on materialism, there is growing insensitivity towards each other. Strong family bonds are weakening. Social consciousness is on the decline. Some social evils persist. This must change. Today is the best opportunity when ground-breaking achievements alongwith a moral and ethical renaissance can take place. In this way, progress would be anchored in values of compassion, tolerance and selfless service, which are important for making human life meaningful and purposeful. These values will make our multi-cultural, multi-religious, multi-lingual society more robust. They will also give us a strong base on which a stable structure of prosperity and progress can be raised. For example, as a kite surges high into the sky, it is affected by the breeze and the clouds. If the string is firm and skillfully handled, the kite will stay afloat, otherwise it can go adrift, be cut off, fall and be destroyed. The kite is much like our growth voyage with the string and the firmness with which it is handled, representing the ethical base. India is the abode of infinite values – let us strive to restore these as we go along the path of progress.

Tomorrow’s India will be constructed by the hard work of today. I call on all citizens to contribute to making the future of the nation, stronger and brighter. Let everyone understand their role and responsibility to achieve this. As I said earlier, every effort counts. Nation building demands the ability to work diligently and patiently, where the reward is the growth of the nation rather than personal promotion. It requires unity of purpose and the ability to focus on issues which unite. It requires a spirit of conciliation. This is possible when dialogue is chosen as the channel for communication. By listening to each other, respecting each other’s viewpoint and understanding one another, we can address issues before us. The proponents of extreme ideologies and the followers of Left Wing Extremism must abandon their path of violence. I call on them to join national efforts for growth and development. I hope that everybody, including the civil society will come forward and move them in this direction. Protracted development efforts will be needed in these areas.

Dear Citizens,
India’s growth and progress will take place in an environment that is also influenced by global events. We believe that peace is essential, if prosperity is to be achieved. Terrorism poses the biggest threat to global peace, stability and security. To defeat it, all nations of the world must work collectively, so that terrorists have no sanctuaries, no training grounds, no access to financial resources, no infrastructural support, and no defenders of their ideology. Violence and hatred can have no place in the world. Indeed, the interests that we share as human beings are far more powerful than forces which are divisive. Across the world, the message of peace and not of destruction must spread, if this Century powered by the most rapid advances in science and technology, is to be the Century of the most spectacular gains made by humankind, accompanied with human values. I am confident that India will contribute substantially to the forward march of the human race.

The human spirit has a tremendous capacity to reach new horizons. With faith in ourselves, faith in our capacity to work together and faith in success, we will continue our journey. We have the talent, to create a great nation; and with our collective will and hard work we will do so. And as we progress and as our flag proudly flutters, like it will tomorrow on Independence Day, we can with pride cite the lines of a well known Indian poet,




Which means:-

Across the skies your fame has spread,
with every breeze your strength grows.

With these words, I once again wish all Fellow Citizens peace, prosperity and progress on the occasion of Independence Day.

Jai Hind.

Key Indian Companies feel discriminated by Border Security Bill

The Indian government protested to Washington on Tuesday against what it called a highly discriminatory U.S. immigration bill that will double the cost of work visas for some high-profile Indian companies.

The U.S. House of Representatives voted on Tuesday to bolster security along the Mexican border, grappling with the flow of illegal immigrants that has become an explosive issue ahead of November congressional elections.

The border security bill aims to fund the new measures by raising visa application fees on a select group of companies, which would affect some of the major IT companies in India.

India's Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma wrote to U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk expressing serious concern over the proposed legislation.

"Though the need of the U.S. government to strengthen their border security is understandable, it is inexplicable to our companies to bear the cost of such a highly discriminatory law," he said, according to a government statement.

The Obama administration has urged passage of the $600 million program. Republicans also have been calling for a stronger border controls as well as a crackdown on illegal immigration. The bill passed the House on a voice vote.

But because of a legal technicality, it will have to return to the Senate, even though that chamber has approved an identical measure, before President Barack Obama can sign it into law. The Senate, however, is in its summer recess.

A spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Democrat, said it was hoped the bill could be passed by "consent" by the end of this week. Such a process would mean the entire Senate would not need to return to Washington, so long as party leaders agree.

Here is a related blog/ article on The Heritage Foundation site:

The Wrong Way to Deal With India - Derek Scissors, Ph.D.



Do as I say, don't do as I do. This is the message the Obama Administration and Congress are sending to fellow democracy India. While correctly pressing India to liberalize trade and investment, President Obama continues to hector India on outsourcing, and Congress has now transformed the talk into ugly action.



Last week, the President continued his portrayal of India as trying to take American jobs. A few days later, the Senate passed legislation requiring companies that hire a large number of high-skilled foreign workers to pay thousands more in fees for each one. This was intended to target certain Indian companies by constraining American access to them. Never mind that access to global markets makes America more competitive and ultimately creates more jobs and more wealth. This President and Congress are going with a simplistic-even patronizing-zero-sum argument that it's either them or us.



And as usual, when they have nothing to offer on an issue, they turn to blame someone else.

To be sure, India's own trade and investment policies are far from ideal and the U.S. has plenty of legitimate criticisms to level at New Delhi. But India is a consumer-oriented economy running a large trade deficit, not an export predator. There are strong reasons, in addition to the commercial ones, to engage more fully and equally with India, not punish it. Not only is it a democracy but also the U.S. and India have emerging and important strategic interests.



The President wants to double exports to help our economy. In advocating restrictions on carbon emissions that will hurt our economy, the Obama Administration argues the world will not act unless America leads. In trade, though, the President and Congress set no example for the world to follow-quite the opposite in fact. The Administration resorts more and more to punitive trade and investment actions like trade duties and disincentives to invest, such as the visa fees directed at India.



India is a rapidly growing economy driven by its consumers. It is an American friend. Picking on India, especially, tells the world that the U.S. commitment to open trade and investment is weakening, a message that will end up hurting both our foreign policy and our economy.



Derek Scissors is a Research Fellow for Asia Economic Policy at The Heritage Foundation's Asian Studies Center. Scissors focuses on the Chinese economy as well as broader Asian economic trends and challenges facing the United States.

The IAPACer - August 2010

IAPAC Board Members

Ramesh Anand, Vish Bhaskaran, Ramesh Cherivirala, Gitesh Desai, Preanka Desai, Sujeeth Draksharam, Jagat Kamdar, Pranav Kothari, G. V. Krishnan, Sam Merchant, Manisha Mehta, Rick Pal, Hasu Patel, Sanjay Ram, Ashok Rao, Sanjay Rao, Rao Ratnala, Randhir Sahni, Dinesh Shah, Karun Sreerama and Mini Timmaraju.

________________________________________________________________________________
Dear Friends,

Crews working to permanently plug the ruptured oil well in the Gulf of Mexico could soon begin pumping mud and possibly cement down the well on Tuesday, in an engineering procedure called the "static kill." Retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, the government's point man on the oil disaster cleanup, said at a morning briefing that an "injectivity" test that determines whether oil can forced back down into a reservoir should be completed in a matter of hours. If the test signals that the static kill can began, it could start later Tuesday. The process would last between 33 and 61 hours. The "general timeline is we should be in static kill by this afternoon," Allen said. Click here for the full story: http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/08/03/gulf.oil.spill/index.html?hpt=T2
BP and Bhopal seem to have evoked different responses from the US Government and has been a cause for anger among Indians. An interesting article on Double Standards, written by Bill Quigley and Alex Tuscano. Click here for the article: http://www.commondreams.org/view/2010/07/01-5.

Ground Zero Mosque wins key vote. New York City's Landmarks Preservation Commission denied landmark status Tuesday for a building at the site of a proposed Islamic center and mosque near ground zero. The commissioners voted unanimously against landmark status for 45-47 Park Place. It and an adjoining building are owned by real estate developer Soho Properties, which intends to build an Islamic center two blocks north of the former site of the World Trade Center. Click here for the full story: http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/category/ground-zero-mosque/?hpt=T1
Britain's prime minister delivered a sober message last week to Pakistan: Don't export terror. "We want to see a strong and a stable and a democratic Pakistan," David Cameron said in Bangalore, India, "but we cannot tolerate in any sense the idea that this country is allowed to look both ways and is able in any way to promote the export of terror, whether to India or whether to Afghanistan, or anywhere else in the world." Click here for the whole story: http://tinyurl.com/2ebs9hy
Recently, the family of a prominent Indo American of Greater Houston, Munir Ibrahim had a traumatic experience at the hands of the Hedwig Village Police. According to ABC News, the chief of police for Hedwig Village is apologizing to a family for what happened to them at the hands of his officers, but the family says it'll take more than an apology to make up for the incident. Click here for the whole story: http://tinyurl.com/24kjj6c


IAPAC commends Mayor Allen Owen of Missouri City and the Chief of Police, Mr. Joel F. Fitzgerald, Sr. for responding to IAPAC's offer of conducting an Indo American 101 for their Officers. Over two weeks, IAPAC Directors Manisha Mehta, Gitesh Desai, Sam Merchant and Pranav Kothari along with Meghna Goswami of DAYA conducted a two hour presentation on India and Indo Americans for about 50 Peace Officers of the Missouri City Police Department. This covered the history of India, contribution of Indo Americans to the US, background of immigrant Indians and 2nd generation Indians and the unique psyche of an Indo American woman with details on the various religion practiced and the culture of Indo Americans.The presentationswere followed by active participation by the officers with queries ranging from culture and habits to what they can expect when visiting a typical Indian home. IAPAC thanks Sgt. Broussard for facilitating the orientation programs. IAPAC is now in active conversation with other city police departments and the sheriff offices and hope to have a similar orientation programs for their through the year.
IAPAC has embarked on outreach with the other Asian Community Organizations. Last month IAPAC commenced the IAPAC - VA PAC (Vietnamese PAC) dialogs. This month IAPAC has started with the IAPAC - AJC (American Jewish Community) relationship. Please read the article below for more details. IAPAC is already in active first level discussions with similar Asian organizations and is confident of having a group interaction with most of them commence within the next couple of months. IAPAC hopes to open windows for Indo Americans to interact with other Asian communities in the city.
IAPAC Directors, Vish Bhaskaran (Email: vbhaskaran@sbcglobal.net ) & Jagat Kamdar (Email: JagatK@aol.com have launched the IAPAC initiative of Indo Americans for Rick Perry & Bill White respectively. Any person interested in participating in either of these initiatives may contact them.
If you have not registered to vote - please do so. Remember, your vote counts and only you can make it count!!!
If you havean article you want published in your IAPACer or know a youngster who has any form of high achievement, write to me at ramesh@iapacgh.org

Regards

Ramesh Anand
President
IAPAC
Cell: 832-731-6133
EMail: rhappy@gmail.com
______________________________
Consulate General of India
Houston
INDEPENDENCE DAY FLAG HOISTING


The Flag Hoisting ceremony on India's 64th Independence Day will be held on Sunday, 15 August, 2010 at 10:00 AM at the Consul General's Residence (5634 Briar Drive, Houston, Tx - 77056). Consul General Sanjiv Arora will read President of India's message on this occasion. Refreshments will be served.
Indian nationals and friends of India are cordially invited to the function. Participants are requested to assemble at Consul General's Residence by 9:45 AM. Kindly bring a photo ID
________________________________________________________________________
On behalf of the Board of Directors of ICC and the Indo American Community of Greater Houston, I invite everybody to the 64th Independence Day celebrations of India, being celebrated on August 15th 2010, Sunday at The George Brown Convention Center.
It's a fun filled daylong event from 11am to 7pm. It's a FREE EVENT.

This year Heritage India is dedicated as A Tribute to Tagore whose 150th Birth Anniversary is being celebrated across the world.



Day long events include:

Tribute to Tagore
Flag Honoring
Awards
Commercial Bazaar
YLDP Graduation
Kids Zone
Boogie Boogie Dance Contest
A Passage to Bollywood-- A Cultural extravagance in the evening is the highlight of the show.

For more details, contact Jasmeeta Singh 713-8588229 or Swapan Dhairyawan at 281-3820348 or visit www.icchouston.org

Regards

Regards
Swapan Dhairyawan
President ICC
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On behalf of the Board of Directors of The Indo American Chamber of Commerce of greater Houston, I invite everybody to the 11th Annual Chamber Gala & Awards Banquet that will be held on August 14that The Westin Galleria Hotel at 5:30 pm. Council General of India in Houston, Hon. Sanjiv Arora and Mrs. Chhaya Arora are the chief guests and Mayor Parker will be the special guest. This year's theme is "Think India...Think Houston" and the Chamber stands ready to play a major role as Houston and India expand bi-lateral trade. The recipients of the Annual IACCGH Awards will be announced and presented at the Gala. For more information contact: Mr. Jagdip Ahluwalia, Executive Director, IACCGH at almamach@aol.com or call: 713-624-7131

Madhukar Prasad
President, IACCGH

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Houston Indo Americans make us proud

Sanjay Ramabhadran appointed President of HESS Club

The Houston Engineering & Scientific Society (HESS) club has been in existence since 1915. The venerable institution has been home to organizations and professionals in the engineering, construction and scientific community for the last 96 years.

In June of 2010, Sanjay Ram, PE became one of the youngest Presidents in the rich history of the club. The HESS Club's Board of Directors comprises industry leaders in the engineering and construction industry.

Sanjay Ram is a Past President of IAPAC and also currently serves on the Board of Leadership Houston and the Indo-American Charity Foundation and the Board of Advisors of the American Society of Indian Engineers.

In 1997 the club moved from the Downtown area to the prestigious Carlyle Building located at 5430 Westheimer in the Galleria area. This was only the second move in the more than 90-year history of the H.E.S.S. Club. Major renovations were made to the Carlyle restaurant, and the location is now a perfect home for the many meetings and functions that the H.E.S.S. Club staff plan and execute for the Club's members, professional and civic organizations and other guests.

The HESS Club is one of Houston's most elegant and luxurious settings for any event - Meetings, Conferences, Weddings, Graduation Parties and so on. The marble foyer welcomes you, inviting you to step inside the intimate Sam Houston Room, which has a cozy fireplace and an entry into the jade marble bar. This free standing building, with two floors, is comprised of nine rooms with a total of 22,000 square feet of meeting space. The Club's interior offers beautiful private settings, or a Grand Texas Ballroom for you to choose from.

The Club's outstanding reputation has been earned from impeccable service, attention to details, and expert preparation, for the best of everything. That's why HESS can boast an existence of 90 plus years and is still going strong.

For information on the club, contact Debra Bellinghausen or Linda Benson at 713-627-2283.
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HOUSTON INDO AMERICANS, SAN & TRISH LAUNCH BODHISATTVA
San Banarje of Houston shot and directed the feature film Bodhisattva with Soumitra in Calcutta. This is San's first Indian film. He has earlier made a feature film MONEY in Paris and Houston and several shorts and music videos. The film Bodhisattva was co written by San Banarje and Houston based Trisha Ray as an independent film and was shot in seven days in Calcutta. The film, a thriller, made in bengali with English subtitle received platinum remit at world fest international film festival 2010 for best feature film and currently traveling festivals. San is ready to make his new film based on a script he is writing with Soumitra in mind.
Here is their official English language trailer for the film BODHISATTVA shot in Calcutta, India and currently in festivals.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkRNm5G6-2k
IAPAC wishes them all the best!
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Indian government approves new symbol for rupee

India is to have a new symbol for its currency, the rupee, after the government approved the winning entry in a national competition.
The symbol is a cross between the Roman letter R and its Hindi equivalent, and was designed by a teacher at the Indian Institute of Technology.
A panel of artists, officials and bankers picked the new design.
The Indian government hopes it will soon be as recognisable as the dollar, the pound or the euro.
Correspondents say choosing the symbol reflects India's ambition to be seen as a global power.
The winning entry was one of five shortlisted in the public competition announced in March 2009. Designers were given a brief to come up with a symbol that captures the ethos and culture of India.
'Distinctive'
Until now the rupee has generally been shortened to the letters Rs or sometimes INR (Indian rupee).
India's government says these are not symbols but mere abbreviations.
The new symbol will be the "identity of the Indian currency", information minister Ambika Soni says.
"It will distinguish the rupee from other currencies."
The winning design is made up of half the letter R with a horizontal line on top and in between to make it also look like its equivalent in the Devanagari script, which used in a number of Indian languages including Hindi and Sanskrit.
It will soon be introduced on computer keyboards and banknotes in India and is expected to take a year or two to be fully implemented.
The winning entry was submitted by D Udaya Kumar, a newly-appointed teacher of design at the Indian Institute of Technology. He will receive prize money amounting to $5,350 (£3,500).
Experts say implementing a new currency symbol can be an expensive exercise.
According to one estimate, when the euro was introduced in 1999 it cost Europe's biggest companies more than $50bn to update their computer systems to deal with the changeover.
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Other updates

IAPAC launches IAPAC-AJC joint sessions - Preanka Desai, Director, IAPAC

Following the recent joint meeting between some of IAPAC and VA-PAC Board Members, IAPAC recently has renewed the IAPAC-AJC (American Jewish Committee) joint sessions.

The IAPAC team was welcomed with a big "NAMASTE! KAISE HO?" written in colorful, bold letter on the blackboard. Mr. Stephen Friedman, Board Member of AJC, Houston Chapter and Head of Community Outreach, welcomed the IAPAC Board members to the discussions. He shared his excitement with the scope of the discussions and looked forward to working with IAPAC closely.
AJC Director, Nat Levy, talked about the various activities of AJC and the role that AJC played in contributing to harmony through such interactions and other interfaith initiatives.
Jack Lascar, who has recently assumed to role of President of AJC, Houston Chapter, echoed Nat's thoughts and stated that he looked forward to working closely with IAPAC and pick up the baton from where it was left by his predecessors. Barbara Shepard, Assistant Director of AJC, shared some of the initiatives that had been undertaken earlier and about strengthening the AJC-IAPAC relationship.

IAPAC was represented by its President, Ramesh Anand, immediate past president, Gitesh Desai and other Board Members, Preanka Desai and Sam Merchant.

Ramesh Anand, President of IAPAC, thanked the AJC members for the hospitality and briefly talked about the history of IAPAC and some of its recent initiatives. Gitesh Desai shared with the group the long relationship the India has had with Jews and the contribution that Jews had made to India providing examples, including that of General Jacob. Gitesh stated that it is only natural that IAPAC and AJC work towards fortifying this long standing relationship. Sam Merchant and Preanka Desai related their thoughts and the vision of the two PACs working together as well as the opportunities they provide the communities.

IAPAC and AJC will now develop immediate, short-term and long-term strategies on working together for the betterment of both communities.

For more information on the Interpac Initiative, contact IAPAC Directors
Gitesh Desai C: 281-300-7346 EMail: giteshdesai@gmail.com or
Sam Merchant, Director, IAPAC Cell: 713-277-4033; email: samm@gorelianceusa.com or
Preanka Desai C:281-723-1183 EMail: preanka@yahoo.com

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Update on Healthcare Insurance and you - Sam Merchant, Director IAPAC

There was good news last week for those who are concerned that the medical loss ratio provision (MLR) of the new federal health care reform law could seriously harm quality improvement programs and member counseling programs. The law requires health insurers to spend at least 80 percent of premium revenue on medical claims in the individual and small group markets and 85 percent in the large group markets. But exactly what qualifies as medical costs is still an open question. Representatives of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, which is developing a recommendation for the federal government on what should be counted, indicated last week that they are inclined to allow some quality-improvement programs to be considered medical costs. This comes as good news for employers and consumers. Aetna has actively argued that narrow MLR definitions could lead to the elimination or reduction of valuable care review programs, increase health care costs overall and employer premiums, and threaten the solvency of some insurers or force them to leave certain markets.
Members of Congress are trying to pass time until the August break, which could start the last week of July and end the second week of September, without doing anything to harm their reelection chances. What happened on the health care front bears this out.
Although Congress passed (and the President signed) a six-month unemployment insurance extension bill, none of the health-related additions made the final cut. The signed bill does not include any extension of the 65 percent COBRA subsidy nor does it include any Medicaid relief for the states (the FMAP formula). These items will be in limbo until the Fall -- more likely in the lame duck session after the elections. Additional work on the 2010 Medicare physician reimbursement rate fix, which runs out November 30, and the 2011 "doc fix" are in the same boat.
Sam Merchant is the CEO of Reliance Business Solutions, Inc. (www.gorelianceusa.com)

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Planned Parenthood moves to new facility - Mini Timmaraju, Director IAPAC
Thanks to the support of Houstonians and their commitment to affordable health care, Planned Parenthood of Houston and Southeast Texas has moved into a new flagship health center and administrative headquarters named Prevention Park. We are proud to provide a brand new warm and welcoming place for the thousands of women and men of our community to receive the services and information they need to live healthy lives. Located at 4600 Gulf Freeway, Prevention Park houses our administrative headquarters, a call center for scheduling appointments, and education and training center, a more spacious family planning health center, a surgical suite, a central lab, an HIV testing and counseling wing, and a clinical research center. Prevention Park joins our eleven other health centers including locations in Stafford, Rosenberg, Dickinson, Huntsville, Bryan, Lufkin, and two in Louisiana.
Planned Parenthood's mission is to help women and men manage their sexual and reproductive health. At our larger new health center we will continue to provide preventive reproductive health care including annual well-woman exams, birth control, testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections, HIV testing and counseling, cervical and breast cancer screenings, treatment for precancerous conditions of the cervix, sexuality education and training and much more. Women and men trust us to provide them with affordable and compassionate health care. When they need a service related to their reproductive health they turn to Planned Parenthood and we're here for them. We've been in this community for nearly 75 years and we will continue to be here for generations.
More than 1 million people in Harris County lack health insurance and nearly half are of reproductive age. Planned Parenthood of Houston and Southeast Texas is a vital part of the health care safety net for the uninsured and under-insured women and men living in Houston and Harris County. In our new building we'll have more room to serve current client demand and room to meet the need in the future.
For more information about Planned Parenthood of Houston and Southeast Texas and our services please visit www.pphouston.org
- Mini Timmaraju, an IAPAC Board Member, serves as the Vice President of Public Affairs and Government Relations at Planned Parenthood of Houston and Southeast Texas.


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DAYA acquires new Transitional Home

The Board and staff of Daya are pleased to announce that Daya has obtained a three bedroom property to be used as the transitional home for its clients. Named 'Harmony House,' the home will be a safe haven for qualified clients (and their children aged 12 and under) for several months while they work on becoming emotionally and economically independent so that they can find the courage to build violence-free homes for their families and break the cycle of abuse that can perpetuate from one generation to the next. This additional program moves Daya closer to its goal of finding lasting solutions to the problem of family violence.
The transitional home services will include individual and group counseling, child care, legal advocacy, career counseling, money management, job training and education. To protect the privacy of clients and ensure their safety, the location of Harmony House will remain confidential.The purchase price of the home including closing costs and repairs is about $200,000. In its March 2010 fund-raising gala, Daya announced its intention to own and operate a transitional home, kicked off a capital campaign for the same and received pledges in the amount of $60,000. Those who pledged on this occasion were individual supporters including a few board members of Daya as well as the Indo-American Charity Foundation of Houston that has been an ardent supporter of Daya since its inception in 1996.
Now that the home has become a reality, Daya plans to accelerate its capital campaign in order to raise the funds, pay off the loan and own the home outright. It is the Board's earnest hope that, as in the past, Houston's South Asian community will come forward and help Daya achieve this goal. Please call Daya's Capital Campaign Coordinator Renu Sood at 713-623-4545 for more information and participation in this worthwhile project. For information on Daya, please visit: www.dayahouston. org
Together with the Houston community, Daya is poised and ready to take this major step forward.
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Top 10 Vehicles reported stolen to HPD

The following is a rundown of the "Top 10" makes of vehicles reported stolen to the Houston Police Department
during the month of June 2010.
Ford Trucks 132
Chevrolet Trucks 116
Dodge Trucks 102
Honda Cars 93
Dodge Cars 49
Chevrolet Cars 45
GMC Trucks 39
Ford Cars 33
Chrysler Cars 25
Toyota Cars 25
Buick Cars 19
Jeep Trucks 19
Source: Houston Police Department

The IAPACer - July 2010

The IAPACer
Your newsletter from
IAPAC Volume 1 Issue 1
July 2010 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
IAPAC Board MembersRamesh Anand, Vish Bhaskaran, Ramesh Cherivirala, Gitesh Desai, Preanka Desai, SujeethDraksharam, Jagat Kamdar, Pranav Kothari, G. V. Krishnan, Sam Merchant, ManishaMehta, Rick Pal, Hasu Patel, Sanjay Ram, Ashok Rao, Sanjay Rao, Rao Ratnala, RandhirSahni, Dinesh Shah, Karun Sreerama and Mini Timmaraju.
________________________________________________________________________________Welcome Welcome to the first issue of The IAPACer, the newsletter from IAPAC (Indo AmericanPolitical Action Committee of Greater Houston)Wish all of you a Great 4th of July!We hope to keep you informed on what is happening in IAPAC and the political arenain Houston and across the US.IAPAC, the Political Voice of Indo Americans of Greater Houston with a bang with a felicitation for over 45 elected officials of Greater Houston and IAPAC 2010being sworn in by Harris County Judge Ed Emmett. IAPAC 2010 has continued the traditionlaid down by the previous Presidents, Sanjay Ramabhadran & Gitesh Desai, by organisingvarious outreach initiatives. They have included luncheons for Indo American CommunityLeaders with Houston area Members of Congress, fund raisers for various candidatesrunning for office, inter PAC initiatives with PACs of other communities, encouragingIndo Americans to mail in their Census Forms, working with various cities in the interest of Indo Americans and more....

IAPAC congratulates Nikki Haley on winning 42 out of 46 counties to earn the Republicannomination for Governor of South Carolina.

IAPAC congratulates Mr. Thomas Abraham on being relected as Councilman for the Cityof Sugar Land and being appointed Mayor Pro Tempore for the City of Sugar Land & Ms. Sonal Buchar on being once again elected as the President of Fort Bend ISD. IAPAC congratulates Ken Mathew on once again being elected as Councilman for theCity of Stafford, TX.

IAPAC congratulates Sunny Sharma of Sugar Land on being elected as the Governorfor Rotary District 5890 on June 11- the first Indo American District Governor inTexas.

Indo Americans are running for office across the country. IAPAC is working without of state candidates through their champions in Greater Houston. Please readthe article below, written by IAPAC Director, Jagat Kamdar on that topic.

Your PAC has started a unique parallel initiative - Indo Americans for Rick Perry& Indo Americans for Bill White led by IAPAC Directors Vish Bhaskaran (EMail: vbhaskaran@sbcglobal.net[mailto:vbhaskaran@sbcglobal.net]) & Jagat Kamdar (EMail: jagatk@aol.com [mailto:jagatk@aol.com]) respectively. You can decide who you wish to support and participate in the electionfor the next Governor of Texas.

IAPAC is launching a Mentoring Program led by our Director, Sanjay Rao. The programwill expose individuals to various facets of successfully running for office. Thiswill include training in Public Speaking by the best in the world, interaction withelected officials and more. You or any of your friends dream of running for officein the near future - contact IAPAC - don't miss the golden opportunity. Sanjay Rao(EMail: SRao6165@aol.com [mailto:SRao6165@aol.com] ) Please read the article relatedto running for office written by IAPAC President-elect, Dinesh Shah.
IAPAC continues to interact with Indo American community members and their representativeorganisations and understand how it can be of better service to them. IAPAC has reached out to appropriate agencies to share issues and securing relief, where possible. If you have any issues, please contact us. These have been through individual interactionsand townhall meetings.IAPAC is a vibrant body always looking for new ideas for new initiatives and welcomesactive participation from the community. You and your friends want to know moreabout how you can be part of IAPAC - all you need to do is contact our Directors responsible for Outreach, Gitesh Desai or Sam Merchant. Have an article or somethinghumurous to share - email it to us and our editorial team can try and publish it in the next issue of The IAPACER.

Finally, please ensure you, your family members and friends, who are citizens of USA, register to vote. YOU make a difference and your vote really counts!!!RegardsRamesh AnandPresidentIAPACCell: 832-731-6133EMail: rhappy@gmail.com [mailto:rhappy@gmail.com]______________________________________________________________________________

HPD Reminds Motorists to Move Over or Slow Down
Starting Monday (June July 12) through Sunday (July 18), officers from the HoustonPolice Department's Traffic Enforcement Division will be actively educating motoristsabout Texas Transportation Code Section 545.157 "Passing Authorized Emergency Vehicle,"otherwise known as the "Move Over or Slow Down" law.
From Monday (July 19) through Sunday (July 25), HPD officers will be actively enforcingthe "Move Over or Slow Down" law and citations will be issued.
Under Texas law, motorists approaching a stationary emergency vehicle with its signals(emergency lights) on are required to either vacate the lane closest to the emergencyvehicle (if a lane is available) or slow to a speed no more than 20 miles per hourbelow the posted speed limit. When the posted speed limit is 25 miles per houror less, the driver must slow down to five miles per hour.
"Many motorists are unfamiliar with this law and we need to educate them," saidLieutenant Mike Hoesel of the HPD Traffic Enforcement Division. "It is imperativemotorists understand this law and what it means for officer safety," he added.
A violation of the "Passing Authorized Emergency Vehicle" law is considered a ClassC misdemeanor, punishable by a $1 to $200 fine or a Class B misdemeanor if someoneis injured.
_______________________________________________________________________________Indo American Student Shines

IAPAC is very proud to recognize and congratulate the achievements of Master SushainCherivirala, who is a 7th Grade Student at Quail Valley GT Academy. Sushain is oneofthe top fifty 7th Graders in the nation who have earned a perfect score in one ofthe SAT or Act tests. SAT is usually taken by the High School Students at 11th and12th Grade to get a college admission. Sushain has taken SAT as part of the Duke University's Talent Identification Program (TIP) at 7th Grade. Duke Universityhas awarded Sushain William and Doroth Bevan Scholarship for getting a perfect scorein Mathematics section of SAT. Sushain has received a special recognition at the national recognition ceremony in Duke University Campus on May 24th and also at the State Recognition Ceremony at Texas A & M University on May 27th for his accomplishment.Sushain was also awarded full scholarship to attend Duke's Summer School Program.
Press release issued by Duke quotes that "Our Bevan Scholars are extraordinarily talented students," Martha Putallaz, Ph.D., Executive Director of Duke TIP, said."Fewer than 1% of college-bound high-school students have scored as well as theBevan Scholars. Duke TIP is honored to support them in this special achievementand in their academic development."IAPAC congratulates Sushain and his parents on this achievement and wish him the very best!!!
If you know of any Indo-American children, who have been great achievers - sendus their information.
In This Issue
MessageIndo Americans running for Congress - Jagat KamdarIndo Americans & Politics - Past, present & future - Dinesh ShahUpdate from our elected representatives
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Message from Mr. Sanjiv Arora, Hon. Consul General of India

I heartily congratulate Mr. Ramesh Anand, President of the Indo American PoliticalAction Committee (IAPAC) of Greater Houston and his team for starting a monthlyE-newsletter.Over the years, IAPAC has emerged as an active and important forum for meaningfuldialogue on a wide range of issues in the framework of the multi-faceted bonds offriendship and cooperation between the world's largest democracy, India and theoldest democracy, the United States. IAPAC has also been giving greater attentionto contemporary global challenges such as terrorism. IAPAC's regular interaction with elected officials, diplomats and other interlocutors is very useful for allconcerned.By launching an E-newsletter, IAPAC has taken another important step to achieveit's objectives. We, at the Consulate General of India in Houston, value our constructivedialogue with IAPAC on issues of mutual interest, and wish them all the best intheir future endeavors.SdSanjiv Arora
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INDO AMERICANS TAKE POLITICAL PARTICIPATION MANY NOTCHES HIGHER WITH RECORD NUMBERSRUNNING FOR CONGRESS THIS YEAR - Jagat Kamdar

It is indeed a paradigm shift on the canvas of the entire Indo American communityin America as far as the election is concerned. Over the years, we have seen few Indian Americans running for any elected offices in this country.
Dalip Singh Saund was the first Indian American who was elected to the congressin 1957 and served in the United States congress from January, 1957 to January 1963.He represented the 29th district of California. Until the early years of the 1990's,we did not see any more Indian American running for the United States Congress.
It was again in 1993 that couple of Indian Americans ran for Congress; Peter Mathewsfrom California and Neil Dhillon from Maryland. Moving forward, there were fewmore candidates in the decade of 1990's. Many more Indian Americans than ever beforeran for the state and local offices across the nation in the 2008 election year. Many were elected to the state and local offices in the year 2008. And now, unprecedentednumbers of Indian Americans are running for the United States Congress across thenation and many more are running for local and state offices, too, in 2010 elections.But the work to increase the political participation of the Indian American communityis far from done. There are still more opportunities for civic and political involvementfor Indian Americans across the nation. Now there is an awareness in the communityand understands that it is paramount for the community to be part of a democraticsystem through contesting the elections in the united States of America rather thansitting outside and just talking about it.
In this election year of 2010, there are at least nine Indian Americans runningfor the congress. The names of these individuals are as follows.
1. Ami Bera, MD, (D) is a democratic candidate for congress in California's 3rddistrict.2. Manan Trivedi, MD, (D) is a democratic candidate for congress in Pennsylvanis's6th district3. Peter Mathews (D) is democratic candidate for the congress in California's 37thdistrict.4. Pia Varma (R) is a candidate for Congress in Pennsylvania's 1st district.5. Raj Goyle (D) is a democratic candidate for congress in Kansas's 4th district6. Ravi Sangisetty (D) is a democratic candidate for the congress in the Louisiana3rd district.7. Reshma Saujani (D) is a democratic candidate for congress in New York's 14thdistrict.8. Surya Yalmanchili (D) is a candidate for the congress in Ohio's 2nd district.9. Vijay Kumar (R) is a candidate for Congress in Tennessee's 5th district.
1. Ami Bera, MD, (D) is a democratic candidate for congress in California's 3rddistrict. Dr. Bera is a first generation Americans born to Indian parents. Dr. Berais married to Janine, who also happens to be a doctor and both have a daughter,Sydra. He states that he has benefited from what the state of California and thiscountry had to offer - equality, opportunity and the promise that through hard workand education I could reach my potential and be part of the solutions for the challengesthis country is facing. Dr, Bera believes that things can be different. Together,we can change our course and begin to create a more compassionate, sensible andsustainable America. His web site is www.beraforcongress.com [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103547637890&s=0&e=001h5iXXIrUpMQRj07IID7QmK03OsRSvWTLvtLkEA_cd6A7yJtofq9e2cT679e_McjeB60Sx8k2Hst4zvAfMMlYEWrmZxObf8VAkZS3WaFRnRpzbtsOd5p5eTCLTLGSegdX]
The California 3rd congressional district covers most of Sacramento County and partof Solano County as well as all of Alpine, Amador and Calaveras counties. Since2005, the 3rd district has been represented by Republican, Dan Lungren, who defeatedDemocratic challenger Bill Durston 49 % to 44 % in 2008. In 2008, Presidential candidateBarack Obama won this district narrowly with 49.4 % compared to 48.8 % for Jon McCain,a republican candidate for President. The 3rd district of California has been arepublican majority district. But, it also is a swing district. Depending upon thecandidate, the district could go either way.
As far as the contribution to the candidate is concerned, Dr. Bera has a great advantageover the incumbent Dan Lungren. Dr. Bera had also visited Houston in the month ofApril and had a meeting with board of IAPAC. He was very articulate and very clearon the issues this country is facing. He is one of the seats that the national DemocraticParty feels could swing its way. Dr. Bera is planning another visit to Houston fora fund raising sometime in July. He deserves our support.
2. Manan Trivedi, MD, (D) is a democratic candidate for congress in Pennsylvanis's6th district. This district includes some of Philadelphia's suburbs and part ofReading, PA. The district demographics have changed and now is a leading democraticdistrict. The democratic candidate has the best chance of taking this district.The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has put this district as winnableto its list and helping Manan Trivedi in every way for him to win in the general election. In the presidential election of 2008, this district gave a resounding victory to Barack Obama with 58% of the vote. The non partisan Congressional QuarterlyPolitics has currently rated this district has democratic and the democratic candidatehas the best chance of winning in the general election.
A son of immigrant from India, Manan Trivedi was raised in Berks County. He is anIraq War Veteran. His battalion was deployed to Kuwait in 2003 and his team wasone of the first teams entered into Iraq. Manan has been married for more than fiveyears now to Surekha. They both met while in college. At the present time he ispracticing as physician in Reading, PA.
Manan recently defeated Journalist Doug Pike and Merion Commissioner Brian Gordonin the democratic primary on May 18th. Manan won his primary by 672 votes. The factthat he won against a well known and well funded candidate in Doug Pike speaks volumes.Doug Pike was on the editorial board of Philadelphia Inquirer for many years and his father was a known congressman, Otis Pike. Manan, now will go against incumbentcongressman, Jim Gerlach, who briefly flirted with a run for the governor of the state. His web site is www.trivediforcongress.com
If there is any candidate from Indian Americans running for Congress, Manan hasthe best chance of winning the election and definitely deserves our financial support.Manan is in touch with few of us and he is thinking of visiting Houston in the nearfuture.
3. Peter Mathews (D) is democratic candidate for the congress in California's 37thdistrict. This district encompasses Long Beach and Compton and many other municipalities.The district is highly diverse ethically with almost half of its residents havingHispanic ancestry, a quarter being African American and the rest, a mix of Caucasian,Asian American and other ethnic groups. It has one of the largest Cambodian populationsoutside Cambodia. At the present time, the district is represented by Democrat,Laura Richardson, who won a special election on August 21, 2007, easily defeatingmany other candidates. She is in the primary of the Democratic Party along withmany other candidates, including Peter Mathews, who is the son of immigrant parentsfrom India. Though, he came with his parents from India when he was very young.Peter is no stranger to politics. He has been running for congress since 1993 andhas not won so far. He has visited Houston few times during 1990's when he had muchmore support from many of the big cities in this country, including Houston.
Peter Mathews has spent 30 years as a college and University professor educating people. His father was a university professor and his mother, a teacher. At anearly age, Peter learned the value of human dignity and to cherish education. PeterMathews is a professor of Political Science at Cypress College, has taught at CaliforniaState University, Fullerton and served as a political analyst on KNBC - TV, CNNradio, KPFK radio as a commentator on KNX radio. His web site is: www.mathewsforcongress.org.The democratic primary for the general election will be on Tuesday, June 8th. At the time of this printing, the primary would have been over.
In the general and presidential election of 2008, Barak Obama won this districtby 79.6% to 18.7% for John McCain. All the leading political publications includingThe Cook Partisan Voting Index put this district as safe for democratic candidate.
4. Pia Varma (R) is a candidate for Congress in Pennsylvania's 1st district. Pennsylvania'sfirst congressional district includes primarily central and South Philadelphia,the City of Chester, the Philadelphia International Airport and other small sectionof Delaware County. The district currently has an overwhelming Democratic majority.This district is highly diverse ethnically with 46% population of African Americans,37% White, 5% Asian and 15% Hispanic.
At the present time, the district is represented by Bob Brady, Chairman of the PhiladelphiaDemocratic Party. He was first elected in 1998.
Pia Varma is not your typical candidate. A political outsider, Pia Varma is only 27 year old first generation Indian American woman and entrepreneur whose parentsemigrated from India before she was born. As a leader in the movement opposing biggovernment which is gaining momentum, Pia Varma is committed to restoring the principleson which the America was founded in 1776. She is an exceptionally gifted young woman.She writes for Mises Institute and Fusion Magazine of Glenn Beck, who has become quite known through his one our T.V. program on Fox News Channel. Pia Varma willbe the first serious candidate to challenge the current congressman, Robert (Bob)Brady since he took office in 1998.
Pia became intimately acquainted with big government policies in Philadelphia twoyears ago when the Commerce Department shut down her and business partner's green-buildingproposal to revitalize vacant land in the Kensington. Taxpayer funded program by the government - The Industrial Empowerment Zone - stood in her way. It is just another example of how the big government impedes progress and hurts ordinary Americans.Her web site is www.piavarma.com.
Please visit her web site and it will give you an inside of how and why she hasbecome a defender of small government.
This experience was the motivation for her to seek the office. She believes that a political outsider will have the advantage in the November election. She says,"I am not running on a resume. You do not need a resume or permission to try and prevent our country and our city from failing."
In the general and presidential election of 2008, Barak Obama won this districtwith sizable votes. All the leading political publications including The Cook PartisanVoting Index have put this district as safe for democratic candidate. It will be very difficult for a republican candidate to win in this district.
5. Raj Goyle (D) is a democratic candidate for congress in Kansas's 4th district which is being vacated by republican Todd Tiahrt who is running for the open U.S.Senate seat. This congressional district 4th is currently rated as "likely Republican"by the non-partisan CQ Politics. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has put 4th district to its list of Red to Blue where Raj Goyle has a better chanceof winning in republican held seat. 4th district encompasses south central Kansasincluding Wichita. This district was won by John McCain by a wide margin of 58%to Barack Obama's 42%.
Raj Goyle is a first generation American born to an Indian parent. At present, RajGoyle is a state representative for the 87th district of Kansas and has been electedto represent his state district since 2007. He is an attorney and a lecturer atWichita State University. Raj attended Duke University and from there he went to Harvard Law School. He is married to Monica Arora and has a daughter. His web siteis www.rajforcongress.com According to his web site his priorities are no free lunchesfrom lobbyists, educating our children, reducing health care coast, real solutionson energy, fighting for immigration reform and helping small businesses. Accordingto state ethics officials, Raj has not received any attention from lobbyists.
Raj Goyle has raised a significant amount for his campaign to win in the general election. According to his web site he has raised more than a million dollars.None of his republican opponents have been able to raise the amount that Raj has raised so far. There are more than five candidates who is trying to win in thein the Republican primary in August.

6. Ravi Sangisetty (D) is a democratic candidate for the congress in the Louisiana3rd district. The3rd Louisiana Congressional District surrounds the southern tierof the Greater New Orleans area. The district contains large portions of southeastand south central Louisiana and contains the cities of Chalmette, Gonzales, Houma,Thibodaux and New Iberia and few more. Redistricting in the 1990s pushed the districtout of the fast growing suburbs of Metairie and the city of Kenner.
This is an Open seat as the incumbent is running for the senate. There is no primaryon the democratic side while in the republican primary there are going to be morethan 4 candidates. Whoever wins will go against Ravi Sangisetty (D) Ravi Sangisettyis driven to solve the problems that most affect the future of South Louisiana.He is committed to fighting for Louisiana coast, spurring the growth of coastalindustries, and improving education and health care in the region. As a Louisiananative, Ravi holds these issues close to heart. His web site is www.raviforcongress.com
Ravi graduated from Princeton University in political science. While at Princeton,Ravi developed a strong devotion to public policy, especially in the area of coastalrestoration. Ravi returned to Louisiana and earned his law degree from Louisiana State University. His legal training centered on diverse areas of public law, including,for example, health care law. As part of his studies, he proposed cost-effective Methods of providing medical treatment to underserved communities. Also while atLSU Law, he was selected by his peers to chair its Ethics Committee. Ravi is marriedto Sarah, a graduate of Tulane University. The couple lives in Houma, where Ravi'sparents, both immigrants from India, still reside and maintain thriving medicalpractices. Ravi now works in Houma as a business attorney at the law firm of Duval,Funderburk, Sundbery, Lovell and Watkins. The CQ Politics currently rates the 3rddistrict as republican leaning and many other political publications also classify3rd district as republican leaning. As per the Cook Partisan Index, the district is R+12 which means that it would be very difficult for any democratic candidateto win the 3rd district in the general election. John McCain won a decisive victoryin the 3rd congressional district by 61% of the votes in 2008.
7. Reshma Saujani (D) is a democratic candidate for congress in New York's 14thdistrict. The 14th district of New York includes most of the East Side of Manhattan,all of Roosevelt Island and the neighborhoods of Astoria, Long Island City and Sunnysidein Queens. All of Central Park and the united Nations Headquarters are located withinthis district.
Reshma is a dedicated democrat, a community activist, a Yale University legal scholarand an attorney in New York City. But first and foremost, she is the daughter of political refuges whose story embodies the promise of life in America. Her parents,originally of Indian origin, barely escaped the brutal regime of Idi Amin in Uganda.But amnesty in America gave them a chance to rebuild.
Student loans gave her the opportunity to pursue a college education. Her undergraduatedegree is from University of Illinois. She was the graduation speaker and the recipientof the highest academic honor. Her graduate studies were done at Harvard's KennedySchool of government and a law degree from Yale University.
Over the years, she became increasingly frustrated by the short sighted policies of the government and the financial services industry that left thousands of peopleunemployed. That is why she resigned her job and decided to run for congress. Herweb site is www.reshma2010.com
Reshma is in the democratic primary and she will go against Carolyn B. Maloney whohas been elected to congress since 1993. It is going to be difficult for her toovercome the power of incumbency, but as they say in politics that anything is possibleon the day of the election. Tuesday, September 14, 2010 is the date for primaryelection in New York State.
The CQ Politics currently rates the 14th congressional district as democratic leaningand many other political publications also classify this district as democraticleaning. In the election of 2008, Barack Obama won a decisive victory in this districtby 78% to 21% for John McCain.
8. Surya Yalmanchili (D) is a candidate for the congress in Ohio's 2nd district.
The district stretches along the Ohio River from Cincinnati east to Scioto County.Please click on Ohio's 2nd congressional district: which will give you an idea howthe district is spread from east of Cincinnati.
Surya Yalmanchili, son of immigrant parents from India, was born in PA to a blue collar family. The work ethics of the immigrant parents took form as he shoveleddriveways to earn money while in the middle school. Surya Started his first business,an internet company, when he was in high school and worked full time while graduatingwith honors from Rutgers University. He worked with Proctor and Gamble Company inCincinnati as a brand manager. He also appeared on the show "The Apprentice". As someone who has benefited greatly from his parents' hard work, he is deeply concernedthe people who lost their jobs in the last couple of years. It is this concern,among others, that spurred him to put aside a successful carrier and run for the congress.
Surya narrowly won the primary and now he is in the general election in November.He will face a republican congresswoman, Jean Schmidt, in the general election.Congresswoman, Jean Schmidt, also won the republican primary with 61% of the vote.2nd Ohio district is presently represented by a republican congresswoman, Jean Schmidt,since 2005. The last democrat to win a full term in this district was 1964 and hasbeen in Republican hands for all these years.
In the general and presidential election of 2008, John McCain easily won this districtby 59% to 41% for Barack Obama. All the leading political publications including The Cook Partisan Voting Index, put this district as safe for republican candidateand the Congresswoman, Jean Schmidt, would retain the seat.

9. Vijay Kumar (R) is a candidate for Congress in Tennessee's 5th district. The5th Congressional district of Tennessee is a congressional district in the MiddleTennessee. Nearly two thirds of the district's voting population lives in the statecapital, Nashville. The district is majority white with 70% while African Americansconstitute 23.6%, Asians are at 4.2% and Hispanic population is only 0.3% and remainingare Native Americans.
The 5th district is a very safe seat for the Democratic Party due almost entirelyto the influence of heavily Democratic Nashville. Demographics are a major factorbehind the near absolute dominance of the political scene. The district is largelyinhabited by liberal oriented constituencies such as students and alumni of theNashville area's several colleges and universities, music industry professionals and white collar professionals. The clout of African Americans in Nashville has grown steadily in recent years as well.
Vijay Kumar is a first generation Indian American who emigrated to the United Statesof America in 1979. He was born in India Hyderabad in 1954 and graduated in Indiawith political science and philosophy. In 1983, Vijay married Robin Minix and havebeen married for 27 years. For two decade, he was employed in the insurance industryin administration and sales and marketing. He also ran his own insurance business.At the present time, he is working for a leading telecommunications company. Hehas very active in politics, volunteering in key positions in several successful political campaigns. His interests, first and foremost, is American politics andvery much interested in Indian sub-continent and the Middle East. He is runningon issues like, First Amendment rights, Second Amendment Rights, Economy and energyPolicy, Education, foreign Policy - Israel and India, National Security, Taxes,Health Care and Medicare, War on Terror, must oppose Sharia Law (Islamic) and Englishas the official language of the United States of America. His web site is www.kumarforforcongress.com.
The most crowded primary is the Tennessee's 5th Congressional Primary where 14 Republicans,including Vijay Kumar, have filed the nomination to run against the incumbent DemocraticRepresentative, Jim Cooper. He also has two opponents in the Democratic primaryand eight independent candidates are also running to oppose him in the November. The primary is set for Thursday, August 5, 2010.
The Cook Partisan Voting Index has given Democratic Party an advantage in the generalelection.
There are many more candidates who are running for various other positions throughoutthe United States of America. Just to name a few, Nikki Haley (R), a RepublicanState Representative in South Carolina, is running for the governor of the State.Though she received the maximum number of votes, she still is going in the runoffand will win in the runoff. She is likely to be the next Governor of South Carolina.
On the other hand, Kamala Harris (D) from San Francisco has just won her primary in the Democratic Party to become the Attorney General of California. She willgo against the Republican opponent in the general election. She is the daughterof an Indian mother and a Jamaican father.
The Indo American Community should be extremely proud of the fact that so many IndoAmericans are running for political office in this country and more will run inthe future. More Indo Americans are appointed at various positions at the WhiteHouse and it's administration. President Barack Obama has appointed the maximumnumber of Indo Americans in his administration. So have the State Department and many other agencies of the government.
Way to go Indo Americans! You make us all proud!!
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INDO AMERICANS AND POLITICS - PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE -
By Dinesh Shah, MBA, PE, TAS, PTC, President - elect IAPAC

Race, religion and residency as criteria for becoming "American" were reinforced as early as 1917, when immigration policy extended unfairness to almost all "Orientals"as they were known during that time. People of Indian origin were first permittedto become US citizens in 1946, after Chinese in 1943, but before Japanese and otherAsians in 1952. In early 1960's Indo-Americans suffered from social withdrawal andexperienced economic bias by mainstream and other minority Americans. Their strugglewas often unobserved by governmental agencies responsible for providing services to all Americans. There were many barriers to political involvement for Indo-Americans.Their rights were ignored by discriminatory laws which denied citizenship to Asianimmigrants and rendered them ineligible to vote.
During the Civil Rights movement in early 1960's, the persistent problem of racismwas exposed in USA and issues were raised about the democratic system in the nation.Simultaneously, various Asian ethnic groups decided to band together to react politically.As a result, the Asian American Political Movement was born. During the movement several acts were passed and the movement encouraged Asian immigrant citizens toconsider their identity and culture as being an Asian American.
In 1965, the legislation was changed and provided for more active political participationto the growing minority. The Immigration Act abolished the national origins quotasystem, removing restrictions for Asian immigrants, including people from India, and the Voting Rights Act prohibited unfairness in voting, education, employment,and public facilities.
In 1988 the Census Bureau wanted to eliminate various sub-groups under the group "Asian" on the 1990 Census form. A bill was introduced in the U.S. Congress, proposingelimination of the nine check-off boxes, Asian Indian, Chinese, Korean, Japanese and a few other Asians. Leaders of the Asian community were united in opposingthe bill and were eventually successful in that effort.
During his Presidency from 1992 to 2000, Bill Clinton recognized the contributionof Indo-Americans and put India at the forefront of political engagement. He createdgoodwill and excitement among Indo-Americans by becoming the first U.S. presidentto visit India in more than two decades. His visit was followed by a State Visit of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee to the US. The development of US-India relationscontinued and former President George W. Bush also invited Prime Minister ManmohanSingh at the Capitol. During his time, the Civil Nuclear Agreement became a historicallandmark of growing ties between the oldest and the largest democracies.
In the past two decades, India rose on the world economic scene with resources,knowledge and know-how. India also become known for outsourcing and was accusedof hijacking jobs from Buffalo to Bangalore. But in the last five years, more than60,000 jobs were created by more than 372 Indian companies in the US with investmentof $26.6 billion. Indians have excelled not only in USA, but also worldwide. Theycan excel anywhere because they are talented and they work hard. President Obama no longer sees India in the context of other 'Asian Countries', but values Indiain the context of the 'Global Economy'.
Today, prior to the latest 2010 Census numbers, more than 2.3 million Americansof Indian origin are making a big splash in politics and other walks of life. We have heard from many Indo-Americans that "When I first came, there were so fewIndians that when we saw an Indian, we would stop our car just to say 'Hello.' Buttoday, even in the corner of the smallest city in USA we have Indo-Americans."
While they are on the rise politically, the community leaders are making a concertedeffort to become a strong political force. Nationwide, several measures have beentaken up various community organizations to create awareness and encourage politicalactivity. The Indo-American Political Action Committee of Greater Houston knownas IAPAC, the Chamber of Commerce and hundreds of other organizations countrywideare providing political linkage between the Indo-Americans and the mainstream community.With Indo-Americans now the nation's fastest growing community with highest disposableincome, both political parties are targeting them as never before. The highly educatedand affluent Indo-Americans are helping to raise significant contributions and inreturn they are getting access and recognition. It helps the community at largein USA and also their original homeland, India.
The Indo-American community, not only doing an "A plus" job professionally and economically,but is also progressing politically. They are on the political map and are strategicallypositioned and interested in shaping American politics. Indo-Americans have a considerableadvantage over other immigrants from Asia because of their experience with democracy,exposure to the West and proficiency in English language. Unlike many East Asian political savvy who shy away from the news media, Indian Americans are at easewith reporters and seem to relish encounters with them. Indo-Americans feel readyfor political involvement, but not to the extent we expect.
The Politics of Diversity has unleashed an important political force that will continueto grow in the coming decades. The politicians or their consultants review the majorsocial events that led to the community's political participation and activism today.The Indo-Americans explore not only the local issues but also the community's publicpolicy needs, which are important and unique to them, such as education, immigration,housing, health care, employment, and US-India ties. Undoubtedly, the interestsof Indo-Americans as a diverse and bi-partisan political group cannot be easilypigeonholed. Indo-Americans are valued as diligent, disciplined, having strong familyvalues, and having respect for authority and for education. They are more concernedwith maintaining economic stability and focused on "getting ahead" in America. Sotheir political participation is not perceived as important as making money. Theyare too busy getting ahead and making money to worry about politics thus echoing the old trope of Indo-Americans as an "apolitical". Recently in May, US lawmakersPhil Gingrey, a Republican from Georgia, and Christoper Van Hollen, Jr, a Democratfrom Maryland, showered lavish praise on the Indian American community as an invaluablebridge in deepening US-India ties at the Capitol Hill reception hosted by the NationalFederation of Indian American Associations. As a community they stand unbiased onthe political spectrum by participating and supporting Republicans and Democrats.Now the Republicans and Democrats across the nation run ads in local Indian newspapersand radio, as the strength of Indo-American vote can now make the difference betweenwinning and losing an election.
Getting advancements in the political community are a good indication that Indo-Americanpolitical involvement is continuing to grow. The second generation is catching onand they are much more in tune as participants. It is worth to note, as not many people know about it, but in 1956 Dalip Singh Saund, a Sikh, was California's firstAsian American congressman. He was elected to the House and served three terms.He was a mathematician with a PhD who went into farming because he could not finda university that would hire an Asian instructor. In last several years, many youngIndo-Americans have been elected for various positions at County, City, State or National level. At present, just In Greater Houston area, there are six elected officials - Thomas Abraham, Mayor ProTem, City of Sugar Land; Sonal Bhuchar, Presidentof FBISD Trustee Board; Neeta Sane, Vice Chair and Board of Trustee, Houston CommunityCollege, Judge Ravi Sandill, Ken Mathew, former Mayor ProTem and Councilman forCity of Stafford, Elackatt, Councilman of City of Missouri City. In many other States,the community has leaders like Kumar Barve, Majority Leader of Maryland House of Delegate, Dr. Kamala Edwards, Commissioner, Maryland Governor's Commission on AsianPacific American Affairs and President, Indian American Leadership Council (IALC),Rajan Zed, President, Universal Society of Hinduism and Ohio House of RepresentativeMajority Whip, Jay Goyal from the Indian American community participated in theAsian Heritage Month Celebrations, Bobby Jindal, the current Louisiana Governor, and recently Nikki Hayle won the Republican Party nomination for the first femaleGovernor of South Carolina.
These leaders are the inspiration to the future generation leaders, and they are the pride of the Indo-American community.
So for the future generation of next century, Indo-Americans must and focus on buildingcommunity confidence or self esteem, which is known as empowerment. It is the abilityto invest one's strength to gaining power. It is the capacity in which one exerciseshis or her fundamental constitutional rights. But what can be done for the politicalempowerment? The political empowerment for Indo-Americans can only be fostered throughawareness and involvement. There are three vital actions that must be taken forincreased political involvement in the Indo-American community: (1) more voter registration,(2) reaching out to the Indo-American population for promoting awareness, and (3)fostering community involvement by volunteering for local, state and national campaigns.The leaders of all Indo-American organizations, national or local, religious orsocial, political or professional, should band together to increase awareness aboutthe political party, election or candidate and work towards full participation ofIndo-Americans. They need to create knowledge and highlight the benefits for the community. The strength brings the power and voice; without the voice in the politicalarena, the community goes without notice of power.
The Indo-American community's political strength has yet to be fully realized. TheIndo-American religious organizations can play very important role for political awareness within the guideline of their 501(c) (3) status. Many of those rulespertain to political activity such as: A religious organization is allowed to holdgeneral voter education or registration activities as long as the organization doesnot show a preference to an individual candidate and/or political party. A religiousorganization is prohibited from campaigning in any way for or against an individualcandidate or political party. A religious organization is prohibited from donatingfunds to a candidate or political party. But Priests, Pastors or other religious leaders can endorse a candidate or political party as an individual but not asa representative of their religious entity. Endorsements cannot be made at an officialgathering or organizational publication.
In summary, the Indo-American community members need to know the first paragraph in the US Constitution: We the People of the United States, means our governmentand our country was founded on the principles of We the People uniting for the sakeof benefiting everyone. To succeed in the future from the past and present history,they should get involved and united. The involvement will demonstrate the concernof the community and the unity will develop the strength.
Last but not the least is to remember the paraphrased quote of John F. Kennedy
Do not ask what leaders can do for you, but ask what you can do for the community,city, county or country. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Update from some of our elected representatives

From Ms. Sonal Bhuchar, President, Board of Trusteesof Fort Bend ISD
On behalf of the Board of Trustees of Fort Bend ISD, I bring you greetings and congratulationsas we celebrated another successful year at FBISD and graduated over 5000 studentsat 10 high schools. It was indeed a proud moment to see the achievements of ourstudents, including the Indo American students highlighted as Valedictorians, Salutatorians,Magna Cum Laudes and Cum Laudes.
As we head into a summer break, we pause to reflect on the many achievements thatthe district has accomplished in the past year and take this opportunity to thankthe leadership and staff of FBISD on a job exceptionally well done. We continueto increase the number of Exemplary and Recognized schools, our TAKS scores have shown significant gains in all subjects and we have received many state and nationallevel recognitions in academics, athletics and fine arts and we are delighted to make so many different opportunities for learning, growing and competing available.
This Fall we will open our 11th high school, Ridge Point, in the Sienna neighborhood.This school was commissioned in the 2007 bond, based on the growth projections forenrollment in that area. We also start up the Math and Science Academy at DullesHighSchool, the Gaming and Design Academy at Willowridge High School and the new Engineeringacademy at Elkins High School this fall. These are in addition to the already existingand successful academies at our other schools - the International Baccalaureateand Engineering Academy at Marshall High School, the Global Language at Clements High School and the International Business and Marketing at Bush High School andthe Engineering, the , Medical Technology, Media and Digital Graphics and Technologyat HHS. Any of our high school students are eligible to apply for admission into these Career Academies to get a basic understanding and first hand knowledge aboutthe career paths that they hope to follow.
While it has been a difficult year in terms of budget issues at the school district,in the wake of an inadequate funding formula established by our State Legislature,we have worked hard to establish a balanced budget for the coming year. The processof a reduction in force was a difficult and painful one, but it is very hearteningto say that many have been in rehired as positions have come open and the processwill continue into June, because that is the commitment made by the Board and administrationto our employees.
As I take over the coming year as Board President, it is my goal to pursue an aggressiveLegislativeadvocacy agenda to support public education and funding for the same. This was a project I had helped establish in my previous Presidency year and we will continueto reach out to our legislators and civic officials to explain and testify aboutthe urgent need to fund education, for that is the only thing that will define ourtomorrow.I also hope to continue proactive outreach efforts to the community at large and to our students and staff in particular. FBISD's High School Leadership establishedtwo years was a pet project I had wished to start and with the support of the Boardand administration has grown into a full fledged program, giving students from everyhigh school campus an opportunity to learn and grow in so many different walks oflife.
I ask for your support in helping me make these programs a success, by calling onyour state Legislators when I send you an update . Remember, emails, faxes and phonecalls from constituents are very very effective. Also, you can help by letting meknow when you have an opportunity where you would like a school district presentationlike your HOA meetings, realtor group or organization meetings. We would love to come out and visit and share information. I hope to serve this year, by making a positive impact on the lives and learning of our 70000 students in Fort Bendand its 10000 employees, and thus on the community of Fort Bend. FBISD continues to attract growth and new families, based on its excellent school district andwe look forward to its continued success.
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From Ms. Neeta Sane, Trustee, Houston Community College -District VII

Community colleges have become a vital component of our higher education system, serving 12 million people each year, almost half the undergraduate students inthe U.S. There is no better time for Houston Community College to be essential inthe life of our community than now. The current economic environment has compelledmany in the greater Houston area to turn to HCC for the education and training theyneed for the 21st century job market. HCC recently passed an enrollment milestonewhen our enrollment reached over 70,000, the largest in the history of HCC.
As your representative on the HCC Board, I continue to work for you via my TrusteeInitiatives to improve student success and workforce trainingat Houston CommunityCollege. Making sure that HCC produces skilled and well-trained workforce is myon-going goal, since such a local workforce is a building block for the economic growth of this region.
At HCC, as we represent and serve the community, we ensure that the education thatis vital to the Greater Houston area's economic success is accessible and affordablefor all.
I have special thanks to IAPAC as I continue to devote myself for the communityin service to you all.
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Contact InformationEMail: info@iapacgh.org [mailto:info@iapacgh.org]
Phone: 832-886-5191
URL: www.iapacgh.org