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GUJARATI
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Switzerland
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FOR THE first time in its 54-year history, Zurich based Distripress has elected as its president a member from the Middle East.
Gulf-based Tony Jashanmal, director of the Jashanmal Group of Companies was voted as the president for a three-year term.
"With the growing importance of Asia and particularly the Middle East in the global economic landscape it will be my goal to increase the membership of Distripress from companies in this region" said Jashanmal in his acceptance
speech.
Distripress is the largest organisation of companies involved in the wholesale and retail distribution of print media internationally.
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United States
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HIRUBHAI PATEL had one dream—to provide quality education to children.
With his family firmly behind him, it was decided Patel would go to the US to earn money. Initially he worked in partnership with some stores, working long hours in unideal living conditions, relying mainly on public transport, and living on a basic diet.
His sacrifice wasn’t in vain. After starting a primary school in Asarwa, Patel went on to establish six educational institutions, two schools, an engineering college, an MCA and MBA institute and a pharmacy college.
His next plan is to build a 300 seat medical college and hospital in Mehsana.
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PARSI
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United States
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HOMI PATEL, CEO of American suitmaker Hartmarx Corp, will personally outfit future US President Barack Obama with his tuxedo for the inaugural ceremony on January 20, 2009.
A two-button black tux with satin lapels is being tailored for Obama by Hartman's HSM, a suburban Des Plaines,
Illinois, union shop.
Cost? $1500 at department stores.
“It’s strong, navy, and it d oes make you look powerful, but what makes it presidential is the man in it,” he said.
Patel said he is working with the president elect's staff to determine if Obama will wear the suit with a topcoat at the ceremony.
Patel, 59, said Obama has been a client of his company since his first run for election to the US Senate in 2004.
The new electoral fashion trend has become so popular that Patel now owns four of the single-breasted Obama suits.
Patel has been with Hartmarx since 1979 and became CEO in 2001. His father was chief accountant of the Central Bank of India, his uncle Jal Patel was physician to the viceroy of India and the governor of Bombay.
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ANDHRA
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United States
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K. SANDEEP prabhu, of Penn State Varsity, who is an assistant professor of immunology and molecular toxicology, and his team have found that a protein naturally found in human bloods cells that contains selenium can significantly slow down the multiplication of the AIDs virus.
Prabhu stated that their research suggests that increasing the expression of proteins that contain selenium
negatively affects the replication of HIV by at least 10 fold.
Selenium is a micronutrient that the body n eeds to maintain its normal metabolism and is incorporated into proteins in the form of amino acids called selenocysteine. The resultant selenoproteins are important in reducing stress caused by infections and slowing its spread.
Prabhu and his collegues believe that since HIV targets selenoproteins they thought a logical way to deal with the HIV virus is to increase the expression of these proteins in the body.
Once we fully understand the function of these selenium proteins, it will give us a handle to come up with more effective drugs," he said.
The findings of Prabhu and his colleagues are outlined in the recent issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry.
MOVED BY the plight of weavers, hundreds of whom have committed suicide across Andhra Pradesh, an Indian-American student, Eppanapalli Pooja Jyothi, has launched an Internet-based signature campaign to promote their cause and the rich heritage they stand for.
Jyothi, a 10th grader at Livingston High School in New Jersey whose parents hail from Choppadandi in Karimnagar, set up the website saveweavers.org four months ago with the aim of collecting 100,000 signatures and submitting them to the Central Government. The initiative assumes significance in the backdrop of the accumulation of huge stocks of cloth produced by the weavers in the state. Jyothi said the weavers represented India’s glorious cultural heritage and it was the Centre’s duty to protect their lives and keep intact their magnificent skills.
“The Centre should mandate all government establishments like hospitals, railways, public schools, prisons, military and the tourism sector to use cloth made by weavers,’’ Pooja Jyothi said.
Once she collects the signatures, she would submit the petition to President Pratibha Patil and the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
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