Clinical Endocrinologist and Epidemiologist in Brampton and...

FOR BEST DEALS AND INFORMATION SEE PAGE 36

HANSIKA MOTWANI SHRUTI HAASAN PICS: IANS

STOP Diabetes Foundationto host Public Awareness

Event in Mississauga

HUMA QURESHI

What made Twitter look beyond 140 characters?

JACQUELINE FERNANDEZ ADITI RAO HYDERI

New Delhi, (IANS) What could have made Twitter grow beyond beingjust a micro-blogging, social media site and relent on its strict 140-characterlimit - at least for direct messaging services? Come July twitteratis can senddirect messages on the platform as long as 10,000 characters.But why this sudden decision?With growing popularity of direct messaging platforms like WhatsAppand Facebook, exper ts feel Twitter's decision was to keep its custom-ers happy and the site competitive. "Micro-blogging is the main iden-tity of Twitter. They must be getting feedback from the users to in-crease the length of the direct messages from 140 characters," RishiTejpal, principal research analyst at Gar tner, told IANS."I think the Twitter decision reflects its urge to diversify into differentdomains using existing infrastructure," Tejpal added. "We've done alot to improve direct messages over the past year and have much moreexciting work on the horizon.One change coming in July that we want tomake you aware of now (and first!) is the removal of the 140 character limitin direct messages," one of the Twitter developers wrote."Twitter has been upgrading its features with a focus on its directmessaging. Lifting the limit is going to be extremely useful for brandsto not only handle customer issues but in delighting customers,"Sumana Samuk, digital marketing manager, Litehouse, an experi-ence design house under Harman International. Increasing the char-acter limit will definitely provide more flexibility."It will be a novelty,"said Sachin Doon, co-founder, Digital Research

and Technology Solutions. "On the positive side, it could be used bybusinesses as well, like including product newsletter too in direct mes-sages," Doon told IANS. "On the other side I feel it good for those who still loveto write descriptive letter-like things to each other, people might actually startto use proper grammar and punctuation." Inversely, consumers will also findit convenient to reach out to brands from any location."Brands have trained and integrated their team to handle customer rela-tions. Now Twitter's direct messaging service will come to their rescue. Theycan have one-on-one conversations, they can have customers' personaldetails, since the service will use Twitter's platform," Samuk added.

BY SHAZIA MALIKMississauga - To create aware-ness about the killer disease -diabetes - the Stop Diabetes Foun-dation Inc., is organising an in-formative public par ticularly forthe South Asian community onSunday, June 21 in the Peel re-gion.According to recent studies, thePeel region has the highest num-ber of diabetic patients in Canadaand the foundation's objective,termed as VISION 2020, is thedisseminate useful informationand remove it from number oneposi t ion by emphasiz ing onlifestyle and diet changes. Thefoundat ion bel ieves simplechanges can go a long way inchecking serious consequencesrelated to this disease. A recentsurvey showed that globally 360million people suffer from thisdisease but the number will in-crease to a staggering 550 mil-lion by 2030 in both developingand under-developed countries.Midweek talked to Dr HarpreetSingh Bajaj, Clinical Endocrinolo-gist and Epidemiologist inBrampton and Founder of STOPDiabetes Foundation, to under-stand the implications of this dis-ease, prevention, cure and whatto expect from the upcomingevent taking place atMississauga Convention Centeron Sunday, June 21.Dr Harpreet informed due tochanges in lifestyle in the last 20years, South Asians suffer morefrom diabetes, also known as asilent killer, compared to otherethnic groups. He said: "SouthAsians suffer from this diseasetwice or thrice more compared towhite or African Canadians andthere are several reasons behindthis. We have seen a marked

NISHA AMIN, RECEIVING THE FEMALE ENTREPRENEUR AWARD AT THE ICCC ANNUAL AWARDS AND GALA NIGHT.I MORE DETAILS ON P28, 29, 30 & 31

DR HARPREET SINGH BAJAJClinical Endocrinologist and

Epidemiologist in Brampton andFounder of STOP Diabetes

Foundation

break of South Asians from theirtraditional foods as they are moreattracted towards the Western fastfood culture such as pizzas, fries,burgers, bagel and aerated beverages."He added all the above, categorised asunhealthy foods is now part and parcelof our daily routine and though at firstthe gain in weight of two to three poundsdoes not bother, in the long run it resultsin obesity, kidney failures, diabe-tes and hear t d iseases. DrHarpreet opined: "But what 'sworst that South Asians do notfollow a strict medication regimeand star t or stop per their desire.That is why whereas diabetes hascome down by 50% in whites andAfrican Canadians, its prevalencein South Asians in high."Dr Harpreet maintained that asedentary lifestyle has added onthe problem as people are busyduring the day and at night munchall kinds of junk food such ascookies and chips while watch-ing TV which is the major pasttime of South Asians.

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Located midway between the prestigious Angus Glen Golf Club andhistoric Main Street in Unionville, Kylemore Communities is buildingThe 6th Condominium. Nestled alongside Kylemore's million-dollar-plus detached homes in the award-winning Angus Glen Community.The 6th is a lavish, boutique residence overlooking the newly reno-vated south course of Angus Glen Golf Club, host venue of the 2015Toronto Pan Am Games. Promoting an unparalleled, resor t-inspiredlifestyle, two luxury buildings are connected by a dramatic two-storeylobby and the private amenities which are shared by residents of bothbuildings. Concierge service will be provided from the lobby whichalso features a relaxing lounge area and cozy fireplace. For fitness,there's an exercise room, a yoga studio, a tranquility whirlpool andsaunas. The stately billiards rooms, a private dining room, and apar ty room with a kitchen and bar, all have access to a grand outdoorterrace with views over the golf course. Lush landscaped groundsincorporate cabanas and al fresco dining areas surrounding an infin-ity swimming pool.Building A is eight floors and the second building features 10 storeys.An excellent selection of premium suites remain, priced from thelow-$600's. One- and two-bedroom floorplans are available with, orwithout, a den ranging in size from 656 to 1,639 square feet.Interior appointments are truly spectacular, and there's very little needto upgrade. Smooth-finished ceilings are nine or 10 feet in heightdepending upon the floor. Underfoot, suites have natural stone floor-ing in the foyer, a choice of porcelain tiles, and premium hand scraped,

BUILDING A LEGACY OF LUXURY IN MARKHAMKYLEMORE COMMUNITIES

engineered hardwood flooring. In the kitchen, you'll find quar tzcounter tops, quality cabinetry with extended uppers, a light valanceand crown moulding, plus superb Sub-Zero & Wolf stainless steel-finish appliances and an under-counter wine fridge. Similarly deluxefinishes can be found in the master ensuite, which also includes aframeless glass shower enclosure. Each suite has individually con-trolled, energy efficient heating and cooling on demand, with a heatrecovery ventilator for improved air quality.Kylemore Communities received a 2014 Markham Design ExcellenceAward for Angus Glen in the category of Community Design. In 2013,the Building Industry and Land Development (BILD) Association namedAngus Glen the Best "Places to Grow" Community of the Year. The awardrecognizes the community that represents the best example of smart growth,environmental preservation, innovative site planning, recreational amenities,streetscapes and architecture. Kylemore Communities along with MikeNiven Interior Design were proud recipients of the 2012 BILD Awardfor Best Suite Design - over 1,500 sq. ft.Markham has never seen anything like The 6th Condominiums. Here,you can live in the esteemed Angus Glen Community, and enjoy acarefree condominium lifestyle.For more information, visit the Presentation Centre at 285 Angus GlenBlvd. (south of Major MacKenzie Dr., west of Kennedy Rd.) in Markham.Hours from 1pm to 7 pm Monday to Thursday; and from 11 am to 6 pmweekends and holidays; Friday by appointment. Call 905.887.9950.kylemorecommunities.com

r e a l e s t a t e

Shrine Circus SPECTAC! 2015

The all new thrill showunder the traditional Big

Top is coming to GTA

TORONTO -The Shrine Circus SPECTAC! 2015 is coming to 51 loca-tions in Ancaster, Markham, Brampton-Caledon and Milton this sum-mer for 54 shows from June 19 to August 3, 2015 under the magnifi-cent Big Top.SPECTAC! 2015 will feature some of the most spectacular acts in thecircus. This family tradition for four generations of Canadians is backwith a thrilling production featuring the World Famous Wallendas, thesensational Flying Cor tes Family, the death defying Motor Cycle Globeof Fire and awe inspiring cavalcade of Zerbini Liber ty Horses & El-ephants in a Carnavale of Circusdom plus Aerial Ar tistry, Comedy,Classical Clowns and more.



TORONTO - John Tory, Mayor City of Toronto was the Chief Guest at the 24th Annual Awards and Gala Night at theMetro Toronto Convention Centre in downtown Toronto.Mayor John Tory said that he is working to manifold the relations with India and appreciated the recent visit of PrimeMinister Modi to strengthen the bilateral relations.He applauded the chamber’s contribution in promoting the bilateral trade and commercial relations and shown hiswillingness to cooperate with India for developing smart cities.Asim Ghosh, President & CEO of Husky Energy was the keynote speaker for the evening. While accepting theCorporate executive Award of the year from Dharma P Jain, ICCC’s President, he said that India is a hot market . . . aseductive place for people who think they can make a quick return from a pool of 1.2 billion consumers. While manyother countries are at a similar level of development, India has a resource of intellectual and managerial capital stillto be tapped, Ghosh said. The annual gala and awards night is a marquee event where ICCC promotes trade andcommerce between India and Canada and recognize the achievements of Indo-Canadians from all across Canada byway of an award presentation. Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce’s Advisory Board independently chooses theaward recipients. In 2015, MNP, LLP was tasked with conducting due diligence of the nominations received.The 2015 award recipients included a spectacular mix of community stalwarts, entrepreneurs, professionals,academics, and young achievers. The evening, replete with entertainment skits and speeches from VIPs, wasattended by over 800 guests comprising the who’s who of the Indo-Canadian society.The 2015 recipients of ICCC’s annual awards and gala night include:

ICCC Holds Annual Awards and Gala Night 2015

s p e c i a l r e p o r t

2015 AWARD WINNERS WITH ICCC'S BOARD OF DIRECTORS.

ASIM GHOSH, KEYNOTE SPEAKER. MAYOR JOHN TORY, CHIEF GUEST.I CONTD. ON PAGE 31



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In his Presidential address, Dharma P Jain, said, “Recent visit of Prime Minister Modi will elevateCanada-India bilateral relations to a strategic partnership. ICCC has contributed by pioneering ideas todevelop a road map for a modern and strategic par tnership. As the only bilateral chamber of commerceworking to foster trade between Canada and India, we are always alive to pronouncements that can beturned into effective tools for policy formulations.Our Chamber understands the growing role of cities both in Canada and India for trade and economicmatters, and has been a pioneer in developing city-centric trade missions from Canada to India, he fur thersaid.” The South Building of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre (MTCC) was extravagantly decorated byKarma Designs. The four enter tainment segments were produced by Divya Kumar Bollywood Dance. TheHost provided the catering services.


FEMALE PROFESSIONAL: NEERU GUPTA (HER SON RECEIVES THE AWARD ON HER BEHALF)

MALE ENTREPRENEUR: PRASHANT PATHAK

MALE PROFESSIONAL: MANJUL BHARGAVA.

YOUNG ACHIEVERS: HARGURDEEP SINGH & AVISH SOOD (IN THE MIDDLE).

TECHNOLOGY ACHIEVEMENT: RAJIV MANUCHA.


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The future is now: First-time home buyersready to make their move - RBC Poll

CONTD. FROM PAGE 25He recommended: "A 15 to 20 minute exercise such as walk, swimming or lifting lightweights every day is a must. Add more vegetables and lentils to your diet. Replaceunhealthy diets with almonds and walnuts because 75% of the disease can be con-trolled through diet."He also stressed upon more intake of proteins and less of carbohydrates mentioning how SouthAsians are eating more naans and chappatis but in fact should have more salads and fruits in their dailydiets. According to a research he carried out some time back, a four inch reduction in the circumferenceof waist can prevent the ailment by 50% even in those who inherited from their families. His advise:"Follow a healthy lifestyle but if you have become a diabetic after all, don't skip your medicines. Keepthis killer under control."Meanwhile, the morning session of the June 21 event will help create awareness and open to the publicfrom 9am to 2pm. Certified diabetes specialists, doctors, pharmacists and dieticians will provideeducation on diet and health. A free healthy lunch along with door prizes will be included as part of thisinformation filled day.The foundation has arranged for a free bus service from three locations in Malton and Brampton. Agathering of over 500 people is expected to attend this informative afternoon with the educationalsegments set to be widely broadcast to a much larger audience through both traditional and socialmedia platforms. The afternoon session will be concluded by a media reception to be held from 3pm to4pm, where several key new initiatives to fight the epidemic of diabetes in the Peel region will beannounced by Dr Harpreet.These initiatives will include a social media directive focused on South Asian youth; high-risk aware-ness initiative aimed at adults with stationary jobs with low physical activity; restaurantand Gurudwara initiatives to provide healthy mealtime and snack options; a mythbusters initiative focused on diet and fitness myths and a women's preventive healthinitiative linking to issues such as infer tility. Renowned Bollywood singer, HarshdeepKaur of 'Heer' fame is especially being flown in from Mumbai to add gravitas to theproceedings with her soulful voice. She is scheduled to perform at a medical profes-sionals' fundraiser for the organization later in the evening.More informat ion on the foundat ion 's in i t ia t ives can be seen onwww.stopdiabetesfoundation.com, acquired by calling 647-986-STOP or emailing [email protected]

STOP Diabetes Foundation to hostPublic Awareness Event in Mississauga

TORONTO - Canadians believe in the value of housing with84 per cent identifying a house or a condominium as agood investment, according to the 22nd Annual RBC HomeOwnership Poll. Intent to purchase remains strong withone-in-four Canadians (25 per cent) indicating plans to pur-chase a home within the next two years. Amongst thesepurchasers, four-in-ten (44 per cent) say they will be first-time buyers.A first-time home purchase is not without obstacles oranxiety-inducing factors. Future buyers identify their per-sonal financial situation as the primary reason for not en-tering the market earlier with 'not enough of a down-pay-ment' topping the list (50 per cent). Other reasons for stay-ing out of the market include income level (48 per cent),job security (29 per cent) and personal debt (27 per cent).Given that purchase intentions in Canada are strong and asignificant number of these purchasers will be first-timebuyers, Trisha Fineza Forbes, senior manager, Home Eq-uity Financing, RBC, offers the following advice:"Look beyond rates and manage your mor tgage. Anxiety isunavoidable when purchasing a home no matter whichstage of life. The good news is that it can be lessened withstrong advice and a detailed financial plan that looks atyour needs and lifestyle, and not just the numbers," saidFineza Forbes. "The future is within reach and a mor tgagespecialist will help you reach that possibility."Buying a home for the first time can lead to more than justjitters and - RBC has produced a series of "movie trailers"

in different cinematic genres to dramatize the first-timehome-buying process and provide advice and tips to helpfeel ready to make such a life-changing step. Today, RBCadds a"sci-fi" theme, to follow the success of theromanticcomedy, drama, and horror trailers last year and intro-duces an online hub of homebuyer resources such as cal-culators, advice ar ticles, and access to mor tgage special-ists.Local trends differ from coast-to-coastAcross the country, nearly half (49 per cent) say it makessense to buy now. This year's consumer sentiment pollsuggests the tide is turning in favour of buyers. Overall, 37per cent of Canadians view the housing market as bal-anced. However, there was an uptick in respondents whofeel the housing market is a buyers' market (36 per cent,compared with 33 per cent last year), led by sentiment inAlber ta (43 per cent, compared with 22 per cent a yearago) and in Quebec (50 per cent, up from 43 per cent a yearago). One-in-four respondents (28 per cent) describe thecurrent market as a sellers' market."Real estate is a local economics story with local trendsthat go beyond national averages. Canadians are closelywatching the current economic environment and takingstock of their personal financial situation before makingone of the biggest purchases of their lives," said FinezaForbes. "The survey results emphasize the impor tance ofunderstanding the total cost of home ownership and find-ing a home buying plan that suits your needs."

One-in-four Canadians plan to purchase a home in thenext two years; 44 per cent of them will be first-timers


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Diabetes: The epidemic that Indians created

BY CHARU BAHRI

New Delhi, (IANS/IndiaSpend) Sharad Tripathi of Meerut developeddiabetes five years ago, at 33, "no thanks to the stressful life of asales person that involves a lot of travel, eating out and irregular mealtimes, and no time for exercise". Just when Tripathi learnt to managehis condition - with medication and lifestyle changes - his mother, inher mid-60s, developed diabetes. Tripathi senior joined the club ayear later, at age 70.Tripathi found himself sharing the dos and don'ts of living with diabe-tes with his parents. The family's predicament indicates how fast thedisease is sweeping India, enveloping entire generations, ignoringage and setting new global records, as it trebled over the past twodecades. In 1995, India had 19.4 million diabetics. Within 19 years,that number had more than tripled to 66.8 million in 2014, accordingto the International Diabetes Federation (IDF). That makes India, hometo 17 percent of the world's population, also home to 17 percent of theworld's diabetics.Another 77 million Indians are currently believed to be pre-diabetic,according to the Indian Council of Medical Research. In 2010, diabe-tes stood 18th in the list of diseases by years of life lost, up from 31 in1990, as per the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010. Deaths attrib-utable to diabetes grew 41 percent from 161,000 to 227,300 between2000 and 2012, according to the World Health Organisation.That increase was enough to catapult diabetes into the top 10 of killerdiseases in India. The IDF pegs annual deaths due to diabetes in Indiaat more than one million, possibly because poorly controlled diabe-tes brings on other killer diseases.Diabetes in India now cuts across all age groups and geographies.Although it is more prevalent in urban areas, rural India will catch upas lifestyles change. In cities like Chennai,Delhi and Kochi, one in

five adults is diabetic.There is little doubt that India is witnessing a diabetes epidemic -brought on by Indians.We aren't like that onlySome offer the old excuse for India's diabetes explosion - that a pre-disposition to diabetes is written in our genes.Those of Indian ethnicity have a genetic propensity to acquire meta-bolic syndrome, a set of five conditions of which you need only threeto enter the class. One condition is both visual and measurable: theapple-shaped body. The others are measurable: high blood pressure,low high-density lipoprotein (HDL), high triglycerides and high fast-ing blood-glucose.Metabolic syndrome increases the risk for developing diabetes overthe next five years five-fold, according to Enas A Enas, American-Indian cardiologist and head of the CADI (Coronary Ar tery Diseaseamong Asian Indians) Research Foundation in the USA."If you have metabolic syndrome, consider yourself in line for diabe-tes," said Seema Gulati, head of the Nutrition Research Group, Centerof Nutrition & Metabolic Research (C-NET), National Diabetes, Obe-sity and Cholesterol Foundation.Indians tend to have more fat than muscle at a given body massindex, vis-à-vis Caucasians. "This means even normal weight Indi-ans would metabolically be considered obese individuals," explainedGulati.Obesity is a known risk factor for diabetes.Children of people with diabetes tend to develop the disease. A studyin Chennai found 55 percent of the offspring of two diabetic patientshad either diabetes or impaired glucose tolerance, a pre-diabetic con-dition, compared to 15.6 percent of those with no family history ofdiabetes. The upward trend of diabetes explains why current genera-tions cannot blame their genetic heritage for the ongoing diabetesexplosion. "The influence of globalisation and urbanisation are the single big-gest factors for India's diabetes epidemic," said V. Mohan of Dr.Mohan's Diabetes Specialities Centre, Chennai, and founder of Ma-dras Diabetes Research Foundation. "Our eating habits now resemblethe west and we've adopted sedentary lifestyles." Indians have tradeddal-sabzi-roti for pizzas, burgers and other calorie-dense goodies.Researchers Nikhil Tandon and Nishant Raizada estimate that city-dwellers consume up to 32 percent of the daily energy requirementas fat.We rely on cars to get around. We've hired help and bought machinesto perform household calorie-burning chores, and, for the most par t,not bothered to replace those activities with exercise. At work too,more Indians than ever before are employed in sedentary white-col-lar jobs. In other words, Indians are bringing diabetes on themselves.It boils down to life choices. If faulty lifestyle is the cause, lifestylemodification is the cornerstone of diabetes management. Overall, thechances of diabetes depend 80 percent on the environment, 20 per-cent on genes, said Anoop Misra, chairman, For tis Centre of Excel-lence for Diabetes, Metabolic Diseases and Endocrinology, and chair-man, National Diabetes, Obesity and Cholesterol Foundation. By ag-gressively pursuing changes, diabetics can manage without medica-tion or with lower doses of drugs.

ONTARIO: African Lion Safari proudly announces the bir thof three beautiful, healthy female Asian elephants!“Hannah” was born Sunday October 19th, 2014 weighing232 lbs. She was born to mother Lilly after a 21 monthpregnancy.“Gigi”, another healthy female was born Tuesday February 24th,weighing 124 lbs. She was born to first time mother, Emily.Most recently, “Anna May” was born Monday May 4th toOpal, also a first time mother. Anna May weighed 240 lbsat bir th.These big beautiful babies enjoy their time playing andinteracting with each other as well as with other familymembers. African Lion Safari is proud to maintain a veryvibrant and cohesive multi-generational herd of Asianelephants.Asian elephants are considered an endangered specieswith their population estimated to be between 30,000 and50,000 in the world. The main reason for their decline isloss of habitat. Human demands on the environment, forfood and resources, are pressuring the elephants in theirhome ranges.Seventeen Asian elephants have been born at African LionSafari, which maintains one of the most successfulconservation programmes for Asian elephants in the world.African Lion Safari connects visitors with our amazing herdof Asian elephants to increase awareness of the problemselephants face in their range countries, as well as tosuppor t conservation programmes worldwide.Guests visiting African Lion Safari can meet Hannah, Gigi,and Anna May at the Elephant Look-Out daily throughout theafternoon (weather permitting and nap-time permitting).

THREE BabyElephants born at

African Lion Safari!



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Clinical Endocrinologist and Epidemiologist in Brampton and...

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