The New Face of Carnegie

By Kamana Mathur

When I moved to Pittsburgh six years ago, I was surprised to see that Pittsburgh’s ethnic communities seemed to  “live, work, and play” in distinct neighborhoods.  I found it fascinating to walk around areas such as “Polish Hill”, the “Mexican War Streets,” and  “Deutschtown.”

While not quite a “melting pot” of diverse cultures and nationalities akin to cities such as New York and Washington, D.C., Pittsburgh did have distinct ethnic neighborhoods.  But why didn’t these diverse groups come together in one place?  True, in areas such as Oakland, with a diverse student population, one can walk the streets and hear conversations in a multitude of languages and see faces reflective of the world’s population.  But in the suburbs, the landscape appeared distinctly homogenous.

Then I discovered Carnegie.  A small town with a historic “Main Street” that boasts small family owned restaurants and shops, I learned that the owners often reside upstairs, and every one of them has a story to tell.  I discovered that in Carnegie, you can walk to almost everything.

This neighborhood, devastated by floods in the wake of Hurricane Ivan in 2004, has seen a recent revitalization, in part due to incentives offered by the borough to new business owners.  A current focus on revitalizing and beautifying the district has resulted in tree plantings, the purchase and renovation of deteriorating properties by the Carnegie Community Development Association, and provision of grants to new businesses moving to Carnegie.

Tucked amongst the large banks and drug stores are unique and interesting stores.   There is a small Kielbasa and cheese shop, owned by a Ukrainian couple – they have the kielbasa best in Pittsburgh.  The Italian Papa J’s has been a Carnegie mainstay, and so has Riley’s Pour House, a small Irish pub that still has live music during lunch on most days.  But what I find interesting is the recent influx of immigrant populations and restaurants and stores that cater to them.  Café Delhi, an Indian eatery, opened in 2012 and has become quite popular among the locals.  A Turkish family owns a small pizza shop – three brothers and their families run the place.  Recently opened Suzie’s Sandwiches & Deli offers light Lebanese fare and authentic baklava.

In addition to several law firms, antique shops, financial and consulting services, and other businesses have moved into Carnegie.  Newly opened Excelante Tutoring & Training Center (412-276-2399) provides tutoring and test prep to area youth from grades 1-12 as well as college students.  Run by a former teacher, the Center aims to improve the math and science skills of its students and prepare them for a competitive work environment.   Excelante is running SAT preparation classes over the summer at special rates.

I fell in love with Carnegie the moment I laid eyes on it.  People were friendly and unpretentious.   I decided to buy a piece of history and moved my law office there in April.  My new office, located at 6 East Main Street (www.MathurLaw.us), is situated close to the Chartier’s Creek.  I can take a walk and hear the bubbling creek on a nice afternoon.  Very occasionally, I see a train go by.  My neighbors wave and call me by name as I walk past them.   It’s so different from my previous location in a large impersonal office complex.

When I purchased the building, its age was listed as “unknown.”  I was delighted to see a model of it in the Carnegie Historical Society – it used to house a doctor’s and a dentist’s office.   My clients are always impressed.  They are able to experience history just by coming to see me.

It’s Time to End Partisan Politics

By Kamana Mathur
Courtesy Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
November 8, 2012

Congratulations America!  Despite the billions of dollars poured into negative and misleading advertising by organizations funded by anonymous donors, we reelected President Obama.  We have demonstrated that our vote is not for sale.  We may have different priorities and legitimate differences regarding how to move the country forward.  But it’s time we all come together, stop the partisan bickering, and work on doing what is best for the country.

I urge our Congressmen and Senators from both parties to work together in the spirit of compromise and do what’s best for the nation.  How well we do in the next four years depends upon whether we can put aside our differences and channel our resources in a way that will benefit the majority of Americans.   The “what’s in for me” attitude has got to end. Instead, we must think about what’s best for our friends, neighbors, and fellow Americans.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s urging Republicans to make defeating Obama their number one priority resulted in a gridlocked Congress.  It may well have also led to Romney’s defeat.  Partisan politics does not work and Americans can and will see through it.  I urge the leaders of both parties to put aside differences and find a solution to the problems still facing America.   Let us work together to make sure that we remain the leaders of the free world.  Let us keep the American Dream alive and kicking.

 

A Critical Vote

A CRITICAL VOTE

It’s critical that you, and every American, votes on Tuesday. Your future depends on it.

This election is more critical than any in recent times, not only because it is close but because the result will impact the future of our country. No one should complain about the government unless they vote, after looking closely at what each candidate stands for.

Sometimes it’s hard to sift the truth from the mounds of information being thrown at us. We must look beyond the promises and political jargon at the facts and figures provided by independent organizations – not just those purporting to be non-partisan while accepting large sums of money from “anonymous” donors. America is not for sale.

For me, the choice is clear. I am voting for President Obama. He provides the future I want for my children, for the following reasons:

1. We must stop sending our sons and daughters to help install regimes that are no better at protecting our interests than previous ones. We spend 711 billion dollars on the military (4.7% of our GDP), more than the next 13 nations combined. Over 7,000 Americans have died in Iraq and Afghanistan. If we think this is creating a safer America, we are sadly mistaken.

2. We do not want a President who, while stating that he wants to limit government interference in individual choices, believes that the government should tell women what to do with their own bodies. Romney has the power and political will to appoint Supreme Court justices who would overturn Roe v. Wade.

3. We do not want a President who would leave critical choices regarding our lives and our economy to those with vested interests and hidden agendas. As the Wall Street debacle of 2008 shows, private industry does not always have the best interests of Americans in mind.

4. We do not want a multi-millionaire President who chooses to keep his finances a secret, changes his stand on critical issues as is politically expedient, and is out of touch with the needs, hopes, and aspirations of the majority of Americans.

Deferred Action for Dreamers a Step in the Right Direction

Published in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Op-Ed Section
August 14, 2012
By Kamana Mathur

On Wednesday, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service will begin  accepting applications for “deferred action” — two-year relief from deportation  — for otherwise-law-abiding immigrants under 31 who were brought to this  country as children. This controversial measure was announced by President  Barack Obama on June 15 after repeated efforts to pass the Dream Act were  defeated by Senate filibuster — despite overwhelming bipartisan support in both  Houses.

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jose Vargas’ announcement last year that he  was an “illegal alien” surprised most of us. How could he have lived and worked  as a well-known journalist for so many years undetected?

Mr. Vargas was brought to the United States by his grandparents when he was  12. He did not realize he was “illegal” until he applied for a driver’s license  years later.

His announcement in The New York Times sparked a heated debate on the  contribution of illegal aliens to American society and the plight of the young  “dreamers.” Perhaps his announcement did what 10 years of efforts to pass the  Dream Act could not — it put pressure on the White House to take action when  Congress failed to do so.

Critics were vocal: Can the president do this? Isn’t this amnesty? Aren’t we  encouraging further violations of the law? But the measure was applauded by most  Americans. Perhaps it was their sense of fair play, or compassion for the more  than 800,000 young people who have been living in the shadows of the only  society they have ever known.

Most young immigrants are hardworking, law-abiding individuals who grew up  going to school, working and serving honorably in our military. They are our  friends and neighbors — we probably don’t even know they are here without  “documents.”

Carlos D’Souza will benefit from the president’s order. He was brought here  by his father when he was 10. They crossed the border into Texas, after giving  their life savings to a smuggler. They had hoped to work and save enough to send  money to sick family members back home. But when they arrived, they didn’t have  enough to pay their Texan handlers. They were sold into slavery to the owner of  a Chinese restaurant in Arizona. Carlos and his dad washed dishes, mopped floors  and cleared tables without pay for a year to settle their debt.

The president’s decision was based on sound economics and the principle of  “prosecutorial discretion” — in addition to fairness and compassion. The  government just does not have the $285 billion it would cost to deport the 11  million illegal aliens present in our country. Aren’t our limited resources  better spent deporting criminal aliens instead of punishing youngsters for the  acts of their parents? Is forcing young people to leave the only life they have  never known for the country of their birth really worth the $12,500 to $23,500  it costs taxpayers per individual deported? Instead, under this measure,  applicants will pay $465 to apply, generating millions of dollars in  revenue.

There are many things this order does not do. It does not grant legal status.  Applicants do not get a green card or citizenship. They can apply for  authorization to work legally and pay taxes — but only for two years.

So why all the hoopla? The measure is a narrow exercise of prosecutorial  discretion, which is deeply entrenched in our legal system, not a law.

Even the broad-based amnesty program launched by President Ronald Reagan  under the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 resulted in a decrease  rather than an increase in border crossings, because it was wisely combined with  stepped-up border security and employer penalties, something the Obama  administration also has focused on. That law was premised on the fact that it is  too costly and administratively difficult to round up and deport individuals who  came here to work and support their families. Many had no means to do so in  their own country.

Those who believe President Obama is soft on illegal immigration should look  at the numbers: He has deported almost 400,000 illegal aliens annually, most of  them with criminal records. This is double the number deported under the George  W. Bush administration.

During the last few years, with jobs hard to find, the number of illegal  aliens entering the United States also has dropped dramatically. Raids on  employers of illegals have increased.

Who qualifies for “deferred action?” Those who, among other things, have  committed no serious crimes, arrived in the United States when they were under  16; had continuously resided here for at least five years prior to June 15 and  are in school, have graduated from high school, have a GED or have an honorable  discharge from the armed forces.

With this one action, the president has brought hope not only to the  “dreamers” but to millions of Americans who believe a child should not be  punished for the wrongdoing of his parents, who believe almost a million people  who have lived here most of their lives should be able to come out of the  woodwork, work legally, pay taxes and live without fear in the only home they  have ever known.

Kamana Mathur is an immigration lawyer  at MathurLaw LLC in Greentree (www.MathurLaw.us). First Published August 14, 2012  12:00 am

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/opinion/perspectives/the-two-year-reprieve-begins-allowing-young-immigrants-to-stay-makes-a-lot-of-sense-648897/#ixzz23YFBIACV

The Death of Gadaffi: Creating Change By Empowering the Masses

Republished Courtesy the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Having served as a Public Diplomacy Officer at the U.S. Mission to NATO during the Bush regime when Americans were almost universally hated by Europeans and the world, I have seen the repercussions of the American tendency to deploy its military might to solve world conflicts.  After an outpouring of good will towards our nation after September 11, our hasty actions in Iraq made us, in the world’s eye, arrogant, trigger happy strongmen who cared little about the opinion of the rest of the world.

The killing of Muammar Gaddafi by his own countrymen was historic.  For the first time in recent history, America has helped empower a country’s oppressed masses to free themselves from the shackles of a ruthless dictator without going in with guns blazing.  And we have done so with the support of the international community.  This is a major departure from the modus operandi of previous Administrations.

President Obama clearly realizes a fundamental truth that seemed to escape previous Administrations: the only way to help people is by empowering them to help themselves.  Then the victory is doubly sweet.  Although much maligned for his failure to jump into battle in Libya, the facts reflect that acting through NATO to empower those fighting for their freedom was the right approach.

As a U.S. Foreign Service Officer, I have seen the failure of programs that try to “solve the problems” of other nations.  What is much more successful is helping those who are already making the effort to create positive change.

Those who criticize President Obama’s multilateral approach should realize that he is also able to act unilaterally when and if the situation requires.  He took an immense risk going into the sovereign nation of Pakistan to take out Osama Bin Ladin without informing the Pakistanis.  Previous efforts to take out America’s Enemy Number 1 failed precisely because we shared information with the corrupt Pakistani administration that was focused on preserving the specter of terrorism in order to keep billions of dollars in aid pouring in.

Let this be a lesson for future Administrations.  Let’s help the poor and the oppressed of the world not by giving handouts or fighting their battles.  Let’s provide them with the tools necessary to achieve their goals.  Only when there is a real commitment to effect change within the affected community will true change occur.

Pittsburgh Named Top City of the Future

So, it’s official.  In addition to being the “Most Livable City,”  one of the Top Places to Retire, Best for Recent Grads, and an architectural marvel, Pittsburgh has now been named the top “City of the Future,” in fDi Magazine’s North American Cities of the Future survey.  

According to fDi (Foreign Direct Investment) magazine, Pittsburgh ranked first overall in the large cities category due to its business friendly infrastructure, low cost of living, and numerous initiatives to help the region grow into a dynamic hub for international business and investment.  Way to go, Pittsburgh!

Pittsburgh Doctors Team Up To Provide Much Needed Care to India’s Villagers

Patients Sign Up for Treatment

By Kamana Mathur

From  February 7-13, a Medical Yatra, organized by Dr. Shashi Marwah of Pittsburgh’s North Hills, in conjunction with the Association of Indian Physicians of Northeastern Ohio (AIPNO) and the Parmarth Ashram in Rishikesh, India, performed an amazing feat – they brought together physicians from all over the world  to perform medical exams and provide much needed treatment to more than 3,749 villagers in remote regions of Northern India.  Medicine and eyeglasses were also provided at no cost to the villagers.

From their base at the Ashram in Rishikesh, the volunteers left every morning by bus to various remote regions and saw patients from 8:30 am to 4pm every day, before making the long trek back to their makeshift accommodation in Rishikesh.   The Yatra resulted in over 7,800 physician visits to a population that had little or no access to medical treatment. 

The team consisted of 32 physicians and volunteers from the US, UK, and other parts of the world.  This committed group took time off their busy schedules to go to India at their own expense. They were joined by more than 20 volunteers from the Parmarth Ashram, who worked round-the-clock to make sure everything went smoothly.

 The AIPNO YATRA fund has made a commitment to Parmarth Ashram to fund 100 cataract surgeries for the poor and the needy at the next cataract camp, planned for October 2011.

For details and photos of the event, please see the attached article:  Medical Yatra.  For more information or to volunteer or donate, please contact Ms.Shashi Marwah at marwahshashi@hotmail.com.