ambainny

Yuriko interviews Rajeev Sethi. Rajeev Sethi (Graphic & Designer) By Yuriko Lochan I called upon Mr. Rajeev Sethi, an eminent scenographer and designer who travels to all corners of the world and remains involved in various important design projects in different corners of the globe. His office is situated in a residential area in the central part of South Delhi, behind a well-known shopping centre that has been recently enlivened by the influx of the arrival of increasingly more European and American specialty shops. We had been fostering our friendship for some years and I had the opportunity to assist him with his exhibition at the National Mall in Washington DC which he had designed for the Silk Road Festival, where I had helped him to create some of the exhibits. He was considerate enough to accommodate me with my request for an interview although he was extremely busy. His office is located in a residential habitat and aptly illustrates his philosophy of using natural materi...

Is Karnataka following the Gujarat mode of development? Between 1998 and 2000, communal incidents were reported every six months, every month between 2000 and 2004, and from 2004 on, we find that incidents occur every week." The invariable plot for violence, he adds, is about a boy from a Muslim or Christian community ‘found being friendly’ with a Hindu girl, which leads to the self-styled protectors of the Hindu faith ‘intervening’ to ‘free’ the girl. Except intervening here means thrashing the boy. "We should remember that there was a sustained campaign against the Muslim community in Gujarat before Godhra happened," says Phaniraj. Just prior to the Surathkal riots in 1998, a lot of pamphlets warning young Hindu women against going with Muslim boys were circulated. "There is a state of utter and complete lawlessness in Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Bellary." H.D. Kumaraswamy Janata Dal (S) President "One of them asked Hindu women to be caut...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is a review of it, in the times of india.

Khushwant Singh writes an obit for Happy Singh, who passed away recently. Let me repeat for the umpteenth time: there must never be another Indo-Pak war. If, god forbid, there is one, there will be no winners. Both India and Pakistan have long-range missiles that can ruin both countries. So let us tell the sabre-rattlers in clear terms, be they Pakistanis or Indians, that war is too serious a matter to be left to soldiers or politicians. Only common men, women and children who will be most affected by its impact have the right to take this decision. If necessary, make human chains extending from Kashmir to the Arabian Sea, one on the Pakistani side, the other on the Indian. And let the tanks and armoured cars run over the chains before they start firing their guns. There are people of peace and goodwill who will gladly volunteer to stake their lives for their countries. We have our Kuldip Nayyars and Swami Agniveshs to lead them; they have their Asma Jehangirs, Najam Sethis and Jugnu ...

=== JKrishnamurti.org - Daily Quote === >From listening there is an action Do you understand what I mean by a reaction? You insult me, you say something which I don't like, and I react; or I like what you say, and again I react. But is it not possible to listen to what another says without reacting? Surely, if I listen to find out the truth or the falseness of what you are saying, then from that listening, from that perception, there is an action which is not reaction. Collected Works, Vol. XIII - 233 _______________________________________________

Juan Cole on Obama's first move to bomb villages in Wazirstan. Jan. 26, 2009 | On Friday, President Barack Obama ordered an Air Force drone to bomb two separate Pakistani villages, killing what Pakistani officials said were 22 individuals, including between four and seven foreign fighters. Many of Obama's initiatives in his first few days in office -- preparing to depart Iraq, ending torture and closing Guantánamo -- were aimed at signaling a sharp turn away from Bush administration policies. In contrast, the headline about the strike in Waziristan could as easily have appeared in December with "President Bush" substituted for "President Obama." Pundits are already worrying that Obama may be falling into the Lyndon Johnson Vietnam trap, of escalating a predecessor's halfhearted war into a major quagmire. What does Obama's first military operation tell us about his administration's priorities? Obama's first meeting with his team on national ...

Reuters is reporting India's very high mortality rate of women while giving birth.

Washington Post is reporting that President Obama's daughters have a doll each, named "Sweet Sasha" and "Marvelous Malia". Marketing knows no bounds. First lady Michelle Obama, who has described herself "first and foremost . . . Malia and Sasha's mom," has defended her daughters' likeness, saying it is not proper for a company that makes the plush Beanie Babies to produce dolls called Sweet Sasha and Marvelous Malia. Ty recently released the 12-inch dolls in their collection called TyGirlz. The dolls have soft brown skin and big eyes. Ty's Web site shows Sweet Sasha wearing two pigtails and a pink and white dress, with Marvelous Malia doll wearing her hair to the right side and a blue-green shirt. The company, which is based in Oak Brook, Ill., has said the dolls are not made to be exact replicas of the first couple's daughters and are not based on the Obama girls. Since their father's campaign, fascination with Malia, 10, and Sash...

When you get upset or disturbed, remember that it is the EGO that gets upset and disturbed and tell him, "I do not want you, get away, out of me." - The Mother [p-65, White Roses, Sixth Edition, 1999]

Westminster Abbey tribute to Charles Wheeler 20 January 2009 By John Mair BBC director general Mark Thompson has described Sir Charles Wheeler as the 'the best reporter in the BBC's history' when he led the tributes at a memorial service held at Westminster Abbey today. The "reporters' reporter" died last year after a career which saw him heralded as the ultimate broadcast journalism craftsman. As well as Thompson, attendees at today's service included BBC director of vision Jana Bennett, director of the World Service Nigel Chapman, Sir John Tusa, former BBC director of news and current affairs Tony Hall, former editor of Newsnight Tim Gardam and Channel 4 founding father Sir Jeremy Isaacs. The on-screen faces were out in force too, including David Dimbleby, Peter Snow, Angela Rippon, Peter Jay and John Cole. Sir Charles's wife and two daughters, Shirin and Marina paid their own tributes. Marina's husband London Mayor Boris Johnson - comple...

I thought Devis with babies said it best today..

 

 

Barack writes to his daughters here. Dear Malia and Sasha, I know that you've both had a lot of fun these last two years on the campaign trail, going to picnics and parades and state fairs, eating all sorts of junk food your mother and I probably shouldn't have let you have. But I also know that it hasn't always been easy for you and Mom, and that as excited as you both are about that new puppy, it doesn't make up for all the time we've been apart. I know how much I've missed these past two years, and today I want to tell you a little more about why I decided to take our family on this journey. When I was a young man, I thought life was all about me-about how I'd make my way in the world, become successful, and get the things I want. But then the two of you came into my world with all your curiosity and mischief and those smiles that never fail to fill my heart and light up my day. And suddenly, all my big plans for myself didn't seem so important anymo...

Tina Sani sings Faiz's lyrics. And another beautiful ghazal here. Thanks Amitava for the link

Juan Cole writes poignantly about the differences between himself and W. So Bush, the impudent, opinionated, stubborn socialite is made president in 2000 by his daddy's rightwing friends on the supreme court. And because of September 11 he gets his chance to avenge the failed Vietnam War, and to kill Saddam Hussein, the unpleasant little brown man who had dared defy W.'s wealthy and powerful daddy. W. wasn't up to dealing with the Middle East. It is a complex, vital, fractious place and is notorious as the graveyard of modern presidencies. Carter was done in by Iranian hostage-takers. Reagan embroiled himself in Iran-Contra. Bush Sr. imprudently took on the Israel lobbies over loan guarantees for Israeli colonies on the West Bank, and that misstep helped cost him reelection. W. is a frightful combination of ignorant, dull, and pigheaded when to succeed in the Middle East he needed to be well-informed, bright and intellectually agile. Those were my stomping grounds; I knew ...

Reading Rockets has a fascinating article on the use of laptops and technology in the classroom. It has a great resource list of websites that teachers can use. This article describes how digital and media literacies are woven into a fourth-grade classroom. Background on how a teacher and school brought new literacies to students through the use of technology is revealed so that other teachers can engage in similar instructional support. As new literacies that include digital and media technologies evolve, preparing students to understand and adjust to these literacy demands is critical to current and future expectations for pleasure and work (International Reading Association, 2001; Leu, Mallette, Karchmer, & Kara-Soteriou, 2005). For instance, teachers may identify with past models of literacy that are paper and pencil bound; however, new conceptions involve continually changing views of reading and writing, particularly with the advent of the Internet (Leu et al., 2004; Warscha...

Babble has an intelligent discusssion on the reasons for the classes. I have often wondered if I really needed the classes, since the birth that I experienced was so different, but I do think the classes empower you with the knowledge to make a choice. So when I felt the pain of natural childbirth was unbearable. I asked for an epidural. I gained that knowledege from the childbirth classes. Childbirth education exists to fill a gap in the modern birthing system. Your caregiver will definitely talk to you about your pregnancy, and should be able to answer questions you have about childbirth. But most doctors and many midwives don't educate their patients about all the various ins and outs of pain coping strategies and hospital procedures. They just don't have time. Call it a conspiracy or just a byproduct of our medical system, but it's usually not part of the package. Childbirth education fills in where the doctor's office appointment leaves off. Ideally, in childbirth...