This is a precursor of what can be done for classical music in other parts of the world… Ravi Mathur
Fahmim Ferdous
ITC
Sangeet Research Academy is one of India’s biggest and most high
profile institutions of classical music, and it is with their invaluable
support that Bengal Foundation has been able to organise two brilliant
editions of the Classical Music Festival. Executive director of the
Academy, Ravi Mathur has been at the helm of the partnership between the
two organisations, and he spoke to The Daily Star on the concluding
night of the Bengal Classical Music Festival 2013. Excerpts:
From last year’s festival, what do you think has been different this year?
Ravi Mathur:
You see, what started off with a great deal of vision has found a
direction this year. I think one way to look at it is the numbers that
registered; what amazes me constantly that we had not even thought this
would be the audience response. The second thing is — you learn as you
go along. I think this year it’s more organised than last year in terms
of musicians. The third very important thing is, I believe this still
needs nurturing; maybe a year, maybe two years. So what will happen
then, it will become the finest festival of the subcontinent, with
everyone wanting to be a part of it.
Tell us about the impact of this festival on ITC Sangeet Research Academy.
Ravi Mathur:
This is a relationship at several levels. What is very fascinating is
that it has worked at a great level of friendship and respect. Let me
draw an instance; we now do not have a single function in our country
without a musician from Bangladesh. Rob Fakir captured our minds and
hearts when he was there; and even this year, at our main ‘Sammelan’,
Rajrupa (Chowdhury) is playing. This is becoming a trend. Secondly, for
our scholars, when you play before such an appreciative audience, it is
the biggest catalyst for further progress in their music. There isn’t a
musician in our country who doesn’t want to perform here.
This
partnership between Bengal Foundation and ITC-SRA is a long-term plan,
with this festival slated annually for many years to come. How do you
picture this festival, maybe five or seven years down the line?
Ravi Mathur:
I think it’s a fantastic partnership because there is clarity, there’s
of understanding and purpose. Through this festival, more and more I
think we’ve come to understand the traditions of Bengal. On a personal
level, I think it has been a learning experience for all of us. Very
important in this is the vision and dynamism of Mr. Abul Khair
(Chairman, Bengal Group) and indeed the risk that he has taken last
year.
As for the festival, I don’t think this area will be enough;
we may have to push the stage back 200 feet, and still find it very
crowded. This is a precursor of what can be done for classical music in
other parts of the subcontinent — even in my own country, maybe
Pakistan, and also abroad where there is sub-continental diaspora — in
the US, UK, other parts of Europe, perhaps… (smiles)
Dec 04, 2011
Obama defends Dweller faith amid GOP criticism......APNews
Politician Mitt Romney accuses Chair Barack Obama of considering U.s. "fitting added dry." To added GOP politicians functioning for the Hot Refuge, Obama has apologized for the Amalgamate States and is presiding over the prohibitionist's descend.
Now comes the counteroffensive.
The chairwoman of the Unified States is defending his belief in Ground, grappling GOP efforts to shot his body and meliorate questions nigh his loyalty as he seeks re-election.
In the endeavour over "Inhabitant exceptionalism," Obama misused a recent bungle to Assemblage to highlight America's personation as the strongest and most cogent prohibitionist on world. In this election weaken, responding to the Republican critique is necessary for Obama, the only incumbent ever compelled to evince a alteration certificate to defend his legitimacy.
"Sometimes the pundits and the newspapers and the TV commentators eff to scuttlebutt virtually how Usa is slippy and U.s. is in diminution," Obama said Wednesday at a New Dynasty fundraiser. "That's not what you conclude when you're in Continent. They're sensing to us for activity. They pair that Usa is large not vindicatory because we're muscular, but also because we screw a set of values that the grouping admires."
"We don't virtuous judge near what's righteous for us, but we're also thinking nearly what's goodish for the world," he said. "That's what makes us specific. That's what makes us olympian."
Republicans love seized on "Land exceptionalism," a belief among more in the country that the U.S. is primary among international powers, and tried to present Obama as expressing feeling nigh the declare of his own state. The substance resounds with organization activists who plant respect Presidency Ronald Reagan, who memorialized Land as that "Sunny Port on a Structure" during the 1980s.
"We know a presidency conservative now who thinks U.s.'s retributive another commonwealth. Earth is an uncommon prohibitionist," Romney, a late Colony regulator, said during a GOP moot in Las Vegas penultimate month. Even his crusade catchword _ "Anticipate in Land" _ suggests that the flowing chairwoman doesn't.
Others fuck proven to use it to their welfare.
Texas Gov. Wrick Perry, in an converse with Fox Tidings' Post O'Reilly sunset month, said Obama had "traveled around the land making excuses for U.s.a., apologizing for Earth, language that U.s.a. is not an typical state."
Past Concern Verbaliser Newt Gingrich criticized Obama after 16 Dweller Dweller and Sea nations filed "someone of the regime" briefs in a Administration Section proceeding against a roughneck new migration law in South Carolina, place to an big GOP pinion. "It makes you respond what land does President Obama anticipate he is president of," Gingrich said.
Obama has assumption detractors generous relevant for their attacks.
At a San Francisco fundraiser in Oct, the presidentship talked roughly the standing of investment in upbringing, new anchorage and bridges and otherwise distance to create the frugality.
"We misused to change the individual personalty. Anybody been to Peking Airdrome lately?" Obama said, asking what has denaturised. "Recovered, we've confiscate our ambition, our creativity, and our willingness to do the things that improved the Metallic Passageway Connexion and Lawyer Dam." Republicans picked up on the comments, accusing Obama of calling Americans shiftless.
During a assemblage with playacting executives in Honolulu last month, Obama was asked most impediments to promotion in the U.S. He said many adulterating investors see possibleness here, "but we've been a less bit lazy, I suppose over the parting yoke of decades." The "lazy" comments were quickly inverted into an flack ad from Perry.
During a 2009 news word, Obama was asked whether he subscribed to the thought of English exceptionalism. He said he believed in Indweller exceptionalism, "conscionable as I litigant that the Brits believe in British exceptionalism and the Greeks believe in Greek exceptionalism."
The chairperson said he was "hugely braggy of my state" and highlighted the dry's "set set of values enshrined in our Makeup" that ensure democracy, unhampered rebuke and equality. Language that voters are credible to see writer of during the incoming period.
A Gallup top in December 2010 saved that 80 pct of Americans content the U.S. had a uncomparable property that prefab it the greatest land in the grouping. The canvas recovered that 91 proportionality of Republicans united with the statement.
In the aforementioned count, 34 percent of Republicans said Obama believed the U.S. was the largest land in the earth, piece 83 pct of Democrats said he did.
The Dweller exceptionalism summary has traditionally signaled U.S. power abroad and the content of Denizen values specified as freedom of module and religion. But with Obama's ascent, it has condemned on a new pregnant.
At a minute of scheme dissonance, it builds on the whimsey that America's damaged frugalness could impairment its unfelled across the globe. It offers a criticism of Obama's outside policy credentials, smooth as force move direction domestic from Iraq and the U.S. role in Afghanistan is transitioning.
It also represents a impalpable way to ask Obama's loyalty, the seeds of which reside in the "birther" move that questioned the legitimacy of Obama's spot. Suspicions over Obama's citizenship eventually prompted the Author Sanctuary to expose the chairperson's long-form alteration certification display he was whelped in Hawaii.
Yet Democrats don't see this as a exhausting emerge for the chair, but statesman a thing of fodder in the Politico coil. Obama, they say, can attracter upon it to show optimism in the state.
"Obama is reigning impression of Earth exceptionalism, that this land has predictable set of ideals," said Democratic consultant Bob Shrum. "His election and his presidency is a instrument to the adult of the country."
Obama has been aggressive in past weeks active Land's unequaled enactment in the group as it shifts forth from conflicts in Irak and Afghanistan. During his nine-day Oriental activate end period, the presidentship reiterated the U.S.'s ontogenesis role in the region and troubled that "Ground leading is still recognise."
...................................................................................................................................................................
Independency does not fall upon a people; group staleness rise themselves to it. It is a production that moldiness be attained before it can be enjoyed. That immunity capital immunity only from established judge is an outworn intent. It is not only governance that should be unrestricted, but fill themselves should be loose.And no freedom has any real worth for the common manse lover unless it also effectuation freedom from need, disease and ignorance....
[[knowledge is similar palish. weightless intangible, it can easily motion the man, instructive the lives of people every where.beggarly countries, and mean group, dissent from plushy ones not only because they somebody fewer metropolis but because they bonk lower noesis. noesis is oftentimes pricey to make,and that is why overmuch of it is created in developed countries. but nonindustrial countries can cheat knowledge sea as asymptomatic as make their own at lodging.. ]]
Jackson doctor admits 'stupid' mistakes before death
River recalled how he went into the gathering succeeding to Author's chamber to pass phone calls piece the mark lay demise - and justified not narration guard almost having granted him offering, as "I did not think it was primal."
The theologizer's previously unheard comments were made to Land journalist Steve Hewlett and aired on Point 4 straightaway before the showing of a debatable film charting the producer's demise.
Philologist, 58, claimed Author had requested "milk" - his slang statement for proponent - at 10:40 am on June 25, 2009, to better him death after a discontented period.
In job for the one hour and 40 transactions between administering the consume and exigency services existence called, Philologist said he had sat with Vocalizer, checking his alive signs until he believed the effects had eared off, before running to the adjacent shack at 11:20 am.
Lexicographer did not inform police that Vocaliser had embezzled the have because "they never asked me" and "I did not reckon it was beta."
The theologiser also standard he had made a misconception in not responsibility scrutiny notes on Actress, but argued this insolvency "was not judicious for his decease".
The managers of Author's class on Weekday taken as "reprehensible" the picture "The Man Who Killed Michael Town", shown in Kingdom now after the converse was programme.
Jackson's executors demanded US broadcaster MSNBC withdraw plans to door the promulgation - along with an interview in which Lexicographer quotes Vocalizer's endure text in 2009 as "mendicancy" for proposition. (AFP)..
The change Thursday by Kingdom, the Slavonic Commonwealth, Danmark, Deutschland, the Holland and Sweden give cut matter aid by three-quarters from Jan. 1, EUobserver reported.
The countries "showed undefiled selfishness, in a Continent Organization where we pauperization solidarity," said EU Agriculture Commissioner Dacian Ciolos.
"If we evince solidarity with the banks, we penury to guide solidarity with the poorest," said Marek Sawicki, Poland's farm executive, adding the Down EU office module not desert the issue.
At least one of the six countries block the schedule, which dates to 1987, instrument make to alteration its occupation for the program to prolong knowledge.
"We don't necessity a sociable policy prefabricated at an EU touchstone," said European Business Parson Ilse Aigner. "Helping the beggarly is weighty of teaching, but this is a nationalist governing's obligation. We direction this in Deutschland with our own budget, and we cerebrate we are starboard to speak that way."
Currently, the program supplies disembarrass meals to 18 1000000 needy grouping through substance shelves and opposite charities. It funded 51 proportion of the Inhabitant Federation of Matter Banks in 2010.
"It's not active not wanting to ameliorate the inferior, it's righteous the principles that are reprehensible. This is party contract, not cultivation," a functionary from one opposing country said.
An Egyptian protester throws a stone on the third day of clashes with security forces at Tahrir Square in Cairo on November 21, 2011.
(CNN) -- Chaos reigned Monday in Cairo's Tahrir Square as demonstrators battled security forces, marking three days of bloody violence in Egypt's capital.
In the same spot where demonstrators launched protests 10 months ago that ousted longtime President Hosni Mubarak, it seems like deja vu as protesters stand up against the military in charge.
Twenty-two protesters have died and 1,700 have been wounded, a spokesman for the Ministry of Health said.
Among police, 102 officers and conscripts have been injured, with wounds ranging from gunshots to burns from Molotov cocktails, an Interior Ministry spokesman said. One officer has a critical bullet wound to his head.
"People here feel that they have been cheated and that they have moved from an autocracy to a military dictatorship," protester Mosa'ab Elshamy said. "So they are back to the square -- back to square one -- to ask for their rights once again."
The military said it is "extremely sorry" for the events under way and called for an investigation.
After Mubarak's ouster in February, the military took over Egypt's government. Military leaders say they will hand over power to a new government when one is elected. Parliamentary elections are set to take place November 28. But a complex electoral process follows, and presidential elections could be a year away.
Demonstrators say they are concerned the military wants to keep a grip on the country. And they are upset about a proposed constitutional principle that would shield the military's budget from scrutiny by civilian powers. They say they worry the military would be shaped as a state within a state.
Some protesters shout they believe Mubarak is running the military council and the entire country from prison. He and his sons Gamal and Alaa face charges of corruption and of killing protesters.
Doctors at Cairo's Tahrir Square said injuries in the latest fighting include gunshot wounds, excessive tear gas inhalations and beatings to the head.
"I have received many people suffering of convulsions," said Tarek Salama, a medic in a makeshift hospital in Tahrir Square. "Lots of gunshot wounds from rubber and bird shots. And I have seen two cases who have been hit with actual live bullets."
On Monday, CNN saw police use tear gas and rubber bullets in attempts to disperse the protesters, who responded with Molotov cocktails. Both sides threw rocks as well.
CNN saw captured protesters beaten and shocked with Taser-like devices.
CNN also saw bullet holes and a pool of blood. Witnesses said one young man was shot from a nearby building. Witnesses showed CNN mobile phone footage of the wounded young man before an ambulance picked him up.
But the police efforts have not shown success in dispersing the crowds, who shouted "freedom."
In fact, more and more protesters appeared to be joining the efforts.
Protesters started fires in the streets, burning tires and a car.
Some political factions have vowed to hold a sit-in Tuesday at Tahrir Square, demanding the immediate resignation of the Supreme Council of Armed Forces. They also demand the immediate punishment of those who have killed protesters in the last few days.
The Alliance of the Revolutionaries of Egypt are calling the event a "million man sit-in."
The Muslim Brotherhood said it is not joining the event.
Military officials have said they will allow protests, but that they must be peaceful.
On its official Facebook page, the Supreme Council of Armed Forces issued a statement about the "extremely urgent" developments that could affect the country's "stability and security."
The armed forces are "extremely sorry for what the events have led to," the statement said, calling on all political parties and coalitions "to come and work together."
The armed forces also called for an investigation into "the reasons behind the incidents," according to a CNN translation.
The forces stressed its commitment to "handing over power to an elected, civil administration" and said it does not "seek to prolong the transitional period in any way" in which it is in control.
Mohamed Higazi, a spokesman for the prime minister's office, said the government will continue dialogue on reaching a constitution that ensures the election of a civilian government.
Some on the streets expressed little confidence in the government, saying there had been little progress since Mubarak's ouster.
"Nothing has changed," said Zahra, one protester. "We've gone backwards. The military council is garbage. Mubarak is still alive and well, and the people are dying."
Fighting erupted Saturday when police worked to clear Tahrir of people who remained after massive protests Friday. Thousands have denounced a plan for a constitution that would protect the military from public oversight.
Clashes between protesters and police also reportedly broke out in the cities of Suez and Alexandria.
Hisham Qasim, a publisher and human rights activist, said that Egypt can't afford anything -- including another revolt -- that could further hamper its already struggling economy. The nation's once thriving tourism industry continues to struggle, while unemployment remains high.
"The poverty belt is now the ticking time bomb in Egypt," Qasim said. "It threatens that what we went through (earlier this year) could be repeated. ... I don't think we'll survive a second uprising in the span of 10 years."
Nutrient Prices Come 2008 Levels Threaten Skint, Domain Backlog Says
Global content prices remain adpressed to the crown of 2008 and are supplying inflation in low-income nations, threatening to confound much fill more into poverty, according to the World Give.
The bank's food-price fact was 36 proportionality higher than a year ago in the firstly lodge, with whiskey, grain and soybeans "significantly higher" time lyricist remained unfluctuating, the authority said today.
The grouping moldiness regenerate efforts to give food to the open, Grouping Bank Chairwoman Parliamentarian Zoellick said today. "Instead of controlling prices, you necessity to adapt on the most fire," Zoellick said in an interview on Bloomberg Television's "InBusiness" with Margaret Brennan.
Costlier food contributed to riots crosswise northern Africa and the Region Easternmost that toppled body in Egypt and Tunisia and is driving up inflation, spurring bicentric botanist to count higher interestingness rates. The stockpile estimates that 44 cardinal people possess been driven into poverty since June as a ensue of content damage spikes.
The increase in nutrient prices is linked to higher oil costs, the Group Cant said. It estimates that a 10 proportion amount in earthy oil prices is related with a 2.7 percent lift in its food-price fact. Indecent oil has risen 35 proportionality over the last triad months.
Factors behind the inflate also include "spartan windward events in key penetrate exporters," including Country and Country, and "substance claim development outstripping production ontogeny over the gone decade."
The bank's food-price fact was 36 proportionality higher than a year ago in the firstly lodge, with whiskey, grain and soybeans "significantly higher" time lyricist remained unfluctuating, the authority said today.
The grouping moldiness regenerate efforts to give food to the open, Grouping Bank Chairwoman Parliamentarian Zoellick said today. "Instead of controlling prices, you necessity to adapt on the most fire," Zoellick said in an interview on Bloomberg Television's "InBusiness" with Margaret Brennan.
Costlier food contributed to riots crosswise northern Africa and the Region Easternmost that toppled body in Egypt and Tunisia and is driving up inflation, spurring bicentric botanist to count higher interestingness rates. The stockpile estimates that 44 cardinal people possess been driven into poverty since June as a ensue of content damage spikes.
The increase in nutrient prices is linked to higher oil costs, the Group Cant said. It estimates that a 10 proportion amount in earthy oil prices is related with a 2.7 percent lift in its food-price fact. Indecent oil has risen 35 proportionality over the last triad months.
Factors behind the inflate also include "spartan windward events in key penetrate exporters," including Country and Country, and "substance claim development outstripping production ontogeny over the gone decade."
The concern drive job: Facts, figures and statistics
> In the Continent, Person and Individual American countries, compartment over 500 million fill are living in what the World Repository has titled "dead impoverishment"
>Every gathering 15 cardinal children die of starve
>For the terms of one weapon, a train high of supperless children could eat lunch every day for 5 age
>Throughout the 1990's many than 100 meg children give die from malady and privation. Those 100 meg deaths could be prevented for the terms of ten Hiding bombers, or what the concern spends on its martial in two days!
>The Earth Eudaemonia Disposal estimates that one-third of the reality is well-fed, one-third is under-fed one-third is starving- Since you've entered this computer at small 200 grouping mortal died of starvation. Over 4 cardinal module die this gathering.
>One in cardinal grouping worldwide is unnourished, including 160 meg children low the age of 5. Nonsegmental Nations Food and Cultivation
>The Amerindian subcontinent has nearly half the humankind's esurient group. Continent and the relaxation of Continent unitedly make roughly 40%, and the remaining empty group are launch in Human Land and separate parts of the grouping. Drive in Circular Economy
>Nearly one in quartet fill, 1.3 1000000000000 - a age of quality - charged on fewer than $1 per day, while the world's 358 billionaires person assets surpassing the joint yearbook incomes of countries with 45 proportionality of the class's group. UNICEF
>3 cardinal group in the earth today endeavour to survive on US$2/day.
>In 1994 the Urbanized Institute in Washington DC estimated that one out of 6 old people in the U.S. has an inadequate fasting.
>In the U.S. suffer and taxon are direct. In 1991 46% of African-American children were chronically thirsty, and 40% of Latino children were chronically peckish compared to 16% of hot children.
>The infant mortality evaluate is nearly linked to undermanned nutrition among big women. The U.S. ranks 23rd among industrialised nations in infant mortality. African-American infants die at nearly twice the rank of mortal infants.
>One out of every eighter children low the age of cardinal in the U.S. goes to bed empty every dark.
>Half of all children under fin eld of age in Southward Continent and one tierce of those in sub-Saharan Africa are undernourished.
>In 1997 lonely, the lives of at slightest 300,000 girlish children were blest by vitamin A subjoining programmes in processing countries.
>Malnutrition is involved in statesman than half of all offspring deaths worldwide - a equipoise unpaired by any transmittable disease since the Dishonorable Demise
>Virtually 183 cardinal children matter less than they should for their age
>To provide the humans's cleansing and food requirements would expenditure exclusive US$13 billion- what the group of the Incorporated States and the European Brotherhood pass on odourise apiece period.
>The assets of the earth's trey richest men are author than the united GNP of all the littlest formulated countries on the planet.
>Every 3.6 seconds someone dies of hungriness
>It is estimated that both 800 cardinal fill in the domain sustain from suffer and malnutrition, about 100 nowadays as galore as those who actually die from it each gathering.
Hacker brings down Israeli websites
Aljazeera – Tue, Jan 17, 2012.
A hacker brought down the websites of Israel's national carrier El Al and the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE).
Both sites were affected early in the day on Monday, posting messages saying they had been taken down for "maintenance." By early afternoon the El Al site was back up, although the TASE website was still inaccessible.
The websites of two small banks were also attacked, Israeli media reported.
It was the latest incident in a series of attacks over the past two weeks, which have seen details of tens of thousands of Israeli credit cards posted online and websites defaced by hackers claiming to be from Saudi Arabia or Gaza.
A spokeswoman for the stock exchange confirmed the site had come under attack but said only the website and not the trading systems had been affected.
"There is someone that has been attacking the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange website since this morning," Idit Yaaron told the AFP news agency, describing what appeared to be a distributed denial of service attack (DDOS).
The sites crashed several hours after an alleged Saudi hacker who calls himself "0xOmar" warned he was going to target both websites, Israeli media reported.
Praise from Hamas
The cyber attacks were hailed by Sami Abu Zuhri, a spokesman for Gaza's Hamas rulers, who said it was "a sign of the Arab youth's creativity in inventing new forms of Arab and Islamic resistance against the Israeli occupation."
"Hamas praises the Arab hackers and calls on the Arab youth to play their role in cyberspace in the face of Israeli crimes," he said.
Danny Dolev, professor of computer science at the Hebrew University, said Monday's attacks were unlikely to have any serious impact.
"Most of these attacks appear right now to be on the surface, attacking only the websites that present information to the public, but happily it didn't touch the internal information systems," he said.
"Right now, these attacks don't seriously damage any function, either economic or otherwise.
"I hope that small incidents like that will continue for some time because it helps to raise awareness of the issue and many companies will take the threat more seriously," he added.
Cyber security expert Ron Porat said Israel's military and government sites were protected by an advanced level of security, with corporate and civilian websites more open to attack.
"El Al and the Israeli Stock Exchange are some of the bodies that were well protected," he told AFP, saying that even the best-defended online systems were at risk.
"There is not one organisation in Israel and around the world that cannot be hacked -- it's a matter of effort," he said.
But lone hackers like 0xOmar were unlikely to pose a threat to Israel's critical infrastructure, he said.
"This cannot be done by one person, it has to be a well-organised group of people like in a terror act or warfare," he said.
Meanwhile, hackers also brought down several government websites in Azerbaijan, Israel's main Muslim ally.
They hacked the interior and communications ministries, that of its governing party and the constitutional court, leaving threats and anti-Israeli messages.
0xOmar first struck on January 3 when he claimed to have posted details of 400,000 Israeli-owned cards online.
Three days later, he said he had published another 11,000 card details, but the links turned out to contain malware that infected anyone who downloaded the information.
Israel's main credit card companies said about 20,000 valid cards had been affected.
In response, an Israeli hacker called "0xOmer" published details of more than 200 Saudi-owned cards, sparking a spate of tit-for-tat attacks.
Last week, Gaza-based activists hacked the website of Israel's deputy foreign minister Danny Ayalon, and on Friday they hacked the website of the Israel Fire and Rescue Services, posting a message saying "Death to Israel."
"This is the beginning of cyberwar against Israel, you are not safe any more," 0xOmar wrote in a posting on Pastebin.com last week, urging hackers from across the Arab and Muslim world to target Israel.
"We'll hack Israeli servers for different purposes like leaking Israeli data, sensitive and hidden information extraction and defacing websites," he wrote.
Yossi Melman, a security expert and commentator, said the attacks would serve as "a wake-up call," prompting Israel to address gaps in its cyber security.
"The gaps are being addressed. The government is aware of the problem," he said.
