Saturday, December 12, 2009
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Why Ireland Is Running Out of Priests
Wanted: Clean-living young people for a long career (women need not apply). Responsibilities: Varied. Spiritual guidance, visiting the sick, public relations, marriages (own marriage not permitted). Hours: On call at all times. Salary: None, bar basic monthly stipend.
He hasn't placed classified ads in the Irish press just yet, but according to Father Patrick Rushe, coordinator of vocations with the Catholic Church in Ireland, "we've done just about everything" else to attract young men to the priesthood. And yet, the call of service in one of Europe's most religious countries is falling on more deaf ears than ever.
Earlier this month, the Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin, made a grim prediction about the future of the church in Ireland: If more young priests aren't found quickly, the country's parishes may soon not have enough clergy to survive. He told the congregation at St. Mary's Pro-Cathedral in Dublin that his own diocese had 46 priests aged 80 or over, but only two under 35 years old. It's a similar story all over the island. According to a 2007 study of Catholic dioceses in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, about half of all priests are between the ages of 55 and 74.
Ireland's ties to the Catholic Church run deep. The ordination of a family member was once regarded as a moment of great prestige, especially in rural areas. Even as recently as 1990, over 80% of Irish people said they attended Mass at least once a week. But the country's relationship with the church began to change dramatically in the mid-1990s when Ireland's economy began to take off, ushering in years of unprecedented growth. Soon, disaffection replaced devotion among Ireland's newly rich younger generation. Most devastating of all, however, were the sex-abuse scandals involving pedophile priests that surfaced around the same time. Criticism over the handling of the case of Father Brendan Smyth — a priest who had sexually abused children for over 40 years — even led to the collapse of the Irish government in 1994. (Prime Minister Albert Reynolds was forced to stand down amid public anger over the lengthy delays in extraditing Smyth to Northern Ireland, where he was wanted on child abuse charges.)
(Read: "For Ireland's Catholic Schools, a Catalog of Horrors.")
But more was still to come. Last May, the government published the findings of a nine-year inquiry into child abuse at church-run schools, orphanages and hospitals from the 1930s to the 1990s. The report, which described "endemic sexual abuse" at boys' schools and the "daily terror" of physical abuse at other institutions, shook Ireland to its core and left the reputation of the church and the religious orders that ran its schools in tatters. Then, this week, another government inquiry found that the church and police colluded to cover up numerous cases of child sex abuse by priests in the Dublin archdiocese from 1975 to 2004, prompting the head of the Catholic church in Ireland, Cardinal Sean Brady, to apologize to the Irish people. "No one is above the law in this country," he said. There are now calls for similar inquiries to be held in every diocese in Ireland.
The scandals have undoubtedly made it difficult to bring new men into the priesthood. Father Brian D'Arcy, superior of the Passionist Monastery in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland, says the only way to reverse the trend may be to relax the strict rules governing priests' lifestyles. Top of his list? The vow of celibacy. "Of course it would be a big help if priests were allowed to marry or if we could ordain married men," he says. Earlier this month, he says, a priest in the Derry diocese, Father Sean McKenna, announced to his congregation that he was in a relationship with a woman and was stepping down. His parishioners gave him a standing ovation. "Good men are being driven out by foolish [rules]," D'Arcy says.
(Read a brief history of celibacy.)
But some clerical leaders say that allowing married or female clergy won't solve the problem. "They're easy solutions on paper but the crisis is deeper," says Father Patrick Rushe, vocations coordinator for the 26 dioceses in Ireland and Northern Ireland. He points out that the Anglican Church, which permits both married and female clergy, is also facing a shortage of vocations. "[Becoming a priest] is a lifetime commitment and a sacrifice. I think that's what's putting people off. It's not just celibacy," he says.
The church's solution was to launch a recruitment campaign last year, holding special Masses, workshops and conferences aimed at attracting young men to the priesthood. The initiative seems to have paid off, at least in the short term. Last September, a total of 38 Irish men began to study for the priesthood at seminaries in Ireland and Italy. The figure may pale in comparison to the 100 or so new seminarians who signed up annually in the 1960s, but it was the highest intake for the church in a decade. Five years ago, there was only one ordination in Northern Ireland out of a Catholic population of 700,000 people. "You're not just going to pull somebody off the street and they'll suddenly become a priest," Rushe says. "It's a decision that can take a long time to make."
(See pictures of new hope for Belfast.)
Vincent Cushnahan, 29, currently the youngest serving priest in Ireland, says the church also needs to carry out structural reforms, such as cutting the number of parishes (and, therefore, the number of priests required to fill them) and giving greater responsibilities to lay people. In some Irish parishes, for example, non-ordained church members are now responsible for roles such as youth ministry.
(See pictures of church hats.)
Cushnahan knows how hard it is for the church to recruit young men these days — becoming a priest was a difficult decision for him to make. "I had to forsake married life, my own house, money," he says. "[Being a priest] can be more isolating and counter-cultural than it has been in the past. It's more challenging, but also more rewarding because of that."
Read: Keeping The Faith: Still Doing God's Work."
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1942665,00.html
He hasn't placed classified ads in the Irish press just yet, but according to Father Patrick Rushe, coordinator of vocations with the Catholic Church in Ireland, "we've done just about everything" else to attract young men to the priesthood. And yet, the call of service in one of Europe's most religious countries is falling on more deaf ears than ever.
Earlier this month, the Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin, made a grim prediction about the future of the church in Ireland: If more young priests aren't found quickly, the country's parishes may soon not have enough clergy to survive. He told the congregation at St. Mary's Pro-Cathedral in Dublin that his own diocese had 46 priests aged 80 or over, but only two under 35 years old. It's a similar story all over the island. According to a 2007 study of Catholic dioceses in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, about half of all priests are between the ages of 55 and 74.
Ireland's ties to the Catholic Church run deep. The ordination of a family member was once regarded as a moment of great prestige, especially in rural areas. Even as recently as 1990, over 80% of Irish people said they attended Mass at least once a week. But the country's relationship with the church began to change dramatically in the mid-1990s when Ireland's economy began to take off, ushering in years of unprecedented growth. Soon, disaffection replaced devotion among Ireland's newly rich younger generation. Most devastating of all, however, were the sex-abuse scandals involving pedophile priests that surfaced around the same time. Criticism over the handling of the case of Father Brendan Smyth — a priest who had sexually abused children for over 40 years — even led to the collapse of the Irish government in 1994. (Prime Minister Albert Reynolds was forced to stand down amid public anger over the lengthy delays in extraditing Smyth to Northern Ireland, where he was wanted on child abuse charges.)
(Read: "For Ireland's Catholic Schools, a Catalog of Horrors.")
But more was still to come. Last May, the government published the findings of a nine-year inquiry into child abuse at church-run schools, orphanages and hospitals from the 1930s to the 1990s. The report, which described "endemic sexual abuse" at boys' schools and the "daily terror" of physical abuse at other institutions, shook Ireland to its core and left the reputation of the church and the religious orders that ran its schools in tatters. Then, this week, another government inquiry found that the church and police colluded to cover up numerous cases of child sex abuse by priests in the Dublin archdiocese from 1975 to 2004, prompting the head of the Catholic church in Ireland, Cardinal Sean Brady, to apologize to the Irish people. "No one is above the law in this country," he said. There are now calls for similar inquiries to be held in every diocese in Ireland.
The scandals have undoubtedly made it difficult to bring new men into the priesthood. Father Brian D'Arcy, superior of the Passionist Monastery in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland, says the only way to reverse the trend may be to relax the strict rules governing priests' lifestyles. Top of his list? The vow of celibacy. "Of course it would be a big help if priests were allowed to marry or if we could ordain married men," he says. Earlier this month, he says, a priest in the Derry diocese, Father Sean McKenna, announced to his congregation that he was in a relationship with a woman and was stepping down. His parishioners gave him a standing ovation. "Good men are being driven out by foolish [rules]," D'Arcy says.
(Read a brief history of celibacy.)
But some clerical leaders say that allowing married or female clergy won't solve the problem. "They're easy solutions on paper but the crisis is deeper," says Father Patrick Rushe, vocations coordinator for the 26 dioceses in Ireland and Northern Ireland. He points out that the Anglican Church, which permits both married and female clergy, is also facing a shortage of vocations. "[Becoming a priest] is a lifetime commitment and a sacrifice. I think that's what's putting people off. It's not just celibacy," he says.
The church's solution was to launch a recruitment campaign last year, holding special Masses, workshops and conferences aimed at attracting young men to the priesthood. The initiative seems to have paid off, at least in the short term. Last September, a total of 38 Irish men began to study for the priesthood at seminaries in Ireland and Italy. The figure may pale in comparison to the 100 or so new seminarians who signed up annually in the 1960s, but it was the highest intake for the church in a decade. Five years ago, there was only one ordination in Northern Ireland out of a Catholic population of 700,000 people. "You're not just going to pull somebody off the street and they'll suddenly become a priest," Rushe says. "It's a decision that can take a long time to make."
(See pictures of new hope for Belfast.)
Vincent Cushnahan, 29, currently the youngest serving priest in Ireland, says the church also needs to carry out structural reforms, such as cutting the number of parishes (and, therefore, the number of priests required to fill them) and giving greater responsibilities to lay people. In some Irish parishes, for example, non-ordained church members are now responsible for roles such as youth ministry.
(See pictures of church hats.)
Cushnahan knows how hard it is for the church to recruit young men these days — becoming a priest was a difficult decision for him to make. "I had to forsake married life, my own house, money," he says. "[Being a priest] can be more isolating and counter-cultural than it has been in the past. It's more challenging, but also more rewarding because of that."
Read: Keeping The Faith: Still Doing God's Work."
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1942665,00.html
Saturday, November 21, 2009
In the name of God!!!!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8345705.stm
Faith Diary: Whose God is Allah?
By Robert Pigott (Religious Affairs correspondent )
Roughly two thirds of Malaysia's population is Muslim
Religion can be a tense affair in Malaysia.
Roughly two thirds of the population is Muslim, and religious minorities have repeatedly accused the government of undermining their rights.
The interception by Malaysian authorities of thousands of Bibles bound for Christians in the country has produced the latest flashpoint.
The reason - the Bibles use the word Allah to describe God, and that's been banned by the government.
It says the risk of causing upset to Muslims is too great.
Muslim groups claim that Christian use of a word so closely associated with Islam in Bibles and children's books could be aimed at winning converts.
Religion is closely associated with ethnicity in Malaysia, with ethnic Malays obliged to be Muslim.
Ethnic Indians and Chinese who practise Hinduism and Buddhism are welcome to convert to Islam, but Muslims are not allowed to adopt another faith.
The Malaysian government confiscated 5,000 Bibles earlier this year as they were imported from Indonesia, and it has now intercepted another 10,000.
But Christian leaders - representing a little under 10% of the population - say Malays have been using the word Allah to refer generally to God for hundreds of years.
Christians are now fighting back.
An Evangelical church launched a legal action in an attempt to win the right to refer to God as Allah in children's books.
The Roman Catholic Church has also gone to court after its newspaper in Malaysia was threatened with the loss of its licence if it continued to use the word.
Christians are turning the issue into one about how minorities are treated in Malaysia.
The Christian Federation of Malaysia says the country's constitution guarantees freedom of religion, and it's asking whether that can still be meaningful if Christians are denied Bibles which use their own language.
SWISS DECIDE ON MINARETS
When the treatment of Christian minorities in Muslim-majority countries becomes an issue, Christian-majority countries are apt to compare it unfavourably with the equality they give to Muslims.
There are about 100 mosques across Switzerland
But strict equality - at least in the architectural arena - is up for debate in one Christian-majority country: Switzerland.
Later this month the Swiss will vote in a referendum on whether to ban the construction of minarets in the country.
The proposal came from right-of-centre groups and is backed by Switzerland's biggest political party, the far-right Swiss People's Party.
There are about 100 mosques serving some 300,000 Swiss Muslims and small minarets are not unknown - although they're not used for calls to prayer.
Muslims have found allies among Switzerland's Jewish population, who have claimed that the plan would threaten religious harmony and hold up the integration of Muslims.
As in Malaysia, the constitution is being invoked by opponents of the proposal.
The two largest Jewish groups said the referendum infringed religious freedom, a concept enshrined in the Swiss constitution.
ITALIANS CROSS ABOUT CRUCIFIXES
Part of the Swiss People's Party's argument against minarets is that they are a symbol of political power - more than they are about religion.
Now with a ruling from the European Court of Human Rights against the use of crucifixes in Italian schools, the same claim is being made for this symbol of Christianity.
Soile Lautsi wants to give her children a secular education and objected to the presence of a crucifix in every classroom at their school in northern Italy.
A law dating back to the 1920s requires crucifixes to be hung in Italian schools.
The European Court said the compulsory display of a symbol of a given religion in public buildings violated the rights of parents to educate their children as they wished.
A law from the 1920s requires crucifixes to be hung in Italian schools
The ruling has produced an angry response from politicians and church leaders who say the crucifix is much more than a religious symbol in Italy.
Education Minister Mariastella Gelmini said the crucifix was a "symbol of our tradition", not a mark of Catholicism.
The Reverend Frederico Lombardi said the European court should not interfere in what was a profoundly Italian issue, and said it was wrong to imply that the crucifix could be a sign of division or exclusion.
Soile Lautsi's case is similar to one brought in 1995 by a parent in the German state of Bavaria.
A German constitutional court decided it was against religious freedom for crucifixes to be imposed in classrooms.
The Bavarian parliament came up with a new law, requiring the removal of crucifixes - but only if a parent insisted.
The US Supreme Court has also had to decide whether religious symbols break the constitution, and its separation of church and state.
It recently ruled against the positioning of framed copies of the 10 Commandments in two courtrooms in Kentucky, because they had a "predominantly religious purpose".
However, the court did acknowledge that even the 10 Commandments - taken from the Book of Exodus in the Bible - could be displayed, if it was done to illustrate the country's legal history.
It said a monument outside a government building in Texas could continue to display the Commandments, which the Bible describes being given to Moses by God.
But even without court rulings some Italian Christians suspect that long-established traditions are under threat by the changing atmosphere.
Among the casualties, they complain that schools are abandoning nativity plays for fear of offending people from other faiths.
Faith Diary: Whose God is Allah?
By Robert Pigott (Religious Affairs correspondent )
Roughly two thirds of Malaysia's population is Muslim
Religion can be a tense affair in Malaysia.
Roughly two thirds of the population is Muslim, and religious minorities have repeatedly accused the government of undermining their rights.
The interception by Malaysian authorities of thousands of Bibles bound for Christians in the country has produced the latest flashpoint.
The reason - the Bibles use the word Allah to describe God, and that's been banned by the government.
It says the risk of causing upset to Muslims is too great.
Muslim groups claim that Christian use of a word so closely associated with Islam in Bibles and children's books could be aimed at winning converts.
Religion is closely associated with ethnicity in Malaysia, with ethnic Malays obliged to be Muslim.
Ethnic Indians and Chinese who practise Hinduism and Buddhism are welcome to convert to Islam, but Muslims are not allowed to adopt another faith.
The Malaysian government confiscated 5,000 Bibles earlier this year as they were imported from Indonesia, and it has now intercepted another 10,000.
But Christian leaders - representing a little under 10% of the population - say Malays have been using the word Allah to refer generally to God for hundreds of years.
Christians are now fighting back.
An Evangelical church launched a legal action in an attempt to win the right to refer to God as Allah in children's books.
The Roman Catholic Church has also gone to court after its newspaper in Malaysia was threatened with the loss of its licence if it continued to use the word.
Christians are turning the issue into one about how minorities are treated in Malaysia.
The Christian Federation of Malaysia says the country's constitution guarantees freedom of religion, and it's asking whether that can still be meaningful if Christians are denied Bibles which use their own language.
SWISS DECIDE ON MINARETS
When the treatment of Christian minorities in Muslim-majority countries becomes an issue, Christian-majority countries are apt to compare it unfavourably with the equality they give to Muslims.
There are about 100 mosques across Switzerland
But strict equality - at least in the architectural arena - is up for debate in one Christian-majority country: Switzerland.
Later this month the Swiss will vote in a referendum on whether to ban the construction of minarets in the country.
The proposal came from right-of-centre groups and is backed by Switzerland's biggest political party, the far-right Swiss People's Party.
There are about 100 mosques serving some 300,000 Swiss Muslims and small minarets are not unknown - although they're not used for calls to prayer.
Muslims have found allies among Switzerland's Jewish population, who have claimed that the plan would threaten religious harmony and hold up the integration of Muslims.
As in Malaysia, the constitution is being invoked by opponents of the proposal.
The two largest Jewish groups said the referendum infringed religious freedom, a concept enshrined in the Swiss constitution.
ITALIANS CROSS ABOUT CRUCIFIXES
Part of the Swiss People's Party's argument against minarets is that they are a symbol of political power - more than they are about religion.
Now with a ruling from the European Court of Human Rights against the use of crucifixes in Italian schools, the same claim is being made for this symbol of Christianity.
Soile Lautsi wants to give her children a secular education and objected to the presence of a crucifix in every classroom at their school in northern Italy.
A law dating back to the 1920s requires crucifixes to be hung in Italian schools.
The European Court said the compulsory display of a symbol of a given religion in public buildings violated the rights of parents to educate their children as they wished.
A law from the 1920s requires crucifixes to be hung in Italian schools
The ruling has produced an angry response from politicians and church leaders who say the crucifix is much more than a religious symbol in Italy.
Education Minister Mariastella Gelmini said the crucifix was a "symbol of our tradition", not a mark of Catholicism.
The Reverend Frederico Lombardi said the European court should not interfere in what was a profoundly Italian issue, and said it was wrong to imply that the crucifix could be a sign of division or exclusion.
Soile Lautsi's case is similar to one brought in 1995 by a parent in the German state of Bavaria.
A German constitutional court decided it was against religious freedom for crucifixes to be imposed in classrooms.
The Bavarian parliament came up with a new law, requiring the removal of crucifixes - but only if a parent insisted.
The US Supreme Court has also had to decide whether religious symbols break the constitution, and its separation of church and state.
It recently ruled against the positioning of framed copies of the 10 Commandments in two courtrooms in Kentucky, because they had a "predominantly religious purpose".
However, the court did acknowledge that even the 10 Commandments - taken from the Book of Exodus in the Bible - could be displayed, if it was done to illustrate the country's legal history.
It said a monument outside a government building in Texas could continue to display the Commandments, which the Bible describes being given to Moses by God.
But even without court rulings some Italian Christians suspect that long-established traditions are under threat by the changing atmosphere.
Among the casualties, they complain that schools are abandoning nativity plays for fear of offending people from other faiths.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
The Bible Unearthed: Archaeology's New Vision of Ancient Israel
The Bible Unearthed: Archaeology's New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Its Sacred Texts
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Canada and India: why should the worlds meet?
With Canadian primeminister stephen Harper soon visiting India, i was googling to find some more info on it.
Here is an article by Haroon Siddiqui in www.thestar.com ( http://www.thestar.com/comment/article/724584)
Tips for Harper's trip to India
Ottawa has been far too slow to recognize its dynamic economy and geopolitical clout
If I were Stephen Harper and going on my first visit to India – landing in Mumbai Sunday to meet business leaders, then New Delhi to confer with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and others – I'd do the following:
Ignore the Canadian media's portrayal of India as orientalist exotica and the epicentre of some of the world's worst problems.
India is also an economic and geopolitical giant, in some respects more important than China. Besides democracy and English, it boasts a population that's much younger than China's.
Its $1 trillion economy equals Canada's, and is growing at 6.7 per cent this year, compared with the stagnant economies of the West.
India is spending as much as Canada, more than $1 billion, on development projects in Afghanistan.
India's army is the fourth largest in the world. Its navy rules the Indian Ocean. Its capacity to build satellites, missiles, fighter jets, etc. exceeds ours.
India is a serious global player.
Understand also that Ottawa has been painfully slow to recognize this reality.
The U.S. has been wooing India for years. Bill Clinton's 1999 visit was one of the best foreign policy charm offensives I've ever seen. George W. Bush followed with a realpolitik gift of a civilian nuclear deal, setting aside American anger over India turning nuclear and balking at the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Russia and France have since negotiated their own accords, wanting to tap the $100 billion bonanza of Indian nuclear energy needs.
Ottawa could have taken a principled stance and refused to sell uranium (as has Australia). Or it could have stopped acting peeved and opened some doors for our (largely Ontario-based) nuclear sector.
It did neither and has been plodding along, despite Harper's initial enthusiasm. Unless he has something dramatic to say, a photo-op on the nuclear file will only draw yawns in Delhi.
Know that while bilateral trade jumped to $4.6 billion in 2008, rising by a fifth over 2007, India's trade with the U.S. and China rose proportionately more (each now in the $45 billion range).
Believe it or not, India is investing more in Canada than we are there ($1.02 billion vs. $800 million). Indian conglomerates have taken over Canadian firms in the forestry, steel and pharmaceutical sectors, and are using Canada as a gateway to the U.S.
Remember that there are 100,000 Indian students in the U.S., 80,000 in Australia, 30,000 in the U.K. but only 4,000 in Canada.
This even though our universities are top-notch, cost less and provide a welcoming environment (unlike Australia, where Indian students have faced racist incidents). Plus Ottawa is offering foreign students the opportunity to eventually apply for immigrant status (eminently sensible, given that they're likely to integrate more easily).
"My assumption is that Canada does not sell itself aggressively in India," says S.M. Gavai, India's high commissioner in Ottawa.
Not just that. The provinces compete with each other in India. And they and the feds don't coordinate their actions.
"Canada has lagged hopelessly behind in the higher education field," writes David Malone, our former high commissioner to India (2006-08), one of our most successful envoys there. His article, Building Stronger Ties Between India and Canada: Better Late Than Never, posted on the Asia Pacific Foundation website, is very much worth reading.
Resist partisanship and promote the visits to India of Dalton McGuinty (Dec. 6-11, his second) and Jean Charest (in February).
Some Ontario universities – York, McMaster, Toronto, Waterloo and Windsor, in particular – have been working hard to forge links in India. They could use a prime ministerial push.
So could the 25 clean energy companies going with McGuinty.
Don't lecture the Indians on the environment. They, like the Chinese, balk at binding limits on carbon emissions.
India will not be deprived of economic uplift, especially by those who have been polluting for a century or more.
To the counter-argument that global warming cannot be reduced without India's and China's help, India says: If that's the case, subsidize our conversion to green technologies. What's our response?
It is what many Indian scientists themselves are saying: India cannot reach its economic goals amid environmental degradation: deforestation, sinking water tables, rising salinity, drying rivers and lakes.
Joint projects are the way to go.
Don't let Prime Minister Singh's modesty, mild manner and soft voice lull you into forgetting that he is one of the world's foremost economists, who also happens to hold power. Ditto his economic adviser, Montek Singh Ahluwalia (who was in Toronto in April, for an energy conference).
Don't even try to play in their economic league. Cultivate them instead on what interests them – India's role in the G20, which Canada is hosting next June in Huntsville, and for which Ahluwalia is India's designated envoy.
Prevail on Prime Minister Singh to also visit Montreal to receive his honourary doctorate from McGill.
Treat him as the historic figure he is. He was the architect of India's economic turnaround in the 1990s as finance minister. With his innate decency and honesty, he has as prime minister single-handedly broken the decades-long grip of corrupt and parochial regional leaders, and restored a national vision, thereby positioning India for yet another giant leap forward.
http://www.thestar.com/comment/article/724584
Haroon Siddiqui is the Star's editorial page editor emeritus. His column appears Thursday and Sunday.
Here is an article by Haroon Siddiqui in www.thestar.com ( http://www.thestar.com/comment/article/724584)
Tips for Harper's trip to India
Ottawa has been far too slow to recognize its dynamic economy and geopolitical clout
If I were Stephen Harper and going on my first visit to India – landing in Mumbai Sunday to meet business leaders, then New Delhi to confer with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and others – I'd do the following:
Ignore the Canadian media's portrayal of India as orientalist exotica and the epicentre of some of the world's worst problems.
India is also an economic and geopolitical giant, in some respects more important than China. Besides democracy and English, it boasts a population that's much younger than China's.
Its $1 trillion economy equals Canada's, and is growing at 6.7 per cent this year, compared with the stagnant economies of the West.
India is spending as much as Canada, more than $1 billion, on development projects in Afghanistan.
India's army is the fourth largest in the world. Its navy rules the Indian Ocean. Its capacity to build satellites, missiles, fighter jets, etc. exceeds ours.
India is a serious global player.
Understand also that Ottawa has been painfully slow to recognize this reality.
The U.S. has been wooing India for years. Bill Clinton's 1999 visit was one of the best foreign policy charm offensives I've ever seen. George W. Bush followed with a realpolitik gift of a civilian nuclear deal, setting aside American anger over India turning nuclear and balking at the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Russia and France have since negotiated their own accords, wanting to tap the $100 billion bonanza of Indian nuclear energy needs.
Ottawa could have taken a principled stance and refused to sell uranium (as has Australia). Or it could have stopped acting peeved and opened some doors for our (largely Ontario-based) nuclear sector.
It did neither and has been plodding along, despite Harper's initial enthusiasm. Unless he has something dramatic to say, a photo-op on the nuclear file will only draw yawns in Delhi.
Know that while bilateral trade jumped to $4.6 billion in 2008, rising by a fifth over 2007, India's trade with the U.S. and China rose proportionately more (each now in the $45 billion range).
Believe it or not, India is investing more in Canada than we are there ($1.02 billion vs. $800 million). Indian conglomerates have taken over Canadian firms in the forestry, steel and pharmaceutical sectors, and are using Canada as a gateway to the U.S.
Remember that there are 100,000 Indian students in the U.S., 80,000 in Australia, 30,000 in the U.K. but only 4,000 in Canada.
This even though our universities are top-notch, cost less and provide a welcoming environment (unlike Australia, where Indian students have faced racist incidents). Plus Ottawa is offering foreign students the opportunity to eventually apply for immigrant status (eminently sensible, given that they're likely to integrate more easily).
"My assumption is that Canada does not sell itself aggressively in India," says S.M. Gavai, India's high commissioner in Ottawa.
Not just that. The provinces compete with each other in India. And they and the feds don't coordinate their actions.
"Canada has lagged hopelessly behind in the higher education field," writes David Malone, our former high commissioner to India (2006-08), one of our most successful envoys there. His article, Building Stronger Ties Between India and Canada: Better Late Than Never, posted on the Asia Pacific Foundation website, is very much worth reading.
Resist partisanship and promote the visits to India of Dalton McGuinty (Dec. 6-11, his second) and Jean Charest (in February).
Some Ontario universities – York, McMaster, Toronto, Waterloo and Windsor, in particular – have been working hard to forge links in India. They could use a prime ministerial push.
So could the 25 clean energy companies going with McGuinty.
Don't lecture the Indians on the environment. They, like the Chinese, balk at binding limits on carbon emissions.
India will not be deprived of economic uplift, especially by those who have been polluting for a century or more.
To the counter-argument that global warming cannot be reduced without India's and China's help, India says: If that's the case, subsidize our conversion to green technologies. What's our response?
It is what many Indian scientists themselves are saying: India cannot reach its economic goals amid environmental degradation: deforestation, sinking water tables, rising salinity, drying rivers and lakes.
Joint projects are the way to go.
Don't let Prime Minister Singh's modesty, mild manner and soft voice lull you into forgetting that he is one of the world's foremost economists, who also happens to hold power. Ditto his economic adviser, Montek Singh Ahluwalia (who was in Toronto in April, for an energy conference).
Don't even try to play in their economic league. Cultivate them instead on what interests them – India's role in the G20, which Canada is hosting next June in Huntsville, and for which Ahluwalia is India's designated envoy.
Prevail on Prime Minister Singh to also visit Montreal to receive his honourary doctorate from McGill.
Treat him as the historic figure he is. He was the architect of India's economic turnaround in the 1990s as finance minister. With his innate decency and honesty, he has as prime minister single-handedly broken the decades-long grip of corrupt and parochial regional leaders, and restored a national vision, thereby positioning India for yet another giant leap forward.
http://www.thestar.com/comment/article/724584
Haroon Siddiqui is the Star's editorial page editor emeritus. His column appears Thursday and Sunday.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8323146.stm
Many of India's maharajas showed they were able to adapt to changing political landscapes
When it comes to majestic grandeur, few monarchies in the world matched the opulence of India's royal courts in their heyday.
The Victoria and Albert (V&A) museum in London has brought some of that splendour to life in a new exhibition featuring more than 250 rarely seen objects, including thrones, gem-encrusted weapons and even a life-sized and bejewelled maharaja's model elephant.
Organisers say that Maharaja: The Splendour of India's Royal Courts is the first display that comprehensively explores the world of these exotic rulers and their rich culture.
The exhibition centres on the golden period of maharaja power: from the beginning of the 18th century to the mid-20th century. Many of the magnificent objects on display have been loaned by India's royal families.
The aim is to illuminate the plush and sometimes ostentatious lifestyles of maharajas that existed right up until the end of British rule in 1947.
'Fascinating story'
"There has never been an exhibition like this before, showing the spectacular treasures of the courts of the maharajas," said V&A director Mark Jones.
Exhibition in pictures
"Many of the objects have left India for the first time to come to the V&A.
"This exhibition shows that India's rulers were significant patrons of the arts, in India and the West, and tells the fascinating story of the changing role of the maharaja from the early 18th century to the final days of the Raj."
One of the most fascinating items on display is the Patiala Necklace - one of jeweller Cartier's largest single commissions. Completed in 1928, it originally contained 2,930 diamonds.
Divided into sections, the exhibition starts with a recreation of an Indian royal procession, before examining the political, religious and military leadership roles a maharaja had to assume.
A brilliant and no doubt priceless display of oils, watercolours and sketches show how the secular and sacred power of an Indian king was expressed most spectacularly in the grand public processions that celebrated royal events and religious festivals.
Lavishly dressed maharajas can be seen riding richly caparisoned elephants or horses, surrounded by attendants bearing the symbolic attributes of kingship: a royal parasol, fans and staffs of authority.
Justice and punishment
"The vision of a king in all his splendour was believed to be auspicious. It was central to the concept of darshan, the propitious act of seeing and being seen by a superior being, whether a god or a king," exhibition co-organiser Anna Watson told the BBC.
Maharajas have worn some of the world's most splendid jewellery
"Although originally a Hindu notion, the idea of darshan became an integral aspect of kingship throughout the subcontinent."
The exhibition also examines changes in the balance of power and changes in taste in the 18th and 19th centuries, including the disintegration of the Mughal empire and the impact of expanding British influence.
It explains how even under the British, Indian rulers were expected to exercise rajadharma - the duties and behaviour appropriate to a king.
These duties include the protection of their subjects, the adjudication of disputes, and the ministering of justice and punishment.
"Martial skills were as important as administrative and diplomatic ones; as well as being wise and benevolent, kings were expected to be fierce warriors and skilled hunters. Rajadharma was also exercised through the patronage of poets, musicians, architects, artists, craftsmen and religious foundations," Ms Watson is quoted as saying in exhibition publicity material.
When Mughal power collapsed completely in 1739, a new breed of maharajas popped up all over India to replace them.
'Modern maharajas'
The exhibition explains that they were seldom known as "maharajas" - a word meaning "great king".
Instead, they enjoyed a multiplicity of titles - Raja, Rana, Maharana, Nawab and Nizam.
Maharajas were renowned for their patronage of the arts
The final section explores the role of "modern" maharajas and the increasing European influence on their lives and possessions.
The exhibition explains the Raj essentially operated as a two-tier system - the British had direct control over three-fifths of the subcontinent, known as "British India", and indirect control over the remaining territory.
Although Indian rulers were guaranteed their borders and rights, the British continued to interfere in the day-to-day running of their states and to limit royal authority - most dramatically in deposing rulers they viewed as unsuitable.
Around this time the number of Indian princes - as rulers were now termed - grew enormously as the British bestowed titles on landowners and chieftains.
A system of imperial orders was introduced to integrate Indian rulers into a western-style feudal hierarchy.
The most important states were ranked within a system of gun salutes; Queen Victoria was entitled to 101 guns, the viceroy and members of the royal family to 31, while the princes had between 21 and nine depending on their status.
But just as Indian rulers began to become fully adapted to the new imperial regime - as they did with the Mughals centuries earlier - they had to change again when India became a republic after independence in 1947.
When it comes to majestic grandeur, few monarchies in the world matched the opulence of India's royal courts in their heyday.
The Victoria and Albert (V&A) museum in London has brought some of that splendour to life in a new exhibition featuring more than 250 rarely seen objects, including thrones, gem-encrusted weapons and even a life-sized and bejewelled maharaja's model elephant.
Organisers say that Maharaja: The Splendour of India's Royal Courts is the first display that comprehensively explores the world of these exotic rulers and their rich culture.
The exhibition centres on the golden period of maharaja power: from the beginning of the 18th century to the mid-20th century. Many of the magnificent objects on display have been loaned by India's royal families.
The aim is to illuminate the plush and sometimes ostentatious lifestyles of maharajas that existed right up until the end of British rule in 1947.
'Fascinating story'
"There has never been an exhibition like this before, showing the spectacular treasures of the courts of the maharajas," said V&A director Mark Jones.
Exhibition in pictures
"Many of the objects have left India for the first time to come to the V&A.
"This exhibition shows that India's rulers were significant patrons of the arts, in India and the West, and tells the fascinating story of the changing role of the maharaja from the early 18th century to the final days of the Raj."
One of the most fascinating items on display is the Patiala Necklace - one of jeweller Cartier's largest single commissions. Completed in 1928, it originally contained 2,930 diamonds.
Divided into sections, the exhibition starts with a recreation of an Indian royal procession, before examining the political, religious and military leadership roles a maharaja had to assume.
A brilliant and no doubt priceless display of oils, watercolours and sketches show how the secular and sacred power of an Indian king was expressed most spectacularly in the grand public processions that celebrated royal events and religious festivals.
Lavishly dressed maharajas can be seen riding richly caparisoned elephants or horses, surrounded by attendants bearing the symbolic attributes of kingship: a royal parasol, fans and staffs of authority.
Justice and punishment
"The vision of a king in all his splendour was believed to be auspicious. It was central to the concept of darshan, the propitious act of seeing and being seen by a superior being, whether a god or a king," exhibition co-organiser Anna Watson told the BBC.
Maharajas have worn some of the world's most splendid jewellery
"Although originally a Hindu notion, the idea of darshan became an integral aspect of kingship throughout the subcontinent."
The exhibition also examines changes in the balance of power and changes in taste in the 18th and 19th centuries, including the disintegration of the Mughal empire and the impact of expanding British influence.
It explains how even under the British, Indian rulers were expected to exercise rajadharma - the duties and behaviour appropriate to a king.
These duties include the protection of their subjects, the adjudication of disputes, and the ministering of justice and punishment.
"Martial skills were as important as administrative and diplomatic ones; as well as being wise and benevolent, kings were expected to be fierce warriors and skilled hunters. Rajadharma was also exercised through the patronage of poets, musicians, architects, artists, craftsmen and religious foundations," Ms Watson is quoted as saying in exhibition publicity material.
When Mughal power collapsed completely in 1739, a new breed of maharajas popped up all over India to replace them.
'Modern maharajas'
The exhibition explains that they were seldom known as "maharajas" - a word meaning "great king".
Instead, they enjoyed a multiplicity of titles - Raja, Rana, Maharana, Nawab and Nizam.
Maharajas were renowned for their patronage of the arts
The final section explores the role of "modern" maharajas and the increasing European influence on their lives and possessions.
The exhibition explains the Raj essentially operated as a two-tier system - the British had direct control over three-fifths of the subcontinent, known as "British India", and indirect control over the remaining territory.
Although Indian rulers were guaranteed their borders and rights, the British continued to interfere in the day-to-day running of their states and to limit royal authority - most dramatically in deposing rulers they viewed as unsuitable.
Around this time the number of Indian princes - as rulers were now termed - grew enormously as the British bestowed titles on landowners and chieftains.
A system of imperial orders was introduced to integrate Indian rulers into a western-style feudal hierarchy.
The most important states were ranked within a system of gun salutes; Queen Victoria was entitled to 101 guns, the viceroy and members of the royal family to 31, while the princes had between 21 and nine depending on their status.
But just as Indian rulers began to become fully adapted to the new imperial regime - as they did with the Mughals centuries earlier - they had to change again when India became a republic after independence in 1947.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
orkut
One of Devil’s Workshop Orkut Community member Aadesh posted a problem there that he banned one of his community member but want to unban him/her again….
Here are steps to unban a banned member!
1. Right click on any link (profile, scarpbook, etc) related to that banned person.
2. Press “Copy Link Location” (in firefox) or “Copy shortcut” in IE or similar option in ur browser!
3. Paste clipboard content in notepad! (or any text-editor)
4. Take only “uid” part!
i.e. for link
http://www.orkut.com/Profile.aspx?uid=8047825869783710708
uid is 8047825869783710708
5. Now copy following link to the notepad.
http://www.orkut.com/CommMemberManage.aspx?cmm=COMM_ID&uid=USER_ID
6. Replace COMM_ID by ur community id.
7. Replace USER_ID by above uid. (that u got in step 4)
8. Don’t put any space between address of step 5 while editing in step 6 & 7.
9. Open this edited address in ur browser. (ofc ourse after logging into orkut)
10. You will get all options related to member management. Just press “unban from community”.
Here are steps to unban a banned member!
1. Right click on any link (profile, scarpbook, etc) related to that banned person.
2. Press “Copy Link Location” (in firefox) or “Copy shortcut” in IE or similar option in ur browser!
3. Paste clipboard content in notepad! (or any text-editor)
4. Take only “uid” part!
i.e. for link
http://www.orkut.com/Profile.aspx?uid=8047825869783710708
uid is 8047825869783710708
5. Now copy following link to the notepad.
http://www.orkut.com/CommMemberManage.aspx?cmm=COMM_ID&uid=USER_ID
6. Replace COMM_ID by ur community id.
7. Replace USER_ID by above uid. (that u got in step 4)
8. Don’t put any space between address of step 5 while editing in step 6 & 7.
9. Open this edited address in ur browser. (ofc ourse after logging into orkut)
10. You will get all options related to member management. Just press “unban from community”.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Prière pour les gens heureux, par Michel Wagner
Prière pour les gens heureux
par Michel Wagner
(Source : "Prières qui n’en ont pas l’air" de Michel Wagner)
Seigneur,
aujourd’hui je veux te prier pour les gens heureux.
Souvent notre prière monte vers toi
pour les malheureux, si nombreux.
Mais les gens heureux n’ont-ils pas eux aussi besoin de toi ?
Le fait d’être heureux peut leur faire oublier
que c’est de toi que vient en définitive le bonheur de la vie.
Le fait de jouir de cette bonne vie peut les occuper à tel point
qu’ils n’ont plus le temps de venir t’en remercier.
Job t’offrait des sacrifices
pour le cas où ses enfants aujourd’hui oublient te louer.
Comme lui, je viens te dire merci pour les gens heureux
qui n’ont pas pris le temps de le faire.
Certes, tu es le Dieu de la miséricorde et de l’espérance
pour tous les éprouvés.
Mais tu es aussi le Dieu qui regarde avec joie ta création
qui la trouve bonne et ouvre son espace à tous tes enfants.
Pour ceux qui s’aiment dans la joie,
pour ceux qu’enfants et petits-enfants réjouissent,
pour ceux dont le travail est occasion de s’épanouir,
pour ceux que leur service des autres rend heureux,
pour ceux auxquels des amitiés solides donnent couleur à la vie,
pour ceux qu’un long parcours a rempli de reconnaissance.
Pour tant d’autres sourires échangés,
tant de cris de joie poussés.
Pour et avec tous ceux-là.
Seigneur, je veux te dire merci !
par Michel Wagner
(Source : "Prières qui n’en ont pas l’air" de Michel Wagner)
Seigneur,
aujourd’hui je veux te prier pour les gens heureux.
Souvent notre prière monte vers toi
pour les malheureux, si nombreux.
Mais les gens heureux n’ont-ils pas eux aussi besoin de toi ?
Le fait d’être heureux peut leur faire oublier
que c’est de toi que vient en définitive le bonheur de la vie.
Le fait de jouir de cette bonne vie peut les occuper à tel point
qu’ils n’ont plus le temps de venir t’en remercier.
Job t’offrait des sacrifices
pour le cas où ses enfants aujourd’hui oublient te louer.
Comme lui, je viens te dire merci pour les gens heureux
qui n’ont pas pris le temps de le faire.
Certes, tu es le Dieu de la miséricorde et de l’espérance
pour tous les éprouvés.
Mais tu es aussi le Dieu qui regarde avec joie ta création
qui la trouve bonne et ouvre son espace à tous tes enfants.
Pour ceux qui s’aiment dans la joie,
pour ceux qu’enfants et petits-enfants réjouissent,
pour ceux dont le travail est occasion de s’épanouir,
pour ceux que leur service des autres rend heureux,
pour ceux auxquels des amitiés solides donnent couleur à la vie,
pour ceux qu’un long parcours a rempli de reconnaissance.
Pour tant d’autres sourires échangés,
tant de cris de joie poussés.
Pour et avec tous ceux-là.
Seigneur, je veux te dire merci !
Monday, June 22, 2009
10 Protests That Changed History
10 Protests That Changed History
The Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation began with the quietest and most orderly single protest in this list — the nailing to the door of a German church a treatise on the abuses of Catholicism by Martin Luther, in 1517. However, the movement that followed would ultimately spill blood and tear empires apart.
The Storming of the Bastille
This one act of July 14, 1789, has come to symbolize the entire French Revolution and indeed was a major catalyst to the 10-year-long rebellion against the crown. On that day, a throng of Parisians descended on the Bastille (long a symbol of royal authority and excess), beheaded its governor and overtook the prison.
Boston Tea Party
Despite its quaint-sounding name, the 1773 "tea party" was in fact a bitter reaction to harsh new British taxation acts. Over the course of three hours on Dec. 16, more than 100 colonists secretly boarded three British ships arriving in harbor and dumped 45 tons of tea into the water. The unorthodox protest was a key precursor to the American Revolution.
Gandhi's Salt March, 1930
Another protest against British taxation sent Mahatma Gandhi on a 23-day, 240-mile journey to the coast of India to collect his own salt, which was illegal under crown laws. More than 60,000 people, including Gandhi himself, were incarcerated for participating in the salt march, but it ultimately turned the tide of world sympathy towards Indian, rather than British, interests.
South Africa's National Day of Protest
Nelson Mandela's ANC party organized this anti-apartheid work stoppage in 1950, in retaliation for a new bill effectively allowing the government to investigate any political party or organization. On June 26, hundreds of thousands of South Africans participated in the "Stay at Home," a tactic that was used several times in the next decade. June 26 was celebrated as National Freedom Day in South Africa until 1994.
March on Washington
Martin Luther King's historic "I Have a Dream" speech was delivered during this August 1963 rally to promote racial equality in the United States. More than 200,000 demonstrators gathered peacefully at the Lincoln Memorial in D.C., and the event is credited with pressuring President John F. Kennedy to draw up firm civil rights legislation.
Tiananmen Square, 1989
A mass of at least 1 million people, mostly students seeking democratic reform, had peacefully occupied Beijing's Tiananmen Square for seven weeks when the Chinese military unexpectedly rolled in tanks to clear them out. Numbers are imprecise, but it is estimated that at least several hundred protesters were killed in the city, drawing harsh criticism from the international community.
Berlin Wall Protests, 1989
The concrete division that had separated East and West Berlin for 28 years came down just two months after public protests occurred throughout Germany. Pressure to take down the wall had been growing in 1989 and the demonstrations were the final straw for the East German government, which finally opened the gates on Nov. 9.
Iraq War Protests
Millions of people in cities around the world gathered for anti-war protests in the months leading up to the invasion of Iraq, which went ahead despite their efforts in March of 2003. The biggest crowds occurred in London in conjunction with global marches organized for Feb. 15, when at least 1 million people assembled in what is believed to be the largest ever political demonstration in UK history.
Ukraine's Orange Revolution
The current situation in Iran hearkens back to late 2004, when hundreds of thousands of people flooded Kiev's main square to protest the results of the Ukrainian presidential election. Demonstrations continued for 12 days through sleet and snow until a revote was called, reversing the results and putting the opposition candidate (whose party colors are orange) in office instead.
http://www.livescience.com/history/090616-history-political-protests.html
The Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation began with the quietest and most orderly single protest in this list — the nailing to the door of a German church a treatise on the abuses of Catholicism by Martin Luther, in 1517. However, the movement that followed would ultimately spill blood and tear empires apart.
The Storming of the Bastille
This one act of July 14, 1789, has come to symbolize the entire French Revolution and indeed was a major catalyst to the 10-year-long rebellion against the crown. On that day, a throng of Parisians descended on the Bastille (long a symbol of royal authority and excess), beheaded its governor and overtook the prison.
Boston Tea Party
Despite its quaint-sounding name, the 1773 "tea party" was in fact a bitter reaction to harsh new British taxation acts. Over the course of three hours on Dec. 16, more than 100 colonists secretly boarded three British ships arriving in harbor and dumped 45 tons of tea into the water. The unorthodox protest was a key precursor to the American Revolution.
Gandhi's Salt March, 1930
Another protest against British taxation sent Mahatma Gandhi on a 23-day, 240-mile journey to the coast of India to collect his own salt, which was illegal under crown laws. More than 60,000 people, including Gandhi himself, were incarcerated for participating in the salt march, but it ultimately turned the tide of world sympathy towards Indian, rather than British, interests.
South Africa's National Day of Protest
Nelson Mandela's ANC party organized this anti-apartheid work stoppage in 1950, in retaliation for a new bill effectively allowing the government to investigate any political party or organization. On June 26, hundreds of thousands of South Africans participated in the "Stay at Home," a tactic that was used several times in the next decade. June 26 was celebrated as National Freedom Day in South Africa until 1994.
March on Washington
Martin Luther King's historic "I Have a Dream" speech was delivered during this August 1963 rally to promote racial equality in the United States. More than 200,000 demonstrators gathered peacefully at the Lincoln Memorial in D.C., and the event is credited with pressuring President John F. Kennedy to draw up firm civil rights legislation.
Tiananmen Square, 1989
A mass of at least 1 million people, mostly students seeking democratic reform, had peacefully occupied Beijing's Tiananmen Square for seven weeks when the Chinese military unexpectedly rolled in tanks to clear them out. Numbers are imprecise, but it is estimated that at least several hundred protesters were killed in the city, drawing harsh criticism from the international community.
Berlin Wall Protests, 1989
The concrete division that had separated East and West Berlin for 28 years came down just two months after public protests occurred throughout Germany. Pressure to take down the wall had been growing in 1989 and the demonstrations were the final straw for the East German government, which finally opened the gates on Nov. 9.
Iraq War Protests
Millions of people in cities around the world gathered for anti-war protests in the months leading up to the invasion of Iraq, which went ahead despite their efforts in March of 2003. The biggest crowds occurred in London in conjunction with global marches organized for Feb. 15, when at least 1 million people assembled in what is believed to be the largest ever political demonstration in UK history.
Ukraine's Orange Revolution
The current situation in Iran hearkens back to late 2004, when hundreds of thousands of people flooded Kiev's main square to protest the results of the Ukrainian presidential election. Demonstrations continued for 12 days through sleet and snow until a revote was called, reversing the results and putting the opposition candidate (whose party colors are orange) in office instead.
http://www.livescience.com/history/090616-history-political-protests.html
Sunday, March 22, 2009
SACRED SPACE | Divine Composition
(Extracts from interviews given by A R Rahman between the years 1999
and 2004.)
I am like a boat without an oar. I let life take its own course. I know only my work and God. I pray a lot. You get dejected if you plan something and it does not happen. But if you just let life take its course....?
1999
Any great love song, when attributed to a divine source, gets an extra dimension. People say any love that is immortal is divine love... The inspiration, therefore, is a divine one...
No one can be completely original, because the notes are already there. I do a lot of fusion from different traditions including Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, reggae, rock and Carnatic music my favourites. As far as possible, i try to be original. The rest is up to Allah.
2000
We have to push ourselves in any field, whether we like it or not. It is just the question of your mindset. We need to adjust and look into our own selves. The moment you have this attitude that whatever you do is the best, you will cease to grow or for that matter experiment, which is very necessary for creation. I mainly work by instinct.
2004
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Opinion/Editorial/SACRED-SPACE--Divine-Composition/rssarticleshow/4183968.cms
and 2004.)
I am like a boat without an oar. I let life take its own course. I know only my work and God. I pray a lot. You get dejected if you plan something and it does not happen. But if you just let life take its course....?
1999
Any great love song, when attributed to a divine source, gets an extra dimension. People say any love that is immortal is divine love... The inspiration, therefore, is a divine one...
No one can be completely original, because the notes are already there. I do a lot of fusion from different traditions including Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, reggae, rock and Carnatic music my favourites. As far as possible, i try to be original. The rest is up to Allah.
2000
We have to push ourselves in any field, whether we like it or not. It is just the question of your mindset. We need to adjust and look into our own selves. The moment you have this attitude that whatever you do is the best, you will cease to grow or for that matter experiment, which is very necessary for creation. I mainly work by instinct.
2004
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Opinion/Editorial/SACRED-SPACE--Divine-Composition/rssarticleshow/4183968.cms
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
The safest place to store your data
TECHNOLOGY
Security and privacy
The safest place to store your data
Your hard drive or the cloud?
Last Updated: Wednesday, March 18, 2009 | 11:44 AM ET Comments11Recommend25
http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2009/03/17/f-safest-place-for-data.html
By Emily Chung, CBC News
Hackers, identity thieves, viruses, hard drive crashes, law enforcement agents, fires, floods — all these can do nasty things to or with your precious files.
The Canadian Bar Association doesn't want lawyers to take chances. In the fall, it recommended that when lawyers travel, they should keep their data safe from snooping border guards by hiding it in a server on the internet.
'Are you worried about your house catching on fire and losing your data or are you worried about someone going and deleting it?'
— Anil Somayaji, IT security researcher
But Google Docs users found out in early March that even when the server is tended by specialists with lots of security resources, there are no guarantees your files are 100 per cent secure.
The Google service — which allows people to create documents such as letters, spreadsheets and presentations with its web-based software and then store them online — accidentally shared a tiny fraction of users' documents with other users, without the document owners' consent or knowledge.
What is 'safe'?
Given the conflicting information, what is the safest place to store your data?
"It all depends on what you define as safe," says Anil Somayaji, an associate professor at Carleton University who specializes in computer security.
Typically, people consider three things, he says:
Confidentiality: Making sure your private information stays private.
Integrity: Making sure your data isn't damaged.
Availability: Making sure your data isn't lost.
It also depends on the type of threat against which you are trying to defend your data.
"You have to define security and safety and all those things in those terms," Somayaji says. "Are you worried about your house catching on fire and losing your data, or are you worried about someone going and deleting it?"
For most people, Somayaji says, the highest priority is making sure that their data doesn't get corrupted and that they always have access to it.
For those purposes, he recommends storage in multiple physical locations, including the internet. A growing number of services allow people to access software, processing power and data storage online.
Cloud computing — also called "software as a service" or Web 2.0 — has been around for a long time, but its reach has been expanding as access to broadband internet and mobile devices becomes more ubiquitous.
Beauty of the cloud
Google is one company offering a variety of cloud computing services that allow people to manage and store emails, blogs, spreadsheets and photos online, among other things.
'For you, Job One is not to protect data or to manage an IT system. Even though you have control over it, it's susceptible to your screw-ups.'
— David Fraser, privacy lawyer
Eran Feigenbaum, Google's director of security, says he was reminded first-hand about the benefits of using such services when his laptop got stolen about a year ago.
"Because all my data was in my cloud, I wasn't worried about the thieves seeing the data, and the next day I was up and running."
Feigenbaum maintains that most security breaches over the past four years that exposed sensitive data involved the loss of a storage device such as a USB key, CD or DVD.
Those responsible weren't being malicious or trying to circumvent security, he says. "These are users who are trying to work from where they want, when they want."
However, the end result is that the employer loses control of the data.
"In the cloud, I can access it anytime anywhere, while still maintaining the security of cloud provider," Feigenbaum says.
The hard drive you drive
But Ontario Privacy Commissioner Ann Cavoukian, who has been studying the privacy implications of cloud computing, says there are advantages of keeping data on your hard drive instead of the cloud.
"That which is in your control, your personal control — you can have a greater level of assurance of what's happening to it," she says, adding that the amount of caution you use should be commensurate with the sensitivity of your data.
'The thing with the cloud is when it gets compromised, it can get really compromised.'
— Anil Somayaji, IT security researcher
She says the security breach at Google in early March, even if it reportedly affected only 0.05 per cent of documents, is worrisome.
"If someone of the scale of Google has serious security problems in their sharing system, it underscores that you have to be exceedingly careful."
Cavoukian credits Google for confessing about and fixing the glitch right away. But she adds that each user needs to judge whether they think that is sufficient.
Feigenbaum, in the company's defence, says the type of breach that happened at Google — in which a user's documents were shared with people whom they had previously shared documents with, though the user had since changed her sharing settings — was fixed more quickly and easily than an equivalent situation in which a user sends out an email with the wrong attachment.
He adds that hard drives aren't necessarily safe if they are attached to the internet, something Cavoukian also acknowledges.
Moreover, companies like Google are better equipped than the average user to keep security patches up-to-date and protect the data from malicious code and hackers, Feigenbaum affirms.
David Fraser, a privacy lawyer with McGuinness Cooper in Halifax, agrees that individuals may have more trouble maintaining security on their own computers than a businesses may have on its servers.
"For you, Job 1 is not to protect data or to manage an IT system," he says. "Even though you have control over it, it's susceptible to your screw-ups."
Fraser agrees with the Canadian Bar Association that it's a good idea to put your data on a secure Canadian server when travelling, as U.S. border officials could seize anything on your laptop or other devices accompanying you.
Many people have access to a secure server through work. Individuals may not have that resource at their disposal, but they can still use internet services such as Google Docs and gotomyPC.com, Fraser says.
"I'm not sure those are necessarily as secure as a corporate remote-access strategy, but it probably beats the alternatives of leaving it on a laptop that not only could get inspected, but could also get stolen."
The cloud's darker side
Somayaji agrees storage in the cloud has its benefits.
"But I wouldn't trust them exclusively if your data actually matters to you," he says.
Cloud providers could go bankrupt, change their policies in a way that prevents you from accessing your data or suffer a security breach themselves, he says.
'You and I are never going to know what's happening inside of Google.'
— Ann Cavoukian, Ontario privacy commissioner
"The thing with the cloud is when it gets compromised, it can get really compromised."
The problem could affect many users from anywhere in the world. And while he thinks services like MSN, Google and Yahoo are "really good" and have good policies, "They're just one software glitch away from blowing away all the email you've ever had."
In addition, it's hard to know how secure any of these services are.
In theory, Somayaji says, there is a contract between the service provider and the user, but he cautions you still don't necessarily know what the company is doing. Even if the policies look good on paper, there is no guarantee that the company is following them the way it's supposed to.
Making the cloud safer
People need to be aware of that, Cavoukian says.
Ways to keep your data safer:
Maintain a firewall
Keep virus-scanning software up-to-date
Use a Mac or Linux operating system
Use strong passwords
Don't use the same password twice
Keep multiple copies of your data in different places
Keep your sensitive data on a Canadian server when you cross the border
Boot from a CD and don't connect to a network when handling sensitive data
"You and I are never going to know what's happening inside of Google," she says. "The only way to know is to have an independent third party do an audit."
Sagi Lazarov, senior manager with Ernst and Young privacy services, said he has seen demand for his services grow in the past seven or eight years as privacy risks have grown.
"Information that is lost and abused can be misused in more ways now," he says, citing identity theft as an example.
The services his company offers range from advice for internal audits to full, third-party privacy audits. In most cases, the results are not available to the public.
That is the case for Google, which says making security information available could expose vulnerabilities.
Nevertheless, both Cavoukian and Lazarov say cloud computing services are growing, and companies that provide the services might be able to cash in if they can assure customers that they have high privacy standards.
Net-free
For those who want to keep control of their own data, Somayaji says you can reduce the risk that someone on the internet will steal your data using malicious software by keeping antivirus and security patches up-to-date, and using operating systems such as Linux or Mac OS that are less of a target for malware authors.
But the safest thing to do with very sensitive data is to keep it on a thumb drive that's only attached to a computer when it's in use, disconnect the computer's network capability and boot it up from a CD.
"But, of course, that's not really conducive to getting work done," Somayaji says. In addition, the thumb drive could get lost.
Ultimately, everyone agrees, there are no bulletproof solutions. Whatever a user chooses should be weighed carefully. And the safest place to keep your data will depend on both the user and the data, Google's Feigenbaum says.
"Every system has some level of risk."
http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2009/03/17/f-safest-place-for-data.html
Security and privacy
The safest place to store your data
Your hard drive or the cloud?
Last Updated: Wednesday, March 18, 2009 | 11:44 AM ET Comments11Recommend25
http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2009/03/17/f-safest-place-for-data.html
By Emily Chung, CBC News
Hackers, identity thieves, viruses, hard drive crashes, law enforcement agents, fires, floods — all these can do nasty things to or with your precious files.
The Canadian Bar Association doesn't want lawyers to take chances. In the fall, it recommended that when lawyers travel, they should keep their data safe from snooping border guards by hiding it in a server on the internet.
'Are you worried about your house catching on fire and losing your data or are you worried about someone going and deleting it?'
— Anil Somayaji, IT security researcher
But Google Docs users found out in early March that even when the server is tended by specialists with lots of security resources, there are no guarantees your files are 100 per cent secure.
The Google service — which allows people to create documents such as letters, spreadsheets and presentations with its web-based software and then store them online — accidentally shared a tiny fraction of users' documents with other users, without the document owners' consent or knowledge.
What is 'safe'?
Given the conflicting information, what is the safest place to store your data?
"It all depends on what you define as safe," says Anil Somayaji, an associate professor at Carleton University who specializes in computer security.
Typically, people consider three things, he says:
Confidentiality: Making sure your private information stays private.
Integrity: Making sure your data isn't damaged.
Availability: Making sure your data isn't lost.
It also depends on the type of threat against which you are trying to defend your data.
"You have to define security and safety and all those things in those terms," Somayaji says. "Are you worried about your house catching on fire and losing your data, or are you worried about someone going and deleting it?"
For most people, Somayaji says, the highest priority is making sure that their data doesn't get corrupted and that they always have access to it.
For those purposes, he recommends storage in multiple physical locations, including the internet. A growing number of services allow people to access software, processing power and data storage online.
Cloud computing — also called "software as a service" or Web 2.0 — has been around for a long time, but its reach has been expanding as access to broadband internet and mobile devices becomes more ubiquitous.
Beauty of the cloud
Google is one company offering a variety of cloud computing services that allow people to manage and store emails, blogs, spreadsheets and photos online, among other things.
'For you, Job One is not to protect data or to manage an IT system. Even though you have control over it, it's susceptible to your screw-ups.'
— David Fraser, privacy lawyer
Eran Feigenbaum, Google's director of security, says he was reminded first-hand about the benefits of using such services when his laptop got stolen about a year ago.
"Because all my data was in my cloud, I wasn't worried about the thieves seeing the data, and the next day I was up and running."
Feigenbaum maintains that most security breaches over the past four years that exposed sensitive data involved the loss of a storage device such as a USB key, CD or DVD.
Those responsible weren't being malicious or trying to circumvent security, he says. "These are users who are trying to work from where they want, when they want."
However, the end result is that the employer loses control of the data.
"In the cloud, I can access it anytime anywhere, while still maintaining the security of cloud provider," Feigenbaum says.
The hard drive you drive
But Ontario Privacy Commissioner Ann Cavoukian, who has been studying the privacy implications of cloud computing, says there are advantages of keeping data on your hard drive instead of the cloud.
"That which is in your control, your personal control — you can have a greater level of assurance of what's happening to it," she says, adding that the amount of caution you use should be commensurate with the sensitivity of your data.
'The thing with the cloud is when it gets compromised, it can get really compromised.'
— Anil Somayaji, IT security researcher
She says the security breach at Google in early March, even if it reportedly affected only 0.05 per cent of documents, is worrisome.
"If someone of the scale of Google has serious security problems in their sharing system, it underscores that you have to be exceedingly careful."
Cavoukian credits Google for confessing about and fixing the glitch right away. But she adds that each user needs to judge whether they think that is sufficient.
Feigenbaum, in the company's defence, says the type of breach that happened at Google — in which a user's documents were shared with people whom they had previously shared documents with, though the user had since changed her sharing settings — was fixed more quickly and easily than an equivalent situation in which a user sends out an email with the wrong attachment.
He adds that hard drives aren't necessarily safe if they are attached to the internet, something Cavoukian also acknowledges.
Moreover, companies like Google are better equipped than the average user to keep security patches up-to-date and protect the data from malicious code and hackers, Feigenbaum affirms.
David Fraser, a privacy lawyer with McGuinness Cooper in Halifax, agrees that individuals may have more trouble maintaining security on their own computers than a businesses may have on its servers.
"For you, Job 1 is not to protect data or to manage an IT system," he says. "Even though you have control over it, it's susceptible to your screw-ups."
Fraser agrees with the Canadian Bar Association that it's a good idea to put your data on a secure Canadian server when travelling, as U.S. border officials could seize anything on your laptop or other devices accompanying you.
Many people have access to a secure server through work. Individuals may not have that resource at their disposal, but they can still use internet services such as Google Docs and gotomyPC.com, Fraser says.
"I'm not sure those are necessarily as secure as a corporate remote-access strategy, but it probably beats the alternatives of leaving it on a laptop that not only could get inspected, but could also get stolen."
The cloud's darker side
Somayaji agrees storage in the cloud has its benefits.
"But I wouldn't trust them exclusively if your data actually matters to you," he says.
Cloud providers could go bankrupt, change their policies in a way that prevents you from accessing your data or suffer a security breach themselves, he says.
'You and I are never going to know what's happening inside of Google.'
— Ann Cavoukian, Ontario privacy commissioner
"The thing with the cloud is when it gets compromised, it can get really compromised."
The problem could affect many users from anywhere in the world. And while he thinks services like MSN, Google and Yahoo are "really good" and have good policies, "They're just one software glitch away from blowing away all the email you've ever had."
In addition, it's hard to know how secure any of these services are.
In theory, Somayaji says, there is a contract between the service provider and the user, but he cautions you still don't necessarily know what the company is doing. Even if the policies look good on paper, there is no guarantee that the company is following them the way it's supposed to.
Making the cloud safer
People need to be aware of that, Cavoukian says.
Ways to keep your data safer:
Maintain a firewall
Keep virus-scanning software up-to-date
Use a Mac or Linux operating system
Use strong passwords
Don't use the same password twice
Keep multiple copies of your data in different places
Keep your sensitive data on a Canadian server when you cross the border
Boot from a CD and don't connect to a network when handling sensitive data
"You and I are never going to know what's happening inside of Google," she says. "The only way to know is to have an independent third party do an audit."
Sagi Lazarov, senior manager with Ernst and Young privacy services, said he has seen demand for his services grow in the past seven or eight years as privacy risks have grown.
"Information that is lost and abused can be misused in more ways now," he says, citing identity theft as an example.
The services his company offers range from advice for internal audits to full, third-party privacy audits. In most cases, the results are not available to the public.
That is the case for Google, which says making security information available could expose vulnerabilities.
Nevertheless, both Cavoukian and Lazarov say cloud computing services are growing, and companies that provide the services might be able to cash in if they can assure customers that they have high privacy standards.
Net-free
For those who want to keep control of their own data, Somayaji says you can reduce the risk that someone on the internet will steal your data using malicious software by keeping antivirus and security patches up-to-date, and using operating systems such as Linux or Mac OS that are less of a target for malware authors.
But the safest thing to do with very sensitive data is to keep it on a thumb drive that's only attached to a computer when it's in use, disconnect the computer's network capability and boot it up from a CD.
"But, of course, that's not really conducive to getting work done," Somayaji says. In addition, the thumb drive could get lost.
Ultimately, everyone agrees, there are no bulletproof solutions. Whatever a user chooses should be weighed carefully. And the safest place to keep your data will depend on both the user and the data, Google's Feigenbaum says.
"Every system has some level of risk."
http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2009/03/17/f-safest-place-for-data.html
Internet Explorer 8 aims to "slice" up competitors
Internet Explorer 8 aims to "slice" up competitors
By Geoff MartinMarch 18, 2009
Microsoft's Internet Explorer 8 is banking on several new features to ensure it's a hit with users.
Photograph by: canada.com,
With all the hype that’s been doled out by technology enthusiasts about diggs and pokes and tweets recently, Microsoft is hoping to add some new buzzwords to the online conversation: “Slices” and “Accelerators.”
Microsoft was showing off the newest version of its Internet Explorer browsing software to journalists in Toronto on March 17, and ease of use and customization appear to be their main areas of focus as the world's most popular browser approaches its eighth incarnation.
One of the notable new features in Internet Explorer 8 is the introduction of Accelerators, which are basically tiny icons that appear any time there's something that can be expanded upon after being highlighted by a user. For example, if a random address is highlighted, a tiny Accelerator icon will appear, and if clicked upon it will provide a menu that allows users to do several things, many of them involving the Windows Live service. The list of options is customizable, but one of the more obvious choices is to map out the address through Windows Live with one click.
Microsoft’s main goal here appears to be reducing the number of steps that are needed to get at the information we want. Currently you’d have to highlight an address, copy it, open another tab or window, navigate to a mapping service, paste in the address, and then finally get the map you’re after. With these new Accelerators, that cumbersome operation has been reduced to just three simple steps: highlight, click and map.
Another new feature of the browser is called Slices, which are essentially customized widgets a user can add to the top of their browser for quick and simple access to the information they return to on a regular basis, which appear as small pop-down windows. You won't hear it from the lips of anyone employed by Microsoft, but you might consider this new feature a sort of "RSS for Dummies," bringing the power of RSS feeds and their easily syndicated content to the masses. Representatives were on hand from the Weather Network, Workopolis, and our very own canada.com to show how they’ll be implementing this new technology on their sites.
In the case of the Weather Network, users will be able to add a Slice to the top of their browser that will give them one-click instant access to their personalized local weather forecast, as well as a host of other weather info.
Workopolis demonstrated how a one-time search for a specific job category will produce the option to add a Slice for that search, which will give users a permanent window onto that job category. The new slice at the top of their browser will glow red whenever there are new relevant jobs posted, perhaps giving job-seekers a crucial edge in today’s competitive market.
Finally canada.com was there to show off how it will be serving up the latest news, features and videos in various slices, which will be debuting on this site shortly.
Other new features of IE 8 include the addition of Suggested Sites -- a service for surfers who’ve stumbled upon something particularly useful or interesting. Upon request, Suggested Sites will suggest similar websites based on the users’ past browsing history, as well as the opinions of others.
Rounding out the major additions to Microsoft’s browser is the brand new Visual Search. Firefox users are likely already familiar with the customizable search tool at the top right of their browser, which can offer instant searches on services such as Google, Wikipedia, eBay, Amazon, and many others. The new Visual Search in IE8 takes this concept one step further, and incorporates thumbnail pictures into the search bar as a user types. If you’re searching on Amazon.ca for “Bruce Springsteen” CDs, for example, before you’ve even finished typing his last name, you’ll be looking at a drop down menu containing thumbnail pictures of his albums.
It’s not quite at the "ready for prime time" stage just yet, but intrepid Internet users who can’t wait for the final version to be released can check out these and other new features by downloading Internet Explorer 8 RC1. (Editor's Note: RC1 is short for “Release Candidate One,” which is short for, “expect a couple of bugs, but nothing too serious.”)
© Copyright (c) Canwest News Service
http://www.montrealgazette.com/technology/Internet+Explorer+aims+slice+competitors/1402274/story.html
By Geoff MartinMarch 18, 2009
Microsoft's Internet Explorer 8 is banking on several new features to ensure it's a hit with users.
Photograph by: canada.com,
With all the hype that’s been doled out by technology enthusiasts about diggs and pokes and tweets recently, Microsoft is hoping to add some new buzzwords to the online conversation: “Slices” and “Accelerators.”
Microsoft was showing off the newest version of its Internet Explorer browsing software to journalists in Toronto on March 17, and ease of use and customization appear to be their main areas of focus as the world's most popular browser approaches its eighth incarnation.
One of the notable new features in Internet Explorer 8 is the introduction of Accelerators, which are basically tiny icons that appear any time there's something that can be expanded upon after being highlighted by a user. For example, if a random address is highlighted, a tiny Accelerator icon will appear, and if clicked upon it will provide a menu that allows users to do several things, many of them involving the Windows Live service. The list of options is customizable, but one of the more obvious choices is to map out the address through Windows Live with one click.
Microsoft’s main goal here appears to be reducing the number of steps that are needed to get at the information we want. Currently you’d have to highlight an address, copy it, open another tab or window, navigate to a mapping service, paste in the address, and then finally get the map you’re after. With these new Accelerators, that cumbersome operation has been reduced to just three simple steps: highlight, click and map.
Another new feature of the browser is called Slices, which are essentially customized widgets a user can add to the top of their browser for quick and simple access to the information they return to on a regular basis, which appear as small pop-down windows. You won't hear it from the lips of anyone employed by Microsoft, but you might consider this new feature a sort of "RSS for Dummies," bringing the power of RSS feeds and their easily syndicated content to the masses. Representatives were on hand from the Weather Network, Workopolis, and our very own canada.com to show how they’ll be implementing this new technology on their sites.
In the case of the Weather Network, users will be able to add a Slice to the top of their browser that will give them one-click instant access to their personalized local weather forecast, as well as a host of other weather info.
Workopolis demonstrated how a one-time search for a specific job category will produce the option to add a Slice for that search, which will give users a permanent window onto that job category. The new slice at the top of their browser will glow red whenever there are new relevant jobs posted, perhaps giving job-seekers a crucial edge in today’s competitive market.
Finally canada.com was there to show off how it will be serving up the latest news, features and videos in various slices, which will be debuting on this site shortly.
Other new features of IE 8 include the addition of Suggested Sites -- a service for surfers who’ve stumbled upon something particularly useful or interesting. Upon request, Suggested Sites will suggest similar websites based on the users’ past browsing history, as well as the opinions of others.
Rounding out the major additions to Microsoft’s browser is the brand new Visual Search. Firefox users are likely already familiar with the customizable search tool at the top right of their browser, which can offer instant searches on services such as Google, Wikipedia, eBay, Amazon, and many others. The new Visual Search in IE8 takes this concept one step further, and incorporates thumbnail pictures into the search bar as a user types. If you’re searching on Amazon.ca for “Bruce Springsteen” CDs, for example, before you’ve even finished typing his last name, you’ll be looking at a drop down menu containing thumbnail pictures of his albums.
It’s not quite at the "ready for prime time" stage just yet, but intrepid Internet users who can’t wait for the final version to be released can check out these and other new features by downloading Internet Explorer 8 RC1. (Editor's Note: RC1 is short for “Release Candidate One,” which is short for, “expect a couple of bugs, but nothing too serious.”)
© Copyright (c) Canwest News Service
http://www.montrealgazette.com/technology/Internet+Explorer+aims+slice+competitors/1402274/story.html
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