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Caste still seems to play an important role in this year's elections, as every party is looking at caste composition. » More
Due to the sheer size of the population living in poverty, India is strategically significant in the global efforts to alleviate poverty and to achieve the Millennium Development Goal of halving the world's poverty by 2015. But POVERTY ERADICATION and all bloody hypocrite ideologies relating the Black untouchables, may it be RSS and Hindutva, Marxism and Maoism, CARBIDE GANDHIAN PHILOSOPHY in the Best interest of Brahamins and Banias, the capitalists and OXIDE Socialists have nothing to do with the STARVING, DYING People Predestined for DEATH, SUICIDE or MASSACRE or being kept as HOSTAGES in the KILLING FIELDS as I have witnessed very recently all over DANDAKARANYA!
NEW DELHI: The fledgling Third Front continued its roller coaster ride on Sunday. On a day of mixed fortunes for the political toddler, managers of the Front managed to get Biju Janata Dal to sign off on the "non-Congress, non-BJP" formation, but saw BSP chief Mayawati making it clear that her membership of the new combine would not be at the cost of her prime ministerial aspirations. ( Watch )
The BSP will go it alone in the Lok Sabha elections, with the contentious issue of the Third Front's prime ministerial candidate to be decided only after the poll results are declared.
The day's development was capped by a dramatic clash of egos when the representative of AIADMK boss Jayalalithaa skipped the dinner hosted by Mayawati in Delhi.
The absence of AIADMK's representative V Maithreyan was attributed to the resentment of his boss over the discourteous manner in which she was invited by Mayawati for the dinner.
Sources said that Mayawati, when she called up Jayalalithaa to invite her, finished the conversation abruptly, handing over the phone to BSP general secretary Satish Chandra Mishra.
However, the AIADMK no-show was the only glitch in a day that otherwise well and truly belonged to the BSP supremo.
The 400-foot-long dirigible — in fact a cross between a satellite and a spy plane — would travel to any destination in 15 days; survey targets upto 375 miles away, and can remain airborne for ten years, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Contrarily, the RULING Class is doing everything to ensure the ESCALATION of KALAHANDI Nationwide undermining Indian Indigenous Production System, Indigenous Market, Livelihood,Productive forces, Peasantry, Rural India , Food Security, national Integrity and Unity handing over the Nation and its Sovereignty, security and freedom to Foreign Investment agencies. Officially, at a time when the world economy is facing the worst credit freeze in several decades, India attracted USD 2.7-billion FDI in January, up 58.8 per cent from a year ago, and remained a favourite destination for cross-border investments.
"January numbers are very good...it is an indication of the confidence that the rest of the world has in India," Secretary in the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion Ajay Shankar said.
The CPI(M), which is spearheading the `Third Front' - a lose coalition of mostly left-of-centre and regional parties - said it is working for the creation of a non-Congress, non-BJP government, ''which will strengthen democracy, ensure equitable economic development and social justice."
The CPI(M) said it also wanted to review the nuclear deal with the United States to remove "harmful" clauses.
The communists oppose the Indo-US nuclear deal saying the pact is heavily tilted in favour of the US and that it compromises on India's ability to have independent security and foreign policy.
While all parties may struggle to retain the number of seats in this election, the global economic slowdown could still hep the left muster enough seats to hold the balance of power, political analysts say.
Varna (Hinduism)From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (Redirected from Varna in Hinduism)
Varna (???? var?a) is a Sanskrit term derived from the root v? meaning "to enclose".[1] In historical Indic traditions the varna and caste systems are not the same system, although they are related.[2] Hinduism categorizes the people into four "Varnas" according to the body part of the divinity Purusha from which each group was created (Rigveda 10.90) and these categories define the group's social standing. Originally this division was based on the social class and not always on birth. For example, according to Hindu tradition, Valmiki, the composer of the Ramayana was a hunter by profession and Veda Vyasa, the composer of the Mahabharata and the compiler of the Vedas, was born into a fisherman family. Yet on account of their intellectual and spiritual prowess, they achieved the highest position in social hierarchy and are regarded as Maharishis.
Caste War of YucatánFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaJump to: navigation, searchThe Caste War of Yucatán (1847–1901) began with the revolt of native Maya people of Yucatán (Mexico) against the population of European descent (called Yucatecos) in political and economic control. A lengthy war ensued between the Yucateco forces in the north-west of the Yucatán and the independent Maya in the south-east. It officially ended with the occupation of the Maya capital of Chan Santa Cruz by the Mexican army in 1901, although skirmishes with villages and small settlements that refused to acknowledge Mexican control continued for over another decade.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caste_War_of_Yucat%C3%A1n
CasteFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Castes are hereditary systems of occupation, endogamy, social culture, social class, and political power, the assignment of individuals to places in the social hierarchy is determined by social group and cultural heritage. Although India is often now associated with the word "caste", it was first used by the Portuguese to describe inherited class status in their own European society.
Discrimination based on caste is prevalent mainly in parts of Asia (India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Japan) and Africa. UNICEF estimates that discrimination based on caste affects 250 million people worldwide.[1]
English caste is from Latin castus "pure, cut off, segregated", the participle of carere "to cut off" (whence also castration). Application to Hindu social groups originates in the 17th century, via Portuguese casta "breed, race, caste".http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caste
Caste Struggle.(Dalits, traditionally known as members of India's Untouchable castes, organize and fight for their rights) From: Newsweek International | Date: July 3, 2000| Author: Power, Carla; Mazumdar, Sudip | COPYRIGHT 2000 Newsweek, Inc. All rights reserved. Any reuse, distribution or alteration without express written permission of Newsweek is prohibited. For permission: www.newsweek.com. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information) Copyright information
On paper, the people in the slum on Delhi's Lodi Road don't even exist. The Dalits, or literally "broken people," as members of India's Untouchable castes are now called, don't show up on electoral rolls, ration cards or water bills. Huddled in the shadow of India's Housing and Urban Development Corporation, the slum huts are made of mud, cardboard and plastic bags. Kids play with pigs in the mud; mothers wash clothes in sewer water. These Kabariwallahs, or scavengers, sort through garbage or haul human sewage to earn a few rupees. The children beg at a nearby traffic light. ... http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-63124613.html
Upper castes in all religions deserting their "low caste"brothers Brother Joseph Pulikunnel has not clarified if he is equating "Indianisation" of the church with hinduisation. Since the Dalits, tribals and Backward Castes, who together constitute over 85% of the Indian population and victims of Hinduism, which is the other word for Brahminism, such a clarification is necessary. Because the over 85% of the Indian Christians are converts from SC/ST/BCs who went over to Christianity to seek liberation from Brahminical caste system which enslaved them. It is now becoming clearer that the upper caste Christians, Muslims and Sikhs in their anxiety to get closer to their jatwalas among the Hindus are deserting their "low caste non-Aryan" religionists. "Caste identity" within different non-Hindu religions is getting stronger. This is a good development and we welcome it. Let all the Hindus (meaning 15% upper caste Aryans) and their counterparts in the "religious minority religions" come together which will force their brothers to join with SC/ST/BCs to prepare for the coming varna yudha (caste war) — EDITOR.
CPI(M) Manifesto promises to review 123 N-agreement
Mar 16
Review of the 123 agreement with the US, pro-people economic policies and a strong secular government are the highlights of the CPIM manifesto released in New Delhi on Monday. The CPI-M says it is in favour of a non-alligned and independent foreign policy. Releasing the party manifesto, CPI-M General Secretary Mr. Prakash Karat claimed apart from the nine parties now in the combine, others may also join the front. Enacting the women's Reservation Bill to ensure one third reservation for women in the legislatures, extension of Employment Guarantee Scheme to Urban areas, a comprehensive law against communal violence, implementation of the Justice Sri Krishna Commission report are some other feautures of the manifesto. It also advocates for strong regulation of the financial sector and maintaining predominant state control over finances.Replying questions, Mr. Prakash Karat did not rule out CPIM's participation in case Third Front is able to form government. http://www.newsonair.com/news.asp?cat=national&id=NN5866
After Slumdog, Dharavi becomes the setting for another filmFont Size -A +A Anushree MajumdarPosted: Mar 16, 2009 at 1034 hrs IST
Kolkata In Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire, Anthony Dod Mantle's camera swept over Dharavi in a frenetic pace, winding into its intestines as the police chased Jamal and Salim, each frame punctuated by AR Rahman's staccato beats throbbing in the background. Dharavi's cinematic adventure does not seem to end there. The latest indie release Barah Aana goes into the slum, its narrow lanes and a community huddled together. Raja Menon, 37, who has written and directed the film, says it is not poverty pornography, "In Slumdog, you have a fleeting image of Dharavi as a large slum, but I wanted to show it as a place of the working class, where peons, clerks, watchmen and more live together, their lives intertwining like they never do anywhere else."
Barah Aana is a comedy about three friends from Dharavi, a driver played by Naseeruddin Shah, a watchman by Vijay Raaz and a waiter by Arjun Mathur. Raaz's character, boisterous and mischievous, finds himself in deep soup and stumbles into a crime. He goads his friends to join him and soon all three find their lives spinning out of control. "Getting to work with Naseeruddin Shah and Vijay Raaz has been wonderful enough. The roles were written for them," says Menon. http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/After-Slumdog-Dharavi-becomes-the-setting-for-another-film/435087/
ADVICE TO MUSLIMS Brahminist anti-quota war forces OBCs to join Dalits & expedites Bahujan Samaj consolidationWe have just witnessed on the streets and in the media the naked exhibition of Brahminical tyranny — not the tyranny of strength, but of meanness and darkness.
It is this very spirit of Hindu hatred which produced the Brahminical terrorism that killed M.K. Gandhi, their own most loyal slave, who helped the Brahminical people to take over India's rulership after the British left in 1947.
This Brahminical hatred, malice and vengeance has been burning alive India's original inhabitants ever since the Aryans set foot on our soil. And their latest anti-reservation agitation is nothing but continuation of their Varna Yudha (DV June 1, 2006 p.4: "Quota war is nothing but Varna Yudha").
Three-Veda expert: Here is a sample of their hatred — pure and simple —as reported in their own toilet paper, Sunday Mid Day (April 30, 2006). The article is by one Anish Trivedi under the title "Children of lesser god":-
The reason the government-owned companies are still languishing in comparison to their counterparts on the other side of the coin is because they are manned by the children of reservation. A bunch of lazy little shits who know they can't be sacked for doing nothing. Which is exactly what they've done.
Now the government wants to introduce that same inefficiency and inactivity into the private sector.
This fellow, a Three-Veda expert as his name suggests, compares us to "lazy little shits", and a "prestigious" English daily publishes his shit. But the very same people find fault with DV's "polemical language"
(DV May 16, 2006 p.24: "In defence of polemics").
Driven out of political power: We understand the heart-burning of the children of Manu. This micro-minority has been already driven out of political power. They are now deeply worried that if the Other Backward Classes (OBCs), who constitute a much bigger chunk than the Dalits, are allowed to get into the "reserved sector" together they will be a formidable population and with this the formation of the Bahujan Samaj will be complete.
The unity of the entire indigenous people — SC/ST/BCs (65%) and Muslim/Christian/Sikhs (20%) — will come into full play if the OBCs are allowed to join the Bahujan Samaj. This is their fear.
We want to tell the Three-Veda experts that by their hatred, malice and intolerance they have only helped expedite the formation of the much-delayed Bahujan Samaj and our united forward march.
We would have welcomed if the alien Aryan Three-Veda and Four-Veda experts had come to the street and violently confronted us face to face. This Varna Yudha that began thousands of years ago with the advent of Budha cannot continue indefinitely stunting the growth of India itself.
OBCs pushed to join Dalits: If the Three-Veda experts have the courage they must come to the street and face us. Because India's racial war (Varna Yudha) has neither a military solution nor judicial remedy. It has to be settled through a direct confrontation.
If not today, at least tomorrow or the day after this Varna Yudha has to be fought. Then why postpone it? Better late than never.
Hence we welcome the Varna Yudha and thank the Three-Veda experts for forcibly pushing the OBCs to join us and thereby expediting the long-delayed caste war.
Muslim neutrality: A word of caution to Muslims. They are now maintaining a sort of neutrality —perhaps out of fear.
Their fear is that if they support this Varna Yudha the Brahminical people may with the help of their cantankerous toilet papers turn the tide against them and manipulate a clash between Dalits and Muslims and create anti-Muslim riots. Their fear is not baseless. We have the famous experience of what happened in Gujarat in 1985 and many other places.
We want to tell the Muslims that even if they shut their doors and confine themselves to their houses they would still be dragged out and killed. India's horrible Hindu nazi party thrives only by creating hatred against Muslims and then instigating Dalits, BCs and Tribals to attack and kill Muslim. Gujarat Genocide-2002 is the best and most famous example.
During our recent visit to Gujarat we heard this from Muslims themselves. Their fear is genuine.
But we want to tell the Muslims that their neutrality and silence when the Varna Yudha begins will be mistaken by the Dalits as a partisan posture.
Supreme Court quotes Merit book: Whether the Muslims keep aloof or join us, the Brahminical people will continue to hate and kill them. Because playing football with Muslim life is their most favourite pastime. Muslims are their only trump-card. So better join us and help expedite the formation and consolidation of the long-delayed Bahujan Samaj. There is no scope, there is no room for neutrality.
Neutral Muslims will be subjected as Brahminical agents. Muslims are flesh of our flesh and bone of our bone. They must join us. The Varna Yudha must begin.
Having said this, we want to provide a philosophical basis for the coming Varna Yudha.
We have received lots of demand for our good old book, Merit— My Foot (DSA-1987) which was extensively quoted in a famous Supreme Court judgment by Justice K. Ramaswamy — though today we have to say with sorrow, that the very Supreme Court is very much going with the anti-people Three-Veda experts and reversed all these famous verdicts of great judges.
Vaidik mind is sick mind: In the foregoing pages we have reproduced the full book with minor modifications.
Already the book has been translated to Kannada, Hindi (all sold out). Its Marathi edition is just published.
This book is our reply to "Anti-reservation Racists". Though it is our reply we know they will not read it. They are not interested in reasoning, logical arguments, rational thinking nor scientific analysis. A Hindu believes what he wants to believe. That is what their "Sacred scriptures" have told them. And they are honestly going by that — even if he be a Supreme Court judge or a nuclear scientist.
A vaidik mind is a sick mind. And this sickness is affecting us and the country. We have tested this sick mind during the past 3,500 years. Budha, Sant Ravidas, Mahatma Phule, Dr. Ambedkar have all warned us about it.
That is why we welcome the Varna Yudha launched by the sick ahimsa-lovers. These Three-Veda experts.
We are ready to fight and die to defend Justice and Truth.
Manmohan-Pranab bid to sabotage OBC quota? Bahujans must get ready for caste warAs this is written the OBC reservation fire is raging in all big cities. The upper caste enemies of reservation are instigating some students to stage city-based, media-magnified protests. We treat these with the contempt it deserves.
All the political parties including the Brahmana Jati Party (BJP) have unanimously supported the OBC reservations (except the CPM which mischievously demanded a poverty yardstick). This proves the power of reservations. OBCs form the country's single largest population (35%). See the strength of our "caste identity" thesis.
The upper castes in every party are enemies of reservations but they dare not say it in public for fear of votes. Electoral politics in India is completely caste-based.
Power of caste: Caste determines India's public life. As the upper castes (15%) have no strength of caste they simply have to surrender. This is the power of caste.
But the Govt. of India's final decision on the OBC reservation did not satisfy us. Not only it has delayed the implementation by one more year (or even more) but has given too many concessions to the upper castes. It is here that we suspect the hand of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the Bengali Brahmin Pranab Mukherji.
It is these two upper caste leaders who are repeatedly begging the students to call off their agitation instead of taking stringent action against them.
Fear of sabotage: Our fear is that the PM and the Defence Minister may ultimately sabotage the whole scheme by giving too many concessions to the upper castes and also by delaying its implementation.
The decision of the students not to call off the agitation in spite of repeated assurances that they will be given a fair deal confirms the fear expressed in our June 1, 2006 p.4 story, "Quota war is nothing but varna yudha".
The upper castes have been not only having the cake but also eating it so far without giving even a piece to the starving OBCs and Dalits. The continued student agitation despite repeated appeals by the PM shows that the upper caste worry is not about their future. Their acute stomach-ache is because the "dirty" SC/ST/BCs are entering their closely guarded citadels of higher education. Their worry is not about the fall of the "merit". Their worry is that elite education will help the hated dark-skinned Dravidas to sit with them and compete with them. Hinduism does not believe in caring and sharing. Non-Hindu SC/ST/BCs can never expect equality and justice from these people.
We welcome street fighting: This Aryan varna hatred has been sufficiently discussed in DV. That is why we also wanted the current varna yudha to develop into street fighting. SC/STs are beef-eaters. Their body is steel. The entire army foot soldiers, police personnel is made up of brave SC/ST/BCs. They must get ready to face the impending racial war which we have been predicting.
These idli-sambar-tarkari Brahminical fellows are cowards. The moment we get ready for fight they come up with peace mantra (shanti-shanti-shanti) and delay the caste war (varna yudha). We are fed up with such familiar gandhian tactics. They don't want to provoke our people into a racial war.
But this war has to come sooner or later. It began with the Budha. Gandhi continued it and his cross-thread caste colleagues even threatened to kill Dr. Ambedkar (DV June 1, 2006 p.2: "Plan to kill Dr. Ambedkar for defending Dalits").
The upper castes have been consistent in their hatred of the indigenous Dravidas and Adi-Dravidas. When their hatred has not subsided even a wee bit in the past thousands of years, it is foolish to think Western-education, democratic rule or socialist values will melt the Aryan hearts.
So we have to be prepared and keep the power dry for the coming caste war. India's road to socialism lies through caste war. Did we not say that? http://www.dalitvoice.org/Templates/june_a2006/editorial.htm
Dalit Voice was the first Indian journal to expose this closely guarded secret and shock the outside world and make history.That is how Dalit Voice has become the organ of the entire deprived destitutes of India, the original home of racism.Started in 1981 by V.T. Rajshekar, its Editor and founder, Dalit Voice, the English fortnightly, has become the country's most powerful "Voice of the Persecuted Nationalities Denied Human Rights".
A veteran journalist, formerly of the Indian Express, powerful and fearless writer, V.T. Rajshekar, had to face the wrath of the ruling class, arrested many times, several jail sentences, passport impounded and subjected to total media boycott.
Published in several Indian languages including Hindi, Dalit Voice has become the sole spokesman for the entire deprived, dehumanised lot of India. Besides the Dalits, it looks after the interests of Backward Castes (35%) and the country's three persecuted religious minorities — Muslims 15%, Christians 2.5%, and Sikhs 2.5% — all victims of the Aryan Brahminical racism. Plus the women of all sections including the Hindu women.
In the course of the last 25 years, DV has become India's largest circulated journal of the oppressed, fighting against mainstream dailies and periodicals which have totally ignored the plight of the original inhabitants. Hence DV is rightly hailed as a new experiment in Indian journalism.
Only DV has diagnosed the disease of India which is an exception to all other countries in the world. If others have only "classes", India has not only the "class" but the world's most unique institution of caste system, which is the other word for racism. Here lies the success of DV. It goes to all world famous libraries, universities and invited many Afro-American delegations to India.
Its Editor is hailed as India's most original thinker, scholar and also philosopher. As India's most famous Dalit writer, he has authored over 60 world-famous books dealing with the problems of caste, ethnicity, Muslims, Christian, Sikhs, Marxism, Brahminism, Racism, Gandhism, Fascism etc.
Over 100 books have been published by the Dalit Sahitya Akademy, its sister organisation, also headed by the Editor.His book, Dalit - The Black Untouchables of India, published from the USA (Clarity Press, Inc., Suite 469, 3277 - Roswell Rd NE, Atlanta, GA.30305, ISBN 0-932863-05-1 , 2003 - 2nd print), has gone into several reprints uniting for the first time the Blacks of the world with the Black Untouchables of India.
His most important book, Caste — A Nation Within the Nation, which has gone into second print, is a marvellous thesis offering an ingenious weapon of "caste identity" to defeat Brahminism, the destructive ideology of the ruling class. In the latest Parliament election, the oppressed castes of India used this weapon and defeated the country's Brahminical party (BJP).
DV becomes the future media of India where its dailies and periodicals are slowly dying. Because only DV offers a lasting solution as the authentic voice of the country's tallest titan, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, the Father of India.
Meanwhile,taking on senior Congress leader Pranab Mr. Mukherjee for his ridicule of the Third Front, Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) general secretary Prakash Mr. Karat on Monday said that Mr. Mukherjee would realise the importance of the groping after the poll results. Reacting to Mukherjee's comments on March 14 that he did not understand what the objective of the Third Front was, Mr. Karat said: "Pranab Mukherjee says he doesn't know what this Third Front is. At the end of the elections, he will come to know what it is."
Speaking at the release of the party's election manifesto here, Mr. Karat said: "We don't form a front. We are discussing with our allies and partners. After the elections, we shall combine the partners to form the government."
BJP assures Muslims it will work for progress of all
Claiming that the Sachar Committee report had revealed the"double standards"adopted by Congress, the BJP today assured members of Muslim community that it will work for progress of all sections if voted to power.
" Sachar committee has revealed the double standards adopted by Congress in its five-decade rule. The six years of NDA government are there for everyone to see. NDA in power under L K Advani would work for a society with justice for all,"BJP chief Rajnath Singh said after a group of Muslims from Ghaziabad Lok Sabha constituency, from where he is contesting, today joined the saffron party.
Singh promised to work towards creating a"just society"with opportunity and progress for all if the party is voted to power under the leadership of Advani.
"We have been betrayed by the Congress for over half a century. We have joined BJP with a hope for better future. We all will work towards victory of the party in the Lok Sabha polls," Raja Matin Nuri, leading the group, told reporters here.
The function was also attended by party&aposs minority cell chief Shahnawaz Hussain.
"This Third Front will hopefully emerge after the elections."
Clarifying the name Third Front being used for the grouping of 10 parties, Mr. Karat said the Left parties and their partners had never used the term "Third Front". It was coined and was being popularised by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K. Advani and others.
"Advani and others popularised the term Third Front," the CPI(M) leader said, adding that there was no scope for the BJP to come to power at the centre as the party was pursuing its communal agenda.
Referring to the attacks against minorities in the BJP-ruled Karnataka and in Kandhamal area of Orissa, where the BJP was in the ruling alliance, he said: "The country cannot accept such a party pursuing the communal agenda."
"So, there is no way the BJP can or should come to power. The BJP is not going to come to power."
Asked whether the CPI(M) would join the government if the alliance gets power at the centre, Mr. Karat said: "Hopefully, if such a situation develops, our party central committee will decide."
Allaying speculations about AIADMK chief J. Jayalalithaa , Mr. Karat said she was in "constant communication" with them and was involved in the alliance of non-Congress and non-BJP parties.
"The AIADMK is involved with us. She was not here at the meeting. But they are involved. We are in constant communication with them," Mr. Karat said.
Though Ms. Jayalalithaa was not present at the meeting of the Third Front Sunday, her party's representative and Rajya Sabha member V. Maithreyan attended.
However, Mr. Maithreyan did not attend the dinner hosted by Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati, in which the Third Front discussed the Lok Sabha election strategies.
Mr. Karat said if a Third Front government comes to power, it would scrap the defence framework deal with the US.
"Firstly, the defence framework agreement with the US will be scrapped. There will not be a military collaboration with the US," Mr. Karat said.
Clouded details of Pakistan deal
By M Ilyas Khan BBC News, Islamabad
Tension has eased, optimism has been renewed and a wave of jubilation has swept through the country.
A long, fraught night in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, culminated in the government's decision to reinstate the chief justice who was sacked more than a year ago.
Lawyers who had campaigned for Iftikhar Chaudhry's reinstatement were ecstatic.
The public was also happy, because the decision had averted a major confrontation between the two largest political forces of the country, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) of President Asif Ali Zardari and the Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N) of ex-PM Nawaz Sharif.
The two parties had together swept the 2008 elections and formed an alliance to rule the country.
The alliance was widely welcomed by the electorate as it meant that the two parties would not resort to the political squabbling of the 1990s which destabilised successive governments and impoverished the economy.
Transfer of power
But the parties drifted apart over the question of the reinstatement of Justice Chaudhry, who had been sacked by military ruler Gen Pervez Musharraf in 2007.
Public aspirations can no longer be ignored either by politicians, soldiers or judges, Justice Chaudhry included Many say Gen Musharraf sacked him because he feared the judge might upset his plans to win a second term as president.
Gen Musharraf's successor, Mr Zardari, had pledged to reinstate Justice Chaudhry but was accused of delaying the move because he feared the judge might revive corruption cases against him.
Those cases were instituted by the government of Nawaz Sharif in 1997 but were withdrawn by Gen Musharraf's government under the transfer-of-power deal which paved the way for the 2008 elections.
That transfer-of-power deal also apparently contained an agreement that would protect Gen Musharraf from prosecution for actions during his leadership.
So what backroom deals were done to secure this latest accord, apparently sealed following high-level negotiations in which the army and some US diplomats played a key role?
What deal has been done on charges against Musharraf? While the government has apparently agreed to make Justice Chaudhry the chief justice, it is still not known if this will mean a reversal of Gen Musharraf's order to sack him.
Legal experts say a reversal would expose Pervez Musharraf to prosecution for illegal conduct, something many say is unlikely to happen.
If, on the other hand, Justice Chaudhry is being offered an arrangement that does not term his sacking illegal, then the PML-N and some top lawyer leaders may have agreed to let Pervez Musharraf off the hook.
Then there is the question of Nawaz Sharif.
His PML-N threw its weight behind the lawyers' movement after the Supreme Court upheld a ruling to ban him and his brother Shahbaz from elected office.
Shahbaz was chief minister of Pakistan's largest province, Punjab, and had to step down. The central government extended federal rule to Punjab.
It seems the government has now offered a judicial review of that judgment.
This, together with the decision to reinstate Justice Chaudhry, has rekindled hopes for many that the two parties may revert to the post-election phase of mutual cooperation.
There is certainly a growing feeling that politically motivated cases, such as those against Mr Zardari or the Sharifs, have damaged the credibility of the judiciary.
But what of Justice Chaudhry himself?
Will Chaudhry now be reluctant to delve into the controversial?
In the past, he has shown himself to be an independent minded judge, not shy of passing judgments that hurt government interests.
He shot down some privatisation deals of the Musharraf government and forced the intelligence agencies to produce political prisoners they had earlier denied they were holding.
But Justice Chaudhry has now been sacked twice. First in March 2007 and again in November of the same year.
Although, on both occasions, public pressure played a decisive role in his reinstatement, some analysts say Justice Chaudhry may now be reluctant to delve into matters that will prove controversial.
The people want justice and the rule of law, but also political stability, democracy and equal opportunity.
In the presence of an aggressive media, public aspirations can no longer be ignored either by politicians, soldiers or judges, Justice Chaudhry included. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7946396.stm
Medical SEZ to come up in city14 Mar 2009, 0319 hrs IST, TNN
CHENNAI: Special economic zones (SEZs) will no longer be home to industrial units alone. Very soon, hospitals and clinics too will be a part of SEZs.
Frontier Lifeline & Dr K M Cherian Heart Foundation's Frontier Mediville Medical City project in Elavur, near Gummidipondi, Tamil Nadu, will come up on 367 acres of land at a total investment of Rs 1,500 crore. A national medical science park and a 1,000-bed bio-hospital (which combines clinical medicine with regenerative medicine and basic sciences) will come up on 55 acres, which has been accorded an SEZ recently from the government. The medical science park would be a hub for research and training and would focus on developing treatment methodologies with specific focus on regenerative medicine.
The Frontier Mediville project is expected to be funded through internal accruals and grants from various organisations. "We are also open to private equity funding," said Dr K M Cherian. The medical city will be completed in five years. The animal lab and the research and training centre is expected to be completed by the year-end at a total cost of Rs 150 crore.
Other proposed centres are a general hospital, a medical college and a geriatric centre. The revenues for the bio-hospital would largely be generated through medical tourism. The bio-hospital is expected to provide tertiary care in all sub-specialities of medicine and will also be supported by modern basic sciences such as stem cell technology, tissue engineering and nanatechnology. There will be emphasis on contract research and a wellness centre.
Medical cities are now new to India. Dr Naresh Trehan promoted the concept in Gurgaon, near Delhi. Fortis Healthcare is now contemplating a medicity in Gurgaon.
Caste War in India and Global Hindutva
Palash Biswas
Contact: Palash C Biswas, C/O Mrs Arati Roy, Gosto Kanan, Sodepur, Kolkata- 700110, India. Phone: 91-033-25659551Email: email@example.com
The Supreme Court has admitted a special leave petition (SLP) challenging the policy of campus recruitment of students for various posts from a few selected institutions by public sector undertakings, in particular the Kochi Refineries Limited (KRL).A Bench of Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan and Justice R.V. Raveendran admitted the SLP from the Federation of Central Government SC/ST Employees (Kerala). The SLP questioned such recruitment without adhering to the quotas reserved for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. It was directed against a Kerala High Court judgment dated July 20, 2005 upholding the recruitment. Considering the importance of the issues involved, the Bench said the hearing would be expedited. The federation said campus recruitment, apart from legal infirmity, had far-reaching social consequences. It would deprive the rights of those studying in various institutions, colleges, universities recognised by the University Grants Commission and the All India Council for Technical Education to compete for the post as there was neither any newspaper advertisement nor any intimation to employment exchanges.
The petitioner contended that the respondent company had not followed the Government of India guidelines and its own recruitment rules.
Rights infringed
It contended that the fundamental rights guaranteed to the SCs and the STs in the matter of equality of opportunity under the Constitution in public employment under the State had been infringed or violated by the respondent. It sought quashing of the impugned judgment and to stay the appointment of management trainees.
The Economist (US) is a premium publication.Which publishes this! Mind you that US zionists are the best allies of Brahmincal rulers in India. The Hinduva is now a Global affair and Globalistion itself is nothing but Post modern manusmriti! See this misinformation campaign against dalits.
The 100,000 and more Indians still trapped in Iraq and Kuwait may find that, when they do get back home, they will be exchanging one battle zone for another. India is slipping towards a caste war. The opening shot was fired by the prime minister, Mr V.P. Singh, when he announced last month that 27% of the jobs in the central government and in public-sector companies would be reserved for members of middling Hindu castes (the official description is "backward castes", but many of those covered are not in desperate condition at all). Ever since then, street battles have begun.
The best example of misinformation campaign of US Galaxy Order is Islamophobia which justifies most the War agianst terrorism!In India , the partition victim dalit Bengli refugges resettled countrywide and deprived of reservation, mother language , civil and human rights have been branded as Bangladeshi Nationals thanks to the global Information explosion. Armed with
"The successive post-1975 governments have changed the concept of nationalism from Bengali nationalism-characterised by ethno-linguistic identities and not by religious (Muslim) identity - to Bangladeshi nationalism-characterised by religious (Muslim) identity of the Bangladeshi majority- which make them distinct from the Bengali Hindus of the Indian state of West Bengal who never showed any interest in forming a separate state based on Bengali nationalism. Armed with the new Citizenship Act, the brahminical Indian Polity led by pranab Mukherjee has launched a deportation drive against this lot.
What happens in Bangladesh where the Brahmins of bengal want to deport all these Dalit Bengali Hindus!And they launch a Hindu super power campaign!
The chagring of the Government of Khaleda Zia at the publication of a short novel Lajja by a medical doctor Taslima Nasreen in February 1993 depicting the plight of a Hindu family is understandable. The book was promptly proscribed and the passport of the author impounded, which made her an international celebrity overnight. (Borhan uddin Ahmed, Recovery of Freedom, Hakkani Pub, p-323)
The Bangladesh Government under a woman Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia, who has not changed the family law against woman, inclines on the side of the fundamentalists and has issued a warrant for your arrest for causing a disturbance of peace. She has not taken any steps to revise the Constitution devised by General Ershad, who made Islam the state religion of Bangladesh. And the Government has banned your book Lajja. Even Sheikh Hasina, daughter of the valiant Mujibur Rahman, is silent with her Awami League followers in cowardly retreat before fanatics. .…. We are the older colleagues of the women writers, Ismat Chughtai, Rashid Jahan, Kamla Das and Mahasweta Devi…. And we defend your right to say…. Uncle Mulk, Fellow of the Sahitya Akademi of India and Laureate of the International Peace Prize. (Frontline, 12 August 1994).
Dr. Humayun Azad, Professor of Dhaka University and prominent author-researcher, has illustrated the sorrowful stories of Hindus in his novel 'Pak Sar Zamin Shadbad', the first line of Pakistani national anthem, which we, too, had to chant in the school after the coup in 1958. It (Pak Sar Zamin Shadbad) was first published in the Eid supplement of The Ittefaq in 2003 that followed a review by Rajen Thakur in Janakantha and Sangbad, two leading Bengali dailies of Dhaka. Unidentified assailants critically injured Prof.Humayun Azad with bucher's knives in front of Bangla Academy on February 27,2004.
Dr Humayun Azad faced dastardly attack and he had to undergo prolong treatment in the country and abroad. After coming back, he resumed normal life. Prof.Azad went to Germany on a research job on romantic German writer Heinrich Heine where he was found dead at his apartment at Munich on August 12,2004.http://www.asiantribune.com/index.php?q=node/7488
Amoral CodeBY MJ AKBAR (Byline)
24 September 2007
WHEN a coalition begins to melt, its partners subtly, if not silently, begin to shift their public agenda from common concern to individual need. The debate over the bridge built by Lord Ram between the Tamil coast and Sri Lanka is hardly new. A year ago, the supreme leader of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, MK Karunanidhi, would not have fractured sensibilities nationwide with intemperate, unacceptable remarks about Lord Ram, revered and worshipped by Hindus as the paradigm of virtue. Today, the political calendar has a premature general election marked within the first half of 2008. His party's fortunes are now more important to him than his coalition's fate. After all, what use is any coalition to him if he cannot get the seats that can make him a power broker?
Under pressure, Karunanidhi is dipping into the source of Dravida nectar for sustenance. The origins are lost to public memory, so it may be useful to recall them.
The movement began in 1914 when Dr C Nadesan Mudaliar started the Dravida Association. But it got its first impetus when the son of a rich landlord, privileged enough to be educated in England, walked away from his background to fight for the lower castes against the domination of the Brahmins. The name of this remarkable man was EV Ramaswamy Naicker, popularly known as 'EVR' and then 'Periyar'. His philosophy was practical: he likened caste to malaria and said that his search was not for medicine but for the mosquitoes that spread malaria. He declared himself an atheist and went to war against Brahmins, the chief perpetrators of caste iniquity. He launched an agitation against his personal friend, the Maharaja of Travancore for reform: an Untouchable could not walk on the streets of the princely state, let alone raise his eyes in front of someone from an upper caste. You can get a flavour of EVR's views from this quotation: "(Aryans) concocted absurd stories in keeping with their barbarian status… The blabberings of the intoxicated Brahmins in those old days are still faithfully observed in this modern world as the religious rituals, morals, stories, festivals, fasts, vows and beliefs". Inherent in the doctrine was the Aryan as an outsider, who had driven true Indians, Dravidians, south and then maintained his power through an iniquitous system. Brahmins were agents of that domination.
The Dravida movement would move away from the eccentricities of EVR into the sager leadership of CN Annadurai, but the basic philosophy did not alter. When the DMK was formed after the split in the Dravida Kazhagam on 17 September 1949, it did not name a chairman. That chair was kept vacant for the "soul of Periyar". http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/opinion/2007/September/opinion_September82.xml§ion=opinion&col=
SRIRANGAPATNA:Chikkahakanahalli village in Srirangapatna is yet to limp back to normalcy after the caste clashes as Dalits continue to live in fear.Dalit youth and men who had fled to neighbouring villages fearing for their lives have not returned. They are yet to receive medical help or compensation for property damaged by caste Hindus.However, the district administration has issued cheques for Rs 10,000 to seven seriously injured Dalit men and women. They are yet to come out of the shock and fear and are penniless to repair their damaged houses.
New delhi: There have been strong reactions to an NDTV report exposing caste discrimination at AIIMS and other top hospitals in the capital.The National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes says it will take action against doctors or anybody else found guilty of caste discrimination.On Sunday NDTV showed how at AIIMS at least eight doctors refused to go at rounds with a doctor because they accuse the doctor of caste discrimination.The report revealed that politics and caste have divided doctors and students not only at AIIMS but in several hospitals across the city.The situation is particularly bad at AIIMS, where some doctors have refused to go on rounds with their seniors. They say that they are being discriminated on the basis of caste.
For Dr Suman Bhasker, a cancer specialist at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, doing the rounds at the hospital has become a solitary routine. For the last three months, the eight resident doctors who are meant to accompany her on her rounds have refused to do so.They claim Dr Bhasker is not available, has physically threatened them and has discriminated against the upper caste doctors on the basis of caste.But she says this is a motivated campaign rooted in caste.
Holes in Biman's defence of police State CPM secretary Biman Bose today defended police saying they did not know Rizwanur Rah-man was legally married to Priyanka Todi…. | Read.. Mamata minority gesture An umbrella organisation representing Muslims has joined hands with Mamata Banerjee to launch a movement to highlight th … | Read.. Questions leave MLA speechless Mamata Banerjee this evening sought a CBI probe into the death of Rizwanur Rahman but the demand masked the dilemma her part … | Read.. http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070924/asp/bengal/index.asp
by Tim McGirk 15 December 1997
Copyright © TIME, Asia
A new massacre dramatizes the oppression of India's untouchables - but they are now determined to fight back.
An invisible line runs through every village in India. It sharply divides the upper-castes from the untouchables, those beneath Hinduism's rigid social hierarchy. That line was crossed in the village of Laxmanpur Bath last Monday when more than 200 upper-caste men, armed with pistols and rifles, stalked through the evening mist with revenge on their minds.
The day before, the untouchables, hungry and desperately poor, had tried to harvest a piece of disputed land, and the upper-castes decided it was time to give the millions of untouchables in this north Indian state of Bihar a lesson that neither they nor their kin would ever forget. The gunmen came up from the Sone River, loading their rifles as they walked. Soon they had a cluster of mud huts surrounded. A few of the untouchable men saw the assault force coming and splashed off through nearby rice paddies. The men figured they were the ones the attackers wanted, that the women and children sleeping inside the huts wouldn't be harmed.
But this vengeful army spared no one. In all, 61 people were massacred, and most were women and children. For more than two and a half hours, the upper-caste killers went from hut to hut, methodically butchering the untouchables--looking on them as inferior beings, barely human. The position of one woman's body suggested she'd been touching the feet of her murderer, begging for her children's lives. In another hut, the gunmen shot a nursing mother and her baby. They also killed a young woman by thrusting a hunting rifle between her legs and firing off several rounds. After the slaughter, the shooting party went back to the river and vanished in a flotilla of small fishing boats. Only then did the untouchable men dare to emerge from their hiding places. While they ran, their familes had been annihilated. Shivering with anger and grief, an untouchable survivor said grimly: "If we want to live, we have to fight."
In fact, their fight has already begun. After centuries of oppression, India's more than 150 million untouchables are determined not to tolerate the deadly abuse any longer. Preferring to call themselves Dalits, (Hindi for "the oppressed"), they are instigating a social revolution that is long overdue, one whose aim is to topple the 2,500-year-old Hindu caste system. Increasingly, Dalits are challenging Hinduism's tenet that a person is condemned to his caste--determining whether he becomes a doctor or a scavenger, whom he marries and his social standing in a complex, ordered hierarchy--all by his actions in a past life.
In this rebellion, the Dalits' main weapons are education and the vote. But in some rural areas, where resistance to their demands for equality is entrenched, they have resorted to violence and sometimes gained the upper hand. In Bihar, authorities say it may only be a matter of days before Dalits retaliate for the Laxmanpur Bath massacre. They are armed and organized, and even the arrest of 23 upper-caste extremists has failed to pacify the Dalits. Similar caste warfare and chaos has engulfed the neighboring state of Uttar Pradesh and flared sporadically in much of the rest of India. Says Ram Prit, a 75-year-old Dalit laborer in Bihar: "If you keep pouring water into a rat hole, the rats will come out fighting."
Not surprisingly, many members of the upper castes are resisting any challenge to the old order. In Bihar, high-caste landowners have raised a private army. Called the Ranvir Sena, it has marshalled more than 1,000 armed men, some of whom were probably behind the latest killings. Even Rabindra Chowdhary, a Ranvir Sena leader, concedes that the landlords had cruelly exploited the Dalits. "We were abusive and did not treat these people well," he says. "We do not believe in killing. But if we do not kill, they will think that we are weak."
Tension runs high across India, and even the most nonsensical incident can trigger a bloody outburst. In the southern state of Tamil Nadu, a game of tag between higher-caste Thevar and Dalit schoolboys led to the beheading of a Dalit and the revenge killing of 13 people, both Thevars and Dalits, many of them dragged off a bus and hacked to death. In Bihar's Belaur village, a tiff over a pack of cigarettes led to a mini-war between Dalits and the upper-caste Bhumihars that ultimately left 16 dead and dozens wounded.
Four years later that feud still festers: more than 350 Dalit families have deserted the village, and the Bhumihars--who patrol at night with guns and spears, ready for attack--cannot hire laborers for their fields. Some Dalits are refusing to carry out their repugnant jobs. "My generation is fighting," says Sri Prakash, a Dalit whose house was set ablaze in a caste feud. "We've told the Thevars we're not going to cremate their dead any more. Let them do it themselves."
Dalits make up one-sixth of India's population, yet only a few have managed to occupy top places in society as politicians, lawyers and scientists. A poor Dalit from the state of Kerala, Kocheril Raman Narayanan, encountered discrimination in school and work. And yet this year he rose to become India's President, the first untouchable to hold that largely symbolic post.
In the past Dalits had to support their landlords' candidates for public office or be beaten away from the polling booths when they tried to vote; now they are asserting themselves with the ballot, and their newfound power has jolted all of the national political parties. Ram Vilas Pawan, a Dalit member of the Janata Dal Party, is serving as Railway Minister in the current coalition government in New Delhi. Twice now, a Dalit woman, Mayawati, has been elected Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, though her last six months in office were squandered in a vendetta against high-caste rivals. Says Mayawati:
Earlier I had thought it would take longer, but change is now so rapid that in a few years we will have a Dalit Prime Minister in New Delhi.
Religious doctrine has allowed India's version of apartheid to survive Muslim invasions, British colonialism and even 50 years of democracy. Defenders of the caste system usually cite a verse from the Upanishads, Hinduism's ancient sacred texts: "Those whose conduct on earth has given pleasure can hope to enter a pleasant womb, that is, the womb of a Brahman or a woman of the princely class. But those whose conduct on earth has been foul can expect to enter a foul and stinking womb, that is the womb of a bitch, or a pig, or an outcaste."
A hymn from the sacred Rig Veda describes how this human stratification came about: a cosmic giant, Purusha, sacrificed parts of his body to create mankind. "His mouth became the Brahman, his arms were made into the Warrior (Kshatriya), his thighs the People (Vaishiya) and from his feet the Servants (Shudra) were born.
"Through the centuries, these four main divisions (called varnas), were slivered into more than 3,000 sub-castes, based on the purity of their professions. A goldsmith is higher up the ladder than a blacksmith, and a priestly Brahman, whose rituals bring him in touch with the gods, is highest of all. The untouchables, however, are off the ladder completely. By origin, many were India's dark-skinned first inhabitants, conquered by Aryans and assigned such awful tasks as burning bodies, skinning carcasses and removing "night soil"--human excrement--from latrines. For thousands of years, outcastes were burdened with these denigrating chores.
In many villages, untouchables still live in poverty and subjugation. They are forbidden from entering temples or drinking from the same wells as members of upper castes. It was long customary for higher-caste landlords to deflower a Dalit bride on her wedding night, before her helpless groom. (To cleanse himself after such a dalliance, according to the more than 2,500-year-old Laws of Manu, an upper-caste man must give alms and make "daily mutterings" of prayers.)
These Hindu rules are far from even-handed: even today in some parts of India, if an untouchable is caught sleeping with a high-caste woman, both he and the woman are executed. A Dalit also can be considered too uppity, and risks a beating, if he wears a wristwatch or trousers instead of a traditional dhoti or loincloth. In some villages the Dalits are forced to live on the leeward side to prevent the wind that touches their bodies from defiling the upper castes.
Faced with such persecution, Dalits are finally running out of patience. What's surprising is that it took so long. Their emancipation began only in this century, behind the efforts of India's two great social reformers, Mahatma Gandhi and Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, an angry, brilliant Dalit lawyer and politician. Through a scholarship from the Maharajah of Baroda, Ambedkar, an impoverished village boy, studied abroad and eventually earned several degrees. He worked as a financial adviser to the Maharajah but quit in disgust because the prince's upper-caste servants would fling documents onto his desk, rather than hand them to him, for fear of contamination. Yet his genius was unstoppable, as was his grit.
"Nothing can emancipate the outcaste except the destruction of the caste system," Ambedkar once declared. "Nothing can help to save the Hindus and ensure their survival in the coming struggle except the purging of the Hindu faith of this odious and vicious dogma."
As an author of the Indian constitution, Ambedkar, who died in 1956, secured guarantees for the advancement of outcastes. For decades, these promises were often blocked by upper-caste bureaucrats, but a new generation of Dalits inside the civil service is helping to bring change. In Uttar Pradesh, for example, 150 positions in the elite 540-member Indian Administrative Service are held by Dalits. New Delhi reserves 15% of all state and central government jobs and places in public colleges for Dalits.
All national parties are now appealing to Dalits, which is perhaps one reason why Narayanan's bid for the presidency went unopposed. The President is the fourth of seven children born to a father who practiced traditional medicine in Kerala using herbs and plants. Often his parents could not afford school fees, and Narayanan was punished for missing class until his father scraped up the rupees. He rose to become India's ambassador to the U.S. before entering politics.
"A diplomat," Narayanan once said, "should have a thick skin. I got mine through experiences such as standing on a bench in front of the whole class." Narayanan sees himself as the President of all Indians, but Dalit militants fault him for not using his exalted office to help lift his fellow untouchables. However, Narayanan did not hesitate to condemn the Laxmanpur Bath atrocity as "a national shame."
Dalits have yet to unite. "All that keeps India from having a bloody revolution is that we Dalits are a divided lot," says Man Dahima, a senior civil servant in Bhopal, capital of Madhya Pradesh state. Even among the Dalits, strong caste rivalries exist; one study discovered 900 Dalit "sub-castes" in the country. Basically, everyone is squirming not to fall to the bottom of India's massive pile of humanity. Predicts one Dalit official:
As benefits trickle down, the conflicts between sub-castes are bound to sharpen.
Lately, regional leaders have been trying to bring unity to lower-caste aspirations. So far, the only Dalit politician to challenge the mainstream parties is Kanshi Ram, 63, a former technician at a government defense laboratory. Armed with wiliness and an ability to survive in the venal world of Indian politics, Ram has no qualms about forming alliances with his high-caste adversaries if it brings his Bahujan Samaj Party to power. His abrasive protege Mayawati governed Uttar Pradesh for six months in alliance with the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, many of whose followers adhere stoutly to Manu's ancient law.
During her term, Mayawati ordered 13,000 statues of Ambedkar to be put up and began work on a $30 million park in Lucknow in honor of the Dalit leader. She also reshuffled 1,400 bureaucrats and police officers. Dalit civil servants, whose promotions had been mothballed by their high-caste superiors, were elevated to top posts. State funds and projects for roads, schools and electricity were channeled to neglected Dalit villages. Above all, Dalits were treated to the spectacle--unimaginable a few years back--of an acid-tongued Dalit like Mayawati ordering around upper-caste grandees.
Mayawati made plenty of enemies, though. She arrested thousands of political opponents, while her own Dalit-run administration was accused of corruption. Some Dalits proved as nasty as their one-time tormentors, and police were often used to settle old grievances against the upper castes. A law meant to check atrocities against Dalits was misused to send scores of innocent people to jail. Bail was denied, but bribes were gladly accepted.
One former bureaucrat recounts how his own Brahman servant was accused of banditry back in his village even though the servant was then in Lucknow, hundreds of kilometers away. "It turns out the police officer in charge was a Dalit," the former bureaucrat explains. "This militancy," according to sociologist Ashis Nandy, director of the Center for the Study of Developing Societies in New Delhi, is "the price we have to pay. We are seeing an attempt by the Dalits to reaffirm their dignity. I won't say they're being provocative, but they are no longer turning the other cheek."
To avoid confrontation, many Dalits are heading for the cities, which offer hope of an escape from some caste barriers. As Bindeshwar Pathak, a New Delhi social worker, says, "Can we check who cooked the meal in a hotel, or who sat beside us on a bus? Can we stop someone from living next door?" But the choice of jobs for illiterate newcomers is grim. In Bhopal, Munni Bai, mother of nine children, earns $22 a month emptying 40 latrines a day. She carries the excrement on her head, in a wicker basket she lines with newspapers. And the smell? She shrugs.
"Just to fill my belly I've had to do these things," she replies. Munni Bai at least has some freedom. She probably considers herself better off than the Dalits of Khajuri, just 20 km from Bhopal, who have never heard of the great emancipator Ambedkar, who can't read or write and who are paid about $14 a month toiling for their upper-caste landlord. "There's a terror in the village. We can't speak against them or we'll be beaten," whispers one old man.
Money is breaking up caste prejudices faster than any law can, and therein lies India's hope of shedding its ancient, violent yoke of discrimination. Even with such menial jobs as washing dishes or sweeping factory floors, a Dalit in the city is luckier than many of the higher-caste folks back in his country village. He may not read or write, but his children will. One Dalit returned to his Rajasthan village on a break from his city job. "The priests stop us from going into the temple. But their sons come into our house because they want to watch TV," he says. "For years they said we were dirty. But now we look much cleaner than they do."
--With reporting by Faizan Ahmed /Laxmanpur Bath, Meenakshi Ganguly /Bihar, Maseeh Rahman /Lucknow and R. Bhagwan Singh /Madras
Photo Credit: Upper caste men of Ranvir Sena - Sankalan for Asiaweek Dalits evicted by upper caste men face grim future - Sankalan for Asiaweek http://www.sikhspectrum.com/082002/tim.htm
posted on Tuesday, March 17, 2009 12:46 AM
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- 23
- people in the U.S. have this name View Sarah Cockerham on Whitepages
Meaning & Origins
Biblical name, borne by the wife of Abraham and mother of Isaac. According to the Book of Genesis, she was originally called Sarai (possibly meaning 'contentious' in Hebrew), but had her name changed by God to the more auspicious Sarah 'princess' in token of a greater blessing (Genesis 17:15, 'And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be'). This has been one of the most enduringly popular girls' names. A meaning of the name Sarah is Princess.
|47th in the U.S.
English: habitational name from a place in Lancashire named Cocker, from the Cocker river (a Celtic name apparently derived from an element kukro 'winding') + Old English hām 'homestead' or hamm 'enclosure hemmed in by water'.
|6,723rd in the U.S.
Nicknames & variations
Sara, Sarahi, Sarai, Saray, Saraya, Sarae, Saraha, Sarahy, Saraa, Sarayu
Cockrell, Cockrum, Cocke, Cockerill, Cockrill, Cockburn, Cockman, Cockfield, Cockroft, Cocks

subset: commoncrawl


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Gemsbok of the Kalahari, Botswana
Our Kalahari Explorer safari includes an exploration of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve and is timed right at the end of the rainy season, when the desert wildlife is most abundant and the gameviewing most rewarding.
Botswana: Kalahari Explorer
The Legendary Kalahari, Okavango Delta, Chobe, and Historic Victoria Falls
Trip Details at-a-Glance
|Cost From:
|14 days
|Maun, Botswana
|Livingstone, Zambia
|8 nights private camps, 5 nights hotels and game lodges
|All meals included
|Safaris, Wildlife & Natural History
|Trip Level:
Gameviewing by 4WD vehicle, boat, and mokoro (canoe)
- Gameviewing in the salt pans and dunescapes of the Kalahari Desert
- Delightful private wilderness camps set in the famed Okavango Delta
- Exciting game tracking by 4WD vehicle and boat in Chobe National Park
- Extend your trip at Victoria Falls, one of the world's great natural spectacles
It was a great trip. The Trip Leader excellent in every way possible. His passion for the animals and the environment added so much to our appreciation.Susan M.—Keswick, VA
Choosing the Right Trip
We work hard to help you choose the right trip for you, paying attention to your individual interests, abilities, and needs. If you have questions about the level of comfort or any of the activities described in this itinerary, please contact us.
We are proud to have an exceptionally high rate of repeat travelers. For more information, we would be happy to put you in touch with a client who has traveled with us.
Departure Notes
Once you have signed up on the trip, we send a complete packing list, relevant health information, and required travel documents.
Botswana is renowned for its wildly varied environments, and the epic Kalahari is arguably one of the most intriguing, with its mysterious beauty and unending sense of space. We've created a special safari that explores the wonders of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, with its unique desert wildlife (including enchanting meerkats!) and diverse habitats from salt pans and ancient riverbeds to fossil river valleys. We also explore Botswana's renowned destinations of the game-rich Okavango Delta and magnificent Chobe National Park. Our safari is timed for ideal gameviewing in the Kalahari—right at the end of the summer rainy season, when thousands of grazing animals—gemsbok, springbok, wildebeest, and more—and their attendant predators roam the grassy plains.
Itinerary at a Glance
For a more complete description, Download Full Detailed Itinerary
Days 1-4
Kalahari Desert: Central Kalahari Game Reserve
We enter the wild world of the Kalahari, known in the San tongue as "The Great Thirstland." Originally created as a refuge for the San hunter-gatherers, the vast and spectacular Central Kalahari Game Reserve is the largest and most remote wildlife reserve in Africa. We enjoy splendid gameviewing over the dunes and fossil pans, and overnights in our private mobile camp.
Days 5-8
Okavango Delta / Moremi Game Reserve
A charter flight brings us to the Okavango Delta, a remarkable maze of solitary islands, tranquil lagoons, and meandering waterways. On foot and by motorboat and mokoro (dugout canoe), we search for elephant, giraffe, zebra, and wildebeest, and should see lechwe and sitatunga, antelopes that are at home in and around the water. In the Moremi Game Reserve, an extraordinary location for birding, we seek out predators such as lion, leopard, hyena, and wild dog.
Days 9-13
Chobe National Park
Our 4WD explorations in Chobe bring us close to huge concentrations of wildlife, including throngs of elephants, buffalo, and a variety of birdlife. Here we also find the puku, an antelope not found in other parts of Botswana.
Day 14
Livingstone / Victoria Falls
We end our safari with a quick stop at Victoria Falls, where the mile-wide Zambezi plunges into swirling mists, and depart on homeward-bound flights.
For a more complete description, Download Full Detailed Itinerary
Optional Extensions
If you would like to continue your adventure, we offer the following extensions:
- Johannesburg: Cradle of Humankind, Soweto and the Apartheid Museum Extension (3 days)
- Cape Town Extension (4 days)
- Cape Winelands Extension (3 days)
- Sossusvlei Dunes Extension (5 days)
What the Trip is Like
This trip is rated Level 2, Easy to Moderate. It is a vehicle-based camping safari, with ten nights camping in the bush, and three nights in basic bungalows. It will enjoyed by anyone in reasonably good health. Although the trip is not rigorous, it does involve some long driving days over rough roads and game tracks. We recommend you undertake a preparatory program of physical conditioning. Daily walking or regular hiking, jogging, and stair-climbing are excellent for preparing for the trip. Any African safari is an adventure, and the traveler to Africa should bring along flexibility, a sense of humor, curiosity about new peoples and places, and an openness to the unexpected.
Our mobile tented camping safaris in Botswana provide a true bush experience without sacrificing comfort. Our comfortable walk-in tents feature canvas beds, linens, mirror, tent lamps, chairs, and washbasins. Behind each tent are separate toilet and hot water shower tents. Our crew sets up camp and prepares all meals. Delicious food is served in a comfortable dining tent. You'll find camping delightful and very comfortable, and you will appreciate how close to nature you feel.
We travel by Toyota 4WD Land Cruiser "go-anywhere" safari vehicles equipped with a refrigerator for cold drinks and a reference library on flora, fauna, and avifauna. They carry five trip members per vehicle, with guaranteed window seating.
During drives and walks, we can at times get quite close to wild animals. Being very quiet improves everybody's chances of observation. In the interest of safety, your Trip Leader explains limitations on movement while on game drives, in the safari vehicles, and around camp. Incidents with wild animals are extremely rare on safaris, but no trip can guarantee immunity from such incidents. Wilderness Travel is not to be held responsible for incidents involving the behavior of wildlife.
Apr 10-23, 2016
Apr 9-22, 2017
Trip Cost
Prices are for 2016
$8195 (8-10 members)
$8595 (4-7 members)
Single supplement: $1250
Forced single supplement: $1050
Internal airfare: $470 (subject to change)
Park Fees: $270
more on pricing
Extension Costs
Cape Town Extension
from: $1595
Sossusvlei Dunes Extension
from: $3795
Trip Payment Schedule
At time of reservation: $500
120 days prior to departure: 20% of trip cost
60 days prior to departure: Balance
Cancellation and Transfer Fee Schedule
More than 90 days prior to departure: No charge!
90-46 days prior to departure: 25% of trip cost
45 days or less: 100% of trip cost
Trip Cost Includes:
- Expert leadership of a Wilderness Travel Trip Leader and local guides
- Accommodations, based on double occupancy
- All meals included
- Safari camp staff
- Chobe River sunset cruise
- Land and boat transportation, airport transfers as noted in the Full Trip Brochure
- Zambia visa at border
Trip Cost Does Not Include:International airfare to/from Africa; flight from Johannesburg to Maun and Victoria Falls to Johannesburg; internal charter flights; any meals not specified after each itinerary day in the Full Trip Brochure; airport departure taxes; optional excursions at Victoria Falls; optional gratuities to leaders or staff; additional hotel nights necessary due to airline schedule changes or other factors; pre-trip expenses of medical immunizations (if any); travel insurance, passports and visas; and other expenses of a personal nature (alcoholic beverages, laundry, etc.).
Arrival & Departure InformationYou are responsible for your own transportation, arriving to Maun, Botswana and departing from Livingstone, Zambia. For more detailed information, please download the Detailed Itinerary.
Please do not purchase your tickets until you are confirmed on the trip and have reviewed your proposed air schedule with our office. Once your tickets have been purchased, please send us a copy of your airline schedule so we can reserve your airport transfers.
Maun, Botswana
Date: Day 1
Suggested arrival time: before 5:00 pm
Suggested Arrival Airport:
Maun, Botswana (airport code MUB) via Johannesburg, South Africa (airport code JNB)
Livingstone, Zambia
Date: Day 14
Suggested departure time: after 1:00 pm
Suggested Airport for Departure:
Livingstone, Zambia (airport code LVI)
Royal Tree Lodge
Day 1 (1 night), Maun, Botswana
Royal Tree Lodge, set on a game farm outside Maun, features seven spacious, tastefully furnished tents on raised decks, complete with en suite ...
Click here for full description and more photos
Botswana—Kalahari Explorer—Mobile Safari Camping
Days 2 to 4 (3 nights), Central Kalahari Game Reserve,
Days 7 to 8 (2 nights), Moremi Game Reserve,
Days 9 to 11 (3 nights), Savuti Channel, Chobe National Park,
Days 12 to 13 (2 nights), Serondella, Chobe National Park, Botswana
Our private campsites offer relaxing solitude and an authentic bush atmosphere while still maintaining a great deal of comfort. We sleep in walk-in ...
Click here for full description and more photos
Xugana Island Lodge
Days 5 to 6 (2 nights), Okavango Delta, Botswana
Set deep in the heart of the Okavango Delta on the edge of a lovely lagoon, Xugana is the perfect base for exploring Okavango's ...
Click here for full description and more photos
Extension Accommodations
If you would like to view the accommodations offered with our extensions options:
- Johannesburg: Cradle of Humankind, Soweto and the Apartheid Museum Extension (3 days)
- Cape Town Extension (4 days)
- Cape Winelands Extension (3 days)
- Sossusvlei Dunes Extension (5 days)
Note: Listed above are our signature accommodations for this trip. Although it is highly unlikely, we may make substitutions when necessary.
Optional Extensions
If you would like to continue your adventure, we offer the following extensions:
Sossusvlei Dunes Extension
Explore a Legendary Landscape from a Beautiful Wilderness Lodge
Safaris, Walking, Wildlife & Natural History
5 days - Level 2
South Africa
Cape Town Extension
Africa's Most Romantic City
Cultural Adventures, Walking
4 days - Level 2
Cape Winelands Extension
Explore South Africa's Celebrated Wine Country
Cultural Adventures
3 days - Level 1
Johannesburg: Cradle of Humankind, Soweto and the Apartheid Museum Extension
Cradle of Humankind, Soweto & the Apartheid Museum
Archaeology, Cultural Adventures
3 days - Level 1
Client Comments
It was a great trip. The Trip Leader excellent in every way possible. His passion for the animals and the environment added so much to our appreciation.Susan M., Keswick, VA
Our Trip Leaders and crew provided all of the adventure and discovery one could hope for while treating us to first-class service and comfort and giving us a sense of absolute safety.Ellen B., St. Louise, MO
Feel I received more than I bargained for. A trip of a lifetime!George R., Los Altos, CA
My 3rd trip with WT and I was once again extremely pleased. Needless to say lots of folks will hear about my adventure with WT.Susan C., Colorado Springs, CO
Wow! I am so glad we decided on the Kalahari Explorer and mobile tent camping. I am NOT a camper, and truthfully, didn't realize exactly what it meant to be in a mobile tent camp. But I can honestly say I am so glad to have had this experience. I feel the richer for it.Vicky L., San Rafael, CA


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CTE Statistics & Reports
CTE Performance Trends
Career and Technical Education (CTE) actively partners with business and industry to design and provide high quality, dynamic programs to meet current, emerging and projected labor market needs. Virginia's 16 career clusters help students investigate careers and design a rigorous and relevant plan of study to advance their career goals. Each career cluster contains multiple pathways that represent a common set of academic, technical and employability skills. Career pathways lead to credentials that qualify students for a range of career opportunities from entry to professional level.
|Virginia's Credentialing Initiative (PDF) – provides a snapshot of the number of industry credentials earned by students in career and technical education over the past several years.
|Virginia's Credentialing Performance Trends (PDF) – connects the value of earning industry credentials and degrees with fulfilling employer needs in high-wage high-skill, and high-demand jobs.
|Virginia Career and Technical Education: Program Highlights 2013-14 (PDF) – summarizes statewide demographics and student performance.
Career Clusters – Data Snapshots
The cluster snapshot helps educators, students and parents see connections between the plans of study and career opportunities in high-skill, high-wage, in-demand fields. More about Career Clusters. More about Plans of Study.
(All files are PDF documents.)
Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources
Arts, A/V Technology & Communications
Business Management & Administration
Government & Public Administration
Law, Public Safety, Corrections & Security
Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics
CTE Annual Performance Reports
CTE performance reports include data on:
- Academic achievement
- Occupational competence
- Nontraditional career preparation
- Successful transition to careers and/or further education
- Employer/employee satisfaction with high school preparation
- Access and success for special populations
| CTE Performance Reports –
|CTE Performance Reports –
by Division and Regional Career and Technical Education Center
|Virginia Community College System reports


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Israel with Israelis!
At about 6 p.m. Israel time, all of the participants and staff arrived at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv and were met by Shorashim staff as well as several Israelis who are going to be on the trip.
This trip is a gift from Birthright Israel.
As a trip provider of Birthright Israel, Shorashim works in accordance with privacy policy of Birthright Israel.
© 2014 Shorashim.


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This question already has an answer here:
- How is Christ's death so significant? 11 answers
It seems too me that the suffering of Jesus is over magnified. I mean so many people have suffered tremendously for years. Like handicapped/sick people, prisoners, holocaust victims etc. I don't understand why to make so special and incredible suffering of one person who suffered just a few hours / days. I am honestly asking to understand, what makes people want to magnify that much the suffering of Jesus? I consider myself Jesus follower. Just I cannot understand this thing.


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Much like last year, the Canucks and Flames kicked off the preseason with a home and away series that took place in one evening. If you're confused, you're not alone, but it's very simple: what we had here is routinely known as a split-squad game. Effectively, you send a third of your guys to the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, a third of your guys to Rogers Arena, and keep the other third — the best third — out of the action entirely. Effectively, it's the same principle by which one dunks an Oreo in milk.
Because PITB is two guys, we were able to pull a little split-squad action ourselves, and I drew the short straw that was this unentertaining road game. I watched this game.Continue Reading —›
As most of you know, The Twitter Needs Juice campaign came to a fruitful end two nights ago, when Kevin Bieksa finally signed up for a Twitter account. Though his first tweet was contingent upon reaching 10,000 followers, Bieksa reached the milestone within 2 hours, and the following morning, it began.
Today we began to see the fruit of our labours, as Kesler and Bieksa combined to create a moment that was briefly amusing — which is, of course, all we ever wanted.Continue Reading —›
Another minor roster trim this morning, as the Canucks have announced that 18-year-old goaltender David Honzik, their 3rd pick in the 2011 draft, has been reassigned to the Victoriaville Tigres. As usual, when a player is cut, PITB makes effort to explain the decision, and, just like yesterday's cuts of Sawyer Hannay and Marc Anthony Zanetti, this one's a no-brainer: Honzik isn't ready for pro hockey.Continue Reading —›
The Ottawa Senators are taking advantage of the connection to their fans provided by social media to allow said fans to pick the team's 2011-12 goal song on Facebook. It's a fun idea that gives the fans an opportunity to have a say in something that will be a celebratory moment that brings the team and fans together. The goal song can be a galvanizing force for a fanbase: witness the way Blackhawks fans have rallied around "Chelsea Dagger" for instance.
Fans have five options to choose from, all having "a great chorus that fans can chant along to." The only issue for the Senators is that they left the voting open to anyone who "likes" them on Facebook. Yes, anyone. That of course turned into anyone-who-doesn't-like-the-Senator-or-at-least-wants-them-to-have-a-terrible-goal-song. So, pretty much everyone.
Nickelback and their song "Burn it to the Ground" currently lead the voting, largely thanks to the non-Senators-fan contingent of the voting public. But personally, I'm disappointed in the selection of songs to choose from. Here are some better options for the Senators:Continue Reading —›


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First-Year Seminars
For a full description of first-year seminars, see the First-Year Seminar section.
1016 {16} c. Christian Sexual Ethics. Spring 2015. Elizabeth Pritchard. (Same as Gender and Women's Studies 1017 {17} and Religion 1017 {16}.)
1049 c. The Literature of Adolescent Sexuality. Fall 2014. Sarah Braunstein. (Same as English 1049 and Gender and Women's Studies 1012.)
Introductory, Intermediate, and Advanced Courses
2001 {201} - ESD. Gay and Lesbian Studies. Every year. Spring 2015. David Collings.
An introduction to the materials, major themes, and defining methodologies of gay and lesbian studies. Considers in detail both the most visible contemporary dilemmas involving homosexuality (queer presence in pop culture, civil rights legislation, gay-bashing, AIDS, identity politics) as well as the great variety of interpretive approaches these dilemmas have, in recent years, summoned into being. Such approaches borrow from the scholarly practices of literary and artistic exegesis, history, political science, feminist theory, and psychoanalysis—to name only a few. An abiding concern over the semester is to discover how a discipline so variously influenced conceives of and maintains its own intellectual borders. Course materials include scholarly essays, journalism, films, novels, and a number of lectures by visiting faculty.
2253 {253} b - ESD. Constructions of the Body. Fall 2014. Susan Bell.
Explores the body as a reflection and construction of language, a source of metaphor, and a political and social "space." Cases are drawn from art, sports, medicine, performance, work, and body aesthetics. Draws from and compares theories of the body in sociology, women's studies, and gay, lesbian, and transgender studies. (Same as Gender and Women's Studies 2253 {253} and Sociology 2253 {253}.)
Prerequisite: Sociology 1101 {101} or Anthropology 1101 {101}, or permission of the instructor.
[2266 {266} c - ESD. The City as American History. (Same as History 2660 {226}.)]
2402 {241} c. Victorian Race and Empire. Fall 2014. Aviva Briefel.
Examines Victorian constructions of racial difference and imperial relationships in literary texts ranging from the 1830s to the fin de siècle. Focuses on issues of representation and racialized identity; fantasies about nationhood and colonialism; narratives of "adventure" at home and abroad; and images of gender and sexuality. Literary criticism central to discussions. Authors may include C. Brontë, Conrad, Doyle, Du Maurier, Haggard, Kipling, Marsh, and F. A. Steel. (Same as English 2402 {242} and Gender and Women's Studies 2402 {241}.)
[2600 {275} b. Gender and Sexuality in Contemporary Eastern Europe. (Same as Gender and Women's Studies 2600 {275}.)]
2970–2973 {291–294}. Intermediate Independent Study in Gay and Lesbian Studies. The Program.
2999 {299}. Intermediate Collaborative Study in Gay and Lesbian Studies. The Program.
[3100 {313} b - ESD, IP. Global Sexualities/Local Desires. (Same as Anthropology 3100 {313}, Gender and Women's Studies 3100 {313}, and Latin American Studies 3711 {311}.)]


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Lessons from Lanie: Life lived aloud
I didn't know Lanie Kruszewski. But I really wish I had.
A memorial service was held for her on Aug. 3; mourners packed the auditorium of Maggie Walker Governor's School, where Lanie had attended high school. Even though I arrived just a few minutes late, I was obliged to stand in the lobby, for the seats and the standing room inside the auditorium had been occupied, I surmised, long before. Even so, I couldn't miss the many stories told of a remarkable and memorable young woman.
I write fiction, and it occurred to me that her friends were describing a true heroine, someone culled from a vivid imagination. I already knew that Lanie was fiercely intelligent and a gifted athlete. But as I stood there listening, Lanie took shape before me, as an intriguing character of literature might.
She was a culinary school-trained foodie with a penchant for bacon, lavender ice cream, ear-shaped cookies and fresh ingredients, and moreover, she liked to share. She possessed a sassy spirit, with the wit to carry it off. She didn't have a driver's license or a car, preferring the freedom and earth-friendliness of a bike. She touched people of all walks of life with her positivity and joie de vivre. She had great legs. She knew who she was, even at the age of 24.
Lanie also enjoyed reading. And this doesn't surprise me in the least, for I know her mother Patty. I'm not sure if it was when my firstborn was still in the womb or right after his birth when Patty gave me The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease. The book touts the importance of reading aloud to children, basically from the moment of conception straight through the high school years. And knowing Patty and her mothering ways, I took it to heart, feeling guilty if I ever missed even one day of read-alouds.
I have always looked up to Patty, both as a mother and a writer. And these words that we both admire, the written thoughts that we endeavor to put to the page, have failed me in the face of this tragedy. There is only a gaping white silence in which words float as aimlessly as dandelion fluff.
Often in the face of grief, I turn to the escape of reading. During the memorial service, I learned that Lanie was a Harry Potter fan, to put it mildly. I too am quite the Harry Potter fan. Patty would be proud to know that I read all of the Harry Potter books to my firstborn. Years of his formative childhood were spent reading to him about the enduring friendships of child wizards, their school Hogwarts, and the battle between good and evil. When we finished the seventh and final installment, we both experienced a sort of mourning period. What book would ever match such brilliance?
Such grief isn't an unusual emotion for me at the completion of novels. I get attached to the characters; I want them to live forever within the bound pages of the book, so that all I have to do is just pick it up again to find out what happens next. When I finished writing my first novel, I couldn't let my characters go. And now, I am almost done with the sequel. What next? I ask myself. I hate to contemplate moving on, for I fear their stories aren't yet finished.
But books aren't meant to go on indefinitely. They are exquisitely brief, like lavender ice cream and chocolate-covered bacon, and unfortunately, life itself. And yet, the best heroines inspire us and bring out the best in us. They live on inside us, even after their stories end.
Lanie's life was brutally taken from us. Unfairly, her story ended before its time. But it doesn't matter to those whose lives she touched.
We will continue to turn her pages, because I, for one, have decided to embrace each day as Lanie did. And I will encourage everyone around me to do the same—to not be afraid to peel back life's flimsy plastic covering and reveal the mysterious, to travel where their legs can take them, to enthusiastically sample the juicy and fresh and untried, to read, to be kind and share and make a difference.
I am now reading the Harry Potter books to my second-born, and much to my delight, my first-born insists on listening too.
Great stories find themselves repeated. Women like Lanie will live on.
Diann Ducharme is the author of The Outer Banks House the recently released e-book, Chasing Eternity, and is a wife, mother of three children and owner of one border collie. You can find her at http://www.diannducharme.com where, she blogs about the writing life.
10th annual Filipino Festival coming in August
The 10th Annual Filipino Festival will be held Aug. 7-8 at Our Lady of Lourdes Church, 8200 Woodman Rd., beginning with opening ceremonies at 5 p.m. Friday and continuing with live entertainment, food and exhibits until 10 p.m. On Saturday the festival will take place from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. with a full schedule of performances featuring traditional Filipino dance, music and song.
Filipino cuisine, including BBQ, pansit, lumpia, adobo, halo-halo, lechon, empanada and leche flan, will be available for purchase. The festival will also feature a children's area, church tours, exhibits, and health screenings. > Read more.
CMoR reopens at new Short Pump site
The Children's Museum of Richmond last week opened its new Short Pump location at Short Pump Town Center, to the delight of children who attended a sneak preview of the location July 10. The new facility, located under the forthcoming LL Bean store (formerly the food court) is 8,500 square feet in size – much larger than CMoR's former Short Pump location at West Broad Village, which opened in 2010. The new space includes The CarMax Foundation Service Station, the Silver Diner, a grocery store, a performance stage and an art studio, as well as a giant Light Bright Wall. > Read more.
Weekend Top 10
The Virginia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and Henrico Police are both presenting community events tomorrow, Aug. 1. The Feria Community Resource Fair at Richmond International Raceway brings together community service providers, embassies/consulates from Latin American countries, government agencies, nonprofit organizations and corporations that impact the Latino community. The Division of Police's Community Day will feature demonstrations and displays from police, fire, animal protection and sheriff's office, as well as family activities, food, entertainment and more. Other events this weekend include wine, chess and theatre! For all our top picks this weekend, click here! > Read more.
3 community meetings planned about September UCI championship cycling races
Three Henrico students participating in 8-day James River Expedition
CASA volunteers sworn in
Police arrest man in upskirting case
Business in brief
- More News
Print Edition
Jul. 16, 2015Click here to read the print edition.
Weekend Top 10
Minion mania
Weekend Top 10
Weekend Top 10
Weekend Top 10
- More Entertainment
Obituary – Bernice Lauterbach
Obituary – Marion P. Breschel
Obituary – Marian S. Blankenship
- More Obituaries
10th annual Filipino Festival coming in August
CMoR reopens at new Short Pump site
Prince George man wins Walmart Bass Fishing League event in Henrico
- More Community
The greatest love of all
My daughters' other dads
All hail to mothers and the hardest job of all
- More Opinions
Athlete of the Week – July 3: Kayla Sell
Athlete of the Week – June 19: Sydney Whitaker
Steward School's Enright drafted by NY Mets
- More Sports
Reader Survey | Advertising | Email updates
ClassifiedsREADERS & MUSIC LOVERS. 100 Greatest Novels (audio books) ONLY $99.00 (plus s h.) Includes MP3 Player & Accessories. BONUS: 50 Classical Music Works & Money Back Guarantee. Call Today!… Full text
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CalendarCAT Theatre and 5th Wall Theatre will co-produce "Unexpected Tenderness" Jan. 22 through Feb. 13 at CAT Theatre, 319 N. Wilkinson Rd. Written by Israel Horovitz, "Unexpected Tenderness" is the… Full text


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Aerospace Wales Capability V3
AeroWales V3 is THE Contact Database for The Aerospace Industry in Wales... direct from your Android mobile device. Featuring the leading edge of the advanced materials and manufacturing sectors, this App provides the contact details of the key players in the Welsh aerospace industry, as well as...
eazyCMS Mobile Website Editor
eazyCMS 4.0 is a Content Management System that allows businesses of all sizes to be able to update parts of their eazyCMS website, quickly and easily from the mobile operating system of their choice. All you need is an eazyCMS site (either a custom design from eazyweb.net or an off-the-shelf...


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tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5902617359729115650.post2965456246288587349..comments2013-10-25T23:22:53.538-04:00Comments on L'Hôte: vlog on self image, FacebookFreddiehttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-5902617359729115650.post-13481944307147853762010-03-16T19:04:12.658-04:002010-03-16T19:04:12.658-04:00Not sure if you've heard this already, but thi...Not sure if you've heard this already, but this week's Philosophy Bites podcast with Galen Strawson is focused on this firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-5902617359729115650.post-89446025414098348942010-03-01T09:31:19.372-05:002010-03-01T09:31:19.372-05:00How is this problem different from the inaccuracie...How is this problem different from the inaccuracies of any self-conception?

All vanity is a misperception of what is, in favor of a conception. The conception is a static mirror that prevents us from looking - and modifying - our precious self-concepts. We experience anxiety that our concepts will be modified, that our illusions won't be confirmed by what we would see, if we simply accepted ourselves, accepted what we were witnessing.

Our self-concepts can be either positive or negative, they're equally vain either way.Ersatz Blinghttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-5902617359729115650.post-83884204847165127992010-02-27T23:47:39.705-05:002010-02-27T23:47:39.705-05:00More seriously, I maintain that all knowledge is s...More seriously, I maintain that all knowledge is subject to doubt, and that even the firmest convictions, those that have suffered the most extensive empirical figuring, are mere products of human cognition. And human cognition, well, let's just say it has given us such wunderkind as Mohammed and Jesus Christ. Grr.

PHILIP
A CHRISTIAN
HAR-HARPrimeauhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-5902617359729115650.post-83600138159394842732010-02-27T19:18:19.383-05:002010-02-27T19:18:19.383-05:00Aren't we all.Aren't we all.Freddiehttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-5902617359729115650.post-14222050430435121362010-02-27T18:40:19.366-05:002010-02-27T18:40:19.366-05:00Hey, I'm just trying to get laid by cute, pape...Hey, I'm just trying to get laid by cute, paper-weary, PBR-sloshed post-grad post-structuralists. "CALL ME DERRIDA!!! CALL ME DERRIDA!!!"

Phil

firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-5902617359729115650.post-9998818794939260662010-02-27T14:20:32.212-05:002010-02-27T14:20:32.212-05:00Indeed. The thing about personae is that they are ...Indeed. The thing about personae is that they are intentional. My face isn't the product of my intentions, it's the product of my genetics and the 500 pound chest of lockers that fell on it when I was 19. Some of the ways I manipulate my face are intentional, some not. The parts that are intentional are the parts that are persona.Freddiehttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-5902617359729115650.post-79461277050125706552010-02-27T14:08:02.556-05:002010-02-27T14:08:02.556-05:00The logic that it's easier to "see throug...The logic that it's easier to "see through" a persona in person than online is based on a (very Internet-era) notion that personae are largely created through words/ideas. In person, the personae we create aren't just in our words but in the way we manipulate our appearances, the way we move and inhabit our bodies.Darahttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-5902617359729115650.post-45738853191208271312010-02-27T14:03:35.248-05:002010-02-27T14:03:35.248-05:00I agree with you in a lot of ways, Phil, with the ...I agree with you in a lot of ways, Phil, with the caveat that these personae aren't masks of some true persona but are rather all we have, dueling, interlocking personae which we create spontaneously and which cannot be removed to find some real self. It's an onion, not an orange.

Also, you know, while I think the same thing too, it's important that we remember that "guy who says personae are hermeneutic devices to interrogate reality" is itself a persona. Often enough, a useful one, but no more real than any alternative.Freddiehttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-5902617359729115650.post-48408244178402437762010-02-27T12:57:02.128-05:002010-02-27T12:57:02.128-05:00Personae are meant to mediate and interpret realit...Personae are meant to mediate and interpret reality. They are hermeneutic devices that we often confuse with our actual personhoods. (Which is like confusing your eyes with your contacts -- 'contact' being actually a very intriguing choice of word given the discussion.)

The problem is that, in 'real life,' that is, in the physical world, personae are always under threat of compromise because others can look past the act and at the actor, and thus one's personae is, to everyone's frustration, significantly shaped by the reactions of others, i.e. by forces outside your control.

Online, where the threat level is substantially reduced due to the natures of the media and technologies, personae are more easily 'perfected.'

Not necessarily a good thing! It just means that our interpretive powers are unleashed, that we may determine how we encounter social space without worrying about the potentially yawning gap between person and persona.

The need to reconcile these often disparate entities -- who we are and who we want to be -- is the basis our psychological duress. Given the relative lack of restraints during the online persona creation, given the absence of genuine friction and that need for reconciliation, e-idealization often produces, uh, 'surprising,' if revealing, results.

Phil

worththefighting.blogspot.comPrimeauhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-5902617359729115650.post-35912558100065758402010-02-26T14:56:17.501-05:002010-02-26T14:56:17.501-05:00That was a pretty meta-meta-post ... perhaps TMI, ...That was a pretty meta-meta-post ... perhaps TMI, etc.

Anyway, it was somewhat insightful --- but I don't think untagging FB photos is "lying about ourselves" or really any of this complexity that you're reading into it ... I think it's just that we notice our flaws way more consciously than flaws of others. (This is particularly true if you've ever lectured or delivered a paper at a conference ... my friends and I find that we always thought thta we did far less well than we actually did.) I certainly don't have the sense of "that's not me," or "I've idealized my self and thus this image shatters this idealization," but just, "ugh, I look silly in this picture."paulhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-5902617359729115650.post-11542289055135152972010-02-26T14:48:26.711-05:002010-02-26T14:48:26.711-05:00"The internal forces that compel me to be eas..."The internal forces that compel me to be easier on myself are worthwhile primarily to the degree that they enable me to be easier on those around me."

I think I need this tattooed on the inside of my eyelids.Darahttp://email@example.com