Saturday, July 4, 2015

நாளொரு பக்கம் 54

நாளொரு பக்கம் 54



Saturday, the 18th April 2015

“Prejudice is a great time saver. You can form opinions without having to get the facts.”

Elwyn Brooks White

EBW always struck the pose of LBW, but was never down and out. Versatile as ever, almost the face of the New Yorker, he wrote for adults and children with felicity and was also the spirit behind setting the style for writing American English. The flow of words in his writings, as he admitted in an interview was not something easy. He said, inter alia, that:

‘Delay is natural to a writer. He is like a surfer—he bides his time, waits for the perfect wave on which to ride in...I am apt to let something simmer for a while in my mind before trying to put it into words. I walk around, straightening pictures on the wall, rugs on the floor—as though not until everything in the world was lined up and perfectly true could anybody reasonably expect me to set a word down on paper...’.

We may, therefore, take it that the above uncommon Commonsense advice is based on his broad canvas. Prejuidices ars held close to the chest and care two hoots for solid facts. The very oppression of the Dalits is based on the prejuidice that they are inferior. Galileo was hounded out and was made to recant as the ‘received wisdom’ of an anchored belief triumphed over science, then. 

We shall gain immeasurably by setting aside ten minutes a day to examine and throw away one prejuidice, everyday.

-x-
Image Credit







இன்னம்பூரான்

http://innamburan.blogspot.co.uk

http://innamburan.blogspot.de/view/magazine

www.olitamizh.com

TOP PERFORMERS


TOP PERFORMERS
சிவிஸ் சர்வீசஸ் தேர்வு முடிவுகள் வெளியீடு: தமிழக மாணவிக்கு 6வது இடம்

மத்திய அரசு பணியாளர் தேர்வாணையம் நடத்திய சிவில் சர்வீசஸ் தேர்வுக்கான முடிவுகள் சனிக்கிழமை வெளியாகின. இதில் முதல் ஐந்து இடங்களில் 4 இடங்களை பெண்கள் கைப்பற்றினர்.

சிங்கல், ரேணு ராஜ், நிதி குப்தா மற்றும் வந்தனா ராவ் ஆகியோர் முதல் நான்கு இடங்களை பிடித்தனர். சுஹர்ஷா பட் என்பவர் ஐந்தாவது இடத்தை பிடித்தார். இதில் தமிழக மாணவி சாருஸ்ரீக்கு 6 வது இடம் கிடைத்துள்ளது. 

கடந்த ஆகஸ்ட் மாதம் 24 ம் தேதி 59 மையங்களில் இந்த தேர்வு நடந்தது. www.upsc.gov.in  என்ற இணையதளத்தில் தேர்வர்கள் முடிவுகளைப் பார்த்து தெரிந்து கொள்ளலாம்.

Thursday, July 2, 2015

நாளொரு பக்கம் 53

நாளொரு பக்கம் 53


Friday, the 17th April 2015

चिन्तनीया हि विपदां आदावेव प्रतिक्रिया |
न कूपखननं युक्तं प्रदीप्ते वन्हिना गॄहे ||
There are three expressions in Tamil, which, freely translated, refer to ‘being pro-active’ [வருமுன் காப்போன்] / ‘just in, just out’ [வந்தா பாத்துக்கலாம்!]/ ‘fire-fighting’ [வந்த பின் காப்போன்]. The village railway station receives one train in the morning and one in the evening. But, Munchaakkiraithai Munusaami will enquire thousand times before crossing the lines. The thaarakamantra for most governances in India seems to be   வந்தா பாத்துக்கலாம்! The Subhashitham is about the silliness behind ‘fire-fighting’. One instance of each may illustrate the wisdom behind this adage.

  1. Preventive vaccination. 
  2. Tobacco & Cancer.
  3. Tsunami handling. (There were two global warnings beforehand).

Literally translated, the Subhashitham says:

“ It is improper to start digging the well after the house has caught fire! We should be pro-active i.e. we should have the solutions ready even before some problem comes to us.”
-x-


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http://innamburan.blogspot.co.uk

http://innamburan.blogspot.de/view/magazine

www.olitamizh.com




Wednesday, July 1, 2015

MCPs Update III

Update IV & Update 4 & 5 will follow.

Update III
William Tell: nudity and rape scene greeted with boos at Royal Opera House
Audience uproar at opening night for London staging of Rossini’s Guillaume Tell, in which female performer is stripped and molested by army officers


Guillaume Tell, directed by Damiano Michieletto, at the Royal Opera House. Photograph: Sarah Lee
Staff and agencies
Tuesday 30 June 2015 04.22 BST
Last modified on Tuesday 30 June 2015 11.26 BST
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Rossini’s work of 1829 tells the story of the Swiss patriot who shoots an arrow that splits an apple atop his son’s head, and is famed for its overture with the galloping horse theme used in the Lone Ranger TV series.
On opening night, though, it was marked mostly for Italian director Damiano Michieletto’s inclusion of a female actor, who is not part of the singing cast, being abused during a banquet by a group of officers in the Austrian army.
The officers force champagne down the woman’s throat, molest her with a gun and, in the scene that caused the most commotion, strip her and force her to lie on top of the banquet table.
William Tell: making Rossini's mammoth opera sing
Read more

There was plenty of cheering for the singers and musicians, but the audience reaction to the nudity was so strong in Britain’s usually decorous opera venue that Kasper Holten, the ROH’s director of opera, issued a statement afterwards expressing sorrow for any distress caused.
“The production includes a scene which puts the spotlight on the brutal reality of women being abused during war time, and sexual violence being a tragic fact of war,” Holten said.
“The production intends to make it an uncomfortable scene, just as there are several upsetting and violent scenes in Rossini’s score. We are sorry if some people have found this distressing.”
Michieletto has assembled an all-star cast for the production, including American tenor John Osborn, Canadian baritone Gerald Finley and Swedish soprano Malin Bystrom, with ROH music director Antonio Pappano conducting.




An error occurred.

Unable to execute JavaScript.
Guillaume Tell trailer. Link to video
Osborn, who plays a Swiss patriot torn between his love of his country and his love for Bystrom’s Austrian Princess Mathilde, said that perhaps the controversial scene went on longer than necessary.
“Maybe it went a little longer than it should have, but it happened and I think it’s an element you can use to show just how horrible these people were that were occupying this town,” he said.
Michieletto said he had no intention of changing anything. “If you don’t feel the brutality, the suffering these people have had to face, if you want to hide it, it becomes soft, it becomes for children,” he said backstage after the boos had died down following the final curtain.
Reaction continued after the performance:

Royal Opera House production of Guillaume Tell (William Tell) that opened in London’s Covent Garden on Monday night was heckled and booed for incorporating a scene in which a young woman is stripped naked and molested by army officers.
Guillaume Tell review - sex, violence and protracted booing

Rossini and a fine cast of singers just about survive Damiano Michieletto’s wretched new production of Guillaume Tell
Read more

Rossini’s work of 1829 tells the story of the Swiss patriot who shoots an arrow that splits an apple atop his son’s head, and is famed for its overture with the galloping horse theme used in the Lone Ranger TV series.
On opening night, though, it was marked mostly for Italian director Damiano Michieletto’s inclusion of a female actor, who is not part of the singing cast, being abused during a banquet by a group of officers in the Austrian army.
The officers force champagne down the woman’s throat, molest her with a gun and, in the scene that caused the most commotion, strip her and force her to lie on top of the banquet table.
William Tell: making Rossini's mammoth opera sing
Read more

There was plenty of cheering for the singers and musicians, but the audience reaction to the nudity was so strong in Britain’s usually decorous opera venue that Kasper Holten, the ROH’s director of opera, issued a statement afterwards expressing sorrow for any distress caused.
“The production includes a scene which puts the spotlight on the brutal reality of women being abused during war time, and sexual violence being a tragic fact of war,” Holten said.
“The production intends to make it an uncomfortable scene, just as there are several upsetting and violent scenes in Rossini’s score. We are sorry if some people have found this distressing.”
Michieletto has assembled an all-star cast for the production, including American tenor John Osborn, Canadian baritone Gerald Finley and Swedish soprano Malin Bystrom, with ROH music director Antonio Pappano conducting.




An error occurred.

Unable to execute JavaScript.
Guillaume Tell trailer. Link to video
Osborn, who plays a Swiss patriot torn between his love of his country and his love for Bystrom’s Austrian Princess Mathilde, said that perhaps the controversial scene went on longer than necessary.
“Maybe it went a little longer than it should have, but it happened and I think it’s an element you can use to show just how horrible these people were that were occupying this town,” he said.
Michieletto said he had no intention of changing anything. “If you don’t feel the brutality, the suffering these people have had to face, if you want to hide it, it becomes soft, it becomes for children,” he said backstage after the boos had died down following the final curtain.
Reaction continued after the performance:
will follow.

Update III

William Tell: nudity and rape scene greeted with boos at Royal Opera House
Audience uproar at opening night for London staging of Rossini’s Guillaume Tell, in which female performer is stripped and molested by army officers


Guillaume Tell, directed by Damiano Michieletto, at the Royal Opera House. Photograph: Sarah Lee
Staff and agencies
Tuesday 30 June 2015 04.22 BST
Last modified on Tuesday 30 June 2015 11.26 BST
  1. Share on Facebook
  1. Share on Twitter
  2. Share via Email
  3. Share on LinkedIn
  4. Share on Google+

Shares
956

Comments
1,047

Rossini’s work of 1829 tells the story of the Swiss patriot who shoots an arrow that splits an apple atop his son’s head, and is famed for its overture with the galloping horse theme used in the Lone Ranger TV series.
On opening night, though, it was marked mostly for Italian director Damiano Michieletto’s inclusion of a female actor, who is not part of the singing cast, being abused during a banquet by a group of officers in the Austrian army.
The officers force champagne down the woman’s throat, molest her with a gun and, in the scene that caused the most commotion, strip her and force her to lie on top of the banquet table.
William Tell: making Rossini's mammoth opera sing
Read more

There was plenty of cheering for the singers and musicians, but the audience reaction to the nudity was so strong in Britain’s usually decorous opera venue that Kasper Holten, the ROH’s director of opera, issued a statement afterwards expressing sorrow for any distress caused.
“The production includes a scene which puts the spotlight on the brutal reality of women being abused during war time, and sexual violence being a tragic fact of war,” Holten said.
“The production intends to make it an uncomfortable scene, just as there are several upsetting and violent scenes in Rossini’s score. We are sorry if some people have found this distressing.”
Michieletto has assembled an all-star cast for the production, including American tenor John Osborn, Canadian baritone Gerald Finley and Swedish soprano Malin Bystrom, with ROH music director Antonio Pappano conducting.




An error occurred.

Unable to execute JavaScript.
Guillaume Tell trailer. Link to video
Osborn, who plays a Swiss patriot torn between his love of his country and his love for Bystrom’s Austrian Princess Mathilde, said that perhaps the controversial scene went on longer than necessary.
“Maybe it went a little longer than it should have, but it happened and I think it’s an element you can use to show just how horrible these people were that were occupying this town,” he said.
Michieletto said he had no intention of changing anything. “If you don’t feel the brutality, the suffering these people have had to face, if you want to hide it, it becomes soft, it becomes for children,” he said backstage after the boos had died down following the final curtain.
Reaction continued after the performance:

Royal Opera House production of Guillaume Tell (William Tell) that opened in London’s Covent Garden on Monday night was heckled and booed for incorporating a scene in which a young woman is stripped naked and molested by army officers.
Guillaume Tell review - sex, violence and protracted booing

Rossini and a fine cast of singers just about survive Damiano Michieletto’s wretched new production of Guillaume Tell
Read more

Rossini’s work of 1829 tells the story of the Swiss patriot who shoots an arrow that splits an apple atop his son’s head, and is famed for its overture with the galloping horse theme used in the Lone Ranger TV series.
On opening night, though, it was marked mostly for Italian director Damiano Michieletto’s inclusion of a female actor, who is not part of the singing cast, being abused during a banquet by a group of officers in the Austrian army.
The officers force champagne down the woman’s throat, molest her with a gun and, in the scene that caused the most commotion, strip her and force her to lie on top of the banquet table.
William Tell: making Rossini's mammoth opera sing
Read more

There was plenty of cheering for the singers and musicians, but the audience reaction to the nudity was so strong in Britain’s usually decorous opera venue that Kasper Holten, the ROH’s director of opera, issued a statement afterwards expressing sorrow for any distress caused.
“The production includes a scene which puts the spotlight on the brutal reality of women being abused during war time, and sexual violence being a tragic fact of war,” Holten said.
“The production intends to make it an uncomfortable scene, just as there are several upsetting and violent scenes in Rossini’s score. We are sorry if some people have found this distressing.”
Michieletto has assembled an all-star cast for the production, including American tenor John Osborn, Canadian baritone Gerald Finley and Swedish soprano Malin Bystrom, with ROH music director Antonio Pappano conducting.




An error occurred.

Unable to execute JavaScript.
Guillaume Tell trailer. Link to video
Osborn, who plays a Swiss patriot torn between his love of his country and his love for Bystrom’s Austrian Princess Mathilde, said that perhaps the controversial scene went on longer than necessary.
“Maybe it went a little longer than it should have, but it happened and I think it’s an element you can use to show just how horrible these people were that were occupying this town,” he said.
Michieletto said he had no intention of changing anything. “If you don’t feel the brutality, the suffering these people have had to face, if you want to hide it, it becomes soft, it becomes for children,” he said backstage after the boos had died down following the final curtain.
Reaction continued after the performance:
Courtesy DNA update
A prominent news magazine in the country, Outlook, ran a blind piece about this young upcoming IAS officer in their gossip column, Deep Throat. 



  • Smita SabharwalPicture courtesy Facebook 

A young IAS officer is hailed by politicians and the masses alike for going great guns in professional and personal life. What can possibly go wrong? No, not the usual suspect. Not slimy politicians or greedy land sharks. For 38-year-old IAS officer Smita Sabharwal, currently working as Additional Secretary to Telengana CM K Chandrashekhar Rao,  opposition came from an unlikely quarter.
A prominent news magazine in the country, Outlook, ran a blind piece titled 'No Boring Babu' about the young, up and coming IAS officer in their regular gossip column, Deep Throat. The news piece stands out like sore thumb for casual sexism and insinuations. While the article doesn't mention Smita by name, the clues were broad enough to easily guess the person it referred to. 
As soon as the article was published, there was uproar on social media. Apart from the article, the cartoon associated with it also drew the ire of people. The cartoon showed the IAS officer walking down the ramp while a caricature of Telengana CM took a picture of her and other politicians leered in the background. The article describes the lady as serving as "eye candy at meetings" and castes aspersions at her presence in the CM'S office. The article states that there is no clarity about her role. It says that the 'lovely lady' has great 'ethnic style' and makes fashion statement in her appearance. It also quotes the dress she wore at a fashion ramp, where she wasn't present in an official capacity. 
The controversial illustration which has been now taken down by Outlook
Now Smita Sabharwal has decided to sue Outlook. In a five page legal document, published by The News Minute, which has been sent to the magazine by her lawyer, the article is described as "distasteful, cheap and  titillating". It says that Sabharwal was shocked and utterly taken aback by the article. Sabharwal has demanded a public apology from Outlook and has given them 15 days to  comply with it failing which she has threatened to file civil and criminal suit against the magazine including defamation, damages and criminal action .
In an interview to NDTV, Sabharwal further elaborated on the deep hurt and insult she felt after reading the article. She said that the write-up is an assault on the dignity of women in general and accused Outlook of resorting to yellow journalism. She said that it was a matter of professional pride and her hard work of 14 years was undermined by a frivolous news piece. She told the news channel that she had worked in districts for many years and had always been respected by people. She was also touched by the support for her in social media. 2001 batch IAS officer Sabharwal said that for every pervert, there are lakhs of sane people who respect women. She advised other women to not get demotivated by perverts. 
Sabharwal originally hails from West Bengal and stood 4th in the IAS exam. She joined the service at the age of 23 and has served with distinction in various roles assigned to her. Various projects she undertook were recognised with awards given by the Andhra Pradesh government. Under her service, Karimnagar district won the best district in PM's 20 Point Programme for 2012-2013. A people's officer, she is particularly known for using technology effectively to facilitate public work. This incident aptly shows that if a lady is good looking she will always be subjected to cheap insinuations no matter how credible her body of work is. The rot of misogyny runs deep and even media organisations touted as 'liberal' are not free from it.

***** Update

Senior bureaucrat sues Outlook for calling her 'eye candy'

  • HT Correspondent, Hindustan Times, New Delhi
  • Updated: Jul 01, 2015 22:55 IST



Smitha Sabharwal, is suing Outlook magazine after she found remarks against her "sexist" and "demoralising" in a recent post (Facebook Smitha Sabharwal)


A senior bureaucrat from Telangana sued Outlook magazine on Wednesday for describing her as "eye candy".




Smita Sabharwal, additional secretary to the Telangana chief minister, told TV channels that she found the remarks against her in a recent post in the magazine "sexist" and "demoralising."
"It is a matter of professional pride. I have spent 14 long years in service. The write up hurt very badly. It made me think if they can do this to a bureaucrat, who is doing a serious job, possibly women across will be subjected to this sort of yellow journalism... and we must step up and put an end to it," Sabharwal told NDTV.
The magazine, without naming Sabharwal in its article, said she makes a "fashion statement" with her saris and serves as "eye candy" at meetings 
It also carried an illustration puportedly showing her walk the ramp at a fashion show with chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and other ministers leering at her.
38-year old Sabharwal told reporters that the illustration was about her attendance at a recent fashion show in Hyderabad.
"What disturbs me the most is the suggestion that a woman is able to rise in her career because of her beauty. It is very demoralising for the thousands of women stepping out of their homes," she told BBC Hindi.
The magazine has not reportedly received any legal notice so far.
Hyderabad police said two city-based advocates also filed a complaint against the magazine alleging the article made "objectionable" remarks against a woman IAS officer and "damaged the reputation" of the chief minister.
"No case has been registered so far. We made general diary (GD) entry of the complaint and are consulting legal authorities. Further action will be taken based on the legal opinion," inspector S Krishna Prasad told PTI.
Sabharwal found a lot of support on Twitter with many criticising the magazine for its "sexist" stand.
(With agency inputs)

*

MCPs: Update III
UPDATE II
TODAY'S HINDU: COPYRIGHT & THANKS
*
The Telangana IAS Officers Association on Thursday held consultations with top State police officials on filing a criminal case against Outlook magazine that carried an ‘offensive’ report against woman IAS officer Smitha Sabharwal.
As a follow-up to Wednesday’s meeting, senior IAS officials met a top police official and decided to pursue the issue vigorously. Instead of Ms. Sabharwal filing a criminal case in her individual capacity, the association would now file a case.
Sources said the decision was taken after the caricature not only projected the official in poor light but also showed Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao clicking pictures. It was pointed out that the association would now approach the National Human Rights Commission, the National Commission for Women and file a public interest litigation (PIL) petition.
Meanwhile, magazine Editor-in-Chief Krishna Prasad wrote to Telangana DGP Anurag Sharma seeking protection to its Hyderabad correspondent who had written the report.
Magazine
expresses regret
Amid the raging criticism against the report, Outlook put out a regret on its website. It said: “A satirical snippet titled “No Boring Babu” published in the ‘Deep Throat’ column has attracted plenty of attention and criticism since its publication in the July 6, 2015 issue.
On social media, the magazine’s correspondent in Hyderabad has been subjected to vile and personal attacks, and her physical safety has been threatened.
Outlook wishes to clarify that the said piece was part of satire carried in the magazine in the usual course, was not intended to be derisive or derogatory, and was meant to be received in a lighter vein.
That said, being conscious of sensitivities, Outlook has taken down the satirical piece entirely. Outlook expresses regret if any offence has been taken.”
Rejects apology
Ms. Sabharwal rejected the apology.
“It does not look like an apology at all. It appears as if the magazine is a victim in the entire episode. The IAS association has taken up my cause and they will do the needful,” she told The Hindu .
Meanwhile, the complaint lodged by two lawyers, K. Goverdhan Reddy and Ravi Kumar, with the Saroornagar police of Cyberabad seeking action against the magazine for publishing the report, was pending.