FIJISUN OCT 2010

USA

24 Vol-19 Issue-9

Inside

Diwali Special

Fiji Heritage Day Celebration at SFO Mayor’s Office October-2010

www.fijisun-usa.com 510-677-4488

Dr. Narayan Raju (center) Fiji Consulate holds Fiji Day Citation issued by Mayor Newsom Speaking to the guests Dr. Raju said he was grateful to Mayor Newsome’s staff specially Michael Batistta, and Deputy Mayor for honoring the Fiji Community. Former Assistant Police Chief RatuMeli and a one time mayor Suva gave told the gathering how US was connected to Fiji dated back the 1850s when Fiji was “charged” to pay $45,000 in damages for an accidental fire way beyond its resources then finally had to be ceded to the British Government The Deputy Mayor expressed his appreciation and proposed a toast in celebration of the Fiji Day.

P- 6 Dr new Tongan PM

P- 2 Samoan PM gets tanoa

P- 5 Pt. Shialendra praises Fiji Sun

P- 2 FAIZAL ALI TIES KNOT

P- 2 AsheelKoyaweds

P- 2 KOYAS ON EXIT

Former Fiji Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry arrested

Fiji : The former Prime Minister of Fiji, MahendraChaudhry, has been arrested for allegedly breaching the military government’s emergency regulations.MrChaudhry, leader of the opposition Labour party, was detained with five other people for holding public meetings in breach of the regulations, imposed last year. He is expected to appear in court on Monday, local media reported. His government was overthrown in an earlier coup 10 years ago. MrChaudhry was detained after a meeting with sugar farmers in Rakiraki, the Fiji Times reported. The sugar industry is a sensitive topic for the military government, after attempts to modernise the production process backfired and resulted in losses. MrChaudhry became Fiji’s first ethnic Indian leader in 1999 after the Labour Party won enough

seats in a general election to rule on its own. He and his cabinet were taken hostage a year later when bankrupt businessman and nationalist George Speight and retired major IlisoniLigairi stormed parliament. Mr Speight proclaimed himself acting premier, and President Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara sacked the MrChaudhry and his cabinet. MrChaudhry is one of the main opposition voices in Fiji, where the media are heavily censored and political parties cannot issue statements seen as destabilising the regime of Voreqe Bainimarama, who seized power in a 2006 coup. Mr Bainimarama imposed emergency regulations that ban public meetings when he abrogated the constitution in April 2009. In July, MrChaudhry appeared in court on other charges, including money laundering and tax evasion.

Diwali Mubarak to all

EDITORIAL

Fiji Heritage Day in San Francisco 2

October, 2010

FIJI HERITAGE DAY

was a truly successful event organized by Hon. Fiji Consulate Dr. Narayan Raju at San Francisco City Hall at SFO Mayor Gavin Newsom’s Office.

Dr. Raju told Fiji Sun, he plans to have it hosted every year. Several guests suggested to have a dinner night so we do not have to tax the Honorable Consulate Dr. Rajufor the dinners he hosts.

FIJI SUN STAFF www.fijisun-usa.com

M H Koya (PhD) Editor-Publisher

FANA Appreciation Night at CHANDNI

Fiji priests serving Christians and Muslims in Sacramento

PO Box 265, Mt. Edec, CA 94557 PHONE 510-677-4488 FAX : 510-781-4884 Email: fijisun@gmail.com

KOYAS ON EXIT

Pravasvani KLOL 1170 Radio’s Gold Voice Show at Chabot College

Yes, Fiji’s Radio personality Din Mani was also there as a co-host. We lost a lot of the picture with our PC crash.

Our grateful thanks to Prasvani and Sham Ka Safar radio shows on KLOK 1170 AM.

October, 2010

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October, 2010

COMMUNITY NEWS

Feroz Khan leads 40 plus Ahmadis of Bay Area

One of the secrets of (AMC-AHMADIYYA MUSLIM COMMUNITY) Jamaat Ahmadiyya lies in the fact that it has a great organizational structure. With three distinctive auxiliary wings it can accurately serve the needs of all members.

These auxiliary bodies include ANSARULLAH ( for 40 plus male members, KHUDDAMUL AHMADIIYA ( for youth males bewteen 15 and 40) and LAJNA IMMAULLAH / NASRAAT ( for young and elderly ladies) Each auxiliary is led by its own leader at international, national and local chapter level with the overall guidance by the Khalifa through his amirs and official representatives.

With organizational structure well in place, centralized finical system and roles and responsibilities clearly defined so there is a unified approach and application, there is no room for wasting time in "inventing the

wheels." AMC’s wide spread operation in more 100 countries, offers a wie range of opportunities for every one seeking serve Islam and provide volunteer services to humanity a wide variety of areas.

Bulk of heavy responsibilities lie on the shoulders of ANSARULLAH who are looked upon as role models as by the time they reach their age group they have gone through a deal of ongoing training and development at various conventions and seminars throughout the course a year. In addition, there are monthly tests send out in mail. The official training coupled with self-education through independent reading and internet research, there is no reason why an ANSAR can meet all the bench marks of an extremely successful leader and help achieve the organizational goals and build a huge society

October, 2010

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Compounding AMC policies with social hang-ups

On the left S S Singh with his sons, SSP S SK Mishra and ex Cdt Police Officer pose for Fiji Sun photos. On the right isInspectoMichale Ram Chandra and family.

Like any organization, AMC is also made up of people of all kinds of social and cultural backgrounds along with their personal limitations and prejudices plus members with great qualities and education including medical doctors, lawyers, scientists and engineers. Not all training is built around sociological and psychological models and, therefore, may not fully resonate with needs of the social settings prevailing in America. Unless there is a relentless independent pursuit of knowledge not much can be achieved. These social hangups are often confused with organizational policies and religious rules that can present

Former Fiji Police Commissioner Henry and his chauffer Cpl. Janki Prasad at the Central Police Station, in Suva

THANKS TO SHAAM KA SAFAR RADIO PROGRAM AND THIR TALENTED HOSTS RAJ KUMAR AND DIN FOR SUPPORTING PAKISTAN FLOOD VICITM FUND RAISER

conflict situation. These are matters of team dynamics and OD (organizational behavior) that every leader needs be familiar with to function efficiently.

Ansarullah literally means helper of Allah and in the Quran God makes the call to everyone,“ Who would like to be helpers of Allah ?.” Not that God needs help but in a manner of speaking it is us who need help. There are divine duties that God has placed on us and we are expected to perform them to help the human society at large.

Eluding to this the Third Khalifa of AMC, HazratMirzaNasir Ahmad

reminded that an ANSRA’S duty is twofold as IbaaaddurRahmat (duty towards God) and service to humanity.

One man show!: Regardless weather it is AMC, ICNA, ISNA or any other organization, Jamaal means a team, a group and therefore it cannot be run by just one man to the exclusion of others.

AMC is no exception to this basic rule of administration. It is binding on any leader to create a team of people (just like a manager would in the business setting) for shared responsibility and efficiency in achieving the desired goals of the organization. A disregard

to this basic principle leads to failure. A one man show is considered autocratic and unwillingto delegate, trust and to tap into the existing talents and skills of people with you. It is futile to ignore the existing resources and complain that nothing can be done or no one is interested. Business and governmental organizations (including City, County, State and Federal agencies) spend millions of dollars in training their supervisors into fine leaders to ensure effective operation. Every leader should be willing to accept his limitations and get trained to acquire new skills to better management a team.

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PACIFIC NEWS

October, 2010

TONGA REPLACES 135 YEAR OLD PARLIAMENTARY SYSTEM

END OF ERA AS TONGA PARLIAMENT CLOSES WITHOUT KING NUKU΄ALOFA

Baron Fielakepa, Noble Ma'afu and Noble Vaea will officiate the closure in the absence of King George Tupou IV. The Chief Clerk of the House Dr. ViliamiUasikeLatu said the three nobles would carry out a "soft closing ceremony", without the king or the usual fanfare of school children marching through the streets of Nuku'alofa.

Lord Fielakepa

Tonga's Prime Minister Hon. DrFeletiSevele was welcomed by the Speaker Noble Tu'ilakepa at Parliament House

Nuku'alofa, Tonga: THE closure of the Tongan parliament on Thursday, September 30 was a historical and a memorable event for Tonga but was not celebrated with the usual fanfare for the closing of the annual session.

It was the end of a parliamentary system

that has been in operation for 135 years, and despite the urgency for Tonga to do away with the old system of parliament and introduce a new system, there was an element of sadness in the air during the 'soft' closing ceremony of parliament. One passer-by likened the

U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE TO VISIT PNG IN NOVEMBER

MELBOURNE, - The U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is expected to visit Papua New Guinea (PNG) later this year.

The US Embassy in Port Moresby has confirmed Secretary Clinton is expected to visit PNG in November. However, the embassy has not disclosed her itinerary but says her visit will follow an official state visit to Australia.

It will be the second visit of a senior US administration official following the last visit by a secretary of State in 1988, when Madeline Albright stopped over for just a few hours in Port Moresby.

Samoa Deputy PM's letter unveils issues

It’s official. Deputy Prime Minister, MisaTelefoni, is stepping down from Parliament as the member of Falelatai and Samatau.

His wish is revealed in a letter dated 17 September 2010 to the Falefitu o le AigaTaua’ana, in which he thanked them for honouring him for 22 years.

The letter, written in Samoan, was given to the Sunday Samoan

by MisaPaepaetele and is printed at the end of this report.

occasion to a funeral ceremony, because of the quietness and the serious look on the faces of those who attended.

There was no 21 gun salute, no brass band music, no smiles or laughter and no clowns, who used to have their fun-day by clowning with school children on the streets of Nuku'alofa. Plans for the usual fanfare were cancelled last week when it became known that the King would not appear to close the

The program is expected to begin at the Parliament House at 10:00am.

The Tongan people will go to the polls on November 25 to elect representatives 17 under a new system, under which Tonga has been divided into small The constituencies.

Nobles will continue to choose their own nine representatives.

2010 session. Instead, Baron Vaea carrying the king's speech in a red folder arrived at Parliament House to close the session, accompanied by Lord Ma'afu & Lord Fielakepa.

Baron Vaea read out the historial speech by King George Tupou V to the parliamentarians and their wives, the staff of the House and a handful of guests. The king thanked the House for their hard work in the amending of the Constitution and the passing of legislation,

and their willingness to fulfill his wishes by transferring his executive power as the king of Tonga to the people of Tonga. "May it be inscribed in the hearts of all Tongans of your willingness for such a transition to take place and may future generations applaud what has been achieved.

"Glory to God and with respect to our brave ancestors who enabled us to live in peace and freedom today." The king also expressed his fond

Arriving at Parliament House, Lord Fielakepa, Baron Vaea carrying the king's speech and Lord Ma'afu

Tonga Legislative Assembly, People's Representatives

memory of of his ancestor King SiaosiTupu I, the founder of Tonga's Constitutional Monarchy, a Christiazn and a Democratic state. "...he relinquished some of his authority to the government and distributed the land to the people to inherit forever. Today we are embarking on

Winning American Samoan graduate presents ceremonial gift to FHSU

HAYS, Kan. -- Mariana TimuFaiai, a Fort Hays State University alumna from Pago Pago in American Samoa, presented a gift to the university this week during a visit to the Hays campus. Timu-Faiai dropped by the president's office and presented a tanoa to President Edward H. Hammond.

"The tanoa reflects not only our customs and traditions, but more importantly represents the strength and heart of a Samoan family," she told President Hammond. "So when a tanoa is presented as a gift, it is a gift of the heart that you and yours be blessed." In return, the president gave Timu-Faiai a ceremonial FHSU coin in appreciation for her enthusiasm as an ambassador for the university and its Virtual College.

The front of the coin shows the FHSU mascot, Victor E. Tiger, the name of the university and the official slogan: "Forward thinking.

World ready." The back of the coin depicts the university's oldest building, Picken Hall, with the word "Friendship" at the top and the word "Education" at the bottom.

President Hammond and Dennis King, director of the Virtual College, attended a ceremony Thursday in Colorado Springs in which TimuFaiai received the National University Telecommunications

Network Student Recognition Award. From Colorado Springs, Timu-Faiai traveled to Hays to visit campus and meet the faculty members who inspired her throughout her bachelor's and master's degree programs. FHSU covered her travel costs to receive her award in person and to visit Hays. Only two flights go in and out of American Samoa a week, so she has to leave before

Timu-Faia presents tanoa to President Edward H. Hammond.

Homecoming on Saturday.

Timu-Faiai seized the opportunity afforded by FHSU's Virtual College to further her educational, personal and professional goals.

The island of American Samoa is literally in the middle of the South Pacific Ocean where higher education opportunities are few and far between. She earned an associate degree from American Samoa

Community College. After much research, she decided to give Fort Hays State University a chance by enrolling in its Virtual College, which meant she could continue her education without having to leave the island and her family.

Timu-Faiai completed her bachelor's degree in justice studies in a year and a half. In September 2009, just when she was in the home stretch of completing a master's degree in liberal studies, her world was torn to pieces. A devastating tsunami hit the Western District of America Samoa. Her house was destroyed, causing her and her family to move in with another family for a long period of time.

Timu-Faiai persevered and completed her master's degree this spring. She wanted more than anything to be part of the commencement ceremony, but the 6,000 miles between American Samoa and Hays made it impossible at the time.

So, President Hammond and Provost Larry Gould made arrangements for her to walk as an FHSU graduate at the local community college commencement in American Samoa. "I believe that FHSU has allowed me to reach a priceless milestone in my life," she said. "The university has helped me to be a better person overall."

fulfilling Tupou I's vision and we are so thankful that the foundation and the direction had been laid out, and that we are not venturing into the unknown," the king stated. Tongan will have its General Election on November 25 which will usher in a new composition of parliament.

Woman sent to 5 year for shooting husband

An American Samoan woman, who has been in jail for five year for fatally shooting her husband at Vatiavillage was sentenced Friday in the High Court to 15 years imprisonment.

OilauFa'aola, 63, was also sentenced to one-year in jail for injuring her sister-in-law during the shooting in 2005, where one of the bullets from the gun she used hit the victim's sister. Both sentences are to run concurrently, however, Oilau has already served five and a half years in jail. This is more than onethird of the 15 years she was sentenced for on Friday, which means she is eligible to apply for parole under local statute. Application for parole —where a person can seek parole after serving one-third of a sentence - is made to the Parole Board. Fa’aola was initially charged with first-degree murder, firstdegree assault and unlawful use of a weapon. The assault charge is in connection with a gunshot that wounded the sister-in-law. In July this year, Fa’aola —under a plea agreement —plead guilty to murder in the second degree —a felony punishable by life imprisonment or 10 to 30 years in jail— and third degree assault, a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail, a fine of $1,000 or both while the other charge is dismissed.

Fiji opposition leader denies holding illegal meeting

FIJI NEWS

SUVA — Fiji opposition leader MahendraChaudhry pleaded not guilty to holding an illegal meeting in defiance of emergency laws imposed by the military regime, local reporters told AFP. Chaudhry, a former prime minister, and five other men were arrested on Friday and accused of staging an unlawful assembly at rural Rakiraki, breaking a law banning meetings of more than three people.

A court on Wednesday extended bail granted on Monday to Chaudhry and his co-accused, after they had spent more than three days in custody, and ordered them to report to police once a week, local reporters at the hearing said.

The case, which has raised concerns in Australia about the conduct of the military regime which seized power in a 2006 coup, is scheduled to return to court on November 11.

The emergency laws were introduced by self-appointed Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama when he overturned the constitution in April last year.

Chaudhry became Fiji's first ethnic Indian leader when elected prime minister in 1999. He was overthrown a year later in a coup led by nationalist George Speight.

PACIFIC NEWS

As leader of the Fiji Labour party, Chaudhry is one of the main opposition voices in Fiji, where the media are heavily censored and political parties cannot issue statements seen as destabilising the military regime. In July, Chaudhry appeared in court on a raft of charges unrelated to his latest alleged offence,

including money-laundering and tax evasion. He has denied any wrongdoing. A spokeswoman for Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Kevin Rudd said Canberra was monitoring the case.

"The government remains concerned about the use of the public emergency regulations by the regime, including to restrict freedom of assembly, and will continue to monitor the case closely," she said.

The emergency laws have also been used to muzzle the media,

TUVALU HAS NEW CABINET UNDER TOAFA

WELLINGTON, New Zealand- The Tuvalu Parliament has chosen MaatiaToafa as the new Prime Minister, and he has appointed a new-look cabinet.

Mr. Toafa won the secret ballot with eight votes to seven against the other contender KauseaNatano. Mr. Toafa was Prime Minister from 2004-2006 before he lost his seat to ApisaiIelemia. The country held its general election two weeks ago with five new Members of Parliament (MPs) joining ten sitting members. Radio Tuvalu reports that Mr. Toafa’s election as Prime Minister was secured by the support of the five new members and three MPs who defected from the former government’s camp. The new members have all been given key portfolios.

Former diplomat and climate change negotiator, EneleSopoanga is the new Foreign Affairs, Environment and Labour Minister while newcomer, MoniseLaafai from Nanumaga takes over the Finance portfolio.

The former journalist and clerk to parliament, SauoaMaani, becomes the new Minister for Health. Another new MP, IsaiaTaeia, will be sworn in as the new Speaker to Parliament.

COOKS DEMOCRATIC PARTY DUMPS MAOATE

WELLINGTON, New Zealand - A former Cook Islands Prime Minister, Sir TerepaiMaoate, has been dumped by his Democratic party in the Rarotonga seat of Ngatangiia.

When the Cook Islands go to the polls on November the 17th Mann Short will contest Ngatangiia for the Democrats. He won the run off last night (garnering 172 votes to Sir Terepai’s 162. Mr. Short says he succeeded because he’s promising action on some key local environmental concerns.

"We have the pollution problem in our lagoon. That needs to be fixed or something done about it and in our village we have the dumping ground where all the used car bodies are stacked, and it becomes an eye sore to the people." The run off was called following claims of a lack of transparency in the re-nomination of Sir Terepai back in May. He had held the seat for 25 years. There had been threats the run off could lead to additional splits in a party that has already weathered a turbulent year.

with local reporters saying a television journalist faced a police investigation after authorities took exception to a story she filed after Chaudhry's detention.

They said Fiji Television reporter was questioned RachaNath Tuesday for allegedly "inciting public anger", before being released.

Although the story in question had been approved by government censors, it is understood their superiors were not happy with a line that said Chaudhry was enjoying a conversation over drinks when he was arrested.

Chaudhry had been in the area talking to sugar farmers about a failed attempt to modernise the crushing mills which has crippled the industry, once a mainstay of Fiji's economy.

The Suva-based South Pacific Stock Exchange has suspended trading in the Fiji Sugar Corporation this week, saying the majority stateowned firm does not have enough working capital to see it through the next 12 months. The corporation's chief executive, chairman, finance chief and operations manager have all resigned over the past month in the wake of a 175 million dollar (93 million US) annual loss.

42pc pregnant women bashed Samantha Rina

October, 2010

FORTY-TWO per cent of women in Fiji sustain beatings at the hand of their spouses and partners when pregnant.

This was revealed at a regional training program in Suva yesterday.

Fiji Women's Crisis Center coordinator Shamima Ali who chaired yesterday's sessions made the revelation while addressing 36 regional participants who attended the training.

The percentage was based on a national survey conducted by the FWCC in 1999 on domestic violence against women.

About 1,500 women were part of the survey.

"Research shows that 42 per cent of women in Fiji are beaten during their pregnancies. One of the reasons for this is the attention shift from the man to the child that the woman is carry-

ing," she said. She said the results of this survey was also used by government and other organisations focusing on issues relating to violence against women in Fiji. "Of the total number of women we interviewed in the survey, 62 per cent said they had experienced violence in some way. This information is also in line with global data and findings," she said.

Ms Ali said violence against pregnant women later led to miscarriages and affected a woman's productivity at work and home. "It also affects their ability to reproduce. Often, women who suffer miscarriages don't seek help and later suffer complications as a result," she said. Infanticide and murder have also been identified to be associated with women subjected to violence.

Pacific Scoop: Fiji Times deputy on sudden leave

By LosaliniRasoqosoqo in Suva A second topFiji Times editor is no longer in the newsroom amid what appears to be turmoil at the top, colleagues said yesterday.

Deputy editor Sophie Foster has suddenly taken leave, they said. This came after Sunday Timeseditor Fred Wesley was appointed acting editor-in-chief following the abrupt departure of Netani Rika.

Foster had previously taken charge when Rika was absent. Chief s u b e d i t o r IlaitiaTuragabeci was the other member of Rika’s top editorial management team.

There was speculation in the Fiji Times newsroom that Foster was not happy at being bypassed and Wesley appointed. Foster herself declined to comment and said this has to come from the paper’s Australian expatriate publisher, Dallas Swinstead.

A number Foster gave to ring Swinstead on was not answered. Fiji Times staff said they could not give Swinstead’s mobile phone number.

Fellow journalists, speaking on condition they were not named, said they believe Rika was forced to go following a meeting between Motibhai executives

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and Swinstead.

The changes at the top come after Mahendra Patel’s Motibhai Group took over the newspaper. Rika is said to have strongly disagreed with the pro-government changes being implemented by the Motibhai Group.

Motibhai Group chairman Patel has previously said any comment on the Fiji Times should come from Swinstead.

Meanwhile, Wesley told FBC News he is honoured to take up the position.

Wesley paid tribute to Rika, saying he learnt a lot from his leadership, FBC News reported.

Wesley told FBC News he would do his best to improve the newspaper and take it to another level if he could.

Motibhai Group took control of the Fiji Times following the introduction of the Media Industry Development Decree.

This restricts foreign ownership of Fiji news organisations to 10 percent.

Swinstead is a on six-month visa as publisher. He and Patel first met when Swinstead was previously publisher of the Fiji Times under Australian ownership and Patel was a Fiji Times local director. LosaliniRasoqosoqo is a reporter on the Fiji Sun.

Fiji lacks breast x-ray machine

THE only hospital in Fiji with a mammography machine is the Colonial War Memorial Hospital.

Fiji National University's Doctor Pritinesh Singh said all tertiary hospitals in Fiji had ultrasound facilities.

A mammogram is a special X-ray of the breast, says the Ministry of Health.

"At this point in time we do have a mammography machine at the CWM," she said.

"But we do have issues with it at times in terms of repair as well as getting technicians to operate it.

"We did have a machine in Nadi but I don't know what's happening at this point in time."

Dr Singh said they were unable to do breast screens that Australia followed, where it was mandatory for women over the age of 50 to have mammogram.

"We do opportunistic screenings in Fiji, where if we feel you are risk and you're really worried ù that's when we do it," she said.

Dr Singh said ultra sound facilities were available in Labasa, Lautoka, Nadi and the CWMH.

University of the South Pacific rewarded graduates 8

FIJI NEWS

October, 2010

After years of study, the sacrifice of the 800 graduands of the University of the South Pacific were finally rewarded when they graduated on September 10. vice-chancellor USP Professor Rajesh Chandra, in offering his heartiest congratulations to the graduands said: “The years of hard work and toil is today formally recognized and rewarded. Today’s graduation ceremony is also an opportunity for those who encouraged and have helped you along the way to share your success.” He said: “As Colin Powell, the former Secretary of state in USA Government aptly said: “There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work and learning from failure.” He went on to say that: “A dream doesn’t become reality through magic: it takes sweat, determination and hard work.” He said that they had gone through this road to their success on their graduation day.

However, Professor Chandra reminded the graduands that this was not the end of the road. “Success is a journey, not a destination.”

“Receiving your degrees today does not signal an end but rather the beginning of a long journey.” He gave his assurance as they embarked on this journey that they should be rest assured that USP had prepared them well, and that their qualifications are internationally recognised. His reminder to them: “Graduands, as you walk across the stage and receive your awards, you start at that end as a stu-

dent, and leave this end as an alumnus. I invite you to take a continuing interest in your University and stay connected as we all join hands to contribute to the development of our countries and the Pacific region we call home. Make the University proud by being hard-working, innovative and committed. Be ethical in your future work and lead a life of meaning and impact and be willing to make a difference. These should be the inspiring elements of the USP brand that you become ambassadors of.” Before the graduation proper, those who were present witnessed the installation of the 17th Chancellor of the University of the South Pacific. The vice-chancellor said:” We are privileged to have the Head of State of the Independent State of Samoa, His Highness TuiAtuaTupuaTamaseseEfi as our Chancellor.

Mr.Chancellor, I join the deputy chair of the Council in welcoming you warmly to the USP family and we look forward to working with you to advance the work of the University. Your appointment and installation today amply demonstrates the true regional character of this University and its importance to all its member countries, large and small.” The Chancellor is the titular head of the University, who confers the qualifications of the University. Of all the 800 graduands over 27 seven percent of them were at the Postgraduate level. These included 26 Masters’ degrees and four (4) PhDs including one, posthumous.

According to the vice-chancellor.

Under the University’scurrent Strategic Plan 2010- 2012, one of the University’s objectives is to increase the number of higher degree completions.

Not only through coursework-based Masters but more significantly through thesis-based Masters and PhDs. “I am therefore particularly encouraged by the

that walked up to receive her Master of ommerce in Management and Public Administration. “I am so proud, just like all of the people here and she being the youngest have outdone all her elder siblings.

“Although they have all graduated she has today got her Masters Degree and I am so happy.”

GraduandMakelesiLewarav

award of the PhDs this morning. I offer my congratulations to the PhDrecipients and urge those receiving Masters today to consider proceeding to doctoral studies.” As usual, the graduation venue was crowded with families of the graduands. They were there to show their support to the achievements the graduands had made.

Parents and guardians could not hide their joy at the end of the ceremony sharing in the achievements of their loved ones. Dean of the faculty of Arts and Law DrAkanisiKedrayate was among these parents as her daughter was among those

u said she felt great. “It was okay and I am happy to have successfully completed my education. “Being the youngest of four is not an easy task especially when they have all completed their education so the par was already set and I’m a glad to have gone a par up and I’m proud of it,” the new graduand said. The Bukuya, Ba lady said it was a family achievement. “I am happy to share today with my brothers, sisters and husband and these won’t be the last stop for me. “I am excited about my job with FTIB and will be working dream on researches later.” She said hard work was the key for

Secretary of States Hillary Clinton meets

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton assured Foreign Minister RatuInokeKubuabola and senior Pacific Islands’ Leaders in New York today that the US wascommitted to working closely with Fiji and the Pacific Islands.

Following explanations by Minister Kubuabola on Fiji’s Strategic Framework for Change, the welcome reopening of the US AID office in Suva and greater national attention to combating human trafficking and intellectual property rights infringements, Secretary Clinton said the US wanted dialogue with Fiji and beyond to support partnership. She paid tribute to the commitment to global security by Tonga in Solomon Islands, Fiji in Iraq and Sinai, and Vanuatu in Timor Leste.

Assistant Secretary of State Asia-Pacific Kurt Campbell, who had attended the Vanuatu postForum dialogue in early August told

the meeting, inter alia, that the dialogue going forward was based on the profound recognition of Fiji’s central role in Pacific matters. At a House Committee Hearing on Wednesday 29th September, he will outline the US re-engagement with the Pacific to balance the traditional

focus on Asia.

The high-level US delegation included Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Permanent Representative to the UN Susan Rice, Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell, Assistant Secretary International Organisation Affairs Esther Brimmer, Assistant Secretary Public Affairs P.J. Crowley, Joan Plaisted, Adviser, Christopher Marut, Director and Doug Carey, Desk Officer. The PIC delegation included Palau President Toribiong, Vanuatu Prime Minister Natapei, the Foreign Ministers of Fiji, Nauru, PNG and Solomon Islands as well as representatives of FSM, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Tonga and Tuvalu. The Pacific delegations expressed great satisfaction at the 75 minutes meeting that the US Secretary of State was committed to, and that the US was now demonstrating, a higher level of involveme

her success. “The message is just a lot of hard work if you want to achieve your goals and being committed.”

DrKedrayate said God was at the forefront of their success. “Although she had started working I urged her to complete her education and through her hard work and struggle she is here today. “Also by putting God in charge of her plans and life is something our family bases itself on.” However, the day belonged to 23year-old Korociri lass Arti Devi who was among those that walked up to receive her Bachelor of Science.

Whilst walking up to receive her award the whole arena erupted into applause. Ms Devi said she was so happy.

“I am so happy about the applause. I was honoured and wasn’t sure whether to cry or smile,” Ms Devi said.

The 23-year-old was born with a spinal cord problem that affected her posture and walking ability. This disability she said did not affect her study. In fact she said, it was a motivating factor for her as she wanted to prove that everything was possible for the disabled people. “I want to tell everybody to work hard and never give up, if I can do this anyone can. She said as soon as she could start walking she went to school and had never looked back.”

Success was my goal and I worked hard to achieve it.

She always remember the quote by George Matthew Adams who said: “Every one of us, unconsciously, works out a personal philosophy of life, by which we are guided, inspired, and corrected, as time goes on. It is

this philosophy by which we measure out our days, and by which we advertise to all about us, the man, or woman, that we are. . . . It takes but a brief time to scent the life philosophy of anyone. It is defined in the conversation, in the look of the eye, and in the general mien of the person. It has no hiding place. It’s like the perfume of the flower? unseen, but known almost instantly.

It is the possession of the successful, and the happy.

And it can be greatly embellished by the absorption of ideas and experiences of the useful of this earth.” For Ms Devi she would treasure all the memories of her graduation. “I am so thankful that my whole family is here with me and my achievements today have inspired me to further my education and I hope to continue and achieve my post grad.” Her sister Aradhana Devi, 21 was there to cheer her on. “I am so happy for her and just can’t wait to join her when I graduate next April,” she said. “I am glad that she has graduated before me being the eldest and now it is up to me and my brother to achieve the same as her.” SatyaNandlal received his Doctor of Philosophy in Marine Science, a strong advocate for aquaculture.

The Navatu, Cakaudrove native said it was his upbringing that urged him to pursue marine science. “I have been working with overseas counterparts and have met with them to look at developing prawns to be commercially marketed,” he said. He said the achievement

FICAC nabs duo

Two men are being interviewed by the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption (FICAC) following their arrest on Monday. When contacted yesterday FICAC Deputy Commissioner, Colonel George Langman confirmed the men are now in their custody.

"They are still being questioned and we expect to lay charges before the end of week," Colonel Langman said.

The Fiji Sun was reliably informed that the men were arrested over two separate incidents: q The first arrest was on a Post Fiji staff who worked at their mail sorting centre in Suva. The suspect was arrested following a tip received by FICAC on Saturday.

It was alleged that the suspect had over 100 mails in his bag during the time of his arrest. It is understood that a lot of valuables were recovered from the suspect’s home. The suspect’s wife is also being interviewed. q In Lautoka, a hospital attendant was taken in by FICAC investigators for questioning. This was after it was alleged the attendant stole drugs from the Government Pharmacy and later sold them to a private doctor based in Lautoka. The private doctor has also been questioned by FICAC.

FIJI NEWS

Fiji switches to day light savings Fiji will switch back to daylight saving from 2 am on the 24th of October this year. This means members of the public will have to switch their clocks one hour ahead to 3am.

Day light saving is expected to end in March 2011, but a date is yet to be confirmed.

Store water people in Fiji told

The Water Authority of Fiji is urging residents in the Central Division including Nausori, Rewa and Tailevu to store water as there will be water cuts today.

Authority Spokesperson MaikaNagalu says the water cut is a result of an FEA blackout this morning.

Nagalu says the blackout affected the Savura and Wailea pumping stations.

"We are experiencing an FEA power blackout to our pumping station in Savura and that means our level in our reservoir in Tamavua is not enough. This morning we would like to advise the residents in the whole areas of Samabula, Wailoku, Delainamesi, Vesari, Lami right to

Director of Public Prosecution officehas a record year

The Director of Public Prosecutions Office has this year recorded the highest number of completed trials in the High Court - with a 90 per cent conviction rate. From January to August this year the DPP’s Office has completed 44 cases in the High Court. They also recorded 162 Magistrate Court cases and 56 Appeal Court cases. DPP lawyer Ana Tuiketei says there was a 90 per cent conviction rate and with only 41 state prosecutors – the record indicates the volume of work undertaken. “I think what we are trying to show now is that we are actually determined. And with the statistics compared to the previous years – this office is actually determined have the cases disposed off. And the rate we are going plus the manpower that we’ve got, we are determined by the end of the year to dispose off as many cases as we can.”

The previous record was in 2004 - which recorded 16 completed cases on a full bench.

THE Prime Minister, Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama called on the United Nations to have an open mind and decide matters based on equality, substantive justice and just system for all citizens. While addressing the United Nations General Assembly, Commodore Bainimarama said all countries must decide their own destinies as sovereign states but all must work together with the aim of achieving sustainable world peace, substantive justice, dignity and respect for all.But these objectives, he said, could not be achieved if countries already had predetermined "political spheres of influence or have predetermined alignments". "We must be prepared to expand the range of our international relationships," Commodore

Togalevu when water is in your tap this morning if you can just save water for our family use during the day.” Nagalu adds it is not known when power will be restored to the two pumping stations.

Rise in oral cancer-suki and paan chewing main factors

CONSUMING sachets of betel nut products and suki chewing are risk factors for oral cancer in Fiji, says Fiji National University's College of Medicine senior lecturer dental public health Doctor Bernadette Pushpaangaeli. She said this was a trend that dentists in the West and smaller clinics had noticed from anecdotal data. "Oral cancer is on the rise.

Some smaller clinics are seeing more oral cancer lesions," she said. "One of our students is looking at betelnut products as a risk factor in the Asian region like in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, and even in the Solomons and Papua New Guinea. "In Fiji we didn't have that before. Now there are all these sachets sold in shops and young people are using that. The other risk factor is suki.

Soccer players are now chewing suki and its becoming a trend."

Fiji PM reassures UN in his address

Bainimarama said. "We must not simply subscribe to bloc voting. We must assess and decide on each issue on its merit. We must decide each matter based on equality, substantive justice and international law. We must keep an open mind."

He believed this approach would result in the manifestation of a fairer and more just system for all its citizens.

Commodore Bainimarama also announced Fiji's application for membership with the Non-Aligned Movement ù an intergovernmental organization of states considering themselves not aligned formally with or against any major power bloc. The NAM consists of 115 countries including Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu, from the region.

Minister slams RKS standard

October, 2010

The Minister for Works and Public Utilities Col TimociLesiNatuva has expressed concern at the state of the poor RatuKadavulevu School kitchen and also on the food that is being served to the boarders. “Minister for Public Colonel Utilities TimociLesiNatuva has expressed concern with the standard of both the RKS kitchen and the food being served to students. Colonel Natuva while visiting RKS today stood in the dining hall and witnessed the preparation of lunch for students. Natuva told his officials both the kitchen and the food was unacceptable.

The Minister has called on his senior officials to find immediate solutions to the issue and negotiate with the Education Ministry on how maintenance work is carried out for the kitchen.” Last term RKS was closed down by the Health Ministry for not meeting OHS standards.

Fallen Police officers remembered

Fiji Police officers conducted special ceremonies throughout the country today to remember comrades who passed away over the last 12 months. Separate ceremonies were held early this morning in three major divisions. Labasa and Savusavu town council special Vijay Chand administrator described the day as significant.

Chand paid tribute to the Police Force efforts in maintaining peoples safety and security. “The government of the day places great emphasis on the safety of our citizens and the protection of property, and we are here to assist by ensuring that our country is a safe place in which to conduct business. By creating a safer environment the Fiji Police is working with the government in promoting investor confidence. Today we are here to remember those Police Officer who having exposed to such a danger, died in the course of their duty. They paid ultimatum sacrifice whilst upholding the rule of law.” The family members of fallen Police officers were also present at the ceremony held at Labasa Police Station grounds.

Fiji agriculture laboratories to be upgraded

The Ministry of Agriculture has embarked on a three year plan to upgrade all agricultural laboratories in the country. Agriculture Permanent Secretary Col Mason Smith told FBC news that the upgrade will cost government $200,000. Smith says Fiji need to adhere to international convention which is why it’s important to upgrade the laboratories to international standard. "The research station has been neglected for a number of years. We need to do most if not all of our research and analysis in Fiji. The technology is there we don’t need to go overseas.

There is only a few of the tests and analysis that we currently do not do in Fiji that are very specific and very hard to do. That is why I wanted our research station to be brought up to par to international standards.

9

Doctors face danger of heavy fine

If a doctor suspects that a child has been abused or assaulted - or is in danger of being assaulted, they must report the matter to authorities. Under the Child Welfare Decree 2010 doctors who fail to report a suspected assault or abuse face a fine of up to $5000.

Government says the decree has been put into effect so that children of Fiji have a safe and secured life.

Sugar production declines by 6 percent

Sugar production is projected to decline by 6 percent this year with the 2010 crushing season starting on a low note. The Reserve Bank of Fiji’s latest quarterly review reports that in the first month of crushing a total of 55,079 tons of cane was crushed by the four mills to produce 2,710 tons of sugar.

This represents a decline of 46.9 percent in cane production, and a 56.2 percent decline in sugar production.

Charges dropped against Fijian Methodist Church leaders The Fijian government has dropped most of the charges against leaders of the Methodist Church in Fiji. Fijian Methodists have made contact with the Methodist Church in Britain to thank people for their prayers and support. All members of the Fiji Methodist Church Standing Committee were charged with attending an unauthorized meeting held in April 2009 and were held for questioning by police in July last year.

Now all but four of them have had their charges dropped due to ‘insufficient evidence’.

Mike King, Leader of World Church Relationships, said: “The church leadership was keen to give us this heartening news and to thank the many Methodists in Britain who have prayed so faithfully for the Methodist Church in Fiji at this difficult time.” Methodists in Britain fasted in solidarity with the Methodist Church

in Fiji in February after increasing pressure was put on the Church from the country’s government led by Commodore Bainimarama. The Fijian government forced the Church to cancel its annual Conference and choir festivals until 2014 and prohibited local districts and circuits from carrying out their activities, including administrative meetings.

The Church is hopeful that these new developments herald a change of heart and a return to conversation instead of confrontation. It is hoped that further steps towards the normal functioning of Church governance will be achieved through talks. Charges, however, remain outstanding against the General Secretary of the Church, RevdTuikilakilaWaqairatu, the current President, RevdAmeTuague, and two former Presidents of the Church, RevdManasaLasaro and RevdTomasiKanailagi.

10

Diwali- Festival of Lights Celebrated across USA

October, 2010

PanditShailendra Singh Fiji Sun’s new find for Interfaith America Forum

Panditji is “very impressed with Fiji Sun.” An auditor with the probation department, PanditShailendra does religious performances as part of his faith on his spare time. He was at the KiranSamelan in Modesto to give his moral support. Interfaith American plans to host an interfaith event in Sacramento with cooperation of PanditShailendra .

With increasing number of Indian immigrant population now found all over USA, the Diwali Celebration – a Hindu annual festival of light is proving popular event Over the years, the Indians have been Diwali Melas in Houston, TX but now Bay Area has caught on and for past several years Diwali Celebration has been a major attraction at Sunnyvale Hindu Temple and Amphitheater in Mountain View ley by Law Firm of AshwaniBhakhri. Fiji Indian community did not leg behind. In the recent years, as the society expanded, the Diwali Celebrations are been held in Bay Area, Modesto and Sacramentowhere Fiji Indians are found in large numbers and as they focus more on establishing temples and community centers.

What is noticeable is the active participation by American born kids that keeps them intact with their faith and culture. “ It’s great to see

Mehran recreates

CHAAN RAAT

our youngsters small 3-year and 5year kids take so much interest in religious training we provide,”

observed Pandit speaking to Fiji Sun editor Dr. Koya at the recent KirtanSabha in Modesto.

Editor, Dr. H. Koya discusses Bahai faith with Dr. NasimBashiri at URI meeting

Thousands jammed the parking lots and huge Mehram restaunat during CHAND RAAT marking the end Ramadan the Muslim fasting festival to have fun, decirate hands, buy new clothes and enjoy biyrani and Kabob sold for $5 a plate.

URI Moderator Margaret May presents Dr. Nasim’s a “pin of honor”

BURLINGAME- A regular at the URI meeting here, Dr. Koya (right) struck a conversation with this month’s guest speaker Dr. NasimBashiri a psychiatrist who presented her experiences of Bahai faith. Dr. Nasim explained that her understanding of psychiatry and spirituality helped her understand her patients better and in helping develop solutions to their problems.

Meditation : Dr. Nasim talked a great deal about mediation in Bahai faith. In comparison Dr. Koya said the five daily prayers plus the Tawajjud prayers observed in the latter part of the night provided the hub of meditation in Islam. Dr. Nasim holds the view that Bahai is different from all faiths and has nothing to do Islam. Dr. Koya said that there was one commonality between the two faiths that both believed in One God. Interfaith America is to host an Interreligious Conference later in November, dates and venue are being worked out.

Members of UIR Circle Peninsular at one of the monthly meetings

Eid

INTERFAITH Celebration at BaitulBasir Mosque Milpitas

US MID-TERM ELECTIONS TO BE COSTLIEST EVER US UPDATES

WASHINGTON: US November mid-term elections are on track to be the costliest ever after controversial high court rulings opened the way for shadowy donors to flood key races with cash aimed at shaping the outcome.

"This will easily set spending records for US mid-term elections," according to Dave Levinthal, spokesman for the independent Center for Responsive Politics that tracks the influence of money in US politics. The center puts the price tag for this election cycle at about 3.4 billion dollars and rising, compared to 2.9 billion for the 2006 midterms, 2.2 billion for the 2006 midterms, and 1.6 billion for the midterms in 1998. Analysts have given Republicans strong odds of gaining the 39 seats they need to retake the House of Representatives, and even a long shot at capturing the 10 seats they need to seize the Senate. All 435 House of Representatives seats are up for grabs in the election, as are 37 of the 100 Senate seats and many key governorships.

The cash totals include all money spent by Senate and House candidates, political parties, and independent interest groups, which

have proliferated this year after a pair of US Supreme Court rulings lifted campaign finance curbs. It's all private money. Public funding is only available to US presidential candidates, and only if they agree to overall spending limits, as well as to defray costs tied to the two major parties' nominating conventions.

US law sets some limits on how much an individual can give per election cycle: 2,400 dollars to a candidate, 30,400 dollars to a national party, and 5,000 to a nominally independent "political action committee" or PAC. But the US Supreme Court's "Citizens United" decision in January and the "SpeechNow.org v.

FEC" ruling in March have given corporations, labor unions, and advocacy groups a free hand to spend unlimited sums on independent campaigns for, or against, a given candidate. The resulting "Super-PACS" can raise unlimited amounts from individuals, corporations, unions and other groups, and in some cases keep their donors entirely anonymous.

President Barack Obama's Republican foes earlier this year defeated a Democratic bill that would have required naming major

ing opposition Republicans.

"It could be the oil companies. It could be the insurance industry. It could be Wall Street. You don't know. Their lips are sealed. The floodgates are open, though," Obama said at a Democratic campaign rally in Maryland.

But Republicans maintain the court rulings reflect the US Constitution's guarantee of freedom

NEW YORK: From the 1950s' Pentagon to today's Obama administration, the United States has repeatedly pondered, planned and threatened use of nuclear weapons against North Korea, according to declassified and other US government documents released in this 60th-anniversary year of the Korean War. Air force bombers flew nuclear rehearsal runs over North Korea's capital during the war. The US military services later vied for the lead role in any "atomic delivery" over North Korea. In the late 1960s, nuclear-armed US warplanes stood by in South Korea on 15-minute

alert to strike the north. Just this April, issuing a US Nuclear Posture Review, defense secretary Robert Gates said "all options are on the table" for dealing with Pyongyang, meaning US nuclear strikes were not ruled out.

The stream of new revelations about US nuclear planning further fills in a picture of what North Korea calls "the increasing nuclear threat of the US," which it cites as the reason it developed its own atombomb program, as a deterrent.

"This is the lesson we have drawn," North Korea's vice foreign minister, Pak Kil Yon, told the UN in September.

WASHINGTON: US secret agents have reportedly been hunting for ten terrorists, who they believe were recruited to carry out a Mumbai-style terror attack in Europe before Christmas this year.

According to the Sun, intelligence sources have said that the US drone attacks against terror strongholds on the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan have failed to disrupt the plot and added that it was unclear whether Osama Bin Laden's hit squad was in Europe or awaiting orders elsewhere. "The plot remains very much alive. There is no sense that it has been called off. Our understanding is that at least ten individuals have been lined up.

US regularly eyed N-option against North Korea

'No excuse' for Pakistan not taking action against terrorists

WASHINGTON: The US on Thursday said the current "status quo" in Pakistan's restive tribal areas, which has become a safe haven for Taliban and al-Qaida terrorists, is "unacceptable" amid growing fears that Islamabad was not doing enough to battle militants holed up near the AfPak border.

Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary, told reporters that there is "no excuse" for not taking action against the al-Qaida and Taliban terrorists and their allies in the tribal and border areas of the country. Top US officials have repeatedly asserted that the restive tribal areas near the Af-Pak border is a safe haven for terrorists and Pakistan needs to act fast. Gibbs assertted that while "we understand that the status quo as are there now is also not acceptable." He said there is "no excuse for not taking action" against the al-Qaida and Taliban terrorists. The issue would be taken up with the top Pakistani leadership, who would be in Washington later this month to attend the third US-Pak strategic dialogue.

While Gibbs indicated US taking tough stance against Pakistan's continued inability to address America's concerns with regard to the terrorist from its safe haven posing a serious threat to the US, he was also appreciative of the steps taken by the Pakistan army in the last one year. The Obama administration, Gibbs said, is "heartened" by the steps taken by Pakistan to put al-Qaida "under pressure" in the tribal areas.

contributors, a direct response to the rulings by the most conservative US high court in decades.

The result has been an unprecedented flood of cash from wealthy interests. Last week Obama stepped up his attack on the flood of outside money, often from unidentifiable sources and much of it financ-

10 terrorists plotting Mumbai-style strikes on Europe: US intel

Obama welcomes Nobel Peace Prize to Liu, asks China to free him

WASHINGTON : US President Barack Obama has applauded Nobel Committee's decision to honour jailed Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo with the 2010 Peace Prize and asked Beijing to release the "courageous" human rights activist as soon as possible. "By granting the prize to Liu, the Nobel Committee has chosen someone who has been an eloquent and courageous spokesman for the advance of universal values through peaceful and nonviolent means, including his support for democracy, human rights and the rule of law," Obama said in a statement last night. "This award reminds us that political reform has not kept pace, and that the basic human rights of every man, woman and child must be respected. We call on the Chinese government to release Liu as soon as possible," Obama said.

Welcoming the Nobel Committee's decision to award the Nobel Peace Prize to Liu, Obama, who was the recipient of the coveted prize in 2009, said: "Last year, I noted that so many others who have received the award had sacrificed so much more than I. That list now includes Mr Liu, who has sacrificed his freedom for his beliefs." "As I said last year in Oslo, even as we respect the unique culture and traditions of different countries, America will always be a voice for those aspirations that are universal to all human beings," the US President said.

October, 2010

11

of speech. Among the most prominent "Super-PACS" is a group called American Crossroads, founded by former president George W. Bush's top political strategist, Karl Rove, and former senior Bush adviser Ed Gillespie.

It plans to spend some 52 million dollars to help Republicans, has targeted 10 Senate races and plans "considerable" spending on House battles, spokesman Jonathan Collegio told AFP.Campaign funding is the lifeblood of US politics, notably critical to buying costly television ads needed to boost name recognition, according to Matt Dickinson, a political scientist at elite Middlebury College in Vermont. In the 2008 election cycle, the better-funded candidate won in about 93 percent of House and Senate races, Dickinson told AFP, adding: "Does it mean you can buy elections? I'm not sure you can go that far." "Money buys access. If you're a huge campaign donor and you want to bend your representative's ear for an hour, and they open the books to find your a serious support, sure," he said.

Among occupations, retirees have given the most in the 2010 cycle, with 98.5 million dollars

spread roughly evenly between Democrats and Republicans, ahead of lawyers and law firms, who have favored Democrats with their 98 million, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Super-rich Americans can fund their own campaigns, as former professional wrestling executive Linda McMahon has done, pouring some 22 million dollars into her Senate bid in Connecticut. Democratic House and Senate candidates have raised a total of 362 million dollars and 229 million dollars, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, against 365 million and 239 million

by Republicans.

The number two House Republican, Representative Eric Cantor, has raised the most, with nearly 4.7 million dollars, and leads the pack in candidate-to-candidate donations, according to the center.

Democratic Representative Vic Snyder was at the other end of the scale, raising just 347 dollars -- but he is not seeking reelection.

As of last week, Obama had leveraged his personal clout and scooped up some 67,285,000 dollars at 50 political fundraisers in 2010, according to records kept by CBS News.

WASHINGTON: Decrying the Republican plan to cut education funding by 20%, President Barack Obama today highlighted the need for quality education in the US in order to compete with countries like India and China. Acknowledging that the country is facing tough budgetary challenges, Obama, nevertheless, said he is not willing to compromise with the children's education as America has to be number one and not any other country.

"Nothing would be more detrimental to our prospects for success than cutting back on education. It would consign America to second place in our fiercely competitive global economy.

But China and India aren't playing for second. South Korea and Germany aren't playing for second.

They're playing for first - and so should America," Obama said in his weekly radio address to the nation.

"Instead of being short-sighted and short-changing our kids, we should be doubling down on them.

We should be giving every child in America a chance to make the most of their lives; to fulfil their Godgiven potential. We should be fighting to lead the global economy in this century, just like we did in the last. And that's what I'll continue fighting to do in the months and years ahead," Obama said. From the start of the administration in January 2009, it has been fighting to offer every child in this country world-class education - from the cradle to the classroom, from college through a career, he said.

"Earlier this week, I announced a new Skills for America's Future initiative that will help community colleges and employers match what's taught in the classroom with what's needed in the private sector, so we can connect students looking for jobs with businesses looking to hire," he said.

"We're eliminating tens of billions of dollars in wasteful subsidies for banks to administer student loans, and using that money to make college more affordable for millions of students," Obama said.

Authorities have launched 'a Race to the Top' scheme in the states to make sure that all students are graduating from high school are ready for college to meet the goal of graduating a higher proportion of students from college than any other country in the world by 2020, he said. "And yet, if Republicans in Congress had their way, we'd have a harder time meeting that goal. We'd have a harder time offering our kids the best education possible. "Because they'd have us cut education by 20 per cent - cuts that would reduce financial aid for eight million students; cuts that would leave our great and undervalued community colleges without the resources they need to prepare our graduates for the jobs of the future," he said. He also admitted that there are "real challenges" to meet on the budget front.

"And if we're serious about getting our fiscal house in order, we'll need to make some tough choices. I'm prepared to make those choices.

Improve US education system to compete with India, China, says Obama

Musharraf's U-turn: Never trained terrorists against India 12

INDO-PAK UPDATES

October, 2010

LONDON: India and Pakistan had almost reached an agreement on Kashmir issue, said Pakistan's former president Pervez Musharraf, and tried to clarify his earlier remarks on training militants by stressing many "motivated" outfits had existed before he came to power.

"We were as close as drafting the final agreement," Musharraf said, referring to a four-point formula floated by him in December 2006, which included phased demilitarisation of Jammu and Kashmir, maximum self-governance, joint supervision by India and Pakistan and softening of the Line of Control (LoC).

Speaking in London, the former military ruler said the draft of the resolution was also shared and discussed between both sides "through back channel".

"We were drafting and in fact on the other two issues (Siachen and Sir Creek) we could have signed any day," he said. "We carried out the joint survey by the two navies of the Sir Creek area and we know exactly the disputed area in the land and in the sea."

The former president, who came to power by overthrowing the civilian government of the then prime minister Nawaz Sharif in a bloodless

Pak rubbishes Mushrraf's statement on militants

ISLAMABAD : Stunned by Pervez Musharraf's admission that Pakistan had trained militant groups to fight in Kashmir, Islamabad on Tuesday rubbished the former military ruler's statement as "baseless". "I do not know really what prompted him (Musharraf) to say this because he is not in Pakistan and I would not really know as to the purpose of saying this," Pakistan Foreign Office Spokesman Abdul Basit said.

Finally, local don's Headley link found

MUMBAI: The Mumbai underworld's involvement in the 26/11 plot was always suspected but never proved. With no leads, this line of line of inquiry was going cold. But a startling finding in the course of an unrelated investigation could prove to be that piece of elusive evidence.

It appears that Chand Madar, the alleged diesel smuggler who was shot dead close to the land mark CST station last month, may have helped Pakistan-born jihadi David Coleman Headley to carry out a recee of the Mumbai coastline to identify the point at which to disembark. Chand, it's now believed, was more than mere diesel smuggler. He was also a close associate and business partner of Mohammed Ali Shaikh, allegedly an

ally of fugitive don Dawood Ibrahim.

But their relationship is said to have soured over profit-sharing and Chand was murdered. Sources said Chand's Headley connection cropped up during 24x7 surveillance of diesel gangs operating on the high seas.

The diesel smugglers operated off the Mumbai coast. Mohammed Ali Shaikh, who was arrested in connection with Chand's killing, has now been detained by Mumbai Police under MCOCA, and for the first time, the police has publicly acknowledged his links with the underworld. These agencies were not so much concerned about diesel smuggling as they were with the possibility of arms and ammunitions being smuggled in along with the other contraband.

coup in 1999, also sought to clarify his earlier statement in which he had admitted that Pakistani army was involved in training militants and sending them across the border. Musharraf said due to prevalence of anti-India sentiment, people "themselves" are "motivated" and "indoctrinated" to cross the border "because there are gaps and it's a porous border".

"They don't need training. They themselves want to go. They want to learn and want to go," he said, arguing terrorist outfits such as Lashker-e-Taiba (LeT), Hizbul Mujahideen and Jaish-eMohammed existed much before he came to power.

"Great public support, great public sympathy among the people of Pakistan gave rise to all of them," he said, adding, "Everyone individual in Pakistan knew that people are volunteering to go and they are going into Kashmir to fight the Indian Army."

In an interview to German magazine Der Spiegel earlier this week, Musharraf had said that militant groups "were indeed formed" to fight India in Kashmir. And "the government turned a blind eye because they wanted India to discuss Kashmir".

lowing week, 'Herald Sun' reported today. Two officers quit rather than face the secret hearings.

Yesterday, top police officers were caught in a racist email scandal joking about the electrocution of an Indian train passenger and suggesting that it could be "a way to fix the Indian student problem" in Melbourne. The emails that were probed by the Ethical Standards Department's Operation Barrot contain pornographic, homophobic, racist and violent material.The Victoria

LONDON: Dubbing his political detractors as "cowards," Pakistan's former military ruler Pervez Musharraf has said that the greatest threat his country is facing today is "failure" of governance than India or Taliban.

"I would say, failure of governance is the greatest threat today," Musharraf, who has announced his return to active Pakistani politics from London where he has been living in self-imposed exile since the general election of 2008, said. The wily commando-turned-politician said the immediate necessity on the ground in Pakistan is a "functional governance structure free of corruption".

In an interview here to Indian publication 'The Week,' Musharraf said the current Pakistan People's Party-led government has failed to effectively govern the country. "The PPP government has failed to do so. Nawaz Sharif came to power twice but could not do anything productive because he is actually brainless," Musharraf said.

His remarks came amid criticism of the PPP-led government for its inept handling of the catastrophic floods and corruption. Asked if he planned to return to Pakistan, the 67-year-old Musharraf said he would as soon as election is announced. "I will return as soon as elections are announced.

In the meantime, I will focus on strengthening the party from here," he said, referring to his 'All Pakistan Muslim League' which he launched here on October 1 thousands of miles away from Pakistan.

The next general election in Pakistan is scheduled for 2013. Musharraf also said he was not perturbed by reports that he will be facing trouble if he returned to Pakistan. "Let them do whatever they want to. As far as I am concerned, there are no hindrances for my return when I want to. All those opposing me are cowards and are scared of my return," he said.

Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani had recently said that if Musharraf returned to Pakistan, the Supreme Court will "welcome" him as a slew of cases were pending against him.

ADITI

Women wearing traditional attire perform Garba during Navratri, or the nine nights festival, in Ahmadabad, India. Garba is a folk dance in which participants move in a circle while clapping. Navaratri is a religious occasion in which nine different reincarnated forms of the Goddess Durga are worshipped.

Racist emails: 4 Australian cops sacked for joking about Indian's electrocution

MELBOURNE: Four Australian police officers were sacked and disciplinary action initiated against 15 others in connection with the circulation of racist emails wherein they joked about the electrocution of an Indian.

While four have been sacked, one has been demoted, another five have been fined up to 3000 dollars and placed on 12-month good behaviour bonds for their involvement in the case. Nine officers will front the disciplinary panel on October 12 and October 15, with six to be heard the fol-

Pak's main threat 'failure' of governance than India

police officers circulated sickening video footage showing the death of the man, who was travelling on the roof of a crowded train in India, the daily reported yesterday.

Victoria police had said that it would resume disciplinary hearings this week into the circulation of pornographic and racist emails within the force. The newspaper said it was also discovered that some of the force's highest-ranked officers have been implicated in the scandal, which also involves pornographic material.

Gunmen in Pakistan torch nearly 30 NATO fuel tankers in new attack

QUETTA: Gunmen in southwestern Pakistan set fire to nearly 30 tankers carrying fuel for NATO troops in Afghanistan on Saturday, an official said, two days after the United States apologised to Pakistan for a cross-border air raid that killed two Pakistani soldiers. Suspected Islamist militants have stepped up attacks on convoys carrying supplies for NATO forces since the air Sept. 30 air strike in northwestern Pakistan described by the U.S. ambassador to Pakistan as a terrible accident. About 20 gunmen set fire to around 30 tankers parked outside at a roadside restaurant near the southwestern town of Sibi in a pre-dawn attack, the official said. The tankers were on their way to the border town of Chaman. "The attackers first fired shots and then fired small rockets at the tankers. Twenty-eight to 29 tankers caught fire," local government official Naeem Sherwani told Reuters. He said one of the paramilitary soldiers escorting the convoy was wounded.

Comeback man Musharraf calls Nawaz Sharif 'brainless'

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's former military ruler Pervez Musharraf, who in 1999 overthrew the government of Nawaz Sharif, believes the two-time premier lacks intellect and is "totally brainless".

Musharraf, who launched his All Pakistan Muslim League in the UK and announced his return to active politics said Sharif lost power twice as he lacked intellect. " Nawaz Sharif lost power twice because he lacked intellect," Musharraf, who also apologised to the people for the mistakes of his regime, told hundreds of supporters in Birmingham last evening.

"I worked with him for an entire year and noticed that Nawaz Sharif is totally brainless," Musharraf was quoted as saying by the News International.

Musharraf said his party -- All Pakistan Muslim League -- would be accountable to people and have a democratic structure where power would not be inherited.

"If voted to power, we will be accountable to the people. Our party will have a democratic structure and power will not be inherited," he said.

Sharif, who was thrown out by Musharraf in a bloodless coup, is considered a bitter foe of the former president.

Outside the venue of the rally, a few hundred members of panIslamic body Hizbut Tahrir gathered in a peaceful protest.

Some held banners that read "Pakistan needs an accountable ruler" while others hit Musharraf's posters with footwears.

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BOLLYWOOD

October, 2010

Language is not a Criterion

A

fter making it big in Bollywood with the Hindi version of her Tamil film " Ghajini", Asin Thottumkal is now on a remake spree. The young actress says such offers only help her reach out to a wider audience in different parts of the country.

"If it's an entertaining film and a great story then I think it should be made for a larger audience and not particularly restricted to a group...

Remakes help in doing that to get a wider audience and to get the film across to a larger number of people," Asin told over telephone from Mumbai.

A superstar down south, Asin made her Bollywood debut opposite Aamir Khan in the hit psychological action thriller Ghajini" (2008) - a remake of its 2005 Tamil namesake. She played the same role in both outings.

The 24-year-old is now working on " Ready" with Salman Khan, and a Tamil movie "Kaavalan", which are the remakes of a Telugu

namesake and Malayalam movie "Bodyguard" respectively. Apparently Salman will also star in a Hindi remake of "Kaavalan" after "Ready".

Will she star in the Hindi remake too?

"I have not discussed that yet with anyone and I don't think the casting has been decided," said Asin.

Aren't there any problems of repeating yourself in a remake?

"The director is there to help you in that and you know your character well. For you it's a new script and a fresh project. You are not in any way repeating yourself. So you approach it in that way," she said.

Having worked in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Hindi films, Asin is open to working in other languages as well.

"Language is not a criterion. It depends on the project.

If a project excites me... I'd readily take that up. I'm basically looking at projects that are not language-bound or

Rajni sir

RsaO C K S ys Aamir

"I am most keen to see 'Robot'. Rajni sir rocks!"

B

ollywood actor-producer Aamir Khan says he is yearning to watch southern superstar Rajnikanth-starrer " Robot". "I am most keen to see 'Robot'. Rajni sir rocks!"

Aamir posted on social networking site Facebook. The movie, which is called " Endhiran" in Tamil, also features Aishwarya Rai. Apparently made at a budget of Rs.175 crore ($38 million), it is being lapped up by audiences across India. Actors who have seen the movie are all praise for it, but have pointed to its inordinate length. Riteish Deshmukh posted on Twitter: "Superstar Rajni! He is a phenomenon. Action in 'Robot' is just what you want to watch as a Rajni fan. Go watch it now - a bit long but worth it." Actor Tusshar Kapoor opined: "...quite a fun film but a bit long. Rajni looks young and energetic even at this age. No wonder he's such a superstar." Actress Sameera Reddy went gaga over the 60-year-old actor. "As the No.1 Rajnikanth fan, I am so proud that he has kicked ass at the box office! So proud of you Rajni sir! You are the best!" she tweeted.

from different boundaries," she said.

Did she miss the big screen since she's been absent after her second Hindi movie " London Dreams" (2009)?

"Not really, because I have been busy with other stuff and the two films that I am doing have a really hectic schedule. And I'll be coming back pretty soon on the big screen."

So how is she balancing her work in Bollywood and down south?

"It's not a strategy or plan that I have made. It depends upon the kind of scripts that are coming my way at that particular point of time. So there's no strategy that I'll do one Hindi and one Tamil movie," said the actress, who is also a prolific painter and actively involved in charity work.

Asin has been roped in as the face of Lux soap's new variant Lux Sandal & Cream. Any plans to take up work on TV like other stars?

designer dreams!

KANGNA'S

D

esigners pay heed to this. A film that stars Kangna Ranaut in future may not require your services because the actress has decided to design her own clothes. As of now, Kangna is designing her own clothes in two films that she signed recently. And the actress is likely to launch her own line of clothes after that.

The films in question are David Dhawan's Rascals (produced by Sanjay Dutt) and Priyadarshan's Tez (earlier titled Bullet Train and produced by Ratan Jain). Sources close to Rascals say that some designers, including Anaita Shroff, were shortlisted for the project, but things did not materialise due to budget and date issues. Anaita denies it however and says, "I didn't sign Rascals. I had date problems since I'm working at that time on Abbas Mustan's The Italian Job. There was no question of any budget issues." Fair enough. But David Dhawan apparently did tell Kangna that she should take a call on her clothes. Says a source, "Dhawan is quite impressed by Kangna's sense of dressing. And so is Priyadarshan." So are we by the way! Not so long ago, Paris Hilton had asked Kangna to be the face of her fashion brand in Asia.

Impressed by Kangna's refreshing approach to fashion, she had approached her with the request to become the brand ambassador for her line of clothing. So, the candidate is surely more than eligible. As for logistics, a friend of Kangna's tells Mumbai Mirror, "Fashion designers are given a budget and then they pick up clothes from India and abroad keeping the amount in mind. Kangna too will adhere to this style of costume design. Besides, she travels a lot on shoots. So, going to places to shop is not a problem." Sounds like a fabulous idea.

"I am doing my share of TV time with endorsements," said Asin, who features in commercials for Mirinda, Big Bazaar, Sure Anti perspirant, Tata Sky, Clinic All Clear and Fairever fairness cream.

The actress was also embroiled in a row recently when Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam (PDK) activists held a black flag protest against her at Mettupalayam reportedly for shooting "Ready" in Sri Lanka as they felt it was an 'anti-Tamil' stand.

"I'd much rather not talk about that. It's something that has been in the past...It was blown out of proportion. In fact, I wasn't even there when it happened...These were sensationalised," she said.

Rumours are also rife that the actress is in Anurag Basu's next, "Silence".

"I'd like to maintain my silence about that," Asin said adding that she will "be starting two new projects by early next year".

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October, 2010

WORLD NEWS

Prachanda puts self before service

October, 2010

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KATHMANDU: While the 10year Maoist revolution ushered in miraculous changes in the laidback kingdom of Nepal, turning, as its climax, its royal family into social workers, it has also seen the commander of the revolution, Maoist supremo Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda, turn into a self-seeking dictator, the very vice he had been accusing the "old regime" of being tainted with.

Prachanda, who became republic Nepal's first prime minister in 2008, taking the oath of office in the name of the people instead of god, skipped parliament on Sunday and the 12th round of election held to choose a new premier. With the Maoists, the party that had fought a civil war to have this parliament

elected, and their new friends, the communists, practically boycotting the election, Nepali Congress leader Ram Chandra Poudel failed to get elected on Sunday, though he was the only candidate and it was the 12th round of vote. Poudel received only 89 votes, the lowest tally so far, while 29 MPs remained neutral and one voted against Poudel.

Now the 13th round of the election will be held on Oct 26, after the Dussehra festivities conclude.

Since the election of the current parliament in 2008, Prachanda has kept the house as his lowest priority, attending only two of its meetings in three years and earning the dubious distinction of being the MP with the lowest attendance.

Now, even his party, whose activities ostensibly kept him away from parliament meetings, has also been put firmly below self. The extended central committee meeting of the Maoists, that was to have been held this month, has been postponed to Nov 14, the reason being the party chairman's upcoming junket to China. The Maoists are tomtoming that Prachanda is among the eight world leaders invited by the Chinese government to attend the Shanghai Expo 2010 in Shanghai.

However, the invitation needs to be taken with a pinch of salt, coming, as it does, after Prachanda's mysterious junket to Malaysia this month. The former revolutionary took off to Kuala Lumpur with his

wife and son, ostensibly to attend a conference hosted by the Asia Pacific Exchange and Cooperation Foundation, of which he claimed to be the co-chair. But there was no news about the conference and when, on his return, Prachanda produced an "appointment letter" to show that he was what he said he was, the document created even more scepticism. It said, "We are honour (sic) To Appointment (sic) Mr Prachanda Path (sic) as the CoChairman of Asia Pacific Exchange & Cooperation Foundation."

Prachanda Path is the philosophy assimilated by Prachanda from Chinese revolutionary leader Mao Zedong and other communist leaders and adapting it to suit Nepal's unique socio-culture.

PYONGYANG: North Korean leader Kim Jong Il and his son, heir apparent Kim Jong Un, appeared together a massive military parade on Sunday held amid celebrations marking the foundation of the country's ruling party. State television in a rare live broadcast showed the two Kims standing on a reviewing stand at Pyongyang's central Kim Il Sung Square, named after the country's national founder, where goose-stepping military personnel marched by and military hardware, including tanks, passed below. It's the first time Kim Jong Un has appeared with his father on live television, giving the North Korean people their first good look at their future leader.

BISHKEK: Kyrgyzstan voted on Sunday for the most powerful parliament in ex-Soviet Central Asia, defying warnings that the polls risk sparking a resurgence of the violence that has killed hundreds this year. The Kyrgyz parliament, given new powers in a June referendum that followed a bloody revolution and deadly inter-ethnic violence, contrasts strongly with the strongman presidential rule typical throughout the region.

Its new powers, including appointing the government, have pleased the United States but annoyed Russia, which has warned that the first parliamentary democracy in Central Asia could be a catastrophe for Kyrgyzstan. Tensions have not calmed in the run-up to the

elections, with allegations of dirty tricks and a mob raiding the office of one of the parties. But President Roza Otunbayeva has insisted that delaying the polls is not an option.

"These elections are of fateful importance for our people and state," she said in an address to the nation. "We are not just electing a parliament but starting a new sys-

tem and opening a new page in our history." Otunbayeva and her allies hope the installation of parliamentary rule will restore stability to a country shattered by unrest after the April uprising that toppled ex-president Kurmanbek Bakiyev and brought new leaders to power.

Clashes between ethnic-majority Kyrgyz and minority Uzbeks left between 400 and 2,000 people dead in the south of the country in June, with Uzbeks claiming they were the victims of targeted bloodletting by the security forces. But with around six parties expected to pass the five-percent threshold to win seats in the Zhogorku Kenesh, the outcome appears anything but simple, with weeks of post-election bartering likely.

BEIJING: A bitter China has denounced the awarding of the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize to Liu Xiaobo and said the decision would hurt relations with Norway. The foreign ministry said in a statement on Friday that the award should have gone to promoting international friendship and disarmament. "Liu Xiaobo is a criminal who has been sentenced by Chinese judicial departments for violating Chinese law," it said. Awarding the peace prize to Liu "runs completely counter to the principle of the prize and is also a blasphemy to the peace prize." It said the decision would damage bilateral relations between China and Norway.

SIRTE: The Palestinians, backed by Arab powers, said they would give the United States one month to persuade Israel to halt the building of settlements in the West Bank or risk the collapse of peace talks. The message, issued at an Arab League meeting in Libya, represented a reprieve for Washington as it tries to salvage 5-week-old talks stalled over Israel's refusal to extend a settlement freeze on occupied land where Palestinians seek statehood.

Diplomats said Abbas and Arab foreign ministers had in a closed session mooted "alternatives" to a

future resumption of face-to-face negotiations with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Abbas's proposals included seeking US and UN pledges of recognition for a future Palestine taking in all of the West Bank, and a threat by the president to step down over the impasse, diplomats said.

Following those discussions on Friday, the Arab ministers said they would reconvene on the issue in a month. The Palestinians put the onus on the Obama administration.

"We are giving the United States an opportunity to convince Israel to stop settlements. We are giving

them a month which will be a period of political interaction between the United States and Israel," Abbas spokesman Nabil Abu Rdainah said. Netanyahu has resisted international calls to renew the settlement moratorium, which expired last month. Israel argues that the Palestinians should have entered negotiations earlier in the 10-month freeze and that the dispute would be irrelevant once peacemaking ripened to the point of demarcating borders. Yet the moratorium wrangling masks far deeper divisions over what a final accord, should it ever be reached, would contain.

Daily Express reported on Saturday.

Queen's annual civil list payment, for performing her duties as head of state, has already been frozen at 7.9 million pounds while a wider review of royal funding is being conducted, the report said.

Now the royal family's two other main sources of state funding, 22 million pounds for palace maintenance and travel have been earmarked for cuts over the next three years, it said.

The slash, which will come into effect in April 2011, may lead to the Queens and other royals undertaking fewer official duties in the run-up to her Diamond Jubilee year in 2012. "All our bodies that we pay grants to have been told to expect reductions in the region of 25 per cent and the royal household is certainly not exempt from that," an official at the department for culture, which pays 15 million pounds a year for palaces,

was quoted as saying by the British tabloid. Officials at the department for transport, which granted the royal family 7.3 million pounds last year, were equally adamant the royal family would be hit by cuts. Buckingham Palace puts the annual cost of the monarchy to the taxpayer at 38.2 million pounds but that figure does not include security and other costs which put the bill closer to 180 million pounds a year.

N. Korea heir appears in public

Tense Kyrgyzstan votes in landmark elections

LONDON: Iran has arrested several "spies" who were involved in an attempt to sabotage the country's nuclear programme, said Iranian intelligence minister Heydar Moslehi. The arrest followed an attack on Iran's industrial computer network by a software bug Stuxnet that targeted Iranian nuclear facilities, including its main Bushehr power plant, British newspaper The Guardian reported Sunday.

Palestinians give US one month to curb Israeli settlements

UK Queen asked to slash spendings by 25%: Report

British Prime Minister, David Cameron, his wife Samantha, and their new baby Florence as they arrive at a hotel in Birmingham, central England.

Iran arrests 'nuclear spies'

China denounces award of Nobel Prize to dissident

LONDON: The royal family in the UK has been asked to cut spendings by around 25 per cent as part of a government review to check expenditure amid efforts to speed up recovery from the worst economic recession in generations.

Government officials have said they expect Queen Elizabeth II and her family to share the burden of budget cuts in the toughest review for a generation due on October 20, the

New survey on sex in US, biggest since 1994 22

WORLD NEWS

October, 2010

NEW YORK: The male-female orgasm gap. The sex lives of 14year-olds. An intriguing breakdown of condom usage rates, by age and ethnicity, with teens emerging as more safe-sex-conscio us than boomers.

That's just a tiny sampling of the data being unveiled Monday in what the researchers say is the largest, most comprehensive national survey of Americans' sexual behavior since 1994.

Filling 130 pages of a special issue of the Journal of Sexual Medicine, the study offers detailed findings on how often Americans have sex, with whom, and how they respond. In all, 5,865 people, ranging in age from 14 to 94, participated in the survey.

The lead researchers, from Indiana University's Center for Sexual Health Promotion, said the

study fills a void that has grown since the last comparable endeavor — the National Health and Social Life Survey — was published 16 years ago. Major changes since then include the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, the types of sex education available to young people, the advent of same-sex marriage, and the emergence of the Internet as a tool for social interaction.

Dr. Dennis Fortenberry, a pediatrics professor who was lead author of the study's section about teen sex, said the overall findings of such a huge survey should provide reassurance to Americans who are curious about how their sex lives compare with others. ``Unless, like al-Qaida, you feel there's something abnormal about the American people, what these data say is, 'This is normal — every-

Britain's Prince of Wales, Prince Charles (L) is pictured with Indian President Prathiba Patil at the Presidental Palace in New Delhi on October 2, 2010. Prince Charles is in India to attend the 2010 Commonwealth Games which takes place in the Indian capital from October

School in London outsources maths classes to India

LONDON: A north London school, Ashmount Primary, has outsourced mathematics teaching to India. And, according to BBC, pupils in this institution are improving in this subject. Shortage of mathematics teachers in British schools has for some time presented an opportunity to Indians to teach the subject.

Many of them have even immigrated to Britian to teach mathematics. A British firm, Bright Spark Education Company (BSEC), is facilitating the online mathematics classes by teachers thousands of miles away in Ludhiana. Lessons are booked 24 hours in advance; and at a stipulat-

ed students log on and converse with their tutor over the internet. The lessons, designed for children between seven and 16, cost £12 an hour; and parents sign up for blocks of two or five hours. The students appear to be excited about the project. BBC quoted several 10-yearolds saying this. Adam, a student, said: "It's fun because it's on the computer and not doing it on your books." Another student Rosa added: "It's fun because you're talking to someone from somewhere else." BSEC has employed around 100 maths graduates for the purpose, who are paid £7 an hour. One

thing in there is normal.'''

The researchers said they were struck by the variety of ways in which the subjects engaged in sex — 41 different combinations of sexual acts were tallied, encompassing vaginal and anal intercourse, oral sex, and partnered masturbation.

Men are more likely to among young people in the role condoms have in their sexual lives,'' he said. ``Condoms have become normative.''

Another intriguing finding — rates of condom usage among black and Hispanic men were significantly higher than for whites. The researchers said this suggested that HIV-AIDS awareness programs were now making headway in those communities, which have relatively high rates of the disease.

The lowest condom usage rates were for men over 50 — and the

researchers said this was worrisome, raising the risk for disease since an increasing number of older adults had multiple sexual partners.\ Other notable findings: — While about 7 percent of adult women and 8 percent of men identify as gay, lesbian or bisexual, the proportion of individuals who have had same-gender sex at some point in their lives is higher. For example, 15 percent of the men aged 50-59 said they had received oral sex from another man at some point.

Among adolescent boys, only about 2 percent of the 14-year-olds — but 40 percent of the 17-year-olds — said they had engaged in sexual intercourse in the past year. The survey was conducted from March through May of 2009, with the assistance of Knowledge Networks, among a nationally representative sample of adolescents and adults.

Once people were selected to participate, they were interviewed online; participants without Internet access were provided it for free.

The researchers said the 1994 survey was compiled through in-person interviews, while the new method — collecting data over the Internet — may help make respondents more comfortable about discussing sexual behaviors. Dr. Irwin Goldstein, editor-in-chief of the Journal of Sexual Medicine, noted that the new study came more than 60 years after Alfred Kinsey — also based at Indiana University — published his groundbreaking report, ``Sexual Behavior in the Human Male.'' ``Just like then, these papers contain material that is avant garde and often considered off-limits,'' Goldstein wrote in a forward to the study. ``At a time when we can have nudity on HBO but cannot use the

KATHMANDU: The Charles Sobhraj saga does not seem destined to be a Bollywood story, either in real or reel life.

The illegitimate son of a Sindhi tailor and a Vietnamese woman who earned worldwide notoriety through audacious fraud, preying on unsuspecting western tourists and suspected serial killings, thousand Bollywood films. However, while efforts by Mumbai's tinsel town directors have been blocked

by Sobhraj's lawyer with law suit threats, the reported deal that would have made him a household name again has now run into rough weather, thanks to the Supreme Court of Nepal sentencing him to life imprisonment for the 1975 murder of American tourist Connie Jo Bronzich.

Days before the shattering verdict came in July, the 66-year-old, confident that he would be acquitted, was said to have been negotiating a super lucrative film deal with no less than Bollywood badshah Shah Rukh Khan's Red Chillies Entertainment company. According to sources, there were to have been three films with at least one intend-

ed for Hollywood. The films were to have been based on his life and career in crimes with Sobhraj negotiating to have control over the script. The negotiations had gone as far as to even think of scouting in Hollywood for an actor who would have played Sobhraj's love interest.

The cherry on the deal was to have been a grand press conference in Kathmandu. Sobhraj, held in Kathmandu's Central Jail since 2003, had been planning to ask his agent in Mumbai to get Shah Rukh Khan to fly down to Kathmandu for the signing of the contract. Used to limelight, he had basked in the dream of the sensation it would have triggered in Nepal, India and beyond. It had never crossed his mind that the judges hearing his appeal would reject it. Before that fateful day on July 30, he is also said to have been negotiating deals with television channels in India and Paris, for exclusive interviews once he walked out of prison. However, his dreams were dashed when judges Ram Kumar Prasad Shah and Gouri Dhakal pronounced him guilty. To make matters worse, his Nepali girlfriend Nihita Biswas,

whom he claims to have married inside the prison during a traditional festival last year, and her mother Shakuntala Thapa, who had also been his lawyer, were slapped with a jail sentence and fine for contempt of court after they accused the judges of being corrupt. Boiling with frustration, Sobhraj has now thrown caution to the four winds. On Friday, after a long absence from headlines, he asserted himself again, issuing a statement that condemned Nihita and Thapa's sentence as "shocking" and smacking of "an inquisition court from the dark and feudal ages".

He has also flayed the judges barring Thapa from becoming a lawyer, calling it a violation of exercising her fundamental right to follow the profession of her choice.The statement, that also calls Nepal's judiciary "one of the most corrupt in the world" leaves Sobhraj himself wide open to a law suit for contempt of court. However, with all domestic remedies exhausted and no possibility of having his 20-year jail term commuted, yet another sentence is not likely to make much of a difference.

BEIJING: Mounting social pressure caused by the rapid economic growth and drop in fertility rate has led to a shot up in divorce cases in China, with nearly 8.48 lakh Chinese couples applying for separation in the first six months of this year. There was ten per cent raise in the country's divorce rate across the country with Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region and Chongqing municipality topping the list, official 'China Daily' reported on Monday. The report did not say whether the divorce rate was high among the Muslim Uyghurs or Chinese Hans in Xinjiang, which witnessed tensions between the two

communities last years. Shanghai ranked sixth and Beijing eighth in divorce cases. A report by the Ministry of Civil Affairs in June this year revealed that there was an annual rise of 7.6 per cent in the number of divorces from 2005 to 2009, with 2.47 million couples divorcing in 2009.

According to annual statistical reports, the number of couples divorcing, either by registering at civil affair bureaus or going to court - has been rising continuously since 2003, after the revised Regulation on Marriage Registration took effect.

"The revised regulation has to some extent facilitated more couples getting

No Shahrukh rescue act for Sobhraj?

US warns of terror attacks in Europe

WASHINGTON: It's a travel route and a ritual passage that is so commonplace for Americans that it's been dubbed "crossing the pond," euphemism for flying across the Atlantic. But in an extraordinary security alert on Sunday, the United States asked its citizens travelling to Europe to be vigilant about possible terrorist attacks there amid fears of imminent strikes by al- Qaida and its affiliates. The alert was also linked to the CIA director Leon Panetta's visit to the Indian subcontinent with an unpublicized schedule that had stops in both Islamabad and New Delhi. The security scuttlebutt, based on intelligence gleaned from a German citizen of Pakistani or Afghan origin who trained in

Rise of divorce cases in China alarming : Report

On the Meaning of Karma

OPINIONS AND LETTERS

By Robbie Michaelson

We often hear about “Karma” and how it can and does affect our lives. We all want some “karma” and yet I don't believe that most people really understand how “karma” can and does work.

Recently I had an experience that demonstrates the power of “karma” and the purpose of this article is to explain the true meaning of “karma” as it was revealed to this writer.

Recently I have began a new “career” as a full-time taxi driver in Berkeley. The work is both competitive and challenging and to my surprise I have not been bored. Who would have thought that a man with an M.A. Degree and several decades of middle management experience would be driving a taxi for a living but that is one of the realities of living in America in today's economy.

The above notwithstanding I have really come to enjoy driving a cab and the real reason is undoubtedly because of all of the fascinating and less fascinating people who ride in my cab each and every day.

One such lady is named “Sally” (not her real name) and it is to her that I dedicate this article. You see “Sally” is a rather special lady, she has a zest for life that is contagious and she symbolizes a whole underclass of people that we too often dismiss.

“Sally” is a woman probably in her mid-seventies with a severely deformed foot that leaves her unable to walk. She gets around by using a cane and whoever can help her balance and whom she can lean on. “Sally” also lives in a flophouse (also known as a residential hotel) in the Chinatown area of downtown Oakland. She wears the same dirty and torn old dress; her coat is filthy; and she carts around

Playful” discovery, profound results

I

n an era in which the Nobel Prize is awarded mostly to research far removed from the world of touch-andfeel and the familiar, there is, on the face of it, something prosaic about the subject of this year's award.

Graphene, for whose discovery the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics has been awarded to researchers Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov of the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom, is something every child who has used the humble pencil may have unwittingly produced. The very method of producing this new two-dimensional crystal, a single layer version of the graphite crystals that constitute the ‘lead' in pencils, using adhesive tape to separate the various layers, reinforces this feel of the familiar. Yet this material has unexpected properties that appear to open the door to an astonishingly varied range of applications, something that have been the subject of intense research since the discovery in 2004. For those whose expectations of cutting edge physics is firmly fixed on the exotic, graphene provides that too, with its one-atom thick structure furnishing a unique table-top setting for the exploration of the relativistic phenomena of the micro-world.

“Playfulness,” as the press release from Stockholm noted in an unusual emphasis (a sort of studied departure from gravitas), is one of the hallmarks of the awardees' work. Andre Geim has levitated frogs using magnets, levitation without meditation as a wag observed, as a pedagogical illustration of the phenomenon of diamagnetism. At a more serious level, Geim's research has produced material that, in its ability to adhere to surfaces, mimics the sticking power of geckos' feet. This playful research though was done on no sandlot but at a university that boasts no fewer than 23 Nobel Prize winners among its past and present faculty, a line that began with the pioneer of atomic and nuclear physics, Ernest Rutherford, in 1907. On a pessimistic note, this suggests that the Mathews effect in science, as the pioneering sociologist of science, Robert Merton, christened it, holds for institutions as well. “For to all those who have more will be given, and they will have an abundance”; success breeds yet more success and later arrivals to scientific competition in the era of the knowledge economy will have to struggle ever harder. The consoling part of the story is that at the individual level, as the record of Geim and Novoselov demonstrates, the credo of making do with what is available combined with creativity and the ability to leave the beaten path still counts — leading from playful discovery to an enduring entry in the record of science

some personal items – not in a purse but in a plastic bag; like the kind you get in the supermarkets.

Without getting too personal one can surmise that this gentle

October, 2010

woman is surviving on a monthly social security / disability check.

Now it just so happens, that for whatever reason, “Sally” has become partial to requesting my cab and my services whenever she has need of a taxi.

Ordinarily I welcome any and all business and I am sensitive to the special needs and requirements of the elderly and disabled. Anyhow, this past week I got a request to pick up “Sally” from the corner of Bancroft and Telegraph. It was not my turn for a “dispatch” but it seems that I was the only “cab driver” that she wanted; she had “rejected” another driver. So off I went, clear across town, to pick up dear “Sally”.

Imagine my “disappointment” when it transpired that she only wanted to go around the block; to Channing Way and Telegraph. Hardly a lucrative ride - $5 barely, tip included.

And then there was the “effort” of

23

helping poor “Sally” into and out of the cab, and assisting her (carrying is almost not an exaggeration) some 30 feet to the building entrance. So there I was, driving back to the “prime” spot I had vacated, in downtown Berkeley, feeling pretty sorry for myself. This fare was not the way to get rich and I had probably passed up a much more lucrative fare in the process.

What bad luck! And then it happened. Just as I was getting ready to cross Shattuck Avenue 2 business men jumped in front of my cab out of nowhere and yelled: “are you free?”. Of course the answer was “yes” and it soon transpired that they needed to leave immediately for the airport (a very lucrative, as it turned out, ride). So there you have it – Karma working its' magic to come full circle and right the universe. I know now that helping this woman can only be a good thing!

24

Diwali special

October, 2010

Diwali

Celebrations

I

n the midst of today's busy lifestyle, Diwali gives an opportunity to pause and be grateful for what we have, to make special memories with family and friends, to laugh and enjoy what life offers us. Though the festival of Dipavali has undergone some changes, in due course of time, yet it has continued to be celebrated since the time immemorial. Every year, the festive season of Diwali comes back with all the excitement and merriment. Times may have undergone a sea change but customs and traditions remain the same. It is difficult to state that, since when the festival of Dipavali has been celebrating in its present form. In India, the economy is based on agriculture, this festival was believed to be started as the celebration of 'rituparva' thousands of years ago. By this time the harvest of crops were complete. As a result the people had not to worry about food for the rest of year. This joys of their reflected ion the illumination of countless lamps. In due course of time, numerous historical incidents got connected with this festival.

There are many tales in the Puranas related with this festival. With the evolution of the lifestyle, there has been certain change in the way people celebrate Diwali, as more and more technology has been included, but the zeal and the spirit of celebration remains the same. Earthen lamps may have been replaced with stunning electric illuminations, dress code may have changed, but the custom and tradition of performing puja has been carried very well through generations.

People wake up at the crack of dawn to conduct the customary pujas. Dressed in brilliant silks and glittering gold jewelry families gather and light crackers to usher in the great evening. After a session of bursting crackers, its time to visit friends and relatives. Armed with sweets and savories people meet their near and dear ones.

Even today, Diwali is such a wonderful festival, a time of giving and sharing, a time to catch up with people, in other words its time to catch up with the little joys that we keep overlooking for the remaining part of the year.

Lord Mahavira's Nirvana Diwali

Diwali New Year

With the evolution of the lifestyle, there has been certain change in the way people celebrate Diwali, as more and more technology has been included, but the zeal and the spirit of celebration remains the same.

Deepavali The Brightest Festival D

iwali, popularly called Deepavali in some parts of India, is a festival which we all long for every year. The preparations for Deepavali start long before the festival date. First, the excitement for us would be the new dresses that are bought to be worn for Deepavali. Since Deepavali is a festival for more than 2 days, we have 2 or 3 new dresses. Apart from this all elders visiting us buy us sweets and dresses also. Jeans, T shirts, Trousers and shirts were all bought for me by my parents. The other major excitement for Deepavali is the bursting of crackers and fireworks. This year we burst lot of crackers. Earlier I used to be afraid of crackers. Now I have got over the fear of bursting crackers. My parents tell me that I have to be very careful while bursting. I followed their advice and there was no fire accident also. Sparklers, Rockets, Ground Chakkars and Flower pots were our favorites besides the Thousand thousand sparks bomb. The third rejoicing

A

aspect of Deepavali is the eating of sweets. We visit relatives and friends with sweets and snacks. They also visit us with sweets and snacks. We seek their blessings on the festival day. Gulab jamun, Laddoos, Halwas and Kaju cakes were my favorites. My grandmother tells me that the victory of Good over Evil is the reason for this celebration. She also says that the festival is to mark the return of Rama to Ayodhya after his defeat of Ravana. Lots of people also start new ventures on this day after performing Lakshmi Puja.

This is marked by lighting of lamps, candles and diyas by the women folk in the family. The light and colour add to the celebrations. In all, I can say that Deepavali is the brightest festival to be celebrated in India. The delicious food associated with the feast makes us feel that this festival must come more often in a year.

mong the Jain festivals, Diwali is one of the most important one. For on this occasion we celebrate the Nirvana of Lord Mahavira who established the dharma as we follow it. Lord Mahavira was born as Vardhamana on Chaitra Shukla 13 in the Nata clan at Khattiya-kundapura, near Vaishali. He obtained Kevala Gyana on Vishakha Shukla 10 at the Jambhraka village on the banks of Rijukula river at the age of 42. He initiated his shaashan (Jaina-shashana) on Shravana KrashNa 1 at his first assembly at Rajgrah. After having preached the dharma for 30 years, he attained Nirvana at Pava, at the age of 71 years and 6 and half months. The day of his Nirvana is is mentioned by many ancient authors. TiloyapaNNatti mentions: kattiya-kiNhe chaudasipachchuse saadiNaamanakkhatte, pavaae Nayariye ekko viresaro siddho. In Uttara-puraaNa: kraShNa-kaartika-pakshasya chartudashyam nishaatyay, svatiyoge tratiyeaddha-shukladhyaana-parayaNah. Thus during the krashNa of kartika month, during the svati nakshatra, on the night of the 14th (dawn of the amavasya), lord Mahavira became a Siddha.

The first day of Diwali is also a New Year of Business.

All companies pay off debts and their cars are decorated with flowers and palm leaves to bless the vehicles to run well in the new year.

D

iwali or Deepawali, is not only festival of lights, but also marks the beginning of the Hindu new year. It is one of the most important Indian national celebrations as it is believed that the Hindu goddess of good luck visits homes that are brightly lit. Children make "deeps" which are small clay lamps to light and bring the good luck goddess to their home so they can receive new clothes and toys. The first day of Diwali is also a New Year of Business. All companies pay off debts and their cars are decorated with flowers and palm leaves to bless the vehicles to run well in the new year. The customs of wearing new garments and exchanging gifts and greetings have come to be associated with Diwali, probably because of this New Year celebrations.

Accordingly most of the traditions of a New Year celebration are all present.

The occasion sees the spring-cleaning and white-washing of houses; decorative designs or rangolis are painted on floors and walls to greet the new year. Fresh flowers, exchanges of gifts, new clothes, meeting with friends and family, and feasting are part of the colorful festival. Each region of India celebrates Diwali in its own way, but the lighting of many small earthenware oil lamps is common throughout the country, setting homes and gardens aglow with twinkling lights. The lamps are symbolic of the victory of the light of goodness and knowledge over the darkness of evil and ignorance. The lighting of the lamps is also a way for people to show thanks for the good things in their lives.

Diwali special

Diwali Candles

A

festival of lights, Diwali celebrates the victory of divine spirit over the evil. Apart from the exchange of sweets and gifts, new clothes, shopping and fireworks, illumination of premises with diyas and electric lights plays a prominent part of the festival. By lighting candles in every nook and corner of the home and premises, we try to destroy the reign of darkness, on the night of Diwali. While lighting earthen diyas is the traditional way to celebrate Diwali, candles have gained popularity, for the festival of Diwali. Apart from being superior to diyas in terms of attractiveness, candles burn for a longer time, as compared to them. Diwali candles are available for different price ranges, to satisfy every kind of consumer, in India. Numerous types of candles have been literally flooding the market. The candle business has gained considerable success over the passing time, because it is believed that lighting candles in home on Diwali brings in the positive spirits. The collection of candles is an ideal to be used for your Diwali puja and for decorating your home. They make perfect gift items as well. Read more about the different types of Diwali candles, in the following lines.

Types Of Deepavali Candles

TEALIGHT CANDLES

Made of high quality wax, tea light candles are scented ones, which can burn for many hours. Tea light candles are safe and perfect for lighting crackers.

DESIGNER CANDLES

A nice way to brighten up your home on Diwali is to make use of designer candles. Depending upon your budget, purchase some designer candles.

GEL CANDLES

Gel candles come in set of petite glass pots that contain colored gel in them. Apart from illuminating your home on Diwali, gel candles can serve as beautiful decorative items.

FLOWER CANDLES

A variant of decorative candles, flower candles comes with a mini glass filled with colorful wax.

Sunflower candles are in hot trend. Other types of flower candles include roses, lilies and orchids.

Flower candles are beautiful ornamental show pieces as well.

SPARKLING CANDLES

Sparkling candles look very charming and attractive.

With the glory of their sparkles, they would make your Diwali truly bright and sparkling.

PERFUMED CANDLES

Perfumed candles are molded in small containers.

When illuminated, they would fill the ambience with soothing fragrance and boost up the festive spirit of your family and friends.

HANDMADE CANDLES

There are handmade designer candles available in shapes of various fruits such as apple, orange, mango, lemon etc. and colored accordingly. These candles when lighted fill in your ambience with the lights of joy.

October, 2010

25

DIYA Wall Hanging Unique Diwali gifts ideas should be such that they can touch the deepest chord of the recipient's heart and can bring a sense of satisfaction in the giver's heart that his gift was able to bring the long cherished smile on the recipient's face.

DIWALI Gifts Ideas

Another option for unique Diwali gift can be wall hanging diya, which have the engraved pictures of Lord Ganesha and Goddess Lakshmi and other Diwali pictures on them.

These diyas can be simply hanged from the entrance of the home or from the entrance point of the small temples in the home.

D

iwali is a festival synonymous with celebrations in India and among Indians all over the world, is an occasion for jubilation and togetherness.

Irrespective of religious and economic background, the celebration of Diwali festival in India is throughout the country to ward off the darkness and welcome the light into their lives. This explains the illumination of numerous Diwali lamps and Diwali diyas on the pious occasion of Diwali. Though this festival is celebrated in various ways but one of the best ways of celebrating this joyful festival is of giving out some unique Diwali gifts to each other.

Unique Diwali gifts ideas should be such that they can touch the deepest chord of the recipient's heart and can bring a sense of satisfaction in the giver's heart that his gift was able to bring the long cherished smile on the recipient's face. Well here are some suggestions for unique Diwali gifts, which will definitely be able to satisfy all your needs for a unique Diwali gift for your near and dear ones. White Ganesha Sculpture A unique Diwali gifts can be white metal Ganesha sculpture. This white sculpture of Lord Ganesha can be considered to be the best definition of beauty and elegance and has the potential of bringing about a touch of devotion on the pious occasion of Diwali. You can also look for the white sculptures of Goddess Lakshmi as both Lord Ganesha and goddess Lakshmi form an integral part of the Diwali celebrations.

LAKSHMI

ON A LOTUS

Diwali Pooja Thali

It is a tradition to commemorate Goddess Lakshmi on the eve of Diwali through the means of Lakshmi Puja. So go ahead and gift the idol of Goddess Lakshmi seated on a lotus flower to your loved ones this Diwali, so that they can also get a beautiful and graceful picture of Goddess Lakshmi and can honor her in their own ways. If you are not in the country then you can send this Diwali gift to India as a token of your love for them.

T

he festival of Diwali is not just limited to bursting of firecrackers, shopping, wearing new clothes and sharing sweet delicacies, decorating homes and offices attractively, but also about worship of the Almighty to ensure health, wealth and prosperity. The ceremonious occasion, which lasts for five days of extravaganza, encompasses spiritualism in it, which reminds us of its connection to the Hindu mythology.

This is the reason why, people indulge themselves in offering prayers to their favorite deity. A number of pujas add to the spiritual mood of the celebrations. A puja thali becomes important, when you worship.

A puja thali is the plate in which all the items required to perform the worship or the puja of the God and Goddess are kept. The puja items include Roli for tilak, Akshat, Ghanti (bell), a small Kalash filled with water, Kalava to tie around the wrist, gold or silver coins, aarti-diya and some colorful flowers. The puja-thali has

the thali with two tablespoons of ghee (clarified butter) and then sprinkle kumkum (holy vermilion) all over it. Now, draw a swastika symbol in the center of the thali, using your finger. After the kumkum is set completely, spread the petals of flowers, say, marigold or roses.

Next, it is the time to arrange diyas. Add a bell, camphor, haldi, Prasad (a sweet) and a little amount of rice. You may now use the beautifully decorated thali for your Lakshmi puja.

Puja Thali With Mirror Pieces

special significance for the festival of diwali in which the worship of Goddess Lakshmi is the main theme. Agarbatti, camphor, coconut, betel, betel leaves, sandalwood paste, candles, flowers, seasonal fruits and sweets (as Prasad) and silver or gold coins having image of Goddess Lakshmi, Lord Ganesh, Om, Swastika or Shree are also kept in a thali.

Puja Thali With Kumkum

If you want to decorate your Diwali puja thali with kumkum, then you need a small to medium sized steel thali. Smear

A puja thali with small pieces of mirrors would look very attractive. First, cover a medium sized steel or bronze thali with bright colored satin cloth. You may choose red or orange for the purpose. Now, stick a contrasting lace around the rim of the thali, using glue.

Next, small sized oval shaped mirrors of different shapes in the thali. Place a fancy aroma candle at the center of the thali, which will be now surrounded by mirrors. Include puja items, such as Prasad, rice, kumkum and a bell, in the thali. Be careful not to break the mirrors due to improper handling of the thali.

Moreover, the size of the candle should perfectly complement the size of the thali.

26

Gujia GUJIA

Ingredients

Flour 250 grams Khoya 500 grams Raisins a few Almonds 100 grams (finely chopped) Cooking oil 3 tablespoon Water 100 ml Sugar 250 grams

DIWALI RECIPES

October, 2010

Process

Mix the oil and flour properly to form a binding consistency of breadcrumbs. Add some water and knead lightly the entire mixture. Make it soft dough and set it aside with a damp cloth covering it. Fry the khoya in cooking oil till it becomes light brown and then mix the sugar in it properly. Add the almonds and raisins, and fry for a few more minutes. Remove from fire and let it cool. Make small thick chapattis out of that kneaded dough. Fill half of the chapatti with the khoya mixture and, rolling it, seal the sides of the chapatti keeping the khoya inside it. Make the sealing look decorated by giving a look of hemming. Deepfry these gujias until it becomes light golden brown, keeping the flame at low.

Take out the gujias on a newspaper and let the oil get soaked. Serve hot or store it in an airtight container for using it on that special day.

HERE IS A DELECTABLE COLLECTION OF TRADITIONAL DIWALI RECIPES TO HELP YOU MAKE THIS DIWALI CELEBRATIONS MORE ZESTFUL!! THE COLLECTION INCLUDES RECIPES FOR DIWALI DESERTS AND SNACKS. CHOOSE AND COOK YOUR FAVORITE DIWALI RECIPE WITH LOVE AND DELIGHT YOUR DEAR ONES IN A VERY SPECIAL WAY!!

SOAN

Barfi

BESAN KI

Ingredients:

KHOYA

Laddu

Besan 1 kg Sugar 1 kg Water 1/2 liter Ghee 1 kg For garnishing: Pistas, Almonds

Ingredients:

2 cups khoya 1&1/2 cups of coarsely powdered roasted sesame seeds (til) Powdered sugar to taste Kesar, chopped almonds and pistas for decoration

Papdi

FOOD Ingredients:

SOAN Papdi

Process

Sift both flours together.

Heat ghee in a heavy saucepan. Add flour mixture and roast on low till light golden.

Keep aside to cool a little, stirring occasionally.

Process

Fry besan in ghee on low flame for about 30 mins till it becomes pink and ghee separates.

Mix sugar and water into a syrup.

Add this syrup to the besan and mix well.

Pour this mixture into a greased tray.

When it cools cut into cubes and garnish with pistas and almonds.

Process

Roast the khoya on low flame till it is very light golden yellow color.

Let is cool for few minutes.

Then add coarsely powdered roasted sesame seeds and mix it.

Add powdered sugar when the above mixture is luke warm.

Mix well and shape into small balls. If the mixture is too hot then the sugar will melt so care has to be taken that mixture should not be hot.

Arrange in a plate and decorate with kesar, chopped almonds and pistas.

Prepare syrup simultaneously. Make syrup out of sugar, water and milk. Bring syrup to 2 1/2 thread consistency.

Pour at once into the flour mixture. Beat well with a large fork till the mixture forms threadlike flakes.

Pour onto a greased

1/2 kg maida.

750 gm sugar.

1/2 ltr.milk.

1 cup grated coconut.

6 bananas.

25gm dry fruits.

5-6 ilaichi.

1 ltr. Refined oil.

Laddu

Ingredients:

1 cup Wheat Flour 1/4 cup Gram Flour 11/2 cup Sugar Powder 1/4 cup Grated Coconut 1/4 cup Dry Fruit almonds, raisins, kaju etc 1 cup Ghee

Process

Heat the ghee.

Put both the flours in the heated ghee.

When nearly roasted put coconut and sliced dry fruit in the mixture.

Now put the ground sugar in the mixture and stir thoroughly.

Take off from the heat quickly and make laddus. You may also put the mixture in an oil based thali & make small pieces.

surface or thali and roll to 1" thickness lightly. Sprinkle the elaichi and gently press down with palm.

Cool, cut into 1" squares, wrap individually into square pieces of thin plastic sheet. Store in an airtight container.

Malpua

Ingredients:

WHEAT

1 1/4 cup Gram Glour 1 1/4 cup Maida 250 gms Ghee 2 1/2 cups Sugar 1 1/2 cup Water 2 tbsp Milk 1/2 tsp Cardamom seeds crushed coarsely 4" squares cut from a thin polythene sheet

Process

Boil the milk and stir it till it becomes thick. Then cool it.

In the milk add maida, sugar, dryfruits , coconut and ilaichi powder .Stir it till it becomes a paste.

Make banana paste and add it into the maida paste.

Hot oil in a pan.

Make round shaped balls of the paste.

Fry these till they turn red.

STAR AGE ARIES

March-21 to April-20

CANCER

June-22 to July-23

LIBRA

September-24 to October-22

CAPRICOM

December-23 to Januar-20

Jealousy could be a problem since you want absolute commitment, and any hint of you not being in control of the situation will make you feel insecure. You may be magnifying a tiny matter out of all proportion.

Don’t get too pushy, even if you feel someone is being rather unfair in their actions towards you.

Loved ones are bringing out the best in you now and you’ll be positively child-like yourself in your open hearted determination to play as much as possible. You’ll be putting your feelings on the line, saying what you mean, and hinting loudly in the direction of loved ones.

You want tangible gestures of affection to make you feel appreciated and wanted now, either in cuddles or in presents. Venus in the sign after yours makes you emotionally rather fixed, at times rather possessive, even jealous at times. Try to be flexible.

Make sure you communicate to loved ones that your rather detached manner is not a rejection of them. You are just in a butterfly mood, not settling anywhere for long. At times like this you may notice a tendency in yourself to over control your environment which can lead to resentment.

TAURUS

April-21 to May-20

LEO

July-24 to August-23

SCORPIO

October-23 to November-22

AQUARIES

January-21 to February-19

You are determined to keep relationships around you smooth and harmonious. But turning somersaults just to keep the peace or avoid confrontations may not always be wise. Be firm but tactful if the need arises. You will be passionate in your search for truth and knowledge.

You are looking around at home seeing how you can make your immediate environment feel more comfortable, relaxing and stylish. But it does seem difficult for you to throw away outworn possessions or furniture.

You will avoid confrontations since you can’t be bothered. But if you compromise too much just for the sake of calm, it may make you sound superficial or insincere. This is not the time to be frivolous, or too scattered. Just keep your sense of humour handy.

If you’re on the lookout for a new romance, you could find it with someone slightly older. It may not be grand passion, but it could raise your social status, and get you invited out to all the best places. You do need the chance to dig beneath the surface of your life to explore your what is really bothering you.

GEMINI

May-21 to June-21

VIRGO

August-24 to September-23

SAGITTARIUS

November-23 to December-22

PISCES

February-20 to March-20

October, 2010

27

Your detachment can have its useful side since you can pick out what is worth saving and what is not. But push it too far and you will only cause problems. Your feelings are not that light hearted now. Maybe you are trying too hard to stay in control and are wary of being pushed around by authority figures.

You will go out of your way to smooth ruffled feathers. A calm atmosphere makes you feel settled, where angry words get your more on edge than usual. Just remember to stand up for yourself at times, since you can give in too much just to keep the peace.

Time spent on your own need not necessarily be lonely, since you will have a chance to connect to your own deeper feelings. Remember also that this is only a temporary phase and will soon be over. You can start to build better securities now though you will have to understand what went wrong in the past.

You want a social life at the moment that is challenging, not dull, and will be doing all you can to breathe a little adventure into your off duty activities. Though the atmosphere in friendships or team relationships may be difficult to handle lightly at the moment.

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SPORTS

October, 2010

Rahman adds B'wood flavour

C

ine stars gave it a miss but the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games had its Bollywood moment with AR Rahman's Chaiya Chaiya enthralling the audience during the 'Great Indian journey' segment of the event on Sunday night. The journey, a programme organised by the Indian Railways, started with a makeshift train chugging across the stadium with dancers and people from all walk of life thronging the roof, singing and celebrating the true spirit of the Games. As the Dil se song played at the background, audience burst into a loud cheer. With the real stars missing, giant cutouts of Bollywood superstars such as Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan and Shahrukh Khan were put up for display at the train. 'Dholi Taro', a song from 'Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam', could also be heard at the background. In the pre-show, Bollywood music composer Anand Raj Anand and singer Shibani Kashyap enthralled the audience with their renditions. Anand sang his Commonwealth song 'come out and play', while Kashyap performed some of her hit Bollywood numbers. The evening culminated with Rahman singing his Oscar winning song from 'Slumdog Millionaire', 'Jai Ho'.

Colours of India come alive in CWG opening ceremony

I

ndia on Sunday put behind a nightmarish build-up of scandals, filth and dirt and missed deadlines to come up with a dazzling and vibrant opening ceremony for the Commonwealth Games--the country's biggest sporting spectacle--watched live by a global audience of around three billion.

Against the backdrop of an early October sun set, the spanking new Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium turned into a golden hue as the Rs 44 crore aerostat lifted into the skies and a bevy of puppets danced and over 800 drummers heralded the event. A spectacular laser fireworks show lit up the evening sky and India took a giant leap, 28 years after it hosted the Asian Games. In a neat diplomatic compromise, Prince Charles, representing Queen Elizabeth, the head of the Commonwealth, and President Pratibha Patil did the honours at the inaugural ceremony, amid thunderous cheers from the capacity 60,000 crowd. "I have much pleasure in declaring the 19th Commonwealth

Tendulkar scales Mount 14,000 in Tests

BANGALORE: In yet another first, India's all time great Sachin Tendulkar on Sunday became the only person to scale the 14,000 peak in Test cricket during their five-day match against Australia. Needing 27 runs to reach into the landmark, the 37-year-old cut offspinner Nathan Hauritz through coverpoint for a boundary and accomplish the feat in his 171st Test. A packed Chinnaswamy Stadium crowd rose and gave the Indian maestro a standing ovation as Australian skipper Ricky Ponting came up to congratulate Tendulkar who is unbeaten on 44. At

12178, Ponting remains Tendulkar's nearest rival but the Aussie is still behind by 1839 runs. Incidentally, it was during Australia's last tour of India, Tendulkar crossed Brian Lara's record of most number of runs in Tests. Lara (11953) occupies the third spot in the elite list of most runs in Test career as his position remains to be in danger with Indian batsman Rahul Dravid (11581) closing in on the gap.

Tendulkar also became the highest Test run-getter at Chinnaswamy Stadium scoring in excess of 600, eclipsing Sunil Gavaskar's total.

President, Prince Charles jointly declare

CWG OPEN

T

he 19th Commonwealth Games was on Sunday jointly declared open by Prince Charles and President of India Pratibha Patil in a diplomatic compromise that was worked out much before the inauguration. Officially the Queen, the ceremonial head of the Commonwealth, declares the Games open.

Butthe monarch's decision not to attend the ceremony for the first time in 44 years led to a diplomatic arrangement between the British officials and the Indian authorities. Under the compromise it was decided that both Charles and President Patil would jointly declare the Games open. In a spectacular opening ceremony, after the Queen's baton was handed over by Beijing Olympic bronze medallist wrestler Sushil Kumar to Charles, the Prince of Wales read out the Queen's message but it was President Patil who had the last word, saying, "Let the Games begin".

"My wife and I are pleased to be able to join you here in Delhi, where I have been asked by Her Majesty the Queen to be here at the start of the 19th Commonwealth Games," Prince Charles said in his message. "It is fitting that these Games are being held in India.

Games open", the Prince said reading out a message from the British monarch. This was followed by the address of President Patil, who concluded by saying " the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi are now open. Let the Games begin", signalling the formal commencement of the sporting extravaganza. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, his cabinet colleagues, former President APJ Abdul Kalam, Congress President Sonia Gandhi, General Secretary Rahul Gandhi, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, Maldives President Mohammed Nashid, Prince of Monaco Albert II, Commonwealth Games Federation President Mike Fennell, Organising Committee Chairman Suresh Kalmadi and a host of dignitaries were present at the ceremony. It was a mix of both cheers and jeers for Kalmadi when he made his speech while references to Dikshit were received by loud cheers in the audience.

Manmohan Singh

Enjoy our hospitality, enjoy the Games, enjoy the incredible sound and sights of Indiaâ&#x20AC;Ś Millions are waiting eagerly to watch the Games unfold and celebrate the sporting excellence.

Lalit Modi says Royals, Kings XI termination illegal

NEW DELHI: Former IPL chairman Lalit Modi on Sunday hit out against the BCCI's decision to axe Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab from the Indian Premier League and said it was "illegal" as the Board had chosen a path of vengeance. "The status of all teams is the same. They were all approved.

There is no ambiguity as far as that is concerned. The action it totally illegal," Modi wrote in his favourite medium, Twitter. Instead of concentrating on building IPL and BCCI, they have chosen a path of vengeance and in that they will only hurt the game," he wrote in the micro-blogging website. Pointing fingers at the Board's secretary N Srinivasan, Modi said: "All illegal things done by Chennai Super Kings

PM India

and its owners have been overlooked by BCCI. Why? Who is running the show. What has Srinivasan got om (sic) them?" He further alleged that anyone who objects to the president-elect has to face the wrath of the BCCI adding that he is glad not to be a part of the current set up. Modi said the teams make the IPL and the BCCI's action would harm its own image and that of the successful tournament.

"They are hell bent on destroying something that we as Indians are proud of -- the IPL. So as to satisfy there personal agendas," Modi wrote. "BCCI's total disregard for franchisees and there stakeholders only goes to show that BCCI has lost the ability to administer sensibly," he added.

October, 2010

29

SHRI MUKAMBIKA JOYTHISH MANDIR ASTROLOGER & PALM READER

PANDIT LAKSHMI NARAYAN

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28151 Ruus Road #8, Hayward, CA 94544

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October, 2010

October, 2010

KIRTAN SAMELAN IN MODESTO

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October, 2010