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Mon, 08 Mar 2010 23:36:20 -0800
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Today's Topics:
1. Taliban is the future (Pawan Durani)
2. LEONARDO SCHOLARSHIP for the 1st International Masters in
MediaArtHistories (Image Science)
3. Hurriyat chairman wants stylish jeep (Pawan Durani)
4. some snaps from Ukrainian history (ravikant)
5. [Announcements] Talk by Prof. Kathryn Hansen (Mitoo Das)
--- Begin Message ---Dear Readers , Before I am being misinterpreted once again , i wish to clarify that the subject line is not mine . This is a statement by Gen Hamid Gul of Pakistan. The reason I am sharing his interview is for the reason that I found his thoughts very similar to Lashkar & Taliban. Just wanted to know if others feel the same ? Pawan Durani http://generalhamidgul.com/home “America is history, Karzai is history, the Taliban are the future” You recently said 'the Taliban is the future, the Americans are the past in Afghanistan'. Isn't that a little far-fetched? The Americans are defeated. It isn't necessarily because their firepower and their might has weakened, but it is because their own people are sick and tired [of engagement in Afghanistan]. There is fatigue now, fatigue is the threat and is the worst thing for a nation to suffer from. There is no way that the Americans can hold on to Afghanistan. Could that lead to [Afghanistan President] Hamid Karzai's government being toppled? Karzai is no more. He is now fighting for his life. They have already started telling him that by the end of this year he will have to shoulder the responsibility of security in Afghanistan. But what are they giving him for this? Nothing at all. In fact, more civilian casualties in military operations are going to weaken Karzai's position. Some in Afghanistan believe that the extent of civilian casualties has empowered the Taliban's resurgence. It is not only that. While the civilian casualties have certainly made the Taliban a popular movement in Afghanistan - some 80 per cent of the population support them - the people of Afghanistan are fed up with corruption. They are sick of the influence of warlords and drug barons, and the continued American occupation. If it was a shot stint - come in and get out after completing the job - the situation would have been different. But the Americans didn't do that. If they wanted to disperse al-Qaeda, they succeeded after the first year, and after that they should have pulled out. The fact they stayed on betrays their real intentions in Afghanistan until Barack Obama, the US president, came and started talking about withdrawal. It was only last December that Obama announced that the US will pull out of Afghanistan. Hillary Clinton said the same thing, but there is a dichotomy. On the one hand they say 'We are not here to stay in Afghanistan', but on the other hand they carry out surges and want to prop up and build the Afghan Army. However, they don't give the money to build the Afghan Army - just $140mn. Compare this to how much it costs the US to keep just one soldier in Afghanistan - $1mn dollars per soldier per year in Afghanistan. They have now about 68,000 US troops. It is currently costing them $65bn just to maintain these troops. There are another 30,000 US troops now coming, so it will cost the US $100bn a year to maintain its forces in Afghanistan. The US is a heavily indebted nation so how are they going to afford this? Some 57 per cent of Americans in the polls say they don't like this war and want their boys to return home. The Americans can't take casualties, that is their problem. To compensate, they started employing security contractors, some 104,000 security contractors currently in Afghanistan. What does this mean? Mercenaries to be used where troops cannot be deployed? We have already seen what mercenaries did in Iraq. The Americans are more and more inclined - because the US military cannot suffer casualties - to employ mercenaries, not just from the US but also from the local population. This is a very dangerous trend if we are to believe that mercenaries can win wars and carry forward the political objectives of the country. This means that whoever has more money can employ more mercenaries, win wars, win territories, etc. Given everything you have just said, how do you think the latest US and Nato offensive against the Taliban is going to play out? It is not going to work. I think it is an 'eye wash', it has political purpose back home. But there is no political purpose for Afghanistan. They are saying that they are protecting the civilian population, but they are dislodging the civilians from their homes in very harsh weather conditions in Afghanistan. The cold winds from the steppes of Central Asia sweep these regions. When you launch such military operations, the people are inevitably dislodged and their fields abandoned. In this situation, what are the Americans trying to achieve - I don't know. There is much ambiguity about their political objectives. Every military conflict must have a political purpose. I cannot discern that there is any political purpose. >From a strategic point of view, Pakistan's involvement in Afghanistan has been seen as setting up a buffer, or deterrent, to India. But now that Pakistan has nuclear capability, how important is Afghanistan to Islamabad? We want a friendly Afghanistan. We know India is playing havoc with us. The Pakistani Taliban are being sponsored by the Indian intelligence and the Mossad, by the way, to carry out their attacks in Pakistan. The Mossad is very active in Pakistan and they are providing all the guidance and technical support to the Indian intelligence. So, Pakistan has to have its back covered - no country can fight on two fronts. We have to have a friendly Afghanistan, this does not mean that we dominate Afghanistan. No one can dominate Afghanistan, a country which has already buried two superpowers and the third one is about to be buried there. No, that's not the purpose Pakistan has in Afghanistan. Is the failure to stabilise Afghanistan adversely affecting Pakistan's own security? Yes, indeed it is. The conflict is not just derivative of the failures of the Kabul government - that is a puppet government. The real cause of the conflict is the occupation of Afghanistan by the Americans. If they go out, and after such a time - post-US occupation, the OIC and the Muslim countries have to come in and play their part. Then Afghanistan can redeem itself. I do not think that Afghanistan will be another Vietnam for the Americans because they have said they will pull out. Obama is a president who is very clear. In his State of the Union address, I think it was clear he was not addressing terrorism but instead focusing on such internal issues as healthcare, unemployment and debt servicing. It appears he is more focused on the domestic front than foreign affairs. You can't focus on both at the same time. There has been a surge in violence in Pakistan since the exit of Pervez Musharraf, the former president. The Pakistani Taliban threaten towns and cities, and there are tensions between the PPP and MQM in key ports like Karachi. What is needed to stabilise Pakistan right now? Political cleaning up of the mess. The rule of law must take root in Pakistan. Unfortunately, the more powerful among the politicians and generals, when it comes to their turn - whether by martial law or civilian democracy - they want to run the affairs of the country according to their own predilections and propensities. And that is where we go wrong. The political institution has to be set right; the Supreme Court and Parliament must be empowered. Right now, all the power is vested under the 17th Amendment, which was an amendment to the constitution passed by the dictator Musharraf in 2003. This gave more power to the office of the president and the ability to bypass the constitution and remain in leadership irrespective of elections. Asif Ali Zardari, the Pakistani president, now has that power and he is refusing to budge. So, the 17th Amendment has to go, Parliament has to be empowered, rule of law by the Supreme Court has to be established and the army must not interfere. Then things will begin to fall in place and we will take the right direction. Do you think the US is helping Zardari stay in power because he is seen as co-operating in the so-called war on terror? I think there is ambivalence in their position and they sometimes do criticise him. The American press has in the past bashed Zardari, but it has gone quiet now. The Americans fear the return of the Supreme Court in Pakistan because it could rule that the US drone attacks are violations of the country's sovereignty. If that happens, Parliament would have to act on the Supreme Court's decision and reverse the policy. The Americans are sceptical and suspicious that if the Supreme Court is given free reign in Pakistan, it is likely to rule against their interests and agenda in Pakistan. Do you think the government will survive until the next national elections? The government will survive but I am almost certain Zardari will not. I do not want to appear to be clairvoyant, but I doubt Zardari has many days left in government. In recent years, US officials have accused you of having close ties with the Taliban and al-Qaeda. How do you respond to that? No, this is wrong, I have no such ties. As far as al-Qaeda is concerned, I simply say come up with the evidence for 911. You haven't even charged Osama bin Laden so far, that means you don't have hard evidence against him. The full story is yet to come out. In my opinion, all this is a gimmick, an inside job. In regards to the Taliban, I support their cause of Afghan resistance. I lend them my moral support because I have in the past had strong connections with them. Incidentally, I maintained strong connections with both sides. Many in the Afghan government are my good friends. But since the Taliban are representing the national spirit of resistance, I have given them my voice. The Americans sent my name to the UN Security Council to put me on a sanctions list and declare me an international terrorist. But they failed because the Chinese knew the truth well and blocked that move. Basically, the Americans have nothing against me. I saw the charges and I replied to them in the English-language press in Pakistan. I said if they have anything against me to bring it forward, put me on trial. Tell me what wrong I have done. I have been taking moral stands. The Americans talk of freedom of speech, but apparently my speech hurts them because it counters their excesses. I won't use the word 'interests' because what US policy-makers are doing runs against the interests of the American people. If I say this is right and this is wrong, I am exercising my right and ultimately, this is to the benefit of the American people. But Zardari once told a western journal that you are a "political ideologue of terror". I wrote a letter to Zardari that I am an ideologue of jihad, which is common between us. He is a Muslim like me and believes in the Quran. Terror is a totally different thing. I do not support terror at all, but jihad is our right when a nation is oppressed. According to the United Nations Charter, national resistance for liberation is a right. We call this a jihad. Source: Al-Jazeera
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--- Begin Message ---The Department for Image Science and Leonardo/ISAST are pleased to announce their new cooperative effort, a half-tuition scholarship for the Master of Arts (MA) course in MediaArtHistories, with a start in May 2010! => LEONARDO SCHOLARSHIP FOR MEDIA ART HISTORIES The scholarship is planned to answer the critical challenges of the 21st century, which require mobilization and cross-fertilization among the domains of art, science and technology by supporting the studies of a new researcher or artist. => FIRST INTERNATIONAL MASTER OF MEDIA.ART.HISTORIES (low-residency; English language, international faculty) The postgraduate program MediaArtHistories conveys the most important developments of contemporary art through a network of renowned international theorists, artists and curators like: Erkki HUHTAMO, Lev MANOVICH, Christiane PAUL, Paul SERMON, Edward SHANKEN, Jens HAUSER, Sean CUBITT, Christa SOMMERER, Gerfried STOCKER, Knowbotic Research, Frieder NAKE, Oliver GRAU and many others. Artists and programmers give new insights into the latest software, interface developments and their interdisciplinary and intercultural praxis. Keywords are: Strategies of Interaction & Interface Design, Social Software, Immersion & Emotion and Artistic Invention. Using online databases and other modern aids, knowledge of computer animation, netart, interactive, telematic and genetic art as well as the most recent reflections on nano art, augmented reality and wearables are introduced. Historical derivations that go far back into art and media history are tied in intriguing ways to digital art. Important approaches and methods from Image Science, Media Archaeology and the History of Science &Technology will be discussed. => DANUBE UNIVERSITY KREMS - located in the UNESCO world heritage Wachau, 70km from Vienna, is the only public university in Europe specializing in advanced continuing education by offering low-residency degree programs for working professionals and lifelong learners. Our students & faculty members come from the USA, Italy, Canada, Syria, Austria, Mexico, & Hong Kong, among others. Without interrupting their career, students have the opportunity to learn through direct experience, social learning in small groups and contacts with labs and industry. They gain key qualifications for the contemporary art and media marketplace. The Center in Monastery Goettweig, where most MediaArtHistories courses take place, is housed in a 14th century building, remodeled to fit the needs of modern research in singular surroundings. => LEONARDO/ISAST - Leonardo creates opportunities for the powerful exchange of ideas between practitioners in art, science and technology. Through publications, initiatives and public forums, Leonardo/ISAST facilitates cross-disciplinary research in these fields, seeking to catalyze fruitful solutions for the challenges of the 21st century. Among the challenges requiring cross-disciplinary approaches are establishing sustainable environmental practices, spreading global scientific and artistic literacy, creating technological equity, and encouraging freedom of thought and imagination. By enhancing communication between scientists, artists, and engineers, Leonardo supports experimental projects and interacts with established institutions of art and science to transform their research and educational practices. =>LEAF - The Leonardo Education and Art Forum promotes the advancement of artistic research and academic scholarship at the intersections of art, science, and technology. Serving practitioners, scholars, and students who are members of the Leonardo community, LEAF provides a forum for collaboration and exchange with other scholarly communities, including the College Art Association of America (CAA), of which it is an affiliate society. Application documents (digital) : - Letter of Motivation - Application form - Copies/scans of certificates - Copy/scan of passport Application Deadline: 28. March 2010 Further Information: http://www.donau-uni.ac.at/mah www.leonardo.info www.virtualart.at www.mediaarthistories.org Contact: Andrea Haberson Department for Image Science Danube University Krems Dr.-Karl-Dorrek-Str. 30, A-3500 Krems Tel: +43(0)2732 893-2569 andrea.haber...@donau-uni.ac.at www.donau-uni.ac.at/dis
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--- Begin Message ---http://www.mumbaimirror.com/article/3/2010030920100309020103846fb6d48c6/Hurriyat-chairman-wants-stylish-jeep.html <http://www.mumbaimirror.com/article/3/2010030920100309020103846fb6d48c6/Hurriyat-chairman-wants-stylish-jeep.html> *Srinagar:* When it comes to availing facilities and using resources of the state for their personal security and convenience, separatist leaders in Kashmir are very much Indian subjects. Sources from the police department told *Mumbai Mirror* that Hurriyat Chairman Mirwaiz Umer Farooq has allegedly turned down the bullet-proof vehicle provided by the State Government because he wanted a more stylish bullet-proof jeep to roam in the valley. The Jammu and Kashmir police have upgraded security of separatist leaders, who are under threat from militants. The step was taken after Hurriyat Conference Fazal Haq Qureshi was shot by militants in Srinagar. Most of the leaders and politicians live in palatial houses in upmarket colonies. They are protected by security personnel armed with lethal weapons and are driven around in bullet-proof cars. Some of the leaders, who travel in bullet-proof vehicles and have a Z-plus security include Moulvi Abbas Ansari, Bilal Lone, Sajad Lone, Shahid-ul-Islam, Aga Sayeed Hassan, Prof Abdul Gani Bhat and Mirwaiz Umar among others. Mirwaiz Moulvi Umar Farooq chairman of the moderate Hurriyat Conference is shadowed by a Gypsy both in the front and rear when he travels, carrying 10 policemen. His residence near the Hazratbal shrine is fortified by a platoon of policemen, who ensure that even journalists keep away from him
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--- Begin Message ---Yes, Naim Saheb,Instant, poignant, awesome artwork! See the video first and read the guide pasted below later.ravikantI found it riveting. Apparently it's quite a popular art in that part of the world.http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=vOhf3OvRXKg Begin forwarded message:> This video shows the winner of "Ukraine’s Got > Talent", Kseniya Simonova, 24, drawing a series of > pictures on an illuminated sand table showing how ordinary > people were affected by the German invasion during World War > II. Her talent, which admittedly is a strange one, is > mesmeric to watch. > > > > > The images, projected onto a large screen, moved many in > the audience to tears and she won the top prize of about > £75,000. > > > > She begins by creating a scene showing a couple sitting > holding hands on a bench under a starry sky, but then > warplanes appear and the happy scene is obliterated. > > > > It is replaced by a woman’s face crying, but then a baby > arrives and the woman smiles again. Once again war returns > and Miss Simonova throws the sand into chaos from which a > young woman’s face appears. > > > > She quickly becomes an old widow, her face wrinkled and > sad, before the image turns into a monument to an Unknown > Soldier. > > > > This outdoor scene becomes framed by a window as if the > viewer is looking out on the monument from within a > house. > > > > In the final scene, a mother and child appear inside and a > man standing outside, with his hands pressed against the > glass, saying goodbye. > > > > The Great Patriotic War, as it is called in Ukraine, > resulted in one in four of the population being killed with > eight to 11 million deaths out of a population of 42 > million. > > > > > > Kseniya Simonova says: > > "I find it difficult enough to create art using paper > and pencils or paintbrushes, but using sand and fingers is > beyond me. The art, especially when the war is used as the > subject matter, even brings some audience members to tears. > And there’s surely no bigger compliment." > > > > > > > Please take time out to see this amazing piece of art. > > > > click on the link below - > > > > http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=vOhf3OvRXKg >
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--- Begin Message ---*Talk at Sarai.**Prof. Kathryn Hansen*, from the *University of Texas* will deliver a talk on *Passionate Refrains: The Theatricality of Urdu on the Parsi Stage* *Venue:* Seminar Room- CSDS *Date:* 18 March 2010 *Time:* 4:00 pm *Passionate Refrains: The Theatricality of Urdu on the Parsi Stage:*The Parsi theatre contributed to the development of Indian cinema in textual legacies of story and theme, genre and star roles. It also supplied technical expertise, personnel, and capital vital to the new industry. This paper considers another aspect of the Parsi theatre connection: the stylized structures of language, thought, and feeling associated with the Urdu language. Beginning with the popular pageant, the Indar Sabha, Parsi theatrical companies embraced the poetics of the Urdu ghazal with its declarations of ishq (passion) and recurring radifs (refrains). Why did Urdu win out over English and Gujarati as the dominant language of the then Bombay-based theatre? The analysis traces the contribution of Urdu munshis (playwrights), who together with their more illustrious actor-manager employers, co-created a distinctive Parsi-Urdu theatrical style. The performance of Urdu poetry together with Hindustani music and dance is seen as enhancing the literary appeal and musicality of new dramas, imparting a commercial advantage. Moreover, changes in playhouse design and the conventions of melodrama called for a forceful, rhythmic style of delivery, for which actors trained in Urdu were well-suited. The paper includes a case study of Agha Hashr Kashmiri, author of countless dramas and screeplays, focusing on his historical allegory, Yahudi ki Larki. A clip from the 1955 film version will be shown to illustrate the histrionic style of the great actor, Sohrab Modi. -------------------------------------------------------_______________________________________________ announcements mailing list announceme...@sarai.net http://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/announcements
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