Issue 9 - February 2003
Editorial – On Capital Punishment
I believe that it is an indictment of our system of justice and a matter for the greatest regret when anyone suffers punishment as a result of a miscarriage of justice. There were miscarriages of justice in your husband’s case, and the cases of those convicted with him. I am very sorry indeed that this should have happened.
Marcos’ Wealth Slowly Disappearing: PCGG
Jovito Salonga, a former Senate president, said $400 million was secretly transferred from Swiss Credit Bank in Zurich to a subsidiary, Limag AG, in neighboring Liechtenstein following the Marcoses’ 1986 flight into exile. He noted that the transfer was done “in obvious” complicity with the Zurich prosecutors but did not elaborate.
Demian: The Story of Emil Sinclair’s Youth
My story is not a pleasant one; it is neither sweet nor harmonious, as invented stories are; it has the taste of nonsense and chaos, of madness and dreams – like the lives of all men who stop deceiving themselves. Few people nowadays know what man is. Many sense this ignorance and die the more easily because of it, the same way that I will die more easily once I have completed this story.
Tribute: Prince Claus of Holland
Prince Claus was well-liked by not only the Dutch but also countries in Africa and Asia, including India, where he was instrumental in pursuing projects for eradication of poverty and education. He was a champion in the fight against apartheid in South Africa, which was once an important colony of Holland.
When Brides Become Scarce
According to projections made by Monica Dasgupta of the World Bank, males born between 1980 and 1984 would discover, upon entering the marriage market, that there are 6 per cent fewer potential brides than earlier. And those born after 1985 would encounter a still greater shortage.
The Sikh Perspective On Death and Suffering
Granted that suffering is a fundamental factor in the human situation, that it is innate to man, yet the self-inflicted suffering undergone for spiritual purification belongs to another category. Baba Farid flourished four centuries before the advent of Sikhism, and Bhai Vir Singh four centuries after it. The journey of eight hundred years is the journey from the idiom of suffering to the idiom of joy, in the interpretation of Sikh spirituality.
Stone Soup
Three soldiers trudged down a road in a strange country. They were on their way home from the wars. Besides being tired, they were hungry. In fact, they had eaten nothing for two days. On they marched, until suddenly, ahead of them, they saw the lights of a village.
Channa: A Monk Who Could Not Control His Envious Mind
“Shariputra! Maudgalyayana! Bah!” Channa muttered bitterly. The monks sitting nearby turned and looked at him in amazement. Channa raised his voice higher: “The World-honoured One is our only teacher! There can be no other. Yet Shariputra and Maudgalyayana act as if they were our masters!”
Punjab River Waters: Constitutional and Legal Aspects
Explicit provisions of the Constitution of India, regarding river waters and river valleys, have been subtly made murkier and confusing to the unwary reader while drafting the Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966 by skillfull interweaving of text and sub-text, theoretical reasoning and contestable facts. With a view to dispelling misinformation, confusion and ignorance pertaining to the Punjab river water dispute, I have, in this article, discussed only the Constitutional and legal aspect of the problem.
The Amistad Incident
We have long resisted asking you for guidance. Perhaps we have long feared that in doing so we might acknowledge that our individuality we so, so revere is not entirely our own. Perhaps we have feared that an appeal to you might be taken for our weakness. But we have come to understand finally that this is not so.
Cracks In The Mask
So how is the Indian American family doing? If the Indian community was as perfect as many people like to project, then surely there would be no need for the number of advocacy organizations that are popping up all over the country. What these interviews showed was that having a fat bank balance or an Ivy League education was no insurance against domestic disharmony.
Neglected From Birth: Health Status of Our Own Daughters
This vital statistics remain hidden if infant mortality data are not disaggregated into neonatal and post neonatal mortality. It is an unusual phenomenon which makes it obvious that insufficient and discriminatory family level health care in Bangladesh and India have nullified the inherent biological advantage of females over males.
Saint Soldiers
One such occasion was last presidential elections in America. i didn’t like ‘all pervading intellectuals’ and ‘the mighty media’ running down and taking Mickey out of presidential candidate George W Bush jr. Diatribe of childish questions, to test history and geographical ‘knowledge’ of a presidential candidate, seemed to be of more importance to them than anything else. To me, heart and heart alone, mattered.
Interview: Accepting LoC as Border Would Be Like Committing Suicide
Saleem Hashmi is the official spokesman of the Kashmir-based outfit of holy warriors — Hizbul Mujahideen — which came into being in 1990. Hashmi, 42, the most trusted man of Syed Salahuddin (the outfit’s chief) was an active Mujahid until recently when he was asked to manage Hizb’s media and information office located in Rawalpindi’s posh area, Satellite Town—a few miles away from the capital Islamabad.
Culturally We Are Orphan
I have faced problems because I am a woman. When I entered the field of literature, there were few women in it. However, I was fortunate to get good guides. We no longer have people of substance, which has demoralised the coming generation. Culturally we have become orphans.
February 5: Commemorating The Great Holocaust
Knowing the facts is one aspect of the learning process whereas dedicating a day every year will inspire the community and instill in them the courage and spirit of our forefathers and mothers. Although the ultimate inspiration and realization has to come from actions in the present moment, be it ones own actions or that of others, nonetheless the need for marking important dates and celebrating them annually is still paramount.
Kidnappings Flourish Despite Government Crackdown
Kidnap-for-ransom gangs have become a major problem in the Philippines in recent years. Several guerrilla groups in the south have gained notoriety for kidnapping foreigners but most abductions are considered the work of criminal gangs strictly out for ransom. President Arroyo has ordered a nationwide crackdown on kidnap gangs, saying they harm the country’s reputation and deter investors.
Sikhs In The Netherlands: A Brief History
Amsterdam is famous for its horticulture, museums, zoological parks, artists, painters, poets, writers, religion, culture, entertainment, precious diamonds and canals, and is itself situated six feet below the sea level. By digging a thirty-five miles long canal to the west, it is connected to the sea. Once, in Amsterdam and its vicinity, there were about one hundred windmills. Now only three have been preserved, which are mainly a tourist attraction. The windmills are also the national symbol of Holland.
Featured Videos
Is Operation Bluestar Memorial a Threat?Ajmer Singh discusses construction of the Sikh Memorial for June 1984
