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"No capes!"
Now, we all know that Pixar is making a sequel to The Incredibles, but it unfortunately won't be released until 2019.
Pixar hasn't revealed any plot info about the sequel, but let's be honest... they should actually be making a ~prequel~ instead.
Disney / Via fydisneymisfits.tumblr.com
In fact, we asked the BuzzFeed Community to tell us which Disney characters deserve their own movie, and user lexitania created the ultimate fan theory about Edna Mode.
The fan theory doubles as the perfect prequel, opening with a young Edna Mode who's straight out of design school.


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|Southern California
The Riverwalk Golf Club is a 27-hole championship facility, located in the heart of the Mission Valley, is one of the best San Diego golf deals around. Ted Robinson Jr. and Ted Robinson Sr. teamed up to design this beautiful layout which opened in 1998. The par-72 Friars/Presidio-18 can stretch to 6,627 yards from the back tees. This combination of nines carries a slope rating of 128 and a USGA course rating of 71.9.
Riverwalk serves up a wonderful dose of Southern California golf at its best, replete with multiple water hazards and eucalyptus trees. The limbs of mature oak trees reach out horizontally to grab some wayward shots. Tall palms, expansive wetlands, and native tall grasses complete the memorable scene. The water hazards are not only numerous number, they are large in size. For example, on the 171-yard, par-three fourth hole on the Friars nine water virtually surrounds the green. Any shot on a trajectory other than straight to the green will result in a water hazard penalty. Youll also dodge white sand bunkers as you play from Bermuda fairways to smooth, well-maintained bentgrass greens.
After your round, youll find the California-style architecture of the 7,000 sq-ft clubhouse to be most welcoming. Re-live your best shots at the full-service bar or take a moment to enjoy a full meal. The practice facility includes grass tees and an undulating practice putting green. Those that have played this course comment on the tricky greens and the beautiful scenery. Score Riverwalk Golf Club - Friars to Presidio discounts when you reserve your San Diego tee times for an even better experience. San Diego golf deals at championship layouts like this are always a great idea.
© 2014 Click4TeeTimes

subset: commoncrawl


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The Economist has an interesting write-up on predicting innovation. They see things heating up specifically in manufacturing and user interfaces.
Across the board, innovations fuelled by cheap processing power are taking off. Computers are beginning to understand natural language. People are controlling video games through body movement alone—a technology that may soon find application in much of the business world. Three-dimensional printing is capable of churning out an increasingly complex array of objects, and may soon move on to human tissues and other organic material.
This analysis seems to support my guesses on why Kurzweil would join Google. Removing antiquated and disabling interfaces like the keyboard will enable more people to use more technology. Comparing the productivity of humans required to learn the qwerty keyboard with the potential of those who can use free voice and touch is a no brainer (pun not intended).
As I thought about the Economist's analysis I started to wonder about an important element that I didn't see them mention. They focus in a usual way at present IT trends in relation to historic trends. They offer electrification as an example.
…the idea that technology-led growth must either continue unabated or steadily decline, rather than ebbing and flowing, is at odds with history. Chad Syverson of the University of Chicago points out that productivity growth during the age of electrification was lumpy. Growth was slow during a period of important electrical innovations in the late 19th and early 20th centuries; then it surged. The information-age trajectory looks pretty similar…
With that in mind, the Economist then takes their analysis down the well-worn path of productivity worries in relation to obsolescence and redundancy.
…the main risk to advanced economies may not be that the pace of innovation is too slow, but that institutions have become too rigid to accommodate truly revolutionary changes.
Fair enough, technology has a disruptive force when innovation replaces labor. That brings risk and resistance. I've experienced this many times. The voice-recognition project I worked on in 1997 for a hospital was overtly said by the administration to be a way to put their transcriptionists out of work. No surprises there.
But once we move beyond a focus on the balance of labor risk what other risks lurk ahead? I mean it is fascinating to look at how the lightbulb put American whalers (e.g. oil for lamps) out of business. It is even more interesting, however, to think about how inexpensive light transformed our abilities. We can see further and go faster with power.
Back to consideration of today's tech innovation boom, the part to me missing in the Economist analysis is the sunshine effect of electrification. Electrification was really about innovative ways to create and use power. It shone a light, if you will, into dark areas and remote corners of opportunity. A coming boom in tech innovation led by user interfaces and manufacturing, if we pivot the Economist theory, could in fact be a boom in innovative ways to reach, create and use data. Yet the Economist analysis doesn't mention data at all!
Here is a simple example of what I mean by a pivot:
Industrialized countries are like the urban areas of electrification that saw power first and saw productivity boom at a large scale. Power eventually reached a wider area on smaller scale and created a boom in productivity and markets. Non-industrialized countries are thus like the rural areas that increasingly were able to create and use power.
More people in more areas making more data and using that data is what may really be the fuel for a boom ahead. The innovation is not only in the interfaces, although that's a crucial piece of enablement, but what so many more people will produce with those interfaces. Big data is a common phrase to capture what seems to be ahead but we could just as well call it a sunshine-like effect of datafication.
Now if I ask "are your headlights on" hopefully you might think about risk in terms of billions of people shining a bright light into darkness because they now have access to powerful data. Reduction of corruption using better data tools is the kind of innovation that really should excite economists.
Of course this puts immense pressure on the security industry. Access to vast amounts of data becomes "a one-click matter," as a GoodData developer suggested. How safe will a clicker need to be? And this new level of visibility, like brighter lights we flip on with a switch, can shift our definition of "exposure" and privacy. Recently a "near-global view of the universe of public keys" was used to easily uncover weak random number generators. Should we plan for more risk or less as we push away darkness?
Thus, to extend the Economist analysis that suggests innovation will bring better interfaces and better manufacturing tools, the real boom may come from datafication — the process of making it easier than ever to create, access and use data.


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Lady Gaga in New York on July 11.
Photo: Splash News
We have NOT had enough Lady Gaga in our lives as of late. Sure, we spotted her at the Gay Pride Rally last week, but between her cancelled tour :( and suspiciously shutdown Twitter, we've been seriously thirsty for some Mother Monster sightings. Luckily, our prayers have been answered--Lady Gaga was spotted right here in NYC (!!!) yesterday looking fiercer than we've ever seen her before. She gave the ultimate "F you" to the unrelenting humidity (SO. HOT.) by ditching a T-shirt all together! She sported just a lacy black bra with a matching black mini skirt, killer stiletto platform booties, oversized sunnies and, well, not much else.
While most people (see: us) would look ridic leaving the house shirtless, we have to admit that we're not even MAD about Gaga showin' off her undergarments in public. Like, guys, look at those abs--if we were working that hard at the gym, we'd want to show it off too. (WAY TO GO, GAGS. *claps*) What really killed us, though, was how when she finally made it to her parked SUV, she decided to kick back (heh) in the most hilarious way possible--by sticking her boots out the window. Like, she didn't even put the full window down, guys--she only cracked it just enough to stick her tootsies outside, and with heels THAT tall, it's hard to not think it's just wee bit humorous. But tell us, what do you think about Lady Gaga's NYC street style? Let us know in the comments below!
Like us on Facebook so we can be friends and follow us on Twitter @MTVstyle to talk.


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Law and order administration is one of the most important function performed by the Government. In fact,the survival of administration depends upon maintenance of law and order in a country. The functioning of law and order administration comes under the state list with the Union/Central government having advisory and coordinating role(discussed in last post on this blog). Rapid growth of population,industrialisation,urbanisation,growing political consciousness lead to law and order problems. Agrarian and tribal revolts,political caste and communal violence,labour and student unrest and terrorism are indications of law and order problems.
Law and Order comes under the Ministry of Home affairs' Department of Internal Security in India. As such law and order and internal security are managed under one umbrella at the level of the Union Government. The Ministry of Home Affairs is responsible for matters relating to the internal security of the country and enacts laws for the functioning of the criminal justice system. Refer - http://india.gov.in/citizen/lawnorder.php
However, 'Police' and 'Public Order' are matters of State Governance and not Union governance, according to Schedule VII, making the management of law and order in India complex.
The First Police Commission, appointed on 17 August 1860, contained detailed guidelines for the desired system of police in India and defined police as a governmental department to maintain order, enforce the law, and prevent and detect crime.
The present Indian Police system is based on the Police Act of 1861. Under this act the police was made subordinate to the executive government. Later several changes were brought about in the structure as well as functioning of the police system in the country,but the basic structure and characteristics are enshrined in the Police Act of 1861 and it continues to dominate over the police system in India. Similarly, the Indian Penal Code(1860) and Criminal Procedure Code(1861) and the Indian Evidence Act were compiled and enacted for effective law and order.
Much before the Independence, superior police officers belonging to the Imperial Police (IP) were appointed by the Secretary of State on the basis of competitive examination. The very first open civil service examination for the service was held in England in June, 1893 and the top ten candidates were appointed as probationers of the Indian (Imperial) Police. However, it is not possible to pinpoint a date on which it could positively be claimed that the Indian Police came into being.
In around 1907, the Secretary of State's officers were directed to wear the letters "IP" on their epaulets to distinguish them from the other officers not recruited by the Secretary of State. In this sense, 1907 could be regarded as the starting point for the Indian Police. However, one must note that the
The Indian Police Service is not a force itself but a service providing leaders and commanders to staff the state police and all-India para-military forces. Its members, who are all at least university graduates, are the senior officers of the police.
With the passage of time Indian Police Service's objectives were updated and redefined, the roles and functions of an Indian Police Service Officer are as follows:
» To fulfill duties based on broader responsibilities, in the areas of maintenance of public peace and order, crime prevention, investigation, and detection, collection of intelligence, VIP security, counter- terrorism, border policing, railway policing, tackling smuggling, drug trafficking, economic offences, corruption in public life, disaster management, enforcement of socio-economic legislation, bio-diversity and protection of environmental laws etc.
» Leading and commanding the Indian intelligence agencies like Research and Analysis Wing (R& Intelligence Bureau (IB), Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI), Crime Investigation Department (CID) etc., Indian federal law enforcement agencies, civil and armed police forces in all the and union territories.
» Leading and commanding the Para-Military Forces of India (PMF) which include the Central P Organisations (CPO) and Central Paramilitary Forces (CPF) such as Border Security Force ( Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), National Security G (NSG), Rashtriya Rifles, Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Vigilance Organisations, I Federal Law Enforcement Agencies, Assam Rifles, etc.
Serve at head of the departments in policy making in the Ministries and Departments of C and State Governments and public sector undertakings both at centre and states, Government India.
» To interact and coordinate closely with the members of other All-India Services and Central Services and also with the Indian Armed Forces
» Last but not the least, to lead and command the force with courage, uprightness, dedication a strong sense of service to the people.
» Endeavour to inculcate in the police forces under their command such values and norms as help them serve the people better.
» Inculcate integrity of the highest order, sensitivity to aspirations of people in a fast-changing and economic milieu, respect for human rights, broad liberal perspective of law and justice and standard of professionalism.
The District Collector's office was formed to be in charge of the police and maintain law and order at the district level as he also functions as a District Magistrate. This has been discussed in previous post on this blog, refer dist admin.
The National Police Commission (NPC) was appointed by the Government of India in 1977
with wide terms of reference covering the police organisation, its role, functions,
accountability, relations with the public, political interference in its work, misuse of powers,
evaluation of its performance etc. This was the first Commission appointed at the national
level after Independence. The Commission produced eight reports between 1979 and 1981,
suggesting wide ranging reforms in the existing police set-up.
For the major recommendations,implementations and status refer - http://www.humanrightsinitiative.org/publications/police/npc_recommendations.pdf And also refer to this link for other committees and commissions set up after the National Police Commission - http://www.humanrightsinitiative.org/publications/police/police_reform_debates_in_india.pdf
Lack of political will still comes in between implementing the recommendations of the above as the abovementioned Commissions and Committees recommendations lie unimplemented.
1) Central Bureau Of Investigation - The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is India's premier investigative agency, responsible for a wide variety of criminal and national security matters. It was established on 1 April 1963 and evolved from the Special Police Establishment founded in 1941. The Central Bureau of Investigation is controlled by the Department of Personnel and Training in the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pension of the Union Government usually headed by a Union Minister who reports directly to the Prime Minister. It is India's official Interpol unit. The CBI draws its officers from the best IPS and IRS officers around the country. It is responsible for investigation into various crimes and national security. The agency specializes in investigating crimes involving high ranking government officials and politicians.
2) The Indian Income-tax Department: Is India's premier financial agency, responsible for a wide variety of financial and fiscal matters.The Tax department is controlled by the Department of Revenue in the Ministry of Finance of the Union Government headed by a Union Minister who reports directly to the Prime Minister. It's officers are drawn from the Indian Revenue Services across the country. The Directorate General of Income Tax Investigation is responsible for investigation into various economic crimes and tax evasion.The special agents and agents are able to carry firearms when they are posted in the Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI) in the I-T department .The Finance Ministry has recently notified bringing under one umbrella the intelligence and criminal investigation units of the Income Tax department to effectively deal with terror financing cases and transactions that pose threat to national security.The department will now recruit special agents and agents (criminal investigation) under the new wing, half of whom would be recruited or brought on deputation from premier investigative agencies and police organisations of the country.The special agents who will form part of the premier DCI would be able to carry firearms under the rules prescribed by their parent organisation and would be able to tackle any intimidation in course of their new duty of checking and gathering intelligence on tax evasion.
The DCI will be headed by the Director General of Intelligence (Income Tax) and was notified in May this year to tackle the menace of black money with cross-border ramifications.The revamp is aimed at launching 'un-intrusive' investigations against "persons and transactions suspected to be involved in criminal activities having cross-border, inter-state or international ramifications, that pose a threat to national security and are punishable under the direct tax laws."
The commissioners of the intelligence directorate of I-T who are posted in cities like Delhi, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and Lucknow will also take up criminal investigation work under the DCI."Criminal investigation relies heavily on accurate and specific actionable intelligence and information of such activities and hence such an arrangement has been made.Separate manpower for the criminal investigation unit will be raised in the next few years when the department gets additional sanction. The intelligence wing of the I-T department has the Central Information Branch (CIB) under it, which is a repository of classified and exhaustive data on taxpayers' financial transactions.
3) Directorate of Revenue Intelligence: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) is an intelligence-based organisation responsible for the co-ordination of India's anti-smuggling efforts.Officers in this organisation are drawn from Indian Revenue Service(I.R.S.)
4) National Investigation Agency: National Investigation Agency (NIA) is the central agency to combat terror in India. The agency is empowered to deal with terror related crimes across states without special permission from the states. The National Investigation Agency Bill 2008 to create the agency was moved in Parliament by Union Home Minister on 16 December 2008.The NIA was created in response to the Nov 2008 Mumbai terror attacks as need for a central agency to combat terrorism was found. It also deals with drug trafficking and currency counterfeiting.It draws it's officers from IRS and IPS.
5) Narcotics Control Bureau - The NCB is responsible for anti-narcotic operations all over the country. It checks the spread of contraband as well as the cultivation of drugs.The officers in this organisation are drawn from both the IRS and the IPS.
6) Central Forensic Science Laboratory: The Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) is a wing of the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs, which fulfils the forensic requirements in the country. It houses the only DNA repository in South and Southeast Asia.
There are four central forensic laboratories in India, at Hyderabad, Kolkata,Mumbai,Rajkot, Chandigarh,Pune and New Delhi. CFSL Hyderabad is centre of excellence in chemical sciences, CFSL Kolkata in biological sciences and CFSL Chandigarh in physical sciences. These laboratories are under the control of the Directorate of Forensic Science (DFS) of the Ministry of Home Affairs. The laboratory in New Delhi is under the control of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and investigates cases on its behalf.
CENTRAL AGENCIES - Government of India is divided into the Legislative, the Executive and the Judiciary wings, with each performing its respective roles in management of internal security(maintaining cross border peace) and law and order of India.
National Security Council comprising of the Strategic Policy Group, the National Security Advisory Board and a Secretariat represented by the Joint Intelligence Committee (India) is the apex agency looking into the overall security (both internal and external security of India) Law and Order itself comes under the Ministry of Home affairs' Department of Internal Security in India.
For the Executive, the Ministry of Home Affairs is responsible for internal security of India and enactment of laws for the functioning of the criminal justice system in the country.
Several laws have been enacted to ensure general peace in India, maintain law and order and maintain its national integrity. Several law enforcement agencies have been created to tackle the problem of maintaining law and order in the country. Crimes are managed separately by the Criminal courts of the country.
STATE AGENCIES: To perform the task of law and order administration, a state government maintains a separate department called the Home Department. The administrative head of this department is the Secretary,drawn as a rule from the generalist Indian Administrative Service ( IAS). The Home Department administers the police. Under the administrative control of the Home Department comes the executive organisation namely the Police department headed by the Deputy - General Of Police,who as a rule is drawn from the Indian Police Service. He may have an Additional Director General of Police to assist him. The Police Hierarchy comprises Inspectors - General of Police,Deputy Inspectors General of Police,Superintendents of Police and other lower level functionaries.
The basic unit of law and order administration in a state is the police thana headed by the Station House Officer ( SHO) who is assisted by a complement of Inspectors, sub-inspectors,head constables and constables.
The Superintendent of Police in charge of the district police is an important functionary and is subject to control and supervision by a Deputy Inspector - General of Police, who is generally placed in charge of a group of districts.
THe overall command and control are exercised by the Director - General of Police at the state level. Officers in charge of sub units within a district like sub divisions,circles and police stations are subordinate to the Superintendent of Police. The District Police is thus an integral part of the state wide police setup,which is hierarchically structured and held togethe by bonds of strong discipline and control.
The District collector/Deputy COmmissioner who is head of the District administration and apart from his other duties is responsible for the law and order administration in the district police assisted by the police head , the Superintendent of the Police ( District).
In Metropolitan cities, there is the Police Commissionerate system like Mumbai,Kolkata,etc who reports to the state home ministry and is assisted by Joint commissioners of police who is in charge of the city range ( north range,south range,etc),Deputy Commissioner of Police ( incharge of the district) and ACP ( who is the head of sub division),and Station House Officer ( incharge of a police station) and other junior staff.
Delhi which is a Metropolitan has the COmmissionerate system who also enjoys magisterial powers but the reports directly to the Lieutenant Governor who reports to the President ( indirectly to the Central govt.)
The reputation of a state depends on how effectively it is able to maintain law and order withing its jurisdiction as freedom and independence will not have meaning unless such basic issues are properly attended to.
Unfortunately,in view of the prevailing atmosphere of violence in the country,attention to law and order is called for,but,the sad part is that this is being neglected in favour of development administration.
Therefore,it is imperative that law and order is given adequate attention and it is built up both on the infrastructural as well as intelligence and implementation level and its grievances and issues sorted out if we want a sound welfare state where development and law and order go hand in hand otherwise development will be stalled.
A paramilitary is a military force whose function and organization are similar to those of a professional military, but which is not considered part of a state's formal armed forces.
Paramilitary forces(Except the State Armed Police Forces) in India are under the Central govt. and under their orders. The paramilitary forces are:
The State Armed Police Forces of India are the police units for dealing with serious law and order situations requiring a higher level of armed expertise than normal in states. The State Armed Police Forces exist in addition to the ordinary police services of the various states.
RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS WING and INTELLIGENCE BUREAU:
The Research and Analysis Wing (RAW or R&AW) is an external intelligence agency of the Republic of India.Its creation was necessitated by the poor performance of the Intelligence Bureau(IB, which then handled both internal and external intelligence) in the recent wars against China (1962) and the Pakistan (1965) convinced the government that a specialized, independent agency was required for competent external intelligence gathering.The primary function of the RAW is collection of external intelligence, counter-terrorism and covert operations. In addition, it is responsible for obtaining and analyzing information about foreign governments, corporations, and persons, to advise Indian policymakers. It has been said that RAW is the "effective instrument of India's national power". RAW is also involved in the security of India's nuclear programme. The working of the RAW is not answerable to the Parliament of India and it works under the Prime Minister of India.
The present RAW objectives include, and are not limited to:
- Monitoring the political and military developments in adjoining countries, which have direct bearing on India's national security and the formulation of its foreign policy.
- Secondly, molding international public opinion with the help of the strong and vibrant Indian diaspora.
- To watch the development of international communism and the schism between the two big communist nations, the Soviet Union and China. As with other countries, both these powers had direct access to the communist parties in India.
- To control and limit the supply of military hardware to Pakistan, from mostly European countries, America and more importantly from China
The Intelligence Bureau is India's internal intelligence agency and reputedly the world's oldest intelligence agency. It was recast as the Central Intelligence Bureau in 1947 under the Ministry of Home Affairs. Shrouded in secrecy, the IB is used to garner intelligence from within India and also execute counter-intelligence and counter-terrorism tasks. The Bureau comprises employees from law enforcement agencies, mostly from the Indian Police Service (IPS) and the military. However, the Director of Intelligence Bureau (DIB) has always been an IPS officer. In addition to domestic intelligence responsibilities, the IB is particularly tasked with intelligence collection in border areas, following the 1951 recommendations of the Himmatsinhji Committee (also known as the North and North-East Border Committee), a task entrusted to military intelligence organizations prior to independence in 1947. All spheres of human activity within India and in the neighborhood are allocated to the charter of duties of the Intelligence Bureau. The IB was also tasked with other external intelligence responsibilities as of 1951 until 1968, when the Research and Analysis Wing was formed.
The workings of these two and their intelligence keep the cycle of law and order going and gets the central and state law enforcement agencies, military and paramilitary forces into motion for the same.
On 28th August 1997, the Election Commissioner Krishnamurthy made a startling annunciation. According to him, of 1, 37,752 candidates who had contested the General Election to the Lok Sabha in 1996, nearly 1500 had criminal records.
Criminalisation of politics is present in every party whether ruling or non ruling.
The radical cause of increasing criminalisation of politics is nexus of muscle power, money power and politics.
In order to garner a ticket and votes candidates appraise and spend a huge amount compared to meagre limits. These funds are garnered from funds and donations,which come from unhealthy sources like mafias, local dons and corporates,among others. These sources then capture the MLA or MP they funded and make them indebted to them by making the politicians puppets in their hands for giving ends to their vested interest. Thus, people's needs and interests are not bothered about and these people are the ones who rule the roost through their puppet politicians.
On May 2, 2002, the Supreme Court gave a historic ruling following public interest litigation by an NGO.
It ruled that every candidate, contesting an election to Parliament, State Legislatures or Municipal Corporation, has to declare the following along with the application for his/her candidature:
- A candidate's criminal charges
- The candidate's financial records
- The candidate's educational qualifications
The Election Commission had sent a notification on June 28, 2002, to all State Election Officers with a view to enforcing it. The Supreme Court's thrust has been that the people and the voters have the right to know about the candidate's criminal record, assets and liabilities and educational qualifications. The Returning Officer has to publish these declarations for the voters' knowledge.
The Election Commission under T S Krishnamurthy proposed in its 2004 report that Section 8 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 should be amended to disqualify candidates accused of an offence punishable by imprisonment of 5 years or more even when trial is pending, given that the Court has framed charges against the person. In the report the Commission addresses the possibility that such a provision could be misused in the form of motivated cases by the ruling party.
To prevent such misuse, the Commission suggested a compromise whereas only cases filed prior to six months before an election would lead to disqualification of a candidate. In addition, the Commission proposed that Candidates found guilty by a Commission of Enquiry should stand disqualified.
The Court held that the right to information - the right to know antecedents, including the criminal past, or assets of candidates - was a fundamental right under Article 19(1) (a) of the Constitution and that the information was fundamental for survival of democracy.
Well this is just a guideline and the people are unaware about this and continue to vote blindfolded. The criminals will disclose their records on an election form(and most of the time it is not verified whether true or false)but their physical influence outside the booth,monetarily as well as muscle power will not stop inducing people to vote for them. Therefore, it is for us people to wake up, use RTI as well as other sources to vote for the right candidate with all knowledge and throw out this disease as it is thwarting the very ideas of democracy and Constitutional safeguards that our country stands on.
i) Since the Police administration is based on law made in 1861 and not undergone any significant change, therefore, the colonial attitudes of police personnel still remain. The erstwhile police force of the British Raj who were trained to administer terror over our people for the perpetuation of foreign domination seem to heavily inspire our current Police administration who feel it's their duty to treat a layman or a common citizen unfairly.
ii) We need to understand that the idea of having a welfare state envisaged by our constitutional experts stands completely null and void, in absence of a proper criminal justice system. And here, Police machinery plays one of the most important roles in order to set criminal law into motion by lodging FIR's and conducting unbiased and speedy investigation. Moreover, in order to accomplish the solemn purpose of having a crime free society, more onerous duty is cast on the Police and learned magistrates. There is a well demarcated sphere of activity between the field of crime detection and crime punishment. Investigation of an offence is the field exclusively reserved for the executive through the police department, the superintendence over which vests in the State Government. The executive who is charged with a duty to keep vigilance over law and order situation is obliged to prevent crime and if an offence is alleged to have been committed it is its bounden duty to investigate into the offence and bring the offenders to book. Needless to state the ill consequences which can follow if the police refuses to investigate a cognizable offence (offences in which the police is duty bound to lodge an FIR, without acquiring prior permission of a magistrate in order to investigate the case, together with the power to arrest without warrant) such as theft, murder, dacoity, rape, hurt, assault, robbery, trespass, cheating etc). As per the scheme and policy of the criminal procedure code no investigation in an offence can be commenced without registration of FIR's.
iii) Apart from the above, there have also been several studies and commissions set up to study and reform public-police relations and it was found that the public have greater dissatisfaction and disenchantment with the working of the police. Apathy of the police,inefficiency and incapacity of the police has given a poor image to it as people are in fear of even approaching it.
iv) Recent years have seen an upsurge in terrorism and violence in different parts of the country and the police is expected to take care of law and order to curb the problem. But their failure to do so has led to worsening of the situation and given an all the more bad reputation to the police in the eyes of the common man.
v) People are unaware of their rights and duties and so there leaves ample scope for the police or for that matter any organisation to take the law in their hands and exploit the common man.
Let's discuss the reforms in Police that would help resolve the above.
The police personnel have a vital role in a parliamentary democracy. The society perceives them as custodians of law and order and providing safety and security to all. This essentially involves continuous police-public interface. The ever changing societal situation in terms of demography, increasing rate and complexity of crime particularly of an organized nature and also accompanied by violence, agitations, violent demonstrations, variety of political activities, left wing terrorism, insurgency, militancy, enforcement of economic and social legislations, etc. have further added new dimensions to the responsibilities of police personnel. Of late, there has been growing realization that police personnel have been functioning with a variety of constraints and handicaps, reflecting in their performance, thus becoming a major concern for both central and state governments. In addition, there is a feeling that the police performance has been falling short of public expectations, which is affecting the overall image of the police in the country. With a view to making the police personnel more effective and efficient especially with reference to their, professionalism and public interface several initiatives have been launched from time to time.
Some of the steps suggested by the National Police Commission in this direction are:
• To bring about a change of attitude of police personnel so that they
become people friendly.
• To bring about more transparency and openness in police working.
• To improve public image and public participation in police working.
• To make the police more efficient and effective.
In order to achieve the above mention direction, the Ministry of Home Affairs with
the support of UNDP has taken up an experimental project covering nine police
stations in Rajasthan, Tamilnadu and Assam. One of the major aims of this project is
to revise the curricula for training of police personnel at State Police Training
Police sensitisation training has also been initiated to rid the police of their colonial attitudes and high handed behaviour.
Over working the staff, lack of manpower, improper or no proper infrastructure to carry out their duties,no reward system, no proper growth system,major political and bureaucratic interference and stranglehold,etc.
The recommendations of the National Police Commission to set up State security boards in order to make the police force more accountable and responsible but unfortunately they have been constituted in only a few states and that too they are not up to the mark.
The Supreme Court in 2006 gave directives which were to be followed till the states come up with their police acts.
First was to set up a State Security Commission which would insulate the police form unwarranted political interference. Political control is necessary but it needs to be conditioned in such a manner that political masters cannot take undue advantage. The primary responsibility of this commission is to lay down policy guidelines for service oriented policing, evaluate the functioning of the police and making binding recommendations to the government to that effect.
Second, the directives provide for a minimum fixed tenure of two years for the Chief of Police and four other police officers on operational duties in the field. The court expressed its shock over the frequent transfer of Superintendents of Police for whimsical reasons and observed that this trend leads to demoralization of the police force.
Third, the directives call for the separation of investigation from law and order which was also recommended by the Law Commission of India in its 154th report. This would ensure faster, accurate and fairer processes so that rule of law is maintained. Presently, law and order is prioritized over investigation work which leads to loss of material evidence crucial for the case under consideration.
Fourth, the Court's directive mandate the creation of a Police Establishment Board which would be a departmental body to oversee the transfer and posting of the officials above the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police.
Fifth and the most important, the judgment directs to set up Police Complaints Authority in states to inquire into allegations of complaint of public against the men in uniform. This is supposed to be an independent body comprised of civil society members to ensure that justice is done without prejudice to any party. However states are trying to dilute the neutrality of the complaint authority by increasing the number of policemen on the Complaint Authority in the guise of independent members. This would annul the efficacy of having a complaint authority.
However, the states have been reluctant to implement the directives of the Supreme Court. Most of the states have or are trying to pass the new Police Acts but have diluted the directives leaving lacunae in place for police to act discretionarily/arbitrarily and facilitating entrenchment by the political executive. This is a significant blow to all civil society members who turn to state and the police to protect their human rights. The entire campaign towards reform has been compromised by those who want to protect their narrow and partisan interests.
The Supreme Court has set up a monitoring committee to review the implementation of its directives.
The eighth report of the NPC recommended that protection available to the police officers from prosecution under section 132 and 197 of the Code of Criminal Procedure which mandate prior sanction of the government in order to prosecute any public servant including police official for any act done in discharge of his official duty be withdrawn or that a proviso be added to the section to initiate automatic judicial enquiry in every refusal to prosecute. This recommendation must be implemented. Making the police more accountable would deter police officials from harassing citizens.
Structural and institutional changes can only bring in marginal improvements,what is important is attitudinal change on both the police as well as people's side to effectively cooperate with each other for smooth administration.
Go through the international and national statistical data in this, very important - http://www.fdrindia.org/publications/IndianPoliceSystem_PR.pdf AND http://bprd.nic.in/writereaddata/linkimages/1645442204-Volume%201.pdf
This post would like to conclude with the following thoughts for you to ponder over. Corruption exists, is taken for granted, even celebrated. India is not truly free because like slaves, majority of Indians passively accept injustice.Passive acceptance of injustice is also violence. Disrespect is also violence. Laziness is also violence. We unquestioningly accept injustices at home, on our streets, in our workplaces and from those in public offices and it is us and only us who can change this and make India a better place to live in. True patriotism lies in not just saluting our national flag or standing up for the national anthem, we need to have a purpose in our lives, if not for anyone else, for ourselves and our future generations. You get back what you give. So, we should take all steps to make ourselves aware of our rights and duties towards ourselves and the society for law and order and justice,as well as make ourselves of the hierarchy of the police system as well as other public organisations and use it effectively alongwith RTI in order to report non - performance of duty of officials and reform them from our end as well.
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The next post will cover :
Significant issues in Indian Administration:
Values in public service; Regulatory Commissions;
National Human Rights Commission;
Problems of administration in coalition
regimes; Citizen-administration interface;
Corruption and administration; Disaster


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Afford-a-Glam: Spring Yellows for Less
I don't know if Spring has yet hit your neck of the woods, but here at least last weekend was amazingly beautiful, warm and sunny for the most part. All the sunlight made me crave yellow, one of the top colors of Spring 2008.
Here are some of my favorite yellow items of the moment and their budget counterparts. Now, I'm not saying these are exact matches and, as usual, you get what you pay for in materials, design, and construction. That said, having a budget doesn't mean not having the opportunity to be fashionable. Oh, and please don't think for a moment I'm suggesting that you go head-to-toe yellow (please don't)!
Clicking on images will take you to the items


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text: Is your child wearing the 'wrong' school shoes? Family life Family news School life School & Family 0 Parents are getting their kids into trouble by buying the wrong footwear - but what exactly is a suitable school shoe? These days, school footwear is not just about being affordable, comfy and long lasting. It's about whether shoes could get your child in trouble, or in extreme cases, even excluded. It sounds ridiculous that the humble shoe can cause so much fuss, but many schools are clamping down on what shoes your children can and can't wear. Which makes it especially hard when Kickers, Nike, Converse, Vans and other desirable brands are creating shoes that might meet the school rules, but then again might not. "They're not trainers, they're shoes, Miss" It's tempting to believe what we're told in high street stores; that all the shoes in their Back to School ranges will pass inspection. But every school sets its own standards. Fast disappearing are the traditional 'sensible' brogues, Mary Janes or T-bar styles. In their place come chunky shoes with DM-style soles or all-black trainers that your child will hotly argue are shoes, not trainers. The problem is that your school might not like them as much as your child does. So how do you choose suitable shoes? Best advice is to check the school guidelines, not other children's shoes. Ignore the pleas of "but everyone else has them". Read any info carefully. If it doesn't mention trainers, Kickers or Vans, then the likelihood is they're not permitted. Of course, with so many pieces of paper, emails and texts being sent from school, it's easy to miss something. But if you see something a bit like the pic below, save it. It's a really handy checklist to have on you when you're doing the shoe shop run. However, not all schools have a visual checklist. Some will just specify 'suitable black shoes'. So what is suitable? It's a question that pops up in our forum. One of our MFMers posted the picture below of a pair of pumps in our forum and asked the question: "Would you consider these daps/pumps as school shoes? My son 12 wants to wear them as his school shoes, should I let him? My eldest daughter, 15, wears Vans." Given the high cost of school shoes, you may feel it's best to play it safe. Think basic black. No logos, stripes, canvas or trainer styles that could be considered rule-breakers. So what happens if my child turns up wearing the 'wrong' shoes? This is a grey area and it varies from school to school. The official line from the Department of Education is: "Teachers can discipline pupils for breaching the school's rules on appearance or uniform. "A head teacher, or a person authorised by the head teacher, may ask a pupil to go home briefly to remedy a breach of the school's rules on appearance or uniform if the pupil continues to breach uniform rules in such a way as to be sent home to avoid school, or takes longer than is strictly necessary to effect the change, the pupil's absence may be counted as an unauthorised absence. "If a school is considering excluding a pupil in response to breaches of uniform policy then this must be in line with the legal requirements for exclusion." When shoes go wrong… The 'shoe police' were on patrol at Djanogly City Academy in Nottingham on the first day of the term and more than 50 pupils were sent home for wearing inappropriate footwear. That said, some of those children were wearing flip-flops. Still, it shows that eyes are firmly on feet, as well as the rest of the uniform. Many parents at Saddleworth School in Oldham reacted when new uniform rules meant that some children's shoes – mainly the boys – were no longer acceptable. The parents were issued with letters withdrawing the child's social time if they didn't wear the correct shoes the following day and a threat of exclusion if they didn't have correct footwear within a week. If that feels harsh, Saddleworth's head teacher, Matthew Milburn was quick to defend the decision, stating that he'd given parents plenty of notice about the new uniform policy and had sent out pictures of 12 styles that met the guidelines. "At the end of the last academic year we wrote to all parents detailing which shoes were appropriate for school. We also had a series of assemblies on the issue, prior to the summer. Parents have had 7 or 8 weeks to get appropriate school shoes for their children." Why are some schools stricter than others? Uniform enforcement is up to the discretion of the school and the head. The Department of Education's guidelines give a lot of room for headteachers and those in charge to implement their own rules – within reason of course. Can I challenge the school's shoe (or uniform) policy? You can appeal, but you need to have a justified reason as to why you'd like the school to revisit their guidelines. For example, a real bugbear for some parents is when their children play football daily in all their breaks. Standard school shoes can quickly get worn or come apart, whereas trainers may be more durable for constant kicking activity. The Department of Education recommends you talk to the headteacher, school governors or parent/teacher association if you'd like the school uniform changed. If you can get a few parents supporting your case, you'll be in a stronger position. Have you struggled to get the right shoes for school? Read more: Your guide to buying shoes for school 12 of the craziest things banned from schools Which country has the best school lunches By Julie Gilbert 0 Comments Share Like this article? Showing of Uh-oh! You need to be logged in to do this... Sign In Sign Up Load more posts Write a comment


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More Voices of Reason
David Brooks had a great column in the New York Times last week; he's something of a pragmatic conservative who is actually lobbying for reform and for President Obama to take a strong stand! He references a report from the Brookings Institute, "Bending the Curve: Effective Steps to Address Long-Term Health Care Spending Growth," along with a personal story in The Atlantic: "How American Health Care Killed My Father."
So for any of you still trying to make sense of health care reform, check those out.
— Posted by Cyndi Hughes


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Friday, July 21, 2006
Connie Williams Painter IX Level 1 Lesson 2
Here's my 2nd lesson. I ended up doing it twice,which was probably good, because I got to practice more,which helps- it sort of sets things in my feeble brain!
My electrovaya crashed - right before I got to the part in the lesson that said SAVE!
Something's wrong with the battery -which is bad-it has to go back to the factory. So myDH loaded PainterIX into his computer, and I played again!
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I was asked to make a retirement card for a co-worker who's really into golf. This was a complete CASE because I didn't have much time to come up with anything and I don't have any golf images.
Stamps: Lovely as a tree
Techniques: sponging, torn paper, dry embossing
Inks: Stamping Up's Old Olive, Always Artichoke, Wild Wasabi, unknown blue inks
Paper: Stamping Up's Always Artichoke, Wild Wasabi, Basic Black, Real Red, Close to Cocoa and Whisper White
Accessories: Number stickers from Creative Memories and Swiss Dots embossing folder used on the golf ball.


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I use as my overarching framework the notion of "learning through food," i.e., learning about people and cultures through the foods they prepare and consume; the recipes which have been passed down, shared and adapted over time; and the meaning behind the meal. Situated within an ethnographic approach to food and a passion for "feeding the experience," I extend my foodie platform to include the cutting board, the in-between from farm to table. Bon appétit and ukonwabele ukutya kwakho!
Tuesday, 26 June 2012
The Planned Itinerary: Summer Hiatus 2012
For practically a week, I've been in Vermont undergoing LTW (Leaders' Workshop Training) in preparation for the summer journey ahead, and by the end of today, I'll be boarding the plane with nine wonderful students. Our program, "The City of Lights: Photography in Paris" is pretty self-explanatory (otherwise, click on the previous link) and will take us to the northwest region of Brittany for our homestay period. Between now and then, however, I just wanted to note before heading to JFK that I'll be "blogging" old-school for the summer (read: journaling) and will repost my entries chronologically shortly after my arrival. Until then, I leave you with my relatively few photos (ironic, no?) from the past week. À bientôt !
Tuesday, 19 June 2012
Pre-Departure Post: May the Posts Continue... Eventually
Well, I can't believe my bags are nearly packed (finally); I'll soon be on my way northeastward for leadership training in Vermont before heading to Paris with nine high school students for our photography adventure. But before I board the plane, I did want to catch up the blogging world with the latest happenings in my summer transition out of Ohio.
Monday, 11 June 2012
Caught in a Logistical Transition: Updates from Granville
Good evening, dear Reader! It's certainly felt like it's been a long time (because it has) since I last blogged about anything and even still I'm playing catch up with blog posts that have been unwritten for nearly a year. In the last week and a half or so, the cheftestants of "Around the World in 80 Plates" travelled from spice-filled Morocco to the villas of Tuscany; the summer seasons of "Hell's Kitchen" and "MasterChef" began; and the slew of additional programming (including family favourite "Rizzoli & Isles") has made it quite evident that summer is officially upon us. Interestingly, the first day of summer is actually June 20th this year, which also happens to mark the first day of my journey en route back to Paris.
Saturday, 2 June 2012
First Post of June, and I Haven't Cooked Anything Yet: The Savoury (and/or Sweet) Taste of Success
|from the post, "A Healthy Start to the Memorial Day Weekend" (26 May 2012)
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I have thought lately of all the traditions the various "families" I have been fortunate to have over the years follow for Christmas … I have thought about how I want to have a piece of every one of them, and yet make my own. I think this year was a good start for this.
Aa. wanted a log cabin for Christmas. I wanted snow. I know – always hardest to please! And as luck, or fate, or just chance would have it, we got both. We rented a log cabin on the grounds of Autumn Creek Vineyards, in Mayodan, NC, and about a week before Christmas, we had lots of snow. After that, we had lots of cold-cold days that ensured we still had snow on the ground when we got there.
Our faerie - like living room at the cabin.
We didn't go crazy with gifts. Just some things that we both knew the other liked, that represented us, or that we needed. We went away on December 23rd, and returned on Christmas Day. I cooked a couple of dishes, and I had the traditional Romanian cold cuts and ham plate with bread all made up, we took drinks and of course we bought wine at the place we stayed. We had the cabin all to ourselves, complete with a fire, and a Christmas tree. We had dinner out the first night there, but we had all the breakfasts in.
For the first time in a long time for me, we hiked in the snow, in the nearby Hanging Rock Park on Christmas Eve. The hike was beautiful! A perfect, cloudless day, with squeaking snow under our feet and nothing but the sound of wind in the swishy, paper-like ruffling of dry trees.
The woods had a Robert Frost - like majestic quality about them: their frozen beauty and serene silence made our souls as pure as the snow and as fresh as the cold that enveloped us. We took our time on the icy trails, played with the cameras, watched for weird paw or foot prints everywhere, and admired the beauty of the simple nature gone quiet for the winter. The usually vibrant rhododendron was sad looking, but stoic, nonetheless. The snow was solid mercury, under the strong light of the sun – unbothered by clouds.
We climbed several of these steep, treacherous stairs, full of packed snow and ice.
We went home with red cheeks and chapped lips and we turned on the fire. Aah, the wonders of advanced technology: we can "build" a fire no longer. I guess we cannot have everything.
I prepared the Christmas dinner, which is another Romanian tradition: we typically eat that on Christmas Eve. We had warm and fresh dishes that complemented the cold endured during our hike that day well. Then, we opened presents and had some more sweet wine. If you do like sweet wine, the Autumn Creek Mayo River White Muscadine is to die for! And since we're both word people, we also played Scrabble.
The cabin was wonderful, too! Everything in there was so nicely done! Very tasteful, and not "loud" , nor cheesy– just nature shades of brown, green and gold and natural textures of wood (mainly), ceramics and leather. I loved how they use bark to decorate the inside roof, the crown molding and the base boards. It was like being in the tree house I have always wanted but never had.
The master shower was luxurious and complicated – not something you'd think you'd find at a rustic retreat, but somehow it fit the rest of the high end and classy fixtures, as well. The smell of the wood logs took over our sinuses as we walked into the simple mud room. That was exactly what I lived for all year: that smell!
I used to open the train car's windows when I went to the mountains as a kid when I knew we were getting closer, just to smell the fresh scent of lumber. That's how I knew we had but mere miles to go! That smells still remains imprinted in my brain as the most soothing scent of home.
The next day, on Christmas, we had breakfast and headed back home in the rain. And I must say: it was perfect timing, too. Great to wake up with the soothing sound of the rain on the metal roof while you're enveloped in the warmth of wood and heavy comforters, and know that it's your last day, so you're not missing much, since you would not be able to play outside anyway.
It was a short distance from Greensboro (less than an hour), but miles and years away from its crazy pace of every day chores and engagements! It was a warm getaway for the two of us, a priceless retreat for our new love, and new family, and a beautiful spot to start our new tradition.
No matter where our real or symbolic log cabin will be every Christmas from now on, whether in our own home, or rented, whether with other friends or family, we will try to always have our table bountiful and glasses filled, our hearts open and to be surrounded by peace, quiet, love and hopefully, if we're good that year, snow, too.
Thank you for a wonderful Christmas, honey! The first one of innumerable ones to come, I hope!
I love you …


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Contact Us
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|Survey Requirements
The Bermuda Department of Maritime Administration has a staff of qualified and experienced surveyors based at its headquarters in Hamilton. They are available to deal with enquiries and approvals, and to travel to complete surveys on Bermuda ships.
In addition the Administration has a number of highly qualified and experienced surveyors based in the UK and in Croatia who conduct surveys and audits whenever required.
With the exception of passenger ship safety surveys and related approvals and ISM and ISPS audits and security plan approvals, all other survey functions are delegated to the recognised classification societies.
For newbuilding projects the Department of Maritime Administration will arrange with the attending classification society a schedule of delegations and approval processes at the start of the project. Normally the audits for issue of the interim ISM and ISPS certification will be delegated to the classification society.
Certificates and documents for:
will be issued by the Department of Maritime Administration. All other certificates will be issued by the ships recognised organisation.
For existing ships transferring from another flag to Bermuda the process is very similar to that for newbuilding projects. The need for interim ISM and ISPS certification will depend on whether or not there is a change in ISM or ISPS resulting from, for example, a change in manager that would necessitate the issue of interim certificates.
For existing Bermuda ships it is the intention of the Department of Maritime Administration to complete all ISM and ISPS audits, and when it comes into force, all MLC inspections for ships in service using its own survey staff.


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The 26-year-old defender is bullish about his side's chances of winning a third successive Serie A title, arguing that some of the likely challengers are in transition periods.
The 26-year-old defender feels that although his side has a tough start to the campaign, the Bianconeri are in a far stronger position than some of their expected challengers ahead of the new season.
"It's better to face the big teams early, because they're teams in transition, while we're already a well-oiled machine," Bonucci told the club's official website. "We're the champions of Italy; if anything it's the others who should be fearful of us."
The arrival of Angelo Ogbonna from Torino has increased the competition for places in the Juve defense, and Bonucci is well aware that he will have to fight to retain his starting berth this season.
"I'll have to give 100 percent, because with the coach [Antonio Conte] being as he is, it wouldn't take much for him drop me if I had the slightest dip in form," Bonucci said. "A player like Angelo is good for both the entire team and the defensive unit as a whole. He'll be able to give us a great deal over the course of the year, just like [Carlos] Tevez and [Fernando] Llorente."
Bonucci moved to the Turin giant from Bari in 2010 and will be looking to win a third straight Serie A title this season.


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Inspired By The Purple of White Flowers
Originally uploaded by linfrye
Arches 140#CP
Busy day yesterday - errands, shopping, dinner with my son and grands, more shopping with them followed by the grands spending the night. New games, new movies, snacks --- oh yes, time to play at nonna's! LOL
We'll have the grands all day today as well. The weather is finally a bit warmer, so we'll be spending a bit of time outdoors. One of my neighbors has a few horses, and they always love to walk up the road for a visit and to bring the horses an apple or two, so a good walk is on the agenda.
They've also asked to 'paint with nonna' so that will be fun - and with 2 movies to watch, it'll be a quick day.
Hope your day is enjoyable as well!


text: Birthmomtalks writes a blog about being a mother to her two sons as well as as being a birthmother to her daughter. I have been reading her blog for quite a while. Recently she interviewed me as a guest blogger on her blog, Birthmomtalks. She asked me 20 questions about being an adoptive mom. Please check it out if you have a chance.


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3 Aug 2012
another DISAPPOINTMENT --,
SEEING all my my members got their result with SMILE ! Whooopppss.. what did i do ? the result i got couldnt render me even a fake smile. worst! egregious . i coudnt describe it. im among the LOWEST. what ever it is, i had try my VERY best in this test. just accept it with open heart. as long as i done with my best, there are nothing should be regret for. i must back to feeling GOOD. just do put another HUGE effort on the next test. people might say that this is not the end of life CHILL! how could i chill if i knew that i just have 2 TEST to go through. done with one test, one test is LEFT! another test will be toughest than the first, it freaks me OUT! T.T i cant bear to stand on this sadness anymore. i want someone to share all my depression , sadness and tears. this is terrible i got 46% . truly BAD BAD BAD and BAD. I COULDNT wonder about what will happen to my math and physics result. it will be among the worst ! i still have time, and about 5 WEEKS before FINAL ! FINAL ! FINAL ! after a week of eid, we'll be facing 2ND test. depressed. :( please help me. i lost my confidence. everyone thinks im happy, but what do they know about me? about my feeling right now. i will try to keep on smiling and laughing even though no one knows what i feel inside. ALLAH will be always at my side ! no doubT
Written by: Mohammad Aklis Azmi at 18:11
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I am not sure if it's a yet-to-be-certified "Rick Ross" cult, but the look and feel of all things Ken Wilber leads me to be very gratified that I became an engineer, and didn't study psychology, as I had seriously considered in high school.
Wilber leads something called the "Integral Institute."
Integral Institute is dedicated to the proposition that partial and piecemeal approaches to complex problems are ineffective. Whether addressing individual and personal issues of meaning and transformation, or increasingly complex social problems such as war, hunger, disease, over-population, housing, ecology, and education, partial and fragmented approaches need to be replaced by solutions that are more comprehensive, systematic, encompassing—and integral.
Accordingly, there are four main goals for the Institute:
1. Integrate the largest amount of research from the largest number of disciplines—including the natural sciences (physics, chemistry, biology, neurology, ecology), art, ethics, religion, psychology, politics, business, sociology, and spirituality.
2. Develop practical products and services from this research—which can be used by individuals in their own development, or by groups, businesses, national and international organizations.
3. Apply this integrated knowledge and method of problem solving to critical and urgent issues—especially the serious political, health, educational, business, and environmental problems facing humanity. This integral approach to problem solving is employed by the Institute's own members; by forming alliances with other organizations; and by training organizational leaders, managers, and change agents in the Integral Approach.
4. Create the world's first Integral Learning Community—with national and international communities of Integral Practice, as well as with Integral University.
All of which says, evidently, "there's complex problems, and we want to solve them."
Now I am an engineer by training. You know what engineers do? We solve complex problems according to a number of often competitive, contrasting criteria and constraints.
It's telling that "engineering" is missing from "integrating the largest amount of research" statement above. And makes the needle on my BS meter go into the red...
As I get further into the "Integral Institute's" web pages, the language starts to take on the tone of the dreaded management consultant...I half expect to see the pointy-haired boss of Dilbert show up...
By far the most effective means that we found were the creation of numerous core teams in the various branches. These teams were composed of anywhere from 5 to 12 highly qualified members of I-I, who were charged with creating practices and services that would best advance an integral approach in their particular fields, such as integral business, integral ecology, integral psychotherapy, integral law, integral education, integral medicine, integral spirituality, integral leadership, and so on.
Having set several of these core teams in motion, I-I went into a relatively low-profile period. We expected that it would be several years before these teams began producing "integral products and services"—such as books, articles, multimedia presentations, field-tested consulting services, tools for personal transformation, and so on.
However, what is so exciting is that several of these teams are now at a point where they can begin to share their pioneering results with others who are interested in bringing a truly integral approach to their particular fields.
I have been reading their materials now for an hour, and I still can't figure out what the hell they're talking about.
Nobody I know would ever fund them if they can't encapsulate their message succintly so that it can be grasped in a period of minutes...you know, integrating both the problem and approach of solution with examples.
Here's a place called "Integral Training." The graphics and fancy web-design are frankly off-putting, - I dislike being razzled and dazzled. Ken Wilber, via his website has metaphorically come to me for sanzen, and I'm about to shoo him off, and the only reason I don't is because a) I want to know what the f*ck he's talking about, and b) because I suspect there's really no there there, and want to be sure.
Ah, here's "Integral Buddhism."
Within an Integral context, the individual who has embarked on the path of awakening has the possibility of drawing on a reservoir of skillful methods which can be brought to bear on specific issues revealed by a combination of Buddhist practice and an Integral perspective. These methods include the foundational Buddhist practice of shamatha/vipashyana meditation, the non-conceptual Big Mind approach, compassion practice, analytical meditation, yoga, qi gong, the 3-Body Workout, various forms of psychological investigation, group inquiry, and 3-2-1 Shadow-Work Process, just to name a few.
Maybe I am very spiritually well fed, and Google is a wonderful tool today, but frankly, insight meditation, zen, wushu, etc., can all be found without going to Ken Wilber's shop, which looks suspiciously like their attempt to sell you another head in addition to the one you already own.
I'd also say that Wilber's apprehension of Buddhism looks ridiculously culturally insenstive; it seems predicated on the assumption that stupid Americans couldn't grasp the inscrutable East (which by now with at least a few decent 2nd generation teachers in the US in a number of fields, including Zen, this is nonsensical on its face) or that Asians couldn't somehow integrate what they do with Americans. Either way, it looks evidently useless, especially given the fact that this outfit operates in a major urban area (Denver CO,) and therefore is within easy access of pretty good resources on the subject itself.
The page on Integral Training also mentions something about "AQALTM," which should set off anyone's BS jargon detector:
The AQAL Framework offers the most comprehensive map of reality available. It integrates the realms of subjective experience and objective phenomena, in both individuals and collectives.
AQAL is not just an amazing theoretical achievement—it's a powerfully practical tool. The framework reveals deep patterns of reality, and helps you to integrate these patterns into your own body, mind and spirit.
The result? You are ushered into a wider circle of wisdom, caring, and skillful action. You're able to express yourself and serve others with a new level of confidence and effectiveness. Fear is relaxed, and life becomes more vivid and joyful.
I simply cannot believe people pay this guy money...and I am astounded that there are people still walking around with narratives like this in their heads.
Whatever. Caveat emptor.
Oh, also, read Ken Wilber's response to his friend's scandal, and read Incredibly Insightful Victoria Lansford's viewpoint.
Software engineers have a term for what is the apparent effluence of this thing: GIGO. Garbage in, garbage out.


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Arguments on a Question of Legacy
Yet even these bones from insult to protect
Some frail memorial still erected nigh,
With uncouth rhymes and shapeless sculpture decked,
Implores the passing tribute of a sigh.
~~Thomas Gray, Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard
When you get to be as old as I am, as I am aware some are definitely more seasoned than I have been fortunate to consider myself one, you would notice more intangibles that you want to treasure more before you forget them. At least in my particular case, that had appeared to be a pronounced tendency.
It is not so much because I want to catalogue them before they become totally divorced from me. Rather because I want to assimilate the essence of their beauty into the substance of my soul. Hopefully, by so doing, I shall have enriched, tempered, and strengthened the essence of my being to be better able to handle the realm of the unknown in the hereafter.
But if there is no hereafter, you say? I happen to believe there is. And should I be wrong, I shall have enjoyed the process of immersing myself in the spirit of the good, the beautiful, and the true. If you don't know what they are all about, there is really nothing that I can do about it now that can be of benefit to you. You should have recognized them early on when you started to notice yourself as a sentient being and began to wonder where your sense and sensibility came from.
In this ever more frequently occurring journey to what I tagged my inner universe, I wish I would discover within me the faculty to create or compose a melody, a musical tune out of whatever it is melodies emerge from, perhaps the nothingness of being. I know I appreciate the melody I like when I hear one. But to create one out of nowhere and out of nothing, I cannot help but wonder what the experience is like. And to be able to communicate it to another sentient being, must constitute the consummation of total nirvana.
It is in this vein of total unknowing and wonderment that I listen to music. It is in this context that I acknowledge and pay homage to the inventors of YouTube. It is a wonderful venue to give vent to my passion to listen to melodies which resonate with the most profound dreams and longings of my soul. Beyond that, it affords me a vehicle to belt out a few tunes myself as a way of letting loose and let go some pent up emotions which cannot otherwise be verbalized.
The concept of a playlist affords me a corridor, a beach, a landscape, or a horizon in the tides of time through which I can wander and get lost in the inner chambers of my reverie, simultaneously as I interface with kindred journeys of kindred souls~ ~they who uploaded the melodies which I strung together into a playlist. Not to mention the souls whose talents and performance are showcased in the component melodies which constitute each Playlist, I commune with them too. They are not even aware that my soul is touching theirs in some profound way even if only with the vestige traces of their sojourn in the vast magnificence of both the here and now and the great beyond in God's Creation and the infinitude thereafter.
The playlist gives me a venue for both prospects and retrospects. It allows me to look back with gratitude and reverence to the souls who were here before me. It affords me to look forward with awe and nonchalance at the judgment of posterity from the generations of souls who shall come after me. Or in the immortal lines of Thomas Gray,
For who to dumb Forgetfulness a prey,
This pleasing anxious being e'er resigned,
Left the warm precincts of the cheerful day,
Nor cast one longing lingering look behind?
On some fond breast the parting soul relies,
Some pious drops the closing eye requires;
Ev'n from the tomb the voice of nature cries,
Ev'n in our ashes live their wonted fires.
It is important to me that I am aware of the various interfaces and interactions. For as John Donne in Meditation XVII would have it,
No man is an island entire of itself; every man
is a piece of the continent, a part of the main; . . .
It is in this spirit that I nurture my passion to create playlists and endeavor to share them with any and all, who might enjoy what they offer, however different from whatever ecstasy and entertainment I derive from them.
I have so far created twenty-five playlists, ranging in length from two to fifty component videos. In terms of playback duration it ranges from as short as nine minutes for the two-video list to thirty-two hours for the list of fourteen complete performances of my favorite opera masterpieces. Below is one of them which I titled "Down Nostalgia Lane."
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjC-YRc2AjQD7F9ZjM58X5w0o4fT6EAQs (needs to be started manually);
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Re59PF_DOrk&list=PLjC-YRc2AjQD7F9ZjM58X5w0o4fT6EAQs (automatic playback of first member).
I don't apologize for including number 17. It may be crude and devoid of any instrumentation. It however provides a graphic illustration of the emotional outlet function of YouTube that I alluded to earlier above. Besides, it showcases the lyrics I myself wrote. I am still hoping to find somebody with better diaphragm and vocal cords than I have at my disposal to take the composition for a much more deserving test drive than I can muster.
You may skip it at playback. But I beseech you to not eliminate it from the list even if you know how. That would, ipso facto, violate the intent and charitable spirit of the venue. Otherwise, enjoy the ride. Or in the somberly imposing verses of John Milton:
". . . Live while ye may,
Yet happie pair; enjoy, till I return,
Short pleasures, for long woes are to succeed!"