Citizens for PEACE - essays!!

"It is only human nature that we turn to a group that is closest to our way of living whenever we feel the need for security and identity. But reaching out is so much more important even though mutual agreement may be a distant dream. Just by knowing a person with a set of values which we find odd, comes a revelation that we are similar in some ways however few they may be. This similarity is a surprise and lessens to a great extent all our apprehensions about something completely unknown. And of course the all important fact that for any correction of supposed ‘flaws’ in the other, the kind word of a friend is so much more effective than the hate filled invective of a stranger."
How truly written by Anuranjan Roy...i read this essay from Citizens of peace...lets keep in mind one thing...that love alone is the answer!
please read the whole essay and let me know what you think...
I can’t help feeling a little cynical as I pen this down. After all, the only people who would want to read an essay on “Living with differences” would be the ones who are already aware that there is no viable alternative to it. For those who are convinced that standardization-be it on the lines of religion, caste or class is the way out of the entire world’s ills wouldn’t bother making the effort. But in times when a moderate opinion on any issue is panned and reviled by both warring camps, this is an important exercise in self-motivation.
for more click here...
http://citizensforpeace.in/blog/category/essays/

Beyond the Margin blogspot...

Beyond Margin is a blogspot of a journalist I recently came across...while trying to read about rural India...and the farmer situation of recent times...
Jaideep writes...
I learnt two important things from Palagummi Sainath: what the heart does not feel, eyes cannot see. And there is no Invisible India. If at all there is one, it’s Blind India. He says, “Invisible India is an elephant in your bedroom that you don’t want to see”.

Palagummi Sainath, the 2007 Ramon Magsaysay Award winner in the category of Journalism, literature and creative communication arts, has inspired many a young journalist like me, not only in the country, but also beyond the borders.

I learnt two important things from him: what the heart does not feel, eyes cannot see. And there is no Invisible India. If at all there is one, it’s Blind India. He says, “Invisible India is an elephant in your bedroom that you don’t want to see”.

Palagummi Sainath, the 2007 Ramon Magsaysay Award winner in the category of Journalism, literature and creative communication arts, has inspired many a young journalist like me, not only in the country, but also beyond the borders.

When the news broke on Tuesday, July 31, afternoon, we were about to start for Nagpur from Pandharkawda in Yavatmal, after three days of non-stop traveling in rural Vidarbha, visiting half a dozen suicide households and meeting people. It was typical of Sainath that he was doing what he loves to do the most: visiting the rural households to understand the newer processes that affect their lives.
for more click on link below...
http://beyondmargins.blogspot.com/

Braveheart Blog..another part of the whole!

I was touched by this soul's expressive nature...please take some time and read the whole article..
Braveheart writes in his blogspot....
I was very disturbed. Sometimes things just go out of your hands. Sometimes, you are simply forced to act in an un-reasonable way. Its inexplicable but at times, life just takes control over you. You show emotions which are not yours. You act in a way, which has not been you way. Something like this had happened with me last night.
Telelvision was on and the regular nonsense was being broadcasted. My fingers were playing with the remote. The window was open and cool breeze was gushing through my hair. I was looking out of the window at my garden. The roses had grown really beautiful. Amrita was a mother to these plants more than she was to our Rahul. Not that she was a bad mother, not at all, but the plants gor a special share of her heart. Probably, the love for them came out of a corner of her heart whcih I could never explore. The red roses were teasing me. They reminded me of the time I was crowned to be a prince, the prince who was to taste the luscious lips of the princess, Amrita.
for more please visit....
http://braveheart-blog.blogspot.com/2004/12/karvan-guzar-gaya.html

MIT OpenCourseWare

I recently stumbled upon the following link where MIT offers lots of free courses. When i visited the website i found that they have separate course materials for High School students and teachers. I think this will definitely help students and teachers all over the world and help the students decide and choose a course of their interest.

Also there are so many Audio and Video materials that can be downloaded for free. Lots of schools in the rural areas who are creating their own course materials can also make the best use of these materials. And provide higher standard of Education for free. It is our collective responsibility to provide a better education for our future generation.

Thank you MIT for the opencourseware.

CURRIKI.org

The Global Education & Learning CommunityWe believe that access to knowledge and learning tools is a basic right for every child. Our goal is to make curricula and learning resources available to everyone.The above is a website which has abundant resources for children's education and it is absolutely free and you can also contribute to the curricula if you think it might be useful for our future generations...Some of the features that are available in CURRIKI.org
THE ART OF INVENTION
These resources teach students about artists who invented new tools to explore topics they find interesting.
Decimal Basketball
Getting students actively participating in learning is one teacher's strategy for teaching decimals.
Teaching Satire in High School
A teacher in Minnesota has created a unit on reading and understanding satirical literature.
Teaching Holes in Middle School
One teacher shares her roadmaps and reading logs from the popular novel Holes by Louis Sachar. Fee's collections also include Holes vocabulary activities and materials for other great middle school books.
Unit on Things Fall Apart
This teacher shares her week by week materials to scaffold reading and get students writing about Chinua Achebe's popular novel.

If you think we can add more resources for kids to access...let us do it now!!

Latest in Technology!

http://www.softpedia.com/
for the latest in technology...i came across this website which might be useful to anyone who is seeking some new information!

HOW TO MAKE YOUR BLOG FAMOUS??

The blogging community has to grow and each and every one of us have to connect...to bring peace to the planet..and it must be a joint effort...sorry guys, i just typed "how to make your blog famous" and this is one of the links i got...thank you internet...!!
http://bloggletype.blogspot.com/2007/05/100-ways-to-make-your-blog-famous.html

GLOBAL YOUTH ACTION NETWORK

The Global Youth Action Network (GYAN) is 501c3, not-for-profit organization, launched in 1996 and registered in the state of New York, USA. GYAN has regional teams in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Durban, South Africa, Beirut, Lebanon, and Manila, Philippines. Natonal Chapters are registered in Mexico City, Accra, Ghana, Paris, France, and a growing number of other countries. GYAN is affiliated to the United Nations Department of Public Information and holds Special Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic & Social Council (ECOSOC).

GYAN is a youth-led organization that unites the efforts of young people working to improve our world. The Network connects many thousands of organizations in over 190 countries and a growing membership is now helping to shape the future direction of GYAN..

This is your world!

A video that might drive you to do something for the World!

http://www.youthlink.org/thisisyourworld.swf

CHAT THE PLANET.COM

Chat the Planet is a global dialogue company. We connect young people from around the world to talk about everything from politics, prejudices and war to sex, music and life in general.

Chat the Planet is uncensored, unscripted and unlike anything else in the mainstream media.

Hey people.. check this raw reality..wouldn't it be more interesting if we all came together and spoke about issues from different parts of world? It is such a nice attempt to bring the truth out to the world and letting in some possibility of love to flow in...Since we are so connected..we suffer the pain that is felt with the uncertainty of these war-torn places..which is a part of us..aren't we responsible for spreading some love to all our fellow humans who are going through this uncertainty?

CHAT THE PLANET

In 2008, we are launching an innovative internet platform that will transform the way people engage globally. It will transcend both cultural differences and long distances.
Founded by celebrated media executives Laurie Meadoff and Kate Hillis in 2001, Chat the Planet has produced award-winning video, internet, and radio programming that continues to reach millions of people around the world.
Hometown Baghdad is an online web series about life in Baghdad. It tells the stories of three young Iraqis struggling to survive during the war.
The series premiered on March 19th 2007 and the final episode went live on June 17. All episodes are viewable here.
Hometown Baghdad was produced by global youth dialogue company, Chat the Planet.Check this link for press release and the blog of Hometown Baghdad.

you can check all the videos of the entire series from this link...videos of Hometown Baghdad

Wings Of Evolution Screening at Scarsdale Public library, New York

We had a screening of Wings of Evolution yesterday at the Scarsdale Public Library,New York, at 1pm. The screening was arranged by Susan Grosz, a friend we made from the South Asian International Film Festival in October 2007. We did not have to do anything except show up for the screening at the library because Susan had taken care of everything that was needed; right from the publicity to the arrangement of the venue including all the formalities involved. Jeff took care of the technical part of things and arranged for a projector for the screenings. We have wonderful people to help us in this journey and they volunteer their time and effort for this cause.
Susan introduced us to the audience and said that amidst all the chaos in the world and news every single day, Wings Of Evolution was there to give hope. What an introduction!
We were inspired by just those words!
A group of around 40 people showed up for the screening even with the weather being so cold outside. The after-session of the screening was very interesting with people asking us questions about a lot of things.
Firstly, the overall response was amazing and the audience said that indeed they agreed to Susan's introductory comment that there was hope in the film. There were around 6-7 school teachers who were very interested to know about the details of the syllabus at the School. They were interested in the fact that the children at the Siragu School were allowed to take any classes they preferred whether it was the reading corner or writing or math or science or anything they chose to attend. Some of them voiced out their concern about the public schools in India and how the attendance worked there. They were impressed at the kids' openness to the learning process in spite of being first generation learners and also appreciated the kids for teaching their parents English when they went home.
Some of them voiced out their concern for the exam patterns in schools in the world and how competitive children have forced to become.
Well, they were also keen on the World Wide Postcard Sharing project and said they would ask their kids to participate in it.
So, the overall response was very positive yesterday.
We also introduced our non-profit organization POSITIVE PEOPLE TODAY to the audience and requested them to take a look at the cause. We are trying to raise funds for the Siragu School through Positive People Today. Please go to the following link to take a look at the fund raising page of Siragu School.
We reminded the people that remaining positive about things changing for the better in the world was very important and PPT was one such attempt to spread Positivity!

TIBET- Please send your love, light, Positive Energy!

Please fill out the comment form to send a message to the Tibetan Marchers and we will make sure they get them on the road.

http://tibetanuprising.org/2008/03/12/send-a-message-to-the-marchers/#comment-700

Non-competitive sport and dance - CHINLONE.

Thankyou http://www.mysticball-themovie.com/aboutchinlone.html for the information.
Chinlone is the traditional sport of Myanmar (Burma). Chinlone is a combination of sport and dance, a team sport with no opposing team. In essence chinlone is non-competitive, yet it’s as demanding as the most competitive ball games. The focus is not on winning or losing, but how beautifully one plays the game.

A team of six players pass the ball back and forth with their feet and knees as they walk around a circle. One player goes into the center to solo, creating a dance of various moves strung together. The soloist is supported by the other players who try to pass the ball back with one kick. When the ball drops to the ground it’s dead, and the play starts again.

Chinlone means “cane-ball” in Burmese. The ball is woven from rattan, and makes a distinctive clicking sound when kicked that is part of the aesthetic of the game. Players use six points of contact with the ball: the top of the toes, the inner and outer sides of the foot, the sole, the heel, and the knee. The game is played barefoot or in chinlone shoes that allow the players to feel the ball and the ground as directly as possible. The typical playing circle is 6.7 meters (22 feet) in diameter. The ideal playing surface is dry, hard packed dirt, but almost any flat surface will do.

Chinlone is over 1,500 years old and was once played for Myanmar royalty. Over the centuries, players have developed more than 200 different ways of kicking the ball. Many of the moves are similar to those of Myanmar dance and martial art. Some of the most difficult strokes are done behind the back without seeing the ball as it is kicked. Form is all important in chinlone, there is a correct way to position the hands, arms, torso, and head during the moves. A move is considered to have been done well only if the form is good.

Myanmar is a predominately Buddhist country, and chinlone games are a featured part of the many Buddhist festivals that take place during the year. The largest of these festivals goes on for more than a month with up to a thousand teams. An announcer calls out the names of the moves and entertains the audience with clever wordplay. Live music from a traditional orchestra inspires the players and shapes the style and rhythm of their play. The players play in time to the music and the musicians accent the kicks.

Both men and women play chinlone, often on the same team. Adults and children can play on the same team, and it’s not unusual to see elders in their 80’s playing.

In addition to the team style of chinlone, which is called “wein kat” or circle kick, there is also a solo performance style called “tapandaing”. This solo style is only performed by women.

To play chinlone well, the whole team must be absolutely in the moment – their minds cannot wander or the ball will drop. All serious players experience an intensely focused state of mind, similar to that achieved in Zen meditation, which they refer to as jhana.

However, nowhere in the world has the level of extraordinary foot skills and dexterity been combined with artistic expression and spirituality as in the Myanmar game of chinlone.

for more on Chinlone..please visit the opensource WIKIPEDIA.ORG at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinlone

Calling all fellow HUMANS positively!!!

POSITIVE PEOPLE TODAY IS HERE FOR ALL!!
TO SPREAD THE POSITIVITY IN THE WORLD..AROUND YOU!!!
Well, here are the details of the much awaited website for the non-profit we have started..
this is a very good venue for us in our journey..PPT(positive people today) as we call it..is an official non-profit organization from october 2007..and we have started this to spread positivity in the minds of people..!!
But, we are initially trying to spread the word around..
we are also going to use PPT as a platform for the world children's forum..
so, please register at the site and start adding articles..also any friends of yours could join this, add articles and positive energy to this..we will soon form a positive people's network where all of us will get together and spread love in the world..also upload your pictures/ art work /photographic skills to the gallery....
so go to PPT here from the link below..
www.positivepeopletoday.org
please do the registration and go through the whole website..pls also give us a review and tell me if the site is user friendly...
..pls spread the word..!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

From Robert Naiman justforeignpolicy.org

please go to JUSTFOREIGNPOLICY for more information.
Robert Naiman sent this link to spread the awareness...
Just Foreign Policy organized a tour about U.S. policy towards Iran.
We made a about the history of U.S. policy and the need for diplomacy which you can find here:

Ukranian Folk dance - Hopak!

One more folk dance from Ukraine..check the movements..and how well they are synchronized...and the music is so lively...for more check the internet world..

Hopak (Ukrainian: Гопак), also referred to as Gopak, is a Ukrainian dance. It is most often performed as a solitary concert dance by amateur and professional Ukrainian dance ensembles, as well as other performers of folk dances. It has also been incorporated into larger artistic opuses such as operas and ballets.

The Hopak is often popularly referred to as the "National Dance of Ukraine".

for more click here

thanks to Technology and the Internet and Wikipedia...for their services to humankind!!

can you draw with such co-ordination??

the video is self-explanatory..wow!
Can your elephant paint? Watch this elephant, rescued from abusive treatment in Burma, now paint an amazing self portrait. You'll be amazed at how his talent unfolds.

So touched by their horrific backgrounds and loving personalities, ExoticWorldGifts.com now supports, "Starving Elephant Artisans" by selling their paintings so they can continue to have a new life in Thailand.

Bharathanatyam Indian Classical dance!

How many of us actually know about folk dances that exist in different countries?? well, to start with i thought i'd introduce myself and you all to some of the Indian and the other folk dances in the world. Let's start with Bharatnatyam, which originates from TamilNadu..thanks to the internet..i don't have to keep researching a lot..i can give you and idea and you could check it out for yourself if you are interested in any one of these art forms!!
Courtesy: Wikipedia.org
Picture Courtesy:http://www.uc.edu/groups/sabha/DANCE_LINKS/bharatanatyam.htm

Bharatanatyam is a classical dance form originating from Tamil Nadu, a state in Southern India. This popular South Indian dance form called Bharatanatyam is a 20th century reconstruction of Cathir, the art of temple dancers. Cathir in turn, is derived from ancient dance forms. The word Bharata, some believe, signifies the author of the famous Sanskrit treatise on stagecraft, called NatyaShastra, and the word Bharatanatyam is sometimes given a folk etymology as follows:Bha for Bhava or abhinaya and expression, Ra for raga or melody, and Ta for tala or rhythm.
for more click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bharatnatyam