Indian English Will Conquer Globe: Expert

English will fragment into "global dialects", forcing speakers routinely to learn two varieties of the language — one spoken in their home country and a new kind of Standard English with pronounced Indian characteristics, a leading expert on English has said.

The new Standard English, which will be understood globally, would be necessary if the growing ranks of English-speakers around the world are to understand each other, said Professor David Crystal, one of the world's foremost experts and author of the Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language.

The new Standard English's likely Indian characteristics would signify the end of the primacy of American English. Future users of global Standard English might routinely say "I am thinking it's going to rain" rather than the British "I think it's going to rain", said Crystal.

"In language, numbers count. There are more people speaking English in India than in the rest of the native English-speaking world. Even now, if you ring a call centre, often it's an Indian voice you hear at the end of the phone. As the Indian economy grows, so will the influence of Indian English," he explained.

Because Indians tend to "use the present continuous where we would use the present simple (with an Indian saying) 'I am thinking, I am feeling, I am seeing' rather than 'I think, I feel, I see'... this way of speaking could easily become sexy and part of global Standard English," said the professor, who has written more than 100 books. (TOI)

***** I am thinking that making Desi (Indian) English the Standard English would be a jolly good move yaar!

Chinese Connection In Race Row Over Monument To Martin Luther King Jr

A place has been prepared for a monument to the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr on the most hallowed ground in America. But the nature of that memorial is causing a dispute that threatens to sully the memory of a man renowned for his intent to unite people.

The rumpus is over the ethnicity of the sculptor who will carve the monument. A Chinese sculptor has been chosen to carve a monument three storeys high on the National Mall in Washington, where it will be placed between the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials. But a loose-knit and growing group of critics is demanding that a black sculptor, or at least an American, should have been chosen. The protesters have been joined by human rights advocates who say King would have abhorred the Chinese government's record on religious and civil liberties.

Gilbert Young, a black painter from Atlanta who has launched a website and a petition to try to change the project, said: "I believe that black artists have the right to interpret ourselves first. If nobody steps up to the plate to do that, then certainly pass it along to someone else."

The memorial foundation directing the project seems surprised at the criticism. Ten of the 12 people on the committee that chose the sculptor, Lei Yixin, are black. Lei is working closely on the design with two black sculptors in the US, organisers said, and the overall project is being directed by a black-owned architectural firm.

Lei has carved monuments to many of China's national figures, including Mao Tse-tung. Ann Lao, a native of China now living in Los Angeles bristles at the human rights record of her home country and said King would never condone its policies. The granite used for the statue is likely to be mined by workers labouring in unsafe and unfair conditions, the human rights activist said.

Lao, Young and others plan to present their online petition to legislators in Washington next month in an effort to force the foundation to reconsider the project. The monument is scheduled to be completed in 2009.

It was 44 years ago on Tuesday that Dr King delivered his "I have a dream..." speech. (The Independent On Sunday)
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Kazakh Leader's Son-In-Law Arrested

Austrian police have arrested the son-in-law of Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev, who is wanted on kidnapping charges in his country. Rakhat Aliyev (left) was sacked as ambassador to Austria on Saturday, amid an escalating family feud.

The Kazakh authorities accuse him of ordering the abduction of two bankers. Mr Aliyev says the case is aimed at destroying his political ambition. An Austrian court is to rule on Kazakhstan's extradition request. "He was arrested on Friday afternoon on the order of the court in Vienna after visiting his barber," a police spokesman said. Kazakhstan had sent a team of prosecutors to Vienna to secure his arrest.

Mr Aliyev says the charge that he was involved in the kidnapping of two former officials of the Kazakh bank Nurbank are fabricated, and designed to stop him standing for president. He has told the BBC he wants to bring reform to Kazakhstan. "We should create a democratic civil society in line with European standards," Mr Aliyev said at the weekend.

President Nazarbayev has been in office for 17 years. Last month he strengthened his rule by changing the law to allow him to run for the presidency as many times as he likes. (BBC News)

***** Looks like 'celebrity sons-in-law' are the same the world over; basically pests with a penchant for scandal and trouble as well as a perennial headache for the father-in-law. Kazakhstan has Rakhat Aliyev but hey, we've got the biggest of 'em all - Khairy J!
Image Source -:
1) Kazakh SIL
2) Malaysian SIL

Birthday Boy Osama Turns Fifty.

Had things gone as US President George W. Bush wanted, Osama bin Laden would have been taken in "dead or alive" five years ago as the Taliban regime collapsed in Afghanistan. But on Saturday, the world's most wanted terrorist will in all likelihood mark his 50th birthday as a free man.

Despite a massive manhunt since he was believed to have fled to mountains straddling the border with Pakistan in late 2001, not to mention a US bounty of $25 million on his head, the leader of the Al Qaeda terrorist network remained at large. And, if the Taliban insurgents' top military commander, Mullah Dadullah, is to be believed, bin Laden is still alive. "We know he is still alive. He is not yet martyred," Dadullah said last week in an interview with Britain's Channel 4 television.

There are some indications he might be right. In the event of bin Laden's death, his cohorts would certainly have proclaimed him a martyr who had evaded capture by his enemies to the bitter end. And US authorities would scarcely have failed to parade a body or a captured bin Laden in video footage before placing him on trial as they did with Saddam Hussein in Iraq.

But while there have been no recent video releases to prove the Saudi is still alive, earlier images of bin Laden are indelibly engrained on the global consciousness: bearded, tall - 1.96 metres by Interpol's calculation - turbaned, often toting a rifle and undeniably mesmeric.

Born as the 17th child of a Saudi construction entrepreneur, bin Laden was adept at evading capture even before the Sep 11, 2001 terrorist attacks against the US and the ensuing military onslaught against his Taliban protectors in Afghanistan.

In 1998, he called upon Muslims worldwide to kill citizens of the US, which ironically was the country that helped set him on the path he follows today. He received extensive US support as a co-organiser of armed resistance against the Soviets during their 1979-1988 occupation of Afghanistan.

At the end of the 1980s, Al Qaeda emerged from bin Laden's network and spawned terrorist cells that carried out numerous devastating strikes against the US and other targets around the world.

The terrorist mastermind has also been at the receiving end, surviving an assassination attempt in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, in 1996 and a US missile strike in Afghanistan in 1998.

The invasion of Afghanistan by US-led coalition forces in 2001 toppled the Taliban, who had refused to hand bin Laden to the US to answer for the hijacked jetliner attacks on New York and Washington. It is widely believed that bin Laden and many of his fighters then withdrew to strongholds in the mountainous Tora Bora region near the Pakistani border before the trail went cold.

Several senior Al Qaeda members have since been captured, but their loyalty under interrogation has remained unswerving and their master has stayed at liberty.

Speculation is still rife that bin Laden is hiding in Pakistan's remote tribal belt, where US intelligence agencies said Al Qaeda is not only rebuilding itself but running operations in other parts of the world. The leadership of Afghanistan and Pakistan denied that he is on their territory but are unable to prove it while some US officials tell another story.

According to ABC News television in the United States, the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is moving additional manpower and equipment into Pakistan to find bin Laden and his deputy Ayman al-Zawahri, unnamed officials said. "Reports that the trail has gone stone cold are not correct," one told ABC, adding, "We are very much increasing our efforts there."

People familiar with the CIA operation said undercover officers with paramilitary training have been ordered into Pakistan's border area with Afghanistan. Pakistan, meanwhile, rejected any form of foreign incursion into its territory.

While his location is unclear, so is the role bin Laden now plays in Al Qaeda. Some Western experts said they believe he has become more of a symbolic figure of Islamist resistance and terrorism rather than a direct organiser of attacks.

But providing he is alive, one thing is sure: After years of special forces operations, spy missions, surveillance drone flights and billions of dollars spent, the elusive birthday boy remains an embarrassing thorn in the side of the world's last superpower, the United States. (Daily News And Analysis)
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Legal Sex Workers As Happy As Women In Other Jobs.

Legal prostitutes are just as happy as women in regular jobs, according to a survey that reports high job satisfaction in parts of the sex industry.

But illegal workers who sell sex on the streets had a much grimmer outlook, with half saying they had been raped or bashed in the past year.

The survey compared the mental and physical health of nearly 250 Queensland prostitutes aged 18 to 57 who worked in registered brothels, at home or on the street.

Legal workers reported similar job satisfaction to women in the general community, but streetworkers were far less happy in the job.

"The general picture is that those women whose families know about their work reported greater job satisfaction than those who kept their work secret," said researcher Charlotte Seib.

***** No country in the world has even remotely succeeded in stamping out prostitution. As long as there are men, that would be a futile effort. Countries like Malaysia, typical hypocrites, while publicly despising and frowning upon sex workers and declaring their profession illegal, privately close both eyes to what can reasonably be termed as a booming industry. However some countries have seen the need to accept reality and legalize prostitution thereby allowing health requirements and standards to be introduced, practiced and maintained.

It may surprise many that a considerable number of these legal sex workers are well educated, have happy families and homes like the rest of the population and as mentioned earlier have a great deal of job satisfaction and are at considerably lower risk than the 'street-worker.' Perhaps there is a need to legalize prostitution in our country at least as a health precaution.

You can read the full article HERE.
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UKM Study: Most Female Students With Disciplinary Problems Admit To Having Sex.

A Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) study has revealed a shocking finding about high-risk female students in one state where most of them admitted to have had sexual intercouse.

The study, conducted by UKM's Children and Youth Psychology specialist Dr Khaidzir Ismail, found all the 887 high-risk female students except for one confessing to have had experienced the "pleasure of the flesh".

The three-month High-Risk Female Youth Profile Study, which ended last December, took 20 students with disciplinary problems from each schools, ranging from Form One to Form Five, as its respondents.

"It is sad and shocking to find all except one of the respondents admitted to having experienced sex. This is painful finding but it is a reality that we have to accept," he told Bernama at his office in Bangi near here today.

It is understood that the study was a Selangor government's initiative in an attempt to find a handle to the moral values' deterioration among the female youths in the state.

From the findings of the study, the state government aims to formulate a special training module to promote high moral values among the young female generation.

Khaidzir said the study also found that the female students, aged between 15 and 16, were at a high risk of being involved in various disciplinary problems like trying to lose their virginity. "The study also found that the problems committed by these students were due to external pressure like coming from broken homes where their parents having difficulties in coping with life," he said.

Findings of the study also revealed that apart from the sexual experience, most of the respondents took drugs, involved in pornography, secret societies, vandalism and truancy.

Khaidzir said most of these high-risk female students were poor in their academic achievements, communication skills, and having low self-esteem and self-control as well as problem-solving capabilities. (Syed Azwan Syed Ali, Bernama)

***** While most of us knew, despite the pious claims of government educationists, religious groups and politicians on the 'high moral values' and practices of our anak dara, that many of them were running wild and trying out everything from drugs, to sex and worse, the sheer numbers and percentages quoted is frightening to say the least.

While the authorities are busy 'curbing' social ills and the hot-blooded libido of the adults, the children are quietly having a go themselves.

The UKM researchers should be congratulated for honestly and transparently revealing the damning figures. Now let us wait and see how the government tries to cover-up this issue or attempts to put a positive spin to it.
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English Test For Migrants To UK?

Spouses hoping to migrate to the UK could face English tests under proposals being considered by a commission advising the government that identifies the inability to speak the language the single biggest barrier to social integration in the country.

The proposal is one of the most controversial features of an interim report being published by the Commission on Integration and Social Cohesion, which was set up last year in the wake of the July 7 London bombings.

The report identifies the inability to speak English as the single biggest barrier preventing migrants from integrating successfully in Britain. And it suggests that translation services for migrants could be scaled back in order to prevent newcomers relying on them as a crutch which means they never have to learn English.

Commission chairman Darra Singh, who will present his final conclusions to Communities Secretary Ruth Kelly in June, warned that if immigrants fail to pick up the language soon after their arrival, they might never do so.

Research carried out by consulting firm Mori for the commission found that 60 per cent of those surveyed agreed that the biggest barrier to being English was being unable to speak the language. (DNA)
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Prime Minister's Charity Call To Muslims.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi Saturday called on Muslims to do more charity work to ensure their well-being not only in this world but also in the hereafter.
"We should perform good deeds for the society because the aid will help not only those affected but also ourselves in this world and in the hereafter," he said when presenting educational aid to orphans from the Titiwangsa parliamentary constituency and Masjid Al-Jamiul Badawi in Kepala Batas and and Masjid Jamek Kampung Baru here.

He said helping people and doing good deeds made one a good person.

Abdullah also called on Muslims to bring back the glory days of Islam so that they could be on par with the other races of the world in all fields.

The Educational Aid for Orphans Scheme was introduced to help orphans from congregations in the Titiwangsa constituency and the two mosques until the age of 21.

Abdullah presented the scheme's policy certificates to 23 selected orphans at Masjid Jamek Kampung Baru. A total of 373 orphans will receive the policy. (Bernama)

***** On this significant day of Awal Muharram (Maal Hijrah), the Prime Minister's universally acceptable advice is timely and should be heeded by all, Muslims and non-Muslims alike. There are many charitable people in Malaysia, but of late there have been doubts whether donations to government organized charities is reaching the intended target group or is some or much of it being 'intercepted.'

To those who doubt the effectiveness of such projects, the PM's urging to perform charitable works makes sense. Charity does not only mean giving sums of money but also doing voluntary work or helping out those who need our assistance by soothing their afflictions and relieving their necessities. It is indeed a noble deed which one should take pride in performing.
Charity: Image - Source
Maal Hijrah: Image - Source
The King's Maal Hijrah Message: Muslims Need To Strategise In Facing Global Challenges

Slim Waist Is Eternal Standard Of Feminine Beauty, Say Scientists.

Yup it's official. Looks do matter, and unfortunately for many a pretty lass, apparently the 'eternally' true standard of beauty requires her to have a slim waistline. Therein lies the problem. While in your teens a slim waistline can be taken for granted by most, as one grows older the years of indulging in favorite snacks, and one's predilection for being a couch potato rather than a 'gym animal' starts to show, rather embarrassingly at times.

At this stage there are basically three types of reactions. One is to do something about it, and thus the diet and exercise routine begins. The second is to fret and fume and alas do nothing positive while blaming everyone else but oneself. The third and by far the most 'popular' response is to make feeble attempts at controlling the burgeoning waistline and generally fighting a losing battle. Slowly and surely the second and third groups come to terms that a slim waist is not for them and they either ignore the subject or become secretly envious of those who are more attractively endowed.

With mental maturity comes the realization that there is more to life than merely looking very svelte and there are many people, men and women alike, who care precious little for slim waists as a criteria for admiring and appreciating true beauty. Having said that, there is one line in the report which states: "There was not a single evocation of beauty which said the object of veneration had a bulging tummy." That is definitely true and while we should not be obsessed with unattainable looks, we should at least take good and healthy care of what nature and our genetic code has given us.

The full report HERE.
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A Chaotic 2007, Gulf Leader Assassination Imminent, Says Indian Astrologer.

With the entry of Mars, the warrior planet, 2007 will begin with a bloody mess in West Asia where a leader is likely to be assassinated but the next half of the year will bring some respite, especially to farmers who will enjoy a bountiful harvest, predicts a top Indian astrologer.

These events are all due to the alignment of the planets that tend to have a direct impact on worldly affairs and individuals.

Delhi-based Dr Prem Kumar Sharma said that next year would not be free from political upheavals in the Gulf states and natural calamities could also wreak havoc in Asia, where mass fatalities are predicted as Mars, one of the nine planets that shift their position in the astrological realms, reigns in 2007.

There are already signs of Mars influences as it enters to rule 2007 as Saturn, the ruling planet of 2006, is about to vacate. Another big leader in the Gulf will be killed and political leaders will face lots of difficult times, Prem Kumar told Bernama in an interview here.

Overall, the year will be a blend of good and bad but whatever happens, the magnitude will be great, said the 49-year-old globe-trotting astrologer, who is also a regular columnist with the leading Hindustan Times newspaper in India.

He predicts that the first half of the year will remain turbulent -- largely political disturbances, heightened by terrorism and natural calamities --- all caused by the powerful influences of Mars.

There will be upheavals in Iran and Pakistan and this could bring leadership changes and in India there may be a change in the current leadership but the government will remain in control, he added.

Prem Kumar said that according to his readings, American president George W. Bush will remain in office, regardless of the mounting political pressure engulfing the White House.

On the economic front, there is some silver lining on the horizon as the global economy will continue to flourish despite rising prices.

"Prosperity will be in good heights and Asia will grow despite the problems it will face. Farmers will enjoy good harvest, there will be plenty of rain," he said, adding that discoveries of new technologies will boost the second half of 2007.

In a lighter vein, in Bollywood, the planetary alignments of 2007 reveal that there is a high possibility that Abhishek Bachchan, son of Indian movie legend Amitabh Bachchan, will tie the knot, while his father's health condition is of concern. (P.Vijian - Bernama)
Image - chrisgarvey00

To all readers of this blog - A Very Happy And Successful New Year.
Image - Wil Zoetekouw

Critics Oppose Christmas In China

A group of Chinese students has criticised a rise in Christmas revelry, urging people to "resist Western cultural invasion", state media says.

The 10 students, all from elite universities, posted their views on an internet website, the China Daily said. They condemned the proliferation of Christmas trees, seasonal messages in the media and people celebrating "until very late" on Christmas Eve. The government was to blame for failing to maintain traditions, they said.

"Occidental culture has been more like storms sweeping through the country rather than mild showers," the students argued. People were joining in Christmas partying without giving its meaning much thought, they said. "This is a phenomenon of the collective loss of sense," they said, urging a return to Confucianism.

But the posting had drawn heavy criticism, China Daily said, and was unlikely to receive much support. Western festivals like Christmas and Valentine's Day have been enthusiastically embraced by Chinese retailers and young people alike in recent years.(BBC NEWS)

****** This reminds me of the report earlier this year about the noise made by traditionalists in India who strongly opposed the 'celebration' of Valentine's Day there. The reasons given were more or less the same as above and not surprisingly their protests were totally ignored especially by the younger generation. I personally don't think that the celebration of this or other 'western' cultural/religious events is going to make a non-occidental any different from those who do not embrace these occasions with the same fervour. It is merely an excuse to have a good time but with a varied 'theme' or 'flavour.' To say that because of this one stands to lose his identity or 'sense,' is inaccurate. Let our youth have a good time while they are still young and not tainted by the fanaticism and prejudices of the older lot and if it takes the celebrating of cultural events of others, so be it.

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Flood update: Christians In Segamat Celebrate A Sombre Christmas
Walski's take on Christmas.
Update: Christians Celebrate Christmas In Moderation