Prime Indians: August 2012

Saturday, August 25, 2012

Vivek Shah arrested; Tino Sehgal profiled;

The Internet Newspaper of Global Indians: news, video, blogs, community

Gateway of India, Mumbai

Vivek Shah, aspiring actor from Illinois, arrested for allegedly trying to extort money from Harvey Weinstein and other Hollywood notables

Shah, 25, according to his profile on IMDB, see link below, had bit parts in The Dark Night, Outsourced and other films and TV,

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2862542/

For more on the story see link:

Shah, a 25-year-old bit actor seen on a 2012 episode of "Bones" and in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight (per his IMDb page),

Read More at: http://movieline.com/2012/08/23/actor-vivek-shah-arrested-harvey-weinstein-extortion-plot/#utm_source=copypaste&utm_campaign=referral

Aspiring actors are a dime a dozen in L.A., but few would go as far as attempting to extort one of Hollywood's most powerful movie moguls for their big payday.

Read More at: http://movieline.com/2012/08/23/actor-vivek-shah-arrested-harvey-weinstein-extortion-plot/#utm_source=copypaste&utm_campaign=referral

Vivek Shah of suburban Illinois by way of West Hollywood, who was arrested this week for allegedly threatening Harvey Weinstein and his family if the superproducer didn't pay him millions.

Read More at: http://movieline.com/2012/08/23/actor-vivek-shah-arrested-harvey-weinstein-extortion-plot/#utm_source=copypaste&utm_campaign=referral

http://movieline.com/2012/08/23/actor-vivek-shah-arrested-harvey-weinstein-extortion-plot/

Tino Sehgal and his art is profiled in The New Yorker

The article notes that Sehgal makes what he calls “constructed situations.” He uses the raw materials of voice, language, and movement to build pieces of art.

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2012/08/06/120806fa_fact_collins

For “This Progress” (2010), another New Yorker article noted, he filled the rotunda of the Guggenheim with a corps of “interpreters”—children, teen-agers, baby boomers, octogenarians”—who, according to a set of rules devised by Sehgal, engaged each visitor in a conversation, delivering him to progressively older interlocutors as he spiralled up the museum’s ramp.

http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/backissues/2012/07/tino-sehgals-interpreters.html

Amongst the galleries representing Sehgal is Marian Goodman in New York.Its site has more information on Sehgal and his works:

http://www.mariangoodman.com/artists/tino-sehgal/

Ashutosh Sharma and Ankur Malhotra's Amarass Records seek new path in old Indian music

The New York Times' Nida Najar writes about Ashutosh Sharma and Ankur Malhotra founding Amarass Records to revive interest in music by artists who devote their lives, in obscurity and poverty, trying to master age old Indian instruments in Indian villages. The article, see link below, reports on the two 37 year old entrepreneurs recording the Sindhi sarangi played by hereditary musicians in a Rajasthani village.

http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/23/preserving-the-passion-of-india%E2%80%99s-roots-music/

Here is the link to the Amarass site:

http://www.amarrass.com/the-manganiyar-seduction/artists/the-manganiyars

In Other News:

Infosys not guilty rules Alabama Judge in harassment and visa fraud case</a>

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/21/us/alabama-judge-dismisses-infosys-whistle-blower-suit.html

Moti Mahal's New York city outpost gets 4 stars on Yelp for its Moghlai food

http://www.yelp.com/biz/moti-mahal-delux-manhattan

Salman Khan's "Ek Tha Tiger" is bland Indo-Pak love story, says New York Times reviewer

http://movies.nytimes.com/2012/08/17/movies/ek-tha-tiger-by-kabir-khan.html

Sunday, August 19, 2012

Fareed Zakaria's plagiarism to end his media gurudom?

The Internet Newspaper of Global Indians: news, video, blogs, community

Gateway of India, Mumbai

Fareed Zakaria back on CNN's "GPS" after brief suspension for plagiarism

Mumbai born journalist Fareed Zakaria, 48, was suspended following reports he copied sections from a New Yorker magazine article in a piece he wrote for TIME Magazine and also for a blog for CNN.

Zakaria's "GPS", or Global Public Square, is a Sunday morning TV show on CNN that at which he has various experts discussing current World events. He is also a prolific writer and author of books.

For a flavor of the types of issues Zakaria tackles, here is a link to his GPS blog on CNN:

http://globalpublicsquare.blogs.cnn.com/2012/07/27/on-gps-sunday-mitt-romneys-foreign-policy-the-crisis-in-syria-and-irans-future/

The brief suspension was lifted following an internal investigation at the media outlets, which are both owned by Time Warner. In a statement, CNN said: "Zakaria has apologized for a journalistic lapse. CNN and Zakaria will work together to strengthen further the procedures for his show and blog."

"CNN has completed its internal review of Fareed Zakaria's work for CNN, including a look back at his Sunday programs, documentaries, and CNN.com blogs. The process was rigorous. We found nothing that merited continuing the suspension."

http://cnnpressroom.blogs.cnn.com/2012/08/16/cnn-statement-on-fareed-zakaria-2/

Will Zakaria be able to continue as a CNN host and TIME writer with this blot on his professional reputation? Or will the bloggers, who first broke the news about Zakaria's plagiarism, continue their attacks on him,which attract more media attention, till he is forced to quit or is fired?

President Obama honors those killed at Sikh Gurudwara in Wisconsin

"As a mark of respect for the victims of the senseless acts of violence perpetrated on August 5, 2012, in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, by the authority vested in me as President of the United States by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, I hereby order that the flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff at the White House and upon all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions until sunset, August 10, 2012. I also direct that the flag shall be flown at half-staff for the same length of time at all United States embassies, legations, consular offices, and other facilities abroad, including all military facilities and naval vessels and stations."

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/08/06/presidential-proclamation-honoring-victims-tragedy-oak-creek-wisconsin

Suraj Sharma stars in "Life of Pi"

Ang Lee directs Suraj Sharma in this movie based on the book of the same title. Its the story of a boy adrift on a boat with a tiger.

For the trailer go to:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9Hjrs6WQ8M

More about the movie at:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/new-photos-ang-lees-life-of-pi-center-on-the-films-star-suraj-sharma-its-tiger-20120818

Indo-American Arts Council's New York dance show with Sonali Skandan & co

The Jiva Dance Company of Sonali Skandan and Chhau from India took part in the Battery Dance Company's Downtown Dance Festival, New York city’s longest–running such free event. The 31st annual festival took place over eight days this year,August 11-17, with performances at the Lawn at Battery Park and One New York Plaza. Skandan and Chhau were amongst the performers at the 5th edition of Erasing Borders of Indian Dance Outdoors, curated by the Indo-American Arts Council (IAAC) and presented on Friday, August 17 from noon to 2 p.m. at One New York Plaza.

http://www.iaac.us/IAAC_dance_fest2012_outdoor/press_release.htm

Hyde Park Corner: An Open Forum

Indians should press Harvard and other top US universities to abolish 20% Asian quota

Good education is very important to Indian parents since a degree from a good college, preferably a professional one, largely determines income and perhaps even eligibility for a good "catch", as in marriage. But Indians and other Asians are finding their avenues for success limited by the Asian ceiling - unstated quota limiting total Asian admissions to a maximum 20% as apparently is the case at Harvard and other elite Universities in the US. According to article below, while Asian students at the University of California Berkeley has risen to 40% that at Harvard has stayed stagnant around 18% for the past decade.

So Indians in the US, especially those donating money and holding influential posts, should voice opposition and team up with other Asians to press elite universities to abolish the Asian ceiling.

"Admissions officers deny capping the number of Asian-American students at schools, but a 2009 book called No Longer Separate, Not Yet Equal posited that Asian Americans needed nearly perfect SAT scores to gain entrance to a top private university ........".

Ivy League Discrimination? Harvard's Asian student admissions static around 17% while Asians at UC Berkeley have risen to 40%

Khan Academy: effective and free online education help

How to do better at an exam or just improve your knowledge?

Thanks to Salman Khan, you have free access to learning methods that Microsoft founder, mega billionaire and major philanthropist Bill Gates uses to teach his own kids.

"With over 3,200 videos on everything from arithmetic to physics, finance, and history and hundreds of skills to practice, we're on a mission to help you learn what you want, when you want, at your own pace.
A free world-class education for anyone anywhere."
www.khanacademy.org/

edX, backed by Harvard and MIT and headed by Anant Agarwal, is the Future of Online Education - For anyone, anywhere, anytime

EdX is a not-for-profit enterprise of set up by Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology designed for study via the web. Anant Agarwal, former Director of MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, serves as the first president of edX. Along with offering online courses, the institutions will use edX to research how students learn and how technology can transform learning—both on-campus and worldwide.The University of California, Berkeley also joined edX. There is a rival set up as a for profit entity, which has the backing of Stanford, Duke and some other universities.

https://www.edx.org/

For these and other stories, images and videos on Indians around the globe, published each weekend, visit:
/http://primeindians.com
The editorial and technical quality of the website will be updated shortly.

Your comments, views and criticisms are very welcome in the comment section of this blog below.

Sunday, August 12, 2012

Why no Gold for India at Olympics?

The Internet Newspaper of Global Indians: news, video, blogs, community

Gateway of India, Mumbai

Hockey team finishes last at London Olympics. India wins six medals.

India had its best showing at an Olympics in London, winning six medals, including Saina Nehwal getting the bronze for badminton. Perhaps the Indian star of the Olympics is wrestler Sushil Kumar, below, who won the silver in the 66kg class, overcoming severe dehydration and the pressure of three matches in a day. Sushil won the bronze medal at the last Olympics.

Yet overall India finished 46th in total medal tally and far behind the other emerging market powers China, Russia and Brazil, to which India is usually compared in the economic and political arena.

Indians won no gold. And, the men's hockey team finished last amongst the 12 teams at the Olympics, losing 2-3 to South Africa and thus being pushed to the bottom.As Shashank Bengali, a reporter for the McClatchy Newspapers, noted: the head coach didn't show for the postgame news conference, sending in his place an assistant, Mohammed Riaz Nabhi, who said, "We are continuously losing games, so the morale is totally down. "http://www.kansascity.com/2012/08/08/3751939/for-india-the-best-news-may-be.html

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/08/08/3751939/for-india-the-best-news-may-be.html#storylink=cpy

For over thirty years there has been talk of the need for more astro-turf fields for Indians to practice. But few astro-turf fields have been set up for hockey in India.

Ajay Maken, India's Minister of Sports, said that India should win at least 25 medals at the 2020 Olympics. That Olympics is only eight years away. Is there much an effort going on in India at the moment to get to the goal of 25 medals? Or will the money and media attention on cricket continue to dry out opportunities for talented Indians in other of a chance to win at future Olympics?

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/india-will-win-25-medals-in-2020-ajay-maken/281626-73.html

Ashoke Sen wins $3 million prize for Physics Research

Ashoke Sen, of Harish-Chandra Research Institute, wins $3 million Fundamental Physics Prize. All the more remarkable since the Institute is based in Allahabad and not as well known as the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in Mumbai.
As the BBC notes in a report, Ashoke Sen is a shy, reclusive Indian particle physicist working from a non-descript laboratory. For the BBC interview see:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-19160625

Indian Mission to Mars to take off in November 2013. Cost $90 Million.

The news headline read like a joke. But no, a spacecraft to orbit Mars will be launched by India in November 2013. There is strong grounds to argue that the $90 million to be spent on this mission could be better used in India, including for upgrading science and technology education. But according U.R. Rao, the former head of the Indian Space Research Organization, and head of a government science advisory board, the plan is for India to be ready when its time to colonize the red planet in perhaps 500 years. Rao made this comment in an interview with The Deccan Chronicle, see link:

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/editorial/op-ed/%E2%80%98we-are-planning-send-our-first-orbiter-mars-2013%E2%80%99-548

Swaminarayan Temple in New Jersey weighs priest against 175 pounds of platinum

Shree Muktajeevan Swamibapa, the head priest of the Shree Swaminarayan Temple in Secaucus NJ, was wieghed against over 175 pounds of pure platinum. According to the Jersey Journal, the platinum was mined in Africa and brought to the Temple for the ceremonial weighing called a "Platinum Tula."

http://photos.nj.com/4505/gallery/ceremonial_weighing_at_shree_swaminaravan_temple/index.html

Sahara Group pays $570 million for 75% stake in New York's Plaza Hotel.

http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/01/indian-conglomerate-buys-new-yorks-plaza-hotel/

Holi Celebrated in Berlin with color, music and food.

http://www.timeslive.co.za/lifestyle/2012/07/30/by-all-that-is-holi-in-berlin

For these and other stories, images and videos on Indians around the globe, published each weekend, visit:
/http://primeindians.com
The editorial and technical quality of the website will be updated shortly.

Your comments, views and criticisms are very welcome in the comment section of this blog below.