According to the NY Times magazine, Pope Benedict’s ambition is to bring back Europe to it’s Catholic roots. His argument according to NY times is : “Secularism may be one of the great developments in history, but the secularism that holds sway in much of the West is flawed. The mistaken conviction that reason and faith are two distinct realms has weakened Europe and brought it to the verge of catastrophic collapse'”
Continue reading “Pope Benedict’s rallying call to Christians”
So now the ex cricket captains of India have recommended that the Indian cricket players cut down their endorsements in order to improve the quality of their game. Hang on, Tiger Woods is the highest sports earner in the world, and I don’t see his game going down because of the money he earns through endorsements. Nor do I see the NBA player’s games go down simply because of the money they earn from endorsements. The problem with Indian cricket, if I may say, is the financial and political control exerted upon it by politicians that neither understand, nor are seriously interested in the game.
Would love to know what is going on in the debriefing of the British hostages freed by Iran. What amazed me was how relaxed they all looked in the TV pictures during their captivity and as they met the Iranian president at their release. I am director enough to know that the relaxed atmosphere was not a put up job. It would take professional actors to fake it. So what was going on ?
Continue reading “British Hostages or Prisoners of War ? What’s the keyword ?”
When I first saw this picture on todays front page of the London Times, I thought it people running away in panic from a potential terrorist bomb. But it turned out to be people stampeding into a store in London that was offering cut price fashion. It occurred to me how similar these images are to people rushing to get food and water in lands devastated by natural disasters or wars. Sorry, I am wrong. Those people are normally far more dignified than this.
I am not saying that Somalia was not in turmoil before the US bombed it last year. But add Somalia now to the list of Iraq and Afganistan. The defeat of local Islamist forces in Mogadishu last year was accomplished only with the help of American air strikes, intelligence and logistical support. It allowed a widely unpopular, western-approved regime to take control. The US bombing was supposedly to have curbed “Al-Qaida efforts to “Talibanise” the Horn of Africa”. But far from being vanquished, the Islamists, whose support is largely drawn from the grass roots are making a comeback.
to create
every moment
an act of absolute astonishment
to live
in astonishment
and in wonder
Jordi plays King Phillip of Spain in Golden Age. Jordi is one of the foremost actor’s in Spain. But this was a special relationship where the lines between actor and director blurred. So I asked Jordi to write something on his experience. Read on :
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So after suffering from almost a century of military colonization, followed by half a century of economic colonization, we are being told that poor countries are going have to bear the brunt of the environmental mess created by the Western and other over-consumptive countries.
I read today that 1/5th of all British Women have been sexually abused as children. Of course it is nice to live in a society that care to look at these statistics. In India no one knows or cares, and since the largest percentage of sexual or other abuse happens at home, it is all hidden under the garb of family honour. The abuser normally is in an intimate relationship of trust with the child. Abused children sometimes will spend their lives coming to terms with a lost childhood. Shekhar
Both the composers are now feverishly working together in Galsgow (scotland) a Craig’s studio for the score of Golden Age. It’s fascinating to watch them interact. Two people with toally different backrounds and cultures. Because this is a predominently a western film, I am ecouraging Craig to lead it. But am looking to Rahman to inject some bold, ‘out there’ melodies and sounds into the score.