Mois : décembre 2008

To disambiguate many persons with the same name: on LinkedIn, on ZoomInfo, .

Linked with The Hakomi Institute.

Ron Kurtz is the originator of the Hakomi Method and a preeminent influence in progressive psychotherapy. Ron has led hundreds of trainings and workshops around the world over the last quarter of a century and continues to teach internationally. Ron is a master therapist, gifted teacher and author of Body-Centered Psychotherapy: The Hakomi Method, and coauthor of The Body Reveals and Grace Unfolding. Ron Kurtz is the recipient of the US Association of Body Psychotherapy’s 2008 Lifetime Achievement Award which was presented July 25, 2008 at the USABP’s Conference in Philadelphia.

… Ron has published three books in English and three others in Japanese. The first book was published in 1976 and was called, The Body Reveals. It was a book about reading the body for psychological information and contained numerous photos and illustrations. The second, published in 1991 was about the Hakomi Method and was called, Body-Centered Psychotherapy. This second book contained the first publication describing the method. Since then, Ron has written many essays on the method and a number of training handbooks and workshop manuals … (full text).

Foundations of Hakomi Therapy, 7 pdf pages.

He says: « The impulse to heal is real and powerful and lies within each of us. »

… His field of work continues to evolve and mature, influenced by his interest in systems theory, Buddhism and Eastern spirituality, scientific method and personal experience. He has pioneered the use of mindfulness in psychotherapy, the experimental attitude, working with the body-mind and practical non-violence … (full text).

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Ron Kurtz – USA

Watch these videos:

• Ron Kurtz on Hakomi.mp4, 6.11 min, Dec 14, 2008;
• A psicologia budista de Ron Kurtz, 6.07 min, May 5, 2008;
• Me and a Very Big Dog 3, 01.12 min, Dec 20, 2008.

… What fundamentally empowers our work with others is the relationship we create with them. In this introduction to Hakomi, we will use mindfulness and experiential exercises to focus on discovering what shapes our unconscious habits of relating. Bringing this to awareness creates the possibility of being more fully present and compassionate, in turn promoting a deeper awareness of what is happening for another, and creating a powerful connection. (full text).

Listen the audio: Conversations, September 2008, Ron Kurtz – At the 2008 Conference, about 30 min, click on this site.

More audios on Hakomiway.ca.

He writes on his website: As I approach the end of my long career, I am preparing to travel less, work more in Ashland. I will continue to do workshops and trainings, mostly therapy intensives, master classes and to do some parts of the Level 1, Heart of Hakomi training and the Level 2, The Art of Hakomi training. How many of these I do will depend on how much energy I have … // … Lastly, this month, I will be honored twice, once by receiving an honorary doctorate from the Santa Barbara Graduate Institute, where I will give the commencement address, and by the United States Association of Body Psychotherapy which is giving me a Lifetime Achievement Award. I am truly grateful for the recognition of my work. I would be happy to hear from you, should you wish to respond. (full text).

Grace Unfolding: Psychotherapy in the Spirit of Tao-Te Ching, by Greg Johanson, Ron Kurtz … Grace Unfolding applies the spirit and principles of Lao Tsu’s ancient Chinese classic, the Tao-te Ching, to the practice of contemporary psychotherapy. Both therapists and clients can use this sensible and compassionate book to understand the roles they play in the therapeutic process. Includes 35 Chinese brush paintings and calligraphy. (full text).

Body Reveals: How to Read Your Own Body, Ron Kurtz, Hec.

Find him and his publications on openLibrary.org; on goodreads; on amazon; on alibris; on Google Video-search; on inauthor Google-search; on Google Book-search; on Google Scholar-search; on Google Blog-search. (There are many persons having the same name).

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Linked with On vend des pays – Se venden países.

Michel Collon is a Belgian writer and journalist who has written extensively (and mostly in french – and spoken in spanish) on the geo-political aims of NATO’s war.

Michel Collon is the editor of the Belgian weekly Solidaire, and is preparing a manual of alternative journalism. He spent the last 8 years in the Balkans … (full text, not dated).

Michel Collon est un journaliste et écrivain d’extrême gauche belge. Il a commencé sa carrière à l’hebdomadaire alternatif Solidaire. Il a poursuivi son travail de manière indépendante à travers livres, films et une newsletter internet diffusée à 40 000 abonnés. Proche du Parti du travail de Belgique, il a organisé des déploiements d’observateurs civils en Yougoslavie et en Irak. Il est membre de la conférence anti-impérialiste Axis for Peace. Il a récemment dénoncé l’usage d’une photo manipulée pour faire croire que des soldats chinois s’étaient déguisés en moines bouddhistes et avaient provoqué les émeutes du printemps 2008 au Tibet … (texte entier).

Son site web; sa bio sur son site, et sur wikipedia.

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Michel Collon – Belgium

Watch these spanish videos with Michel Collon (19 de Abril de 2008):

• Estados Unidos intenta hacer en Bolivia lo mismo que hizo en Yugoslavia: parte 1, 30.22 min; and parte 2, 28.23 min;
• and Resumen de la intervencion de Collon, hecha por VTV, 2.18 min.

Watch these french videos:

• Les Damnés du Kosovo, Partie une, 31.20 min, Nov 15, 2002;
• la géostratégie des Etats-Unis, part 1, 4.30 min, Avril 23, 2008;
• et: excellente intervention du journaliste belge Michel Collon qui avec courage exprime une alternative à la pensée unique qui règne sur les grands médias – Ce soir ou Jamais – Michel Collon: la voix de la dissidance, 18.43 min, le 13 décembre 2008.

He writes: … Bolivia has certainly changed. In La Paz, I attended a large reception given by the Cuban ambassador. Mojitos, buffet, dances… Where was it held? In the ceremonial hall of… the Bolivian army. Yes, the one that killed Ché. Bolivia has certainly changed, but not everyone wishes it well. We had come to get an idea first hand with some progressive intellectuals from about 15 countries. Frei Betto, Ernesto Cardenal, Ramsey Clark, François Houtart, Luis Britto Garcia, Pascual Serrano… A few days of meetings and exchanges with Bolivian intellectuals, representatives of the Indian communities, artists. It’s a sensitive moment. The rightwing is trying to split away the wealthy regions of the country’s East … (full text).

Find him and his publications on ;
on alibris; on goodreads; on Google Video-search; on inauthor Google-search; on Google Book-search; on Google Scholar-search; on Google Group-search; on Google Blog-search.

… and a photo of Michel Collon as witness on Brussel’s Tribunal.org.

Contra Venezuela y Ecuador, Bush recupera la estrategia de las «armas de destrucción masiva». Todas las guerras van precedidas por una gran mentira mediática. Actualmente, Bush amenaza a Venezuela y a Ecuador. ¿Mañana a Irán? ¿Y después? ¿A quién le tocará el turno? … (full text, 20 Mayo, 2008).

He writes also:

• If they tell us that everything that has happened in Yugoslavia is the fault of one man, all the while hiding the manoeuvring by the German and subsequently the American Secret Services to blow to pieces this too independent country, and remaining silent on the arms they furnished to the enemies of the Serbs, long before these wars;
• If they hide the discreet but revealing words with which Clinton and other US and NATO leaders admitted that they were carrying out this war on behalf of Globalisation, the multinationals and the control of the oil supply lines;
• f they admit today that public opinion was manipulated with regard to the true reasons for past wars (Korea, Suez, Algeria, the Gulf) as well as with regard to the crimes committed by the armies of the West during those wars, but that in recent wars everything was better and the media told the truth;
• If the media magnates persist in courageously refusing all debate on the recent media lies;
• If the Western leaders affirm in 1998 that the KLA is a terrorist organisation, in 1999 that it is not at all and that in 2001 it most certainly is;
• … (full text: if … , July 9, 2001).

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inked with The David Suzuki Foundation, and with Kids in the Nest.

David Takayoshi Suzuki CC OBC (born March 24, 1936), is a Canadian science broadcaster and environmental activist. Since the mid-1970s, Suzuki has been known for his TV and radio series and books about nature and the environment. He is best known as host of the popular and long-running CBC Television science magazine, The Nature of Things, seen in syndication in over 40 nations. He is also well known for criticizing governments for their lack of action to protect the environment. A long time activist to reverse global climate change, Suzuki co-founded the David Suzuki Foundation in 1990, to work « to find ways for society to live in balance with the natural world that sustains us. » The Foundation’s priorities are: oceans and sustainable fishing, climate change and clean energy, sustainability, and David Suzuki’s Nature Challenge. He also served as a director of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association from 1982-1987 … (full text).

David Suzuki is renowned both for his unwavering dedication to sustainable development and for his criticism of human activities that threaten our planet. For more than three decades, he has been one of our foremost science broadcasters, environmentalists, and grassroots activists. He has increased public awareness of a multitude of issues as the host of the long-running television series « The Nature of Things » and as the author of several books, including From Naked Ape to Superspecies. In 1990, he established the David Suzuki Foundation to promote resource conservation and environmental protection. Always forthright and thought provoking, he continues to reflect on the impact of our behaviour on the natural world that sustains us … (full text).

He says: … « You have lived your entire lives in a completely unsustainable period, » he told students and fans. « You all think growth and [climate] change is normal. It’s not. »

His full-bio, 16 pdf-pages.

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David Takayoshi Suzuki – Canada

Watch these videos:

• a Suzuki Interview, 17.42 min, Dec 18th, 2008;
• David Suzuki: Vote Environment 2008, 5.10 min, 19 Dec 2008 – David Suzuki doesn’t care which party you prefer. He does care passionately that you know what’s at stake in the federal election, and that you let politicians know that;
• an Interactive Video on asterpix, no time and date indication.

His climate change activism on wikipedia /climate change activism.

… David Suzuki’s Japanese name is Takayoshi Suzuki (鈴木 孝義, Suzuki Takayoshi?) but he is always known by his English name to the public, even in Japanese scientific and popular literature (using Romaji). Suzuki lives in the Kitsilano area of Vancouver. (full text).

A lecture-audio, 106,16 min.

… David has authored more than 40 books, and has received numerous awards for his work including a UNESCO prize for science, a United Nations Environment Program medal and the Order of Canada. He has 15 honorary doctorates from universities in Canada, the U.S. and Australia. For his work in support of Canada’s First Nations people, David has received many tributes and has been honoured with five names and formal adoption by two tribes. (full text).

David Suzuki has received 22 honorary degrees from universities in Canada, the United States and Australia.

… David has authored more than 40 books, and has received numerous awards for his work including a UNESCO prize for science, a United Nations Environment Program medal and the Order of Canada. He has 15 honorary doctorates from universities in Canada, the U.S. and Australia. For his work in support of Canada’s First Nations people, David has received many tributes and has been honoured with five names and formal adoption by two tribes. (full text).

David Suzuki’s photos and videos on weblo.com.

Find him and his publications on wikipedia /publications; on amazon; on Google Video-search; on alibris; on Google Book-search; on Google Scholar-search; on Google Group-search; on Google Blog-search.

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Bapsi Sidhwa (1938 – ) is an author of Pakistani origin who writes in English. She is perhaps best known for her collaborative work with filmmaker Deepa Mehta: Sidhwa wrote both the 1991 novel Cracking India which is the basis for Mehta’s 1998 film Earth as well as the 2006 novel Water: A Novel which is based upon Mehta’s 2005 film, Water. Background: Sidhwa was born to Parsi Zoroastrian parents Peshotan and Tehmina Bhandara in Karachi, Pakistan and later moved with her family to Lahore. She was two when she contracted polio (which has affected her throughout her life) and nine at the time of the partition of the subcontinent (facts which would shape the character of « Lenny » as well as the background for her novel Cracking India, originally titled, Ice Candy Man). She received her B.A. from Kinnaird College for Women in Lahore … (full text).

More bio on her website; on emory; on jrank.org; on Bio and Research Guide.

… Sidhwa was a solitary and lonely child. Her parents were advised by doctors not to send her to school. She spent her time daydreaming and listening to stories told by servants. She writes about servant’s lives with such sympathy because she came to know their world, as a child, better than the society her parents moved in. A governess taught her to read and write and introduced her to Little Women which made a great impression … (full text).

Her official website Bapsi Sidhwa.

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Bapsi Sidhwa – Pakistan (-India-USA)

Watch this video: The Pakistani Bride, 01.51 min.

… She has also been inducted into the Zoroastrian Hall of Fame. Cracking India, a New York Times Notable Book of the Year, was made into the film Earth by internationally acclaimed director Deepa Mehta. It was also listed as one of the best books in English published since 1950 by the Modern Library …
(full text).

… Our creative genius in arts and literature has been recognised world over in people Faiz, Sadqain, Guljee, Bapsi Sidhwa, Tariq Ali and Hanif Kureishi … (full text).

Bapsi Sidhwa began her writing career at the age of 26 after visiting the Karakoram mountain-area of Pakistan with her husband. She was touched by a tragic story of a young girl who had been brought to one of the area’s tribes as a bride. After being there for a short time, the girl ran away from her husband’s home. The tribals considered this a highly dishonorable act. Some of the men hunted her down and murdered her. “When I came [back] to Lahore, the story haunted me,“ says Bapsi Sidhwa. “The girl’s story, the poor tribals, the way they lived, all [of] that I wanted to write about,” she adds … (full interview text).

Bapsi Sidhwa has won Italy’s Premio Mondello 2007 for Foreign Authors for her novel, Water … Water is based on the critically-acclaimed film of the same name, directed by Deepa Mehta. The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film. Mehta and Sidhwa previously worked together on Earth, a film based on Sidhwa’s classic novel about the partition of India and Pakistan: Cracking India … (full text). /

Find her and her publications on bookRags.com; on Literary Encyclopedia; on SawNet bookshelf; on her website /books; on wikipedia /works; on amazon; on inauthor Google-search; on Google Book-search; on Google Scholar-search; on Google Group-search; on Google Blog-search.

The Google download book: Bapsi Sidhwa, By Randhir Pratap Singh, 2005, 98 pages.

Bapsi Sidhwa’s Cracking India, The Traumatic Partition of India and Pakistan in 1947, © Linsay Philippe-Auguste, Apr 30, 2008: Lenny, a young Parsee girl living in Lahore, witnesses first-hand the emotional turmoil and chaos caused by the partition of India and Pakistan in 1947 … (full text). .

… Trauma of Partition: Interestingly, the story she’d carried inside her almost all her life — that of the terrors and traumas of Partition — was to emerge much later in 1988 — as The Ice Candy Man (published in the U.S. as Cracking India as « ice candy man » had colloquial connotations of a drug supplier) … It’s an immensely powerful book, written from a child’s point of view and based on Bapsi Sidhwa’s own terrified memories. As she writes in an essay for The New York Times of those times, « Yet the ominous roar of distant mobs was a constant of my awareness, alerting me, even at age seven, to a palpable sense of the evil that was taking place in various parts of Lahore … (And when) the dread roar of mobs has at last ceased, terrible sounds of grief and pain erupt at night. They come from the abandoned servants’ quarters behind the Singhs’ house… why do these women cry like that? Because they’re delivering unwanted babies, I’m told, or reliving hideous memories » … (full text).

Continuer la lecture de « Bapsi Sidhwa – Pakistan (-India-USA) »

Amy Johnson CBE, (1 July 1903 – 5 January 1941) was a pioneering English aviatrix. Flying solo or with her husband, Jim Mollison, Johnson set numerous long-distance records during the 1930s. Johnson flew in the Second World War as a part of the Air Transport Auxiliary where she died during a ferry flight … (full text).

Amy Johnson was the first female pilot to fly alone from Britain to Australia, which she achieved at the age of 26. Her flying career began in 1928 and other triumphs included becoming the first female ground engineer licensed by the Air Ministry, and being awarded the C.B.E. for her flying achievements. All her accomplishments were well recognised at the time. Not only was she formally acknowledged by dignitaries, but also received much public interest, becoming a celebrity of the day … (full text).

… The family had a kipper business. She flew aircraft to the R.A.F. sites during the war, but on January 5th 1941, got lost in fog, and crashed into the River Thames. Her pigskin bag was found in the Thames and is now in the Sewerby Hall Museum. Her plane was never found … (full text).

… Amy Johnson’s daredevil flying exploits made her an icon of her age. But her glamorous life and career tragically ended in a mysterious plane crash in 1941. Sixty years on, Inside Out lays bare the elaborate rumours surrounding her death. Here we examine the most likely scenario of what really happened to a homegrown heroine … (full text).

Galleries:Her memory postcard; See also the Amy Johnson Gallery; Escort for Amy Johnson’s landing in Sydney, June 4th, 1930; Amy Johnson Centenary; Wonderful Amy! on RAF museum; The Most Famous Man in the World: After lunch Charles Chaplin joins pilot Amy Johnson, Lady Astor and George Bernard Shaw for a portrait in Lady Astor’s garden, 1931; the Denham Aerodroome; on flickr.

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Amy Johnson – England (1903 – 1941)

Watch the video with Golden Age Pioneer Amy Johnson, 10.10 min, April 20, 2008.

… Within the first three days of the journey, she’d already had to deal with a leaking petrol tank – and Turkish officials in Constantinople who refused her permission to fly over their air space. But, she persuaded the authorities to let her go on. Amy Johnson herself starts the story, in an archive reconstruction of her flight … (full text, 20 May 2005 – click also on ‘listen to this item’).

Divers confident they have found Amy Johnson’s lost aeroplane. By Steven Morris in London, October 21, 2003.

… Many theories have grown up surrounding her mysterious death. Why did an experienced pilot get lost on a flight that should have lasted only 90 minutes? One suggestion was that she was shot down by anti aircraft guns after being mistaken for a German bomber. Another theory says she was on a secret mission. The truth of what happened will probably never be known … (full text).

Museums exhibiting on Amy Johnson: Sewerby Hall & Gardens; Royal Air Force RAF Museum.

Aviation enthusiasts have embarked on a mammoth project to re-build the plane in which Amy Johnson competed in a race to Australia. Members of the Derby Aero Club hope to finish restoring the de Havilland 88 Comet Racer in time for the 70th anniversary of the race in 2004. The only part left of the plane, known as Black Magic, is the fuselage. Restorer and former Rolls Royce engineer, Martin Jones, said: « Amy Johnson was as popular as Princess Diana in her day … (full text, 25 January, 2002).

Find her and her publications on amazon; on commons wikimedia; on wikipedia /bibliography; on Google Video-search; on Google Book-search; on Google Scholar-search; on Google Group-search; on Google Blog-search.

Johnson was introduced to flying as a hobby in 1929 when she joined the London Aeroplane Club in London, England, and got her licence soon after. After some training Johnson became the first qualified British-trained woman ground engineer, and gained further fame in 1930 when she became the first woman to fly from Britain to Australia. On May 5, 1930, she left Croydon, England, in her De Havilland Gypsy Moth airplane named ‘Jason’ and landed in Darwin, Australia, on May 24, 1930, having flown 11,000 miles. In July 1931 Johnson flew a De Havilland Puss Moth airplane from England to Japan with a co-pilot and set a record for flying. A year later in July 1932 Johnson again set a record for a solo flight from England to Cape Town, South Africa, in a De Havilland Puss Moth airplane, and another record in time flying in a Percival Gull in May of 1936 … (full text).

‘Jason I’, de Havilland Gypsy Moth, 1928: In 1930, English aviator Amy Johnson (1903-1941) piloted Jason I … (full text).

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Maria Gaetana Agnesi (May 16, 1718 – January 9, 1799) was an Italian linguist, mathematician, and philosopher. Agnesi (pronounced ‘Anyesi’) is credited with writing the first book discussing both differential and integral calculus. She was an honorary member of the faculty at the University of Bologna. According to Dirk Jan Struik, Agnesi is « the first important woman mathematician since Hypatia (fifth century A.D.) » … // … Instituzioni analitiche: First page of Instituzioni analitiche (1748) The most valuable result of her labours was the Instituzioni analitiche ad uso della gioventu italiana, a work of great merit, which was published at Milan in 1748 and « was regarded as the best introduction extant to the works of Leonhard Euler. » The first volume treats of the analysis of finite quantities and the second of the analysis of infinitesimals. A French translation of the second volume by P. T. d’Antelmy, with additions by Charles Bossut (1730-1814), appeared at Paris in 1775; and an English translation of the whole work by John Colson (1680-1760), the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge, « inspected » by John Hellins, was published in 1801 at the expense of Baron Maseres … (full text).

Her bio also on groups.dcs.st; on NNDB; on Britannica online Encyclopedia; on Malaspina (book of physics and morality, a radical non-faith based spirituality); on MellenPress; on farlex; on allBusiness.

… This site is a collection of Agnesi miscellany built upon many exciting hours spent in some of the greatest libraries in the English speaking world.  We highly recommend that you pause to look at the Bibliography and Acknowledgments web sites to appreciate our far flung efforts to provide students with a tantalizing smattering of the strength of resources in mathematics … (full text, web site maintained by Shirley Gray, California State University, Los Angeles).

A CRATERS ON VENUS is named Agnesi.

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Maria Gaetana Agnesi – Italia (1718 – 1799)

… The Canadian composer Elma Miller has written a work called « The Witch of Agnesi » for B flat clarinet, bass clarinet, horn, 2 percussion, viola and double bass. The work was commissioned by the Alliance for Canadian New Music Projects and was first performed in late October 1989 in Toronto. Despite its premier performance so near Halloween, the inspiration for the piece was the curve of Maria Agnesi … (full text).

Salvate dal web le italiane che hanno reso grande la scienza, 08 dicembre 2008.

… As a young girl MARIA GAETANA AGNESI was called a « Walking Polyglot » and the « Seven Tongued Orator. » At the age of nine she transcribed and delivered a discourse in Latin on the need for female education entitled, « Oratio qua ostenditur artium liberalium studia femineo sexu necitiquam abhorre. » She spoke Greek at 11 and Hebrew at 13 … (full text).

… In 1750, on the illness of her father, she was appointed by Pope Benedict XIV. to the chair of mathematics and natural philosophy at Bologna. After the death of her father in 1752 she carried out a long-cherished purpose by giving herself to the study of theology, and especially of the Fathers. After holding for some years the office http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/office
of directress of the Hospice Trivulzio for Blue Nuns at Milan, she herself joined the sisterhood, and in this austere order ended her days on the 9th of January 1799 … (full text).

Mathematikerinnen im 18. Jahrhundert: Maria Gaetana Agnesi, Gabrielle-Emilie DuChâtelet, Sophie Germain: Fallstudien zur Wechselwirkung von Wissenschaft … der Aufklärung.

Witch of Agnesi … Also on wikipedia … And hereafter: One of her solutions for an algebraic equation is still found in today’s textbooks. The solution follows a curve now called the « witch of Agnesi » not because she was thought to be a witch, but because the shape of the curve was called aversiera , which in Italian means to turn. The word is also a slang short form for the avversiere which means wife of the devil. A series of mistranslations over time finally set the name of curve to the « witch of Agnesi« . We now present the Living Witch of Agnesi. Watch the curve grow before your very eyes … (full text).

Find her and her publications on John Hopkins Univ. Press books; on ;
on amazon; on Google Book-search; on Google Scholar-search; on Google Group-search; on Google Blog-search.

Continuer la lecture de « Maria Gaetana Agnesi – Italia (1718 – 1799) »

Linked with Conor Cruise O’Brien, the irascible angel.

CONOR Cruise O’Brien’s life straddled diplomacy, politics, historical scholarship, literature and journalism. He was a diplomat at the UN, a professor in the US, a government minister in Ireland, the Editor-in-Chief of ‘The Observer’ Sunday newspaper in Britain and a writer whose work commanded attention throughout the English-speaking world. He was an inveterate controversialist, the quality of whose judgment and the wisdom of whose actions were often questioned. But none could deny the force of his intellect, the skill of his exposition and the courage with which he held to his convictions … (full text).

Conor Cruise O’Brien (3 November 1917 – 18 December 2008), colloquially known as « The Cruiser », was an Irish politician, writer and academic … // … Unionism: In 1996, he joined Robert McCartney‘s United Kingdom Unionist Party and was elected to the Northern Ireland Forum. He was involved in the talks process that ultimately led to the Good Friday Agreeement until the party withdrew on the installation of Sinn Fein. He later resigned from UKUP after publishing an extract from his book Memoir: My Life and Themes in which he called on Unionists to consider the benefits of a united Ireland to thwart Sinn Féin. In 2005 he rejoined the Labour Party … (full long text – last updated 22 December 2008).

His bio also on the Atlantic online;

Works by or about him: 161 works in 283 publications in 17 languages and 19,444 library holdings.

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Conor Cruise O’Brien – Ireland (1917 – 2008)

Watch this video: Conversations with History: Conor Cruise O’Brien, 28.48 min, January 31, 2008.

See his memoir (1998), and his biography by D. H. Akenson (1994).

He said: « I hope to die with a pen in the hand, but I am in no rush » … and: « I had a bad fall about five months ago, in which I broke several bones and dislocated my hip. But I have made a good recovery and my spirits are good, » he said. « My greatest resource is Maire, my family and my many friends. I have never been depressed, and I’m not now. Perhaps during my life, there have been times, a day or two, when I have felt some melancholy, but it always went, and I was glad to let it go » … (full text of The warrior scholar will be 90, October 28, 2007).

… O’Brien’s life has spanned the entire existence of the Irish State: his first memory is of the sound of Michael Collins’s pro-Anglo-Irish Treaty forces bombarding republican anti-Treaty elements in the Four Courts Building in Dublin in 1922, which signalled the start of the civil war. He was born into the inner sanctum of intellectual Home Rulers – the supporters of Parnell and Redmond who wanted devolution within the Empire rather than separation. Indeed, his mother’s family, the Sheehys, appear in veiled form in Joyce’s Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man … (full text).

… Taoiseach Brian Cowen said Dr Cruise O’Brien had been « a leading figure in Irish life in many spheres since the 1960s ». He « . . . was blessed with a strong intellect and he was a man of strong convictions », he said, adding that while Dr Cruise O’Brien’s « political views were not always in accordance with those of my own party over the years, I never doubted his sincerity or his commitment to a better and more peaceful Ireland » … (full text).

… It is easy now to forget the intensity of fear generated by the IRA and the loyalist paramilitaries: the safest thing to do was to keep your mouth shut, or give voice only to generalised pieties. Those who persistently ignored such rules had a tendency to be murdered. Under such circumstances, O’Brien became an implacable public foe of the IRA and its sustaining well of passionate unreason. Irish republicanism recognised him as a dangerous enemy, because he understood its “ancestral voices” intimately: both his mother and father had been committed “Irish Irelanders”, and he had close acquaintance with the seductive power of its myths … (full text).

Find him and his publications on ;
on Elections Ireland.org; on The Independent.ie; on ;
on inauthor Google-search; on Google Book-search; on Google Scholar-search; on Google Group-search; on Google Blog-search.

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Linked with War babies and Bangladesh’s tragedy of abortion and adoption.

Dr Bina D’Costa is the Convenor of the Bachelor Program in Security Analysis and a lecturer with the Faculty of Asian Studies, the Australian National University (ANU), Canberra. She was previously the post-doctoral research fellow at the University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand and the John Vincent Fellow in the Department of International Relations of the Research School of Asian and Pacific Studies at the ANU, here she earned her PhD in 2003. Her research interests are in postconflict peacebuilding, governance, gender and conflict, gender and development and the role of civil society and social movements. She has also focused extensively on both development and human security issues in South Asia. Bina is working with on historical injustices, truth and memory in relation to the strategies of civil society in demanding justice when there is a hostile government in power. This action-oriented research informs her book manuscript titled ‘Burden’ of the State: Gendering War Crimes and National Identity Politics in Postcolonial South Asia’. Bina is Verulam’s Senior Associate Consultant for post conflict and peace building (on the the Verulam Group, their Homepage).

Her bio at the Faculty of Asian Studies, The Australian National University ANU.

… She has contributed to various CSO (civil society organisations)-led projects in Thailand, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan and India and worked as a consultant for the UNRISD (United Nations Research in Social Development), and DfID (Department for International Development, UK. Professional Activities:

• Bina’s research interests and specialisations are in peacebuilding, justice and reconciliation processes; human security and borders; gender and conflict; children and war; and the role of NGOS in social movements;
• War Crimes and Justice: Bina’s current project is on war crimes, transitional justice and peacebuilding in Asia. She is investigating various ‘justice seeking’ processes in Sri Lanka, East Timor, Cambodia and Bangladesh. She is also revising her manuscript titled ‘Burden’ of the State: Engendering War Crimes and National Identity Politics in South Asia;
• Human Security and Borders: Bina has been involved in various policy oriented projects on borders, identity and human security, focusing on Rohingya and Muslim refugees from Burma and the Internally Displaced People (IDPs) of the Chittagong Hill Tracts;
• Children and War: Bina has conducted extensive field research on ‘war babies’ with special attention to the War of Liberation of Bangladesh in 1971. This project has developed largely out of Bina’s activist work. She is currently involved in building a children and conflict network with Dr Katrina Lee Koo, International Relations, ANU.

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Bina D’costa – Australia

War Babies: the question of national honour.

Listen this audio: Sarkar Kabiruddin interviews Dr. Bina D’Costa, 5.58 min, Jan. 21, 2007 … In this interview Dr. D’Costa talks about the workshop and its significance for future references and historical documentation.

Read: (Dis) Appearing Women in Nationalist Narratives (Part 1): Interview with Respondent A, Conducted by Bina D’Costa[1], of the Australian National University, January, 2000: (she says). I (Bina) gratefully acknowledge Ms Shahin Akhter’s insights and comments during and after the interview – Opening Note: The following interview was conducted in India. The respondent was not keen to disclose her identity. For the sake of ethical research practice, I kept the interview unedited … (full interview text).

She writes: … The most common form of translating films from Bangladesh is through subtitles. Unfortunately, except for a handful of the movies produced and directed by new age and alternative filmmakers, Bangladeshi productions do not have high-quality subtitles. I am really surprised by it because so many Bengalis are either bi-lingual or multi-lingual. Bangladesh is the homeland of a people who are unique in this world because they fought for their right to speak a language in 1952. The rich history, the beauty and evocative nature of Bengali are a source of pride for the people who speak it, who think in it and who write in it. It is indeed distressing that not enough attention is paid to the translation of dialogues in the movies. The lack of sensitivity and indifference when it comes to interpretation are frustrating! Some of the translations are totally wrong, have no meaning in English or simply do not make any sense … (full text on Bangali (Bengali) Community News Gateway in Australia for World News).

Find her and her publications on Regulatory Institutions Network RegNet /ANU; on Faculty of Asian Studies /ANU; on Google Book-search; on Google Scholar-search; on Google Blog-search.

The book South Africa and Human Rights Violations: Bina D’ Costa argues in his chapter on marginalized identity, that often the language of peace and the language in laws that is meant to restore a post conflict society differs or is not in touch with the reality “on the ground” (D’ Costa 132).  Lamia Karim, in Democratizing Bangladesh, finds a similar issue to the one mentioned by D’ Costa in Bangladesh.  Karim argues that in Bangladesh there is the issue of the “government two-facedly watching.”  To elaborate in Bangladesh, “The rights of a woman to free speech, to free assembly, to vote…are rights under the Constitution of Bangladesh, and the functions of the democratic state is to protect the rights of its (female citizens),” but the state will retreat to the threats of the Clergy and become silent to atrocities committed in the name of religion against women (Karim 293) … (full text, November 24, 2008).

Gender and Global Politics in the Asia-PacificEdited by Bina D’ Costa and Katrina Lee-Koo. RELATED: Asian Politics, Comparative Politics, International Relations: This book demonstrates the integral nature of gendered issues and feminist frameworks for a comprehensive understanding of contemporary IR. It uses feminist frameworks and research to both uncover and reflect upon gender and global politics in the contemporary Asia-Pacific. It also brings together, into a coherent and accessible collection, the work of feminist scholars, teachers, and activists in international relations … (full text).

She writes also: … Men and women journalists, academics and practitioners all have a responsibility to consciously use gender sensitive language, as their outputs have significant impact in shaping norms and practices. Also, ridiculing Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia as “begums” does not necessarily translate into pointing out their failure as leaders. In a twisted way, familial connection has served as an opportunity to access political power for both men and women in Bangladesh. Family connections are important, not only in politics but in every aspect of economic and social life here. Who knows whom, and who is connected to who often determine who gets where. It is important to consider reforms in the society that will allow someone without any connection to show her or his potential. However, ethnic and religious minorities, people living in rural or remote areas, children who do not attending English schools or the best Bangla schools, must be given opportunities that allow them to have access equally. Neither AL nor BNP regimes have consciously improved the condition of marginalised people in Bangladesh. Benefits have trickled down in the name of the poor, but they have never actually been the primary beneficiaries … (full long text).

And she writes: … When this interim government began its drive against corruption, it received overwhelming support from the people. Some powerful lawbreakers were arrested including Khaleda Zia’s son Tareque Rahman, which further raised the expectations of Bangladeshis. According to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), the government has detained or questioned nearly 200 people (see BBC interview with ACC chief Lt General, retd, Hasan Mashhud Chowdhury). However, in its overzealous drive to fight corruption, the government neglected governing the country. The law and order situation deteriorated, prices of food and basic products skyrocketed and millions of people were left to deal with their own insecurities because of the recent floods (A. S. Huque, 27 August, 2007, The Daily Star) … (full text).

Discussion transcript on ABC.net: Pakistani power struggle emerges ahead of elections (she says): … I think there is a little bit of truth to that because you may remember a few months ago, Nawaz Sharif was trying to return, return to Pakistan and at that time Musharraf regime wasn’t very interested but now of course, because Benazir Bhutto suddenly changed her mind and mentioned that she wasn’t going to go into any negotiation with Musharraf so Musharraf thought it would be easier to bring back Nawaz Sharif and have a deal with him. But mind you, the people in Pakistan, they are currently very severely opposed to any sort of deal with Musharraf … and: I would be very surprised if it is a free and fair election but I think the election would certainly be rigged or at least manipulated by the current government … and: Behind the scenes there are quite a lot of conversations happening at the moment in dialogue and Imran Khan he is also part of this dialogue and they realise that only if they join forces, they can ask this current military government … (full interview text).

Security and Strategic Studies B (ASIA2030) – Semester 2, 2008: Dr Bina D’Costa: The purpose of the second semester is to extend understanding of the different dimensions of security in the Asia-Pacific region, nuclear biological and chemical weapons proliferation; economic and energy security; issues such as terrorism and counter-terrorism and trans-national crime as a security challenge; environmental pressures and resource competition; and ethnic conflict and separatism. The course will also look at different approaches to promoting security, and will consider the issues of regional order, alliances, international law, NGOs and civil society, intervention and peace operations as examples of the range of approaches. By the end of this two semester course, students should have a clear understanding of the nature of the major powers in Asia, the key issues that drive their security policies in this region, the most serious points of pressure and international tension and the forms of international tension and conflict that are most likely to characterise this region in the coming quarter of a century (on Korean Studies ANU.edu).

The fringe people /Divided waters: Tracing relations between India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, coupled with people’s perceptions and experiences of state practices, the authors demonstrate that state discourses about borders and boundaries in the name of national interest often ignore those people who rely on the ocean for their livelihood. The region’s internecine strife is in many ways a paradox – of history, connections and shared national myths. Similarly, fishing as a hereditary profession has been perceived as ‘polluting’. It has also been understood as an outright ‘crime’, with fisherfolk often being treated as criminals, who must be punished, in order to teach them and their country’s government a lesson for the violation of international boundaries. We hear the stories of Indian fishermen in Pakistani jails and Pakistanis in Indian jails. Paradoxically, the dichotomies of shame and pride, impurity and purity, crime and rights are each reproduced by the fisherfolk themselves, both when they appropriate the languages of the state and when they join across borders as one livelihood community in multifarious ways. The fishermen of India feel irritated when Bangladeshi fishermen cross to their side, and vehemently support state action against those ‘unruly’ fishermen. On the other hand, Sisira, a Sri Lankan fisherman, when asked by an Indian magistrate about his citizenship, states “I live in Sri Lanka. My forefathers lived in India … I work and live in the sea. India or Sri Lanka does not come to me” … (full long text of her book review CONTESTED COASTLINES: Fisherfolk, nations and borders in South Asia, by Charu Gupta & Mukul Sharma, Routledge India, 2008).

links:

Faculty academics in Burma open letter;

Women of 1971;

Feminist blogs: Feminist Theory and Gender Studies; Muslima Media Watch; Global Feminisms Fall 2008; Bangladesh Feminism, and its article: Begum Rokeya Sakhawat Hussain and Taslima Nasrin – A Comparative Analysis of Feminism As Desired Role Models for Bangladeshi Women;

the website: Bangali (Bengali) Community News Gateway in Australia for World News (in bengali, with many english annotations);;

Voice of Bangladeshi Bloggers;

More books and articles: Feminism in Bangladesh; Muslim Feminism and Feminist Movement: South Asia;

On the Feminism of the Gift Economy.