LONDON, Sept 7: Veteran actress Helen Mirren says she was insulted that her iCloud account wasn’t targeted by the hackers who published nude photos of celebrities like Jennifer Lawrence and Kate Upton.
The 69-year-old actress joked that she was offended that hackers – who stole and published nude photos of celebrities- didn’t target her account, reported Contactmusic.
“I was rather insulted my phone wasn’t hacked, actually. I kept desperately looking at the list of people whose phones were hacked, hoping to see my name,” Mirren said.
“You weren’t anybody if your phone hadn’t been hacked. Who on earth would put nude photos of themselves on their phones anyway? That I don’t quite get,” she added. (PTI)
Helen Mirren insulted her account wasn’t hacked
Power output up 22% in 100 days;committed to 24×7 supply:Goyal
NEW DELHI, Sep 7: Playing down on coal shortages at some power stations, Power and Coal Minister Piyush Goyal today said the Government in 100 days had slogged the system to produce nearly 22 per cent more electricity and is on track to provide 24×7 power to all in five years.
Blaming the policies of previous Government for domestic production not meeting power plant requirement, Goyal said his ministry is aiming to rationalise supplies by supplying fuel nearest to the plant as well as implement long term measures to raise output.
Task force for greater surveillance of coalfields will be formed and the Government will also look at appointment of Coal India head breaking from the present system of PSEB appointment to bring greater professional efficiency.
The minister said that the Government will bring in a statutory and robust coal regulator to replace the proposed Coal Regulatory Authority.
“A non-statutory regulator was proposed which in my opinion has no meaning because it had no teeth to implement any of its decisions, therefore we are not pursuing a non-statutory coal regulator,” Goyal said.
Blaming the previous regime Goyal said, “The fact the coal production has not increased is the reality that I have inherited and I cannot increase coal production in 100 days.”
He added that the Government with available resources was able to increase power supply by 22 per cent which is only coal based.
This Government is committed to ensure affordable 24×7 power for all homes, industrial and commercial establishments and adequate power for farms, within five years.
The minister also assured that there will be speedy action after the Supreme Court’s decision on illegal coal mine allocation to get the process rolling and enhance coal output to 1 billion tonne by 2019.
Several steps are being taken to resolve stranded gas based capacity (24,148 MW) issue and plans have been made to use gas primarily to meet peak load demand since electricity generation can be ramped up at a short notice, Goyal said. (PTI)
Harry Styles’ grandmother dies
LONDON, Sept 7: One Direction star Harry Styles’ grandmother has died.
The 20-year-old singer flew from Los Angeles to the UK to attend his granny’s funeral, before returning to the US to join his band, reported Contactmusic.
Harry’s father Des confirmed his mother’s death on Twitter.
“As some of you worked out, Nanny S passed away. Harry and Gem (Harry’s sister) came to funeral yesterday which was lovely & private. They both gone to LA now,” Des said.
“Thanks for all the messages. Mum was 86 and poorly a long time so it was coming but still sad when it does. She is at peace now though.”
Harry is yet to comment on his grandmother’s death. (PTI)
Jan Dhan Yojana
Sir,
My maid yesterday came to me asked if Prime Minister Modi had opened a new bank for poor. I knew she was talking about PM Jan Dhan Yojana but what amazed me was that she was aware of it and I owe this to the X-factor of Narendra Modi, for he is the person because of whom the youth all over India and the poor and illiterate started taking interest in politics and schemes etc. My motive for writing this letter is to draw your kind attention to two facts, first being the fact that here is not much awareness about this scheme or any other scheme in fact, and the second is that I tried to help my maid by telling her every thing about PMJDY and infact called the nearest Rural Bank for all the details. I was told all about PMJDY and the person assured me that accounts under PMJDY can be opened in that bank.
But when my maid went there to open her account, she was told that the bank is not under this scheme and she cannot open an account there. Its sad that banks after receiving email from the PM himself aren’t working the way they are supposed to work. Another fact that disappoints me is that I didn’t see any article in any newspaper that, in simple words, explains the scheme. I saw many articles focussed primarily on the whereabouts and who-said what of various inaugural functions held in various parts of India. There were many articles in favour of critisizing the scheme and the financial policies of the new Government etc etc but there was nothing for providing information to poor and needy people who could be benefitted by this scheme.
Yours etc…
Anjali Jamwal
Jammu
Josh Turner is father again
LOS ANGELES, Sept 7: Country singer Josh Turner is celebrating after becoming a father for the fourth time.
The 36-year-old star and his wife Jennifer welcomed a little boy named Samuel Hawke Turner, reported People magazine.
“God has truly blessed Jennifer and me (sic)with this healthy little boy. We are so thankful and excited to see our family grow yet again,” the couple said in a statement.
The couple is already parents to sons Hampton, eight, Colby, five, and three-year-old Marion. (PTI)
The real battle
Zahid Hussain
It seems that a perfectly choreographed political show is being unfolded in Islamabad. The drop scene has yet to be decided; perhaps no ending has been envisaged at all. The siege of the Red Zone and the storming of the Prime Minister House were supposed to be the endgame. But new twists and turns have caused the plot to thicken, and the nation has been gripped by the spectacle of a violent mob rampaging through Constitution Avenue.
New characters keep coming on stage, creating more suspense — first, parliament, then the Army and now the Supreme Court in the act of playing arbiter. But can they force a decision and break the stalemate? It will certainly not be easy to get a negotiated political settlement as the situation becomes more and more complex. While efforts by the Army were stalled after the Prime Minister reneged on his request for facilitation, the offer by the Supreme Court still awaits the consent of the parties in the conflict.
There now exists a deep ambivalence about whether the Army can play the role of an honest broker or whether it is also a party to the conflict. While analysing the stand-off one must not miss the elephant in the room. The conflict between the civil and military leadership is surely a major source of the present impasse. Political tension and uncertainty cannot be removed without relations between Sharif and the military leadership being straightened out.
Whether there is a nexus between Imran Khan/Tahirul Qadri and the military remains to be proven. But the revelation by Javed Hashmi, the senior-most Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf leader, lends credence to the speculation about some tacit understanding between these two protest leaders and elements within the Army.
It also seems quite plausible that the decision to march on Islamabad and demand the resignation of the prime minister may have been strongly influenced by reports of increasing tension between the civil and military leadership. Qadri in particular has been flaunting his love for the army. Huge banners in his camp pledging allegiance to the forces have fed into the conspiracy theories.The excitement witnessed when the two leaders rushed to meet Gen Raheel Sharif and accepted his mediation indicates their expectation of the army coming to their support. It is very obvious that the attempt to storm the Prime Minister House and widespread vandalism was aimed at getting the army to intervene. The cheering for the army soldiers by the protesters was certainly not spontaneous.
The excitement witnessed when the two leaders rushed to meet Gen Raheel Sharif and accepted his mediation indicates therexpectation of the army coming to their support. It is very obvious that the attempt to storm the Prime Minister House and widespread vandalism was aimed at getting the army to intervene. The cheering for the Army soldiers by the protesters was certainly not spontaneous.
Surely there is no love lost between the Prime Minister and the military given the bitter memories of the past. The generals accepted Sharif’s return to power though with some reservations. And it did not take much time for an uneasy relationship to flare up. Sharif’s decision to put retired Gen Musharraf on trial for treason provided the spark. The trust deficit further widened after the prime minister reportedly reneged on the agreement to allow the former military ruler to leave the country after his indictment.
There were other issues too that intensified the conflict. Sharif’s ambivalent position on the battle against the Taliban and the anti-army rhetoric of some of the Cabinet Ministers further fuelled the tension. But it was the Geo incident that brought relations to a boiling point. The reluctance to take action against the Geo administration after it had accused the ISI chief of plotting the attack on Hamid Mir was perceived by the army as a tacit support of the government for the TV network. Some of the statements by ministers in support of Geo further fuelled the fire.
As hostilities grew, the prime minister reportedly thought of sacking Lt-Gen Zaheerul Islam, the ISI chief, for allegedly trying to destabilise the civilian government. That apparently brought the confrontation to a head. Sharif was forced to back down. But the damage was done.
Unsurprisingly, many senior Cabinet Ministers smelled conspiracy when Imran Khan and Tahirul Qadri joined hands and descended on Islamabad. The alliance was described as a marriage of convenience. Highly committed and fanatically dedicated, Qadri’s supporters were to provide the muscle power, which the PTI lacked despite its widespread support among the urban educated middle class and youth. It was apparent that the PTI on its own could not have sustained the campaign for long.
Surely, the Government itself has contributed to the imbroglio. It is the ineptness and inertia in the Government that helped the duo hold the city hostage for so long. Sharif’s decision to call in the army in aid of the civilian authorities under Article 245 of the Constitution on the eve of the march does not seem to have helped his Government much. In fact, it has empowered the Army more.
Sharif seems to have lost further credibility by misinforming the National Assembly that the Army chief was not asked to mediate. A statement by the ISPR contradicting the Prime Minister’s claim put Sharif into an embarrassing position. It was also a loss of face with the Army.
Indeed, the army is much empowered now as the situation is fast slipping out of the Government’s control. The latest warning by the generals to the political leadership to expeditiously resolve the crisis politically and without the use of force, shows that the centre of gravity of political power is being shifted to GHQ. It was the second such warning by the Army in the past two weeks. As Parliament has now rallied to save the system, one is not sure whether there will be a third time. But the battle is far from over.
Whatever the endgame may be — whether it fizzles away or ends with a bang — the current political crisis will have serious ramifications for the nascent democratic process in the country. While the political forces are now seriously undermined the military has emerged as the sole arbiter of the power thus far.
(The writer is an author and journalist.)
Courtesy : Dawn
Accountability of private schools
Dr Bharat Jhunjhunwala
Prime Minister Modi has called upon teachers to broaden the vision of students and make them aware of the social and environmental issues. Mr Modi must be congratulated for taking such an initiative. It imparts a sense of importance to the profession of teaching. Need is to back up this call with regulation of private schools-both in terms of fees and quality.
It has become routine for private schools to up the fees by 30-40 percent every year. Parents are visibly disturbed. Many are seeking Government intervention to fix the fees and stop this fleecing of parents. But Government intervention cannot come in bits and pieces. It will be logical for the Government to specify the selection, salaries and work conditions of teachers and all other requirements once it starts interfering in the school management. It will become difficult for managements to hire good teachers and fire bad ones. The quality will necessarily suffer. Today the Government schools are in shambles while private schools of much better reputation have sprung up. Government interference is likely to lead private schools into the same pit that the Government schools find themselves today. Let there be no doubt that the government bureaucracy is eagerly waiting to take command of the private schools. It will open up a huge stream of No 2 income for them. Modi should not walk into this trap.
The role of the Government must be to facilitate the assessment of quality. A ‘Transparency in Schools Act’ must be brought which requires the schools to post a host of information on their websites. This may include: number of sports awards won, number of students fallen sick in school, results in board exams of the last five academic sessions, number of awards won by teachers, salaries, qualifications and number of leave taken by teachers, student-teacher ratio and, most importantly, the balance sheet.
An independent statutory authority may be established that may rank all the schools somewhat like the star-rankings given to hotels. The evaluation must include “social awareness” of the teachers. The teachers must be required to take an exam relating to social and moral issues. Questions regarding history of the independence movement, basic principles of different religions, causes of social conflict, etc. must be asked. Underlying principle is that teachers will be able to inculcate these values in students only if they have these values themselves. Lesson on honesty imparted by a thief do not carry much weight. These information will enable the parents to assess whether they are truly paying for better education; or for mere physical facilities and profits of the school owners. The logic is that private schools may make all the profit they want but they must be required to disclose it because a public interest is involved. There is a need to redesign the curriculum as well. Subjects such as moral education, religion and environment must be made compulsory from the primary level itself.
The other aspect of private schools is that of fees. The parents generally believe that high fees and good quality education come together. But fact is that, if at all, there exists a very weak relationship between the two. The Dubai School Inspection Bureau had rated two schools that offer Indian curriculum as ‘outstanding.’ Of these, the Dubai Modern High School charges 28k Dirhams per year against the Indian High school charging only 4k Dirhams. Yet both are ranked as outstanding. Similarly in Abu Dhabi, the Knowledge and Human Development Authority had ranked both the Raffles World Academy and Al Diyafah High School as ‘good’. The former charges 26k Dirhams while the latter charges only 9k Dirhams for Kindergarten.
Similar results are obtained from the United States. The Wabash National Study examined 45 colleges based on their spending on educational purposes while also looking at their scores on student learning. The four measures of student learning were (1) good teaching with high quality interactions with faculty; (2) high expectations and academic challenge; (3) interaction with ideas and people different from one’s own; and (4) “deep learning.” The study found that “there was only a very small relationship between spending on education and the quality of the educational experience as measured by those four factors.” The relationship was so small according to the study leader Charles Blaich said that a college would have to spend an additional $5 million per 1,000 students to increase the “good practice” score (on a scale of 100) by a single point. The study isolated 10 colleges that had very similar scores on the good practices related to teaching. Their spending per student ranged from $9,225 to $53,521. Yet all of these colleges were showing similar levels of student learning. I have not seen a similar study for India but I reckon the same situation prevail here. After all, Lal Bahadur Shastri did not study in an air-conditioned classroom!
These studies indicate that there is virtually no relationship between the expenditures and quality of education. This happens, I think, because the high-fee schools invest large amounts in facilities such as an air-conditioned auditorium which do not add much to the learning. Yet, parents flock to high-fee schools under the belief that high fees is indicative of better quality. They are actually paying for facilities and profits made by the schools in a mistaken belief that they are getting better quality teaching. The learning from these studies is to look at quality directly; and not imply it via fees.
We must prevent government interference in education at all costs. Profiteering can be controlled by transparency and competition. But Government intervention will destroy the teaching itself. Private schools are a much lesser evil than government. I would like to quote Tagore: “today the Bengali people’s thinking has strayed afar from the villages. Therefore the temples here are today dilapidated, there is no one to repair them. Ponds have become polluted, there is no one to take out the dirt. Big mansions lie vacant, one does not hear the music of celebration there. Today the responsibility of providing water rests of the sarkar bahadur. The burden of providing health rests on sarkar bahadur. And for getting education one has to knock on the doors of sarkar bahadur. The tree which blossomed itself, is today beseeching the sky with its naked branches for a rain of flowers. Even if its prayer were to be fulfilled what would be the meaning of those sky-flowers?” Let us, therefore, find ways to improve quality and control the beast of profiteering without inviting the dragon that is the Government.
(The author was formerly Professor of Economics at IIM Bengaluru)
Kamala Harris married fellow lawyer
WASHINGTON, Sept 7: Kamala Harris, the Indian-American Attorney General of the US state of California, has tied the knot with her long time boyfriend lawyer Douglas Emhoff.
It is Harris’s first marriage, while Emhoff was previously divorced. Both are 49, and became engaged five months ago.
Maya Harris , sister of the bride, officiated the August 22 marriage ceremony in the Santa Barbara courthouse.
Harris — the first woman, the first African American, and the first Asian American attorney general in California — is widely considered a potential future candidate for governor or US Senate,reported the Sacramento Bee.
President Barack Obama last year had called her “by far the best-looking attorney general”.
Harris, born in Oakland, is the daughter of Tamil Nadu-born oncologist Dr. Shyamala Gopalan and a Jamaican American father, Stanford economics professor Donald Harris.
The ceremony also included the bride’s niece, Meena, reading from Maya Angelou’s poem “Touched by an Angel,” which ends, “Suddenly we see that /love costs all we are/ and will ever be./ Yet it is only love/ which sets us free.”
The two celebrated their marriage by breaking a glass, and wrote their own vows, with the help of Harris. (PTI)
GRL star Simone Battle found hanging at home
LOS ANGELES, Sept 7: GRL singer Simone Battle was found hanging from a rod in the wardrobe of her bedroom at her apartment here.
The 25-year-old brunette beauty’s father Anthony E Battle confirmed that his daughter had passed away, but remained tight-lipped on the cause of death, reported TMZ online.
“She will be greatly missed and loved. She was an exuberant person and a very loved person,” he said.
News that Simone, who was a finalist on ‘The X Factor’ USA in 2011, had died began circulating after music producer Derek Butler took to Instagram to pay tribute to the brunette beauty.
He wrote alongside a picture of the star, “I’m still in shock and in disbelief to have confirmed the death of my childhood friend Simone Battle. Her heart was pure gold and her star power limitless. Rest in sweet peace Angel.” (PTI)
Joan Rivers had heart condition
LOS ANGELES, Sept 7: As investigation continues into the circumstances surrounding Joan Rivers’s death, a video clip has surfaced in which the legendary comedian confesses her concerns about anaesthesia – and reveals she has a heart condition.
In 1985, Rivers appeared on ‘Good Morning America’, where Joan Lunden asked about her heart arrhythmia, a condition in which the heart unexpectedly beats out of sync, reported People magazine.
“All of a sudden you’ll be on stage and hear ‘tha-thud! It scares the hell out of me,” Rivers told Lunden in the video.
Rivers then explained that the condition poses a very specific concern.
“When you go under, say for plastic surgery or something like that, that’s when your heart can go out of kilter. So I’m always very careful,” she said.
The ‘Fashion Police’ host was put into an induced coma last week after she suffered a cardiac arrest during a routine operation on her vocal cords. She died on Thursday aged 81. (PTI)