~:VEDIC PERSPECTIVE ON CREATION:~

The Vedas state that creation is ongoing: what has been in the past is being repeated in the new cycle: Advaita Vedanta upholds the notion of the pulsating or oscillating universe:

Creation is interpreted in the Vedas as a developmental course rather than as bringing into being something not hitherto existent. It was considered as an ongoing-process and not an event.
The Purusha Sukta of Rig Veda paints a picture of the ideal Primeval Being existing before any phenomenal existence. He is conceived as a cosmic person with a thousand heads, eyes and feet, who filled the whole universe and extended beyond it.
The world form is only a fragment of this divine reality. The first principle which is called Purusha manifested as the whole world by his Tapas.
This view gets crystallized into the later Upanishadic doctrine that the spirit or Atman in man (at microcosm) is the same as the spirit which is the cause of the world which goes by the name Brahman or Paramatman (at macrocosm). These theories are discussed in elaborate details in the following Upanishads Viz., Prasna, Aitareya, Mundaka, Taittiriya, Katha, Chandogya, Svetasvatara, Brhadaranyaka, Maitri, Paingala Upanishads besides the Bhagavad Gita and Yoga Vasishtha. Among the latter Acharyas the contributions made by Gaudapada, and Adi Sankara to these thoughts are colossal.
A brief quotation from the article “Cosmology in Vedanta” by Swami Tathagatananda published by Vedanta Society of New York given below brings out lucidly the perspectives of both Vedanta and Modern science on this subject.
“A perceptive reader will find many striking similarities between the latest findings of Astrophysics and ancient Indian cosmological ideas, of which Swamiji (Vivekananda) says: " . . . you will find how wonderfully they are in accordance with the latest discoveries of modern science; and where there is disharmony, you will find that it is modern science which lacks and not they."
Einstein writes that "cosmic expansion may be simply a temporary condition which will be followed at some future epoch of cosmic time by a period of contraction. The universe in this picture is a pulsating balloon in which cycles of expansion and contraction succeed each other through eternity."
The modern astrophysicist, Stephen Hawking, writes: "At the big bang itself, the universe is thought to have had zero size, and so to have been infinitely hot . . . The whole history of science has been the gradual realization that events do not happen in an arbitrary manner, but they reflect a certain underlying order, which may or may not be divinely inspired."
The Vedas also state that creation is ongoing: what has been in the past is being repeated in the new cycle.
Stephen Hawking writes, "Thus, when we see the universe, we are seeing it as it was in the past." He further writes, "But how did he [God] choose the initial state or configuration of the universe? One possible answer is to say that God chose the initial configuration of the universe for reasons that we cannot hope to know."
It is perhaps enough for the modern mind to know how great is the similarity.
Vedanta does not support the "Big-bang Theory" and its mechanistic materialism. We have merely cited certain common ideas to be found in both.
Brahman is the ultimate Reality. Brahman is impersonal-personal God. Impersonal God may be called the static aspect and personal God may be called the dynamic aspect of Brahman.
The static aspect Anid Avatam - as Rg-Veda puts it, "It existed without any movement."
Brahman is truth, Consciousness and Infinitude. Knowledge, will and action are inherent in Brahman. God projects the universe by animating His prakriti (maya).
Astrophysics and Advaita Vedanta agree on certain points. Advaita Vedanta upholds the notion of the pulsating or oscillating universe. Creation is followed by dissolution and this process will continue ad infinitum. Science used the term "big bang" for the starting point of creation and "big crunch" for the dissolution of the universe.
The "cosmic egg” of Vedanta, which is like a point, is called singularity in astrophysics.
The background material of the scientist cannot be accepted as the source of creation. That is the biggest difference between the two systems. Science is still exploring and remains inconclusive but Vedanta has given the final verdict, which is unassailable. Unless there is one changeless Reality, change cannot be perceived at all”~~From the collective works of Mr.T.N.Sethumadhavan (tnsethumadhavan@gmail.com). Edited by Suman Mukhopadhyay.


Note: Purusha sukta/sookta (puruṣa sūkta) is hymn 10.90 of the Rigveda, dedicated to the Purusha, the "Cosmic Being". One version of the Suktam has 16 verses, 15 in the anuṣṭubh meter, and the final one in the triṣṭubh meter. While, another version of the Suktam consists of 24 verses with the first 18 mantras designated as the Purva-narayana, and the later portion termed as the Uttara-narayana [Wikipedia].

~:Poor Form:~

Chetan Bhagat, loathed and loved in equal measure, has now picked a fight with Narayana Murthy. Why his defence of poor English is spurious and self-serving.

 -By Lakshmi Chaudhry,

Example of Bad English

Chetan Bhagat is at it again. This time he’s picked a fight with former Infosys chairman N. R. Narayana Murthy for saying “the quality of students entering IITs has gone lower and lower.” Bhagat, the self-appointed champion of all things IIT/IIM, immediately jumped in the fray and got very personal: “It is ironic when someone who runs a body shopping company and calls it hi-tech, makes sweeping comments on the quality of IIT students.”
But I suspect what really pissed him off was NRN’s less publicised comments about the average IIT-ian’s declining grasp of the English language.
The Infosys mentor also lamented the poor English speaking and social skills of a majority of IIT students, saying with Indian politicians “rooting against English”, the task of getting students who speak the language well, gets more difficult. “An IITian has to be a global citizen and must understand where the globe is going,” he added
Let’s stipulate at the very outset that requiring high-level English language skills from, say, poor Bihari kids who make it to IIT is unfair. And let’s also grant NRN his underlying point: unfair or not, it is a requisite for achievement in the global economy.
But none of this applies to Mr. Bhagat who has made a bestselling virtue of bad English. Earlier this year, Bhagat tweeted [and then deleted] this little piece of literary wisdom: “Good grammar doesn’t make you a good writer. A good heart does. Else English teachers would be writing bestsellers.” It’s just the latest example of his elaborate disdain for anything that constitutes good English, which he is quick to underline given half a chance.
A column offering tips on how to learn English—in an English-language newspaper!—opens with this little gem: “Many Indians associate good English with a good vocabulary or eloquent language. This might be a result of our colonial roots, where the higher you were in societal stature, the more formal your language.”
And that, in essence, sums up Chetan Bhagat’s signature sleight of hand: anyone who preaches the virtues of good English—i.e. criticises mine—is an elitist little shit with a colonial hangover. Or as he put it plainly in yet another of his infamous tweets: “Many writers claiming to write for india sneer at indians who have poor english. Well 98% of indians have poor english.”
The “defender of the masses” schtick would be convincing except he isn’t part of that 98 percent. He’s received the best English-medium education this country has to offer: Army Public School, Delhi; IIT Delhi; and IIM Ahmedabad. And yet the man can’t string a decent sentence together. Either he had terrible English teachers or was just a lousy student. And neither is reason for pride.
To be fair, Bhagat is hardly the worst offender in failing upward as an author. That title surely belongs to his fellow IIM alum Rashmi Bansal whose Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish includes such giggle-inducing haiku: “Deep Kalra is your average Delhi Dude. Deep grew up in a typical private sector home; very comfortable.” She makes Bhagat look like Tolstoy.
But say one word against their English—or bemoan the fact that their readers are willing to lap it up without complaint—and you’re severely chastised as an upper-class twit who, in Bhagat’s words, “move(s) in circles where the common people and their tastes are looked down upon”. Yet just a generation ago, middle-class Indians could read, write and speak all their languages fluently, English included. The “class” argument hardly holds when your own parents are more literate than you. It’s not just that their kids are doing worse, but that they can’t even be bothered to try and do better.
More to the point, would this I’m-just-a-plebe defence work as well if Bhagat were writing in any other Indian language? Not quite. Poor grammar would instead be viewed as contemptuous toward both the language and the readers. Bhagat’s Hindi columns for the Dainik Bhaskar display all the characteristics he disdains in “good English”: good vocabulary, eloquent language, and yes, even a formal tone. So why the different standards for English? Because it isn’t “our” language? If so, why write in it at all?
Push Bhagat on his literary skills and he’ll say: “My English is not that great—actually, nothing about me is great. So, if you are looking for something posh and highbrow, then I’d suggest you read another book which has some big many-syllable words.” Like a Michael Crichton or Helen Fielding, perhaps. Why is bad English the proud marker of popular fiction in India when the rest of the world can churn out mass-market novels in decent prose?
NRN is right: there is a real problem when students of our nation’s top institutions have poor English language skills. But more so when this swarm of IIM/IIT alum authors are celebrated precisely for their linguistic shortcomings, which are touted as a badge of their aam aadmi credentials (never mind that the aam aadmi is rarely an IIT/IIM alum). Earlier this year, an Outlook magazine cover story titled “The Lo-Cal Literati” put it so:
It also helps that this new breed of “authors by chance,” as one of them describes himself, are “not burdened by the purity of language” or the literary style mainstream publishers demand of their writers. In fact, nearly all of them dismiss literary writers as either too Western, too long-winded, too disconnected with Real India, writing books that nobody wants to read any more, in a style that “stresses you out”, requiring a dictionary by your side as you read. By contrast, theirs is an Indian version of an English everyone is comfortable with, a dil ki bhasha (language of the heart) in contrast to a pet ki bhasha (language of commerce).
Sounds wonderfully idealistic except the scourge of bad English writing is all about the so-called pet ki bhasha, as Bhagat made clear to Tavleen Singh when she asked, “What if I said to you, ‘You write terrible books.’” His response: “That’s great! Please do, I’ll sell another 50,000 copies!” As Hartosh Singh Bal once said of Bhagat, “he matters precisely because he sells”.
Bhagat can make a virtue of his limitations only as long as they make a whole lot of money. Those lofty sales figures allow him to peddle his bog-standard English as a staunch commitment to anti-elitism. If his aam janta readers don’t demand better of him, no reason for him to do so either. No wonder he doesn’t have a problem with falling standards, be it in institutions or books. That’s his ideal India: mediocre, middlebrow and always mahaan.

Source: First Post
Photo Courtesy: Journey With Myself

~:Not writing what he preaches to Narayana Murthy: Chetan Bhagat’s Revolution 2020:~

By Nayantara Kilachand

Chetan Bhagat with his wife

Like a Michael Bay blockbuster, a Chetan Bhagat novel is defiant of structural norms (be it plot- or grammar-wise), implausibly stupid (watch the latest Transformers to know what we mean), and guaranteed to make boatloads of money despite what the crabby naysayers may think about it. Wade in, then, at your own caution, because if you’re a fan of Rushdie, Roy, Mistry or Ghosh, you’ll emerge 296 pages later, undoubtedly depressed at the ways of the world that have allowed Bhagat to be the country’s best-selling literary star.
In Bhagat’s latest, Revolution 2020—about (of course) the current topic du jour, corruption,- language, plot, character development and just about anything that vaguely defines what makes a good book (but only to elitist prigs, of course) take a back seat to the notion that the author is a weather-vane for current youth sentiment. That sentiment is the pervasive feeling that our education system is corrupt. Add to this a prologue and epilogue of incredible conceit and you have another best-seller in the making.
The novel begins with Bhagat visiting GangaTech college in Varanasi to deliver a speech. There, he meets Gopal, the 26-year-old protagonist, whose sole purpose, it soon becomes clear, is to try and ply Bhagat with drinks so he can deliver this line: “Chetan sir, one drink? I can tell people I had a drink with ‘the’ Chetan Bhagat.” Somehow, Bhagat ends up accompanying the self-indulgent, sniveling Gopal to hospital after he over-binges, on Glenfiddich of all things. Gopal survives of course, so he can recount to Bhagat his life story. The life story, predictably, is a love story, or rather a love triangle involving Gopal, and childhood friends Raghav and Aarti. Gopal is poor, Raghav is middle class and Aarti well-off, each meant to neatly represent the background to which they belong. As is wont to happen with a trio of friends, one (Gopal) falls in love with another (Aarti), who professes her love for the third (Raghav). So far, so average.
AFPSoon, however, Gopal, in his vengeful quest to show Aarti that he’s a better man than Raghav (spoiler alert: he’s not), becomes embroiled in a shady nexus of MLAs and educators, who want Gopal to start a university (that would be GangaTech) to whitewash their black money. Cue moral story about the unethical nature of coaching classes that prep students for the All India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE) and the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE); doing the right thing; and the cost of sacrifice and familial duty. Bhagat may have lashed out at Narayana Murthy for saying that coaching classes have led to the deterioration of the quality of IIT- and IIM-produced students, but his book perplexingly suggests exactly the same thing. So either Bhagat doesn’t believe what he espouses, or quite possibly, forgot what he wrote in the first place. After all, he started writing it almost two years ago.
The language, incidentally, functional and capable of getting across its point, is not the worst part of the book (though bon mots like “‘Fine’ means somewhere between ‘whatever’ and ‘go to hell’ in Girlese” and “Girls are contradictory” border on the nonsensical). Its weakest link is that all three protagonists are inherently unlikable. It’s not quite clear what Aarti has going for her except her looks; Gopal is weaselly, stupid and self-obsessed; and Raghav, is an incredibly naïve journalist who writes worse copy than Bhagat himself. But bad reviews will do little to affect the sales figures of Revolution 2020. At the end of the novel, Bhagat tells Gopal that he’s a good person, presumably for (whoops! second spoiler alert!) sacrificing love, and the implication is that it’s okay to be mediocre as long as you make money. Bhagat may well have been talking about himself.

Source: Mumbai Boss.

CNN VIDEO: “Is Islamic Extremism Tied to Poverty?”

~:Iran Pastor’s Execution Verdict Expected Monday; Ruling Delayed:~

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani
and his wife before his
detention on published
charges of apostasy

[According to BosNewsLife, Pastor Youcef's may learn early next week whether or not he will live or he will die. 

(i) "We have been informed that the verdict is to be delivered on Monday, October 10," said Jason DeMars, director of advocacy group Present Truth Ministries (PTM), which assists the pastor.

(ii) "There is speculation that the delay is a sign that the judges have decided to consult with key religious and political leaders," including Iran's "Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei or President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad," he told BosNewsLife]

TEHRAN, IRAN-- Iranian Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani learns early next week whether he will be executed for refusing to recant his faith in Jesus Christ and return to Islam, as the court needs more time to consult with the country's leadership, trial observers told BosNewsLife Thursday, October 6.
"We have been informed that the verdict is to be delivered on Monday, October 10," said Jason DeMars, director of advocacy group Present Truth Ministries (PTM), which assists the pastor.
"There is speculation that the delay is a sign that the judges have decided to consult with key religious and political leaders," including Iran's "Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei or President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad," he told BosNewsLife.
On Wednesday, October 5, unidentified Iranian officials from Tehran reportedly interviewed the pastor in prison about the behavior of judges and charges against him.
"While it seems like a positive development, some observers are concerned that they could manipulate his words in an attempt to prove their false charges against him," DeMars explained.
IRAN DENIES APOSTASY:
Iran denies that Nadarkhani faces a death sentence for "apostasy", or abandoning Islam, despite a written court decision monitored by BosNewsLife.
On Saturday, October 1, Deputy Governor of Iran's Gilan Province, Ali Rezvani, said Nadarhhani is guilty of "security charges" and "running a brothel" but added "his verdict has not been finalized," Iran's state-run Press TV network reported.
“This individual is guilty and his crime is not attempting to convert others to Christianity, rather his crimes are of a security nature,” he was quoted as saying.
However Iran's Supreme Court did not mention security crimes in its recent written verdict seen by BosNewsLife.
In the document, dated June 12, 2011, judges wrote that the pastor "must repent his Christian faith" if proved that he was a practicing Muslim shortly before he converted to Christianity at age 19.
COURT URGES "REPENTANCE":
"If it can be proven that he was a practicing Muslim as an adult and has not repented, the execution will be carried out," the Supreme Court added.
It also cited observations that "Mr. Nadarkhani has confessed that in his heart and in his actions he has denied being Muslim and converted to Christianity and has advertised and encouraged other Muslims to convert to Christianity."
The court said "because of advertising" and "pastoring a church" he "repeatedly professed his Christian faith and denied the prophet Mohammad and the 12th Imam and denied the entire Koran and [the] truth of the Koran," deemed a holy book by Muslims.
Judges asked a lower court in Gilan Province, that earlier sentenced him to death, to re-examine the case, but Press TV reported that no decision has yet been made about the death sentence.
“There has been no execution order. No conviction at all has been issued yet and it is up to the court to finally decide the verdict after studying his case,” it quoted Gilan Province Judiciary Chief Mohammad-Javad Heshmati as saying Wednesday, October 5.
ARREST WARRENT ISSUED:
Nadarkhani "has been charged with a crime and is in a prison based on an arrest warrant issued against him,” he added.
Trial observers have suggested that Iranian officials are trying to add new charges to execute the pastor following an international outcry about the apostasy charges.
De Mars said Deputy Governor Ali Rezvani has described the pastor as a "Zionist". The governor, he said, "is a hardliner and has shown that he is an enemy of Christians. According to some, Mr. Rezvani is the individual who pressured the judiciary to bring these charges against brother Youcef."
There is mounting worldwide pressure on Iran to release Pastor Nadarkhani, who leads a 400-person Church of Iran congregation.
IRAN "REFUTES" ALLEGATIONS:
Press TV, viewed as a mouthpiece of the government, said Iran "has firmly refuted Western allegations of violating human rights" insisting that "Nadarkhani has a history of committing violent crimes and that he has never received a death penalty for his religious preference."
The network condemned what it called "Western media" who "manipulated the case of Nadarkhani, a convicted rapist and extortionist in Gilan Province."
Press TV said Western media are "waging an anti-Iran publicity campaign by falsely claiming that his criminal conviction is his conversion to Christianity and acting as a 'priest.'"
The Church of Iran, a major evangelical house church network, has no priests but pastors and elders supervising the congregations.
Iranian Christians and rights activists view Nadarkhani as a symbol of a wider government-crackdown on especially Christian converts in the strict Islamic nation.
Several Christians have been detained and churches raided by security forces in recent months.

Source: BosNewsLife

NIGERIA: Attacks in Plateau State

September 27, 2011: Muslim extremists carried out new attacks on villages in Nigeria’s Plateau state in September, killing more than 100 Christians, including entire families, according to Compass Direct News.
On Sept. 10, 2011, Muslim extremists stormed Vwang Fwil village at 3 a.m., killing 13 Christians. Attackers killed 14 more Christians, including one pregnant woman, when they attacked the Christian community of Vwang Kogot on Sept. 9. And on Sept. 8, 10 Christians from one family were killed in an attack on Tsohom Foron village.
Compass Direct reports that some of the attackers were wearing Nigerian Army military uniforms. “What is the government doing about the soldiers?” asked Dachung Dagai, a pastor of a Nigerian church. “In some places, enough evidence has been found against these Muslim soldiers and nothing has been done. The government officials have always said they will look into the problems, but nothing has been done.”
In another attack, on Aug. 21, Muslim extremists entered Fadiya Bakut village and attacked Andre Allahmagani’s home. They killed his 10-year-old son and injured his 70-year-old mother. Allahmagani told Compass Direct News that the assailants were armed with guns, cutlasses and other dangerous weapons.
“This is becoming too much to bear,” said Emmanuel Dachollom Loman, chairman of the Barkin Ladi Local Government Council. “The government should help us before Muslims come and wipe out all of us one day.”
According to Release International, the recent violence broke out after a number of Muslims moved into the largely Christian area to celebrate the Islamic religious festival Eid, which marks the end of Ramadan.
Please pray for Christians in Nigeria’s Plateau state as they continue to face daily dangers.


Sources: Compass Direct News, Release International

Saudi Arabia executes 8 Bangladeshis

Saturday, 08/10/2011 -  by priyodesk

The Saudi authorities executed eight Bangladeshi workers on Friday (7th October, 2011) in the country’s capital Riyadh for their involvement in killing an Egyptian man. The men were convicted of robbing a warehouse and killing the Egyptian security guard, Hussein Saeed Mohammed Abdulkhaleq. “Yes, eight Bangladesh nationals were executed on Friday. They have been beheaded in public,” Mohammed Mizanur Rahman, second secretary (labour) of the Bangladesh Embassy in Riyadh, told The Independent over telephone on Saturday. “The Saudi authorities buried them after the Asr prayer on Friday. This is the largest figure to be executed at one go in Saudi Arabia. The earlier largest number was three,” said the official.

The migrant workers, who were beheaded in public, were sentenced to death for the murder of the man in April 2007, according to the Amnesty International.

The executed are: Ma'mun Abdul Mannan, Faruq Jamal, Sumon Miah, Mohammed Sumon, Shafiq al-Islam, Mas'ud Shamsul Haque, Abu al-Hussain Ahmed and Mutir al-Rahman. 
Details of those executed are: Sumon Mia, S/o Milon Mia, Village-Kamarpur, Upazila-Pakundia, District-Kishoreganj, Sumon, S/o Abdul Hye, Village-Purboshuva, Upazila-Kalihati, District-Tangail, Mamun, S/o  Abdul Mannan Sarker, Village-Abdullah Para, Post-Choibari, Upazila and District- Tangail, Shafiqul Islam, S/o Khoajuddin, Village-Bhatkurar Chala, Post-Hoteya  Rajbari, Upazila-Sakhipur, District-Tangail, Faruque, S/o Jamal Uddin, Village and  Post-Poiyakandhi, Upazila-Daudkandi, District-Comoilla, Abu Hussain, S/o Ahmed Biswas, District-Faridpur, Motiar Rahman, S/o Shahid Khan, Village-Krishnonagor, PS-Kotoali, District-Faridpur and Masud, S/o Mr. Shamsul Hoque, Village-Purboshubha, Post-Kosturi Para, Upazilla-Kalihati, District-Tangail.

The Saudi authorities, as per the usual practice, had not informed the Embassy in advance, and in such cases bodies are not handed over to relatives. The embassy came to know of it after contacting the jail authorities, he said.
“The eight were told in the morning to get ready and they were executed after the Asr prayer. No permission is needed to bury the executed,” he (Mohammed Mizanur Rahman) added. This is the largest figure to be executed at one go in Saudi Arabia. The earlier largest number was three,” said the official. The Bangladesh Embassy in Riyadh was preparing formal letters to be sent to the foreign ministry and the expatriates' welfare and overseas employment ministry, who in turn would inform the relatives of the executed men.
Replying to a question, Mizanur said that after being convicted by the lower court, the accused, with the support of the embassy, had appealed before the higher court, but their appeal was dismissed. Even an appeal was lodged on behalf of the Bangladesh President seeking clemency, but that appeal was not taken into cognisance.
“The last hope was to earn the forgiveness of the murdered man's relatives in exchange for blood money. But they said they will not forgive the accused,” he added.
To another question, Mizanur said: “The families of the convicted are aware of the executions.”
Saudi Arabia, where religious police patrol shopping centers and cinemas are prohibited, enforces Islamic law. The kingdom usually beheads or sentences people to lashings for murder, rape and drug-smuggling. The Sunni Muslim-majority country and member of the Group of 20 nations has been criticized by international human rights groups. Two other Saudi nationals were executed in the northern city of Tabuk yesterday, bringing the total number of executions to 10, London-based Amnesty International said in a statement on its website yesterday.

According to a news posted on the AI website, the Egyptian man was killed during a clash between the Bangladeshi workers and a group of men who allegedly were stealing electric cable from a building complex where the Bangladeshis used to work.

Three other Bangladeshis were sentenced to prison terms and flogging for the murder.

Executions have resumed in Saudi Arabia at an alarming rate since the end of the Holy month of Ramadan, said the AI.

“Court proceedings in Saudi Arabia fall far short of international standards for fair trial and news of these recent multiple executions are deeply disturbing,” said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for Middle East and North Africa.

“The Saudi authorities appear to have increased the number of executions in recent months, a move that puts the country at odds with the worldwide trend against the death penalty.”

“The government must establish an immediate moratorium on executions in the Kingdom and commute all death sentences, with a view to abolishing the death penalty completely,” she added.

Friday's beheading of the Bangladeshi nationals brings the number of executions in Saudi Arabia this year to at least 58, more than double than the 2010 figures. Twenty of those executed in 2011 were foreign nationals, the AI report said.

Many of those executed in Saudi Arabia in recent years have been foreign nationals, mostly migrant workers from poor and developing countries.

Defendants often have no defence lawyer and are unable to follow court proceedings in Arabic.

They are also rarely allowed formal representation by a lawyer, and in many cases are not informed of the progress of legal proceedings against them.

They, and many of the Saudi Arabians who are executed, also have no access to influential figures such as government authorities or heads of tribes, nor to money, both crucial factors in paying blood money or securing a pardon in murder cases.

Saudi Arabia applies the death penalty for a wide range of offences.

They may be convicted solely on the basis of confessions obtained under duress or deception.

At least 158 people, including 76 foreign nationals, were executed by the Saudi Arabian authorities in 2007. In 2008 some 102 people, including almost 40 foreign nationals, were executed.

In 2009, at least 69 people are known to have been executed, including 19 foreign nationals and in 2010, at least 27 people were executed including six foreign nationals.

Sources:

(i) The Independent
(ii) Priyo Internet Life
(iii) Bloomberg.com

 ~: Making of, Steve Jobs: a Zen Buddhist, a computer era's Prodigal Son and his biological parents, Mr.Abdulfattah John Jandali, a Syrian Muslim & Ms.Joanne Simpson, a graduate student at the time and later a speech pathologist:~

His personal life was as rich and
compelling as his professional one

For all of his years in the spotlight at the helm of Apple, Steve Jobs in many ways remains an inscrutable figure — even in his death. Fiercely private, Jobs concealed most specifics about his personal life, from his curious family life to the details of his battle with pancreatic cancer — a disease that ultimately claimed him on Wednesday, at the age of 56.
While the CEO and co-founder of Apple steered most interviews away from the public fascination with his private life, there's plenty we know about Jobs the person, beyond the Mac and the iPhone. If anything, the obscure details of his interior life paint a subtler, more nuanced portrait of how one of the finest technology minds of our time grew into the dynamo that we remember him as today.
1. Early life and childhood:
Jobs was born in San Francisco on February 24, 1955. He was adopted shortly after his birth and reared near Mountain View, California by a couple named Clara and Paul Jobs. His adoptive father — a term that Jobs openly objected to — was a machinist for a laser company and his mother worked as an accountant.
Later in life, Jobs discovered the identities of his estranged parents. His birth mother, Joanne Simpson, was a graduate student at the time and later a speech pathologist; his biological father, Abdulfattah John Jandali, was a Syrian Muslim who left the country at age 18 and reportedly now serves as the vice president of a Reno, Nevada casino. While Jobs reconnected with Simpson in later years, he and his biological father remained estranged.His biological father is an 80-year old workaholic who is trying to avoid retirement at all costs (sounds familiar). The Syrian immigrant says he is overcome with guilt for his treatment of Jobs and only learned recently that the child he gave up for adoption was the famous CEO.
“This might sound strange, though, but I am not prepared, even if either of us was on our deathbeds, to pick up the phone to call him,” Jandali said. “Steve will have to do that, as the Syrian pride in me does not want him ever to think I am after his fortune,” he said. "Now I just live in hope that, before it is too late, he will reach out to me, because even to have just one coffee with him just once would make me a very happy man,” he said. Jandali says although he was in love with his now ex-wife Joanne, her father was a tyrant and would not allow her to marry him since he was from Syria. Joanne then upped and moved to San Francisco to give birth to Jobs without her family or Jandali knowing. “She did not want to bring shame onto the family and thought this was the best for everyone.”
2. College dropout:
The lead mind behind the most successful company on the planet never graduated from college, in fact, he didn't even get close. After graduating from high school in Cupertino, California — a town now synonymous with 1 Infinite Loop, Apple's headquarters — Jobs enrolled in Reed College in 1972. Jobs stayed at Reed (a liberal arts university in Portland, Oregon) for only one semester, dropping out quickly due to the financial burden the private school's steep tuition placed on his parents.
In his famous 2005 commencement speech to Stanford University, Jobs said of his time at Reed: "It wasn't all romantic. I didn't have a dorm room, so I slept on the floor in friends' rooms, I returned coke bottles for the 5 cent deposits to buy food with, and I would walk the seven miles across town every Sunday night to get one good meal a week at the Hare Krishna temple."
3. Fibbed to his Apple co-founder about a job at Atari:
Jobs is well known for his innovations in personal computing, mobile tech, and software, but he also helped create one of the best known video games of all-time. In 1975, Jobs was tapped by Atari to work on the Pong-like game Breakout.
He was reportedly offered $750 for his development work, with the possibility of an extra $100 for each chip eliminated from the game's final design. Jobs recruited Steve Wozniak (later one of Apple's other founders) to help him with the challenge. Wozniak managed to whittle the prototype's design down so much that Atari paid out a $5,000 bonus — but Jobs kept the bonus for himself, and paid his unsuspecting friend only $375, according to Wozniak's own autobiography.
4. The wife he leaves behind:

Mr.Abdulfattah John Jandali
–Steve Jobs’ Biological Father

Like the rest of his family life, Jobs kept his marriage out of the public eye. Thinking back on his legacy conjures images of him commanding the stage in his trademark black turtleneck and jeans, and those solo moments are his most iconic. But at home in Palo Alto, Jobs was raising a family with his wife, Laurene, an entrepreneur who attended the University of Pennsylvania's prestigious Wharton business school and later received her MBA at Stanford, where she first met her future husband.
For all of his single-minded dedication to the company he built from the ground up, Jobs actually skipped a meeting to take Laurene on their first date: "I was in the parking lot with the key in the car, and I thought to myself, 'If this is my last night on earth, would I rather spend it at a business meeting or with this woman?' I ran across the parking lot, asked her if she'd have dinner with me. She said yes, we walked into town and we've been together ever since."
In 1991, Jobs and Powell were married in the Ahwahnee Hotel at Yosemite National Park, and the marriage was officiated by Kobin Chino, a Zen Buddhist monk.
5. His sister is a famous author:
Later in his life, Jobs crossed paths with his biological sister while seeking the identity of his birth parents. His sister, Mona Simpson (born Mona Jandali), is the well-known author of Anywhere But Here — a story about a mother and daughter that was later adapted into a film starring Natalie Portman and Susan Sarandon.
After reuniting, Jobs and Simpson developed a close relationship. Of his sister, he told a New York Times interviewer: "We're family. She's one of my best friends in the world. I call her and talk to her every couple of days.'' Anywhere But Here is dedicated to "my brother Steve."
6. Celebrity romances;
In The Second Coming of Steve Jobs, an unauthorized biography, a friend from Reed reveals that Jobs had a brief fling with folk singer Joan Baez. Baez confirmed the the two were close "briefly," though her romantic connection with Bob Dylan is much better known (Dylan was the Apple icon's favorite musician). The biography also notes that Jobs went out with actress Diane Keaton briefly.
7. His first daughter:
When he was 23, Jobs and his high school girlfriend Chris Ann Brennan conceived a daughter, Lisa Brennan Jobs. She was born in 1978, just as Apple began picking up steam in the tech world. He and Brennan never married, and Jobs reportedly denied paternity for some time, going as far as stating that he was sterile in court documents. He went on to father three more children with Laurene Powell. After later mending their relationship, Jobs paid for his first daughter's education at Harvard. She graduated in 2000 and now works as a magazine writer.
8. Alternative lifestyle:
In a few interviews, Jobs hinted at his early experience with the psychedelic drug LSD. Of Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Jobs said: "I wish him the best, I really do. I just think he and Microsoft are a bit narrow. He'd be a broader guy if he had dropped acid once or gone off to an ashram when he was younger."
The connection has enough weight that Albert Hofmann, the Swiss scientist who first synthesized (and took) LSD, appealed to Jobs for funding for research about the drug's therapeutic use.
In a book interview, Jobs called his experience with the drug "one of the two or three most important things I have done in my life." As Jobs himself has suggested, LSD may have contributed to the "think different" approach that still puts Apple's designs a head above the competition.
Jobs will forever be a visionary, and his personal life also reflects the forward-thinking, alternative approach that vaulted Apple to success. During a trip to India, Jobs visited a well-known ashram and returned to the U.S. as a Zen Buddhist.
Jobs was also a pescetarian who didn't consume most animal products, and didn't eat meat other than fish. A strong believer in Eastern medicine, he sought to treat his own cancer through alternative approaches and specialized diets before reluctantly seeking his first surgery for a cancerous tumor in 2004.
9. His fortune;
As the CEO of the world's most valuable brand, Jobs pulled in a comically low annual salary of just $1. While the gesture isn't unheard of in the corporate world  — Google's Larry Page, Sergey Brin, and Eric Schmidt all pocketed the same 100 penny salary annually — Jobs has kept his salary at $1 since 1997, the year he became Apple's lead executive. Of his salary, Jobs joked in 2007: "I get 50 cents a year for showing up, and the other 50 cents is based on my performance."
In early 2011, Jobs owned 5.5 million shares of Apple. After his death, Apple shares were valued at $377.64 — a roughly 43-fold growth in valuation over the last 10 years that shows no signs of slowing down.
He may only have taken in a single dollar per year, but Jobs leaves behind a vast fortune. The largest chunk of that wealth is the roughly $7 billion from the sale of Pixar to Disney in 2006. In 2011, with an estimated net worth of $8.3 billion, he was the 110th richest person in the world, according to Forbes. If Jobs hadn't sold his shares upon leaving Apple in 1985 (before returning to the company in 1996), he would be the world's fifth richest individual.
While there's no word yet on plans for his estate, Jobs leaves behind three children from his marriage to Laurene Jobs (Reed, Erin, and Eve), as well as his first daughter, Lisa Brennan-Jobs.

--Edited version of originally penned by Ms.Taylor Hatmaker.

References:
(i) Tecca,.com

(ii) Yahoo.com
(iii) 9to5toys.com

~:Navadurga:The Nine Forms of Goddess Durga:~

The festival of Durga Puja is celebrated with deep religious fervor in the Indian states. Hindu Goddess Durga is portrayed as having ten arms and believed to have nine different forms or Goddess Durga is worshipped in different forms. In other words, Navadurga, which literally means nine Goddess Durgas, constitute, according to Hindu mythology, the manifestation of Durga in nine different forms. Each form symbolizes a religious significance. On one hand, where we get to see her in the form of a gracious woman, who symbolizes the female dynamism, then on the other hand, she is given a terrifying look of a destroyer that is apt to frighten the demons. Navadurga Maa are believed to be the most sacred aspects of Goddess Durga.

She is a form of "Shakti". According to a Hindu tradition, it is believed that there are three major forms in which Goddess Durga manifested herself, namely, Mahasaraswati, Mahalakshmi and Mahakali who are the active energies (Shakti) of Brahma, Vishnu and Rudra respectively (without these goddesses the gods will lose all their powers and would not have the energy to lift a finger).  In other words, the evolution of Shri  Maha Saraswati, Shri Maha Laxmi and Shri Mahakali (the 3 main forms of "Shakti") took place from Shri Brahma, Shri Vishnu and Shri Mahesh or Rudra, respectively. Each of these 3 (three) deities gave rise to 3 more forms and hence in all, these 9 forms together are known as Nav-Durga or Nine Durgas.

Nava – that also means 'new' – denotes 'nine' the number to which sages attach special significance. Hence, we have Nava-ratri (9 nights), Nava-patrika (9 leaves / herbs / plants), Nava-graha (9 planets), and Nava-Durga (9 appellations). Here let us take a look at the the 9 (nine) manifestations of Goddess Durga. Each goddess has a different form and a special significance. 

Nava Durga, if worshipped with religious fervor during Navaratri, is believed to lift the divine spirit in us and fill us with renewed happiness. All the nine names of goddess are narrated in ‘Devi Kavacha’ of the ‘Chandipatha’ scripture. 
Science and concept of colors or Gunas in Nav Durga: Actually each Form in Nav Durga represents her special characteristic as per her guna which is in reference with color of their vestments i.e. red, yellow, blue, violet, green, orange, indigo, Grey and pink. Parvati represents white color vestments as white is combination of all colors that is why she is known as trigunatmika, combination of all gunas. Science says when white light goes from rarer (upper lokas like heaven) to denser medium (lower lokas like earth) it transforms to different colors. If density variation is less, then three colors are formed i.e. Red, Yellow and Blue, now the three primary colors represents Mahalakshmi or Mahismardini(Red), Mahasarswati or Shumbh-Nishumbh Vinashni(Yellow) and Mahakali or Madhukaitabh Vibhanjani(Blue), the Goddesses are none other than the powers of trinity. Further these splits to nine colors as their wavelength exceeds and forms above mentioned nine colors of Nav Durga i.e. now Shailputri or Hemavati who is Goddess as Nature represents green color, Brahmacharini represents devotion i.e. indigo color, Chandraghanta reperesents beauty i.e. pink, Kushmanda represents beginning i.e. voilet, Skandmata represents hard worker i.e. yellow, Katyani represents courage i.e. orange, Kaalraatri represents illusion i.e. blue, Mahagauri represents purity i.e. Red, Sidhidhaatri represents granter i.e. grey.

Here is the 9 (nine) different forms of Godess Durga:

Shailaputri:

(i) Shailaputri: The first form of Goddess Durga is known as "Shailaputri", which literally means, the daughter (putri) of the mountains (shaila). She is also variously known as Sati Bhavani, Parvati (Goddess Parvati, the consort of Lord Shiva) or Hemavati, the daughter of Hemavana - the king of the Himalayas. Her worship takes place on the first day of Navaratri – the nine divine nights. The embodiment of the power of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, she rides a bull and carries a trident and a lotus in her two hands. Shailaputri is the absolute form of Mother Nature. In her previous life she took birth from Daksa, the Prajapati as his daughter. According to one of the Upanishads she in her Haimavati aspect defeated all prominent gods. Like her previous birth in this life also Sailaputri got married with Lord Shiva. 

Brahmacharini

(ii) Brahmacharini: Brahmacharini is the second form of Durga who is worshippied on the second day of Navratri. Bharmacharini means one who practices devout austerity. She enlightens us in the magnificent embodiment of Durga with great powers and divine grace. As Brahmacharini, she is portrayed as having rosary in her right hand and a water utensil (Kamandal) in her left hand. Here word 'Brahm' refers to 'Tapa'. So Brahmcharini means Tapa Charini, the one who perform Tapa. It is said that the 'Vedas', 'Tatva' and 'Tapa' are synonyms of word 'Brahm'. She is blissful and endows happiness, peace, prosperity and grace upon all devotees who worship her. Filled with bliss and happiness, she is the way to emancipation - Moksha (Sachchidanandamaya Brahmaswarupa the Existence-Knowledge-Bliss absolute). She personifies love and loyalty. Bhramcharini is the store house of knowledge and wisdom. Rudraksha beads are Her most adored ornaments! This is the phase, of Maa Parvati before marriage as a Devi Yogni and Devi Tapsvini.

(iii) Chandraghanta: The third facet of Goddess Durga is ‘Chandraghanta’, who is worshipped on the third day of Navaratri, for peace, tranquility and prosperity in life. In the form of Chandraghanta, she is portrayed as having a half moon or "Chandra" on her forehead in the shape of a "ghanta" or bell. That is why she is called ‘Chandraghanta’. Some scholars however, say, Chandra + Ghanta, means supreme bliss and knowledge, showering peace and serenity, like cool breeze in a moonlit night. She is charming, has a golden bright complexion and rides a tiger. She is shown as a beautiful woman with golden hair. She has ten hands, three eyes and holding different kinds of weapons in each. Eight of her hands display weapons while the remaining two are respectively in the mudras of gestures of boon giving and stopping harm. She is the apostle of bravery and possesses great strength to fight in the battle against demons. Therefore, this image of Durga is meant to frighten people having evil minds. She is mainly worshipped in Tamil Nadu.

Kushmanda:

(iv) Kushmanda: Kushmanda is the fourth form of the mother goddess and is worshipped on the fourth day of Navaratri. In the form of Kushmanda, she is shown as a charming woman riding a lion. The meaning of the name ‘Ku-shm-anda’ is as follows: ‘Ku’ = a little; ‘ushma’ = ‘warmth’; ‘anda’ = ‘the cosmic egg’. She resides in solar systems and she she shines brightly in all the ten directions like Sun. So she is considered the creator of the universe. The universe was no more than a void full of darkness, until her light spreads in all directions like rays from the sun. Often she is depicted as having eight or ten hands. She holds weapons, glitter, rosary, etc., in her hands, and she rides a lion.

Skanda Mata

(v) Skanda Mata: The fifth aspect of the Mother Durga is known as 'Skanda Mata', the mother of Skanda or Lord Kartikeya, who was chosen by gods as their commander-in-chief in the war against the demons. She is worshiped on the fifth day of Navaratri. She is accompanied by the Lord Skanda in his infant form. Skanda Mata has four arms and three eyes, holds the infant Skanda in her right upper arm and a lotus in her right hand which is slightly raised upwards. The left arm is in pose to grant boons with grace and in left lower hand which is raised also holds a lotus. She has a bright complexion and is often depicted as seated on a lotus.

Katyayani

(vi) Katyayani: The sixth form of Mother Durga is known as ‘Katyayani’, who is worshipped on the six day of Navaratri. People believe that, when Durga was born to Rishi Katyayan in the form of Paramba, she was given the name "Kat yayani".  The legend behind her name goes thus: Once upon a time, there was a great sage called Kata, who had a son named Katya. Kata was very famous and renowned in the lineage of saints. He underwent long austerities and penance in order to receive the grace of the Mother Goddess. He wished to have a daughter in the form of a goddess. According to his wish and desire the Mother Goddess granted his request. Katyayani was born to Kata as an avatar of Durga. She has three eyes and eight hands. These are eight types of weapons in her seven hands and her vehicle is Lion.

Kalratri

(vii) Kalratri: Kalratri is the seventh form of Goddess Durga and is worshiped on the seventh day of Navaratri. As Kalratri, she is portrayed as dark as night or dark complexioned, disheveled hair and a fearlessness posture. A necklace flashing lightning adorns her neck. She has three eyes that shine bright and terrible flames emanate from her breath (flames of fire are shown coming out of her nose). Her vehicle is the donkey. She takes a ride on the Shava, as in dead body. Her raised right hand always seems to grant boons to all worshipers and all her right lower hand is in the pose of allaying fears. Her left upper hand holds a thorn-like weapon, made of iron and there is a dagger in the lower left hand. She is black like Goddess Kali and holds a sparkling sword in her right hand to battle all evil. By her scary look, she frightens the demons. Her gesture of protection assures us of freedom from fear and troubles. So she is also known as ‘Shubhamkari’ – one who does good.

Maha Gauri

(viii) Maha Gauri: Maha Gauri is the eight form portrayed as an eight year old girl, who is wearing clean white clothes. She is worshipped on the eighth day of Navaratri. She is shown as taking a ride on the bull. She has got three eyes and four hands. Her power is unfailing and instantly fruitful. It is believed that as a result of her worship, all sins of past, present and future get washed away and devotees get purified in all aspects of life. Maha Gauri is intelligent, peaceful and calm. Due to her long austerities in the deep forests of the Himalayas, she developed a dark complexion. When Lord Shiva cleaned her with the water of the Ganges, her body regained its beauty and she came to be known as Maha Gauri, which mean extremely white. Her right hand is in the pose of allaying fear and her right lower hand holds a trident. The left upper hand holds a ‘damaru’ (a small rattle drum) and the lower one is in the pose of granting boons to her devotees.

Siddhidatri:

(ix) Siddhidatri: The ninth and the last form of Goddess Durga is Siddhidatri. She is worshipped on the ninth day of Navaratri. Siddhidatri has supernatural healing powers. In totality, there are eight siddhis, namely Mahima, Prapti, Prakamya, Garima, Anima, Laghi ma, Iishitva and Vashitva. The Goddess rides on the lion as her vehicle. . She has four arms and she is always in a blissful happy enchanting pose. This form of Durga is worshiped by all Gods, Rishis-Munis, Siddhas, Yogis, Sadhakas and devotees for attaining the best religious asset. She blesses all Gods, saints, yogis, tantrics and all devotees as a manifestation of the Mother Goddess. In ‘Devi Bhagvata Purana’ it is mentioned that Lord Shiva worshiped her and was blessed with all Siddhis (supernatural powers). By her blessings his half body became female and other half body male in the avatar of Ardhnarishvara.

References:

(i) www.sify.com
(ii) First Photo of Devi Durga, courtsey: Shuma.rani
(iii) Wikipedia

(iv) Hinduism: About.com

(v) Indif.com devotional