Fabulous Compilation.....sent by Dr. Uppal!

Dr. Jagmohan Singh Uppal is a Sain devotee and living at Jalandhar. Very Simple and nice by nature. Today I got another email from him. Please read and store its contents....it is really a  Fabulous Compilation. .! Napoleon said.. "The world suffers a lot. Not because of the violence of bad people, but because of the silence of good people!" Michael Paul said.. I wrote on the door of heart, "Please do not enter" Love came smiling and said: "Sorry I am an illiterate" Einstein said.. "I am thankful to all those who said NO to me It's Because of them I did it myself. Abraham Lincoln said.. "If friendship is your weakest point then you are the strongest person in the world." Shakespeare said.. "Laughing Faces Do Not Mean That There Is Absence Of Sorrow!But It Means That They Have The Ability To Deal With It" Shakespeare said.. "In The Times Of Crisis I Was Not Hurt By The Harsh Words Of My Enemies, But By The Silence Of My Friends". Shakespeare said.. "Never Play With The Feelings Of Others Because You May Win The Game But You Will Surely Lose The Person For Life Time" Shakespeare said.. "Coin Always Makes Sound But The Currency Notes Are Always Silent. So When YourValue Increases Keep Yourself Calm Silent" William Arthur said.. "Opportunities Are Like Sunrises, If You Wait Too Long You Can Miss Them" Hitler said.. "When You Are In The Light, Everything Follows You, But When You Enter Into The Dark, Even Your Own Shadow Doesn't Follow You" Shiv Khera.. "If We Are Not Part Of The Solutions, We Are The Big Problems""Winners Never Do The Different Things, They Do The Things Differently" . John Keats said.. "It Is Very Easy To Defeat Someone, But It Is Very Hard To Win Someone"

First Sikh American Named to White House Commission on AAPI

Newly sworn-in Commissioner Amardeep Singh here with his parents who traveled to the ceremony
in the U.S. Capital from New Jersey. 

New York :   The Sikh Coalition is pleased to announce that Amardeep Singh, the Sikh Coalition's co-founder and Director of Programs, was appointed by President Barack Obama to his Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) last week. The Sikh Coalition believes this is the first appointment of a Sikh American to such a post.

"Our nation will be well-served by the skill and dedication these men and women bring to their new roles. I look forward to working with them in the months and years ahead," President Obama said last week in a news release issued by the White House.

Mr. Singh began his service this past Tuesday night, when he was sworn into office along with 16 fellow Commissioners by Acting Solicitor General Neal Katyal. More than 400 leaders and activists, including Members of the United States Senate and House of Representatives, converged on the U.S. Capitol Building to attend the swearing-in ceremony. 

Sapreet Kaur, Executive Director of the Sikh Coalition, and Kiran Ahuja, Executive Director of the
White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are pictured here after the ceremony.

"I am honored and humbled by the appointment. I look forward to helping connect the President and the White House to our community and its needs. We'll work on many issues, but I'm especially excited about the opportunity to discuss civil rights issues facing our communities," said Amardeep Singh. 

The mission of the Commission is to provide advice to the President on how all agencies in the federal government may improve the quality of life of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs). The Commission will focus on five areas: 1) Education; 2) Economic Development; 3) Sustainable Neighborhoods; 4) Health Communities; and 5) Civil Rights.

Amardeep Singh speaks here with Paul Uyehara of the United States Department of Justice who attended the ceremony. 

The Commission works in collaboration with the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and a Federal Interagency Working Group to improve the quality of life of the AAPI community by facilitating increased access to and participation in federal programs where they remain underserved.  

"We are pleased by Amar's appointment," said Sapreet Kaur, Executive Director of the Sikh Coalition. "It is critical that all our communities have a meaningful seat at the table. Amar's appointment will greatly help raise the voice of the community before the White House and federal government." (Issued on: September 24, 2010)

  View Slideshow  




Presidential Appointment for Coalition Staffer

Tiger temple in Thailand..

  This is extraordinary

The tiger temple in Thailand is a place where an extraordinary bond between man and the world's biggest cats has been formed. The tigers here are so peaceful its almost as if they have accepted Buddhism as their religion. In fact, they even sit for the meditating sessions with the monks and kneel down in front of them as it they are the gurus. The tigers are so docile that the monks have to sometimes train them to fight otherwise they would lose all their power of self protection.


The link started in 1999 when a sick baby tiger, orphaned after poachers shot its mother, was brought to the monks. Within a few years several other tiger cubs similarly orphaned by poachers had arrived. The most amazing thing is none of the cubs turned out ferocious on growing up. The monks believe that these tigers are none other than the former Buddhist disciples who have taken rebirth in the same place.

  A paradise for tiger lovers !

Just shows that with love, kindness and a gentle way, the world can be a better place!

--
Regards,
Manoj Paul / Capgemini India / Kolkata
Consultant

Together. Free your energies www.capgemini.com

PM’s childhood friend Raja Mohammed Ali no more

AMRITSAR SEPT 23--------Raja Mohammed Ali (78) childhood friend of Prime Minister of India Dr Manmohan Singh from ancestral Gah village of PM died last night . Rashmi Talwar a writer was informed about the sad demise by the grand daughter of Raja Mohammed Ali Ms. Asifa Azkar and grandson Raja Asad Ali via phone from Pakistan . They described the loss as “we feel empty without our grandfather”. Raja ji suffered a massive heart attack last night which took his life. His Janaza was offered in the evening today.
The Prime Minister’s office has been informed about the demise of the friend of the PM who had studied till class 4th with the PM in the village school.
Raja’s ardent wish was to meet his friend -the Indian PM and two years back in year 2008 , he came to India via Wagah Indo –Pak Border in Amritsar and was hosted DAV Public School headed by its Principal Mrs Neera Sharma . Thereafter he met the PM in Delhi and was covered by the world media as one of those unforgettable moments in history when the Indian PM met his Pakistani classmate. Rashmi Talwar along with Mr Joginder Kohli -who too had studied with Raja ji as well as with the PM expressed their deepest condolence to the aggrieved family of Raja ji on the sad demise .
Raja ji had brought the soil and water of the PM ‘s house and of their school for the PM . He had also presented the PM with their village chakwali Jutti (footwear) besides had given the PM a 150-year old silk shawl (lachcha ) made by his own grandparents.
    The meeting in delhi was an emotional bonding between two long lost childhood friends-- one a farmer (Raja Mohd Ali , Pakistan ) and the other a Prime Minister (Dr Manmohan Singh, India ) 
: Sent by: Rashmi Talwar via AMRITSAR PRESS CLUB.

"Annual International Sikh Convention"

Annual International Sikh Convention
Organised by the Sikh Federation (UK)

Poster for the event

Sunday 19 September 2010 from 10am

At Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara, Sedgley Street, Wolverhampton


There are also TV, radio and newspaper adverts.

A link to the 1 min 12 seconds TV Promo is at:

www.sikhfederation.com or

http://vimeo.com/14620835

If you live in the UK contact your local Gurdwara and Sikh Federation branch about transport arrangements.

If you live abroad and plan to attend email info@sikhfederation.com ASAP.

Letter from the new Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for UK Sikhs to release at the Convention on Sunday 19 September

Below is the letter the Sikh Federation (UK) has obtained from Fabian Hamilton, the new Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for UK Sikhs, to release at the Convention on Sunday 19 September at Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara, Sedgley Street, Wolverhampton.

The letter was mentioned by the Sikh Federation (UK) on the Sikh Channel on the programme on Saturday 11 September between 8-9pm. Emma Reynolds MP the Secretary of the APPG for UK Sikhs will be speaking about priorities at the Convention.

The letter will be re-produced in the Sikh Federation’s 2009-10 booklet, which will also be released on Sunday 19 September.

As indicated on the Sikh Channel programme there will be several other politicians speaking from different political parties and we are expecting some important announcements at the Convention.

Please try and attend.
Gurjeet Singh

                                                                                                                                                                               

Dear Friends,

I am sorry that I am unable to join you for the Sikh Federation’s Annual National Sikh Convention which is taking place on Sunday 19th September in Wolverhampton. I wanted to send my warmest greetings to all your delegates as the newly elected Chair of the All- Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for UK Sikhs. It is a pleasure and a privilege to be following in the footsteps of my dear friend and former colleague Rob Marris.

I thought that you would like to know that our immediate priorities for the APPG are:

• To persuade over 40,000 public bodies systematically to monitor Sikhs as an ethnic group, despite the categories in the 2011 Census. This will ensure a fair provision of public services to the Sikh community

• To make sure that the government keeps its promise to introduce a Code of Practice on Sikh articles of faith that is endorsed by Parliament – a breach of the Code would be taken into account by tribunals and courts when dealing with any dispute arising out of the implementation of the Code

• To press for a radical improvement in how the government engages with the Sikh community through better consultation with organisations like the Sikh Federation (UK)


The APPG also has the challenge of taking up international issues on behalf of UK Sikhs and include:

• Taking up Sikh identity and human rights issues at an international level.

• Ensuring the exclusion from the UK of individuals directly involved in torture, fake encounters, disappearances, genocide and other crimes against humanity.

• Supporting the Sikh campaign for justice for the June and November 1984 massacres.

• Support for a change to Article 25 of the Indian Constitution and laws, such as the Hindu Marriage Act 1955, so the Sikh faith is properly recognised by the Constitution.

• Because of the continued injustices against Sikhs in the Indian sub-continent to support the Sikhs’ legitimate right to national self-determination.

I hope that our priorities meet with your approval and I look forward to a strong working relationship between this Parliament and all Sikhs living in the United Kingdom. Your contribution to the health and welfare of our economy and society is a source of pride to all UK citizens, whether Sikh or non-Sikh.

With all my best wishes,

Yours sincerely,
Fabian Hamilton
Labour Member of Parliament for Leeds North East

Funds Shortage for Pakistani Students in UK- JIP expresses concern

Journalists For International Peace strongly reacted to the news of non-availability of funds to Pakistani students, who were admitted on government scholarship to various universities of UK. Earlier, Dr Pirzada Qasim, the Vice Chancellor of Karachi University (KU), has revealed on Wednesday, that the “ students, who were selected for foreign studies in UK on scholarships of Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan , are being humiliated enough to raise donations for meeting their educational expenses on account of lack of funds were to be provided by the commission.
“ It is pathetic and deplorable that government of Pakistan has totally ignored the “brains and future’ of the Country , Mr Iftikhar Chaudri, President of JIP , reiterated here in Islamabad. He feared the government-run HEC may have to face judicial case if it failed to pay off on time the dues meant for educational development plans.
When Dr Javed Leghari , Chairman HEC was approached , he maintained “The government of Pakistan slashed HEC’s budget from 22.50 billion rupees to 18.50 billion rupees for fiscal year 2010 in March this year but despite mounting directives issued from Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, HEC has been provided mere 11 billion rupees during period from July to December 2009”Not a single penny has been released to HEC in last quarter for 2009 fiscal year, he revealed. Earlier HEC chairman, Mr Javed Leghari was subjected to severe criticism due to exposing fake degree holder parliamentarians. Most of them are facing threats of quitting the parliament.
JIP demands that that High Commissioner of Pakistan in UK, Mr Wajid Shamsul Hassan , must immediately intervene into the situation and develop a contact with the affected students and provide immediate financial relief to them. The news of collecting donations during Friday prayers at London, to continue their studies, is highly deplorable and inhumane. 

Iftikhar Chaudri
President
Journalists For International Peace 
Islamabad, Pakistan
president@j4ip.org

Amnesty International Urges Iran to Overturn Entire Death Sentence Against Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, Not Just Stoning Sentence

Wed, Sep 8, 2010 at 11:03 PM

New York : Amnesty International welcomes an Iranian official’s statement that Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani's stoning sentence has been temporarily suspended but urged the authorities to overturn the death sentence against her entirely. 

"This news does not go far enough," said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Deputy Director of the Middle East and North Africa Program at Amnesty International.

"We hope this is not merely a cynical move by the authorities to deflect international criticism, as this temporary suspension by the Head of the Judiciary could be lifted at any time, leaving Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani at risk of execution, particularly if the current judicial review of her case results in a confirmation of her sentence.  

“The Iranian authorities must immediately take the necessary steps to ensure that her death sentence is overturned once and for all."

On Wednesday, Iranian state-run Press TV reported that Ramin Mehmanparast, a Foreign Ministry spokesman, had said that Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani's execution for adultery had been "stopped."  

He reiterated that her case was being reviewed adding that "her sentencing for complicity in murder is in process."  

Amnesty International is also concerned that the Iranian authorities may be preparing to bring what appear to be fresh charges against her in relation for the death of her husband, Ebrahim Qaderzadeh,  although her state-appointed lawyer told the organization earlier that she had been acquitted of the murder.  

The organization has been unable to obtain any court documents relating to the investigation of his death.

"In August 2010, Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani was forced to confess under duress on TV to adultery and involvement in her husband's death," said Sahraoui.  "If the judicial authorities now charge and sentence her on this basis, yet another layer of injustice would be added to the travesty of her case." -----------000-------





Whether in a high-profile conflict or a forgotten corner of the globe, Amnesty International, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, campaigns for justice, freedom and dignity for all and seeks to mobilize public support to build a better world.

www.amnestyusa.org