“Women, maths and the socio-cultural equation - Hindu Business Line” plus 3 more

Does maths continue to be dominated by men? All the seven top prize winners at the International Congress of Mathematicians 2010, world's biggest once-in-four-year congregation of mathematicians, now on in Hyderabad, are men.

Gender need not differentiate the capability in maths, but it has more to do with the socio-cultural realities, asserted Prof. Ingrid Daubechies. Incidentally, she is the first woman to head the International Mathematical Union (IMU) and was elected at the body's meet in Bangalore on August 16-17 for 2011-14.

There is no reason why women cannot shine in this sphere. However, to fare well, one has to disentangle oneself from mundane activities and devote time to ponder over maths problems.

Women can be creative in maths only if they organise their life in such a way that they have more free time. It is more of a socio-cultural limitation, not whether you are a man or woman. The number of women doing well in maths now is far greater than a century ago, but we need to do a lot to help maths grow popular among women and in developing nations, says Prof. Daubechies, who has the distinction of being the first woman professor of mathematics at Princeton University and also the first woman to receive the National Academy of Sciences Medal in Mathematics in 2000.

Too much is being made out of Vedic maths. There is neither enough proof about its antiquity linked to the Vedas nor anything so profound as claimed, said Prof. M. S. Raghunathan of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Mumbai.

In recent times, Vedic maths has been promoted with books and coaching across the country and abroad. The opinion of the academic circles is divided. Prof. Raghunathan, who is Chairman of the ICM-2010 Organising Committee, said any personal computer or a calculating tool today can do the same calculation much faster. The proponents of Vedic maths need to establish several things.

While India gave the world, the concept of 'zero', which revolutionised maths, in the last 75 years no Indian has won the the Fields Medal (the Nobel of maths) that the IMU awards.

In over 3,000 years of history in mathematics, Indians from Bhaskara to Aryabhatta and Bhaskaracharya to in modern times Ramanujan have made profound contributions that have shaped the subject. However, in the 20 {+t} {+h} century, except for Ramanujan not many Indians seem to have attained global fame.

S. R. S. Varadhan of Indian origin and formerly of the Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata, made a mark winning the Abel Prize for 2007. Similarly, M.S. Narasimhan, who retired from TIFR, won the King Faisal Prize in 2006, perhaps auguring well for the beginning of the 21st century for Indians.

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An American Orphan's Journey Through China's Cultural Revolution - The Epoch Times

Posted: 17 Aug 2010 05:05 PM PDT

By Yue Yun & Lin Fan
Epoch Times Staff Created: Aug 17, 2010 Last Updated: Aug 18, 2010

Determined to Return to the U.S.

Han Xiu was assigned to work in a large collective factory in Beijing upon her return from Xinjiang in 1976. The Party secretary there was pleased with her work and helped her reclaim her birth certificate and U.S. passport from the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau which had been confiscated by authorities during the Cultural Revolution. Han Xiu then went to the Beijing Public Security Bureau Foreign Affairs Office in hopes of confirming her American citizenship and returning to the U.S. However, the bureau eventually told her that her documents were expired and ineffective to both the U.S. and Chinese governments.

Yet Han Xiu did not give up. Instead, she decided to pay a visit to the U.S. Liaison Office in Beijing (established after Nixon's visit to China when formal diplomatic relations had not yet been formed with the U.S).

It was on February 21, 1977, the most unforgettable day in Han Xiu's life, when she stepped across the white line at the entrance of the U.S. Liaison Office in Beijing. A rifle-toting military police immediately rushed to her. Han Xiu explained that she was an American citizen and needed to replace her expired passport. "You are definitely not an American," the military police officer smirked. "An American would know that today is a holiday and no one is in the office."

Just then, a small vehicle pulled up and a young man got out the car and immediately noticed that she was holding an old U.S. passport that was issued in the 1940s. He asked her if he could take a look at her passport.

"You must not leave this white line, please. I'll be right back," he told Han Xiu. He was U.S. Liaison official Franklin P. Werdlaw. He quickly returned with senior diplomat Jerome Christopher Ogden and they told the military police to let her go into their office, where, within five minutes they confirmed her American citizenship. They instructed her to pick up her new passport in a month. However, since Ogden assumed that her documents would again be confiscated, he gave her five U.S. Liaison officials' phone numbers and asked her to memorize them by heart.

Han Xiu was put under police surveillance when she returned home. She was not able to successfully contact any of the five U.S. Liaison officials. After one month had passed her call to Ogden finally went through. She briefly told him that she would pick up her new passport the next day.

The next day, assuming that she was being followed, she took an indirect route to the U.S. Liaison Office and managed to walk toward the entrance. Ogden was already there waiting for her. He told the military police officer that she was there for her passport. She walked right in before the military police realized what had happened. After she signed her name on the new passport, Ogden told her that she had officially become an American citizen with a legal U.S. passport and that he would give all his attention to helping her return to the U.S.

Refusal to Give In

At midnight, police broke into Han Xiu's house, arrested her, and again confiscated her passport and birth certificate. In the following eight months, she was harassed and underwent numerous "talks" with authorities, yet she handled them with intelligence and determination. Meanwhile, every week Ogden went to China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and demanded that authorities let Han Xiu go and allow her to return to the States, but Chinese officials answered with scorn.

In August 1977, U.S. Secretary of State Cyrus Vance visited China to talk about establishing full diplomatic relations with China. The two countries had a complicated negotiation regarding Americans who still lived in China. "They eventually put me in a cake box and delivered it to the U.S.," Han Xiu said humorously.

When she finally set foot on American soil, America opened her arms to welcome the return of an orphaned citizen. Soon after, she was referred to teach Chinese at the American Academy of Diplomacy under the State Department. The principal of the academy was not happy because a State Department official had told him that he "must" hire Han Xiu. He therefore insisted that he personally interview her.

When she first met with the principal, he took a good look at her. Then his eyes suddenly welled up with tears. "I recognize you! My wife, son, and I were the ones who took you to China. You finally came back! Of course I 'must' hire you."

In the spring of 1982, Han Xiu married one of her students, a U.S. diplomatic official. They lived in Beijing for three years, where Han Xiu reunited with her grandmother. In the summer of 1986, her grandmother died peacefully just before Han Xiu and her husband returned to the U.S.

Han Xiu began writing in 1982 and is currently a renowned overseas Chinese author of 29 published books. She lives in a small city near Arlington National Cemetery in Washington D.C. where her father is buried.

Read the original Chinese article.

Government of Canada Invests in Newfoundland and Labrador Cultural Sector - PR Inside

Posted: 11 Aug 2010 05:23 AM PDT

2010-08-11 14:23:01 - ST. JOHNS, NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR -- (Marketwire) -- 08/11/10 -- The Honourable James Moore, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages, today announced funding for 25 arts and heritage projects in Newfoundland and Labrador. Minister Moore made the announcement during a visit to the Centre scolaire et communautaire des Grands-Vents in St. John's, in the presence of community representatives.

The funding is intended to support a wide range of projects, including the Festival of New Dance, various arts and culture centre presentation series across the province, the Flying Boat Festival Legacy Project, the Kamataukatshiuht Festival, and many others.

"One of the oldest cities in North America, St. John's has not lost any of its legendary vitality and amazes us year after year with its sense of excitement and its creativity," said Minister Moore. "Our Government is pleased to contribute to the development of this city by investing in arts and heritage, an important engine of the local economy."

The Government of Canada has provided funding totalling $534,820 under four programs of the Department of Canadian Heritage: the Canada Arts Presentation Fund, the Building Communities Through Arts and Heritage program, the Museums Assistance Program, and the Cultural Development Fund component of the Official Languages Support Program. To find out more about the projects, see the attached backgrounder.

(This news release is available on the Internet at www.canadianheritage.gc.ca : under Newsroom.)

BACKGROUNDER

The following are the projects that are part of this announcement for Newfoundland and Labrador's cultural sector:

Canada Arts Presentation Fund

The Canada Arts Presentation Fund is designed to give Canadians increased access to the variety and richness of Canada's culture through professional arts festivals and performances, and other

arts events.

  --  Festival of New Dance, St. John's - $90,000 --  Arts and Culture Centres Presentation Series, Various locations -     $74,541 --  Sound Symposium, St. John's - $25,015 --  Kamataukatshiuht Festival, Sheshatshiu - $25,000 --  Resource Centre for the Arts/LSPU Hall Presentation Programming, St.     John's - $20,000 --  Eastern Edge 24 Hour Art Marathon Festival, St. John's - $15,000

Building Communities Through Arts and Heritage

The Building Communities Through Arts and Heritage program provides Canadians with more opportunities to take part in activities that present local arts and culture and celebrate local history and heritage.

  --  150 Years of Settlement Legacy Project, Flying Boat Festival - Legacy     Fund, Botwood (Norris Arm) - $62,962 --  24th Annual Mussel Bed Soiree, Lewisporte - $13,900 --  Festival regional - Une Journee dans l'Passe, La Grand'Terre - $13,200 --  Downtown St. John's Busker Festival, St. John's - $8,600 --  Traditional Songwriters Festival, Little Bay Islands - $7 ,000 --  Red Head Rocks Festival, Harbour Breton - $6,300 --  Trinity Festival Days, Trinity - $5,300 --  PHMC Arts and Heritage Festival, Petty Harbour - $5,100 --  Come Home Year 2010 - Celebrating our Heritage, Port Kirwan - $4,400 --  11th Annual Cape Race Heritage Days, Trepassey - $4,200 --  Rum Runner Festival, Hermitage - $3,800 --  Champney's West Days and Come Home Year, Champney's West - $3,500 --  Rock Island Music Festival, Ramea - $3,000 --  Gerald S. Doyle Folk Song Festival, Eastport - $2,900 --  Cavendish Beach Festival, Cavendish - $2,600

Museums Assistance Program

The Museums Assistance Program provides funding to Canadian museums and related institutions for projects that foster excellence in museum activities and that facilitate access to the treasures of our collective heritage.
###PRECONTENT2###
Cultural Development Fund component of the Official Languages Support Program

The objectives of the Cultural Development Fund include supporting and strengthening the cultural and artistic activities of official-language minority communities to enhance their vitality, and giving Canadians access to the richness of the culture, arts and heritage of these communities.
###PRECONTENT3###

Contacts:
Office of the Minister of Canadian Heritage
and Official Languages
Matthew Deacon - Press Secretary
819-997-7788
matthew.deacon@pch.gc.ca :

Canadian Heritage
Media Relations
819-994-9101
1-866-569-6155
media@pch.gc.ca :

Five years after Katrina, an uneasy cultural shift - Washington Post

Posted: 20 Aug 2010 08:50 PM PDT

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Friday, August 20, 2010