Michael Pitt is the rare actor who, after 15 years in the business (including a stint on Dawson's Creek), remains idiosyncratic and whole. Clocking most of his time with independent filmmakers and esteemed names like Gus Van Sant, Michael Haneke, and Bernardo Bertolucci, Pitt remains a stranger to the throes of studio movies Murder by Numbers and The Village being rare exceptions. He has never been forced to fit a star mold. His collaborators wouldn't have it any other way. One hundred percent undistilled Pitt ranges from brooding intensity to lunacy of every color. He does what he does, and he does it well. The maturation of television worked in his favor; Boardwalk Empire and NBC's Hannibal have Hollywood sheen and artistic souls. One might describe Pitt the same way.

In I Origins, Pitt skews closer to "leading man" territory than ever before. His character, Ian Gray, is a dapper molecular biologist hoping to dispel Intelligent Design by pinpointing the milestones of optical evolution. As he and his lab partner (Brit Marling) make waves in eye science, Ian finds equal success in his love life, striking up a steamy romance with Sofi (Astrid Bergs-Frisbey). His new girlfriend turns out to be the key to his research or the complete undoing. Ian is obsessed with answers. Pitt can relate. He told Vulture about his research-heavy approach, remaining on the outskirts of Hollywood, and his own interests that keep him until five in the morning.

Your I Origins character, Ian, is a brilliant scientist, hungry for the truth, but he's grounded in a way that separates him from your more eccentric roles. What's your in to a character like that? Character work, for me, is the same but it's different? [Laughs.] I get really into research. I know people say that, but I'm really into research.

Like pore-over-books-at-the-library research or falling-down-a-Wikipedia-rabbit-hole research? I don't believe Wikipedia about anything. I don't go there for anything but keywords. But how did I research for this film? I watched every Richard Dawkins lecture that I could. I've read a little bit of his books. And I spent a little bit of time in a lab with Brit [Marling] and Mike [Cahill, the film's director] at John Hopkins Medical Research Lab in Baltimore. There, I was able to hang with scientists.

Are real scientists anything like movie scientists? Scientists have this stigma of being guys or women in white lab coats with no sense of humor, no passion, devoid of all emotion, and that has been the complete opposite of the scientists I've met. They're usually very brilliant, very enthusiastic, very creative people. I met with one scientists who was 24. They're grooming him for the Nobel Prize. He's trying to cure this particular cancer of the eye

Apt. It was perfect. He's super close to it. But he was like, Do you want to see some of my photos? I'm a photographer. So he showed me a collection of his photos. He takes pictures of cells super, super close. Microscopic. They were amazing, abstract pop-art.

Do you have similar hobbies that act as tangents to your professional life? I don't really have hobbies. I paint. I write. I direct videos. I take photos. I'm a creative person. A normal day for me is doing all of those things. Sometimes I stay up until 5 a.m. writing a song, because I make music. It's the same with writing. I don't have necessarily have the inspiration on tap. So when it comes, it's like a gift and the best thing you can do at that moment is drop everything you're doing and see it through to the end.

I Origins concretely founds itself in science, but it isn't afraid of using faith and spirituality to poke holes in the logic. Not that starring in a movie is an endorsement, but could you have made this film if you didn't align with it on some level? I certainly endorse this movie, I'm contractually bound to say that [laughs]. No, I'm kidding. What's interesting about this movie is that when you get into that conversation, that debate about science over spirituality, if you do some research, things get tense. It can get very taboo. It's almost a war. What I like about this film is that when you watch this film, I think you'd say, This is a spiritual film. And I think when you watch this film you say, It's a very scientific film. But it doesn't seem like they're at war.

After diving into your research, do you feel like you or anyone can bridge the two sides of that debate? I don't see myself on either side. I think they do different things. I think science should be encouraged, way more than we encourage it right now. I want it to move forward, always. But I think it's important that there's a moral code that's followed. While pushing science forward, I think it's important that there are things that are unexplainable and there's no data that would insinuate that we're close to explaining those things. One is love. These are things that are very difficult. I value both highly.

I'm amazed by your ability to remain on the fringes of Hollywood, starring in and championing offbeat films without taking the occasional blockbuster. It hasn't been easy.

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Michael Pitt on I Origins, Rejecting Superhero Tights, and the Lasting Impact of Doing Dawsons Creek

In the last two parts of this series of articles, I have been discussing the latest scientific research on fasting as well as the wisdom behind the ordinance of fasting and why Allah, ordained it in the Holy Quran, in Surat Albaqarah (Chapter: The Cow; Verse: 183). But then, He continues with the following explanation in ayah 184 that For to fast is to do good unto yourselves - if you but knew it. The verse 185 gives more detailed explanations about the holiness of the month of Ramadan and the exceptions for those who cannot fast. Muslims should stop and contemplate why Allah said that fasting is good for us. Many believe that the benefits of fasting in this passage meant the rewards in the Thereafter, but what is not understood is that there are many other kinds of rewards resulting from fasting, spiritual as well as physiological benefits, only discovered very recently through scientific research. The rewards come in different forms in this world and after. In our lifetime, we gain multiple benefits from abstinence from food, drinks, sensual acts, lying, badmouthing, and evil doing. This kind of comprehensive fasting purifies our spirits from coveting, greed, egoism, and lust; strengthens the character with endurance and resistance to all types of temptations; teaches perseverance and determination; softens our hearts toward those who are deprived or disadvantaged; and makes us reach out for the underprivileged, feed the hungry, and assist the needy. History showed us how Gandhi with his determination had the leading role in ending British colonialism in India in the first half of the 20th century just by practicing silent protest, abstinence from food, patience, perseverance and wisdom. Fasting was instrumental because it develops strength of character and will and mental and physical resistance. Apart from requiring us to perform the many religious observances like the main and additional night prayers (salat alfardh, taraweeh, and qiyam) and the mandatory and optional charities (zakat and sadaqat), Islam urges Muslims to be involved in public work; to become active in their communities; and be useful to their relatives and immediate circles as well as to society as a whole and reach out to their brethren everywhere possible in order to spare them the humiliation of begging and soliciting financial assistance. However, before performing the prescribed and voluntary practices, we owe some attention to ourselves and our bodies as Prophet Muhammad, (peace be upon him) expressed it: And you owe dues to your body. And fasting addresses both the spiritual and physical aspects. Hence, Muslims receive from fasting not only rewards for the Thereafter, but also the benefits of body hygiene, sanity of the brain, and quietness of the spirit. Without physical health and energy, power of the brain, and peace of mind, we would be unable to live a normal productive life or execute most of the required practices of Islam. Only very recently the physiological advantage of fasting has been finally revealed to the public. Since I have already covered some of the newly discovered researches about fasting and intermittent fasts that came out in June 4, and others, I shall pursue the discussion on its other good effects on health, now. The latest findings showed the unexpected benefits of fasting on the metabolic rate, body weight, diabetic conditions, digestive, vascular, respiratory, and immune systems, brain, memory, even cancer, and much more. With fasts, cancer patients went into remission much faster, by strengthening their immune systems (see Part 1 and 2). Here are other exciting and surprising news for everyone. Patients with asthmatic conditions saw significant progress and relief with intermittent fasting, which resulted in a decrease of frequency in asthma attacks. By reducing inflammation caused by the stress of excess body fat and weight, fasts helped them breathe more comfortably and lowered their inflammation biomarkers. However, when intermittent fasts were interrupted, relapse was seen and asthma attacks and symptoms returned, indicating that such fasts should become a long-term lifestyle and not a hit-and-run practice. Another advantage is that during fasting the bodys metabolic rate slows down; organs and systems are given a break; and body temperature drops a little along with the blood sugar count. With all the earlier mentioned benefits (fat loss, lower metabolism and glucose blood levels, better protein synthesis, cell renewal and white blood cell regeneration, immune responses, improved hormone production) general health improves along with the heightening of spirituality and an increase in mental clarity. Tibetan monks practice fasting to enhance spirituality and facilitate meditation. According to a scientific research, fasting promoted the release of the Human Growth Hormone (HGH). The hormone also helped the production of an anti-aging hormone in lab earthworms, extending their lifespans. The worms also managed to survive on the protein of their own broken down tissues and cells and remained healthy much longer than their well-fed counterparts in the experiment. Due to better hormone production during fasting, HGH is also released in a more efficient and controlled manner. With the stimulation of HGH, the anti-aging hormone is also secreted effectively and steadily, giving a chance for cell regeneration, tissue renewal, and immune bolstering, leading to an increase in life expectancy along with good health, vitality and wellbeing. In other studies, fasting seemed to revive a longevity gene that lies dormant in the body in the presence of overconsumption and excess weight in fruit flies. When the flies were subjected to fasts, the gene was stimulated and they lived longer. You may have noticed that nonagenarians and centenarians are hardly ever overweight. It appears that to extend the lifespan of humans, it is necessary to become a little underfed from time to time, avoiding the starvation of the body or its malnourishment. Corpulence is the enemy of health and longevity. A study on the lifestyle of a sect of Mormons, who kept the habit of fasting one Sunday a month, showed that by fasting, they lowered their risk of heart attacks and heart disease more than their non-fasting counterparts in the study. This can only be done by fasting Ramadan correctly, eating the right nutrient-rich and balanced nutrition, drinking enough water after iftar (breaking fast) until abstinence time at fajr (early morning prayer around 4:00 a.m.), doing mild physical activity apart from the prayers, and other healthy lifestyle practices that promote good physical and mental hygiene and enhance spirituality. Because many people dread fasting because of fear of hunger, thirst, fatigue, and headaches, they think fasting is bad for health. These symptoms are due to the toxins getting released from the body, but a day or two after performing fasting, all undesirable signs disappear and a renewed energy will come. That is why we need to restructure the way we live and fast in order to to reap all the earlier-mentioned benefits. Next week in the last part, I will, Insha'Allah, discuss healthy methods of fasting and breaking fast; what to eat just before abstinence; and how to start eating at iftar. I will walk you through that step by step in order to minimize the nasty effects. References: Fasting for three days renews entire immune system, protects cancer patients, remarkable new study finds, by Sarah Knapton, The Daily Telegraph, National Post Wires Services Science Discover that Fasting Triggers Stem Cell Regeneration & Fights Cancer by Arjun Walia Fasting at least Twice a week Seen as Alzheimers Hedge, by
Makiko Kitamura, Oct 29, 2013 The Health benefits of fasting by Will Carroll

N.B.: Individuals with medical conditions or on medication should consult their physicians when they decide to introduce anything new in their diet even if it is natural. The previous Health Solutions articles are located at www. arabnews.com Email: [emailprotected]

Continued here:
What is the point of Ramadan fasting? (Part 3)

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A new book rethinks what it means to be old. Photo by Wendy Frew

Older age can be a time of growth and purpose, rather than illness and decline.

The quest for the elixir of life has led us down many paths. Everything from a diet of only fruit and nuts to indulging in a little bit of everything has been charged with the power to extend our lives.

But a new book by academic and clinician Dr Timothy Sharp suggests psychological health could be the key. Live more happily and you will probably live longer, posits Dr Sharp, who describes the extra years many of us are now living as the gift of a "third age".

"Properly enjoyed, this phase of life need not be one of illness or decline but rather, for the vast majority of us, one of growth, wisdom, maturity and more," he says in the introduction to Live Happier, Live Longer.

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The founder of the Happiness Institute and an Adjunct Professor in positive psychology at the University of Technology, Sydney, Dr Sharp has for many years been studying what makes us happy. But it was only when he was invited to talk about positive psychology at a financial planning conference a couple of years ago that he turned his attention to what happiness means for older people.

"A lot of the financial planners came up to me to chat and it became clear their goals in looking after their clients were similar to mine as a psychologist and life coach: advising people how to best live their lives," says Dr Sharp.

"Their strategies were mostly making sure people had enough money to look after themselves but they realised more than money was at stake."

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Be happy and you'll live longer

Last week something of a kerfuffle broke out on Twitter between physicist-slash-TV presenter Brian Cox and self-help guru Deepak Chopra over the issue of quantum physics. Chopra made a particularly ill-advised offer of a large amount of money to anyone who could prove his understanding of the issue was incorrect, to the delight of those who are well aware that his understanding of the issue has long been incorrect.

For those unfamiliar with Chopra, he is one of the world's best-selling authors - a respected endocrinologist who, in the 1980s, discovered mysticism, and philosophies of healing and consciousness. He has authored dozens of books, founded his own "Centre for Wellbeing" and, after appearing on Oprahwith his friend Michael Jackson,became a bona fide celebrity in his own right. His acolytes think him a genius, or even a prophet; his detractors believe him to be a danger to public health for pushing alternative medicine (with no experimental proof of effectiveness beyond the placebo effect) as an option for dangerous diseases like cancer or AIDs.

The former magician James Randi has made debunking paranormal and pseudoscientific claims - which he calls "woo" - into a career, and famously offers a $1m prize for anyone who comes forward with such claims so they can be proven under experimental conditions. Since it began in 1996, hundreds have entered, and nobody has won. To that end (and fed up of what he sees as disrespect towards the world's ancient belief systems from "militant atheists"), Chopra issued his own "one million dollar challenge to the skeptics" last month:

Before you go around debunking the so-called paranormal, please explain the normal. How does electricity going into the brain become the experience of a three-dimensional world in space and time? If you can explain that you get a million dollars from me. Explain and solve the hard problem of consciousness in a peer-reviewed journal, offer a theory that is falsifiable and you get the prize."

He also penned a column for theHuffington Post, going into more detail about his issue with Randi and his "cronies":

Skepticism, as a gadfly movement, consists of angry people who play "gotcha," adopt an air of smug superiority, and generally alienate anyone who comes close to them. So why confront them in the first place?

As one of the major confronters, I'd say that my primary goal is to defend the truth of spirituality. The world's wisdom traditions are just as precious as science. To lump them together as arrant charlatanism (as if Buddha and Jesus stand on the same level as a stage magician or con man) is grossly misleading. To dress up this hostile attitude as scientific and rational only deepens the deception. In the familiar metaphor of Elmer Gantry, the fire and brimstone preacher who was a greater sinner than those he preached to, the skeptical movement is much more close-minded and blindly irrational than anyone they expose.

...

Sane people stay away from dogfights, and for years I stayed away. But it turns out that a positive good can be achieved by going after the skeptics. Let's leave aside the whole question of God, faith, miracles, and the so-called supernatural. These things have been incendiary for a long time and arouse stubborn resistance on both sides. The real issue is exactly what my offer focuses on: What is consciousness, how does it create reality, and how far does this reality extend?

It is worth stating here that I actually agree with Chopra when it comes to big-A Atheism, which has become more than merely a rational response to a culture of evangelical anti-science Christianity - instead it is now a vociferous and furious anti-religious movement, and often a home for those with anti-Semitic and Islamophobic views. I also, as an atheist, do not deny that there is value in spiritual belief and practice.

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Latitude Festival

Before I proceed with my article, I would like to wish Muslims around the world a blessed and rewarding Ramadan, Muslims holy month of fasting and spirituality. Ramadan motivates us to do many preferred worships that bring us closer to our Sustainer, Who promises to multiply the rewards of each good deed performed during this sacred month. Muslims welcome this month to purify their spirits from worldly clutter, greed, egoism, and lust. They look forward to this given opportunity and rush to perform good deeds (charity work, feeding the hungry, assist the needy, additional night prayers) in order to have their rewards doubled. Fasting in Ramadan is not meant to abstain from food and drink only, but also to renounce sensual desires, lying, badmouthing, cheating, gossiping, defrauding, exploiting the underprivileged, and all evil actions. Not only that, it encourages to feed the hungry; assist the needy; give financial assistance, alms, charity, and zakat (tax money imposed on the rich to be given to the poor only and those who fit the zakat criteria according to the Holy Quran); extend a helping hand; say a good word; visit relatives, in-laws, and neighbors; exchange niceties and gifts to strengthen relationships; and perform other honorable and productive deeds. Each one does what he or she can afford or is capable of in order to be useful to his or her community and society as a whole. Ramadan teaches us to be ethical and honest and become law-abiding citizens all the time. In this holy month, there are certain desirable worships, which benefit us in this world and in the Thereafter. Most worshipping acts (prayers, charity, zakat, community help) are done to purify us and benefit us. But, God, Allah Almighty says to us through His Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him (PBUH): All deeds [worshipping acts] of Adams son [a human being] are for himself, except for fasting, it is for Me and I choose the reward [for it]; and fasting is protective (cited by Bukhari and Muslim). We do all that is asked of us in order to please Him, but the reward comes back to us. As for fasting, it is for none, but Him The One and only One. However, there is an unknown benefit to fasting that has not been discovered until very recently by modern science, even though the Prophet (PBUH) told us about it over 1430 years ago: Fast and you will be healthy. Yes, fasting comes with health gains by giving us energy, mental clarity, improved memory, enhanced immunity, weight and fat loss, spirituality, and extended lifespans, which are not achievable with overconsumption, excess weight, obesity, stress, and unhealthy lifestyle habits. Let us see how it works on the body and why. A very recent research published in June 4, 2014 (among many before) suggested that depriving the body of food jump-starts stem cells to generate the production of white blood cells, which defend the body from pathogens. A three-day fast can reset the immune mechanism and rejuvenate it. This includes older patients immune systems. The scientists described the breakthrough as remarkable. Researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) believe this finding is particularly good for patients with damaged immune systems especially by chemotherapy. They discovered that fasting revives a mechanism that flips a regenerative switch, triggering stem cells to produce protective and disease-fighting white blood cells. The implication of the research is that food abstinence was found to rejuvenate the immune systems of the debilitated and the aging. According to Valter Longo, professor of gerontology (study of older people) and biological sciences at USC, If you start with a system heavily damaged by chemotherapy or aging, fasting cycles [three days] can generate, literally, a new immune system. In trials, every cycle of extended fasts (two to four days) created changes in the body, which activated stem cells to rebuild immune cells. Food abstinence also reverses the harms of toxicity and damage caused by chemotherapy to the immune system and the body. Over a period of six months, volunteers who practiced this system of fasting achieved another bonus, which is a decrease in the enzyme PKA, which speeds aging and increases a hormone that elevates the possibility of cancer and tumors. The good news Longo says, When you starve, the system tried to save energy, and one of the things it can do to save energy is to recycle a lot of the immune cells that are not needed, especially those that may be damaged. With fasting, white blood cell count drops, but picks up again with re-feeding. Fasting cycles also reduce the toxicity effects of chemotherapy in cancer patients, according to co-author Tanya Dorff, assistant professor of clinical medicine at the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center and Hospital. The good news, Longo says, is that There is no evidence at all that fasting would be dangerous while there is strong evidence that it is beneficial. In other studies on aging published in scientific journals, patients, who fasted and proceeded with chemotherapy, minimized the side effects of the treatment, increased their survival rate, and reduced tumor growth and spreading. According to a National Institute on Aging study, as an effect of fasting, free radical molecules get damaged. Fasting also causes the breakdown of the DNA of cancer cells and makes the cancer cell commit suicide, apoptosis. It appears that fasting jumpstarts the immune cells to come to the defense of the body and make it heal. But, such fasts should be supervised by the treating physician. And remember, we are talking about fasting and not starving, the way young people do to reduce weight, which can be dangerous and fatal. Earlier studies showed other health benefits to fasting. These were decreases in inflammation, cholesterol, and lipoprotein lipid (LDL) levels, disorders associated with cardiovascular disorders. One day fasting in studies has shown to boost the human growth hormone, which increases the metabolic rate to burn body fat. This includes clearing the arteries of plaque and cholesterol buildup and cutting the risk of heart disease and attacks as well as incidents of stroke. To sum up, fasting cycles of extended periods of 2 to 4 days make the body burn excess fat, glucose, and ketones (chemicals resulting from broken down fats) and recycles damaged white blood cells and other cells. Recycling renews the cells, thus regenerating the immune system and rejuvenating the body. It seems scientific research is confirming what the Prophet (PBUH), many religions, and ancient cultures recommended and practiced. If fastings only benefit is reducing body fat and obesity, it would be enough to make it one of the healthiest lifestyle practices. One article about fasting does not do it justice. I will continue next week with the other health benefits of fasting, which result from Ramadan fasting and praying, when performed properly. Let us do that to achieve all these health gains. I will walk you through the steps of fasting.

References: Fasting for three days renews entire immune system, protects cancer patients, remarkable new study finds, by Sarah Knapton, The Daily Telegraph, National Post Wires Services Science Discover that Fasting Triggers Stem Cell Regeneration & Fights Cancer by Arjun Walia N.B.: Individuals with medical conditions or on medication should consult their physicians when they decide to introduce anything new in their diet even if it is natural. The previous Health Solutions articles are located at www. arabnews.com Email: [emailprotected]

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What is the point of fasting? (Part 1)

Hobby Lobby just got a religious exemption from science. Yes, science.

Monday's Supreme Court ruling in the Hobby Lobby case honestly makes me sick.

As a woman, some guy who pays me can now also tell me that my hard-earned company health insurance can't cover my no-baby-candies because he thinks it might have some sort of voodoo power that kills phantom babies. Fortunately, I work at a company where that wouldn't be the case. (Uh, right?)

As a queer woman, it makes me want to shake every LGBT person who doesn't see the broader implications of this. What if a company could tell employees that they won't pay for insurance that covers HIV treatment or health care to transgender people because of owners' "sincerely held religious beliefs"? Justice Samuel Alito, in writing the majority opinion, promised its scope was "very specific." Still, some of us side with Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and foresee a potential onslaught of legal challenges testing the limits.

Remember Arizona's hideous religious exemptions law and how ridiculously long it took for Gov. Jan Brewer to veto it? It would have applied to much more than contraceptives. Well, now any company that is majority-owned by five or fewer people can make health care decisions for its female employees based on owners' religious beliefs. That's 90 percent of American businesses, people! Arizona was a hot, dusty, turquoise-wearing drop in the bucket compared to nine out of every 10 companies in the United States and more than half our entire workforce.

First, here's an overly simplified breakdown of how this stuff works: If you're not pregnant, the pill will keep you un-pregnant. If you're pregnant and you keep taking the pill, you're basically just swallowing bland tablets. It's not doing anything. Plan B? Basically a megadose of the pill, to keep those eggs in place. It doesn't kill sperm. It doesn't kill embryos. It doesn't kill anything. A woman can still get pregnant, even if she takes Plan B and stands on her head for an hour. And those IUDs may look a little scary, but there's no abortion happening. Those devices trick your body into thinking you're pregnant, without the side effect of babies.

The science people say these methods of birth control prevent pregnancy and don't terminate pregnancies.

Here's how The New York Times very clearly reported this misunderstanding in a 2012 story: "It turns out that the politically charged debate over morning-after pills and abortion, a divisive issue in this election year, is probably rooted in outdated or incorrect scientific guesses about how the pills work. Because they block creation of fertilized eggs, they would not meet abortion opponents definition of abortion-inducing drugs."

Hobby Lobby and its supporters don't care, nor do they wish to understand, that this pill has enabled generations of women to claim so many of the societal rights that we have earned. Except that we really don't have those rights in reality, because in the eyes of these five male windbags who sit on the Supreme Court and the dozens of companies that backed Hobby Lobby in this lawsuit, women are incapable of making their own medical decisions.

This ruling says that people who are somehow smart enough to own companies now have the First Amendment right to practice stupidity. Literally, stupidity.

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Op-ed: Hobby Lobby and the Constitutional Right to Be Stupid

The main problem associated with our indigenous medical knowledge is that it had not been shared with society in general, Technology and Research Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka said.

The minister was participating in a forum on indigenous knowledge on medicine at the National Science Foundation last Tuesday. He said this valuable knowledge was limited to a few Aryurvedic doctors, and they passed on this knowledge only to their children and family, thereby obstructing the path to disseminate this knowledge to a wider section of the society.

He said indigenous medical knowledge now in possession with a few individuals and their descendants should be socialized to conserve and develop it.

Ranawaka said exploring our indigenous knowledge accumulated over thousands of years has become a timely necessity. The minister said indigenous medical knowledge must be treated with equal importance, adding that its credibility must be enhanced.

The general opinion is that indigenous medical knowledge is non-scientific. This knowledge cannot be comprehended only through laboratory tests. It is also associated with spirituality.The indigenous knowledge of one culture is different to another. The attempt to measure indigenous medical practices based on the criteria of Western medical practice is futile. The success rate of our indigenous medical practitioners is very high and this indicates the power of our indigenous knowledge, he said.

Over 60 indigenous medical doctors and intellectuals participated in the forum.

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Exploring indigenous knowledge, a timely necessity

Sri Sri also saidthat rising depression, in Europe 40 percent of the population, 38 points of percentage population are suffering from depression. So these are major issues. Depression may not be an issue in India, but corruption and poverty are an issue. And eroding family values is another issue in India.

Addiction is another big problem in India. In the last three years, alcoholism has increased threefold. Drug abuse has almost consumed a couple of northern states in India, he said.

Strict enforcement of law is a big issue there. Whereas here, the laws are very good, you have very good enforcement. As far as I know, we have very good law enforcement here. These are challenges still to be faced in India. The big population is a big hindrance there, Sri Sri added.

When asked by Hemal Shah, one of the rising young stars at AEI, who is part of the think tanks India programme, as to how in this busy, complex world of Facebook, Twitter, and the Internet as a whole, what his thoughts were on how the fast pace of social media was affecting our happiness, Sri Sri said, Youshouldnt be drowned in it.

He said, Peopleare getting on to Twitter as soon as they wake up until they go to bed in the night, theyre almost stuck to Twitter or Facebook. But at the same time, its a very, very important media. Its a very important thing in ones life. Everyone should be on it because they get information right from the source and fresh information, time to time.

So you can inform your ideas, your opinion, your mind through Twitter and Facebook. And its a revolution. Its essential. At the same time, it should not be misused, he added.

Asked if his philosophy of compassion is compatible with the free enterprise system and capitalism, Sri Sri exclaimed, Definitely, definitely. Capitalism without compassion will not lead to a just society.

Capitalism, you know, rich persons can be compassionate. The poor mans compassion has no value.

But Sri Sri argued, Whether capitalism, communism, socialism, or whatever ism it is, secularism, no ism will work without humanism.

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Few people know Modi has a soft heart: Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

(MENAFN - The Peninsula) Katara has lined up over 25 activities for its annual Ramadan Festival.

This year Ramadan Festival will be under the theme 'Katara between Quran and Astronomy' and starts on July 3. It will run until the end of the holy month, to followed by Eid Al Fitr.

Activities at various locations at Katara include exhibitions, workshops, religious lectures and songs, and scientific lectures on astronomy.

Katara General Manager, Dr Khalid bin Ibrahim Al Sulaiti, yesterday said the theme of the festival suits the spirituality of the month and the cultural aims of Katara. "We selected the theme because the Quran talks about astronomy in many verses and this needs to be reflected on. The topic will be explored through religious and scientific lectures and explained through various events," he said, adding Katara will host Garangao celebration for the third year. Among the features of the festival is an exhibition of Nasa spacesuits and photos of the outer space, an expo on Quran and astronomy and an interactive Katara Ramadan Wall.

Another exhibition will present astrolabes created by Muslim scholars in the past and how they have been used in the study of stars and their travel routes on land and sea. There will also be expos on the solar system, galaxy, books on space, cosmic maps and space elements.

Music will be an essential element of the festival with concerts featuring Ramadan supplications.

One of the main performers is Tunisian singer, composer and oud player Lotfi Boshnaq. Religious songs related to Quran and astronomy will also be presented along with Music of the Universe featuring Spanish musicians.

Visitors will be treated to a journey to the sea following the stars by experts in sailing and history and a travel aboard a spacecraft through a 3D film.

Shadow theatre, family workshops to teach children how the universe had been discovered and planets and a fine art contest will also be held. Katara will make available a telescope for stargazing. For the third year, it will organise a Quran memorisation course for children aged eight to 12 in addition to religious and scientific lectures by guests from Arab countries.

Every Thursday and Friday, Katara will hold a contest in which people will try to find 10 hidden items. There will be two winners to receive QR5,000 each. On a daily basis, Katara will give away five coupons of restaurants at Katara for winners of a Twitter contest. In the middle of Ramadan season, Garangao, which saw 20,000 participants last year, will be organised. The popular beach football championship will also be held in which the winning team will get QR50,000, second place QR40,000 and third place QR20,000 in addition to medals. The best player, best goalkeeper and top scorer will receive QR5,000 each.

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Qatar- Katara to hold Ramadan Festival from July 3

A peoples sense of national pride is measurable in general, as well as specific, aspects. In the Philippines, the most general survey question used by Social Weather Stations is Gaano ninyo ipinagmamalaki ang pagiging Pilipinotalagang ipinagmamalaki, medyo ipinagmamalaki, medyo hindi ipinagmamalaki, o talagang hindi ipinagmamalaki? (How proud are you to be a Filipinovery proud, somewhat proud, somewhat not proud, or not at all proud?) It has a symmetric four-point scale, with the upper two points for the proud, and the lower two points for the not-proud.

There is a great deal of general national pride. The latest SWS survey of adults on national pride was in December 2013. It found 84 percent very proud, versus 12 percent somewhat proud, 2 percent somewhat not proud, and 2 percent not at all proud, to be Filipinos. Thus 84 + 12 = 96 percent are generally proud to be Filipinos. In April 1993, when SWS first ran this item, only a bare majority of 53 percent felt very proud; adding 36 percent somewhat proud, a total 89 percent were generally proud.

The next time around, in April 1996, the very proud were 76 percent, and the total generally proud were 95 percent. In 28 more surveys from 2000 to 2013, the very proud percentage ranged between 68 (November 2001 and March 2002) and 87 (July 2001, June 2010, and December 2011), and the total generally proud percentage ranged between 87 and 97.

The numbers on specific aspects of national pride are healthy. Last week, I reported 46 percent of Filipinos as very proud, and 39 percent as somewhat proud, or total 85 percent proud, of our history in particular. These numbers are from the SWS survey for the 2003 round of the International Social Survey Program (www.issp.org). They may be compared to the average of 36 percent very proud and 44 percent somewhat proud, or total 80 percent proud, of their history among the ISSP peoples.

History is one of 10 aspects of national pride included in the ISSP module on national identity. (The list is not meant to be comprehensive; for instance, it excludes pride in spirituality and in family love. It was drafted by a committee that included the Philippines, and approved by the ISSP plenary vote.) The table below shows that, among the 10 aspects, our history and our achievements in sports have consistently been the top two sources of Filipino national pride, based on SWS surveys of 1995, 2003 and 2014.

Aspects of National Pride 1995 2003 2014

Percent Very + Somewhat Proud

Achievements in sports 81 85 (81) 87

History 84 85 (80) 86

Achievements in arts

Continued here:
Ten aspects of national pride