Monday, September 30, 2013

Citizen Khan creator Adil Ray: 'Don't allow yourself to be offended'

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When the first series of the pioneering sitcom Citizen Khan aired last year, it sparked around 200 complaints and was accused of making fun of Islam, stereotyping Asians and being disrespectful to the Qur'an. A Facebook post said: "Cancel the show OR we will have repeat of riot we had a few months ago."

Well, a second series and a Christmas special have been filmed and there have been no riots - although shamefully some death threats were made.

However, Adil Ray, creator of the sitcom about a self-appointed "community leader", is not going to bow to pressure to make changes to appease his critics. Ray says he and the BBC knew there was "probably going to be an adverse reaction" as "it's a very sensitive area - it's the first time we've had a sitcom based on a Muslim Pakistani family".

His upbringing in Birmingham and his religion gave him the perspective to deal with the controversy. "There was something my mum taught me when I was younger: 'Don't allow yourself to be offended about anything in life.'

"I remember the first time I got called 'Paki' at school and I went home and told my mum and she said: 'So what, what's that done to you? It doesn't matter, just get back into school.' And she was so right."

He adds: "Particularly if you think you're religious - and I would like to think that my religion and faith is strong - a comedy show or whatever won't affect that. That's quite key I think, otherwise it's a sign of weakness."

For every one person who complained about the scenes such as Khan's youngest daughter Alia rushing to put on a hijab when her father was around, Ray says, he would get ten or so emails from Muslim, Catholic and Jewish people saying their daughter also paid lip service to their religion.

"So you kind of go 'well who's right here?' The fact is nobody's right, we're not all the same. You have some Muslims who didn't like it and wanted to complain and a lot of Muslims, the vast majority of Muslims, who did like it. That's a good thing. If the entire Muslim population had come out and said 'yes we all love Citizen Khan' that'd be quite scary."

Ray has experienced controversy before. In 2009 he received threats from Sikh listeners who claimed he was being insensitive about a Sikh religious symbol on his Asian Network show.

He agrees with John Cleese's view that "no one has the right not to be offended", but says the most important thing when he comes in for criticism is to use Islamic teachings to ask himself what his intentions were.

"You have to ask if you are doing the right thing. What I've intended to do with Citizen Khan is a good thing - to make Mr Khan a good character, to make him universal and a communication between different communities."

The Radio 2 and 5 Live presenter is an articulate advocate for the universality of comedy, revealing his early influences were shows such as Fawlty Towers and Only Fools and Horses - some of his happiest childhood moments were eating fish and chips while watching That's My Boy, starring Mollie Sugden. "The power of comedy struck home for me", he says, when he realised "here we were as a British Asian family ... laughing together at this white family sitcom".

That drove him to make Citizen Khan family-friendly viewing. He admits it is "slightly romantic" of him but says one of the things that motivated him to do comedy was "the joy you can bring to families".

There can be a snobbishness in coverage of sitcoms. Citizen Khan averaged around 4 million viewers yet some reviewers still felt inclined to look down their noses. Ray admits that "it does bother you - but you don't focus on that". He adds: "As long as more people are liking it than aren't, and as long as the BBC commissioners love it and recommission it, that's all that matters at the end of the day."

He warms to his theme: "There's a real desire and hunger for that kind of comedy - not trying to be cool and on-trend but 'just make me laugh out loud' and we've tried to embrace that, in the same vein as studio comedies that have been on BBC1 like Mrs Brown's Boys or Miranda.

"They might not sometimes be the critics' choices or the coolest comedies but we're in times now where people like to be nostalgic and relive the times when they laughed out loud.

"I think on the whole you've got to concentrate on the positives and when people turn round to you and say they've never watched TV with their children before but now their children are loving [Citizen Khan], that's great."

What he also wants is for his comedy to cross ethnic and religious boundaries: "Yes [Citizen Khan] is about a Pakistani Muslim family but what I really want is a white English lady to be watching it and nudge her husband and say 'That's like you, Mr Khan is just like you'. That - and the idea that children love the show - means more to me than anything any reviewer could ever say."

Ray enjoyed early opportunities on the nursery slopes of BBC3 and on the Asian Network. He is grateful for the freedom he was given, but worries that budget cuts to the digital radio station might mean others don't enjoy the chances he had.

Mr Khan is based on a number of people he observed growing up, and came to life via the BBC2 show Bellamy's People and a Salford Sitcom Showcase. There are some changes as the show reappears for a second series, beginning on Friday - one character change, guest stars such as Vicar of Dibley actor James Fleet and more physical comedy.

In one episode Mr Khan tries to impersonate some animals, revealing a talent for rubbery physical comedy in the sitcom's star that is reminiscent at times of Rowan Atkinson's Mr Bean. "We wanted to make it more physical," Ray explains, "purely because it dawned on me, watching series one again, that Mr Khan is just a child, he's a kid."

The writers, Ray, Goodness Gracious Me's Anil Gupta and Richard Pinto, have to tread a fine line with how Mr Khan is portrayed. "Sometimes you get to a point in any comedy where you need your main lead to be slightly monstrous, whether it's slightly chauvinistic or selfish or arrogant. Those characters in the past - Rigsby, Del Boy, Basil Fawlty - they've all got those faults," Ray points out.

"The danger sometimes is when writing Mr Khan you go 'hang on, we don't want to suddenly play to this perception of Muslim or Pakistani men that they are [those things],' there's a real delicate way of doing it. We need to have those monstrous moments, he needs to have battles with his mother-in-law and his daughter, only for him to redeem himself later.

"If you don't take him to that level there's no sweet end really - in a BBC1 sitcom you need those moments. In the end, for all his flaws Mr Khan is a good guy. When he needs to do the right thing, he does."

Curriculum vitae

Age 39

Education Handsworth Grammar school, Birmingham; University of Huddersfield, BA (Hons) marketing

Career 1995 DJ, Choice FM 1998 DJ, Galaxy FM 2000 broadcaster, BBC Asian Network 2003 presenter, The Last Word 2006 presenter Desi DNA, Tales from Europe 2007 presenter, Is It Coz I Is Black, Heaven and Earth 2008 presenter, Explore 2009 presenter, actor Radio 4: Picturing Britain, Sparkhill Sound 2010 actor, writer, Bellamy's People; presenter, Radio 5 Live 2011 presenter, Exposed: Groomed For Sex 2012 creator, writer, actor, Citizen Khan; presenter, Radio 2


Source: Theguardian

Sunday, September 29, 2013

Editorial missed the mark on snooping cases

The Editorial Board's endorsement of a recent federal court ruling in Minnesota dismissing a class-action suit on behalf of about 5,000 Minnesotans, mostly women, whose driver's licenses and motor vehicle data were illegally looked up by an official of the Department of Natural Resources took naiveté to new heights ("A welcome ruling in data snooping case," Sept. 26).

Because I represent individuals in one of many parallel cases, involving primarily snooping tactics by counties, cities and a few private entities, I will leave the legal aspects of the litigation to the court system.

However, the editorial's mixture of chagrin and insouciance would be lamentable and downright laughable if it were not such a serious matter. The editorial noted that the improper access, which includes personal data, photographs and even medical information, is "downright creepy," but it offered no realistic remedy for the victims of the practice.

These intrusions create more than momentary discomfort. They often are undertaken by law enforcement personnel, like the offending DNR manager, for prurient or salacious purposes.

The incident that prompted the 1994 federal law at issue in the litigation, the Driver's Privacy Protection Act (DPPA), stemmed from the murder of a woman who was stalked and slain by a man who accessed her driver's license data. Other victims in the Minnesota cases have reported surveillance, misuse of financial information and other real indignities.

Congress recognized the severity of these syndromes when it established a minimum of $2,500 in damages for each inappropriate lookup.

How would the newspaper propose to remedy these violations? By "personal liability" against the individual offenders.

It is sheer naiveté to imagine that an individual snooper would be able to pay the kind of compensation sought in these instances. The editorial's call for only the individual offenders to "face consequences" is a lame and mindless approach that lets employers off the hook and leaves victims without meaningful recourse.

Congress certainly did not have this in mind when it enacted the law nearly 20 years ago.

---------------

Marshall H. Tanick is a Minneapolis attorney who represents individuals in privacy litigation.


Source: Startribune

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

The $100 3D Peachy Printer blasts past Kickstarter funding targets

A Canadian startup company is the latest to create a tidal wave of 'investor' interest via Kickstarter by offering a new kind of affordable 3D printer. The Peachy Printer combines a photolithographic process to mould resin and a rising water platform to add depth to make "the world's cheapest 3D printer". This $100 device comes in kit form, to keep costs down. Rinnovated Design has, at the time of writing, raised $175k in 3 days, shooting well over its original funding target of $50k.

What makes the Peachy Printer special? "Unlike most other low-cost 3D printers, I didn't focus on using cheaper components within the same design. Instead I re-invented how the 3D printer works," said Rylan Grayston of Rinnovated Design. In the video below Grayston explains the 3D printer design and goals of the Kickstarter project. He says that funding is required for improving the software and making high volume parts orders.

As you can see in the video above, the Peachy 3D Printer system can cut costs as the depth axis transport design is simplified thanks to its floating resin system. "The peachy moves a laser beam along the X and Y axes to create the shape of the object, while using a drip system to control the level of the resin on the Z axis which determines the height of the object".

3D scanning too

The Peachy Printer can work with an existing video camera, web cam or DSLR to act as a 3D scanner. To do this scan the Peachy emits a "back and forth laser pattern that simulates a line laser". Your camera picks up this image and some custom software written for Blender creates a mesh of points describing the object in 3D space. The developers say that they are also working on a feature to create a "texture map from the footage and apply it to the 3D models mesh automatically".

It's great to see a new approach to 3D printing that is affordable and has a lot of potential for refinement. The printer is estimated to ship in July/August 2014. (all prices quoted are in Canadian Dollars).


Source: Hexus

Sunday, September 22, 2013

1776: Musical. Music and lyrics by Sherman Edwards. Book by Peter Stone. Directed by Frank Galati. Through Oct. 6. American Conservatory Theater, 415 Geary St., San Francisco. Two hours, 40 minutes. $25-$180. (415) 749-2228. www.0act-sf.org.

You say you want a revolution? Nothing less than that - ours - is at stake in the musical "1776." But it takes quite a while for the urgency of that decision to register dramatically in the revival that opened the American Conservatory Theater's season Friday.

When it catches hold, particularly in the second act, Frank Galati's production pulls us into the historical moment with the immediacy of the latest update from a battlefield. Much of it, however, plays like a history lesson - pleasantly, often cleverly animated history, full of surprisingly pertinent details about the making of our Declaration of Independence. But a lesson nonetheless.

The only musical by composer-lyricist Sherman Edwards, who worked on it for years before hooking up with book writer Peter Stone, "1776" opened in 1969 to become a Tony-winning hit, with a well-received Broadway revival in '97. Galati, a Tony winner himself ("The Grapes of Wrath"), staged this "1776" last fall at Florida's Asolo Repertory Theatre, with the same design team and most of the same principal performers.

It's the story of two sweltering months in Philadelphia leading up to July 4, 1776, in a Continental Congress as deadlocked between entrenched factions as any in recent years. John Adams' opening put-down of Congresses in general gets a welcoming laugh. It always does.

The issue is whether this Congress is going to declare independence from England. Adams of Massachusetts, played by a suitably headstrong, frustrated John Hickok - new to this production - is the leader of the independence faction. His primary allies are Virginia's young, newly married Thomas Jefferson (Brandon Dahlquist) and Pennsylvania's Benjamin Franklin ( Andrew Boyer), both from the Asolo cast.

Leading the opposition - to opening the question for debate (sound familiar?) - is Pennsylvania's John Dickinson (a cordial, smug Jeff Parker), standing for reconciliation with the crown. The "deep South," led by South Carolina's Edward Rutledge (fiery, golden-toned Jarrod Zimmerman) is waiting to see where its self-interests lie.

It's no spoiler to say that we know how this conflict will end. The degree of suspense Edwards and Stone built into "1776" stems both from how well they use historic detail to make one of our founding stories seem surprisingly fresh and the tension inherent in watching votes tallied. Neither seems to build organically in Galati's staging.

Instead, he gives us "1776" as more of a historical pageant in Mara Blumenfeld's splendidly varied colonial costumes. It gets off to a reasonably strong start in the boisterous "Sit Down, John" and registers well in Hickok's longing duets with Abby Mueller as Abigail Adams. A vital Andrea Prestinario does well by Mrs. Jefferson's "He Plays the Violin."

But most of Edwards's songs, though nicely handled by music director Michael Rice's band, are fairly generic, matched here by Peter Amster's apt but basic minuet-and-music-hall choreography. The Adams-Franklin-Jefferson would-be comic trios are uninteresting. "The Lees of Old Virginia" is second-rate vaudeville, though well delivered by Ryan Drummond.

Where "1776" takes hold is in the second act, with three songs of potent import. Parker leads the chorus of conservatives in a vivid "Cool, Cool Considerate Men," extolling the 1 percent. Angelic tenor Zach Kenney delivers an aching old-fashioned antiwar ballad, "Momma, Look Sharp." Zimmerman nails Edwards' most conscience-probing number, the fervent expose of Northern complicity in the slave trade, "Molasses to Rum."

With these songs and the final vote on independence, "1776" turns into a heady blend of history, music and drama. And with them, Galati's handsome but rather remote pageant reaches out across the footlights and takes hold.


Source: Sfgate
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ST LOUIS (LALATE) - Buccaneers vs Patriots 2013 (live score results below) just ended the first quarter of Sunday's football game. But New England was unable to score. Current score is 3-0.
Buccaneers vs Patriots 2013 featured a thirteen play drive by Tampa Bay in the first. After spanning six minute sand seventy-six yards, Tampa Bay set up Rian Lindell for a thirty-yard field goal.

The Buccaneers are 0-2 this season. And the Patriots are 2-0. But Bill Belichick told the Patriots' news site this week what he thought of Greg Schiano's current work at Tampa Bay. "I have a lot of respect for coach Schiano. I think he's done an excellent job. We certainly had good work with him, here, in the preseason." He added that the Buccaneers could have easily been 2-0 this season already. "I think his team's well prepared. They're a couple plays away from being 2-0. That's the way we look at it. I think he's an outstanding coach."

Meantime, Greg Schiano later told his team's site "I think the common passion for the game of football and what it's done for our lives is what brought us together, that and his son playing for us at Rutgers. And then, he's a great coach. He's another Hall of Famer." He added "So you're looking at certainly a challenge for all of us going up there to Foxborough."

The Pats are coming off that big win against the Jets. Tom Brady went nineteen of thirty-nine, passing one hundred eighty-five yards. He had one touchdown pass and no interceptions. Aaron Dobson delivered the Pats' their sole football touchdown catch, producing fifty-six yards on three receptions. Ridley, in turn, led the team's rushing with forty yards on sixteen carries. For live score results today click HERE.









Source: Lalate

Jozy Altidore was at the centre of a controversial incident during Sunderland's 3-1 defeat at home to Arsenal.

The American muscled his way into the area to score and make it 2-2-only for the referee to chalk the goal off.

It was remarkable because, while Bacary Sagna fouled him in the build-up, there was clearly an advantage to be played:

Shocking decision by the ref at Sunderland. a) Not to allow advantage for Altidore goal. b) No red card. Needs to be seen to be believed.

- Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) September 14, 2013

And if neutral Lineker was shocked, imagine how pleased Sunderland boss Paolo di Canio will be.

He was sent to the stands after arguing with officials over the call.

Have a look at the incident and judge for yourselves.


Source: Bleacherreport

'prisoners' takes box office hostage as Hollywood gets dark

Hollywood began its seasonal migration to more adult fare this weekend as the fall-oriented Prisoners scored a convincing win at the box office.

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Source: Freep

MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota -- Brian Hoyer and the Cleveland Browns came out with a 31-27 win against the Minnesota Vikings Sunday afternoon at Mall of America Field.

Hoyer made his first start in his career for the Browns. He threw the go-ahead touchdown pass to Jordan Cameron with :51 left in the game.

He completed 30-for-54 passes for 321 yards. He threw 3 touchdowns, but also had 3 interceptions. His favorite target was Josh Gordon, who played his first game of the season after serving a two-game suspension. He caught 10 passes for 146 yards, including a touchdown.

How do you feel Hoyer performed against the Vikings? Vote in our poll and voice your opinion in the comments section below.

What grade would you give Brian Hoyer's performance against the Vikings?


Source: Cleveland

Now we know how eiza González caught Liam Hemsworth's eye!

The striking Mexican actress showed off her legs for days in a cute beige-and-black striped mini dress which she paired with nude-and-gold high heels at a press conference for her film "Los Croods" (the Spanish version of "The Croods") in L.A. on Thursday.

When asked about the photos that were taken of her and Miley Cyrus' ex-fiancé making out just one day after Cyrus and Hemsworth announced their split, González said, "I have nothing to say about that subject." Loud and clear!

The 23-year-old is more than just a pretty face; the former child star has starred in two Mexican telenovelas and has released two Spanish albums, Contracorriente and Te Acordarás de Mí.

The apple of Liam's eye also has an active Instagram feed, where she posts plenty of sultry bikini photos à la Paulina Gretzky.

But we really want to see Miley Cyrus hook up with her own hot guy!

Check out Eiza's changing style:

Also on HuffPost:


Source: Huffingtonpost

singapore - At universities in land-strapped Singapore, students may one day borrow books from an underground library, attend lectures in a subterranean auditorium or even swim in an Olympic-size swimming pool below sea level.

Two of the city's public universities, Nanyang Technological University and the National University of Singapore, have completed preliminary studies on developing the space beneath their campuses for lecture theaters, laboratories, sports facilities and performance halls. A third school, Singapore Management University, has already constructed a basement-level space linking its main above-ground buildings.

At N.T.U., a group of researchers has spent the past year gathering available data on the university's surface topography and subsurface geology.

The preliminary survey, completed late last month, found that the campus, which is in western Singapore, offers opportunities for underground space development. Extensive investigations indicated that rock strata 20 to 30 meters, or 66 to 98 feet, below the surface, are suited for cavern construction with spans as wide as 20 meters wide.

"In the long term, the university may need to go underground" to accommodate projected increases in the student population, said Zhao Zhiye, one of four researchers who worked on the study.

The study, which started in July 2012, could be used as a supplement to the university's ambitious 15-year strategic plan to develop the 200-hectare, or 500-acre, campus. The plan, unveiled in 2011, proposed infrastructure like outdoor spaces, interdisciplinary buildings, and a campus-wide network of pedestrian walkways and cycling lanes.

"It may not be at this particular moment, but if in 10 years' time we run out of space, going underground is a good option," said Mr. Zhao, an associate professor at the university's School of Civil and Environmental Engineering and interim director at the Nanyang Center for Undergound Space.

The researchers have also proposed preliminary designs for a four-story underground learning complex and a three-story underground sports hall.

Designed for both learning and socializing, the learning complex - a group of interconnected caverns - would include the university's main library, a museum, study rooms, cafeterias and conference halls. The sports hall, beneath the existing university sports complex, would house basketball, badminton and table tennis courts, swimming pools and spectator stands.

"At this moment, from a concept point of view, we are looking at how much space we can create below the university campus if we really want to utilize the underground space," said Mr. Zhao. "At a reasonable depth, there is enough space to accommodate various facilities, if there is a need in the future."

According to the local media, National University of Singapore has also identified areas on its Kent Ridge campus, in the western part of the island, for underground development to house classrooms, sports halls, laboratories and libraries. In an e-mail last month responding to questions, the university described the reported study, completed last year, as preliminary.

While N.T.U. and N.U.S. continue to survey their underground potential, Singapore Management University, a business school, began using the space below its campus in 2005, building a one-level basement concourse to link its five main buildings and the mass transit system's nearby Bras Basah train station.

"As in any city location, especially in dense urbanized locations like our university's campus, the presence of existing underground utility services, including transit lines, were challenges the university had to overcome," Loke Mun Sing, director of the university's campus development, said in an e-mail.

The 19,000-square-meter, or 205,000-square-foot, air-conditioned concourse also houses facilities and amenities including offices, retail outlets, courtyards, a medical clinic and the university gymnasium.

The universities are not alone in going underground. Other big subterranean facilities and projects include the Jurong Rock Caverns oil bunker and a proposed underground science city, as well as an underground ammunition depot completed in 2008. Expressways, transit lines, underground drainage systems and utility tunnels have become an integral part of the city's urban landscape.

Zhao Jian, professor of rock mechanics and tunneling at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, in Switzerland, who also worked on the N.T.U. study, said he expected the universities to move quickly to realize their underground potential.

"With the pressure on space, it will probably take place soon," he said.


Source: Nytimes