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Topics - Farhana Helal Mehtab

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1
Teaching and Learning / 4 Classic and Timeless Novels About Teachers
« on: August 27, 2018, 11:25:36 AM »

I would like to introduce here the "Classic and Timeless Novels About Teachers" that I read this morning. Simply amazing. After reading the summary, I have understood that all these novels about teachers did not focus exclusively on teaching, but each attributes a teacher as the well founded central character.

They are:

1. To Sir With Love by E.R. Braithwaite

This novel about teachers is set in 1945. The central character is Ricky, a man born in British Guyana, living in London, and barred by racism from the engineering jobs he’s qualified for. He takes the only position he can find, as a teacher in the rough East End. His students are unmotivated, contemptuous of education, barely literate, and determined to drive their black teacher from the classroom.

But Ricky’s a Royal Air Force veteran. And he didn’t survive the Germans to be defeated by a bunch of teenagers. He decides to treat them as adults, allowing them to choose their course of study, while insisting they treat him and each other with respect. Veteran teachers may raise a skeptical eyebrow at the quick success of Ricky’s plan. But for those who simply want a good read, the turnaround story of these tough students is as satisfying as it is entertaining.


2. The Water is Wide by Pat Conroy


Classic Teacher Books

In this memoir, Conroy is “Conrack,” a young teacher on Yamacraw, an isolated fishing island off the coast of South Carolina, who discovers that the local children have been essentially abandoned by the white authorities on the mainland.

The students have been deemed “unteachable.” They can barely read or write, know nothing of life off the island, and live in fear of corporal punishment. But they are also steeped in their rich Geechee culture and have as much to teach as they do to learn.

Conrack becomes determined to open the world to them. He introduces them to classical music, brings in guest speakers, and takes field trips to the mainland. Still relevant today, The Water is Wide is a celebration of resilience—both of a new teacher and of a community struggling against racism and poverty and to maintain a cherished way of life.

3. Up the Down Staircase by Bel Kaufman

An idealistic young English teacher just out of college, an overcrowded and underfunded New York City School—what could go wrong?

Kaufman’s funny, touching (and bestselling) novel about teachers is written as a series of inter-office memos, letters, and handouts. We meet the denizens of grim Calvin Coolidge High—young Miss Barrett, her wry colleagues, and the students they teach.

Kaufman’s story hits home with a young teacher’s struggle to adjust. And her portrayal of the conflict between innovating teachers and administrators obsessed with arcane regulations is also poignant. Will they ever get to go up the down stairs?

4. Christy by Catherine Marshall

If you like your fiction historical, with long skirts, horses, buggies, and one-room schoolhouses, this one is for you.

In 1912, idealistic, opinionated Christy leaves her comfortable city home to teach in the Appalachian mountain “hollers” of North Carolina. For Christy, it’s like stepping back in time. The mountain community is prone to feuding, impoverished, mostly illiterate, and superstitious to a fault.

Gradually, Christy comes to understand their pride and to appreciate the Scottish cultural traditions that their isolated existence has preserved.

In this novel about teachers, Christy is a spunky, relatable protagonist. She is dismayed at the high rates of local disease and death, and determined to help. Toss in a love triangle, a gifted student determined to see the world, and a wise mentor, and you’ve got yourself an absorbing summer read.

 source:  Posted by Kate Haas on the page "We are Teachers".
(Kate Haas is a teacher, writer, and former Peace Corps volunteer. Her essays have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe Magazine, and other venues. She lives in Portland, Ore.)


2
Law / International Woman's Day 2016 on March 8, 2016
« on: March 07, 2016, 03:14:22 PM »
Respected all,
Department of Law, Daffodil International University warmly invites you to a special program on the International Woman's Day 2016  on March 8, 2016 at Banquet Hall, DT-5, at 10:30 AM.

The Chief Guest of this program will be  Dr. Aminul Islam, Professor Emeritus, Daffodil International University and the Guest of Honor will be  Advocate Sanaiyya Ansari, Gender Specialist & Regional Council Member, Asia Pacific Forum on Woman, Law and Development.

The theme of this program is  “Let’s Help Girls Achieve Their Ambitions”.

The theme color of the International Woman's Day is purple.
Female faculty members and female students are advised  to wear the theme color, if possible.


Head, Dept of Law



3
Law / Seminar on Human Rights Day "Women's Rights Are Human Rights"
« on: December 07, 2015, 02:02:46 PM »
Women's Rights Are Human Rights

Every year Department of Law, Daffodil International University celebrates the International Human Rights Day. Following the tradition, the department will celebrate the day on December 10, 2015 in the Banquet Hall, DT 5. This year the theme will be “Women’s Rights Are Human Rights”.  With this event Department will declare the closing of the two weeks Activism against Gender-Based Violence Campaign which was declared by the Ministry of Education, Government of the Peoples’ Republic of Bangladesh.  Advocate Hasina Rashid, General Secretary, Bangladesh National Women Lawyers Associations (BNWLA) has given her kind consent to be the Guest of Honour.

All the female faculty members and the female students are cordially welcome to attend the program at 3:00 PM at Banquet Hall, DT 5 on December 10, 2015.
Daffodil believes in Women Empowerment. It’s the day of “Women”! 
Let’s enjoy the Human Rights Day program “Women’s Rights Are Human Rights” by being a woman.

Dress code: Orange color Saree or Salwar Kamiz.


 
Farhana Helal Mehtab,
Associate Professor & Head
Department of Law, Daffodil International University

4
Law / Feeling for the last working place...
« on: July 14, 2015, 01:56:46 PM »
Just saw a face book status given by the former faculty of Law Department, DIU. At present he is working as a faculty member of Department of Law, Chittagong University. I am really touched by his feeling. Feeling good to share it with the people of Forum

Feeling for the last working place...


I worked in Daffodil International University (DIU) as a 'Senior Lecturer' in the Department of Law for a very short period of 2 months only. But it was an amazing working experience I availed there during the stay. It's the full-fledged digital and one of the best techno-based Universities of the country with distinguishing marks of excellence in terms of teaching-learning environment, online learning feedback system, E-library resources, accredited journals and research opportunities, finely multimedia equipped class rooms, cross-cultural students from home and abroad and what's not!

BUT the best part of working in DIU Law Department as an employee is certainly it's Departmental Head of Law- reverend Farhana Helal Mehtab Ma'am and a very congenial office-environment under her wonderful supervision. She is simply the best- most caring, motherly and inspiring Head of the Department that one employee must always cherish to work under. DIU is like a family and the members always feel the difference. I always miss DIU family.

Now DIU is inviting applications for new faculty members. Interested applicants may grab the opportunity and go for it! You'll definitely explore a new horizon..! Best wishes.
সাঈদ আহসান খালিদ


5
Law / school reunion between a judge and a burglary suspect
« on: July 06, 2015, 12:43:01 PM »
This post is specially for the Daffodil International University Law Alumni (DIULA).

The Judge is an exceptional lady, a truly admirable woman. She remembered him as a nice kid. She did it with an intention that it might help him to change his life, though she knew she could not save him. Holding such a position, she didn't have to mention it in the first place; she did it to give him a hope.  This man will not remain in prison forever and she knows that. Those words will save him. Hope always inspires us.


A Miami-Dade courtroom was the location of an unlikely school reunion between a judge and a burglary suspect


Quote

"While most school reunions are held in hotel ballrooms or local gymnasiums, a recent South Florida get-together occurred, in of all places, a courtroom. As Miami-Dade County Judge Mindy Glazer was presiding over bond court Tuesday, she looked up and noticed a very familiar face standing before her. The suspect in front of the bench was Arthur Booth, a classmate of Glazer's at Nautilus Middle School.

Glazer asked if Booth, who is facing numerous charges including burglary and grand theft, had attended the school.

"Oh, my goodness! Oh, my goodness!" exclaimed Booth before beginning to cry.

Glazer said that Booth was the nicest and best kid in school.

"I used to play football with him, all the kids, and look what has happened," Glazer said. "I'm so sorry to see this."

Booth's cousin, Melissa Miller, said he had potential to do great things in his life. She believed that he felt a sense of shame and remorse when he saw Glazer.

"It just brought back memories of how smart he was," Miller said. "He was a scholar, well-rounded athlete, bilingual."

But instead of going to college, Miller said, Booth went on another path of crime and drugs. She said the cycle of incarceration and on-and-off drug use was vicious.

Miller said despite his criminal record, Booth is a good person and a loving father and grandfather.

"I was heartbroken. I mean, it just broke my heart," she said. "We're really trying to find help because there's obviously a need for help."

As Booth continued to cry, Glazer continued to wish him well in turning his life around.

"Good luck to you, sir," Glazer told Booth. "I hope you're able to come out of this OK and just lead a lawful life." "
Unquote

source: http://m.local10.com/news/courtroom-school-reunion-between-judge-suspect/33963678

6
Be a Leader / An Amazing Article for the Bold Bosses ……
« on: May 07, 2015, 11:37:44 AM »
An Amazing Article for the Bold Bosses ……

Most of the time my morning starts with reading different motivational write ups. Little strange to listen that I start with different articles, then I read the news paper! Today, I read the write up of Emma Seppala, a research psychologist and the Associate Director of Stanford University’s Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education. “The Hard Data on Being a Nice Boss” …… being the Head of a Departemnt, I really enjoyed her Article.

I am sharing it in Forum under CDC, “Be a Leader” section, with a hope that if anyone read it out certainly will be benefited. Enjoy the read,


The Hard Data on Being a Nice Boss


There’s an age-old question out there: Is it better to be a “nice” leader to get your staff to like you? Or to be tough as nails to inspire respect and hard work? Despite the recent enthusiasm for wellness initiatives like mindfulness and meditation at the office, and despite the movement toward more horizontal organizational charts, most people still assume the latter is best.

The traditional paradigm just seems safer: be firm and a little distant from your employees. The people who work for you should respect you, but not feel so familiar with you that they might forget who’s in charge. A little dog-eat-dog, tough-it-out, sink-or-swim culture seems to yield time-tested results and keep people hungry and on their toes. After all, if you’re a leader who seems like you care a little too much about your employees, won’t that make you look “soft”? Won’t that mean you will be less respected? That employees will work less hard?

New developments in organizational research are providing some surprising answers to these questions.

“Tough” managers often mistakenly think that putting pressure on employees will increase performance. What it does increase is stress—and research has shown that high levels of stress carry a number of costs to employers and employees alike.

Stress brings high health care and turnover costs. In a study of employees from various organizations, health care expenditures for employees with high levels of stress were 46 percent greater than at similar organizations without high levels of stress. In particular, workplace stress has been linked to coronary heart disease in both retrospective (observing past patterns) and prospective (predicting future patterns) studies. Then there’s the impact on turnover: research shows that workplace stress can lead them to look for a new job, decline a promotion, or leave a job.

Is it any better with “nice” managers? Do their employees fare better — and do kind bosses get ahead?

Contrary to what many believe, Adam Grant’s data shows that nice guys (and gals!) can actually finish first, as long as they use the right strategies that prevent others from taking advantage of them.In fact, other research has shown that acts of altruism actually increase someone’s status within a group.

Harvard Business School’s Amy Cuddy and her research partners have also shown that leaders who project warmth – even before establishing their competence – are more effective than those who lead with their toughness and skill. Why? One reason is trust. Employees feel greater trust with someone who is kind.

And an interesting study shows that when leaders are fair to the members of their team, the team members display more citizenship behavior and are more productive, both individually and as a team. Jonathan Haidt at New York University Stern School of Business shows in his research that when leaders are self-sacrificing, their employees experience being moved and inspired. As a consequence, the employees feel more loyal and committed and are more likely to go out of their way to be helpful and friendly to other employees. Research on “paying it forward” shows that when you work with people who help you, in turn you will be more likely to help others (and not necessarily just those who helped you).

Such a culture can even help mitigate stress. While our brains are attuned to threats (whether the threat is a raging lion or a raging boss), our brain’s stress reactivity is significantly reduced when we observe kind behavior. As brain-imaging studies show, when our social relationships with others feel safe, our brain’s stress response is attenuated. There’s also a physical effect. Whereas a lack of bonding within the workplace has been shown to increase psychological distress, positive social interactions at work have been shown to boost employee health—for example, by lowering heart rate and blood pressure, and by strengthening the immune system. In fact, a study out of the Karolinska Institute conducted on over 3,000 employees found that a leader’s qualities were associated with incidence of heart disease in their employees. A good boss may literally be good for the heart.

In fact, what may come as a surprise to many HR directors, employees prefer happiness to high pay, as Gallup’s 2013 Workplace Poll shows. In turn, happier employees make not only for a more congenial workplace, but also for improved collegiality and customer service. A large healthcare study showed that a kind culture at work not only improved employee well-being and productivity but also improved client health outcomes and satisfaction.

Taken together, this body of research shows that creating a leadership model of trust and mutual cooperation may help create a culture that is happier, in which employees help each other, and (as a consequence) become more productive in the long run. No wonder their nice bosses get promoted.

But what constitutes a compassionate leadership style and workplace exactly? That is a trickier question. Many companies try to offer well-being “perks” such as the ability to work from home or receive extra benefits. A Gallup poll showed that, even when the workplace offered benefits such as flextime and work-from-home opportunities, engagement predicted well-being above and beyond anything else. And most of the research suggests that a compassionate workplace fosters engagement not so much through material goods as through the qualities of the organizations’ leaders, such as a sincere commitment to values and ethics, genuine interpersonal kindness, and self-sacrifice.

What is clear is that we’re going to have to start valuing kindness at work more. One depressing study out of Notre Dame suggests that for men, the more agreeable they are, the lower their pay rate. Because agreeableness does not impact women’s salary, the researchers theorize that when we don’t conform to gender norms, we’re punished. The answer is not for men to be cruel, but for us all to help change the norms. With a little skill, there are ways to be agreeable while not being a pushover or a softy. And then maybe we’ll all be a little bit happier at work.
by Emma Seppälä
link: https://hbr.org/2014/11/the-hard-data-on-being-a-nice-boss

Farhana Helal Mehtab
Head, Dept of Law

7
আইন বিভাগের ছাত্রদের বার কাউন্সিলের পরীক্ষা এবং আমার অনুভূতি...

সকাল থেকেই আজ নীরবপুরী অফিসে বসে আছি। আজ থেকে শুরু হয়েছে শিক্ষকদের সেমিস্টার ব্রেক। হেডদের যেহেতু সেমিস্টার ব্রেক নেই, তাই অফিসে বসে আসন্ন সেমিস্টারের প্ল্যান করছি। চা- বিরতিতে একটু খারাপ লেগেছে কেননা হাসান ভাই ও ছুটিতে ... এক কাপ চা খেতে পারলে ভালো হতো। প্রতি সেমিস্টার শেষেই এমন কিছু একাকী সময় কাটাতে হয় কিন্তু কী আশ্চর্য আমার আইনের ছেলেমেয়েগুলোর জন্য যখন কাজ করতে থাকি তখন একাকীত্বটা একেবারেই টের পাই না ... মনে হয় ওরা আমার চারপাশ ঘিরে আছে।

প্রিয় সন্তানেরা আমার,
প্রকৃতার্থে তোমাদের সাফল্যই আমাকে উদীপ্ত করে, তোমাদের ব্যর্থতা আমাকে বেদনার্ত করে। সকল মায়ের অনুভূতি একই রকম। ছোট্ট একটা উদাহরণ দেই... ৪/৫ দিন আগের ঘটনা। একটা ব্যপারে মনটা খুব খারাপ ছিল ... তার কিছুক্ষণ পর তোমাদের প্রিলিমিনারির রেজাল্ট শুনলাম। আশ্চর্য এক অনুভূতি ... মনটা প্রশান্তিতে ভরে গেল। শুকরিয়া জানালাম সৃষ্টিকর্তাকে । একে একে সবার মুখ মনে পড়ল Mahfuz Ur Rahman, Zahidur Rahaman Rajib, Shahriar Hossain. Ahsan Shajib, Nesar Jahid, Sobnom Khandoker, Mohiuddin Apu, Remy Luna ....
আমি ফেসবুক থেকে প্রায় মাস দেড়েক অনুপস্থিত ... একাঊণ্টটা এক্টীভ আর আমি প্যসিভ ... আজ বসে তোমাদের নিয়ে Shahadat এর স্ট্যাটাসটা পড়লাম, ভাল লাগলো। তোমাদের এই পরীক্ষাটির ফর্ম নেয়া থেকে রেজাল্ট পর্যন্ত কী এক দুশ্চিন্তায় ছিলাম তার একমাত্র নীরব সাক্ষী সে। বার কাউন্সিলের বিবিধ নিয়ম প্রয়োগে ল’ গ্রাজুয়েটদের নাম লিস্টে পাঠানো ছিল এক মহাযুদ্ধ! সেই যুদ্ধে জয়ী হয়েই অপেক্ষা করেছিলাম এই দিনটির জন্য। এখন শুরু হল আরেকটি অপেক্ষার প্রহর। আমার এই সন্তানগুলো ফাইনালে উত্তীর্ণ হয়ে যেদিন বলবে, “আমি জিতলে জিতে যায় মা” ... সেই বিশেষ দিনটির অপেক্ষায় আছি ।

তোমাদের সবার জন্য আমার দোয়া আর শুভকামনা ।

Farhana Helal Mehtab
Head, Dept of Law

8
আগামী কাল (২৮/০৪/২০১৫) আমাদের সেই বহুল আকাঙ্ক্ষিত নির্বাচন । নির্বাচন প্রাক্কালে দৈনিক ইত্তেফাক পত্রিকায়  প্রকাশিত  লেখার  লিঙ্কটি ফোরামে পোষ্ট করলাম ।

আমরা নারী ও শিশুবান্ধব ঢাকা (ও অন্যান্য) শহর চাই। আমাদের অপরাধী মনে হয় যখন দেখি শিশুদের খেলার মাঠ নেই, ছোটাছুটি করার জন্য ‘ওপেন স্পেস’ নেই, সুস্থ বিনোদনের ব্যবস্থা নেই। ইট-কাঠের দেয়ালের মধ্যে থেকে নানারকম কার্টুন (কার্টুন দেখলে সমস্যা নেই, কিন্তু সারাক্ষণ কার্টুন দেখলে চোখের যেমন ক্ষতি হয়, মানসিক স্বাস্থ্যের জন্যও সেটি ভালো নয়), ‘হরর ফিল্ম’ ও ‘ভায়োলেন্ট মুভি’ দেখে দেখে আমাদের বাচ্চারা বড় হচ্ছে। শিশুদের শারীরিক ও মানসিক স্বাস্থ্যের বিকাশের জন্য তাদের পার্কে নিয়ে যেতে হবে, পানির মধ্যে লুটোপুটি করতে দিতে হবে, সবুজ ঘাসের ওপর বসে সূর্যোদয় ও সূর্যাস্ত দেখাতে হবে, অরণ্যের অন্ধকারে বসে আকাশের চাঁদ ও নক্ষত্র দেখাতে হবে …..

সিটি নির্বাচনঃ নগরগুলো হোক নারী ও শিশুবান্ধব ...

http://www.ittefaq.com.bd/print-edition/drishtikon/2015/04/27/45670.html

Farhana Helal Mehtab
Head, Dept of Law

 

9
Law / Workshop: Spring Semester 2015
« on: April 12, 2015, 01:56:47 PM »
Dear Law Students,
Here is the official banner of the Spring Semester 2015 Workshop on Human Rights. Hope you will be there on time.

Thanks,
Head, Dept of Law


10
It’s a post of December 1, 2014. The nine justices heard, Elonis v. United States, the very first Supreme Court case to directly deal with our freedom of speech rights on social media.

What Today's Facebook Supreme Court Case Means for Free Speech Online

How carefully do you think about the things you post on Facebook? Depending on the outcome of today's Supreme Court hearing, that answer could soon be way more carefully than you ever have before.

Today, the nine justices will be hearing Elonis v. United States, the very first Supreme Court case to directly deal with our freedom of speech rights on social media. In other words, whatever the Court ends up deciding will seriously impact what we can and can't say on the internet—and just how far First Amendment protection can stretch.

The Case

Five months after Anthony Elonis' wife Tara left him—and took their two kids with her— he decided to post the following on Facebook at various points:

        If I only knew then what I know now... I would have smothered your ass with a pillow. Dumped your body in the back seat. Dropped you off in Toad Creek and made it look like a rape and murder.
        Tell [our son] he should dress up as Matricide for Halloween. I don't know what his costume would entail though. Maybe [Tara's] head on a stick? :-p.

Understandably—and emoticon notwithstanding—Tara felt threatened, so she requested a protection-from-abuse order from her local court in Reading, PA, which the court happily granted. Three days later, Elonis followed up by posting this video, but with his own, slightly adjusted caption:

    I also found out that it's incredibly illegal, extremely illegal to go on Facebook and say something like the best place to fire a mortar launcher at her house would be from the cornfield behind it because of easy access to a getaway road and you'd have a clear line of sight through the sun room. Yet even more illegal to show an illustrated diagram. [Elonis then included a self-drawn diagram.] Art is about pushing limits. I'm willing to go to jail for my Constitutional rights. Are you?

Just two months later, in December of 2010, Elonis was convicted "under a federal law that makes it a crime to use a form of interstate communication (like the Internet) to threaten to injure another person," according to The New York Times.

Now, after spending the past three years in prison, Elonis is about to challenge his conviction in front of the Supreme Court. The Court decision on the legitimacy of the threats could set a precedent for how free speech is protected on social media—and it's a slippery slope.

The Precedent

While we have yet to hear any official ruling regarding threats on social media specifically, similar issues have come up in the past. Generally, the rule has been that "true threats," or a threat that is not overtly a joke (and even then, no guarantees), can in fact be persecuted by law, making it an exception to the First Amendment.

In the 2003 Supreme Court case of Virginia v. Black, Sandra Day O'Connor wrote that "true threats" don't even need to necessarily be carried out to be criminal. According to Justice O'Connor, they do plenty of damage all on their own:

    The speaker need not actually intend to carry out the threat. Rather, a prohibition on true threats protects individuals from the fear of violence and the disruption that fear engenders, as well as from the possibility that the threatened violence will occur....

    As the history of cross burning in this country shows, that act is often intimidating, intended to create a pervasive fear in victims that they are a target of violence.

And while Elonis insists that he didn't actually mean any of the murderous things he was saying, Tara was felt fear just the same, saying in court that she "felt like [she] was being stalked" and "felt extremely afraid for [her] and [her family's] lives."

So now, the Supreme Court has to decide what's more important: Tara's sense of security or Elonis' freedom to violently remix Eminem lyrics.

Why the outcome matters

If the Facebook post is protected as free speech

Most people seem to agree that this is the most likely outcome. And the Supreme Court has a long history of consistently ruling in favor of the First Amendment, no matter how horrendous or absurd that expression may be (think "animal crush" abuse videos). Which, while occasionally hard to stomach, makes sense. Limiting free speech in any broad way would be a slippery slope that alters the very foundation of the Constitution itself.

Of course, overruling Elonis' conviction would mean that we're back to square one in terms of what can and can't be legally said online. Or more specifically, what could be legally termed "abuse." As William Marcell, a law professor at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, told Time:

    Society is still struggling to really figure out how the Internet works and how it affects people, both users of the Internet and subjects of the speech on the Internet. I think the court might want to buy a little bit more time to see if a threat over the Internet is really as serious as one face-to-face.

And at least according to a brief by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, while threats over the internet should still be taken seriously, they may not be quite the same as those made in person. Particularly as "clinicians and researchers have observed that 'people say and do things in cyberspace that they wouldn't ordinarily say and do in the face-to-face world.'"

The sort of disinhibition we experience online—thanks in a large part to the sense of anonymity and distance the internet allows—is, as the EFF explains, an indicator of "an attempt to better understand and develop oneself, and to explore new emotional and experiential dimensions to one's identity." Which is more or less exactly what Elonis argued he was doing.

After all, we've all said things we didn't mean, even more so in the online outlets that allow us to send out moments of anger in rage into the great abyss where we don't actually have to see how our words affect others.

If the Facebook post is deemed a true threat


While this would certainly be a victory for anyone who's ever suffered from online abuse, a decision like this could severely limit what we say online—and not necessarily just in terms of "true threats." According to Time:

    If the court rules against Elonis, artists could be more hesitant to share anything that could be perceived as threatening — a slippery slope.

Because, at least to hear Elonis tell it, what he was writing was his own, perverse sort of art. In his statement to the jury, Elonis pleaded that he "would never hurt [his wife]" and that he "never intended to threaten anyone. This is for me. This is therapeutic." Which might seem like an easy out, but it's exactly this kind of speech that the First Amendment protects, even if that speech is ""vituperative, abusive, and inexact." And according to the ACLU's brief on Elonis' case, it should stay that way.

    A statute that proscribes speech without regard to the speaker's intended meaning runs the risk of punishing protected First Amendment expression simply because it is crudely or zealously expressed.

    Moreover, where the line between protected and unprotected speech is unclear, a speaker may engage in self-censorship to avoid the potentially serious consequences of misjudging how his words will be received.... including core political, artistic, and ideological speech.

In other words, creating a precedent for punishing supposedly "innocuous" threats made in jest could mean an end—or at least a sever stifling—to the sorts of online freedom we've enjoyed thus far.

The Result


... won't come out until sometime in 2015. The justices begin hearing the case today, and at the end of the week,, they'll make their preliminary votes and choose majority and dissenting opinion writers. Then, likely sometime at the end of the current term in May or July 2015, we will finally hear the ruling on our internet futures.
By: Ashley Feinberg
(Collected from net)

For further reading:
http://www.ibtimes.com/supreme-court-facebook-case-2014-anthony-elonis-lawsuit-asks-whether-violent-posts-1731213

http://edition.cnn.com/2014/12/01/politics/supreme-court-elonis-vs-u-s-free-speech/


11
Law / Its 8th March … A Note to my Daffodillian Female Students
« on: March 08, 2015, 12:30:08 PM »
Its 8th March …. A Note to my Daffodillian Female Students

When some people talk about Feminism, they think it’s something that can protect women from covering his body as defined in Islam or rescuing women from Hijab. It’s totally a Wrong Conception! Feminism is a choice; Hijab is a choice too. Women have all the rights to select what kind of dress they supposed to wear. If wearing skirts/trousers/shirts is sort of women’s right in western culture then what’s the problem of covering head or wearing scarf/ hijab in particular faith? It’s a right of a Muslim Woman. One cannot force them to wear it or cannot criticize them who wear it. But sorry to say, sometimes some Jurists are become judgmental regarding this issue!

Now sharing the different scenario, I used to work in an organization, where wearing saree was compulsory. I was the first person staying there more than five years with dignity & honor following my own style, i.e wearing long length black apron/ burkha.  I was not discouraged or was asked by anyone for doing so. I made that dress as my official outfit keeping in my mind that modesty is the  part of our religious faith which  must be reflected on my work place where I spend my prime time & consider my second home. So there is no clash between growing sound & having positive religious faith. It’s all about the positive attitude towards life. The rule maker of that organization praised my dress code in front of some hundreds people and told that if anyone can wish they can follow my style. It’s a great honor. I thanked him & again in this wonderful day, I’m taking the opportunity to thank him once again to recognize my attitude.

My dear Female students,
Today is the International Women’s Day. Greetings from the Desk of Head, Department of Law.
On this special day, I would like to make you understand one of my favorite quotes by Nora Roberts,
“If you don't go after what you want, you'll never have it. If you don't ask, the answer is always no. If you don't step forward, you're always in the same place.”
You are growing as beautiful as Daffodil Flowers so it’s your time to seize the opportunity with your positive faith, culture & value.
Be Blessed.
Feel Proud to be a Woman!
Happy women's Day
Farhana Helal Mehtab




12
Law / History of International Women's Day
« on: March 06, 2015, 05:24:29 PM »
March 8, International Women's Day, a significant day celebrated worldwide, honors working women and women’s struggle everywhere.  But do all of us know the history of International Women’s Day?  Not really. I talked to some of the female students and found their ignorance. Here is the a tribute of Woman Watch (Information & Resources on Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women) on “History of International Women’s Day”.  I hope this feature will be helpful to know about this special day. And I wish that we, the women, will know about this day before celebrating it. 

History of International Women's Day

Introduction

International Women's Day is celebrated in many countries around the world. It is a day when women are recognized for their achievements without regard to divisions, whether national, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic or political. It is an occasion for looking back on past struggles and accomplishments, and more importantly, for looking ahead to the untapped potential and opportunities that await future generations of women.
In 1975, during International Women's Year, the United Nations began celebrating International Women's Day on 8 March. Two years later, in December 1977, the General Assembly adopted a resolution proclaiming a United Nations Day for Women's Rights and International Peace to be observed on any day of the year by Member States, in accordance with their historical and national traditions. In adopting its resolution, the General Assembly recognized the role of women in peace efforts and development and urged an end to discrimination and an increase of support for women's full and equal participation.

History

International Women's Day first emerged from the activities of labour movements at the turn of the twentieth century in North America and across Europe.
1909: The first National Woman's Day was observed in the United States on 28 February. The Socialist Party of America designated this day in honour of the 1908 garment workers' strike in New York, where women protested against working conditions.
1910: The Socialist International, meeting in Copenhagen, established a Women's Day, international in character, to honour the movement for women's rights and to build support for achieving universal suffrage for women. The proposal was greeted with unanimous approval by the conference of over 100 women from 17 countries, which included the first three women elected to the Finnish Parliament. No fixed date was selected for the observance.
1911: As a result of the Copenhagen initiative, International Women's Day was marked for the first time (19 March) in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland, where more than one million women and men attended rallies. In addition to the right to vote and to hold public office, they demanded women's rights to work, to vocational training and to an end to discrimination on the job.
1913-1914: International Women's Day also became a mechanism for protesting World War I. As part of the peace movement, Russian women observed their first International Women's Day on the last Sunday in February. Elsewhere in Europe, on or around 8 March of the following year, women held rallies either to protest the war or to express solidarity with other activists.
1917: Against the backdrop of the war, women in Russia again chose to protest and strike for 'Bread and Peace' on the last Sunday in February (which fell on 8 March on the Gregorian calendar). Four days later, the Czar abdicated and the provisional Government granted women the right to vote.
Since those early years, International Women's Day has assumed a new global dimension for women in developed and developing countries alike. The growing international women's movement, which has been strengthened by four global United Nations women's conferences, has helped make the commemoration a rallying point to build support for women's rights and participation in the political and economic arenas. Increasingly, International Women's Day is a time to reflect on progress made, to call for change and to celebrate acts of courage and determination by ordinary women who have played an extraordinary role in the history of their countries and communities.
The United Nations and Gender Equality
The Charter of the United Nations, signed in 1945, was the first international agreement to affirm the principle of equality between women and men. Since then, the UN has helped create a historic legacy of internationally-agreed strategies, standards, programmes and goals to advance the status of women worldwide.
Over the years, the UN and its technical agencies have promoted the participation of women as equal partners with men in achieving sustainable development, peace, security, and full respect for human rights. The empowerment of women continues to be a central feature of the UN's efforts to address social, economic and political challenges across the globe.

link: http://www.un.org/womenwatch/feature/iwd/history.html
 
 
 
 




13
Law / The Best Lawyers Money Can Buy
« on: March 04, 2015, 04:51:15 PM »
"The Best Lawyers Money Can Buy"....... Its not the headline of our newspaper. Its from the New York Times, prepared by the Editorial Board on Dec 25, 2014.

Now, lets check the full news...

The Best Lawyers Money Can Buy

The United States Supreme Court decides cases involving the nation’s most pressing legal issues, affecting the daily lives of hundreds of millions of Americans — and yet so much about its functioning is shrouded in mystique and exclusivity. The court’s front doors are locked and its vast “public” plaza is off-limits to protesters. Alone among the branches of government, it refuses to televise its proceedings, even though its gallery can seat only 250 members of the public.

As a new report by Reuters shows, this exclusivity extends even to the types of cases the court agrees to hear.

The justices accept about 75 of the 10,000 petitions they get each year. And of that already minuscule fraction, a stunning proportion is argued by an extremely small and well-connected group of lawyers. All of these lawyers — among the top litigators in the country — have argued often before the court and almost all of them work mainly for corporate clients. Many have clerked for the justices, know them personally and socialize with them.

Those are the central findings of The Echo Chamber, a comprehensive analysis of about 10,300 petitions filed by private attorneys between 2004 and 2012. Reuters found that the lawyer’s name on the brief was among the strongest predictors of whether the justices would take a case.

While the 66 lawyers Reuters identified represented less than one half of 1 percent of all lawyers who petitioned the court during that period, they were involved in 43 percent of the cases the justices heard.

That elite cohort is as homogeneous as it is powerful: 63 of the 66 lawyers were white, 58 were men, and 51 worked for firms with primarily corporate clients.

An even more elite group — eight lawyers — made almost one of every five arguments the court heard from private attorneys during those years. One of these lawyers, Paul Clement, has argued 75 cases before the court.

Top corporate firms have long understood how lucrative and prestigious a Supreme Court practice can be. But as those firms continue to draw the cream of the crop, there are fewer top lawyers available to other litigants — particularly those challenging a business’s labor or environmental practices. Such lawsuits often pose conflicts of interest for firms with multiple corporate clients.

As a result, the court’s docket has narrowed over the years. And when cases involving labor issues or consumers’ rights do reach the court, they lose more often than not; the Roberts Court is the most business-friendly since at least World War II. The Reuters report highlighted a 5-to-4 ruling in 2011 that threw out a multibillion-dollar class-action suit against Wal-Mart alleging gender discrimination. Wal-Mart was represented by Gibson Dunn, which has one of the most successful Supreme Court practices in the country.

J. Michael Luttig, a former federal appeals judge appointed by former President George H. W. Bush, and now a corporate counsel, said this cloistered group of lawyers and justices has become “detached and isolated from the real world, ultimately at the price of the healthy and proper development of the law.”

As troubling as the court’s shrinking bar is the justices’ matter-of-fact acceptance of it. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg told Reuters: “Business can pay for the best counsel money can buy. The average citizen cannot. That’s just a reality.” Justice Antonin Scalia admitted to rejecting cases based on the quality of the briefing, not on the legal issue they raised. “I have voted against what would be a marginally granted petition when it was not well presented,” he said.

It’s not unreasonable for the justices to want to spend their time on arguments made by the best advocates. Nor is there anything wrong with the country’s top lawyers demanding top dollar for their skill and hard work. And corporations surely may spend what they wish to litigate on behalf of their interests. But when these forces are combined, the biggest cost of all may fall on regular Americans, for whom justice at the highest court in the land becomes less accessible every day.

link:http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/26/opinion/the-best-lawyers-money-can-buy.html?smid=fb-nytimes&smtyp=cur&bicmp=AD&bicmlukp=WT.mc_id&bicmst=1409232722000&bicmet=1419773522000&_r=0

14
New Threat in Environment

“The two standard routes, the Northeast Ridge and the Southeast Ridge, are not only dangerously crowded but also disgustingly polluted, with garbage leaking out of the glaciers and pyramids of human excrement befouling the high camps,” mountaineer Mark Jenkins wrote in a 2013 National Geographic article on Everest.

A Thoughtful Article: Decades of human waste have made Mount Everest a ‘fecal time bomb’[/b

link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/03/03/decades-of-human-waste-have-made-mount-everest-a-fecal-time-bomb/?tid=sm_fb


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