The National
Is Tendulkar the greatest batsman of all time? – My Letters – THE NATIONAL – Dt 03 March 2010
My Letters – THE NATIONAL – Dt 03 March 2010 – Is Tendulkar the greatest batsman of all time?
When Wisden, the most traditional medium to record the sport of cricket, compiled a list of top 100 knocks in Test cricket, Sachin Tendulkar did not figure in any of them.
Wisden then explained the criteria that none of his knocks were either match-winning ones or those which were did not have enough authority in terms of the match situation to deserve a mention. Now hundred is quite a number but still the man with the highest total of runs in Test as well as one-day formats individually did not figure on that chart.
In ODIs, Tendulkar has scored two hundreds against the top team in Australia in 1998, one to ensure that India made the final and then the second to take the title away from Steve Waugh’s men.
A decade later, Tendulkar has had another marvellous season with a brilliant 175 against the all-dominating Australians and has followed it up with an unbeaten 200 against the second-ranked South Africans.
The first to break the 200-run barrier and that too in style, a chanceless innings despite his growing years, Tendulkar’s knock is another factor for those who cannot decide in the debate of The Greatest between him and Sir Donald Bradman just because they belonged to two different eras.
Has the Gwalior knock in the second one-day international on February 24, 2010 helped make up your mind on this?
To read this article in original, please visit THE NATIONAL online
My comments as follows:
The way he played this match in which he got to his 200 runs says it all. No doubt, he is the greatest batsman of all time. It will take some time for the contemporary batsman to reach his level of execution. There were legends before, including Sir Don Bradman. However, they played in an era, when cricket was played at a leisurely pace and not many matches were scheduled like these days. Demands, the pace, expectations were all entirely different in those days. To withstand all those and to deliver something unexpected each time to the cricketing fans, shows his creative talent on the cricketing field. The way he picked up those 200 runs at will proves it once and for all, Sachin Tendulkar is the greatest batsman of all time.
India too good for Pakistan in World Cup – My Letters – THE NATIONAL – Dt 01 March 2010
My Letters – THE NATIONAL – Dt 01 March 2010 – India too good for Pakistan in World Cup
NEW DELHI // Sandeep Singh scored from two penalty corners yesterday as India beat fierce rivals Pakistan 4-1 at the men’s hockey World Cup, and European champions England had an upset 3-2 win over Australia.
Shivendra Singh gave India the lead in the 25th minute after capitalising on a penalty corner rebound, and Sandeep Singh made it 2-0 just before half-time with a low shot.
Prabhjot Singh struck in open play in the 37th after a pass from Arjun Halappa, and Sandeep Singh scored with a drag-flick in the 56th.
Pakistan pulled one back through a penalty corner conversion by Sohail Abbas three minutes later.
India last beat Pakistan in a world cup game 35 years ago in Kuala Lumpur. This win in front of a huge partisan crowd at the National Stadium also was sweet revenge after Pakistan inflicted the most crushing of defeats, a 7-1 thrashing in the 1982 Asian Games at the same venue.
The India coach Jose Brasa, however, asked his boys to keep their feet on the ground and not get carried away.
“We have to see this win as just another win from which we got three points. My boys have to keep their feet on ground and celebrate tonight. But from tomorrow we have to think about the next match and move ahead,” said the Spaniard.
Brasa was particularly happy about the fact that the Indians kept their emotions under check and played cleverly to outsmart the Pakistanis, who had won the last three encounters.
“Players were calm and not emotional. We were clever in the mid-field, cutting their passes. We had complete control of the game and am happy that we ended on a winning note,” he said.
The captain Rajpal Singh said that the gameplan was to create more short corners. “We had an aim to create more penalty corners and give Sandeep Singh more opportunities,” he said.
World No 2 Australia, who won a record tenth Champions Trophy in December, dominated the first half with speedy forays but failed to convert any of their five penalty corners.
Captain and forward Jamie Dwyer finally put them in the lead through a penalty stroke before Ashley Jackson equalised through a penalty corner after some solid goalkeeping by England’s James Fair.
Tindall then converted a penalty corner and made it 3-1 when following up for an opportunistic goal.
Dwyer cut the lead with four minutes remaining through a penalty corner but England defended well in the final minutes for their first win against their traditional rivals in the World Cup since 1975 and only their fifth in 52 meetings.
In another Pool B match on the opening day, the Olympic silver medallists Spain recovered from a slow start to beat South Africa 4-2.
* With agencies
To read this in original, please visit THE NATIONAL online:
My comments as follows:
Congratulations to Team India Hockey for their win over Pakistan and the national hockey team need more support from the nation. No live coverage of the matches on prominent broadcasting TV channels. No wonder the sports has limited takers these days.
The hockey team need more support from the nation and readers around. The team played brilliant hockey and the margin of victory would have been even more. Even a small achievement by a cricketing novice would come up with half page write-up and photos. Hope the remaining matches will get adequate attention and coverage and yesterdays victory be an inspiration for Team India to get the championship this time.
Ramesh Menon
Abu Dhabi
Pakistani schools struggle to meet standards – My Letters – THE NATIONAL – Dt 17 February 2010
My Letters – Pakistani schools struggle to meet standards – THE NATIONAL – Dt 17 February 2010
DUBAI // Two out of the three Pakistani-curriculum schools in Dubai are failing to meet minimum standards and no Indian or Pakistani schools received an outstanding rating according to a report released today by the emirate’s schools regulator.
The report includes the results of the first-ever inspections of Indian and Pakistani curriculum schools in Dubai, which enroll almost 60,000 pupils, about a third of the emirate’s student population. The schools were not included in the first round of school reports conducted in 2009.
The picture at Indian-curriculum schools is brighter: only about one in seven schools were judged unsatisfactory. By comparison, among the schools inspected last year – which included private and public schools teaching a variety of curricula – one in eight was deemed unsatisfactory.
Not a single school was found to be “outstanding”, the top score awarded by inspectors. Seven of the 20 Indian schools inspected achieved the second-highest mark, “good”, while another ten were deemed only “acceptable”. The single Pakistani school not judged “unsatisfactory” was also found to be “acceptable.”
Overall, the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) in Dubai has judged only four schools in Dubai “outstanding” — all of them high-priced private schools offering the British curriculum, with fees for grade 12 upwards of Dh50,000. The most expensive Indian school, Dubai Modern High School, which achieved a rating of “good”, currently charges Dh27,000.
The KHDA linked fee increases in private schools to their performance in the inspections last year. This year, however, the authority said it was working on a framework with the Ministry of Education that would help determine regulations for fee increases, instead of relying solely on the ratings.
The standard of Arabic instruction was one of the reasons schools were docked points that ultimately led to the lack of an outstanding rating, a situation mirrored in many private schools that were inspected last year.
Arabic education has recently become a priority for the KHDA.
Arabic teaching was unsatisfactory in a third of Indian schools, due to “weak teaching skills and insecure subject knowledge of teaching staff”. Some schools did not adhere to KHDA requirements relating to time allocated to teaching Arabic, and most do not have proper standards for teaching Arabic as a second language.
However, Indian schools performed well in their teaching of Islamic studies, with students demonstrating an “advanced knowledge and understanding of local traditions and culture”.
They also placed significant emphasis on environmental issues, but weak teaching plagued earlier levels.
Students generally demonstrated a strong desire for learning, and were “highly motivated and conscientious”, often excelling in English and mathematics.
To read this article in original, please visit THE NATIONAL online
My comments and suggestions as follows:
The preliminary news reports about the KHDA rating is looked at with interest by all parents. The significant increase in the school fees and the service provided by various groups and corporate establishments involved in educational sector and KHDA have to consider overall the economic situation prevailing in UAE and globally to impart good education with economically viable options available.
It is heartening to note that Indian schools and students performed well in Islamic studies, and placed significant emphasis on environmental issues, Mathematics and English. However, it highlighted weak teaching as one of the reason for the deterioration in rating level. This reason may be due to the anomaly existing in the salary level of the teaching staff, when compared with the other government schools and establishments, or even the school bus drivers and qualified candidates obviously opting for more lucrative jobs around.
Government and KHDA should consider economic concessions for schools in terms of free electricity, water, telephone connections, and free registration for school buses and subsidised fuel delivery options etc so that these operating costs could be cut down and adjusted in school budget for hikes in the salary of teaching staff and options for better educational facilities. These concessions may also give a leverage to think of reducing the increased school fees at least for some time till the current economy situation improves.
Looking forward to the detailed list of schools and their drawbacks that halted their progress to a better rating to get a clear picture for the parents about various schools in the region.
Regards,
Ramesh Menon
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi parking fines to go on all night – Dt 16 February 2010 – My Letters – THE NATIONAL
My Letters – THE NATIONAL – Abu Dhabi parking fines to go on all night – Dt 16 February 2010
Jen Gerson
Last Updated: February 15. 2010 11:05PM UAE / February 15. 2010 7:05PM GMT ABU DHABI // Drivers who use the cover of night to flout parking laws will soon find notices of fines posted to their windscreens.
The municipal Department of Transport (DoT) yesterday that it would enforce parking laws 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in lots governed by the Mawaqif scheme beginning on Sunday. Cars that park in the middle of the road and along non-designated kerbs will be targeted.
Motorists who park in legal spaces marked by kerbs painted either blue and black, or blue and white, can still park for free after 9pm and on Fridays.
The transport department said the stricter enforcement was to prevent roads being blocked during emergencies. During a fire on Hamdan Street in the Tourist Club area in December, two residents of an apartment block died after emergency personnel had to wait for residents to move their illegally parked vehicles before they could reach the burning building.
Last year the Mawaqif system began charging for parking in city blocks stretching along Hamdan Street, between Baniyas Street and Airport Road.
“The DoT is mandated to implement the parking law … We urge the public to make proper use of the available surface and underground parking facilities and not park illegally. Specifically in the spaces allocated for special needs or near a fire hydrant,” said Najib al Zarooni, general manager of the transport department’s parking programme.
The department said underground parking is often 25 to 30 per cent empty – and the rate is higher at night.
Under the Mawaqif system, drivers in paid zones are charged between Dh2 and Dh3 per hour. Residents must buy a Dh800 (US$215) annual permit.
The department is rolling out the Mawaqif system to most sections of the city in phases, and said the programme will add 75,000 spaces over two years. There are also plans to add multi-storey car parks to some of the city’s busiest areas.
The strategy has come under fire from local residents who say the pay scheme has merely shifted the downtown core’s daytime parking problem to sections of the city where parking is still free. Meanwhile, at night, they say they still face a dearth of legal spaces.
“It makes no sense to fine people, because at the end of the day you have no choice but to park illegally. The problem is that there are too many cars and not enough available parking,” said Mohamed Hussein, 35, an Egyptian science teacher. “Few buildings offer underground parking.”
He said he did park his car in the paid zone illegally. “Especially at night. I’ll take my chances.”
Mohamed Farhan, 39, a bank worker from Sri Lanka, said he lived just outside the paid parking zone and therefore did not qualify for the resident’s permit.
“I still have to park in the municipality parking but it’s expensive. It costs more than 400 [dirhams per month]. It used to be 350.”
He said he agreed with fining people who parked in the middle of the road, as they block traffic.
“But I do understand the plight of people, because parking is difficult.”
Even people with resident’s permits have a difficult time, said Prestina Carvalho, 38, a shipping company employee from India.
“Those who do have a resident’s permit have to go elsewhere and then they find a space but are charged to park.”
Resident’s permits are for lots closest to the driver’s home.
To read this in original, please visit THE NATIONAL online page.
My comments as follows:
At the outset, one can realize this objective of Municipal Department of Transport is intended to provide easy access to all the residential areas within the city limit and also have control and order to curb illegal parking in undesignated areas. However, the rates charged at the rate of Dhs 3/- per hour on the main areas and Dhs 2/- per hour on the backsides or less crowded areas seems to be on the higher side when compared to parking charges levied in other Emirates. In addition, there should be a uniformity in the implementation of paid parking timings within all the Emirates of UAE, as one find different timings and regulations in Dubai, Sharjah and now Abu Dhabi going on 24 hours. This creates confusion to visitors from other Emirates to the capital city, who may be ignorant of the 24 hours paid parking regulations within Abu Dhabi. The annual permit charge of 800 for one car seems to be nominal, but finding out a suitable parking even for one car nearer to each high rise building will definitely be a Herculean task for car owners with such permits.
Ramesh Menon
Abu Dhabi
Joy for Afghanistan, heartbreak for UAE – My Letters – THE NATIONAL
My Letters – THE NATIONAL – Joy for Afghanistan, heartbreak for UAE
Dear Sirs,
My congratulations to the UAE Cricket team for their impressive performance at the Twenty 20 qualifier matches. The last two matches, i.e against Ireland and Afghanistan have been painful for the nations progress towards the journey to West Indies. However, the tournament has been an inspiring one for all the young aspiring members of ICC. I am sure, UAE team will take this experience along with them for their place in other big tournaments coming up.
For Afghanistan, well done and this is a gift to the nation and it’s ordirnary citizen who are fighting a two pronged battle – on one side the terrorist and on the other side the peace keepers. They need a deserving ocassion and venue to cheer on something, and what more than their entry into world cricket.
Best regards,
Ramesh Menon, Abu Dhabi
To read the orginal article, please visit THE NATIONAL dated 14 February 2010
Frozen Passengers at Terminal 1 – My Letters – THE NATIONAL
My Letters – THE NATIONAL – Frozen Passengers at Terminal 1
To read my letters to the news, please bookmark and visit Letters to the Editor
Woven back to life: the women reviving a traditional Bedouin craft Dt 30 Jan 2010 – My Letters – THE NATIONAL
My Letters – THE NATIONAL – Woven back to life: the women reviving a traditional Bedouin craft Dt 30 Jan 2010
Once again the Saturday edition has come out with an interesting article promoting tradition, culture and heritage. It was very interesting to read through the experiences and expressions of the village craftswomen. Look forward to THE NATIONAL reaching more such corners, where others never explored. The article thus became a good curtain raiser for the forthcoming Abu Dhabi International Book Fair March 2nd to 7th at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre.
Regards,
Ramesh Menon
Abu Dhabi
To read the original article, please visit the following link at THE NATIONAL
Short Message Syndrome is OK – My Letters – THE NATIONAL – Dt 17 Jan 2010
My Letters – THE NATIONAL – Dt 17 Jan 2010 – Short Message Syndrome is OK
Sad story of carpet weavers – My Letters – THE NATIONAL – Dt 11 Jan 2010
My Letters – THE NATIONAL – Dt 11 Jan 2010 – Sad story of carpet weavers
Fruits of the loom: picking up the threads of an ancient story – My opinion
My opinion – Fruits of the loom: picking up the threads of an ancient story
Fruits of the loom: picking up the threads of an ancient story
The author of an evocative new book A Carpet Ride To Khiva, Chris Alexander recounts his efforts to establish a self-sufficient carpet workshop in Uzbekistan, transforming the lives of a community and reviving the lost arts and forgotten traditions of the Silk Road.
When I first told friends and relatives that I planned to leave England and move to Uzbekistan, people would either look blank, or assume that I’d said Pakistan or Afghanistan.
To read the entire story, please click here.
My comments:
Very interesting story and it is sad to read that, at times it is a global phenomenon by ruling authorities to control progressive measures benefiting the local communities, tradition and lifestyle.
Ramesh Menon
To read my letters to the news, please bookmark and visit Letters to the Editor
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