Giving voice lessons

It can take a bit of time to work out which groups of people face the increased risk of contracting a virus. Unlike Coronavirus – which turned out to be especially virulent – the monkeypox virus is proving to be more selective and certainly nowhere near as infectious. When monkeypox emerged in the UK just a few weeks ago, there was barely any mention of which groups were at risk. Partly because we didn’t know – but even when it did become clearer that it was men who have sex with men who were particularly susceptible to contracting the virus, there was a fear that saying this publicly could foster stigma for a group all too familiar with bigotry. But now the UK Heath Security Agency has at last unveiled its strategy to try and mitigate the spread of the monkeypox virus – and its main intervention will be to offer a vaccine to gay and bisexual men. The agency officially acknowledges that rates of transmission are significantly higher in the male gay … [Read more...] about Why is the monkeypox vaccine only being offered to men?

My childhood sporting memories are crystal clear. No, I don’t mean winning the bean bag race in primary school or scoring my first 50 on the cricket pitch. I’m talking about those captivating, inspiring and majestic moments that I watched on free-to-air television. The ones that were mesmerising and still live on in the deep recesses of my brain, etched there, like some kind of beautiful slow motion sporting montage. I remember World Cup USA ’94. Diana Ross missing a penalty in the opening ceremony, Baggio missing the deciding one in the final, Romario, Bebeto, et al – and the little sticker book I had to write all of the results in (and still have tucked away in a box in my spare room). I remember the Grand National in 1996. The excitement of heading home to watch it after I’d been to see Toy Story at the cinema for a friend’s birthday party. Mum and dad had recorded it on VHS so we could all watch it together – and the horse we’d picked won. I remember Atlanta … [Read more...] about As a TV presenter, I know the secret to Wimbledon

A few years ago, when I saw a mom of my eight-year-old son’s friend at the grocery store, she asked, “I saw your yoga pose photo on Facebook. You’re so flexible…Were you a dancer?” Shame surged through me — I never know what to say. “Kind of,” I replied, with a shrug. I wanted to answer the question honestly, but correctly. I don’t like to be misleading. Yes, I was a dancer. Just not the kind of dancer she was thinking. She had images in mind of a ballerina in a tutu, but for anybody who knows my past, that’s not the kind of costume I wore. Recommended Why is OnlyFans banning explicit content? As OnlyFans bans ‘sexually-explicit content’, what else is on there? With a ban on explicit content, OnlyFans is setting itself up to fail I never know how someone will react to me having made money by taking my clothes off, so it’s better never to go into the specifics. I started stripping when I was 18 years old. As an actress, I … [Read more...] about I was a stripper long before OnlyFans. Sex workers today need to be honest about the industry

A growing interest in Dhrupad along with the National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA) propagating the art, has led to a special collaboration where renowned vocalists Umakant and Ramakant Gundecha held training sessions in the oldest surviving classical form of Indian music. Speaking about the training sessions, the Gundecha brothers said, “The newly growing interest in Dhrupad and our personal vision to propagate the knowledge and its culture are in line with the goals of the NCPA. We feel that the training workshops will make Dhrupad learning, as well as the knowledge of the existence and quality of this music, available to a larger audience.” The two sessions on Saturday were attended by a total 50 music enthusiasts and students. Dhrupad is the oldest form of Indian classical music and the Gundechas believe that in the last few years, Dhrupad has re-emerged among music lovers. “We are performing in almost all major events in India and abroad. Dhrupad provides grammar to our … [Read more...] about Gundecha brothers hold a masterclass in Dhrupad

In the summer of 2005, Sajid Mir had been at the Feroze Shah Kotla stadium in New Delhi, packed amidst the hundreds of ecstatic Pakistani cricket fans who cheered their team as it powered its way to a record 159-run victory over India. Mir, though, was in India for a game of his own. The top Lashkar-e-Taiba commander's undercover visit was the first of a series of surveillance missions which culminated in the November, 2008, attacks on Mumbai. The Lashkar intelligence operative whose reconnaissance enabled the attack, Pakistani-American jihadist David Headley, reported to Mir. From a safehouse in Karachi, Mir guided the assault team using a voice-over-internet line, personally ordering the execution of several hostages. Now, western intelligence sources have told The Hindu , Mir is being held in a safehouse run by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate, along with the man who travelled with him to New Delhi — a former Pakistani military officer and military trainer … [Read more...] about Sajid Mir’s war against the world

Dear Amy: My 26-year-old grandchild “Sal” (and roommates) lost everything in a fire earlier this year. I reached out through Facebook to lament their loss, and many of my friends responded through donating money generously. The (quite substantial) check was made out to me. They instructed me to handle it any way I thought best. I contacted Sal and asked how I should get them this money. The response was that they would pick it up sometime in the future from their parents and would share it with roommates. I know that this young adult is in dire financial straits right now, so I remarked something to the effect that I knew that Sal could probably use the money sooner rather than later. The response from Sal was: “Please do not give me unsolicited financial advice again. I’m very busy with this gig and can’t help you to set up Venmo. If you can cash the check and give it to my parents, I’ll pick it up from them sometime in the next few weeks.” I responded (sarcastically) … [Read more...] about Ask Amy: A fire brings on Grandma’s solid “burn”

Over the last two decades, the attention devoted to the role of the judiciary has increased almost exponentially. It is rare for a day to pass without at least a couple of front page stories in our national dailies devoted to what transpired in the constitutional courts. Even as I write this, the cameras are slowly turning towards the Supreme Court to see how the Maharashtra imbroglio will play out. It is not surprising, therefore, that the events at court invite opinions and views, many of them from those who ply their trade within those hallowed portals (which includes this writer). Most of these pieces are devoted to specific judgments and ephemeral events, but ever so often, we see one that deals with institutional issues — larger malaises that need to be addressed — and then, we consider those suggestions through a wider lens. One of these is Sriram Panchu’s article ‘ A wish list for reform in India’s higher judiciary ’ (published in The Hindu on June 22, 2022). There are, … [Read more...] about Misdirected ideas can harm the judiciary

Tory MPs in Conservative heartlands are set to demand Boris Johnson pays the party’s strongholds more attention in the aftermath of a crunch by-election. The Prime Minister will wake up 4,000 miles from home to two election results that could decide his premiership. Mr Johnson will give a speech at the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Rwanda - alongside dignitaries from 54 nations and Prince Charles - followed by a press conference. But hours before he takes to the stage, results were due from ballots in Wakefield, West Yorks, and Tiverton and Honiton, Devon. The Mirror understands worried MPs in southern shires will pile pressure on the PM not to focus too much on the Red Wall at the expense of traditional strongholds. Boris Johnson during a visit to GS Kacyiru II school in Kigali, Rwanda, during the Commonwealth heads of government meeting. ( Image: PA) There is a mounting unease among some Conservatives that Mr Johnson … [Read more...] about Boris Johnson faces Tory pressure to focus on southern heartlands after by-election test

In an interview with CBS' Face the Nation from Friday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi blasted President Donald Trump for his Twitter attacks of former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch during the congressional impeachment inquiry hearing, calling them a reflection of "his own insecurity as an imposter." Face the Nation host Margaret Brennan asked Pelosi about Trump's tweets attacking Yovanovitch while she was giving her testimony at the hearing. Trump began his tweet with: "Everywhere Marie Yovanovitch turned went bad." Pelosi noted that Trump's knowledge of his own error was the source of his decision to tweet about Yovanovitch. "He made a mistake, and he knows her strength, and he was trying to undermine it." She went on to denounce the president's decision to tweet about Yovanovitch. "People don't insult people, especially when they're giving testimony before the Congress of the United States." Brennan pointed out that the White House stated that Trump wasn't … [Read more...] about Pelosi says Trump’s Twitter attacks on Yovanovitch are part of “his own insecurity as an imposter”

W hen the Gundecha Brothers recently performed at the beach-side Spaces, the experimental arena set up by dancer-choreographer Chandralekha, the sea proved to be a great metaphor for their music. Like the long coast line, their voice has an extraordinary range, soaring and tumbling like the waves that lash the shore. They unravel the nuances of dhrupad as if sifting through grains of sand. Their steady and introspective notes appear like the night sky above the gleaming water. The brothers, Ramakant and Umakant, have been an intrinsic part of Chandralekha’s last choreographic work ‘Sharira’ since 2001, when it was conceptualised. They were in the city for her tenth death anniversary tribute festival. “Sharira came to us when we were on an inward journey, exploring dhrupad and our own musical sensibilities. It was important to save the art from decline, open up its repertoire and reach out to the contemporary audience. We began to find a meeting point for the dhrupad’s integration … [Read more...] about The Dhrupad revivalists