Moscow Chamber Orchestra
While in Thailand, I enjoyed the special concert of the Moscow Cnamber Orchestra under the famous conductor, Maestro Constantine Orbelian. He did a fantastic job in conducting the group that he brought together to play in Bangkok in February to celebrate the 80th birthday of the King of Thailand. For this occasion, twenty-five great musicians played superbly the Tchaikovsky”s Serenade for String in C Major OP.48 and Sarasate”s Zigeunerweisen OP.20, arranged for violin and orchestra with the young Alexander Sitkovetsky playing the lead violin, and Federico Mondelci playing the saxophone. Mondelci recieved a standing ovation from the audiences at the Thailand Cultural Centre when he played the Argentinian Libertango arranged specially for saxophone and orchestra.The wonderful music played by the Moscow Chamber Orchestra are now in CD under the titled: Piazzolla, and the Stars of the Moscow Chamber Orchestra. I agree with the New York Times review that the “dynamic Moscow Chamber Orchestra” is one of the world’s great ensembles.
Filed under Art, Travel | Comment (0)Aspects of Apartheid
Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians has been of concerns to many of us working for the United Nations for over two decades. There was a United Nations General Assembly Resolution linking Zionism with Racism two decades ago but it did not stop the Israel Government’s policy of occupation and domination of the Palestinian people. On Friday, the Israel Government representative again accused the newly released of Human Rights Report on Israel human rights abused of Palestinians by John Dugard, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights, as “one-sided” and “rank politicization of the UN’s human rights apparatus”. The new UN report stated that Israel’s law and practices “resemble aspects of apartheid”. John Dugard knows better than anyone what it is like for the people who live under Apartheid for he used to work as professor of Law in South Africa before accepting his UN assignment to monitor Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians in the West Bank. It is important that we should not stay quiet on this matter. We should continue to urge the Israelis as member of the United Nations to respect human rights and to stop the practice of tight control over the flow of goods and movement of the people in and out of Gaza, which added to the existing economic problems and unemployment. Arnold Vercken, official of the World Food Programme, also alerts us that the poorest Palestinian families are now living a meager existence totally reliant on assistance from international communities, and that the number of Palestinians receiving UN food handouts has risen significantly. He reports that the World Food Programme alone is feeding 600,000. The world community should not only help the Palestinians with food and life necessities, but should also speak up and take action to prevent the Israel Government from “suffocating” the Palestinian economy, and “abusing” the human rights of the Palestinian people which drive them more and more into the life of poverty and desperate actions, harmful to themselves and others and to world peace.
Filed under United Nations, World Affairs | Comment (0)Human Activities Impact on Global Warming
The report of the new United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPPC), released in Paris earlier this month, gives us a new guide to support our global and national action in dealing with the common problem of global warming. It confirms that human activities are responsible in the increase emissions of carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and other greenhouse gases. International scientists have been monitoring this alarming global phenomenon since mid- 20th Century. But we can see evidence of global warming ourselves by observing the temperature increased, in many parts of the world, the widespread melting of snow and ice, and the continuing rise of sea level. There is an urgent need to find ways to stop the polar ice from melting, which lead to 4 to 6 meters of sea level rise. For the next two decades, scientists project that a warming of about 0.2 degree centigrade per decade, and that many changes in the global climate system during the next century are likely to be larger than those observed in the past century. Although action have been taken by the European Union for emission reduction, but many islands developing countries are concerned that the sea level will continue to rise for centuries to come even if greenhouse gas concentration were to be stabilized. It is important for us to follow the important work done by the Task Forces on the National Green House Gas Inventories and on New Emission Scenarios. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO), and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) have done a good job to alert the World of the environmental impact of global warming. We can follow worldwide efforts by the governments and non-governmental organizations through the work of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Filed under Environment, United Nations, World Affairs | Comment (0)Should Husband and Wife Be Allowed To Rape Each Other?
It is incredible that the Thailand’s Justice Ministry drafted law that legalizes rape by both spouses. For gender equality, the Justice Department said that wife is also allowed to rape the husband. The National Legislative Assembly criticized this draft law last week and set up a committee to revise the proposed amendments. For me, no one should be allowed to rape another person, married or not. An endorsed marital rape by any country is totally not acceptable. A man or a woman has an equal right to be in control of their body. This is part of showing respect of the International Bill of Rights. Thailand being member of the United Nations should make sure that the new draft law on rape complies with the Human Rights Convention.
Filed under Funny, Gender Issues | Comment (1)