SIKH GUARDS FOR QUEEN ELIZABETH

They're ready to lay down their lives for Crown and Country. And in doing so, Signaler Simranjit Singh, 26, and Lance Corporal Sarvjit Singh, 28 have become the first Sikh soldiers to protect Britain's Queen Elizabeth II.
So, visitors to Buckingham Palace, the queen's London residence, shouldn't be surprised to see the two blue-turbaned soldiers going about their duties.
In fact, Signaler Singh is the first Sikh ever to wear his turban on public duties protecting the queen and the crown jewels, says UK paper The Daily Mail.
He was posted at Buckingham Palace in May and was later joined by the lance corporal.
The soldiers serve with 21st Signal Regiment based in Wiltshire, while Lance Corporal serves with 3rd Regiment Army Air Corps based in Suffolk, respectively.

DHAKA SEE'S HEAVIEST RAIN IN 53 YEARS..PRAY & MAKE A DIFFERENCE

DHAKA, BANGLADESH: The heaviest rain in 53 years battered Bangladesh's capital on Tuesday, leaving at least six people dead and stranding thousands People cross a waterlogged street after heavy rainfall in Dhaka.
The national weather office said 13 inches (33.3 centimetres) of rain fell in 12 hours in Dhaka, an overcrowded city of about 10 million people - the most in a single day since 1956.
Live power lines snapped and killed at least six people, including two children, in central Dhaka, hospital authorities said. They gave no further details.
Huge snarls of traffic inched along, with people waist-deep in water. Commuters waded their way home or waited for hours to get transport.
"I've been waiting here for three hours for a bus to come," said Halima Khatoon, a garment worker in the city's Badda district.
The private television station reported that residents in low-lying areas were stranded in their homes. Trading on the Dhaka stock exchange was delayed for half the day, and schools in flooded areas were closed.
Floods caused by monsoon rains are common in Bangladesh, a delta nation of 150 million people.

HBO LEADS IN TV IN SHOWING HOMOSEXUAL CHARACTERS

NEW YORK – HBO scored highest among 15 networks for its representation of homosexual characters last season, according to a report released Monday.
In its third annual Network Responsibility Index, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation found that of HBO's 14 original prime-time series, 10 included content reflecting the lives of homosexual, bisexual, and transgender people. That totaled 42 percent of the network's programming hours, in series such as True Blood, Entourage and The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. By contrast, on NBC and CBS only 8 percent and 5 percent, respectively, of prime-time hours included them, the report said.
For the report, GLAAD reviewed all prime-time programming — totaling 4,901 hours — for inclusion of such characters or issues on the five major networks (ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox and the CW) from June 1, 2008, to May 31, 2009. The study also examined all original prime-time programming — 1,213 hours — on 10 prominent cable networks. The programming included dramas, comedies, unscripted fare and newsmagazines.
Cable's Showtime ranked second, with 26 percent of its programming hours featuring homosexual characters or themes. Series included The L Word, Weeds and The United States of Tara, a new comedy about a family whose teenage son is homosexual.

ABC got the highest ranking of the five broadcast networks, with 24 percent. It was the second year in a row that ABC led the broadcasters.
Among ABC series, the report cited newlyweds Kevin and Scotty on Brothers & Sisters, the engagement of Andrew to Dr. Alex Cominis on Desperate Housewives and bisexual Dr. Callie Torres on Grey's Anatomy.
The CW logged 20 percent, and the Fox network 11 percent, the report said.
Among the sampling of cable networks evaluated, TNT showed the largest growth, jumping to 19 percent last season from 1 percent the year before. This was largely due to its new drama series, Raising the Bar, which features homosexual law clerk Charlie Sagansky as a regular character, GLAAD said.
"Television shows that weave our stories into the fabric of the series present richer, more diverse representations," said Rashad Robinson, GLAAD's senior director of media programs.
In September, GLAAD will release its annual report evaluating homosexual, bisexual and transgender inclusion, and other diversity, among scripted characters scheduled to appear during the 2009-10 season.
Monday's report said TV characters in general are predominantly white, regardless of sexual orientation.

INDIAN CHRISTIANS CALLS AUGUST 23 ' PEACE DAY ' TO FORGET THE VIOLENT PAST

NEW DELHI, India – August 23 must be remembered as "Peace Day" to mark the murder of a Hindu fundamentalist leader and the ensuing violence that targeted the Christian community, says Archbishop of Orissa Raphael Cheenath.
Addressing reporters, the archbishop along with other like-minded people, called for a peace day in which the Indian people would "forget the past and build a harmonious society."
"The gruesome murder of [Swami Laxmananda Saraswati] destroyed peace and harmony. Let us unite and build a cohesive society," Archbishop Cheenath said.
The 84-year-old Saraswati was murdered on August 23, 2008, when Maoists allegedly opened fire at the Hindu monk and four of his aides at his Jalespata ashram. In retaliation, Hindu extremists blamed the Christian community and attacked the minority group, forcing thousands to flee their homes and churches.
To commemorate the day and express solidarity, Cheenath says Christians will take part in peace marches in different parts of the state. Fasting and prayers will also be conducted in churches.
“Orissa, known as the land of peace and harmony, was divided by criminals on religious lines. Their efforts must be thwarted and the minorities in India must be protected,” he said.
The violence last year against the Christian community left hundreds of houses were burnt, churches razed down and families injured. Dozens were murdered and thousands were forced out of their homes to the forests during the four month-long violence.
For the Christian community and the minority leadership, it’s not just the state and central governments that must declare Aug. 23 as peace day, but also the United Nations.

Indians Christians even called on the United Nations to declare the day as a “Global Day for Peace and Harmony” to ensure that such violence is not perpetuated on any community or individuals in any part of the world.
The Archbishop, meanwhile, told reporters that the situation was still tense in the riot-hit district and Christians were still feeling insecure considering the lack of arrests made during the anti-Christian violence.
He demanded that the government arrest the culprits and offer security and protection to religious minorities, their lives, property, institutions and places of worship.
Cheenath's plea was made not only on behalf of Christians but also for Hindu monks. Any violence against Swamijis and their disciples are misused to attack minorities and therefore the government must provide them adequate security, he demanded.

OLD CHURCH ' ALTERED ' FOR THEATRES IN NORTH TONAWANDA IN U.S

Old churches make great stages. Which is why you’ll find theater companies like Starry Night Theatre Inc. and Niagara University’s theater department performing in renovated 19th- and 20th-century churches
In 2001, Frieden’s United Church of Christ gifted Starry Night Theatre Inc. with their former church, on the corner of Schenck and Vandervoort streets in North Tonawanda, after they couldn’t find a buyer. The congregation moved to Amherst in 2000 because of declining membership.
Don Swartz, executive director, said it cost $100,000 in renovations to convert the church into Ghostlight Theatre. Swartz emphasized the importance of keeping the theatre “church-like” and preserving the original architecture amidst ongoing renovations.
“We tried to keep the integrity of the building,” he said. “Our building is still a church and looks like a church and that was something that was very important to us.”