The year is 1976, and the family, Frank McKotch, an eminent scientist; his pedigreed wife, Paulette; and their three beautiful children have embarked on their annual vacation at the Captain’s House, the grand old family retreat on Cape Cod.
One day on the beach, Frank is struck by an image he cannot forget: his thirteen-year-old daughter, Gwen, strangely infantile in her child-sized bikini, standing a full head shorter than her younger cousin Charlotte. At that moment he knows a truth that he can never again unknown something is terribly wrong with his only daughter. The McKotch family will never be the same.
Twenty years after Gwen’s diagnosis with Turner’s syndrome, a genetic condition that has prevented her from maturing, trapping her forever in the body of a child, all five family members are still dealing with the fallout. Each believes himself crippled by some secret pathology; each feels responsible for the family’s demise.
Frank and Paulette are acrimoniously divorced. Billy, the eldest son, is dutiful but distant, a handsome Manhattan cardiologist with a life built on compromise. His brother, Scott, awakens from a pot-addled adolescence to a soul-killing job, a regrettable marriage, and a vinyl-sided tract house in the suburbs. And Gwen is silent and emotionally aloof, a bright, accomplished woman who spurns any interaction with those around her. She makes peace with the hermetic life she’s constructed until, well into her thirties, she falls in love for the first time. And suddenly, once again, the family’s world is tilted on its axis.
21st February 1952, around 9 am, students began gathering in the premises of University of Dhaka in defiance of Section 144 which banned public gathering. This gathering was because the then Pakistan government led by Jinnah’s successor, Governer-General Khawaja Nazimuddin staunchly defended the ‘Urdu only’ policy during a speech on 27 January 1952. Then later that month, at a meeting, the central government’s proposal of writing the Bengali language in Arabic script was vehemently opposed and the meeting’s action committee called for an all out protest on 21 February, including strikes and rallies, to prevent which the government imposed section 144 in Dhaka.
Later that morning, as armed police surrounded the campus, students gathered at the university gate attempted to break the police line. In retaliation, the police fired fired tear gas shells towards the gate to warn the students. A section of students ran into the Dhaka Medical College while others rallied towards the university premises cordoned by the police. The vice-chancellor asked police to stop firing and ordered the students to leave the area. However, the police arrested several students for violating section 144 as they attempted to leave. Enraged by the arrests, the students met around the East Bengal Legislative Assembly and blocked the legislators’ way, asking them to present their insistence at the assembly. When a group of students sought to storm into the building, police opened fire and killed a number of students, including Abdus Salam, Rafiq Uddin Ahmed, Sofiur Rahman Abul Barkat and Abdul Jabbar. As the news of the killings spread, disorder erupted across the city. Shops, offices and public transport were shut down and a general strike began.
Soon dissorder spread across the then East Pakistan as large processions ignored section 144 and condemned the actions of the police. During the continued protests, police actions led to the death of four more people.
Today, 21 February, which is a public holiday in Bangladesh is also called State Language Day or Language Martyrs’ Day which was also proclaimed by the United Nations in November 1999 as International Mother Tongue Language Day. In Bangladesh, on this day, people visit the Shaheed Minar, a solemn and symbolic structure erected at the location of the massacre in memory of the language movement which led to the country’s independence.
Languages, especially what we refer to mother tongue languages, which are the ones we first learn to speak with our parents and family are one of the most powerful ways to preserve and develop culture and to promote it all across the world.
With their complex implications for identity, communication, social integration, education and development, languages are of strategic importance for people and planet. Yet, due to globalization processes, they are increasingly under threat, or disappearing altogether. When languages fade, so does the world’s rich tapestry of cultural diversity. Opportunities, traditions, memory, unique modes of thinking and expression — valuable resources for ensuring a better future — are also lost.
At least 43% of the estimated 6000 languages spoken in the world are endangered. Only a few hundred languages have genuinely been given a place in education systems and the public domain, and less than a hundred are used in the digital world.
International Mother Language Day has been observed every year since February 2000 to promote linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism.
Languages are the most powerful instruments of preserving and developing our tangible and intangible heritage. All moves to promote the dissemination of mother tongues will serve not only to encourage linguistic diversity and multilingual education but also to develop fuller awareness of linguistic and cultural traditions throughout the world and to inspire solidarity based on understanding, tolerance and dialogue.
Every two weeks a language disappears taking with it an entire cultural and intellectual heritage.
Linguistic diversity is increasingly threatened as more and more languages disappear. Globally 40 per cent of the population does not have access to an education in a language they speak or understand. Nevertheless, progress is being made in mother tongue-based multilingual education with growing understanding of its importance, particularly in early schooling, and more commitment to its development in public life.
Multilingual and multicultural societies exist through their languages which transmit and preserve traditional knowledge and cultures in a sustainable way.
Today there is growing awareness that languages play a vital role in development, in ensuring cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue, but also in strengthening co-operation and attaining quality education for all, in building inclusive knowledge societies and preserving cultural heritage, and in mobilizing political will for applying the benefits of science and technology to sustainable development.
The theme for the 2020 edition is “Languages without borders”. Today, make it a point to communicate in the language you were first exposed to, your Mother Tongue. And if it is a language or dialect that is in danger of becoming extinct, then all the more, you owe it to yourself and the future generations to preserve it.
Here’s an interesting Youtube video from a TEDx talk by Dr. Colleen Fitzgerald who speaks about the future of endangered languages. Do watch it!
And another TEDx talk by linguist Mandana Seyfeddinipur on why endangered languages matter.
Having lost their mother in early childhood, the Gabaldón sisters consider Fermina, their elderly Pueblo housekeeper, their surrogate Grandmother. The mysterious Fermina love the girls as if they are her own, and promises to endow each with a “special gift” to be received upon her death.
Mindful of the old woman’s mystical ways, the sisters believe Fermina’s gifts, bestowed based on their natural talents, magically enhance their lives. The oldest sister, Bette Davis Gabaldón, always teased for telling tales, believes her gift is the power to persuade anyone, no matter how outlandish her story. Loretta Young, who often prefers pets to people, assumes her gift is the ability to heal animals. Tough-talking tomboy, Rita Hayworth believes her gift is the ability to curse her enemies. And finally, Sophia Loren, the baby of the family, is sure her ability to make people laugh is her legacy.
As the four girls grow into women they discover that Fermina’s gifts come with complicated strings, and what once seemed simple can confuse over time. Together they learn the truth about their mysterious caretaker, her legacy, and the family secret that was nearly lost forever in the New Mexican desert.
If you are like me, you have probably heard the phrases ‘Gig Economy’ and ‘Gig Worker’ bandied about quite frequently, especially in the recent years. So what does this mean? And especially what it measn to our children who will join the workforce in a few years from now? I got to find out and share with you.
A gig economy is a free market system in which temporary positions are common and organizations contract with independent workers for short-term engagements. The term “gig” is a slang word meaning “a job for a specified period of time” and is typically used in referring to musicians. Examples of gig employees in the workforce could include freelancers, independent contractors, project-based workers and temporary or part-time hires. The freelancer economy (or freelance economy) differs from traditional employment in that jobs are not permanent, but more specifically, the term relates to many one-off tasks or individual shift assignments.
In the 2000s, the digitalization of the economy and industry was carried out rapidly due to the development of information and communication technologies such as the Internet and the popularization of smartphones. As a result, on-demand platforms based on digital technologies have created jobs and employment forms that are differentiated from existing offline transactions based on accessibility, convenience and price competitiveness, the so-called Gig economy has become a focus. In general, “work” is described as a full-time worker with a set working hours, including benefits. But the definition of work began to change with changing economic conditions and continued technological advances, and the change in the economy created a new labor force characterized by independent and contractual labor, such as well.
So how does this Gig Economy work? Individually, a gig (an individual task, assignment, or job) represents a small portion of a worker’s income. When workers aggregate a variety of tasks or shifts for different clients or companies, their cumulative earnings can be similar to that of full-time employment. Others leverage short-term gigs as a way to earn a part-time income or supplemental income on the side. It works both ways, with workers seeking flexible, short-term working arrangements and companies seeking to hire temporary contract workers in lieu of full-time employees. What is the gig economy?
Increasingly, the gig economy operates on technology platforms that aim to connect workers looking for flexible work arrangements with the companies who need them in a centralized location, such as an app or website. Some platforms are focused on certain niches, such as hospitality and warehouse workers, dog-walking services, or other specific services, while others are broader, connecting gig workers with companies and clients for tasks ranging from housekeeping services to writing.
In the freelance economy, workers operate as independent contractors, meaning their clients pay them an agreed-upon rate for services rendered. In an independent contracting arrangement, workers are responsible for saving and paying their own taxes and aren’t eligible for the typical benefits of full-time employment.
Hate waking up early and working in a cubicle? You are a perfect candidate to be a gig worker. Those who leverage the freelance economy to earn or supplement their incomes often cite flexibility as the biggest appeal. When a professional isn’t committed to a single employer in a full-time employment arrangement, they maintain greater control over their work schedules thanks to the ability to accept only the gigs, assignments, or shifts that don’t interfere with their other commitments. When you work full-time, but want to supplement your income, you can easily pick up a few gigs in the evening or over the weekends. Skilled professionals can exert more control over their career trajectory by engaging in challenging projects and building an impressive resume of results, enabling them to secure higher-level and better-paying full-time positions. Many, however, simply opt to remain a part of the independent workforce thanks to the flexibility and earnings potential it affords them.
The rise of the independent workforce benefits not only workers but also companies who can reap the cost savings of enlisting short-term help to accommodate demand without the administrative costs of hiring full-time staff. Companies aren’t making employer contributions to retirement savings accounts, for instance, or contributing to the cost of group health insurance coverage for gig workers, so the overall cost of hiring help is often less compared to the cost of hiring a full-time employee.
When companies hire gig workers, they can easily leverage skilled professionals for specific, short-term projects who would otherwise be too costly for a growing company to maintain as a full-time staffer. Additionally, it boosts the economy at large by making it possible to deliver goods and services faster and more efficiently. Studies estimate that by the end of this year, 43 percent of the American workforce will consist of independent contractors. With digitization and automation threatening some traditional jobs, the freelance economy can provide job security, but not in the traditional sense. While that may seem backwards – you may wonder how can embracing temporary work possibly contribute to long-term job security – it pays homage to the idea that you shouldn’t put all your eggs in one basket; in the independent workforce, having your position downsized doesn’t mean you’ve suddenly lost your entire income.
Gig work is growing almost exponentially in developing economies, with this type of work growing by around 30 percent annually in such countries. Certain industries like IT tend to have more freelancers or gig workers than say marketing, but these industries are also showing a growing trend.
However, if you want to be a successful gig worker, you have to balance vitality and viability. What this means is that in most cases, being a gig worker can be a very lonely life, especially if you are used to being in a bustling office space with co-workers to chat with and have coffee and lunch breaks with. Of course, technology like Whatsapp and other messaging services have to a large extent mitigated this issue, but the human touch is still missing in most gig work.
You must also find your niche and utlise your existing skills and interests, but also follow your passions. Once you have done that, leverage on available technology and platforms, especially those that connect freelancers with the skills you posses to those who need them. Have a schedule. While most gig workers start freelancing because of the flexibility it offers them, having a daily schedule makes it easy for you to determine if you can complete the work in the timeframe either provided by the company or what you have promised your client. You also have to have a strict watch on your finances. You no longer have the stability of a regular job, so incomes may fluctuate month to month. Develop a system for documenting income and expenses and you will thank yourself during tax time. Also save what you can in months of plenty, so you can sit back and not worry during the lean times.
The gig economy offers abundant opportunities for the workforce and employers alike. The rise of the independent workforce is here to stay, thanks to technology advancements that make it easier than ever for workers to find temporary jobs that afford them the freedom and flexibility they want.
Lastly most gig workers work that way because they want to balance their lives and to them success is not just making a lot of money. So find the path that works best for you and you will be very successful in the Gig Economy.
The story begins in 1962. On a rocky patch of the sun-drenched Italian coastline, a young innkeeper, chest-deep in daydreams, looks out over the incandescent waters of the Ligurian Sea and spies an apparition: a tall, thin woman, a vision in white, approaching him on a boat. She is an actress, he soon learns, an American starlet, and she is dying.
And the story begins again today, half a world away when an elderly Italian man shows up on a movie studio’s back lot—searching for the mysterious woman he last saw at his hotel decades earlier.
What unfolds is a dazzling, yet deeply human, roller coaster of a novel, spanning fifty years and nearly as many lives. From the lavish set of Cleopatra to the shabby revelry of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Walter introduces us to the tangled lives of a dozen unforgettable characters: the starstruck Italian innkeeper and his long-lost love; the heroically preserved producer who once brought them together and his idealistic young assistant; the army veteran turned fledgling novelist and the rakish Richard Burton himself, whose appetites set the whole story in motion—along with the husbands and wives, lovers and dreamers, superstars and losers, who populate their world in the decades that follow.
Memories and Such 