1st Sikh in decades graduates Army officer school
By MICHELLE ROBERTS, Associated Press Writer Michelle Roberts, Associated Press Writer – Tue Mar 23, 7:37 am ET



SAN ANTONIO – The soldiers in standard-issue fatigues and combat boots stood side-by-side repeating their creed: "I am an American soldier. I am a warrior and a member of a team. I serve the people of the United States and live the Army values ...."

Capt. Tejdeep Singh Rattan was no different except that he wore a full beard and black turban, the first Sikh in a generation allowed to complete U.S. Army basic officer training without sacrificing the articles of his faith. He completed the nine-week training Monday after Army officials made an exemption to a policy that has effectively prevented Sikhs from enlisting since 1984.

"I'm feeling very humbled. I'm a soldier," said the 31-year-old dentist, smiling after the ceremony at Fort Sam Houston. "This has been my dream."

Rattan had to get a waiver from the Army to serve without sacrificing the unshorn hair mandated by his faith. An immigrant from India who arrived in New York as a teenager, Rattan said he hopes his military commitment will allow him to give back to his adopted home country and will help diminish prejudice Sikhs sometimes face in the U.S.

The Army in 1984 eliminated an exemption that had previously allowed Sikhs to maintain their articles of faith while serving, but officials can issue individual waivers to the uniform policy after considering the effects on safety and discipline, said Army spokesman George Wright. Only a handful of such individual religious exemptions are ever granted.

Rattan and Dr. Kamaljeet Singh Kalsi, who will attend basic training this summer after completing an emergency medicine fellowship, are the first Sikhs to receive exemptions in more than 25 years.

Rattan — who received a master's degree in engineering before pursuing a dental education_ and Kalsi both offer health care skills that are in high demand in an Army stretched by wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Rattan said he encountered no trouble from fellow soldiers during training.

"The Army is all about what you have to offer. If you're sitting back there, not doing anything, they're definitely going to talk about you. But if you're up there running with them, you have good scores, you run neck-and-neck with them, they love you," he said. "I made a lot of friends."

1st Sgt. Jeffrey DeGarmo said he made sure the officers-in-training in his unit understood that Rattan wasn't a foreign national and had received the Army's permission to maintain his beard and turban. Once the other soldiers understood that, there were no issues, he said.

"It went pretty well," DeGarmo said. "I think he did an outstanding job adjusting."

During training, Rattan wore a helmet over the small turban, which he doesn't remove, and was able to successfully create a seal with his gas mask despite the beard, resolving the Army's safety concerns, said Harsimran Kaur, the Sikh Coalition's legal director.

Rattan also worked with an Army tailor to create an insignia patch normally worn on soldiers' berets that could be affixed to his black turban, she said.

An estimated 300,000 Sikhs live in the United States. The unshorn hair wrapped in a turban and beard are required to keep adherents in the natural state in which God made them, said Amardeep Singh, director of the Sikh Coalition, a New York-based advocacy group that helped Rattan and Kalsi push for Army admittance.

The Sikh community has a long tradition of military service in India, from where most adherents originally emigrated, and in other countries, such as the United Kingdom and Canada. Sikhs represent 2 percent of India's population but make up about 30 percent of that country's army officers, Singh said.

Before the Army's regulation change in 1984, Sikhs served in the U.S. military during every major armed conflict going back to World War I. Those who joined before the change were allowed to serve with their beards and turbans, but the policy effectively prevented new enlistment of Sikhs, Kaur said.

The coalition continues to push the Army to change the overall policy.

"If government can say to someone, 'You can't serve, not for any reason that has to do with your abilities,' that sends the wrong message," Singh said. "We don't want to be perpetual outsiders."


Pics:

Just awesome music synthesizer stuff

http://www.incredibox.fr/

It's known as Honda Fit in North America.





Honda Jazz comes with a 1.2-litre i-VTEC engine which, features programmed fuel injection that delivers maximum output of 90 PS (66 kW) @ 6,200 rpm and torque of 110 Nm (11.2 kg-m) @ 4800 rpm while giving fuel economy of 16.1 km/l, as per ARAI test data.
Honda Jazz will be available in six colours and three types in – Jazz, Jazz Mode and Jazz Active.
The Honda Jazz also offers active and passive safety features including ABS (Anti-Lock Braking System) with EBD (Electronic Brake-Force Distribution System), Dual SRS airbags and pre-tensioner seat belts.
Honda Jazz comes with a refreshed new interior design, comfortable driving position, keyless entry, integrated music system, steering mounted audio controls, auto volume by speed, magic seats and driver’s footrest.





Honda offers a 4 years or 80,000 kms warranty with 4 years roadside assistance for all Jazz buyers.





Honda jazz Prices: – All Prices are Ex-showroom

Honda Jazz Price in Delhi/Gurgaon/Noida – Rs. 6,98,000/- Indian Rupee (INR)
Honda Jazz Price in Mumbai – Rs. 7,43,000/- Indian Rupee (INR)
Honda Jazz Price in Bangalore – Rs. 7,15,000/- Indian Rupee (INR)
Honda Jazz Price in Chennai – Rs. 7,18,000/- Indian Rupee (INR)
Honda Jazz Price in Kolkata – Rs. 7,14,000/- Indian Rupee (INR)
Honda Jazz Price in Pune – Rs. 7,24,000/- Indian Rupee (INR)
Honda Jazz Price in Hyderabad – Rs. 7,14,000/- Indian Rupee (INR)

Ik Kudi Punjab Di – Amrinder Gill [New 2010 Movie]

"Ik Kudi Punjab Di" this is the title of Manmohan Singh’s latest Movie. Its been in rumors that Maanji ie respected director Manmohan Singh ji is about to launch his project soon, but we have got confirmed info that the shooting is commencing January 14th, 2010 in Amritsar. After the success of "Munde UK De" we hope this movie also gives us some message and breaks all previous records.

Director – Manmohan Singh
Script and Screenplay – Manmohan Singh
Dialogs – Rana Ranbir
Camera: Arvind Bhakhri
Sound: Narinder Singh
Dance: Bhupi

Cast :
Amrinder Gill
Gurpreet Ghuggi
Jaspinder Cheema
Aman Dhaliwal
Deep Dhillon
Kanwaljeet
Navneet Nishan
Gugu Gill
Rana Ranbir
Gurpreet Ghuggi
Simrat

Music is by the "Music Man" himself Sukhshinder Shinda.
Lyrics: Amardeep Gill & Rana Ranbir.

Gallery

Miss Pooja is using her singing strategy in movies:


After having finished the shooting of her debut film Punjaban, Miss Pooja yesterday began the shooting of her next project Channa Sachin Muchin directed by imminent director Sh. Iqbal Dhillon. Shooting started at Chandigarh Group of Colleges' Campus at village Ghaduaan. Miss Pooja is the heroine in the film and opposite her is Goldy. A new face Jas is the villain in the film and Rana Ranbir is the comedian. The film is based on the increasing drug menace in Punjab.

Director : Iqbal Dhillon
Starring* - Miss Pooja, Goldy somal, Jas, Rana Ranbir

Release : June 2010

Pakistani Taliban behead 2 Sikhs

Two Sikhs Beheaded By Pakistan Taliban

PESHAWAR/ISLAMABAD: Two Sikhs who were kidnapped over a month back have been beheaded by the Pakistani Taliban in the country's restive tribal belt in a brutal act by the militants.

Some more members of the minority community are still in the custody of the rebels.

The body of Jaspal Singh was found in the Khyber tribal region, located a short distance from the provincial capital of Peshawar, while the body of Mahal Singh was found in the Aurakzai Agency, sources said on Sunday night

There was confusion about the total number of Sikhs who were kidnapped for ransom from the Bara area of Khyber Agency by the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan. A source said four Sikhs were abducted while another report said the total number of kidnapped persons was six.

The Sikhs were kidnapped 34 days ago and the Taliban had demanded Rs 30 million as ransom for their release. Two of the kidnapped Sikhs were beheaded after the expiry of the deadline for the payment of the ransom, sources said.

Gurvinder Singh and Gurjit Singh are still in the custody of the militants, sources said.

The kidnapping occurred in an area where there the government has virtually no control and the militants are in a dominant position, sources said.

A sizeable number of Sikhs lived in the tribal belt, particularly Aurakzai Agency, till the Taliban imposed 'jiziya' or religious tax on them last year. Most members of the community then fled to cities across Pakistan.

Sadly, this is the most entertaining their game has ever been.

Raptor Devours Cheerleader

Anybody seen this movie yet?

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Siyasat ft Guggu Gill - Punjabi Action Movie 2009

Title: Siyasat
Producer/Director: Sarabjit Beniwal
Release Date: 30 October 2009





Punjabi cinema is trying o catch up with Bollywood in more ways than one. Since sequels are in vogue, the makers of the Punjabi flick Rustam-e-Hind too are making its sequel, tentatively titled Siyasat. You will remember that the movie revolves around the intrigues and petty politics that bedevil the careers of budding as well as established wrestlers. Apart from actors like Guggu Gill, Donny Kapoor, etc, it had famous wrestlers like the Arjuna Award winner Jagdish Bhola and Parminder Dumcherri in the cast in order to lend authenticity to the narrative. Actor-writer-lyricist B. B. Verma points out that a lot of research on real-life wrestling heroes had been done to make the film a success. He promises similar inputs for the sequel which will depict real-life dirty politics that mars our sports scenario.

Tuesday afternoon, January 12th, the worst earthquake in 200 years - 7.0 in magnitude - struck less than ten miles from the Caribbean city of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The initial quake was later followed by twelve aftershocks greater than magnitude 5.0. Structures of all kinds were damaged or collapsed, from shantytown homes to national landmarks. It is still very early in the recovery effort, but millions are likely displaced, and thousands are feared dead as rescue teams from all over the world are now descending on Haiti to help where they are able. As this is a developing subject, I will be adding photos to this entry over the next few days, but at the moment, here is a collection of photos from Haiti over the past 24 hours. (48 photos total)

See Big Pictures

How a punjabi lady calls her husband, for the 7 years AFTER MARRIAGE

1st year….A G

2nd year….O G

3rd year……SUNDE HO

4th year…..O BUNTY DE PAPA

5th year….MAIN KYA SUNYA NAHI

6th year……….KITHY MARGAYE

7th year…………MARJANEYA AUNDA K MEIN AAWAN