Director Steven Spielberg has been awarded the illustrious Patron of Culture for 2004 honour by the city of Krakow, Poland - for saving the livelihood of a celebrated pharmacy owner who risked his life to protect Jews throughout the Nazi occupation.
The Jewish film-maker was a long-term admirer of Pod Orlem pharmacy owner Tadeusz Pankiewicz, who gave food and medicine to the Jewish population and helped some residents escape during the war. And Spielberg was horrified to learn the pharmacy - which was converted into a museum in 1983 - was risking closure, so donated a staggering $40,000 to preserve it.
The city's residents are so grateful for Spielberg's support, they presented him with the prestigious gong at a ceremony on Tuesday night. Krakow spokesman Filip Szatanik says, "We are trying now to revitalise old Jewish districts in Krakow where people lived before the war. This support from Mr. Spielberg will help us to do this better."
Saving the Tigers from extinction It was a hurriedly organized citizen’s meeting at Guwahati Press Club, where serious concerns were expressed at the increasing trend of poaching and killing of wildlife in various parts of Assam.
The EIP factor - what you should learn from it When we grow older, or get older for the sake of the argument, we tend to start seeing the world only from one side. We tend to believe, no, not believe but know, how things are done. If you are smart, you understand that it shouldn't be that way, you understand this is wrong.
Whether we want to admit it or not, even now, in year 2012, there are still big gender biases in some fields of life. While it's generally understandable that men should do more heavy lifting than women and knitting fits a bit better for the women (even though I am aware even here there are many people who want to disagree), art is one of those things where our gender really should not play any significant role at all. And within the past decade things have started to change even on this front and even on the more conservative arenas such as Bukowskis - the top Nordic auction house.
