Latest news with #Rath
Time of India
3 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Mamata Banerjee's Digha Rath Yatra sets off political chariot war
The Mamata Banerjee government is organizing a grand Rath Yatra in Digha. This event follows the recent inauguration of the Jagannath Dham Temple. The BJP accuses Banerjee of 'Rath politics' to gain Hindu votes. Banerjee plans to distribute Lord Jagannath's 'prasad' across Bengal. ISKCON supports the initiative. Preparations are underway with tight security for the Rath Yatra. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Digha: With the Mamata Banerjee government organising a mega Rath Yatra, a first of its kind in the coastal town of Digha in West Bengal, after the recent inauguration of new Jagannath Dham Temple in April, a 'chariot warfare' seems to have gained momentum in West Bengal, ahead of the 2026 assembly BJP has been very vocal in accusing Banerjee of resorting to 'Rath politics' as part of her efforts to consolidate the Hindu vote bank. And the chief minister is leaving no stone untouched. Arrangements have been initiated by the chief minister to distribute Lord Jagannath's "prasad" to all the people across Bengal. This move, though maligned by the BJP, is considered Banerjee's masterstroke to touch the hearts of all Hindus across the ISKCON vice-president Radharaman Das said Mamata Banerjee has brought mangoes and guava from trees at her own house and dresses for the deities at Jagannath Dham in Rath Yatra is very symbolic as the chariots represent the warships in Mahabharata's Kurukhetra's Yudh, and is emerging as the new battleground in Bengal's political people thronging from all across the state to Digha, preparations are in full swing with three chariots kept ready for the Rath Yatra. Banerjee attended meetings with Chief Secretary Manoj Pant, DGP Rajeev Kumar and ISKCON temple authorities on Thursday afternoon to monitor the preparations, ahead of the Rath Yatra on security arrangements have been made in Digha with fire brigades, police assistance booths and drinking water facilities made available. Security has been beefed up, with the Kolkata Police and civic police present in large numbers."Jagannath Dham is a holy pilgrimage spot. Jagannath, Balaram and Subhadra -- the three idols -- will be taken from the temple to the Rath on Thursday night. The road is a little narrow. The pujas will start after 9.30 am on Friday. The temple will remain open for pilgrims...," Banerjee said.
Tom's Guide
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Tom's Guide
Alexa+ reviewer pans new AI: ‘If this is Amazon's version of intelligent, I'm low-key scared for the future'
Announced back in April, Alexa+ looked to be one of the biggest developments in the AI assistant world. Amazon claimed it would be a whole new experience, assisting the whole family with everything from planning the week to buying tickets for gigs. Well, now Alexa+ is beginning its rollout. Reviewers are getting their hands on the new experience, and they have some mixed feelings about it. While we will be giving the service a full run-down in the near future, for now, let's see what people are saying about the latest AI service to see a public release. Opening up an article and seeing the phrase 'Alexa has become a glorified timer for many people, and its AI glow-up has not helped' is probably not the best start for Alexa+. The Street, a financial and tech news website, wasn't just unsure in their early experiences of using the new system, but seemingly in complete disappointment with it. 'Responses took longer, she got confused more easily, and at one point she responded to a weather question by playing a Pitbull song,' Cody Kline, the author of the article, wrote. 'If this is Amazon's version of 'intelligent,' I'm low-key scared for the future.' Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. As Kline goes on to point out, Alexa+ is still in its trial phase, and, in theory, most of these problems will go away in the future. But, it's not exactly a good start! A less brutal review from Wirecutter, but definitely mixed in its feedback. Kathryn Rath, the author of the article, talks through the improvements to Alexa's conversational skills, something that was altogether lacking before. 'My conversations with my upgraded Echo Show 8 have been longer than in the past, more layered with back-and-forth banter, and far more involved. Interactions have ranged from basic informational queries, such as for the weather and restaurant info, to nonsensical meme-fodder,' she said. 'For kicks, I asked how many rocks I could eat in a day, and Alexa+ helpfully informed me that eating rocks is bad. I also attempted to trick Alexa+ into believing that two plus two equals five, but it would not be swayed.' Rath also notes that there have been considerable improvements in the speaker's ability to pull on previous conversations, a feature that Amazon touted in its announcement of the tech. She goes on to praise the improvements across the board, showing Alexa has improved in its situational awareness and understanding of more complex requests. However, for a lot of people, the growth of a personality will be more annoying than beneficial. Alexa+ was previously, let's be honest, not exactly the smartest of smart assistants. Now, she can sass you and attempt to understand the emotion behind a request. 'My partner asked if Alexa+ could find 'mediocre recipes' for an 'average dinner.' Alexa+ picked up on his sarcasm and sassed him back, using phrases like 'recipes that are the beige wallpaper of the food world,' Rath said. 'In the moment we laughed, but as I've sat with the experience, I've come to find it increasingly unsettling.' One positive review and one negative, so what's up next? Our sister site TechRadar has spent a week with the device and has mixed opinions. 'It's far more conversational, willing to endlessly chat in its default, more natural, dulcet tones. It's jokey but full of useful information, and probably remembers more of what you tell it about yourself than your best friend,' Lance Ulanoff, TechRadar's Editor at Large, wrote. However, like many of the other reviews of Alexa+, the article goes on to point out that this is early days and that Alexa+ still has a long way to go before it is here in its official form. In his week using the device, Ulanoff used the improved version of Alexa to play generative games, analyse his smart home, and get smarter analysis of the news. Across the seven days, his review is essentially that this is a mixed yet very promising offer from Alexa — a hopeful take for those excited for what is to come. The Amazon Echo community on Reddit was quick to jump on this one, diving into conversations on the experience of Alexa+. 'I have Prime and upgraded. To be honest, I'm very unhappy with it. The conversation is great, it's much more natural and I can carry on without waking it again. However, many of the functions the old Alexa had are gone now,' said one user, beckerj99. To be honest, I'm very unhappy with it. The conversation is great, it's much more natural and I can carry on without waking it again. However, many of the functions the old Alexa had are gone now 'I used to be able to tell my Alexa to turn on the fan for 2 hours, and it would. Now it doesn't understand that. I had to make a routine to turn on my fan for 2 hours. Also, it doesn't seem to understand how to shuffle my playlists. I ask it to shuffle ,and it just plays from the beginning, no matter how many times I ask it.' Other users joined in with the criticism. With another user describing her voice as 'super creepy to me,' and that they are using it less and less. In fact, of the Reddit users on this thread, very few were positive about the experience that they had since upgrading. So, it's a bit of a cloudy picture right now. Sure, Alexa+ is delivering on some of its promises. It is more conversational and seems to work more efficiently than its predecessor. However, there is still a long way to go until it is a fully functioning system. In fact, based on the opinions of those on Reddit and The Street, it could just be a flop, even with more time. Hopefully with more time in development, this can become everything Amazon originally promised and more.
Calgary Herald
3 days ago
- Business
- Calgary Herald
Lawyer seeks to add Alberta corporations to list of plaintiffs in COVID-related class-action lawsuit
Alberta corporations negatively impacted by unlawful provincial COVID-19 measures should be added to the class of plaintiffs suing the government over business losses, a lawyer argued Wednesday. Article content Jeffrey Rath said there is likely a large group of corporations impacted by the measures who should be entitled to join a class-action lawsuit proceeding on behalf of individual business owners who lost money due to government actions. Article content Article content Article content Rath said concerns raised by Justice Colin Feasby and Alberta Justice lawyer John-Marc Dube that major corporations would join the fray are unfounded. Article content Article content He said adding corporations to the lawsuit, which Feasby certified as a class-action case last fall, would allow smaller mom-and-pop companies to be represented before the court. Article content 'Just because there are multi-billion-dollar corporations in Alberta should not mean that these smaller corporations should be precluded,' Rath said. Article content While major corporations have the resources to proceed with their own litigation, the vast majority of Alberta companies would be small operations, he argued. Article content 'There are lots of mom-and-pops running their own corporations.' Article content Rath, who currently represents a class certified by Feasby of Alberta business owners impacted by the measures introduced at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, said many smaller incorporated operations are in the same boat. Article content Article content 'They're still suffering from these orders. They're still suffering from a massive debt burden,' the lawyer said. Article content But Dube said the group would not be limited to just small corporations. Article content 'The proposed class of all corporations in Alberta run the whole gamut,' he said. Article content Last Oct. 30, the Calgary Court of King's Bench judge ruled the class action could proceed on behalf of individual business owners who may have suffered losses due to unauthorized restrictions imposed by the Jason Kenney government. Article content Feasby said the case can proceed on six common issues impacting all business owners affected by measures imposed by provincial cabinet and issued in the name of Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw. Article content In 2023, Justice Barb Romaine ruled the measures ordered were unlawfully imposed under the Public Health Act because the decisions to issue the CMOH orders were made by cabinet and not Hinshaw. Article content
Edmonton Journal
5 days ago
- Politics
- Edmonton Journal
'It's not great': Alberta independence movement takes hit in Olds byelection
Breadcrumb Trail Links Article content OTTAWA — David Parker, the founder of conservative activist group Take Back Alberta, said on Monday morning that, by the end of the day, Albertans would know the strength of the province's budding independence movement. 'It's not great,' he tweeted shortly before midnight, as the the last of the results trickled in from Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills. The rural Alberta riding, one of three up for grabs in Monday's provincial byelection, was closely watched for a potential separatist breakthrough. Article content In the end, the two pro-independence candidates on the ballot took home a respectable 19 per cent of the vote, but fell short of both major parties. According to preliminary results, the UCP's Tara Sawyer won easily with 61 per cent of the vote with NDP candidate Bev Toews taking home 20 per cent, edging out Republican Party of Alberta leader Cam Davies by 365 votes. Davies told the National Post that the third-place finish won't break his spirits. 'I see a lot of talking heads and pundits and pollsters that are all quite vigorously calling for us to pack it in. And I hate to be the bearer of bad news for them, but we're just getting started,' said Davies. He said going into the byelection that he was aiming for about 20 per cent of the vote. Davies, who favours Alberta becoming an independent constitutional republic, concedes that the Alberta Republicans' name and red colours may have tethered it too closely to U.S. President Donald Trump. Article content '(The branding) certainly did cause questions about what we were,' said Davies 'Did it leave an opening for others to spread misinformation? Absolutely it did.' Davies pushed back against assertions throughout the campaign that he wants Alberta to enter the U.S. as the 51st state, a claim he flatly denies. Davies, who lives in south Red Deer, said he'll be running in the next provincial election but hasn't decided which riding he'll run in. Wildrose Loyalty Coalition candidate Bill Tufts finished well behind the top three with just over one per cent of the vote. Most of the riding overlaps with Olds-Didsbury, where pro-independence candidate Gordon Kesler won a surprise byelection victory in 1982, becoming the only separatist to ever sit in Alberta's legislature. Jeff Rath, a lawyer with the pro-independence Alberta Prosperity Project, said that the easy UCP win was a testament to party leader and Premier Danielle Smith's continued popularity with the party's grassroots. Article content Rath says this popularity extends to the majority of the UCP's base that supports Alberta independence. 'Even at APP events, when Danielle Smith's name gets mentioned … people applaud and they're very supportive of her,' said Rath. Rath says that the province's separatist movement is 'appreciative' of Smith's move in April to lower the threshold of signatures needed to trigger a referendum on independence. He also said he expects Smith to come out in favour of independence once its advantageous for her to do so. 'She's a pragmatist,' said Rath. Thirty-five per cent of UCP voters view Smith as a separatist, according to a recent poll from Pollara Strategic Insights. Rath says he wasn't concerned by the Alberta Republicans' showing in Olds, and didn't think the Alberta independence movement needs a new party considering how comfortable most of those voters are with the UCP. National Post Article content Latest National Stories
Time of India
5 days ago
- General
- Time of India
For first time, wooden chariot to be used in Rath Yatra this year
1 2 3 Nagpur: For the first time a fully custom-crafted wooden chariot based on the famous Puri-style Jagannath Rath will be used for Rath Yatra to be held at Shri Jagannath Mandir in Rameshwari on June 27. The sacred spirit of Jagannath devotion is set to come alive as the Odia Samaj Nagpur gears up for a grand celebration of the festival from June 26 to July 8, promising a rich blend of tradition, devotion, and cultural vibrancy. This year's celebration carries a special significance, as for the first time, the revered deities — Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and Devi Subhadra — will ride a completely wooden chariot, inspired by the iconic 'Rath' of Puri, Odisha. "This chariot is a labour of love and tradition, entirely made of wood, reflecting the grandeur of the original design," said Bhabani Prasad Mishra, president of Odia Samaj, addressing a press conference. General secretary Ganesh Das added, "The spiritual journey will commence on June 26 with the Netroutsav or Nava Youvana Darshan, symbolising the rejuvenated appearance of Lord Jagannath after 14 days of ritual seclusion during 'anasara'." by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo On June 27, following the ceremonial 'Pahandi Bije', the Ratha Yatra will begin at 11.30am from Shri Jagannath Mandir, Rameshwari. The wooden chariot will traverse the surrounding localities and return to the temple premises, where mahaprasad will be graciously served to devotees. Adding devotional depth, the ISKCON Kirtan Mandali will accompany the procession with soul-stirring chants. As dusk settles, a majestic maha aarti will be held at 7pm, followed by a spirited live performance by Aaraadhya Dhol Tasha Dhwaj Pathak. The celebration will continue with sacred rituals such as Hera Panchami (July 1), Bahuda Yatra (July 5), Suna Besh (Golden Attire) on July 6, and culminate with Niladri Bije on July 8. Supplementing the rituals, a vibrant cultural calendar will feature traditional dances, devotional songs, and a captivating 'nrityanatika' by the Samaj's ladies wing, dramatising the divine tale of Mata Laxmi's Contravention. With over 5,000 devotees expected to participate, elaborate arrangements have been made to ensure the spiritual fulfilment and comfort of all attendees. Also present in the press conference were Odia Samaj vice-president BB Panda, cultural head Chinmay Patra, puja committee head Akshay Kumar Nayak, and mahaprasad incharge Prabhat Barik.
