Sunday, March 19, 2006
Big business strikes again! I am too shocked to be angry and too agonized to be coherent.Anita Roddick, has sold the Body Shop to cosmetics giant L'Oreal for £650 million. The Body Shop was the standard-bearer for ethics and values in business, and campaigned endlessly for an end to the testing of cosmetics on animals. The company's fundamental values of 'No Animal Testing', 'Support Community Trade', 'Protect the Environment', 'Protect Human Rights' will supposedly remain the same despite the takeover/sellout.
Meeting Anita Roddick two years ago at the Edinburgh Book Festival was a dream come true. What a woman! For years, she has provided hope and inspiration to small, alternative, non-mainstream businesses. She made us believe in the true power of one, gave us the strength to plug along, and fight for what we believe in. I think she was the only activist who truly "got it". A keen business sense, serious smarts, heart, soul, and no ordinary amount of passion - the lady is a legend. Hmmm, nothing like hyperbole to numb the senses. For a moment there, I forgot about the subject of this post.
Anita claims nothing will change. She says she is truly flattered that L'Oreal wants to alter the way they do business and wants Anita/ Body Shop to show them the way. In response to campaigners, employees, franchisees and all the millions who are horrified to hear the news, she says, "the campaigning, the being maverick, changing the rules of business, it's all there, protected. And it's not going to change. That's part of our DNA." And I think with all the franchisees and clients, they know me. They know I'm a maverick. They know I'm loud-mouthed on certain issues. They know I challenge The Body Shop in many ways. I am not and Gordon (her husband) is not going to do this relationship, this deal, if we didn't think and believe from our real heart that this was the best next stage for The Body Shop.
Anita, you're too smart to throw it all away but seriously, why couldn't you have taught L'Oreal about animal testing, fair trade, and ethics, without selling them the Body Shop? If they care that much about all this "stuff", why didn't they just hire you as a consultant? Why did it have to be an all or nothing deal?
I don't want to be a cynic or pass judgement without giving this deal a chance - but really, mega corporations do not give a flying fuck about anything other than Wall Street and winning. Will L'Oreal risk the "numbers" when Dame Anita tells them to stop testing on animals and to incorporate "fair trade" into their strategy? Companies don't become corporate giants by being nice and fair and just. This is just sickening.
Shattered :-(
UPDATE: A Day In The Life Of ... Dame Anita Roddick
Thursday, March 16, 2006
Reading an interview of Billy Bragg in the April issue of Utne, I came across the perfect word to describe 21st century society: POST-IDEOLOGICAL.Now I can live/die in peace knowing that there exists a single, pithy word to describe the depraved wasteland we call life.
Utne is an independent media company and totally rocks. Their mission: We believe that personal evolution is the key to social change. Our mission is to seek out and illuminate the essential information, people, and trends that will inspire our audience to take action to make the world kinder and greener.
Peace Out!
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Talk about language evolution! Just got this by e-mail ...;-)
hey hru n hwos life
sorry for mailing u like that
i got ur id frm forwarded mail so thaught to mail u hp u dnt mind
im "name withheld by beanz" wt do u do?
i wont ask for frndship ur reply will gonna gimme da ans
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
In an unprecedented act of kindness, Google has released a Blogger widget for Mac OS X. This is a non-post to test whether this thing actually works!
Update: It works :-)
Monday, March 06, 2006
I am told that everyone does it and that there's nothing wrong with it. Apparently, "dropping" a CV in response to an ad or just for the heck of it is totally acceptable despite the fact that you are employed elsewhere. Hmmm - either you get it or you don't and I guess this is one of those things that I just don't or rather, won't get.If CV dropping is acceptable, why is it always done on the sly? How come the people who will be most affected by someone's departure are always the last to know? Why can't people come clean and say, "I am looking around because I need more money, or I am bored here, or whatever? Because, they want to keep their options open!
I was informed recently, by a "trusted" employee, that he, like everyone else, has been sending his CV all over the place and has even gone to interviews, but NOT because he wanted to leave. Pray, why then? "Oh, just to see where I stand". Right! Self-esteem booster potion, at other people's expense. What crap. And what of the poor HR sod who has to sift through all these CVs, many belonging to people who are just checking out the scene and want to know what they are worth? Is his time and effort worth nothing? We all know how difficult it is to find the right people. So, when people who are happily employed go on these CV dropping trysts, just to gauge what someone else might pay them, an HR team is shortlisting candidates, conducting interviews, evaluating potential, discussing remuneration packages, etc. for losers who aren't even interested. And what about other potential candidates who may lose out? Is this decent, ethical behaviour?
Oh, and what of the "I respect you immensely and would never do anything to hurt you; you've always been like family" types? The ones who decide to move on (which is A-OK!), but don't tell you that they are planning some major changes until the day everything's done? Values, ethics, and business principles have been reduced to trite forms of nonsense that are found in annual reports and corporate corridors. Perhaps 1 in 6 million people "live" the values that they supposedly prescribe to. I guess I will be accused of being too sensitive and will be told "yay to hota hai". Haan, haan, of course hota hai bhai, I've been working since I was 15 and have encountered and dealt with every kind of wannabe, sleazeball, dumbass, and, it must be said, a bunch of absolutely stellar and wonderful people too. And I am in no way suggesting that people should not look for "better opportunities" but I do believe, with intensity, that there is a way to go about these activities. I guess this deceit-ridden world isn't for me, and like Microsoft Windows, I feel it should never have come out of beta testing.
Monday, January 30, 2006
In an earlier post, I had ranted about the horrendous "Rock Karachi Rock" non-event, but "hope springs eternal in the human breast" and I bought a ticket for the Bryan Adams concert, desperate to relive memories of the glorious 80s and 90s. So much was at stake for our city and I was nervous as hell. On the morning after the night before, I am now totally coherent, awake, and devoid of any hyperbole - Karachi has vindicated itself on all counts.The first security checkpoint was just after the Steel Mill entrance and a polite fellow checked our tickets. The second point required all of us to get out of the car for it to be checked out. This was done quickly and efficiently and resulted in a "security cleared" sticker. A number of small but meaningful details had been taken into account, in total contrast to my previous experience at the Arabian Sea Country Club:
- The parking area was mercifully illuminated
- There was a seating area for folks who either weren't going inside or had to wait around
- The woman checking handbags was not power drunk and obnoxious
- The volunteers swiping cards were extremely polite and efficient
- Food and drinks were available inside the venue
- Clearly labelled restrooms were easily accessible
- There was no one bellowing on the mike saying, "once you're in, you can't get out"
What staggered me was the fact that the concert started at 8:00 pm. Nothing in Karachi starts at 8:00 pm, let alone a musical extravaganza of this scale. No amount of kudos are enough for whoever made this happen. Shehzad Roy kicked off the night with his infamous "Saali" number, followed by a cover of "It's Only Words". He sang another couple of songs and was done by about 8:30 pm. Sound checks and what not followed and by 9:00 pm, the decks were cleared for BRYAN.
He belted out one hit after another in his signature, non-confrontational style and the crowd loved him. I am not so fond of his newer, mushy tracks but was thrilled with Run to You, Cuts Like a Knife, It's Only Love, I Need Somebody, Heaven, Kids Wanna Rock, Straight from the Heart, and of course, Summer of 69. He came back 3 times, by popular demand, and behaved like a real star. We Love You, Bryan. At one point, he announced that he was going to sing the opening lines of one of his songs and whoever recognized it, should raise their hands. Thousands of people had their arms in the air and he called upon a lucky, young lady to come up on stage and sing with him. Hats off to her - she did a great job, earning herself a big hug from Mr. Adams, and massive cheers from the crowd. He asked her a few questions about herself and promised t-shirts to all her friends, who of course, went totally nuts.
Bryan Adams said wonderful things about Shehzad Roy and Karachi, reminding us that none of this would have been possible without the efforts of our own countrymen. He told us that we sing very well ;-) and that music really has the power to bring people together. He also said he had no idea why they hadn't come before and he hoped this concert would pave the way for many more. The crowd was very responsive and well-behaved and there were no phaddas and bayhoodgees. Thank you, 25,000 Karachivaalas, for not screwing this up. We have proved to the world that we can have a good time as well as behave ourselves and hopefully, more class acts will come to our city, if we continue to act like civilized folk.
It was a great, great show BUT, it was marred by poor sound quality. The concert just wasn't loud enough and the balance was out. Sound makes or breaks a rock concert - this is very elementary and hopefully, someone important noticed and will strive for higher standards next time.
A huge round of applause for Zindagi Trust, Shehzad Roy, Nokia, ARY Digital, and all the other sponsors and organizers. Bryan Adams, THANK YOU for coming to Karachi despite negative travel advisories and plenty of bad press. Cheesy as this may sound, it truly was "a night to remember" :-)
Friday, January 06, 2006
I had been waiting patiently for almost a year to go and see "Jewel in the Crown - Karachi Under the Raj" at the Mohatta Palace. This was because I wanted to go with my Mamoo, who was due to visit Pakistan in December. Today was the big day! The Museum opens at 11:00 am so we excitedly got there at 11:05 am. There was a Rangers van parked outside and the guard shooed us off saying there was a "guest" in there and that we should come back after "a while". I wanted to get off and wallop him. After demanding to know what "a while" meant, he said, "come back in 30 minutes". So, we wandered around aimlessly and returned after about 40 minutes. We were "allowed" to enter then but I was still livid and wanted to know who the VIP was. Learned that it was Master Musharraf - His Royal Bilalness.It's absolutely ludicrous that visitors to the museum should have to find other things to do while the President's son checks out the exhibition. I realize that there are security concerns but then the Mohatta Palace staff should inconvenience itself not us, by opening an hour early or closing an hour late or asking the guy to visit on a Monday when they are officially closed.
I have heard that this guy Bilal is very humble and decent and shareef and tameezdar and all that crap. Does he know that people were turned away because of him? We planned our day really carefully, took time off from work, organized meetings accordingly and an hour's delay screwed things up. I would really be interested in hearing his views on this matter. We, the people, are supposed to be the beneficiaries of his father's enlightened policies. It's bad enough that each time a lowly bloody minister emerges from his house, traffic grinds to a halt and no one can budge until these misbegotten fools get to wherever they have to ... now, even the kids pull rank over the people. And this guy doesn't even live in Pakistan!!!!!!!!!!
This is so unacceptable. If I didn't have visitors with me, as well as my 81 year old grandmother, I would have created a scene. I think Nasreen Askari and the President's Son owe us an apology. If anyone who reads this blog has access to Bilal Musharraf, please forward this post to him and solicit his views. Am genuinely interested in knowing what makes these people tick.
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
Stevie J in a suit, on the cover of Macworld magazine's premier issue!!
My first computer was a Mac Plus with a single floppy drive, no hard disk, a black and white 9" screen, and 128 K of RAM. I used to have some kind of peculiar PC before I got my Mac in 1990 but it just sat there for a whole year as I could not get past the C:/ prompt. When the Mac Plus arrived, my entire life changed. I fell in love and discovered a whole new world.
For any Pakistani Apple groupies out there, Steve Jobs will address the faithful at Macworld San Francisco on January 10th 2006 at 9 pm Pakistan Standard Time. He shall not be wearing a suit. Hopefully there will be a live webcast, and in addition, several Apple-centric websites will be blogging the event as it happens. Stay tuned and keep the faith.
Peace and Love!
Friday, December 30, 2005
Espresso 2.0 has finally opened its doors. Located on Khayaban-e-Shahbaz (Defence, Karachi), Espresso's new branch has the same funky vibe as the Zamzama outlet but is much bigger. People of Karachi: Boycott Costa Coffee and help develop local enterprise.Went to the Canvas Gallery yesterday - it's a truly wonderful space, featuring an eclectic mix of paintings and even some photographs by Arif Mahmood. If you haven't been yet, do check it out - it's in one of the Hasan Homes townhouses, opposite the Ganda Nala in Clifton.
To stay quiet is as political an act as speaking out.
Arundhati Roy
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
I was chatting with Zak today and was moaning about the fact that I have lost my blogging spontaneity. In 2003, there was no pressure. Blogs were not cool and no one knew I existed. I used to write for me. Now I worry all the time about whether I am making sense or not. WTF! As Zak pointed out, I have an Articles section and rants about competition and corporations and human rights can go in there.OK, so I had a divine Almond Magnum last night. How's that for mundane fluff? Unilever Pakistan got sued last year by a local ice-cream company that claimed there is no cream in Wall's products so they can't be referred to as ice-cream! They won the case and all the Wall's products now carry the label of "Frozen Dessert".
My mamoo just arrived from London and brought me the Live 8 DVD set. Haven't had a chance to sit down and watch 10 hours of content at a stretch but have managed to check out Pink Floyd's rehearsal, Richard Ashcroft and Coldplay doing Bittersweet Symphony, U2 and Sir McCartney's Seargent Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, U2's Beautiful Day, Vertigo, and One, as well the backstage action at London's Hyde Park. So amazing to be able to relive those Live 8 moments without Nestle's orange juice ads. The DVD packaging is lovely.
Check out http://www.backingblair.co.uk/london_underground/ for a really funny and mean song about the London Underground.
Am totally and utterly impressed with the work of 26 year old Jonathan Harris. Do have a look: http://www.number27.org/index.html
Just saw a couple and a child go by on a motorbike. The child was the only one who had a helmet on. So, god (?) forbid, if they get into a nasty accident, the parents could potentially die owing to lack of head protection. The child might survive but he'll be a 5 year old orphan. Does that make any sense?
Sunday, December 11, 2005
It never pays to be macho and think that the elements can't get to you just because you're guzzling multi-vitamins. Us Karachi vaalas simply cannot deal with temperature change and so, have been fighting the flu for a week. To make matters worse, I was forced (I swear) into eating a big Mac and somehow, my stomach found out how my head and heart feels about McDonalds (basically, that it's amongst the nastiest corporations on earth and should be exterminated with immediate effect), and I threw up violently, after which my tummy has been dodgy for days.Attended the Beaconhouse Conference in Karachi and was on one of the panels. Shireen Naqvi asked me about one of my favourite topics: Competition. I had about 2.5 minutes to talk and spoke about how competition creates angst and why cooperation is a far better approach, m.e.g.a. (mutually exclusive goal attainment), the role of parents in creating little monsters, the Karachi Grammar School -> Harvard -> Citibank cycle of life, the need for creating supportive environments where everyone succeeds, and the misguided notion that competition is an inherent, human condition. Pro-social behaviour is consistently observed in toddlers and infants, who share toys and take turns in the playground so that lays to rest the idea that human beings are born with a competitive streak. More on this later ...
I am a big fan of Six Apart, founded by the husband and wife team of Ben and Mena Trott. Their company develops the way-cool publishing platform, Movable Type and they also do TypePad and LiveJournal. Anyway, a while back, they had some server troubles and customers faced difficulties in publishing their blogs. Here is how Six Apart dealt with the problem:
Customer service on high-intensity steroids! Now if only Mobilink could learn from this and actually do something tangible about its core offering, i.e. providing cellular services to customers, instead of palming off last year's stock of Blackberrys to wannabe business folk, life would get a whole lot better.
I met someone last night who was admiring the Indian kurta I was wearing. I promptly started raving about one of my favorite Indian retail outlets, FabIndia, and she said, oh, the next time you send for things from there, get me a few blah blah whatevers. So I said, well, you should go yourself and check out the place. She said, array bhai, never. There are too many Hindus in India and I can't deal with them. There are a few living in my apartment block and I tell you, it's such a problem. What if they touch your clothes or come into direct contact with you? Naheen, naheen, I really can't cope with them. Ok, I know that there are people like this in the world. However, it is absolutely traumatic to come into contact with them. I moved away from her, frothing at the mouth, but uncharacteristically, said nothing. The least I should have done was to ask her how her ridiculous morality, or whatever it is that gets these people's groove on, permits her to consider using products produced by Hindus. Anyway, she is not welcome in my house, EVER.
AAAAAARGH. Am too livid to think coherently any more.
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
Testing the new version of Firefox (1.5 for Mac and Windows). Not blown away yet - was hoping it would look and feel more like a Cocoa app but it doesn't. There are a lot of under-the-hood improvements, apparently but I don't use it that much so can't really tell the difference.Tuesday, November 29, 2005
We got a new HP laser printer yesterday and I have fallen in love with the double-sided printing feature. The unit is neat, compact, and Ethernet enabled. Mac OS 10.4 comes with pre-installed drivers for almost all HP printers so no installation was necessary. The Windows folk needed to install all sorts of stuff off the CD. Hah! Would rather have spent the money on having the office painted but our previous printer just dropped dead. Well, there is pleasure and pain involved in being in perpetual bootstrap mode but give me this over complacency any day.Abu Mohammad, Munshi Raziuddin's son, came over this afternoon to pick up a fax and to have a chat. They will be touring India soon and after that, will jet off to California to perform at Stanford and then New York. I think I should become their manager - will get to tour the world, listen to great music, and learn Farsi from Farid Ayaz.
In other mundane news, I hate the fact that Flash-powered sites totally kill a web browser's built-in functionality. Obviously, if you "right-click" on a Flash-based navigational object, you get the Flash menu which allows you to do a bunch of useless things like "Zoom In" and "Print". DUH. I don't hate Flash any more, but I wish its contextual menu would incorporate things like, "Open in New Tab", "Add Link to Bookmarks", and "Copy Link Location", etc. After Adobe and Macromedia merge, we'll probably be inundated with Flash-enabled PDFs and the World Wide Web will sink.
Apple's new product, Aperture, is now shipping. The screenshots look gorgeous. An Adobe employee (!!!) , John Nack, writes: "Aperture is a cool product, no question. Apple's designers have a great aesthetic, and their marketing is second-to-none." Was pretty impressed to read this kind of stuff on a corporate Adobe blog. Read the full reaction ...
Finally found a nifty product for downloading complete websites and viewing them offline. Site Sucker for the Mac is tiny, does what it says, and it's totally free. Oh, also found Broadband Optimizer ... maybe it's my imagination but my broadband connection is definitely more sprightly now. Even if nothing has actually changed, perception is truth, so I am pretty pleased. Oh, absolute favourite software discovery for this quarter: Flying Meat's VoodooPad. It's a must-have for anyone who misses Apple's original Notebook and Scrapbook and loves wikis. FlySketch, also written by Gus Mueller, Flying Meat's founder, is also awesome. Gotta love this new breed of Mac developers who write real-world Cocoa applications and keep the spirit alive. THANK YOU!
Am reading a whitepaper entitled (oh, how I hate that word) "Information Objects: Applying Cognitive Load Theory and Object-Oriented Thinking to Information Design". Feel like I am at school. At least I don't have to feel terribly guilty printing such stuff out now thanks to the new duplex printer.
Read an interesting article over on Wall Street Journal's Online Edition: Some Students Find Themselves In Principal's Office Over Blogs - "As parents wring their hands about Internet predators, many teens are worried about a different kind of online intruder: the school principal". The disruptive effects of social networking tools, portable media, file-swapping, instant messaging, are mind-boggling. The establishment is scrambling to figure out the new game in town and just can't churn out rules fast enough. WE ROCK!!! Check out another great article over at Slate: The Rules of Distraction.
"There is nothing stable in the world; uproar's your only music".
Keats
Saturday, November 26, 2005
My mother, who works at the Teachers' Resource Centre, told me a peculiar story yesterday. TRC recently launched a certificate course on Early Childhood Education for in-service teachers and my mother has been going on evaluation visits to the schools of the course participants.One of the private schools she went to yesterday has just taken in a fresh batch of three year olds and it was their second or third day at school. My mother was wandering around with a notebook and a pencil and each time one of the girls would see my mother and that pencil, she'd come up and stick her hand out and say "star". This happened three of four times!! This is no reflection on the school really, because the child has just joined. But what kind of reward-oriented, stick and carrot home does this poor kid come from? She's three for god's sake!!!!!! She's probably rewarded with "stars" in the form of material goods as well, each time she eats her food without fussing, goes to bed without howling, performs for guests by rattling off the alphabet in 30 seconds, or whatever it is that makes parents proud these days.
When my mother used to teach at the Karachi Grammar School's Kindergarten section, she rebelled against the system and never gave stars to any of the kids. Lest anyone think she was mean and cruel for not dishing out gold stars to three year old babies, all the children she taught still remember their Aunty Mimi fondly, as do their parents. What she did, in lieu of the artifical, destructive reward system, was to pique the natural curiousity of children, give them a chance to ask questions, express themselves, help them make decisions, listen to them and their ideas (something teachers never do), give them the confidence to explore unchartered territory, not brand them as "difficult" or "slow", not tower over them as adults tend to do, not sit behind a teacher's desk - the list is endless - and the children have not forgotten - even though most of them are over 25 years old now. Yes, yes, I am very proud of Aunty Mimi and wish she could spend most of her time with children rather than mean, power-hungry, agenda-toting adults.
"Rewards" are extremely dangerous when used thoughtlessly and indiscriminately. It's just that they're very convenient and people can't be bothered to think of less damaging ways to let someone know that they've done a great job. First! Second! Third ... and, oh, the remaining 27 kids: You can just go home and try harder next year, but remember, because you aren't very bright, we can't waste any time on you. We have to get our A-grade students into Harvard and Yale and that's going to keep us quite busy.
Please try and read Alfie Kohn's fantastic book: Punished by Rewards - The Trouble with Gold Stars, Incentive Plans, A's, Praise, and Other Bribes. It is an eye-opener and extremely relevant.
Friday, November 25, 2005
It's good to be back, and thank you all for the warm welcome :)Off I go now on one of my random streaks ... btw, the reason my blog posts don't have titles is that I find it too constricting to talk about any one thing in a post. Occasionally I can focus but don't want to be tied down. Jakob, chill out and learn to relax for a change.
Zakintosh and I have been talking about earthquake donations and he raised the highly important issue about corporate accountability. Everyone is extremely concerned, rightly so, about government transparency, especially with reference to the President's Earthquake Relief Fund. What about all the corporations that claim they will match customer donations and do all sorts of noble things with the money we give them? How do we know where the money is going and whether they are actually doing what they have pledged to do? I am not a hopeless cynic, and hopefully, they are doing "the right thing". However, anyone who has donated has a right to know where their money ends up. Corporations and their marketing/PR departments have a warped sense of ethics so it is in everyone's best interests to demand corporate accountability. I now look forward to being flamed ;-)
There is a new movie out called Wal-mart: The High Cost of Low Price. CEO, Lee Scot and top Wal-mart execs started getting frantic months before the movie's release. The company's voluntary response to Katrina earned them some brownie points and according to Geoffrey Colvin of Fortune, the "giant retailer isn’t evil - just caught up in the global economy". Hmmm... He goes on to say that the movie is a "ham-handed snore with none of the humor, craft, or story sense that made Moore’s film (anti-GM rant - Roger & Me) so engaging."
Is Wal-mart helplessly caught up in the "global economy"?
Countless large corporations, in collaboration with academia, governments, the military, the church, and the media, have created and tweaked the global economy to gain total control over the hearts and minds of "consumers". Yes, of course consumers have choices. They can switch off the TV, they can choose the corner grocery store over Wal-mart and they can say NO to McDonalds. But when there is a grand, synchronized plan, deployed and managed by faceless behemoths, consumers don't stand a chance. The rot sets in early, when children start going to school. That's when the "dumbing down" process begins and it's all downhill from there ...
Yes, I am in a bad mood.
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
OH WOW. I can publish posts again :-)Haven't blogged in ages because every time I'd try and publish a post, Blogger would say "Error: Broken Pipe". Things seem to be resolved now. OK, this is a selfish, just-for-me post.
Finished Tarun's book a few weeks ago. If you haven't read or heard of "Alchemy of Desire", go to http://taruntejpal.com for details. Have always loved T's political writings but MY GOD, his first piece of "fiction" just blew me away. It's a big, fat, arm breaking hard-back but it is totally un-put-downable. I was happily reading every comma, fullstop and semi colon, and was expecting to finish the book over the Eed holidays. Hmmm ... the book suddenly went into overdrive and inadvertently, helplessly, I went on an 8.5 hour marathon and finished the book a day before Eed, at 6:00 am. I felt so cheated - suddenly it was all about finding out what happens in the end. Will they, won't they and a hundred other questions. Will need to read at least a quarter of the book again and savour it properly. Tarun, you are a rockstar, boss, and I love you. "Sub theek ho jaey ga".
Am reading Thomas Paine's Age of Reason and a Stanford University piece on Game Theory (latest fascination).
Saad Haroon, a dear friend, who started Black Fish, has launched a new initiative called Open Mic Nite, designed to provide a platform for aspiring comedians, musicians, poets, etc - everyone gets 5 minutes at the mike. Great fun and lots of good stuff. Black Fish is also back in action and lots else is happening on the stand-up comedy scene in Karachi. Great! We all need to laugh.
More in a bit ...
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
Earthquake updates, news, resources, initiatives, stories have been shifted to Earthquake 2005 - Get Involved.Send messages about anything to do with the earthquake and relief efforts to sabeen@bitsonline.net
Please add this banner to your blog or website and spread the word.
It is amazing how Pakistanis all over the world have come together in an unprecedented manner in response to earthquake relief initiatives. It just shows that people can mobilize and act when there is direction. Karachi's citizens, especially, have outdone themselves.
While we have heard countless stories about transporters and cloth manufacturers exploiting the situation to make more money, as well as news about greedy looters, there are innumerable people, companies, associations, NGOs, etc. who are out there making a difference. Some people think the Government is not doing enough. I think they are doing the best they can. That may not amount to a lot because of inherent inefficiences but I don't think it's for lack of trying. President Musharraf cannot afford to drag his feet on this ... especially after his disastrous rape-related faux pas. Let's quit complaining and questioning agendas - well, other than KFC's - and do something for the victims.
To everyone who is raising funds, organizing relief supplies, conducting rescue efforts, and rehabilitating survivors: may the force be with you. Peace!
The quarter page ad says:
Let's make a difference - Join hands with KFC in supporting the Earthquake victims. As a small gesture, KFC Pakistan will donate Rs. 10 on every Combo sold in October, 2005 towards this cause.
It is absolutely pitiful. "small gesture" is spot on. In fact, they should have said, "miniscule, meaningless gesture". It's Ramzan. It's already the 12th of October. Only on Combos. How much money do they expect to raise with this disgraceful non-effort? WTF???
The ad agency, brand manager, and senior management should die of shame. I am so glad KFC is not my client.
Monday, October 10, 2005
Full marks for inappropriateness - this Dairy Queen sign was put up today!!
Have also just received a note from a friend who is apalled by the City FM 89 branding on the wristbands. I think they had already been produced for something else. Would anyone from the station care to comment?
Mobilink Earthquake Relief Fund
Contribute Rs. 10 + tax to the Mobilink Earthquake Relief Fund by sending a blank SMS to 180.
City FM 89 Wristbands
We just received our bands - they're pretty cool. Wasn't expecting them to be this decent. Send for your band today. They are available in red, white, and black. Rs. 100 only! Contact insiya.syed@cityfm89.com
Friday, September 30, 2005
s u b c o n s c i o u si feel surreal, trapped in a post gen X, geeked out haze. i want to be in london in a gap store. this doesn't imply desire for or dependence on the machine that churns out uniforms for misguided wretches stuck in a capitalistic world they helped create
linearity sucks. deadline this, client that.
transcendental
transatlantic
trance
transvestite
transnational
transcribe
translate
transaction
transmute
transsexual
translation (lost in)
transmit
seems like i am trying to make a statement but really, all i want is to be free
the jazz rendition of bolero is superb
the body doth protest
we are not the same, equality is a myth
i am totally inefficient today, and that, in a way, smacks of conformity to an established situation
what shall i drink? what can i drink at 11:27 in the morning
money, cars, penthouses, suits, bling bling - you know where to run, i've got a story like everyone
barbie dolls, pink walls - decay
does everyone have problems with apostrophes?
i know someone who spell checks instant messages
send me an SMS expands into "send me a short message service" - which is dead wrong
chaste
cannabis
delete
trivia
exalt
mindfuck
ideology
luther
clockwork orange
in transit
immortal
shehzad roy's saali number is a pr stunt to get attention. it's working baby - the nation has gone apoplectic ...
The most famous example of barter was peter minuit's swap in 1626 of $24 in beads and trinkets for the island of manhattan. its property value in 1993 was assessed at $50.4 billion
ufffff is a sub-continental expression that simply cannot be explained to those who don't get it
getting it is a complex thing. what is "it"?
caps lock
shift
control
tick tock tick tock tick tock - are we living in a box?
tech monoculture
wasteland
creaky bones
bollocks
grandiose
gosht ka lothra
mao
che
toynbee
dateline london
rocket seeds
feta cheese
widgets
the shit has missed the fan
Thursday, September 15, 2005
The President of Pakistan has a website through which you can send messages to him. The Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) office reads the messages and routes them as they see fit. I beseech everyone who reads this blog to PLEASE go to the Write to the President section and express your views about the recent statements the General has been making about rape whilst on his grand trip to New York.Also, please can we brainstorm ways to protest meaningfully? Standing outside the Press Club is going to achieve zilch. What can we, as a connected, articulate, media/net savvy community do to make our voices heard? We need a new movement. C'mon people! Let's move our backsides.
Here is what I have just sent in ...
This is with reference to the statement made by President Musharraf regarding rape:
"You must understand the environment in Pakistan. This has become a money making concern. A lot of people say if you want to go abroad and get a visa for canada or citizenship and be a millionaire, get yourself raped."
Messages expressing shock and horror after reading this "gem" are pouring in from all over the world. However, for the most part, we feel utterly helpless. It's one thing to aim to project a "soft image" of Pakistan but making ruthless, inconsiderate, chauvinistic, and totally untrue statements like this doesn't help our cause.
Claiming that rape is an issue all over the world doesn't justify the actions of those who victimize and torture other human beings and nor does it eliminate the need for the Pakistani Government to repeal unjust laws or take action against those who commit heinous crimes in the name of religion and honour.
I want to know exactly what this statement means. Would whoever answers these letters please deconstruct it for me and "explain it to me like I am 5 years old". Does the President really believe this? Does he genuinely believe that women who get raped are "in it for the money"? Are people so desperate to go abroad that they'd willingly allow themselves to be violated in the most horrifying fashion? If this is what Pakistani society has come to, why are we bothering to try and change anything? The sheer obnoxiousness and crassness of this statement still hasn't sunk in and a lot of us hope that the General has been misquoted.
I live in a city beset by crime and violence - every women runs the risk of getting raped - now we know, of course, that no one stands a chance of recourse to the law. The highest authority has spoken - it's all about the Canadian visa. Mr. President, the least you can do now is to apologize and assure us that you didn't mean what you said. The damage has been done, but, please, tell us you're sorry and that you made a BIG, FAT mistake by making that hideous, shameful statement.
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary world that
Somehow I have to find
And as I try to make my way
To the ordinary world
I will learn to survive ...
Ordinary World - Duran Duran
egalitarian |iˌgaləˈterēən| adjective of, relating to, or believing in the principle that all people are equal and deserve equal rights and opportunities.
But - are people really equal? Morally, emotionally, intellectually? And if not, then why should everyone be treated equally? What happens when someone kicks you in the backside? What is "correct" and "appropriate" for one usually doesn't make sense to another. Do you continue to be a "chay" and go out of your way for them and treat them as equally as you would someone who hasn't YET kicked you in the backside? Vaisay, it's all merely a matter of time - sooner than later, everyone WILL kick you in the backside. It's all about timing and learning to sidestep the really brutal kicks.
Do your kids a favour ... don't teach them that honesty, goodness, patience, and hard work pay off. This is a fairytale. I am not suggesting that lies, nastiness, and slacking off are the way to go - however, if you plan to be decent and reside on the "stupid" side of the moral twilight zone, please don't expect life to work out for you - it just doesn't.
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
"She drives me crazy ..."
(in a nice way)
Monday, September 05, 2005
Tarun Tejpal (Tehelka) has been to hell and back - in the name of the truth. These words help me get through the worst days ...
Friday, September 02, 2005
What say you?A South African inventor, Ms. Sonette Ehlers, has created a device to snare rapists. South Africa has the world's worst sexual assault record and the former medical technician contends that the rape problem is so severe that women cannot wait for male attitudes to improve.
The 'rape trap', trademarked 'Rapex', is a condom-like device bristling with internal hooks and is concealed inside a woman's body. It hooks onto a rapist during penetration and must be surgically removed. The inventor claims that "the rape trap would be so painful for a rapist that it would disable him immediately, enabling his victim to escape; but would cause no long-term physical damage and could not injure the woman".
The device has caused considerable controversy in South Africa and some say that Ms. Sonette Ehlers deserves a medal, while others say that she needs help.
The complete article ...
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
Ever since my ill-fated trip to Dhaka, I haven't had the energy to write and have been, perhaps, trying too hard to think of profound things to say. Attempts at intelligence have failed so am going to blab away for a bit just to break the silence.Got infuriated at an article about the G8 Summit/Live 8/Bob Geldof in the Herald a couple of months ago. The writer "slammed" Bob Geldof and said something like, while Live Aid was very successful, Sir Geldof has made a fool of himself with Live 8. Raising money is a lot easier than raising consciousness and awareness. And besides, he did his bit, in the way that he knows best. What did we do?
Lovely little excerpt from Winnie the Pooh: "Poetry and Hums aren't things which you get, they're things which get you. And all you can do is to go where they can find you." - Winnie
b.i.t.s. has a new, alternative website up that can be accessed by going to http://www.bitsonline.net and selecting "The Indulgence Website".
Bought a tub of Hico vanilla icecream the other day and the lid looked like this:
Lots of possibilities, depending on which way you look at the shape ...
Dhaka was very trying - it's a poor, filthy, hot, humid, over-crowded city and very different from how my mother remembers it. However, meeting Shahidul Alam again, as well as all the Drik people, was hugely inspiring.
Shahidul took us on a boat ride on the Boorhi Ganga river and encountering Haroun the Boatman was one of the few highlights of my trip.
Haroun is 40 and has been transporting people back and forth, across the river, for the last 25 years. He used to sell pots and pans but gave it up after he realized that the only way to survive in that business was by being corrupt. He wasn't willing to do so and switched careers after a 5 year struggle with the pots and pans mafia. Heard lots of other horror stories about how the poor are exploited - such as the ex-army officer who has "qabza karoed" a water pipe and sells dirty water to slum dwellers and makes Rs. 40,000 a month. Obviously, he has many other "enterprises".
A few weeks ago, a tiny bird got stuck inside my lounge. She was really cute but completely devoid of brain cells. It took her over 12 hours to get out.
Later ...
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
To those who haven't been to see War of the Worlds yet, DON'T!!!! The movie was a 116 minute special effect. Yes, the special effect was stunningly good but then, if a movie is being made in the 21st century, with Steven Spielberg directing it, would you expect anything less? After the initial "wow, how cool is that" - a feeling that lasted all of 15 seconds, the crowd at Nishat Cinema ended up being more entertaining.On a much, much happier note, I have just discovered Coldplay. It feels like an eternity since a contemporary band produced a decent album. Almost all the songs in X & Y are listenable but particularly appealing are Fix You, Speed of Sound, and Swallowed in the Sea. YAY!!!!!!!!!
Meanwhile, half a billion songs have been sold and legally downloaded from the iTunes Music Store.
If you are an aspiring activist and are looking for inspiration and ideas for direct action, get hold of We Are Everywhere - The Irresistable Rise of Global Anticapitalism. "We Are Everywhere is a book of stories written by activists from the front lines of resistance against capitalism and economic globalization, tales of struggle and rebellion from participants in a movement of movments that is gaining ground on every continent. These stories, told with both words and pictures, have been collected over the past three years by a collective of activists, writers and artists, all of whom have deep connections to the movement."
“It is not only by shooting bullets in the battlefields that tyranny is overthrown, but also by hurling ideas of redemption, words of freedom and terrible anathemas against the hangmen that people bring down dictators and empires …” - Emiliano Zapata, Mexican revolutionary, 1914
Friday, July 15, 2005
Disclaimer: This is going to be a very "random", stream of consciousness post as I am feeling totally fragmented. It is also important to justify the lack of titles on this blog.Green Day is a politically aware, in your face, musically correct band. They were part of Live 8's global concerts and performed in Berlin. Listen to American Idiot, Holiday, Time of Our Lives, and Boulevard of Broken Dreams.
Anything I say about the London bombings and the arrests of Muslims of Pakistani origin will be trite. Some express outrage, others wonder why the world reacts so strongly when 50 people die in Europe, and overlapping groups question the motives of the fundamentalist, religious right. I am currently uncomfortably numb.
"Cause it's a bittersweet symphony, this life. Trying to make ends meet, you're a slave to money, then you die." The Verve
Spent three days in Dubai. Bigger, Better, Brighter, Taller, Longer - More is More!
Watched Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Don't attempt to analyze this movie. It's popcorn Hollywood at its best and totally rocks. It's all about chemistry and Ms. Jolie and Mr. Pitt make the screen sizzle. Damn that blasted PG13 brigade.
Apple's iTunes Music Store is counting down to 500 Million Songs. The lucky sod who downloads the 500 millionth song gets:
- 10 iPods
- A Gold 10,000-song Gift Card for the iTunes Music Store
- 10 additional 50-song gift cards to go with the iPods
- Four Coldplay Tickets with front-row seats
- Coldplay “Back-stage” Passes for a meet ’n’ greet with the band
WOW! I'd sell the iPods as I already have three and save the cash for Apple's first Intel-based Powerbook. I haven't commented on Apple's massively publicized, highly dramatic ditching of IBM for Intel - was too emotionally drained after following a live blog of Stevie J's keynote address to the faithful in San Francisco and then watching a webcast a few hours later. To all the sorry people out there who think Apple will suffer from the Osbourne effect, get your facts straight. It's a bold, risky move and that's the Macintosh Way. If Steve hadn't thrown out those hideous floppy drives when the first iMac was launched, (yes, I did hate him for a few days), there would be 3 and a half USB devices in the world today. More Power To Those Of Us Who Dare to Dream!
This post is being interrupted by the Bangladesh consulate - have applied for a business visa and they wish to interview me.
Peace!
Friday, July 08, 2005
The leaders of the world's eight richest nations have concluded their summit with the promise of a package of measures including a $50bn (£28.8bn) boost to aid, and debt-cancellation for the poorest nations. They also plan to forge fairer trade deals in the future, to increase access to Aids treatment and to provide a $3bn aid package to the Palestinian Authority.
Responds to G8 Communique
Make Poverty History has become an unprecedented movement of passion, energy and solidarity. Never before have so many people in the world come together, fully united in demanding action to end poverty, with a roar for justice that they felt was impossible to ignore.
Today the G8 have chosen not to do all that campaigners insist is necessary to free people trapped in the prison of poverty. Important steps have been taken - steps that will bring hope to millions. But more action is urgently needed if they are to play their role in bringing about real change for the world's poorest people and consigning extreme poverty to the history books. To secure a deserved place in history, the G8 must go a lot further and secure real change by working with other world leaders at the UN summit on the Millennium Development Goals and talks around the World Trade Organisation. The people of the world are already on the road to justice. They expect their leaders to be with them. Today's announcement has shown that the G8 need to run much faster to catch up.
Read more on the Make Poverty History website ...
Rock musicians Bob Geldof and Bono, who have spearheaded a global push to tackle African poverty, broadly welcomed a pledge on Friday by the Group of Eight (G8) nations to double aid to Africa.
"The people have roared but the G8 has whispered," said Kumi Naidoo, chair of the Global Call to Action against Poverty.
"To save lives is never a whisper.
People were screaming before, a whisper is not a bad thing.
Please, perspective!
Never before have so many people forced a change of policy onto a global agenda.
If anyone had said eight weeks ago: 'Will we get a doubling of aid? Will we get a deal on debt?' People would have said 'no'.
I would have said no.
Today is a great day for those ten million people (who will be saved)."
"Six hundred thousand people will be alive to remember this G8 in Gleneagles who would have lost their lives to a mosquito bite," Bono said, referring to the difference he thought the extra aid would make to fighting malaria.
Read more reactions on BBC's website ...
Tuesday, July 05, 2005
Sir Bob Geldof: We salute you! May the force be with you, eternally.2nd July 2005 was the day that LIVE 8 rocked the world in 9 countries across 4 continents. 20 years after Live Aid, Bob Geldof demonstrated, yet again, the true power of one. Around the world, an estimated 3 BILLION PEOPLE tuned in to watch LIVE 8, the greatest musical show ever. The concerts took place in London, Paris, Philadelphia, Berlin, Rome, Barrie (Canada), Tokyo, Johannesburg, and Moscow. The artists included U2, Annie Lennox, Sir Elton John, Sir Paul McCartney, Sting, Madonna, REM, The Who, Roxy Music, Andrea Bocelli, Cold Play, Bon Jovi, Dido, Bryan Adams, Green Day, Youssou N'Dour, Sheryl Crow, and, and, and ... PINK FLOYD.
Some words from Sir Bob Geldof:
"This is not Live Aid 2.
These concerts are the starting point for The Long Walk To Justice, the one way we can all make our voices heard in unison. This is without doubt a moment in history where ordinary people can grasp the chance to achieve something truly monumental and demand from the 8 world leaders at G8 an end to poverty.
The G8 leaders have it within their power to alter history. They will only have the will to do so if tens of thousands of people show them that enough is enough. By doubling aid, fully cancelling debt, and delivering trade justice for Africa, the G8 could change the future for millions of men, women and children."
We never, ever, thought this would happen but "pigs flew"! David Gilmour, Roger Waters, Nick Mason, and Rick Wright reunited, after 20 years, for LIVE 8!!!!!! They performed Breathe, Money, Wish You Were Here, and Comfortably Numb - it felt as if they'd never been apart. I couldn't stop shivering the entire time. At the beginning of Wish You Were Here, Roger Waters said, "It's actually quite emotional, standing up here with these three guys after all these years, standing to be counted with the rest of you. Anyway, we're doing this for everyone's who's not here, particularly, of course, for Syd" [Barret]. When he started singing the second part of Wish You Were Here (... and did they get you to trade your heroes for ghosts, hot ashes for trees, heartache for a cool breeze, cold comfort for change, did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage?), I fell off my bean bag. Pink Floyd, without a doubt, is the best rock band in the world and even though they're old and grey, they are simply spectacular.
U2, Pink Floyd, Sting, Madonna, Elton John, Robbie Williams, Annie Lennox, Sir Paul McCartney, Dido, Green Day, and REM turned out magical performances. The superstars, the real rockstars of the day were the old folk, the icons. The pathetic, mindless creations of corporations, acts like Destiny's Child, were pitiful. However, apart from a few idiotic performances, including Mariah Carey, LIVE 8 was, beyond a shadow of a doubt, the most phenomenal experience imaginable. Fuck the cynics who question whether any of this will make a difference. "NOW IS THE TIME, THIS IS THE YEAR - OUR LEADERS HAVE THE POWER TO END POVERTY - BUT WE HAVE THE POWER TO MAKE THEM USE IT."
G8: THE WORLD IS WATCHING!
Sting sang a fantastic, reworded version of Every Breath You Take ... "Every single day, every word you say, every game you play, every night you stay, WE'LL be watching you. THIS TIME WE'LL SEE, IF OUR DEMOCRACY, IS JUST A GAME YOU PLAY, NO MATTER WHAT WE SAY!"
I want to say a very special thank you to ARY Digital and The Musik for broadcasting LIVE 8 absolutely live for 10 hours and 25 minutes. Of course, the advertising was extremely disruptive and ill-timed and could have been handled more sensitively, but that's a topic for another day. After 1:00 am, the advertising disappeared, so another round of applause for ARY.
Will any of this matter to the 8 chaps getting together at GlenEagles, Scotland? We'll find out soon enough but in the meanwhile, the least we can do is support the cause without cynicism. Visit live8live.com and BBC's detailed coverage of the LIVE 8 event for more information.
Monday, July 04, 2005
Shame Karachi ShameAccording to all the advertising, The Bombay Rockers, Fakhir, and Atif were meant to Rock Karachi on the 3rd of July. The hugely publicized event was in the frickin' boondocks, way inside the Steel Mill, and we had been asked to come early to avoid long queues and inconvenience. The concert was to start at 8:30 and end by 11:30 pm. We got there at 8:00, always hopeful, that one day, someone would shock us and begin on time. We were greeted by Mr. Fakhr-e-Alam informing us to eat, drink and piss, before entering the gates as we wouldn't be allowed out, once in. The food hadn't arrived at the time and only some ridiculous energy drink brand was on display. The "gate" was a space that allowed a single individual to squeeze through at a time. After having our passes scanned by fancy bar code scanners and computers, we got through and parked our butts on the grass of the Arabian Sea Country Club.
From 8:00 to 9:30, we were treated to Sony Ericsson advertising pumped out of 50+ speakers. A few RJs from City FM 89 did their damndest to keep the crowd entertained but for fuck's sake, no one had paid 1500 bucks and driven for hours to listen to Talha and Masooma play pre-recorded noise. Meanwhile, the people of Karachi kept arriving in dribs and drabs and there were no signs of the show beginning. The crowd outside kept being assured that the concert wouldn't begin without them. CHARMING. The message here is, don't fucking bother to be punctual, we'll wait for you, even if you're two hours late.
By 11:00 pm, Mr. Junaid Mumtaz's "sufi techno music", (it wasn't music and it wasn't even vaguely spiritual) had numbed our brains to a pulp and we decided to leave. We were then treated to a spectacle at the "gate". The scanners had long been discarded, and there were hundreds of people outside, including families with little children, practically climbing on top of each other, trying to get in. There were no exits and we couldn't get out!!!!!!! It took shmoozing with an Intelligence Officer and 3 guards and 30 minutes to get the hell out of that nightmarish place. There were still hundreds of people pouring in and even more at the Steel Mill entrance about 5 km away from the venue. Thanks to them we left without having heard a single note of music from the performers of Rock Karachi Rock.
Live 8, a musical extravaganza that took place in 10 countries across 4 continents kicked off on the dot of 1:00 pm on the 2nd of July, as announced, in London's Hyde Park with Sir Paul McCartney and U2. Folks, we're just not ready ... for anything.
Sunday, June 26, 2005
Went to get my Passport on Saturday 25th June. The Passport Office in Saddar Karachi is open from 9:00 am till 2:30 pm, all days except Friday, when they close at noon. I got there at 8:30 am so I could be amongst the first in line. If you are male, you should definitely go early. They ushered us in at 8:55 am. There are two lines for men, one for ladies, and one for senior citizens (60 and above).I got my new Machine Readable, RDIF-enabled Passport at 9:27 am. The famed "religion column" is on the Annotations page along with the previous passport number. The passport also contains a letter, sans punctuation, from the Ministry of Interior:
You can collect a passport for an immediate family member as long as you have their original ID card and the all important TOKEN. Signatures at the back of the token are mandatory. The "brokers" outside charge Rs. 200 to retrieve passports. My poor mother has still not gotten her passport, even though it is ready. They have misplaced her datasheet (the printout with all her information and signature) and can't locate it anywhere. They have looked everywhere, including at Awami Markaz. Why can't they just print another copy?
1. Ze Rahmat Kun Nazar
2. Teri Yaad Hai Mun Ka Chayn Piya
3. Khabar-e-Tahaiyyur-e-Ishq Sun
4. Aashiq Na Shuddi Jalva-e-Jaanan Che Shanaasi
Every year I give myself another year to make it to the cover of Fortune - somebody, PLEASE call them and tell them to come and interview me! I promise, I am a real entrepreneur, really!!
Friday, June 24, 2005
Good Morning Pakistan!!LAHORE: GROOM LETS HIS FRIENDS RAPE BRIDE AS REVENGE ...
In an act of revenge, a woman was gang-raped with the consent of her in-laws by three people on her wedding night in Dera Ghazi Khan town in central Pakistan, police said. Ghulam Hussain, the father of the victim Kaneez Kubra, said his daughter was married to Mujahid Hussain on April 28, as ordered by a panchayat (local jury) under the wani custom since her brother Abdul Majid had sexual relations with Mujahid's sister Sumera.
After the wedding, Kaneez went to the groom's home. Her husband stayed with her in their room till 11 pm and then left. Afterwards, Mujahid's grandfather Shahroo Khan and his mother Mukhtar came in and told the bride that the wedding was just an excuse to exact revenge on Majid for outraging Sumera's modesty. Mujahid then invited his three friends Muhammad Rafiq, Shabbir Muhammad and Abdul Majid Almani, who gang-raped the bride. The next day, Mujahid took her to the house of his friend Ghulam Mustafa, who also assaulted her.
On April 30, when Ghulam and other relatives arrived to take Kaneez back as per tradition, she related the story to her father. Investigation Officer Zulfikar Ali Qureshi said the police were making raids to arrest the accused but they had left the area and gone into hiding after the case was registered against them.
Comments from colleagues ...
1. What concerns me most is it's becoming 'just another news' these days ... One of those that raises another what-are-we-becoming question ... and then we'll get back to work and will look for updates on what's happening with the lady and her family and what the police are doing and what not ... another lunch hour discussion topic.
Qs: What if the lunch hour discussion focused on what can be done?
Ans: Yes, but I get the strong feeling that the authorities are making sure whatever can be done is NOT done ... do we really have a say? Will we be heard at all?
2. Don't know what to say and feel; this is a barbarian act - what the hell is going on around us? Where is the humanity? Can we call ourselves "HUMAN"? I really doubt it. Can we do something about this? Can we set up a website to narrate these truths which don't even make it to the so-called daily newspapers?
3. Oh god, my head is spinning and am feeling like I am going to throw up :-(
My highly judgemental and possibly obnoxious responses
To Person 3: This is not about you.
To Person 2: Feel violated. Feel angry. Pissed off people change the world (Tom Peters). Those of us who are human can do our little bit. Yes, you CAN set up a website and although you have amazing programming capabilities, I'd suggest you expend your energies on research and awareness building rather than on building a site. Go to www.blogger.com and set up a new blog. It takes three steps. Speak up, write, say something. Document and archive news that does get published - at least it will serve as a resource for activists and journalists. Use the Internet and the momentum it can create for something more than helping corporations sell ice-cream and tea .
To Person 1: While I agree that the "authorities" ride rough shod over most things, do we actually say or do anything? To pre-determine that nothing can be said or done, or rather, that anything we say or do will have no impact is a total cop-out. What kind of impact are you expecting? Do you think that speaking out publically, or writing a letter to the editor of a newspaper, or marching for peace will put an end to global warfare? And if it won't, does it necessarily follow that we should not bother doing any of the above and more? It is this attitude that has contributed to Pakistan having no civil society. Meray kucch karnay ya bolnay say kiya farq paray ga? Chorro yaar, kucch naheen badlay ga, yay mulk hee baykar hai. Macro-level, seismic change will not be visible for decades but "if we don't change our direction NOW, we will land up exactly where we are headed". Margaret Mead's words, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has", are really cool to have as an e-mail signature, but it would help if people really believed in the power of one.