NWFP = Pakhtunkhwa

NOTE: When the following images are the result of renaming a province, the change is not appreciated.

CNN rates Tiger Woods no. 9 on Hot Topics

Number NINE on Hot Topics? This is UNACCEPTABLE! Shouldn't he be in at least the top five? Who cares about the dying people in Somalia, or the call for revolution in Thailand, or the Kyrgyz president being accused of murder? Just as long as they're updated about Tiger Woods' career. Although, he is pretty impressive, the fact that golf is included in "Hot Topics" when the above mentioned issues exist, is just saddening. Why? Because it is the audience who determines what is newsworthy.

Somalia has been without an effective central government since President Siad Barre was overthrown in 1991. Years of fighting between rival warlords and an inability to deal with famine and disease have led to the deaths of up to one million people. Yesterday, five Ugandan soldiers serving in the peace-keeping mission in Somalia were injured during a battle with militants who attempted to enter their camp in Mogadishu. About 34 soldiers have been killed since the force first deployed in March 2007. Of these, 17 were Ugandans.

There is political turmoil roaring in Thailand. On April 10, more than 20 people were killed in clashes, and several bombs exploded in a business district. Also, just this week, five grenade explosions killed two and injured dozens of people. Thailand is facing a serious political crisis, with civilians and members of the military clashing in the streets. The king of Thailand, King Bhumibol, the world's longest reigning monarch, wields little political power, but is revered and enjoys immense popularity. He calls on the judges to restore stability to his country.

On April 7th, the Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiev government ordered troops to shoot at opposition demonstrators gathered outside his presidential office in the country's capital, Bishkek. More than 80 people were killed and hundreds were wounded. Bakiev resigned and fled his country. Kyrgyzstan's interim government has charged him with mass murder and stripped away his immunity from criminal prosecution. Bakiev "can also be charged with abuse of power"  said Azimbek Beknazarov, the deputy head of Kyrgyzstan's interim government. However, the ex-president is still in absentia.

On the other hand, Tiger Woods would like to thank his fans for their support during the Masters earlier this month after his absence from golf since his sex scandal broke in November. He writes on his blog, "I honestly didn't know what to expect from the fans, but they were absolutely incredible, it was unreal. They definitely helped me mentally be more comfortable out there … To get that type of warmth is something I did not expect and will never forget." Well, glad we could be there for you tiger. Now, how about some encouragement and support for the Ugandan troops, Thai civilians, and Kyrgys people?

Restaurant Rejects "Gay" Dog

An Australian restaurant was fined for turning away a blind man because they thought his guide dog was a gay dog. The Equal Opportunity Tribunal ruled that the Thai Spice restaurant in Adelaide must pay Ian Jolly almost $1,400 for barring him from eating because of confusion about the sexuality of his guide dog, Nudge. Thai Spice owners, Hong Hoa Thi To and Anh Hoang Le say trouble arose when one of the waiters misunderstood a request made by Jolly's partner, Chris Lawrence. They claimed an employee misunderstood her Australian accent and thought she said "gay dog" as opposed to "guide dog". In a statement, the staff says they genuinely thought Nudge was a regular pet who had been desexed to become a gay dog. Even though, the restaurant had a 'guide dogs welcome' poster on their entrance and were shown pamphlets about the guide dog by his owner, they resisted. They were fined and ordered to attend an Equal Opportunity Education course.

Seriously? How thick can you be?

M.I.A.'s "Born Free" Video BANNED

Watch the video..

http://www.popeater.com/2010/04/27/m-i-a-born-free-video/

Mind Blocked

The idea of logic and thinking scientifically started way back in time during the Rennaissance when philosophers started focusing on human beings and humanism. Further along in history, during the Enlightenment, people started experimenting and coming up with ways to make their lives better. Then, the industrial revolution came about and people were blown away by the power of man and his conquest over nature. However, Pakistani society these days is completely mind blocked. If you get into an accident and break a leg, you thank God that the other leg was not harmed. Why not prevent the accident in the first place? I understand that sometimes there is just nothing one can do, but there are many preventative measures that Pakistan has failed to take regardless of their availability. For example, Chile's 8.8 magnitude earthquake and Quetta's 3.7 magnitude earthquake should seriously be setting off a flare for Pakistan to get its safety measures up. But how many earthquake-resistant buildings do you see in Pakistan, or even in Karachi? Not many. So, have we not reached a period of enlightenment or has illiteracy reached a new level? Or are we just poor with too many corrupt leaders with the wrong priorities?

On the other hand, there are some signs of hope shown in the following excerpt from February 5, 2010’s Science Magazine:

"Some engineers want to rethink the basic materials used in developing countries. Darcey Donovan advocates replacing concrete walls with load-bearing straw bales. Her nonprofit group, PakistanStraw Bale and Appropriate Building, erects 7.3-m-by-7.3- m houses in northwest Pakistan, which was ravaged by an earthquake in 2005. The bales are stacked and bound together top to bottom with a fishnet, which keeps them from slipping apart during shaking, then plastered over. Her team has built 11 houses so far, with six more coming. The design recently survived, with minimal damage, a violent test on a shake table, a large platform that simulates earthquakes. Because the tough, fibrous plantsused for straw are ubiquitous, Donovan believes the bale design could easily be exported, and her team is discussing traveling to Haiti."

Waqar from MBA: GIVE ME MY PHONE BACK!

Last month, my cell phone was stolen from SZABIST. An MBA student by the name of Waqar found it lying in the cafeteria and picked it up. He called the most recently dialled numbers and said he found this phone and would like to return it. He was told to leave the phone with the guard, instead Waqar chose to simply keep the phone. When I called my number, he picked up and said he would return it tomorrow as he has another class. He continued leading me on this way and kept up my hopes of seeing my phone again for another few days then shut it off and refused to pick up any calls. There is absolutely no logical reasoning behind this persons actions. Of course it was my fault in not getting adequate information from him and forgetting my phone in the cafeteria in the first place, but it makes no sense to tell me that he's going to give it back when he had no intention of doing so.

On a larger scale, Karachi is like paradise for cell phone snatchers. According to Citizens Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) at least 0.4 million mobile phone sets were snatched from Karachiites over the last two years out of which 24,000 mobile phones were recovered due to joint efforts of CPLC and police. CPLC Chief Ahmed Chinoy told PPI that during past two years, over 0.4 million citizens contacted the CPLC and requested to block SIMs of their snatched mobile phones. However, the given figure is nowhere near the actual number of cell phone's stolen since it only reflects the complaints of the educated class. Even if that figure is considered, it adds up to almost 550 cell phone snatchings every day, which gives us a glimpse of the freedom enjoyed by street criminals in Karachi and the inability of police to contain the crime.

Freedom of Speech

Privacy: A God Given Grace

How much privacy does one really have? Take the example of media; they constantly harass celebrities and important figures about their personal lives for plain entertainment. Some argue that celebrities give up their right to privacy in order to become famous, so they shouldn't complain about invasion of personal space. However, twisting facts and adding juice to stories are common acts of disgrace for the journalism industry.

Another concerning breach of privacy are security cameras. Although, it may be difficult to see them as harmful spying devices when they're installed for one's own protection, the question lingers: who is watching us? For example, recently, cables were installed in the Navy Housing Scheme, Karachi for security cameras. Are security cameras in housing compounds really necessary? Are they really going to be watching the houses and/or windows at all times in case of burglaries?

Social theorist and philosopher Jeremy Bentham's design of the panopticon tower --a type of prison building--in 1785 reflects the paranoia that comes with security cameras. He designed it so that all prisoners could be observed without their knowledge. This created fear and anxiety of being watched at all times. It also resulted in internalised surveilance: changes in behavior due to the paranoia of one's every move being observed. Bentham described it as "a new mode of obtaining power of mind over mind."

Volcanoes erupted, fireballs spotted in the sky.. what else is left?

 

A fireball, aka, a meteorite was spotted accross the midwest sky in Wisconsin, U.S. Check out the 20 second video to see the sky lighting up: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-TYo1LgHr4&NR=1

Click on the link below for more description of the meteorite.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=126025840&ps=cprs

Iceland's volcano eruption left thousands of travellers stranded: http://ibnlive.in.com/news/day-5-volcanic-ash-cancels-european-flights/113610-2.html

So, whats next, another earthquake? God have mercy on us.

Polish Catastrophe

On April 10th 2010, the president of Poland, Lech Kaczynski, died in a plane crash along with Poland's army chief, central bank governor, MP's, leading historians and 80 other passengers. The Polish delegation was flying to Smolensk, Russia from Warsaw, Poland to mark the 70th anniversary of the Katyn massacre of thousands of Poles by Soviet forces during WWII. The plane hit trees as it approached Smolensk airport in thick fog after ignoring the warning from air traffic control to divert to another airport. This tragedy marks a significant milestone which might change the lives of many Polish people. I wonder, what will become of this leader-less nation? A government spokesman said that according to the constitution there would be an early presidential election, and the speaker of the lower house of parliament, Bronislaw Komorowski, would be acting president. Prime Minister, Donald Tusk, keeps his spirit up: "The Polish state must function and will function."

Thousands of people gathered outside the presidential palace in Warsaw to lay flowers and light candles.

Just a few days ago I was doing a paper on Poland's economy; they were on their way with social reforms and a developing economy. I hope they're able to continue flourishing after this calamity.

Above; Left: President Lech Kaczynski, Right: Chairman of the Law and Justice Party, Jaroslaw Kaczynski

Interesting Fact: In 2007, Lech Kaczynski's identical twin, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, was Prime Minister while he was president. This must have been a confusing period in Polish politics. Imagine the competitiveness between them, and the family pressure they must have been under. Also, in a way, it was kind of like a monarchy.