coruscate, coruscate, aster minifique..

it is interesting and much joyful to know that the reason i can barely afford fuel for my own car is because i am paying for the ministers' cars. and mobiles. and luxury bills. and (who knows?) utility bills. and the water, leave us not forget that. --->

which reminds me. LAHORIS, THERE'S NO BLOODY WATER IN THIS COUNTRY. KINDLY STOP DEPLETING WATER RESERVES. KINDLY READ THE NEWSPAPERS. WAKE UP.

finally (and this is to crown it all off, this is when i start thinking that the world has truly gone mad) :

Wednesday, June 28, 2006

FIR against Khuhro, 4 MPAs

KARACHI: Treasury Member of the Sindh Assembly (MPA) Eshwar Lal registered a first information report (FIR) on Tuesday against five MPAs, including Opposition Leader Nisar Khuhro, for beating him up on June 21. The FIR has been registered against opposition MPAs Munawar Abbasi, Murad Ali Shah, Salim Hingoro and Mohammad Nawaz Chandio, besides Khuhro. The FIR was filed at Preedy police station under Section 506-B of the Pakistan Penal Code (threat to murder) and Section 324 (attempted murder). No arrests had been made by the time this report was filed on Tuesday evening. On June 21, the opposition MPAs beat up Lal during a Sindh Assembly budget session for sending a “love note” to MPA Shazia Marri of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP). The opposition MPAs and Lal were suspended by the assembly speaker. The four MPAs from the PPP defied the ban and continued attending house proceedings. The Opposition in the Sindh Assembly announced on Tuesday that all its members would court arrest as well should the police arrest the five MPAs. “We have been informed that an FIR was registered against me and four other MPAs,” Khuhro said at a press conference in his chamber. “I am proud to have been named in the FIR.” He said that the FIR was a “plot hatched by the Sindh chief minister”. Qaim Shah of the PPP said that the speaker had punished Lal for the incident by suspending him for the remainder of the session on that day, but had banned the other MPAs for two more days. “The MPAs have been punished and they cannot be punished twice,” Shah said, adding that the FIR had “no legal status”. staff report

and as long as you're reading that, yeh bhi parh lo:

Should women get a dressing down for dressing up?

By Zarnageen

KARACHI: Men and women belonging to different professions spoke to Daily Times about their perception of the Eshwar Lal-Shazia Marri incident. They were specifically asked how a public figure should dress and how should they be treated.

Ruet-e-Hilal Committee Chairman Mufti Munibur Rehman said that women of the assembly should follow the dress code as laid down by Islam and also display the expected mannerisms as taught to them by the teachings of the religion. He said that every Muslim knows that it is mandatory in the religion for every woman to wear complete hijab. Women in the assembly should have separate seats and as far as Shazia Marri’s case is concerned it just goes to show that only modern women face such problems.

PPP MNA Fauzia Wahab said that a workingwoman should be modest and simple in her dressing and mannerisms. Love letters are always showered on women but to blow a little “chit” out of proportion was not appropriate. Eshwar Lal’s beating does not prove bravery or heroic behaviour. Shazia should not have created such a big issue out of nothing. She ended up making a fool of herself.

PPP MPA Rubina Qaimkhaani said that a workingwoman is allowed to look after herself in the form of dressing nicely and grooming herself. MPAs, especially women, should be role models. She said that a woman’s work is judged by her physical appearance and it is important to look nice. Shazia’s incident has nothing to do with the fact that she dressed well, if this was the case then Mukhtaran Mai would have never gone through such an ordeal.

Sindh Hilal-e-Ahmar Vice-Chairperson Shamim Kazmi said a working woman is looked down upon in our society no matter what profession she is a part of. Jamaat-e-Islaami MNA Laeeq Ahmed said like seats for MPAs should be segregated. Men of the Sindh Assembly should respect their fellow MPAs. A woman is worth respecting no matter which field she belongs to.


we spend days and nights throwing the concept of empowerment back and forth. i realise i am left out of that loop because i dont really believe in empowerment of women at all. it doesnt mean that the harrassment and discrimination, the stares and leers and aggression will stop; it only means that women will learn to deal with it on the streets. its a daft word. it suggests that by tolerating a man's gaze long enough to ride a bus a woman is powerful. more powerful? marginally? maybe.
the funny thing is, if we tell our parents (ok, fine. the patriarchs) about the harrassment we face on the streets, they'll only put us back in the house. nothing changes. because we're not talking. isn't it amazing, that metal grill that seperates lecherous male hands from chaste female backsides? i've seen cages in the zoo made of lighter material. we're animals, aren't we?

one day, this country (its people) will realise that nothing matters. not religion, not god, not morality. those books and stories, priests and soothsayers tell you nothing, they have no idea of what you are going through. you trust only yourself, and the people stuck in the same prison. let the rich fly away and become shit-scrapers in other countries. turn around and tell me that your life doesn't have any significance for anyone but yourself. at this point, i really dont care what most of us think about it. what will matter (only, ever, in the end, ultimately) is what any one of us choose to do about it.

so i've been told i stopped blogging. acheeeain. you mean people still check? i am sorry. nothing more disappointing than a un-updated blog [hint hint, UA Tribe].

i am in karachi. this much is known. i went swimming today. there were some fat balding CEOs, a retired millionaire, five screaming kids, two ants and bits of grass in the pool. after blowing everyone away with my spectacular freestyle and less-than-spectacular stamina for two laps, i realise that swimming is actually bloody hard. and bloody exhausting.
i stood at the shallow end, stooping slightly, scoping the scene, looking cool, nonchalantly gasping for breath. zia-ul-haq in goggles drifted in from the deep end, two lanes to the left. two CEO's bitched out a third (not present). you know that one? kal hi i saw him. he came in a Corolla. the new one. acha? haan, haan. must be doing well. god knows, yaar. where these people get their money from.

bhaiyya, you're supposed to go on the higher one! the boy looked 14, until i noticed the bulging arms and abs. 17, perhaps. he bounced up and down on the lower diving board, bouncing like one of those olympic medalists. he grinned, skipped in front, pinched his nose and jumped in, bum first.
make that 16.
the retired pensioner came down the right lane, pah, pah, like a small, very slow motor boat. pink goggles sat at the bottom of the pool. a small fish-like child in a bright blue two-piece stared at them through goggled eyes. the boy swam around and dove inside. resurfacing, he snapped the pink rubber around his own head. bhaiyya, you're a girl.

i pushed myself for five laps, trying to concentrate on the way skin looks when it glistens in the sunlight to distract myself from the burn in my muscles.

it's hot today. tapish. i feel myself going darker. feels nice. for those of you who remember the paper that was presented at the SS conference right after our student panel... the one on the politics of beauty in SAsia.. there was something on the way the darker one is always the wayward one (fitnaa).. none of this white purity chastity bullcrap. i hate being mistaken for a gora in my own damn country. offices, cool white tiles, protective concrete, none of the sun-heat-unskilled labour stuff for us. might as well be gora.

its not Chicago Manual Style. its Chicago Manual of Style, like Vogue or Cosmopolitan. get the latest copy today.

[ my little town ]









complete story: BBC News, or check Dawn.com's updates.


blogging has become a lot harder lately, since they blocked the isp. apologies for not updating more regularly. no newspapers in pakistan today, because of eid milad-ul-nabi, which is also why that bus is burning. the press should be ashamed of itself.

we think its ok to act condescending towards a people if we share a nationality with them. so if a white man says "Africans are so deeply rooted in tribal culture that they cant progress" he's a racist and a bigot. but if a black man says "take an African, give him a bit of power, and he will likely become bumptious, arrogant, intolerant, and jealous of his prerogatives" (p 70, Etouna-Mangelle, Does Africa Need a Cultural Adjustment Program?) he's enlightened. and moderate, leave us not forget.

Does Africa Need a Cultural Adjustment Program? a Cultural WHAT?? are you fucking insane? how do you pass that off as fucking academia? how? how? I'm having fits trying to get through this. i have to dig my nails into my palms, bite my teeth to keep from tearing this book up (edited by Lawrence E. Harrison, author of Underdevelopment is a State of Mind.) oh lord, give me strength.

this is for all those who hoot on mightily about "low levels of interpersonal trust in Pakistani society" and how the poverty and totalitarianism we're facing is an outcome of the "Pakistani mentality." there is no such thing as a "mentality", alright? not since the colonials left, and believe me, they're GONE. they only live on in the way we think. who is the "the average Pakistani": the guy who snatched our mobile phone, the jirgas and rapists, the mob that burnt the bank, the lady who cleans for you, the woman with ten children? how stupid, right? how stupid and lazy and UNEDUCATED and jaahil, right? when was the last time you shared a meal with "the average Pakistani"? when was the last time you embraced "the average Pakistani"? when was the last time you worked besides her? then what the FUCK made you authority on her?

but arrogance aside, how does such bigotry make it into a field that is supposedly governed by academic rigor and careful, conservative emperical-based judgements? people have nightmares about the statements they make based on even slightly dubious data, and you just get up and call an African fat, stupid and narrow-minded and thats ok? did i miss something? is no one worried about this.. at all? or are we going to hold our tounges for fear of being "ideologically loaded?" as if anti-capitalism, anti-consumerism is the only IDEOLOGY. you know when that happens? in the middle of a goddamn HEGEMONY. and we play along, insecure in what we feel and know, scared of being left out of the loop, scared of not gleaning knowledge that might be TRUE, just because, well, everyone says its true.. there must be some truth to it, right? lets be objective, now. they are intelligent people, there has to be something to what theyre saying.

boil, toads, boil.

[ for the SS kids. hilarious. ]

All you’ll ever need to know about the arts
Stephen Moss

History
...
English freedom was enshrined in Magna Carta in 1215; the Wars of the Roses were long and largely impenetrable; Richard III was a monster (he may be due for a spot of revisionism); Henry VIII was fat, decapitated a couple of wives but created the modern English state; civil war raged in the 1640s (actuated by religion, politics or economic change? — discuss), but this being England, everyone soon wearied of ideology and gladly embraced the sex-and-shopping era of Charles II.

The Glorious Revolution was glorious; the 18th century can be largely skipped; we won the Napoleonic wars (Scotland was on board by this point and we had become “British”); the “Great” Reform Act of 1832 gave a few more people the vote; the greater (but largely ignored) Reform Act of 1867 gave a lot more people the vote; Ireland was given home rule, except for the northern bit; the first world war was bloody and pointless; the second world war was bloody and just. Since then we’ve lost our empire, though we did win the World Cup in 1966, regained the Ashes in 2005 and like to send small detachments of troops to global troublespots....

Philosophy
...
Plato, who was born in Athens in 427BC, was a pupil of Socrates. His key work is The Republic, which examines notions of justice and morality. Plato thought the ideal society was one ruled by bright, aristocratic Greeks — a bit like himself. Everyone else should be factory workers, farmers and Big Brother contestants. He was pro state education, anti the nuclear family (believing family loyalties undermined the state), and very keen on philosophers and poets. He was also fixated on shadows in caves — a metaphor for the difference between the visible and the true.

Other useful footnotes supplied by Aristotle (whom he taught), Spinoza, Hobbes, Locke, Hume, Rousseau, Mill, Marx and Nietzsche. Might also be worth mentioning Heidegger, Kant, Hegel, Adorno, Descartes, Schopenhauer, Wittgenstein and anyone mentioned in the Monty Python philosophers’ song. And, yes, they’re all men — see Social anthropology.

....

English literature

“Lo, praise of the prowess of people-kings/ Of spear-armed Danes, in days long sped,/ We have heard, and what honour the athelings won!/ Oft Scyld the Scefing from squadroned foes,/ From many a tribe, the mead-bench tore,/ Awing the earls”, etc, etc for 3,000-plus lines. English literature starts with the eighth-century poem known as Beowulf. It is not an encouraging beginning.




fun sunday afternoon reading for bugger'd SS majors wondering what, exactly, to do with a liberal arts education. just hope my parents dont see this- they might take it seriously :P

[ picks of the day ]

This bawdy world of boobs and gams shows how far we've left to go
Ariel Levy
Friday February 17, 2006

This is not about the sex industry; it's about what we have decided the sex industry means ... how we have held it up, cleaned it off and distorted it. How we depend on it to mark us as an erotic and uninhibited culture at a moment when fear and repression are rampant. In 2004, George Bush, the leader of the free world, proposed an amendment to the United States constitution to for ever ban gay marriage - which was already illegal. In opinion polls, about 50% of respondents said they thought Bush had the right idea. If half my country feels so threatened by two people of the same gender being in love and having sex (and, incidentally, enjoying equal protection under the law) that they turn their attention - during wartime - to blocking rights already denied to homosexuals, then all the cardio striptease classes in the world aren't going to render us sexually liberated....

also check out

Judge's anger at US torture
Richard Norton-Taylor and Suzanne Goldenberg in Washington
Friday February 17, 2006

The UN inspectors refused a US offer to tour Guantánamo after they were barred from visiting the prisoners. The 40-page document is the UN's first to address Guantánamo. Scott McClellan, the White House press secretary, dismissed its findings as a "rehash of old allegations" and "a discredit to the organisation". "The detainees are being treated humanely," he said. "Remember these are terrorists."...


35 rescued, hundreds feared dead in S. Leyte landslide

At least 35 people were rescued after a massive landslide buried three villages in Saint Bernard town, Southern Leyte province, Friday.

A rescue worker said the next 24 hours would be crucial in pulling out survivors trapped underneath tons of mud and rock in Barangay Cabagawan, Sug-angon and Guinsaugon.

Initial reports said a large portion of a mountain in between Sogod and Saint Bernard towns buried at least 300 houses including two school buildings in the area.

"It sounded like the mountain exploded, and the whole thing crumbled. I could not see any house standing anymore," Survivor Dario Libatan told DZMM.

"It was like the whole barangay was wiped off the map," added Southern Leyte Rep. Roger Mercado.

Authorities said a minor earthquake and heavy rainfall might have caused the landslide.

Renato Solidum, Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology director, said a 2.6 magnitude earthquake hit the southwestern portion of Southern Leyte at 10:36 a.m. He said the quake was felt at intensity 2 in Sogod town.

"This earthquake could not have triggered a landslide alone. You need an intensity 7 to do that. Other factors were also present especially heavy rainfall. You only need 100mm of rainfall to trigger a landslide," he told ANC.

Officials said rainfall in Southern Leyte hit a record 500mm from February 1 to 16 due primarily to the La Niña phenomenon.

Mercado also blamed unchecked logging activities in the area for the disaster. He said he had informed environment authorities about the logging problem, which had been ongoing for the past 30 years.

Southern Leyte Gov. Rosette Y. Lerias said the landslide happened around 11:15 a.m. Many of the casualties were feared to be children as classes were going on in an area school when the disaster occurred.

Lerias said bodies have been retrieved in barangays Cabagawan, Sug-angon and Guinsaugon. PNRC officials earlier estimated the death toll at 200, with 1,500 residents still missing.

Lerias said most of the residents evacuated the area earlier this week but returned after the weather cleared up.

"The daytime has been sunny lately but the rains usually come at night so that's when the people evacuate. Unfortunately, the landslide happened in the daytime," she said.

Emergency teams from the National Disaster Coordinating Council, Philippine Army, Philippine National Police and the Southern Leyte provincial government have been deployed in the area, Lerias said.

Didita Kamarenta, who lives on a mountain next to one of the villages in Saint Bernard town in Leyte province, said the earth shook and there was a strong gust of wind.

"I felt mud at my feet. I heard someone outside screaming for help," she said on radio. "All the children, including my two children, are lost. They might have been buried."

Like much of Eastern Visayas, Southern Leyte has been experiencing continuous rainfall for the past two weeks, which experts attributed to the La Niña weather phenomenon.

Last Sunday a landslide hit Sogod municipality, also in Southern Leyte, where eight people died.

The Philippines is lashed by about 20 typhoons each year, including a series of storms in late 2004 that left about 1,800 people dead or missing in provinces northeast of the capital, Manila.

[ more ERRAs. ]

Thursday, February 16, 2006

Ex-ERRA chief says he was fired

ISLAMABAD: Lt Gen Muhammed Zubair, the former head of Earthquake Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Authority (ERRA), said on Tuesday that he had been fired and an opposition party welcomed the move, accusing him of inaction in the aftermath of the October 8 earthquake.

Zubair said that he was sacked as the chairman of ERRA after President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz told him on Monday that he was to be replaced by a civilian.

“No, I have not resigned. The decision was taken to replace me with a civilian,” Zubair said, dismissing media reports that he had stepped down after three months in office. Zubair said that he had been given no reason for the dismissal.

He said that he was proud of the pace with which he had secured planning approvals for the reconstruction projects covering six cities devastated by the earthquake. “The World Bank and the donors agree with us that our speed has been very fast during the past three months,” he said. “They’re happy with us, there’s no problem.” Musharraf’s spokesman declined to comment and Aziz’s spokesman was not immediately available. Media reports cited a government statement saying that the 56-year-old career soldier was leaving his post because he had skillfully accomplished his assignment. The development was welcomed by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), which had opposed military control of the earthquake response after the initial rescue effort.

Aitzaz Ahsan of the PPP accused Zubair of ‘having done nothing so far’ to relieve victims’ suffering. “If there is criticism, it is for the absolute inaction of Zubair in this period,” Aitzaz said “He has absolutely nothing to show for himself on the ground,” he added. ap

DailyTimes.com (where you'll find a very funny pic of Gen Z, looking rather huffy)

uff, the righteous indignation at being replaced by a civilian. damn those buggers. think they know how to run a country. we will miss you, General.
no, really.

dead week. assignments, finals, rescheduled classes. and someone in the IT dept gets into their head that the Faculty and TA email server could use a facelift. so while we sit here like idiots, twiddling out thumbs....





i sincerely hope its worth the eye candy.

CHOKE-GASP-SPUTTER- DYING.. MUST.. GET... FRESH.... AIRRR!!

[ sweatshop v1.2]

if you feel your head go woozy
its the lab
and the elevator's a doozy
its the lab
if the bathrooms couldn't get more shitty
and the decor isn't pretty
if you'd rather eat dead kitties
its the lab.

if the air is unbreathable
its the lab
if they confiscate your eatables
its the lab
if you're dying of asphyxiation
and would leave without hesitation
and go worship your playstation
its the lab

if the net is down again
its the lab
if the cooler is your best friend
its the lab
if the PC's are DOA
and the assistants are MIA
if you don't remember seeing the light of day
you're in the lab.

if you're boiling in mid-winter
its the lab
if you want to burn the printer
its the lab
if your neighbour is obnoxious
and the smell leaves you unconscious
and cs majors make you nauseous
its the lab

[ kudos, gentlemen. much respect. ]

From: Asif Iftikhar
Sent: Fri 2/10/2006 1:27 AM
To: Faculty
Cc: STUDENTS
Subject: "Freedom is Slavery"

On the Cartoons Issue:

I agree that freedom of expression is indeed a fundamental right of any
human being or society. However, limitations have quite often been used in
many laws and constitutions of democratic societies to uphold restrictions
on hate speech and obscenity. In French law, public speech or writings
that incite racial or religious hatred, for example neo-nazi ideas, are
prohibited on the same basis. Similarly, Article 5 of the German
Grundgestez ("basic Law") includes some restrictions on free speech, for
example personal insults or hate speech (Volksverhetzung). The Irish
Constitution categorizes "blasphemous, seditious, or indecent matter" as
that which cannot be granted the right of free expression. In fact, on
July 18, 2003 Dorota Nieznalska was sentenced to six months in Poland for
publishing an art work that showed a penis on a cross, which was
considered to be an insult to religious sentiments. Similarly, On January
5, 2005 another man was sentenced to a fine of about 5000 euros for
insulting Pope John Paul II. The European Convention on Human Rights
(November 4, 1950) sums up many of these restrictions on freedom of
expression:

The exercise of these freedoms, since it carries with itduties and
responsibilities, may be subject to such formalities, conditions,
restrictions or penalties as areprescribed by law and are necessary in a
democratic society, in the interests of national security, territorial
integrity or public safety, for the prevention of disorder or crime, for
the protection of health or moralsfor the protection of the reputation or
the rights of others,for preventing the disclosure of information received
in confidence, or for maintaining the authorityand impartiality of the
judiciary.

How exactly should the Muslims and their governments protest against the
publication of these cartoons is a separate question. The fact that some
Muslims resorted to arson is indeed wrong. But, it would be unfortunate if
that made the world forget the most important thing about free society:
that all humans have certain inalienable rights; but, they also have some
basic responsibilities. It is on the basis of this principle that we
regard calling a black man a nigger or a Jew a kike as indecency rather
than free speech as such, for all human experience has shown that, whether
we wish to criticize an idea or justify it, the all-important battle of
ideas can never truly be won without superior morality. The question,
therefore, is Couldn't the same ideas be expressed as effectively in a
decent way? Academic critiques on Islam and vociferous criticisms against
the Muslims by many renowned scholars (as Bernard Lewis for example, who
is still widely read in Pakistan) have shown us that they can be. However,
without responsibility, freedom can quite easily become what it was never
meant to be: indecency and oppression.

It must also be emphasised time and again that quite often it is we who
choose the shackles of slavery ourselves by the choices we make. It is
here that “Freedom is Slavery” (in Orwell’s words). Who is stopping the
Muslim world from making a strong statement economically? What is it that
we truly and really need from the West? Technology? Maybe. Maybe not. But,
at least, let's stop buying European products that are not our dire needs.
It became quite obvious after the Bajour bombing how much spine we have as
a people. Economic sense. Maybe. At least, that's some kind of twisted
justification. But, do we or do we not have any dignity? Can't we even
abandon the purchase of a few European luxuries to defend our Prophet's
sacred honour (sws)? Maybe I am just overreacting, but I don't think I saw
even half the emotion on this one that LUMS demonstrated in the wake of
the earthquake.

Asif Iftikhar
Lecturer, Islamic Studies

From:Miguel Loureiro
Sent: Fri 2/10/2006 3:24 AM
To: Asif Iftikhar; Faculty
Cc: STUDENTS
Subject: RE: "Freedom is Slavery"

As a "European" and a Muslim let me elucidate some points:
First of all, as we are supposedly all inteligent and well-read people (we do attend a university) I'm pleased to see that very few people at LUMS buy the "Clash of Civilisations" theory (where do the Mediterraneans like me fit?). But it is as erroneous as to generalise about Arabs and Muslims as it is talking about a unified "West" or even a generalised "Europeans". There is a stark difference between Southern, Northern and Eastern Europe. Just because some countries have strong economic (and in the near future legislative) ties, does not mean we are "one".
Secondly, the vast majority of "Europeans" are against these cartoons, for the simple fact that they would not like their own beliefs to be ridiculed. Also, they know when newspapers are reprinting stories for the sake of "freedom of expression", or for the sake of making a quick buck.
Thirdly, all the newspapers that printed the cartoons are private companies that have very little to do with the governments ruling these countries. And although stopping consuming their commodities is a very good way to get the message through (hit them where it hurts), it will not directly affect these newspapers.
What is interesting is that during the Iraq invasion discontent Muslims all over the world had the possibility of having a bigger impact by boycoting American companies (many which contributed monetarily for the present administration's re-election campaign) and did nothing.
You see, it's always easier to burn a few flags than to stop drinking Coca-Cola ($1 million contributions) or Pepsi ($2 million), eating McDonald's ($0.8 million), using Windows ($0.7 million), Dell computers ($0.4 million), putting Chevron/Texaco ($2.4 million), or Exxon/Mobil/Esso ($2.8 million) in your car, or smoking Phillip Morris ($6.9 million).
By the way Asif, you're not overreacting, but asking the "burger-batchas" not to consume...

From: Asif Iftikhar
Sent: Fri 2/10/2006 4:47 AM
To: Miguel Loureiro
Cc: Asif Iftikhar; Faculty; STUDENTS
Subject: RE: "Freedom is Slavery"

Thank you for your comments, Miguel. Since I completely agree that it is
not fair to make sweeping generalizations about any people, I apologize
for any statement that you might have seen as critical of all Europeans.
That was certainly not my intent. While suggesting a boycott of some
“European luxuries” I used the word “European” synecdochically and assumed
that it would be taken as such in the given context. Nevertheless, I
apologize if this point was not clear in my message. Furthermore, it would
be great if Muslims could make an impact on the concerned companies
directly. But, if that is not possible, I don’t see why it would be
against any democratic or civil norms to make our displeasure known to the
governments that “harbour” such miscreants as misuse the idea of freedom
to insult our Prophet (sws). The statement we’d be making through an
economic boycott would still be much more civil than “Either you are with
us or against us” rubric to illegally invade an independent country or
bombing on remote parts of an allied country to hunt down an elusive
phantom terrorist.

Best,
Asif

-----Original Message-----
From: ITSC HelpDesk
Sent: Tue 2/7/2006 10:13 AM
To: G-Host; B-Host
Cc:
Subject: SSL-Tunneling behind Hostels

Dear Hostilities,

As part of monitoring Internet access from hostels, some systems are
found chocking the Hostel LAN by using SSL-Tunneling softwares. While we
are in a process to define and implement subsequent rules to restrict
these kind of softwares, you are requested to avoid using these
softwares to download irrelevant stuff like movies, songs etc. which can
cause chocking of the Internet link.

Your cooperation will be appreciated.

Regards,

--
ITSC HelpDesk
Ext: 4149


alright. this is rubbish. i know we're a university FULL of apathetic fucks, but i'm sure hostelites have enough stake in the lifeblood of their stay at LUMS to do something about this.
primarily, i love the whole "irrelevance" bit. you dont let people of the opposite sex get into each other's dorms. you have hysterical raving fits everytime you see "person(boy)-such-that-their-head-was-in-lap-of-person(girl)" so its not like you have ANY sex life on campus. as it is, dating is a huge taboo around these parts. add to which no pubs, discos, bars, theater, gaming arena, pool, arcade, bookshops, cafes, cinemas on or near campus, accessible to the hostelites...
sports complex, super store and library close at 12. defence market shuts down around 1. can someone explain to me what the hordes of shagless, dateless, entertainment-starved hostelites are supposed to DO aft 2am? sit around and twiddle their thumbs? play a game of fucking LUDO? oh wait, i know. we're supposed to offer a breif and sincere remembrance to god, brush our teeth and go to sleep. alternately (just for variety) we may study.

im not saying we go and bash their heads in with big sticks. there has got to be a way to make the admin aware of the fact that theyre not dealing with "users" and "nodes" and "IPs" anymore. theyre not even dealing with "students." theyre dealing with 19 to 25 year olds. and theyve got to be seriously FUCKED in the head to think that after having sysmatically deprived that particular group of adults the opportunity to do just about anything, they can trivialise things like music and movies. which is seriously, sadly, all that we (and most Pakistani 19 to 25 year olds) have to do. dont even get me started on the legal crap. every movie, cd and book in the market is pirated, and even then, we cant possibly afford to pay for a bloody mp3.

but as it so happens, its the same people shouting, all over again. same five-six people. if those crack-heads ever emerged from playing dota or half-life long enough to give a little support, show a little concern about the the people living on this campus, maybe we'd get somewhere. and its not even that hard. i know of one person who has d/l rights. just expand that to about five people per dorm. and as sweet as it was that the man who came up with the plan was made automatic rep, i'd much rather we vote on it.

also, stop blocking bloody gtalk, msn and skype on and off. this is the FIRST internet service in the world that actually asks its users to cut down on their usage, rather than trying to improve or better manage their own systems. i mean, imagine if WorldCall called you up and said "we hear youre downloading irrelevant things like Grass-Chewing Rituals of Siberian Herdsman. please stop."


and learn how to spell choking, you shmucks.

[ wagha ]

we didnt take any pictures. although everyone around us did. big festival, push and shove, go and see the other side...
we missed the change of guards. apparently thats the fun bit.
one man with a huge green flag smiling and taking pictures with everyone. clearly, a professional. little kids with bags of chips, little girls in high heels.. a few hundred yards away a group of kids in navy blue school uniforms. mums and dads in sweaters grabbing hands, herding families. bubblegum-snapping, slicked-haired teenagers in jeans and sweaters, cars and buses and vans lined up on either side. guards in turbans like pecock crowns keeping a steady flow of spectators... so you walk up to the gates... smile wave boo holler as prescribed by the current political situation... walk by the double gates and head back. like a zoo.

india, the indian pointed.
yeah.. that looks like i...nuh..duh...i..
what are you talking about?
the hindi thing. im trying to read it.
it says "bharat".
oh.



so think of this field. its exactly the same on either side, the same shade of green, the same kinds of trees and buffaloes. and if i were to drive a stake into the ground, and another stake some distance away, and another... and link the stakes with barbed wire.. its meaningless to me. you've just made my feild very dirty and ugly. i can climb over in a second.
no, but you can't.
what do you mean? i jump gates all the time. and this one isnt even that high. i bet i could jump it.
no, but you can't.

you've driven through indian punjab, right? so is it exactly the same?
richer.
in what way? buildings?
buildings, structures, roads... its cleaner, people are better off.


i just dont get it. i cant twist my mind around it. the whole concept of borders and territory.. it just doesnt make sense. its very disturbing. i think im beginning to get a bit of toba tek singh syndrome.
same thing on the mexican border. the americans can go into mexico, but those guys cant get into the US.
they must feel like shit, not being able to go across.

i keep thinking of the trains that came in, during partition.. and all that violence by either side. it feels terrible, standing here, on all that blood. are you familiar with wilfred owen? he wrote this great poem called Futility... and theres this line in it which goes like "was it for this the clay grew tall"... and standing here all i can think of is that... was it for this...




strangest ive ever felt in a while. sanaa, i owe you an apology... you do feel like crying.

[ so f'ing sweet ]







kitty r0xor.

a says: i think we should hang ourselves
b says: me first.
a says: it'll be a statement
a says: no fair
a says: me first.
a says: ...ill flip you for it
b says: heads.
a says: do you have a propensity for landing on your bum?
a says: because that would make this unfair.
b says: alright, you call.
a says: it occurs to me that you have no tail
a says: ah well. tails it is.
b says: heads.
a says: again.
b says: heads
a says: again.
b says: heads, im afraid.
a says: of what?
a says: again.
b says: heads...
b says: of being right.
a says: again
a says: about?
b says: heads.
b says: everything, really.
a says: again.
b says: because then i'll be responsible.
a says: yes, i know.
b says: ..heads, again.
a says: does your bum hurt yet?
b says: no. but my head does.

Our father who art in Washington
Whirled Bank be thy name.
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done,
or else, there'll be no more lending.

Give us this day our triple A credit rating,
and forgive us our past loans,
as we remove all barriers to investment.

Our economy is your economy,
your economy is our economy,
we are all one,
globally integrated,
forever and ever.

Amen.

http://whirledbank.org

lol. thank you, das.

[ 10,000 miles to grace- ]

there is a girl in new york city
who calls herself the human trampoline
and sometimes when i'm falling, flying
or tumbling in turmoil i say
woah, so this is what she means
she means we're bouncing into graceland
and i see losing love
is like a window in your heart
everybody sees you're blown apart
everybody feels the wind blow

in graceland, in graceland
i'm going to graceland
for reasons i cannot explain
there's some part of me wants to see
graceland
and i may be obliged to defend
every love, every ending
or maybe there's no obligations now
maybe i've a reason to believe
we all will be received
in Graceland.

~paul simon

[ from Anarchy's Adventures in Europe. ]












PS: to avoid confusion, Illinois is not in Europe. that was a friend getting bored in A-level Math class.

PPS: this post looks lovely in Firefox, iExplorer users are bound to run into problems. i have news. if you're still using iexplorer, you deserve shitty-looking webpages :)

PPPS: Firefox is working!! thanks, sheen :D

we have a new word for pretentious, wannabe-omniscient, condescending, superiority-complexed, patronizing Social Science majors.

Miguelomaniacs.




xD



all due credit to Doc Sadia for this one :)

the single most disturbing thing i've heard in a while:

"there are few things sexier than a girl crying."



there are some real assholes out there, eh? finding suffering attractive.. thats pretty twisted, nahin?





..jeez.

readjusting. fuck off.

i have a song.


on the 30th of november my backpack has for me:

10 strips of tablets
9 layers of clothing
8 forms of cold cream
7 pairs of undees
6 bars of candy

5... warm... socks....

4 woolen sweaters
3 sports bras
2 little beanies

and a partridge in a pear treeee

:D


good grief. i need writing pads. and toilet roll. and hand sanitizer.

and i need to go. bye, all :)

[ pick of the day ]


www.pms.com

100th blogpost.

Somalia – the humanitarian imperative on display in 1992. A US Marine stands guard as a media circus descends on starving children. Photo: Paul Lowe / Panos Pictures


http://www.newint.org/issue383/keynote.htm

&

The return of the poster child

[ and unbelievably romantic song ]

childhood living is easy to do
the things you wanted i bought them for you
graceless lady you know who i am

you know i can’t let you slide through my hands

wild horses couldn’t drag me away
wild, wild horses, couldn’t drag me away

i watched you suffer a dull aching pain
now you decided to show me the same
no sweeping exits or offstage lines
could make me feel bitter or treat you unkind

wild horses couldn’t drag me away
wild, wild horses, couldn’t drag me away

i know i dreamed you a sin and a lie
i have my freedom but i don’t have much time
faith has been broken, tears must be cried
let’s do some living
after we die

wild horses couldn’t drag me away
wild, wild horses, we’ll ride them some day

wild horses couldn’t drag me away
wild, wild, wild horses,

we will ride them some day

~Bush, Wild Horses. RS cover.

reasons why CS/Math/Econ/Accounts majors should be FORCED to take social sciences.

#3241

"but miss, can't we argue that slaves were better off in America? i mean, they were unemployed in Africa..."





its right up there with #2343

"feminism is crap. most women enjoy being raped, right?"










...

just... yeah.

[ ends ]

im trying to put an email together. asking people to visit hospitals during eid, visit kids, take toys. there are people to whom you will be the only "family" they'll get to see on eid. dont just go there, make a big noise and swoop down with fancy toys and gifts. even just sitting and talking to them would be nice. the adults are worried about family and friends back home. maybe this will help, i dont know. i know, in some small way, what its like being alone on eid when everyone else is home and warm with their families.

what does it take to motivate people? what could i possibly say that would make you go? i think thats my biggest, worst burnout. trying to get people to work. if anyone's here for eid, and if you think you can, please go. get in touch with me or sadaf aziz, and we'll hook you up with the hospitals. it would mean a lot, honestly.


oh yeah, and if you can compose a mail to this effect, please do so and mail it to me, so i can forward it to everyone. spread the word. we need every single one of you, i swear.

come up to meet you, tell you i’m sorry,
you don’t know how lovely you are.

i had to find you, tell you i need you
tell you i set you apart
tell me your secrets, and ask me your questions
oh lets go back to the start
running in circles, coming up tails
heads on a silence apart

nobody said it was easy
oh it’s such a shame for us to part
nobody said it was easy
no one ever said that it would be this hard
oh take me back to the start

i was just guessing at numbers and figures
pulling your puzzles apart
questions of science, science and progress
do not speak as loud as my heart
tell me you love me, come back and haunt me
oh and i rush to the start
running in circles, chasing our tails
coming back as we are

nobody said it was easy
oh it’s such a shame for us to part
nobody said it was easy
no one ever said it would be so hard
i’m going back to the start.

one would think that the other dukh zamaney mein muhabbat key siwaa would be enough to keep you occupied. at the end of the day, wars do not defeat us, our inability to be honest with ourselves, with everyone else... that will leave us beaten.

really interesting. kudos to LDRF for the forward.

Myths and realities in disaster situations

Myth: Dead bodies pose a health risk and cadavers are responsible for epidemic in natural disasters

Reality: Contrary to popular belief, dead bodies pose no more risk of disease outbreak in the aftermath of a natural disaster than survivors.

Myth: Epidemics and plagues are inevitable after every disaster.

Reality: Epidemics do not spontaneously occur after a disaster and dead bodies will not lead to catastrophic outbreaks of exotic diseases. The key to preventing disease is to improve sanitary conditions and educate the public.

Myth: The fastest way to dispose of bodies and avoid the spread of disease is through mass burials or cremations. This can help create a sense of relief among survivors.

Reality: Survivors will feel more at peace and manage their sense of loss better if they are allowed to follow their beliefs and religious practices and if they are able to identify and recover the remains of their loved ones. Source: WHO/PAHO Myths and Realities in the Management of Dead Bodies.

Myth: It is impossible to identify a large number of bodies after a tragedy.

Reality: Conditions always exist that allow for the identification of bodies or body parts. Source: WHO/PAHO Myths and Realities in the Management of Dead Bodies.

Myth: DNA techniques for identifying bodies is not available in most countries due to its high cost and technological requirements.

Reality: This technology is rapidly becoming accessible to all countries. Furthermore, in the case of major disasters, most countries can count on external financial and technological support including DNA technology. Source: WHO/PAHO Myths and Realities in the Management of Dead Bodies.

Myth: Foreign medical volunteers with any kind of medical background are needed.

Reality: The local population almost always covers immediate lifesaving needs. Only medical personnel with skills that are not available in the affected country may be needed.

Myth: Any kind of international assistance is needed, and it's needed now!

Reality: A hasty response that is not based on an impartial evaluation only contributes to the chaos. It is better to wait until genuine needs have been assessed.

Myth: Disasters bring out the worst in human behaviour.

Reality: Although isolated cases of antisocial behaviour exist, the majority of people respond spontaneously and generously.

Myth: The affected population is too shocked and helpless to take responsibility for their own survival.

Reality: On the contrary, many find new strength during an emergency, as evidenced by the thousands of volunteers who spontaneously unite to sift through the rubble in search of victims after an earthquake.

Myth: Disasters are random killers.

Reality: Disasters strike hardest at the most vulnerable group, the poor -- especially women, children and the elderly.

Myth: Locating disaster victims in temporary settlements is the best alternative.

Reality: It should be the last alternative. Many agencies use funds normally spent for tents to purchase building materials, tools, and other construction-related support in the affected country.

Myth: Things are back to normal within a few weeks.

Reality: The effects of a disaster last a long time. Disaster-affected countries deplete much of their financial and material resources in the immediate post-impact phase. Successful relief programs gear their operations to the fact that international interest wanes as needs and shortages become more pressing.

Myth: Starving people can eat anything

Reality: It is widely held that people who are starving will be very hungry and eat any food that can be supplied. This attitude is inhumane and incorrect. Even if hungry initially, people often do not consume adequate quantities of unvaried and unfamiliar foods for long enough. More importantly, the starving people are often ill and may not have a good appetite. They will therefore languish in an emaciated state or get even sicker. Even someone well-nourished would fail to thrive on the monotonous diets of three or so commodities (e.g. wheat, beans and oil) that is all that is available, month in, month out, to many refugees and displaced people. And this is aside from the micro-nutrient deficiencies that often develop. This misconception starts, in part, from a failure to agree on explict objectives for food assistance -- which should surely be to provide for health, welfare, and a reasonably decent existence and help in attaining and acceptable state of self-reliance and self-respect. Source: Lancet, Vol. 340, Nov 28, 1992

Myth: Children with diarrhoea should not be intensively fed

Reality: A view from many years ago, and from non-emergency situations, sometimes persists -- namely, that children must be rehydrated (and diarrhoea prevented) before re-feeding. This policy is incorrect and, with severely malnourished children, it can be fatal. Any child with diarrhoea must be fed, if necessary with a liquid diet by nasogastric tube, at the same time as additional fluids are given. Even if the diarrhoea is profuse, some nutrients are absorbed and can start the recovery process. To begin feeding after rehydration will often be too late. Source: Lancet, Vol. 340, Nov 28, 1992

Myth: Refugees can manage with less.

Reality: This misconception dehumanizes the refugee. It implies that, once uprooted, he or she no longer has the basic human rights to food, shelter and care - that these are now offered as charitable acts and that refugees can (or should) make do on much less than non-refugees. In fact they will often need more than their normal food requirement at first if they have become malnourished and sick before arrival at a camp and need rehabilitation; and may suffer exposure from inadequate shelter. If the only food source is provided by camp organizers, these rations have to be adequate in all nutrients. This requires a mixed food basket, including fruits and vegetables. If this cannot be ensured then trading may have to be encouraged if refugees are not to become undernourished and deficient in micro-nutrients. The fact that some foods may be traded, to add variety to the diet, is no grounds for reducing the ration. Source: Lancet, Vol. 340, Nov 28, 1992

Myth: Trading foods indicates that people do not need all of the rations.

Reality: If the only food source is provided by camp organizers, these rations have to be adequate in all nutrients. This requires a mixed food basket, including fruits and vegetables. If this cannot be ensured then trading may have to be encouraged if refugees are not to become undernourished and deficient in micro-nutrients. The fact that some foods may be traded, to add variety to the diet, is no grounds for reducing the ration. Source: Lancet, Vol. 340, Nov 28, 1992

Myth: A standard ration is suitable for all populations.

Reality: The recommended per caput calorie output for a refugee population should vary according to demographic composition, nutritional and health status of the population (allowing for an extra "catch-up" allowance where people are malnourished), the activity level the intake is intended to support, environmental temperature, and likely wastage in the chain from supply of food in a country to its consumption by individuals. In other words there is a range of requirements for dietary energy, which will depend on the circumstances, and use of a single figure is likely to lead to either deficit or wastage. The figure of 1900 kcal (commonly assumed to be of general application) often underestimates what is needed. Source: Lancet, Vol. 340, Nov 28, 1992

Myth: Energy adequacy means nutritional adequacy.

Reality: The diet needs to be adequate in both quantity and quality, meeting requirements for calories, protein, and micro-nutrients. Where refugees are completely dependent on the ration provided -- for example, in the early stages of an emergency or in closed camps, where trading for diversity cannot be ensured -- the ration must be designed to meet the requirements of all nutrients in full. Often, a ration is designed to meet minimum energy requirements and micro-nutrients are left to look after themselves. How micro-nutrient needs are to be met must be made explicit, especially when the ration provided is calculated on the basis of fully meeting energy needs. Foods should be diverse and palatable, and the special needs of weaning children must be met.

Myth: Disasters cause deaths at random.

Reality: Disasters tend to take a higher toll on the most vulnerable geographic areas (high-risk areas), generally those settled by the poorest people. Source: WHO/PAHO Myths and Realities in the Management of Dead Bodies.

Myth: It is best to limit information on the magnitude of the tragedy.

Reality: Restricting access to information creates a lack of confidence in the population, which can lead to misconduct and even violence. Source: WHO/PAHO Myths and Realities in the Management of Dead Bodies.

http://www.who.int/hac/techguidance/ems/myths/en/index.html

mangroves

when someone mentions mangroves, shore birds, turtle hatchlings, i swear it feels like theyre talking about extended family, distant cousins who've settled in other oceans, far away..

The failed rescue of ‘Emma’

MUZAFFARABAD, Oct 14: They had nicknamed her Emma. Found miraculously alive under the rubble on Wednesday, rescue workers toiled delicately for hours to pull her out. But an aftershock made the team leave and when they returned for one more effort on Thursday morning, Emma was dead.

The Turkish and British rescue workers in Muzaffarabad, the earthquake-ravaged capital of Pakistani Kashmir, run the series of events over and over again in their heads.

Distraught, they wrestle with questions about guilt, duty and danger and wonder what they could have done differently.

But, they repeat to themselves, they had no choice. At 1:24 am on Thursday, a new earthquake of 5.6 on the Richter scale left the collapsed house too dangerous to work on.

It was around noon on Wednesday when, against all odds, dogs from Turkey and Germany spotted the 22-year-old woman, a full five days after the massive Earthquake.

The dogs barked at two places, signalling life under the rubble. But the crumbled building in Muzaffarabad’s old city risked being crushed to the ground by a 20-ton piece of cement roof hovering above.

The British volunteers were overjoyed. The dogs had pinpointed the exact point where she was.

“We were confident. The night before we had found someone else alive in the old city, a 74-year-old man, who had been there for four days and escaped without injury,” said Geoff Parkinson, a 38-year-old farmer who is part of the Search and Rescue Assistance in Disasters group.

For hours they meticulously scraped their way into the rubble to find a safe way to get Emma out. With some wood they held up the roof that threatened the whole structure. And they gave her an English nickname.

“Emma! Emma!” they cried out, knocking on the cement in hopes she would respond.

And then, the new quake.

“It came as a shock as we were just about to reach her. We left the site for 10 minutes then came back. But the structure had begun to crumble a little bit when the team left — it was clear that the house was falling down and had become dangerous,” Mr Parkinson said.

The next decision was agonizing.

“We worked hard but the site had become too dangerous so we had to leave it,” said team member Daniel Davis, a 20-year-old student. “It was terrible, as if we had abandoned her.”

As they returned to their camp they cried. When they returned on Thursday morning they didn’t utter a word to one another. All that was on everyone’s mind was the hope that Emma was still alive.

But within 15 minutes, the dogs gave their verdict — they no longer barked. The odour of a decomposing body provided confirmation. Shortly afterward, the corpse was found. As the team had expected, the cement had collapsed overnight. She died underneath it.

On the site, there was silence.

“I don’t know anymore what I felt ... guilt. But we did everything we could,” said Davis, who was on an earthquake site for the first time.

“She was alive and now she’s dead,” said Fahri Akdemir, a 24-year-old Turkish rescuer. “Maybe it’s our fault, or maybe it’s someone else’s or the aftershock’s.”

Parkinson’s thoughts keep going back to the events of that night.

“We tried to see if we could have done something differently. But the only thing we could do was to leave. If not the team would have been injured or killed,” he said.

“There wasn’t any choice. But if the earthquake came six hours later, the story could have ended differently.”—AFP http://dawn.com/2005/10/15/top4.htm

my throat is killing me, i can feel my lungs rasping, i cant breathe. white guilt.
at 4 pm i was lying on anita's bed, on the pretty colourful bedspread with the warm sunlight streaming in through my window, the postcards twirling in the soft whooshing fan-air, the pc playing something nice and soothing... thinking how lucky i am, to have this sun in my eyes, this warm, safe bed, to have enough food security to be able to go without it from sunrise to sunset. my biological cycle is sound, i am fairly healthy, in ten years i will have a stable job, healthy children and a secure future. and that is privilege.

dad might be going to AK and/or Abbotabad. that shook me, more than anything.. it takes a lot to tear my father away from his work, steady job, family-first... to go to a remote area, help people who are neither kith nor kin, just help because.. i dont know. why do we? because it means something? because this place is home?

i feel sorry for people in the US right now. im getting frustrated in my bubble, and im in LUMS, lahore. u guys over there must be killing yourself over this... i find it hard to go out and have a good time, watch a movie, just spend a little time laughing with friends... how the heck are you guys keeping up over there? it must all seem so shallow and meaningless...

spent some time talking to sara z ... its almost serendipity that i met her when i did, i was in really bad shape. ironically, the pressure-release model has some truth.. we were sitting on a freaking time bomb here... the disconnect, the apathy, elitism... and we just sat there for half an hour wondering... why dont more people give a fuck? why is life going on? stop it, now... clear up this mess, this freaking crisis you've created. people tell me about lootings, hoardings, profiteering so nonchalantly im wondering... doesnt it bother you? you're just saying it as if... "oh well, that was going to happen".. all i need now is someone to tell me- this is the Third World. deal with it.

ill tell you one thing, ladies. for all you assholes out there who are sitting and pointing fingers. its naive to not know about something. it is not naive to want to change something. that takes fucking guts, fuckloads of courage.. courage that you and i will never fucking have, not in a million years, because thats how flabby our elite white asses are. for gods sake, have some shame, if you dont have the balls to stick your neck out, put your ass on the line, to just try.... at least, at the very least, respect those who do.

Dear Students

We have recieved the details of monetary collections LVS made.The total collection from and through the students of LUMS is Rs. 1,147,895 (1.147 million)

The split for this amount is:

Days Rupees

Sunday (2 hours of collection) : 36,700

Monday, Oct 10 2005: 212,600

Tuesday, Oct 11 2005: 405,020

Wedneday, Oct 12 2005: 227,455

Thursday, Oct 13 2005: 237,696

Friday, Oct 14 2005: 88,388

Total 1,147,859

We really appreciate the time, energy and money that Luminites have put into this relief effort. We would also like to thank LVS and their volunteers who collected this huge amount.

We are open to suggestions that might generate funds for the victims of the quake. If you have ideas, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Thankyou everyone.

LUMS Disaster Relief Fund

From:	Zahoor Hassan	Sent:	Wed 10/12/2005 1:46 PM
To:	Faculty; Staff; 'a&vfaculty@lums.edu.pk'; STUDENTS
Cc:
Subject:	IMPORTANT DECISION REGARDING LUMS DISASTER RELIEF FUND (LDRF)

IMPORTANT DECISION REGARDING LUMS DISASTER RELIEF FUND (LDRF)

Dear Students, Faculty & Staff:

Based on careful discussion and deliberation, we have decided to ask faculty, staff and students to voluntarily contribute certain minimum amount to the LUMS Disaster Relief Fund (LDRF), to be deducted from/charged to their accounts (details given below).

With every passing hour it is becoming tragically obvious that we are facing one of the worst humanitarian crises *insert more official schpeil on the matter here*

Yesterday, we had announced a LUMS Disaster Relief Fund (LDRF) Target of Rs.10 Million to be reached by the end of this week. Many from the LUMS community have already stepped forward and contributed generously to the LDRF. However, before we look to our outside links and contacts, we have to clearly demonstrate and set the example that we who really constitute and make LUMS, have genuine empathy and a generous heart. We, as an institution have to show reliance on our own resources and commitment and lead from the front. We have to show that we can raise Rs. 10 Million on our own and once we do so many others will be much more galvanized to further contribute to this effort. In order to get to our target of Rs. 10 Million, after long and careful discussion and deliberation we have decided ask faculty, staff and students to voluntarily contribute the following minimum amount to LDRF, to be deducted from/charged to their accounts.:

All LUMS Faculty will contribute the equivalent of their two-days salary, every month for the next three months.

All LUMS Staff (with a salary over Rs. 25,000 per month) will contribute the equivalent of their two-days salary, every month for the next three months.

All Students will contribute Rs. 3500 (i.e. the equivalent of One Unit of education at LUMS).

LUMS will make deductions from the faculty and staff salaries (starting next month onwards) and bill the students for their contribution in their fee cards.

If a faculty or staff member is unwilling to make this contribution or feels that he or she does not have the financial capacity to make this contribution, they should inform the Dean of their respective school by email.

Students who are not willing or able to make this contribution should inform Ms. Samina Hafeez, Deputy Manager, Admissions and Student Services, (E.Mail: samina@lums.edu.pk)), by sending an email with their name, father’s name and roll number.

If at all you fall in the category of people who do not or cannot make this contribution, please send the aforementioned intimations by 12.00 noon on Friday, October 14.

We are sure that many of you are already making contributions to this very worthy cause in many other ways and through various other avenues. This, however, is an opportunity to do something through the common bond, avenue and institution that holds us together and gives us the identity of being associated with LUMS.

We will be keeping you posted on a daily basis as to the decisions and actions that have been taken pertaining to usage of LDRF. Last night a team of five experienced LUMS trekkers left for some remote villages of Bagh in NWFP under the superviison of Dr. Sohaib Khan and they were carrying Rs. 200,000 from LDRF for purchase of food items for people in the area as well as Rs. 60,000 worth of medicines and equipment. We will continue to collect cash, medicines and other provisions. The collections will be rapidly disbursed primarily through 1) Islamic Relief, and 2) Edhi Trust. Some funds will also be utilized to provide direct immediate support. At the same time, ideas for long-term contribution towards rehabilitation are also being discussed by committees constituting of faculty, staff and students and at the moment adoption of certain badly hit areas for constructing and sustaining tent villages and helping the local school and education system are being streamlined, in collaboration with local partners.

We, therefore, strongly urge and request you to support the spirit of this endeavour and contribute.

With best regards

Dr. Syed Zahoor Hassan
(Vice Chancellor)

Dr. Jawaid Ghani
(Dean - Suleman Dawood School of Business)

Dr. Anwar Khurshid
(Dean - School of Arts & Sciences)

some thoughts on the issue of institutionalized charity.

1) in our community (Ismaili, for those of you who dont know that about me yet) we dont give zakat. we fill out zakat waiver forms which are frankly a pain in the ass but ill get to that later. we are expected to contribute 12.5% of our salary every year in what we call dasond. no one reminds you to give dasond. no one offers to remove it from your paycheck, your bank account or assets. im not sure if theres even a fixed date by which you have to give it.
im sure there are people out there who dont pay dasond. im sure there are people who give less than theyre supposed to. but i can safely say that the majority of people take it out, all by themselves, whenever they can- end of the fiscal year, during eid, whatever- sometimes giving a fraction less, sometimes giving significantly more. they sit and calculate 12.5% all by themselves. take the initiative to go to the bank/atm and withdraw money. curse the bank/atm for being closed/not functioning/out to lunch. go back the next day. bother to find out WHERE to give the money, WHO to give it to. but somehow, by some miracle, people believe in that 12.5 strongly enough to go and do it all by themselves.

2) it annoys me when people create convenient loopholes for themselves. a clean, surgical, hassle-free removal of money from your bank account. given that your assets and reserves are revalued, devalued, go up and down all the time, i doubt it makes a difference. the act of parting with cash you earned is lost. the act of being motivated enough to go out of your way to give, Give... is lost.

3) if people arent giving, its NOT completely a lack of morals on their part. thats too easy. the cold, miserly, tightfisted Scrooge who doesnt care. the majority of people who dont give part of their money are NOT, by and large, Scrooges. theyre disconnected. targeting a lack of funds in the zakat pool (or the LDRF, for this matter) is TOO EASY- just take it out of their accounts. actually getting people to feel, to think, to give... make them feel part of a community, feel some responsibility is difficult. its cowardice to avoid that challenge. to critically look at society and think- where are we screwing up? where is the love, anyway? thats much more difficult than a couple of swift accounting measures.



im sorry guys... but as much as i try to love people in econ and accounts, theres always this one little thing, little slip... it can be a mental block when trying to comprehend concepts of NON-PROFIT-MOTIVATION or ambivalence/apathy towards the various ills of the world... they cant think beyond that, at the end of the day.. no matter how genuine their intentions are. sometimes some people go beyond that block. they are currently seriously questioning their choice of major/career.


finally... that little bit... "This, however, is an opportunity to do something through the common bond, avenue and institution that holds us together and gives us the identity of being associated with LUMS" we did that... all of yesterday, and the day before, and today... sacrificed mids, term papers, food, sleep, time, energy... and we'll be doing it for the next week, inshallah, if the need be. you are welcome to join us. you are welcome to be part of that. Give a little. do yourself the inconvenience... its not that bad.

day 2

11pm, storm. need we say any more? temperatures dropped to an easy 21 in Lahore, god alone knows whats happening Pindi and beyond.
heartwarming turnout today, feeling a lot better about humanity in general and luminites in particular. LAS boys on their way to Bagh in this crazy weather. six hours to pindi, and onwards from there. how the hell those people up north are going to survive in this weather for another night is beyond me.
at least now i know that there are a decent 100-200 people out there who will show up for these things, come rain or shine. and there are people who will give everything they can, and then some. hope our efforts end up making some small difference in the end.
at the end of the day, im just exhausted. and theres a nagging feeling at the back of my mind that our efforts seem so small, in the grander scheme of things. that truck we loaded looked tiny against the flashing sky and billowing clouds of dust. men shouting, tarpaulin snapping, gunny bags and jerry cans piled high... somehow its still not enough. all this, and we still need a miracle.

so much to do. come on now, they're counting on us. for we have promises to keep, and miles to go before we sleep, and miles to go before...

thank god ibad came up to me last night and said "fuck, dude, i dont know why im doing this anymore"- waving a sheaf of linear algebra notes in my face. yeah, i know. ghotki was the same. fucks you in the head, so many people gone like that.
last night i ran back to the dorms to get the blanket and sweater i had left in the room. shandana had told me to get people from the dorms to help pack the stuff, but there were very few people in the dorm. since most were out on campus, i assumed there would be tons of volunteers at the collection-packing thing too. i was pretty surprised to see only a handful... made me wonder what everyone else was doing. bhai bethey they, guppay maar rahey they... you couldve just come n helped. people did show up later.. and i realise several of them were with the blood camp.
also cheered me considerably to see so much stuff... people have really given from their hearts. top quality LAS jackets, blankets, clothes. well, maybe not sooo much, but a lot. and i know more will come, i know there are great people out there. those who will step up and donate blood without a second thought, help in any small way they can. trying to push disappointment out of my mind and believe that we have what it takes to come together as a community. disappointment like salma saying "aww.. this sweater is too cute to be worn by a kashmiri kid" and disappointment like the religious society not lifting a finger, a freaking finger to help any of us. they hold prayers. oh god. trust God to come into everything and FUCK peoples minds over. you'll sit for three goddamn hours in that mosque for fucking tarawih and feel self-righteous, but you wont come and pack some clothes up so that the people actually helping these people have an easier time. disappointment like compo and writing today- thought sara was going to break down, but i could feel her frustration. ma'am, i think one i reminded through these things of Gods supremecy.... and miss, i know people can help themselves... i mean, theyre already so poor, they cant need much aid, can they? wiasey, dude, where ARE the 09's? bhainchod nazar hi nahin aarahey, except for the odd one or two. i KNOW 5-fucking-hundred of you were admitted... is this not cool enough for you?

you find yourself working with all sorts of ideas and politics you never thought you would. you have the sense to keep your reservations to yourself. and just do it. let what happened affect you, realize that very little else matters, at this point.

[ Stoppard. ]

[Guildenstern is pretending to be Hamlet]
Rosencrantz: Let me get it straight. Your father was king. You were his only son. Your father dies. You are of age. Your uncle becomes king.
Guildenstern: Yes.
Rosencrantz: Unusual.
Guildenstern: Undid me.
Rosencrantz: Undeniably.
Guildenstern: He slipped in.
Rosencrantz: Which reminds me...
Guildenstern: Well, it would.
Rosencrantz: I don't want to be personal.
Guildenstern: Common knowledge.
Rosencrantz: Your mother's marriage.
Guildenstern: He slipped in.
Rosencrantz: His body was still warm!
Guildenstern: So was hers.
Rosencrantz: Extraordinarily...
Guildenstern: Indecent.
Rosencrantz: Hasty.
Guildenstern: Suspicious.
Rosencrantz: Makes you think.
Guildenstern: Don't think I haven't.
Rosencrantz: And with her husband's brother!
Guildenstern: They were close.
Rosencrantz: She went to him...
Guildenstern: Too close.
Rosencrantz: For comfort.
Guildenstern: It looks bad.
Rosencrantz: Adds up.
Guildenstern: Incest to adultery.
Rosencrantz: Would you go so far?
Guildenstern: Never!
Rosencrantz: To sum up: your father, whom you love, dies. You are his heir. You come back to find that hardly was the corpse cold before his young brother pops onto his throne and into his sheets, thereby offending both legal and natural practice. Now... why exactly are you behaving in this extraordinary manner?
Guildenstern: I can't imagine.

All your life you live so close to truth it becomes a permanent blur in the corner of your eye. And when something nudges it into outline, it's like being ambushed by a grotesque.

.....
...
..
.


-Shouldn't we be doing something... constructive?



-What did you have in mind? A short, blunt human pyramid?

[ john lennon lovers, burn in hell. ]

let's talk of peace....

sounds so cliche
a
novelty,
catch phrase of the day
middle, index,
sign of the time
just as complex,
as water to ...

someone said

give peace a chance

and, that's all that we're saying

while we're sitting
on the fence

pretending,
our hearts are in the right place
but, your face
shows a trace of

hypocrisy.

~Extreme




thankoo, x :p

well, i dreamed i saw the knights
in armor coming,
saying something about a queen.
there were peasants singing and
drummers drumming
and the archer split the tree.
there was a fanfare blowing
to the sun
that was floating on the breeze.
look at Mother Nature on the run
in the nineteen seventies.
look at Mother Nature on the run
in the nineteen seventies.

i was lying in a burned out basement
with the full moon in my eyes.
i was hoping for replacement
when the sun burst thru the sky.
there was a band playing in my head
and i felt like getting high.
i was thinking about what a
friend had said
i was hoping it was a lie.
thinking about what a
friend had said
i was hoping it was a lie.

well, i dreamed i saw the silver
space ships flying
in the yellow haze of the sun,
there were children crying
and colors flying
all around the chosen ones.
all in a dream, all in a dream
the loading had begun.

flying Mother Nature's
silver seed to a new home in the sun.

flying Mother Nature's
silver seed to a new home...


..just.. nice :)

[ discovering the americas, for anarchy. ]

dark and silent late last night, i think i might have heard the highway calling

~Carolina in my Mind. Indigo Girls, James Taylor cover.

IF A MAN TELLS YOU THAT HIS FAVORITE MOVIE IS FORREST GUMP, HE WANTS TO GET INTO YOUR PANTS.







this Public Service Message has been brought to you by People Who Care.

to look life in the face

always

to look life in the face

and to know it, for what it is

at last, to know it.

to love it, for what it is.

and then,

to put it away.


leonard

always the years between us

always the years

always

the love

always


the hours.

[ Janis ]

Janis Joplin was absolutely a barnstormer and a complete groundbreaker. She wasn't just a great woman in rock -- at the time she was the woman in rock. Janis really created this whole world of possibility for women in music: Without Janis Joplin, there would be no Melissa Etheridge. Without Janis, there would be no Chrissie Hynde, no Gwen Stefani. There would be no one.
I was a freshman or sophomore in high school when Janis first connected with me. Pearl was the first record I bought. I remember that I was kind of scared. I think that if Joni Mitchell gave me the idea that a woman could write about her life in a public forum, Janis gave me the idea that a woman could live a wild life and put that out there in a public forum, too. At the time, I was this very proper Catholic girl, and Janis was a frightening presence. But being scared didn't stop me from buying Janis' records, and it didn't stop me from wearing a black armband to school the day she died.

It's hard to imagine now the extent to which Janis was so completely shocking at the time. There had been blues singers who were wild and unrestrained -- but even they tended to be a little more buttoned-down than Janis. She always seemed on the verge of being totally out of control. Last summer, I watched the Monterey Pop Festival film for the first time in ages, and I was absolutely stunned by Janis. She had this focus that was relentless. She was a spectacle, like some kind of nuclear being bearing down on the crowd. In the film, you see Mama Cass at the end of Janis' performance just shaking her head, standing up and applauding, like, "Oh, my God, what just happened?" She had an unshakable commitment to her own truth, no matter how destructive, how weird or how bad. Nothing else seemed to matter. She was such an individual in the way she dressed, the way she sang, the way she lived. She loved her whiskey and made no bones about it. This was a full-blown one-of-a-kind woman -- no stylist, no publicist, no image-maker. It was just Janis.

The beauty and the power of Janis Joplin as a singer is her complete lack of fear. She held nothing back. She went to the edge every time she opened her mouth. She sang from her toes and from her soul. She could also destroy you when she got vulnerable, like on "Me and Bobby McGee," where you saw the little girl underneath. But through it all, Janis never lightened up. She didn't live long enough to lighten up. She was a very fierce, very beautiful bright light that burned out way, way too quickly.

~Rosanne Cash




for the boy who irretrievablely, irreversiblely brought music into my life. thank you- i will always love you, if only for that.