[ 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