Crow's Nest...

Pak vs Eng 2012

noreply@blogger.com (MK) — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 17:26:00 +0000

Pakistani team has done it again. They have pulled off another win against the number one test team in the world. They have, technically, achieved this feat on a pitch that is away from home. The conditions are similar but not the same in the middle east. Pakistan has beaten England in the second test in Abu Dhabi. I just watched the highlights of the final day of the game on Ten Cricket. It was a treat to watch. There has been no good news coming out of Pakistan or about Pakistan for such a long time that every little news that is good catches our fancy and makes us happy. I think there is double reason for us to be happy on this win. We beat the number one test team in the world and we beat the country that has given us relentless pain and agony for the past few years in the game of cricket. English are shameless in the game of cricket. The way they behaved with the test match controversy involving Inzamam and then our top players ending up in the gallows for crimes that are as prevalent in the world of cricket as HIV in Africa, did not please a Pakistani fan.
Just a few months ago we were the punching bag for the whole cricketing world now we are a force to reckon with. We are being compared to the likes of big cricketing nations. Based on my experiences from the past I would think that this stint will be short too. We will soon fall back to the routine of losing every important game. Everything will be back to normal again. But until then I think the nation has every right to celebrate and enjoy these moments. Happiness has become a commodity in our country and any piece of it is welcome.
Some one also needs to shut up Adnan Akmal behind the wicket. I think the best thing to do would be to actually have a mic installed inside his helmet. He can then continuously be engaged as a commentator on a radio broadcast. This way he will get more use for his incessant shouting behind the wickets. He is no help to Misbah, the captain, when he shouts on almost every delivery. He might be a big hit in the world of cricket commentary. Amir Sohail was evidently very annoyed by Adnan's shrieks. He hid no part of his annoyance in his commentary.

-34

noreply@blogger.com (MK) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 03:55:00 +0000

The temperature outside, tonight, is minus thirty four degrees Fahrenheit. This includes the wind chill factor as the non stop wind engines seem to have turned up a notch. This is nothing unexpected of the arctic tundra but we had been spoilt in the last few weeks. The temperatures had been unusually mild. So mild infact that our neighbours were grilling outside the other day. I thought that was an unusual sight. Last year we had a reasonable snow cover. This year there is hardly any snow on the ground. But it seems that winters have finally decided to come with full force. The weekend ahead doesn't look any better either. I don't think they make cars for these extreme weather. I hope mine doesn't break down in the next few days. I have not seen temperatures this low in a long time. A run from Walmart to the car tonight was miserable experience. But I did get one thing done. I bought a warmer steering cover to keep my hands from freezIng.

Blogger over iPhone

noreply@blogger.com (MK) — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 00:06:00 +0000

Blogger is finally available on iPhone. I think this adds a lot of value to the application as for me sitting on my computer to type a post was not a very bright idea anymore. I think this saves me time in terms of logging in and opening up new windows.
The application is pretty limited in its functionality. There is no landscape mode.
This is my first post.

2012

noreply@blogger.com (MK) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 20:37:00 +0000

2012 started ticking last night. A year has come to an end and another starts spreading its sunshine for the next few months to come. Mayans thought 2012 would be it. What I find interesting is that some of us in this world are hell bent on making this come true. This is the sad state of affairs that we are entering 2012 in. I think if this world would just realize how precious this life on earth is it would be very helpful for all of us as a whole. But then there would be no fun if everyone agrees with everyone else. No movement forward. Contrast and contradiction is indeed the essence of life.

Then there is this concept of new year's resolution. I could never personally grasp the idea of a resolution that is made at the beginning of the year. I think we make resolutions every day and all those resolutions should carry the same level of importance in our mind, or it beats the purpose of making resolutions. We decide about doing one thing or the other every movement of our life and each of those decisions are important. The butterfly effect.

This year I need to grasp the idea of economics. So someone out there should suggest a good book. Maybe I will have our book club read that book too. Economics is overwhelmingly the hot topic in these times of economic depression all over the world. I think monetary decisions that we make today carry even more weight than in ordinary times. But then no time is every ordinary. At least that is what our political leaders would have us believe. Every since I have entered this life I have heard a politician shout at the top of his or her voice telling all the listeners that times are tough and not ordinary at all. If it were for him or her they would make changes that would make times extra ordinary. But then when given a chance all of them completely refuse to accept that it is no ordinary time.

This inevitably brings me to the topic of politics. Hell yes no conversation is complete without mention of the filthy slimy creatures we call politicians. 2012 is important in the first three months. Things can make and break in the first three months. All government after that should be business as usual. So let us see who wins. There is enough momentum behind one and the other rolling stone is gathering some moss as well. Will they continue to collide or will there once again be a marriage of convenience?

Conflict of interest

noreply@blogger.com (MK) — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 04:53:00 +0000

I have been trying to follow the general assembly proceedings through various media outlets. It is nothing new but still is heart wrenching to see how differently various media outlets have covered the stories that have come out of the proceedings. Be it the right of the Palestinians to bid for a state or the nonsensical defense of the rhetoric that the other side spews so readily. The same president who was lecturing the world about how useful the common platform has been in sharing the burden of war in Libya used the same breath to point out that looking towards the United Nations is not going to solve the conflicts that plague the middle east at this time. I sense certain fear in the leader. Perhaps he is worried that the elections are near and he needs all the support he can get from the lobbies that are instrumental in helping shape the public opinion. The poor man, thought to be the strongest single person in the world, is yet so weak.

I do not feel that there is any end in sight to the conflicts of the middle east. Not at least in my lifetime. This drama will continue to marginalize and eventually radicalize people on both side of the border and peace will then have little chance to work its magic. This indeed is unfortunate.

Our first crop of home grown all natural cucumbers has been harvested. Surprisingly it took little effort and the fruit is none the less sweet and fresh. We are really enjoying the freshness of the cucumbers and have forgotten about the rotten product that is sold in the mega malls. However this fun is short lived as winter is approaching fast and soon everything will turn white again. I think that the experience gained this year will certainly help in the coming spring when I plan to expand the variety in the garden. One thing is for sure there is no alterante for good soil and that potted plants are never as good as the ones rooted in the open.

Gingerbread 2

noreply@blogger.com (MK) — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 23:31:00 +0000

It has been quite some days since I updated my droid x to gingerbread. My experience with the update has been anything but optimal. I think the battery life has been decreased on the phone easily by twenty percent or so. The battery prior to this update used to last for about twenty four hours or so with very mediocre use. I mostly use my phone for web and data usage rather than as a phone. I am not that famous as you can tell. The battery on the new version of android has gone terribly low. This is unlike what I had expected or read. However I am pretty sure that the phone is not lasting as long as it did prior to the update. Also my phone is relatively new so I do not think that this is a problem with the phone battery itself.
I have also noticed that the phone is running much hotter on the backside as compared to before. If the gps is turned on for a little bit it heats the phone to an extent that it can not be held in the hand. This is a serious issue in my mind. Just returning from a recent trip we had to literally hold the phone in front of the ac vent to keep it cool. I did not expect this kind of craftsmanship from motorolla. Simply subpar.
The user interface has received some upgrade in that the motion effect on the home screens is much less clunky and is much more smooth when transitioning from one screen to the other.
Facebook application is routinely crashing on the phone.
All in all I think I will not buy an android again unless it is a nexus or samsung. I have been dissuaded from buying a motorolla phone for some time.

Gingerbread

noreply@blogger.com (MK) — Sat, 28 May 2011 02:17:00 +0000

I have been hearing reports on the Internet that Verizon wireless and motorolla will be pushing software updates for the droid x today. Engadget and other blogs have been ripe with chatter about this information. This update is badly needed and sorely missed on this phone. I have been trying to update my phone but keep on getting the message that there is no update available. So I called Verizon wireless and met the most clueless operator. She could not understand a word of what I said in three different tries. Finally when the message got to her she was blunt and told me that she had no answer to my question because Verizon wireless is not responsible for pushing this update to the phone but the maker of the phone will do this. Even though it is the Verizon wireless document that is everywhere on the Internet about the update. Anyways I went ahead a chatted with the motorolla representative who was someone sitting in india reading the Internet to help answer ny questions. It seems like both of us were googling the same webpages for answers. Anyways I was told that motorolla is still testing this on few phones and there has been no update released for the general public. He also told me that I should expect an update in the next two weeks at best.
This wait is killing me. I mean they have made us wait so long and still no clear news from anywhere.

iPad 2

noreply@blogger.com (MK) — Mon, 02 May 2011 01:51:00 +0000

The new iPad is worth it's money. Sleek slender design is a plus and so is the light weight. I am not really impressed by the camera as the pictures with both front and back cameras are pixelated and very amateurish looking. It's handy in the sense that I can carry it around while making rounds and access patient information on the go. This makes life easier and for someone like myself this means much less paper waste. I think one added advantage is that I will waste less time on writing down all the information on a piece of paper every morning and will be able to pull it up anytime I want to do so or need to do so. This gives me more time to think and reflect on the patient and spend more time with the patient rather than time in front of a bulky computer.
There are new apps I am discovering every day. However there is still dearth of good medical apps that have been modeled for iPad. This makes the productivity of the iPad a little less but still the benefits of having a walking EMR plus iPod plus iPhone plus chat client plus Facebook client plus newspaper plus kindle is a big plus.

Domino

noreply@blogger.com (MK) — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 16:56:00 +0000

The snow is falling yet again. There was in interval of time in the past one week when spring seemed to be a fulfilling reality; alas! no more. In the next 24 hours the white cover will engulf everything that had dared to raise its head from the snow dunes. Everything will be fresh and white. For some a delight and for others another torment. I belong to no particular group when it comes to snow. All I care about is my drive to and fro from work. If that goes smoothly there is no reason for me to be alarmed.

While we are knee deep in snow in the north western part of the world the warmer climates are souring with the tempers of their inhabitants. From Iran to Senegal there seems to be a wind that will settle scores of counts in just one blow. The forefront of the change happening there is fancier than the real change. I am a reluctant believer. I see similar faces and similar cronies replacing older tired ones. Democratic struggle, it seems, has become a farce. People are joyous but to what end? Everyone has to go one day. This is not important. The important thing is who replaces those who leave. As for now, it seems, similar faces and attitudes are in order as the ones that have left.

I hope I am inexperienced and impatient in drawing these preliminary conclusions. I hope that the dominos are falling for the batter and I hope a new better pattern emerges. There is lot to be drawn in this picture yet and a lot to be erased at the same time. Let us see who has the final stroke.

NY Trip

noreply@blogger.com (MK) — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 04:25:00 +0000

I was away on vacation to NY for the past few days. The purpose of the trip, mainly was to acquire a new passport in face of the current one expiring soon. In any case I used Expedia to search for a place to stay and was directed to a place in Queens area. This was perfect since there is a lot of Pakistani community living in Queens and one can feel at home in such a place. I landed in NY and got to the hotel. To my amazement it was nothing close to the one in the pictures. Small cornered building and even smaller corridors and rooms. It reminded me of out dorms in the medical school. The room was smaller than out apartment bedroom and it was crowded with furniture. Flat screen TV had some channels that did not work and the channel line up was very limited. Towels were old and not very clean. I guess they were washed but still had some stains on them.

The good thing about the hotel was that it was about 10 minute walk from the subway and the walk was safe even in late night as one had to pass through a residential area.

I was shocked when the receptionist placed a bill for me at check out. The bill was for three nights and four day stay and was around 207 dollars. The bill that I had paid through Expedia was 282 dollars. When I told the receptionist that I had already paid the bill she realized her mistake and quickly took the paper away from me and tore it into pieces. In essence Expedia had charged me around 80 extra dollars for the stay. Either this or the hotel is charging higher rates on Expedia. In any case I felt the fraud in the air and this was not nice. Left a bitter taste in my mouth and I am going to write to Expedia about this. Let us see what transpires through this.

Spam

noreply@blogger.com (MK) — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 00:10:00 +0000

Ever since I changed the template for my blog I have been getting a lot of spam in my comments. I think by changing the template I somehow also changed the way comments are handled on the blog. This lead to spam spewing over the page.

Spam is the bane of our existence on the internet. Emails are full of spam messages and there are whole folders dedicated to handling of spam. One of the reason I like Gmail is that it has really good customizable filters for filtering out spam.

New template

noreply@blogger.com (MK) — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 01:02:00 +0000

Since I use the blogger service for the blog that I maintain I am a slave to the templates that blogger provides me with. I have changed the template once more to use the new features that blogger has provided me with. This one looks pleasing to the eye and I really like it. I had grown used to the previous template and this is a welcome change for me and for this blog.

Updated

noreply@blogger.com (MK) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 23:00:00 +0000

Of late i have spent some time on the out look of this weblog. I have made a few changes some of which are likely short lived. I have managed to transfer my blog roll from blog rolling to blogger. This was done in the hope that it will help the page load faster. Although I am not completely clear if this has been the case. Then i have been able to separate and un-clutter my blog roll from my links. Now you can see a separate section for miscellaneous links. At the same time I have changed the blog header and the colors of the template to go with the header. I think this has not been a very successful change. I plan to go back to my original theme in a few days. I plan to make a few more changes soon.

What we are

noreply@blogger.com (MK) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 02:39:00 +0000

Its late in the night and with every passing minute my eyes are getting heavier with sleep. I am on call tomorrow and it is a tiring month that has drained all my energies out of me. I used to think that if there is one thing that doesn’t tire me that is work. But I think I was wrong. It is not totally morale boosting when your patients start dying around you and you can’t seem to figure out the cause. I do try hard and obviously do not want any one to be leaving this world earlier than they should. But sometimes things happen that are not under my control and they happen fast. The last week has been a demoralizing one for me.

Anyways the reason I started to write today was to compliment a good article by one of my friends. I think we the Pakistanis have to get some morale boosting going very soon. We have to start thinking of ourselves as not the losers but as the ones who are important enough to matter in this world. It is time that we started playing some shots on the front foot here. This pitch has been greased by out enemies a lot and is not a perfect playing surface neither is it fair. But this is part of life and we have to live with it.

I mean I am sick and tired of acting as the menial on the scale. My people are giving up their lives for the safety and security of this thank less no good world and all I get is more piercing questions about what can be done more. My people have sacrificed more lives in this war against terror than any other country in this world. There is trauma of war everywhere in my country. There is psychological depression on every face and there is no hope left just because we chose to fight a war for someone else in our courtyard. Some of us tried to benefit as mercenaries and the rest of us are paying the price for that role. A heavy price.

Then why is it that this world fails to recognize our sacrifices? I think we can ask this question in history and then very well understand that the fault lies in us for not making people thank us. We have failed to publicize our sacrifices and soon will become the Palestinians who are thought of but never cared about in the larger scale of things.

We should get our act together and find our place ourselves. No one will do this for us.

A Cold War in Shangri La - The CIA in Tibet

noreply@blogger.com (MK) — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 01:14:00 +0000

I had been thinking of a topic to write about for some time. It evidently was hard to come. I think i have run out of things to write about or that i do no longer feel passionately about things to make me express my opinion on this blog. Somehow things that matter in life are completely unrelated to the things that are worth writing about on this blog. Kind of moot points.

Anyhow, I was reading this post on a weblog which very briefly narrates the involvement of CIA in Tibet in the 1950’s and 60’s. The story sounds very similar to the one my country is seeing now. If only the word Tibet is replaced with Baluchistan in the narration it would sound like a story from present day. I am intrigued.

A Cold War in Shangri La - The CIA in Tibet - Where Tibetans Write

Nuclear Armed

noreply@blogger.com (MK) — Fri, 29 May 2009 02:22:00 +0000

Getting a nuclear arsenal is one thing, retaining it another. Congratulations to the Pakistani nation on being able to keep its nuclear arsenal safe from the real enemy and keeping the future safe with the present.

Sri Lankan people win

noreply@blogger.com (MK) — Wed, 20 May 2009 01:21:00 +0000

As i was rounding yesterday i browsed through the news briefly. It appears that Tamil Tigers have been finally defeated and destroyed in the north of Sri Lanka. After quarter century of war and terrorism this front has cooled down. One hopes that it stays cold for years and years to come. I have little understanding of the internal political dynamics of the country but I think this is a landmark victory for the people of Sri Lanka. It is not very often that civil wars come to a happy conclusion. This is a rare instance in the history. The Sri Lankan people must be congratulated whole heartedly for their perseverance in the face of all odds and against all evil that cluttered their beautiful island. The Pakistani people, I am sure, are with their Sri Lankan fellows in the celebrations for their victory.

I think of all the more important things that lead to this victory education was one of the more important and decisive ones. In all these years of hardship and trouble what kept the people of Sri Lanka sane and one was their ability to interpret the situation rationally and not emotionally as a nation. An educated nation is a must for accomplishing such a feat. Pakistan should take a lesson from this war and make amends at the very basic level.

Lessons from Sri Lanka

noreply@blogger.com (MK) — Sat, 16 May 2009 05:29:00 +0000

Sri Lanka is on the verge of declaring victory over the separatist movement of the Tamil Tigers. After years of struggle and constant state of war Sri Lanka has done what Pakistan would be able to achieve some day. In our struggle against the elements that declare terror upon us we must learn our lessons from Sri Lanka. Tamil Tigers were the first people in the modern history to utilize living humans as payload delivery systems. So they are very much similar to the fanatic elements that we are coming across in our north west frontier province. They fight a guerilla war and hide and attack. And in all possibility they have been trained by the same agency that trained the Tami Tigers. Therefore it would be a great idea to get some ideas from the Sri Lankan friends in helping us fight the resistance movement.

If Sri Lanka can do it so can we.

But as I was thinking about these lines i read about SSG being paratrooped behind enemy lines. Now it could be as simple as a battle tactic. Para trooping soldiers behind enemy lines. But could it be paratrooping reinforcements for the enemy. Or could it be Paratrooping SSG to retrieve valuable human assets from the hot zone. I don’t know. It could be anything. I think Fazlullah will not be found. He will disappear now like a ghost from the scene.

Made in Pakistan – UAV!

noreply@blogger.com (MK) — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 20:58:00 +0000

This news item is very interesting and apparently something that has been floating on the internet circles for a long time without coming into my notice. I must admit that I am amazed every day with the amount of unique knowledge that comes my way when I open the doors of world wide web. Sometimes I do wonder that it would be a life worth living as ‘John Henry’, from TSCC but then again human brain is a miracle in itself with 20 billion calculations going on simultaneously in an average brain and a potentially limitless memory. I would not want to trade off mine for a cord connected ‘John Henry’.

Pakistani private sector is shining in the field of arms making and development of low cost alternative solutions to modern warfare. This should not be something new as Pakistani north is famous for its uniqueness in manufacturing weaponry of every kind from a mere pistol to a rocket launcher. But things have progressed from the times of the old Afghan war. Now we have private defense

contractors with very impressive portfolios. I would link to and copy paste an article that appeared in Dinar Standard and since then has been copy pasted on multiple sites all round the world.

The growing reliance on armed drones (aka Predators) by Americans in Afghanistan and Pakistan's FATA region to target militants has been making headlines with increasing casualties.

This technology of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) or drones designed and manufactured in Pakistan has also been making news since the IDEAS (International Defense Exhibition and Seminar) 2008 event, a 5-day biennial arms show held November last year in Karachi, Pakistan. Among the largest foreign pavilions at the exhibition, Turkey had 28 companies and United States had 22. Other major exhibitors came from China, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, South Korea, South Africa, the Ukraine and the United Kingdom. Among other products, Pakistani companies showed off JF-17 fighter plane built by Pakistan Aeronautical Complex in partnership with China's Chengdu Aircraft, Al-Khalid main battle tank, and a variety of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) designed, developed and built in Pakistan.

Integrated Dynamics is a full-service UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) systems provider based in Karachi, Pakistan. The company has been in business since 1997 and designs and integrates UAV systems primarily for the Government of Pakistan, the Pakistan armed forces and export.

In addition to supplying drones to the Pakistani military, the company exports its products to Australia, Spain, South Korea and Libya and the United States. The US Homeland Security Department uses ID's Border Eagle surveillance drone for border patrol duties.

The complete article can be read here.

A similar article appeared in the Wired magazine.

Since 2002, Pakistan has dramatically expanded its robotic fleet in the sky, Defense News reports. The Pakistani Air Force has two UAV squadrons -- and is looking to build up to six.

So companies like East West Infiniti are building SIGINT [signals intelligence] for small drones and robotic blimps, to capture those conversations.

This article can be read here.

Technorati Tags: Pakistan,Army,USA,UAV,Dinar Standard,Predator,military,integrated dynamics,ID,TSCC,John Henry

Kill Bill

noreply@blogger.com (MK) — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 03:24:00 +0000

The title of the post has nothing to do with the actual post. This is a disclaimer, I am writing, right in the beginning so that I do not have a nagging feeling while I am in the process of typing away. Much has changed in this world like each time before this time. Both things of greater consequence and that of lesser one, happen within a matter of seconds here and a lot changes only to come back to what it originally was. I have failed to recognize that original beginning towards which everything seems to gravitate. I am satisfied in part that I am not the only one in this world to think of that particular beginning but only the least experienced one. I know this for a fact that each and every soul before me at more than one occasion in its life has thought about the real reason for its creation. Some have tried to solve this problem in greater depth and others have dedicated their lives to this quest thus giving birth to the field of philosophy. Yet the true nature of everything has always been a mystery for the best of the best minds. I, therefore, stand little chance of unveiling that which has been hidden for so long and so deep. Therefore, it is my intention to only marvel at what transpires and then kind of appreciate our inability to learn the intricate complexity of this world’s real simplicity. This simplicity is too complex to be understood.

Lahore has been under the limelight these days just the way Kabul was in 2001 and Baghdad was in 2003. Blood and guns are everywhere and there is a lot of instability. What amazes me is that why are innocent people targeted in these attacks. The police cadets who died last week or the poor people on the liberty round about had nothing to do with what is happening anywhere in the world. If anything it is the corrupt leaders who should be taken to task not innocent people who have hardly anything to do with anything. This makes me think if all this is happening to make us realize that those who were happy over 9/11 should not be anymore as there is 9/11 all over in Pakistan.

I fail to accept that the masters of these terrorists are Muslim or have anything to with Islam. The game plan is big and the arena even bigger. We the people of Pakistan are just caught up in the fight. We will die right left and center and will pay for everything that we never did or even sanctioned.

Think about this from Taliban’s perspective. Why would they want all the people of Pakistan against them and lose both monetary and moral support. Taliban would have to be very foolish to be killing Pakistanis. Therefore it is not Taliban extremism but some other masters that have reigns of these idiots.

This then means that Taliban will have to do something about this. They can not just sit there and watch their support base erode. They must take to task those who are tarnishing their name with these violent acts.

My next post will touch upon something related to this post.

Long March

noreply@blogger.com (MK) — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 03:40:00 +0000

I have been thinking about some stuff to write on the long march that seems to have started in Pakistan. Nothing solid or concrete comes to mind. But I was watching this old program by Hamid Mir and saw a mullah vehemently defend Asif Ali Zardari. This reminded me of one of my old high school teachers. He was one of many who introduced our young minds to logical thinking and political role playing. Of many characteristics that he possessed the hatred for the religious elite was one of the strongest emotions within him. He would narrate a story almost every week of the evils that these mullahs spur in our society and then make sure that he spent considerable time loathing the corrupt ones amongst them. I remember one very solid thing that he made us remember. He would tell us that these bearded fanatics had only three things in mind. One, they liked to nourish their fat and hair so that the ton that they devoured every day in form of meat and miscellaneous would be reduced to few solid chunks of crap that is painful on its way out. Second they love to inseminate above and beyond all social, cultural and religious lines with fervor and teach their followers sexual restraint. Third, their only business of the day is to misinterpret religion so that every Muslim is a sworn enemy of the other.

I think he was right on every count. There might be a few exceptions but most of these religious bulls in our times at least live to these evil ends. This also reminds me of my own mullah who had the honor of teaching me the first four books of the Holy Quran at my home. He was famous for carrying a pistol concealed under his shirt 24/7. He owned only a motorcycle and there were always three passengers on it. He himself, riding in the front, his body guard in the back seat and his very young daughter of 5 or 6 tucked on the front gas tank of the motorcycle. I would always remember envying his Yamaha for its strength and resilience in the face of a collective at least 1000 pounds that its 100 cc engine had to push back and forth in the whole town. Any ways, the reason he kept the concealed weapon on his person was to ward of any assailants that might want to rid his soul of the heavy body that it possessed. He thought he would be able to fight off any life threats. Luckily for many and unluckily for him the assassin's bullet travels much faster than his neural network in collective and he was on the ground before his hands could reach his belt. The action was short lived for every passer by, with his personal body guard in flight to save his life and the assailants AK47 jerking off in succession and his one hand on his chest trying to plug bullet holes and the other missing his pistol and cursing independently.Three minutes later there lay his whole body, a mass of meat and little blood and dysfunctional neural network twitching in pain, dumped on the ground that lay thirsty for some blood. All his years of preparation and all his money spent on the gun and his body guard could not save him from those determined bullets that have their own head of steel. Once they make their mind it is difficult and often futile to argue with them. They march one after the other and rest not.

He was lucky though in the sense that he was awarded the medal of martyrdom by his followers and his son was appointed incharge of the mosque that he built through years of persistent trickling corruption. Funny how things work; how one man's death paves the way for another's freedom to insemination at a relatively young age.

I have been trying to listen to news and media all day long today in an effort to update myself of the ground reality in Pakistan. The long march has begun with a mellow response from some circles. I hope it gains momentum and transpires into yet another peaceful demonstration of the strength of the people of this country. I have certain fears. In the first long march we lost one leader and in the second long march it seems the second one will be visiting the higher courts of ultimate justice. Although I find no reason for the suicide bombers to be striking the long march but if the present masters keep on working their intrigue there will just be one who has his mind set on blowing Nawaz Sharif up for Zardari's sake.

Evil is around us and evil surrounds us. But does that mean we let it prevail. I think not and will think not till the end of time. One such thought doesn't matter but one too many do. Maybe if all of us start putting up resistance against all that we see evil and do evil we will help make a better Pakistan. A peaceful and just Pakistan. I hope that no lives are lost in this struggle but to hope this is to hope for a miracle. No revolution can be brought without the color red. The amount of mistakes that our leaders and us have committed over the past 66 years predicts that all will not be rosy in the days to come and there will be lives of value lost. But what is a life without its freedom and a soul without its independence?

Long March

noreply@blogger.com (MK) — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 16:02:00 +0000

Governor's Rule

noreply@blogger.com (MK) — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 03:51:00 +0000

The past one week has been very unrestful for the people of Pakistan. We have been turning and tossing either in the comfort of our sofas or on the streets about the developments that have transpired in the past seven days or so. The developments are huge and the consequences will be huge still. But should we not see how did this change of heart come into all of a sudden on Zardari's part. I think the change of heart is not sudden in fact it is more planned and worked out and therefore will last longer than we think. It will, for the same reason, be difficult for the people's resistance to trounce.

As there were clear indications that Nawaz Sharif was feeling threatened by the present courts he decided to continue his struggle with the lawyer's movement. Had he decided to do otherwise it would have been a political suicide. He is in a catch 22 of a sort. Zardari on the other hand is a product of NRO and feels threatened by any other court, other than the DOGar court. In the setting of the Punjab govt. actively supporting the long march and the subsequent sit on of the people the struggle would have gained much more momentum. As Islamabad is adjacent to mostly Punjabi jurisdictions supporting the protestors would have been very easy for the Punjab govt. and any such protest would have by every means paralyzed the central govt. until it succumbed to the desires of the protestors. Furthermore in the event of a PML-N govt in Punjab the long march itself during its passage through Punjab would have received enormous support from the govt., therefore sustaining it. This is something unacceptable to Zardari and his company. It was therefore suggested to him most likely by the governor Punjab that steps should be taken to dissolve the present govt. in Punjab so that for the time period of the long march control over govt. machinery could be obtained.

Sharif brothers were therefore disqualified from the elections in retrospect and thrown out of the politics. This meant a Punjab without a chief minister and very infuriated Sharif brothers. Zardari took a big chance at this moment. He was banking on a strong response from the two foolish bothers so that he could get a reason for imposing governor's rule in Punjab. Sharif brothers fell right into this trap and started making calls for unrest. Situation started slipping out of hands and Zardari moved in.

Now as the Govt. is paralyzed in Punjab and the PML-N supporter is exhausted in protesting here the wind from the long march sails is fast blowing out. The long march will take place in a circumstance where they have no support from the biggest province and people will be actively prevented from participating in it.

There is a lot that everyone will gain and loose in it. Zardari thinks that he will be able to perpetuate his rule in the center and now in Punjab with the support of PML-Q or other factions. The governor of Punjab with his third rate tactics thinks he will be able to avenge the sharif brothers and also help Zardari open up his business on horse trading in Punjab and turn the tables.

PML-Q hasn't decided yet. They have not decided on the question of wether they should move with PML-N and through this move wipe their sins off and come out with a clean slate thus rejuvinating their tarnished image and becoming a party again. This would mean that Shujaat and Elahi will have to give up their role as leaders and accept Sharif brothers as their leader again thus forming a united party. But they can come up with an understanding with PML-N where they retain their role as independent entity. They now have the most bargaining power. Sharif wants them and PPP wants them. They have a lot to gain in the coming days and as things appear right now it seems they will decide to sit with PML-N both in center and Punjab thus creating a win win situation for themselves. They get clean slates and they get share in govt. I don't think Shujaat could have asked for more. He is jubilated right now.

The other way of looking at things is with a deeper inspection. What if this is a ploy being played by both Sharif brothers and Zardari together to destroy the people's resistance and the lawyer's movement. By playing enemies for the time being Sharif brothers are out of control and therefore will not be blamed if they are not able to support the long march. They will be in less pressure to actively support it. Once all is back to normal they will resume their duties as they were before the long march. What if this is an interim shift of power to help bail them out from the moral high ground that they were stuck in since the time they decided to bail out the judges. If this is the case then after all dust is settled, this would mean an end of the transition as planned by Benazir and Nawaz Sharif. Surely there was more to charter of democracy than mere democracy.

Gaza Doctor

noreply@blogger.com (MK) — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 04:21:00 +0000

Sun running the Cells | The Pakistani Spectator

noreply@blogger.com (MK) — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 18:53:00 +0000

I read this well researched and thought out article on the often not so authentic TPS today and found it to be very informative. the writer has been very elaborate.

Telecommunication industry is developing very fast in our country. For a strong and stable telecommunication industry a constant and stable supply of electricity is essential. In the backdrop of current supply shortages we must look into alternate sources of energy. Given the extensive tower infrastructure of the telecommunication companies all over Pakistan it is easier and more feasible for them to use solar energy for generating electricity for meeting their local infrastructure needs. This will help them in two ways. It will reduce their dependability on more expensive and polluting sources for the same energy and will also reduce the operational costs of the units in the long run.

It is also important for the same industry to explore this avenue because they have money to spare and thus money to spend unlike most of the industries in Pakistan. Once they start using this source of energy it will result in bringing down the costs of installing solar panels in general and will help other sectors to follow suit. In every situation it is a win win situation. I think I have mentioned in one of my earlier posts on this blog that to meet all the energy requirements of our country from solar energy we need a solar plant of the are of about 39 square miles. Obviously it can not be done as a single installation but if stand alone smaller units are invested into the cost of such an operation will be much less and also infrastructure would be more stable and reliable.

Sun running the Cells | The Pakistani Spectator