Disturbing development at Twitter: countries will silence tweets
(via reuters)
My add: Good job, twitter! Remind me how I am supposed to not think that your “high morals” are only for Iran, Egypt and Syria!?
(via soupsoup)
TedTalks: Moral psychology and the its matrix.
(via zushan)
From video: Psychologist Jonathan Haidt studies the five moral values that form the basis of our political choices, whether we’re left, right or center. In this eye-opening talk, he pinpoints the moral values that liberals and conservatives tend to honor most.
My add: This is what I am going to refer anyone who asks me again, what I really believe in or why I am (kind of) a Centrist?
The Antlers - No Widows (Album: Burst Apart / 2011)
(via wingspan)
Been following her for years and even now this is what I am listening to at work - for best playlist on Tumblr click here.
After her father began raping her, Mariam felt scared, ashamed and vulnerable.
The Pakistani teenager, who was around 13 or 14 when the attacks began, couldn’t have known her case would lift the veil on an explosive issue long-shrouded in stigma and bereft of justice in her country – incest.
In 2009, the year the attacks began, a trio of human rights organisations took up her case: international group Equality Now, as well as Pakistani women’s rights organisations War Against Rape, Lahore and Nasreen Welfare Trust Legal Aid Services (NWT). Mariam* served as the inspiration for their report “A Struggle for Justice: Incest Victims in Pakistan,” issued on Jan. 24.
Incest isn’t even listed in the Pakistan Penal Code. It’s rarely discussed and even more rarely reported, according to the report. There are no statistics on incest and, often, little or no punishment for those who perpetrate it. Families typically cover it up and discourage victims from reporting it out of fear that the family honour will be tarnished. (Originally blogged via msandrogynous, complete article at Trust.org)
Thank God for the overwhelmingly large number of “pot belly Uncles” at gym, now I don’t have to feel embarrassed at all! Pakistan zindabad!
Me (mobile)
Yesterday I accompanied Uzair to shops so I can help him look for a new camera. Apart from the fact that the salesman treated me like I am a total noob at photography and that Uzair thoroughly enjoyed this treatment, I realised how much I haven’t been taking care of myself! What happened was that this “over-efficient” salesman took a picture of me to prove there are no grains in the final image, but when I looked at myself it suddenly dawned on me that I look like a bear caught in the wild! So yes I came back home picked up my trimmer and fixed my beard.
Keeping true to the spirit ignited in me last night I also joined a gym tonight and got myself a trainer who after a detailed analysis gave me a compliment by telling me that currently I have ZERO Stamina! Now on his advise I have to get myself on a tight 5 days a week routine, also might get an appointment with the gym’s Dietitian to get back in shape (will only listen to her if she doesn’t make me get on Broccoli soup).
Too much realisation for 48 hours!
Pakistan Votes: Kuch samajh mey aaya? (trans. Understood anything?)
From the video: Pakistan Votes is an apolitical campaign asking Pakistanis to either cast one’s vote or to void one’s vote. The underlying philosophy of the campaign generates from the fact that the 2008 electoral list hosted 40 million ghost voters (multiple entries, voters registered without authentic identification). Bogus votes get casted under the pretext of unverified voters and also under the names of those who fail to show up.
In 2008, roughly 35 million votes were casted. The voter population of Pakistan is ~ 80 million. Some quick math, if we remove the 40 million bogus voters from the 2008 electoral list, we’re left with 40 million ‘genuine’ voters. Now out of those 40 million, 35 million casted their votes. A 90% voter turnout? Really? Here’s the real question, how many rigged votes were casted using ghost votes or even under our names because we were no-shows? 10 million? 20 million? 30 million?
Do you like being taken advantage of? Haven’t you had enough? Come election time, if there’s no candidate you’d like to vote for, then go to the polling booth regardless and make your vote void (how do you void a vote — simple — select multiple candidates on your ballot! Did you seriously need to be told how it’s done?). Pakistan Votes is not in for the “video hits/likes” — all the campaign seeks is that you act responsibly by protecting your vote. And this isn’t a one time effort, Pakistanis have to vote every time there are elections, every single time. We must stop rigging, we must stop our votes from being misused. The system has to be detoxed, there’s no quick fix, let’s begin cleaning our mess.
The initiative is not backed by any sponsorships, or any political agenda. It is purely youth driven. A grand total of PKR 5,000 was utilised on this effort.
—-
My add: Though audio could’ve been better, this is a message which needs to be amplified. If nothing else, reblog it for the Aunty at 1:13!
COLD - TRAILER
From video: For the past 26 years 16 expeditions have tried and failed to climb one of Pakistan’s 8,000 meter peaks in winter. On february 2, 2011, Simone Moro, Denis Urubko and cory richards became the first. cory is now the only American to summit any 8,000 meter peak in winter. The journey nearly killed them. Cory carried a small camera and filmed the ordeal constantly. This is their story, as seen from the raw, honest perspective of Cory’s lens.
In festivals 2011.
—
This makes me look at my ever growing belly - damn this desk job!
- January 23
- , 2012
Which leads some critics of Ijaz to raise the question: If Ijaz was acting on Zardari’s behalf (or Haqqani’s, for that matter) should he have registered as an agent of a foreign government? That’s just one of the wrinkles in a story so colorful and unlikely that it would have been branded unrealistic if written as fiction.
David Ignatius of Washington Post in Mansoor Ijaz, instigator behind Pakistan’s ‘Memogate’.
- January 23
- , 2012
nedispersonne replied to your post: 2:59 pm // No Spring festival for me!
“who said Pakistan and China are best friends willing to stand through every challenge” In most Chinese diaspora communities, anyone who is politically informed and honest will say Chinese diplomacy is all talk and fake photo ops. But good luck!!
agreed! I should have known better!
Thank you :)
All of you celebrating the year of the Dragon, wish you a wonderful and successful year!
- January 22
- , 2012
Well they are putting tough tiles on the road in the housing society I live at in Lahore. They look and feel nice, but my only two concerns are how will they fare under load of trucks (or they will have to regulate them at entrances) and how will they stop those underage drivers from speeding on them when there will be no more speed breakers.
At least one good thing I see is that these workers are wearing workers’ gloves - quite an achievement in a place where labour safety is an unheard phenomena. (mobile)
- January 22
- , 2012
The superior man comprehended righteousness; the small man comprehends gain.
Analects of Confucius, 4:16
- January 22
- , 2012
Thanks to the absurd amount of rules for visa to China from Pakistan, rude Chinese embassy staff and general/chronic bad luck - I haven’t got my Chinese visa yet. Therefore wouldn’t be able to be in China around the Chinese Spring Festival.
Am thankful to all the friends who really helped me with getting all the required documents in time by going to great troubles, but it seems now at best I will have to settle for a trip in February.
By the way did you know that you cannot get a visit visa to China from Pakistan even if you have an individual invitation and even if you already had a multiple entry visa from previous year? Also did you know that Chinese embassy in Islamabad somehow operates call screening where if they pick up your call once and do not like you, they will never pick up your call again unless you call from a different number? And yes that Chinese embassy staff in Islamabad is extremely unhelpful if not only rude even if you get someone to talk to them in Chinese?
Now I need to go and check who said Pakistan and China are best friends willing to stand through every challenge, and smack that person in the face!
This is more annoying because I am even missing my friend’s wedding in India due to all this Chinese visa fiasco!
The Artist (Trailer 2011)
Genre: Musical, Drama, Foreign
Official Site: http://theartistmovie.net
Director: Michel Hazanavicius
Cast: Jean Dujardin, Berenice Bejo, John Goodman, James Cromwell, Penelope Ann Miller, Missi Pyle
Writers: Michel Hazanavicius
Synopsis: Hollywood 1927. George Valentin is a very successful silent movie star. The arrival of talking pictures will mark the end of his career. Peppy Miller, a young woman extra, becomes a major movie star.
- January 20
- , 2012
