Desicritics Author: Teeth Maestro

The Middle East Frankenstein

Teeth Maestro — Sun, 25 Jun 2006 00:05:10 EDT

Do take a look at this map of the Israeli occupation from 1946 to 2000, a region predominantly occupied by the Muslims back in 1946 has slowly diminished to barely a few green spots on the map. It blatantly appears to be an invasion slowly expanding its territory and shoving the Muslims into extinction. Under UN Resolution 242, Israel is required by international law to withdraw from all the territories occupied in 1967, including East Jerusalem.

The United Nations General Assembly has repeatedly condemned Israel's occupation of the territories as illegal (see UN resolutions 338, 1397, and 1402, among others). The Jews continue to defy all orders passed by the UN and the International Court of Justice, refusing to follow the rules created to stop this unrest and peace. They play a game of charades by signing a middle east peace deal but back off themselves for one lame excuse after the other blaming the other party for a minor offense but refuse to accept their own methods of invasion and torture.

Yet again the pictures of the unrest in the Middle East come back again to haunt us, and yet again the images touched the bleeding heart seeing an innocent girl morning the loss of her family, after the IDF "accidentally" bombed their picnic party. Shells fired from a gun ship located practically a mile off-shore, call it any type of an accident but trigger-happy soldiers who are unable to visually identify a group of innocent picnickers should not be trusted to drive on the street let alone play with a deadly weapon, since this is a disease commonly referred to as "blindness". The picnickers were apparently in plain sight and can be considered as a blatant attack against humanity - yet another violation of human rights.

When I, for the umpteenth time, try to analyze the Israel-Palestine conflict, every time the balance of power seems to lie squarely upon the well armed Jews displaying a serious imbalance of power between the two warring factions. Israel can be considered as the bully and Muslims the easy underdogs getting the beating of their life. It may have started off as a small occupation which has literally turned into an invasion of the predominantly Muslim territory (1946).

The entire world knows that the strong Jewish lobby in Washington ensures that the Supreme Power of the world (United States of America) develops a blind spot on Israel. This lobby makes certain that no drastic statements or measures are made against the Jews and are manifested only in the form of a stern glare and mild scolding just as a charade to keep the press at bay and off their backs.

Palestinians on the other hand have none of the glittering arsenal that the Jews have in their possession but are simply forced to rely only on their physical strength to keep their country together. The highly charged and emotional population have been repeatedly assaulted and raped by Jews, to an extent to loose their sanity of logical thought, this madness is driven to desperation often manifested by the only choice of suicide bombings just so that they can extract revenge.

Millions of bystanders often wonder what drives a person to become a suicide bomber, look no further and imagine for a moment that every member of your family is killed by any enemy, you are left alone in the world with no one to share your emotions, you tend to loose the will to live and desperation leads you down the path of revenge.

One of these nations, needs to step back to let things cool down, to take this drastic step might be against popular opinion within the nation, but nevertheless it needs to be taken simply for the sake of humanity. A peaceful coexistence is very much possible, it might be against popular belief but a strict seize fire should be the only solution of this long drawn controversy, no demands of "you-do-this-then-we-talk-peace" just a simple seize fire and peace. Is this too hard to ask for, considering the daily loss of life either nation has to go through in this ongoing battle.

Hamas in the recent past due to whatever reason issued a seize fire, it was a bold move and a step in the right direction, lasted a good year but with continued irritating onslaughts by the IDF the patience finally boiled over. I would not be surprised if things start to get worse and then the Jews should be held responsible for the escalating situation

The world continues to blame the Palestinians for carrying out suicide attacks but sadly the Jews retaliate with even a greater force resulting in an equal if not more number of deaths within the Palestinian territory. The F-16 flying high above drops a GPS guided bomb in the middle of a shopping district in Palestine, killing hundreds within seconds, the pilot and aircraft safely exit without even as much as a scratch since the Muslims have no weapons to fight back, apart from the handheld weapons acquired from the black market.

The Israeli public statement proudly announces the elimination of a terrorist - touting the same post 9/11 slogan "war against terrorism" getting laurels of praise from the right wing US media moguls. How ironic, the world sees Israel an equal partner to this terrorist activity but is sadly accorded a friendly pat on the back from the US, probably equally to blame but the media chooses to portray Israel as the hero.

To top it off the US continues to support the Jewish army providing them the best arsenal including the technology to produce 200+ odd nuclear warheads that have been produced by Israel. I refuse to fathom the hypocrisy by the United States of America when it itches to flush out the WMD's held by Iraq, Iran and North Korea but somehow ignores the trigger happy gun totting Jewish army which repeatedly uses devastating force on humanity.

How could the Israelis be considered as responsible members of the nuclear club when they can't see a picnic party practically a mile away. At the same time I even doubt the responsible attitude of the United States of America as they are the only nation to ever use the deadly nuclear weapon, not once but twice and that too in a short span of three days, yet for some strange reason they refuse to ratify the CTBT, there must be a reason for non-compliance.

Lets shed our differences and talk about a peaceful coexistence an option very much possible but I feel the Jews need to stand up alone without the brotherly love and protection by the United States, then the Jews need to comply to all international resolutions and kiss and make up. Is this too difficult to ask from an invader?

Iran, You're Next. Here We Come!

Teeth Maestro — Fri, 2 Jun 2006 13:51:57 EDT

Total world domination is what appears to the ultimate goal of the United States of America. The US has been playing the same tactics it was found guilty of a few years back when it was itching to dip into the oily waters of Iraq. It threw at the UN and the world every conceivable trick in the book, and when the world/UN said Fuck Off, it turned around, hid under the banner of terrorism and WMDs, and went guns blazing into Iraq alone with a handful of supporting countries.

Is that the notion of democracy the US lives by? When you lose a democratic discussion, turn sour, act like a rotten kid and do what you want? After three years, it was only last week that the US President FINALLY admitted to some mistakes. Knock-knock, wake-up! Was he living on earth when all the body bags were showing up at the door?

That's where the problem lies, it's known as an arrogant bully gone berserk. I quote an interesting paragraph from an article by Fareed Zakaria (Newsweek's May 29, 2006 issue):

The Bush administration describes spreading democracy as the lodestar of its foreign policy. It speaks about democracy constantly and has expanded funding for programs associated with it. The administration sees itself as giving voice to the hundreds of millions who are oppressed around the world. And yet the prevailing image of the United States in those lands is not at all as a beacon of liberty. Public sentiment almost everywhere sees the United States as self-interested and arrogant. There is a huge disconnect between what the Bush administration believes it stands for and how it is seen around the world.

The world is a gravy mixture of nations, each with its own thoughts and values, there cannot be a generic fix to all problems and each nation has to be dealt with in a unique solution, a rubber stamp US-like democracy cannot be expected to last long in a nation like Iraq which has only seen rulers - especially not a system enforced by invaders. A fundamental political change takes time and two short quick years cannot be used as a perfect exit strategy. Yes, the exit strategy is a strategy designed to allow the invader to get out before all hell breaks loose. Then it will be just evasion tactic statements from Washington.

Exit strategy, my ass!

Coming to Iran, the US has been planning for such an invasion into Iran for some time to an extent that coalition partners, which include the US, Israel and Turkey have been in "an advanced stage of readiness" since early 2005.

American air strikes on Iran would vastly exceed the scope of the 1981 Israeli attack on the Osiraq nuclear center in Iraq, and would more resemble the opening days of the 2003 air campaign against Iraq. Using the full force of operational B-2 stealth bombers, staging from Diego Garcia or flying direct from the United States, possibly supplemented by F-117 stealth fighters staging from al Udeid in Qatar or some other location in theater, the two-dozen suspect nuclear sites would be targeted. - Global Research

In its planning of the invasion, the invaders have been seriously contemplating the use of mini-nukes in this Iran onslaught (Global Research),

Mini-Nukes are: earth-penetrating capability of the nuclear warheads penetrating only 20 feet or so into dry earth when dropped from an altitude of 40,000 feet. Even so, by burying itself into the ground before detonation, a much higher proportion of the explosion energy is transferred to ground shock compared to a surface bursts. Any attempt to use it in an urban environment, however, would result in massive civilian casualties. Even at the low end of its 0.3-300 kiloton yield range, the nuclear blast will simply blow out a huge crater of radioactive material, creating a lethal gamma-radiation field over a large area to cause significant damage. FAS

Mini-nukes help the US to avoid sending troops into the battle field, hence avoiding the political pressure back home when the body bags start showing up, little do they care what happens to the innocent lives lost on the other side of the world. The shock and awe will naturally cripple the defending army but it will leave behind a devastated country with millions of people dead and dying, at that point I hope the blaming finger should point to the human rights abuser called the United States of America. It will again prove for the umpteenth time since Hiroshima that no other tyrant or dictator has violated the human rights code as repeatedly than the loudest so-called protector of human rights "The United States of America". (At this moment I choose to leave the issue of Gitmo and Abu Gahrib - they are not prisons but actually Terrorist Information Extraction Center which have been a pain in the ass for the US and Human Rights lobby.)

I would like to know the motives behind the attack on Iran - do the US and its coalition partners honestly feel that an invasion is the best solution to the problems with Iran and after the attack Iran will play dead and cough up all the WMD's? Would this invasion be the final nail in the coffin and satisfy the hunger for world domination? Will the US suddenly stand up and say "That's all Folks - we have cleansed the world of all tyranny, now let's sit back and enjoy the view"?

I really doubt it, it's Iran today, South Korea next, Pakistan soon, and then China. As they say, there is always an excuse to pick a fight, and with an ever booming Chinese invasion of the world economy, it won't be to far away from the cross-hairs of the B-52's.

If I were belonging to any nation being invaded by any God-damn-country, my patriotism will rise to the occasion, be it the honky dorry US dollars or the an attack by India - I will be ready to die for my country and fight the invaders to the nail, this is the same patriotic sentiment the US continues to face in Iraq daily and WILL surely face it in Iran. Wake up, Americans! These are not Al-Qaida men and neither are these trained terrorists, but simply patriotic people ready to fight FOR THEIR COUNTRY.

Bring 'em on, bring the B-52's, bring the Tomahawks, bring all the mini-nukes, lay them out and spread far and wide, do anything you want but I assure you the Iranians are ready; sparkle all the dollars at them, even then I assure you the patriotic spirit will fight you to the last nail. Worry about how to hot tail it out of the country, as a proud patriotic nation will beat you out of their territory, you won't walk back, but they may allow you to crawl back. Best if you stayed out, handle it diplomatically, BUT don't make this world your playground to flex your muscle.

Free Expression in Asian Cyberspace (Day 2)

Teeth Maestro — Fri, 21 Apr 2006 09:49:52 EDT

The second day of the Free Expression in Asian Cyberspace was quite interesting to say the least, which covered issues of technology and legal implications on free speech movement

Issac Mao, hails from China and talked about some very interesting ways how the Chinese by pass the GFW (Great Fire Wall). The authorities maintain a very active blocked list, which can dynamically change on a minute to minute basis adapting to any new and offensive content that the Chinese might cause problems. After hearing the lengths to which the internet surfers in china go about in attempting to by pass this blockage one really needs to appreciate the access we usually take for granted

Dr. Awab Alvi Don't Block the Blog talked about the struggle of bloggers in Pakistan fighting against the local censorship (Slides, Audio)

Nart Villeneuve, Citizen Lab showed how their organization helps in doing research in a number of countries trying to better understand how governments which can be a resource to the internet users in that specific location, hence maybe armed with that knowledge one can proceed accordingly (Slides, Audio)

Dini Wildiastuti, Article 19 discussed the benefits of the hundreds of reports freely available on the Article 19 website which are predominantly legal implications in this interconnected world (Slides, Audio, Video)

Jeff Ooi, RSF talked on the impact of terrorism and national security laws affecting cyberspace (Slides, Video)

Rebbecca Mackinnon, Global Voices / Berkman Center shed light on the business of the Internet and how to learn from the guru's like Yahoo and Google, she discussed the creation of the extremely successful Global Voices Project (Slides, Video)

JV Rufino, INQ7 an editor discussed how the his local Philippine internet news agency caters to the booming Internet and has positioned itself into a highly successful local business model. He discussed a few interesting interactions between the Marketing and Editorial team trying to balance content to profit (Slides)

Owais Aslam Ali, Pakistan Press Foundation shed some interesting views of how the offline community slowly embraces the world wide web (Video)

Andrew Lih closed the day with a technical workshop on wikipedia demonstrating the value and easy of edit ability of this massive constantly evolving encyclopedia, he also showed examples of how to implement the wiki model in organizing projects on a global basis.

The day ended with a delicious dinner at Jade Garden hosted by Smart Communications

Free Expression in Asian Cyberspace (Day 1)

Teeth Maestro — Thu, 20 Apr 2006 00:11:55 EDT

At the conclusion of the first day of the conference on Free Expression in Asian Cyberspace Conference being held in Manila at the Asian institute of Management. A large number of speakers from across the region spoke at lengths highlighting the battles of free speech being fought within their own countries. Check out the presentations and video clips of all the sessions at Free Expression in Asian Cyberspace Blog

I personally would recommend these following speakers which were the highlight during the day

Prof. Ying Chan, University of Hong Kong, she spoke about the demographics of the Asian internet access. Her Presentation is here
Kunda Dixit, Nepali Times, he talks about the battle tussle with the King's men in Katmandu and Nepal. His presentation is here
Chi Dang, who sheds light on the resistance movement and very innovative ideas of Vietnamese activists to by-pass internet monitoring. Her presentation is here
Andrew Lih talked about blogging and podcasting in China, and the new breed of web publishers who post on the internet despite so many restrictions imposed by the Chinese Govt. His presentation can be downloaded here
Manuel Quezon, discussed the heated controversial tapes exposing Philippine President in election rigging in the run-up to the previous election, which led to a rally of raids and arrests. His presentation is here
Rebecca Mackinson, Global Voices, she discusses the creation of Global Voices Online and the model to encourage the alternative news media as the future alternative to the traditional content. Her presentation is here

If you care to enjoy seeing the event in PodCast/VideoCast proceed to the Asia 0900 blog who are recording the events in real time.

After the long grueling day we were served with a sumptuous dinner at a restaurant on the Manila Bay, enjoyed a casual night hosted by Sen. Juan Flavier.

Pakistan Googled by a Texan

Teeth Maestro — Sun, 12 Mar 2006 08:47:33 EST

George W. Bush's two-day trip to Pakistan can now sadly be looked back upon more as a state sponsored relaxation trip for the President after his hectic schedule in India. Little do the Pakistanis have anything to show for this visit by the most powerful dictator of the world. In 2000, we were literally on our knees begging for Clinton to stop by to say Hi, but in contrast, in 2006, when the US President willfully offers to come, we fail miserably to perform.

It was no secret that Pakistan was unlikely to get any crumbs from the nuclear grants when India worked hard to create a mutual understanding. Delhi has been after Washington for a long time and Pakistan can't expect to get a deal just for the heck of being a critical neighbour with India. For Pakistan, the Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) should have been the hot deal to be inked during the two-day trip. The BIT has been in the works for a good time, but sadly, Islamabad was caught napping till the nth hour and any last minute efforts only left objections making it unreasonable to be finalized in March.

When dealing with the most powerful country of the world it should not be difficult for us to come up with alternative memoranda of understanding (MOUs) to cover up and potentially replace the BIT. Other MOUs could then have served a face-saving for the embarrassed government and it would have been a benefit for Pakistan even at a microscopic level. Instead, the two days were spent playing cricket and munching dinners at state expense.

The Texan did make news (the only news to make headlines around the world), not on a political level but instead while playing cricket - he was hit by a bouncer and spun a googly in the process. It goes to say what a waste of time it is, trying to teach a baseball fan to hold the oddly shaped cricket bat let alone trying to teach him to bowl over-arm without the sling shot pitching style he's more used to.

Making matters worse, Mushy and his cronies went all out to cordon Islamabad off from the world. The airport and all incoming roads were effectively closed for all making it more like a prison and, simultaneously, all sorts of political activity was addressed by issuing house arrests for the loudest of all critics namely Qazi and Imran Khan. I applaud Imran Khan to have taken the limelight from the visit with some very interesting TV interviews he gave leading to the trip. Qazi Saheb, what can I say?

Bottom line - Musharraf and his team have terribly mismanaged this trip only to be remembered for the wrong'un that Bush faced during his practice session at the nets.

Blogspot Censored in Pakistan

Teeth Maestro — Fri, 3 Mar 2006 19:47:33 EST

As I write this post on the 4th of March 2006 all sub-domains on Blogspot.com/Blogger carrying thousands of free blogs continue to remain censored for all internet users in Pakistan. The mess started on the 27th of February when the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority issued instructions to all ISP to block all websites displaying the controversial cartoon images of Prophet Muhammad.

Hence from the 28th of February the regulatory body barred access to a number of sites and it sadly included a few domains being hosted on the blogspot domains, rather then blocking the select few websites it seems they placed a universal block on all Blogspot.com sub-domains causing a number of bloggers to be banned from their own site for no apparent reason whatsoever.

Mixed responses came through in the next few days some claiming it to be a technical glitch at Google (owners of Blogspot.com) and a few reports by some Indian based surfers facing the same blockage problem hence indicating a more global issue instead of a local Pakistan glitch. My personal experience remained consistent throughout the three days with a total blackout only solved by accessing the blocked sites through an anonymous proxy server, it goes to prove that the website is functioning fine and some censorship may after all exist.

I continue to object to the cartoons illustrations and feel that the decision by the Supreme Court of Pakistan should be implemented for what its worth, but the PTA should be reprimanded for idiotic move as it seems the PTA continues to disappoint the Pakistanis time after time again for some stupid ill-thought out mistakes. BBC has also reported on the so-called internet censorship in Pakistan

We would like to request everyone to join hands with us in condemning this action against blog Publishers and blog readers from Pakistan who have little to do with the cartoon controversy. To show support we would like to request you to display the banner presented below on your website

You may also check out the website - Help-Pakistan.com



<a href="http://help-pakistan.com/main/dont-block-the-blog/" ></a>

DON'T BLOCK THE BLOG

The Cartoons Were A Journalistic Project

Teeth Maestro — Tue, 7 Feb 2006 16:13:05 EST

The world around us continues to ask for peaceful protests in response to the blasphemous cartoons published a few months back. From the gloomy day of 9/11, the Muslim community at large has continued to take accusations for a good five years sitting quietly taking punches and have generally adopted an apologetic attitude even for an action that IS NOT a part of a peaceful religion.

Please do not equate or generalize the radical approach of a select few individuals as Islamic, they are the extreme end of our religion which sadly is NOT Islam.

When these cartoons come forth we the Muslim community have now been forced to scream Enough is Enough, and have come onto the streets in protest, call it a boiling-over of all the anger built up over these five years finally letting it loose. We don't mean harm, and I, on behalf of all Muslims sincerely apologize for the actions of a radical few who have resorted to rioting and vandalism but in the same breath as followers of Islam we will do our part to inform the world of the grave offense against our beliefs. Muslims, like followers of other religions, are extremely emotional when it comes to disfiguring their religious beliefs.

Especially when the Editor-in-Chief of Jyllands-Posten talked so boldly when there was no pressure back in October confidently defending his publication.

'...The newspaper urged cartoonists to send in drawings of the prophet, after an author complained that nobody dared to illustrate his book on Muhammad. The author claimed that illustrators feared that extremist Muslims would find it sacrilegious to break the Islamic ban on depicting Muhammad.'

The cartoons had been a journalistic project to find out how many cartoonists refrained from drawing the prophet out of fear. 'We live in a democracy,' he said 'That's why we can use all the journalistic methods we want to. Satire is accepted in this country, and you can make caricatures. Religion shouldn't set any barriers on that sort of expression. This doesn't mean that we wish to insult any Muslims.' -- Little Green Footballs - Oct 12th 2005 & RedTV - Oct 17, 2005

Its important to read the entire statement very carefully, his publication received a complaint from an author, that nobody dared to illustrate the authors book on Muhammad. The author claimed that illustrators feared that extremist Muslims would find it sacrilegious to break the Islamic ban on depicting Muhammad. Juste, the editor in chief, was well aware of this dilemma but continued to set up a competition to find illustrators willing to mock Prophet Muhammad in an illustration, his actions and later the printing of the 12 blasphemous illustrations can't be termed as a naive mistake on his part due to oversight but instead a well thought out aggression against the peaceful religion of Islam.

Juste and his newspaper have now issued a public apology which to many seem like a mere half-hearted face saving letter, akin to committing murder in broad daylight and then sending a simple "too bad - I'm sorry" condolence letter. For him to even indicate that "the cartoons had been a Journalistic Project" ...is making a mockery of our religion and is Simply unacceptable.

Many ask, Why are the Muslims so vociferous? I don't justify the rioting around the world but it is a normal human reaction when you irritate a person's religious beliefs, he/she usually tends to react in a very unpredictable manner. Amongst the thousands of emotionally hurt Muslims a select few reacted poorly. The world should now warn idiots like the Danish publication to think twice and hard before ever repeating such a mistake.

We are all aware that in many European countries, there are laws that will land in jail any person who has the chutzpah to deny not only the historicity of the Jewish holocaust, but also the method by which Jews were put to death by the Nazis. The Jews have made it crystal clear on what is unacceptable, and had to venture into the laws of the land in a number of countries to ensure the protections of their sentiments. Muslims for long have kept low on enforcing laws around the world and have relied on mutual understanding to respect each others beliefs and their boundaries.

One also will tend to wonder what it takes to wake the world up from the February slumber, it only requires a few burning buildings and a number of riots and boom the issue is a global incident. Back in September 2005 this images barely raised an eye brow but after all the news breaking incidents the issue is now the headlines of all major news channels around the world. One thing is for sure the Muslims are offended beyond words, will this be an excuse to lead the world into the invasion of Iran? I like many now have to keep our fingers crossed, one excuse may lead to another another.

Sorry to the People of Norway and Denmark by the Arab world for all the unrest created by the rioting

An Assault On Muslims

Teeth Maestro — Fri, 3 Feb 2006 20:50:35 EST

Over the past few days a great deal of controversy is underway over a set of 12 comics published by the Danish Newspaper Jyllands Posten. The Muslim world is abuzz with calls for boycotting all Danish products and the impact has already been felt by the danish dairy giant Aria Foods for sales having already plummeted to zero as reported by the BBC.

These comical interpretations are actually an attempt to portray the image of Prophet Muhammad which has created an uproar worldwide sparking yet another attack on peaceful Muslims, in the form of an organized propaganda/assault to further irritate the Muslims. This attack technically is not a direct assault on Muslims but is being used as an irritant to entice some sort of reaction. Sadly it seems as if the Muslims continue to be pushed into a corner especially after 9/11 and continue to remain in the intense investigative spotlight for a good five years.

An open apology has been issued by the Editor in Chief of the paper.

In our opinion, the 12 drawings were sober. They were not intended to be offensive, nor were they at variance with Danish law, but they have indisputably offended many Muslims for which we apologize.

Maybe an apology too late, as it has already emotionally hurt all Muslims. Over the last few days I have repeatedly read comments by a number of authors that the Muslim community maybe blowing this trivial issue out of proportion, but for once try to understand the emotional perspective of Muslims before casting a quick judgement.

As with all religions, Muslims too have some sacred individuals who they consider very dear and revere them with tremendous respect, in the case of Islam, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is a symbolic figure who is respected and will never be used even in a casual conversation unless quoted with respect. Even on the mention of his name, a true Muslim would recite a small praise for the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) by reciting Peace Be Upon Him . Care is also taken to never graphically display his image in any form whatsoever, I challenge you to do a careful research into Muslim history and an confident you are unlikely to find even one image of the Prophet (PBUH). Mind you that I narrate this information to give you the importance of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in the lives of all Muslims, to help you understand the emotions behind all this fiasco

So when a comical artist tries to blend humor with religion it is taken with bad taste. Let me wholeheartedly assure everyone Muslims mean no harm as they truly are a peaceful nation, but consider again in light of all the circumstances over the past five years, this peaceful nation has been put to task for something which only a handful of fanatics continue to do. A knee jerk reaction should be expected when a nation is pushed too hard.

I feel the Western media is to also blame for this mess, these cartoons were published well over 4 months back in September 2005. It had raised a few eye brows back then, but strangely one has to wonder why the brouhaha after four months? The Western media has been itching for a story in a slow February to captivate the world away from the American Idols and the NFL Super Bowl and land the public back squarely into the 24-hour news channels. I would squarely lay the blame on the media to have made this into such a major controversy beyond what it actually deserved

Sometimes my heart screams Enough is Enough

Do also read more at the following sites
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Karachi Rocks To Bryan Adams

Teeth Maestro — Sun, 29 Jan 2006 16:56:37 EST

Tonight Karachi was a witness to the First ever international rock concert with the arrival of Bryan Adams to the Arabian Country Club, a location on the outskirts of Karachi. The city was abuzz with the upcoming concert for quite sometime, the only concerns were regarding the steep ticket price and security.

The organizers Zindagi Trust an non-profit NGO lead by a local pop icon Shahzad Roy pulled the trick out of the hat. Security was iron clad tight and only were you permitted into the venue after you had been thoroughly screened, with a number of screening locations one barely had to wait a brief 3 minutes before finally entering the massive venue.

The show started as promised around 7:30 and Bryan Adams came a brief half hour later and the massive 13,000 strong crowd got into high gear. Bryan Adams rocked the house with his truly inspirational vocals keeping the massive crowd captivated to every beat, the crowd Karaoke every song along with Mr. Adams and a few hours later was greeted with a fascinating display of fireworks to bid farewell

Concerts are held around the world but for a concert of this magnitude for the first time ever in Pakistan, everyone held his breath as even a minor hiccup would send us back into the stone-age. This concert will the setting stage for more to come, and if organizations like Zindagi Trust remain at the helm of affairs sparing no expense to set an example for the next to follow, we wont be disappointed.

For Tonight Karachi Rocked in unison -- Love you Karachi

Friendship Across Borders

Teeth Maestro — Sun, 29 Jan 2006 09:48:19 EST

The two neighbouring countries of India and Pakistan may be at daggers drawn, fighting each other for every inch of space where every political move is followed by a checkmate in retaliation. The governments also have organized propaganda against the other side, pumping the people with pure hatred in order to create an environment of mistrust.

The people, on the other hand, are pleasantly the same 'ol loving human beings inhabiting both sides of the border. How true it was when I met a fellow blogger from Mumbai, Amit Varma of India Uncut, who was in Karachi to cover the test match between Pakistan and India scheduled to start on Sunday. He has been touring with the team for a good 20 days and is planning to remain in Pakistan for another 10 odd days until the third one-day match. We happened to be co-bloggers on the Metroblogging network, Amit belonging to Mumbai Metroblog and myself (Teeth Maestro) taking an active part in Karachi Metroblog. Both, incidentally, happen to also be on the team at Desicritics.org.

You can say that one thing led to another and somehow we mutually decided on a dinner upon our arrival in Karachi. When meeting a complete stranger for the first time, it's normal to have butterflies wander in suspense but from the very first handshake he came across as an extremely friendly person and an accomplished journalist/blogger. His company was more than enjoyable and the dinner was very entertaining - not a moment went by where there was even a dull moment to the evening.

I was delighted, in fact honored, to have met such a fine gentlemen from across the border and feel a more pleasant interaction between the two nations should take place to further soften the hearts amongst the people and perhaps quicken a peaceful co-existence between the two nations. Thank you, Amit, for a lovely evening. It was heartening to have created a good friend across the border.

I would like to propose an initiative amongst all the Internet geniuses/bloggers representing both nations who happen to read this post, to somehow join hands on a mutual platform on the Web and work together for creating such Friendships Across Borders.