How Stuff Consumes the Planet - Cheaply

This is the 'golden' segment of the eye-opening, mind-expanding presentation Story of Stuff by one curious Annie Leonard. She wanted to understand the truth behind the materials economy. So she searched, and here is her knowledge, simplified.

Story of Stuff is to production/ consumption line (not cycle) what An Inconvenient Truth is to climate.

WATCH this video, SHARE it, and ACT UPON the message. Yes, I've shouted. From the NEXT> roof top.

Thank you!

Via: Truemors

E-mail: nextbyramla AT gmail.com

To De-Serve? Or To Serve?

Look! How happy people are when they serve!
Service creates both joy -
and opportunity!
Credit: Kifo @ Flickr

Institutional education teaches us that we can grow up to trade our talent for goods and status from the world. We "Deserve."

The products of the institutional world think too much of what they deserve from the world. As if the world will somehow open a warehouse's door and start handing out goods in return of Certificates of Deserving.

This singular notion is the root of much ill. Look again, the word "deserve" can be re-written as DE-SERVE.

Here's how the American Heritage Dictionary defines "De-":

de-
pref.

1. Do or make the opposite of; reverse: decriminalize.
2. Remove or remove from: delouse; deoxygenate.
3. Out of: deplane; defenestration.
4. Reduce; degrade: declass.

So DE-SERVE can mean:

1. Do the opposite of service. Do a dis-service.
2. Remove (the element/tools of) service. From something.
3. Not be of service.
4. Reduce, degrade (the idea of) service.

Now can we imagine the world out there opening to door to the big warehouse of resources to someone with this attitude?

No one cares what we deserve. Ask anyone but your loving ones, and they will tell you how much they themselves deserve - besides counting to you the many deserving kinds of people in the world: the poor, the down-trodden, the smarter, the faster, the hungrier - it goes on.

So if we approach life the "I Deserve" way - we may end up far behind in the line of six billion human souls - and then count the other beings on Earth.

SERVICE helps us jump ahead of the queue. 6,000,000,000+ souls are always looking for service, many of those in your web of life. Multiply that by the number of service each one of them needs. Add to that a few other billion things that need services.

The People-Centered Model of Business shows the cosmos that we can serve. Find or create your own space below:



Service is what creates opportunities. Service is why we do business. Service is what keeps us in action and demand even when Google makes us feel like a speck of sand in the desert.

Now - do you feel you still have space in the world to live and do something of meaning?

The New World of Power is Humbling – and Abundant

Problem:
In a world of free ideas, why and how are we still needed?

Mastering the Problem:
Your unique reason of being today, and your "unique edge", is in the human element. Skills and technology and ideas - once the staple of competitive edge [a term outdated in a world of crazy collaborations] - come cheap(r). To just about anyone. For example, if we thought having a social network was still the latest path to billionaire glory, we haven’t yet known Ning.

The ability of a person to make unique connections, and sustain them through service is a truly human endowment. We are gifted with that capability, and a “web” that needs us. And there is work enough for everybody – the number of problems/opportunities is never exhausted. The abundant mind sees the reason of being in in working to solve problems/ create and fill opportunities.

As long as we serve, we are needed. As long as we are needed, we don’t need worry about an edge. When we serve with more courage and passion, we develop more numerous and stronger ties - and so gain "interestingness".

Benefits:
Which place of work would you rather leave:

a. one that demands (more) work for as few benefits as possible from you?
b. one that makes it a mission to create a space where you can express your talent while working on a win-all business model? Such as the remarkable The Hub?

It's a contest between the demander (a) and the server (b). Your answer is the answer of any sane person - you like those who serve you. You will be liked by sane people if your serve, at a quality.

So the benefits: Costs of broken ties saved. Lesser time spent making new relations and creating trust. New ideas and partnerships brought in by passionate partners. A happier life, lesser partner turnover, consumers in love, healthy sleep and a glowing skin.

Also read: Google Made Ideas Free. So Where's My Edge?

Image credits: Paper Men, by Brokenarts

NEXT> by Ramla @ TrendHunter.com

NEXT> by Ramla is seeking collaborations with like-purpose websites and print publications. To test-launch the idea of syndication, NEXT> and its creator, yours truly Ramla, have been publishing a carefully curated list of trends at TrendHunter.com since February 2007.

I was wild with joy when Jeremy Gutsche, the visionary young owner of TrendHunter, made me a Senior Trend Hunter within two weeks - in acknowledgment of the quality of trends and the writing of content. I would give credit to the purpose that I dedicate NEXT> to: searching for a better possible future, envisioning a better tomorrow and creating solutions and strategies for it.

Here is a selection of my favorite trends:

1/LOHAS - Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability
What is LOHAS? According to LOHAS.COM: “LOHAS is an acronym for ‘Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability,’ a market segment focused on health and fitness, the environment, personal development, sustainable living, and social justice.”
[Read More...]

2/Capitalism 3.0 - Reinventing the Commons

Barnes proposes Capitalism 3.0 that protects the commons while preserving the many strengths of capitalism as we know it. His major innovation is the commons trust—a market-based entity with the power to limit use of scarce commons, charge rent, and pay dividends to everyone. [Read More...]


3/ Voluntourism - Volunteerism + Tourism
No longer do tourists have to just walk in and out of a very “interesting area” - they can actually VOLUNTOUR. The idea is to “combine travel and service” - says Voluntourism.org. [Read More...]



More next time!


Check the portfolio here. Some trends are available at the NEXT> by Ramla blog, most only on TrendHunter.com.

E-mail: nextbyramla AT gmail.com

Using the Law of Attraction: 4 Steps to Preparedness

This is the third in a series of posts about The Secret - 1 & 2 here.

What is The Secret/Law of Attraction?
Humans can create what they want.
More here

What is more important than The Secret?
"The End" - that is, what we want to do with the Law of Attraction. Which is only a method, though very powerful.
More here

Recap: Be Careful What You Wish For

a. To use the Law of Attraction, we have to want something. In fact, when we want something, the law of attraction automatically sets to work; whether we know or not.
b. Want the right thing. Because the law of attraction has consequences.
c. Prepare yourself to be the kind of person who wants the right thing, naturally...
d. ...So that when the not-so-secret law of attraction sets in motion, you can be sure that you get the thing you most wanted, and...
e. ...it was for the greater good.

Q: How Do I Prepare Myself?
A: Four Steps to Preparedness

I first called them the four steps to "enlightenment" for want of a more apt word. In this context, "preparedness" may be a better word.

To prepare yourself to be the person who naturally wants the right, good thing - and therefore sets the Law of Attraction to work for the better of all humankind (and so, yourself), these are the four steps, in this order:

1. Gain Awareness: To know that one knows nothing


2. Cleanse & Train Oneself: To prepare the heart’s intent, and to cleanse the self of desire


3. Seek Education: To gain what is known as “knowledge;” the pure understanding of the what, how, when, why, for/by whom, where in our circle of concern


4. Gain and Apply Wisdom: To judge between right and wrong; to make fair and right use of education so that education may attain what the heart knows our purpose is

Remember, learning is a continuous cycle.



E-mail: nextbyramla AT gmail.com

Beyond The Secret: "THE END"

This is the second in a series of posts about The Secret.


What is The Secret?
Humans can create what they want.

More Important than The Secret...
...is knowing what to do with it: "The End." The Secret is only a method. A means. A strategy. A "How?"

The End is the "What?"

Beyond The Secret: at The End of Individual Paths

I believe in what I call "the theory of individual paths." A revolutionary manifesto for humankind, the Qur'an says:

And to you have We revealed the Scripture with the truth, confirming whatever Scripture was before it, and a watcher over it. So judge between them by that which Allah has revealed, and follow not their desires away from the truth which hath come to you. For each We have appointed a divine law and a traced-out way. Had Allah willed Hu could have made you one community. But that Hu may try you by that which Hu has given you (Hu has made you as you are). So vie one with another in good works. To Allah you will all return, and Hu will then inform you of that wherein you differ.

A Pickthall translation, with my emphases and modifications of the pronouns, esp. "He" to "Hu" (005.048)

Each person has their own path. Yet at the end, these paths converge at the common good of all humanity. That's why, it's NOT OK if my littering habits choke up the community works drain. OR the smoke from my factory crosses borders into enemy territory, even. OR my fifth generation is left with the memories of an ancestor with a notorious history. OR my child suffering because I pay too little attention to the family while demanding my rights.

As ecologist Garrett Hardin said, "We cannot do merely one thing." (I love Hardin!)

So before doing something, and having tremendous powers like the law of attraction get to work for us, we have to know the best thing to do. To do that, we have to be prepared. The Secret/Law of Attraction comes afterwards.

"THE END" is primary. The Secret is secondary.
Humanity tends to get fascinated with cause and effect. We get tangled in the technology of things. What is important is not the technology or the means to do something, but that something itself.

The Secret is only a technology. A method. It doesn't tell what should one achieve.

Imagine the power ending up in the wrong hands. In fact, it very often has been the case.

Q. So. What Now?
There has to be a way forward. More, in the next blog post.



E-mail: nextbyramla AT gmail.com

The Secret Law of Attraction - only means, not end

"The Secret."
"The Law of Attraction."
The knowledge of the ancients.
What all great people knew.

This one thought with its many names has been making the rounds for quite a few months now, since the release of the movie Law of Attraction.

Very simply put, here is the secret:

Humans can create what they want.

It's called a law of Attraction because once a human decides what they want, they start attracting the required resources and situations. The Wikipedia summary of the idea is more enlightening:

You are what your deep, driving desire is.
As your desire is, so is your will.
As your will is, so is your deed.
As your deed is, so is your destiny.

There a few complications, though:

1. You've got to know what you really want, as opposed to what you think you want. So if you're telling your friend ok, I'll go with you to the beach whereas you really want to stay at home, don't be surprised if the plan doesn't work out at the last minute because "no one was ready." Admit it. Isn't that what you really wanted?
2. Don't be afraid to get what you want. Fear contradicts the want.
3. Once you know what you want, you've got to take that little trouble of doing something about what you want and...
4. Not stand in the way when the forces of creation get into motion. If you are giving birth to a chicken, and that's what you really, really want - allow the egg to hatch. Or.


Of course. Any Paulo Coelho fan knows this. So, what's the big deal?

Hype? Not Really.
First of all, there's the usual fluff about The Secret being discovered by the Western hemisphere of the world in a big way. As we know, the science-dominated Western thinking has been unappreciative of spirituality. Until very recently. So, those of us who are spiritually tuned (or assume they are) have to put up with the excitement of the discovery.

But is The Secret itself just hype because people have suddenly been getting hyper?

No.

Where is this Secret? Hint: You'll have to Look
I think it's one of the simplest things we should have seen, except it hides out like ibexes in this picture. You can't readily see it, until you look.

We are all creators.
Personally, to me this realization came a couple of months ago only as I was reading the Qur'anic verse about creation:

"Be!... and it becomes!" (036.082)

I realized that this is how all creation comes into being. The creator of anything large or small decides that it should be, and so it begins to happen. Finally, it does happen. Engineers with blueprints know it. Authors and writers with outlines know it. Anyone who makes a mental note knows it. Even passive folks know, at some level, that they let things happen to them.

We can all create. Ordinary humans are capable of it. And it is a knowledge of great potential.

Just like the atomic energy. Great potential. Sans the ethics.

And this is what leads us to the question:
Is knowing The Secret alone good enough?

My answer: No; The Secret is only secondary. The Secret is a mean, not an end.

What is important is what we want to DO with The Secret.

E-mail: nextbyramla AT gmail.com

The Importance of Being Blogger

Adil Najam, Awab Alvi, Hakim, and Ramla (i.e. myself) - four Pakistani bloggers - four different blogs - three different time zones... all invited together - by Muntazir Solangi of Voice of America's Radio App ki Duniya to discuss -

1. What IS a blog?

2. It is a tool to express frustration - only? What is a blog NOT?

3. Can blogs truly be banned?

4. Do blogs report original stories - or merely repeat primary sources?

5. How have the four blogs covered the Chief Justice story?

6. What is the impact of blogs?

Here is an audio recording (MP3/ 10MB/ 59:59 min/ Urdu), hosted courtesy Adil Najam of Pakistaniat, with his review.

The bloggers agreed that in general - blogs start with a wish to "say something" - to express one's self and opinions - to have a share of voice.

Over time, blogs evolve into spaces, usually interactive.

Adil's group blog Pakistaniat, which became my favorite "Pakistani" space in blogosphere after PakPositive went on a prolonged pause, started when "friends started putting together storied about Pakistan on the blog."

Pakistaniat has rapidly filled a gap on the Internet for a contemporary Pakistani voice - and a space where many can interact from across the world on all things Pakistani.

On a lighter note, Adil has admitted being "inspired" by his fellow bloggers. Hmmm. I think I'll hire Hakim as my lawyer for whatever is left of my rights. :)

Awab's blog Teeth Maestro, which started as a semi-personal diary (of a sun-lighting dentist), soon evolved to become an expression of his thoughts as an avid patriot (hear him warming up). Awab also blogs on the popular Karachi Metblog. I have enjoyed his posts for being opinionated and well-researched. Several of his posts have been liberally lifted by mainstream media - an activity which is now being strictly monitored by Karachi Metbloggers.

Hakim is a recent blogger - and I wouldn't have guessed unless he declared - MicroPakistan comes across as being written by a group of old-hand lawyers. Hakim, a Pakistani student in UK, started blogging as a way of focusing on the small things that need to be put under the microscope.

The four bloggers were united in one way: the recent coverage of the Chief Justice story (here, here, here and here ). We discussed our political views with particular focus on the Citizen's White Band/ Ribbon Protest (here and here).

From various angles - social, technical, political - we agreed that the citizen's voice is important in the 21 century. It's impossible to suppress it because citizens now have the opinion and the technology. And that it will serve governments - Pakistani or other - to accept this fact.


Over all, this discussion achieved the purpose of validating blogging and bloggers in Pakistan - thereby empowering citizenship.

On Blogging, Blocking, and Blogging the CJ news - 4 Pakistani Bloggers speak their mind

Log in to UrduVOA.com at Pakistan time 10:00 P.M. on Saturday, March 17, 2007. Check out Radio Aap Ki Duniya, and listen to radio online... you will catch four Pakistani bloggers talking about blogging and the Chief Justice suspension story. The bloggers are:

Adil Najam of Pakistaniat.com
Dr. Awab of Teeth Maestro
Hakim of MicroPakistan
and Ramla A. (me!) of NEXT> by Ramla

Muntazir Solangi of the Wasi Zafar interview fame is the host.

Citizens Rising - Disruption to come, and then glory

The aftermath of the suspension of the Chief Justice of Pakistan is getting complicated. It's a free-for-all for the police, the government, the bar councils of the country, media, politicians and anyone's aunt.

Current situation:

1. Fighting on the streets of Islamabad; tear-gassing, shelling by police, and stone-pelting by people
2. Police attack on the Islamabad office of Geo News a couple of hours ago - prompting strong reaction from the Minister of Information, politicians, people, and of course the press
3. Exploitation of the situation by those who do nothing for Pakistan given a chance

It is TIME. It begins, as many say.

To me, it's not about one pillar of the state against another - the pillar being legislative, executive, judiciary, and media.

To me, it's about the Citizens vs. Everything Wrong with Pakistan. It's about the fact that the citizens of Pakistan have always been brushed aside by whoever had power - law, government, feudal lords, media, academia, the educated people, the wealthy, the resource-owners.

It's about have's and have-not's. And now, the people have a voice, and an emotional bank account in the red.

In the next few days, Pakistan will witness an un-stoppable rising of the unpolitical Citizens, rising only for Citizens' Fundamental Rights. Only time will show what will happen - we all have ideas which are better not expressed.

In a recent Q&A session after futurist Rohit Talwar's talk on Pakistan's Vision for the year 202o, I gave my opinion that within 30 years, Pakistan will be one of the few leading powers of the world. The conference was attended by business leaders and managers of Pakistan, and some expressed surprise at the idea.

I gave my anxious opinion only in private to those who prodded: my belief is that in thirty years, a new Pakistan, led by the youth of today, will have emerged on the map of earth. The IDEA of Pakistan will be stronger, and we will be on our way to great glory - which was always the fate of Pakistan. However, the anxiety was about the disruptive change that will have to occur before we reach that stage. Pakistan, as it is now, is not what the idea of Pakistan is. It is so far removed, that we will need to uproot ourselves from the current situation, and create a new world of our ideas.

My opinion is only of the doctor who sees a patient with advanced cancer, and must tell the truth. The recovery will require drastic therapy, followed by a lifestyle of rigorous health and responsibility.

I believe in Pakistan's future, though Pakistan's present is fraught with discord, and more will come. That is why, I wear a White Band, and not a black one to mark my feelings about the present.



E-mail: nextbyramla AT gmail.com

The Pakistanis' White Band Protest

Edit: to make post *sticky* I'm forwarding the date in time.

Last night, I decided to begin a private protest at the suspension of Justice Iftikhar from Office of Chief Justice of Pakistan, by wearing a white band. The idea was shared here, and blogger MB asked the important question:

Why not black [the traditional color of protest armbands], why white?

Why White Bands?
This is why, as shared on Karachi Metblogs:

I am wearing a white band because by God, no one will take my HOPE away from me. White is mourning, white is peace, white is hope, white is optimism (in my own ability - "my" meaning any band wearer), white is my belief that when we keep working at it - tomorrow will be better.

Actually, I have a feeling that it's "begun."

"Technically correct"? Tell that to the people!
The protest is not against the "technical" move. It is to represent a feeling of despair that we feel at the brusque suspension of Justice Iftikhar - with a possibility of his sacking - when he was giving important decisions largely in the favor of the people - the 98% of the Pakistan that is ignored.

Here is an allegory to explain the ground reality:

A boy sneaks into his home late one night after an outing. He father suspects a burglar, and clubs the boy on the head in the dark.

Point: It doesn't matter whether is was the family's son, or a burglar. What matters is what was perceived, based on which a (tragic) action was taken.

It doesn't matter how technically sound the suspension of the Chief Justice is. What matters is that across the country, the decision is viewed with suspicion and received with anger. And why not? When the Chief Justice made several decisions that were not going to sit well with the powers-that-be.

Demands of the White Bands Protest

So. As a common citizen, I protest. The demands of the protest are:

1. Tell us - the people of Pakistan - the truth about the Chief Justice.
2. Take people into confidence; the government must address the nation via TV, radio, print, Internet.
3. Give fair hearing to the Chief Justice.
4. Give credit to the fact he reduced the number of cases in hearing from 36,000 to 10,000.
5. Give credit that he took suo moto action not to have the pleasure of give pains to the lawyers and the police, but to give justice to the common citizen.
6. Give credit to Justice Iftikhar for taking tough decisions on such cases as the privatization of Pakistan Steel Mills, the inquiry in to the Karachi Stock Exchange crash, and report on missing persons, among others.
7. Give credit to Justice Iftikhar for being civil-minded, and caring for such things as: murder of people during basant; rights and respect of women; commercialization of public spaces; prisoner rights; and dubious development projects, among others.
8. Stop taking the people of Pakistan for granted. We are a party - a very large and vocal party - to important decisions taken in Pakistan. Respect our opinions and sentiments. Do not aggrieve us by consistently shocking us with one autocratic decision after another.

Before the decision of the Supreme Judicial Council of Pakistan comes on March 13th, the harm done by the high-handedness of this shock decision must be minimized by taking people into confidence.

We respect the courts of Pakistan. Above that, we respect the people for whom the courts are made.


Photo: I begun protest by wearing a white arm band.
Related link: White bands for Justice

E-mail: nextbyramla AT gmail.com

Justice Iftikhar's "irksome" decisions

While Naeem Bokhari twists in agony that the Honorable Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, currently suspended, was busy with matters such as Fundamental Rights which are unworthy of the Supreme Court in Naeem's opinion, Justice Iftikhar was also giving decisions on very high-profile matters.

Munaeem lists some key decisions here, which he believes "irked the government".

Latest on Naeem Bokhari:
Punjab Bar cancels his basic membership (urdu). Naeem prevented from entering the Bar province-wide.



E-mail: nextbyramla AT gmail.com

I Protest! The suspension of Justice Iftikhar from office...

In losing Justice Iftikhar, possibly forever as the Chief Justice of Pakistan, we have lost the Chief Petty Matters Officer of Pakistan, Supreme Chief of Petty Matters of Citizens' Fundamental Rights.

AND I PROTEST.

I protest at the manner in which the last hope of justice to the people of Pakistan has been rounded up. I protest that we the people were not taken into confidence - before or even hours after the incidence. I protest that just when Pakistani citizens have turned desperately hopeless of any formal institution, the Institution of Justice has been breached again at the supreme level. I protest that the Prime Minister made the move to suspend the Chief Justice on a matter more related to his son, not him. I protest because though the knock-out is technical, the reason behind is more sinister. I protest, I protest, and I protest!

I will keep wearing a white band on my arm until this decision is explained to the people to our satisfaction, and we can have hope that the Judiciary is safe. I will keep wearing the band - a sign of my mourning as well my resolution to see a positive change, reflected by the color white - until Justice Iftikhar has a chance to explain himself to those who he cared most about: small, petty people.

Bring the "Media Circus" on!

---
Note: Post edited. Comment on Naeem Bokhari's letter moved here.

E-mail: nextbyramla AT gmail.com

Naeem Bokhari's pains: what did the now-infamous lawyer *really* meant

The suspension of Justice Iftikhar could not have come at a more suspicion-raising time. Elections are nigh, and the suspended Chief Justice shows a strong track record of speaking his mind. (Here and here.)

He halted the privatization of Pakistan Steel Mills. He investigated what brokers stood to gain from the crash of Karachi Stock Exchange. And he had time for the "smaller" matter of loss of life from wanton kite-flying.

A man, therefore, of many enemies. One wonders how is the record of the "Prime" accusers of Justice Iftikhar?

From the track record of the high-handed decisions of the present government, I fear that this decision of suspension will turn into one of sacking. After all, Pakistan may need it, like we need our territory to be attacked by foreign forces, no-answers-given.

Justice Iftikhar listened to the poor. The unheard. Under him, the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP) took self-initiated actions against the wrong committed to the citizens.

And a certain lawyer Mr. Naeem Bokhari thinks that the Justice's suo moto actions were actually part of his brusque behavior. Naeem Bokhari's infamous letter is here, and it pretty much makes up the (media) case against the Justice.

Naeem Bokhari is pained about the involvement of the Supreme Court in cases involving Fundamental Rights - he gives the example of how the Supreme Court got involved in the recovery of a female. Bokhari says that this is "media circus" - apparently a case much below the status of the high & mighty Supreme Court.

"The proceedings before the Supreme Court can conveniently and easily be referred to the District and Sessions Judges," suggests Mr. Bokhari, in obvious pain that the SCP is concerned with trivial matters related to the citizens. Mr. Bokhari makes no mention of the Steel Mills case and gives the impression as if the Chief Justice did nothing but scream at judges, terrify the police (for being lousy, Mr. Bokhari forgets to mention), and worry about petty issues. Justice Iftikhar was "petty" enough to worry about the rights and respect of women, as in the case of Pak Intl. Airlines' female crew.

Wow! Would the citizens of Pakistan involve the Supreme Court if district and sessions courts gave them justice? Where is Mr. Bokhari living on - Planet Awayfromearth? Does he not know that it has come to the point where people are setting themselves on fire outside courts in search of (social) justice? And does he not remember that the police are no sheep; they are inhuman to the extent of stripping a man half-naked and beating him up for wanting justice?

---
Note: this post has been separated from the subsequent one, as Naeem's action is important to study on its own - being the de facto charge sheet against Justice Iftikhar.


E-mail: nextbyramla AT gmail.com

Poll: What do you feel about the removal of Justice Iftikhar from office?

I have created a poll on the story. It's in the right hand column.

Tell us what you think? Leave comments, if you have more on your mind.

Edit: old poll didn't work. Fixed with a new poll host.

E-mail: nextbyramla AT gmail.com

Not news, but views: What we think about Justice Iftikhar, and his removal from office

Now. The job of a blogger is not just to report events, but to speak what the heart and mind say.

Let me begin by quoting some of the work of Justice Iftikhar. A random search:

1/ CJ Iftikhar takes notice of intended commercialization of college space - Ayaz Amir

Converting my column regarding the intended commercialization of the open spaces of the Government College of Chakwal into a petition under Article 184 (3) of the Constitution, the Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudry, has caused notices to be issued to advocate-general Punjab and the administration of the college. DCO Chakwal has been asked for his comments. Hearing is set for this morning, Friday, before Bench Number One.

2/ IIBL depositors’ plea to CJ for justice

As the honorable Chief Justice who himself conducted enquiry of the scam, knows the plight of IIBL depositors and the brazen modus operandi of the incarcerated bankers. It is not secret that registrar Supreme Court itself deposited Rs. 493.498 million in IIBL in July 2002, which is the token of mistrust of SC upon IIBL management. It is learned through reliable sources that the families of Nadeem Anwar and Javed Qureshi have already left for Canada and they want to sneak through as and when they are out of jail through the clever appeal they made to CJ in an article that appeared in press on 19-07-06. [More...]

3/ Trafficking of girls

Islamabad police have confirmed to `The News’ that after directions from Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, they have made significant progress in the case and have already arrested four accused including a “madam” of this gang, who adopted unique methods to transport these girls after breaching the so-called sophisticated systems of Nadra and passport departments by getting their fake identity cards and machine readable passports. [More...]

4/ Fettered Inmates

A Supreme Court full bench on Thursday expressed its displeasure over the Lahore district and sessions judge’s report informing the court that he had constituted a committee to look into the condition of more than 100 under-trial prisoners who were being reportedly kept in fetters in small Kot Lakhpat Jail cells for weeks, and in some cases even for months. [More...]

5/ SC takes suo moto notice of New Murree Project

The story of a "development" project. [More...]

6/ Take note of the Police

"The Punjab police’s negative role is hurting the government’s credibility. Gangsters are playing with the lives of the people and police seem to be silent spectators despite possessing all resources and privileges to counter crime,” the chief justice observed while conducting the suo moto proceedings of a case regarding Punjab’s high crime rate and the presence of different gangs operating without checks." [More...]


Civil Society
These are the matters relating to civil society on which the Supreme Court of Pakistan, under then chief Justice Iftikhar Chuadhry, took mostly suo moto (self-started) action. In fact, Justice Iftikhar has become popular with the citizens for his involvement in the civil society.

The Shock
The news has shock many in the corridor of law in Pakistan, and the people of Pakistan. Justice Iftikhar also took brave actions in the cases of the thwarted privatization of Pakistan Steel Mills (here and here) and an inquiry into the Stock Exchange crash (here and here) - and in both cases the name of Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz was implicated.

A Prime Link in the Stories?
As leading Pakistani media reported, President Musharraf removed Just. Iftikhar on the recommendation of Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz. And this is the murkiest part of the story, since the Prime Minister has been implicated in the cases of Steel Mill privatization and the doctored crash of Karachi Stock Exchange.

High-Handed Move by Musharraf
Another high-handed move by Musharraf, without the need to take the nation into confidence. After the serial attacks of Americans on Pakistani soil as in the case of Bajor, the secretive killing of Bugti, and the abduction of Pakistani citizens, journalists and activists in which the agencies are reportedly involved - comes another controversial decision from the President. To top things, this is an unprecedented constitutional move highly reminiscent of some of the actions that ultimately led to the downfall of Nawaz Sharif.

The People
We have lost what was probably the last resort of any form of justice in Pakistan. What more can be said?

It begins...



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Will Robert Langdons of linguistics save the world?

I believe that in coming times, it will be linguists, and especially experts on semantics and syntax – in this order – who will change the world for better. As the world conflict increases because of misunderstandings of language, and the purpose behind language, linguists will be spurred into action. They will examine human language more closely; and during this study they will discover amazing similarity of patterns, tones, and themes in the language of humans.

Not only will pure language (?) reveal interesting relations among world languages, but the themes in global stories and folklore will also appear to have amazing commonalities.

This knowledge will travel down from the academic world to the general public. For the first time, the population of the world will be surprised – and shocked – that they all may have been saying the same thing, differently.

Which way to Hellfire? Gehinom, and Jahannum

For me, the realization was accidental. Thanks to the company of learned family, educators and friends, I have known for a long time about the etymology (origins) of many Urdu words, and have had some idea about the derivation of the language Urdu itself. But I had no idea of similar concepts…sounding alike…in Urdu and… Hebrew!

While reading up on Jewish eschatology (beliefs about the end of world), I saw the term “Hibbut ha-kever, the pains of the grave.” I like new languages, so I said the word out loud. It sounded familiar. Urdu readers who try this out will not miss. Soon, they will hear something that sounds like, “haibat e-qabar.” Meaning? “The horror/s of the grave.” Then there’s Gehinom (“purgatory” in Hebrew) and Jahannum (“hellfire” in Urdu). With slight difference, the concepts largely refer to the same things. Eureka! *

Robert Langdon: an Intercultural De-mystifier

No, I do not think Dan Brown is a literary genius, only a phenomenon. Both The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons were “putdownable” half way down. But I like character Robert Langdon’s career interests: he is a (religious) symbologist connecting the dots and revealing the hidden links between religious symbols and their history. The most important contribution of the Code, indeed, might be to spark an interest in (religious) art history.

Just as Robert traces links between symbols and weaves a thread across cultures and thus beliefs, the linguists of the near (near, I hope) future will present for the people of the world links between their words, and concepts and constructs. A little help from philosophers, of course, will be needed.

The Talk of Civilizations

While there has been much work on conflict resolution and language already, the issue is making that knowledge a part of the social construct of the societies around the globe. Besides, knowledge alone is often worth not much in itself, but its application is.

Knowledge is like fire; it is the application that makes the difference. Which is why the use of knowledge by the untrained or ill-willed can make knowledge useless or dangerous.

The knowledge is out there, mostly already worked out by the left-brained. With the rise of the creative class and the right-brained, there is higher hope that the connections between bits of knowledge will be made to lead to a wider understanding approaching the universal.

Yours Literally

The most heart-breaking (at first) and heart-warming (later) realization will be that much we each took for “literal” was actually symbolic or analogical. The folklore of the world has been hiding layers of meanings. Most recently, Harry Potter fans, critics, and “analysts” have dedicated sites and written books to discover the layers of meanings in the series. Know what the horrific Dementors personify? I like the one that says they personify Depression. They suck energy out when they’re around, and a dose of chocolate helps after they paid a visit. I tested this one on many die-hard Potter fans. None knew.

Interestingly, we may be missing similar meanings in ancient, older, and foreign texts and taking them too literally.

Grapes or Angoor?

Or we may realize that in many instances, it was merely a difference in our language, which is a form of concepts, that we differed over in substance. A Sufi story saw that a long time ago. In the story, men of various nationalities fought over what they will buy for food. The Pakistani wanted, “angoor.” The Englishmen insisted upon buying “grapes.” The German wanted “trauben.” And the Spaniard demanded, “uvas,” instead.

I have modernized the nationalities, but the story remains the same. For how long will it? We don’t know. For the sake of humanity, it’s hopefully a short period before realization dawns.


* Most references are from Wikipedia, as of February 11, 2006. Wikipedia will provide an excellent starting point for more research on the topic. In itself, Wikipedia is a melting pot – a phenomenon of multi-cultural and multi-linguistic interaction, and the many differences that arise naturally.

- This article has just been edited because I couldn't read it myself. Hey, I do feel language must get simpler! I promise no more late-night writing. I channel some old spirit when I write late night. Happy reading!


Image credits: Logoi for the Chinese alphabet; and andrea_j for the letter A. Alphabet "Alif" is a painting by Ali Omer Ermes.