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Monday, March 29, 2010

Basant Ban

Basant Ban
By Umar Hafiz

The hue and cry raised by a certain section of the society on the recent banning of Basant by the Lahore High Court compels me to bring forward my point of view.
These people mourn for the loss of a cultural event which attracted thousands of foreigners from all over the world. In the prevailing geopolitical situation, I hardly think that a bunch of colorful kites would be able to lure an already fear stricken foreigner to a death trap. Moreover this cultural loss might be a matter of concern for a handful of socialites and five star hotels but not for the common man.
It saddens me to read and hear people saying that the two basic reasons given for the ban (i.e. the loss of life and monetary loss to WAPDA) are not good enough.
Stronger string or not, if kite-flying has been around for quite sometime then so are the deaths related to this festival. Why do we forget hundreds of innocent lives lost which are not related to the killer string but are still a part and parcel of this event? We can try to get scot-free by saying that if someone is run over by a car or falls from a roof top then it is his own fault but can we blame a poor boy for running after the kites which we so lavishly shower just because he too wants to have his share of fun; or can we blame a child for falling off his roof because his father didn’t have enough money to build proper railing around the roof. Our politicians, so eager to climb up on their roofs might not be so hungry for such an amusement if God forbid it was one of their own who had lost his life to this blood thirsty event.
We would view this entertainment very differently and the ban would not look silly anymore if our own child had to run on the roads to grab a kite!
Coming to the ingenious solutions provided by the advocates of Basant. Yes, you may ban motorbikes and bicycles for two days but have we ever thought that for some people that is the only way of transportation and in case an emergency arises it is their only way out. Secondly you may also ban the deadly string but is it administratively possible to keep a check on such a large scale?
With all due respect to everyone’s viewpoint, I am of the opinion that even if one life is lost due to Basant, it is certainly not worth it.

Parliamentarians and thier priorities

Parliamentarians and their Priorities
By Umar Hafiz

As if there wasn't already enough evidence, the parliamentarians of the Punjab assembly proved once again that they are quite incapable of fending for anyone other than themselves and their kin. Far from behaving like the elected representatives of the poor people of this country, our members of parliament have left no stone unturned when it comes to self-glorification and gratification.

The latest incident in their long list of self fulfilling antics is the recent debate in the Punjab Assembly of granting of memberships to all MPAs. The resolution was moved by PML-N member Asad Ashraf. The resolution demanded that PA members be given membership in the club. Ashraf said the club’s membership was only given to “king makers or bureaucrats”, adding that the club had been built on government property and hence it was “owned by the people”. He said the House members represented the public and the club’s membership should also be given to them.

Surprisingly, this suggestion seemed to augur well with both the treasury and opposition benches, with only one dissenting voice being raised in the form of Sheikh Allauddin, who said there was a process to acquire membership in the club, adding that several applicants had been on the waiting list for a decade. He argued that the club’s membership was a private matter and the passing of a resolution on the issue could make them look like a “laughing stock”.

He said the club conducted a mandatory interview before giving membership to any applicant, adding the club had denied membership to a judge because he refused to give the interview. Allauddin said members of the provincial assembly (MPAs) should also give interviews and follow the due process.

Pakistani society in general, and its politics in particular, have reached their lowest ebb ever with their being scant regard for the people, especially the downtrodden majority who can hardly afford two square meals a day and have to tolerate their representative squabbling over privileged memberships into exclusive clubs.

VIP movements

VIP Movements
By Umar Hafiz

The VIP culture in Pakistan has no parallel anywhere in the world. Our major cities suffer agony almost daily because of frequent VIP or VVIP movements. As hooting motorcades move around the cities, major roads are blocked and everything comes to a grinding halt, disrupting even emergency services, including ambulance and fire-brigade services. Ambulances are held up with patients in them, who in some cases die because of the delays.

Ninety per cent of the police is used for VIP security. This may boost VIP egos but the government suffers huge losses as a result of expenditure on these VIP-related security measures, including heavy expenditures on unanticipated, ill-planned ad hoc face-lifting of the affected areas for the sake of these visits.

The growing traffic congestion caused by VIP movement and related security measures also have an adverse effect on the overall economy and business activity of the city concerned in terms of billions of rupees lost in traffic contingency planning for each VVIP visit. Common people and businesses suffer financially on account of traffic congestion during these visits. Then, there is also an invisible and incalculable loss of time for every affected person during the long spells of traffic closures on these occasions.

The heaviest cost is, however, borne by the public in terms of frequent chaos on the roads, strain on their vehicles, waste of petrol and diesel during traffic jams, pressure on their minds while their lungs inhale smoke, missed appointments and opportunities and engagements, unattended public security and enhanced crime rate in the absence of the city's police and security personnel diverted to VVIP duty. The people did not elect their rulers to become a nuisance for them and a curse in their lives.

Appeals from the public requesting their leaders to be considerate and to spare them their repeated ordeals have remained unheard. Two years ago, the Lahore High Court Bar Association went to the extent of adopting a unanimous resolution demanding an end to the VVIP traffic and security culture and describing frequent traffic closures and "protective" measures as "unconstitutional and illegal."
Unfortunately, nothing, not even public interest, is above the "security" of the ruling elites who themselves remain above law, customs, public opinion, or moral judgment. No laws seem to be applicable to VIPs, especially when they are travelling in the country on an uncharted political trail. No constitutional bars, no legal rules or no ethical norms are there to rationalise their conduct.

No one denies the importance of security for our leaders and the indispensability of requisite protective measures. But for them, precaution would be the key to prevention of any life-threatening security hazard. The best precaution is to avoid excessive and indiscriminate public exposure. The VIPs will be better off remaining closeted in their residential fortresses and limiting their outings and unnecessary movements.

If there are any inescapable state functions requiring their presence, the events could perhaps be held risk-free at the secure premises of the Convention Centre in Islamabad or within their own respective camp offices. They must not, in any case, be giving a sense of security to themselves at the cost of public safety or by putting people through regular torture. The current practice of blocking roads for hours brings nothing but misery to the people and puts ordinary citizens' lives at risk.

Incidents like the woman who gave birth to a child in a rickshaw in Quetta while stuck in traffic due to VVIP movement are plain disgraceful. No one living in a civilized society should be subjected to such agony and humiliation. What is even more shameful, is the disdain with which the PM made light of the woman's pain and anguish by pronouncing solemnly that "a birth happens when it has to happen" and that VIP protocol was immaterial in the incident.

Finally an impassioned appeal to the rulers themselves: For God's sake, leave us alone!

Must watch tv series/shows

Must watch TV series/shows:
Prison Break:

On e of the best shows which has been on air for years I know there are a lot shows about doctors or teen age high school etc. An engineer (Wentworth Miller) installs himself in a prison he helped design, in order to help his brother (Dominic Purcell), a death-row inmate who insists he did not commit the crime for which he has been sentenced to die and help him escape.
Lincoln Burrows is on death row for the murder of the vice president's brother. He insists he's innocent and only his brother Michael Scofield believes him. As an engineer who helped design the prison where Lincoln is being held, Michael takes drastic measures to help his brother. He gets himself arrested and sent to the same prison so that with his knowledge of the building the two of them can escape together. However, while inside, Michael discovers a massive conspiracy that is determined to see Lincoln's sentence carried out. Breaking out will be more difficult than he thought, but he's still going to try.
All four seasons are available in DVD
Must watch are Season 1 and 4
Written by:
Umer W.Chheena
Section E
06U793
Family Guy:

One of the best cartoon series after the Simpsons, Family Guy revolves around a less than normal family in a less than normal world. With absurd and often spontaneous events this show will keep you laughing from the it starts up until it ends. The family Consists of six members Peter the father, Lois the mother, Stewie the homicidal baby, Chris the son, meg the daughter and Brian the dog who is often the smartest out of all of them.
Season 1-9 available of DVD

Written by:
Umer W.Chheena
Section E
06U793






Scrubs:

One of the best doctor shows of the decade, the show starts In the unreal world of Sacred Heart Hospital, intern John "J.D" Dorian learns the ways of medicine, friendship and life. Scrubs focuses on the unique view of its main character and narrator, J.D.
J.D. and his best friend Turk in their first year out of medical school as interns at Sacred Heart Hospital, J.D. quickly meets his reluctant mentor, Dr. Perry Cox; an attractive young woman (and fellow intern) named Elliot, on whom J.D. quickly develops a crush; the hospital's janitor, who goes out of his way to make J.D.'s life miserable; the Chief of Medicine, Dr. Bob Kelso, who appears to be more concerned about the budget than the patients; and Carla Espinosa, the head nurse and Turk's girlfriend later becomes his wife in the following season. The characters face romances and relationship issues, family obligations, overwhelming paperwork and a tremendous number of patients.
Season 1-9 Available on DVD

Written by:
Umer W.Chheena
Section E
06U793
Big bang Theory: Smart is the new sexy

At last a comedy about science were they use actual science experiments, it starts when a woman who moves into an apartment next door to two brilliant but socially awkward physicist’s shows them how little they know about life outside of the laboratory. One of my favorite shows with a excellent comedy, nerd are the main character and all the stories revolve around science.
The series has five main characters which will tell their own story:
Johnny Galecki as Leonard Hofstadter PhD:
Leonard is an experimental Physicist with an IQ of 173 who received his PH.D when he was 24 years old. He shares an apartment with colleague and friend Sheldon Cooper; He is the leader of the group in the series. The writers have toyed with a romance between him and neighbor Penny. Leonard and Penny eventually began an intimate relationship.
Jim Parsons as Sheldon Cooper PhD:
Originally from east Texas, he was a Genius , starting college at the age of 11, right after completing the 5th grade. As a Theoretical physicist he possesses a Masters degre , two Ph.D.s, and an IQ of 187. He exhibits a strict adherence to routine; a lack of understanding of irony, sarcasm and humor; and a complete lack of humility. These characteristics are the main sources of his character's humor and the center of a number of episodes. Sheldon shares an apartment with Leonard Hofstadter.


Kaley Cucoco as Penny:
She is the attractive, blonde neighbor who lives across the hall from Sheldon and Leonard. She has aspirations of a career in show business, and has been to casting calls and auditions but has not been successful thus far. To pay the bills, she works as a waitress at the Cheese cake factory. Initially she and Leonard eventually they began an intimate relationship.
Simon Helberg as Howard Wolowitiz:
He works as an aero space engineer. He is Jew, and live with his mother( not a surprise). Unlike Sheldon, Leonard, and Raj, Howard doesn’t have a Ph.D. He defends this by pointing out that he has a master's degree in Engineering from MIT and the apparatus he designs are actually built and launched into space, unlike the purely abstract work of his friends. He provides outrageous pick up lines and fancies himself a ladies’ man with suitably unimpressed reactions from Penny; however, he has shown limited success with other women.
Kumal Nayyar as Rajesh Koothrappali, Ph.D.
Rajesh, who originally comes from New Delhi, India, works as a particle astrophysicist at Caltech. He is very shy around women and is physically unable to talk to them unless he drinks alcohol. However, he has had much better luck with women as opposed to his overly confident best friend Howard. His parents, introduced as Dr. and Mrs. V.M. Koothrappali, are seen via webcam. In the third season, he works for Sheldon because his research has run into a dead-end and he doesn't want to go back to India.
All three season are available in DVD

Written by:
Umer W.Chheena
Section E
06U793

Five movies to watch out for in the summer of 2010.

Iron man 2:

After the success of First movie paramount has come up with second movie in the iron man series with Robert Downey Junior returns as Tony Stark and Iron man in May of 2010 with Mickey Rourke as Whiplash his Russian nemesis. In "Iron Man 2," the world is aware that billionaire inventor Tony Stark is the armored Super Hero Iron Man. Under pressure from the government, the press and the public to share his technology with the military, Tony is unwilling to divulge the secrets behind the Iron Man armor because he fears the information will slip into the wrong hands. With Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), and James "Rhodey" Rhodes (Don Cheadle) at his side, Tony forges new alliances and confronts powerful new forces.
A lot is resting on this movie due to the fact it will shift the series in The Avengers who are a U.S government backed Super hero team with Captain America, Hulk, Thorn and many more. Comic book fun a counting the days because the rumor that the Hulk will be in this movie because in the last hulk movie the general meets with Tony stark in a bar about a problem which is the Hulk.
Cast include : Robert Downey Jr. Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle and Mickey Rourke

Written by:
Umer W.Chheena
Section E

Predators:

I am a fan of the Predator series even the comics when I heard they were making a remake I was really excited. No it’s not a remake of the original Predator starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and producer Robert Rodriguez (Sin city, Desperado) says it’s a new project to reboot the Predator project. The film stars Adrien Brody (Pianist, King Kong) as Royce, a mercenary who reluctantly leads a group of elite warriors who come to realize they've been brought together on an alien planet... as prey. With the exception of a disgraced physician, they are all cold-blooded killers – mercenaries, Yakuza, convicts, death squad members – human "predators" that are now being systemically hunted and eliminated by a new breed of alien Predators.
Cast includes:Danny Trejo, Watlon Goggins, Adrein Brody , Alice Brody, Alica Braga Oleg Taktarov
Movies to be released in July.

Written by:
Umer W.Chheena
Section E
06U793

The Twilight Saga( Eclipse ):
Based on the third novel of Stephanie Meyer's "Twilight" series, The highly anticipated 3 movie of the Twilight series will be released in the summer. The Last two films were block buster’s because we all love vampire and werewolf story look at underworld, werewolf in Paris and London, interview with the vampire, queen of the damned, Vampires and the list goes on and on. But the movie should live up its exception because the second one was a little long and had irrelevant scene to make up the time. Also the C.G.I was rubbish with the wolfs and their transformation. Let see what have in the third installment
The third movies story goes something like this: Bella once again finds herself surrounded by danger as Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge. In the midst of it all, she is forced to choose between her love for Edward and her friendship with Jacob—knowing that her decision has the potential to ignite the ageless struggle between vampire and werewolf. With her graduation quickly approaching, Bella is confronted with the most important decision of her life.I am really waiting for this movie to see the final battle ( the fans who have read the book would understand).
Cast in includes: Kristan stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Xavier Samuel, Nikki Reed
A must watch of the summer.
Release date: June 30th 2010

Written by:
Umer W.Chheena
Section E
06U793














Robin Hood :

The Legend of Nottingham come to life in a new way, Russell Crowe stars as the legendary figure known by generations as “Robin Hood,” whose exploits have endured in popular mythology and ignited the imagination of those who share his spirit of adventure and righteousness. In 13th century England, Robin and his band of marauders confront corruption in a local village and lead an uprising against the crown that will forever alter the balance of world power. Thief or hero, one man from humble beginnings will become an eternal symbol of freedom for his people.
The Robin Hood adventure chronicles the life of an expert archer, previously interested only in self-preservation, from his service in King Richard’s army against the French. Upon Richard’s death, Robin travels to Nottingham, a town suffering from the corruption of a despotic sheriff and crippling taxation, where he falls for the spirited widow Lady Marion (Oscar® winner Cate Blanchett), a woman skeptical of the identity and motivations of this crusader from the forest. Hoping to earn the hand of Maid Marion and salvage the village, Robin assembles a gang whose lethal mercenary skills are matched only by its appetite for life. Together, they begin preying on the indulgent upper class to correct injustices under the sheriff.
With their country weakened from decades of war, embattled from the ineffective rule of the new king and vulnerable to insurgencies from within and threats from afar, Robin and his men heed a call to ever greater adventure. This unlikeliest of heroes and his allies set off to protect their country from slipping into bloody civil war and return glory to England once more.
If you liked King Arthur staring Clive Owen following the original story of Arthur as a general in the Roman army not the sword in the stone myth then you will love this movie with a Oscar winning cast and the Director of Gladiator AND Spider man, Ridley Scott .
Cast include: Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchet, Vanessa Redgrave Eileen Atkin, Danny Houstan.
Release Date May 12th, 2010
Written by:
Umer W.Chheena
Section E
06U793









THE A-Team:

The TV legend comes to life in July a movie which took 20 years in the making due to the fact in was always a risky matter to upset the face like it happened with Miami Vice, so let see what installed in this TV series turned movie, "The A-Team" follows the exciting and daring exploits of Hannibal Smith and his colorful team of former Special Forces soldiers who were set up for a crime they did not commit. Going "rogue," they utilize their unique talents – and eccentricities – to try and clear their names and find the true culprit.
Cast include: Bradley Cooper, Liam Neeson, Quintin Jackson and Jessica Biel
Release Date July 8th, 2010
Written by:
Umer W.Chheena
Section E
06U793

Must watch movies in Recent days

Wolf man: This Full Moon The Legend Will Come To Life

Inspired by the classic Universal film that launched a legacy of horror, "The Wolfman" brings the myth of a cursed man back to its iconic origins. Oscar winner Benicio Del Toro stars as Lawrence Talbot, a haunted nobleman lured back to his family estate after his brother vanishes. Reunited with his estranged father (Oscar® winner Anthony Hopkins), Talbot sets out to find his brother...and discovers a horrifying destiny for himself.

Lawrence Talbot's childhood ended the night his mother died. After he left the sleepy Victorian hamlet of Blackmoor, he spent decades recovering and trying to forget. But when his brother's fiancée, Gwen Conliffe (Emily Blunt), tracks him down to help find her missing love, Talbot returns home to join the search. He learns that something with brute strength and insatiable bloodlust has been killing the villagers, and that a suspicious Scotland Yard inspector named Aberline (Hugo Weaving) has come to investigate.

As he pieces together the gory puzzle, he hears of an ancient curse that turns the afflicted into werewolves when the moon is full. Now, if he has any chance at ending the slaughter and protecting the woman he has grown to love, Talbot must destroy the vicious creature in the woods surrounding Blackmoor. But as he hunts for the nightmarish beast, a simple man with a tortured past will uncover a primal side to himself...one he never imagined existed.

Written by:
Umer W.Chheena
Section E
06U793

Green zone:

Matt Damon and director Paul Greengrass re-team for their latest electrifying thriller in "Green Zone", a film set in the chaotic early days of the Iraqi War when no one could be trusted and every decision could detonate unforeseen consequences.

During the U.S.-led occupation of Baghdad in 2003, Chief Warrant Officer Roy Miller (Damon) and his team of Army inspectors were dispatched to find weapons of mass destruction believed to be stockpiled in the Iraqi desert. Rocketing from one booby-trapped and treacherous site to the next, the men search for deadly chemical agents but stumble instead upon an elaborate cover-up that inverts the purpose of their mission.

Spun by operatives with intersecting agendas, Miller must hunt through covert and faulty intelligence hidden on foreign soil for answers that will either clear a rogue regime or escalate a war in an unstable region. And at this blistering time and in this combustible place, he will find the most elusive weapon of all is the truth.

Written by:
Umer W.Chheena
Section E
06U793

Avatar:

In the epic action adventure fantasy "Avatar", James Cameron, the director of "Titanic", takes us to a spectacular new world beyond our imagination. On the distant moon Pandora, a reluctant hero embarks on a journey of redemption, discovery and unexpected love - as he leads a heroic battle to save a civilization.

The story’s protagonist, Jake Sully, is an ex-Marine who was wounded and paralyzed from the waist down in combat on Earth. In order to participate in the Avatar program, which will give him a healthy body, Jake agrees to travel to Pandora, a lush rainforest environment filled with incredible life forms – some beautiful, many terrifying. Pandora is also the home to the Na’vi, a humanoid race that lives at what we consider to be a primate level, but they are actually much more evolved than humans. Ten feet tall and blue skinned, the Na’vi live harmoniously within their unspoiled world. But as humans encroach on Pandora in search of valuable minerals, the Na’vi’s very existence is threatened – and their warrior abilities unleashed.

Jake has unwittingly been recruited to become part of this encroachment. Since humans are unable to breathe the air on Pandora, they have created genetically-bred human-Na’vi hybrids known as Avatars. The Avatars are living, breathing bodies in the real world, controlled by a human driver through a technology that links the driver’s mind to the Avatar body. On Pandora, through his Avatar body, Jake can be whole once again. Moreover, he falls in love with a young Na’vi woman, Neytiri, whose beauty is matched by her ferocity in battle.
As Jake slides deeper into becoming one of her clan, he finds himself caught between the military-industrial forces of Earth, and the Na’vi – forcing him to choose sides in an epic battle that will decide the fate of an entire world Conceived 14 years ago and over four years in the making, "Avatar" breaks new ground in delivering a fully immersive, emotional story and reinvents the movie going experience.

Written by:
Umer W.Chheena
Section E
06U793

Brooklyn’s Finest:


Burned out veteran Eddie Dugan (Golden Globe-winner Richard Gere) is just one week away from his pension and a fishing cabin in Connecticut. Narcotics officer Sal Procida (Oscar nominee Ethan Hawke) has discovered there's no line he won't cross to provide a better life for his long-suffering wife and seven children. And Clarence "Tango" Butler (Oscar nominee Don Cheadle) has been undercover so long his loyalties have started to shift from his fellow police officers to his prison buddy Caz (Wesley Snipes), one of Brooklyn's most infamous drug dealers. With personal and work pressures bearing down on them, each man faces daily tests of judgment and honor in one of the world's most difficult jobs.

When NYPD's operation clean up targets the notoriously drug-ridden BK housing project, all three officers find themselves swept away by the violence and corruption of Brooklyn's gritty 65th Precinct and its most treacherous criminals. During seven fateful days, Eddie, Sal and Tango find themselves hurtling inextricably toward the same fatal crime scene and a shattering collision with destiny.

Written by:
Umer W.Chheena
Section E
06U793

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Pandemonium is Lahore.

Friday the 13th Lahore's one of the most secured areas was a target of two suicide attack killing many and injuring much more than that, the phrase "to hit him em where it hurts" was what came to my mind as its' ironic and at the same time worrying that if this type of areas are under siege than where do the rest of the population lie? its an alarming situation and the people are not safe unlike the people that have more number of cars in their protocol than the whole number of cars in a mediocre housing society.