It’s true, trash TV sells
I entered the world of television in Pakistan aiming to inform and educate people through this powerful medium of expression. I took immense pride in my job but the comfort bubble burst soon enough. Not so long ago, I realised that everyone on TV is like a salesman, trying hard to sell a product. Sometimes the salesman goes to any length to make a living out of the product being sold. When you go to buy a product, every salesman tries to get your attention and aims to convince you that his product is the best (even if that product can ...
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Help! My boyfriend won’t cuddle
Dear Miss Informed, Help me understand why my boyfriend has time for work at his father’s clinic, his cousin’s wedding, his own side business and to pick his mom from Nano’s place and to drop his brother to school – but no space for me in his life? He doesn’t have time to call or even text. Just a brief ‘good morning’ and “Baby, I am so tired, let’s sleep. Goodnight” Miss Informed, I know he loves me but why do I always have to be the one to understand his problems? Sometimes I wish he would spoil me, pamper me and do cheesy ...
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“Please help, I need some blood”
Have you ever had to look for blood? It is not a pleasant experience. Every day, in my clinical practice, I see patients and their families looking for blood. From heart surgery to C-Section, when patients are about to undergo a surgical procedure, their friends and family go through the painful exercise of finding blood that might be needed. And, these of course are the people who plan ahead. For some reason, patients are completely unprepared. When a loved one is in a car accident, there has been no time to arrange for blood beforehand. Or, for that matter ...
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Hating Terry Jones is bad for Muslims
It’s the same old cycle. Once again an insignificant person does something radically stupid in the West, and we in the East go on to a killing rampage. I am talking about the burning of the Holy Quran incident carried out on March 20, 2011 by Terry Jones, an American Christian Evangelist pastor from Florida. This is the same man who threatened to burn the Holy Quran on 9/11 but relented once he got the media hype he wanted. Spreading the stupid In the immediate aftermath of the burning, I thought that the Muslim world had shown restraint and ignored Jones’ thoughtless acts, as ...
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There’s a mighty pretty book in town
A book of English poems by a Pakistani is immediately suspect. It’s not something you’ll allow into your bookshelf without checks and a passport. And given the pernicious proliferation of blogs and undergraduate bunk (literal and figurative) everywhere, especially of the poetic variety, you will be justified about ten out of ten times in denying it entry. Also, given the present literary mood and climate in our part of the world, a book of good English poetry by a South Asian is really like a dancing eunuch who shows up unannounced at the genteel party of the South Asian ...
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Why your daughter should watch Disney cartoons while she’s still four
Disney films will always hold a special place in the lives of those born in the 90s: we were the ones who would cry and clutch our fathers lest they go jump into a stampede a la Mufasa in The Lion King. So, recently, some friends and I decided to revisit our favourite Disney film — Mulan. Mulan is just your average Chinese girl who impersonates a man so she can join the army instead of her father. ‘Two thumbs up!’ promised the back of the DVD cover, and we sat down with popcorn and played the film. When it finished, there was ...
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Mistakes will not go unpunished now
After the crucial game against Australia, Pakistan enter the knock-out stages. They enter a territory where mistakes will not go unpunished. It will be naïve on part of the Pakistan players and team management to hope for their opponents to make mistakes so Pakistan can taste victory – a theme predominant in our World Cup campaign this time. Pakistan had Zimbabwe, Canada and Kenya in their Group A to experiment with. However, it will not be unfair to suggest that the team management did little to make use of these opportunities. I say this because before a team heads into the ...
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Team Green: In good form for the World Cup
Spot-fixing trials – criminal-charges – banned – guilty – cheat – bhabi-e-millat – IPL discards – conspirators – Veena Malik – home-advantage. If you Google “cricket” and ”Pakistan” with parameters set to results from the past year, the words above would probably be the key terms generated by the search engine. One cannot blame Google for stating the obvious. Talented Pakistan Despite the banning, cheating and media -hyped shaadis cricket fans in Pakistan do still have reasons to love this game. The domestic conveyor belt of talent is continuously producing new players which, alongside the legends, gives us plenty to be optimistic about ...
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Don’t let Riko Diq go to the dogs
The Riko Diq deal has created a lot of hue and cry. Thanks to some conscientious petitioners, the matter has come to into the limelight with the judiciary actively investigating the viability of the deal. Dr Samar Mubarakmand’s opinion over the issue has exposed what can be arguably regarded as one of the largest corruption scandals in the history of this nation. The Tethyan Copper Company (TTC), a conglomerate of companies, which claims to be undertaking the project in goodwill and bringing employment opportunities here, is currently the most probable candidate for getting the project. It had been sanctioned by both ...
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We don’t need Amir and Asif
Imran Khan, who was recently in New Delhi to promote the World Cup, proclaimed Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif to be “the best opening bowling pair in the world” and said that these bowlers are particularly significant to Pakistan’s chances of winning championship. He further said that without these bowlers in the team, the Pakistani bowling attack is “not potent.” With all due respect to the cricket legend, I do not agree with Mr Khan’s comments here. While I completely agree with him that Amir and Asif may be instrumental to Pakistan’s success at the World Cup, let’s not forget that ...
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