No to Benazir Bhutto

Does anybody seriously think that Benazir Bhutto is going to save Pakistan? I mean seriously, she is just riding this wave created by the emergency in Pakistan to come back into power. Can we take a moment from this uninterrupted and obsessive media coverage and ask what has she done in the past that we are blindly leading her back into taking charge of Pakistan's future. The Guardian has a piece on her and Asif Zardari: "Trail of corruption and kickback...". Isn't politics about constant promises... what's her promise: "I will save Pakistan and bring democracy till me and my party have taken every single penny out of Pakistan and saved it in our Swiss Accounts... then we will leave you again! for some other distressed Army General to come back in and stabilize the situation?"

Reading that piece should not leave any doubt in a sane mind she is not any better for Pakistan than President Musharraf.

I am ashamed to point out that our media as the Western Media is using the same techniques to awash the public mind in distress. "War on terror" meets "Geo Democracy". This ridiculous campaign of flooding the screens by repeating clips of bomb blasts, lawyers being arrested, women getting arrested and Military dictators... is it helping us? Is it true Journalism? Why take them out of their context and repeat them? Why not show clips from Benazir's previous campaigns of false promises, why just show Military dictators?

Is Geo and other channels just having a blast! Are they cashing the eye-balls? revenues streaming in due to the situation. Who is really benefiting from this... who owns shares in these media establishments...

I certainly hope that this does not trickle down into the International community's subconscious... making them believe that we need outside help... "the Caravan of Democracy" from likes of USA, UK or others as for Iraq and Afghanistan.

"Innerspace and all that" on Adbusters.org

Innerspace and all that... (Sufism)




"Innerspace and all that" on adbusters.org home page and on ABTV. Can you believe that? especially the people who marked it at VFS.

Be Good or Be Gone by Fionn Regan

Excellent Video.

Songs by Murtaza Khawar

Here are some of the songs my brother Murtaza has been working on:

Incarnate - The Watchmen Cover (track3.wma)
Track4.wma
TheFly.wma
Lahore.wma
Track01.mp3
Track02.mp3
Why.wma

Downloaded Radiohead's 'In Rainbow'

Is this the future of music records? Radiohead released their album for all on their website. The best part? You can pay whatever you want for it or don't pay at all. Go get it! if you still haven't.

The sound quality is just 160Kbps though. Love the album so far. So far my favorite track is "All I need". Will keep listening to it back to back for a while and see how it grows.

WWF billboard

Spook Country by William Gibson

William Gibson's new book Spook Country is going to be available on August 7. Can't wait to get my hands on it!

Misunderstood

Just brilliant and excellent execution!!
(From CRBlog.com)

When Kalashnikovs are replaced with guitars...

"Tinariwen (Tamashek for "empty places") is the stuff of legend in these parts (Mali). It is basically a rock band - six electric guitars, three female singers, and a percussionist - with a rebellious political flavor. The classic Tinariwen image: turbaned soldier-musicians on camels with Kalashnikovs and Stratocaster guitars crossed over their shoulders." (From Vanity Fair July 2007)

"Tinariwen's third album Aman Iman (Water is life) is what happens when a group of Saharan Touareg tribesmen swap guns for guitars and make music bluesy enough to ensure Mali's reputation as Africa's Mississippi Delta." (From Monocle May 2007)


Now, only if some of the music coming out of Pakistan was as honest and noble as Tinariwen's... we would be long way towards what is happening in Mali... so if you have any plans to pick up a guitar and start a revolution look no further for inspiration then the Tuareg (the Free people).

Here is a great introduction to Tinariwen on youtube (must watch):


and off course Tinariwen and Carlos Santana...




Finally, if you find yourself wondering... Is Tinariwen the greatest band in the World? head onto
Slate.com and find your answers.

Our love to admire

Since my last post, almost 10 months ago (you can even round it off to a year), I am going to start posting again (yeppy!). The questions that come to mind are: Why would I stop posting? What have been I upto? Did I forgot my password for the blog? Was I really that busy? and Why am I going to post again? Will I keep posting or abandon it again... for yet another perfect day in Vancouver to post (like today)... with another perfect track playing like Interpol's "Pace is the trick" with another perfect mood busting "another line"... I guess I have loads of stuff to share now... the stuff I have been upto and to some extent lost in... so lets start with Interpol...

Interpol is going to release their 3rd album "Our love to admire" after their 2nd studio album "Antics (2003)". It is absolutely brilliant work... everything I anticipated for in an Interpol's album... is in it. My favorite track so far is 'Pace is the trick'. (You can pre-order it on iTunes).

If you are not familiar with Interpol, who formed back in 1998, then the following lines from Wikipedia will give you a taste of what to expect: "The band's sound is generally a mix of bass throb and choppy, sparse guitar, drawing constant comparisons to post-punk bands Joy Division,^[1] The Chameleons and Kitchens of Distinction."