muzings

month

November 2010

62 posts

gangsofcats-withthumbs asked: some english language pakistani book recs?
looking to decolonize my knowledge of literature, haha.
i would like to start with fictional works, especially anything historical.
would really appreciate any tips! thanks

karachiwalay asked: you are an absolute genius. thank you so much for that tip!

Pax Americana Unveiled

Hegemony has its benefits. As a hegemon one gets to pass judgment on and have a hand in almost all of the world’s pressing issues. One after the other, Rome, Britain, Spain, Portugal, and the Ottomans have had an opportunity to exert massive control over their spheres of influence while in power. But none of them could even dream of the hegemony enjoyed by the USA. Though it counters verbal...

“One cable quotes Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah as saying that Pakistani President...”

– DAWN: WikiLeaks releases Pakistan related diplomatic cables (via storiesfrompakistan)

WikiLeaks is about to release a massive treasure trove of confidential US diplomatic cables and memos. These documents will cover every major issue in almost every country. From controversial remarks by the Saudi King on Iran’s nuclear program to honest perceptions about Pakistan’s president and even Nelson Mandela, these documents are about to blow up the diplomatic world and give us...

“In any other country, the current American bribe to Israel, and the...”

– Robert Fisk: An American Bribe That Stinks of Appeasement

Pixelating the Casualties in Iraq

ahmedsalman: Blue = *Friendly*, Green = *Host* Nation, Orange = Civilians, Grey = Enemies. First one is function of sum, second one is function of time, or how you can dilute the media impact of a massacre by killing a few people each day for 6 years. Just remember that host nation + civilian + enemies = mostly Iraqis. *time is going from top/left to bottom/right from information aesthetics

Life is found in deepest layer of Earth's crust ... →

A remote expedition to the deepest layer of the Earth’s oceanic crust has revealed a new ecosystem living over a kilometre beneath our feet. It is the first time that life has been found in the crust’s deepest layer, and an analysis of the new biosphere suggests life could exist lower still.

“The fact is 21st century India is not one country: it is two continents. If you...”

– Arundhati Roy: The Shape of the Beast (Tehelka Magazine)

unknownskywalker asked: Greetings! Sorry for the very late reply, I've been quite busy the last months. Since the last weekend, I took my time to answer all the questions I've accumulated this time, replying ask-to-ask to avoid spam in the blog, and now it's your turn.

After all this time you probably don't remember the question you sent, so I'm pasting it here:

Is it just me... or is The Big Bang Theory...

ajpmsnotes: “Gettysburg Address” by Adam Gault

Stop Wanting >> →

My brother and I figure that if we blog rather than buy the stuff we want, it may help us become better human beings. Here goes nothing.

“Rise like lions after slumber In unvanquishable number! Shake your chains to...”

– Percy Shelley, Mask of Anarchy

“The confusing and violent nature of our times calls on us to do more on...”

– Nick Day, Rector of Queen’s University, in his Remembrance Day address (via kkeilhauer)

Don't fall for the nostalgia -- George W. Bush's... →

Thank God someone took the time to actually pen these down. I was starting to believe that George Bush was the best President the US ever had and worse, that waterboarding was a sport that we should all be happy to take part in.

“The richest 1 percent of Americans now take home almost 24 percent of income, up...”

– Our Banana Republic - NYTimes.com Fantastic Kristof editorial on the inequality of wealth in the United States today (via anjum)

“America is a very sad place right now, which is what the Tea Party movement and...”

– Elizabeth Wurtzel for Guardian UK (via afghanibanani)

A Billboard that Advertises Nothing but Clean Air

ahmedsalman: This concept is on-point; directing attention to nothingness. Read and see more here. Creator’s website.

Animation: GARY on Vimeo Beautiful animation work. Well worth the watch. Its not new by the way, its about two years old, still really good.

Modern Art Was CIA 'Weapon' →

For decades in art circles it was either a rumour or a joke, but now it is confirmed as a fact. The Central Intelligence Agency used American modern art - including the works of such artists as Jackson Pollock, Robert Motherwell, Willem de Kooning and Mark Rothko - as a weapon in the Cold War.

The Fed's $600 Billion Statement, Translated Into...

First posted at NPR The economy still sucks. People are spending a little bit more, but they’re stretched thin: One in 10 workers can’t find a job, wages are basically flat, home prices are way down and nobody can get a loan. Companies are buying more stuff, for now, but they’re not building new factories or offices. Nobody’s hiring. Nobody’s building. Inflation has...

Homage to hip-hop →

bobulate: Sam Anderson, admittedly illiterate in hip-hop, reviews the new Anthology of Rap: See also: A History of Rap As Literature [It shows] one of the great paradoxes of rap: The toughest, coolest, most dangerous-seeming MCs are, at heart, basically just enormous language dorks. They love puns and rhymes and slang and extended metaphors; they accuse enemies of plagiarism and brag endlessly...