Dear readers of Karachi Metroblog:

To be honest, Karachi doesn’t “rock” the way we’d like it to. It’s never as wonderful as we wish, while we do have many great people. This city which feeds a large population of the country with its business needs to be greener, cleaner, and generally fuller of love.

Above all, love! For nothing changes the world for better but love – not the romantic one! We Pakistanis in general and Karachiites in particular are people who love too much; we have a lot of unspent energy, but don’t know what to do with it. There is no shame, at least for me now, to admit to the many “tussles” on this blog are just our energy expressed very loudly over a rather limited medium. This blog, after all, is a microcosmic representation of our city – a model of what we are in the real world – and it is how we are.

What on the surface is our fight and anger is, to me, our lack of direction and purpose for the one creative energy all humans have: the energy of love! But love and deeply care we do.
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Well. This was a scheduled post, and will be my last piece of news on the forum.

Tom Peters, the man who co-authored business-literature phenomena “In Search of Excellence” is scheduled to speak in Karachi on April 18, 2006. Young professional and others in Karachi, if you can afford him or get a scholarship from anyone (ask and you may get!), go listen to Tom. He is outspoken, brilliant, and completely mind-changing.

He may be a welcome agent of change for Karachi!

More information is available on www.tompeters.com.pk.

i will be posting on metblogs.detroit until june when i get back to my city by the sea. thanks to our outspoken readers (original-anon, faisal, and shiraz), who by expressing their dissatisfaction with my membership on karachi.metblogs, have served as catalysts for this change. their unhappiness with the situation was completely justified as i am not actually physically present in my bustling, buzzing, breathtaking hometown (although i am there in spirit), and i apologize to anyone out there who has suffered distress because of my presence as an author on the karachi blog.

before i part, allow me to say that the bloggers and commentators on karachi.metblogs are doing a phenomenal job. it is a pleasure to be part of this experience. this blog makes me feel completely connected to home. lately though, i have noticed some rather disturbing negative energy on the blog because of conflicting opinions and views and the manner in which they are aired. opinions are vital in a setting like this, but it might be beneficial to everyone’s experience here if perhaps we are more humane in expressing ourselves and speaking our mind.

until june then :)

Chennai is the newest city in the metroblogging network. In case you didn’t know, Chennai’s old name was Madras. It’s also the second Indian city after Mumbai to join the network.

Yesterday in Dawn (Sunday 26th March) we must have seen this mysterious ad which was actually placed by a company called ExecutiveSearchPro conducting a talent search for a NASDAQ listed company opening up shop in Pakistan.

The puzzle is not difficult, especially if Google has previously used it a few years back to recruit personnel in Silicon Valley. Could it be Google? The question posed to the readers was

Double the first 10-digit prime found in consecutive digits of e .com

Sadly I am not big shot genius to be applying for a job as a hot engineer, but simply a Karachi Metroblog author armed with the Google Search engine. Hence it was not a tough puzzle to crack the answer is 14854932782.com. For those even lazy to click on the hyperlink just plug your CV’s to genius@executivesearchpro.com

Do convey them love from the Karachi Metroblog Team and the *genius* Teeth Maestro ;)

Strings is set to rock Karachi with a concert at Creek Club

Date: April 1st 2006
Venue: Karachi Creek Club
Time: 5:00pm
For details contact Arsalan Haleem or call him 0345-2666178

Many times, our readers send us opinions and news to be posted on the Karachi Metblog. The Readers’ Op-Ed Series is started to bring selected pieces from the readers to the public. This is not the BBC, so the choice, editing and placement of content is totally whimsical. The bloggers and the management of Karachi Metblog may not neccessarily agree with the content.

Here’s one by Heart of Aries.

Well folks…PIA has done it again with its tail colors though with a blunder this time. PIA has had a long and shaky history of doing and redoing livery in general and tail colors in particular.
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Had a good time at Marina Club yesterday. Actually, at their family enclosure just besides Area51.

A full round of Tambola (a number calling game), live music, nice food (Dominos and desi barbeque and similar stuff), friendly atmosphere, towered by a star speckled sky and calm wind. Nice.

This is not one of those lonesome strolls though. You need friends and/or family to enjoy this event fully and also have a chance to win something. Take aways include tickets to Dubai, flat screen TVs, Sega, DVD players, different crockery, etc. I remember this old guy who actually danced to the tune of Baber’s “I would love you…” with the oomph of a tween after winning a Sony DVD player out of the lucky draw.

So, the next time you’re planning on some family activity or are bored of the usual outing. Go to Marina club.

PS: If you got some army contact or a Doctor in the family. Entry is free. Of course you’ll have to pay for the Tambola slips, which differ in between Rs. 700 to 150.

I was in a “Mushaira” for the first time, last night. It was scheduled to start at 8:00 Pm but at that time the stage was even not prepared…. But recording of some old Mushaira was streaming in the background “It is 11:20 Pm and the beginning of Mushaira” JUST 3 Hours and 20 Minutes late…(Not to say more as It is Karachi :)
27 Poets & Poetess recited their “Kalaam” (poetry) and it continues till Azan-e-Fajar. The crowd behaved gently and pleased every nice Kalaam.
It was a good experience…

Presented before the court of Karachi citizens and animal lovers of the world, the case of the proposed commercialization of the space of the Richmond Crawford Veterinary Hospital:

It is being reported that the Richmond Crawford Vet Hospital on M. A. Jinnah Road is proposed to be turned into a shopping mall. In addition to this, the Jang of March 25, 2006 reports famous social worker Abdul-Sattar Edhi’s angst on this idea, as well as possible commercialisation of Saddar’s Jahangir Park. Edhi denounced the materialistic mentality behind this scheme. He has gone to the extent of offering to purchase the vet hospital himself for Rs. 10 Crore (Rs. 100 m) and operate it. The Edhi Welfare Association alreadi operates an animal sanctuary.
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