Think 'positively,' and live
From the Blog PkColumnist.com: Think 'positively,' and live - Poverty in Pakistan has come down, because the sale of autos in the domestic market has gone up, says the spokesperson-in-chief of the ruling Pakistan People's Party. Only a genius could have discerned the subtle connection, hidden to ordinary mortals, between the drop in poverty level and the rise in car purchases. If nothing else, we can boast of a genius in an otherwise mediocre society. The spokesperson also maintained that, instead of bewailing that a certain percentage of the population lived below the poverty line, we should rejoice in the fact that a part of society was well above that threshold. Again, an outstanding example of a person who can transcend the customary way of thinking to see the positive side of things – a glass half full rather than half empty – a rare virtue in a dull, pessimistic society. At a time when the country is passing through a critical phase – with terrorists on the rampage and the economy in a shambles – and public morale has nosedived, robust optimism is what the doctor orders. In point of fact, the people's present predicament can largely be attributed to their irredeemable habit of negative and defeatist thinking: looking, for instance, only at the debit side of the government's balance sheet rather than its credit side, of discounting the accomplishments and counting the disillusionments, of downplaying the achievements and overplaying the failures. Why do we point out that 30 per cent of the population is mired in abject poverty? Why don't we say that 70 per cent of the people are out of it? Why do we allege that the overwhelming majority of politicians are corrupt and unreliable? Why don't we admit that at least some of them are men and women of integrity and character? Why do we complain about the large-scale unemployment? Why don't we acknowledge that not all the labour force is unemployed? What do we raise hue and cry over the fact that the galloping inflation has made life miserable for the vast majority of people? Why don't we content ourselves with the fact that these people are still alive? Why do we bewail the absence of the rule of law in the land? Why don't we take pride in the fact that at least there's a popularly elected government in the country? Why do we point out the rampant tax evasion in the economy? Why don't we admit that sufficient revenue is collected to run the administration? Why do we maintain that most of the national institutions are in decay and decadence? Why don't we acknowledge that some of them are still strong and vibrant? Surely there is a strong case for optimism and positive thinking, and surely the spokesperson can serve the nation even better by writing a book on how to think positively, constructively and creatively. The power of positive thinking apart, what can we make of the relationship between poverty and auto sales? Since brevity is the soul of expression and the genius is a person of few words, the PPP spin doctor didn't waste words in explaining the instant relationship. This leaves us ordinary mortals at best in a position to conjecture as to how the increase in car sales is an indicator of a drop in poverty level. To begin with, it costs a lot to buy a car and the fact that the product's sale is on the increase intimates that the people's purchasing power has gone up. The purchasing power being a function of income, one can safely conclude that the income level has risen. Since an inverse relationship holds between income and poverty levels, a hike in auto sales reflects fall in poverty. Simple logic, indeed! Another explanation can be this: a boom in car business creates jobs, and job creation is an important instrument of income generation and thus poverty alleviation. The more vibrant the auto business, the larger the number of jobs created and the greater the number of people who cross the poverty line. Again, simple logic. Henceforth, we have an excellent indicator of the changes in the poverty index: variation in the trade volume of autos and other expensive consumer goods. If the sale of such goods is going up, the poverty index is moving downwards, and vice versa. Some may object that expensive products such as autos are bought only by the affluent section of society and that increase in auto sales, especially at a time when the economy is in a crunch, in no way indicates that the menace called poverty is on the wane. Rather, it may be an indicator of widening income disparity. But if these people are incapable of positive and creative thinking, then the fault lies with them, and not with the ingenious ideas and their authors. . Read Full Post
Qayaas Giving Soundtracks for Shaan's Film Directed by Lashari
From the Blog Koolmuzone: Qayaas Giving Soundtracks for Shaan's Film Directed by Lashari - Qayaas will be giving away three songs in a film directed by Bilal Lashari and starring Shaan . This will be one of it's kind project as it will be first complete feature film by Lashari who has previously only directed music videos and short films. Lashari on shooting for the film said Directed Shaan today. The man is brilliance. The presence of Qayaas in the film makes the project sound even more interesting. Khurram Waqar, the lead guitarist, of the band put his excitement in words by saying We were in the middle of Umeed edit when I got a call from Dr. Hassan. Shaan wanted to see Qayaas jam. Inquilaab, Khayaal and Pal are part of the soundtrack to Dr. Hassan's movie starring Shaan being directed by Bilal Lishari. I have seen the footage and it is unbelievable. We are gonna rock © Koolmuzone Related posts: Shaan To Feature Zeb & Haniya, Mekaal Hasan & Mauj in His Film Earlier in march, we reported about Zeb and Haniya doing… Bilal Lashari – Hotstepper of the week The most noticeable music video of this year (yet) has… Zeb & Haniya have composed music for Shaan's "Chup" The music of the film "Chup" has been done by… . Read Full Post
Mobilink Jazz Giving Out 7 Honda City Cars
From the Blog Telecom News Bulletin: Mobilink Jazz Giving Out 7 Honda City Cars - As the new decade approaches, Mobilink invites all its family members to enter the year 2011 with great celebrations, new year resolutions and a lot many awesome prizes with an exciting offer. All those customers who have not used their Jazz connection since November 24th can now get a chance to win a brand new Honda City car every alternate day till January 9th. . Read Full Post
Rahat Fateh Ali Khan & Shafqat Amanat Ali – Imtehan Hai Imtehan (Video)
From the Blog Koolmuzone: Rahat Fateh Ali Khan & Shafqat Amanat Ali – Imtehan Hai Imtehan (Video) - Rahat Fateh Ali Khan & Shafqat Amanat Ali © Koolmuzone Related posts: Shafqat Amanat Ali – Pyar Nahi Hai Sur Se Jisko Artist: Shafqat Amanat Ali Song: Pyar Nahi Hai Sur Se… Strings, Rahat & Shafqat To Do Soundtracks for "My Name is Khan" Shahrukh's upcoming movie "My Name is Khan" will be featuring… Rahat Fateh Ali Khan – Dil Toh Bacha Hai (OST Ishqiya) Artist: Rahat Fateh Ali Khan Song: Dil To Bacha Hai… . Read Full Post
Rahat Fateh feat Shafqat Amanat 1st ever Duet Song – Imtehaan hai Imtehaan
From the Blog PakiUM.com | Pakistani Underground Music: Rahat Fateh feat Shafqat Amanat 1st ever Duet Song – Imtehaan hai Imtehaan - Rahat Fateh Ali Khan & Shafqat Amanat Ali khan have collaborated for a song of an upcoming Pakistani project. This is the first time probably that we are hearing both’s voices in one song. . Read Full Post
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