The Express Tribune Magazine - December 26

december 26 2010-january 1 2011

Had Benazir Lived...

An analysis of Pakistan’s would-be political landscape

22

Astrologer Conline

36

Nida Azwer on Saying No 20

HOROSCOPE

REVIEWS

COMMENT

PEOPLE

FEATURES

june 13-19 2010

june 13-19 2010

december 26 2010-january 1 2011

Cover Story 22 Had Benazir Lived...

An analysis of Pakistan’s would-be political landscape

Feature 30 At The Nobel Ceremony Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo’s empty chair is honoured

Comment 36 Astrologer Conline A A Shiekh on the stars in our lives

Review

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38 What’s new in TV and film

Up North & Personal 42 Even the mountains suffer the ill-effects of climate change

Regulars

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6 People & Parties: Out and about with beautiful people 20 Tribune Questionnaire: Nida Azwer on honesty 44 Horoscope: Shelley von Strunckel on your week ahead 46 Ten Things I Hate About: Fat people

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Sub-Editors: Batool Zehra, Hamna Zubair Creative Team: Amna Iqbal, Jamal Khurshid, Essa Malik, Anam Haleem, Tariq Alvi, S Asif Ali, Sukayna Sadik Publisher: Bilal A Lakhani. Executive Editor: Muhammad Ziauddin. Editor: Kamal Siddiqi.

For feedback and submissions: magazine@tribune.com.pk

june 13-19 2010

PEOPLE & PARTIES

Sport and Glamour The ICC World Cup trophy was unveiled at an event held

by Castrol in Lahore.

6

Natasha Hussain and Adnan Malik host the red carpet

MC for the evening, Saima Moshin

Fahmina Butt and Hasan Zobairi

Captain Women’s Cricket Team Sana Mir with her teammates

december 26 2010-january 1 2011

june 13-19 2010

PEOPLE & PARTIES

Gumby

Nighat Chaudhry

8

Omer, Mehreen, Rabia and Aamir Jillani december 26 2010-january 1 2011

Fizza, Ali and Zakir Khan

n Jamil

Hassa

Khan

Sarah Gandapur

june 13-19 2010

PEOPLE & PARTIES

Ali Azmat

Rabia and Munib Nawaz

10

RJ Sumayrah with Saad Kureishi december 26 2010-january 1 2011

Ali Xeeshan with Shireen

han

Zakir K

Wasim Akarm

june 13-19 2010

PEOPLE & PARTIES

On the High Street Crossroads launched its winter collection in Lahore.

12

Deeda and Nadir

Anushka and Maha

Mariam and Aliha Chaudhry

Amina Saeed

december 26 2010-january 1 2011

june 13-19 2010

PEOPLE & PARTIES

Uzma , Asmaa Mumtaz and Sabrina

Mohsin Khawar

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Mammy and Amber december 26 2010-january 1 2011

Salma and Hamza

Saim

Hira

june 13-19 2010

PEOPLE & PARTIES

On Trend Fiza Ali held a clothing exhibition in Lahore.

vv

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Fiza and Asad

Fawad Farook and Sadia

Zahida Saleem and Faiza Faisal

Xillay and Nabeel Khan

december 26 2010-january 1 2011

june 13-19 2010

june 13-19 2010

june 13-19 2010

december 26 2010-january 1 2011

“I can’t say no to people” Designer Nida Azwer on good company, jewelry and assertiveness.

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

Which talent would you most like to have?

Good company, great food, and a fun destination.

I wish I could sing.

What is your greatest fear?

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

To be locked up with rottweilers.

I would want to be more assertive.

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

The fact that I can’t say no to people.

I haven’t achieved it as yet.

What is the trait you most deplore in others?

If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?

Dishonesty.

Queen Elizabeth I.

What is your greatest extravagance?

Where would you most like to live?

Buying jewellery.

Russia.

What is your current state of mind?

What is your most treasured possession?

I’m trying to relax after a hectic season.

My hairclip.

What do you consider the most overrated virtue?

What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?

Modesty.

People rummaging through garbage for food.

On what occasion do you lie?

If you didn’t do your current job, what would you choose to do?

When I’m trying to make it to my yoga class… it’s too early in the

I’d love to be a lawyer.

morning.

What do you most dislike about your appearance?

My straight hair.

Which living person do you most despise?

No one.

What is the quality you most like in a man?

Intelligence.

What is the quality you most like in a woman?

Confidence.

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?

Okay, fine.

When and where were you happiest?

Last month, on vacation at a beach resort with my family.

What is your most marked characteristic?

I hear I’m always smiling.

Who is your hero of fiction?

Maximus in the movie Gladiator.

Which historical figure do you most identify with?

Nelson Mandela.

Who are your heroes in real life?

Greg Mortenson.

What is your greatest regret?

I don’t have any regrets.

What’s your favourite quote?

“We are told that talent creates its own opportunities. But it sometimes seems that intense desire creates not only its own opportunities, but its own talents” — Eric Hoffer. a

december 26 2010-january 1 2011

21

COVER STORY

22 december 26 2010-january 1 2011

Benazir Bhutto’s assassination on December 27, 2007 dramatically altered Pakistan’s political landscape.

What would things look like if she had lived?

had

BY KHALED AHMED

benazir lived...

Benazir Bhutto arrived in Pakistan in October 2007 against the advice of the Musharraf establishment. She had pushed the envelope on the deal she had concluded with Musharraf and the party he was leading, arousing all kinds of misgivings in the establishment. Now that she was in Pakistan ahead of schedule, the panoply of power in Islamabad had to suffer her.

As Benazir went around the country trying to revive the en-

thusiasm the electorate had once felt for her and her party, she

would be aware of the cards she had up her sleeve. She was a part of the US policy of ‘diversification of support’ — the policy the

US turned to after realising that Musharraf was either playing a double game or was simply not able to convince the military

establishment to act effectively against the Taliban terrorists and their patron al Qaeda.

American support to her was to be conditional to her pushing

Musharraf towards actions he was not taking, especially in the increasingly troubled FATA region where his subordinate generals were concluding predictably useless ‘peace deals’ with Taliban

leaders who were determined to eliminate Musharraf and pluck

Pakistan away from its alliance against terrorism. But she would have to strategise her return in the light of her past experience with the Pakistani establishment.

The al Qaeda, put off by the United State’s policy insistence to december 26 2010-january 1 2011

23

set up a rival to Musharraf to make him act faster and more effectively against the spreading counter-writ of the Taliban, would

have issued new CD messages with Al Zawahiri proclaiming

that a woman could not be a leader of the Muslims. This would have been echoed by allied madrassas across Pakistan. Growing anti-Americanism in Pakistan would have been used by the ISI to make people see her as an American Trojan horse sent in to enslave Pakistan.

Where were you when Benazir died?

Three years after December 27, 2007, a cross-section of Pakistanis recall the day Benazir died.

Benazir would have reached out to the PML N to defeat adverse rigging in Punjab by showing overwhelming popular support for an informal PPP-PML N electoral understanding.

Dr Ishrat Hussain, former governor State Bank of Pakistan “I was in Karachi watching television when red breaking news alerts began to fill the screen. First came the report about the attack on her rally… and then, bit by bit, came the news that Benazir was critically injured, and finally came the biggest blow…

Benazir was dead. I had believed firmly that her return to power would have been the best thing for this country. No one can replace Benazir, and the shock and dismay of her death will never leave me.”

Deepak Perwani, designer “When Benazir died I was at work on Karachi’s Zamzama avenue.

My first emotion was fear… within ten minutes I saw the entire Puma store near my outlet being plundered and destroyed in front of my eyes. I also remember walking out in the middle of the night to the corner roundabout near my house where an armoured personnel carrier stood. I asked the police what was happening and they told me they were as scared as I was. As for Bibi, Pakistan will never be the same without her. The Diana of the Muslim world is dead.”

Mohammad Qasim, shopkeeper and resident of Mochi Bazaar, Sukkur “I was sitting at my shop when a friend of mine told me about the murder. I remember there was no electricity at the time, so I immediately called one of my friends in Lyari in Karachi, who confirmed the bad news. First I thought that she was killed by terrorists, but then it came to my mind that other people who had vested interests could be behind her murder. It was very hard to believe that she was no more.”

Ayesha Tammy Haq – Host of 24/7 on Business Plus “I was at a studio in Korangi judging the TV show: ‘Who Wants

24 december 26 2010-january 1 2011

Benazir Bhutto (above) with the PPP’s senior vice chairman Makhdoom Amin Fahim (R) during a campaign rally minutes before Bhutto was assassinated. Fahim was selected to be Prime Minister during a closed-door meeting in Islamabad media reports said on 23 February 2008.

to be Prime Minister,’ when Kim Barker of the Chicago Tribune came in and said that Nawaz Sharif’s rally had been attacked.

Moments later Azhar Abbas came in with the real story: the attack had been on Benazir and she was critically injured. Then the news broke that she had been killed. All I could think of was that I had to get to my friend Tariq who was her cousin.”

Taimur Hassan, cost accountant “I was at The Marina in Dubai when my father called to tell me about the bomb at the rally. Benazir was injured at the time and I thought, oh no, is she still alive? Five minutes later I found out she was dead. I was devastated because in her moment of death she was transformed from a monstrous corrupt leader into a mother.”

Awab Alwi, blogger at ‘Teeth Maestro’ “Ten minutes after I had reached my home I received an sms that said Benazir had been critically injured. I panicked as my two young sons were on their way home accompanied by the maid and driver. A few hellish hours later the driver called, saying that disaster had narrowly been avoided. A raging mob of teenagers had come running to the car in an attempt to burn it, but our driver pleaded with them, pointing at the fact that there were two kids in the car. The mob moved on, but others were not as lucky. After four hours, the maid and driver arrived home in a total state of shock. The kids, sheltered by their youth, excitedly told us stories of fires and mobs… in their innocence they did not realize the gravity of the disaster they had survived.”

Zafar Hilaly, former ambassador “I had accompanied BB when she met Afghan President Hamid Karzai earlier that day. When we returned to Bilawal House she told me about her meeting with US Senators in the evening. “I’ll talk to you about that later,” were her last words to me. I was sitting in Rawalpindi, with a friend, when I heard the news that her rally had been bombed. This was followed by a report saying she had been hit. I ran to the car. I was driving with the radio on when the news of her death was broadcast. I pulled over,

stopped the first car that was passing and asked the driver if the news was true. Yes, he said, he had also heard the news.”But she cannot die,” was what I said. ‘’She cannot.” And then I started sobbing. Others were doing the same — grown, wizened and seemingly strong men.”

Shahzad Roy, musician “I was in a meeting at the Fatima Jinnah School operated by the Zindagi trust when an sms came in saying Benazir had been killed. I didn’t believe it because I did not want to, but then my phone started ringing and the truth could no longer be denied.

We tried to leave but the roads were jammed with panicked people all trying to get home. I did not see any rioting myself but the threat of violence was in the air… The only female prime minister of Pakistan had been killed and the sorrow of that day will stay with me forever.”

Nauman Ghani, fashion designer, Lahore “I was at home when my sister called, crying. She told me about the assassination and I was upset and sad. I am not into politics at all, but I always respected Benazir as a leader and an educated woman.”

Salman Uppal, creative director, Lahore “I was at home and my colleague got a text about the incident which we took as a joke. Then we started getting more texts and I called a friend at a news channel to confirm the news. She was hysterical. But I felt nothing.”

Iftikhar Ahmed, veteran host and analyst ‘I was in my office when the news came and I immediately broke down in tears. She was the kind of leader that comes only once a generation and I had so many hopes that were linked to her. She had matured as a political leader and when she spoke of her vision for Pakistan, I could sense the conviction in her voice. All the trials, tribulations and challenges she had gone through and overcome... all that she could have done for this country... all was gone in an instant. Benazir was dead and all hope was lost forever.’

25 december 26 2010-january 1 2011

COVER STORY

Benazir’s handling of Musharraf would have been informed by her past experience with army chiefs and the military establishment. Her pre-election politics would have been aimed at not threatening to upset the Afghanistan strategy.

President Asif Ali Zardari shakes hands with PML N chief Nawaz Sharif and ANP leader Asfandyar Wali on February 27. 2008, soon after the PPP emerged victorious in the 2008 general elections (above). President Zardari addresses the UNGA (right).

Anti-PPP elements within the establishment — much abetted

by the PML Q’s inherited hostility towards the Bhuttos — would have played ball. Once again the deal between Musharraf and

turn for her letting him remain president.

Her handling of Musharraf, however, would have been in-

Benazir would have caused rifts. The rightwing press would have

formed by her past experience with army chiefs and the military

to the Americans despite the fact that she had denied them. She

at not threatening to upset the Afghanistan strategy, a strategy

dug up her past statements supporting Dr A Q Khan’s surrender would have soon to contend with clear signs of pre-election rigging in favour of a heavy tilt in favour of PML Q.

PPP regional leaders would have engaged in bickering with

their counterparts over how much the coming vote would go to the two parties riding together as a coalition for the next five

years. Much bitterness would have flowed from this, mostly over

establishment. Her pre-election politics would have been aimed with with which she clearly did not agree. She would have talked to the Americans constantly through their ambassador but

would have also realised that the Democrats were certainly going to win the 2009 election and that pressure on the next incumbent for US-NATO withdrawal would increase.

Her intent behind returning home would clearly not have

how power was to be shared in Punjab, where Pervaiz Elahi had

meshed with the American intent behind getting Musharraf to

prime minister. The PPP would have insisted on pocketing Pun-

‘political memory’ in Pakistan from dropping her party from the

run a good government and was nursing ambitions of becoming jab as a part of the coalition deal.

Benazir would have reached out to the PML N to defeat adverse

rigging in Punjab by showing overwhelming popular support for

an informal PPP-PML N electoral understanding. On the matter of the judges dismissed by Musharraf in November 2007, she

would have joined the PML N and called for their reinstatement,

26

with her and give her the lion’s share in the government in re-

thus getting Pakistan’s mostly rightwing anti-PPP lawyers be-

hind her. She would have forced Musharraf to come to the table december 26 2010-january 1 2011

accept her back. Like Nawaz Sharif, she wanted to prevent the popular radar. She would have been cautious rather than rash in

the country’s changed environment. But her relationship with Musharraf and the PML Q would have run into rough waters —

as she had indicated in her last book and her letter to Musharraf in which she feared that certain members of the PML Q and elements in the intelligence agencies would plan to get rid of her.

Once in Pakistan, she would have taken a stance closer to the

PML N- there were signs of this after the attack on her in Karachi.

Her relationship with the MQM would have remained sour be-

cause of the latter’s close working partnership with Musharraf, but she would have applied pragmatism to her handling of the

ANP. Returning from the wilderness and seeing all the changes in Sindh, she would have learned, however, to accept the MQM’s own ‘realism’ in not provoking the dominant Sindhi party.

Her post-election presence in the government would have been

dicey. How was would the PML Q adjust to the change? It is quite possible that because of Punjab the tally of seats would have

mandated a prime minister from the Chaudhry clan. (The 17th

Amendment debarred both Nawaz Sharif and Benazir from premiership.) In case the 17th Amendment ban was removed, Benazir as coalition prime minister would have worked, but it would

Benazir and her party would have prospered but inside a much weakened and unstable state, with large areas given over to al Qaeda and its Pakistani minions. have been ‘overbalanced’ by Musharraf in the presidency, calling all the shots as far as foreign policy was concerned. The coalition

would be rancorous and unstable. She would have therefore re-

lied on her counterbalancing alliance with Nawaz Sharif on the basis of the 2006 Charter of Democracy.

Nawaz Sharif, of course, would have been back, his return

forced by the Saudis. Benazir would have persuaded him to take part in the elections. The post-election government in Punjab would have belonged to PML Q, but would have been harassed

by the two big parties in opposition. The Mumbai attack in 2008 would have caused a political earthquake, giving Benazir more

leverage over Musharraf and the army. It would have been a very divided and internecine coalition over which Musharraf would have had to preside.

Benazir would have quickly realised that Prime Minister Shau-

kat Aziz had erred in not passing on the oil price hike the world

was hit by in 2007. The Indian summer of the economic boom un-

der him would clearly have been at an end when the 2008 world-

wide crisis broke and found Pakistan with its pants down, with a circular debt overhang of 300 billion rupees. She would have

severely rocked the coalition boat and worked for a mid-term election. a

december 26 2010-january 1 2011

27

COVER STORY LIAQUAT ALI KHAN The first prime minister of Pakistan, Liaquat Ali Khan was shot twice in the

unexplained

chest in Rawalpindi’s Company Gardens during a public rally. Khan later

succumbed to his injuries in a local

assassinations

hospital despite receiving a blood trans-

fusion. His apparent assassin Saad Akbar Babrak was shot dead by police immediately afterwards, leaving his true

motives shrouded in mystery.

The gun, the bomb and the poisoned dagger — all have played their part as instruments of the dark art of assassination. Benazir’s assassination changed Pakistan’s future, but there are others that have altered the course of history.

CONSEQUENCES AND CONTROVERSY Company Bagh was renamed Liaquat Bagh in his honour and he was given the posthumous title of Shaheed-e-Millat. Specula-

tion as to Babrak’s motives seem to lean towards the theory that

Babrak was a Pashtun ultra-nationalist who hoped Khan’s death would pave the way to a united Pakhtunistan. However there are

many conspiracy theories claiming that Liaquat Ali Khan’s assassination was planned by foreign powers. Some say it was a

reaction from the USSR for his anti-communist and pro-western

policies, while others blame the USA for ordering the killing due to Khan’s alleged non-cooperation on the Iranian issue and an alleged demand for the US to vacate its airbases in Pakistan.

By zarrar khuhro

MK GANDHI

JOHN F KENNEDY A little over five months after partition,

As JFK’s motorcade crossed Dealey Plaza

gunned down in broad daylight by a

US president was fatally shot while

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was

on November 22nd 1963, the thirty-fifth

Hindu fanatic named Nathuram Godse.

seated next to his wife Jacqueline.

Godse, who had links to the radical

Kennedy was rushed to the nearest hos-

Hindu Mahasabha organisation, held

pital where he was declared dead in the

Gandhi responsible for ‘weakening’ In-

emergency room. Lee Harvey Oswald,

dia by insisting on payments to Pakistan and, along with seven co-conspirators,

determined to make him pay with his life.

CONSEQUENCES AND CONTROVERSY

the alleged shooter, was arrested some 40 minutes later but was killed by Jack

Ruby before he could stand trial, sparking decades of controversy and conspiracy theories

Gandhi’s murder sparked a serious reaction against ‘Hinduvta’

CONSEQUENCES AND CONTROVERSY

the Mahasabha, which were only able to recover the lost political

came President, forming the Warren commission to investigate

organizations such as the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and

Following Kennedy’s death, vice-president Lyndon Johnson be-

ground after several decades. Paying tribute to Gandhi’s legacy is

the murder. While the commission concluded there was no con-

now a rite of passage for all Congress-I leaders.

spiracy, a subsequent report blasted both the Warren commission, the FBI and the CIA for their sloppy performance and again raised the possibility of a conspiracy. Conspiracy theorists say the

list of possible suspects includes the CIA, communist radicals, the Mafia and even former US president Richard Nixon and JFK’s successor Lyndon B Johnson.

28 december 26 2010-january 1 2011

ANWAR EL SADAT

YITZHAK RABIN

The successor to Gamal Abdul Nasser,

Israeli Prime minister Yitzhak Rabin

hero for his conduct in the October 1973

in Tel Aviv in 1995 to drum up support for

was addressing a mass public gathering

Anwar el Sadat was at once feted as a

the shaky Israel-Palestine peace process

war with Israel and reviled as a traitor

as outlined in the Oslo accords. Rabin

for his peace accord with the same coun-

had gone from being a soldier and a gen-

try. On October 7, 1981 he was attacked

eral known for his hawkish views to a

by a group of radicals belonging to the

Nobel Peace Prize winner wedded to the

Egyptian Islamic Jihad (IJ) group and the militant wing of the Jemaa Islami-

idea of peace. As he spoke to the crowd,

yya. The killers had successfully infiltrated the armed forces and

a Jewish radical named Yigal Amir opened fire, and Rabin later

lid Islambouli lobbed three grenades at him and other assassins

lung.

as Anwar Sadat reviewed a military parade, an IJ activist Khaopened fire. Sadat died in hospital.

CONSEQUENCES AND CONTROVERSY Sadat’s killing brought Hosni Mubarak to the presidential seat,

a position he holds to this day. In the aftermath of the assassina-

tion, massive crackdowns were launched on Egyptian Islamists, and one of the arrested men was Ayman Al-Zawahiri who later cited his experience in Egypt’s jails as a major reason for his radi-

calisation. The Jemaa Islamiyya (Muslim brotherhood) remains officially banned in Egypt.

INDIRA AND RAJIV GANDHI

died on an operating room table from blood loss and a punctured

CONSEQUENCES AND CONTROVERSY Rabin’s death effectively ended all hopes of an Israeli-Palestinian accord, which is exactly what his assassin intended. While of-

ficial inquiries all claim Amir was the sole assassin, others claim Rabin’s death was the result of a conspiracy hatched by Israel’s

right-wing establishment, citing conflicting film and medical evidence in support of their claims. While the killing was widely

condemned in Israel, Yigal is considered a hero by many of the Israeli religious right.

RAFIK HARIRI

The ill-fated mother and son both served

The former prime minister of Lebanon,

killed by disaffected ethnic extremists.

huge explosion that occurred when his

as Prime ministers of India and were Indira was shot dead by her Sikh bodyguards in revenge for the military op-

eration on the Golden Temple during

Operation Blue Star. Less than seven years later, on 21 may 1991, her son Rajiv Gandhi was killed by a female suicide

Rafik Hariri was killed as a result of a motorcade drove past St. Georges Hotel in the Lebanese capital of Beirut.

Hariri, who was also a business tycoon

is widely credited with Lebanon’s postwar construction.

bomber belonging to the Tamil Tigers. Rajiv’s killing had been

CONSEQUENCES AND CONTROVERSIES:

ation for his ordering Indian military operations against the

revolution which resulted in the withdrawal of Syrian troops

ordered by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in retali-

Hariri’s death led to the massive protest of the so-called Cedar

Tamil separatists.

and the appointment of his son Saad Hariri as Prime minister.

CONSEQUENCES AND CONTROVERSY Thousands of Sikhs died in rioting following Indira’s death, and

the mantle of prime ministership was taken over by her son Rajiv Gandhi. Following Rajiv’s own death, the LTTE at first denied

but then later accepted responsibility. The reaction led to the LTTE being branded a terrorist organization in many countries.

Later, a former LTTE leader Karuna Amman called the assassination a ‘big mistake’.

A UN investigation resulted in the Mehlis Report which accused

high ranking members of the Lebanese and Syrian governments of planning the assassination. Now,the special tribunal on Lebanon is expected to hand down indictments in the investigations

soon. Media reports indicate the tribunal plans to indict mem-

bers of Hezbollah which in turn blames Israel for having carried

out the killing — a view shared by Iran, along with several Arab analysts. If Hezbollah is named, the indictments are likely to spur further instability in Lebanon.

29 december 26 2010-january 1 2011

Chinese Dissident Yang Jianli, who represents the Nobel Laureate and dissident Liu Xiaobo, arrives for the Norwegian Nobel Prize Committee’s traditional banquet at the Grand Hotel in Oslo, Norway, December 10 2010.

30 december 26 2010-january 1 2011

At the nobel ceremony: Liu Xiaobo’s emptychair By perry link

On December 10, I attended the award ceremony in Oslo, Norway, for the Nobel Peace Prize, which the government of China had a few days earlier declared to be a “farce.” The recipient was a friend of mine, the Chinese scholar and essayist Liu Xiaobo, whom Oslo was now referring to as a Laureate and Beijing as a “criminal” serving an eleven-year sentence for “incitement to subvert state power.”

Countries that have embassies in Oslo were invited to send rep-

resentatives to the ceremony, but the Chinese government had aggressively called for a boycott. In the end, forty-five countries

attended, but another nineteen — including Russia, Pakistan, Cuba, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Vietnam — chose to stay away.

How much their decisions were motivated by sympathy for

the Chinese government’s position and how much by pressure

from China over matters of trade and diplomacy is impossible to measure. From the United States, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi

attended, along with Representatives David Wu of Oregon and Christopher Smith of New Jersey.

The ceremony was one of the most exquisite and moving public

events I have ever witnessed. The presentation speech was made

by Thorbjørn Jagland, the chairman of the prize committee who is a former prime minister of Norway and now secretary-general

of the Council of Europe. Only a few minutes into the speech, he said:

“We regret that the Laureate is not present here today. He is in

isolation in a prison in northeast China…. This fact alone shows that the award was necessary and appropriate.”

When he had finished reading these words the audience of

about a thousand people interrupted with applause. The applause continued for about thirty seconds and then, when it seemed that the time had come for it to recede, it suddenly took on a second life. It continued on and on, and then turned into a

31 december 26 2010-january 1 2011

FEATURE standing ovation, lasting three or four minutes. Jagland’s face seemed to show an expression of relief. After the ceremony, in

a news interview, he said that he understood the prolonged applause not only as powerful support for Liu Xiaobo but as an en-

dorsement of the controversial decision that his five-person committee had made.

In the remainder of his speech Jagland stressed the close con-

nections among human rights, democracy and peace. He reviewed the other four occasions in Nobel history when a Peace

Laureate was prevented from traveling to Oslo: in 1935, the Nazis held Carl von Ossietzky in prison; in 1975 Andrei Sakharov was not allowed to leave the USSR; in 1983, Lech Walesa feared he

would be barred from reentering Poland if he went to Oslo; and in 1991, Aung Sang Suu Kyi was under house arrest in Burma.

Even so, each of the latter three laureates was able to send a fam-

ily member to collect the prize. Only Ossietzky and now Liu Xiaobo were prevented from sending a family member.

Jagland stressed that his committee had great respect for the

Chinese nation, and observed that support of dissidents makes

countries stronger, not weaker. The US had become a stronger nation because of the work of Martin Luther King, Jr, another Nobel Peace laureate.

After Jagland’s speech the Norwegian actress Liv Ullman read

the full text of the statement that Liu Xiaobo had prepared for his trial in Beijing in December 2009. The statement is called “I

Have No Enemies” and it was significant that Liv Ullman read

it in full because, at Liu’s 2009 trial, his own reading had been cut off after fourteen minutes. The presiding judge that day had interrupted him, declaring that the defendant would not be al-

lowed to use more time than the prosecutor, who had summed up Liu’s crimes in only fourteen minutes. Ullman’s reading took about 25 minutes and was beautiful. She held the audience in

immaculate silence when she read a passage in which Liu Xiaobo pays tribute to his wife Liu Xia:

“I am serving my sentence in a tangible prison, while you wait

in the intangible prison of the heart…. but my love is solid and

sharp, capable of piercing through any obstacle. Even if I were crushed into powder, I would still use my ashes to embrace you.”

The reading was followed by songs from a Norwegian chil-

dren’s choir. Liu Xiaobo’s wife, Liu Xia, was able to see Liu Xiao-

bo in prison on October 10, before she was placed under house arrest, and he told her his wish that children participate in the ceremony.

The climactic moment of the ceremony came when Jagland,

unable to hand the Nobel diploma and medal to Liu Xiaobo,

placed both upon the empty chair where Liu was supposed to have been sitting.

None of Liu Xiaobo’s friends living inside China, whom he had

32 december 26 2010-january 1 2011

People stand outside the Grand Hotel in Oslo as a large portrait of the absent Nobel Laureate Liu Xiaobo is projected on the wall of the Hotel in Oslo, Norway on December 10 2010.

wanted to invite to Oslo, were able to witness these poignant moments (although some have been able to see it on the Web, noth-

withstanding Chinese censorship). Attending in person, however, were about three dozen veterans of China’s human rights

struggles who are now living in exile. Su Xiaokang — the writer of River Elegy, a television series that suggested that Communist Party rule is based in China’s “feudal” traditions and that had a

tremendous impact in China in the summer of 1988 — saluted

Norway. “The big democracies — America, Britain, France, Germany — all know what democracy is but won’t stand up in public

to Beijing’s contempt for human rights. It takes a little country to do a big thing.” Renée Xia, overseas director of China Human

Rights Defenders, commented that her friend Liu Xiaobo’s emp-

ty chair, while regrettable, was in part a good thing. “To us,” she said, “that empty chair is not the least bit surprising. Of course Beijing treats its critics that way. This is wholly normal. If the

rest of the world is startled, then good; maybe surprise can be the first step to better understanding of how things really are.”

Fang Lizhi, the pro-democracy astrophysicist who spent thir-

teen months in refuge inside the US Embassy in Beijing after the

Tiananmen Massacre of 1989, overheard Renée Xia’s comment and added, with his characteristic puckish wit, that in a sense China’s rulers should feel satisfaction that they finally have aroused the attention of the Nobel Committee. “All those earlier

atrocities — during the Anti-Rightist Movement, the Great Leap

famine, the Cultural Revolution, the Beijing Massacre — weren’t enough to get a Nobel Prize for a Chinese person. But now the

world is starting to care what happens in China. It’s a sign that China is now a ‘big country’, and that’s what Beijing has always said it wants, right?”

But many of the Chinese supporters of Liu still felt that well-

intentioned Westerners have a long way to go before they really understand China’s politics. The Norwegian hosts repeatedly ex-

pressed a hope, for example, that Liu Xiaobo will soon be allowed

to come to Oslo to collect his prize. Exiled Chinese who heard this kind-hearted wish knew, but did not say, how unrealistic it was. Even if Liu Xiaobo were to be released from prison, it is

unimaginable that he would agree to leave China. If he left, the

regime could bar him from re-entry, as it has so many others, and his ability to influence life and ideas inside China would decline precipitously. Liu Xiaobo is smart enough not to let such a

thing happen, so as long as the medal remains in Oslo, it is likely

he will be separated from it for a long time. (His wife — who has been under effective house arrest and unable to communicate with anyone since a few days after the award was announced in early October — could in the future try to collect it, but she, too, would have to calculate the risk of forced exile.)

Norwegian actress Liv Ullmann bows in front of a picture of Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo after reading his text ‘I have no enemies’ at the city hall in Oslo on December 10, 2010. With the guest of honour stuck in a Chinese prison, this year’s Nobel Peace Prize ceremony centred around an empty chair, as its celebration of dissident Liu Xiaobo continues to split the global community and infuriate Beijing.

Liu knows that the greatest potential for his ideas, and the

33 december 26 2010-january 1 2011

FEATURE

most important effects of his Nobel Prize, will unfold inside

the windows to a Public Security guesthouse near Beijing, where

ter 08 as “un-Chinese,” even while they assiduously prevent its

light, so when the sun went down reading stopped. His room was

China. China’s rulers have consistently denounced his Charpublication inside China, apparently from a fear that ordinary

people, were they to read it, might not find it so un-Chinese. The Internet is porous, and the Nobel Prize will certainly make Chinese people curious to learn more about Liu Xiaobo.

In the twenty-four hours following the announcement of the

prize on October 8, the Chinese-language website at Human

Rights Watch, which was featuring Liu Xiaobo, got more hits

from mainland China than it had gotten in total for about a year.

Jimmy Lai, a refugee from Mao’s China who is now a media mo-

part of a suite, and he was allowed to go out into the sitting area

with the police to watch television and chat. He was also allowed to stroll in the courtyard with the policemen. Zhang was held un-

til December 12, and then was allowed to go home. It may have been that the authorities wanted to eliminate any possibility of a

telephone hook-up to Oslo. In any case they gave no reasons. But when this happened to Liu Xiaobo two years earlier, the eventual sentence was eleven years. One never knows what will happen.

Hu Ping, editor of Beijing Spring in New York and a long-time per-

gul in Hong Kong and Taiwan, and who flew to Oslo to support

sonal friend of Liu Xiaobo’s, held little hope that China’s rulers

nese people have stood up.” They didn’t really stand up then, said

rights. “As they see it,” Hu said, “the current strategy works. The

Liu Xiaobo, borrowed Mao’s famous line from 1949 that “the Chi-

Lai. “But now it could happen. Now people can see that ‘China’ in the twenty-first century can be something much bigger and better than the Communist Party.”

While others shared this kind of optimism, for many a lining

of fear persisted as well: it is just too hard to say which side will

win. At a happy gathering in the mid-afternoon of December 9,

would ever soften their position toward democracy and human formula ‘money + violence’ works, and we stay on top. We know

what the world means by human rights and democracy, but why should we do that? Aren’t we getting stronger and richer all the

time? Twenty years ago the West wasn’t afraid of us, and now they have to be. Why should we change what works?”

Hu recalled something that Liu Xiaobo had said to him many

for example, Renée Xia received an urgent phone call from Bei-

years ago. “We are lucky,” Hu reported Liu as saying, “to live in

on Charter 08, had just been abducted by plainclothes police on a

at least we do have a chance to make a very, very large difference.

jing. Zhang Zuhua, who had been Liu Xiaobo’s main collaborator

34

he was allowed to read but was held in a room that had no electric

Beijing sidewalk. This was only hours before the Nobel ceremony was to happen. Zhang was brought in a car that had curtains on december 26 2010-january 1 2011

this time and this place — China. It may be difficult for us, but Most people in their lifetimes are not offered this kind of opportunity.” — NYT Syndication Services

a

People stand next to an empty chair with a portrait of Chinese Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo at the Medborgarplatsen in Stockholm, Sweden as the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo was denied the permission to attend the ceremony.

35 december 26 2010-january 1 2011

COMMENT

astrologer

BY AA SHIEKH

conline It’s all written in the stars. If you don’t believe this, we have Pakistan’s premier astrologer on live TV to prove it. She’s the star attraction — if you excuse the pun — on several popular morning-cum-late night talk shows that regale us every day with their highly cerebral and edifying discourses on pressing issues — like which celebrity is consorting with who and how to control your waistline through psychobabble.

This top-notch astrologer — we’ll call her Najma Sitara — looks more like a supermodel than someone who mulls over the arcane

30

arts. She graces each show decked in resplendent, flowing chifDECEMBER 26 2010-JANUARY 1 2011

fons and ample dabs of powder and lip-gloss. But it’s not just cosmetics that make her glow; she beams with the confidence that comes with being thoroughly competent in your line of work. You see this radiance in young corporate execs and con artists and sometimes in policewallahs after they’ve administered a good dose of chithrol to some hapless chap.

But I digress. This lady, fondling the pearly beads she has dangling in her silky parlour-straightened tresses, coos about how the various confluences of planets and stars and precious stones can alter the course of our lives. She is brimming with zodiacspeak, telling us things about ourselves we’ve never heard of. Of course, being the astral expert that she is, she knows more about our traits and futures than we ever did, so we all defer to her superior judgement and blow-dried hair. Always popular, she receives a barrage of calls on the show. She responds to each with a gracious toss of her locks — her beads winking — and a smug smile.

The calls are fairly typical. A young caller, for instance, anxiously asks about her marriage prospects (her own, not Ms Sitara’s, who, luckily for most of mankind, is already taken).

Once basic inquiries are over (the caller’s name, mother’s name, grandmother’s name, aunts’ and uncles’ and wet nurses’ names, exact place, date, hour and position of birth, etc), Ms Sitara consults her esoteric charts and scatters these pearls of astrological wisdom: “Yours is a water sign, which unfortunately is passing under the fiery influence of the sun and Venus. You won’t find a good match for another six-and-a-half months. If you do get married during this period, the inauspiciousness would soon cause the death of your husband through either target-killing or random electrocution, depending on his star and granny’s wedding date. I would advise you to recite the last surah of the first sipara every morning. Wear large emeralds. By the grace of the Almighty, you’ll find a decent husband before you know it.”

To a troubled businessman, she responds: “Business will pick up as soon as your star emerges from the malicious influence of Jupiter’s moons and little green Martians. In exactly five weeks, whatever you touch would turn to gold. However, your wife will have had it by then and run off with another man. You have to wear black opals to prevent that fate while the man in question has to don yellow garnets. Also, recite the last ayat of the first surah and keep watching this show. You’ll soon see better days.”

We should be grateful. With sages like her around, nothing bad can ever happen to our country, no matter what analysts say.

All we have to do is wear zircons on our middle fingers and keep tuning into our own Miss Universe, Najma Sitara. We salute you Ma’am! We know it would all be just fine once the country emerges from the evil dark shadow of Uranus. a DECEMBER 26 2010-JANUARY 1 2011

REVIEW

featured review of the week

film the burden of existence

By Ammara Khan

Starring Edward Norton, Milla Jovovich and Robert De Niro, Stone is the latest John Curran movie. Unlike The Painted Veil, the last movie directed by Curran, the plot of Stone isn’t based upon a novel by one of the finest writers in America. The story of the movie is rather ordinary; however the excellent direction and acting make all the difference. Robert De Niro plays the role of Jack, a parole officer who is nearing retirement. He is left with a few unfinished cases to clear, and he has a pretty complex backstory: his wife Madylyn (Frances Conroy) tried to leave him a long time ago but he threatened to kill their daughter to save the illusion of their marriage. Stone, an arsonist who has served eight years and is ready to get out, is played by Edward Norton.

He asks his beautiful wife Lucetta (Mila Jovovich) to seduce Jack and then encourage him to be merciful towards Stone.

The themes of deception, passion and betrayal in the movie encourage you to ask deeper questions about human existence. This is not just a movie about three corrupt people; it is a movie about what TS Eliot would call ‘the hollow men’ — people who are so shallow that they don’t have any shred of morality left. To further highlight this point we are shown the spiritual ‘rebirth’ of Stone when he reads about a religion called Zukangor (a real religion given a fake name in the film). Stone, who found life unbearable and indulged in suicidal thoughts often, finds peace with his discovery of the spirituality. Later on, we are shown how Stone would bend religion to suit his whims as he did with his wife. Jack, on the other hand, is not satisfied with Christianity despite the fact that he regularly goes to church with his wife. His religion is a sham just like his marriage.

Lucetta and Madylyn, the two important female characters in the movie, are rather servile and unimpressive. They present two reductive visions of ‘universal’ women: an ensnaring femme fatale who is sexually desirable but dangerous and a docile housewife 38 who is subservient to her husband.

December 26 2010-January 1 2011

no happy endings Stone encourages you to ask questions about the futility of human existance

5 better movies Stone’s stars have made 1. American History X (Edward Norton) 2. Dazed and Confused (Milla Jovovich) 3. Taxi Driver (Robert De Niro) 4. The Godfather II (Robert De Niro) 5. The Illusionist (Edward Norton)

Lucetta and Madylyn, the two main female characters, are unimpressive. They represent two reductive visions of ‘universal women’ — a femme fatal and a docile housewife.

Mila Jovovich is certainly not at her best in this movie. Edward Norton has the most interesting and dynamic character but his acting could have been better. However, fortunately for Robert De Niro who has disappointed viewers with his sappy emotional dramas and average movies lately, this movie can be a reminder of how brilliant an actor he is. Overall, the acting is worth seeing, The ending of the movie can be disappointing because it leaves everything unresolved. However, that’s the real beauty of the story.

The inability to emotionally settle down and doubts about reality are what brings the movie closer to real life. Whether happy or sad, an ending is a reward that is not the fate of these corrupt characters. The viewers might find it unsettling but that is the real message of the story and reality can be stranger than fiction sometimes. The title of the movie can be taken as an allusion to Sisyphus’s stone. Absurd as it might sound, we are condemned to live this life.

39 DEcember 26 2010-January 1 2011

REVIEW

film all in the genes

By A Rahim Khan

There was always something dull about Merchant Ivory productions; the movies were atypically British in the sense that they were stilted, hum drum and oh so lightly spiced. And now with Never Let Me Go, where one would expect the English penchant for reticence to produce a subtle yet profound film, one instead gets a soppy, hormonal teen drama with Keira Knightly as irritating as ever.

The advent of genetic engineering has been followed by breakthroughs in cloning and has led to far greater life spans and humanity being nearly disease-free. Of course this ‘healthy living’ is predicated on countless clones donating their vital organs, ‘completing’ in the process. The clones are reared in boarding schoollike arrangements and, in one such institution, Tommy (Andrew Garfield), Kathy (Knightley) and Ruth (Carey Mulligan) are pre-teen residents. Soon, a love triangle is established with Kathy asserting her relationship with Tommy, while Ruth quietly harbours feelings for him well into adulthood. The trio is carted off to live on a farm, awaiting their first donations. Certain complications arise as Kathy begins to harass Ruth about Tommy, prompting the latter to leave the farm to train as a ‘carer’, a clone responsible for their convalescing fellows. There is not much in the way of plot to this film which moves linearly from decade to decade, the only excitement is built up by a possible ‘deferral’ for the clones thrown in. Otherwise the story is slow and tepid; its promised profundity barely felt.

Any emotion evoked in the plight of these clones is through Andrew Garfield’s performance as the adult Tommy. A simpleton with artistic leanings, he is at once heartbreaking and pitiable, and Garfield’s winning performance makes every emotion tangible. The questions surrounding the debate on human cloning — such as those in Bladerunner — are crystallised in Tommy. Garfield has already given a great turn in The Social Network, and one is eager to see what he does in Spiderman. Knightley, who has resigned herself to either doing the Pirates of the Caribbean or appearing in every 40 single English production, is grating and her come-uppance, sadly December 26 2010-January 1 2011

paranoid android Any emotion evoked in the plight of these clones is through Andrew Garfield’s performance as the adult Tommy devoid of pleasure. Mulligan, the narrator of the film is wooden to the extreme; her character as the self-abnegating, resigned protagonists, is utterly forgettable.

With a script from Alex Garland, a staple of British sci-fi (28 Days Later, Sunshine) and directed by Mark Romanek, the film is a little too unassuming. If indeed it did want to focus more on the relationships of such a story, it produces nothing novel, far better has been seen, such as in Michael Winterbottom’s Code 46. Give this one a pass; you’re not really missing anything special.

tv one-hit wonder

By Nadir Hassan

There is one considerable up-side to the cancellation of TV shows after just one season. They never get the opportunity to slowly slide into mediocrity. “Freaks and Geeks” and “Firefly” might have been euthanized far too early but they still exist on DVD form, their pristine debut (and final) season drawing hundreds of new fans every year.

Such is destined to be the fate of “Terriers”, which was cancelled after a 13-episode run. Starring Donal Logue and Michael Raymond-James as down-on-their-luck private detectives, “Terriers” combined charm and wit with devastating character studies and lots of fluid twists that felt earned rather than forced.

“Terriers” took a standard TV trope — the ex-cop who is picking up the pieces after alcoholism cost him his job and wife teams up with the ex-con trying to play it straight — and breathed new life into it. The centre of the show is the chemistry between the two leads, who trade barbs and quips at lighting pace but never lose sight of the bond (the extremely manly bond) that ties them together.

The master plot at play in ‘Terriers” involves a shady land deal that has already taken the life of Logue’s friend and involves the most powerful lawyer in town. Since the private detectives’ only tool of the trade is a beat-up van, they are obviously way in over their heads. Combining episodes that deal with this overarching plot with standalone episodes showing other cases the investigators have stumbled onto, “Terriers” maintains just the right balance of plot and character development.

Michael Raymond-James has finally gotten a chance to shine in this lead role- his previous stints on shows like “ER” and “Boston Legal” didn’t do him justice. Donal Logue, one of those actors who is in absolutely everything but had never ascended beyond sidekick status, also manages to be gritty yet completely believable. The show is also greatly helped by its strong supporting cast.

Laurie Allen as Raymond-James’ supportive girlfriend is particularly

short and sweet Cancelled after just one season, “Terriers” proves that longevity isn’t always a measure of TV brilliance affecting, especially when, all expectations to the contrary, she is the catalyst to a destructive act that threatens their relationship.

Logue’s ex-wife (Kimberly Quinn) and ex-police partner (Rockmond Dunbar) hit all the right notes in their exasperation and affection for the lovable rogue, Logue.

“Terriers” had some of the smartest names in TV behind it, including Shawn Rice, the creator of “The Shield”. You can instantly see how much effort has gone into creating its laidback style. For a show that spends most of its running time on banter, “Terriers” doesn’t waste a word. It is always funny, always moving and hits all the right notes. a DEcember 26 2010-January 1 2011

41

UP NORTH AND PERSONAL Vision is reversed: The sky is a shifting mosaic of waves trailing phosphorescent scrolls of seaweed and the land, heavily disguised in opaque mist, rolls onwards and away in to infinity. It is bitterly cold. Each morning now the water lily ponds are solid ice and the sun — myopically weak as the year comes to a close — hardly manages to turn them to slush before temperatures plummet and they solidify again.

Weather patterns have definitely changed over the 15 years

I have personally been monitoring them at my eyrie. Winters

are colder, drier and, dare I say it, shorter — although, naturally, having said that, this winter will immediately turn into

a real cracker in more ways than one! In the garden, the plants are performing out of season magic: There was a smattering of

Vision is reversed.

delicate apple blossom in October when the days were indeed spring-like, violets have been blooming profusely since early

November, and the naturalized freesias shot up a full six inches before deciding they’d got it wrong and flopped over in brittle surrender. Yet there is absolutely no sign of flower buds on the hellebores which are usually smothered in delicate shades of pink at this time of the year.

Although temperatures fluctuate wildly from the ‘norm’ all

year round, making it difficult to plan garden-wise and even

Those who live close to nature can truly apprehend the damage climate change has wrought

wardrobe-wise as compared to 10 years back, up to a point, there had been an established climatic pattern. Snow arrived during the last week of December and stayed on until early March; spring brought thunderstorms with hail; summers were warm

and wet; autumns long and dry with storms breaking the monotony every two or three weeks but now….there is no saying, no imagining what will happen or when.

Climate change skeptics would do well to spend time in a place

as exposed to the weather as this: I live with it day and night and have become — as do all those existing hand in glove with the natural world — synchronized to its myriad rhythms. City

dwellers rarely, if ever, live in tune with nature; mountain and

rural-dwellers must if they are to survive which is where the

big, bad ogre of climate change marches in to the picture frame to pound sowing, harvesting, even living patterns unrepentantly in to the suddenly uncooperative earth.

‘Normal’ weather patterns — perhaps shifting over a 20, 50,

80 or 100 year cycle — are an accepted part of natural survival which all living things, humans included, adapt to as a mat-

ter of course but what is happening right now, and has been for some time, is that everything is speeded up. Every conceivable

climatic related ingredient has been tossed in to a boiling, roiling cauldron being stirred by an entire coven of witches. It is

almost impossible to look at the news now without there being

42

a massive climate event in there somewhere. Over the past few december 26 2010-january 1 2011

Early warning.

out o

sea

of

weeks, the Middle East was torn apart by snowstorms, sandstorms and gale force winds, Australia suffered both fire and floods, Armenia had floods, South America had floods and mud

slides, Europe suffered unprecedented early snowfall and record breaking low temperatures. The list goes right on through to an

increase in volcanic action which may, or may not, be linked to man’s cataclysmic torture of planet earth.

Standing at the threshold of 2011, it is pertinent to point out

that our way of living has to change. And no, this is not yet

another doomsday scenario but an honest observation of how things really are. Take the continuing climate change conferences, held at exorbitant expense at ‘special’ venues around the

globe, to which hundreds of people travel by air whilst know-

ing full well that aeroplanes are one of the largest atmospheric atmospheric polluters in existence. Then there is the over all cost of pointless junkets: Hotel accommodation and everything

that goes with it, travel expenses, side trips to view this, that

ason

Text & photographs by Zahrah Nasir

and the other, phone calls, billions of hours of preparation eating up some pretty large forests in the form of papers written,

papers presented, papers discarded etc. Climate change confer-

ences, instead of lifting pressure off the planet, are now part of the problem. If participants were really serious about halting the trend, they could simply sit in their offices and hold discussions live on the internet. These complicated debates are not the

answer and I wonder exactly who those behind them are trying

to fool: us the people or themselves the hedonists? Perhaps if

they practiced what they preach they could be taken seriously but, they don’t!

Change, when and if it comes, can only be brought about by

the billions of ordinary worker ants populating the globe yet,

even if we have a wish to alter the way we do things, businesses,

multinationals being the largest criminal factor here, put every conceivable pressure on us to remain bogged in the consumerist society they have created. There are gadgets for almost everything, gadgets that consume unnecessary power, need fix-

ing or replacing with updated versions; we are encouraged to eat

and drink rubbish which is packaged in what will ultimately be more rubbish to poison the earth and which devours precious resources, encouraged to live beyond and consume way past the

tipping point for planetary survival and all in the name of someone else’s profit!

When you think abut it, we are nothing more than ridiculous-

ly stupid lemmings who have long forgotten how to stand up for themselves and say ‘No’!

Human beings are, it is claimed, social animals who are

most comfortable operating in packs but, and I leave you with this point to ponder, isn’t there anyone out there who is brave

enough to stand up and be counted, to step out of the box and say ‘No more’? a

43 december 26 2010-january 1 2011

HOROSCOPE

BY SHELLEY VON STRUNCKEL

Aries March 20 – April 19 Urgent as certain situations seem, haste

achieves nothing. You’re not you contending with Mercury retrograde until the 30th, and the accompanying confusion, tricky

planetary activity is slowing up everything. So tempting as it is to force issues, give whatever you’re doing your full attention.

While this requires focus and an unaccustomed patience, what you learn in the process is stunningly informative and unexpectedly rewarding.

Taurus April 20 – May 20 Getting drawn into discussions about political or philosophical issues can be risky at any time. But Shelley von Strunckel is an internationally acclaimed astrologer who created the first horoscope column for the London Sunday Times in 1992.

A frequent lecturer, she writes daily, weekly and monthly horoscopes in

Monday’s encounter between the Sun and Pluto indicates the po-

tential for anything from unwelcome revelations to drawn out power struggles. If you must discuss such matters, express your views concisely, then retreat. Practically speaking, your time

and thoughts are better focused on reorganising certain important, if tedious, arrangements anyway.

publications around the world including South China Morning Post, The Gulf News, Tatler, French and Chinese Vogue and now The Express Tribune Magazine.

Gemini May 21 – June 20 The recent Gemini eclipsed Full Moon both highlighted existing issues and triggered changes, in your

own life and in situations involving those closest. Now, there-

fore, you’ve lots to think about. Life might be easier if you made a clear-cut decision now. But with things remaining unsettled

until early January’s eclipsed New Moon, you’re far better off re-

flecting on the present and exploring your priorities and feelings.

Cancer June 21 – July 21 There’s a line between listening to what

others are going through and discussing various options - and ac-

tually giving them advice. Tempting as it is to make suggestions, with Mercury retrograde until the 30th, you’d be misunderstood or the actual circumstances involved would change. Do a lot of

listening and what you learn won’t just amaze you, the resulting insights will answer many questions.

Leo July 22 – August 22 For ages you’ve been tiptoeing around one

or two issues, mostly because you know they’ll require maximum tact or could drawn you into analytical discussions as lengthy as they are tedious. Judging by Monday’s encounter between your

ruler the Sun and Pluto, which signifies exactly such situations, the time has come to deal with these. Once you actually begin, you’ll experience amazing feelings of relief.

Virgo August 23 – September 22 Tempting as it is to be efficient, and tackle several practical issues at once, you’d regret it. Not

only does your ruler Mercury remain retrograde until Friday the 30th, several of the situations you’re dealing with are far more complex than you thought. Although ordinarily putting things

off is unwise. Do so now and you’ll not only avoid confusion,

44

some dilemmas will resolve themselves. december 26 2010-january 1 2011

Libra September 23 – October 22 Over the past weeks, you’ve learnt that during tricky periods it’s nearly impossible to confront is-

sues and keep others happy. So say what needs to be said, and frankly, but that’s all. This may seem rude, but avoids lengthy

and potentially confusing discussions. If there’s more to say, it

can wait until the new year, when facts are clearer and everybody’s mood has improved.

Scorpio October 23 – November 21 You may think you know exact-

ly who you are and what you believe. Still, the issues that come

to light as a result of Monday’s encounter between the Sun and your ruler Pluto could surprise even you. While these won’t nec-

essarily be comfortable to face or deal with, what you learn about

others and, more importantly, yourself, more than justifies the effort involved.

Sagittarius November 22 – December 20 While everybody strug-

gles with the confusion that accompanies Mercury’s retrograde cycle, because it’s actually positioned in Sagittarius, you’re facing issues of a personal nature as well. These may slow your pace.

But if you can muster the patience to delve into these in detail, you’ll not only resolve them for good, what you learn could enable you avoid similar situations in the future.

Capricorn December 21 – January 19 If you’ve found life particu-

larly confusing lately, it’s no surprise. The errors, mistakes and misunderstandings that accompany Mercury’s retrograde cycle are emphasising deeply sensitive dilemmas. While challenging,

each is preparing you for early January’s life-changing Capricorn

eclipsed New Moon. The more time you invest in learning about and dealing with these now, the better prepared you’ll be to take advantage potentially transformative developments then.

Aquarius January 20 – February 17 Tempting as it is to act on the insights that accompany the current planetary focus on certain

complex personal issues, you’d regret it. In some situations there’s more to learn. But mostly, you’re urged to wait until the remarkable alliance between Jupiter and your ruler Uranus on

January 4, sudden changes could give you a better alternative, if not resolve problems overnight. Certainly it’s worth waiting for.

Pisces February 18 – March 19 Generally ignoring problems only

makes things worse. But this is no ordinary time of your life.

In early January the planet of good fortune, Jupiter, and Uranus meet in Pisces. That alone suggests that your past efforts bear fruit and amazing offers. But with an eclipsed New Moon on the

For more information, to order personal charts and to download & listen to detailed audiocasts, visit www.shelleyvonstrunckel.com

same date substantially altering existing circumstances, unex-

45

pected events could eliminate even obstructive barriers entirely.

december 26 2010-january 1 2011

THE HATER

10 things I hate about ...fat people

1 2 3 4 5

By mariam tariq

They think being fat is the sole reason for all their miseries in life — from acne to rejection from graduate school.

You can never go shopping with them because they won’t stop asking you questions like: “Does this shirt make me look fat?” “Do these shoes make me look fat?”

“Does this room make me look fat?”

They always have their eyes on your food. There’s a reason why we give you leftovers. It’s not because we’re done eating; it’s because you stare us down until we choke on it or fear that we will.

They think they’re doing mankind a favour by going to the gym and walking on the treadmill — at minimum speed, mind you.

6 7 8 9 10

It’s perfectly okay for them to tease and bully the skinny kids, but if someone calls them by the ‘f’ word, it’s immoral and inhumane.

Since when did ‘fat’ become a dirty word?

They eat when they’re sad, they eat when they’re hap-

py, they eat when they’re hungry, they eat because, why not? They take their breakfast, lunch and dinner and they still have room to binge because, hey! You’ve got to have a decent snack...right?

They ruin sleepovers because they snore like nobody’s

business and the whole blanket rolls around their cir-

cumference, leaving the skinny ones shivering. But no-

body should complain because Yokozuna there might feel left out.

They whine about being fat but will unleash their wrath on you if you ever say the same to their face.

46 december 26 2010-january 1 2011

They sweat profusely — all year round. Yeah, we all get hot flashes once in a while, but expecting people to turn

on the air conditioner when its -1 degree Celsius outside is a little inconvenient.

june 13-19 2010

june 13-19 2010