Thatta Kedona

Culture is a Basic Need

Nomad Gallery Inaugurating New branch at the Saidpur Village
Wednesday, February 29, 2012


Nomad Gallery will be inaugurating their new branch on Saturday, December 13 at the Saidpur Village - a quaint, natural haven about 700 metres off Margalla Road (opposite sector F-6/2). Having worked with the local potters in the village since the early eighties and training women of the community in craft development through skill training workshops leading to income generation with the aim of creating a level of empowerment, it is a matter of pride and a natural transition for Nomad Gallery to be pioneers in leading the way - another effort by Nomad Gallery to make Islamabad as a cultural and 'happening' place by supporting each other as part of a committed, vibrant community.


Nomad Gallery cordially invite and urge friends and fellow Islamabadians to participate in all events from December 13 - 15 and beyond!

PROGRAMME: Saturday December 13- Saidpur: Doors open from 11am - 6pm

ART GALLERY - CRAFTS - BANYAN TREE CAFE - THE ROOFTOP

Saturday, December 13 @ 4pm: Exhibition of paintings, 'The Sacred Square', by Noorjehan Bilgrami to be inaugurated by Mr. Kamran Lashari, Chief Commissioner, Islamabad Capital Territory.

Crafts Section: Representing a rich collection of aesthetically designed crafts from our partners in the Northern Areas, and other provinces of Pakistan.

Dolls & Toys of Pakistan Embroidered designer Bags Kashmiri papier mache Truck Art Koel - Karachi... Indigo natural range of textiles Chitral - range of fabric & embroidered crafts in natural dyes handwoven shawls handmade paper products cards charming paintings of Saidpur by the artists from Shanakht @ Nomad slate carvings crafts by communities in Sindh handmade jewellery and more...

BANYAN TREE CAFE: The menu consists of delicious homemade sweet & savoury products... a variety of teas & coffees, nurturing hot chocolate, magazines & newspapers a delightful 'arty' ambiance...bring your friends & relax.

Sunday, December 14: Open...10:00am - 6:00pm


12 Noon: We welcome you to hear Live music by local musicians in the Saidpur tradition, Artists + Craftspersons at Work, Art Gallery exhibition, Crafts & Gifts & The Banyan Tree Cafe.


Monday, December 15: 10:00am - 6:00pm
All of the above AND....On Nomad's ROOFTOP at Saidpur...
Allah Hoo....A fantastic, live performance by the fabulous folk singer Saeen Zahoor & his team of lively musicians...returning from a performance in Paris....at 5.30pm


Important: There are limited seats/space available for this special event...kindly pick up passes on the opening event on Saturday at 4pm. on a first come first served basis...

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posted by S A J Shirazi @ 10:47 AM, ,

Logic is Variable

Logic is Variable is a resource for my writings. More often, I blog informally, sharing impressions, generating ideas to see how they invoke reactions, keeping track of others’ work in the fields of my interest, or simply ranting or pointing out things that come to my attention.Also, I use blogging as a platform to prune ideas. This is where I meet others and share experiences. Have a look!

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posted by S A J Shirazi @ 8:54 AM, ,

Publications
Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Two new publications are coming soon. First being published by the German-Pakistan Forum. Book titled “60 years of Pakistan” in German language has project description of “Thatta Kedona.”

The other publication “DIALOGUE vs. CONFLICT“ is being published by the Goethe-Zentrum (PGFS) Lahore. It carries an article by Prof. Dr. Norbert Pintsch.
Stay tuned for the detailed reviews of these books here.

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posted by S A J Shirazi @ 1:17 PM, ,

True Blue
Saturday, February 25, 2012


Read about appropriate technology being used to create and preserve ancient Multan art.

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posted by S A J Shirazi @ 4:23 PM, ,

Womern Power
Monday, February 20, 2012


Forbes magazine just named the first lady the most powerful woman in the world. Tunku Varadarajan on why that’s an insult to women everywhere - The Daily Beast

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posted by S A J Shirazi @ 8:07 AM, ,

Computer workstations
Thursday, February 16, 2012

Those looking for computer workstations must have a look at  Spence Computer Workstation - a beautifully designed Spence computer workstation  made by those masters of precision in Germany. It has all the features you would expect from an ergonomically designed computer workstation. I like it. And I am sure you too will like it. 

posted by S A J Shirazi @ 8:50 PM, ,

Geek girls
Wednesday, February 15, 2012

The Internet is not only changing male female ratio in workforce giving female population more choices to work

What has female work choices to do with geeking. A lot! First, let us see the origin of term geek and establish why geek girls and not the geek boys. Tom Ziegler researched the origin and changing usage of the term geek and quoted this in geek.com feature, "It appears that "geek" outstrips "nerd" by almost 400 years! Seems Mr. Alexander Barclay back in England wrote the following in 1570: He is a foole, a sotte, and a geke also which choseth ... the worst [way] and most of ieoperdie [jeopardy]. Why, old Willy used it in Twelfth Night, Scene I, as Malvolio says to Olivia: Why have you suffer'd me to be imprison'd, kept in a dark house, visited by the Priest, And made the most notorious gecke and gull That e're invention play'd on?

Word geek is derived from geck or gek or geke. In its original meaning, "geek referred to a foolish, inept, or clumsy, single-minded or accomplished in scientific or technical pursuits but is felt to be socially inept or a carnival performer whose show consists of bizarre acts, such as biting the head off a live chicken." As per MS Word 2000 UK Dictionary geek is a synonym of nerd, weed and bore. Eric Raymond describes "computer geek" as "one who eats (computer) bugs for a living." But that was in the past.

All these definitions and meanings are outdated. "It was during dot com boom (1999-2000) that the usage of the term changed to positive," wrote Tom Ziegler. Geek after steady transition now refers to keen and expert users of personal computers and the Internet, in an upbeat sense, notwithstanding the gender.

It is no more demeaning in any sense. Gleaning through the use of term in IT publications and online material I have mirrored a new definition for a female geek by changing and removing ill suited parts and disregarding anecdotes, humorous stories, photographs and cartoons still found on the World Wide Web and in some IT journals. Geek girls are simply skilled females with a purpose. They are comfortable, having no computer or Internet phobia or gender consideration while using them. They may be going for career in any of the fields related to IT or merely using them for communication or entertainment. They find work satisfaction and motivations achieving and creating any thing online.



This, in any sense, is not a gender fight nor is the intention to address gender equality and rights issues. The intent here is to see why female population is less represented in computer fields and how they can be brought at the acceptable level basing on the merit. A woman pilot is called pilot and not a girl pilot, female driving a car is called driver and not a woman driver and girl cook is called cook not a girl cook. Why limit computing skills to gender? Yet another unfounded stereotype! It is not understood as to how the term geek girl has come up instead of simply a geek in the first instance. IT environment, computers or for that matter other machines are neutral. They cannot ascertain genders of the users. Moreover, IT should be taken as a tool that needs to be adapted rather than redefining the terms of gender. Any one keen about use of computer technologies should be described as geek and not necessarily geek girl or a geek boy. Ideally, there should not be any gender bias when it comes to assigning role and status to girls working in IT?

Wide gap very much exists in head counts when it comes to notable role models like computer science teachers or computer engineers or those using computers and the Internet for communication and but it is not due to technology aversions or any computer phobias. How the female can achieve the skill level that shows in workplaces and normal life? The answer to this question has its roots in social, cultural, historic and economic factors. Parents here buy computers for boys. Girls still use their "brothers' computers" when they have finished. Girls simply cannot use services in cyber cafes due to ill repute those public places have earned. Ironically, the developers write gaming and other software targeting male users. Generally speaking, more websites are of the interest for male as compared to other half of the population. Parental endorsement, opportunities and the Web contents set the attitude of female. All this has to change if the female population is to be taken along in this much hyped information revolution.

Despite the constraints and chauvinism of the sort, there are already female who have a strong interest in the field (call then geeks if you must). They are as good geeks as their male counterparts. More than just a career or a meaningful interest, geeking is becoming a way of life for girls; even cool. "It's chic to be geek..." But here one has to look beyond the stereotypical profiles of women in our society to find them. The male female ratio in undergraduate and postgraduate level courses in IT institutions is improving. Girls pursuing business degrees (MPAs, MBAs) are also taking more IT courses to further their computer skills. But female will be seen in high profile positions in corporate Pakistan and in native IT hubs when this breed joins the workforce and when corporate Pakistan starts realizing their presence as beneficial in many ways.

Faiza, an MBA from Karachi University who runs his father's Gas Filling Station and carries a laptop says, "In this day and age geek is a geek whether girl or a boy. The term refers to computer skills and fascination and not the femininity or masculinity. It is not at all a negative term and no one should feel insulted by it, rather it is a descriptive word."

Perceptions are changing and girls in our society are now more willing to work harder to achieve goals and face the greater demands of hard work; they need it. Most are able to exercise choices and are combining values, which are at once traditional and modern, taking along family and career. Now one can see marked trend towards working, creativity, and personal fulfillment in females. "More and more girls are seeing their future into IT and a positive attitude towards using information and communication technologies to their advantage is developing," says teacher in the University of the Punjab Dr. Shahida Jehan.

The changing attitude is preparing a corps of girls skilled in IT changing as the computers are growing to be more commonplace in our society and women and young girls see their male family members achieving more and more things online. Let the word geek spread.


Relatrd: 4 Tips For Understanding "Girl Geeks"

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posted by S A J Shirazi @ 1:40 PM, ,

Google style Valentine

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posted by S A J Shirazi @ 11:09 AM, ,

60 Jahre Pakistan
Tuesday, February 14, 2012



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Blog community
Friday, February 10, 2012













From here

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posted by S A J Shirazi @ 1:27 PM, ,


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