Reflections on the Virginia Tech School Tragedy

KS,

Thanks for the article.

Re: # 61
thank you for appreciation...i went to your website and saw kamal ataturk as your hero....

how were you inspired by him...? sohail

kulharee #: have you ever lived in canada? or are you just assuming?

Re: # 58

Bulleya Sahib (I am assuming what??), I work with numbers for living. I appreciate your thinking Canada is havens. Canada will be last place on earth I would like to live. Any place that is so class Folderol as much as Canada (second only to England) is not really good for anyone’s health. I can tell you how many Canadians come to NYC ‘city hospitals’ to get healthcare. You know what pisses the hell out of me is the Canadian’s fascination with the US. You will rarely see a news about Canada in the major newspaper here (over 90% Americans couldn’t name the Canadian PM even if their lives depended on it – yes yes, I know what you gonna say to that) but most Canadians seem to know more about the US than their own backyard. I honestly do not understand that allure.

Dr. Sohail #54 the trick in ny is to drive as if you are driving in lahore. then you are perfectly safe, because new yorkers drive the same way as they drive in lahore. as my father used to say, every city has its own ``driving culture`` and as long as you act accordingly you are fine. Thus, e.g., if in New York (or Lahore) you give the lane change signal before changing lanes, this will confuse everyone around you and cause a multiple-car wreck.

similarly for other things - when in rome, do as the romans do and you are perfectly safe.

greetings brother zeemax. i am sure the madrassa girls would agree with mr. masadi that the world is ruled by darth vader and his 20 elites. :-)

#52 by tahmed32,

Have the boys at the government college started tossing chalk...

Welcome tahmed saheb. I don`t know about the government college boys, but certainly the girls of some little madrassa do seem to agree with masadi saheb and his `elites` thesis :)

The genius-and-not-peon-of-the-west Masadi is here I see. :-)


Masadi: Has the government college discovered your er...um....talents yet? Have the boys at the governmnet college started tossing chalk at your noggin when you turn your back to them to scribble on the board?

just curious....

Re: # 52

Welcome brother Tahmed.

Genius-and-no-longer-peon-of-the west Masadi appears to have disappeared with his tail between his legs. :-)

I have now moved out of the West, back to the East.......Back home, so to speak.......It has been an interesting fifteen year journey, preceeded by another four year journey earlier......The West has been very very nice to me.......No complains.......USA has been very good (not to mention lucrative) to me (though I have lost faith in it, because it has, unfortunately, not been good to millions of other people outside the USA)........In Canada, I have discovered the closest social set-up to the perfect society that I have ever encountered........To the point that my next generations will be fully Canadian.......

Yet, I am back....I would like to think that it is for a higher cause.........To give back to where I started from.......But the more I think about it, the more I realize that it may be something else..........

What exactly is that people look for, when they try to achieve internal peace..........It cannot be money........I have yet to reach the same salary that I made in Silicon Valley, seven years ago.......Yet it doesn`t bother me...........I doubt I will ever find a better and more justly and humanely organized society than I did in Canada.......Yet I have moved out.......My salary is, in fact, getting progressively lower, after peaking seven years ago.......I am making less and less, due to the geographical moves I have made, even though I am still moving up the corporate ladder.........And I am moving from organized societies into more turbulent societies........

Yet, my satisfaction level is higher.........Strange.......

What is it that defines satisfaction?.........I have come to the following conclusions:......First and foremost a relaxed and loving childhood (perhaps upto the age of 18 or so, when one can take care of one`s own self)...........Strong personal relationships and interactions(primarily with spouse, children, parents, siblings and a few close friends).......And last but not least, a feeling of achievement, i.e. the inner satisfaction of knowing that one`s efforts in life are going to make some sort of a difference - even a small one - somewhere.........

Re: # 45

Bulleya Sahib… hats off to you for moving back (jitho di Khoti, Uthay aa Khaloti). I hope that you will not be so judgmental of those who might not share your views of how US has been bad to the non-Americans. While there might be a little truth to what you say, go and talk to some religious minorities in the land of Pak and see how they feel living there. You found your haven in a place that is full of contradictions, good for you. While they mill-grind their own minorities, the cabbies they export to other countries have much higher (or lower) tolerance of the US foreign policy. If you want to help your people and ‘give back’, may I suggest that you tell them that ‘their’ problem is not the US foreign policy, but illiteracy, healthcare, education, gender and religious equality for all, justice and law and order. Perhaps, unlike you who lived 15 years to figure out what place is good for him, they might not have to move out to begin with. In other words, do exactly the opposite of what Masadi Sahib is doing, who is spreading his hatred to whomever he comes into contact with.

Re: # 45

dear bulleya...thank you for sharing profound thoughts. making a difference even small

one and serving one`s community in particular and humanity at large is a noble gesture.

Canada is wonderful. I like their system of free health care. Every Canadian has a Health

Card as compared to America where 35 million have no Health Insurance. Canadians are

generally caring and compassionate. Although they are neighbours with America but there

is a big difference. One year there were nearly 15oo murders in Florida, New York and,

Washington out of which 80% were never arrested while in Toronto there were only 47

murders out of which most of them were found and tried. Unfortunately American influence

on Canada is increasing. I wished Americans learnt more from Canadians. I never lived in

America but I find Canada a peaceful country.

wish you all the best in your dreams...sincerely sohail

Re: # 49

Dear Dr Sohail Sahib, most crime in the US is drug related. Stats can be really misleading. There are fewer ‘hate crimes’ in the US than in England for example. I am sure Canada is peaceful and all. Are there ghettos like in the Netherlands or England where migrants tend to form their own little societies, or have the first generation been fully assimilated in the Canadian society?

What exactly should the US learn from Canada? Can you name a few things? Canadian healthcare system is excellent as long as one is not sick. And by the way those 36 million people without any ‘health insurance’ are covered by either Medicaid (if they make less than certain in wages – it varies from State to State) and by Madicare, if they are over 65 and are lawful residents of the US. The debate about healthcare system is very complex in the US and no one outside seem to have a tiniest clue about it other than what they see in their little community newspapers found free on the bus stops.

But leaving that aside, what do you think the US can learn from Canada (other than Healthcare).

Re: # 50

dear kulharee....i am just sharing my opinion based on my experiences. you might have

different experiences. when i came to canada

....i felt welcome as an immigrant

.....i feel safe in big cities

.....canadians love to do voluntary work and serve their communities

....education is free in schools and there are many opportunities to take loans in colleges

and universities.

....most canadians are against war and only want to send army as peace keepers under the

guidance of united nations

....most canadians are humble people

when i visited new york to see my cousin he told me not to take my car to manhattan as it

might not be safe....

maybe small towns and cities in america are like canada....my experience is just in big

cities ....and my impression was that toronto and montreal and calgary are safer than

washington and florida and los angeles.....maybe i am wrong....sincerely sohail

Re: # 54

Dear Doctor Sahib, NYC is one of the safest bigger cities in the developed industrial world. Even within the US, it comes to #15 or something, compared to #1 some 25 years ago. But yes, crime does need to be brought under control. In terms of driving in the City, unless you are willing to pay a premium for parking (some places 30 bucks an hour) it is really hard to find parking on the street. It is not advisable, as the public transport in the city is fantastic… ride the subway for 2 bucks, or hail a cab. Much better than spending 10 hours looking for a place to park.

Now back to the discussion. Canadian system is a complete failure, monetarily, they are still living in the 60s, following the socialist models of the olden days, which have shown to be a complete failure, extensive red tape, incompetence, waste, just to the name a few. US states fare much better in terms of DGP per capita. US left Canada in the dust when Canadian didn’t chose to adopt what is referred to as Reagonomics. The standard of living in the US, State to Province basis is much much higher. Much much higher economic freedom. Not counting Ontario and Alberta, even the ‘richest’ Canadian Provinces have less GDP than the poorest of the poorest US States. Public education in the US is also free (financed by our property taxes). Americans volunteer more than any other country in the world, including Canada. There are more American NGOs than the rest of the countries of the world combined.

But let’s talk about mental health that is the purpose of this discussion. On which you have done a lot of work and research.

Re: # 57

dear kulharee....as far as mental health is concerned it is gradually progressing in canada

to become more inclusive and as i mentioned in one of my previous responses we are

translating mental health guide in different languages for families from different

cultures....sincerely sohail