Love and Hate Online

AH you write ``[efforts to establish some writing standards here. OH! ``around`` here``.

I guess this is an example of being ``hoist on my own petard``. :-)

I think the IRS blew a huge amount ($100 m. is the round number I have heard) on false starts before finally getting somewhere. I guess they found God after that, setting the bar at Level 4 as you say. I recall about 5 years ago they blew $100m. trying to computerize the London Stock Exchange. The whole effort was scrapped - the reasons to have something to do with lack of user involvement (they were building an ``invisible palace``, one of the London newspapers reported back then). Although this is not an issue at this time in the press, I fear that investments in IT by the governments in poor countries may be incurring much waste due to poorly conceived projects, although probably at not such large amounts as happens in the rich countries. And the improvements with successful efforts (e.g. the reduction in elapsed time for processing civil cases in Karnatka from 9 years to 15 minutes in certain cases, bringing of land records within control) will in the long run definitely outweigh the losses due to unsuccessful ones.

Dear Zeejah!

I am quite impressed with your site.

Re: Awakening Hopeful #85

I don`t know about that Sufi proverb. Perhaps it has something to do with necessity. But it brings to mind Christ`s 40 days in the desert. After surviving on nothing but locusts and wild honey Christ is visited by Satan who challenges him to turn stone into bread. To which he responds, ``Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.``

Hope that further obfuscates the issue. ;-)

Jonty

Awakening Hopeful,

Being Christian, I can help you out with that quote from the Bible.

A woman who had committed a sin was cast out and to be stoned. Jesus intervened and stopped them saying, ``Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.`` It was meant to be a lesson to all that if someone is willing to honestly repent for their sins then they should be forgiven and that all are equal in the eyes of God.

As for the Sufi`ism, I`m sure there are a number of ways in which to interpret it. Hoewvere, I see no parallel between the two.

If you want to discuss this further, I`m all ears. Or eyes as the case may be. *smile *

Phoenix.

Hi Zeenat.

I liked your site but there`s just so much there to read, i just hope I can find the time. *smile *

I see that your personal site is on the same server as mine. 8m.com

Keep up the good work, and I`ll try not to upstage you with my replies. It`s just that the net thingy was something I have been through and felt ``qualified`` to respond to it.

From Karachi,

Phoenix

PhoenixRising,

I`d like to think that the story of the adulteress is more than a just a lesson in forgiveness and equality, but a clear illustration that no man has the right to judge another in his (or her) actions.

Jonty

tahmed321 #78:

Thanks. Sorry for this delay. Was enjoying the thanksgiving holidays. Intezar Hussain is in town. And Dr. Asif Farrukhi. They brought with them some good Urdu/English books including some fine poetry. I am enjoying them.

This quote should be read in conjunction with the Mahajirzadeh quote. Translated it mean ‘Love overcomes everything. Let us (all) succumb to Love.’ Hope this helps.

hamidm #79

Many moons ago a completely inebriated and unsteady Ahmad Faraz recited this Khushal Khan Khattak shai’r and it took the better part of an hour for him to deliver the few lines. That evening was pleasant but the lines had no fascination for me then. Or now.

Words acknowledged.

zeejah #81:

Zeeni, you remember. You remember!

Feel bad, thanks, temporal will do. Will write soon.

Awakening Hopeful #83:

Thanks.

It is fascinating how rapport can be established across distances and barriers. Is it degrees of separation or are we a part of one soul, divided and re-divided down the River Time to create the fractious and torturous spirit and further divide it into nations and states so we can keep Death and Misery in business? Caution is the key. Prudence IS the better part of valour. If you think I am disjointed wait till you read these lines from Ghalib.

From Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib:

Chalta hooN thoRRee do’or har ik tez ra’u kay saath
pehchaanta nahiN hooN abhi rah’bur ko maiN

Kha’hish ko eh’maqouN nay parishtish diya qaraar
kiya poojta hooN oos boot-e-baidaadgar ko maiN

Phir bay-khudi maiN bhool gaya rah-e-koo’aye yaar
jaata wagarna ek din apni khabar ko maiN

Apnay pay kar raha houN qayaas ahl-e-dahar ka
samjha hooN dilpazeer mataa-e-hunar ko maiN

Since my Urdu is not much better that yours, the handy translation I have is from K. C. Nanda. (Disclaimer: I have seen better translations)

I go a little while with every running tide
I do not, as yet, recognize my guide.

The silly folks have confused desire with devotion,
Who says that I adore that dear despot?

Self-engrossed I’ve again lost track of his lane
Else I would have gone to enquire about my state.

By my own measure I judge the world when I opine
Dear is the wealth of art to every human heart.


regards, & love

temporal

#73
Look at it this way: prophets spoke in marketplaces and revolutions were brewed in coffeehouses. Those who hung around waiting for this to happen could thus definately be identified as a ``bunch of loosers`` :-).

Sadhana

shammi #34 I suspect it was more than Mac to PC switch that caused the problems. The Air Traffic Control system also had a similar cost of hundreds of millions (or maybe billions) of $ over the years before someone decided to cut and start again. In the meantime, I think the existing infrastructure dates to the prehistoric era (going as far back as the 1960`s I think). Implementing computer systems is I think a much more complex undertaking than most people (particularly the business managers) are aware.

temporal #92 thanks for the translation. Interesting how many English phrases are from Latin.

Re: #79
“there is a boy across the river

whose bottom is like a peach

alas, i cannot swim”
I have been laughing out loud for about half an hour…vulgar, but still funny :)

Re: #79

“there is a boy across the river

whose bottom is like a peach

alas, i cannot swim”

I have been laughing out loud for about half an hour…vulgar, but still funny :)

AH - #85

Considering the rate at which the obfuscation is escalating - I thought I would add my two cents or pence (as my spouse never tires of reminding me) worth - your sufi proverb reminded me of this lil gem: ``We make our own reasons for life and then live with our thoughts`` - is it possible that we make our own realities and are therefore constrained by our own imagination?

cheers

dL

scout...june 29th..prospect park 7 pm. JUNOON will be there. also, tumhe chappair lagaoon geen yaar...why`d you have to drag me into this? nice thing you said but youve given yasir another chance to darg me through some mud.

yasir...you dont really know me yaar...seeing me once or twiec doesnt really count.

i write to purge, lest there be any confusion.

rizvi.

hana - was browsing thru the interacts i had missed from last yr (whilst on holiday) and came across your post. This maybe too late in coming and you may well have survived this crisis (i hope&wish) but have to say this - I couldnt tell if you were really crying out for help or not but my sincere advice - pls dont despair. These things happen especially when you are talking about another person, because you never know what makes him/her tick. And i have found decisions (shallow or otherwise) are all based callously on a whim and a fancy. So remember the happy moments and move on. Life is too short to ponder over the agonising why`s??!! Some more - dont treat this as the end-all/be-all of life or look for any deeper meaning because there is none. Just go out and meet (in real life - i dont believe cyber stuff can substitute the real thing) as many people as you can and you wont need anyone else to pull you out of this. But realistically (and this has stood me in good stead) surround yourself with SURROGATE PARENTS (aka good friends) - you will never again despair.

And fyi - do NOT be under the false impression that love (cyber or real) lasts. There comes a day in everyones lives - when all you get in response to your joys/woes is a grunt OR the sum total of all he has to say to you is shoved in the subject line of an email (couple of words if you are lucky).

Happy hunting : ) amd keep us informed of the happy goings on !!

All my best wishes,

aicha