The Night of Power

Today was hectic. Running around doing errands, buying supplies and warm clothing. Daylight saving time ended today, the clock went back, we gained an hour. So I had 25 hours to do everything.

Tonight is Lailut-Qadr, the night of power when the Quran was recited to the Prophet. It is the night when everything remains serene, and is an auspicious night for all endeavors. Although in Detroit urban folklore, it is called, the Devil's night. Maybe the asinine bombers who hit Dehli were inspired by this. They did much damage to earthquake relief efforts and Pakistan and India peace process. Not to mention the 55 people who died a few days before Diwali and Eid.

On a personal note, it is also my birthday. So many things going my way. Already collected well over a thousand dollar from well wisher and friends for distribution. Leaving tomorrow at midnight, on Halloween.

Supplies and money

People aske dme about supplies and money. I am taking a few supplies with me, going to mostly buy them in Karachi and Abottabad. Money is key, I will keep a track of what everyone sends and respond accordingly.

Also, you can send money to my paypal account: ssmaus@yahoo.com

A reason to go

One evening, an old Cherokee Indian told his grandson about a "battle" that goes on inside people. He said, "My son, the battle is between 2 "wolves" inside us all.

One is Evil. It is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed,arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.

The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith. "The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: "Which wolf wins?"

The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."

Leaving for Azad Kashmir

Dear Friends,

You have heard about the latest disaster in Pakistan, although not the biggest in our history (In 1970 in East Pakistan, then Bangladesh, nearly half a million people perished in a cyclone), it is a catastrophe of an immense proportion described by NYT ‘ as the most difficult rescue operation’ in history.

There is only a three week window of opportunity to help the refugees by setting up IT infrastructure, Muslim burials, tents, latrines, medication, mapping of valleys and villages, and any other relief work. In view of this, I have decided to leave my job and fly to Abbotabad to volunteer with http://Sungi.org, an organization set up by the late Omar Asghar Khan, son of Air Marshal Asghar Khan.

Yes, I am crazy, and I have heard the arguments that just send money, what are you going to do you can’t even change diapers. However, truly there is a need for all able bodied men/women to help the 3.3 million refugees needing shelter form the inevitable snows of Himalayas. Please help in any which way you can. I am flying PIA (which is allowing extra baggage of relief supplies for free) and expect to be up in Mansera/Abbotabad region right after Eid. I am currently buying supplies and collecting money from all well wishers. Here are the supplies needed.

Since I am leaving my job, I am taking cash and putting the rest on my credit cards. I am not tax deductible entity so I don’t expect big checks. Any amount would do, $10, $20, $50. I am assuming if 20 people gave $20 that comes to $400, enough for me to buy enough surgical gloves, pads, masks, chest tubes, etc. I will be buying medicines in Pakistan, antibiotics are available cheaper in Karachi.

Relief items requested

Medicine's required

Supplies required

Answering the call

My Daily Om on the day I decided to go to Pakistan to help in the quake relief effort.


October 24, 2005
Answering The Call
Taking Responsibility For Your Destiny

There are those of us who believe that our lives are predestined and that we should resign ourselves to our lots in life. Yet the truth is that it is up to each one of us to decide what that destiny will be. While each of us is born with a life purpose, it is up to us whether or not we will say yes to fulfilling it. And just like when we choose what to eat, who to keep company with, and whether to turn right or left when we leave our home everyday, choosing to say yes to your destiny is a decision that can only be realized when you take action to make that choice a reality.

Whether you believe it is your destiny to be a parent, an adventurer, an artist, a pioneer, or a spiritual guru, saying yes to your destiny is only the first step. While manifesting your destiny starts with knowing what you want and believing you can attain your goals, there are then the actions that must be taken and the decisions to be made before your destiny can truly happen. When you take responsibility for fulfilling your destiny and begin acting with the intention of doing so, you not only take fate into your own hands, but also you become the hands of your own fate. Doorways inevitably open for you to step through, and every choice you make can be a creative act toward realizing your goals and dreams. You begin to follow your instincts and intuition, recognize opportunities when they are presented to you, and seize those golden moments. You also begin to recognize the decisions that may not serve this greater picture and can more easily push them aside.

Remembering that the decision to fulfill your destiny is always a choice can be empowering. Knowing you are fulfilling your destiny because you want to, rather than because you have to, can make a huge difference. When you are freed from obligation, obstacles in your way become challenges to be overcome, and the journey becomes an adventure rather than the obligatory steps you are being forced to take. Your destiny may be waiting for you, but whether or not you meet your destiny is up to you. Your fate is in your hands.

Earthquake sites

Tsunami Disaster 2004 South Asia Earthquake 2005
Died: 150,00 Died: 100,00
Displaced: 1.5 Million Displaced: 3.3 Million
Funds raised: $10 Billion Funds Raised: $630 Million

Some excellent sites for earthquake info

Earthquake 2005

Pakistan Earthquake
http://aopp.org/eq.htm

Center for International Disaster Information
http://iys.cidi.org/disaster/pak.05j08/

Risepak
http://www.risepak.com/

Tariq Ali and more comments

Tariq Ali laments on why were the US, German and British forces in Afghanistan not mobilized to save lives after the earthquake Pakistan will not forget

and more comments from home

'Things are depressing in Pakistan, media is cashing in as its something new for them. We never really had these channels to cover anything in Pakistan and now we have 5 news channels on the earthquake 24/7. Every wannabe is on TV asking for donation and FM 89 is selling wrist bands to all the burger kids who weren’t already wearing one. First time, I have seen people come together in Pakistan the way they have now but at the same time people in Karachi need entertainment and sadly all the relief camps are being used for entertainment and poondi. The last place you would expect a relief center to be would be Lecole School in Phase 8.

The Pak-jawans are sitting idle and are not involved in any activities at these camps in Karachi as Pak-burgers have completely occupied the territory. Anyway, I think I am being about things. People are really trying and getting together to help and that’s what really matters. We donated a bunch of water, dates, milk, blankets, etc. We hired a Suzuki to transport the stuff the second day of the quake, so the things were still a little saner. We volunteered to Pack medicines and stuff the initial two days, and then it just got too crowded and crazy.'

Appeal for helicopters

With the worst affected areas in northern Pakistan remaining largely inaccessible, the ONLY way to get humanitarian and medical aid and heavy equipment to these earthquake victims is through air drops using helicopters.
Pakistans most critical need remains helicopters to carry aid, heavy equipment and search and rescue teams with K 9 dogs. Please call President Bush, thank him for the 8 helicopters he is sending, but request him to send at least 50 more:

President Bush:
E-mail: president@whitehouse.gov
Phone: (202) 456-1414
Fax: (202) 456-2461

Please also contact your Senators & Congress persons with this appeal. You can get there contacts at: http://www.congress.org/congressorg/home/

Sample letter here

www.opensiliconvalley.com

Feeling of being helpless

The unofficial toll is now around 40,000. I am depressed after talking to friends and family in Pakistan. A few things struck me about the disaster, the fact that entire villages have disappeared in tragic.
The creeping cold and freezing rain is going to hamper the relief efforts as Kashmir settles into winter. The panic of Karachites as the coastal city and Balochistan were hit by low intensity tremors, and of course the Muhib-watani of my nation. As a US resident, I am destined to miss both tragic and joyous moments. I missed the 1992 Cricket World Cup Win, the devastation of Karachi during operation cleanup in 1992, the bloodless coup of Gen/President Pervaiz Musharraf in 1999 and now the one time where the nation is united and working together. I wish I was there to do some good for once. But I just blog . . .

Some quotes from friends,

'Karachi is going nuts with the whole relief work for the earthquake. It’s good to see that, other than the burgers there for poondi and rolling around smoking up.'

'We are so engrossed in magnifying our silly problems and there comes a catastrophe .....a real eye opener ....this is what we need a shiver from the earth and every thing can just vanish ... it is unimaginable destruction, generations are destroyed .....I cant forget the eyes of a 3 yr old who was rescued after 3 days ...they were stoned ....black holes .....although it is the time when the country needs youth , a lot of I know are going with rescue teams to the affected areas'

'Yaar the relief effort is going on but the damage I am afraid is way too much, way too much. Although, when I was at the PAF camp in Karachi yesterday I saw a true depiction of national spirit so this has really brought the awam together...'

'I wanted to share an eye witness account of the situation in Kashmir from my sister who was stationed there with her husband.
They were located northeast of Muzaffarbad near the LoC where their ADS and home were on the slope of a mountain overseeing 3 or 4 villages in a valley surrounded by tall mountains. They were inside their home at the time the earthquake struck at which time their entire home; ceiling and walls just fell on them. They did not even have time to move. Both of them were buried under the rubble while the earth shook violently. My sister first and then her husband managed to crawl out of a small space where they could see some light. Both of them sustained injuries including fractures and cuts, however not life-threatening, Thank God. When they got out, in her words, the entire landscape & geography of the area had changed. The hill that usually was in front of them was no more and large chunks of entire mountain ridges, cliffs and tops were falling down on to the valley. There was a huge split in the earth directly ahead of them. If the loud sound of moving and falling mountains wasn’t devastating enough, they looked down in the valley only to see huge amounts of rubble. None of the structures in the villages (houses, schools, mosques) were there any more. As injured people started to reach them by foot, it was clear that at least 85-90% of the civilian population in that area had perished (approximately 3000-4000 people)'

And lastly our illustrious MNA Aitzaz Ahsan, deplores the US for sending eight helicopters when it has a thousand stationed in neighboring Afghanistan (albiet not all Chinooks) and the Saudi’s who have a fleet of 10,000 of which not a single one was send and lastly the refusal by the Army to use Indian helicopters.

After thoughts on Quake

First and foremost, apologies for my sarcastic bitchy posting on the morning of the disaster. The US has spared eight helicopters and $50 million dollars now the full extent of the disaster has become known and Kuwait's has signed up for $100 million.

It is sad and tragic, the people who suffered most don't have much to spare as is, and landslides probably accounted for most of the dead. My heart especially goes out to the students of Shaheen High school who are still trapped in rumble. But it is the greatest natural disaster to hit Pakistan? I would have assumed the Bhola cyclone that hit East Pakistan, now Bangladesh would have qualified for the worst with up to 500,000 people dead.

Also, what would all the fundamentalist Mullahs says now, the one’s that were goading over the disaster in New Orleans. See how Allah punished American for the invasion of Iraq. What would be the rational for this? There can only be two that I can think of. Pakistan is being punished for supporting America, or for abandoning the Kashmir’s freedom struggle. A faint hope in my heart when I heard about the disaster was that maybe for once my countrymen (and women) would pull together and embark on a shared vision and justice for all.

In any case, here are the main charity organizations that are collecting donations for the Earthquake victims. Hidaya Foundation and Islamic Relief

Response to Quake in Pakistan

A deadly earthquake hit Pakistan yesterday. 20,000 dead in Kashmir. Entire villages have disappeared. The US has promised $100,000, yes you heard me, that's right, a full $100,000. I hope it will change.

I am awaiting the Kuwait response, they gave a 100 million to Tsunami victims and 500 million to Katerina victims (I can't seem to find a single news source that can say how many people died because of Hurricane Katerina in New Orleans).

Finally, here is the media's reponse to the chaos in Pakistan after the earthquake. On Yahoo front page, one day after the earthquake.

S. Asia Quake Hits Area Where Osama Hides

I tell you the Duke would have been so disappointed with this pettiness. Where have all the Cowboys gone?