#Constant Munda

[agentrouka-blog]

"That was the night I stole up to his bed to give him comfort. I bled, but it was the sweetest hurt."- Sansa(ASOS VII). "I think Brandon liked the sight as well. A bloody sword is a beautiful thing, yes. It hurt, but it was a sweet pain."- Turncloak(ADWD). Both Lysa and Barbrey recalling about how they have sex with LF and Brandon to Sansa and Theon. Though LF love Cat and Brandon was engaged to her. Barbrey was again slighted when Ned, with who her father wanted to marry, choose Cat.

Hi there! :)

I wouldn't narrow it down to these two characters and their relation to Catelyn, exactly. The idea of "sweet pain" is one that connects many characters, sometimes in good and sometimes in bad ways. Sometimes sexual, sometimes otherwise.

I think, it ultimately comes down to GRRM wanting to emphasize the blurred lines when it comes to life. Not all pain is sweet, but not all pain is bad, either, and it's not always easy to tell the difference.

Melisandre invokes a false constant duality, an in escapable constancy of war.

"The way the world is made. The truth is all around you, plain to behold. The night is dark and full of terrors, the day bright and beautiful and full of hope. One is black, the other white. There is ice and there is fire. Hate and love. Bitter and sweet. Male and female. Pain and pleasure. Winter and summer. Evil and good." She took a step toward him. "Death and life. Everywhere, opposites. Everywhere, the war." (ASOS, Davos III)

But Meera Reed and Jojen insist differently:

"Oh, I do. My lord father told me about mountains, but I never saw one till now. I love them more than I can say."

Bran made a face at her. "But you just said you hated them."

"Why can't it be both?" Meera reached up to pinch his nose.

"Because they're different," he insisted. "Like night and day, or ice and fire."

"If ice can burn," said Jojen in his solemn voice, "then love and hate can mate. Mountain or marsh, it makes no matter. The land is one."

"One," his sister agreed, "but over wrinkled." (ASOS, Bran II)

If hate and love can coexist, contradicting and not contradicting each other, so can pain and pleasure, sorrow and joy, bitterness and sweetness. Not war but a mere multiplicity. Life is not that simply, not that black and white.

The Mystery Knight adds a similar example:

"This is the proper way to fill a pie," Ser Kyle sniffed, cleaning off his tunic. "The pie is meant to be the marriage, and a true marriage has in it many sorts of things—joy and grief, pain and pleasure, love and lust and loyalty. So it is fitting that there be birds of many sorts. No man ever truly knows what a new wife will bring him." 

The sentiment is all over the books, in good and bad ways. Often involving sex, but also in other moments that draw a special emphasis on life itself. The pain of breathing in icy air, but breathing nonetheless. The ache of straining muscles. Some pleasures come hand in hand with some pain. But also the pleasure that can mask harm and abuse. 

Marillion’s voice becomes even sweeter when mixed with pain and fear and sorrow in his imprisonment - a sweet voice in a bad man in a horrible situation. How can beauty thrive in this, born from this man? Well, it simply does.

Victarion claims this:

"Always." Life is pain, you fool. There is no joy but in the Drowned God's watery halls. "Do it." (ADWD, The Iron Suitor)

But Jon and Sansa, respectively, claim this:

It was so sweet and silly that Sansa had to laugh, despite everything. Afterward she was absurdly grateful. Somehow the laughter made her hopeful again, if only for a little while. Smiling, she let the music take her, losing herself in the steps, in the sound of flute and pipes and harp, in the rhythm of the drum . . . and from time to time in Ser Garlan's arms, when the dance brought them together. (ASOS, Sansa III)

Jon had to laugh. Even now, even here. Ygritte had been fond of Longspear Ryk. He hoped he found some joy with Tormund's Munda. Someone needed to find some joy somewhere. (ASOS, Jon X)

And I think you can tell with whom the author agrees.

[joeywheelermyman]

A Love Letter To An Old Friend

Okay, okay, let me preface this with some contextual information. I'll try to make it short because the letter itself is pretty long, but I sure do love to yap, so apologies in advance. This is an un-sent letter for Rydina, who was (when I met her) Martin's girlfriend. I wrote this with the intention to read it to her over the phone, because I was too embarrassed to send it in the mail and know she could re-read it at any point in time. I also had several photos of her in my cell that she had printed out and sent to me. Anyways, I had an intense amount of respect for all The Honkey's, especially Martin, so I never let my attraction to his girlfriend come between us. I never even brought it to light, because while she was with Martin, that's all she was. She was Martin's girlfriend that sometimes hung out with us, that's all I ever let myself see her as while they were together. Since then, Rydina and I have had our more intimate moments and one of the biggest for me is the fact that I talked to her more than anyone else while I was incarcerated, we grew extremely close during that time, despite the barriers. She meant, and still means, a lot to me. But she certainly meant a lot more back then, ever since our falling out. Anyways, here's the letter.

Rydina. [Her full name.] You are undeniably stunning. Beautiful. Gorgeous. I wish I knew more words. Words get so repetitive and demeaned through constant usage, we hear the exact same words our entire lives. Ever since I started writing, I've appreciated that special type of person that can take these beautifully stupid words and create these wondrous pictures and scenarios in peoples minds that tug at vulnerable emotions. Poets are little less than gods, damn wordsmiths. I'm already off track, fuck. If you're hearing this, it's because I'm reading it. Obviously. If I'm reading this to you, that means that my brain and this paper have gone through a lot. A complicated process. Multiple, actually. [I wrote several different drafts before I finally felt confident enough with this one] I think you are BEYOND gorgeous, Rydina. In every conceivable way. I made a joke to you the other day, because one of your ears is more pointed, saying you're a quarter-elf. I keep thinking about that. You remind me of Tauriel from The Hobbit movies. I keep thinking 'sylvan/sylphan/elvin/elfish' when I look at your photos. I've always thought you were impossibly attractive. You know, I met a man in here that believes elves were a real and lost race and I told him if they were, you definitely had elf blood and I'm only growing more and more convinced. Slightly off-topic, still. Craig [my cellmate at the time] asked me the other day if I liked you or if I liked my idea of you. My answer was, "It used to be my idea of her. I christened her as like...a fucking goddess. Even when we used to hang out and she was dating Martin, she was an impossibility to me. But now? The more I learn about her, even on the fucking prison phone, the more I get to know HER, the more it becomes her. Everything, dude, she's amazing." In a way, you're still an impossibility to me. I've never known another human like you, you're unique and I'm obsessed over it. The way you think, the way you talk, your perspectives and ideals. This Rydina I'm learning about is a goddess in a very real and human way. I like the Rydina I know so much more than the Rydina I imagined. The Rydina I imagined was mysterious, wrathful, beautifully powerful and dark. Quick-tempered and passionate. Reserved, ruling, and grave. A mid-night storm. The Rydina I'm learning, though. Bright, thoughtful, eager. Caring and layered. Apprehensively rejuvenated. Rejoicing, excited, bounding. A springdays' light snowfall. Intense and simple. Still and never at rest. I can't believe I know you, Rydina. I couldn't stop thinking about kissing you earlier tonight. I know I said I think of us intimately, but it's usually doing something mundane together like cooking, walking, whatever. Not exactly romantic, like kissing or cuddling, etc. Tonight though, Jesus fuck...all I could imagine was leaning you against a wall and pressing my lips softly against yours. Swimming my fingers through your long, golden hair and feeling yours tug on my own. I kept thinking of your body, too. Of feeling your skin. Not your breasts or your butt, but your stomach and your hips. Your shoulders and neck. Your jaw and your collarbone. I want to stress how non-sexual it was, all of it, even the next part. Although it's technically a turn-on of mine, which you already know, I like little biting nips on my neck. And that was part of it, imagining you nipping my neck. I'm reading this to you because it's hard for me to keep everything to myself and even though this literally was about you, I really only feel comfortable sharing it with you.

[nipashe411]

Bill targets loss-making firms with tax Loss-making firms will from next financial year starting July 2020 be required to pay tax on their gross earnings in proposed changes to the income tax law geared at addressing low compliance levels.

[ofsandstonebodies]

I never wake up.

Never.

In the afternoon, when everyone is asleep, I sit by a window and listen to the echoing cacophony of crows.

In the evening, when the streetlights get switched on, I sit by a window and stare at their haloes of light.

At night when you can still hear the distant rumble of vehicles, I sit by a window and count the seconds passing by.

Tick-tock. Tick-tock.

A minute.

Tick-tock. Tick-tock.

An hour.

When I go to bed, I don't fall asleep. And when I do, the last thought to consume me is,

"I want this to be the last."

My nightmares are an eventuality and a constant comfort of ice-cold hands on feverish skin.

In the morning, thoughts I do not want haunt me. They jab and leer, and I think,

"I want my dreams back."

I spend time with my family. I talk to my friends. I study and answer questions and attend classes. I eat and bathe and dress up.

The mundaness of it is something that used to choke me, when it wasn't something I had harnessed and learnt to tame.

"I want this to be the last".

I never wake up.

Have I tamed something I can never enjoy, just for the sake of remaining sane?

Everything is fine.

A year or two ago, when my eyes used to shut at midnight, I would think,

"I want today to be the last.

Please God.

I want to go away.

Take me where you are."

When I fall asleep tonight, that is not what I will think. Instead, I will repeat the same lines I have been telling myself for quite a while now.

"I want today to be the last.

The last day I spend in this haze.

I want to wake up tomorrow.

And finally say goodbye to the mist that is always clouding my vision."

Somehow I have given myself a bud of hope, although I do not know if it will ever bloom into a flower.

When I speak with the ones closest to my heart, and they listen and I do the same, the flower is watered. When I take care of myself and when I pay heed to my needs instead of burying them, the flower is fed.

I can feel the petals starting to open.

And yet. And yet.

Where is the light?

Words float around inside me without any shape or pattern. They form phrases, sentences even, but then fall apart again and again as I fail to rescue them.

They are ceaseless creatures, swimming in me, holding on to each other for dear life.

And I am afraid that I will not be able to save them from drowning.

What will be left of me then?

When what I think and feel will die inside of me, and not bleed onto paper? When my words will breathe their dying breath buried somewhere deep inside me and never be uncovered by another?

What will happen, when the bud that has slowly been blooming into a flower, does not get the light it needs so desperately?

Will it wither away like all the other times?

Little by little, you will be able to see its petals droop, then its colour fade, and finally it will fall off and merge with the soil as if it had never really been there at all.

But, no.

I know how to swim now.

I know how to save the light that the flower needs.

At times, it is so hard to look inward and see the words piling up there. At times, I wish I could just pluck them up one by one, like tearing petals off of an inconsequential flower, a forgotten game of "he loves me, he loves me not".

But these words are not single flowers. They are daisy chains, hydrangea clusters, sunflower patches. You cannot take one without ruining the other, without leaving behind a hollow.

You cannot just save one of them.

But I have taught myself to swim.

I know what I have to do to save the light.

Even though I have never known the flower to bloom before, I can try.

I will not give up on hope again.

[mydarlinginej]

read my full review of flamefall by rosaria munda here.

Revolutionary flames ignite around Annie, Lee, and a brand new POV character in the second book of the Fireborne trilogy.

After fleeing the revolution and settling into the craggy cliffs of New Pythos, the Dragonlords are eager to punish their usurpers–and reclaim their city. Their first order of business was destroying the Callipolan food supply. Now they’re coming for the Dragonriders.

Annie is Callipolis’s new Firstrider, and while her goal has always been to protect the people, being the government’s enforcer has turned her into public enemy number one.

Lee struggles to find his place after killing kin to prove himself to a leader who betrayed him. He can support Annie and the other Guardians . . . or join the radicals who look to topple the new regime.

Griff, a lowborn dragonrider who serves New Pythos, knows he has no future. And now that Julia, the Firstrider who had protected him, is dead, he is called on to sacrifice everything for the lords that oppress his people–or to forge a new path with the Callipolan Firstrider seeking his help.

With famine tearing Callipolis apart and the Pythians determined to take back what they lost, it will be up to Annie, Lee, and Griff to decide what to fight for–and who to love.

my review:

Fireborne quickly became one of my favorite books of 2019, and I was absolutely dying to read the sequel. I picked this ARC up as soon as I was approved (thank you, Penguin Teen!) because I couldn’t wait any longer. Flamefall picks up right where we left off, dealing with new threats and old grudges.

This review contains spoilers for book one.

After a deadly battle, Lee deals with the aftereffects of killing his own cousin as well as the realization that maybe, in the end, he still doubts the side he chose. He begins to question the good of the People’s Revolution and joins a rebel group that wants a democratic government and the abolition of the metals test. Annie picks up the mantle of Firstrider and has to quell the rising revolts around the city as well as protecting everyone from the constant threat of war. Meanwhile, in New Pythos, Griff is a peasant dragon rider living under a brutal regime. During a battle, he crosses paths with Annie and they begin to communicate throughout the book. As unrest and hunger grows in Callipolis, the threat of New Pythos grows closer and closer.

read my full review here.

[casualavocados]

thanks @esmeraldablazingsky for the tag! 

Answer these 5 questions and tag 9 people you want to get to know better.

💎 Top 3 ships: blake and yang from rwby are in love and we get to watch WOOT, catradora also good, and idk my interests may change over time but korrasami is always constant

💎 Lipstick or chapstick: chapstick; strong pass on anything else

💎 Last song: I Believe - Jonas Brothers

💎 Last movie: i watched Anastasia last night with m’ dad

💎 Currently reading: Fireborne by Rosaria Munda, an intensely political book abt dragonriding and revolutions. it’s super fascinating so far. i’ve also been making may way thru The Fall of Gondolin by JRRT

Tagging: UHHHH @hearttscale, and @asgardianarcher, ig if u guys want to? I dont feel like tagging anyone else tho lmao

[nossasmemoriassz]

Dias cinzas e nublados, a constante sensação de que mesmo por perto, você não estava ao meu lado. Sua mente escura e sem juízo, o munda lá fora me chamava enquanto você tentava me convencer de que é o único que me quer e que é só de você que eu preciso. Dentre seus tons em cinza pastel, ouvindo entediada sem monólogo decorado, sobre o quanto você crê que sou a causa de suas dores, saio lentamente pela porta. Perdoa amor, mas prefiro minhas cores. M.L. https://www.instagram.com/p/B1_zhPIj8jn/?igshid=1p5hvo3rui6gq

[eternitykim]

Aula 16 – Juntando tudo

Conteúdo de sala de aula:

Por que devemos considerar sua escolha para o aulário um produto midiático?

Resposta:

           Kim Kardashian é um produto midiático pelo fato de ser uma matriz de referência de muitos jovens. Ela é colocada como uma influenciadora e seus seguidores como influenciados, mas influenciados críticos, já que a todo momento criticam positiva ou negativamente Kim. Kim mostra através de suas redes sociais e objetos de interação com os fãs – blog pessoal, app e jogo – que sua identidade está em constante mudança, que apesar dos julgamentos sobre suas escolhas, ela procura fazer aquilo que faz bem para si, seja mudança no visual, no seu estilo considerável polêmico, ou até mesmo no seu jeito de pensar – momentos de angústia que a faça mudar o seu estilo de vida. Entretanto, como relatado pela própria socialite, essa constante mudança traz consequências, como a angústia, fato de cansar facilmente daquilo que está fazendo, então procura mudar a todo momento e o tempo entre uma mudança é outra é cada vez menor; e também a insegurança, dada pelo excesso de liberdade que ela tem ao expor sua vida. Apesar de ser alguém faz as suas vontades independente da sua repercussão, ela ainda sim se preocupa com a sua imagem, com os julgamentos de suas atitudes e o quão isso pode afetar na sua carreira e na sua identidade.

         Apesar disso, Kim é vista como um padrão a ser seguido, todos desejam ter seu corpo, suas maquiagens, seu cabelo, seu status, até mesmo sua vida de socialite, ou seja, Kim é praticamente vista como uma marca, como um estilo de vida a ser seguido. Ela ao compartilhar seus momentos, suas dicas, seu estilo de vida com seus seguidores, busca, antes de compartilhar, tomar conhecimento sobre o consumo, sobre as tendências, sobre aquilo que os seus seguidores almejam para que, desse modo, possa trazer um conteúdo que retrate esses desejos, essas tendências, esses assuntos do momento a tona em sua timeline. Desse modo, aqueles que a seguem, a todo momento buscam ser como ela, auto punem-se por não ter o mesmo corpo, ter o mesmo cabelo e não usufruir de suas maquiagens. Já aqueles que a seguem e não buscam seguir o padrão que ela expõe também são punidos, mas punidos verbalmente – no caso, por ser tudo praticamente no âmbito virtual –, são totalmente criticados, expostos e até excluídos, pelo fato de serem como eles querem ser. A visão da socialite sobre esta prática é bem exposta em seu blog, ela retrata que ela quer ser uma inspiração para os seus fãs, mas não deseja que tornem-se igual a ela, que percam a sua personalidade para ser como ela. Kim espera que todos a sigam e a vejam como um exemplo tanto de bons como de maus hábitos, e que a partir disso, seus seguidores possam ver que suas vidas dependem somente de suas escolhas, e não das escolhas da sua famosa favorita.

         Porém, Kim ao relatar sua vida nas redes ela está cada vez mais exposta a fluidez afetiva, isto é, devido às constantes mudanças que Kim passa, sua relação com seus fãs torna-se cada vez mais fluída, seus fãs deixam e voltam a ter sentimentos por ela conforme suas mudanças ocorrem, ou seja, todos são de fases, às vezes aceitam as mudanças de Kim, às vezes criticam suas mudanças. Para isso, Kim busca ser cada vez mais ser si mesma, mostrando que todos devem amá-la pelo que ela é e não pela suas mudanças de aparência, personalidade.

         Kim para ser considerada um produto midiático hoje, ela passou por um processo chamado cooptação. Kim foi cooptada pelo munda da fama, a partir de suas polêmicas, suas mudanças radicais de visual, seu aumento significativo de seguidores, tornando-a cada vez mais conhecida e comentada, dessa forma, tornou-se uma celebridade, sendo, portanto, cooptada pelos demais iguais a ela. Porém, Kim também coopta, ela com todas as suas publicações e polêmicas coopta famosos, muitos famosos seguem as dicas/looks/conselhos que ela compartilha, muitos a veem como um exemplo, demonstrando, dessa forma, que ela os contaminou (cooptou).

         Portanto, Kim para manter-se como um produto midiático procura, junto de seus empresários, adaptar-se de acordo com o que está em alta entre seus seguidores – tranding –, desse modo, ela mantém seu público cativado para manter seguindo-a.

[feeltheroom]

CAOS

Quem disse que eu quero viver em paz? 

Será que não entende? 

Nem sempre paz significa sucesso 

Ou mesmo sucesso significa paz

Alias quem no munda alcançara a paz?

Digo mais prefiro viver no meu caos constante do que na sua monótona paz 

As frases que o caos me traz formam poemas de maneira sagas

e a sua paz o que te traz? 

Conforto? Segurança? 

Isso ai eu vivo no caos, meu caos me faz ser mais, sua paz te torna um “SÓ”

Eu vivo no caos e renuncio a paz, alias eu prefiro o caos à paz, se a paz é tão boa como dizem porque não vivemos sempre nela? O humano prefere o caos, porque se não for o caos que nos fara crescer? Cada obstáculo que o caos nos traz é um novo modo de viver, diferente da paz, que vem e não faz mais nada.

Eu digo eu prefiro o caos da vida do que a paz.

[moneyhealthfinance-blog]

KRA banks on tech to net 3m new taxpayers in three years Economy Thursday, January 17, 2019 9:33 By CONSTANT MUNDA KRA commissioner -general John Njiraini. FILE PHOTO | NMG The taxman has set a target to nearly double the number of active taxpayers to seven million in ... Banking Industry News

[nipashe411]

Kenya business deals hit 30-month low on Corona

[risingpakistan]

The Kalabagh dam

The Kalabagh dam is a proposed hydroelectric dam on the Indus River at Kalabagh in Mianwali District of the Punjab province in Pakistan. The project has been highly debated and deemed a necessity since its inception. If constructed with 3,800 MW electricity generation capacity, it will become the largest source of electricity for Pakistan.

History

In December 2004, General Pervez Musharraf, President of Pakistan, announced that he would build the dam in the larger interest of Pakistan. On May 26, 2008, Federal Minister for Water and Power of Pakistan, Raja Pervez Ashraf, said that the "Kalabagh Dam would not be constructed" and the project has been cancelled.[citation needed] He said due to the "opposition from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh and other stakeholders, the project was no longer feasible".[1] However, after the worst flood (2010) in Pakistan, the prime minister of Pakistan, Yousaf Raza Gilani, stated that the devastation of floods would be less if Kalabagh dam were built.[2]

  Technical facts and differing opinions

Bashir A. Malik, former chief technical advisor of the United Nations and World Bank, has said "Sindh and Pakhtunkhwah would become drought areas in the years to come, if Kalabagh Dam was not built."[3] At the same time former KPK Chief Minister Shamsul Mulk has stated that the "Kalabagh Dam would be helpful in erasing poverty from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, as it would irrigate 800,000 acres of cultivable land that is located 100-150 feet above the level of River Indus."[4] Kalabagh Dam would provide 6.5 million acre feet of water to cultivate seven million acres of currently barren land. This is in addition to the 3,800 MW of electricity it would provide.[5] In response to the push towards side-lining Kalabagh altogether in favor of the Basha Dam project, Engineer Anwer Khurshid stated that "Basha Dam is no substitute for Kalabagh dam not because of its altitude which is high enough, but because no irrigation canals can be taken out from it because of the hilly terrain".[6]

Other experts who have strongly supported the construction of the Kalabagh dam at the "Save Water Save Pakistan" Forum include: Dr Salman Shah, former finance minister, Abdul Majeed Khan, TECH Society president, Shafqat Masood, former IRSA chairman, Qayyum Nizami, former minister of state, Prof Abdul Qayyum Qureshi, former vice chancellor of Islamia University, Bahawalpur, Dr Muhammad Sadiq, agricultural scientist, M Saeed Khan, former GM of Kalabagh Dam Project, Mansoor Ahmed, former MD of Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission Foundation and Jameel Gishkori, among others.[7] The participants of Save Water Save Pakistan Forum session demanded in their recommendations implementation on building five dams, including Munda dam, Kurram Tangi dam, Akhori dam and Kalabagh dam, at least by 2025 to store water and generate electricity to meet the demand.

In contrast, Former Chief Engineer WAPDA, Engr. Shahr-i-Yar Khan has claimed that the construction of Kalabagh Dam is not suitable for NWFP which will cause unnecessary wastage of huge funds as compared to many other suitable sites of dams proposed on Indus river. Shahr-i-Yar Khan, who had served on various positions of WAPDA, besides getting training abroad, highlight various issues related to the Kalabagh Dam construction at length. He was of the view that the construction of Kalabagh Dam has a number of adverse effects on the generation of Barotha power complex.

  Political hurdles

Sindh is the lower riparian and strongest opponent of KBD and politicians presents many objections against the proposed dam:

That their share of the Indus water will be curtailed as water from the Kalabagh will go to irrigate farmlands in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, at their cost. Sindhis hold that their rights as the lower riparian have precedence according to international water distribution law.

The coastal regions of Sindh require a constant flow of water down the Indus into the Arabian Sea so that the flowing water can keep the seawater from intruding inland. Such seawater intrusion would literally turn vast areas of Sindh's coast into an arid saline desert, and destroy Sindh's coastal mangroves.

With the construction of dams, such as Mangla Dam and Tarbela Dam across the Indus, Sindhis have seen the once-mighty Indus turned into a shadow of its former glory downstream of the Kotri Barrage up to Hyderabad. They fear that there simply is not enough water for another large dam across the Indus, let alone three.

Claims that the current flow of Indus river downstream of Kotri Barrage is only because of rain. Hence in years of low rain, Sindh fears the Indus would stop flowing.

Damming the Indus has already caused a number of environmental problems that have not yet addressed. Silt deposited in the proposed Kalabagh dam would further curtail the water storage capacity of Manchar Lake and other lakes and of wetlands like Haleji Lake.

President Musharraf, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and other leaders, have promised "iron-clad constitutional guarantees" to ensure that Sindh gets its fair share of water. However, these assurances mean little to most Sindhis, who claim that even the earlier 1991 Indus Water-Sharing Accord, which is a document already guaranteed by the constitutional body, the Council of Common Interests, has been violated, and that Punjab has "stolen" their water without any concrete evidence.[citation needed]

The objection to Kalabagh in Sindh is widespread. Even political parties of Sindh that are in the central cabinet and are supported by General Musharraf, such as the Muttahida Quami Movement, have strongly denounced the dam. Opposition towards Kalabagh Dam is such that PML N's Sindh Chapter also were in unison with the opponents of the Dam and as a result even PML N's leader Mr Nawaz Sharif, who as the Prime Minister of Pakistan had stated in 1998 that he proposes to build the dam, retracted from his stance and declared that Sindh's view point ought to be respected and no project, however essential, be carried out that weakened Pakistan's Federation. 

  NWFP's viewpoint

The NWFP has two main objections to the dam:

NWFP claims that the running of Cheshma-Jhelum link canal and over drawing of water from Tarbela is a common feature. 

The entire system and canal of Ghazi- Barotha hydro electric project runs in Khyber- Pakhtunkhwa, however the electricity generating turbines were installed just 500 meters inside Punjab so that the royalty is denied to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. 

While the reservoir will be in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the dam's electricity-generating turbines will be just across the provincial border in Punjab. Therefore, Punjab would get royalties from the central government in Islamabad for generating electricity . Although, Punjab has also agreed not to claim any royalty on generation of resources from Kalabagh dam.

Concerns that large areas of Nowshera District would be submerged by the dam and even wider areas would suffer from water-logging and salinity as has occurred with the Tarbela Dam. As the water will be stored in Kalabagh dam as proposed, that will give water level rise to the city that is about 200 km away from the proposed location.  However, engineers having expertise on dam construction repeatedly deny the opinion that Nowshera city could be submerged by the dam lake.

Punjab follows a paradox policy when it comes to canals to be taken out from Kalabagh Dam. It talks of right bank canal which will supply water to D I Khan, but when talking to Sindh, it denies construction of right bank canal being infeasible. 

  Balochistan's viewpoint

Balochistan is not directly affected by the dam as such. Rather, most nationalist Baloch claim the dam is an instance of grievances of smaller provinces not being taken into account. They have however, not included the dam in any of their statements after its cancellation. 

  Indian involvement

Experts claim India was sponsoring opposition to Kalabagh Dam project through various pressure groups. He observed that Pakistani politicians could not implement major national projects like Kalabagh Dam due to political compromises and lack of national consensus, terming it an unfortunate development.[8]

  Analysis

All Pakistanis agree that Pakistan faces a severe water shortage, and that some form of water management must be implemented soon. Many[who?] point out that if work on Kalabagh were to start tomorrow, it would still take at least three years to complete and commission such a large dam. In the meantime, the water situation would continue to worsen. Smaller dams, barrages, and canals must be built before that, and water conservation techniques introduced. 

The WAPDA for years repeatedly changed its statistics on the dam, to the point where no-one in Pakistan now believes any of its figures.  Government of Pakistan formed a technical committee, headed by A. N. G. Abbasi, to study the technical merits of the Kalabagh dam vis-a-vis the other two. The four-volume technical report concluded that Bhasha or Katzarah dam should be built before Kalabagh, further complicating matters. The report also stated that Kalabagh and Bhasha Dams could be considered feasible. 

The abrupt way in which President Pervez Musharraf announced the decision to build the dam, overruling the objections of Small parties , had polarised public opinion. On 26 May 2008, Federal Minister for Water and Power of Pakistan Raja Pervez Ashraf abruptly cancelled the project and that Kalabagh Dam will not be constructed. He said due to opposition from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh and other stakeholders, the project is no longer feasible.

The Prime Minister of Pakistan, Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, announced that the fate of the project would be decided by a plebiscite. The decision came after Pakistan faced extreme power crisis and acute water shortages. The government is currently finding alternative locations for the dam.[1]

  Timeline of Events on Kalabagh Dam Controversy

December 2004: General Pervez Musharraf, President of Pakistan, announced that he would build the dam in the larger interest of Pakistan.

29, November 2012: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday ordered the federal government to construct the Kalabagh dam. [9]

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Wairegi: How Britam will look like after coronavirus

Wairegi: How Britam will look like after coronavirus

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Companies Wairegi: How Britam will look like after coronavirus

Friday, September 4, 2020 5:21

By CONSTANT MUNDA

Britam managing director Benson Wairegi. FILE PHOTO | NMG 

Coronavirus pandemic touched off unprecedented disruptions in business operations and supply chains in addition to deadly medical complications.

This has put the spotlight on how insurance business is shaping…

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UK offers work permit to non-graduate Kenyans

UK offers work permit to non-graduate Kenyans

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Economy UK offers work permit to non-graduate Kenyans

Tuesday, July 14, 2020 6:38

By CONSTANT MUNDA

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson. FILE PHOTO | AFP 

Highly skilled Kenyans without degree-level qualifications will from next year be allowed to apply for work permits in Britain under post-Brexit immigration rules, enabling them to compete with job-seekers from the European Union and…

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'The hardest thing I've been through': Hallucinations, fever, pneumonia - but finally victory for this COVID-19 patient

SINGAPORE: At one point of time, there were so many tubes and devices attached to the body of Bambang Sugeng Kajairi that he would joke with family members that he was Iron Man.

He didn't feel quite as invincible as the Marvel superhero.

First, a high fever seemed to lay siege to his body. "I could feel the fever coming up, and they did tell me that my fever was moving up quite rapidly,' he recalled. "I think on that night the fever was at 39.8 (degrees Celsius) and I was at 39.8 for several nights."

Next came strange hallucinations a couple of nights into his stay at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID).

They would come like a thief in the night. Sometimes at 11pm, sometimes at 1am. Was he awake, was he asleep?  In the feverish haze, the 55-year-old Singaporean couldn't tell.

"I started hallucinating, but I did not tell the doctors I was hallucinating until towards the period where I felt comfortable enough to tell them," he recalled. "Because I didn't know whether hallucinations were part of the thing that COVID-19 patients went through."

Mr Bambang, who is a businessman, began seeing images that seemed utterly random.

There would be one where he was in a Dutch bakery and was trying to buy a percentage of the company. In another, he would be wondering why he was reporting his temperature to an accounting firm.

"That was the scary part, and I think it was the temperature that was really, really playing on my mind," he said. "Then I saw images of people that had passed away. Those were very, very tough nights ... When those images came up, it got me seriously worried.

"Finally, I managed to say it ... and tell the doctors." Much to his relief, they said the hallucinations were normal.

Then came energy-sapping pneumonia. And Mr Bambang had to be given 4 litres of oxygen through a nasal cannula to help support his breathing.

"I won't lie, there was one day that I broke down," he recalled. "That was the day I thought I was at my lowest, I was thinking: 'How come I am not getting any better, why am I getting worse and worse?'

"Was I afraid? I think it was seven or eight days into the whole thing that I felt: 'Wow, this is a toughie.'"

WHEN IT HIT 'BIG TIME'

This had all started just a few days earlier in mid-March.

Mr Bambang, the director of local company Aqua Munda, had just returned from an urgent five day business trip to the UK. There, he had also been trying to make arrangements for his son who was studying there to return to Singapore due to the COVID-19 situation.

"I had to get my son back - he was scheduled for an operation on Mar 18 in London," Mr Bambang said. "We were trying to sort out whether the operation was a necessary one to go through with (at that moment), because of what was happening in the UK.

"It turned out that on the eve of his operation, (the hospital) postponed it because it was considered non-essential."

Hours after touching down in Singapore where he was served his Stay-Home Notice (SHN), Mr Bambang began to feel "a bit sickly".

"I was not sure whether it was jet lag," he explained. "At my age, travelling is a bit of a pain. But I felt feverish so I slept through and at about 2.30am, I woke up and felt a bit uncomfortable ... I tried sleeping it off but next morning I woke up and I found my temperature was quite high."

On the advice of the People's Association, which is the organisation people on an SHN are told to initially call if they need to go out to visit a doctor, he visited the nearest clinic to his home. There, the thermometer read 39.1 degrees Celsius. A ambulance was then dispatched to take him to NCID for testing.

"That was when it hit me that I probably could have COVID-19," he said. "It only crossed my mind at 39.1 because I've come back from trips very tired. But when the temperature soared that high, that got me seriously worried."

After being tested at NCID, Mr Bambang had to return home to await his results. The next morning, he was told that he was COVID-19 positive.

"That hit me big time," he said. "It was a bit of numbness ... There were two quite contradictory thoughts. The first was: 'Thank God I'm in Singapore, because our death rate is very low' ... But at the same time, there was a sense of not knowing what I was about to go through."

'MY BODY WAS TAKING A BEATING'

The turning point came about eight days into his stay at NCID.

"They approached me and said: 'Look, your situation is not so good ... Do you want to undergo a (clinical) trial test with a drug?" Mr Bambang recalled. "I had a quick thought about it and thought I had nothing to lose ... That was perhaps the best decision that I made under the circumstances.

"Physically, I was tired, I was drained. At the peak (of my situation), I couldn't sit up for 30 minutes (or more), I would feel exhausted."

While Mr Bambang did not know if he was actually administered the drug or a placebo due to the nature of the trial, he noticed that things finally started to take a turn for the better.

"Whatever it was, whether I was under the real drug or the placebo side, I can tell you that ... my recovery after starting it was so much better.

"My body was taking a beating," he said. "I think psychologically I was in a bad place because I was not sure what was happening to me."

To Mr Bambang's delight, his temperature readings started to gradually dip.

"My temperatures started dropping - 38.7, 38.5 and then the breakthrough was the day they said it was 37.9," he explained. "I was very happy even though they said I was still feverish. Then it started going down to 37.5, 37.3 and I knew by that time I had won the battle."

But Mr Bambang attributes his recovery to more than just the clinical trial. It was also the constant encouragement of the doctors and nurses were vital in helping him pull through.

"The doctors were saying: 'Come on, you can do it! You've (already) come so far!' They were very reassuring and they said that it was important that they got me mentally strong as well," he said.

"The doctors kept reassuring me, they kept telling me not to worry - they would help me to pull through. They told me I had to go through this whole process. I had to go through the lowest point and then slowly things would start picking up."

It wasn't just the medical staff that Mr Bambang is effusive in his praise of.

"It's not just the doctors and the nurses, but the cleaners as well ... And they do this every day and they help so many of us," he said. "These guys are just brilliant and they would do it with a smile!" he said.

READ: The Big Read: The untold sacrifices by frontline healthcare workers as they soldier on against COVID-19

There was also the moral support of family and friends that kept him going.

"They were very active on the chat groups, keeping me motivated," Mr Bambang recalled. "And then my schoolmates from my days in SJI (St Joseph's Institution) and from CJC (Catholic Junior College) ... we all grouped back together, two of us were in hospital for the same thing ... and so the group just started coming together. No matter what religion we were, we were all praying for each other.

"That massive support helped me to pull through. When you feel a lot of people pulling in for you, cheering you up, cheering you on. That makes a world of difference. "

After being discharged after 16 days in the hospital, Mr Bambang believes that it is his duty to also speak up about what he went through.

"The message needs to keep coming out, especially from those that have been through it that this is no joke," he explained. "You guys got to be careful for your own safety and for your family.

"It was the hardest thing I've been through in my life ... This one took a lot out of me."

[iasshikshalove]

Daily Current Affairs Dated On 17-Feb-2020

Daily Current Affairs Dated On 17-Feb-2020 Contents: 1. Wayanad Tiger Reserve 2. New species of urban lizard found in Guwahati 3. Doctors remove large thyroid growths from Melghat tribal 4. ISRO making preparations to launch GISAT-1 in March first week 5. Madhya Pradesh grapples with spiraling neonatal deaths 6. Radio aids revival of dying tribal language WAYANAD TIGER RESERVE · The Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary (WWS), though home to more than half the number of tigers present in Kerala, may not be notified as a tiger reserve as the proposal lacks public support. · The ‘Status of Tigers in India’ report released last year had estimated the tiger population of Wayanad as between 75 and 80 individuals. · Periyar Tiger Reserve, the first one in Kerala, has an estimated population of 30 to 35 big cats, whereas Parambikulam, the second reserve, has a population of 20 to 25 tigers Advantages of notifying as tiger reserve The arguments of the officials that the notification would ensure financial aid from the Centre and the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), better conservation and management of the tiger population and help generate more employment opportunities NEW SPECIES OF URBAN LIZARD FOUND IN GUWAHATI Why in news? · The new species of lizard, zoologically named Cyrto dactylus urbanus, is markedly different in molecular structure, blotch and colour from the Cyrto dactylus guwahatiensis, or the Guwahati Bent-toed gecko, that was discovered two years ago · It was also the 12th recorded gecko from the Northeast. Daily Current Affairs Dated On 17-Feb-2020 DOCTORS REMOVE LARGE THYROID GROWTHS FROM MELGHAT TRIBAL · For long, the massive enlarged thyroid glands among the Korkus tribal living in Amravati’s Melghat region have puzzled doctors. · Doctors would see Korkus, mainly women, with these abnormal growths, known as goiter, weighing over one to two kilograms. · An annual surgery camp held at a remote hospital in Chikhaldara has however changed that. · While goiter remains prevalent, doctors now see smaller growths in the tribe. · Iodine deficiency is known as the common cause of goiter. · But the staple diet of Korkus is fish, a rich source of iodine, and there is availability of iodized salt too. · There are genetic factors at play- as per doctors More about korku tribes · The Korku are an Adivasi ethnic group predominantly found in the Khandwa, Burhanpur, Betul and Chhindwara districts of Madhya Pradesh and adjoining areas near the Melghat Tiger Reserve of Maharashtra. · They speak the Korku language, which is a member of the Munda languages and is written using Devanagari. They are classified as a Scheduled Tribe by the Indian government. · The Korku tribe lives in small groups of huts made of grass and wood. Every household has elevated stage like structure in the front side of the house. · This elevated stage is used as a storage space of farm produce such as cattle feed. They socially consume liquor made from the flowers of the Mahua tree which is prepared in almost all the houses. Predominantly, a rural-based community with 97% living in rural areas, Korkus are primarily cultivators · Traditional representative body of the society known as ‘Korku Panchayat’ is found in many villages. · Headed by a chief known as Patel, other members in the Panchayat include Padihar (priest), Kotwar (Chowkidar) and ten to twelve older male members of the community known as Panch. · It plays a decisive role during traditional occasions mainly in festivals, marriages and intra- and inter-village conflict resolutions. Daily Current Affairs Dated On 17-Feb-2020 ISRO MAKING PREPARATIONS TO LAUNCH GISAT-1 IN MARCH FIRST WEEK · GISAT-1 — Geo Imaging Satellite — will be the first of two planned Indian EO spacecraft to be placed in a geostationary orbit of around 36,000 km. · It will apparently be in a fixed spot looking over the Indian continent at all times. · With this satellite, which has high-resolution cameras, we can keep a constant watch on our borders, monitor any changes in the geographical condition of the country, etc. MADHYA PRADESH GRAPPLES WITH SPIRALING NEONATAL DEATHS Why in news? · Madhya Pradesh has recorded the highest percentage of newborn deaths of 11.5% against the total admissions to government run sick newborn care units (SNCUs) in the past three years across the country, a rate ominously spiralling since 2017 · According to the National Health Mission (NHM). The country’s average is 7%. Several factors responsible for deaths Staff crunch, low community referrals, absence of a special neonatal transport service to health centres, and the non-availability of enough units to cater to increasing institutional deliveries had contributed to the spike in the percentage of deaths Daily Current Affairs Dated On 17-Feb-2020 RADIO AIDS REVIVAL OF DYING TRIBAL LANGUAGE Why in news? · Using mobile radio, the Asur community has been spreading the popularity of the language within their geographical limits. · The Asur language figures in the list of UNESCO Interactive Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger. · As per the 2011 census, the tribe has a population of around 23,000 in Latehar and Gumla districts. · In the community, 50% of population could barely speak in Asur language … They are not fluent in the language. · Only 7,000 to 8,000 Asur tribals are left in the community who are well conversant in the language · Youth from the community are also being encouraged to write poems in their language and older ones narrate their experience in their own language