tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61212576055050932042024-02-19T07:56:31.117+04:00... musings from a distance ...Tor_Khan تور خانhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05644675368222202737noreply@blogger.comBlogger450125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6121257605505093204.post-49782314520604519302020-04-13T19:12:00.001+04:002020-04-13T19:14:03.929+04:00COVID-19:So what is the truth?<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Put it this way, there is a lot of disinformation around COVID-19. There is fear and anxiety and entire populations are under lockdown as an unseen virus grips the globe. Here in the UK we are being encouraged to #StayAtHome #SavetheNHS and #SaveLives. Our daily death toll (that, that is officially counted) is now reaching the 1000s. The frustration and fear has led to an explosion of doubt on social media - daily </span><a href="http://www.whatsapp.com/" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">WhatsApp</a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> messages, postings on </span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Reddit</a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> and so on. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Official figures (for incubation, infection and death) are confusing - and in some cases - doubtful. When the epicentre of the outbreak was Wuhan, China, followed very shortly by Qom, Iran what exactly was the link between the infections between these places? When Italy and Spain, with their better equipped health services have reported amongst the highest current death tolls globally, why are the figures from Iran and China not at the same level? And what about the stories (not picked up by the mainstream media) about viral resurgence in those places? Why were the initial responses of the UK and US woeful?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And what about the lockdown - how long do these go on for? Why has there been a vehement media (<a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-52198946">BBC</a>) and tech giant effort (read <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-52198946">Google</a>) to suppress debate about the rollout of 5G? Who is asking the questions about the work of The Wuhan Institute of Virology? Why is the World Health Organisation (WHO) contradictory/political? How come so many powerful investors and business magnates are being linked to the development of a vaccine solution? </span></div>
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Tor_Khan تور خانhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05644675368222202737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6121257605505093204.post-55355653444129089162020-04-11T19:01:00.001+04:002020-04-13T17:12:54.540+04:00So where do we go from here?<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">... to be fair, I don't really know ...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>No one does. </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The exploration of possible answers to the question I start with requires much more than 240 character <a href="http://torkhan/">Tweets</a> or to browse though <a href="http://www.instagram.com/torkhan.tk">Instagram</a> pictures. Certainly we need much more stamina to sit, read and explore than seems to be the trend on many (most?) social media platforms. Blogging, perhaps is viewed as slightly old school, so much change has happened in the way we spread and share information over the past few years. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I know that I have changed; my priorities, day to day worries and concerns have changed. The way I interact with the world; be it the real world or the virtual world has changed. People around me have changed and I have lost people whom I thought would forever have been there. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As I've soldiered on through my 40s, some things have become very real - mortality, uncertainty and illness, questions around long established relationships, new relationships, personal ambitions, identity politics, political populism and media influence, culture, tech surveillance and as I write - global pandemics. So how do we deal with these issues? Where do we stand? Where should we stand? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Essays, conversations, snippits, therapy and social media - <a href="http://torkhan.blogspot.com/2013/10/to-tweet-or-to-blog.html">I've continued share</a>. I'm not altogether sure I am anywhere nearer the answers, but I know that I am not alone in my thoughts. So when the gloves are off, and I'm free to speak, I shall return to this space to explore - my outlet and my connection. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Stick around.</span></div>
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<br />Tor_Khan تور خانhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05644675368222202737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6121257605505093204.post-9801319578135620012018-10-29T02:54:00.000+04:002018-10-29T02:59:02.813+04:00I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Here is the poem that inspired the title to Maya Angelou's book, I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings. It is the line taken from the third stanza from the poem Sympathy by Paul Laurence Dunbar (see <a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/18338/18338-h/18338-h.htm">here</a> for the complete works). The poem is about that feeling of freedom, or lack of. When I think about the weather, my work, where I am, where I hope to be, then yes certainly, <i>I know why the caged bird sings</i>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">SYMPATHY</span></h4>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">I know what the caged bird feels, alas!</span></h4>
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When the sun is bright on the upland slopes;</div>
When the wind stirs soft through the springing grass,<br />
And the river flows like a stream of glass;<br />
When the first bird sings and the first bud opes,<br />
And the faint perfume from its chalice steals—<br />
I know what the caged bird feels!<br />
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I know why the caged bird beats his wing<br />
Till its blood is red on the cruel bars;<br />
For he must fly back to his perch and cling<br />
When he fain would be on the bough a-swing;<br />
And a pain still throbs in the old, old scars<br />
And they pulse again with a keener sting—<br />
I know why he beats his wing!<br />
I know why the caged bird sings, ah me,<br />
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When his wing is bruised and his bosom sore,—<br />
When he beats his bars and he would be free;<br />
It is not a carol of joy or glee,<br />
But a prayer that he sends from his heart's deep core,<br />
But a plea, that upward to Heaven he flings—<br />
I know why the caged bird sings!<br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> Graphic source: <a href="http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/i%20know%20why%20the%20caged%20bird%20sings">Tagged</a></span></span></div>
Tor_Khan تور خانhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05644675368222202737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6121257605505093204.post-21519972279096240722017-05-21T23:01:00.001+04:002017-05-21T23:03:26.857+04:00J'existe<h2>
J'existe</h2>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Lost</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Somewhat adrift</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Tortured and yet thankful for the opportunities</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Emptied</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Love hurts</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Because no matter what they say, most things are conditional</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Pain</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Feel it?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When you love something so much, is it obession or pain? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Content</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I have more than others</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Yet still yearn for the past, missed chances, missed people</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Happiness</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Please explain this</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">To mean anything should happiness cancel out all pain?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Wisdom</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Only it if it brings calm</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I know what I know and only wish to know more if it gives me strength</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Carefree</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Total Abandon</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I've had those moments. They are preserved like gems in my mem</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ories</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Friends</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Notice me</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Just see me, know me, sense me, call out to me </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Summer</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Wish it would last</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Forever and ever and ever and ever</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Trust</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Don't leave me</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I'm still on a journey. Keep me guided, strong and in faith </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Peace</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">To everyone</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Those whom I love and those who pass me by. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ameen</span><br />
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<br />Tor_Khan تور خانhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05644675368222202737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6121257605505093204.post-43410181749915315362015-02-19T03:43:00.000+04:002015-02-19T04:09:46.567+04:00Compassion and Courage<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Compassion and Courage</b></span> </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg26LGK7-ikjNRj6-tztQjA-u31GNPvqh-atVQOEoVNJHjks5re9TsGUYtQVXHYZYinTbPhyphenhyphenOMj74x44Yx_B-XFKFHACwE1CYcOWEEu2SJ6GUR00fY5djZJ2l7bF4_QwpRb-hGz6zdOwyc/s1600/Watership_Down_cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg26LGK7-ikjNRj6-tztQjA-u31GNPvqh-atVQOEoVNJHjks5re9TsGUYtQVXHYZYinTbPhyphenhyphenOMj74x44Yx_B-XFKFHACwE1CYcOWEEu2SJ6GUR00fY5djZJ2l7bF4_QwpRb-hGz6zdOwyc/s1600/Watership_Down_cover.jpg" height="320" width="198" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Richard Adams</b> wrote about it in his book, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watership_Down"><b>Watership Down</b></a>. This is a book from my childhood that I would recommend to anyone wanting to understand compassion and courage in animals. It's a work of fiction of course but one of the more amazing things that I witnessed this past week was an act of compassion between our <a href="http://torkhan.blogspot.com/2012/07/bright-eyes.html">rabbits</a>. Seems bizarre that I should mention them here when I could be writing about something related to humanity instead, but hold on, I think there is something that we can learn from a species that seemingly is only instinctual - what else would we expect from animals that are to all effects and purposes at the bottom of the food chain? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Rabbit teeth grow permanently and must be worn down through gnawing and nibbling. The position of the teeth must line up so that they grind against each other. It is the way they are designed. One of our rabbits - <b>Camembert </b>has incisors that have previously required regular trimming because of the way they were misaligned. He started off not minding a routine trim (once every 6 weeks) but the frequency of the visits to the vet began to create a level of stress in him (every three weeks to a fortnight) and he went from being quite jovial before visits to very anxious when being put into a cage. Without his trim however, he struggled to eat and drink and this was potentially worse. After months of procrastination perhaps, we decided last April to make the decision to have his incisors removed permanently and he was put under general anaesthetic and operated on. Rabbits under anaesthesia have a higher failure/mortality rate that other small pets, so even that was a risk. The night he came back home from the vet, he looked weak and his eyes were either closed or weeping. I would never have thought I would be troubled so much to see an animal in such a state of discomfort and was genuinely unable to sleep until sitting with him late into the night, I witnessed him eating and taking a drink. Regular foraging/eating is essential for rabbit well-being. Camembert recovered and learned to adapt to eating using his molars and we adapted his feed in accordance. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Fast forward to August and on our return from the middle-east, we acquired <b>Yuki </b>a new addition to the rabbit family in the form of a Himalayan dwarf, white with red-eyes and Siamese ear/nose and feet-tipped in grey. She is quite an adorable bunny especially with her gregarious character. Very happy to be handled, but requiring a claw clipping early on. At that point the vet examined Camembert again and suggested that his lower incisor was reemerging. It remained stub-like for months until this month it became obvious that both his lower incisors had fully emerged and that they were now beginning to curl back. Rather than a trim, we opted for a (hopefully final) op. I feel strongly that the company that animals give to each other is important and Camembert's brother, <b>Harrod </b>went with him to the vets. He's the most reserved of the rabbits we have, but a brother, even when he gets grumpy at you, is still a brother. The first time around Harrod was instrumental in Camembert's recovery. Made sense to involved Harrod again this time round too.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We left Yuki at home - she's a playful rabbit, as already mentioned, but by mid-morning she sensed the absence of the other two. The day passed and when Camembert came home in the evening, he looked tired and again his eyes and movements suggested that he was in for a long night. Now I know that Harrod had nursed Camembert the first time he'd been operated on - licking him and keeping him close, but as brothers they have been bonded since birth. To see Yuki lick and nibble Camembert when she saw him after the operation really blew me away. She must have sensed his illness and her <b>compassion </b>towards him was on a level that made me reflect on care amongst animals and what this means for us as people. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I know we have people who care - who go out of their way to show that they care, but we are higher order beings, I expect us to care. However, we just as create and destroy equally and there are days when I feel that we do more of the latter than of the former. But to witness rabbits being compassionate and caring really made me think. We don't have the monopoly on compassion, on what it means to feel and care. There is much that we can learn just by observing these seemingly small things. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Meet Yuki. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photographed using a Samsung Galaxy S4 (Summer 2014)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Read also: <a href="http://torkhan.blogspot.com/2012/07/bright-eyes.html">Bright Eyes</a> </span></div>
Tor_Khan تور خانhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05644675368222202737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6121257605505093204.post-90079153001553865382014-10-26T13:04:00.003+04:002014-10-26T17:13:14.447+04:00Time is Relative<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>British Summertime: </b></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>An Illusion</b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I get to ask a lot of questions about the start/end of British Summertime and the supposed reasons we put our clocks forwards one hour and then back one hour every Spring and Autumn. There's not much we can do with the Earth's rotation around the sun and the amount of daylight we get depends on how close/further we are away from our winter and summer equinoxes. </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The continued
argument about saving daylight would actually only make sense if by
virtue of "springing forwards" and "falling back" we were making an impossible physical
alteration by adding more sunlight to our days. </span></span>What we do in our twice yearly clock adjustments, is create an illusion. The facts remain, that at this time of year, the days get shorter and the nights get longer, and of course because of the Earth's tilt, our northern hemisphere temperatures also drop, creating our long, dark and misty winters. </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">So why all the fuss with adjusting the clocks? And for that matter, when we are already contending with temperature changes, harsher weather and adjusting our eyes to the dark, who cares about clocks? Does counting minutes and seconds make us happier or does it add to an already over-stressed society? Can we not challenge this Western notion of time 'efficiency'? Perhaps, let physics and nature preside over this one.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Time is Relative </b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Why cannot we take a look back into the history of our ancestors? After all, the winters were always harsh and there was less daylight (note I am speaking of the Northern European context here - but each society and part of the world would have made their own adjustments) and we exist today inspite of past hardships. As Muslims, there is always this continuing debate around our calendar - notably around Eid and right now, the exact start date for the New Year. I'm now largely of the belief that the 'exact' date/time matters only if you need to do some specific number crunching - maybe if something needs a precise mathematical measurement. For the rest of us - a date - a precise minute - counting time - has got to be fairly arbitary. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">There wisdom of our ancestors meant that 'time' was much more closely matched to our natural patterns. They also 'measured' time, true - Fajr, Zuhar, Asr, Maghrib and Isha were all good markers of the day, and were decided by amount of daylight, but clinical precision was not foremost when talking about time. "See you in the afternoon," meant that people would meet after Asr and before Maghrib, and not precisely at 3.15pm - woe betide anyone arriving for an appointment at 3.16pm. People, (again Northern Europe illustrates this very well) having reaped their harvests in autumn, would conserve their winter energy by getting up at dawn to feed their livestock and retire to their huts when it was dark to drink their hot broths and eat what they had put aside from their summer's stock, sleeping most of the winter out. In other words, over the winter, people had a different working pattern and lived according to the amount of light available. Different stresses, but compare that to waiting </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">at bus stops </span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">in the rain trying </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">to get home in the evening rush hour traffic when the world has gone dark. Who are we kidding? What makes that version of 'daylight' saving better and more efficient? </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">At this point in the year, </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">there <i>is </i>a collective slow down; </span></span>hibernation for animals and stocking up for winter are natural phenomena. Apply that also to the human condition; our history bears witness to seasonal variation and not a constant mechanical expectation of the same levels of work output. What's wrong with admitting this? Would most of us not be happier simply to follow the natural patterns of daylight and live accordingly (yes, by working less) rather than attempting to manipulate time in order to drive 'efficiency'?</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Read <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/economic-and-health-effects-of-daylight-saving-time-2014-3">more</a>. </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-D_wSXT_YjToUqUTDDd_GK65JfP7cg0O6XRx4uztSjQtK-N4gD_zharEScB4PaNcBnmaqhtRWm3Xc3OrZ-GLbVGcfk76NAbBg9GfO72YkFJLySm3rbyvSSCDTc2clqmQMOM_N7nkYiAI/s1600/quote-when-told-the-reason-for-daylight-saving-time-the-old-indian-said-only-a-white-man-would-believe-anonymous-301842.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-D_wSXT_YjToUqUTDDd_GK65JfP7cg0O6XRx4uztSjQtK-N4gD_zharEScB4PaNcBnmaqhtRWm3Xc3OrZ-GLbVGcfk76NAbBg9GfO72YkFJLySm3rbyvSSCDTc2clqmQMOM_N7nkYiAI/s1600/quote-when-told-the-reason-for-daylight-saving-time-the-old-indian-said-only-a-white-man-would-believe-anonymous-301842.jpg" height="187" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Source: <a href="http://izquotes.com/quote/301842">izquotes.com</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Read more: <a href="http://torkhan.blogspot.com/2011/11/time.html">Time</a></span></span></span></div>
Tor_Khan تور خانhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05644675368222202737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6121257605505093204.post-32413207881572327292014-08-23T00:40:00.001+04:002014-08-27T06:28:49.429+04:00Postcard from Al Khor<div style="text-align: left;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I took the drive to <b>Al Khor</b> some days back; a route that I would take often, when I lived in Al Khor. As a family we had lots of fond memories of the place and it was great to visit some of the key places that we were attached to 13 years back. The <a href="http://www.akcommunity.org/directory.html">Al Khor Community</a> has expanded and matured, and therefore changed somewhat, as all places do, but it remained very familiar, and navigating my way round was not that difficult. I include a couple of snaps and a <b>Google Map</b> showing my journey from <b>Doha</b>. </span></div>
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Tor_Khan تور خانhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05644675368222202737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6121257605505093204.post-45452149697199076862014-08-12T19:06:00.000+04:002014-08-21T19:14:04.324+04:00Arabian Nights: Souk Waqif<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Souk Waqif</b> has been shaped, in part by the Iranian tradesmen who settled in Doha. When I was last there (around 2001), it was a jumble of shops selling rugs, spices, cloth and copperware. Today it has been smartened up with hotels and outdoor coffee shops, where the smell of perfume and shisha hangs in the air. It still retains the old souk feel with its narrow alleyed streets, Arabian craftshops, Rajasthani storytellers and Iranian barrowmen. Worth a visit on fresh summers night.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Read more on <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g294009-d1768661-Reviews-Souq_Waqif-Doha.html">Trip Advisor</a>. </span></div>
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Tor_Khan تور خانhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05644675368222202737noreply@blogger.com0Souk Waqif, Qatar25.354826 51.18388400000003523.51796 48.602097000000036 27.191692 53.765671000000033tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6121257605505093204.post-62067372127484402882014-07-29T06:55:00.000+04:002014-07-29T06:55:00.244+04:00Qatar قطر<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I first arrived in Qatar in the year before the turn of the new millenium. It was for me the first time that I'd lived in a new place and was, for three years, my home. After the initial settling in period, I grew to love the place as did my young family and we have fond memories of our time living in Al Khor in the north and discovering a new and exciting region. In the interim, I have lived and worked in other places, and passed through Qatar, staying in Doha en route to the UAE where I also made my home. Today I return to the country that was once home, with an older family, and to a much changed country. I am here this time for a family event, but amongst the most exciting aspects I hope to experience, will be to return to those places that were familiar, when, fifteen years ago, this was a fledgling country with a mere population of 600,000. The Gulf isn't quite out of my system, I confess. For example, when I send an email, I edit the signature tag that still carries my old cell number. Also, when I write this blog, whilst the dates are accurate, the times that are published by each posting actually reflect Gulf Standard Time. </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Memories perhaps?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Qatar. I am home. Enjoy the film. </span></div>
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Tor_Khan تور خانhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05644675368222202737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6121257605505093204.post-40898373689315766582014-07-28T07:19:00.000+04:002014-07-28T07:19:00.056+04:00اختر مو مبارک شه<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span><span style="font-size: x-large;">اختر مو مبارک شه</span></span></div>
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<span><span><span style="font-size: x-large;">روژی مو قبولې</span><span><span><span style="font-size: x-large;"> شه</span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Eid Mubarak</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">May your fasting be accepted </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Tor_Khan</span><span style="font-size: 180%; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size: 100%;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 180%; font-weight: bold;">تور خان</span></span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span dir="rtl" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: Pokhto;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></div>
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Tor_Khan تور خانhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05644675368222202737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6121257605505093204.post-17480695489363846562014-07-24T06:31:00.000+04:002014-07-28T03:12:28.973+04:00The Human Cost of War<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">... Or more specificially, the title should perhaps be <b>The Human Cost of Someone Else's War</b> ... </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There must be <b>a first rule</b> - <b>humanity</b>, above all else. No other ideology - religious, political, economic, fashion or tradtion is equal to that first rule. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/23/mh17-day-of-mourning-in-netherlands-as-bodies-arrive-live-updates"><b>downing of the the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17</b></a> </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">still </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">has me in a state of shock. It seems to come admist a number of human tragedy/gloom stories making the news of late (including the current conflicts in Syria/Iraq/Palestine/Waziristan). At times like this I am forced to pause and return to that 'first rule' - humanity - the most sacred thing worth 'fighting' for. All else is second.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In the current <b>Israeli-Palestinian</b> bombardment, the major news-networks are cautiously selective and present a somewhat sanitised view; not quite able to be fully critical of Israeli aggression, despite a track record and a revealing body of evidence. Hamas is also responsible for aggression, so deaths and injury must not be sugar-coated but here is a clear case of imbalanced response. Considering that Jewish suffering during the Second World War is still within living memory of some, I can never understand how the Israeli state can have </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">complete disregard for the most basic of human compassion.</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The <b>Pakistan army operation in Waziristan</b> (Zarb-e-Azb) - again is illustrative of another human tragedy where the rights and wrongs of the conflict have disregarded basic humanity towards ordinary people who are caught in the cross-fire. Most Pashtuns in the tribal belt wish only to protect their land and possesions. Collective punishment, seemingly deemed legitimate in both the Israeli and the Pakistani case treats the innocent as expendable. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The same could be said for the non-combatant civilians caught in Iraq and Syria, and of course between the <b>Russian-backed rebels in the Ukraine</b> and the Ukranian government. The recent downing of the aeroplane is exactly that - innocents caught up in someone else's war. A real <b>human tragedy</b> and one that has shaken my faith in others. I always expect humans to show humanity, but am fast adapting to the reality that this isn't always so. Pessimism perhaps. Somehow I must hang on to hope, as I fully endorse those genuine fights for autonomy, self-determination and rule of law. But this cannot be justified by mindless acts of violence where <b>innocent humans</b> have to <b>pay for the costs of someone else's war</b>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0K_3KIP782KQIDlxYirIPJLoB7ah_oRFp3i-zYwNVyokflBIKEktuWrpcUceQRSUq6S8-zVoVjq9EOVNyx3SRIFOnKf0Vsq_Aif4XTBqn4vmt1NjJnB673ts1e0i8EBuzaJwwgUZamyw/s1600/casualties-of-war1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0K_3KIP782KQIDlxYirIPJLoB7ah_oRFp3i-zYwNVyokflBIKEktuWrpcUceQRSUq6S8-zVoVjq9EOVNyx3SRIFOnKf0Vsq_Aif4XTBqn4vmt1NjJnB673ts1e0i8EBuzaJwwgUZamyw/s1600/casualties-of-war1.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Source: <a href="http://www.patheos.com/blogs/nakedpastor/2011/11/free-download-casualties-of-war/">Patheos.com</a></span></div>
Tor_Khan تور خانhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05644675368222202737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6121257605505093204.post-50175724027665110172014-06-30T05:48:00.001+04:002014-06-30T05:51:09.926+04:00Waziristan Weeps<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">په ګران وزیرستان کی غیر اغیار نه منو </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=499014866801610">Post</a> by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/WaziristanTheLionsDen">Waziristan - The Lion's Den</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="st">The song from the hills and mountains of <b>Waziristan </b>is fitting reminder that Waziristan whilst brave and tenacious, has been infiltrated and damaged by outsiders - jihadist militants, US drones, and Pakistani forces. And now the refugee crisis; in <b>Pakistan </b>called, <b>IDP</b>s - Internally Displaced People, where even liberal Pakistanis have shut their doors on the human traffic that is the inevitable fallout from a military offensive </span>(<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Zarb-e-Azb">Operation Zarb-e-Azb</a>)<span class="st">. Déjà vu. We've seen this all before.</span> The events <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-27961929">today</a> in Waziristan are not disimilar from the events four years ago: <a href="http://torkhan.blogspot.com/2010/06/as-if-hell-fell-on-me.html">As If Hell Fell On Me.</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Whilst the Pakistani establishment turns its offensive on Waziristan as a public reponse to this month's attack on <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-27758032">Karachi Airport</a>, there is an eerie reminder that we struggle to move
forwards because we don't learn from the past. This is about <a href="http://muftah.org/book-review-pashtun-question-abubakar-siddique/#.U7DBLECM_W7">Pashtuns</a> caught in the middle of a bigger war, yet again. </span></div>
Tor_Khan تور خانhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05644675368222202737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6121257605505093204.post-39581313795445075872014-05-18T16:24:00.000+04:002014-05-21T12:51:55.995+04:00The Truth is Out There<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Throughout history, notable events have occured when people have found a way to challenge the status quo often by opposing (even breaking with) social customs and the law. I'm not on that level of opposition so in some respects, I am to blame for developing a sense of 'switchedoffness'. I should challenge what is not right or what conflicts with my inner beliefs. I have the power of protest because of where I live and should use it, I remind myself. I was raised in a democracy and presumably I have the freedom of speech that others don't. Privileges that make me fortunate as well as responsibilities that come with those privileges.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And yet a few days back, I sat through a very uncomfortable meeting on the matter of '<b><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-27404480">extremism</a></b>'. You know, <b>the whole argument about anti-establishment information being drip fed into young minds by anti-state agents</b>. Typically, Islam comes up (</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">in truth, </span>isn't Islamic ideology what this is <u>all</u> about?) though they throw in the other objectionable - right-wing Nazi-sympathy - (a late addition to the topic) as some </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">kind of neutralising factor so that the Muslims in the audience don't feel that they are under seige.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It's true; extremists exist. And they do much damage - take a look at <b>Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nigeria</b> etc. There must be a counter narrative to challenge blinkered thinking - a free education system that allows people to make up their own minds in these places - sometimes backed with counter actions (intelligence). But on this occasion I sat through this meeting, democracy, freedom and all, and I felt like the most disempowered person there is. I remained silent, unable to speak up but also torn between what I know/feel is happening to what I am being told. My problem is that continually, the freedom to speak out in protest of government policy, to voice an alternative view, is being marginilised under the weight of the media that cherry picks its commentary when reporting major world events. Remember, they filter the news for us and as most people passively consume, we don't often think about the after effects.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Why is it that the popular counter narrative to extremism (headed by the likes of <a href="http://torkhan.blogspot.com/search?q=malala">Malala Yousafzai</a> etc.) now feel like the conflict of an old establishment with its own less-than-benevolent interests against newer forms of protest against them? Why is it, that despite my clear revulsion at the tactics employed by militants (<b>Taliban, <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/09/nigeria-hashtags-wont-bring-back-our-girls-bringbackourgirls">Boko Haram</a></b>* etc.), I think that there is an argument that they should be part of the dialogue for building long term <b>peace</b>? Why is it that I just don't trust the media, the motives of governments driven by capital interests and their third world stooges when they claim that they are fighting for '<b>freedom</b>' and '<b>democracy</b>'?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Damn it. I live in a <b>democracy</b>, but dare I speak in favour of something that runs counter to the popular narrative, then I'll be lumped with the extremists that I object. Despite the hundreds of TV channels, most converge at the same place. And despite the millions of websites, the vast majority again, spout a narrative that has been predecided. Dare anyone seek an alternative view? IPs are tracked, web-searches are indexed and profiles are built. It begins, over time, to erode one's confidence to speak up and certainly affects my confidence in state instutions. I'm reluctant now to believe in much of what I'm being told and have learned <b>the art of silence</b>. Extremists/counter-extremists; I don't think that we are in a safer, better world, but not for the reasons that we are told. In a way, my freedom of thought is my most precious freedom, but it is isolating and useless without the freedom to speak up.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>The truth</b>, as they say, <b>is out there</b>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie7kR0WlZ5ADOBl1VS4e1exwJ_d00Qxf2dphrwVmyLxy18ZaP9rN2WxQ8oZTikO77DeAfilMIZ0ylrbHR4rJXnTweS-xQamZyAif3AOEW6jOkKcitM2IZWxKqjAuSBnorNOzoCQIt6NWI/s1600/the-truth-is-out-there2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie7kR0WlZ5ADOBl1VS4e1exwJ_d00Qxf2dphrwVmyLxy18ZaP9rN2WxQ8oZTikO77DeAfilMIZ0ylrbHR4rJXnTweS-xQamZyAif3AOEW6jOkKcitM2IZWxKqjAuSBnorNOzoCQIt6NWI/s1600/the-truth-is-out-there2.png" height="182" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Image: <a href="http://hauntedman.net/tag/millienial-hospitality/">The Haunted Man</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*Read here for an alternative on the Nigeria situation: <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/09/nigeria-hashtags-wont-bring-back-our-girls-bringbackourgirls">'Dear World, Hashtags won't #BringBackOurGirls' </a></span></span></div>
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Tor_Khan تور خانhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05644675368222202737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6121257605505093204.post-9604892364645985642014-05-04T19:19:00.001+04:002014-05-04T19:20:44.283+04:00د اسرار اتل غزل<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">دا چې په جرګو دى راولم جـــــــــــــــانانه</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">راشه په پښتو دى راولم جـــــــــــــــــانانه</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">دا ځلې اختر به سره يو ځـــــــــــــــــاى وي</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">كلي ته په شپو دى راولم جـــــــــــــــــانانه</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">راشه په پښتو دى راولم جــــــــــــــــــانانه</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">زړه مي يې په ژوند مې كورته نـه راتلى</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">ساه مي يې په تلو دې راولم جـــــــــانانه</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">راشه په پښتو دى راولم جــــــــــــــــــانانه</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">بيا د چا غمونو تښتولــــــــــــــــــــــى يـــې</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">خوبه په ګولو دى راولم جـــــــــــــــــــانانه</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">راشه په پښتو دى راولم جــــــــــــــــــانانه</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">داسى يې اتله راته ويــــــــــــــــــــــــلې دي</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">شور له د بنګړو دى راولم جــــــــــــــانانه</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">راشه په پښتو دى راولم جـــــــــــــــــانانه</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">راشه په پښتو دى راولم جـــــــــــــــــانانه</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"> اسرار اتل</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3WVItjBLc7N0K3mjAoXLi49OnzgnvV2J9PIjZKNjwICF3l9S9ulFKZtin09pMzBQtLVkq97yp1pYfPj0p1S1yyToc-ZRZNMcR_IwC5PREBMKZdnaUNYkxdv3hvXjdPUBxO3p-xMIGHYc/s1600/Israr+Atal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3WVItjBLc7N0K3mjAoXLi49OnzgnvV2J9PIjZKNjwICF3l9S9ulFKZtin09pMzBQtLVkq97yp1pYfPj0p1S1yyToc-ZRZNMcR_IwC5PREBMKZdnaUNYkxdv3hvXjdPUBxO3p-xMIGHYc/s1600/Israr+Atal.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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Tor_Khan تور خانhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05644675368222202737noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6121257605505093204.post-55037372227253119432014-04-27T04:01:00.000+04:002014-05-04T17:24:17.828+04:00Spring Garden<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwbJhaKn-Sh6-a-Zpjm6qAKNv1Fv_VyO3kJcybe7NUEm0vtydZZtUX3PrfuwPNFvu-KYbaqA7qQaP8IbJ-CFw3fvvkXHM6Dl8oOVFwNglS8s6ia1ylGIOCr2ygd1kw_ZyPKs6ke9KrmEg/s1600/Collages.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwbJhaKn-Sh6-a-Zpjm6qAKNv1Fv_VyO3kJcybe7NUEm0vtydZZtUX3PrfuwPNFvu-KYbaqA7qQaP8IbJ-CFw3fvvkXHM6Dl8oOVFwNglS8s6ia1ylGIOCr2ygd1kw_ZyPKs6ke9KrmEg/s400/Collages.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Spring Garden 2014 </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Photography by me. Edited in Google <a href="http://picasa.google.com/">Picasa</a>. </span></div>
Tor_Khan تور خانhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05644675368222202737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6121257605505093204.post-90897280735574410852014-04-24T05:23:00.002+04:002014-04-25T22:36:56.346+04:00The OLPC In Review<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I take the time today to return to key interests of mine - <b>technology </b>and <b>education </b>in the <b>developing world</b>. In fact, whilst perhaps I have not mention it here earlier, I was accepted on a PhD programme in the field and due to start at the beginning of this year (having deferred from the year before), but the fees made this non-tenable at the present time and like many things in life, I am thinking about what I do next. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The subject of this posting however centres around whether one <b>ed tech</b> approach - the <a href="http://www.olpcnews.com/"><b>OLPC</b> </a>- is still relevant today. </span></span>Interestingly a couple of years ago, the OLPC featured in a <b>thesis</b> I wrote, at a time when there was considerable debate about whether it was idealistic to expect full saturation of laptops (one per child) in the developing world. Additionally, I have <b><a href="http://torkhan.blogspot.com/search/label/One%20Laptop%20Per%20Child">blogged</a></b> about this on several occasions. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">One of the blogs - <b><a href="http://www.olpcnews.com/">OLPC News</a></b> - that I have followed on the subject announced its 'closure' last month and today another blog - <b><a href="http://edutechdebate.org/">Educational Technology Debate</a></b> (also previously mentioned <a href="http://torkhan.blogspot.com/2011/01/educational-technology-debate.html">here</a>) - raised the debate about whether, in the face of the rise of mobile devices and tablets, the OLPC project too had also run its course.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Of course the OLPC is rooted in <b><a href="http://web.media.mit.edu/~nicholas/">Nicholas Negroponte</a>'</b>s endorsement of a <b>Constructivist</b> ideology - the idea that children can create their own knowledge and educational content with the right tools - in this case - a small open source laptop - that has been designed to be a low power robust machine that can creates its own peer network - ideal for communities that do not have reliable power or internet connections.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Is the OLPC still relevant? </span></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://wayan.com/"><b>Wayan Vota</b></a>, writing for the <a href="http://edutechdebate.org/2014-ict4edu-trends/is-the-one-laptop-per-child-model-still-relevant-in-2014/"><b>Educational Technology Debate</b></a> asks the key question, that if we were to replace laptops with today's technologies - mobiles, handhelds and tablets and had full one-to-one saturation (i.e. every child in the developing world had their own device) would this be ideal? Could we instead instead share tools and equipment for the same results? Negroponte would argue that since children have their own pencils, they should have an entitlement to their own laptop. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The crucial question around meeting the need for enabled and adequately-paid educators is one that continues to remain important, especially in large parts of the developing world. Often low teacher and high student ratios place additional stresses on already burden systems. Negroponte aimed to address the gap through the laptop programme (read that to mean that children can 'educate' themselves). The <a href="http://torkhan.blogspot.com/2011/01/educational-technology-debate.html">Educational Technology Debate</a> article also asks if this is wise or indeed <b>the moral thing to do</b>. </span></span></div>
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Tor_Khan تور خانhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05644675368222202737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6121257605505093204.post-29485019667612776322014-03-30T23:14:00.001+04:002014-03-30T23:17:27.583+04:00د مور دعا<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">ماته وغواړه مورجــــانی مغفـــــرت <br />چې نصیب می ستا دعا شې هم رحمت<br />ته دعـــــــا د زړه دکــــومی راته وکړه<br />ستا دعا کې دی د ټول جـــــهان طاقت<br />اوس زه ستا د دعا ګانو ډیر محـتاج یم <br />ځکه ستا دپښــــو دلاندی دې جــــنت<br />ته ځـولۍ د رحـــمتونو راخــوره کــړه <br />ستا ځولۍ کې دي دنــیا او اخـــــــرت<br />که هر څو زه ستا نه ځاراوصدقه شم<br />در به نه کړای شم بدل ستا دزحــمت<br />زه عادل ستا دعا په طمع ناســـت یم<br />چې محروم نه شم له دغه لوي نعمت<br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;">Original Post: <a href="http://www.nasimshah.blogfa.com/post/12">Nasim Shah</a> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Photograph: Samsung Galaxy S4</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Tor_Khan</span><span style="font-size: 180%; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size: 100%;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 180%; font-weight: bold;">تور خان</span></div>
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Tor_Khan تور خانhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05644675368222202737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6121257605505093204.post-67413677787641254822014-03-04T01:25:00.000+04:002014-03-04T01:25:00.285+04:00Grandfathers<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Because of the distances presented by my parent's migration to England, I didn't grow up with either of my grandfathers and only saw them during a trip to Pakistan when I was still in first school. I have fading memories of my maternal grandfather, Ghulam Nadir, and some almost equally blurred images of my paternal grandfather, Ali Akbar.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">My father's grandfather went by the fine name of Arsalaan and his father was Ras Gul, and so it continues. They are mostly known by their singular names (Khan and Gul as honorific titles) at a time when hard records were not always kept. </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> It's important,
however, to have knowledge of your past and this thread is dedicated to
that important patrilineal lineage of grandfathers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHZiTwwWu2AYiXqyTsVwb8r5rsv69FwWQ_b-6e7U5yk7GbZVYVMKjm9Ew1ASxM-pBHWsxUmGNbdPLTEQ47n4v4Ue1vtI1_AfPQvdtmx69QGEIlEq9XfoPzFowndfdDPqMyLR-BJG82wAE/s1600/Grandfather's+Names.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHZiTwwWu2AYiXqyTsVwb8r5rsv69FwWQ_b-6e7U5yk7GbZVYVMKjm9Ew1ASxM-pBHWsxUmGNbdPLTEQ47n4v4Ue1vtI1_AfPQvdtmx69QGEIlEq9XfoPzFowndfdDPqMyLR-BJG82wAE/s1600/Grandfather's+Names.PNG" height="199" width="320" /> </a></span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Tor_Khan</span><span style="font-size: 180%; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size: 100%;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 180%; font-weight: bold;">تور خان</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Click <a href="http://torkhan.blogspot.com/search?q=malla">here</a> and <a href="http://torkhan.blogspot.co.uk/2009/02/blog-post.html">here</a> to read more.</span></div>
Tor_Khan تور خانhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05644675368222202737noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6121257605505093204.post-33364655229129953192014-02-28T03:28:00.000+04:002014-03-02T05:25:22.962+04:00Toxic People 10: The Non-Believers<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Toxic People</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">10. The Non-Believers</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Worse than those who don’t dream are those who dream, but don’t believe that they can turn those dreams into reality. Those who don’t believe in themselves don’t amount to anything in life. They are the losers — those that are always there, but don’t influence the world. They live in a gloomy and depressing world where their lives are out of their hands. They go with the flow and never attempt to achieve any sort of success. Don’t rely on them to support you when you need the support, either. If they don’t believe in themselves, then they sure as hell won’t believe in you.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Image: <a href="http://todays-quotes.com/wp-content/uploads/quotes/Quotes-about-Change_2.jpg">Today's Quotes</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Text inspired by </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://truthseekerdaily.com/2014/01/the-10-types-of-toxic-people-that-mentally-strong-people-avoid/">TruthSeekerDaily.com</a></span></span></span> </span></div>
Tor_Khan تور خانhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05644675368222202737noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6121257605505093204.post-7463231112699202912014-02-23T03:15:00.000+04:002014-03-02T05:23:19.239+04:00Toxic People 9: The Non-Dreamers<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Toxic People </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">9. The Non-Dreamers<br /><br />Those who can’t dream don’t live. Life is about believing that things can be better — not just for you, but for everyone. What makes people human is dreaming and hoping that the change to come will be for the better. Those that don’t dream won’t allow you to dream, either, and will do their best to prove to you that your dreams are just that: dreams.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaUYf6VvH0ZYp013SDoo4hcLJTWpxT9fnNRDj8g3y8q8-w9hPD8tB_iqZ7xqTfm9mMG2c4HEfJRTjToigH2xnouNkSEmbuWKN0kEYMF1GCgYZHQb7XVP07kH8vxG7uLMMvZ1WrfnnDxXI/s1600/Image+Presence+in+My+Life.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaUYf6VvH0ZYp013SDoo4hcLJTWpxT9fnNRDj8g3y8q8-w9hPD8tB_iqZ7xqTfm9mMG2c4HEfJRTjToigH2xnouNkSEmbuWKN0kEYMF1GCgYZHQb7XVP07kH8vxG7uLMMvZ1WrfnnDxXI/s1600/Image+Presence+in+My+Life.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Image: Creative Commons</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Text inspired by </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://truthseekerdaily.com/2014/01/the-10-types-of-toxic-people-that-mentally-strong-people-avoid/">TruthSeekerDaily.com</a></span></span> </span></div>
Tor_Khan تور خانhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05644675368222202737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6121257605505093204.post-67577020417700059902014-02-19T03:03:00.000+04:002014-03-02T05:23:42.603+04:00Toxic People 8: Those Who Stay Within Their Comfort Zones<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Toxic People </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>8. Those Who Stay Within Their Comfort Zones</b><br /><br />If we wish to live a life of adventure, then those who aren’t adventurous need be avoided. All those you meet and come across in your life are partners on your journey, if only for a few seconds. Those we keep around more regularly end up steering our direction more than we realize. If you hope to leave your comfort zone regularly, then don’t hang out with those who aren’t willing to leave theirs. Their chain simply isn’t long enough to go for the ride.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyh_ePnZMSpQp3HLEjW6eLy11F2pZ0tI9u4yf6ZQmL5EU7f-5kOxeLSkpcYc2Ekx8wv2Cl-R2TJhxOZMoWL-miCuacV_A1OzlCB-JCGVxysJZle4oswHMDvev3Ej8yFOIiZbYDe013P-U/s1600/Trust+Your+Gut.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyh_ePnZMSpQp3HLEjW6eLy11F2pZ0tI9u4yf6ZQmL5EU7f-5kOxeLSkpcYc2Ekx8wv2Cl-R2TJhxOZMoWL-miCuacV_A1OzlCB-JCGVxysJZle4oswHMDvev3Ej8yFOIiZbYDe013P-U/s1600/Trust+Your+Gut.jpg" height="320" width="255" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Image: <a href="http://oursoulspurpose.com/2013/09/15/how-to-recognize-the-toxic-people-in-your-life/">OurSoulsPurpose.com</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Text inspired by </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://truthseekerdaily.com/2014/01/the-10-types-of-toxic-people-that-mentally-strong-people-avoid/">TruthSeekerDaily.com</a></span></span></span> </span></div>
Tor_Khan تور خانhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05644675368222202737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6121257605505093204.post-34166907366847000052014-02-15T03:21:00.000+04:002014-03-02T05:23:56.471+04:00Toxic People 7: The Constantly 'Depressed'<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Toxic People</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>7. The Constantly 'Depressed'</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Not those that have an actual chemical imbalance, but those who act like they do. We all know people who are always feeling bad for themselves, always complaining about how difficult their lives are and how unlucky they are. Bad luck is not a lifelong circumstance. If your life sucks, then guess what? It’s mostly, if not entirely, your fault. Don’t keep these folks around unless you want them to bring you down with them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQejKdwTxvRHuUrA2uKDTMSWLQRw9E9sOflDFGAzL0gSff3phIy9jAQswJQ27uVSqjVLuoupcaXYhf3LjCgemXDkjVhPtwz2lcPJL4u2vJdxNSln7gManxFkhOivF9eleaTkB1dIdwVn4/s1600/Let+Go.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQejKdwTxvRHuUrA2uKDTMSWLQRw9E9sOflDFGAzL0gSff3phIy9jAQswJQ27uVSqjVLuoupcaXYhf3LjCgemXDkjVhPtwz2lcPJL4u2vJdxNSln7gManxFkhOivF9eleaTkB1dIdwVn4/s1600/Let+Go.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Image: <a href="http://rachelbrathen.com/blog/releasing-toxic-people-from-your-life/">rachelbrathen.com</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Text inspired by </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://truthseekerdaily.com/2014/01/the-10-types-of-toxic-people-that-mentally-strong-people-avoid/">TruthSeekerDaily.com</a></span></span></span> </span>Tor_Khan تور خانhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05644675368222202737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6121257605505093204.post-80949963618264316452014-02-12T02:39:00.000+04:002014-03-02T05:24:11.902+04:00Toxic People 6: The Big Talkers<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Toxic People </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>6. The Big Talkers</b></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Those that spend their time running their mouths spend little time doing anything else. It’s the mentally strong that don’t bother doing the talking because the work they are doing speaks for itself. The talkers, on the other hand, have nothing but the empty words they’re speaking.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Image: <a href="http://happyherbivore.com/2013/06/minimalist-monday-ending-toxic-relationships/">HappyHerbivore.com</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Text inspired by </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://truthseekerdaily.com/2014/01/the-10-types-of-toxic-people-that-mentally-strong-people-avoid/">TruthSeekerDaily.com</a></span></span></span> </span></div>
Tor_Khan تور خانhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05644675368222202737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6121257605505093204.post-46564401177939687072014-02-06T02:20:00.000+04:002014-03-02T05:26:20.817+04:00Toxic People 5: Anyone Who Lives By Saying "YOLO"<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Toxic People</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>5. Anyone Who Lives By Saying “YOLO”</b><br /><br />Understanding that you only live once can put your life in perspective. In fact, it should put your life in perspective. Yet, the Biebers, Drakes and Mileys of the world somehow managed to get the message completely backwards. YOLO: Let’s get wasted and high, do stupid things, throw up all over ourselves and possibly die while we’re at it! Yes, YOLO. The whole origin of this saying doesn’t suggest doing pointless, dumb things. YOLO means you should spend your time doing something meaningful, with a purpose. YOLO: You have once chance; don’t screw it up.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0M1d99ZS3YTIVfKVw70yn9ETzuOL-NeKZOWK5KCF7nDcBnyHG6kGc0NuDZBm64XBBANQ3nyTYQiOl2A85XEJARFzGrUWIW-RxNizqjrr6kCCSiNr_LqOZ6CtxmZ9j-EHAhHU9bCpzP7M/s1600/toxic-people.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0M1d99ZS3YTIVfKVw70yn9ETzuOL-NeKZOWK5KCF7nDcBnyHG6kGc0NuDZBm64XBBANQ3nyTYQiOl2A85XEJARFzGrUWIW-RxNizqjrr6kCCSiNr_LqOZ6CtxmZ9j-EHAhHU9bCpzP7M/s1600/toxic-people.png" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Image: <a href="http://spicie.com/">Spicie.com</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Text inspired by </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://truthseekerdaily.com/2014/01/the-10-types-of-toxic-people-that-mentally-strong-people-avoid/">TruthSeekerDaily.com</a></span></span></span> </span></div>
Tor_Khan تور خانhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05644675368222202737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6121257605505093204.post-83726420865929731122014-02-03T02:11:00.000+04:002014-03-02T05:24:27.716+04:00Toxic People 4: The Lazy<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Toxic People </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>4. The Lazy</b><br /><br />Laziness is a disease, one that is highly contagious. Lazy people make other people lazy. The more you hang around the immobile, the less you will feel the need to be mobile. The mentally strong are not impervious. Hang around lazy people too often and you’ll notice your productivity and general enjoyment of life plummeting.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQHh5C_ldC9wYXz32LpfChtSHs8sxDLFVFbNeGPxHiVfTMqqXCjWePgzmtwDGl1Rndkqw5mTrAVaD8vrzc31ZhPobJeOnXSqU1cKajrQjD04j7J5TMJGr9C2aayDOdXSfclb62buescQ8/s1600/keep-calm-and-purge-toxic-people.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQHh5C_ldC9wYXz32LpfChtSHs8sxDLFVFbNeGPxHiVfTMqqXCjWePgzmtwDGl1Rndkqw5mTrAVaD8vrzc31ZhPobJeOnXSqU1cKajrQjD04j7J5TMJGr9C2aayDOdXSfclb62buescQ8/s1600/keep-calm-and-purge-toxic-people.png" height="320" width="274" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Image: <a href="http://sd.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/i/keep-calm-and-purge-toxic-people.png">Calm-o-matic</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Text inspired by </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://truthseekerdaily.com/2014/01/the-10-types-of-toxic-people-that-mentally-strong-people-avoid/">TruthSeekerDaily.com</a></span></span></span> </span>Tor_Khan تور خانhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05644675368222202737noreply@blogger.com0