Pakistani Artists Find a Contemporary Voice, Kamila Hayat, Forward the KESC bill to Allah, Israel and Iran - Goose and Gander

KARACHI, Pakistan — When Bani Abidi returned to this country in 2003 after studying for a master’s degree at the Art Institute of Chicago, she was anxious about the precarious position of her homeland. She wanted to make art that would address it, that would somehow speak to both Pakistanis and Americans about the way the United States, in her view, had pushed Pakistan into falling in line with the war on terror, regardless of the potential fallout. Pakistani Artists Find a Contemporary Voice

But somewhere an important message was ignored. The state of Pakistan must assume more responsibility for the plight of its citizens and divert funds to tackle the hunger and deprivation that exists everywhere. This, in many ways, is an even bigger issue than that of political alliances or the tensions between different wings of government that we hear about daily, often from guests who hustle from one studio to the next. Kamila Hayat

THE ROVING EYE : It's bomb, bomb, bomb Iran time - Israel, sundry Sunni Arab puppet rulers and dictators, the American right and the European right, these all fear Iran's regional clout and want to castigate Tehran in Thursday's nuclear talks. Iran's nuclear dossier - and new revelations about a second, not-so-secret enrichment plant - could not be a more convenient cover story for regime change. - Pepe Escobar

Zaidi further said that the KESC had sent many notices to the non-paying mosques and Madressahs, but received no response. “The utility wrote a letter to the Ministry of Religious Affairs earlier this month to settle the issue but the ministry responded by saying that mosques and Madressahs are not functional under government control. Prominent among these mosques are Masjid Ghani Al Tayab Hub Chawk, Jamia Masjid Jacob Lines, Madina Taj Masjid Ibrahim Hyderi, Hanifa Masjid Haryana Colony, Masjid Noman North Nazimabad, Masjid Darsu Salah Jacob Lines and Jamia Masjid Sulemani New Karachi,” he said. Zaidi said that the KESC would soon be issuing final notices to all non-paying consumers of the utility from private and public sectors under its recovery drive to collect Rs36 billion. “A week-long notice would soon be sent to the non-paying institutions after which the KESC would have to resort to disconnecting. Over Rs13 billion of the outstanding bills are due to the public sector organizations, including 18 towns of the city which have to pay Rs222 million alone,” he said. Religious institutions not paying their bills: KESC

A MANUFACTURED CRISIS, Part 2 : It's sanctions or bust - Something about the claims by the United States and its allies that Iran's nuclear program is intended to create nuclear weapons just doesn't smell right; there's obviously more than meets the eye. Whatever it is, the Barack Obama administration - of all the options on the table - wants at a minimum to impose stringent sanctions on Iran. - Jack A Smith (Sep 30, '09) This is the second article in a three-part report.

POLITICS: U.S. Story on Iran Nuke Facility Doesn't Add Up - By Analysis by Gareth Porter*
WASHINGTON, Sep 29 (IPS) - The story line that dominated media coverage of the second Iranian uranium enrichment facility last week was the official assertion that U.S. intelligence had caught Iran trying to conceal a "secret" nuclear facility.

U.S.: Fears of Blame for Defeat Shadow Afghan War Meetings - By Analysis by Gareth Porter*
WASHINGTON, Sep 28 (IPS) - In a remarkable parallel with a similar turning point in the Vietnam War 44 years ago, President Barack Obama will preside over a series of meetings in the coming weeks that will determine whether the United States will proceed with an escalation of the Afghanistan War or adjust the strategy to reduce the U.S. military commitment there.

The Israeli human rights activist Gideon Spiro bravely asks that his country be subject to the same rules as Iran and all others in the Middle East: "Rein in Israel, compel it to accept a regime of nuclear disarmament and oblige it to open all nuclear, biological and chemical facilities and missile sites to international inspection." The US has leverage because it maintains and funds Israel. If Obama shies away from this, there can be no moral justification to go for Iran or North Korea or any other rogue state. And the leader whose election and dreams gave hope to millions thereby hastens the end of the world. What is good for the Goose..