Another courageous casualty in Pakistan, journalism's most dangerous country

Murtaza Razvi, an editor at one of Pakistan's leading English newspapers, was murdered in Karachi yesterday. He was one of many journalists I met on a recent trip who have refused to give up their work despite threats.

Two weeks ago I was in an office in Karachi, Pakistan, with a room full of journalists, including Murtaza Razvi, an editor at Dawn newspaper, discussing challenges facing the country?s vibrant media, including risks to covering Pakistan. Yesterday I was e-mailed that he had been murdered.

Skip to next paragraph

Before I left for Pakistan a few weeks ago on a journalist exchange program sponsored by the East-West Center, I asked colleagues who reported in the country, both Pakistani and American, about their greatest challenge.

Americans complained of the government's game of ?smoke and mirrors,? a disinformation campaign that puts most other government propaganda efforts to?shame. The challenge for Pakistani journalists, on the other hand, was decidedly more severe. ?We have a completely free media in Pakistan, but no protection,? said one journalist based in Islamabad.

How severe? The country leads the world in journalist murders, the latest just yesterday.

Seven of the other eight Pakistani journalists at a meeting with my group proceeded to share stories of threats. It was common, they said, to receive a threat by a phone call from the Taliban for not getting enough quotes from them, from political parties for including the Taliban in a story or not being represented the way they saw fit, and even from Pakistan?s version of the CIA, the ISI.

But this wasn?t something that had them lining up to find a new job. It was just how things work. Most of the time the person on the other end of the line is bluffing, they said. They had gotten used to the fact that Pakistan was the deadliest country for journalists in 2010 and 2011, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. And killings there have been met with near-perfect impunity throughout the years. For some perspective, consider that there have been 19 unsolved murders of journalists since 2002. (see CPJ?s video)

When you put it that way, having to peer through smoke and mirrors to get to the heart of a story doesn't look so bad.

I visited the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting while I was in Pakistan. The ministry has jurisdiction over the rules and regulations relating to information, broadcasting, and the press. Like many Pakistanis we spoke to on this trip, the minister talked at length about how wonderful it was to have an active, independent, vibrant media that had absolutely no restrictions and how that was contributing to democracy in Pakistan.?

However, when we raised the question of safety and reported threats against journalist, Minister of Information Firdous Ashiq Awan (since replaced), without asking for details or pausing to smooth this over, said: ?Those are complete fabrications. It never happened. It?s not happening.?

We brought up the famous case of Syad Saleem Shazad, a prominent journalist who went missing after exposing Al Qaeda infiltration of the military. He had been ?warned? several times by the ISI for covering sensitive topics, according to his family. He was later found dead. The ISI, was implicated, though it denied involvement.

The minister dismissed the scenario of Shazad's murder as unproven. She did clarify that, "we condemn that sort of action." But she stuck with her statement that there were no threats or real dangers for journalists who were not "over smart." A former local journalist who now works in the ministry agreed with her.

At this point, Issam Ahmed, the Monitor?s Islamabad correspondent, who had been invited to the round table by the minister, shared a story about a time he had been reporting on a sensitive topic in northern Pakistan, when he was summoned into a car by agents to go meet with the ISI bureau chief. The car sped off at breakneck speed to the headquarters, where the chief warned him to ?not report critically.? So, Issam, said, it wasn't a death threat, but intimidation happens.

aptera aptera national defense authorization act national defense authorization act seven days in utopia seven days in utopia big 10 championship game

Jack White's Blunderbuss: The Spruce Goose Soars Again

With a solo debut set to debut at #1, Bigger Than the Sound wonders if ever-eccentric White has become his own worst enemy.
By James Montgomery

Jack White
Photo: WireImage

This week, Jack White will top the charts in both the U.S. and the U.K. with his side-winding solo album Blunderbuss, a high-water mark for eccentric millionaires not matched since Kim Dotcom decided to become the world's #1 "Modern Warfare 3" player, shot an elaborate time-lapse video of him playing the game — with bonus techno soundtrack — then had a cake made to commemorate the achievement.

Of course, I do not know if White is actually a millionaire, though, in a recent New York Times Magazine piece about him, we learned he owns several taxidermied animals (including a Himalayan tahr), drives a black Mercedes and a 1960 Ford Thunderbird, hands out business cards that identify him as John A. White III, D.D.S. - Accidentist and Occidental Archaeologist, maintains a temperature-controlled vault with a biometric scanner, had microphones installed in the eaves of his mansion so he can listen to the rain while he sleeps, and smokes Al Capone cigarillos. But I do know he is most certainly eccentric, downright crazy even. It is what I love about him ... and unfortunately, it may also lead to his downfall.

Then again, it probably won't. All I'm suggesting is that, given everything you've just learned about him — and previous achievements in eccentricity like launching 1,000 helium balloons from his Nashville warehouse, touring every province in Canada merely for the sake of wearing a kilt, color-coordinating everything in his life and scoring the "Lone Ranger" movie — it's not exactly a stretch to call White the rock and roll Howard Hughes (he would definitely build a flying boat out of wood). And you're probably aware how things turned out for that guy.

I am not sure if it is possible for White to dial things back a touch. I'm not even sure I want him to. Music needs eccentric millionaires, after all, and Kanye can't shoulder the load alone. And I realize that the reverence with which White treats the most minute of details (and the endless array of odd projects he embarks on) only make him, well, him.

To his credit, he never lets these things interfere with his musical output — in fact, they only add to it — but I'm beginning to wonder if perhaps White is too eccentric? Not, like, "watching 'Ice Station Zebra' 150 times and stacking Kleenex boxes" eccentric (à la Hughes), but now that I think of it, that doesn't seem like much of a stretch. I could definitely see him withdrawing from the public eye one day, holing up in his Nashville estate and retiring from music to focus on welding. (Bob Dylan would bring his torches on by, of course.) That probably won't happen either, but it would definitely be a shame and, hey, you never know.

Mostly, though, I'm worried that perhaps White's various eccentricities will eventually detract from his music (and come to think of it, this column doesn't really help in that regard). I definitely don't want to see him turn into Axl Rose, a man whose, uh, foibles have become more noteworthy than the music he makes. White's not gonna put his hair in cornrows or anything, but he does run the risk of perhaps becoming better known for the crazy stuff he does on the side than for his full-time job as a totally kick-ass rock paragon. And that would be the biggest shame of all.

So, Jack, don't get me wrong; I'm not asking you to change — I'd never do that in a million years. I love Blunderbuss and am genuinely happy it'll be the #1 album in this country (because, really, there's only so much I can write about Adele or Lionel Richie). You are fantastic and unique and a genuine national treasure. But maybe just tone the crazy down a few notches? I don't want to see it overshadow your true talents and I definitely don't want to see you become a germ-obsessed recluse. Perhaps sell the stuffed tahr or donate the biometric scanner to a charity of your choice. Oh, and go outside every once in a while. You're beginning to look translucent.

You can still be you, of course. I want you to be nothing less ... OK, maybe a little less. But for your own good.

Should Jack White tone it down for his own good? Sound off on this week's Bigger Than the Sound in the comments below!

Related Videos

• Bigger Than The Sound: Stories Behind The Bands

kevin costner budweiser shootout animal house invincible jesse jackson whitney houston funeral video tyler perry whitney houston

Tendulkar 'MP' says cricket comes first

[ [ [['A picture is worth a thousand words', 5]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/why-facebook-bought-instagram-4-theories-160400376.html', '[Related: Why Facebook bought Instagram: 4 theories]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['He was in shock and still strapped to his seat', 9]], 'http://contributor.yahoo.com/join/yahoonews_virginiabeach', '[Did you witness the jet crash? Share your story with Yahoo! News]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['A JetBlue flight from New York to Las Vegas', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/GV9zpj', '[Related: View photos of the JetBlue plane in Amarillo]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['Dick Clark', 11]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/dick-clark-dies-at-82-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/c/21/c217c61aa2d5872244c08caa13c16ec5.jpeg', '500', ' ', 'Reuters', ], [ [['the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed', 15]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/white-house-stays-out-of-teen-s-killing-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120411/martinzimmermen.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['Titanic', 7]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/titanic-anniversary/', ' ', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/b/4e/b4e5ad9f00b5dfeeec2226d53e173569.jpeg', '550', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['He was in shock and still strapped to his seat', 6]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/navy-jet-crashes-in-virginia-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120406/jet_ap.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['xxxxxxxxxxxx', 11]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/russian-grannies-win-bid-to-sing-at-eurovision-1331223625-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/1/56/156d92f2760dcd3e75bcd649a8b85fcf.jpeg', '500', ' ', 'AP', ] ]

[ [ [[' the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed', 4]], '28924649', '0' ], [ [['because I know God protects me', 14], ['Brian Snow was at a nearby credit union', 5]], '28811216', '0' ], [ [['The state news agency RIA-Novosti quoted Rosaviatsiya', 6]], '28805461', '0' ], [ [['measure all but certain to fail in the face of bipartisan', 4]], '28771014', '0' ], [ [['matter what you do in this case', 5]], '28759848', '0' ], [ [['presume laws are constitutional', 7]], '28747556', '0' ], [ [['has destroyed 15 to 25 houses', 7]], '28744868', '0' ], [ [['short answer is yes', 7]], '28746030', '0' ], [ [['opportunity to tell the real story', 7]], '28731764', '0' ], [ [['entirely respectable way to put off the searing constitutional controversy', 7]], '28723797', '0' ], [ [['point of my campaign is that big ideas matter', 9]], '28712293', '0' ], [ [['As the standoff dragged into a second day', 7]], '28687424', '0' ], [ [['French police stepped up the search', 17]], '28667224', '0' ], [ [['Seeking to elevate his candidacy back to a general', 8]], '28660934', '0' ], [ [['The tragic story of Trayvon Martin', 4]], '28647343', '0' ], [ [['Karzai will get a chance soon to express', 8]], '28630306', '0' ], [ [['powerful storms stretching', 8]], '28493546', '0' ], [ [['basic norm that death is private', 6]], '28413590', '0' ], [ [['songwriter also saw a surge in sales for her debut album', 6]], '28413590', '1', 'Watch music videos from Whitney Houston ', 'on Yahoo! Music', 'http://music.yahoo.com' ], [ [['keyword', 99999999999999999999999]], 'videoID', '1', 'overwrite-pre-description', 'overwrite-link-string', 'overwrite-link-url' ] ]

raheem morris winter classic mt rainier caucus stanford vs oklahoma state occupy rose parade vesta williams

Using Safflower as an Alternative Hair Loss Treatment

Baldness is not the worst kind of suffering at all. But while there are other inconceivably fatal diseases, baldness has a certain social stain that also has fatal effects to the ego?which is quite similar to having a fatal condition.

This is the reason we should not make fun of follicularly challenged people. These people either secretly or openly go to lengths to attend to their hair and scalp needs.

Added to the recent information drive the FDA pursued on the subject of product side effects, most patients turn to natural means to solve their balding problems.

Fortunately, there are notable options that posed great efficacy against baldness?the reason alternative treatments remain popular to our bald/balding folks. A common alternative hair loss treatment is safflower.

A member of the Compositae family, safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) is native to India, Iran, North America, and the Far East.

It bears flowers with brilliant orange-red colors. Safflower seeds are the main source of its essential oil.

Safflower oil is derived through mechanical and chemical processes. Through mechanical extraction, the essential nutrients of the oil remain whereas through the chemical process, the oil is refined by certain chemicals, thus removing most of the essential nutrients of the oil.

Safflower oil comes in two varieties: the polyunsaturated type that is high in linoleic acid and the monounsaturated type, which is rich in oleic acid. Linoleic and oleic acid are both essential fatty acids, which are ideal components in both a conventional and alternative hair loss treatment.

Nutritionally, safflower oil is similar to olive oil, which is another effective alternative hair loss treatment.

The seeds of safflower contain 30% oil, 20% protein, and 35% crude fiber. All these compounds are known to be very beneficial for the hair.

Safflower seeds are also a rich source of minerals (zinc, copper, magnesium, and iron); vitamins (thiamin and beta-carotene); and tocopherols (alpha, beta, and gamma) which are antioxidants.

For centuries, safflower oil has been used to treat hair loss, regulate cholesterol levels, and replenish essential fatty acid supply.

Safflower oil serves as a good vasodilator, which means it can dilate vessels to allow entry of a better supply of nutrients for the hair follicles and thus creating a good scalp environment for hair regrowth.

If your using any hair loss treatment make use it is clinically tested such as Leimo Laser Comb to help regrow your hair. Such device have been tested to be effective in stopping DHT (dihydrotestostrone) which is the cause of hair loss.

Leimo Wet product's formulates and produces unique and innovative hair care products which includes the Personal Hair Laser which we have proven to regrow hair with its unique 100% natural hair care treatments. LEIMO?s natural ingredients are of the purest and highest grade essential oils to deliver the cost effective results our clients demand.

Hair loss is a battle for most people who are experiencing it, it is a sensitive issue and a lot of people out there are embarrassed to talk about it. But with the LEIMO system, they can? use it in the privacy of their own home and takes steps to help reduce the amount or hair fall and? bring back dormant follicles back into a growth phase. The LEIMO system does not only stop the hair loss, it also helps to grow the hair back!

Do your own research and decide on a solution, you don't have to lose your hair early. Either it is hair transplantation or natural cures for hair loss, you can get started easily to prevent hair thinning, and take meaningful steps to regrow your hair. You are sure to be amazed at how much improvements you can see from those results.

young jeezy world wildlife fund gsa keith olbermann andrew bynum the time machine michelin tires

functional uterine bleeding | smallmouthpress.com

In a woman?s life, the uterus is playing a very important role: nurture the next generation, maintaining endocrine stabilize HH however, uterine often is faced with a crisis: repeated abortion, abortion, furniture since the sexual life will give the uterus to hit.
Maybe you pay no heed to or a wrong decision, you can let it be a time bomb, " " any threat to your health. The uterus are hurt. In recent years abortion is increasing, especially the regular pregnancy or abortion should not be, careful care, extremely easy to cause endometrial infection, uterine safety hazards and current.
Eld pregnancy also is in ceaseless grow in quantity, plus some older pregnant women do not pay attention to health care before pregnancy, not according to the requirements of the prenatal examination, result in dystocia and cesarean section, on the harm is not little also.
In addition, in recent years, sexually transmitted diseases flooding, the uterine inflammatory unabated, such as cervical erosion, endometritis, cervicitis, pelvic inflammatory disease. In addition, the endocrine disorders can also cause uterine pathological changes, such as irregular menstruation, functional uterine bleeding, uterine fibroids, endometrial cancer, cervical cancer, ovarian cancer and so on.
Investigation shows, uterine diseases account for allGynecological disease, 1 / 2 of five big deadly injuries of multiple pregnancy: every increase a pregnancy, the uterus increases a risk. Pregnant 3 times above, uterine disease and the possibility of harm increased significantly.
Repeated abortion: now go to the hospital to repeated abortion young women in particular, each induced abortion will the endometrial thinning, still can cause pelvic inflammatory disease, fallopian tube blockage, serious when can cause infertility, and short period of repeated abortion on the more damage.
Furniture from abortion to uterine breakage or secondary infection is also increasing. Ignore the prenatal examination: regular prenatal examination is an important subsidiary security, or may result in dystocia or uterine rupture and other serious consequences.
No clean life: life is not about health, will make many bacterial vaginal enter the uterine cavity, causing endometrial infection. In addition, men smegma on cervical stimulation also causes cervical cancer is one of the factors.
Sexual dysfunction: sexual indulgence, or minor began life, will be on their own mental and physical health damage, erosion of cervix and uterine cervical cancer disease resulting in growth period is the key period.
Woman in child-bearing periodAfter the uterus, also began to enter an eventful year, " " then need you be careful care of the uterus health. The sexual life between husband and wife have Festival, degree, and pay attention to hygiene.
Husband must have good hygiene, often take a shower, maintain sexual organs health. I I a stream of " ", as long as it is fully ready, the formal operation, still will not cause too much damage, but often do abortion on uterine injury greatly, therefore, should do a good job of family planning, to avoid repeated abortion.
To maintain specificity, to prevent the infection of sexually transmitted diseases. Women during pregnancy should comply with doctor?s advice, regular antenatal care, we should be especially vigilant a no vaginal bleeding and abnormal fetal position.
During pregnancy, attention should be paid to restrict sexual life, especially in the early stages of pregnancy and pregnancy stage three months forbidden intercourse, in case of intrauterine infection.
Postpartum confinement also should tell science, pay attention to daily life, to ensure adequate rest, avoid premature dry Zhongguo, preventing uterine prolapse occurs in older people. More attention should be paid to many older women think, anyway have menopausal uterine, no use, on the health care work is slack.

world peace lakers colorectal cancer metta kashi neil diamond orange crush harden

In Mass. US Senate race, a question of heritage (The Arizona Republic)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

emmylou harris disco inferno b.i.g 1000 words ron white ron white buckyballs

One Year Later (talking-points-memo)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS Feeds and Widgets via Feedzilla.

anguilla gone with the wind michael jordan checkers imbibe msg network ray j