MyLifeDump

College kids and other Americans are now asking this question, What’s in a name? They are talking about none other than the name of Barack Obama. This time, and almost every time if you talk about Republicans, the name Hussein is being highlighted by Obama supporters.

Facebook users, according to NY Times, are voicing their support for Barack Obama by including Hussein as their middle name, at least in their profiles for the time being. Obama supporters must have decided that it’s about time they start using Obama’s middle name like the good old folks supporting McCain have been using it even before the start of the primaries.

Republicans made the use of that name to imply that Obama is secretly a Muslim and if elected he would enforce some sort of Shari’a Law on America. Obama fans obviously are more enlightened and think that maybe it’s HIP to have Hussein as a middle name as you end up killing two birds with one stone; support Obama and devalue the opinion that just because you have a Muslim sounding name, it doesn’t make you a Muslim.

Being a Muslim, I know how it feels to have a name that sounds Muslim. People, who are Muslims, readily identify with you, sometimes they smile and all the other times they try to run away. When you go to the airport and try to board a plane, you just become the perfect profile of a Terrorist. It has its ups and downs but I don’t plan to change it anytime soon.

There is nothing really in a name, a person should be known by his actions and not because of the way his/her name sounds. I really hope that this step by Obama supporters leads to more transparency and more understanding of the differences that still exist in the 21st century.

I often visit Pak Spectator to read interviews of Pakistani Bloggers, I am talking about people who consider themselves Pakistanis at heart even though they might not be born or live in Pakistan. I decided why not work on a post that would include Alphabetical List of Pakistani Bloggers who blog in ENGLISH (some blog in Urdu and they are not mentioned below).

Below is the list that I have compiled so far that consists of personal blogs only. If I missed your blog, contact me and I will enlist it.

A
Aamir Raz Soomro
Abdur Rahman
Ali Ghafoor
Ali Hasanain
Ali Jafri
Ammar Faheem
Awais Aftab

B
Bilal Ahmed

F
Fauzan Sohail

J
Jamal Ashiqian

L
Laila Hussein

M
Moiz Khan
Moniba Ashraf

N
Nayni

R
Raza Haider

S
Sidrat Hashim
Sara

T
Tanvir Hussain

U
Umair Salam

W
Wasim Arif

If you were the CEO of Merrill Lynch, you made $83 Million joining a company that has been badly hit by the worsening U.S Economy. AP did a survey on the salaries and signing bonuses given to CEOs and found out that even though the economy is in the tank, CEOs seem to be doing excellent. You can check out the entire list here: Merrill Lynch’s Thain tops CEO pay ranking for 2007

One wonders how this is possible, do these CEOs really turn around a company that they deserve the raise or the hefty bonuses? Not really, board members do set few goals that need to be achieved in order for a pay raise or a bonus but to AP’s knowledge, there are no damaging consequences if that doesn’t happen because CEOs usually have contracts written in concrete and they do get their way no matter how the company does.

Even though it sounds like I am not happy about this, maybe the title gave you that impression, I actually don’t have a problem with it. Sports stars, Film Celebrities, TV Show Anchors etc all make millions of dollars but no one raises a finger at them, one wonders why? People who are popular and make ridiculous amount of money are often idealized and followed and their compensation is never an issue. If you are not popular then there is this fear of unknown, one is forced to ask this question “What does he do that someone making less money can’t do?” etc. There is no way to answer that question except to say that if one of us is offered the opportunity to make money, we would take it in a heartbeat.

If a company is privately held, CEOs can be paid whatever the board members decide but if it is a publically traded company, the choice should be left to the share holders and not the board members who are not representative of the share holders as they are sometimes appointed by the CEO.

There are now only two candidates running for President and there is literally no difference between them. I stumbled on this list called “Obama’s Laundry List of 58 Lies”. I don’t know if any of it is true, some of the things obviously are and they will soon be highlighted by McCain. Until then, you tell me what do you think is true…. please, if you are a staunch Obama supporter, don’t be offended, the guy for most people is too good to be true but he will become the President no doubt (unless something really out of the ordinary happens) and we will find out in four years if he was just talking the talk or can really deliver.

Here is the list:

1.) Selma Got Me Born - LIAR, your parents felt safe enough to have you in 1961 - Selma had no effect on your birth, as Selma was in1965.
2.) Father Was A Goat Herder - LIAR, he was a privileged, well educated youth, who went on to work with the Kenyan Government.
3.) Father Was A Proud Freedom Fighter - LIAR, he was part of one of the most corrupt and violent governments Kenya has ever had.
4.) My Family Has Strong Ties To African Freedom - LIAR, your cousin Raila Odinga has created mass violence in attempting to overturn a legitimate election in 2007, in Kenya. It is the first widespread
violence in decades.
5.) My Grandmother Has Always Been A Christian - LIAR, she does her daily Salat prayers at 5am according to her own interviews. Not to mention, Christianity wouldn’t allow her to have been one of 14 wives to 1 man.
6.) My Name is African Swahili - LIAR, your name is Arabic and “Baraka” (from which Barack came) means “blessed” in that language. Hussein is also Arabic and so is Obama.
7.) I Never Practiced Islam - LIAR, you practiced it daily at school, where you were registered as a Muslim and kept that faith for 31 years, until your wife made you change, so you could run for office.
8.) My School In Indonesia Was Christian - LIAR, you were registered as Muslim there and got in trouble in Koranic Studies for making faces (check your own book).
9.) I Was Fluent In Indonesian - LIAR, not one teacher says you could speak the language.
10.) Because I Lived In Indonesia, I Have More Foreign Experience - LIAR, you were there from the ages of 6 to 10, and couldn’t even speak the language. What did you learn, how to study the Koran and watch cartoons. Read the rest of this entry »

The guy who did this is a plain creative genius and a photoshop Guru. This painting of Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) from the movie Pirates of the Caribbean was completed in mere 3 hours. Its True!