Sturm und drang

Well, I'm finally back after weeks of family drama followed by three days of a bad flu.

They sure call them "nuclear families" for a reason, don't they?

I must admit that this most recent bout of familial psychodrama and personal upheaval had left me "this close" to throwing in the blog towel once and for all. There are so many sites out there on the interwebs that do it so much better.

Then those bastards murdered Benazir Bhutto.

And I realized I couldn't walk away from this fight. Not just yet.

So let's get back at it with some quality linkage, shall we?

(Upon further reflection I suppose I should be counting my blessings about the state of my nuclear family - it could be worse - at least they aren't a famous political dynasty of a nuclear nation teetering on the brink of failed statehood.)

Speaking of, I just saw a clip of the young Bilawal Bhutto (his name is being changed to his mother's maiden name - you know that's got to chap an Islamist hide or two) and it surprised me just how breathtakingly young he appeared. (Video can be seen here.)

The money quote: "My mother always said that democracy is the best revenge,"

The encouraging part: "We have decided to go for elections," Zardari said. "We are grateful to Nawaz Sharif for announcing his boycott of the election but we appeal to him to end the boycott and take part."

Minutes later, spokesmen for Sharif and his Pakistan Muslim League-N party said they would take part in the vote, saying the decision was taken after Zardari asked him to participate when they met on Saturday.

A Getty Images photog's first hand account of the ROP's latest can be found in Benazir Photographer surprised by her waving to supporters.

About the bomber:
Sources close to investigators said that a plastic surgeon had helped the police reconstruct the suicide bomber’s mutilated face. They said that the bomber, aged between 22 and 25 years, was a clean-shaven youngster having a normal haircut. The appearance is different from that of popularly known suicide bombers who wear long hair and thick beard.

Sources said that the police had also seized a head with bearded face from the bombing site but it later turned out to be that of a PPP activist.

(At the time the clips of the shooting came out - I thought the shooter looked more like one of those disgruntled lawyer types than a terror scumbag. And another head in addition to the shooter/bomber/scumbag - PPP activist or no just seems odd to me. Just sayin'.

About the bomb:

...forensic evidence revealed that the bomber exploded high explosives, weighing four to five kilogrammes and wrapped with hundreds of pullets and ball bearings. Sources said that the police found no striking sleeve used by the bomber for explosion. The sleeve provides vital clues to the investigators about the identity of groups involved in suicide attacks. Each group uses striking sleeve of its own for suicide missions, they said.

About the gun:

Sources said that the bomber used a 30-bore pistol and his three shots missed the target. They said that the police seized two pistols, one used by the bomber and other of an unidentified person, were in the police custody.

Another oddity?

Sources said that Rawalpindi Police barred Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) officials from examining the crime scene.

Read all about it here.

And did you watch the video and wonder where all the women were at Benazir Bhutto's funeral? Hah! "Special Arrangements" were made.

Translation: get in the basement, bitches.

And speaking of women - file this one under rich...

JI women’s wing denounces Benazir’s killing: Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) women’s wing general secretary Senator Dr Kauser Firdos denounced on Saturday the barbarous act of terrorism, which claimed Benazir Bhutto’s life. In a press statement, Dr Kauser demanded that the government hold an impartial inquiry into the vicious act.

File this one under so rich it's sick: Baitullah Mehsud: Al-Qaeda not involved in BB’s killing: Spokesman says attacking a woman is against our tribal norms

Meanwhile, all of those peaceful denizens of Islam and members of the PPP party continue rioting resulting in scarcity of food, gas and items of daily living.

Shortage of daily use items in Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

And it's spreading to Karachi. Or not.

Due to continuation of clashes among Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) supporters and law enforcing agencies, the supply of basic necessity of life is totally stopped. Major markets in both cities are closed and the small shops located in inner parts have little stocks to feed such a huge population. As a result the prices of different items recorded upward trends. Availability of fresh vegetables and fruits are most affected items that are not available in small shops because there was no supply of such items in the market.

Closer (sic)of petrol pumps and CNG stations both in Rawalpindi and Islamabad badly affected people mobility to get food items from safe areas. However, in Islamabad some petrol pumps and CNG stations opened in afternoon and long queues were observed in such pumps. The situation in Rawalpindi is worst because the clashes still continue and all main roads totally blocked. Not a single petrol pump was open in Rawalpindi and the residents of that city are suffering heavily.

And things like this aren't helping the situation:
Separately, up to 400 PPP activists carrying banners, portraits of Bhutto and wielding bricks, tried to burst into an oilfield facility near Hyderabad before dawn, when security forces acted on orders to shoot violent protesters on sight.

The Railways are getting pounded. It is hoped that they will reopen next week after putting repairs on a war footing. And who knew that Pakistan was a nation of prepaid phone card users?

Mobile phone subscribers are still facing difficulties to contact their loved ones due to the unavailability of prepaid cards all over the country.

Oh and Iran has closed it's borders with Pakistan in light of the recent unrest. Meanwhile, back in Swat: Security conduct fire at suspected hide-outs in Swat

Not to worry, Musharraf and Soomro are vowing to make Pakistan a developed Islamic Welfare State.

Don't think this will start a run on the dollar or anything, but here's a tidbit about another failed quasi Islamo-state teetering on the verge of collapse, the Sudan, that seems important to note: Sudan to use Euro not dollar for it's central banking operations

(Like I said - it's important to note... Euro gains on dollar in official reserves.

The euro has fast gained ground against the dollar in international official foreign exchange reserves in recent months, according to official statistics highlighting the nine-year-old currency’s growing global importance.

Reflecting its increasing strength on foreign exchange markets, the euro’s share of known foreign exchange holdings rose to 26.4 per cent in the third quarter of this year, the International Monetary Fund reported late on Friday. That was up from 25.5 per cent in the previous three months and from 24.4 per cent in the third quarter of 2006.

The dollar’s share of known official foreign reserves, calculated in dollar terms, fell to 63.8 per cent in the third quarter, down from 66.5 per cent in the same three months of 2006.)

P.S. Thanks to all you lovely readers for your concern. Believe me when I say it's good to be back fighting the Islamic jihad with you all.