For Veena Malik and all those who belong to the Heera Mandi.

I have an absolutely horrible headache that I cannot help but complain about. And the fact that I am a paranoid hypochondriac means that I've been doing nothing since the past five hours but googling my "apparent symptoms". Anyway, turning down the brightness of my laptop screen because I couldn't stand it anymore, I decided to listen to one last song for the day and then just head to bed - but BAM! THERE IT WAS. Some guy in my Facebook friend list had shared a very strange video about Veena Malik - and this video apparently discusses her favourite sexual positions. I wouldn't know because I haven't bothered to watch it yet. Won't do so anytime soon because her sexual positions do not interest me in the slightest.

The guy in my friend list had not only shared this video calling her a "bitch", a "whore" and - well this one is really good - a sex worker. He had not only shared the video on his profile page, but he had also shared it on another Facebook like page, called "MailaTips" referring to her as a "maili".

Now, firstly and very importantly, if I constantly tell you to leave Veena Malik alone you would probably say, well she's a celebrity so she should learn to deal with all the bad publicity. Fair enough. But may I ask, why do you have so much anger and hatred for this one person who has done NOTHING wrong to you? WHY on earth would you possibly call her ALL these things when she doesn't even know of the fact that you exist - let alone the possibilities of HER TRYING TO HURT YOU in anyway possible? I cannot believe that anyone would have the nerve to call her things like "bitch" and "whore" because no respectable man on this planet would call a woman all these names and still claim to be respectable.

You had a problem with her when she was on Big Boss, you had a problem with her when she did an item song, basically you've just had way too many problems with her because apparently she robbed Pakistan of its izzat - no no no one else has ever managed to do that because we're just such a cute nation of rainbows, butterflies and nice people - aren't we now? Did you choose her to be a Pakistani ambassador, because if you did I must have missed that part. I don't remember anyone raising any issues when Ali Zafar danced with a sexy Katrina but everyone has a problem with Veena dancing on tv. (I do not have any problems with Ali Zafar dancing with Katrina either, just to be clear here. I think Ali Zafar is incredibly cute too).

Secondly, this guy that I'm talking about called Veena "a product of Heera Mandi (Wikipedia: Heera Mandi (Urdu: ﻫیرا ﻣﻨﮉﻯ) meaning "Diamond Market", also known as Shahi Mohalla (meaning: The Royal Neighbourhood) is a red-light district and a bazaarlocated in Taxali Gate, Lahore (Punjab), Pakistan. The women here offer traditional and classical dances and was originally the center of the city's tawaif culture in theMughal era. Today, it is a centre of prostitution in Lahore under the veil of dances, such as mujra, a branch of classical South-Asian sensual dancing. While many Hijrasalso frequent the area and are involved in this dance culture.)

How dare he, an outsider use the word "sex worker of Heera Mandi" in a derogatory manner? Not only is he insulting the sex workers of Heera Mandi, but he's also trying to establish the fact that if you are a "bitch" or a "low class woman" you rightly belong in the Heera Mandi. I don't know different people's views regarding prostitution, and if you do not support it then that's FINE. But no one on this entire planet has any right to insult prostitutes or sex workers because you or I, we do not have the slightest idea about what they must have gone through to make those choices. You or I, we have no right to judge these women because we have not been in their shoes. Even, when they choose prostitution out of their own choice - I don't see why anybody needs to interfere, but there your hate speech might even make some sense - if not offer justification of any sort.

I have a problem with people insulting Veena Malik because she's a woman who has encountered righteous molvis at every stage in her life and she has done her best to fight them. She recognized this nation for what it was: hypocritical, and she chose to make a life for herself in India. I don't see why it makes people so angry when she poses nude for a picture or talks about some "apparently dirty stuff" on videos because why on earth should anyone have a say in how she chooses to live her life? Just because she does it openly and fearlessly does not make her a "bitch" or a "whore".

I am sick of people around me trying to establish women as "bitches" or "whores" or "sluts" (a guy referred to her as "constant randipan") because according to you, or some people whenever she falls below your standard of how a "good" woman should act you choose to label her with a word which defines her character the way you want it to.

This blog is for all the women of Heera Mandi (I don't even know if it's going to reach them or not, probably not but I just want to tell them that there are people out there who don't have standards that women need to live up to and that there are people out there who understand) and Veena Malik, who is one of strongest women I know.

London 2012: Olympic Games "Ever Green"

London 2012 has been the greenest Olympics ever, the commission set up to monitor the environmental impact of the Games has announced.

The independent Commission for a Sustainable London 2012 said recycling and regeneration had been a success.
But it said much more could be done to minimise the impact of future Olympic Games on people and the planet.
Commission chairman Shaun McCarthy said London had set high standards for future Olympic host cities to follow.


Transport success Previous Olympics have been criticised for the environmental damage they caused through waste, construction and transport.
Sustainability was at the heart of London's bid for the Olympics and the commission said organisers had largely succeeded in achieving it.

For example, the venues were told to be made of at least a quarter recycled materials - that included using disused gas pipes in the Olympic Stadium.

The Olympic Park was praised for regenerating a derelict area and benefiting wildlife, and the commission said it was amazed by the success of public transport.
But it said the challenges for future host cities were off the Olympic site, including the social ethics of some of the manufacturers and sponsors associated with the Games.

'Cheerful volunteers'
Mr McCarthy said the use of temporary venues for the Games was "unprecedented".
And he hailed Stratford in east London, the site of the Olympic Park, as one of the best connected places in Europe after long-term investment in public transport infrastructure.

He said London 2012 was the world's first public transport Olympics "despite all the predictions of doom and gridlock".

MR. McCartney Said "In the main, London's sustainable Games have been a massive success but like the best sports teams there is a need to continuously improve.
"I wish the IOC [International Olympics Committee] and future host cities success in proving they can do better."
He also said an increase in sports participation was likely to be short lived and it would take "investment in community and school sport and a clear plan to tackle the current obesity crisis".
He added: "The cheerful volunteers made the experience a joy. I even saw some people on the Tube talking to each other! Why can't it be like that all the time?"