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Friday, July 31, 2009

Breaking down Microsoft and Yahoo's search deal

With a few strokes of a giant purple pen, Microsoft's Steve Ballmer and Yahoo's Carol Bartz finally signed a deal Wednesday that will turn Microsoft into the second-largest search company in the world, and turn Yahoo into a media-driven advertising broker.Here's a breakdown of the deal from the perspectives of the key players:

Yahoo

What it gets: Yahoo is paying below market rate for an outsourced search engine: Microsoft will pay Yahoo 88 percent of future search revenue, a better ongoing deal than had been expected, according to IDC.It gets a guaranteed stream of search revenue for 18 months, and it gets to sell all the search ads on both Yahoo and Microsoft properties. And it gets to save money, one of the highest priorities for Bartz and new Yahoo CFO Tim Morse: the company estimated it will save $200 million in capital expenditures and see an overall benefit of $500 million in operating income.What it loses: The ability to control its own destiny when it comes to search, still the most profitable sector of online advertising by a large margin. Yahoo's search revenue is now tied to the performance of Bing for 10 years, an eternity in the Internet world, and 88 percent of something is less than 100 percent of something.What's next: Probably another reorganization, and another wave of departures as talented search engineers weigh their options among Microsoft, Google, Ask.com, and start-ups.

Microsoft

What it gets: Far more search market share in one day than it could have hoped to obtain from organic Bing growth -- no matter how much people may like it -- over several years. All of Yahoo's search technology is now available to Microsoft to pick and choose what it might want to use on Bing.And Microsoft also avoided having to make an upfront payment to take control of Yahoo search, as had been rumored for months leading up to the deal and hinted at by Bartz herself, claiming "boatloads of money" would be needed to pry Yahoo search away from the company.What it loses: Relationships with advertisers on search ads, although it preserves its display ad sales operation...for now. Otherwise, Microsoft seems to have emerged from this deal pretty clean.What's next: Heated search competition with Google, which only means the two companies have even more reason to detest each other.

Google

What it gets: Time. This deal will take months, if not years, to complete, and it will be a messy integration process. Google sales representatives likely called up all of their major clients this morning to remind those clients of the uncertainty that will accompany the integration process, and the notion that their ad dollars might be better spent with the more stable operation.Google also gets to deflect some of the antitrust scrutiny that has been directed its way by pointing out that a combined Yahoo-Microsoft search property has a very healthy share of the market.What it loses: The ability to play Yahoo and Microsoft search off one another: fractured competition meant it would have been much harder for either company to make serious inroads against Google on their own. It also turns Microsoft into a credible technology threat with Microsoft's right to pick and choose the best of Yahoo's search technology developments and match them with the well-received Bing.What's next: Business as usual, for now. Google never had any intention of ceding its search lead before this deal was announced, and while there's arguably more pressure now to live up to that promise over the next several years, it's not anything that wasn't expected in Mountain View.

Advertisers

What they get: A credible second option for their ad spending, assuming ad spending ever becomes trendy again amidst the current economic backdrop. They're also in store for a renewed pitch on the benefits of Internet display advertising, which probably still doesn't resonate on Madison Avenue but may one day start to make sense for the Internet advertiser.What they lose: The relationships between advertisers and the two companies will likely grow very complicated over the next several months as those used to working with certain representatives transfer their business to new faces. Those problems aren't insurmountable, but they can be annoying.What's next: If the ad market ever comes back, renewed competition in search advertising for keywords, placement, and reach.

Consumers

What they get: "Powered by Bing" search results on Yahoo pages.What they lose: Usually, consolidation is seen as bad for consumers--take banks as an example -- because it reduces choice.What's next: The consumer impact of this deal is not obvious, especially not at this point with so many details left to be hammered out. One could argue that if Yahoo wasn't really committed to search, consumers would see better search results over time on Bing-powered Yahoo pages. And there are indirect benefits to consumers that come along with having advertisers that aren't chained to one search engine.But this is really about freeing up Yahoo to focus more on its other businesses, and giving Microsoft more market share to force Google into playing defense on search, which could alleviate some of the pressure Google is putting on Microsoft with things like Google Apps and Android.

It will take some time for the impact of these decisions to filter down to the consumer: assuming the government gives the deal its blessing.

Aung San Suu Kyi verdict delayed

A verdict expected Friday in the closely watched subversion trial of Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been delayed until August 11, said a diplomatic source attending the proceedings.The reason for the delay was not immediately clear, but the new date falls immediately after an important anniversary.Opposition activists mark the anniversary every year of the August 8, 1988, national uprising for democracy, also dubbed "8888." A subsequent military coup quashed the demonstrations, during which Suu Kyi emerged as the face of democracy in Myanmar.Suu Kyi, now 64, and two of her housekeepers are being tried on charges stemming from a May 3 incident in which American John William Yettaw allegedly swam across a lake to her home and stayed for two days.If convicted, Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, could face up to five years in prison.The hearing on Friday lasted about 30 seconds, with the judges saying proceedings would be put off while they consider "other circumstances," the diplomatic source said.

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Metro rail bridge collapse kills 5 in India

A portion of a partially built bridge for New Delhi's metro rail network collapsed Sunday, killing five people and injuring 15, authorities said. The crash occurred when a metal beam supporting pillars gave way, Delhi Metro Rail Corp. spokesman Anuj Dayal told .Concrete slabs came crashing down, burying workers beneath, officials said.The dead included one site engineer, said Mohammad Akhlaque, police sub-inspector.New Delhi launched its metro system six years ago. Construction on new lines has been proceeding at a frenzied pace as the city gets ready to host the Commonwealth Games in 2010.Hailed as a relief in India's traffic-congested capital, the metro has a tarnished safety record.Part of a another bridge being built to extend the rail system collapsed last October, pinning a bus underneath and killing its driver.

Judge grants delay in Jackson guardianship case

a sudden death and a funeral of MJ's

Michael Jackson’s mother and ex-wife will have time to reach an agreement over who will take care of the singer’s three children. For the second time, Katherine Jackson and Deborah Rowe joined to seek a delay in a hearing that could decide who gets custody of the pop superstar’s children. A guardianship hearing scheduled for Monday has been delayed for a week, an attorney said Friday.Katherine Jackson will remain the temporary guardian of her son’s three children, who range in ages from seven to 12.Court records show a judge granted the delay Friday afternoon.The hearing could have presented a showdown between Katherine Jackson and Rowe, who was married to the pop singer from 1996 to 1999.Instead, the two sides are trying to broker an out-of-court settlement.‘We are pleased that the child custody hearing has been continued over until July 20th to further our progress and allow us to privately and amicably resolve this most important matter in a dignified manner for the benefit of the children first and all involved,’ L. Londell McMillan, an attorney for Katherine Jackson, said in a statement to The Associated Press.Attorneys for Rowe declined to comment on Friday. Requests to interview Rowe have also been denied.Rowe has not indicated in court filings that she intends to seek custody. She is the mother of Jackson’s two oldest children, 12-year-old Michael Joseph Jackson Jr., known as 12-year-old Prince Michael, and 11-year-old Paris Michael Katherine Jackson.The youngest child, 7-year-old Prince Michael II, was born to a surrogate mother who has never been identified.In a will signed in 2002, Michael Jackson stated he wanted his mother to care for his children if he died. As a backup, he designated singer and longtime friend Diana Ross.Rowe was not given any role in the will. While much has been made of her decision in 2001 to terminate her parental rights, that decision was overturned and she and Jackson reached an out-of-court settlement in 2006.The details of that agreement have never been released and it is unclear when Rowe, 50, last saw Jackson’s children.

Bloody weekend includes 2 Iraqi deaths involving U.S. forces


Two civilian drivers in northern Iraq were killed in incidents involving U.S. troops, one in an "escalation of force" shooting and the other in a head-on collision, the military said Saturday.The shooting occurred Friday between Tikrit and Balad when a military convoy "stopped on a rural road after one of its vehicles broke down."Troops tried to signal the truck to halt, but the truck "continued to accelerate as it drew closer to the convoy.""A U.S. soldier perceived a threat and engaged the truck after the driver did not respond to warnings to stop, as the truck approached a halted U.S. logistics convoy from the rear," the military said.The truck driver was then shot and killed."It's a tragic event, but the soldier perceived a threat. He was protecting the convoy against what he thought was an attack and did so in accordance with the security agreement, " said Maj. Derrick Cheng, spokesman for Multi-National Division North, referring to the bilateral U.S.-Iraqi security pact.The military said a teen passenger in the vehicle was unharmed, and a U.S.-Iraqi investigation has begun.The other incident occurred Thursday near Khalis.A driver died in a "head-on collision" with a U.S. Army Stryker vehicle, the military said.The car struck the lead vehicle of a combined U.S. forces and Iraqi Army convoy as it was returning to a forward operating base after a patrol."According to reports, the convoy slowed its speed to approximately 30 mph and moved to the shoulder of the road to allow the oncoming car room to pass. However, the car hit the lead vehicle head-on, killing the driver and injuring at least one soldier inside the Stryker."The Stryker driver tried to signal the car with headlights and horns but "the car did not alter its speed or bearing." This incident is also under investigation by U.S. and Iraqi forces.Meanwhile, at least five Iraqis were killed and 35 others wounded when a car bomb exploded in northern Iraq on Saturday, an Interior Ministry official said.The bomb detonated in Kogjili, a predominantly Shiite Shabak area of eastern Mosul. Most Shabak people are Shiites, and live in Nineveh province. They are one of Iraq's minority groups.A spate of bombings Wednesday and Thursday near Mosul, the capital of Nineveh province, and in the town of Tal Afar left at least 50 people dead and many others wounded.

Troops willing to die to stop Iran unrest, general says

A top Iranian general said government troops are "ready to sacrifice our lives" rather than back down in the face of protests over June's disputed presidential election.Gen. Sayyed Hassan Firouzabadi, chief of Iran's Joint Armed Forces, said Iranian soldiers were willing to die as they did in the brutal eight-year Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, according to the state-run Fars News Agency."Some may think that by protesting and chanting their slogans against us, we will back down, retreat and give up," Firouzabadi said. "We are ready to sacrifice our lives, as we showed during the time of the Sacred Defense [the Iran-Iraq war]."The government has cracked down on Iranians who protested the outcome of the June 12 election in which hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was declared the winner over his chief rival, reformist Mir Hossein Moussavi.Moussavi called the vote fraudulent and his supporters took to the streets by the thousands, sparking clashes between demonstrators and government troops, and members of a pro-government paramilitary force."The military uniform, in the system of the Islamic Republic, which is the system of the holy Quran, is the uniform of the Prophet's faithful, Firouzabadi said. "It is the uniform of service to the supreme leadership and the people."Meanwhile, Brig. Gen. Azizollah Rajabzadeh, Tehran's police chief, announced the creation of a 50,000-strong constable-like force called the "honorary police officers" that will assist police units, state-run Press TV reported.Rajabzadeh said the honorary police force could eventually expand to 300,000 nationwide.

Thursday, July 9, 2009

In life of mysteries, Jackson's changed color baffled public

In the wake of Michael Jackson's memorial service, the key question of how the pop superstar died remains unanswered, awaiting an official report from the Los Angeles County coroner.But other mysteries abound, particularly related to Jackson's appearance, which changed dramatically from his early adulthood.His features changed, and the color of his skin lightened significantly over the last two decades of his life.When the face of the most recognizable entertainer in the world faded to near alabaster, the transformation struck a sensitive cultural spot. It intrigued and even offended people, spawning numerous articles and blog posts speculating about his metamorphosis.This week, a source involved with the investigation into Jackson's death said the singer's body was "lily white from head to toe." And another source said Jackson had "paper-white skin. As white as a white T-shirt."The singer denied changing his skin color for vanity reasons and repeatedly asserted that he had a disease called vitiligo, in which the immune system attacks cells that produce melanin, the pigment that determines skin color. The condition results in milky white spots.For some patients, the discolored spots can spread entirely across the body, leaving only freckles of the original skin color, although this is not very common, experts said.Jackson told Oprah Winfrey in a 1993 interview, "I'm a black American. I am proud to be a black American. I am proud of my race, and I am proud of who I am. I have a lot of pride and dignity of who I am."I have a skin disorder that destroys the pigmentation of the skin. It's something I cannot help. When people make up stories that I don't like who I am, it hurts me," Jackson told Winfrey.Jackson's claims that he had vitiligo elicited both empathy and skepticism.Those familiar with the skin condition said vitiligo is commonly misunderstood because of its rarity. It affects approximately 1 percent of the world's population, according to the American Vitiligo Research Foundation."I have to wear sleeves and carry an umbrella," said Lee Thomas, who wrote a memoir called "Turning White," which discusses his physical and mental struggles as an African-American man whose skin changes because of vitiligo. "It totally makes sense to me."And he even shared a common habit as the King of Pop."I got [white spots] on one of my hands, so I used to wear a glove to hold a microphone," said Thomas, an Emmy-winning TV news broadcaster in Detroit, Michigan. He first noticed white spots on his scalp when he was 25. Then the spots appeared on his hands."Before I got this, I thought, 'What's up with Michael Jackson?' " Thomas said. "Then I get the disease, and it's like, 'Holy crap, there really is a disease called vitiligo, and it does what?' "Making assumptions about why or how a person's skin color changed is "not malicious ignorance, but it is definitely ignorance," Thomas said.Vitiligo affects people of all races, but it is more visible in people with darker skin. The cause of the disorder is unknown, although family history plays a role.Topical ointments such as corticosteroids and oral medicine combined with ultraviolet light therapies are used to restore pigment to the skin. These treatments often have side effects including abnormal hair growth, thinning and over-darkening of the skin.They can be about 60 to 70 percent successful, said Dr. James Norlund, a dermatologist who specializes in skin color disorders at Group Health Associates in Cincinnati, Ohio."The problem with vitiligo is, you end up with two colors," said Norlund, a board member with the National Vitiligo Foundation. "Everyone stares, wonders what's going on, and people ask if you had a burn. Kids ask what's wrong with you. It takes a tough soul to deal with that and not be affected."He recalled one patient, an African-American woman with vitiligo who had patches across her hands and face. When she shopped in the grocery store, she would be followed, and every bit of produce and item she touched would be thrown away, he said.If treatment to restore the patient's natural color fails and the majority of a person's body is discolored, the next option is to lighten his or her skin to match the spots."People want to be their own color," Norlund said. "Most of the time, most want to be their own color, but if they can't, the second best is, 'Look, I'll be one color, and I'll be white.' "Norlund never treated Jackson but said the singer's use of the gloves and lipstick was consistent with the patterns of vitiligo, since the spots frequently first appear on the hands and face, including the lips. He said Jackson's representatives once reached out to several dermatologists, including him, to hold a symposium on vitiligo at the Neverland Ranch, but those plans never materialized.Despite such statements, the constant changes in his face-- as it became narrower and paler -- baffled and caused some unease.Bleaching or lightening one's skin for cosmetic reasons is much rarer in the United States than in Asian, African and Caribbean nations, dermatologists said. In some countries, people use over-the-counter and bootleg products -- some of which contain potentially toxic chemicals -- to lighten their skin. The controversial practice has been viewed as the psychological legacy of racism, where light skin was valued over darker skin.In the United States, lightening ointments are prescribed for spot treatments for scars, acne pits or discolored marks, said Dr. Melissa Piliang, a dermatologist at the Cleveland Clinic.There is no surgery to lighten the skin. In the United States, a powerful medication called Benoquin, also known as monobenzene, can be used to treat extreme cases of vitiligo."It's important to understand that this product actually removes pigment (not just lightens), which is more like being an albino," wrote Dr. Min-Wei Christine Lee, a cosmetic dermatologic surgeon and director of The East Bay Laser & Skin Care Center in Walnut Creek, California. "Caucasian skin still has pigment even though it's 'white' -- skin treated with Benoquin has no pigment."The process, though painless, is so tedious and lengthy that most people use Benoquin only on the visible areas of their body, such as their face, neck and arms, Nordlund said. Side effects include irritated, dry or itchy skin, and the results are permanent.The person applies the medication once a day, and it could take six months to two years to take away the coloring. Nordlund said he has heard of only one or two people who administered the ointment over their entire bodies; those processes took five to eight years.It leaves the person extremely sensitive to the sun.It's a decision that Lee Thomas may have to make one day. None of the treatments to bring back his natural pigment has worked. His face has become about 35 to 40 percent white, and he uses heavy makeup to even out the spots when he appears on television."I would have to consider it as an option," Thomas said of whether he would consider depigmentation if the discolored spots spread. "When it gets to that point, I'll make that decision. Right now, I'm not there yet.""I'm a dark-skinned African-American and am proud of that. It would be really weird not to have any pigment at all."

Sunday, July 5, 2009

Report: Ahmadinejad says he wants public talks with Obama

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said he wants to engage President Obama in "negotiations" before international media, a semi-official Iranian news outlet reported on Saturday.Speaking at a meeting of medical school deans, Ahmadinejad said Iran "will soon pursue a new round of diplomatic activity" amid a new position of strength for the Iranian government, the Iranian Student News Agency quotes him as saying."I will go to the United Nations and will invite Obama to negotiations," Ahmadinejad said, adding that such talks would be "in front of the international media, not a sit-down behind closed doors in order to talk about matters."The Obama administration has sought dialogue with Iran but also criticized the government for its handling of unrest after disputed presidential elections.Last week, Obama said Iran's government must justify itself not in the eyes of the United States, but in the opinion of its own people."A sizable percentage of the Iranian people themselves ... consider this election illegitimate," he said at a White House news conference. "It is not too late for the Iranian government to recognize that there is a peaceful path that will lead to stability and prosperity."Initially, Obama was criticized by Republicans such as Sen. John McCain of Arizona and Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina for taking a "timid and passive" tone in speaking out against the growing wave of arrests, violence and deaths of pro-democracy activists.Ahmadinejad said he wants others to stop "meddling" in the internal affairs of Iran.

1.6 million register for 8,750 Jackson memorial tickets

About 1.6 million fans registered for a chance at fewer than 9,000 tickets to Michael Jackson's memorial service next week, organizers said.Registration ended at 6 p.m. Saturday.Officials will now "scrub" all entries to eliminate duplicates and those they suspect may have been registered using software that tickets scalpers use to generate multiple hits.A random drawing will follow. The winning 8,750 registrants will receive an e-mail Sunday after 11 a.m. (2 p.m. ET), AEG Live said."I know I'll be hitting the 'refresh' button on my inbox over and over again," said Jackie Flower, an arts student in San Diego, California.The e-mail will assign the selected registrants a unique code and direct them to a designated distribution center away from the Staples Center.There, they will each receive two tickets to either the memorial service at the Staples Center arena or a simulcast of the event at the adjacent Nokia Theater LA Live, AEG said.Jackson's family has still not announced the singer's burial arrangements, saying only that it will hold a private ceremony ahead of the massive public memorial service Tuesday.Journalists staked out several possible burial locations. A long line of television satellite trucks remained parked outside the Hollywood Hills Forest Lawn Cemetery in case it was chosen by the family, but there has been no word from cemetery officials.Police set up metal barricades around the front lawn, creating spaces for media and fans. Two state trooper cruisers idled at the Hall of Liberty inside the grounds, which contains a 1,200-seat auditorium.

Friday, July 3, 2009

Soothsayer, ex-bodyguard tell of Jackson drug abuse

MJ's

Two of Michael Jackson’s former confidantes, medium Uri Geller and ex-bodyguard Matt Fiddes, say they tried in vain to keep the pop superstar from abusing painkillers and other prescription drugs suspected of leading to his death — but others in the singer’s circle kept the supplies flowing. ‘When Michael asked for something, he got it. This was the great tragedy,’ Geller said Thursday in a telephone interview with The Associated Press from his suburban Londonhome.Geller, who said he suffered a terrible falling-out with Jackson several years ago over the issue, said he often had ‘to shout at Michael, to scream at Michael’ as he sought to confiscate the singer’s stocks of medication during his travels in England. Geller said he slept on floors or sofas in Jackson’s hotel suites in a bid to talk sense into his sometimes-incoherent friend.‘Most of the people around Michael could not say ‘No!’ to him. He desperately needed someone there all the time who could say ‘No!’ and mean it, who could warn him of the dangers ... and tell him the truth,’ Geller said. ‘The big problem was that many people wanted to help Michael, to save his life, but we could not be there all the time.’Geller said Jackson relied on medications to help him cope with relentless pressure and media criticism in his later years. ‘With his sanity buffeted and health wracked by global bullying nonstop, I think it’s actually incredible that Michael held up as well as he did,’ he said.Fiddes, an English karate instructor who worked as a senior bodyguard during Jackson’s travels in Britain for a decade, said the pop idol abused prescription medications, not recreational drugs, and took so much that it could be difficult to wake him for engagements.‘I confiscated packages and Uri did too. I mean, Uri confiscated injection equipment from his room,’ Fiddes said in an interview broadcast Thursday by Sky News. ‘And Uri would scream at Michael, you know, intensely, to stop doing this. But we just were getting pushed out.’Fiddes recalled one occasion when Jackson planned to visit London Zoo to see the gorillas, chimpanzees and other primates — but was too spaced out to go anywhere.The bodyguard said he and Geller ‘were both shaking him trying to wake him up. It was clear that he had taken something that morning and he was hard to wake. We were extremely concerned ... We couldn’t get him in a state that would portray him in a good light.’Fiddes said both he and Geller told others supplying medications to Jackson to stop, but when their efforts ‘got back to Michael, he would have a screaming fit that we were interfering with his private life. He was in denial.’Several other Jackson confidantes have expressed concern since his death at the volume and mixture of medications he was taking. Self-help guru Deepak Chopra said he rejectedJackson’s 2005 appeals for painkillers and that their relationship suffered lasting damage because of it.Geller said he was fearful that Jackson could not have completed his planned 50-concert run in London, which was due to start July 13. Stress over the imminent comeback, as well as drug misuse, combined to kill his friend, he said.‘Whatever the autopsy will come back with, part of what made Michael Jackson’s heart stop involved the stress and the anxiety that, ‘My God, in a few days I have to get on a plane and fly to England.’ But he could have done it,’ Geller said.

More provinces? By Ayesha Siddiqa

Sources suggest that the PPP government would support this formula so that the power of the Sharif brothers can be diluted. - File photo
Sharif brothers
THAT Pakistan must be divided into smaller and more manageable administrative-cum-political divisions is an argument that one has heard for many years. After all, if India can have new states based on linguistic divisions, why can’t Pakistan have more provinces? It makes a lot of sense if newer and more manageable administrative divisions are carved out of the existing four provinces with the objective of catering to the political sentiments of the people. Smaller units will mean the decentralisation of power, which should appease those who are worried about the concentration of power. The application of the above formula should make at least two groups happy: Punjab’s Seraiki and urban Sindh’s Urdu-speaking Mohajir communities. They have been struggling for years for recognition of their political and social rights. Unfortunately for the Mohajir community, it is demographically not in a position to make such a demand. Its political representatives might try to join forces with Sindhi nationalists to stop the inflow of the Pathans or Punjabis. But this will only work as long as they share political objectives, especially when one considers their history of animosity. More importantly, there is less discussion of a division of Sindh or other provinces and more about the division of Punjab — especially in the context of a province for Seraiki speakers — not to mention divisions within the Seraiki-speaking area and the issue of making Bahawalpur a province. None of the above means that Punjab today is more prepared for a division than other provinces. However, this indicates the weakening of the elite consensus in Punjab which may eventually move towards the breakdown of the agreement of the ruling elite in the largest province. Although smaller administrative divisions are absolutely logical, one must not be labouring under the misapprehension that the debate we are hearing has anything to do with the betterment of ordinary people. The Seraiki-speaking elite dwelling mainly in southern Punjab is weary of the concentration of power in Lahore, especially in the hands of the PML-N and the Sharif brothers. A new Seraiki province with its capital in one of the larger cities of southern Punjab will dramatically change Punjab’s political scene. But the role played by central forces is critical. Sources suggest that the PPP government would support this formula so that the power of the Sharif brothers can be diluted. Electoral results show that PPP support is concentrated in rural Punjab which is basically south Punjab versus PML-N’s following in the urban centres. A new political division will dilute the Punjabi urban versus rural division. Another province will also mean that Punjab would not be directly and totally controlled by the Sharifs and their party. Shahbaz Sharif can only be chief minister in one province, not two. Not to mention the fact that the success of the Seraiki movement will result in the possible creation of the Potohar province or some other division. The Bahawalpur province debate is inextricably linked to the demand for a Seraiki province. One explanation for a smaller province is that it is bound to kill the movement for a larger province. From a particular perspective, the demand for a Seraiki province versus a Bahawalpur province is the battle between two political poles, one more centrist and pro-establishment than the other. The entire debate is interesting because it indicates the weakening of elite consensus in Punjab, a province which is considered critical to Pakistan and its power politics. It must also be mentioned that the subcontinent has taken a newer shape every time elite consensus broke down. Starting from the independence of India and Pakistan to the breakup of Pakistan in 1971, this will probably be the third time in our history that the breakdown of consensus might give a new shape to the political division of territory. Of course, this time it will be done in a more decent manner, which is to be expected since there is no grass-roots demand for a new province. There are many who believe that this is about the betterment of the people. Surely, people in Multan, D.G. Khan, Bahawalpur and other places are bothered by the long trek to Lahore whenever they need to get things done. It is also a fact that there is greater development work in north and central Punjab than in the south. There are three issues worth considering in this regard. First, the south versus north and centre is also a story of uneven urban development. Second, the lack of development is not just about the concentration of power in Lahore but the peculiar concentration of capital and industrial development in the province. North and central Punjab are better developed because most industries, including defence, are located there. While this is because the bulk of the military is from the north and centre, the majority of dynamic entrepreneurs are also located here rather than in the south. Third, the comparative lack of industrialisation is also because the large landowners and politicians of southern Punjab have stuck to the more traditional industries and methods of capital formation. This varied pattern is not surprising since the relatively poorer agriculture of north Punjab led to other forms of money-making. In any case, the Seraiki-speaking elite attached itself to the larger Punjabi elite including the military to get their share of resources. I remember Makhdoom Khursheed Zaman Qureshi of Bahawalpur, interim minister for agriculture in Punjab during Musharraf’s tenure, talk about the benefits of giving free land to the generals in south Punjab. There are others like the Legharis with links to the ISI through the Mehran Bank scandal. The stories are endless. The fact of the matter is that the Makhdooms, Legharis, Abbasis, Gilanis etc from south Punjab see the division of the larger province as an opportunity to build their own stronghold. In a nutshell we might see a new shape of Punjab but such a change must be planned properly to divert benefits to the people rather than to the predatory elite.

Fans must register for tickets to Jackson memorial

Fans wishing to attend singer Michael Jackson's memorial service next week will have to register for the 11,000 free tickets, organizers said Thursday.Details on how to register for the 10 a.m. (1 p.m. ET) service at the 20,000-seat Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, Tuesday are to be announced Friday.Jackson's family will hold a private ceremony before the public memorial service, his brother said Thursday.Speaking to CNN's Larry King, Jermaine Jackson said the ceremony will be held Tuesday morning, but he did not say where.Jackson rehearsed at Staples Center two nights before he died, and he appeared healthy in a video clip of the rehearsal obtained by CNN. Jackson died June 25 after collapsing at his rented home in Los Angeles.AEG, promoter of Jackson's planned London, England, shows, released the short video of Jackson rehearsing in the arena on June 23.Jackson sang "They Don't Care About Us," a song from his "HIStory" album, as he danced along with eight male dancers.