PAKISTAN: KivaFriends Forum's Honorary Country of the TwoWeeks #1

[Guest]

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[Jill]

Thanks, Sherri, for your suggestions in the Learning About the World We Live In thread, http://www.kivafriends.org/index.php/topic,1538.0.html.

       Since you were the first one to name a country, then
For the First KivaFriends Forum Honorary Country of the Week, Pakistan** it is.
** Peace Be With You, Benazir Bhutto.
http://www.kivafriends.org/index.php/topic,1159.30.html

      And, as if to confirm that Pakistan was the absolute perfect choice for a place to begin, look what I absolutely totally, incredibly, fortuitously just now came across, really, in fewer than five minutes of cruising around on my Internet-powered magic carpet.

      If you can go to the following link, see the truly exquisite, I mean exquisite weaving and all the other kinds of handiwork,
and after, still be able to say that this idea of our trying to learn and share what we learn about all our Entrepreneurs' home countries doesn't have just absolutely amazing potential, I'll eat my ________***

Pakistani Decorative Arts
http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/pakistan/arts-of-pakistan/decorative-arts.htm


*** Later, after I learn the name and the look of a Pakistani hat or head-covering, I'll return to fill in the blank.

           And off we go.....   
Hang on.  It's going to be a beautiful beautiful ride.

     NOTE:  This thread is for all things Pakistani.  Let's make it RICH!

EDIT: FYI-- The way I found that was that I went to Google Image and I typed in the words, "Pakistani Art."
        I was attracted to one of the images that appeared on the very first page that was generated.  I clicked on
        that image, and that's how I ended up here.  Otherwise known as Lucking Out Bigtime!

[Wood Fairy Glenda]

Just little samples of Pakistani music online (at least for Apple Users - I can't get RealPlayer, so this uses iTunes): http://www.mp3.com/albums/511500/downloads.html

[Wood Fairy Glenda]

http://pakistaniat.com/ "All Things Pakistan"
This is a very interesting and informative site on "things Pakistani."  There's a UTube clip on the second page with more Pakistani music, an interesting video on the inflation of cows used in rituals on the first page (no, I don't understand the language, but there's an explanation in English beneath), many news items and cultural items of all sorts.  I initially found the site via it's page on Pakistani carpets, but I got so interested in the other items that I have yet to get to that page.  Have fun.

[Wood Fairy Glenda]

Okay, okay -  I'll stop after this one: http://pakistaniat.com/2006/11/29/pakistan-birds/ the website of the Pakistan Birdwatcher's Club. It's my kind of thing  and you can see reports of birding trips with species lists, hot sightings, and all sorts of other things  I haven't even thought about in the context of Pakistan.  All I ever see in the news is death and violence.   Check out Pakistani wildlife through Google and other routes.  You'll be pleasantly surprised.

[Jill]

Pakistani Decorative Trucks and Buses

Loudly decorated trucks and buses are commonly found in Japan and Pakistan......
Decorative trucks and buses commonly have neon or ultraviolet lights, extravagant paints, and shiny stainless or golden exterior parts. These decorations can be found on both the cab and the trailer, and not only on the exterior but also in the interior. The decorations may be created by workers out of their work vehicles for fun, or they may be designed by hobbyists for special events. They are sometimes also referred to as Art Trucks and Buses.

                   I'm pretty sure that you'll have to actually come to the thread to be able to see these:

EDIT: Went to Glenda's Pakistani Birding Site, above, to grab a Pakistani bird to show you, a Hoopoe,   
        because We Like Pictures With Our Posts. 
        See, below, it's the one that doesn't look like a truck or a bus

[Jill]

      Oh, I forgot, when I was out looking for that Pakistani hat that I was going to have to eat if you all aren't duly impressed by that incredible video I, just by chance, happened upon, noted in the first post, above -- and see below for my delicious looking supper-to-be -- I came across the following while I was chasing hat.

http://library.thinkquest.org/J001561/pak/religion.html
   
The Muslim women of Pakistan are required to wear the shawar kamiz, a long tunic top and baggy long pants, and ALL women, no matter what religion, are required to keep their arms, legs and head covered.  Young boys will pinch western women if they have "naked" hair or are not properly covered.  The strict Muslims require their women to wear the burquah, which is a huge tent of material completely covering a woman from head to toe with a small screen of material for the eyes.  It is extremely hot and drags on the ground making it hard to walk.
      The preceding was clearly written from a Westerner's perspective, possibly even a school student's....

     All right, for the time being, anyway, Glenda and I, both, are all Pak'd out.  Somebody else's turn.

EDIT:  Help me!  Help me!  I can't escape.  Call the white coats.  Help!
         I just discovered that that same website has a Pakistani music link -- click where it says  Video Clip --
         for Contemporary and for Folk and for Classical.
         That website is just superlative.  Somebody Help  Us  if they offer all these riches for every country.  He---llllp!
         http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/pakistan/arts-of-pakistan/music.htm

[Jill]

      Oh my.  It looks like I caught whatever Glenda had.  Or maybe she caught what I had and I caught it back from her.
I just now returned to that website with the exquisite Decorative Arts video that I'd cited for you in the first post.
It came from the Kennedy Center in New York.

      I thought I'd noticed that that same website featured other kinds of Pakistani arts, and sure enough,
it's a treasure chest of an offering of Pakistani Architecture, Sculpture, Painting, Dance and more.  It's totally FIRST CLASS.
Following is their link to Pakistani Dance.  There are two kinds -- Classical Dance and Folk Dance.
Make sure you see the Folk Dance if you're only going to watch one of them.  Even if you watch only 30 seconds of any of the videos we post here, it's a treat.
          http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/pakistan/arts-of-pakistan/dance.htm

EDIT:  Help!  Help!  I can't get away.  Call the White Coats!  Help!
         I just discovered that that same website has a link for Pakistani Music -- Click where it says Video Clips --
         for Contemporary, for Classical, and for Folk Music.  http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/pakistan/arts-of-pakistan/music.htm
          Help!  It's too superlative.  I can't resist it.  And I'm not even that enamoured with Pakistan.  Help!

[Joe]

Cool idea

Those decorated buses are awesome. They make the Partridge Family bus look tame.

I got sad when I saw a news report on Benazir Bhutto, even though I didn't know much about her other than what she's done in the last few months. She seemed interesting and now I want to read about her life.

http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/bhu0bio-1

World Factbook on Pakistan

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/pk.html

People of Pakistan

[Joe]

Pakistan National anthem


A brief tour of some of the most beautiful places in Pakistan

[miGIRLS]

Decorative buses - they bring me back to my hometown when I was a kid. Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. The painted panel trucks were everywhere. There would be a Mercedes truck, all decorated in mint green, red, yellow, and blues, with a load of shaggy sheep, or perhaps even a camel being transported in the back. Great memories! Thanks.