Adil Najam and Owais Mughal
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As a salute to what they have gone through in 2010 and in prayers for how the events of 2010 will influence their – and thereby our – futures, we at All Things Pakistan feel that a most worthy choice for the Pakistan Person of the Year 2010 are the children of the great floods of 2010.
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On August 14, 2010, we had dedicated our Independence Day post to twins Abdullah Khan (L) and Mohammad Bilal (R) born to Bushra Humayoun at a college converted to a camp for flood survivors by the army on the outskirts of Nowshera on August 12, 2010. As an ‘Azadi’ gift, we had offered them this prayer: "May you prosper, dear Abdullah and Bilal. May you live long and fruitful lives. May you never see again a tumultuous calamity like the one you were born in the midst of." Today, at the turn of the year, we extend the prayer to all the children of the floods of the 2010. We repeat what we had written in that post: "May your generation make more of it than our generation – or that of our parents – did." No face represents the reality of Pakistan in 2010 or the impacts of 2010 on Pakistan’s future greater than the faces of the children of the great floods of 2010. It is the faces of the children of the floods of 2010 that represent for us the Pakistan person of the Year 2010, as well as the best hopes for Pakistan’s future.
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Last year we had named the Pakistani policeman as the ATP Person of the Year 2009 and had requested our readers to say ‘thank you’ to a Pakistani policeman. Very much in the same spirit, we choose a representation of the ordinary Pakistani citizen rather than a celebrity, a politician or a glitterati. Very much in the same spirit, we request you our readers to look out for the interests of these children of the 2010 floods. These are not just the children of the floods. These are all our children. And all their futures are our futures. The floods might have receded, but their lives are still defined by the floods and will be defined by them for many years and decades. Let us not let them drown in the vulgarity of false benevolence and grievance, which can often be as fleeting as it is false. Let us embrace them, not in charity but in brotherhood, to repeat what we wrote back in September 2010:
At the very point when the flood victim’s biggest loss is their loss of dignity – that is what homelessness and helpnessness is really about – we choose to put their indignity on display in this most vulgar manner. Indeed, we add to that indignity by turning what were self-respecting citizens till a few weeks ago into groveling serfs and beggars.
Yes, aid provisions can come from sources and motivations that are charitable. But the provision of aid must never be at the cost of the dignity of those we are supposedly aiding. These are people who have lost nearly everything already. Let us not rob them of their dignity too. You do not treat or talk about them as if they were beggars and you doling out your largess to them.
They are not beggars and they must not be made to feel like beggars. These are citizens. They were the pillars of your economy yesterday, and they will define your future tomorrow. In a society where entitlement is already a disease of the powerful, do not make begging the affliction of the weak. They need, deserve and have a right to our generosity. But because it is the duty of the state and of society to assist them.
The story we need to be writing today is the story of institutions of state and society fulfilling their duty. The story that the children of these flood victims need to tell to their own children tomorrow is a story told by citizens of how state and society rose up for them in their time of need. Instead we (leaders, media and individuals alike) are writing a story of vulgar benevolence and entrenched grievance. A story that will told in the language of servitude, in the language of abandonment by state and society, in the language of beggars.
No nation can ever survive that story.
We choose the faces of the children of the Great Floods of 2010 as the Pakistan person of the Year 2010 because these are the faces that will define tomorrow’s Pakistan. The children who have lived and grown up in the camps of the 2005 earthquake, in the tents of the IDP campments, in the relief lots of the floods of 2010 – these are the children that will define tomorrow’s Pakistan. The earnest and deep memories they will take with them from these formative experiences will not just impact, but actually shape their view of the world, of society, of us, of their relationship with each other and with Pakistan. And from those memories and imprints will emerge whatever Pakistan is to emerge in the future. After all, Ghar Tou Akhir Apna Hai:
What we had written about the children of the IDP camps in 2009, is still true of them and of the millions more than joined them in the devastating floods of 2010:
The memories, impressions, experiences, stories, scars, smiles, and worldviews that are being fostered as you read these lines … will define not only the future of these children, but possibly the future of Pakistan itself. Will these be memories of neglect and disdain and of a world and country who ignored their needs? Or will these be memories of a community and a country coming together as one to respond to these needs? The answer will not only define the future of hundreds of thousands of children, but of a nation itself.
We Pakistanis must also recognize the power of this moment. But our message cannot simply mirror that of our enemies. Our message must be the message of hope, of possibility, of Pakistaniat, of unity, of humaneness and of humanity, of coming together and of rising as one. But, ultimately, no message can resonate simply because of the strategic imperative of the moment; the power of the word derives only from the content of the action that accompanies the word. History shall judge us all, not just by what we say in this moment of need. But what we do in this moment of need.
We have the ability to shape what these memories and imprints are. Indeed, we have the responsibility to do so. And for all these reasons, and more, the children of the great floods of 2010 are the Pakistan Person of the Year 2010.
Moms say private-sale site for kids’ clothes a gem; Retail Report.(Business)
The Seattle Times (Seattle, WA) February 5, 2010 When it comes to jewelry, soon-to-be mom Cheryl Gennaios has been known to treat herself to a few purchases from the Seattle Web site Blue Nile. So when Gennaios heard last week that two Blue Nile veterans had created Zulily, a members-only Web site with products for babies and children, she decided to check it out.
“I thought, I’ve always done well with Blue Nile, so let’s see,” she recalled.
“It’s nice, especially in this economy, to have a Web site that sells high-quality products at a discounted price,” Gennaios said.
Private-sale sites such as Gilt and Rue La La have attracted more than 1 million members in the past two years with temporary deals on designer apparel and accessories. Now, the same “while supplies last” approach is spreading to home furnishings, travel packages and children’s products.
Last fall, as Zulily co-founders Mark Vadon and Darrell Cavens prepared to announce their venture, two private-sale sites based in New York, bTrendie and Totsy, got under way with a similar focus on parents of young children.
Cavens, a former senior VP of marketing and technology at Blue Nile, said Zulily was borne from personal experience: he has two children, ages 3 and 2; Vadon, a 10-month-old daughter.
“We talked about how much we hated going into the big-box children’s stores. There’s an awful lot of choices, and not necessarily a lot of guidance,” said Cavens, the site’s CEO. “At the same time, the private-sale space was really starting to take off.” “I just look at how much stuff we’re buying for our daughter,” added Vadon, executive chairman at Blue Nile who also chairs Zulily’s three-member board. “We bought our baby furniture online from a company in Brooklyn because the stuff at Babies ‘R Us, we did not love.” Here’s how Zulily works: Online shoppers sign up for the chance to buy discounted, upscale children’s products during three- to five-day sales. The site, which launched Jan. 27, takes a cut of each sale. It does not actually buy the products until they sell, so it’s not stuck with leftovers.
Brands see Zulily as an outlet for excess inventory or a place to introduce new products, Cavens said. And because the sales are open to members only, they don’t show up on Internet search engines. That means traditional distribution channels don’t have to match the lower prices, Cavens said, keeping the brands in good stead. web site zulily coupon code
Jane Hedreen, owner of Flora and Henri, an upscale children’s clothier with stores in Seattle and New York, plans to offer overstock items on Zulily this month. Eventually, she said, Flora and Henri might produce clothes with the goal of selling them on Zulily.
“They could offer us volume and exposure that, as a small company with virtually no marketing budget, we cannot otherwise access,” she said. go to web site zulily coupon code
Zulily began with $4.6 million in financing led by Maveron, a Seattle venture-capital firm co-founded by Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz. (Vadon, co-founder and former CEO of Internet jeweler Blue Nile, invested about $1 million, and Maveron put up the rest.) Maveron’s total investments in any given year can range from $30 million to $75 million.
Maveron co-founder Dan Levitan said he regrets turning away Vadon when he sought early financing in Blue Nile a decade ago, confessing: “I didn’t think enough people would buy such an expensive product over the Web.” Along with Cavens, “Mark is an e-commerce pioneer,” Levitan said, “and we’re excited to work with him.” Levitan said he also is eager to test consumer demand for a private-sale site focused on children’s products — one that “enables a mom to discover very relevant products to her.” Zulily has set up shop at Maveron’s offices in the Chinatown International District but soon will move to the Seattle Quilt Building in Pioneer Square. The site employs 10 people and expects to have an additional five employees by the end of next month, Cavens said.
Member Esther Teodoro, who has two small children and runs BigGigs, a Seattle event-planning company, said she feels overwhelmed by large, mass-market e-commerce sites. She likes that Zulily targets busy moms, and the discounts don’t hurt.
“There is a part of me that loves to see how much of a deal I’m getting,” she said. “It just kind of makes me feel I cheated the system.” — Amy Martinez Tidbits Seattle sportswear company Cutter & Buck has named Jens Petersson chief executive officer. He replaces Ernie Johnson, who took the helm in 2006. Johnson, a former banker, now is chairman of Cutter & Buck’s board. Petersson, 46, who previously was deputy CEO of New Wave, said he plans to step up Cutter & Buck’s marketing efforts and better communicate with customers on the Internet, noting that social-networking sites such as Facebook are “very much on my agenda.” — AM Costco Wholesale is holding bridal gown fittings at its Issaquah warehouse through Sunday. It’s the second bridal event for a company that already sells everything from diapers to coffins. The first was held last fall at a warehouse in Southern California. It’s selling wedding dresses, veils, flower-girl dresses and maid-of-honor dresses designed by Kirstie Kelly Designs in partnership with Disney. The Issaquah event also includes accessories by the Amanda Pearl Collection (which is owned by Costco co-founder Jeff Brotman’s daughter, Amanda), floral packages, photo books and invitations. — MA Seattle Goodwill opens a new outlet store Saturday in Everett, at 2208 W. Casino Road, near Paine Field. It’s the first of two locations that Seattle Goodwill plans to open this year. A new store also is planned for Monroe in April. — AM Fred Meyer customers raised $672,802 for the American Red Cross Haiti Disaster Relief Fund during a two-week donation program, a spokesman said. — MA Drugstore.com has created a new Web site, AtHisBest.com, listing more than 10,000 items related to men’s health and grooming. — AM Retail Report appears Fridays. Amy Martinez covers goods, services and online retail. She can be reached at 206-464-2923 or amartinez@seattletimes.com. Melissa Allison covers the food and beverage industry. She can be reached at 206-464-3312 or mallison@seattletimes.com.
CAPTION(S):
Dean Rutz / The Seattle Times: Blue Nile veteran Darrell Cavens, who co-founded a members-only Web site, is shown with products for babies and children. (0411259659)
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hello this is a good article
Good selection and strong post. ATP’s work on the floods has been absolutely first rate and I am glad you have kept us awake on this situation even when all others have fallen silent.
When I read the title of this blog, I though you will say Person of the year is Rehman Malik. :)