 |  | | Debt Crisis & West |
 YOU may recall the Latin
American debt crisis of 1982,
the Asian debt crisis of 1997,
the Russian debt crisis of 1998
- and you´ll certainly remember
the US sub-prime debt crisis of 2008.
Now we have a European debt crisis
and, horror of horrors, a US government
debt crisis.
That´s the word to keep hold of: debt.
Ignore the financiers´ jargon - bond
yields, credit default swaps, hedge
funds - which make finance sound like
quantum physics, a fearfully abstruse
subject beyond the grasp of ordinary
mortals. Financial crises occur when
people (or governments or companies)
can´t repay their debts. Or more precisely
when their creditors (or shareholders)
decide they aren´t likely to get
their money... |
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| |  | | US GRIPPED BY GREAT
CONTRACTION |
| IN the wake of the hugely disappointing
budget deal and
the S&P´s debt downgrade,
maybe we need to hang a new
sign in the immigration arrival
halls at all US ports and airports. It
could simply read: "Welcome. You
are entering the United States of
America. Past performance is not
necessarily indicative of future
returns."
Because our country is now finding
itself in the worst kind of
decline - a slow decline, just slow
enough for us to keep deluding ourselves
that nothing really fundamental
needs to change if our
future is to match our past.
Our slow decline is a product of
two inter-related problems. First,
we´ve let our five basic pillars of
growth erode since the end of the
Cold War - education, infrastructure,
immigration... |
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| | Bhai Log brings the
action back to films |  BHAI Log revolves around
the gangs of Karachi and
the prevailing terror situation
in the city. The film —
which addresses questions
of nationhood and perpetual lawlessness
which seems to prevail in the city
— has an impressive cast comprising
Javed Sheikh, Moammar Rana, Babar
Ali, Saima Noor, Nadeem Baig and a
host of other talented actors.
The film has two trailers which were
released last month and show Karachi
through unique camera angles and
vantage points that are not typically
seen in Pakistani films. Bhai Log
includes carefully choreographed
action sequences and dramatic rivalry
between two gangs which have a hold
on the governance and... |
| | Who´s the sexiest Catwoman
Anne, Michelle or Halle? |
 WHO´S better in leather? As the
newest star to step into the role of
Catwoman, Anne Hathaway follows
in the footsteps of two very,
A-list, Hollywood actresses having donned the
skin-tight costume before Michelle Pfeiffer
and Halle Berry. And while Hathaway, 28,
remains mum on the details of her character in
The Dark Knight Rises, ("I signed a blood
oath," she says), the real question is which star
makes the best feline vixen?
Pfeiffer, 53, played Selina Kyle/Catwoman in
the 1992 Tim Burton-directed flick, Batman
Returns, where she starred opposite Michael
Keaton. The blonde bombshell earned two
MTV Movie Awards nods for Most Desirable
Female and Best... |
| | Katrina vs Ranbir:
Clash of the rockstars |  FORMER sweethearts
Katrina Kaif and Ranbir
Kapoor gear up to play
similar roles, albeit in different
movies
Even before Ranbir Kapoor sets
to rock the big screen as a rockstar
in Imtiaz Ali´s next, Rockstar, his
rumoured ex Katrina Kaif has
managed to master the art of
playing the guitar.
The actress, who apparently
plays a musician in Mere Brother
Ki Dulhan, was so keen on getting
her notes right that she would
ardently practice the guitar whenever
she´d get the time.
Thankfully, for her, there was a
well-established musician within
the crew to help her from going
out of tune.
Says Pakistani singer Ali Zafar
who also plays an important part
in the film... |
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