Arkangel - Black Mirror S4 E2 - Summary

Arkangel season 4 episode 2 

    
    
     

    Arkangel is the fourth episode of season four which highlights how technology can be a blessing and a curse both at the same time. Arkangel is the name of implanted chip in children which can be used to track the whereabouts of children and that comes with a tablet which is connected to the chip and the device managers can actually see what is happening to the children and where are they going.

   The episode starts where a very protective mother Marie who is a single parent lives with her daughter Sara who is nearly 4 or 5 years old. Marie on one fine ordinary day loses sight of Sara but later she is recovered but fearing future crises Marie takes Sara to get the chip inserted inside her which is a good way to monitor your child wherever they are. The chip blurs and pixelated images for the children which might scare them or could harm them. Initially, it helped Marie in supervising Sara whether she is out playing or studying at school. But as she grows into a teenager Sara started believing her mother is invading her space and privacy. However, they agree to shut down and deactivate the tablet and let Sara live on her own and explore. Until the day when Sara goes to a party after school and does not answers call from her mother, distressful mother Marie ends up activating the tablet and see Sara in an intimate situation with her guy friend. It does not stop there, later she finds her smoking cocaine with the same guy. Marie was convinced this guy was a bad influence on Sara and she ended up blackmailing and threatening him to stop seeing her daughter or he will have to face the consequences.

   Later, she discovers Sara is pregnant and she dissolves contraceptive pill in her drink during breakfast. Upon some disturb occurrence between this mother-daughter duo Sara finds out that her mother had been spying on her, yet again which do not result good. Due to the blurriness she could not figure what was she doing and end up beating her mother with the tablet and injures her. Marie wakes up after some time and discovers Sara had left home forever and in this way, they both end up losing each other. So tell me, how does technology serve you? If you get used to it in the unhealthy form it can surely become a curse for you and the ending can be pretty much destructive.

M E H R A M - a tale of lost love

                                                          MEHRAM - a tale of lost love 

The Wise Owl Film Presents

                                   MEHRAM...
                                   ... محرم


They say its a beautiful feeling to love and be loved because when you love someone you tend to overlook their flaws or maybe blindfold yourself to them. 

rumi says, 'a lover sees no faults in his beloved'

that's how the tale starts when Rida, a village girl, truly, madly and deeply falls in love with a guy from another city and risks to leave her entire family for him. but what about Usman? unfortunately he could not value her love enough and due to his carelessness Rida becomes a prey to inhumane group of people. she becomes a victim to heinous crime of human trafficking.a wickedly heartbreaking short film which shows two sides of love, both extremes, both dark, both daring and heart wrenching; but on different poles. one side represents willingness to go beyond to be with your beloved and the other one, destruction of thyself.highlighting one of the most tragic crime of all times, this story meets its destination where both of the lovers find an end to their story, and themselves.

The Director himself,
Mohammad Hamza Maya 

Winner of BNU Film Festival and Karachi Iqra Film Festival Awards (Mehram)






About the Director:

Mohammad Hamza known as Hamza Maya is a writer, director, photographer and editor. He is studying Media Science and film at Iqra University, Karachi. Still undergraduate, Since 2015 he has been engaged in the Pakistan film Industry and television industry as a writer, director and editor. In 2017 Mohammad Hamza co-launched a small film, television and video production company named THE WISE OWL FILMS. In 2018, Mohammad Hamza was selected as part of Iqra University Film Festival Program as a Director’. MEHRAM , the resulting short film, is a dark drama, thriller and love tale about a girl trying to escape her home for the sake of her lover who lives in a different city. 

Best Director 
                Best Short Film
Best Editing
                Best Screenplay
Best Actress 

Hamza Maya receiving awards for his ultimate devotion to his field and work.

In 2019, Mehram received four the best short film, best direction, best sound and best actor awards at the 5th Karachi Iqra Film Festival. and five awards in BNU FILM FESTIVAL. Like best Director,Best ShortFilm,  Best editing, Best ScreenPlay, and Best Actress. Mohammad Hamza is known for his uncompromising devotion to quality and is firmly committed to the development and progression of a loyal film culture in Pakistan.

However, looking at the fine progress of Pakistani Film industry we can definitely say that the cloud is not entirely empty, there are vapors and it is expected to rain in the future. If talents like these keep on showing up with great enthusiasm then a lot of positive transformation is expected. Most importantly when social issues are highlighted in such movies, gives a very pragmatic touch to the story. Similar kind of situation was discussed in this. 

Keeping our hopes high, let us see where this lad takes our Pakistani Film Industry! Best Wishes and lots of luck for the team and Hamza Maya. 

Waheed Khan, a Pakistani shinning bright in the USA

Meet Waheed Khan, a true Pakistani by heart shining bright in the USA - student of WSU 

A native of Karachi, Pakistan, Waheed Khan never imagined that he would end up pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Winona, Minn. But when the time came for Khan to start applying for college, he was heavily influenced by his older brother’s positive experience at Winona State University a decade prior.

“My brother graduated with Accounting and Management Information Systems [MIS] degrees and always said that the faculty at WSU were fantastic,” he recalled.
Khan, now a senior with plans to graduate next fall, has found this to be true in his own experience, attributing many of his achievements to the support of the WSU community—from faculty in and out of the classroom who served as his mentors to the employees in the International Services Office who helped him settle in to the Winona community.
The financial support of the WSU community was also a significant benefit for Khan. During his time at WSU he has earned several scholarships, including a Cross Cultural scholarship, a scholarship offered through WSU’s eWarrior digital life and learning program, and a Computer Science scholarship started by one of his own faculty members, Dr. Gary Cichanowski.
“So many people have contributed to my success,” he said.
In turn, Khan has endeavored to contribute to the success of the community around him through active involvement in campus life and community outreach. In 2017, he received WSU’s “A Leader Improving Our World” award, an honor presented to a student who actively celebrates WSU’s mission and values on campus and in the Winona community.
As President of the Computer Science (CS) Club, he organizes trips to major tech companies like Microsoft and the Nerdery in Minnesota. As a member of the Muslim Student Association (MSA), he assists in organizing discussions intended to raise cultural awareness at WSU and in the Winona community, and has organized fundraiser dinners for building the Islamic Center of Winona. Most recently he was inducted as a member of WSU’s newest student leadership board, the John Latsch Leadership Academy.
Khan views himself as an active entrepreneur, always looking for ways to improve the world around him. He was a key player in bringing Enterprise Car Share to the WSU campus (scheduled to launch in Fall 2018), and is the founder of WSU Hackathon, an event that invites students from all majors to work collaboratively over a 12-hour period.
“After attending several Hackathons myself, I realized that WSU was missing out on a great opportunity to promote creativity, community engagement and teamwork,” he said.
With support from MIS faculty member Pat Paulson, Khan brought the WSU Hackathon concept to life, refining the idea, making all the arrangements, and even soliciting sponsorships from local businesses to make the event free for all student participants. This year, the second annual WSU Hackathon occurred on Feb. 24 in the College of Business Engagement Center, Somsen Hall.

According to Khan, Paulson is a great example of the way faculty step up to offer support to students at WSU. “Dr. Paulson’s always been a fantastic mentor to me, and his help in bringing Hackathon to WSU proves that he’s willing to go the extra mile for students.”
When he’s not running club meetings, organizing student activities or doing his homework, Khan is working on-campus as a Lead Student Systems Administrator in IT. The position has allowed Khan to explore the IT world, network with professionals in the industry, and develop real world problem-solving skills.
Khan stated, “My supervisors—Scott Schradle, Brian Kugel, Allen Foegen and Ali Omar—have given me opportunities to learn and grow from the industry, something I would not have been able to do in a class setting.”
Khan was also able to secure a coveted internship with Google for summer 2018.
“When I was first contacted to apply for the internship, I didn’t think it was a real opportunity,” he said. “I did some research and decided to apply. I couldn’t believe that they wanted me.”
Khan will graduate in Fall 2018 with degrees in Computer Science and Data Science. Eventually, he aspires to open his own software firm where he can support other organizations in achieving their business goals.
“What I’ve learned is that great leaders create more leaders, not just followers,” said Khan. “During my time at WSU, I’ve learned from many great leaders, and this experience has shaped me into who I am today. All of my successes are because of everything that I’ve done here.”


Source: https://news.winona.edu/11302/this-is-wsu-waheed-khan/

Women Empowerment - a threat or progress?

       As I write today, I write with a heavy heart but an open mind. I write about myself. I write about the gender I am; which is my identification. I write about every other person belonging to my gender. I write about WOMEN. I write about US.
Ever since I came into this world I have witnessed an unusual and a pretty pointless race between genders which is never ending. There is some sort of competition through which everyone is trying to prove the worth and importance of the existence of their gender. My question is WHY? Since when we had to prove our worth to each other when we were already created with a purpose. They say that Education can solve every single issue but does it, really? If so, then why do I see educated men restricting their wives, sisters and daughters from working or continuing their degrees? Why do I see multiple children for the desire of a male child? And if education would really solve these issues then WHY on the Earth I still see Parents fixing marriages of their daughters without their consent and they are forced to marry someone whom they do not even consider, whereas, they ask for the happiness of their sons a million times before taking any decision which is probably the biggest decision of one's life. Why little girls are raped brutally and why single mothers are seen with a frog eye? Why a girl has no right to simply say NO if she desires because she will have to face another acid attack? My friends, if I start this, it won't end forever because there are so many WHYs and so many IFs n BUTs when it comes to women. Hence, education is not the only way to get rid of these WHYs. I believe, its more about awareness and acceptability. As we are progressing and the world has become a competitive stage of life, its time we think out of the box and actually come out of our bubble.

     Like I said earlier, its more about acceptability and awareness among people then its very important to raise such girls who can become empowered women and most of all raise such boys who become accepting and supporting men. The word Empowerment is most of the time misunderstood or lets say misinterpreted in today's world. When we talk about women empowerment we even include the ones working as maids and cleaning houses, we include single mothers and the ones who are playing the role of breadwinners of their house, we even include the differently abled or wheelchair bound women, we include the janitors and the CEOs leading organizations. We include every single woman including housewives and taxi drivers. Women empowerment does not mean the amount in your hand or the financial status of your account. It simply means to be able to take a stand for yourself and your rights, to acknowledge your part in the society and make your own decisions. Empowerment comes when you no longer require the approval or stamp of anyone and do not care what others think of you. It comes when you start living your life with the acknowledgement of your societal, generic, economical, political, domestic and decision making rights.

    A number of campaigns have started to promote and support women rights by the UN and Hollywood such as Times Up Movement and He For She (started by Emma Watson) and Women's Day March. Recently, Oprah Winfrey received Cecil B. de Mille Award at the 2018 Golden Globes in which she highlighted the struggles Rosa Parks went through in order to get justice.
"I want all the girls watching here and now to know that a new day is on the horizon," said the actress, producer and media mogul. "And when that new day finally dawns, it will be because of a lot of magnificent women .. and some pretty phenomenal men fighting hard to make sure that they become the leaders that take us to the time when nobody has to say 'me too' again."
She further added, "What I know for sure is that speaking your truth is the most powerful tool we all have," she said. "And I'm especially proud [of] and inspired by all the women who have felt strong enough and empowered enough to speak up and share their personal stories. Each of us in this room is celebrated because of the stories that we tell, and this year we became the story. But it's not just a story affecting the entertainment industry. It's one that transcends any culture, geography, race, religion, politics or workplace. So I want tonight to express gratitude to all the women who have endured years of abuse and assault because they, like my mother, had children to feed and bills to pay and dreams to pursue."
In the middle of the speech she talked about Recy Taylor , a 24-year-old black mother who in 1944 was kidnapped and brutally raped by three white men in Alabama. "The men who tried to destroy her were never persecuted. Recy Taylor died 10 days ago, just shy of her 98th birthday. She lived, as we all have lived, too many years in a culture broken by brutally powerful men. For too long, women have not been heard or believed if they dared to speak their truth to the power of those men. But their time is up. Their time is up!"

What a phenomenal speech! I have always been a great great fan of Oprah Winfrey anyway.. \

     Dear Readers, I know this is all very confusing for you all. But let me help you here. This all was told to enlighten you with women empowerment. The WHYs were highlighted to get into notice. I firmly believe that both the genders should support each other rather then filling the lifetime form for a useless competition that will lead to nowhere. There are a number of accomplishments by women belonging to every race, caste, creed or religion but again, there are some who do not get any kind of support or acknowledgement. Its time to start speaking for others and for yourself because no one else will do the honors until or unless you decide to take a stand. So is women empowerment a threat or a progress? You decide.

  Be real and be you. Be the kind of women YOU want to become. Live the life you have imagined for yourself. And if anyone talks at your back, thats where they belong, at your back, YOU LEAD!!

A very Happy Women's Day to all the beautiful ladies around the world.

KUSC Runs on Dunkin!

Karachi United Schools Championship has signed an MoU with Dunkin Donuts for the ongoing matches. MoU was signed on 22nd December, 2017 at Dunkin Donuts Shaun Circle.










(P.S The ball honestly looks so cute. I might just steal it)

The lucky draw took place which decided the fate of the schools (leaders and followers).

This board shows the exact total number of teams and from which school or college they belong to. There are a number of well-known schools participating which includes Karachi Grammar School, Nixor College, Southshore School, Army Public College (saddar), Cedar College, Beaconhouse School System, Foundation Public, Habib Public School, Indus Academy, Alpha College and Karachi Public School along with a number of other known schools and colleges.

The matches are ongoing and it has already been a kickass start.

And here is a picture of the beautiful trophy.
We wish all the best to the teams. May the best team wins.
BREAK A LEG BOYSSS!!!

And heeeey, don't forget to grab a glass of quick Alaska ONE and ONLY from Dunkin Donuts!! CHEERS.


Congratulations to DD and KUSC for a playful and fruitful collaboration! #KUSCRunsOnDunkin !! *hoot hoot*

The Evolution of Pakistani Drama Industry

Source: Google Images 

 A number of artists ruled over the Pakistani cinema for many years. If we go back in 1990s the content of Dramas that was broadcasted on TV screens was way more appreciable and comprehensive than it is now. And what could be the reason for it? I believe we are running out of sensible Scriptwriters and Directors who are unaware what would be the appropriate or societal-reflecting story or at least an awareness bringing campaign. Nevertheless, we are not exactly empty handed because you still would see just a few good content dramas. Back in 90s on the scale of 1-10 I would rate 9, now seeing the declination I would rate Pakistani Dramas around 4/10. Let me take you back in 1990s where the Pakistani dramas were highly demanded and then you too will agree to my points.

Dhoop Kinaray was an extremely popular and most viewed drama of that time. The gorgeous Marina Khan and Rahat Kazmi eventually became favorite on-screen couple of the audience right after a few episodes were on aired. It was written and directed by the two most talented personalities Haseena Moin and Sahira Kazmi. With good content, it had comedy, romance and drama in it which tremendously entertained everyone. 

Another audience-favorite Tanhaiyaan which was aired in 1985 got really popular because of its content. In this for the very first time they showed two young hardworking sisters taking up the working-lady roles and running their own business and making a living by their own right after the death of their Parents when they were left in debt. This was again written by the genius Haseena Moin when Marina Khan was in the cast yet again alongwith Behroze Sabzwari and Yasmeen Ismail. What a beautiful combination!! Since people could not get over it so Tanhaiyaan - Naye Silsilay was back in 2012.

While I talk about the old dramas it would be very unjust if I neglect my favorite most Alpha Bravo Charlie!! Yes we all loved Shehnaz Sher (I secretly still admire her). Can we a little obsess over Pak Army here? Wellllll...why not. When we talk about Captain M.Kasim Khan (Gulsher Khan - the cutie), Captain Abdullah Mehmood (Kashif Kirmani) and Faraz Inam (Faraz Ahmed), how can we forget the sacrifice Gulsher made and all the melodramas happened in between. 

Mera Kaam Batao Main Kya Karun Main Kisko Khaun!! Now comes the one that entertained my childhood and gave me fantasies of Jinn being so nice and handsome. YEP...you got me. Ladies and Gentlemen, Ainak Wala Jinn of course!! I hated Bil Batori because she had a scary laugh and everytime she used to come on screen I used to hide under our TV lounge sofa (I could fit in there back then ...i was just a kid). Zakoota and Hamoon Jadugar were still bearable. 

These are just a very few that I have named specifically. There are many more incredible dramas like Parchaiyaan, Alif Noon, Khuda Ki Basti, Ankahi, Aangan Terha, Kaanch, Taleem-e-Baalighaan and many many more. 

These dramas were informative in a true sense of entertainment and limited episodes. However, I feel like it gets really boring if anything has been dragged more to most from 14 to 100 episodes. That is not entertaining because the writer loses content and focus, the story looks fake and you lose your audience. Dramas are a basic source of entertainment for Housewives especially and needs realistic content. A few dramas were a pain to watch and lost its audience somewhere in between. Ye Zindagi Hai was so dragged that I doubt if anyone watched it. Honestly, I believe dramas these days are repeatedly playing the unrealistic content that is actually manipulating half of the population. For example in xyz drama the girl runs away with her boyfriend and lives happily ever after then comes back after years and everyone is rich because YOLO. Similarly, rich husband and poor wife results in taunting sasuraal and zalim saas. And, A likes B but B likes C since the parents do not agree so B marries A but never liked A so runs away with C after getting married to A. Like I am extremely sorry but that does not make any sense to me. We need to inject sensible content in the minds of people because half of the people start imitating their favorite characters so we should either create story that helps is spreading awareness in the minds of people or make something entertaining. 

My Parents were hooked to Bulbulay which has a lot of comedy in it. Moreover, I personally liked Takay ki Ayegi Baraat and Dolly Ki Ayegi Baraat series and Saima Chaudry was very hilarious! 

Now coming to the sensible content dramas. I have a list for that too!! (Aaj puri tayari k saath aai hun)

Source: Google Images 

A list of good dramas including Mosam, Dil-e-Muztar, Durr e Shehwaar, Mata-e-Jaan, Pyaare Afzal, Chup Raho, Firaaq, Daam, Maat, Man Mayal, Doraha, Bashar Momin, Khaan, Mera Saayen and a few in the following.

So, I am going to start when the heartthrob and eye-candy of Pakistan Fawad Afzal Khan started making his mark. Daastan was dramatized by Samira Fazal based on the novel Bano by Razia Butt. It tells the story of Indian Subcontinent during the time of Partition and the struggles Muslim League went through, the incidents and happenings took place in between that time period. A very beautiful serial! 

One of the basic reason why dramas with good content are ignored is because nobody highlights them more often. An exclusive serial reflecting the negative side of media and journalism directed by Shahid Shafaat having Ayesha Khan and Humayon Saeed in the cast. Ayesha Khan played the role of a journalist who was an illicit daughter of a politician. Humayon Saeed's acting skills should be given a great round of applause, he played a negative role of the owner of a TV channel who portrays to be a good person but in real he is a KAAFIR!

 Let me shed some light on the beautiful serial with a beautiful cast! Fawad Khan and Mahira Khan became yet another favorite on-screen couples and had a very good chemistry. Humsafar was directed by Momina Duraid and Sarmad Khusat based on a novel written by Farhat Ishtiaq. It sounds like a typical saas bahu saga but it shows the reality of class differences and trails of a married couple life. After this drama Farhat Ishtiaq's work got more recognition and the on-screen couple became favorite not only in Pakistan but in India, Turkey and USA!!

While we talk about entertainment not to forget the dramas that created awareness about certain taboos that our society hold such as rape, child abuse and rights of transgender people. Udaari and Khuda Mera Bhi Hai created a HUGE impact in the minds of people which I believe is a victory itself! We should have more dramas like these. The cast was incredible and Ahsan Khan recently received LUX Style Award for his performance in Udaari. I believe lessons and messages should be delivered through entertainment and dramas now that most of the public follow. 

Last but not the least, I just want to give a shout out to one more drama that impacted my life and the way I see things now. Sheher-e-Zaat - journey to find God and thyself. I absolutely LOVED the concept and story and why not? After all it is based on the novel by very intelligent Farhat Ishtiaq directed by the genius duo Sarmad Khusat and Momina Duraid. Mahira Khan played the role of a girl who explores herself and God. Its a beautiful novel and drama and glad that it was broadcasted. 

So Ladies and Gentlemen, you may agree or disagree to my opinion in certain ways but whatsoever this is what I think and your opinion is highly respected and appreciated. The evolution of Pakistani Dramas has been bumpy in the midst but that does not mean we do not have stories or bad writers. There are many, they just need a little recognition and encouragement by the public.

The 'Sense and Sensibility' of Judgement

They say Every Face Wears a Mask which I believe is somewhat true.
We are given only one life and in this life we come across different people belonging to different ideology, race, language, religion, caste and personality, hence not everyone's frequency can match ours which is why we have difference of opinion, ideas and way of perceiving things. When someone's frequency does not dance along with ours we jump onto conclusions and at some point start disliking him or her. There where we go wrong because we JUDGE wrongly.
Now, the word JUDGEMENT has many aspects. There is a difference of talking about societal issues and speaking on them AND pointing out any individual and question their deeds. We often confuse these two things which itself is ignorance.

To make it simple and clear let's say person A has illicit relations with person B which is unacceptable religiously and otherwise. Now person C just got to know about it and definitely disliked and questioned it so he started talking about it with person D but person D on the other hand thinks its okay because its their life therefore, let them live theirs and you live yours. Person D knows its wrong but he does not jump onto conclusions that whether or not person A and B deserves to be hated because he believes one should hate the SIN not the SINNER. But person C started having grudges against person A and B and if often seen talking about this with others. So what do you think who is better person D or person C? And who do you think you are? Are you a person C who is now being judgemental or person D who does not like to interfere in other's life? Think about it and analyze which category is good and which is bad. 

Let me give you an example from our daily life. Recently a lot of people were seen making fun of the term 'don't judge' and some memes got viral as well and we being trend followers did not hold back our tongues and played our vital role like always. When you talk about something wrong prevailing in your society you are basically NOT being judgemental because a good citizen will definitely do that. Any society can not be free of flaws and until or unless you will not speak about it, it won't end. When it comes to politics we have to think beyond so why not when it come to societal issues. Nobody will label you intolerant if you have the guts to speak your mind. 

But when it comes to individuals then I believe its not okay to decide whether they are a good person or not because of course you do not know what a person holds inside or what are his intentions. So both of these things are very much related and there is a very thin line between them. Only if we think about it sensibly.

There are three situations of judgement.

a) You have criticized a person and you are proved wrong there and then. (What is the point for all the headache then?)

b) You judged someone and it is proved right (Which rarely happens but if this is the situation its hard for the victim to digest how badly he or she has been x-rayed)

c) You judge someone correctly and the image of that person has been exploited in front of a number of people. (This is the worst thing one could do) 

Being given these situations one metaphor came into my mind that says a girl who covers her hair and body is like a wrapped toffee and a girl who does not cover is like an unwrapped toffee. Lol. What kind of logic is that? A society where the character of a person is judged by the kind of clothes they wear or by their appearances is a society that has failed to understand the meaning of freedom, let alone to be implemented. 

So, next time when you see a girl standing at bus stop in the middle of the night despite of judging her character, try offering help maybe?