KARZAI's mind

I have been earnestly following all sorts of news and hence acts of politics and politicians for well over a decade now, but rarely came across someone as confusing as Karzai. He is clean yet played nepotism and favoritism; he is a nationalist yet goes against the wish of Afghans by not signing the BSA with the U.S.

His term is coming to an end and there is a silent nervousness clouding people's minds. The question that lingers is will his successor at least keep the country together as he did? 

The current list of candidates is a optimistic/ pessimistic mix: if the lead contender is a clean guy, his running mate/s are total bozos...

Dr Ashraf Ghani, a renowned international character/ author/ professor/ former WorldBank economist is amongst the candidates. He is smart with ill temper; friendly with the West yet not so much with some Afghans, etc...and there is Dr Abdullah as the second good option, but he too has picked the wrong guys as running mates.

People want clear and effective programs that would bring security and employment. Afghans have suffered, and they are tired...awaiting for a miracle perhaps...somehow, majority of Afghans believe...

Books

I have been planning on doing this since the last three years. I wanted to start summarizing the main theme of every book that I read and enjoy. I would put each summary separate and would also say whether I recommend the book for others or not.

It is important that one reads books from a variety of genres, as each book from each genre gives reader a new perspective of life. 

While I enjoy reading a lot of different books, magazines and articles, I noticed how much I enjoy reading biographies of successful people - especially businessmen/ women. As an example, I read Steve Jobs by Isaac Walterson twice. Except my accounting books, I don't recall reading any other books twice. That shows how much I enjoyed that book - the credit goes to Walterson for being so much of a good author and it also goes to Steve for living such a adventurous and exulting life. 

Right now I am reading Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand, after finishing her The Foundtainhead. I do not need to tell you how great her work is. The fact that I bought her second book on my Ipad speaks volumes.

Alright. More book reporting to come....

Kabul taxicab rides

Because I do not own a car, I ride in taxicabs to my office and wherever I need to go. Cab drivers in Kabul have some of the most interesting stories to tell. They often look at signs of conversation encouragement from the passenger. They will shoot off with a small comment and then depending on how you respond to it, they will continue discussing a topic. 

The political knowledge of ordinary Afghans - literate and illiterate - is interesting. Everyone has an opinion about a political decision, party or act. You hear a lot of criticism of the government, while some of the drivers would also acknowledge the difficulties facing the Afghan government.

If not about politics, the conversation is either about women or an heroic act that the driver performed somewhere, sometimes ago. The majority of these cabdrivers come from poor families with very conservative beliefs - and those beliefs often encourage repressive customs and practices. These also include a mandatory wearing of burqa - the ugly head to toe cover for poor Afghan women. 

When they hear my anti-burqa arguments, they start to slowly accept the validity of points I present. I have challenged a few men to wear that cover in a hot summer day and try to pass the heavy Kabul traffic in mid-downtown. 

If you ever happen to ride in one of these Kabul taxis, try not to sit in the front-seat, and also do not allow the driver to take another passenger. It is always good to sit in the backseat and to be alone. If you are a foreigner riding around Kabul, do not show that you are new or unfamiliar with the surroundings.

I cannot give you any tips on how to avoid the dirty seats that the majority of these cabs have, I guess the solution is to save and buy your own car. That is my plan!

Food in Kabul

Lunch is supposed to be fun. It is fun at times, but not when I have to leave my office - near downtown Kabul - in search of yet another restaurant. I am not concerned, as much, about the taste of the food I have for lunch, it is the hygiene - or the lack of it - of the restaurant which I dread.

Turkish restaurants spring up around Kabul at a rapid speed. They feel clean and secure.

There are restaurants I will avoid eating:

1. Chef Burger

2. Perfect

3. Herat Restaurant

4. The small restaurant at the corner of main and 9th Street - Taimani

5. Oaisis 

6. Wakhan - it has the best coffee in town, but the prices are ridiculous ($4.5 or 250 AFS for a cup of coffee)

7. CherryBerry - on main Wazir Akbar Khan road - serves good coffee

Afghans lack professionalism

One travels to India, China, Europe and North America and sees how through simple work ethics people make great produces and provide awesome services. It is disappointing when Afghans, given the same opportunities, fail to seize the opportunity and turn it into a lasting benefit.

Over the past decade, 2002-2013, Afghans had numerous opportunities for education, earning money and saving, building the infrastructure, etc, yet there are not many examples of proper use of the billions of dollars that were poured in. It is no body's fault but Afghans who did not build great factories, or the Afghan government who did not enact laws and did not implement policies to encourage economic growth. Afghanistan is still a consumer economy with a great portion of its GDP comprised of consumption of foreign-made products. 

Even the service industry is dominated by foreign workers. Skills as non-technical as being a guard is outsourced to foreign nationals. There are not many computer programmers, or financial services firms. Maintaining a complex website has to be done through an Indian firm.

The mentality towards math and science is negative. Many young people dread math, and disdain formulas. You rarely see people who are readers. In the past ten years, more than 20 private universities - in Kabul alone - are established, yet few, if any, provide quality education to its students. Students still rely on PowerPoint slides as substitute for proper book chapters. There is not culture of reading a 300 pages-long book to get a grasp of a technical subject such as marketing, or human resources management. Students are not pushed enough to write essays, or prepare research projects. Most graduating students only have one 100 pages long research paper to turn in at the end, for a final project. Most struggle with it, partly also because there is not a single source of data that students could use as academic sources.

The Quest

This blog is not aimed at any particular group of people. Its sole purpose is the provide a different view of Afghanistan, Afghans and Afghan life.

You may not like some of the opinions expressed here, or you may like them. But the purpose of these opinions, among other materials, is not to seek your approval. But to entertain and inform you, if you will.

Also, I am writing to express myself. To spit out untold sentences accumulated over the last three decades and counting.

Please, ask me anything. If I did not have the answer, I will find you the answer.