You may recall, there was a child labour scandal about footballs in Sialkot. The Companies reacted by implementing harsh penalties for child labour, and that was that. Or was it?

You see, while indeed there was child labour involved, it was still preferable to the alternative. It was quick clean work, nothing more dangerous than needle tip, which was easily remedied by a thimble. There was no dangerous chemicals involved, no dangerous work place environment. People used to pick up the materials from the factory, stitch them at home, and return the finished goods next day.

Since it was at home, there was no risk of exploitation, and it was a flexible schedule, which meant that people had the time *and* the money to actually go to school. Women could also join in, without fear of social ostracization. All family members with a free hand could join in, even if they were otherwise immobilised.

Now, however, things are different. People must go to factory grounds, and have age verification. This means that suddenly, a large part of the workforce is unable. Therefore, either they must find other jobs, or be unemployed. The other main industry in Sialkot is leather, and I don't need explain just how bad a tannery is.

Even worse, kids who used to support their education with football money are now left with a job *or* schooling. House wives are now unable to travel to distant factories. People are angry that they are being denied good, clean jobs. Football stitching doesn't pay enough as a main job, but as an extra income, it was invaluable.

I am sure the west was assuaged of the guilt of child labour, but that means that 15 year olds in sialkot are now left with nothing to do.

Sorry, I am not an engineer, so I can't answer this, but as I understand, the CNG running engines don't provide enough *power* on steep climbs, so cars have to switch over to petrol for the climbing portion, then switch back to the cheaper CNG for gentler slopes. Also, AFAIK, it isn't possible to do a diesel/CNG hybrid, and Bigger cars (~2000 cc plus engines) usually don't benefit from CNG.

The point was CNG has already explored these frontiers, and have developed technology to render this commercially feasible.

More specifically, I was referring to the Pump-end of the equation; CNG stations cover about the same area as normal petrol station, and have an automated setup for compression, *cooling*, storing and dispensing gas at the pump; this is *not* a new or difficult thing to do, as americans presume, and you are not to blame, you have most likely not seen CNG pumps in action, so setting up a small commercial gas setup must seem like an awkward proposal, where as it is not.

Oh of course, air would be different, but it's not *entirely* a new setup, they have CNG as a base. Also, apparently MDI already have that end figured out.

At the engine end, yes, the setup is *much* more diverse than CNG, but then again this is why MDI hasn't released a product for ten years; not because they are vapour-ware (ha!) they might as well be, but because they have gone through four different engine designs to counter this problem.

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Basically, I (and I think I can say the same for Tata Motors) can see value in this setup for tiny daily commute cars. I think this would be feasible for Auto-Rickshaw type of setups.

Here is some some quick responses.

1- No, running around in car with gas full of high pressure tank is the not the end of the world, people (including yours truly) do it with CNG enabled cars.

2- As for compression/decompression energy losses, same as for CNG, you need to cool it it blah blah, and is done so on a commercial scale at every CNG station; therefore can be done.

3- CNG suffers from power problems on steep climbs, same seems to be the case for air. But for regular commute, it's perfect and economical.

4- Air car suffer from low power density (much lower than CNG), but AFAIK, a full tank can last you the usual daily commute, which ought to be enough for a small city car. (which is what it will be able to power anyway, can't carry the load of bigger cars as of yet) And you could charge at work too(regular mains-running onboard compressor apparently take 3-4 hrs), so there is that.

5- MDI realised that air alone won't be enough, so they have been developing hybrid versions themselves.

TL;DR Air could prove to be good for the usual regular commute, since fuel costs will be minimum (air is free, all it will cost is running the compression and pump, which, looking at local CNG setups, will prove to much less than petrol equivalent, if commercially done)

Here is some aircar nerd sites:

- http://www.aircars.tk/

- http://www.cyber-media.com/aircar/index.shtml

(I would take their figures with a grain of salt, but well, the video shows running prototypes, so at least there is *something*)

Yes we are!

GIBE MOAR GREEN CARDS!

Seriously, our hatred of the west ends immediately the moment an option for us to immigrate there becomes available. We are such hypocrites...

Look, generalisations are okay when we have no info, but we should not forget that beyond those broad strokes exist people who have normal lives, and are more concerned with making sure they don't freeze the night rather than, say, cursing all those heathen infidels to death.

I didn't learn this lesson either, until I had spent five years in Kenya; that's when I realised that there is more to those people then being merely a stereotypical bunch of backward savages whose sole purpose is to lose against us in cricket. I would never have imagined that they would teach me to speak better English than my country men, for example, and certainly not that they would give me my passion for reading so strongly that I cannot resist reading the label of cans.

I was pissed then, that my dad was forced to a crappy posting in Nairobi, but now, looking back, I think that was the best possible thing that could have happened to us. I no longer think of people a bunch of generalisations, not after having witnessed my preconceptions being so thoroughly trashed.

I know not every one can visit every place to learn it's background, but in this day and age of Wikipedia and internet resources, I highly encourage people to just take a tumble through webpages at random, and discover a new culture everyday.

For example, recently on reddit, some one was asking for advice about getting out, and I correctly guessed that he was from Mauritius. He was naturally surprised and assumed that maybe I was from there, but actually, I had gone on a info dip on Mauritius on a lark, and therefore I could connect the dots in his comment.

I highly suggest every one to do the same; to sprout out ignorant statements, in this day and age of knowledge access, would be a miserable shame.

Come come now, you know that's NOT how it is.

Our greatest misery is that we DON'T choose our leaders, good *or* bad! The key players are NOT the electorate, but the Army, Western (UK and US separately) and Gulf leaders(Mostly KSA and UAE), each having it's own horse, and playing the game.

Army ensures that there will be no coup as long as their defence kitty is untouched, West insures there will aid for them to usurp, Gulf ensure the will kowtow the opposition with the threat of the Holy wrath, using the Islamic angle. (Also the Gulf and the West also play off the secular and the Islamic parties, while both make sure we don't jump in the China camp)

As long as these three parties are satisfied, you can stuff ballot boxes and carry on, sans consequence.

So you see, the West *is* an active party, not a passive party, merely dealing with the result of our elections. You help in the selection of our leaders, most recently in the previous election, where a *truce* was commissioned to write off all corruption cases against them, allowing them to run unimpeded. This is what allowed Benazir Bhutto to come back, not that it helped her much...

Please understand, I am not sprouting conspiracy theories, these are facts.

(BTW, what pisses me off is that when the West actually grows a spine and say, condemn a dictator, only to turn around and accept the same guy for selfish reason! Like Musharraf, condemned rightly for military coup, then suddenly accepted when 9/11 comes around, you got to admit that's hypocritical of the West)

Also, I know that revolution will not bring us change, but at least the *current* corrupt bastards will face a comeuppance. I mean, the French revolution wasn't exactly all milk and honey (horrendous excess were carried out by the revolutionaries too), but I don't think the French people will disagree that it was better than the alternative (letting the dynasty continue on unheeded).

In any case, I don't support revolution, (for once, just hold a fucking functional election, damn it!) but I strongly protest your statement that we should *not* criticise and demand the removal of our current leaders despite their excesses, simply because the *possible* alternative could be bad. We are already at rock bottom, the only way can go now is UP.

(Beside, we just had a mini revolution, you may have heard of it, that Canadian *moderate* Mullah Tahir-ul-Qadri leading it. People joined him because we had *severe* fuel crises, what does he do? Cuts a deal with the govt after a few days of protest, and goes away, people are left to manage the fuel crises on their own. Yeah, revolutions suck)

I have no delusions that corruption will end, but can we *at least* go back a bit in time and get some fuel? People don't care about corruption if they have electricity to run their welding machine and actually earn a living enough to pay for said corruption.

Also not mentioned in this rant is the constant threat of terrorism, as some one who has had people affected by this (policeman living two houses away died in terrorist attack, neighbour front door having to support all their extended family who fled the crises in Waziristan, my own sister's uni attacked by terrorist)You can't imagine just *how* bad things are.

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As for getting out of Dodge, well, have you got a spare bunk? ;p

Seriously though, things are not easy, we tried for my brother who is highly qualified, but no one abroad wants to give him a job visa, not that I blame them, I mean, would *you* call over some one from Pakistan? Our county's bad reputations means we are stuck.

You mean, exactly the market these games would cater too? My comment *is* relevant

Besides, I am not responsible for the actions for every of 180 Million of our country's citizen, nor for the One or so Billion Muslims in the world.

(Also, who the fuck says "Sacred Territory" in Pakistan any more? That bullshit died in the 80's.)

What sort of arrogant patronising bullshit is this? Be happy it's only rabidly corrupt people, other wise it could be *GASP* the mullahs! What difference does it make for us? One of our harshest laws was made not by a mullah but by the Prime-Minister elected from a Secular party, he sold out for some votes, does it make any difference?

We are *actually* regressing backwards! We used to have plentiful electricity due to our big dams, plenty of fuel from our gas fields, people were poor, but damn, at least you could earn a living (you had to pay bribes and extortion money even then, but at least your machines *ran*), cook food, heat your house ans easily avail transport.

Now we have minimal gas or electricity, factories are closing down, people cannot earn a living, cannot easily avail transport, cannot friggin' light their stoves or warm their houses, I myself had to find a charcoal burner and some (badly made)charcoal, to warm the room!

Now see, this is not like Africa or whatever, where people don't *have* the infrastructure in the first place, our country *has* the setup, heck I pay monthly bills for it, and *yet* I don't get anything!

So no, I would like to try this *unknown* devil, things can't get any worse. I hate the prevalent Western attitude of "let's support these corrupt dictators, at least it's not worse". Yes it is,

Stupid association of like ten shops in some god forsaken hood; I didn't even know it existed.

Not related to govt at all. Ignore him, I assure you will get this shit in pirated in any damn place.

I mean if his "ban" meant anything, you wouldn't be able to get risque stuff now, would you? Yet at 30 rupees a pop, you can get them quite easily.

I am from Pakistan, and all I can say is "LOL, a ban, haha, how cute"

This is just a storm in a teacup situation; For one, now one gives a flying fuck, and secondly, pirates CDs for 30 rupees (~30 cents) each man, if one shop doesn't, you don't think there are 100 other shops in the same damn plaza who will provide it?Besides they haven't been able to stop outright *porn*, they will do something like this? Yeah right.

Go back people, noting to see here, no one cares except some bourgeois who like to #TweetLikeABurger . Mr "Association President" just wanted the world to know that (a) He exists; and (b) Vote for me at the next association election!

This isn't even news here, I didn't even know this was an issue (For once, Slashdot provides news on time!). We are more concerned over CNG (no fuel for cars, winter heaters or stoves), or the fact that the investigator who was investigating corruption charges against our PM conveniently committed suicide (The fact that there were signs of torture, or that he had sent SMS to pals regarding him being pressurised to change evidence is obviously unrelated.)

Come on people, we are people of, what, 180 million? Most of whom can't even afford to feed them self, much less buy games. We are Hungry, cold, freezing and Immobile, not to mention without work. We have better thing to worry about, besides, no one can outdo us in cursing our nation, I am sure your games pale in comparison.

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BeamMeUpScotty