From the Editor

Dear readers,

Let's talk business first, shall we? Hey, there is no need to panic! We simply want to discuss a little pecuniary issue: your cheques! We are required to submit the photocopy of either your CNIC or one of your parents'. So the new writers are requested to please mail or email Us the photocopy of their CNICs as soon as their article is published. A big thanks in anticipation!

Readers, life is so mean at times. We are sure most of you have found that out to your cost that when you are down, people laugh before offering a helping hand. Many a time, it's not the injury that hurts, but the blow to one's ego. Well, we just have to deal with the jokers who mock us by joining in the fun. Trust Us, folks, it spoils their fun and puts them to the blush. Maryam Baqir has captured some of those oh so embarrassing moments and you can rate them according to, uh… shall we say the embarrassment factor?

Well, the experience of WHS teaches us a lesson: we all should learn martial arts if we are to have any protection against the common hoodlums that love to snatch cell phones and money from the law abiding decent citizens. But there is a catch: what if the pistol they are pointing is real?

Readers, we have been receiving some letters about our 'regular' writers being featured again and again. Well, folks, we don't have a policy of doing so and select our material purely on merit. But honestly, do you think that writers who are good should be penalised for writing well? We like to encourage new writers if their stuff is good. But, we try not to test the patience of our readers if their contributions are not up to the mark. Got Us?

Take care!

Bye

Dear Editor

Bravo, team Us!

Hi Ed,

You guys are doing a very good job. Your mag is awesome. Please print the poster of Viggo Mortensen and some news about Lord of the Rings. Should I send you an article about LOTR, will you print it?

Baqir Hussain, Karachi

We will, if it's good enough.

Revamp Us!

Dear Ed,

It's my very first letter to your magazine, so you better print it! Well, I want to say that most of your pages are being wasted, seriously! The 'Movie Page' is totally useless. As far as the 'Trust Us' page is concerned, you better change the Guru because he seems to be out of good ideas now. 'Cyberia' and 'Roving Eye' pages are unable to grab our attention. You can use these pages for something worth reading! The 'Graffiti' section is the only section which is doing fine. And for God's sake start printing good posters! Anny Ali

Biased, Us?

Hiya Ed,

I am very furious with you! I want to praise your mag, but I am forced not to! Ed, instead of saying that your mag is fantastic, tremendous or blah, blah, blah, I'll simply say that it is biased! When you can waste pages on 'ballerina flats' and so many other useless things, why can't you give space to Benazir Bhutto's life history or stuff about Harry Potter and Emma Watson that's at least worth reading?

Take the issue of April 25, 2008! It had the same information from head to toe! You could have added something else, but alas! I forgot that those write-ups were from your favourite writers, so you had to print them no matter what!

And I also think that even my letters are far more delicious for your beloved bin because you print the letters of some particular people only!

Remove the 'Picture Galore' and please stop printing advertisements so that you have more space for write-ups.

I have been reading Us for the last four or five years, and if you don't publish this mail of mine I'll stop reading Us!

P.S. Guys, spare the Guru and the 'Greetings' page.

Maria Nizam, Peshawar

Thanks!

Wassup Ed!

Thank you very much for printing my first letter. I want to say that please print the poster of Linkin Park. Us rocks!

Mahnoor Alam Khan, Peshawar

Bring changes in Us!

AoA Ed!

I sent you four mails and you didn't print any of them! Neither have you printed Harry Potter's posters despite everyone's request. Your replies to readers have also become very rude.

Us is the mag for youth so instead of showing hot headedness, we should try to settle matters by discussing them calmly. Keep up the good work and bring changes in the mag! And please print my letter.

Fatima Qamar, Lahore

Keep up the good work!

Dear Ed,

I have been reading Us for the past few months with interest and I really hope you print my letter. Your mag is totally awesome. I think you should start a page for art and name it 'Art Mart'. Please stop printing the page 'Roving Eye' as it is very boring and a waste of precious page. I like reading the 'Graffiti' section. Keep up the good work.

Farheen Ayesha, Lahore

My say

AoA Ed!

How's your team doing? I want to point out something that I noticed recently. During the opening ceremony of the Olympics, I noticed that the teams of every country were dressed up either in their regional or national dresses. But to my dismay, our Pakistani team was wearing western outfits. I am not being narrow-minded, but I think such events are the best platform for displaying our culture. How can we expect others to respect our culture if we feel ashamed of wearing our national dress! Apart from these things, we should pray that our country performs well in the Olympics. Peace!

Mahwish Mukhtar, Lahore

That's called a

comprehensive analysis!

Hi Ed,

I am a regular reader of Us and I congratulate Us on the good job it's doing. I would like to comment on some of the contents of the issue of August 8, 2008.

First of all, I would like to comment on the letter of Unsa Athar. She has been quite ruthless in commenting on "some cool, hot dudes" who, according to her, have destroyed our beautiful language Urdu and are now bent on destroying English, too. I would like to say that any language cannot be destroyed by some people alone; it requires collective efforts of the whole nation. We are in the habit of finding scapegoats to put all the blame on. And if Miss Unsa is so concerned about our language then I would like to see her doing something to protect it. After all, it's easy to criticise but it takes a lot of efforts and guts to stand up and do something instead of just saying something.

Now coming to Uzma Tariq's comments on YLC, I agree with her; we preach but don't practice. At YLC the same thing happens. There, people talk about making a difference, but they don't do anything to bring a change. YLC is just a like a mela where young people come all dressed up; they try to impress others with their intellect; they show how much potential they have and they talk about awareness. I think we need to do a bit more than these conferences where we go to have fun, make new friends and take photos. Sara Ahmad's story 'There has to be hope' was a good one, but I would say that we actually need to change our mindset. We should not just hope that someone will come and fill that glass with water and serve us so we can quench our thirst.

Lastly, Kanza Tariq' article 'Is this freedom' was really good. She raised a number of valid points, but again, we can talk and talk and talk. It's time for things that are said to be done.

Naveed Ulfat Khan, Rawalpindi

A new reader

Salam Ed,

I have started reading the mag quite recently and I want to say that you are doing a great job, Ed! I suggest that you also include some Bollywood news in 'The Movie Page'. Hamad Afzal, Tarbela Dam

Thought of the day!

Salam Ed,

It's my third letter to your magazine and I think I'm lucky that you always publish my letters, even if it takes me more than three weeks to see my letter in your magazine. The issue of August 8, 2008 was nice and more colourful than the previous issue. 'Is it freedom' was a nice article. Your 'Greetings' page is so cheap. Why don't you start printing a page 'Thought of the Day' instead of the 'Greetings' page? In my proposed page you can discuss important issues or problems faced by everyone. Get my point?

Misbah Paracha

Kudos for Kanza

Hey Ed,

Please keep behaving in that so called "obnoxious and arrogant" way of yours, especially with people who write to Us just to seek attention! Anyway, the article 'Is it freedom?' by Kanza made me ashamed of myself, but it also made me determined to do something for my country. Thumbs up to you, Kanza! The story 'There has to be hope' was also great. Other than that I just read 'Trust Us'. Skipped the rest of the mag and didn't give it a go because I'm not interested in the Olympics.

Sarah, Lahore

Uh?

Hi Editor!

You never print my mails. I just want to say that the issue of Independence Day was rubbish!

Sara Awan

Irregularity needed!

Hi dear Ed,

I have started reading Us recently - it's a cool magazine and I find it more mature than the other youth magazines. The poems section, particularly, is awesome. And I'm not saying so because you printed two of my poems ;)

However, I found one thing a bit annoying about your mag. I see too much work of certain writers getting printed in your mag regularly. I wish Us would go a bit 'irregular' with the writers it prints.

Other than that, I am becoming a fan of it :D

Salman Latif

Our ever hungry bin!

Hi Edi,

I must favour Aishah Abu Bakar concerning your biased stance towards our write-ups. I, too, have the same complaint, for your bin has gulped down many of my write-ups without even letting me know if they were all so unsuitable to get printed. And you say that we should discuss the theme of any cover story or article with you via email before we start working on it; but how in the world can we dare to write when you don't even bother to reply to our mails! I don't know why you are doing so, but Aishah was quite right in complaining that Us is reserved for few people. And your bin even ate up the sketches I sent for the art page. If that simple sketch by Iqra Asad can get printed then why not mine? Is that so because she is your regular contributor? I can be your regular contributor, too, only if you let me to be one. Aishah really gave words to my feelings. Hoping to hear positive news from you soon.

Shabina Gul, Peshawar