You Quitter

The Caliph Haroon ur Rashid was addicted to eating gravel which started destroying his health. He wanted to quit the habit but could not, despite sincere efforts by every one – subordinates, aids, practitioners, mystics. Nothing worked.

A non resident came to capital and wanted to see the Caliph. He was having a unique prescription to help give up the habit and wanted to tell the Caliph. The meeting was arranged promptly. After introduction and preliminaries, the Caliph asked for the treatment.

“I would like to announce the remedy tomorrow in the court so that every one else can also benefit,” he wished. The Caliph agreed.

Next day the man stood up and loudly announced, “O Caliph of the Muslims, Allah showers his blessing upon you, where is your determination which makes you steadfast in the battle fields, which helps you decide important issues. Listening this, the Caliph smiled and the man went back to his seat.

The Caliph saw the point and left the harmful dependency.

Diamonds are Emotional

Jewelry, for me, have emotional attachment. Given my own interest, I like diamond jewelry. It reminds me of so much about life.

My own Diamond Search took me to the site where I was amazed to see the huge collection of the finest quality diamond jewelery. Have a look at Tucson Jewelers and Jewelry Store In Arizona and you will also find the best displayed there. I suggest that those who are looking for diamond jewelry must start there. The entire range from bracelet to anklet, loose diamonds to watches and a lot more in between is very exciting. I am sure everyone can find what suites their unique taste.

At the site, I specially liked their rings on display. “How only a wedding ring can change the life of a person forever? How a ring is cherished by spouses in all societies? Given the emotional perspectives attached to Wedding Rings, people go a long way to get the best for their special someone(s),” I thought. The ring at the Jewelry Store In Arizona is nearest to my dream wedding ring.

I also recommend that you explore their diamond buying tips and jewelry buying tips that will help you shop wisely and will also give you some great ideas for gift shopping. Must try them.

My Afghan Impressions

My earlier memories of Afghan people are that of hardworking and rugged people who used to come down from Afghan hills to make a living in width and breadth of Pakistan. I used to see them making mud walls, cutting timber and or working in the transport industry; as drivers mostly. I used to see them as a practicing Muslim and very very peaceful. I even remember having “Kurut Curry” with them in the camp they had built near Pashin in Baluchistan.

What I see (and hear) now is so very different from the impression I had. What has happened to those peaceful and hardworking people?

Happening Now

An armed group is holed up in a police academy in Lahore (Manawan Police Training School) after attacking it with grenades and rifles.

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Who Was Architect of the New US Strategy?

Yesterday, President Obama unveiled his new Afghanistan strategy to the world, a plan to bolster the 17,000 US troops scheduled to join the fight with an additional 4,000 noncombat advisers. But how did he come to his decision? According to The New York Times, Obama's thinking process was as advertised during the campaign—he first consulted with Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who passed on commanders' requests for a long-term increase of combat troops and billions in new spending to bolster Afghanistan's own security forces. But Vice President Joe Biden cautioned against sinking into a possible quagmire and questioned whether more far reaching plans could make it past Congress. He also influenced Obama with his on-the-ground reporting from a recent visit, where he warned that "if you asked 10 people on the ground what American objectives were, he would get 10 different answers." Obama responded by narrowing American goals from broad nation building to defeating Al Qaeda first and foremost.

Read it at The New York Times

Text of Obama's New Strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan

U.S. working with Afghanistan and Pakistan to disrupt, defeat al-Qaida

Today, I'm announcing a comprehensive, new strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan. And this marks the conclusion of a careful policy review, led by Bruce, that I ordered as soon as I took office. My administration has heard from our military commanders, as well as our diplomats. We've consulted with the Afghan and Pakistani governments, with our partners and our NATO allies, and with other donors and international organizations. We've also worked closely with members of Congress here at home. And now I’d like to speak clearly and candidly to the American people.

The situation is increasingly perilous. It's been more than seven years since the Taliban was removed from power, yet war rages on, and insurgents control parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Attacks against our troops, our NATO allies, and the Afghan government have risen steadily. And most painfully, 2008 was the deadliest year of the war for American forces.

Many people in the United States -- and many in partner countries that have sacrificed so much -- have a simple question: What is our purpose in Afghanistan? After so many years, they ask, why do our men and women still fight and die there? And they deserve a straightforward answer.

So let me be clear: Al Qaeda and its allies -- the terrorists who planned and supported the 9/11 attacks -- are in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Multiple intelligence estimates have warned that al Qaeda is actively planning attacks on the United States homeland from its safe haven in Pakistan. And if the Afghan government falls to the Taliban -- or allows al Qaeda to go unchallenged -- that country will again be a base for terrorists who want to kill as many of our people as they possibly can.

The future of Afghanistan is inextricably linked to the future of its neighbor, Pakistan. In the nearly eight years since 9/11, al Qaeda and its extremist allies have moved across the border to the remote areas of the Pakistani frontier. This almost certainly includes al Qaeda's leadership: Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri. They have used this mountainous terrain as a safe haven to hide, to train terrorists, to communicate with followers, to plot attacks, and to send fighters to support the insurgency in Afghanistan. For the American people, this border region has become the most dangerous place in the world.

But this is not simply an American problem -- far from it. It is, instead, an international security challenge of the highest order. Terrorist attacks in London and Bali were tied to al Qaeda and its allies in Pakistan, as were attacks in North Africa and the Middle East, in Islamabad and in Kabul. If there is a major attack on an Asian, European, or African city, it, too, is likely to have ties to al Qaeda's leadership in Pakistan. The safety of people around the world is at stake.

For the Afghan people, a return to Taliban rule would condemn their country to brutal governance, international isolation, a paralyzed economy, and the denial of basic human rights to the Afghan people -- especially women and girls. The return in force of al Qaeda terrorists who would accompany the core Taliban leadership would cast Afghanistan under the shadow of perpetual violence.

As President, my greatest responsibility is to protect the American people. We are not in Afghanistan to control that country or to dictate its future. We are in Afghanistan to confront a common enemy that threatens the United States, our friends and our allies, and the people of Afghanistan and Pakistan who have suffered the most at the hands of violent extremists.

So I want the American people to understand that we have a clear and focused goal: to disrupt, dismantle and defeat al Qaeda in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and to prevent their return to either country in the future. That's the goal that must be achieved. That is a cause that could not be more just. And to the terrorists who oppose us, my message is the same: We will defeat you.

To achieve our goals, we need a stronger, smarter and comprehensive strategy. To focus on the greatest threat to our people, America must no longer deny resources to Afghanistan because of the war in Iraq. To enhance the military, governance and economic capacity of Afghanistan and Pakistan, we have to marshal international support. And to defeat an enemy that heeds no borders or laws of war, we must recognize the fundamental connection between the future of Afghanistan and Pakistan -- which is why I've appointed Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, who is here, to serve as Special Representative for both countries, and to work closely with General Petraeus to integrate our civilian and military efforts.

Let me start by addressing the way forward in Pakistan.

The United States has great respect for the Pakistani people. They have a rich history and have struggled against long odds to sustain their democracy. The people of Pakistan want the same things that we want: an end to terror, access to basic services, the opportunity to live their dreams, and the security that can only come with the rule of law. The single greatest threat to that future comes from al Qaeda and their extremist allies, and that is why we must stand together.

The terrorists within Pakistan's borders are not simply enemies of America or Afghanistan -- they are a grave and urgent danger to the people of Pakistan. Al Qaeda and other violent extremists have killed several thousand Pakistanis since 9/11. They've killed many Pakistani soldiers and police. They assassinated Benazir Bhutto. They've blown up buildings, derailed foreign investment, and threatened the stability of the state. So make no mistake: al Qaeda and its extremist allies are a cancer that risks killing Pakistan from within.

It's important for the American people to understand that Pakistan needs our help in going after al Qaeda. This is no simple task. The tribal regions are vast, they are rugged, and they are often ungoverned. And that's why we must focus our military assistance on the tools, training and support that Pakistan needs to root out the terrorists. And after years of mixed results, we will not, and cannot, provide a blank check.

Pakistan must demonstrate its commitment to rooting out al Qaeda and the violent extremists within its borders. And we will insist that action be taken -- one way or another -- when we have intelligence about high-level terrorist targets.

The government's ability to destroy these safe havens is tied to its own strength and security. To help Pakistan weather the economic crisis, we must continue to work with the IMF, the World Bank and other international partners. To lessen tensions between two nuclear-armed nations that too often teeter on the edge of escalation and confrontation, we must pursue constructive diplomacy with both India and Pakistan. To avoid the mistakes of the past, we must make clear that our relationship with Pakistan is grounded in support for Pakistan's democratic institutions and the Pakistani people. And to demonstrate through deeds as well as words a commitment that is enduring, we must stand for lasting opportunity.

A campaign against extremism will not succeed with bullets or bombs alone. Al Qaeda's offers the people of Pakistan nothing but destruction. We stand for something different. So today, I am calling upon Congress to pass a bipartisan bill co-sponsored by John Kerry and Richard Lugar that authorizes $1.5 billion in direct support to the Pakistani people every year over the next five years -- resources that will build schools and roads and hospitals, and strengthen Pakistan's democracy. I'm also calling on Congress to pass a bipartisan bill co-sponsored by Maria Cantwell, Chris Van Hollen and Peter Hoekstra that creates opportunity zones in the border regions to develop the economy and bring hope to places plagued with violence. And we will ask our friends and allies to do their part -- including at the donors conference in Tokyo next month.

I don't ask for this support lightly. These are challenging times. Resources are stretched. But the American people must understand that this is a down payment on our own future -- because the security of America and Pakistan is shared. Pakistan's government must be a stronger partner in destroying these safe havens, and we must isolate al Qaeda from the Pakistani people. And these steps in Pakistan are also indispensable to our efforts in Afghanistan, which will see no end to violence if insurgents move freely back and forth across the border.

Security demands a new sense of shared responsibility. And that's why we will launch a standing, trilateral dialogue among the United States, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Our nations will meet regularly, with Secretaries Clinton and Secretary Gates leading our effort. Together, we must enhance intelligence sharing and military cooperation along the border, while addressing issues of common concern like trade, energy, and economic development.

This is just one part of a comprehensive strategy to prevent Afghanistan from becoming the al Qaeda safe haven that it was before 9/11. To succeed, we and our friends and allies must reverse the Taliban's gains, and promote a more capable and accountable Afghan government.

Our troops have fought bravely against a ruthless enemy. Our civilians have made great sacrifices. Our allies have borne a heavy burden. Afghans have suffered and sacrificed for their future. But for six years, Afghanistan has been denied the resources that it demands because of the war in Iraq. Now, we must make a commitment that can accomplish our goals.

I've already ordered the deployment of 17,000 troops that had been requested by General McKiernan for many months. These soldiers and Marines will take the fight to the Taliban in the south and the east, and give us a greater capacity to partner with Afghan security forces and to go after insurgents along the border. This push will also help provide security in advance of the important presidential elections in Afghanistan in August.

At the same time, we will shift the emphasis of our mission to training and increasing the size of Afghan security forces, so that they can eventually take the lead in securing their country. That's how we will prepare Afghans to take responsibility for their security, and how we will ultimately be able to bring our own troops home.

For three years, our commanders have been clear about the resources they need for training. And those resources have been denied because of the war in Iraq. Now, that will change. The additional troops that we deployed have already increased our training capacity. And later this spring we will deploy approximately 4,000 U.S. troops to train Afghan security forces. For the first time, this will truly resource our effort to train and support the Afghan army and police. Every American unit in Afghanistan will be partnered with an Afghan unit, and we will seek additional trainers from our NATO allies to ensure that every Afghan unit has a coalition partner. We will accelerate our efforts to build an Afghan army of 134,000 and a police force of 82,000 so that we can meet these goals by 2011 -- and increases in Afghan forces may very well be needed as our plans to turn over security responsibility to the Afghans go forward.

This push must be joined by a dramatic increase in our civilian effort. Afghanistan has an elected government, but it is undermined by corruption and has difficulty delivering basic services to its people. The economy is undercut by a booming narcotics trade that encourages criminality and funds the insurgency. The people of Afghanistan seek the promise of a better future. Yet once again, we've seen the hope of a new day darkened by violence and uncertainty.

So to advance security, opportunity and justice -- not just in Kabul, but from the bottom up in the provinces -- we need agricultural specialists and educators, engineers and lawyers. That's how we can help the Afghan government serve its people and develop an economy that isn't dominated by illicit drugs. And that's why I'm ordering a substantial increase in our civilians on the ground. That's also why we must seek civilian support from our partners and allies, from the United Nations and international aid organizations -- an effort that Secretary Clinton will carry forward next week in The Hague.

At a time of economic crisis, it's tempting to believe that we can shortchange this civilian effort. But make no mistake: Our efforts will fail in Afghanistan and Pakistan if we don't invest in their future. And that's why my budget includes indispensable investments in our State Department and foreign assistance programs. These investments relieve the burden on our troops. They contribute directly to security. They make the American people safer. And they save us an enormous amount of money in the long run -- because it's far cheaper to train a policeman to secure his or her own village than to help a farmer seed a crop -- or to help a farmer seed a crop than it is to send our troops to fight tour after tour of duty with no transition to Afghan responsibility.

As we provide these resources, the days of unaccountable spending, no-bid contracts, and wasteful reconstruction must end. So my budget will increase funding for a strong Inspector General at both the State Department and USAID, and include robust funding for the special inspector generals for Afghan Reconstruction.

And I want to be clear: We cannot turn a blind eye to the corruption that causes Afghans to lose faith in their own leaders. Instead, we will seek a new compact with the Afghan government that cracks down on corrupt behavior, and sets clear benchmarks, clear metrics for international assistance so that it is used to provide for the needs of the Afghan people.

In a country with extreme poverty that's been at war for decades, there will also be no peace without reconciliation among former enemies. Now, I have no illusion that this will be easy. In Iraq, we had success in reaching out to former adversaries to isolate and target al Qaeda in Iraq. We must pursue a similar process in Afghanistan, while understanding that it is a very different country.

There is an uncompromising core of the Taliban. They must be met with force, and they must be defeated. But there are also those who've taken up arms because of coercion, or simply for a price. These Afghans must have the option to choose a different course. And that's why we will work with local leaders, the Afghan government, and international partners to have a reconciliation process in every province. As their ranks dwindle, an enemy that has nothing to offer the Afghan people but terror and repression must be further isolated. And we will continue to support the basic human rights of all Afghans -- including women and girls.

Going forward, we will not blindly stay the course. Instead, we will set clear metrics to measure progress and hold ourselves accountable. We’ll consistently assess our efforts to train Afghan security forces and our progress in combating insurgents. We will measure the growth of Afghanistan’s economy, and its illicit narcotics production. And we will review whether we are using the right tools and tactics to make progress towards accomplishing our goals.

None of the steps that I've outlined will be easy; none should be taken by America alone. The world cannot afford the price that will come due if Afghanistan slides back into chaos or al Qaeda operates unchecked. We have a shared responsibility to act -- not because we seek to project power for its own sake, but because our own peace and security depends on it. And what’s at stake at this time is not just our own security -- it's the very idea that free nations can come together on behalf of our common security. That was the founding cause of NATO six decades ago, and that must be our common purpose today.

My administration is committed to strengthening international organizations and collective action, and that will be my message next week in Europe. As America does more, we will ask others to join us in doing their part. From our partners and NATO allies, we will seek not simply troops, but rather clearly defined capabilities: supporting the Afghan elections, training Afghan security forces, a greater civilian commitment to the Afghan people. For the United Nations, we seek greater progress for its mandate to coordinate international action and assistance, and to strengthen Afghan institutions.

And finally, together with the United Nations, we will forge a new Contact Group for Afghanistan and Pakistan that brings together all who should have a stake in the security of the region -- our NATO allies and other partners, but also the Central Asian states, the Gulf nations and Iran; Russia, India and China. None of these nations benefit from a base for al Qaeda terrorists, and a region that descends into chaos. All have a stake in the promise of lasting peace and security and development.

That is true, above all, for the coalition that has fought together in Afghanistan, side by side with Afghans. The sacrifices have been enormous. Nearly 700 Americans have lost their lives. Troops from over 20 countries have also paid the ultimate price. All Americans honor the service and cherish the friendship of those who have fought, and worked, and bled by our side. And all Americans are awed by the service of our own men and women in uniform, who've borne a burden as great as any other generation’s. They and their families embody the example of selfless sacrifice.

I remind everybody, the United States of America did not choose to fight a war in Afghanistan. Nearly 3,000 of our people were killed on September 11, 2001, for doing nothing more than going about their daily lives. Al Qaeda and its allies have since killed thousands of people in many countries. Most of the blood on their hands is the blood of Muslims, who al Qaeda has killed and maimed in far greater number than any other people. That is the future that al Qaeda is offering to the people of Pakistan and Afghanistan -- a future without hope or opportunity; a future without justice or peace.

So understand, the road ahead will be long and there will be difficult days ahead. But we will seek lasting partnerships with Afghanistan and Pakistan that promise a new day for their people. And we will use all elements of our national power to defeat al Qaeda, and to defend America, our allies, and all who seek a better future. Because the United States of America stands for peace and security, justice and opportunity. That is who we are, and that is what history calls on us to do once more.
From America.Gov

Progression of Professional Development

Learning in this connected age goes much beyond the conventional schools and universities. Computers and collaborative web technologies have facilitated learning for anyone students own pace and in own time. Given the obvious advantages, concept of e-learning is getting popular every day.

One of the best places to increase profitability and advance career is MicroStation Training. Accredited MicroStation training and learning help users master the versatile and powerful CAD platform to design, model, visualize, document, and map projects and more.

What is more, the MicroStation learning path is the recommended progression of professional development for architects and engineers who use the MicroStation family of products like 2D CAD Software. I suggest you utilize this training roadmap to cultivate employees in a productive learning environment that will enable them to deliver more services and projects on time and within budget.

With MicroStation Classes, users can expand their capabilities, increase efficiency, and deliver higher quality projects by completing the MicroStation learning path. Learning units from completed courses are recorded to online transcripts and tracked by the Bentley Institute Star Program to measure and communicate competitive advantage for individuals and organizations.

Explore the information and resource rich site and see what all Bentley Institute is offering and how MicroStation can help your organization ad take you to the next level.

Your Energy Consumption

Two main environmental issues in the world today are global climate changes and local or regional air pollution. Both are results of energy consumption all over the world.

Responses to the energy usages are important to the entire planet and its inhabitants. Current and future policies and regulations designed to limit the emissions of airborne pollutants, where ever they are in place, are likely to affect the composition and growth of global energy use.

Mobile (transport) and stationary energy (industry) consumption have resulted in increasingly stringent regulation of air pollutants such as lead, sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds deteriorating the environmental and air quality in the process.

What is more, given the expectations of economic growth every where in the world and growing dependence on fossil energy, global carbon dioxide emissions are also expected to grow more rapidly in future than they did any time during the past. A projected increase in fossil fuel consumption, particularly in developing countries like ours, is largely responsible for the expectation of fast-paced increase in carbon dioxide emissions.

Harmful emissions to the air come from factories, vehicle exhausts and from multiple industrial activities. These emissions can impact locally, or can affect the environment at large distances from their source. Which is why emissions any where have a significant impact on the global environment?

It is for the first time that economic growth rates and population growth in the developing world are likely to be higher than in the industrialized world.

This accompanied with the rising standards of living and increase in energy intensive industries, the developing nations are going to account for the largest share of the projected increase in world energy use.

As per the Environmental Agency report, “Carbon dioxide emissions are expected to rise after 2005 despite the use of more advanced technology and abatement equipment. Consumption of fossil fuels is likely to increase with increasing energy demands and decreased use of nuclear power for electricity production.”

Some of the developing countries around the world are alive to the situation and have already enacted policies aimed at protecting the environment. Many others are still thinking to take the necessary steps in this direction. Our is an energy deficient country and relies for its energy needs on a variety of traditional and commercial sources whereas the laws are either not there or have not been implemented properly.

Pakistan is a developing country only entering in its industrialization stage. With economic development, population growth and higher living standards, the amount of primary energy consumed will almost undoubtedly increase in the future, as will the resultant carbon emissions. These absolute increases and shifts in energy mix will occur despite continued technological improvements and reductions in energy intensity.

Environmental analysts and watchers suggest that one of Pakistan’s main priorities must be developing and utilizing technologies to solve the major environmental challenges the country is currently facing and will face in the future. These efforts should be focused on technologies that treat wastewater, prevent air pollution and improve environmental monitoring systems. It may seem costly but that is the only sustainable solution in the long run.

Good news is that this has started happening, though one would like to see more concern in this regards.

Personalized Bedding

Have a look at the VisionBedding – one of the best places for personalized gifts and home decor and see what all they display there. I have picked up some great ideas for beddings of my own kids while exploring their ideas rich Bedding Ideas section. Similarly their Gift Ideas section too is very rich.

I liked so much there but the best that caught and held my attention was photo blanket and how they can personalize it. There are different sizes and choices available there but if you want you can have your own. They also offer pre-designed bedding where you can choose from many pictures for your photo bedspreads, duvets, blankets, throws, pillow shams, or throw pillows.

And if you want, VisionBedding can put your favorite picture (specially dyed into a photo blanket, photo bedding, photo pillows and photo dog beds ) using the latest production technology. You will get a superb high-quality custom photo product.

Try VisionBedding to have your personalized bedding.

Federal-B-Area, Karachi

Owais Mughal

This is the fourth part of our series on best planned neighborhoods of Pakistan. We have so far covered Eight bazaars of Faisalabad, North Nazimabad, Karachi and Model Town, Lahore in this series. Today we are going back to Karachi and will give you an introduction of Federal-B-Area which is definitely among the best planned localities of Pakistan.

Brief History

The town planning of Federal-B-Area dates back to 1950s when Karachi was still the capital of Pakistan and many new neighborhoods were getting built up to house the employees of the Federal Governemnt. The present day neighborhoods of North Nazimabad, Federal Capital (FC) Area and Federal-B-Area were all part of this vision to give Karachi a well planned capital city infrastructure. While North Nazimabad was laid out by Italian town planners, I am unable to research who did the planning for Federal-B-Area. Reader’s help is sought here.

Federal-B-Area, Mansoora and Gulberg Town

Over the years Federal-B-Area has changed a few names depending on which local government is in power but the original name of Federal-B-Area still thrives. In 1983 after a religious party’s victory in local body elections, Federal-B-Area was renamed as ‘Mansoora’ and North Nazimabad was renamed as ‘Taimuria’. These names however, didn’t become very popular. Today the name ‘Mansoora’ has become relegated to a cricket ground only in Federal-B-Area’s block 10 where as ‘Taimuria’ has been relegated to the name of North Nazimabad’s police station only.

During Pervaiz Musharraf’s tenure, Federal-B-Area neighborhood was renamed again and it became Gulberg Town, but the orginial name still remains popular and is still written as the de-facto address on postal mail.

Following is Federal-B-Area’s map taken from Karachi City Government’s website where it is shown as Gulberg Town and divided into 8 Union Councils.

I recently came across an article by Osman Samiuddin at cricinfo.com where he has written about Federal-B-Area in following words:

Federal B Area - was originally designed for those entrusted with the running of Pakistan, in the days when Karachi was the capital. The country is not run from here anymore, but the roads are wide, the houses old, and here a neighbourhood is still a neighbourhood, not a random collection of houses. It is one of Karachi’s many beating hearts.

If you drive through Federal-B-Area today, you may not be very impressed at first sight. It is a locality which has seen its glory days. The locality is now on its way to what is called ‘Urban Decay’ in the town planning terms. Houses and apartments built 30 years ago are crumbling. Many apartment buildings are in dire needs of repairs. During monsoon months of strong sea-breeze the situation is like this sher:

itna na tez chal ke hil jaayen bam-o-dar
ae sar-phiri hawa mein ‘kiraaye’ ke ghar mein hooN

Federal-B-Area is not a posh locality either and street crime is no less than other areas of the city “BUT” all these signs of ‘Urban Decay’ are our collective failure of civics and the society as a whole.

The reason we have chosen Federal-B-Area to be featured here is because of its well-planned infrastructure and town planning for which one has to see beyond the immediate first impression of an old locality to appreciate it.


Boundaries of Federal-B-Area:

North of Federal-B-Area is the locality of North Nazimabad with ‘Gujjar Nullah’ separating the two. Western boundary of Federal-B-Area is formed by the Railway Track of Karachi Circular Railway . East of Federal-B-Area is Gadap Town and South of Federal-B-Area is the locality of Gulshan-i-Iqbal with Lyari Expressway and Lyari river separating the two.

Before we go further I want to point out the ratio of free space to residential areas in the above image. There are more than 40 free spaces or grounds within 10 square kilometer area of Federal-B-Area. This feature makes Federal-B-Area the candidate of best planned localities.

Sub-Divisions in Federal-B-Area:

Federal-B-Area is divided into 21 blocks (sub-zones). These are numbered 1 through 21, unlike North Nazimabad where blocks are numbered alphabetically from A through T. The 21 blocks of Federal-B-Area are divided into plots of various sizes wihch have following categories:

R - 120 sq yards,
A - 240 sq yards
B - 400 sq yards,
C - 600 sq yards,
D - 1000 sq yards

North Nazimabad, Karachi also follows the above plot categories with an additional category of F - 2000 sq yds plots.

Twenty of federal-B-Area blocks are residential and one is Industrial. However, with the passage of time, just as it has happened to many other once grand localities of the city, people have started turning residential plots into more and more commercial enterprises. I’ve noticed that as cities grow older, people tend to move to outer suburbs and older localities start turning into commercial zones, godowns or high rises.

Shahrah-i-Pakistan through Federal-B-Area:

Another aspect of Federal-B-Area’s geography is that Shahrah-i-Pakistan runs through it. This main artery of the city roughly bisects Federal-B-Area into two zones. The importance of Shahrah-i-Pakistan cannot be over looked. It is the same road which runs from Karachi Port to all the way to Landi Kotal in NWFP.

North of Federal-B-Area (at Sohrab Goth chowrangi), Shahrah-e-Pakistan becomes the super highway which is scheduled to be upgraded as a 6 -lane Motorway (M9). At Hyderabad bypass, Super Highway meets the trans-Pakistan highway N5. Before Karachi Northern bypass (M10) was built, Shahrah-i-Pakistan through Federal-B-Area used to carry more than 75% of Pakistan’s road cargo from Karachi port to upcountry.

Personal Note:

By the way guys, I’ve spent 70% of my life in Federal-B-Area, therefore there is a natural bias in telling all the good stories about it. For me federal-B-area is like:


teray koochay is bahaane mujhe din se raat karna
kabhi is se baat karna kabhi os se baat karna

However, I want to keep this post authentic therefore I’ll separate my personal views from facts and figures and wirte them under separate headings below.

Federal-B-Area Block by Block:

Lets visit all the individual blocks of Federal-B-Area

Blocks 1 and 2:

Both blocks are located on the south side of Shahrah-i-Pakistan. These blocks border the Liaquatabad area and are separated from it by the Karachi Circular Railway Track.

Bazaar-e-Faisal is the main commercial center of Block 2. Karachi’s famous Government Delhi Boys Science College is also located in block 2.

Block 3:

It is also located on the South side of Shahrah-i-Pakistan. This is a very diverse area. Several languages are spoken here. Aga Khan community has a big presence in Block 3 besides Bantwa Memons, Okhai Memons, Katchi Memons, people with roots from Junagarh state etc. Meena bazaar is the main commercial center of Block 3.

Personal: I have played lots of cricket on the grounds of Block 3. The famous Miandad Sports shop is also located here. One can find Pakistan’s ex-first class Cricketer Anwar Miandad selling cricket gear here. In early days of this shop Javed Miandad also used to come here once in a while and used to cause traffic jam in the area.

Besides Miandad Sports, another place to frequent in Block 3 is ‘United Bakery’ which makes the best gulab-jaman in Pakistan (note: this sentence appears under my personal views section)

Block 4:

Block 4 is located on north side of Shahrah-i-Pakistan. A lot of residential plots in Block 4 are fast changing into commercial businesses like schools and hospitals. Look at the satellite image of Block 4 below and one can appreciate the symmetry as well as the ratio of free space to residential space.

Personal: A good part of my life has been spent playing cricket in the ground and the streets shown in the satellite image above. This famous event of my life also happened on this very same ground located in Block 4. I have also written about several other events on these pages which happened in Block 4. (See here, here and here)

Blocks 5 and 6:

Both of these blocks are located North of Shahrah-i-Pakistan. Block 5 borders North Nazimabad with ‘Gujjar nullah’ in between.

Block 6 used to have a famous cricket ground by the name of ‘Gulfishan’. It is under the occupation of Pakistan Rangers for the past 17 years now. Just like Block 4, it is also fast changing into a commercial zone. The photo below shows the satellite image of Block 6.

Blocks 4, 5 and 6 combined make up one union council of Gulberg town called Aisha Manzil Union Council.

Block 7:

It is located on South side of Shahrah-i-Pakistan. Block 7 is famous for Sultan Mohammad Shah Aga Khan school and college as well as the tableeghi jamaat’s Madani Masjid.

Personal: The photo below shows the image of Sultan Mohammad Shah Aga Khan school located in Block 7. Spread across 21 acres, it is also the largest school of karachi. It houses a Cricket ground, a soccer ground and a hockey ground besides several shaded areas. This is also the school where I spent 10 years of my life. As with all other blocks of Federal-B-Area, a good part of my school days and hot summer afternoons from Grade V to Grade X were spent in the sports grounds of my school shown in the photo below. A cement cricket pitch is visible in the image below. It was built when I was in Grade X - 1987. It was a historic moment for our school otherwise we used to play on a turf wicket which we had to roll daily using a hand-roller pulled and pushed by atleast 5 guys together.

Block 8:

It is located on South side of Shahrah-i-Pakistan. It is famous for Jinnah ground. Karachi City government has plans to build a 140 ft tall fountain in Jinnah ground which is also close to the HQ of ruling part in Karachi in Block 8 of Federal-B-Area.

Block 9:

Block 9 is famous for Dastagir Housing Society. It is located on south side of Shahrah-i-Pakistan. Some of us may remember the famous PTV ad of 80s calling for “gas ka ilaaj—Farzana Dawakhana Dastagir # 9″. Yes, Farzana Dawakhan is located here.

Sangam Sports Cricket ground is located in Block 9. The ground is named after a cricket club called Sangam Sports which used to play here years ago.

Federal-B-Area’s main post office (Postal Code 75950) is located in Block 9.

Block 10, 11, 12 and 13:

All these blocks are located on north side of Shahrah-i-Pakistan. Famous landmark in Block 10 is Mansoora Cricket Ground.

And Shadab Soccer Ground in Block 11. Shadab used to be a cricket ground but lately it has been turned into a soccer ground.

Block 13 has Federal-B-Area’s police station called ‘Gulberg Police Station’.

Blocks 11, 12 and 13 combined are also called Gulberg.

Before moving to Lahore, Javed Miandad had a residence in Block 12. Following image shows the views of Blocks 10, 11, 12 and 13.

Blocks 14 and 15

All these blocks are located on East side of Shahrah-i-Pakistan. Main landmarks in Block 15 are the famous T-Ground as well as the UBL Sports Complex. The cricket ground of UBL Sports complex is a first class Cricket venue. The comples and also includes an astro-turf hockey Ground and a track-and-Field arena as seen in the image below.

Personal: Block 14 is famous for a business called ‘Javed nihari’ - makes the best nihari in town, in my opinion. During school days I’ve spent several study nights eating nihari and drinking coke at Javed’s nihari joint. Block 14 also has several ’sheermaal’ and ‘taftaan’ stores along the main road. I love eating ’sheermaal’ instead of ‘paraatha’. After I got my motorcycle license, I used to frequent these places whenever hungry and used to eat 1 or 2 ’sheermaal’ while riding the motorcylce.

Block 16:

Block 16 is famous for Karachi Medical and Dental College. Block 16 has several aparmtent blocks especially along the main roads. One of them called Yousuf Plaza located in Block 16, is one of the largest apartment complexes in Pakistan.

Personal: My parents first home in Karachi was in Block 16. We moved out when I was 5 (1976). I have faint memories of Block 16 from that early age. I do remember the vast expanse of the ground shown in the image below. It appeared even larger in my childhood memories. I also have a memory of seeing a 4-story building crash in 1975-76. It was later rebuilt. It is the first structure at bottom right, just above the red polygon corner of image below.

Blocks 17 and 18:

All these blocks are located on north side of Shahrah-i-Pakistan. Block 17 is also called ‘Samanabad’. It is famous for Pak-Flag Hockey Ground located here. Block 18 area is also called ‘Ancholi’.

Personal: For couple of years in my teenage I got attracted to playing hockey and played at club level. Pak Flag hockey Ground in block 17 used to be one of best Hockey Grounds in the area. I got to play in one game at Pak Flag and I remember being very proud to be able to play at this ground.

teray koochay mein yooN khaRa hooN
jaisay hockey ka goal-keeper hooN
by Zameer jafri

Blocks 19 and 20:

Block 19 and portions of Block 20 are called ‘Al Noor’ society and both blocks are located north of Shahrah-i-Pakistan.

Personal: Once again I played lots of cricket on Alnoor Gymkhana ground. In block 20, there used to be a ‘Zafar Library’ next to the cricket ground. Every now and then a sixer used to land on Zafar Library’s roof and it was hard to retrieve ball from there. Whenever a batsman used to miss hitting a short-pitch ball, we used to say ‘he missed a ‘Zafar library waali ball’ which means he missed a golden opportunity to hit a six. - just a random thought that came to my mind from block 20. Sometimes batsmen used to try to hit balls in certain homes. Why? A hint should come from this sher of Nazeer Akbarabadi

muddat se ho raha hai jin ka makaaN puraana
uth ke hai un ko meenay mein har aan chat par jaana

Federal-B-Area’s Postal Code: 75950

Population: According to 1998 census, the population of Federal-B-Area was 453490.

Karachi Mass Transit Plan and Federal-B-Area

Karachi’s Mass transit Plan (KMTP) had an elevated light train planned for Federal-B-Area which was to run from Sohrab Goth to Merewether Tower with Sohrab Goth-Karimabad portion falling in Federal-B-Area.

My personal sense is that KMTP is now practically dead as current City Government has come up with their own Karachi 2020 Vision and they are concentrating on several Signal Free Corridors (2 East-West Corridors are built and 1 North-South corridor is under construction).

Federal-B-Area has also gained on all this infrastructure development and is within reach of atleast 2 Signal Free corridors and Lyari Expressway.

Telephone Exchange: Federal-B-Area has a dedicated land line Digital Telephone Exchange under PTCL. The telephone area code for Federal-B-Area exchange (called Azizabad Exchange) is 636.

Closing Remarks:

I’ll put Federal-B-Area as second to only North Nazimabad in town planning features in Karachi. On Pakistan level, I’ll place it several localities down the line behind Islamabad sectors, Lahore’s Model Town and a few cantonments. In a big picture, it is definitely in one of the top town planning examples of Pakistan.

Men at Their Best Get Together

Men at their best (55 PMA Long Course Lahore Chapter) will get together on the evening of Mar 27, 2009, may be to welcome Spring in Lahore and update with each other. Thanks ZK.

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Alliance with K Alliance

Like all other fields of human activity, computer based information technology is also pervading different aspects of education that has visibly enhanced learning. Students have already integrated computers in learning.

Computers have made seismic impact in distance education. With the advent of computers and the internet, learning is no longer restricted to time and place. Students these days have access to a great amount of relevant information and resources outside the confines of classrooms and auditoriums.

Computer based training is case in point here. Have a look at K Alliance. They are playing an important role in promoting online computer training. They offer a complete e-learning solution in the form of either CD, intranet, or online training video course-ware. No matter which method users prefer, K Alliance has online courses to help them achieve your e-learning goals. K Alliance self-placed computer training videos include hundreds of choices in topics such as IT Training, Certification Training, Desktop Office and Soft Skills. In addition, we can work with your team to develop your own custom e-learning course-ware.

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Learning at Your Desktop

Things are changing fast. One has to continue learning till the end to stay at the top. Best thing is that comprehensive software solutions are available that help learn from your own desktop. Learning units from completed courses are recorded to online transcripts and tracked to measure and communicate competitive advantage for individuals and organizations.

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MicroStation learning path is the recommended progression of professional development for architects and engineers who use the MicroStation family of products. I suggest you utilize this training roadmap to cultivate employees in a productive learning environment that will enable them to deliver more services and projects on time and within budget. Explore the site and see how Auto CAD Software can increase profitability and how it can advance careers.

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Spirit of French revolution

Jean Jacques Rousseau was a French philosopher. His father married Rousseau’s mother only to desert her after his birth. From here started his sufferings.

He was considered a dangerous character. It is why he was hunted out form one city to another. He died un wept un mourned and unsung.

Contemporaries criticized his book The Contract Social when it was published. To them he retorted by saying that he could see the time when his book would be bounded by the skins of their coming generations.

There have been two seismic revolutions in the world: French and Russian revolutions. French revolutionaries during their struggle wrote three words on their flag – equality, liberty, love — taken form The Contract Social.

Lot many people including French King Louis IV and the Queen were guillotined during the Revolution. Their skins could have been used for binding Rousseau’s book if it were the custom.

All researchers agree that his was the mind behind the French revolution.

Iqbal Hussain Art and Women

Pervaiz Munir Alvi

Iqbal Hussain (1950- ) is often termed as the ‘controversial artist of Pakistan’. Although he is equally masterful in painting landscape and still life, yet he is best known for his portraits–mostly portraits of women that is.

He paints his landscape in romantic hues of dusty pink and soft blue and because of that has been called “Turner/Monet of the Punjab Landscape School”. But in contrast to his style of landscape he chooses to paint his women in bright colors under full light with purposeful brush strokes. He is an impressionist and a realist at the same time. It appears as if intentionally, in his impressionism style landscapes he takes his viewers to a retreat of romantic dreams, but in his portraits in a clear opposition, he forces his viewers to see life in its stark realities.

So what is controversial about the art of Iqbal Hussain? Nothing really if you ask any art critic. An artist and his art could be escapist and realist at the same time. What makes him ‘controversial’, and that is mostly within Pakistan, are not his contrasting artistic styles but his conscious choice of female models and the way he presents them. Iqbal Hussain as a realist does not exaggerate or minimize the physical characters of his subjects like say Picasso would.

He paints his women the way they are in their real life. He just happens to show the side of life we wish not to acknowledge existing in our midst.

His fault is that he brings out in the open the ‘controversies’ that already exist within our societal norms and values; an act for which ‘respectable’ society has termed him as a ‘controversial’ artist. He is controversial because his women do not depict our perceived image of our self. We would like to think that his class of women does not exist in our Pakistan.

Because of his choice of female models, Iqbal Hussain like Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901) is called a “painter of prostitutes and dancing girls”.

Most of his models are the ‘professionals’ from Shahi Mahalla of Lahore whom he is either related to or he knows them personally. The famous red light district of Lahore is his Montmartre and Pigalle. His home is his Moulin Rouge.

But unlike Henri his girls are not shown in dancing forms, lifting their skirts, and exposing their legs and petticoats. Iqbal’s women are not nude or semi-naked or involved in some illicit acts as their profession might suggest. They are not even dancing suggestively or posing provocatively as they do during their work hours.

They are mostly some unknown and unremarkable women of modest looks and appearance. They are just there as they are in their real life; fully clothed stout women, sitting, squatting and with their blank eyes and resigned looks staring at the artist or simply at the empty air in front of them.

Ah, but they are the prostitutes from that ‘bazaar’ and that’s what is ‘controversial’ about Iqbal and his portraits. Iqbal’s women, unlike most respectable Pakistani women do not have their heads and bosoms covered with dopattas and chadors of ‘modesty’. They are bare footed and without the shoes of ‘respectability’. But what troubles us most in Iqbal’s women is the fact that they silently poke our conscience and raise questions about the otherwise obvious hypocrisy of our society.

They raise the questions that ‘respectable’ Pakistani society rather not to ask of it self. And that is what makes Iqbal Hussain so ‘controversial’!

Source:
Contemporary Painting in Pakistan, 1992.
By Professor Marcella Nesom Sirhandi, Ph.D.
Ferozsons, Lahore, Pakistan

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Virtual Communities

Virtual world is getting into real world without a glitch. Social side of technologies is making the World Wide Web much more localized by bringing like-minded people together and in the process creating closely knit online communities. Combination of features like worldwide accessibility and instantaneous communication has made it possible for users from all walks of life from all over the world to join together at different online platforms to exchange information, experiences and plans in their favorite pursuits.

Thanks to power of the web because people can find user focused programs and forums that unite infrastructure professionals and academic communities by providing news, technical information, training, and other resources to help them succeed.

Communities are best places where ideas grow and get shaped up over time. Have a look at 3D Civil Modeling community, bridge information modeling and or building information modeling and you will know how users from all over the world join hands and share.

What is more, anyone can join and share, show case and stay current with what is happening in any chosen field. Join them and empower the sharing of best practices, ideas, and content that apply to integrated applications and services built on an open platform.

City of Mubeshir (and Eight Bazaars)

The growth of Fasilabad has far exceeded the pace at which the city can support its inhabitants. The result is that city is facing problems in providing basic amenities to its citizens. Largely, the burden of solving them falls on municipal authorities. These problems are exacerbated once the civic authorities (and other city development agencies) do not have funds, will and expertise to do that. Inhabitants of only 100 years old city are suffering mainly due to quantifiable deficiencies.

In 1896, a new settlement was founded by Lieutenant Government Punjab, Sir James Lyall, in the area known as Sandal Bar. The plan of this habitat was prepared on the pattern of British flag by Sir Ganga Ram, a civil engineer, town planner and renowned philanthropist. The construction of eight bazaars and adjoining colonies was completed in 1902. There used to be sweet water well and an old `bargad’ tree in the centre where ghanta ghar was erected in 1918.

People of the city played an important role in Pakistan Movement. Quaid-i-Azam visited the `heart of Pakistan,’ as he called it, when annual session of Muslim league was held in the city. Over 100,000 Muslims of area welcomed the Quaid on November 17, 1942 and presented him rupees 500.00 in a reception held at Dhobi Ghat

Lyallpur, named after Sir James Lyall was initially called Pakki Mari. The name was changed to Fasilabad by General Zia ul Haq on the recommendation of a local photographer Aziz. Era of industrialization started in 1930 and Fasilabad was declared as an industrial zone in 1955. Earlier, complexion of Sandal Bar area changed with the excavation of Lower Canal originating from khanki in 1892. Presently, this `Manchester of Pakistan’ has one of the biggest and best Yarn Markets in the world. Fasilabad has grown the second biggest industrial city in the country after Karachi.

The world is becoming more urban as people are moving to cities in search of employment, educational opportunities and high standard of living. Population growth in Fasilabad has been very rapid. In 1947, the biggest of all the Kachi abadies in the country came up in the city that was later converted into Sir Syed Town and other residential colonies. Jinnah colony, Ghulam Muhammad Abad, People Colony, Afghanabad, Nazimabad and Ayub Colony came into existence in first 10-15 years after the independence. This human settlement of only 9191 people in 1901 (first census) is now home to three millions. The municipal area of the city has expanded up to 45 square Kilometres.

One of the main problems facing the city is congestion: in open spaces, public transport, housing, roads and streets. Presence of Goods Forwarding Agencies and oil tankers’ `addas’, Iron Market, Sabzi Mandi and numerous industrial units inside the city has adversely affected the cityscape. The administration has not been able to shift them out despite recommendations in Fasilabad Master Plan and complaints by the concerned citizens. Presence of these agencies in the city, particularly in the areas from Chowk Ghumti to old municipality office on Circular Road, Kachary Bazaar and Railway godown have made the lives of the citizens difficult. Though there is a ban on the entry of trucks and heavy vehicles between 7 AM to 8 PM under police act 23 but still much of heavy traffic can be seen in the city where a fleet of more than 52000 donkey carts is also playing. By the way, donkey carts have been banned to go downtown recently. An owner of a cart told that he earns between rupees 500 to 1300 daily. “The poor perform most of the manual labour in this rich city — which would be paralysed without its rehri walas. Their children work in life and health threatening situations: on power looms, kilns and in carpet centres. They live without any civic facilities,” he says.

Eight bazaars are the centres of trade and always bustling with activities. They are over crowded and full of encroachments. The shopkeepers and cloth merchants throw all the packing material — plastic and paper wrappers and other crap that cannot be sold — in front of their shops that are promptly lifted by children with large sacks on their shoulders roaming about in the markets for `raddi’ collection. A shopkeeper in Bhawana Bazaar told, “any thing that is not cleared by them stays there because sanitary workers of Fasilabad (FMC), responsible for keeping the city clean, do not perform their duties.” The city is divided in two sanitary zones each headed by separate health officer having an army of sanitary workers and inspectors on their roll. Thanks to FMC, even public parks are not being cleaned. “In an industrial city like ours, they (the planners) should look at every thing including waste as a resource and provide incentives for recycle business,” he says.

Punjab Government has banned the manufacturing and uses of polythene shopper bags but how seriously this ban has been taken can be seen in Fasilabad. One finds them every where. “The polythene bags along with other industrial effluents are causing soil pollution when they reach the fields being irrigated by Rakh Branch Canal” informed an official from Irrigation Department.

Green spaces and vegetation covers — so important for ecological balance — in the city are decreasing. The `green belts’ in front of the houses, particularly in Madina Town and People Colony have been turned into filth depots because people deposit their domestic waste out side their houses and no body comes to lift it or are being used for parking. Gulistan colony, Shamsabad, Ghulam Muhammad Abad and Fateh Abad are other neglected and adversely effected areas. One can see, smell, hear and even taste the pollution in the city.

Municipal bodies, city development agencies and the traffic police seem to be at war with each other instead of jointly serving the tax payers. Muazam Ali, a resident of People Colony complains, “what is our fault if FMC or traffic police fail to pay the electric bills? WAPDA disconnects the supply to the street lights and newly installed traffic signal system. We suffer in the process.” And, “WASA alone needs rupees 3392 millions to provide full fledged sewerage facilities for the people of Fasilabad by the end of year 2000,” informed an official of WASA during a briefing to a foreign delegation.

There is no single authority to coordinate and oversee the growth and development in the city that was laid out under the concept of radical planning with clear zoning of different land uses. People now have converted their houses into industrial units. The Fasilabad development authority (FDA) has been lying useless since 1982 for the want of funds'. The Director General has pointed out, in case it had escaped the public notice, that the FDA with many officers and no assignment should be downsized. On the other hand, FDA has decided to sell its 470 residential and commercial plots and other assets to over come its financial crises. Naturally, thefinancial crises’ are for the salaries of the FDA staff. What else!

The Agricultural University (established as college in 1906), Punjab Research Institute of Agriculture and Biology, National institute of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, National Institute of Fertilizer, Forest Research Institute, Textile Engineering College, Punjab Medical College, Government Degree college –where I participated in declamation contest in 1972 — and other educational institutions have played very important role in spreading awareness and education in the country. The government has promised to open an other university as well. But, sadly, “thousands of children in the city do not get the see the school, though. They are engaged in various forms of labour to earn for their living,” claims a socialite Muhammad Ijaz who is working to end this servitude in collaboration with ILO and other agencies.

The problems of Fasilabad are specific and need specific solutions. FMC with its small annual budget needs to improve the services, which profoundly affect the daily lives and well being of the people. Requirement: promoting democratic rule, exercising public authority and using public resources in all public institution at the levels in a manner that is conducive to good governance.

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Being in Vermont

Landscape beauty, serene environment, mountains, serene environment and a cool nip in the air are naturally relaxing. And on top of this setting, if one has luxurious accommodation and best modern amenities, it makes best setting for vacations, a romantic retreat and or conducting an important business meetings. Ski Vermont is one of the best places to have vacation or do your business in tranquil environment.

The trend to get married at such exotic places in rising exponentially. More and more people are opting for getting married in exotic places. Have a look at the Vermont honeymoon packages and see what is on the offer. To me this seems one of the best ways to make a start of new life. Getting married in Vermont is one of the most romantic adventures one can ever have, especially during autumn in Vermont when the New England fall foliage is at its most spectacular. Come discover the charms spread around in Stowe Vermont.

Similarly, Vermont Meetings can be more productive and useful business ventures. In addition to doing business, your guests can enjoy acclaimed restaurants, specialty shops, a year-round activities to get involved, interact and give better shape to their ideas. I think environment matter a great deal in life as well as business. No?

New York Times on Situation in Pakistan

It took threats from Hillary Clinton to cut off aid and signals that the Pakistani military might take over the government, but President Asif Ali Zardari finally gave in to mass protests and acceded to opposition leader Nawaz Sharif's demands. A dispute over judges had put the country on the brink of anarchy, with Zardari cracking down on dissent and placing Sharif under house arrest while protesters prepared for a mass march that threatened to topple the government.

Read it at The New York Times

Justice Muhammad Shahab ud Din and Prime Minister Pakistan Muhammad Ali Bogra

Muhammad Shahab ud Din came to judiciary from Indian Civil Services. He rose to the coveted post of Governor East Pakistan in 1954 but history always recognises him as Justice Muhammad Shahab ud Din.

Prime Minister Pakistan Muhammad Ali Bogra once gave a statement about East Pakistan without consulting him. Justice Muhammad Shahab ud Din resigned in protest. Bogra apologised and requested the Justice to continue but he did not agree.

He took out his pen and dried its ink in the pot in his office before leaving the Governor house. His ADC Major S. G. Gillani was with him who asked, “Sir, why have you returned the ink to the pot here.” Reply of the Justice was, “It belonged to state for official work. How I can use the official ink when I no more hold the office.”

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Given my own interests, I explored the site and liked beemans gum the best. Made of pepsin powder and chicle as an aid to digestion, Beemans gum is sporadically produced by Cadbury Adams as a nostalgia gum, along with the other historic gums Clove and Black Jack.

Black Jack is an aniseed flavored chewing gum made by Cadbury Adams. This product has a history. In 1869, exiled former Mexican president and general Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna was living in New Jersey and he brought a ton of Mexican chicle with him, in hopes of selling it to raise funds to help him return to power in his own country. A lot has changed since then. Now Cadbury Adams manufacture Black Jack as well as other nostalgic brands of chewing gum.

Another that I favorite is bulk candies (including mini Snickers, mini M&Ms, Mixed Bite-Sized Skittles, and Starbursts)< best thing is that bulk candies can be delivered to any of your loved one. They also make best gift for eves like Halloween, Christmas and Birthdays. Each bulk pack contains individually wrapped candies or chocolates that make them easier to pass around.

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Get Insured

Insurance is important for everyone. One does not have to be an economist to see the advantages of insurance coverage. Users buy insurance policies wishing that they never have to use the policy and as a security against unexpected and unaffordable losses that occur in life. Where they really win is in the assurance the insurance coverage provides them. If the worst comes in life, insurance works to provide financial recovery and support. This awareness has increased the demand for insurance services in the last many years.

Services like Autonet Insurance – one of the largest and independently owned insurance brokers – are playing important role in promoting the awareness and helping people find best insurance solution from home insurance to business insurance and everything in between.

I think buying insurance has to be an informed decision. One should do a little home work before buying a policy. Autonet Insurance is one of the best places to start. Try them before buying insurance policy. They offer different types of policies including Van Insurance. Call them for a quote or get one online. They are the best choice because they price check 40 of the UK’s leading insurers daily, have dedicated experts to get you a great deal and offer 24 hour claims line.

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On Record

PM Pakistan, Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani's speech to the nation:

My dear countrymen Assalam-o-Alaikum,

! am speaking to you at a time when our country is standing at a critical moment. No country can make progress without political tolerance and the PPP and lawyers have been together in struggle for upholding democracy in Pakistan. Shaheed Mohtrama Benazir Bhutto actively participated in the struggle of restoration of judiciary was launched by lawyers. Benazir Bhutto wanted free judiciary and supremacy of the constitution.

The lawyers’ movement for restoring of judges was their democratic right. The PPP was shoulder to shoulder with the lawyers in the cause for the independent judiciary.

The slain PPP leader Benazir Bhutto also wanted to reinstate the deposed chief justice.

I have taken all his coalition partners and the President into confidence about the reinstatement of the deposed chief justice once the current chief justice retires on March 21.

The deposed chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry will assume charges on March 21.

Benazir Bhutto wanted free judiciary and supremacy of the constitution.

I order all the provincial government to abolish Section 144 at once.

After consultations with all political forces of the country and President Asif Ali Zardari, we have decided to restore all deposed judges including Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry as Chief Justice of Pakistan who will assume charge on March 21. The current Chief Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar retires on March 21. I urge all the political forces and lawyers to work for the solidarity and welfare of the country.

Pakistan Paindabad

Men At Their Best

Your truly sitting second from the right!

Insurance Solutions

Insurance is important to the fabrics of societies and to the economies; particularly so in these times when economies are very slow. And one does not have to be an economist to know this. Insurance is something users buy hoping that they never have to use. They purchase insurance to guard against unexpected health problems and unaffordable losses . Where the purchasers really win is in the peace of mind the insurance policy buys the users. If the worst should happen, insurance works to provide valuable financial recovery. This knowledge has increased the demand for insurance services in the last couple of decades.

Demand driven dedicated services are helping by bringing insurance solutions to people. Have a look at the California Medicare Part A and see what they are offering and how including their California Short Term Health Insurance policy.

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I Am a Linguist; But...

I don’t know when Urdu became my identity. It is ascribed one and I love it; really. Born and raised speaking Punjabi, I also had to learn foreign languages (like English and Russian) to move about in faster lanes of life but I always express my deeper emotions and inner feelings in Urdu. Two of my books Izhar (Expressions), Ret Pe Tehreer (Written on the Sand)} are in Urdu. This (Urdu) sophisticated language facilitates you to do that. Anyone speaking Urdu in a crowd of people speaking alien languages is automatically a company.

I realized my love for the language when I was learning Russian at National University of Modern Languages, Islamabad. When my Russian teacher Alica used to say, “I have learnt more Urdu than I have taught you Russian.” When Sakina Mirkhajevna used to ask us to sing her songs in Urdu; she could not understand the meanings but, “I enjoy the sweetness with which words flow,” she used to tell.

I learnt English the hard way. I was at a professional academy and order of the day was, “no vernaculars,” even in out private quarters. Knowing that we will be asked to leave food and have a round of the mess running if we spoke in Urdu made us speak English fast. The problem is that I think in Urdu, dream in Urdu and my expressions, oral as well as written in English, still are jerky .

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to my friend; who celebrated (and enjoyed) alone - yesterday. Wish I was there to say 'happy birthday' to you.

KVM Switches

Have a look at smartvm.com – the smartest name in hardware - and see what they are offering and how including kvm switch. Exploring the neatly laid out and users’ friendly site I liked the KVM switches, also referred to as Keyboard Video Mouse switches. They help to connect a keyboard, mouse and monitor to two or more computers. KVM switches save you money, time, space, equipment and power. These switches are also widely deployed to control pools of servers in data centers. Some KVM switches support user terminals at both ends that allow local and remote access to all the computers or servers.
kvm switch

Pakistan's Political Chaos

Home to both nuclear weapons and major numbers of Al Qaeda and Taliban militants, Pakistan is not the kind of place America wants to see fall into chaos. Now American diplomats are working furiously to broker an end to a standoff between unpopular President Asif Ali Zardari and opposition leader Nawaz Sharif.

Tensions between the leaders' coalitions have led to widespread protests and Zardari has upped the ante with mass arrests of opponents and crackdowns on dissent and some observers are concerned that Pakistan's army will retake control of the government should the two leaders fail to reach an agreement soon.

Read it at The New York Times

AirTran Racist

A Muslim family removed from an airliner Thursday after passengers became concerned about their conversation say AirTran officials refused to rebook them, even after FBI investigators cleared them of wrongdoing.

Atif Irfan said federal authorities removed eight members of his extended family and a friend after passengers heard them discussing the safest place to sit and misconstrued the nature of the conversation.

Read it at CNN

What are your thoughts?

Friendly Workplace

Pornography began spreading with the advent of the Internet as a new medium of communications in the middle 1990s. Earlier, like the video cassette recorders and even earlier like printed material, the Internet has been effective because it allows viewing pornography anonymously in an absolute privacy, without fear of being pointed out as a sex starved or a perverted psychopath. And, now cyber space is littered with porno websites for anyone with a computer and a modem to access. Experts predict that tech advancements like use of cable modems and DSL connections will fuel even more growth in the trend. No wonder some people in the world have not only accepted porno but playfully heap it with high brow attention and defend it?

The technology allows access to and distribution of pornographic material - explicit graphics as well as textual - primarily via websites, peer-to-peer software, IRC, Usenet, blogs and now through Webcams to large audience beyond geographical boundaries without meaningful restrains. Some of the programs even work independently of Web browsers like Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator, and can bypass many filters designed to block pornography and other objectionable material. This free access makes for hostile work environment

I suggest you have a look at SurfRecon ERT (Emergency Response Tool) - a porn detection tool that can be used in the workplace to detect, review and report on any pornography found on a suspect computer without having to expose anyone to this harmful and toxic content. Better still use one and make the work environment friendly.

Pakistan on the Brink

Could this be the end for Pakistan's new president, Asif Ali Zardari? The government is banning protests and arresting hundreds for fear that a planned national protest march might eventually topple Zardari's regime. Protests led by some of the same leaders helped bring down General Pervez Musharraf in 2007. Zardari's six month-old government has been under fire over a worsening economy and growing Islamist insurgency.

American intelligence officials have long warned that a destabilized Pakistan could pose a major threat to the U.S., as the country possesses nuclear weapons and houses a large number of Taliban militants and Al Qaeda terrorists.

Read it at The New York Times

Emotional Piece of Jewelry

Rings have emotional attachments. Ring is a piece of jewelry that I like most. It reminds me so much about life and about the days when I presented one and also when I was given one.

Scout the market and one finds that tungsten rings are the best. They no only are good for life but also make a nice presentation for any occasion. Those who are looking for Wedding Rings must select one from over 120 new and classic wedding ring styles. Have a look at the entire range of Titanium Rings, Tungsten rings, titanium wedding bands, Platinum and Diamond inlays, High quality titanium necklace, crosses, bracelets and chains. I am sure you will find what suites your taste.

What is best, all of our titanium jewelry are made of aircraft grade Ti-64, hardest alloy Ti-662 and Pure Ti-999. Our titanium chains and bracelets are made of Pure Ti-999. All our Tungsten rings are made with the superior carbide alloy. Tungsten rings and wedding bands are the most wear resistant jewelry available today. Tungsten rings are as hard as the sapphire gem stones! Now available inlaid with gold silver and platinum. Explore the site and see what all is on display there and pick what you like.

Via Lower Bari Doab Canal

While most of my friends were having a great weekend, I was taking a trip to explore the lush green plains of Punjab, riding my trusted old motorbike on Band Patri (track along the bank) of Lower Bari Doab Canal (LBDC). Many new and interesting things came in the way, which normally remain hidden from commuters on the National Highway or travellers in the area. The countryside embraces you with lovely colours, atmosphere, people and bits and pieces of history. And, there is no hassle anywhere in the way.

As spring approaches, the traveller, especially in the irrigated tracts, ride through endless expanses of waving crops of different shades of colour, out of which the villages seem to rise like islets in an ocean of green.

I took the side route and got onto the LBDC from Sahiwal -- the city famous for greenery and best breed of mammals. The first thing along the LBDC that attracted my attention was Mandi Maweshian (animal market) near Okara -- one of the largest in the country. It is a complete bazaar where a large number of fine quality animals changes hand every month. You can find makeshift hotels (with arrangements for night stay), veterinary doctors, milk and fodder shops and even provision stores. "It is a complete market that keeps moving from one place to another as per its permanent schedule," told me an astute manager, who establishes a hotel wherever the market goes. "We have buparis (businessmen) from Karachi to Peshawar, local farmers as well as people working in the market as our customers," he added. Another shopkeeper informed, "Farmers sell their live stock here and buy provisions for their homes." The market has its own unique culture.

Near Renala, you see one of the first Hydroelectric Power Stations constructed in the Subcontinent. Sir Ganga Ram, an Engineer and famous Philanthropist had built this Power Station in 1925 in order to irrigate about 70,000 acres of agricultural land that is higher than the normal level in the area and could not be irrigated through the LBDC. Ganga Ram forked the canal, built the Power Station and installed five motors to generate electricity. The then Governor Punjab, Sir William Malcolm Hailey laid down its foundation stone of the station on March 22, 1925. Engineer in charge of the station explained the working of the station and its excellent performance despite the old vintage. The Power Station is not linked with National Electric Grid and only provides electricity for the five pumping stations for lifting the water from the LBDC. The Power Station remained with Power and Works Department till 1958 when it was taken over by WAPDA. Why not more similar hydroelectric stations in the country? The question keeps coming back to my mind.

First sight of the Power Station reminded me of Venice City. The powerhouse building seems to be floating on water. Photographs are not allowed. Security! The canal is covered with trees up and down stream. There is a small white mosque inside the canal in front of the station building. Green areas adjoining the station are very restful.

Just about three Kilometres from Renala, you see a huge colonial ere mansion standing tall in the fields. This used to be headquarters of the Renala Estate -- the land leased by Major D. H. Venrenen in 1913 on the condition of horse breeding (ghori pall). The company had been producing very fine breed of horses in the past. Villa -- a symbol of the past era -- is still owned by the family of landlady T. F. L. Taylor.

That is the place from where my real 'hardship by choice' started. I was travelling on a rural route, seeing the path but not knowing what was coming next. Not knowing what one is going to see ahead is sometime inspiring. But, about 11 Kilometres from Power Station, rear tyre of my bike went flat. There was no place in sight from where I could get it fixed. Advised by Chragh Din, a local, I waited for the ‘help’ to come and we talked.

Chragh Din, relaxed and amiable old man who was fishing asked about my destination, purpose of journey and why I was travelling on a bike. He did not seem convinced with my answers once I told him that I am travelling just to see the area. He was surprised instead. I enjoyed talking to him though. He was so candid and frank about every thing he said.

It pays to get out into the countryside and talk to ordinary people. They are eager to help -- on their own expense -- when you ask any body. I found volunteer ‘guides’ who were forth coming with wealth of information from history to myths prevalent in the area. But ‘chaudhry map’ is as vague in Punjab about the distances as is anywhere else in Pakistan. I learnt not to rely on chaudhry map during my days in the army but still cannot resist asking. Where is village Thatta Ghulam? Ask any body when you are riding a motorbike with haversack and water bottle on your sides. The replies will always be same: nearby.

The ionic counter point is the lack of attention in maintaining the bits and pieces of unique heritage - the resource base of tourism industry. The neglect may be attributed to lack of awareness, education, coordination between authorities, economic constrains and or simply the natural hazards. The magnificent vistas of a land of plans, fields and orchards have to be opened to the rest of the world. There is a need for information in the form of travel guide writing, pure travel journalism, travel book writing and geographical description in form of maps. No ordinary coldness of phrasing can express the surprise and delight, with which one makes acquaintance with the rural sites. Their perspective gives you a wonderful sense of being there. In fact, that is my recommendation: be there.

Near Balloki Headworks on River Ravi, one passes through a wide water reservoir that looks like a lake. In winters, this lack is full of native waterfowls. Flocks of Wild Ducks, Cranes, Strokes and black winged Stilts are the commonest sights in the area. The fish kababs at Balloki Headworks are a speciality and culinary delight. I had a dinner break at Balloki, treated myself with fish kababs -- fresh from the river -- and proceeded to National Highway for onwards journey to Lahore via more familiar route

Evening Tea

Tea is a universal drink in almost all societies around the globe. More so, tea is most consumed drink in this part of the world. People start the day with a cup of tea, then a tea break before noon, then in the afternoon is the high tea and a lot of tea in between. This is the first thing that is offered to guest anywhere in offices and or homes. Personally speaking, tea is a symbol of hospitality in our culture.

I have tea all day. Mug of hot tea always sit at my work desk but the best that I enjoy is the evening tea that I have with my family at the end of the day. That tea comes in teapots covered with tea cozies and is accompanied by favorite snakes. The whole family has the tea evening tea together.

Thanks to the English Tea Store that they offer tea that is suitable to be taken as we take. English Tea Store brand provides gourmet taste at best prices. What is more, they bring the tea directly to you over the Internet; no middlemen. English Tea Store teabags come in English style without strings and tags. The English style bags are better for brewing tea in a teapot, since strings will tangle around our spoon when stirring the tea. I suggest you try English Tea Store tea.

Melody

Raza Rumi

It was a mellow, moonlit evening of Lahore’s glorious spring when Sachal Studios released their album ‘Tarang’. It could not have been at a more fitting venue. Amid the decaying environs of Old Lahore stands the Haveli of Mian Yusaf Salahuddin, refurbished into a little planet of conservation as a courageous effort to protect and rejuvenate Lahore’s cultural soul. Mian Yusuf is the one denizen who has done this good deed for posterity, along with Syed Babar Ali who has conserved his ancestral Mubarak Begum Haveli in Bhaati Gate. Of course, the state has been abject in its failure to conserve Lahore’s majestic heritage.

Sachal Studios is the brainchild of international businessman Izzat Majeed and man of letters Mushtaq Soofi, an exceptionally motivated duo. Sachal has infused the local music scene with innovation and energy. It is promoting a hybrid orchestra – once an integral part of the subcontinent’s film music tradition. Since 2003, Majeed, an activist and radical intellectual in a previous avatar, has devoted his time and money to this passion – to create Pakistani melodies in sync with the imperatives of contemporary musical sensibilities.

Started as a labour of love, Sachal Studios has released ‘Tarang,’ a collection of music that brings together the best musicians from all over Pakistan, and Humaira Channa’s competent voice. Of late, Channa has been a victim of commercial success and the quality compromises that define Pakistan’s derelict film music. Sachal’s production is a relief; a fresh departure from the usual, and the melodic results are impressive.

At the Old Lahore Haveli, Channa with her family and associates were accorded the respect they deserve. In a similar vein, immensely talented artists, such as the tabla maestro Billoo Khan and Pakistan’s leading sitar player, Ustad Nafees Ahmed Khan also attracted the attention of the star-studded guest list and Lahore’s usual chatterati. It was on a dimly lit terrace of the Haveli that I was introduced to Izzat Majeed, who looked pleased with himself and his Sachal partners as notes from the latest album mixed with the spring air.

Inspired by the Abbey Road Studios in London, Majeed and Soofi have been working for the last six years with Christoph Bracher, a scion of a German musicians’ family, to design and set up Sachal Studios. A state of the art music studio in Lahore is a landmark, for it heralds a new trend of post-production finesse that has hitherto been missing from the Pakistani music production process. A major contribution of Majeed is his introduction of the concept of ‘music-producers’. The norms of the industry have tragically reduced the role of a producer to an investor, from that of someone who drives the quality, provides technical inputs and steers the overall aesthetic of a musical experience.

Majeed related to me how he was raised in a household where good music was an object of reverence. His late father, Mian Abdul Majeed was an avid music fan, and from an early age his son was introduced to the finer details of sub-continental classical music. His father was a student of Ustad Akbar Ali Khan and introduced Majeed to the layers and nuances of Indian film music that continue to guide him in his tastes and sensibilities.

As he reminisced about the lost eras, Majeed told me how Jazz captured his imagination in his youth. “Believe it or not, great performers such as Louis Armstrong visited Lahore, and played fabulous music at the United States Information Services office on Queen’s Road,” he recalled. But he laments the fact that the vacuum that the local music scene is trapped in is gigantic. Ustad Mehdi Hasan does not sing any more, Madame Noor Jehan is dead and the great golden voices are getting lost in the onslaught of new trends in the music industry. He conceded that the pop scene is vibrant, but a bulk of those productions are “pure electronic noise”. Majeed is right, because the Pakistani state has demolished, brick by brick, the secular, composite culture of the Indus Valley and replaced it with a crippling “ideology” where no flowers bloom, where no bulbul sings.

This is why Sachal Studios is such an important intervention. It flies in the face of the state’s enforced desertification of culture; it seeks to encourage younger singers like Feriha Pervaiz, Ali Raza and Zaheer Abbas amongst others, to become heirs of the traditions that have historically defined musical consciousness in the popular domain. Izzat Majeed is also a poet in Punjabi and English, and so is Mushtaq Soofi. The two music aficionados have lent their verse to the myriad compositions of Sachal Studios.

Sachal’s efforts to build an orchestra have been rewarding. There is joy and unabashed triumph in Majeed’s tone when he says that in 2003 only 10 violinists were available in Lahore; the number has now increased to 30, providing extraordinary ground to the Sachal orchestra on which it can expand and deepen its range. The glorious sub-continental tradition of employing grand orchestras to enhance melodies, used by legends such as Naushad Ali, Madan Mohan, Khayyam, Shankar Jaikishen and Salil Chaudhry has become extinct except perhaps in the works of the genius, A R Rehman. In Pakistan, Majeed has picked up the tradition of serious film music of yesteryear, and has revitalised it; one hears the endangered violin instead of the plain electronic synthesiser in works produced by Sachal Studios.

But Majeed makes no grand claims. “I am not a crusader; I create music for the pleasure of music itself,” he says. This is an unusual statement in a country where bragging is a national pastime. It is easy to understand why Majeed’s partnership with Mushtaq Soofi has been fruitful. Soofi, a notable Punjabi poet, with vast experience in music production at Pakistan Television (PTV), is as self-effacing as Majeed. I met Soofi at the Sachal Studios premises, where he talked to me about his passion for music, sitting at his desk, chain-smoking, books with subjects ranging from pre-Islamic Persia to sources of the English language lying on his lacquered table. Like Majeed, he has also been immersed in music for the better part of his life. And after a long stint at PTV he has devoted his energies to Sachal. The prospect of pursuing music unencumbered by bureaucratic obstacles has set Soofi free.

Earlier, my visit to Sachal was quite an experience. Amid the ramshackle automobile workshops and Warris Road limits, which are constantly shrinking due to encroachments, stood the refurbished building, not too high yet modern in character. Like its vision, the environs and facilities of the studios were also ground-breaking. The state-of-the-art arrangements and impeccable acoustics have led to high quality results. I recalled Majeed’s words: “Pakistan has lacked embellishment in its music, and contemporary dimensions of the symphonic mode have not even been explored.” As I found out later, Majeed, like any other labourer of love is not concerned with commercial returns and profits on the music he creates.


Soofi recounted the first recording that Sachal undertook in 2003 with the celebrated composer Mian Sheheryar, entitled Saanwla (dark complexioned beloved) with kaafis of Khawaja Ghulam Farid as the highlight. A year later, Sachal released another acclaimed album called Bandish that aimed to popularise classical ragas (roughly the musical scales). Here innovations in the style of the ragas’ presentation were effected to convert complex tunes into simple geets that could be appreciated even by those who were not initiated into the rigorous discipline of Hindustani classical music. Bandish was widely noted for its rich experimentation, as it presented classical and semi-classical notes within the format of a symphony orchestra. Recently, the studio has also completed a recording of Bandish II with a wider variety of singers and composers, and the album is due for release later this year.

Two years ago, Sachal created another gem: ‘ Lahore Ke Rang, Hari Ke Sang ’, an Indo-Pakistani collaboration album. This ensemble crossed boundaries as Hariharan, South India’s most famous singer was the lead artist. Lyrics from Amir Khusro, Bulleh Shah, Hasrat Mohani, Majeed Amjad, Nasir Kazmi, and Mushtaq Soofi were used to assemble enchanting music. The album managed to collate Lahore’s liveliness and its various moods with some choice ragas and inspiring beats. The composers’ cluster that Sachal has built over the years provided the melodies for this album. This cluster included several names that are already established in the world of music: Wazir Afzal, Nazar Hussain and Qadir Shaggan among others. The music was later mastered at Abbey Road Studios, London.

‘Lahore Ke Rang’ was a huge success worldwide. Hariharan reportedly remarked on the experience in these words: “It was thoroughly enjoyable, going to Lahore, absorbing the ambience, working with such warm people and immensely loving Lahore, which is a city reminiscent of Delhi, with all its bustle and colour.”

At Yousaf Salahuddin’s Haveli, Sachal’s new work ‘Tarang’ played on, oblivious to the chattering socialites. Humaira Channa, a well-groomed artist, has rendered compositions in both classical and semi-classical modes. My favourite, and many there agreed, was ‘Dheem Tanana’ which replayed the impact of a lesser known ‘Mardang’ instrument. In fact the sound of the instrument was brought to life in this number. I was told that the guru of many a singer, the late Ustad Talib Hussain, played this instrument adroitly to enrich the rhythms of his compositions.

However, a few numbers of this album were not as powerful. Even a grand orchestral arrangement in the re-mix of Salim Raza’s song, ‘Bhool Jaao Gey Tum,’ with lyrics by Tanvir Naqvi, could not mask its flatness. But the rendition of ‘Bari Thani Chahraya’ , an original by Tasawur Khanum, with a rich orchestra was a superb melody. Mian Sheheryar’s composition and poetry were elevated in this number by the ‘Boliyan’ style – essentially a folk format of dialogue through music.

Lahore’s spring breeze was soothing and as we sat on the Haveli terrace under a dark sky, the first song of ‘Tarang,’ ‘Chait Charhya’ was in perfect harmony with our mood. Mushtaq Soofi’s lyrics and Ustad Nazar Hussain’s composition blended well. The month of ‘Chait’ in desi lore is the season for yearning for love. I’d like to think that there were many at Mian Yusuf’s that night who think with their hearts, and for them, this must have been a special song!


I read the cover of the CD handed to me in the dim light: ‘The business of music has become the music of business. To escape this, Sachal Studios has endeavoured to create sounds that make us enjoy music and not the passing commerce-driven bandwagon.’ How apt, I thought, wondering how powerful the charms of music must be to have enabled these committed music- wallahs to forget about profits.

The aroma of spring flowers that adorned the jharokas and doors of the Haveli were of a piece with another number, ‘Bajariya Sey Gajrey Manga Dey’ – yearning for flower bangles from a lover. Ustad Nazar Hussain and Humaira Channa had done wonders again, supported by an outstanding sitarist. Listening to this song written by the late Hasan Rizvi, I felt as though the 70s had returned, that decade when hope was still alive in Pakistan. This song’s mood reminded me of how good our film music was in that creative decade before the film industry went into decline.

Sachal Studios are reviving an era that has disappeared – a time defined by outstanding film and non-film music between the 1950s and 1980s. In the subcontinent, music has always required patrons and patronage to survive and bloom. Since the advent of colonialism, classical music has been in decline, and the lack of cultural space in post-independence Pakistan has further endangered music forms that took seven centuries to brew and ferment. Forget classical music, we are losing the ghazal and geet variety that was once a hallmark of Pakistan across South Asia and the world. With Sachal Studios, Lahore might just find its rhythm again.

King of Pop

Michael Jackson is a legend. Undoubtedly, the world’s most acclaimed performer since he started his career at the age of eight in The Jackson Five before going solo and becoming known as the King of the Pop with such hits as Bad, Billie Jean and Thriller. Remember!

Now the King of Pop has announced that he will play what he claims will be his final 10 shows ever at London’s famed O2 Arena. Given his fans, Tickets to Michael Jackson are sure going to be hard to find. I suggest you go to Tem One and see what they are offering and how. Better still get your Michael Jackson tickets now.

Travelling on Grand Trunk Road

Travelling on Grand Trunk Road all my life, it captured my imagination as a cultural curiosity when I read Rudyard Kipling’s Kim. At the beginning of the last century Kipling called it “a wonderful spectacle…. without crowding…. green-arched, shade-flecked … a rivear of life.” But Pakistan’s National Highway Number 5 (N-5), alias the Grand Trunk Road, or simply the GT Road, presents a different impression now. Commuting up and down the GT Road are caravans of trucks, buses, cars, animals and animal transport also auto-rickshaws, all having equal right of the way. On the GT Road every bus, truck, and a car must pass the vehicle ahead. “The GT Road,” a veteran traveller John Otto wrote says, “really belongs to the trucker.” And he is right in a way.

Have you Travelled there lately? Seen any changes?

Loan Options

Given the situation of economy as it is now, going gets tough sometime. Life still has to go on. You still may need money for something important in life or some eventuality? One of the options is that you get loan against your vehicle, may be. If you own your own car, truck or van with a minimum wholesale value of $5,000, you can get cash in 1 hour, even if you have with bad credit, Tax liens, denied credit elsewhere, repossessions and or bankruptcies.

Have a look at Auto title loan and Vehicle loan; they are available for up to 36 Months, early payoff with no pre-pay penalties, no front fees deducted from loan. What else.

I suggest you have a learn more about the service and learn more about what they are offering and how? Explore Auto pawn and see what satisfied customers are saying about them. The service is just great. This will give you enough help to make informed financial decision. Approach them and they will take care of the rest. What is more, you can apply online when you need. Try them when you have to and meet the express needs. They are one of the best.

On Women's Day

In faster lane of life these days, what growing human needs and wants promises is this: Every one must work. Lesser work opportunities are available therefore, labouring at something that may not be personally engaging and rewarding, is common. Too much stress and compromises in life. Many of us are willing to accept the situation because there are not very many choices to be had. It is even crucial when it comes to women in our society. They have yet another societal constrains to work and pursue a career or stay home and give time to family.

Shopping Resource

Everyone is searching the Web to shop for everything. It is convenient and you can see more and compare. More and more online selling outlets are coming up and Trend to shop online trend is growing all over the world. Millions if consumers across the world are shopping as a source of source of savings and convenience.


The great strength of the World Wide Web search is that it can locate out vast amounts of products matching to what any user may be asking for. The great weakness is that the traditional shopping sites will only show you stores that have paid for placement.

It is in this milieu that the Daily Buzz that presents you with all the latest buzz and trends so visit the site and keep updated with the hottest news and products in demand right now is a great help. WOCAL - Your Daily Buzz and Trends Source – is playing an important role in promoting this trend by providing information, helping find, compare and buy anything from Accessories to Toys and a lot more in between.

Neatly laid out site is a great shopping resource. Listings are very comprehensive. Search anything and see what it brings out. I searched for gadgets and was pleasantly amazed to see the results. Try and see what all they are offering and how.

Learning Never Ends

Like all other fields of valid human activities, collaborative web technologies are also pervading different aspects of education that has visibly enhanced learning. Students have already integrated computers in learning, particularly those students who are pursuing education through distance learning.

Web technologies have made seismic impact in distance learning. With the advent of computers and the Internet, learning is no longer restricted to time and place. Students these days have access to vast amount of relevant information and resources outside the confines of classrooms and auditoriums. Open universities and other institutions employing computers and the Internet (also television, and satellites) have come up and offer education in any field anywhere around the globe.

Have a look at Joomla LMS learning software- worth to look learning management system. This is one of the best, affordable and still highly professional Learning Management System for non-technicians utilizing distance learning technologies in their education E-learning.

I suggest you explore the site and see how Joomla LMS can help you achieve your aim. The site is neatly laid out and uncluttered. Also see their Testimonials and read what their satisfied clients are saying about them. This will give you enough help to make informed buying decision and perpetuate your learning.

Garment Printing Solutions

Those looking for T-shirt printing should start at screen printing - an Australia-based screen printing and digital to garment specialists – who offer excellent personalized Tee-Shirts and Promotional Merchandise solutions for individuals and businesses.

Why Telecommute?

Advances in information and collaborative technologies are resulting in rapid changes in work practices. An emerging technological phenomenon called telecommuting (or telework) is helping professionals move away from physical presence at the primary work site and towards remote delivery of inputs.

While the concept of telecommuting has been in existence for some time, the technological tools available today are making it possible to practice it more productively. The trend has steadily grown over the past two decades in the developed world.

Pakistan job market, however, has traditionally been tight. It is tough for an employable workforce to find regular jobs, what to talk of telecommuting. As a result, the trend is yet to pick up in corporate Pakistan.

What is telecommuting? It is a work practice made possible by use of telecommunication and collaborative technologies to facilitate work at a site away from the traditional office environment. As per Wikipedia, telecommuting is a term coined by Jack Nilles to describe a work arrangement in which employees enjoy flexibility in work place and time (within certain limits). In other words, it is a set up in which the daily commute to a central place of work has been replaced by telecommunication links. The motto is “work is something you do, not something you travel to.”


Let me add that telecommuting is not just for computing-related fields. Even a person living in Kot Lakhpat and stitching shirts for a foreign-based concern can be a telecommuter, rather than a contractual worker. Also, there is a difference between freelancing, contract work and telecommuting.

Large bandwidth and fast internet connections, social methodologies for balancing work control and work freedom, the perceived values and economies in telecommuting, and the opportunities and need for working collaboratively are some of the factors that should be considered to favour the possibility of telecommuting picking up in our country.

Pakistan lags behind in this. Despite all the changes we are going through, many areas are still without internet coverage. Teledensity has increased, but is far from being adequate.

Corporate Pakistan has not yet embraced IT, exceptions notwithstanding. One cannot see the positive effects of the technology on the ground or in terms of revenue. What has been achieved by the Pakistani IT industry and some end-user futuristic concerns are merely the tip of the iceberg.

The reasons are many — resistance to change, lack of trust in technical solutions for business processes and tapping human resource potentials through cooperation and collaboration. Moreover, the latest technologies have not been made use of, due to a lack of a standard business culture involving strategic thinking and planning. These factors are inimical to the long-term investment in time and resources needed for IT to develop.

Another impediment that stands in the way of telecommuting is societal concerns. In a number of ways, the corporate sector seems to distrust IT solutions. Prof. Dr. Ehsan Malik, an international marketing expert, says” “The generation at the helm of business affairs, mostly family-run, thinks that what has been working for them in the past is good enough. They hesitate to take new steps in untested areas. The strength of this social impulse reins back the widespread IT employment in any area. Other limitations with flexible trends are poor or lack of necessary infrastructure, slow speed or the non-availability of internet access.”

Let us take a look at the user base. A large majority of the online community in our country is of medium users. This group includes every one from whiz kids with ambitions and degrees from IT institutions and international certifications, to self-taught albeit experienced professionals in their respective fields. These users can perceive modern technologies as a great leveler to work and make their lives better. But they do not find many openings when it comes to putting their skills and experience to work on the ground.

To date, no university in Pakistan is teaching telecommunication courses to business students. The Higher Education Commission should ensure that this subject is included for business programmes, just the way it is being done in reputed business schools abroad.

Pakistan has a world-class workforce. I am not being ethnocentric here. Local businesses should plan to plunge into telecommuting boldly. They already have the opportunity of learning from success stories in developed countries, by closely examining the work methodologies being implemented.

Before that, the public sector should focus on improving the infrastructure and ensuring an uninterrupted supply of bandwidth, electricity and phone connections everywhere. Potential employees should start learning and be ready to take up openings when they come along.

Meanwhile, all stakeholders should take extensive confidence-building measures for use of information technology. One hopes that a demand-driven telecommunication will pick up soon.

Make Yourself Amazing

Cosmetic surgery is one of the wonders of advancements in medical sciences. Many people are benefiting; some who really need it and some others who want to make themselves amazing. People considering to have Plastic Surgery have a lot of questions; Would surgery be for you or a spouse, or sibling? What makes a Cosmetic Surgery better than others and more. The best place to find answer to these questions is Find the right answers at MYA Cosmetic Surgery where some of the most experienced and skilled surgeons in the world practice. What is more, they offer a range of affordable, flexible finance packages to help recreate you.

MYA Cosmetic Surgery handpicked team can offer a full range of surgical including Breast Enlargement Advice and non-surgical procedures, providing you with a great choice of options to give you that body confidence you deserve.

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Explore the neatly laid out and information rich site and see what they are offering and how. Better still try them and see how they can recreate new you. They deliver the best results.

Change in US Policy - Negotiations With Taliban Possible

"Much of the progress in Iraq over the last two years came from deals with insurgent groups who had previously targeted American troops. Now President Obama is suggesting that the military might try to replicate its success there by trying to split the Taliban in Afghanistan. In an interview with The New York Times, Obama says: "There may be some comparable opportunities in Afghanistan and in the Pakistani region," where his generals believe negotiation could yield benefits. As for the economy, Obama declined to predict when it would finally pull out of its current slump but said he would "get all the pillars in place for recovery this year" so that the next economic expansion would run smoothly. Striking a balance between acknowledging the seriousness of the economic crisis and offering hope for the future, Obama called the downturn a "wrenching process" but encouraged Americans not to become too spendthrift out of fear. "I don't think that people should suddenly mistrust all of our financial institutions," Obama said, adding that people shouldn't "stuff money in their mattresses."

Read it at The New York Times

High School Friends

What have you been doing high school? Answers may vary depending upon whom this question is asked. As for me, in high school I have been learning that was enough to live a successful was and good life. I also have been making friends who were to follow me all my life wherever I happened to be. Which is why I become my old self when ever I get together with my old buddies in high school reunions or else where. If you have been missing your old friends, try and find them. They are a life long joy and treasure to cherish.

Internet Marketing

World Wide Web has changed the ways and processes of marketing. Businesses need much more than having just presence online. Savvy concerns are realizing the importance of search engine friendly web sites as they give tangible results. SEO Consultant can play an important role in this field.

Trend to shop online is growing fast. With the given rate of growth in the Internet users’ base, it is safe to predict that online shopping may surpass the shopping on ground sometime in the future. This also makes it necessary for businesses to have a fresh look at their internet strategies and build powerful web presence. That again can be done through a competent Internet Marketing Consultant.

Rethink your Internet marketing strategies, measure results and see what more can be done to enhance your online positioning and who can do it. I suggest you try Internet Marketing Consulting and see what more is needed in your Internet marketing strategies. Particulalry see weekly tips by Danny DeMichele and how they can help your business succeed. Browse the site and read though information Danny DeMichele has there on the site (and on his blog) and it will give you some great ideas about what changes you need and how to make those changes.

Ugly Face of Terrorism - Rehman Baba’s Mausoleum Blown Up

Owais Mughal

Khudaya dasey tanha na kei souk pe gham kei,
laka ze da yaar pe gham kei yum tanha!

Na ba ma ghundei shaheed wi pe jahan kei,
ne ba ta ghundei dilbar shi bal paida!

Lord, do not make anyone lonely in sorrow
like I am alone in grief for my beloved!

Never will there be on earth a martyr
like me, Nor a beloved like you be found!

Enemies of Pakistan are at it again. After blowing up girls schools in North West Pakistan, forcing traffic to drive on right hand side instead of left in Malakand, digging up the grave of a minority sect leader and hanging the already dead person in the public square in Swat, militants have now started blowing the resting place of those who are already dead. Is there any limit to this insanity?

Pashto’s language’s famous poet Rehman Baba’s mausoleum was severely damaged by militants in the early hours of March 5, 2009.

Believe it or not; probably like some of our readers, I am now reluctant to open newspaper to avoid reading any bad news about Pakistan. It hurts. It simply hurts. This is such a bitter pill ‘jo na ugli jaaye hai na nigli jaaye hai’ (which I can neither swallow nor throw out). I have now become numb to bad news and I try to avoid it but then every few days a bigger and worse bad news like the one above comes by which I have to write about. This is despite the pain I feel in writing these sentences.

According to Dawn newspaper: "The shrine’s watchman had received a threat from suspected militants on his cell phone three days ago. He told police that the attack took place to crack down on the tradition of women making pilgrimages to the site of the grave of Rehman baba; a 17th century poet, revered for his message of love and peace."

The high intensity device almost destroyed the grave of the Rehman Baba and the gates of a mosque, canteen and conference hall situated in the spacious Rehman Baba Complex. Police said the bombers had tied explosives around the pillars of the tombs, to pull down the mausoleum.

The entire area was covered with thick smoke and dust soon after the blast,’ said the president of the volunteers of the shrine association of the complex, Sardar Khan, who was busy in removing rubble of the damaged portions. He told Dawn that he was the first one to reach the shrine after the blast. ‘I saw major portion of the grave was blown up and the building was badly damaged but no one was present there,’ he said and added that he informed the local police and some media persons about the incident.

The Dawn newspaper gives more information on the mausoleum complex in following words: "The tomb was a part of the spacious complex housing a conference hall, library, mosque, canteen, guest house, small shrines of some other saints, Tawoos Baba, Syed Sattar Bacha and Syed Sultan Bacha."

The work on construction of the complex was initiated on November 17, 1991 and completed in 1994 with an estimated cost of about 15 million rupees.

Rehman Baba’s full name was Abd-ur-Rehman and he lived 1632 to 1707 AD. He enjoys the same fame in Pushto as Shirazi does in Persian.

I, along with our editorial board as well as our readers sincerely hope and pray for peace in Pakistan and hope to get our lovely country back from the clutches of these ‘zaalim’ people who could do acts like the ones shown in photos here.

God bless Pakistan and here is our prayer to peace !

I want to end this post with a couplet from Rehman Baba’s poem ‘Agony of Love’.

References:

1. The first Pushto sher of Rehman Baba is from the website here

2. Pashto Academy: University of Peshawar: Nightingale of Peshawar

3. Poetry of Rehman Baba at Learn Pushto

Wallpapers

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The Truth

What is the truth? Every one seems to be in search of an answer to this question.

At one particular time, scholars of the world were divided in two groups on the answer to this question. One group believed that truth is what is conveyed by senses whereas the other was of the opinion that truth is what intellect passes on. Both groups were having weighty arguments for and against these hypotheses. Yet another group came up on the basis of these two divergent views. Neither senses nor intellect can be trusted hence there is no truth. Everything is uncertain, virtual, they viewed. Pairo was also one of the proponents of the new school of thought. His pupils did not even mourn when Pairo died; none participated in his funeral. Criticised on their coldness and detachment, pupils argued, “Everything is so uncertain in this world so how we believe our mentor is dead.”

What is the truth? Question remains.

Car Title Loan

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Philosophy of Rural Life

“I help my neighbours and my neighbours help me”, is the philosophy of life in our village. Faith, sharing, contentment, grit, hard work and humour are few others. There are no marriage halls or other renting places. Daras (community centres where cultural diffusion takes place) are very useful ‘institutions’ for functions or for elders to sit and teach irreplaceable heritage of ideas to the younger generation. The learning that passed on to me in Dara turned out to be very precious: it was the legacy of the fable. Tandoor (Oven for backing bread) is still a meeting and talking place for women.

In Line With the Stars

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Beaute de Maman utilizes only natural and herbal ingredients to ensure the safety of both mother-to-be and fetus. Try their products so you can feel comfortable, healthy and happy during this special time in your life. What is more, order now and have free shipping with $25 purchase on domestic orders.

Dolls Village

One of the first places I came to know after settling down is a village Thatta Ghulamka Dheroka near Okara. The unique claim of the village to international fame is the dolls and toys made by village women that are collectors delight all over the world.

Dolls made in the village have travelled to International Dolls Museum in Amsterdam and also have been put on display in the “Themepark” at EXPO 2000 in Hannover (Germany) as one of the 767 worldwide projects - an example of thinking for 21st century. Earlier, the dolls participated in International Toy Fair in Nuremberg. These dolls show how culture goes beyond simple work of art and becomes collaboration among applied and natural sciences as well as other forces that affect our lives. The murals are painted on the parameter mud walls in the village where doll collectors and people interested in sustainable development and rural heritage from different initiative groups come and stay as paying guests.

The village folks still consider cooing crows as symbol of the arrival of the guests. Architectural competitions are held annually when best mud house is selected. The Chief Harappan Explorer Dr. Mark Kenoyer had the place on the jury in competition held last July. Two full time German volunteers, Dr Norbert Pintsch and Dr Senta Siller, and village people are working together to change the life and out look in this peaceful hamlet. Whenever I visited the village, I saw something new, something different, which the villagers do to make difference in a place where they belong.

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Search Experience

The great strength of the World Wide Web search is that it can locate out vast amounts of documents matching to what any user may be asking for. The great weakness is that the documents may not be like any thing close to what user had asked for.

Search engine is a coordinated set of programs that allows searching specific information on the vast expanse of the Web. The first search engine known as Archie was created in 1990 by Alan Emtage, a student at McGill University in Montreal. Now as per available information there are some 370 search engines available for Internet users out of which ten are considered major ones. Then there are directories and indexes. Here in this article both directories and indices, for the sake of clarity, are considered as search engines though there are some fundamental differences in their anatomies such as directories are human powered and search engines have crawlers or robots to do the job. A number of Web portal sites also offer both the search engine and directory approaches to finding information.


The purpose of search engines is to locate selected range of Web pages that contain words matching search keyword(s) or phrase(s). Search engines automatically try to sort the results so that only handful of the most relevant matches is presented. Every search engine searches own pre indexed data base and works using own set of rules called algorithm – a closely guarded trade secret. Some sites search not only using one search engine but also give the results from simultaneous searches of other engines.


One common thing is that all search engines follow while ranking the result listing is location (where in the document are keywords located – in the beginning, in the body or at the end) and frequency (number of time keywords are repeated on a page) method for returning results. But their data bases, relevancy criteria and other strategies differ from each other. Which is one reason why the same search on different search engines produces different results? Also, some search engines index more web pages than others. Search engines may exclude some pages from their data as well.


Any major search engines may be a good choice to start with when searching for information: Google is all time favourite of users all over the world. It reigns “with its empire stretching into millions of computers” as IT analyst Bill Thompson puts it. According to OneStat Google's global usage share has increased to 56.1 percent whereas Ask Jeeves stands at 1.6 percent. Another search engine, AllTheWeb also provides both good coverage of the Web and close relevancy. If Google could not deliver, chances are that AllTheWeb probably will. (All those users who have been trying Google since it was launched five years ago may recall that presently the result page of AllTheWeb is as ad free as Google’s result page used to be). In addition to Web page results, AllTheWeb provides the ability to search for news stories, pictures, video clips, MP3s and FTP files. Alta Vista, Ask Jeeves, Excite, Hot Bot, Infoseek, Inktomi, Lycos, Overture (former Go To) and Teoma are some other popular search engines. Some others are specific for countries or regions. Many search engines get their results by turning to third party search providers to power their listings.


Several major search engines provide search toolbars for the browsers as a shortcut to searching the Web from within the browser without going to a search engine first. Alexa, Google, Groowe, Ultra, and Teoma search bars are most common toolbars that put search results, some from multiple search engines, right in the browser. They are useful utilities though Walton Computer Lady Patty Furgosen thinks, “some toolbars contain spyware and adware which are harmful to users’ machines and invades their privacy. I have had several such cases (in her computer repair facility) in the past that really messed up the users’ computers.”


Searching for what? The amount of information on the Web has exploded for the past few years, and is growing exponentially. Number of information seekers rummaging around the Web “for enlightenment and answers” is also growing. The problem of locating information is also growing with the Web. Users want to find exactly what they want on the Internet promptly, correctly, and with little effort. Tools which support the finding of relevant material within a few mouse clicks and key strokes are becoming increasingly critical. Search engines and how they index web pages have changed drastically in the recent past, getting more scientific and meticulous by the day. But the situation is far from adequate. A survey conducted by Bright Planet estimated that the web is some 500 times larger than indicated by the results provided by popular search engines. Greater part of the body of knowledge created in the world is still not on the Web; some of the knowledge is never ever likely to be included in the cyberspace. Dr. Norbert Pintsch, a computer dependent and computer literate German architect says, “The problem is that we consider a smaller part of knowledge available on the Web as a whole forgetting the larger part.” Some of the knowledge is off limits to search engines being behind the subscriptions or security firewalls.


In today’s increasingly commercial information society, one more thing that any innocent user mining the Internet for information should understand is what goes on before search results appear on the result page of any search engine. The fact that, more than ever, companies, businesses, website owners and Webmasters alike continue to optimize their sites as much as they can. The ones that do continue to harvest the yields of their efforts and are rewarded in the search results. Marketers think that search results listings are much more effective than any other form of online advertisements, and businesses are more than willing to pay for better placement. Hence the paid inclusions -- marketing in which companies pay price to the search engines to get their Web site crawled more often and more thoroughly so that they figure out prominently in search results. Google and Overture have hundreds of thousands of advertisers paying them huge amounts for getting prominent places in result listings. Trend watchers estimate that about 30 percent of search on the Internet is already purely commercial. These attempts to attract people's attention by taking measures mislead automated search engines and they churn out skewed and biased results.


Mergers, acquisitions, partnerships and “estimated growth of 10 to 30 percent” in the search industry also point out to the dynamism of the search phenomenon and points to major changes in near future. Search companies are spending huge sums to improve their service and to look different than other. They are also earning big revenues.


That said; just because some particular information was not fond does not necessarily mean that it does not exist on the Web. Sometimes it takes a few searches in different search engines using inclusive key words to find required information. The best way to learn searching successfully is by reading the help files on the search engine sites and practice. Most Internet savvy users I talked to had never opened help files of the search engine and majority was found using Google only. “Why bother with the help files? Searching the Web is self explanatory and one can easily learn by trial” is the general attitude.


Go for specialized search engine if there is one covering a particular topic of interest. Consider using a tool (like dogpile) that will use a number of search engines simultaneously. Use of Boolean operators (such as AND, OR and NOT) between wisely chosen search keywords and phrases can locate required results more efficiently. I wanted to remove remains of some spyware program from my computer and I typed "websavings" AND "removal". The name of the little spyware was Websavings and I wanted the removal instructions. The answer came up in the first item. Dr. Norbert says, “If search engines cannot make out the difference between academic and intellectual searches and searches for finding required product or service, searchers should.”Scouting of local users’ fraternity reveals that Web searching has not matured in Pakistan as some other Internet functions like emailing or Web surfing. Exception apart, a usual Web search starts with Google and ends up there. Besides all time Web wise top search themes, users here try to look for local contents and end up with such unfamiliar information that frustrate them. They forget that the scope of the Internet is international. “Internet naïve (but PC literate) users some time do not know the search basics and are intimidated by quantum of results their searches generate. Who really can read through dozens of pages of results produced? And if the huge quantum of documents is to be read then what is the search for,” says a University of the Punjab student Naeem Alvi?


On the other hand, there are some inspiring examples of local users taking advantage of searching information on the Web: People have gone for higher studies after searching information about the desired institutions and managing admission online, have contacted specialist doctors for treatment of uncommon diseases. Many writers are conducting searches for their work on the subjects which have not made to the books and encyclopaedias – traditional sources of knowledge. Students are found searching relevant material for deeper understanding of the subjects and assignments. Users are turning to Web search for information that they can apply to problem solving on ground. Some search information to enrich their lives; soul searching.


Brilliant as Web search engines are, the search technology is still evolving. It has not reached the point where humans and machines understand each other well enough to communicate clearly. People are already more perceptive and are demanding better results, and they are demanding a more powerful search experience. Given the developments taking place, importance being attached to the Web searches, one thing is certain: search technology has to go much beyond what it is today. We are likely to see some seismic changes in the field. My recommendation: try different search engines to locate the information on the Web and have enriching experience.

Where Are You Located on The Web

In the age when 85% of new customers find local business services from the Internet and when 60% of new customers research companies online before doing business with them, It is vital to show up in local searches. More so when users’ generated web has created content overload syndrome and whereas people just want quick info on local businesses, not page after page of opinions remotely related to what they are looking for. It is in this melieu, that services like Zipweb stand out.


Have a look at Zipweb - the leading engine for local business search - and see what they are offering and how they can help take your business to the next level. Unlike any other search engines who feed users big business results first, ZipWeb's search results always lead with local businesses. ZipWeb is one of the quickest ways to uncluttered, accurate information on local businesses.

Browse and learn more about what they can do, better still download zipweb.com Media Kit and add your business there and see the results. Interested users may also follow zipweb news and stay updated. Exploring the site, I myself got some got some good ideas about the local searches and what they can do.

Oldest Urdu Newspaper in America - 1917

Thanks to Muhammad A Ahmed