Common man's plea
Sunday, 31 October 2010
Photo Dawn
Labels: Sada-e-Khalk
posted by S A J Shirazi @ 10/31/2010 11:49:00 AM,
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Punjabi Girl
Friday, 29 October 2010
Eman, play group, in a Garrison Academy school project as Punjabi Girl.
Labels: Eman
posted by S A J Shirazi @ 10/29/2010 02:47:00 PM,
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Dining, living, and bedroom furniture
Like many others, I like good quality, modern and ergonomic furniture at home and in office. Quality of furniture I use have a direct bearing on my work and living. In the age when savvy businesses are successfully harnessing the power of the web through their presence online, I came upon log beds while looking for quality furniture for my own bedroom. I was amazed to see the collecting and quality. Have a look and you see a lot of variety to choose from and make an informed decision about what suits you the best. They have good collection of furniture for bed rooms, dinning rooms, living rooms and other living spaces. Imagery is good and one have a feeler of how those furniture items will look being used at home or elsewhere. That is what makes easier for anyone to make a decision to buy online.
posted by S A J Shirazi @ 10/29/2010 09:29:00 AM,
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In the name of politics
Wednesday, 27 October 2010
How will things improve if Muslim League (Q) and PPP joins and Muslim League (Q) gets governorship of Punjab and three ministries in the center? I was just wondering what all can happen on the name of politics...
Labels: Apolitical, Sada-e-Khalk
posted by S A J Shirazi @ 10/27/2010 07:07:00 PM,
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New possibilities
The Mud Housing Project of SPARC also intends to make a contribution in the same direction by establishing a “model village”, samples for alternative construction and energy forms. The houses will be an example of traditional mud-construction techniques developed further through research. It will also show options for alternative energy, e.g. solar cooker, dry-WC, wind mill on the principle of Savonius-Rotor etc. - A sort of "Exhibition of Possibilities" never before seen in Pakistan.
The mud construction has unfortunately gained negative image due to influences of urbanization and urban life. Its positive value has been totally neglected. The project intends to bring about a positive consideration of traditional but energy-efficient construction methods. In order to evaluate the results in a scientific way, architecture students of the BNU Lahore, the COMSATS University Lahore, the Punjab University Lahore shall carry out physical tests, experiments and measurements on the mud houses constructed with different materials. Appropriate connections to these universities already exist through Prof. Dr. Norbert Pintsch (SES Expert and husband of Dr Senta Siller, holder of Federal Medal of Honour) due to his longstanding world-wide project work "Dolls of the World" / Village Project in Thatta Ghulamka Dhiroka and other small projects already completed with the assistance of the German Embassy. Letters of Intent from the universities have already been obtained.
The purpose of the exercise is to enable the future decision-makers to consider the traditional mud-construction in new light and to integrate it into future planning. The usage of environmentally friendly and construction biologically cheap materials and traditional construction forms combined with alternative technology, can also open doors for future solutions in urban areas.
The samples of model village will be integrated into an existing cultural entity as a holistic project concept - the cultural complex on the site of the Peerzaada Cultural Complex on the Raiwind Road in Lahore. As the place is already well-known, a regular and high number of visitors to the project as successful public relations work is already guaranteed. Moreover, these mud-houses shall be continuously in use as they will serve as lodging for the artisans working there.
The project appears to be closely related to cultural activity, in essence however, it is a construction concept with educational value as an alternative energy-efficient method of construction.
The project will also be promoted through the digital radio project initiated last year as a small project in the village of Thatta Ghulamka Dhiroka.
Labels: Housing, Mud Architecture, Prof Dr Norbert Pintsch, Real Estate
posted by S A J Shirazi @ 10/27/2010 02:59:00 PM,
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Black and White
This is for memory sake. Dr. Norbert Pintsch from Thatta Kedona called on me in my office today.
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Labels: Thatta Kedona
posted by S A J Shirazi @ 10/27/2010 02:08:00 PM,
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Corruption culture
Tuesday, 26 October 2010
Pakistan's decline continue in Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) and now its Index Score is 2.3 against 2.4 in 2009, and out of 178 countries, its ranking as most corrupt country has slipped 7 ranks, from 42 in 2009 to 34 most corrupt country in 2010.
The 2010 CPI shows that nearly three quarters of the 178 countries in the index score below five, on a scale from 0 (perceived to be highly corrupt) to 10 (perceived to have low levels of corruption), indicating a serious corruption problem.
Syed Adil Gilani, Chairman TI Pakistan said in last two year there have been unprecedented cases of corruption involving tens of billions of rupees in public sector organization, which under the Rule of Law, should have been taken up by the National Accountability Bureau.
He said the political will of the government to fight corruption is lacking which has resulted in the Supreme Court of Pakistan to take suo moto action against mega corruption in NICL, Pakistan Steel, Rental Power Plants.
The CPI 2010 reveals that corruption in Pakistan is increasing, while in Bangladesh it is decreasing. Bangladesh was perceived to be the most corrupt country in 2001, 2002 and 2003 and its ranking in 2010 is 39 most corrupt country.
Reduced corruption has paid dividends to Bangladesh whose annual GDP growth last year was over 5%, while Pakistan's GDP growth last year was near 2.4 %. Delay in formation of An Independent Accountability Commission by the parliament may further aggravate the situation.
Chairman TI Pakistan said that the Supreme Court of Pakistan, which has a declared policy of Zero-Tolerance for Corruption on 22 March 2009, in its order of 12th October, 2010 in NICL Case No.18 of 2010 involving six procurements is considers the Violation of Public Procurement Rules 2004 as a criminal act. It is a landmark order, treating violation of Public Procurement Rules 2004 as a federal crime and it will help reduction in Corruption.
The direct impact of increased corruption is witnessed in the rise in the prices of food commodities which according to the latest official data of Federal Bureau of Statistics, have increased up to 120 percent in last one year viz. sugar from Rs 54 to Rs 80, pulses from Rs 50 to Rs 110, eggs from Rs 35 to Rs 60, and the Foreign Direct Investment for the fiscal year 2009-2010 dropped to US $ 2.21 billion from US$ 3.71 billion in FY 2008-2009, and in July-Sept 2010 it is further dropped to US $ 387.4 million ( 68% of last year).
Foreign debt on Pakistan increased from US $ 40 Billion in 1999 to US $ 46 billion in 2008, whereas in last two years it has increased to US $ 53.5 billion.
Across the board Application of Rule of Law, Merit based appointments and easy Access to Justice is the only solution to save Pakistan from corruption, which is responsible for poverty, inflation, terrorism, illiteracy, lack of electricity and hording of essential food commodities.
In the 2010 CPI, Denmark, New Zealand and Singapore tie for first place with scores of 9.3. Unstable governments, often with a legacy of conflict, continue to dominate the bottom rungs of the CPI. Afghanistan and Myanmar share second to last place with a score of 1.4, with Somalia coming in last with a score of 1.1 {Geo, Dawn, TI]
Labels: Apolitical, Corruption, Corruption Culture
posted by S A J Shirazi @ 10/26/2010 08:57:00 AM,
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Lahore School Carnival
Monday, 25 October 2010
Happening now
Labels: Lahore School of Economics
posted by S A J Shirazi @ 10/25/2010 01:59:00 PM,
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Promotion Dinner - 55 PMA Long Course
Sunday, 24 October 2010
On October 23, 2010, a memorable dinner was held at Golf Club Islamabad to celebrate the promotion of four three stars of our course. The promotion of Tariq Khan, Agha Umer Farooq, Salim Nawaz and Zahir ul Islam has been a source of immense joy for the entire community of the 55th PMA Long Course - an event that marks a step short of the competition of the pyramid (make it two is someone is vying for a Field Marshal).
Unlike routine dinners, this dinner was a "House Full" day for the organizers. While of the confirmed attendees, there always was a 10-20% drop outs, last night was a near nightmare for Asif (the course secretary) and Arbab Zahid Pervez (the Captain of Islamabad Golf Club - our course mates who left PMA in the first term) as the gathering turned out to be a crowd. But the crowd was welcome as everyone wanted to personally congratulate the four newly promoted course mates.
The arrival of the four lucky ones was scattered, may be it was planned or was just a coincidence) to allow sufficient time for everyone to meet, embrace and congratulate the promotees. First one was to arrive was Agha Umer Farooq, followed by Salim Nawaz. Tariq and Zahir came at the end almost together.
I cannot explain the jubilation and warmth of sentiments in the air last night as everyone seemed overjoyed and happy.
Tariq Khan walked in with Zahir Ul Islam and was welcomed by Shoaib Mumtaz who had specially come to congratulate the promoted course mates by taking time off his otherwise busy political life.
After dinner, the course secretary personally and on behalf of everyone present and not present congratulated the four lucky ones and read out very eloquently written "Sehra", which made everyone smile and giggle (even him too). He also conveyed best wished from Iqbal Badar who was in Dubai, from Munawar and Farooq who were away to attend marraiges of friends and relatives, of Tariq Sher of who could not come due to some domestic ailments. He also informed the house that the next course get together will be held at Mangla Lake, tariq Khan being the host. He also congratulated Mumtaz Bajwa since his two sons had passed out from PMA yesterday. Everyone clapped hard on efforts of Asif and Arbab Zahis for arranging the dinner and managing it well as it was almost getting out of hand due to over-participation of the course mates. At the end, Tariq Khan, in his typical style, thanked everyone on behalf of all the four promoted course mates for a wonderful evening that will be remembered for a long time to come.
Later, before the good byes, everyone got together for a group photo taken by me and by Asif to include me in the group (so I hurriedly had to get in) to make the event a memorable one forever.
Before final dispersal, Shakeel Mehdi wanted his son, who has also joined the army, to be photographed with the general officers as a mark of inspiration. As a token of appreciation to Asif and Arbab Zahid, the three generals posed with them to end the day with happy memories.
Related: 55 PMA Long Course Thread, Promotions
Related: 55 PMA Long Course Thread, Promotions
Labels: 55 PMA, Get Together, Men At Their Best
posted by S A J Shirazi @ 10/24/2010 12:46:00 PM,
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Passing out parade
Saturday, 23 October 2010
An impressive Passing out parade of 122nd PMA Long Course, 22nd Technical Graduate Course, 41st Integrated Course and 7th Lady Cadet Course was held at Pakistan Military Academy, Kakul. General Khalid Shameem Wynne, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) was the chief guest on the occasion. Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, congratulated all the graduating cadets on successful completion of their basic military training.
The coveted Sword of Honour was awarded to Academy Senior Under Officer Sohail Akram Gondal from 122nd PMA Long Course, The President’s Gold Medal to Battalion Senior Under Officer Tauseef Khan Khattak from 122nd PMA Long Course, the Chief of Army Staff Overseas Gold Medal to Company Junior Under Officer Kshjtiz Thapa from Nepal, of 122nd PMA Long Course, the Chief of Army Staff Cane to Course Under Officer Fahad Idrees of 22nd Technical Graduate Course, the Commandant’s Cane for the best cadet of Integrated course 41st was awarded to Course Under Officer Waqas Alam. The Commandant Cane for the best cadet of Lady Cadets’ Course 7th was awarded to Course Under Officer Saima Mustafa.
Major General Mazhar Jamil, Commandant Pakistan Military Academy was also present on the saluting dais. A large number of senior serving and retired armed forces officers, parents of cadets, foreign diplomats and relatives of graduating cadets witnessed the spectacular parade. [Source:ISPR]
Labels: 122 PMA Long Course, Men At Their Best
posted by S A J Shirazi @ 10/23/2010 02:46:00 PM,
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Parvaz – Flying
Pervaiz Munir Alvi
Labels: Pervaiz Munir Alvi
posted by S A J Shirazi @ 10/23/2010 09:23:00 AM,
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Great nations have humble leaders
Thursday, 21 October 2010
Labels: Apolitical
posted by S A J Shirazi @ 10/21/2010 12:02:00 PM,
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55 PMA Long Course Karachi Chapter
Amidst some very disturbing and depressing times in Karachi, the stalwarts of 55th PMA are making conscious efforts to be closer to each other. On Oct 21, they flocked around Agha Umar Farooq who was in the town for a brief personal visit. There was a visible excitement in the air while offering felicitations and good wishes for the guest on his rise to the coveted three star rank. It was a perfect exclusive setting organized by Zahir Khan at one of the DHA Clubs.
Those present included Inam Karim, Wasif (the life line of Karachi Chapter), Tariq Zaidi (guest artist), Umer Farooq, Rafaqat, Zahid (Hit...), Khwaja Imran and of course the host, Zahir Khan. Other than enjoying the food delicacies, the conversation mostly remained focused on PMA days. They recalled some of the 'not so often discussed' stories of the 'young times' and the remarks of Pl Comd Shuja ullah Tarar about the potentials of GC Agha were shared by him. Overall, it was a wonderful evening that the participants enjoyed to their best. The Karachi Chapter is anxiously looking forward to the arrival of Zaheer ul Islam. They also expect other visiting colleagues to share some moments with their life long associates while they visit the town. (Thank you Zahir for "First" ever photos from Karachi Chapter - JalalHB)
Labels: 55 PMA, Get Together, Men At Their Best
posted by S A J Shirazi @ 10/21/2010 11:57:00 AM,
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Meeting with Meera
Tuesday, 19 October 2010
Rao Dilshad Hussain
Actress Irtaza Rubab popularly known as Meera has lately become a globe trotter concentrating more on building her image than her work as an artiste. In a tete-a-tete with Sunday Plus she revealed for the first time that her showbiz career started at the age of nine. This fact remained a secret for reasons known to her alone. Her debut film was ‘Kaanta’ with Ghulam Mohyuddin playing the male lead. Since then she has acted in about 60 films.
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Labels: Films, Interviews, Meera, Rao Dilshad Hussain
posted by S A J Shirazi @ 10/19/2010 12:27:00 PM,
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Lahore Mud Housing Project
Labels: Mud Architecture
posted by S A J Shirazi @ 10/19/2010 11:49:00 AM,
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Professor Dr Nizamuddin, the Vice Chancellor, University of Gujrat
Sunday, 17 October 2010
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Labels: Demographer, Education, Higher Education, Professor Dr Muhammad Nizamuddin, University of Gujrat
posted by S A J Shirazi @ 10/17/2010 11:40:00 AM,
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Visible change
Saturday, 16 October 2010
On the occasion of the 75th birthday of Dr. Siller Siller, I on my own behalf and on the behalf of all other volunteers associated with Thatta Kedona we take this opportunity to thank her heartily for her exemplary and untiring efforts towards the cause.
Twenty years are a long time for a village NGO, or for that matter any other organizations from private and government sectors. The Anjuman-e-Falah-e-Aama in district Okara (near Gogera) has come a long way in th last two decades. From the start, the NGO never aimed at mass production and has focused on high quality products in small.
The work of the NGO is based upon artistic handicraft. Remember, a large machine based production would be dependent upon the energy supply, which in this country, is hardly available 24 hours.
Labels: Dr. Senta Siller, Thatta Kedona
posted by S A J Shirazi @ 10/16/2010 11:21:00 AM,
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Is NCA delivering to the needs of time?
Friday, 15 October 2010
By Rao Dilshad Hussain
Almost all the cricket boards throughout the world including the Pakistan have enough finances in its kitty to streamline the games set up. With the emergence of ODIs and T20 format the game has become a money-making industry and to further their earnings the boards hold cricket galas. But unfortunately for over the last couple of years the uncertain situation in the country has deprived Pakistan of international cricket. Still then the national team was given home away from home at neutral venues to host international teams and the board earned enough money even then. But the utilisation of the money is quite different and overwhelming in view of the fact that all boards opt for promotion of the game in different ways. They introduce latest technology in cricket, do experiments, fix the flaws in the cricketers’ skills and make them ready for the national requirement. These practices go on and on throughout the year but not in Pakistan.
Unfortunately, the PCB despite having reasonable finances has different priorities. The money earned through cricket is used for the travel of board officials across the globe, entertaining blue-eyed friends and families tours, projecting fake development plans like construction of wickets that in ground reality don’t exist but are documented in the files, hiring the services of PR company that charges nearly a million rupees per month, which pose a real challenge for any administrator to tackle.
Take the case of the National Cricket Academy (NCA) when it was constructed, it’s basic objective was to facilitate the emerging and talented players. Initially its budget was Rs 900 million for such a fabulous project that could have taken Pakistan cricket to new heights. But it seems the finances here too are misused and recently millions of rupees were spent to construct cemented pitches outdoor for the use of bowling machines.
The NCA’s administration wanted to construct nearly a dozen pitches in the beginning but lack of space reserved the construction to approximately four pitches. In the end a huge amount of money was wasted on the project and to the dissatisfaction of the administration the project was abandoned. No notice was taken on the waste of money with a reason being that blue-eyed person of the PCB chairman was heading the NCA. Even no notice was taken by anyone about Rs 2 million mineral water drinking at the academy.
Another big waste of money is the import of Rs 25 millions bio-mechanic lab from Australia without any know-how. It is in fact a software being called a machine and training through this technology enhance the skills of the players and removes their flaws.
When the NCA did not get anyone who could run the software, a senior official from the academy was sent to Australia for learning the technicalities and bio-mechanic language who enjoyed his trip a lot without achieving the objective and now no one is there to operate it though it identifies and removes mistakes in batting, bowling and fielding techniques.
Former test player and NCA director Mudassar Nazar was the pioneer of the project but after his resignation set aside the bio-mechanics lab the NCA has failed to yield required results.
Former Pakistan captain Aamir Sohail after taking over as director NCA recommended an expert software operator Bashir Tahir to make the lab operational but the administration was not in a mood to keep him in the service and the project was left in doldrums after Sohail’s resignation.
Sohail even now favours the use of bio-mechanics lab and strongly recommends a proper set up. He said: “Latest technologies have dominated the human lives. I think Pakistan players should learn through this technology to improve their skills. The cricket world is facilitating its emerging players but here in Pakistan nobody is bothered about the use of technology.”
“The NCA would have done a lot of work on players’ batting and bowling techniques, their physical fitness and removing injuries. I think bio-mechanic lab project was a gigantic contribution but despite spending huge money we could not take benefits from it as compared to other boards,” said Sohail.
Looking at another aspect is the coaching book being use at the academy carries a lot of flaws. And the thing to identify in the book is the spin-bowling coaching criteria with just two pages on the topic when we have a lot of legendary spinners including Abdul Qadir, Iqbal Qasim, Mushtaq Ahmed, Saqlain Mushtaq etc. None of them have ever been invited to coach the spin lot, which is getting extinct now.
Even the careers of some emerging spinners were destroyed or overlooked. Take the case of leg-spinner Mansoor Amjad, one of the highest wicket-takers of the domestic cricket has almost left the game. Then Azher Ali who has become a test player, started cricket as leg-spinner and after passing through the NCA he turned towards batting. Another victim of ignorance is Usman Qadir. When he joined the academy, the coaches gave some tips and changed his natural bowling action which was horned by his father Abdul Qadir. Now the country is reeling in the spin department with having no quality spinner.
Even the careers of some emerging spinners were destroyed or overlooked. Take the case of leg-spinner Mansoor Amjad, one of the highest wicket-takers of the domestic cricket has almost left the game. Then Azher Ali who has become a test player, started cricket as leg-spinner and after passing through the NCA he turned towards batting. Another victim of ignorance is Usman Qadir. When he joined the academy, the coaches gave some tips and changed his natural bowling action which was horned by his father Abdul Qadir. Now the country is reeling in the spin department with having no quality spinner.
The coaching education programme was derived from the England’s coaching manuals, which lacks quality spinners when Pakistan can still produce more. Keeping in view all this, the PCB needs to play constructive role for the game and hire professionals rather than obliging friends at key posts.
Labels: Cricket, NCA, Rao Dilshad Hussain, Sports
posted by S A J Shirazi @ 10/15/2010 11:40:00 AM,
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Drinking water and Thar women
By Jalal HB
Thar Desert, the 9th largest subtropical desert of the world, is spread over an area of some 200,000 square kilometres between India and Pakistan. On the Indian side it is called the Rajhistan or the Great Indian Desert, while in Pakistan it is known as Thar, mostly located in the Sind province and partly in the southern Punjab province, where the Cholistan Desert joins hands with the Thar. Thar in local language simply means “the desert.” The desert mostly consists of large barren tracts of sand dunes covered with thorny bushes.
Like all other deserts, water is extremely scarce and hard to find, specially the potable drinking water. When it rains, the rain water gets collected in small low lying bowl shaped ponds called the “tobas” where men and animals drink together. There are no alternatives as wells digging is not possible. Even if there is a success, the water is so brackish and salty that it cannot be consumed for drinking purposes. Due to the nature of earth with loose sand, deep wells are not possible as the earth gives in during digging and sometimes costs the life of the well diggers. Even if there is a success that brings sweet water, the well soon dries up. For this reason, there are no permanent settlements in the Thar and people roam the desert like nomads and make a temporary abode around a water source till it dries up too.
While the men move out in search of grazing areas with their prize possession of goats, cows and camels for grazing, which are hard to find and have to travel long distances to find some grazing areas, the women of Thar move out in search of water. Those touring and travelling Thar would often find women dressed in traditional bright coloured dresses with pitchers on their heads wandering around in search of water. If a toba happens to be in the vicinity, they may find some water, otherwise they too have to travel long distances to find water.
Potable drinking water scarcity makes living extremely difficult. Due to its almost non-existence, it gives rise to diseases and many disorders for which no cure is available as a semblance of medical aid is only available in larger towns miles away.
It is a pity that while a segment of our population is devoid of this natural gift, we in cities waste water at leisure. While taking showers, we keep the shower running while we soap and shampoo. We keep the tap running in our kitchens while we wash the dishes. We drink the half of the glass and throw the rest in the wash basin. This is criminal and we are doing it at the cost of those who do not have any access to it. It is strange that while more people around the world have cellular phones, more than 2.5 billion have no access to toilet and some one billion without any access to safe drinking water.
The bloggers from around the world join hand today to raise the awareness about access to safe and clean drinking water for almost a billion people around the world, and hope from those reading their posts to extend their cooperation in the noble cause, sponsored by the blogactionday.change.org, to spread the word. Let us make a resolve today not to waste water and do our utmost to preserve it for the sake of those who are not as lucky as we are.
Labels: Blog Action Day, Cholistan, Desert, Potable Drinking Water, Thar, Tobas, Women
posted by S A J Shirazi @ 10/15/2010 10:26:00 AM,
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Sanjh – helping the flood victims in its own way
Thursday, 14 October 2010
Guest Post by Jalal HB
The recent floods have moved every heart in Pakistan and all over the world. While the philanthropists came forwards with everything they could afford, the ordinary people gave away their small but precious savings and the Army took over one of the biggest relief operations of its kind in recent times. The world community also came forwards to render a helping hand. Even individuals from China, Turkey, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and many other countries came forwards donating generously to help the helpless. We as a nation are grateful to every heart that was moved by the sufferings of the devastated people.
Like everyone, the artists of Pakistan also came forward to share the grief of their brethren in distress. “Sanjh” is one such collective effort of artists with a caring heart who got together to raise funds for the flood victims through an innovative way. The initiative by Zahraa Assad Saifullah and Zahra Mirza of RetroArts in collaboration with Foaad Nizam of Danka, and Visual Artists, Imran, Sajjad and Usman have compiled a set of dozens of postcards carrying photos of paintings of volunteer artist. The funds so generated by the sale of these postcards will be used to help the needy at this time of their need.
The effort has been supplemented by the University of Gujrat which rendered every possible assistance in printing the post cards by allowing the use of their state of art printing facilities.
As for me, I am thankful to my friend S A Shirazi who introduced me to Mr Yaqoob of University of Gujrat, who has very graciously sent me this beautiful collection of post cards. At the same time I commend the efforts of Sanjh for helping the flood victims in its own way.
Labels: Floods 2010, Sanjh
posted by S A J Shirazi @ 10/14/2010 02:38:00 PM,
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Two-wheel thriller Kenny Belaey in Pakistan
Monday, 11 October 2010
Flood 2010 has moved everyone all over the world. There are so many inspiring examples of people working in their own capacities to raise awareness about one of the biggest human catastrophe and to raise funds for those who are still suffering. Some are creating waves on social media websites like twitter and facebook and are physically volunteering visiting camps and helping to manage things.
I was moved by Kenny Belaey, a Belgian world champion in trial bike, who is touring Pakistan in an effort to raise funds for the victims of the devastating floods in the country. Belaey exhibited his skills in Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad until October 7 in special shows arranged by his sponsors, Red Bull.
Taking a start with a target to collect over 2,000 Euros for the flood victims of Pakistan, the nine-time world champion Belgian trial biking hero Kenny Belaey is currently on a visit to Pakistan. “Pakistanis are very nice, friendly, warm welcomers and kind hearted, and I would love to come a hundred times to this country,” the champion said while talking to media people after his spellbinding performance on the roof of a local bank building situated on The Mall.
Taking a start with a target to collect over 2,000 Euros for the flood victims of Pakistan, the nine-time world champion Belgian trial biking hero Kenny Belaey is currently on a visit to Pakistan. “Pakistanis are very nice, friendly, warm welcomers and kind hearted, and I would love to come a hundred times to this country,” the champion said while talking to media people after his spellbinding performance on the roof of a local bank building situated on The Mall.
Through his extraordinary and unbelievable performances while running his bicycle making side-hop for more than 142 inches by jumping his trial bike from the ground level and fixing it on a wooden table and then other part of the roof. He then showed gap jumps covering more than three meters distance and also showed the trick of making hook with his bicycle and won a big applause from the audience. 22-year-old Belaey said that he expects to raise more funds than the set target for the flood-hit people of Pakistan and then send the amount through Belgian government under a project named Pakistan 1-2, 1-2. Belaey invited a volunteer girl from the audience and got her to lie down on the ground while stretching her arms and legs. He showed magical driving of hisbicycle around the girl’s arms and body
Earlier, Belaey showed off his tricks at famous Karachi monuments such as Quaid-e-Azam’s mausoleum, French Beach and Bagh-e-Ibn-e-Qasim.
"I saw the suffering and misery of the people left homeless by the floods and I felt I had to do something to raise money and shelter for these people," Belaey said. "Spirit of the Pakistani people had convinced him to come to Pakistan," he added. Photos courtesy Yasir Nisar/Red Bull
Related: Lahore to Lyons
Labels: Cycling, Floods 2010, Kenny Belaey
posted by S A J Shirazi @ 10/11/2010 01:07:00 PM,
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Earthquake - five years later
Friday, 8 October 2010
Nothing much has changed in these five years since October 8, 2005 (exactly 8:50:38 AM, Pakistan Standard Time) when a massive and tragic earthquake hit Northern Pakistan, Kashmir, and parts of India and Afghanistan.
Labels: Earthquake
posted by S A J Shirazi @ 10/08/2010 09:40:00 PM,
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Lahore at British Library
Photograph of the Chauburji Gateway at Lahore, Pakistan, taken by an unknown photographer in the 1880s, part of the Bellew Collection of Architectural Views. Lahore, the capital of Punjab province, is considered the cultural centre of Pakistan. Islam came here after the advent of Mahmud of Ghazni in 1021 AD, and it was subsequently ruled by a succession of dynasties of the Delhi Sultanate, followed by the Mughals, the Sikhs and the British. It reached its apogee under the Mughals, known as the Garden City and with enough architecture to rank it with other great Mughal centres like Delhi, Agra and Fatehpur Sikri. The Gateway of the Four Minarets or Chauburji was once the entrance to one of Lahore's many pleasure gardens. The garden, together with one of the gate's corner minarets (on the north-west) is now lost. An inscription on the gateway records that the garden was established here in 1646, in the reign of Shahjahan, by a lady described as Sahib-e-Zebinda Begum-e-Dauran, or 'the elegant lady of the age'. The lady referred to is probably Jahan Ara Begum, the eldest and favourite daughter of Shahjahan, who was known to have built gardens at Lahore. The gateway is beautifully decorated with rich mosaic-work.Explore Lahore History at British Library here!
posted by S A J Shirazi @ 10/08/2010 09:25:00 AM,
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Rendezvous with fairies
Wednesday, 6 October 2010
Baikal is what I am reminded of whenever I see the Sadpara Lake, situated at a short drive (an easy walk) south of Skardu. The walk along the torrent is more pleasant and shorter than following the jeep road. The lake surrounded by bare mountains abounds in fish, and is an ideal place just to sit there and think of fairies. Who wants to fish anyway?!
A meditating Buddha carved on the northern face of a large rock about half way between Skardu and Sadpara is of interest mostly for the foreign tourists. It is off the road across the Sadpara stream: cross a footbridge over the stream and up to the slope on the other side at Manthal. The Buddha, carved on a big rust brown rock, perhaps in the 7th century, is the same style as one at Kargha near Gilgit.
The Deosai Plateau, known as the highest plateau in the world, is located at the boundary of the Karakoram and the western Himalayas. Deosai Plains are a backwoods country at about 30 kilometres from Skardu. It is a beautiful summer pasture with greenery and countless species of Fiona flora. The view of the Karakorum Range from the top of the 4785 meter pass is legendary. Apart from fairies, this plateau is the habitat of the greatly threatened Himalayan Brown Bear and many other wild animals. Although few people will see a bear, quite a few are said to make their homes in the heart of the plateau. At an average elevation of 3500 meters, Deosai officially is a National Park and protected area for wildlife.
The undulating meadows here have no trees or shrubs and the area is snow covered for most of the year. Spring comes to Deosai late, when millions of wild flowers begin to bloom all over the lush green grassland. This is a time when Deosai looks like a fairie’s land, with a landscape full of wild flowers on green rolling hills and crystal clear water streams with snow-covered peaks in the background. That is the season when most travellers go to the area.
On my way to Gunma, at Deosai, army men break their journey at Sheosar Lake. This place offers beautiful views of distant peaks and a panoramic view of Deosai Plains. At Bara Pani, one may spend hours in a hope to watch a bear or you may enjoy fishing in the cold waters of Barwai Stream. From Deosai, you can travel back via Skardu and Gilgit to enjoy the most thrilling drive along the Indus River, or continue to Gunma if you have to.
The Deosai Plains is interlaced with streams, a large brown bear population, and multitude of golden marmots. Its remarkable biodiversity has recently earned it recognition as a national wilderness park. Its brief summer brings out intense July-August mosquito swarms, which are relieved by strong daytime winds. Early September frosts restore peace to the plateau, making trekking pleasurable.
A jeep track crosses the Deosai between Skardu and the Astor Valley. From Skardu, the road heads south up the Sadpara Valley, passing Sadpara Lake and a small sleepy village. It continues west across the Deosai plateau, crossing large clear streams via bridges. As it leaves Deosai, it skirts the northern shore of another charming lake, and then crosses the Pass (4266 meters) to the upper Astor Valley.
A careful observation has shown that an amazing number of alpine plants are living under the extremely severe conditions of this area. This is a meeting place for three types of plants of Japanese and Chinese origin, Central Asian origin and Mediterranean origin. Variegated plant species also grow in harmony.
The area is surrounded by snowy mountains exceeding 5,000 meters in height and suspended glaciers. In June, one can see full blooms of purple meadow cranesbill (geranium pratense), which cover all the slopes, mauve flowers of eritrichium sp: the densely tufted knotweed (bistorta affinis) in a sheet of dark red flowers, a line of yellow flowers of pedicularis and many more in thick clumps.
The rock anemone, paraquilegia microphylla, grows in rocky crevices skilfully utilizing exuded water and taking advantage of the protection from strong winds and cold. Its cup-shaped flowers of bluish white with yellow centre bloom all together. The neat and clean pure white saxifrage sibirica also blooms at this time of year, while the pretty white-fringed flowers of the alpine campion (silence moorcroftiana) bloom secretly in the shadow of rocks. Pseudosedium condensatum, a rare alpine planet, displays pink flowers like a royal crown in a shrub of ephedra. Large groups of pseudomertensis motikoides exhibit bright blue flowers, while other alpine flowers noted in the pasture at Dalsangpa include the large golden-yellow flowers of inula grandiflora, reminding some of sunflowers, the dark purple flowers of lindelofia stylosa, pretty yellow poppies, and the red flowers of the Himalayan stonecrop.
The most enchanting feature of the Deosai Plateau is its huge field of alpine flowers, the scale of which is largest in the Karakoram and the Western Himalayas. You can look out on an endless scene of alpine flowers as far as the eye can see — the gently rolling hills are carpeted in large part by the purple flowers of adenocaryum anchusoides, or the reddish-purple flowers of the long tube louse-word (pedicularis siphonantha). The mauve flowers of Aster carpet a wide area, and two kinds of primroses with pink and red blooms can be found growing in large clumps. Flannel mulmein (verbascum thapsus) and pedicularis bicornuta, both yellow in colour, stand tall on the plateau.
Natives will often present you with a goodwill bundle of Horros flowers, which produce so much aroma they will intoxicate anyone. It is an unforgettable experience to be in this colour bonanza in the full bloom. The peaceful atmosphere of the night, completely devoid of synthetic noise, being broken only by the sounds of rolling stones and falling ice.
For a layman, alpine plants in Deosai are simply too numerous to mention. The colourful plateau is changed to a burning yellow carpet in autumn under a clear sky. There are many places suitable for summer camping: on the bed of edelweiss or at the riverside or lakeside. Chakor Pass (4,266 meters), located at the south end of the plateau, is the most impressive part of the Deosai trip. The deep blue Shaucer Lake, nestled in the pass, offers picture-book scenery. The view looking northward is of the endless series of peaks of the Karakorum Range.
For adventure-loving tourists, there are few paradises in the world that can compare to northern Pakistan for unspoiled natural beauty: a combination of soaring mountains, shimmering glaciers, crystal clear water streams and flower bedecked alpine pastures. In addition, the gentle, warm and hospitable character of the villagers makes your trip to this part of the world a fantastic and unforgettable memory of a lifetime.
And, did I have had the chance to see the fairies during my to-ing and fro-ing, at time zigzagging in the area? Yes, I met fairy Jia Ku once in my dream, that is. She said, “do not waste time running after fairies. Try finding what you want among humans. And that is what I think I am doing ever since.”
Related: Mountain Movers, Nagar valley
Related: Mountain Movers, Nagar valley
Labels: Northern Areas, Travel
posted by S A J Shirazi @ 10/06/2010 09:46:00 AM,
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All Uncles
Tuesday, 5 October 2010
As promised, here are images of all uncles at who attend the wedding of Khalid Javed's daughter which was held in the Crystal Hall of the Lahore PC on October 2, 2010, a sizeable number of coursemates from Lahore and outstation were present - Ashraf Tabbasum, Mushtaq, Ali Akbar and Jalal Hamid Bhatti from Islamabad/Rawalpindi, while Younis, yours truly, Iqbal, Tassawar, Khalid, Haider, Abbas beside others were from Lahore. Thanks to Wahab Bhatt for images. The images below shows some of the uncles at Topi Rakh Auditorium, Rawalpindi gathered for marriage reception of Col (Retd) Mujeeb's son.
Congratulations to Khalid and Mujeeb.
Labels: 55 PMA
posted by S A J Shirazi @ 10/05/2010 01:13:00 PM,
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Add grandfather clocks to your settings
Clocks are useful artifacts. They are not only necessary utilities for homes as well as workplaces but they also add decor to living spaces. I am always interested in old clocks. My quest and online search too me to howard miller grandfather clock and I was amazed to see new and old discount grandfather clocks. Users have so much choice and what is best, their prices are guaranteed low and the best anywhere. I suggest interested users have a look at 1-800-4CLOCKS and see the new or antique grandfather clock that can add most to any place. Site information and resource rich and the imagery is good. Looking at the clocks will give you an idea of how it will look being used in your own settings. I am subscribing to their newsletter to remain aware of what is coming on offer there.
posted by S A J Shirazi @ 10/05/2010 10:12:00 AM,
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Mud Housing Project Concept
Sunday, 3 October 2010
The MHP was initiated through SPARC (local NGO) in 2010, but it has a history, which began in 1990 in a village development project (Thatta Kedona) in the district of Okara (Gogera) in southern Punjab.
The mud construction has a long tradition (Harappa) in this region and it is still used extensively in the rural areas. However it has not developed further due to the influences of the city culture. Double storeyed mud constructions are however found very seldom. This although mud housing has many positive-construction biological properties and it is much more energy efficient than constructions of baked bricks and steel concrete.
Purpose of the Project
Purpose of the MHP is to emphasize the usefulness and importance of mud construction in city development.
Usefulness
An attempt is being made in cooperation with architecture students of PU, COMSATS, BNU, NCA and a constructor (Thekedar) from Harappa-Museum to develop solutions on the basis of a traditional mud hut, which would ultimately lead to a change in urban development strategies.
Implementation
As a start, construction was started at the premises of the Peersada Cultural Complex; the mud construction serves as accomodation for the handicraft workers.
In cooperation with SPARC and the DGFK (german NGO's), support through the SES (Senior Expert Service) in Bonn and the German embassy in Islamabad was obtained.
Current Importance
The MHP has gained additional importance due to the consequences of the recent floodings in Pakistan.
Short term aims
Help is necessary. Financial means are to be used effectively, local solutions are to be found, the daily requirements (e.g. hot water, cooking, etc.) are to be considered. Possibilities of using Appropriate Technology are to be explored.
Long term aims
The MHP should be understood as the initial flame and its aim to urgently establish a facility for experimental construction, which requires availability of suitable piece of land.
For various reasons, the implementation has to done in steps. The first steps have been taken.
Labels: Mud Housing Project
posted by S A J Shirazi @ 10/03/2010 09:16:00 PM,
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Extended family 55 PMA Long Course
Saturday, 2 October 2010
Darakhshan Javed (daughter of Maj Khalid Javed) is getting married with Haseeb Yasir. Rasme mehndi was held in a very beautiful hall of DeSOM on Sep 30, 2010. Guess what, most of the course mates based in Lahore were there to share the joys of Maj Khalid and Naheed Khalid and give their best wishes to the couple. Images will come after barat function today (Oct 2, 2010).
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This is a wedding season and there are so many couples tying the knot. Mohsin (son of Col (Retd) Mujeed Khan) is getting married to Najma in (almost) same dates. This marriage is spread over different locations from Rawalpindi to Pakpattan. Jalal HB will send in the images and will be posted here. Please stay tuned.
Labels: 55 PMA, Get Together, Men At Their Best
posted by S A J Shirazi @ 10/02/2010 07:57:00 PM,
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Gender Preferences
Friday, 1 October 2010
Machines can’t differentiate between users; who is man and who is women. But users’ preferences and the ways users work on computers can clearly indicate who is who? Male users prefer faster download speed to easier navigation and quick toggling between portals and multi tasking. Female users prefer easier usage, easier navigations, and easier accessibility instead.
Male and female have consensus that that easier usage is one of the most important factor in assessing website usability. It is in the second most important factor that gender differences come into play. Men prefer fast download speeds second, while women prefer easy navigation. Customization was found to be the least important factor in web usability, consistent with a previous design factors research.
I know that more women would read press releases and or users manuals where as male world prefer learning by doing. Exactly as men would be less likely to ask for directions while lost while to-ing and fro-ing in a new area, male users are less likely to go through details and users instructions before hitting action keys. Female are more likely to learn before they act online.
What are your observations? How you prefer?
Labels: Technology, Women
posted by S A J Shirazi @ 10/01/2010 08:16:00 AM,
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