Light Within

Making sense of blogging and social media

Cashing in their social capital
Friday, 28 October 2011

People on the Internet are so lonely. Go to any social media network and you will find that. Let me hasten to add that social media networks are being used meaningfully for cashing in their social capital. Different channels like Facebook, Twitter and Google + are helping businesses to promote their products and services online not only by staying in front of interested segments but also by interaction that has been made so easy. You don’t need any skill to like a page of your favorite brand, follow it on Twitter or drag some of your interests into Google Plus Social Circles.

Look beyond eCommerce and you will find the real jingle. Go to your facebook and make yourself available for chat and you will have windows popping up with the messages like hi, hello, I like you (also I love you), are you free for a chat, ASL and even worst, mughe se dosti kar ge, from complete strangers. Be courteous and nice and you are in for a long haul.
Users have learned a lot from facebook experience and now when they are shifting to Google + they are being careful about dragging people into their social circles. It seems that in Google + users mind about whom they associate with? Who they want in their social circles? You could create lists in facebook too but Google + has made it easy to manage various interest groups.

This division will help avoid those time water loners and enable better encashment of social media.

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posted by S A J Shirazi @ 10/28/2011 12:17:00 AM, , links to this post

9/11 - who did it?
Wednesday, 26 October 2011

Over 2000+ military, intelligence, industry professionals do not believe the official account of 9/11. Read their points of views here.

"All the proffered evidence that America was attacked by Muslims on 9/11, when subjected to critical scrutiny, appears to have been fabricated." -- David Ray Griffin, Professor Emeritus, author of 11 books on 9/11 - including the just published "9/11 Ten Years Later: When State Crimes Against Democracy Succeed."

What you think, who was reponsible for 9/11?

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posted by S A J Shirazi @ 10/26/2011 10:08:00 PM, , links to this post

How to upload the pdf file to blogs
Tuesday, 25 October 2011

Readers here know that I am on eBooks as well. Today I have had the pleasure of sharing two eBooks with readers online. In the process I learned how to share pdf files using blogger blog upload the pdf file to blogspot. BTW, I use blogspot and I wish blogspot have the upload file function. That is a must now. Curiosity lead me and I could find a solution for my friends. There are two easy ways: 1) Use Google Group or 2) Upload to Ziddu.com.

Best is that you create a “Google Group” account – http://groups.google.com and find it is easy. Today I have uploaded two books here and here. Go explore them.

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posted by S A J Shirazi @ 10/25/2011 07:09:00 PM, , links to this post

Green architecture


FPAC, in cooperation with Lions Club Germany, organized an exhibition for the students of BNU Architectural Department and other interested in green architecture on Monday, October 25, 2011. Practical demonstration of construction with different material was hallmark of the event that was attended by a large number of students and senior faculty in addition to the members of FPAC.


Prof. Dr. Norbert Pintsch - the moving spirit behind the project – explained the need for the use of conventional construction materials in the face of energy crises and environmental degradation. He also answered the questions by the audience.
Read more »

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posted by S A J Shirazi @ 10/25/2011 04:02:00 PM, , links to this post

Hilal – first publication where I started writing
Monday, 24 October 2011



Pakistan Armed Forces Monthly Hilal is a very popular magazine read by every one from Javan to General. My own association with this esteemed publication started in 1977 when I was commissioned as a second lieutenant and posted to an artillery regiment in Lahore. Our commanding office Lt Col Ghafoor was to open our tree plantation drive by planting a sapling in the unit ground. He desired the event be covered for Hilal. I was the ‘baby of the unit’ so I was asked to do the needful. That is when I asked about Hilal. Our unit head clerk gave me a complete file of previous issues of Hilal to read and familiarize myself with the then weekly magazine.

It is in Hilal and my first article sjarkari (tree plantation) appeared. Mr. Iqbal (then editor Hilal) asked me to write more and I became regular in contributing. I kept contributing during my service in artillery regiment as well as during my six years deputation in Inter Services Public Relations till I switched to writing in English and lost track. Recently one of my friends Hussan Qazi told me that Hilal has come a long way since the time I used to write there. Hilal now is an A class bilingual publication; content, paper, quality of printing and good media practices are in consonance with this information age and it covers a lot from civil military relations to tips (and announcements) about how to join armed forces and a whole lot in between. Hence, I pitched my first idea to the Editor Lt Col Zeeshan Faisal Khan, the Editor Hilal - a man of vision who thinks out of the box. And here is my story.

By the way, interested readers can read Hilal online here.

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posted by S A J Shirazi @ 10/24/2011 10:00:00 PM, , links to this post

Type 2 diabetes is reversible
Sunday, 23 October 2011

Type 2 diabetes, or adult-onset diabetes, can be reversed, according to a Newcastle-University study. The study is recent, so its long-term results have yet to be examined, but of the 11 subjects whom researchers followed, seven were free of diabetes three months after the study's conclusion. The study restricted patients to extremely low-calorie diets (600 calories) of nonstarchy vegetables, eliminating fat in the pancreas and restoring ordinary insulin secretion.

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posted by S A J Shirazi @ 10/23/2011 11:52:00 AM, , links to this post

Making money your own way
Saturday, 22 October 2011

Whenever I write making money online post I get lot of questions, mostly from young aspiring bloggers, some of whom have yet to start a blog (LOL). The main query is this: what is the secret of making money through blogs. The answer is simple.

Well, there is no secret to making money online via blogging. Whatever is suggested by senior bloggers (read gurus) is an outline is what they do and that is why they are considered authority bloggers. If you want to be successful, well you have to do something similar but your own way. You really have to go your own way.

Blogging is no longer just for those who simply want to rave and rent, or write about their fav hobbies or who simply want blogs as an online diary (like the one teenagers used to keep under lock and key in good old days). Blogging now is serious venture. Making money with blogs is even more serious and going is pretty tough in our local context. Still many people are making reasonable money with their blogs. You too can.

My suggestion is that you if you don’t already have your own blog or web site, it is about time that you have one. It is very very slow process but take a start and let your blog grow with time. Who knows where your blog might take you…

Related: AdSense in Pakistan

Follow Light Within on Facebook and follow sAJs on Twitter for much more.

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posted by S A J Shirazi @ 10/22/2011 08:21:00 AM, , links to this post

Twitter tweet button

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posted by S A J Shirazi @ 10/22/2011 07:19:00 AM, , links to this post

The power of Android
Friday, 21 October 2011

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Straight Talk for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Phones have seamlessly combined some major human activities like communication, sharing, social networking (and even ecommerce). A large population is using smart phones Phones have seamlessly combined some major human activities like communication, sharing, social networking (and even ecommerce). A large population is using smart phones with smart plans in life as well as work. In addition, The power of Android is playing important role in facilitating the usage and at the same time saving money. Explore the idea of Feel Richer with Android and you will know what I mean.

Have it all with Straight Talk by LittleBard95

Savvy users (and heavy phone users) always look for the best plan. I loved the idea of The power of Android because with this I cut my cell phone bill in half. What is more, there is no contract, no surprise bills and no credit checks. In just $45 a month you get nationwide coverage and excellent reception and connectivity. What is more Straight Talk that offers the idea of feel richer with android uses trusted and renowned phone manufacturers that are fully loaded with apps and games and whatever you may be looking for in any phone.

Given my nature of work, I liked Straight Talk International Long Distance Service is a flexible prepaid calling service that enables any users to make international calls from home, cell or office phone at low rates. Try them and Feel Richer with Android.

Visit Sponsor's Site

posted by S A J Shirazi @ 10/21/2011 10:01:00 PM, , links to this post

Fasting is good for your heart
Thursday, 20 October 2011

The Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute in Utah reports that short-term fasting -- going 24 hours with nothing but water -- not only lowers a person's risk for heart disease, but it also decreases blood cholesterol, triglyceride levels and blood sugar (all risk factors for heart disease). The study also found that, during the fasting period, women experienced a 1,300% increase in human-growth hormones, a reaction intended to protect the body's lean muscle mass. Men experienced a 2,000% increase.

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posted by S A J Shirazi @ 10/20/2011 11:56:00 AM, , links to this post

Why everyone blogs and why you too should?

I have been in bogging for a long time now. In 2007, I wrote a post Why Everyone Blogs and Why You Too Should? I asked readers and fellow bloggers to list their reasons to blog. Some 85 people answered and gave their reasons as to why they blog?

I often go back to the post to find out if those bloggers are still blogging. Sadly there are very few who are still blogging. Rest has faded away.

It is so easy to get lost in excuses when your desire to blog and it is only natural. May be we are programmed not to pursue goals even if we truly believe and we want it. The reasons may be any: fear of failure, other more pressing priorities in life, not enough time. That is why in life you may find usual circle - start something then give up, or you start then stop then start again. Many of us go through this exercise at some poi of time in life. This life cycle is truer in case of blogging. Several studies indicate that most blogs are abandoned soon after creation (with 60% to 80% abandoned within one month, depending on whose figures you choose to believe) and that few are regularly updated.

Eve shorter is the life span of bloggers who start a blog for goal of making  money through blogging in hurry. Too soon, they find that it is one of the difficult tasks and abandon their effort. That is why I suggest that have a solid reason to start a blog, research your subject and plan what you want to contribute Making money is even harder than most of us think.

Blogging should be an informed decision. If you don’t have a thorough plan in place then don’t start.

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posted by S A J Shirazi @ 10/20/2011 09:22:00 AM, , links to this post

The World's Greenest Companies


Green momentum has seriously stalled during the past few years, at least in the public sector-but many of the globe's big companies missed the memo. Top-ranked companies are approaching green projects with increasing tenacity, even in this weak economy. Newsweek's 2011 Green Rankings analyze the biggest companies in America-and the world-to determine which firms are leading on environmental issues. The rankings are among the most rigorous and comprehensive of their kind, providing a clear framework for comparing the environmental commitment and performance of major corporations across all different industries.

Read at the rest of this article on The Daily Beast, Related: How Going Green Can Help You Make Money

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posted by S A J Shirazi @ 10/20/2011 07:38:00 AM, , links to this post

Best buy

Car is a necessity. Every one needs one if not more. Given the growing human activities, more and more people are selling and buying used cars. But one still needs to do a lot of home work and personal research before buying and or selling a used vehicle. Which is why the industry has evolved into several distinct fields and you find experts to valuate used cars and facilitate selling and or buying?

Selling and buying used cars have become a major area of business all over the world. Thanks to Del Park Garage Ltd – a company that is selling and buying cars since 1978. They have experience in the field and show great professionalism. Efficiency, competence and thoroughness are some of their claims to fame.

Explore their resource rich site and see what they are offering and how including auto usate milano and vendita auto usate. One of the best features on the users’ friendly site is search function. Just tell them your price range and leave your email address and leave rest to them. They will send you required proposals. For consumers, there are so many factors that they have to be considered when buying or selling a car, price being at the top. This feature matches your price range with what you need.

Selling a car is a very personal venture and it can be best taken as an informed experience. Experts can make looking for what you need as a fun and exciting occasion. And Del Park Garage is one of those concerns who are experts in the field. See compro auto usate and you will know.

What makes Del Park Garage a unique service? Their warranties! Go through their comprehensive warranties and it should be able to satisfy you. “We prefer the transparency in the relationship: both those who sell a car with both those who buy. That's why the conclusion of the contract apply the formula "Covenant clear," Transparency in the contracting stage,” the site reads. I suggest if you are looking to buy or sell a car, try vendita auto usate at Del Park Garage.

Also read what other satisfied users have been saying about them and it will also help you to make your mind to get the right help. I suggest you try compro auto usate and make a best purchase.

posted by S A J Shirazi @ 10/20/2011 07:00:00 AM, , links to this post

The internet is rapidly running out of addresses
Wednesday, 19 October 2011

IP addresses aren't just used for computers; an address gets assigned to every device that accesses the internet (including, for instance, phones and cars). John Curran, president of the American Registry for Internet Numbers, estimates that 94% of the IP addresses currently available have already been allocated. This is largely a problem for service and content providers, but it is one that will have to be resolved within a year.

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posted by S A J Shirazi @ 10/19/2011 01:12:00 PM, , links to this post

Happy Birthday to Dr. Senta Maria Anna Siller
Monday, 17 October 2011


On the occasion of the 75th birthday of Dr. Siller Siller, I on my own behalf and on the behalf of all friends of Thatta Kedona, take this opportunity to thank her heartily for her exemplary and untiring efforts towards the cause.

Happy Birthday to Dr. Senta Maria Anna Siller – the honorable Mother of Dolls who is recipient of Floriade (the Netherlands), Gestaltetes Spielgut (Creative Toys – German Toys Industry), Bundesverdienstkreuz (highest civil order of merit of the Federal Republic of Germany) and many more honors.

We recommend Dr. Senta Maria Anna Siller for Pakistan President's Award for Pride of Performance.

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posted by S A J Shirazi @ 10/17/2011 01:51:00 PM, , links to this post

What can you do to make $5?

Those who are looking to make quick money online (Who is not? LOL), must try Fiverr. For the benefit of those who don’t know what Fiverr is, it’s a website that lets you do something, anything for $5. Or take a look and find out what will people do for $5?.



The “gigs,” all fixed at $5, range from the silly to serious. Among them: sending a nice postcard from Paris, burning a small paper effigy of your enemy, offers for break dancing lessons, Photoshopping monsters into your family photos, coining that nickname you never got in high school, balloon animal instruction via Skype and even the penning of Italian love songs. There’s a flurry of more practical microtasks, too: CSS microbugging, social marketing, resume revising and PowerPoint editing help. The site is a good match for this economy. Buyers are looking for cheap prices and sellers are often unemployed or underemployed, seeking freelance income.This platform is particularly good for new bloggers, micro bloggers and those who are new on monetizing. 


Well. I will review you or your concern for $5.

Hope you get the idea!

Related: Making Money online in Pakistan

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posted by S A J Shirazi @ 10/17/2011 08:33:00 AM, , links to this post

Learn to protect environment
Sunday, 16 October 2011

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posted by S A J Shirazi @ 10/16/2011 11:11:00 PM, , links to this post

Pakistan Truck Art


With thanks to Jamil Bravo

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posted by S A J Shirazi @ 10/16/2011 02:14:00 PM, , links to this post

Ideas for a Free and Responsible Society
Thursday, 13 October 2011

Ideas have consequences. They influence the political, economic and social systems that govern our actions and affect the way we live our lives. Ideas have inspired many of the political and economic arrangements that have existed at different times in different places.

Some of these arrangements have promoted creativity, innovation, peace and prosperity, leading to improvements in quality of life and enabling people to fulfil their myriad needs and goals. Other political and economic arrangements have undermined creativity, inhibited innovation and lead to civil unrest, oppression, starvation, poverty and misery.

For most of history, in most places the latter type of arrangements prevailed and as a consequence the large part of humanity was poor, oppressed and miserable. Beginning around 1500, the political and economic arrangements in some Western European countries began to shift - and improvements in living standards began to be felt throughout those societies.

Over the course of the past two hundred years, the number of countries with such beneficial political and economic arrangements has gradually increased. As a result, this period has seen rapid improvements in technology and economic conditions. Meanwhile, the number of people living in abject poverty has been declining in absolute terms for fifty years in spite of a dramatic rise in the world population. Nevertheless, over a billion people continue to live in miserable circumstances.

This CD is designed for those who are interested in what these beneficial economic and political arrangements are that lead to economic growth and have the capacity to eliminate poverty. It does not pretend to provide a definitive answer but rather to point people in the right direction. The title of the CD, "Ideas for a Free Society," was inspired by the observation that the political and economic arrangements that seem to be most conducive to peace and prosperity are those that exist in free societies.

In such societies, there exist certain institutions that guarantee political, economic and social freedom, and those institutions are in turn underpinned by ideas. Such ideas have been explored by individuals from many different perspectives, starting with ancient Chinese, Roman and Greek philosophers and continuing to the present day. The reader will find that a rich intellectual debate about the nature of these ideas exists even among the authors of texts on this CD.

The contents are not intended to be a comprehensive review of the literature of the subject, which is enormous. Instead, the CD contains a selection of contributions by some of the primary scholars and thinkers who have developed ideas which relate to the free society. Their contributions explain some of the general intellectual concepts and challenges, and the application of these ideas to public policy. The Editors hope that the selections included on the CD will inspire readers to consider the advantages of the free society, to further investigate the wide array of literature on these topics, and even to put these ideas into practice.
Read more »

posted by S A J Shirazi @ 10/13/2011 03:12:00 PM, , links to this post

Foundation for Promotion of Acedemic Collaboration


Introducing FPAC - Foundation for Promotion of Acedemic Collaboration

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posted by S A J Shirazi @ 10/13/2011 10:02:00 AM, , links to this post

DS Jaspal – Retracing his roots
Wednesday, 12 October 2011

Damanbir Singh Jaspal, Principal Secretary (with a rank of Chief Secretary), waits in his room for some towels that he has sent for. He is dressed in a modest light green shirt, with a plain green turban wrapped on his head. His beard is neatly tucked away, and with the serious looking spectacles on his nose, he can be easily mistaken for a visiting professor staying at the Punjab University Executive Club. The only thing that glints in his appearance is his gold watch, loud but sleek but his sophisticated and well kept appearance is only incongruous with his haphazard surroundings.

Most odd for anyone is the large plant that has taken up almost one corner of the room, right between the striped brown sofas, and Jaspal’s suitcase, which lies yawning open, so that this plant can be cut into the right size, wrapped in a wet towel, and transported along with him to the Wagah Border and subsequently to Chandigarh, India. In fact one cannot miss this plant, as its leafy scent pervades the room just upon entrance.

“This is a beri tree-cutting that someone kindly brought to me from Sialkot last night,” says Jaspal. “I thought I wouldn’t be able to get this but coincidently I did. Now once I get back, I’ll see that it gets put into the root trainers as soon as possible so we can clone it later.” Even though Jaspal says the Quran too has mentioned a herb or two, where it upholds trees as part of nature, Sikhism is perhaps the only religion that actively endorses the protection of trees, relating to them spiritual evolution, and preserving within them heritage, environment, beauty, majesty and history all in one.

These trees are those under which the Sikh gurus have rested and sought shelter under, while their scriptures and legends mention forests where the military often passed from during wars. “Gurus often took rest under these trees and met with others under their leafy shade,” informs Jaspal. “As a result Sikh followers have erected gurdwaras in respect of these trees, such as the Ambh Sahib and the Beri Sahib. But the sad part is that many of these trees have died or have been suffocated thanks to several other reasons.”

“Air is the guru, Water is the father and Earth is the great mother,” reads a line from the Sikh scripture Guru Granth Sahib. It declares that the purpose of human beings is to achieve a blissful state and to be in harmony with nature. Furthermore the Gurus inferred that it is not the girth, size, or beautiful flowers that determine the significance of a tree but its usefulness that makes it important.

The trees that have sanctity in Sikhism include Bohr (Ficus Bengalensis), Pipli (Ficus Religiosa), Jand (Prosopis Spicigera), Garna (Capparis Horrida), Karir (Capparis Aaaphylla), Phalahi (Acacia modeta), Reru (Mimasa Leucophloea), Luhura (Cordia latifolia), Tahli (Shisham), Imli (Tamarind), Amb (Mangifera Indica), Harian Velan, Neem (Margassa), Ritha (Sapindus Mukorosa), Kalp (Mitragina Parvifolia) and Ber (Zizyphus Jujube).

Four of the most sacred trees associated with the Sikh shrines, namely Beri of Dukh Bhanjani, Beri of Sri Harmandir Sahib, Beri of Baba Budha (also of Sri Harmandir Sahib), Beri of Gurdwara Ber Sahib of Sultanpur Lodhi and Beri of Lachi Ber of Sri Harmandir Sahib highlight the role that trees have played in Sikh history. But this is not the only reason that led Jaspal to literally create a museum of trees. The first sparks of his interest in trees started when he was Minister of Forests. “I had a thought; a kind of realization that many of our gurdwaras are named after trees.

The Imli Sahib, the Ambh Sahib, and the Taali Sahib in Lahore; and these are sacred trees. But no one gave a thought to why these trees were connected to the shrines. So I began my research work, and I found out that at least 59 shrines were named after about 19 trees, and some of these trees don’t even exist any longer, while some of these shrines are untraceable.” Japsal for one means the Gurdwara Taahli Sahib, which he knew was located somewhere in Lahore, but since the tree was gone, no one knew any more where the shrine was. Still he stresses that his interest in the preservation of trees is ‘secular’.

“Religion may have a link with this interest of mine, but trees are important, trees must be preserved. Most of the people who have bought my book online are non-Sikhs, and none of my tree exhibitions have ever been held at Gurdwaras,” he claims. But at the same time, in paving Gurdwaras with marble, many of these ancient trees have been felled and an important part of Sikh heritage has been destroyed. The mango tree at Mohali’s shrine Ambh Sahib is now nothing but a stump.

Read more »

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posted by S A J Shirazi @ 10/12/2011 09:40:00 AM, , links to this post

Islamic Calligraphy



Islamic calligraphy has come a long way since this fine art was first started on parchment or papyrus with a quill from the seventh century, and was used in making copies of the Quran. Now it is genre of fine arts practiced all over the world particularly in Muslim societies. And it continues to flourish. Now innovative artists write Quranic verses in vibrant colors that are pieces of art in themselves.

Related: Art for Allah, Khate-e-Ra’ana - calligraphy script invented by Ibn-e-Kaleem

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posted by S A J Shirazi @ 10/12/2011 08:53:00 AM, , links to this post

Happy Birthday to Eman
Sunday, 9 October 2011

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posted by S A J Shirazi @ 10/09/2011 01:49:00 PM, , links to this post

Stave Jobs at his best - Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish

Commencement address by Steve Jobs a few months ago when he stepped down as the CEO of Apple. As Jobs passed away on October 5, rediff.com brings you his words of advice that are as relevant today as they were in 2005 when he addressed students of the Stanford University.

After going on medical leave that has lasted six months, Steve Jobs has announced that he is stepping down as CEO of Apple.

It is common knowledge that the head honcho of the one of the most valuable companies in the world, who built it up from scratch, is ailing from pancreatic cancer.

There is a lot we can learn from Jobs and not all of it pertains to succeeding in your profession -- he believes you should live life to the fullest, without compromise. Here, we present a prepared text of the commencement address delivered by Jobs on June 12, 2005:

I am honoured to be with you today at your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. I never graduated from college. Truth be told, this is the closest I've ever gotten to a college graduation. Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That's it. No big deal. Just three stories.

Read more »

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posted by S A J Shirazi @ 10/09/2011 01:40:00 PM, , links to this post

Geopolitics of Peace
Saturday, 8 October 2011

Nadir Mir

Geopolitics defined in multi ways is also ‘war politics among nations!’ When major powers clash, it leads to a great war. Ironically, the Clausewitzian notion of ‘war being the continuation of policy’ appears to be turned upside down. As detractors and peace advocates lament ‘policy is the continuation of war’! Again Clausewitz interjects ‘if policy is grand so will war be!’ The so called globalists (left over Neo Cons plus new converts) whisper aloud that they want another ‘Grand War’ as Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya were not enough. War with Iran was aborted or delayed and has left them heartbroken.

So now Geopolitics is leaning towards a new rumored war against Pakistan and possibly Iran, as is being projected by some US think tanks. This includes the Huttington, ‘clash of civilization theorists’ plus propagandists and balkanists as appearing in the Huffington Post. Even Henry Kissinger the ever green American Geostrategic sage has talked of the ‘Balkans of the next World War’. This war if ever fought would be the most tragic – suicidal war. Without aim and end, with little to gain and a lot to lose by all. Besides peaceful alternatives are available. The futility of a ‘Great War’ or the ‘Reign of Total Chaos’ needs to be understood before understanding the value of peace. The world needs an era of peaceful prosperity; therefore let us dwell on the ‘Geopolitics of Peace’.

First the global geopolitical environment must be grasped pragmatically. The Western World’s dominance in world affairs appears to be fading. At least the global economics balance is tilting away from the Western World. Much before 2020, China may rival the US economy. America today faces a serious debt default. If the US economy has slowed down the EU has its own ailments. In a nut shell, Western monopoly on global wealth stands challenged and rebuked by Eastern and other global economies. Strategically – militarily, Russia has made a comeback. Though there can be no invasion Soviet fashion, post Georgia, Moscow has drawn the Rubicon. Heart land Russia is confident, tactically cooperative yet strategically hostile to the West.

By contrast US – NATO spent a decade chasing elusive, asymmetrical Islamic antagonists. Bogged down in protracted war, US – NATO, after facing resilient Taliban in Afghanistan and stoic Iraqi resistance, forayed into the Libyan adventure. US unilateral raid in Abbotabad, Pakistan has surged Anti Americanism. But Anti Americanism is not confined to Pakistan, but shared in Iran, Turkey, Arab World and a large global swathe.

The Western world’s decline and rise of the rest (Farid Zakriya) has been further compounded by the Middle East revolutionary fervour. Yet US hyper war military remains pre-dominant, even as Robert Gates “avoid land war in Asia” warning must be heeded. American Geo Strategy is at a turning point. Pakistan – Iran – Afghanistan – Turkey – Saudi Arabian Peninsula – India are all Rim land players. A new contest may be starting. If the Bush Neocon era symbolized the –‘encirclement of Russia’, a new era may be on the horizon. The Obama Admistration cajoled by left over Neocons, friendly India, and persuasive Israelis is in a bind over Pakistan – China. The Geopolitical question is to relent or escalate? Yet Saudi Peninsula – North Africa also beacons Western – American attention. Post Osama period marks a defining moment for America. Logic, US economic malaise and war weary American public want the troops back home. The globalists want ‘perpetual war’. Peaceful deinduction is the logical step from Afghanistan. Still hubris, miscalculation, greed and ill advice can lead to a Cold War with China and Hot War in the region. Though the global environment may not replicate a century earlier but still Mark Twain was apt ‘history may not repeat but it does rhyme’.

Read more »

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posted by S A J Shirazi @ 10/08/2011 08:51:00 AM, , links to this post

Google Page Rank Update - October 2011
Friday, 7 October 2011

Google updated PageRank sometime tonight. One of my blogs have jumped from PR 3 to 4 and another h as gone down from 4 to 3. Go check your Page rank and see your gains and losses. Previous PR update was on Monday June 27, 2011.

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posted by S A J Shirazi @ 10/07/2011 09:07:00 AM, , links to this post

Steve Jobs - 1955 - 2011
Thursday, 6 October 2011

Steve Jobs (1955-2011), the Apple co-founder and former CEO, has died at the age of 56 after a long and highly public battle with cancer.


Steve Jobs! You left your mark and made a great difference in the world of computing. You will me missed for a long time.
Read more »

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posted by S A J Shirazi @ 10/06/2011 09:27:00 AM, , links to this post

Join AdSense Academy
Wednesday, 5 October 2011

Whether you’re new to AdSense or have been using it for years, the AdSense Academy can help you successfully run your AdSense account by following six step-by-step learning modules. The Academy provides best practices on everything from implementing your ad units to building your traffic to controlling your ads.

The AdSense Academy includes checklists, videos and quizzes that you can take at the end of each module to test your knowledge.

Join the Academy Now!


Please feel free to provide any feedback by commenting on this post or on the AdSense Forum [Inside AdSense]

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posted by S A J Shirazi @ 10/05/2011 11:29:00 PM, , links to this post

Yoga against dengue

As soon as dengue spread, various ways to cure the epidemic also surfaced. Although medical science has yet not been able to produce any definitive medicines for prevention and treatment of the deadly disease, but there are other ways to tackle the epidemic. Some people may have been profiteering out of the epidemic but curing through exercises and preventing through a simple plastic bottle trap costs nothing at all.

Yogis claim that yoga had the power to save people from dengue. According to followers of the non-violent ideology, dengue attacked people because people were addicted to harm each other. Regular sessions were being conducted to create awareness among the masses about curing dengue through yoga. Famous Karachi-based Yogi Wajahat participated in one of such sessions to teach Lahoris techniques to prevent and cure dengue. His tips included some herbal treatments, a few breathing and posing exercises, and a magical net that he claimed would prevent mosquitoes from approaching people.

And not to forget his flying insect trap, which was really amazing. Wajahat advised wearing khaki and dark coloured clothes to keep mosquitoes away. In diet, he said, low fat foods and less use of sugar should be maintained for the epidemic seasons for reason, he described, fats and sugar caused such chemical reactions in body that cause mosquitoes to get attracted to people. Eating fruits with peels and fresh vegetables were the best natural defence against all diseases, he suggested. The yogi also advised taking ‘neem’ products to create immunity against poisonous insects. He said the fragrance of basil tree was the natural mosquito repellent. Lahore could get rid of the deadly dengue by mere growing a black basil tree in each house, he claimed. When recovering from diseases, the yogi said, use “munaqqa” (dried grapes) to energise the body.

After giving plentiful of herbal tips, he came to the fever management through breathing exercises, which he claimed would help normalise the temperature of the body. Under this subject, he taught two exercises, including cool breathe and alternate breathing. The earlier was useful to lower high temperature and blood pressure while the later was used to balance the body in both cases of low or high temperature. A dengue patient might not be able to perform the exercises in actual poses but it could be done in any way, as the main purpose of controlling the temperatures was accomplished with mere breathing only, he told.

The yogi also focused on creating some positive energy in the body by sitting in specific yoga poses. There was no disease, which mental power could not cure. He turned towards the mental exercises portion. Describing different kinds of mental exercises, he said that visualising was recommended by yogis to fight a disease. Through mental powers, one could put a shield across oneself to prevent mosquitoes, Wajahat claimed.

Naming it “Yogi Jala” he said that a person could shield his home or office and mothers could conceal their children from mosquitoes or whatever they wanted through their mental powers. Sit in a relaxing pose, close your eyes, check the space around you moving hands in space and start imagining a fiber taken from God and knitting it around yourself and that was it, you are shielded, he said, explaining the procedure.

The last tip was his self-designed mosquito trap made with a neck-cut bottle. Cut a bottle through the neck, put the inverted upper part inside the open side of bottle and wrap around a black paper and the mosquito trap was prepared. A cup of water with brown sugar dissolved in it and a bit of yeast to attract the flying insects should be included in the trap, he said. The yogi also claimed a ring tone of special frequency could cause mosquitoes to disappear. The tone could be found on the Internet with the name of a mosquito repellent tone. Finally, he concluded with an exercise of yoga by playing a soothing tone on Buddhist Ball, which he claimed relaxes the nerves by washing away all thoughts from the mind.

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posted by S A J Shirazi @ 10/05/2011 10:21:00 AM, , links to this post

This is what flood does?
Tuesday, 4 October 2011


Related: Floods - Cycle of vulnerabilities (Images: Time)

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posted by S A J Shirazi @ 10/04/2011 03:11:00 PM, , links to this post

Internet firms co-opted for surveillance
Monday, 3 October 2011

Internet companies such as Google, Twitter and Facebook are increasingly co-opted for surveillance work as the information they gather proves irresistible to law enforcement agencies, Web experts said this week.

Although such companies try to keep their users' information private, their business models depend on exploiting it to sell targeted advertising, and when governments demand they hand it over, they have little choice but to comply.

Suggestions that BlackBerry maker RIM might give user data to British police after its messenger service was used to coordinate riots this summer caused outrage -- as has the spying on social media users by more oppressive governments.

But the vast amount of personal information that companies like Google collect to run their businesses has become simply too valuable for police and governments to ignore, delegates to the Internet Governance Forum in Nairobi said.

"When the possibility exists for information to be obtained that wasn't possible before, it's entirely understandable that law enforcement is interested," Google's Chief Internet Evangelist Vint Cerf told Reuters in an interview.

"Then the issue would be, what's the right policy? And that, or course, engenders a lot of debate," said Cerf, who is recognized as one of the "fathers of the Internet" for his early work in areas including communications protocols and email.

Demands from governments for Internet companies to hand over user information have become routine, according to online privacy researcher and activist Christopher Soghoian, who makes extensive use of freedom-of-information requests in his work.

"Every decent-sized U.S. telecoms and Internet company has a team that does nothing but respond to requests for information," Soghoian told Reuters in an interview.

Soghoian estimates that U.S. Internet and telecoms companies may receive about 300,000 such requests in connection with law enforcement each year -- but public information is scarce.

While U.S. courts are obliged to publish reports on wire-tapping of telephone lines, no similar information is required to be made public with respect to the Internet -- which grew up after the laws on electronic communications were passed.

Google does voluntarily publish a transparency report every six months in which it details the number of requests it receives from governments around the world to remove content from its services or hand over user data.

But the numbers do not reveal how many users are affected by each request -- only trends country by country (www.google.com/transparencyreport).

Some governments are requiring Internet companies to collect more data and keep it for longer, said Katarzyna Szymielewicz, executive director of Poland's Panoptykon Foundation, which campaigns for human rights in light of modern surveillance.

"Government agencies throughout the world are pushing companies to collect even more data than is needed for their business purposes," she told the conference.

"For example, we have a very controversial data retention regime which is currently under review. This requires people to store data for a period up to two years so it can easily be accessed by law enforcement agencies."

The ease and cost of surveillance are at an all-time low, Soghoian said, with Google charging an administrative fee of $25 to hand over data, Yahoo charging $20, and Microsoft and Facebook providing data for free.

"Now, one police officer from the comfort of their desk can track 20, 30, 50 people all through Web interfaces provided by mobile companies and cloud computing companies," he said.

"The marginal cost of surveilling one more person is now essentially approaching zero."

Read more »

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posted by S A J Shirazi @ 10/03/2011 10:04:00 AM, , links to this post

From the Mother of the Dolls

Dear Friends!

I started in 1993 to make handicraft dolls in the village of TGD together with the village girls. The effort was based upon available resources and a respect for the local tradition. Especially the hand-made dolls representing the dresses of the different provinces and minorities became very popular.

Only scarce information was available at that time about these groups and their dresses and obtaining the relevant materials was also a problem. Detailed field studies were needed to obtain and organize the required information, which was quite expensive.

It was very important for the project, which was initially supposed to be only a women  project, to feel and sense the local peculiarities, abilities and skills.

I lived between 1993 and 1998 on invitation of the village elders in the village and trained about 120 women, who practically started to earn some income right from the start through increasing sale of their products in the provincial capitals. But never were and are the NGO-Members dependent upon the project, as only additional income is generated. The village women already have a house for residence and agricultural land, so that the additional income enables them and their families to remain in the village and not move to cities, where life continues to become more expensive and paid work keeps shrinking.

This project is meant to provide for income of women in the rural areas. The daughters have grown up in the meanwhile and since 1998 also young men from the village are integrated into the project and are engaged –among others- with the use of appropriate technology.

The products have been regularly developed further with the help of volunteers from Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Australia and New Zealand. The NGO Members on the other hand have participated in Workshops in Dubai, Germany and Iceland and contributed in this way to the aims and objects of the effort.

Changes in political situation have necessitated a flexible approach: Nuclear tests, economic changes and local disputes have led to a decrease in sales, which has affected the locals as well as foreigners. The number of Melas has also decreased due to well known reasons. It is necessary to react quickly to changes, so that products were also offered to collectors and other customers, even if the number of orders were small and meant for customers in Japan, Australia, North America and Europe.

The success of the dolls project led to invitations in other countries, so that today women in Cameroon (since 1998) Columbia (since 1999), Iceland, Greece and Germany are also making dolls. The undressed dolls for Europe are made in our village in Pakistan.

With the help of volunteers we were also able to support the project by selling various dolls to ethnological museums in Europe.

I often receive letters and calls and my well-wishers ask me about my whereabouts. Dear Friends, customers and collectors, of course I have not forgotten you. The current intensive but very interesting work in the German project reminds me of the years between 1993 and 1998, which were not possible without the support and help of local and foreign volunteers.

The technological advances of today make many things easier, so that time zones are bridged and you can easily reach me by eMail and Skype and information can be broadcast through the Internet Radio of TGD, as well as the Thatta Kedona blog.

In the hope to be together with you and wishing all success to our village women through you purchases and interest in the project, I look forward to seeing you again, - in Pakistan or in Germany, in reality or virtually !

We try to sense future developments in our projects, including ground-breaking concepts to conserve energy. The motto here remains: Words must be followed by actions, so that active environmental protection can be carried out !!

I greet you heartily once again and remain 


Heartily yours,
Dr Senta Siller



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posted by S A J Shirazi @ 10/03/2011 09:08:00 AM, , links to this post

Give peace a chance
Saturday, 1 October 2011


Sabir Nazir at Pakistan Today

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posted by S A J Shirazi @ 10/01/2011 08:43:00 AM, , links to this post



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