Terrorists failed!

On December 28, 2009, at around 4:15 pm, a blast was heard at M. A. Jinnah Road in Karachi. The central procession of the event of Ashura was moving from there to Denso Hall when a 16 kg bomb exploded whose voice was heard till far. There was a situation of wailing and crying and emergency was imposed in all hospitals. The shocking news is that the procession of Imam Hussain (A.S.) didn't stop!
Order was given to continue the celebration. A Shia scout died when he suspected the suicide bomber and held unto him until the bomb exploded. Up till now, 43 dead bodies have been reported and counting.
The valour of these followers of Imam Ali (A.S.) clearly indicated the defeat of terrorists who are constantly engaged in destroying the peaceful nation of Pakistan!

NRO - The Black Law!

The black demon is gone and the all masters have been summoned again; or is it something else?
National Reconciliation Order (NRO) has been termed null and void from the constitution of Pakistan by a panel of seventeen judges of the Supreme Court of Pakistan and all the cases against its beneficiaries have been revived. The decision was a unanimous one. Today, arrest warrant for 42 ministers have been issued. The nation is happy by the decision calling it a very daring verdict of the Supreme Court. The reason of joy is the corrupt leaders of the country who were once forgiven by this curse of NRO have once again been summoned in the courts. Maybe there is another perception to this decision. Going against of NRO can also mean providing a way for all these corrupts to get banished from the country and enjoy their loot.
A grave question arises regarding the present circumstances of the nation: For how long will this moment of happiness last?

TiEcon 2009

Held on 4 November 2009 and conducted by The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) Karachi, TiEcon 2009 proved to be a huge success for present and future business people. The one-day conference-cum-workshop was intended to provide a networking platform along with discussions with all the business gurus on the success of their businesses. The participants included students and entrepreneurs. The speakers included were:
Jawwad Farid, CEO Alchemy
Sameera Raja, Owner, Canvas Gallery
Jehan Ara, President PASHA
Adil Moosajee, Owner, EGO
Saleem Shahzad Ali, CEO Student Biryani
and others.
The conference started with tales form the business tycoons of how they strived to lift up from their failures and pursue their dreams to become successful. It was followed by a Q/A session with the speakers. A debate was conducted between four speakers on "Conventional wisdom is becoming increasingly irrelevant" which proved to be a very learning experience. The performance by Taal Karisma stole the show. The band is the first body percussion band of Pakistan and they proved it by performing live producing sound by hitting their bodies rhythmically. The techniques of pitching ideas with Jehan Ara and Jawwad Farid were outstanding.
Overall, the conference was a very fruitful and learning approach to discuss and network for established and aspiring entrepreneurs. In the end, the participants received gifts from sponsors (that was the best part)!

NRO - black law of the country?

What is happening in this country? What has happened to this nation? MQM President Mr. Altaf Hussain is suggesting to the President of the country to resign and face the courts!!!???
The mistakes of former President are making the present of this country suffer. It was a drastic step to forgive all the law suits against big political culprits but now the problem has risen up again. The demon named National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) is back and God knows better what's going to happen now.

Fusion of Sufi classical music with Kenyan music

The synergy of two radically different cultures came forward on aturday evening at an annual fundraiser at the Aga Khan University (AKU). The musical fusion between Kenya and Pakistan was an electrifying event. The artists involved were Nizar Lalani and Mohammad Ali of Pakistan and Kenyan band of Njane Mugambi, along with fabulous performances of Nighat Chaudhry, a classical Kathak dancer, and Fernando Anuang’a, a Maasai dancer.
At the start of the programme, artistes Nighat Chaudhry and Fernando separately showed their skills and later indulged in a ‘Jugalbandi’ which enthralled the audience. Fernando also performed the famous ‘Masayi’ dance which included a lot of jumping; it was a way to seduce women, he said.
Mugambi, a Kenyan musician, came to Pakistan with his band and brought the message of love from the coast of Kenya. He and his colleagues arrived in the city to attend a special concert, “A Journey in Sound,” which was arranged by the Aga Khan University. The concert was a cultural event of two continents, Africa and Asia, in which Kenya and Pakistan participated. The artists from both countries presented their culture and traditions through dances and music, demonstrating an openness to explore other forms of expressions and illustrating that art in all its forms can evolve to become a universal language.
Talking to the press, Mugambi said: "The coast of Kenya is a hub of Sufi music like Sindh. I know Sindh is the land of Sufis and Sufi music, and so is the coast of Kenya. But I believe the ragas and melodies of Sufi music in Sindh are more gripping, whereas in the coast of Kenya, poetry is more potent."
Nizar Lalani said: "Music is entertainment. And in the USA, music is the second biggest entity for generating income. Then why cannot the case be the same in Pakistan? We must think about it."

Pakistan: A Peaceful Country or Place of Terror?

Text messages of prayers are spreading like a wildfire. The nation has become a house for terrorists to practice and show off their tactics. ANP President says the terrorists have already entered the "city of lights" and God knows what will happen. The primary factor of a country's prosperity is education and after today's incident at Islamic University, Islamabad, the educational institutions have been closed for at least 3 days. What a pity! This is a call for all the Pakistanis to be together and forget all the past differences. Let's pray for the peace and progress of our beloved nation, Pakistan. Amen!

Car Insurance

People use the Internet, telephone, magazines and TV advertisements to get information on the best deal on car insurance.

Owning and driving a car means taking on many risks to yourself and others. When a traffic accident happens, damage, injuries, loss or all of these factors may be inflicted upon you and others. Other damages
include loss of your property, fire, theft, vandalism and natural disasters.

Car Insurance protects motorists and drivers against liability in the event of accidents they may cause. It can also provide cover for the motorist's own vehicle.

Many different types of cover are available, ranging from third party cover which protects individuals against liability should they injure a third party or cause damage to a third party's property, but does not provide any cover for the individual's own vehicle or property, through to comprehensive cover, which can offer protection for accidental damage, theft, fire damage as well as liability towards third parties.

Here are 5 steps to follow to find the cheapest deal:

STEP ONE: The easiest way to cut your insurance premiums is to accept a higher voluntary excess. An insurer's standard excess may be £100; but if you meet the first £250 of any claim, you'll see a reduction in your premium. This is simply because you are more of the risk so you get a discount by your insurance company.

STEP TWO: One way to get cheaper insurance premiums is to fit a security device. If you are living in a high-risk which may be known for car crime it would be useful to fit an extra security such as steering lock. This will save you money when your insurance renewal is due and gives you extra peace of mind.

STEP THREE: Adding a named driver to your policy can increase or reduce your premiums depending upon the named drivers age, sex and driving record. When adding a young driver will increase your premiums, particularly with a limited or poor driving record. However, adding a driver over 30 years old with a long and clean driving record can cut premiums, particularly if the named driver is a female.

STEP FOUR: If your annual mileage is, 4,000 miles or less, ask insurers if they offer discounts for agreed mileage restrictions, as some insurance companies do give discounts for restricted mileage.

STEP FIVE: The biggest potential savings come from shopping around. This has been made much easier with the explosion of the internet. There can be massive differences between the lowest and highest car insurance quotes for exactly the same car and driver.

"Old Bridge" of Mostar

Annually, around one million tourists visit Mostar, partly due to the nearby Catholic pilgrimage site, Medjugorje. The city of Mostar's prime attraction is the "Old Bridge" over the Neretva River. The bridge was originally built during the 16th century Ottoman rule, destroyed in the 1993 conflict, and was later overhauled and rebuilt with funding from the World Bank, UNESCO, the Aga Khan Trust for Culture and the World Monuments Fund. Several countries--including Italy, the Netherlands and Croatia--also provided funds. Many world-renowned figures, including Britain's Prince Charles, attended the "Old Bridge's"opening ceremony in 2004.

His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan receives honorary Canadian citizenship

Parliamentarians have voted to grant the Aga Khan honorary Canadian citizenship in what the prime minister describes as a recognition of his leadership in promoting "development, pluralism and tolerance around the world."

Honorary Canadian citizenship is bestowed by the Governor General and requires the unanimous approval of all voting MPs.

Born in Geneva, Shah Karim al-Hussayni is the fifth person to be named an honorary Canadian citizen.

The Aga Khan is the 49th hereditary imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims and is widely recognized for his work against poverty and his promotion of tolerance.

Now 72, he is the founder and chairman of the Aga Khan Development Network, which works in Asia and Africa and is one of the world's largest private development networks.

The federal government is teaming with the Aga Khan to build the Global Centre for Pluralism in Ottawa, which will promote ethnic, cultural and religious exchange and education.

"Our government appreciates the work of the Aga Khan Development Network to improve the quality of life of people in many of the world's most impoverished nations," Prime Minister Stephen Harper said in a release Friday.

"In particular, we are grateful for the immense contribution the Aga Khan Development Network is making in Afghanistan, as we work together to help the people of that country build a better future.

"I look forward to welcoming the Aga Khan back to Canada as an honorary citizen, and continuing to work closely with him to improve tolerance, pluralism and development around the world."

The Aga Khan was in Edmonton recently to receive an honorary doctor of laws degree from the University of Alberta, where he spoke at length about ethics and "the arrogance of colonialism, the rigidities of communism, the romantic dreams of nationalism (and) the naive promises of untrammelled capitalism."

Honorary Canadian citizenship has been given to four others: Swedish diplomat and Holocaust hero Raoul Wallenberg (posthumously in 1985); former South Africa president and Nobel laureate Nelson Mandela (2001); the Dalai Lama (2006); and pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi (2007), a Nobel laureate who has spent most of the last 20 years under house arrest in her native Myanmar.

Micheal Jackson's Legacy

A Star has flashed across our collective inner sky. A genius has left an enduring legacy. He was bigger than life. He was a giant in the entertainment field. He wowed us with his music and his moves. So what is the relevance of Micheal Jackson to our lives?

The first thing that comes to mind is the early childhood discovery of a huge talent for music. Jackson was clearly a gifted entertainer who wasted no time in perfecting his artistry. He was precocious in his art beyond his years. Many have remarked how he sang as if he had years of experience behind him. Of the seven intelligences in Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences, Michael had access to two unique intelligences: a musical intelligence which contains the capacity to produce and appreciate rhythm and forms of musical expression, and a bodily-kinesthetic intelligence which demonstrates an ability to control one’s body movements. One might even argue that Michael accessed a third intelligence: a linguistic intelligence which demonstrates a sensitivity to the sounds, rhythms and meaning of words But with this success came some serious problems: a loss of balance – loss of childhood, a stunted education and conflicts with his father, resulting in early parent-child relational issues. These can have a devastating affect on one’s psychology.

From a psychological perspective, Michael had to respond to his childhood trauma of physical and emotional abuse and also to the condition of body dysmorphic disorder. In addition, the loss of a normal childhood was irreparable even though Michael tried so hard to make up for this by entertaining underprivileged and disabled children and their families at his Neverland ranch.

Childhood trauma, intentional or accidental, can result in long term psychological and even physiological disorders. Depending on when in childhood such trauma may have occurred, one can anticipate a loss of self-esteem. If Michael was emotionally abused during what Erik Erikson would identify in his model of human development as the psychosocial stage of the latency years (age 6-11), he did not have an opportunity to develop self-esteem through normal peer interactions, since he did not have the benefit of a normal childhood. In the latency years, an individual needs to resolve the conflict between “industry” and “inferiority” before one progresses to the next stage of human development in the life span. His multitude of adoring fans clearly could not make up for the need for normal emotional and psychological development, which is why Michael was so fixated on his childhood issues.

Body Dysmorphic Disorder historically known as dysmorphophobia is a preoccupation with a perceived defect in appearance and can cause severe psychological distress. Whether this was as a result of the 1986 diagnosis of vitiligo, which is an auto-immune disease that causes a loss of pigmentation, or whether vitiligo was concurrent with his body dysmorphic disorder is unclear. Nevertheless, that Michael was able to avoid social isolation which is a typical response to this condition speaks to his strength and courage to treat it and overcome it, in his own unique way. Individuals with this disorder often pursue and receive general medical, dermatological or surgical treatments to rectify their imagined defects. To his credit, Michael found a way to make this a part of his mythic persona.

The life of a celebrity often reveals an inner wasteland because one spends so much time pleasing the fans and getting stroked by an adoring public. This too can lead to a huge imbalance, even though the positive projections from his fans may have compensated a little for his own experience of self-loathing as reported by his long-time friend, Dr. Deepak Chopra. Chopra also revealed that Michael was suffering from Lupus, an auto-immune disease, although there is one report that suggests he was in remission from this.

This level of deprivation of a cultivated inner life can often lead to depression and a “loss of soul.” Surprisingly, Michael was able to compensate for this to some extent because he was clearly receptive to inner promptings in the creation and expression of his music and dance. His best-selling album “Thriller” may have been the outcome of Michael’s capacity to touch and connect with his shadow side. On the other hand, it is also possible that Michael’s emotional development was arrested in his “genital” psycho-social stage, which runs from adolescence to adulthood. During the genital psychosocial stage, an individual works towards resolution of the conflicts between identity and identity diffusion in adolescence, between intimacy and isolation in young adulthood, and between generativity and self-absorption in adulthood. This perhaps explains his less subtle sexually suggestive moves on stage and his complete lack of personal boundaries with children, especially when he dangled his son from the balcony of a hotel room. The final concert series indicates that Michael was moving into the generativity psycho-social stage of his life.

It does not appear that Michael was able to fully overcome his deeper depressive symptoms because he had to treat some of his somatic symptoms with prescription medications to which he became addicted. Michael had been admitted into various programs for chemical dependence and one wonders whether there was ever a serious consideration to receive consistent psychotherapy for his psychological and emotional well-being. Yet, despite this constant struggle with his inner demons, he was able to engage his world-wide public by bringing joy, ecstasy and a sense of human connection that transcended race, culture and ethnicity.

His lyrics evolved from expressions of romantic love (“I’ll be there”) to self-transformation ("Man in the Mirror") to the unity of humankind (“We are the world”). Deepak Chopra revealed that the music for his final concert tour included environmental themes. So, clearly, despite his many personal trial and tribulations, psychological, legal and financial challenges, Michael was able to give the absolute very best of himself as the King of Pop, and possibly even as a father. He left an indelible impression on the lives of millions of people through his chosen vocation, creative self-expression and self-invention. One might go so far as to say that he achieved a remarkable degree of self-actualization. That is his greatest legacy!

Cottage and Small-Scale Industries in Pakistan

According to Compact Oxford English Dictionary, cottage industry means a business or manufacturing activity carried on in people’s homes. It refers to family based/owned small sized production units with small amount of capital whose production process is based mostly on local raw materials, inherited artistic skills and simple indigenous technology. These small-scale units operate in both rural and urban areas. The maximum number of workers in a cottage industry unit is 20, if it uses indigenous technology and is not run by power, and not more than 10, if it uses power-run machinery.
Cottage industries provide economic opportunities for the poor or the middle-income section of people through employment and income generation schemes all over the world, and especially in low income and technologically underdeveloped and developing countries such as Pakistan and Bangladesh. Traditionally, cottage industries have been rural-based, but in course of time and with technological advancements, they spread to urban areas to avail of transport and marketing facilities and financial support from institutional sources. The area of cottage industries has now broadened remarkably from simple indigenous technology based and home-made produces to sophisticated handicrafts wide varieties.
Following the Partition of Bengal in 1947, the government of Pakistan took some measures to revive and reinvigorate the declined and damaged cottage industry sector. The government recognized cottage industry as a special sector and established a Directorate of Cottage and Small Industries under the Ministry of Industries. To provide financial assistance to them, a network of branches of the Small Industries Development Corporation was established.

EXAMPLES OF COTTAGE INDUSTRIES

During Pakistan period, capital investment in cottage industries was negligible and was restricted to simple implements. Both rural and urban cottage industries needed short-term credit. Cottage industries in rural areas were closely allied to agriculture, and included activities like poultry, apiculture, sericulture, paddy husking and manufacture of molasses. An estimated 3 million agriculturists were engaged in cottage industries. The main cottage industries in urban areas included handicrafts like iron work, cane-work, gold and silver ornaments and embroidery, hides tanning and leather goods, musical instruments, sports goods and brass and glass bangles. Persons employed in these industries were agriculturists as well as about 1.60 million artisans. Handloom, the most significant cottage industry of Pakistan, employed about 400,000 persons. Until 1954, the cottage industry met the bulk of the country's requirements of cloth. In the Second Five-Year Plan, the central government allocated Rs 284 million for promotion of cottage and small-scale industries.
Multifarious cottage industries under the next group were paper and packaging, processing of wastage papers and making goods therefrom, playing cards, paper-made stationery, book binding, paper-made flowers, printing block making, paper-made bags and pots and other paper-based cottage industries and handicrafts. A few of the fifth (chemical, petroleum and rubber) group of cottage industries were allopathic medicines, printing and dying industries, tar/pitch, pesticides, color and burnish, auger and candles, cosmetics and scents, hair oil, soap factories, boot polishing, glue making, tire and tube repairing, rubber-made shoes and other goods, comb and button making, porcelain, polytheine bags and other plastic goods, glass-mirrors, optical glasses, brick, tally and sanitary wares, cement-based goods, chalk making, state and pencils, pencil bags, shopping bags, plastic toys and flowers, plastic containers, rubber mixed foam, choir and earth/clay industry.
Worth mentioning among the next group of cottage industry products (non-metallic items) are sand collection, limestone and snail-based lime, chalk and colour chalk, buttons and bracelets. The metallic products and other machinery and equipment produced in cottage industries of Pakistan include steel plate and printing, steel furniture, electroplating, cooking burners, lighting equipment, steel/iron-made nets, strainer making, spades, knives of different types and other agricultural and domestically usable weapons, lantern, hair clips, bolt and nuts, sanitary wares, lock and keys, light engineering, electrical equipment, bicycles and other two and three wheeler vehicles, blacksmiths, goldsmiths, repairing of radio, watch, television and other mechanical items, electric and electronic equipment, carpenters, painters, etc. The last group includes various types of handicraft products and other cottage industries.
Pakistan's gems and jewelry sector is often described as a cottage industry, with four- to five-person workshops crafting pieces by hand or with outdated machinery. Most manufacturers cannot cater to international markets, which prefer 14 to 18 karat gold, not the 22 or 24 karats popular domestically. Three-quarters of the $28 million in industry exports in 2004 were rough stones: despite the country's abundant mineral reserves, processors lack the expertise to cut stones to global standards. Manufacturers usually attended global trade fairs as individuals, failing to garner much buyer attention. Unleashing the industry's tremendous potential would increase export revenues, entrepreneurship and employment, and reduce the level of poverty.

CONCLUSION

While there is no accurate data as to their output, most economists agree that the activity that these units generate play a vital part in the country's economic life. For one, these small units, which usually operate out of houses and comprise family members who perform different tasks in producing an item, create employment for people who would otherwise have no source of income.
More important, many of those who work in these enterprises are women, who would otherwise not have the opportunity to engage in economic activity outside their homes or in a larger setting owing to religious and social taboos.
While the government has set up organizations that fund and advise on how to run small businesses, not enough is being done to support this economic sector. Partly to blame are the cottage industries themselves as they shy away from any interaction with officialdom in the fear that this would lead to some restrictions or taxation on their work.
On the other hand, the potential that these cottage industries have is enormous. Before us we have the example of Italy, which capitalized on its small business houses to turn around the country's economy.
Some of the products that these small industries produce are world class. Owing to the benefits that arise from this economic activity, the government should focus on ways to promote and develop these industries so that they are able to produce goods that are increasingly in demand within the country and abroad.

Online Education

For better understanding of the term 'online education', we should first know the meaning of electronic education. It refers to a type of Technology Supported Learning (TSL), where the medium of instruction is through computer technology. Distance learning is one of the examples of electronic learning. Sitting back at home, you just need a computer and an internet connection. This is what online education is all about. The lectures can be viewed directly from the professors' room or some others could use video conferencing.
E-Learning lessons are generally designed to guide students through information or to help students perform in specific tasks. Information based e-Learning content communicates information to the student. Examples include content that distributes the history or facts related to a service, company, or product. In information-based content, there is no specific skill to be learned. In performance-based content, the lessons build off of a procedural skill in which the student is expected to increase proficiency.
Communication technologies are generally categorized as asynchronous or synchronous. Asynchronous activities use technologies such as blogs, wikis, and discussion boards. The idea here is that participants may engage in the exchange of ideas or information without the dependency of other participants involvement at the same time. Electronic mail (Email) is also asynchronous in that mail can be sent or received without having both the participants’ involvement at the same time.
Synchronous activities involve the exchange of ideas and information with one or more participants during the same period of time. A face to face discussion is an example of synchronous communications. Synchronous activities occur with all participants joining in at once, as with an online chat session or a virtual classroom or meeting.
Virtual classrooms and meetings can often use a mix of communication technologies.
In many models, the writing community and the communication channels relate with the E-learning and the M-learning communities. Both the communities provide a general overview of the basic learning models and the activities required for the participants to join the learning sessions across the virtual classroom or even across standard classrooms enabled by technology. Many activities, essential for the learners in these environments, require frequent chat sessions in the form of virtual classrooms and/or blog meetings. Lately context-aware ubiquitous technology has been providing an innovative way for written and oral communications by using a mobile device with sensors and RFID readers and tags.