Vista copying Mac

In Beijing, East is now West

An early voyeur was Lord Montgomery of Alamein who toured China in 1960. He recalled being taken into the canteen of a people’s commune where the staple diet was balls of rice with a little vegetable filling. Men received two, women one and a half, and children one ball each. “Don’t you want anything more?” Montgomery asked one of the workers.

“Of course,” he replied. “But we eat like this so that our future generations can eat better.”


Full article on: Dawn

World's tallest man saves dolphin

The world's tallest man has saved two dolphins by using his long arms to reach into their stomachs and pull out dangerous plastic shards.

Mongolian herdsman Bao Xishun was called in after the dolphins swallowed plastic used around their pool at an aquarium in Fushun, north-east China.

Attempts to use instruments failed as the dolphins contracted their stomachs.

Guinness World Records list Mr Bao, 54, as the world's tallest living man at 2.36m (7ft 8.95in).

Source: BBC

Quite intelligent of Mr. Bush!

With bad news everywhere, you (G.W. Bush) actually said the following about the commission's findings:

"Some reports are issued and just gather dust. And truth of the matter is, a lot of reports in Washington are never read by anybody. To show you how important this one is, I read it."

Wow. Maybe that didn't come out exactly the way you meant it to.

Read full article

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:D

Rolls royce, now in Pakistan

Nawaz Sharif jailed for five years in UK

Well actually, not the former prime minister of Pakistan! ;)

An immigrant taxi driver built a seven bedroom mansion in Pakistan after making millions of pounds in benefit fraud, credit card scams and fake passports.

Nawaz Sharif - unemployed for the past 11 years - amassed a £2 million fortune through property, selling luxury cars and various criminal activities.

Source: thisislondon.co.uk

V for Vendetta

I dont know why I feel this movie was meant for Pakistan, rather than UK. :)

Culture vs Islam

Ummah Films

One of the people Pakistan should learn from!

Q: What are your thoughts on the Pakistani Education System?

A: There is more emphasis on memory in our system of education, say, for instance, it is considered to be really valuable to memorize the whole of the Quran. This rote memorization habit has trickled into our regular education system as well stifling all thought. I mean, it is all right to memorize Quran and Hadith, it is good, but now we have things like the printing presses [that weren’t there in the ancient times.] Understanding is now more important. So, we should try to emphasize understanding instead of rote memorizing. We need to change the methodology of education. Not necessarily create a rift between reason and religion but encourage critical thought.

Q: You suggest a change in education methodology that would lead to critical thinking but historically this happened only in the West and that too after questioning religious authority. What approach should Pakistani Education take in encouraging critical thinking?

A: I wouldn’t use the word “questioning”, but you know, this change of mindset, it usually starts from the top. This means that we need a critical mass of scholars who should address the most pressing issues of our nation. They should try to change the mindset of those in power. Ideas flow from top-to-bottom and the so-called ‘Social Engineering’ starts from bottom-to-top. Bottom-to-top is revolution. I encourage evolution, slow change, from top-to-bottom. We need not be afraid, we need to create ideas and positive paradigms through which our society could understand the West and adapt. Secondly, we should enter into a dialogue between Western Civilization and our civilization, not between religions. Dialogue is only possible when you admit the possibility of error in your own decisions. When one thinks oneself infallible, dialogue cannot happen. You have to start with an open mind. Understanding of other cultures and civilizations is very important if we want to change our mindset and educational traditions.

http://uitec.pbwiki.com/Interview

About Dr. Manzoor Ahmed

After the completion of this tomb in Tehran, they came to know that there was no practical way of removing the crane from the middle.

Sacha Baron Cohen

I was wondering who exactly is the guy behind remarkable characters of Ali G and Borat. 'Sacha Baron Cohen' a guy with exceptional capabilities.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacha_Baron_Cohen

Hair banned from officiating in internationals

Darrell Hair, the Australian umpire who accused Pakistan of ball tampering during the Oval Test in August against England this summer, has been banned from umpiring in internationals. The announcement was made by Percy Sonn, the ICC president, at a press conference in Mumbai at the end of a two-day ICC meeting.

Source: Cricinfo



Told you! Hair's days are so over. ;)

دانشور یا تجزیہ کار خواہ کچھ بھی کہیں لگتا ہے کہ پاکستانی عوام وہ تمام باتیں جانتے ہیں جو جنرل شوکت سلطان جیسے محب وطن پاکستانی نہیں چاہتے کہ وہ جانیں۔

مثلاً باجوڑ کی کارروائی کی پاکستانیت یا امریکیت پر جو بحث چھڑی ہے میں نے اس پر ایک ٹیکسی ڈرائیور کی رائے پوچھی تو بولا سیدھی سی بات ہے کہ جب آپ نے کسی کو باپ مان لیا تو یہ بھی ماننا پڑے گا کہ آپ کی ماں پر پہلا حق بھی اسی کا ہے۔ مجھے بات آگے بڑھانے کی جرات نہ ہوئی۔

Source: BBCUrdu

Google buys Youtube, Finally!

Google is buying video-sharing website YouTube for $1.65bn (£883m) in shares after a weekend of speculation that a deal was in the offing.

The two companies will continue to operate independently, Google said as it announced the news on Monday.

YouTube, launched in February 2005, has grown quickly into one of the most popular websites on the internet.

It has 100 million videos viewed every day and an estimated 72 million individual visitors each month.

Full story: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6034577.stm

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Youtube gave a really tuff time to Google video, thus Google ended up buying it. Way to go youtube!

Look, I'm quite fed up of you!

Fossil Bluetooth Watch Eyes Caller ID

Fossil, in partnership with Sony Ericsson, today introduced a new line of Bluetooth-enabled watches that deliver the time in a traditional analog format, but connects to a user’s mobile phone wirelessly to do a whole lot more digitally. Based on existing Fossil designs, the water resistant timepieces include a bright OLED display to allow people to view Caller ID and number information plus a vibrating alert for incoming calls or SMS/MMS messages. There's also an out of range warning where the watch vibrates after 10 meters.


Full Story

`I have always dreamed,' he mouthed, fiercely, `of a band of men absolute in their resolve to discard all scruples in the choice of means, strong enough to give themselves frankly the name of destroyers, and free from the taint of that resigned pessimism which rots the world. No pity for anything on earth, including themselves, and death enlisted for good and all in the service of humanity - that's what I would have liked to see.'

-- Joseph Conrad, The Secret Agent

Nokia and Apple take gaming to new level

The battle for wireless gaming is hotting up with Nokia securing the rights to EA’s franchises and Apple unveiling a games download service for iPod.

EA will become a supplier to to Nokia’s Content Discoverer service – the online shopping ‘mall’ for mobile games, available on the handset manufacturer’s S40 and S60 systems. From today, customers can download seven existing EA titles, including Tetris, The Sims 2, Doom and FIFA 06.

The market leading games publisher has also promised custom-designed games for Nokia’s next generation mobile games platforms, which it says are already in development. “The line-up details are not finalised, but we obviously have the EA Sports line-up and a lot of other branded mobile titles to look forward to,” said Jaakko Kaidesoja, director of games multimedia at Nokia.

Meanwhile Apple entered the handheld space by adding games functionally to its latest iPod models and a download service via iTunes. Two new iPods, plus a refreshed iPod Nano and iPod Shuffle have been unveiled, all featuring increased battery life.

Users can purchase games via the iTunes store for $4.99 each and play them using the device’s scroll wheel. Titles featured in the initial range include Pac Man, Tetris, Bejeweled, Mini Golf and Texas Hold ‘Em.

http://www.mobile-ent.biz/newsitem.php?id=24377

Hair's days are so over!

What a horrible mess. Darrell Hair must have known what he was getting into this afternoon. He must have. This is a man who has allowed controversy to stalk his every waking hour, from the no-ballings of Muttiah Muralitharan and Shoaib Akhtar to the run-out decision he gave against Inzamam at Faisalabad this winter.

Andrew Miller
http://wwwc4.cricinfo.com/engvpak/content/current/story/257299.html

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Did Darrell Hair actually see a member of the Pakistan team tampering with a cricket ball? Has he got proof?

If he hasn't then he has made a massive mistake.

If I had been accused of cheating in this way then, as long as I was sure of our innocence, I would have done exactly the same thing as Pakistan.

I wouldn't have come out after tea, either.

People have said that Pakistan should have waited until the close of play and then gone down the right channels, but they wouldn't have seen it that way.

To Pakistan, if they had carried on playing, they would have been admitting their guilt.

Nasser Hussain
Former England captain

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/cricket/5270038.stm

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International Cricket Council chief executive Malcolm Speed says Pakistan could face additional charges after forfeiting The Oval Test.

Pakistan refused to take to the field for the final session in protest at being penalised for ball-tampering.

It was the first time in 129 years, and 1,814 matches, that a Test had been conceded by forfeit.

"The umpires are meeting this morning to consider whether there should be any further charges," Speed told BBC Radio.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/cricket/5269906.stm

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Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has reportedly entered the debate over the controversial final cricket Test match with England.

He called captain Inzamam-ul-Haq to back the team after Pakistan was deemed to have forfeited the match in London on Sunday, Pakistani media reported.

Pakistan refused to resume play after the team was accused by umpires of tampering with the ball.

The accusation has provoked widespread anger in Pakistan.

Mr Musharraf is also reported to have said Australian umpire Darrell Hair had insulted Pakistan.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/5270176.stm

Karachi [not Venice;)]

Heat index raised to 50 degree Celcius in Islamabad

Few days ago, heat index in Islamabad was raised to 50 degrees Celcius, as reported by a news item in The News, a local daily:

The severity of the heat wave that resulted in the ‘heat index’ soaring to record-breaking 50 degrees in most parts of the Punjab, including Islamabad.

So what exactly is "Heat Index"??

The heat index (HI) or humidex and carries is an index that combines air temperature and relative humidity to determine an apparent temperature — how hot it actually feels. The human body normally cools itself by perspiration, or sweating, in which the water in the sweat evaporates heat away from the body. However, when the relative humidity is high, the evaporation rate of the water is reduced. This means heat is removed from the body at a lower rate, causing it to retain more heat than it would in dry air. Measurements have been taken based on subjective descriptions of how hot subjects feel for a given temperature and humidity, allowing an index to be made which corresponds a temperature and humidity combination to a higher temperature in dry air.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat_index

The Fast and The Furious

From 'Google' to just plain google

One of Google's worst fears may have been realised. The latest edition of the Merriam-Webster Dictionary includes the word "google" which means to use the well-known search engine to look for information on the web.

The entry means that in addition to being a proper noun, the word "google" - without capitalisation of the "g" - is now a common transitive verb.

In the latest publicly available filing to the US Securities and Exchange Commission made available earlier this week, Google identified the key risks it faced in seeking to to maintain its dominance in the search market and preserving its revenue growth rate.

Among the risks listed by Google in its what is called the Q-10 filing was a concern that there may be a downside to too much success.

To quote Google: "We also face risks associated with our trademarks. For example, there is a risk that the word 'Google' could become so commonly used that it becomes synonymous with the word 'search'. If this happens, we could lose protection for this trademark, which could result in other people using the word 'Google' to refer to their own products, thus diminishing our brand."

Full Story

"Voilà! In view, a humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of Fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is it vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished, as the once vital voice of the verisimilitude now venerates what they once vilified. However, this valorous visitation of a by-gone vexation, stands vivified, and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin van-guarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition. The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta, held as a votive, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous. Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose vis-à-vis an introduction, and so it is my very good honor to meet you and you may call me V."

View of a nearby jogging trail.

Why the West is Losing the War on Terror

شاہ گیانندرا اسوقت شاید اپنے محل میں محصور یہ سوچ سوچ کر ہاتھ مل رہے ہوں کہ کاش انکے پاس آئی ایس آئی جیسا ادارہ اور قاضی حسین احمد، مولانا فضل الرحمن، بے نظیر بھٹو اور نواز شریف جیسی حزبِ اختلاف ہوتی تو شاید یہ دن نہ دیکھنا پڑتا۔

(Shah Gyanendra in his palace would be rubbing his hands right now thinking only if he could have an organization like ISI and an opposition like Qazi Hussain Ahmad, Maulana Fazl ur Rehman, Beynazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif, he woudn't have been seeing these days.)

Source: BBCUrdu

A packed-up stadium

England's tour of Pakistan 2005, second last one day. With no substantial fireworks from Afridi, a low scoring match which Pakistan 'just' won at the end. (And no media coverage for me :@)

A tale of two bowling attacks

And though Asif and Razzaq took most of the plaudits with seven wickets each, the bowler who troubled the batsmen the most was Shoaib. He ended the match with modest figures of 3 for 107, but nearly 27% of his deliveries drew false strokes from the Indian batsmen, a much higher figure than what Asif (19%) or Razzaq (17%) managed.


Source: Cricinfo

Fresh Air...

It was a good expereince overall.. Hanging around with guys I've been working for the past four months, in a pretty informal environment. Though it was really cold out there and I had to shiver before getting my hands onto Chikken tikka and Kababs. Loved the view from Daman-e-Koh, beautiful .. as always!