April 2008

I have been following Fatima Bhutto for quiet sometime now and i think she is an interesting person. The very sad nature of the death of her father Murtaza Bhutto is shocking to every one and the mystery behind his death is still unsolved, but then a lot of murders at this level never gets solved in Pakistan. Till date the death of Zia Ul Haque, Benazir Bhutto and Musaf Ali Mir haven’t been solved so we don’t expect much in the case of Murtaza Bhutto.

While roaming around in cyber world, i came across a blog which tracks her movements across the globe and found out that recently she was invited to Cuba to speak on the US economic sanctions on Cuba. I have already mentioned the fact that she is Hizbullah leader fan and she even hangs it at her wall. This thing has impressed me as i myself is a big time fan of Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah. I have heard to this speeches and they are logical and make sense and the way he handled the Lebanon crises, it is really impressive.

Fatima Bhutto has also been visiting Iran, Lebanon and Syria and she has been involved in community services activities. I really appreciate all these actions of hers and i think she is a different from other Bhutto’s. I must confess here that i totally disagree with her constant criticism on Benazir, though i am not her fan as well, but i think she could devout her energies to better causes then wasting them on just criticizing her late aunt and uncle Zardari.

Till date she claims that she do not want to be in active politics but then everyone changes with the passage of time and it is only a matter of time when she will be part of it. In that case, i wonder if she will remember her passion as of today or she will become an all together different person, blinded by the power of the seat.

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I was surfing the website for best designed products for the current year and i came across, the Time List of such products so i thought to share it with the readers. The idea for this search came from my friend Mansoor Ehsan, who on weekend showed me few amazing sites worth sharing. Here are few of the interesting products.

Panasonic Life Screen

The only thing larger than this new 6-ft.-tall (1.8 m), 11-ft.-wide (3.4 m) plasma-screen TV will be the waiting list—for those with deep-enough pockets—to purchase the product in 2009.

Sigma DP1

Weighing in at just under 9 oz. (255g), Sigma’s new digital camera ($1,000) gives photo buffs and pros alike the performance of a 35-mm SLR camera in the sleek, portable body of a compact.

Japan Railways N700

A high-speed train that actually leans into curves may not be everyone’s idea of the perfect travel experience. But that’s just what Japan’s new N700 bullet train between Tokyo and the western Japanese cities of Osaka and Fukuoka does.

Though the incline system helps shave only 5 min. from the 2½-hr. trip between Tokyo and Osaka, the big bonus is that the train is 19% more energy-efficient than its predecessor, thanks in part to a hood that completely encloses the spaces between cars, reducing air resistance and noise. So far, passengers are wild for the slope-nosed N700—some 1,300 people turned out for the 6 a.m. maiden voyage last July. Good news, then, that there are 43 trips a day via N700 on the Tokyo-Osaka-Fukuoka route. —Kate Novack

Smart Fortwo

The minuscule smart fortwo car has been a familiar sight on the streets of European cities for the past decade, and now the tiny auto has hit the U.S. market. It’s easy to park—about two smart fortwos fit into one standard-size space—gets 41 m.p.g. (17.4 km/L) on the highway and starts at under $12,000. Of course, the prospect of going head to head with a huge Hummer while in a vehicle the size of a golf cart is daunting to some would-be buyers. But Smart USA stresses that the car, made by Mercedes-Benz, is equipped with a steel safety cell, similar to a NASCAR roll cage, and has front and side air bags.

Vélib’

 Among the perks offered to employees at Louis Vuitton in Paris is an annual subscription to Vélib’, the French capital’s popular self-service bike-sharing program. Since it debuted last July, there have been 15 million rentals. So far there are 15,000 bikes at stations located about 1,000 ft. (300 m) apart throughout the city. But JCDecaux, the company that runs the service, expects to increase the number of bicycles to 20,000 in time for spring. Subscriptions are $44 per year, or bikes can be rented by the hour. The best deal of all, though, is the quick trip: rides under 30 minutes are free.

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It is a bit long but i think it is a Must Read in today’s world. Do read it and imagine how world would have been if it was followed by our rulers. Now i am sure many of our brothers will be able to conclude as to why Islamic Civilization spread across the length and breadth of the world. These were the ways in which the Islamic empire was ruled and hence it was very much expected that people welcomed it where ever the Muslim rulers went! The following is a the lecture which Hazrat Ali gave to one of this governors Malik before sending him to his region.

Maalik! You must create in your mind kindness, compassion and love for your subjects. Do not behave towards them as if you are a voracious and ravenous beast and as if your success lies in devouring them.

Remember Maalik that amongst your subjects there are two kinds of people: ?those who have the same religion as you have; they are brothers to you, and ?those who have religions other than yours, they are human beings like you. Men ?of either category suffer from the same weaknesses and disabilities that human ?beings are inclined to, they commit sins, indulge in vices either intentionally or ?unintentionally and mistakenly without realizing the enormity of their deeds. Let ?your mercy and compassion come to their rescue and help in the same way and ?to the same extent that you expect Allah(God) to show mercy and forgiveness to you. ?You must never forget that if you are a ruler over them, than your wali [Imam Ali ??(pbuh) is referring to himself] is the ruler over you and Allah is the Supreme Lord ?over the wali. And the reality is that He has appointed you as the governor and ?tested you through the responsibility of this rule [that He has given you] over ?them. ?
[click to continue...]

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Gurudwara Punja sahib

Gurudwara Panja Sahib is situated at Hasan Abdal, 48 km from Rawalpindi in Pakistan. This is one of the most holy places of Sikhism because of the presence of a sacred rock with the hand print of Guru Nanak. Twice a year, Sikh pilgrims visit this Gurdwara from all over the world.

History
Guru Nanak along with Bhai Mardana reached Hasan Abdal in Baisakh Samwat 1578 B.K. corresponding to 1521 A.D. in the summer season. Under a shady cool tree, Guru Nanak and Bhai Mardana started reciting Kirtan and their devotees gathered around. This annoyed Wali Qandhari but he was helpless.

According to legend, Bhai Mardana was sent three times to Wali Qandhari so that he would provide him with some water to quench his thirst. Wali Qandhari refused his request and was rude to him. In spite of this, Mardana still very politely stuck to his demand. The Wali ironically remarked : Why don’t you ask your Master whom you serve?

Mardana went back to the Guru in a miserable state and said “Oh lord ! I prefer death to thirst but will not approach Wali the egoist.”

The Guru replied ” Oh Bhai Mardana ! Repeat the Name of God, the Almighty; and drink the water to your heart’s content.”

The Guru put aside a big rock lying nearby and a pure fountain of water sprang up and began to flow endlessly. Bhai Mardana quenched his thirst and felt grateful to the Guru.

On the other hand, the fountain of Wali Qandhari dried up. On witnessing this, the Wali in his rage threw a part of a mountain towards the Guru from the top of the hill. The Guru stopped the hurled rock with his hand leaving his hand print in the rock.

Observing that miracle, Wali became the Guru’s devotee.

This holy and revered place is now known as Panja Sahib

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By Hamza Khan

AK-47 (Automatic Kalashnikov). As this name comes in mind one think of a gun that has been killing people in the battlefield for the last 60 years ranging from the rain forests of the Vietnam till the scorching heat of the Africa. This gun comes with a mandate as the most favorable assault rifle used around the world for its simplicity, reliability and durability and chosen by many regular armies as  well as by the insurgents and guerillas as the weapon of choice. This rifle was made by Russian tank commander Mikhail Kalashnikov in world war II when he was recovering from his wounds in the hospital. There he came with the idea of making an automatic assault rifle that would help Russian forces in futures wars hence he came up with the idea of Kalashnikov. Mikhail Kalashnikov actually got his inspiration from the German Assault rifle called MP 43 Sturmgewehr. Soon after its invention and use, it came out to be one of the most durable assault rifle of all time. This rifle has six decades of use, history that shows us that this gun can works in adverse type of war abuse situation. Whether u bury it in sand, drown it in water, shake it in mud or may be drive a jeep over it, this gun is going to work and it is going to keep you alive in the battlefield no matter what.

Technical DescriptionKalashnikov works on a simple mechanism of gas action. It is a gas operated assault rifle with rotating bolt. It consist of a gas piston which is located above the barrel. When the bullet is fired, small amount of hot powder gases are transferred from the barrel towards the gas piston which moves back and also pushes the bolt backward and as a result the empty case is ejected and new one is loaded. The barrel of the AK47 is chromium plated to ensure that it continues firing even when the barrel is red hot. The receiver of the AK47 is made from stamped steel. Earlier AK47 reciever were made from machined steel receiver which at first increased its weight and its cost up high. So later on stamped steel receiver were made which is now found in AKM. Due to simplicity and durability of this design, Kalashnikov spread around the world like wild fire. Cleaning of AK47 is also simple. It takes four steps to open the ak47. 1) Remove the top cover. 2) Remove the return spring. 3) Remove the gas piston which also carries the bolt. 4) Remove gas tube. A military expert was once quoted saying that he could teach a man to field strip and reassemble AK 47 in about 3 hours. Its so simple that it is impossible for someone to make it not fire!! CartridgeThe AK47 uses 7.62×39mm M43 Cartridge. This cartrdige generates energy of 1991. It has the muzzle velocity of 600 meters per second (mps). Its effective range is 350 meters. This cartridge is deadly lethal at close ranges because of it muzzle energy. This bullet can straightly go through a cement block or trunk of a tree. VariantsDue to its large success, the Kalashnikov was adopted by many nations and it was licensed produced there in those countries. As a result of which many countries came out with there own AK’s design but the basic idea and working principle remained the same. Romania, Bulgaria, China, Egypt, Poland, Hungary and East Germany, these were the countries where the AKs were and are still licensed produced. Weapon of the Freedom FightersAK47 for so long has always been in the mainstream news because it has been the weapon of choice of rebels, guerrillas and insurgents around the globe. It has been labeled as the freedom fighter’s weapon because whenever there has been a conflict or a resistance movement, AK47 remained on top pf them all. AK47 has been popular among the masses because it played an important role in the freedom movement of many nations. It is present on the flag of Mozambique because it was so central in there revolution.DisadvantagesThe main disadvantage that has plagued AK-47 since all these years was its range. The total effective range with which a person can be effectively hit is 350 meters at most. Beyond this range it would be difficult to hit a person due to the short range of the bullet. But still this hasn’t reduced the effectiveness of AK47 through all these years. If this problem was ever too serious it would have never been famous throughout this time. 

Specification Country of origin: USSR/ Soviet Union 

Calibre: 7.62×39mm

 Length: 880mm (34.65inches) Weight: 4.3kg Barrel: 415mm (16.34inches) 4 grooves rh Rate of fire: 600 rpm (rounds per minute)

 Muzzle Velocity: 600 meters per second

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The recent appointment of the two PPP backed officers to the top position has led to unprecedented opposition from MQM. Even they went out of the power sharing talks with the PPP led government and instead opted to sit in opposition. This is an extreme step  keeping in mind that the only reason they gave was the appointment of Shoaib Suddle and Tariq Lodhi. Now we all know that these two were the officers, who helped Gen. Naseerullah Babar in cleaning the Karachi out of the menace of MQM in 1995.

After the removal of Benazir government, the MQM again resumed its activities and their activities have reached to new heights in the past one decade. They are mostly involved in the street crimes and collect ransom from all businesses and individuals in Karachi and these illegal activities are their main source of finances and to spread the terror.

Now that their life line is threatened again by the presence of Shoaib Suddle and Tariq Lodhi, they took the extreme steps of backing out of the negotiations and instead opted to sit in opposition. I think if Zardari help the people in getting rid of these criminals in Karachi, history will remember him in golden words, the way Gen. Naseer Ullah Babar is still remembered as the Hero of Karachi.

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In an interesting development, Google has put refugee camps on its famous Google Earth software. This will help both public and humanitarian organizations to monitor the millions of people living in these refugee camps around the world. I hope we can also do something about them instead of only watching them from satellites while sitting in our cozy rooms on a soft chairs.

Times Online:Google has unveiled a new feature for its popular mapping program that shines a spotlight on the movement of refugees around the world.

Users can now download Google Earth software to see satellite images of refugee hot spots such as Darfur, Iraq and Colombia.

The maps are designed to help humanitarian operations as well as to inform the public about the millions who have fled their homes because of political violence, according to the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, which worked with Google on the project.

“All of the things that we do for refugees in the refugee camps around the world will become more visible,” Craig Johnstone, the UN Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees, said at the launch of the project in Geneva.

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In anger and out of frustration, people start speaking the truth and that goes for Mr. Bush, one of the most hated person in the world, as per the surveys. Today, in his speech he talked different. For the past few years we heard him saying that American is out there to defend the people of Iraq and Afghanistan and it was the interest of the Iraqi and Afghan people, that America is worried about, but today he spoke the reality.  In his speech, he said that “Iran and Al Qaeda are the two greatest threats to the America”. He further said that “Iran is a threat to American interests in the Middle East region and to the American troops and he will do whatever possible to defend them”.

Now at least i am glad he is sounding patriot and telling us the truth for the first time in all these years. He was very specific in saying that he is concerned about American interests and American troops and not about Iraqi or Afghans because that was what he used to previously tell us.

TIMES Report:

President Bush warned Iran today that if it did not stop arming and training Shia militia in Iraq then “America will act to protect our interests and our troops”.

Mr Bush, during a speech in which he ordered an indefinite halt in US troop withdrawals from Iraq this summer, called Iran one of the two “greatest threats to America in this century” - together with al-Qaeda.

The President spoke two hours after Ryan Crocker, the US ambassador to Iraq, said the US was ready for talks with Iran. “We are prepared to do that,” he said. “If the Iranians are ready to sit we are going to point our what they are doing to undermine Iraqi security.”

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