How can critical thinking be useful in Pakistan?

After completing the critical thinking's course I asked myself that out of what I've learnt, how can i apply it to make a country a better place. Pakistan is one country where decisions are mostly made in a very haphazard way. People are oblivious to things that matter and make decisions without reasoning basing the decision on what they feel is right and justify this method of decision making by saying it saves time and money.
However, if decisions were taken critically with all outcomes analyzed and carefully separating what we feel from reasoning and made decisions based on this sound reasoning, there would be a higher chance of reaching the best possible outcome which would benefit the society and our nation as a whole rather than just a few individuals like it has been happening here for so many years now.

Our country badly needs critical thinking for it will be a great asset in times of need for instance, in this current flood disaster many stupid illogical decisions were made like the one where they saved the town where Benazir is buried but destroyed many others in the process destroying countless houses, crops and cattle. Had they thought this through they would’ve taken a decision which would benefit the masses instead of a just one person who by the way is already dead. Infact, come to think of it Benazir was said to be the leader who would sacrifice herself for our nation and in a way she did that only, so would she really approve of this action taken by our leaders. Also, as shown by our media, people in the flood relief camps are wasting food like anything. Now they should realize that this food is being donated so that they may survive and instead of being greedy they should be thankful of whatever they are getting.

Another case where critical thinking would have been a much better way coming up with a solution was when our prime minister Gillani decided to export wheat to Afghanistan to earn short term revenues. However, he did not think this through and as a result there was a serious shortage of wheat in our own country leading to higher prices and the poor not being able to afford wheat which is a huge part of their diet. So for a little profit he put so many people through a very hard time.

So to sum up, if people here practice critical thinking and made sound decisions that were backed by proper reasoning our country would be in a much better state with a better tomorrow for everyone and maybe just maybe we wouldn’t have been bankrupt and called corrupt, terrorists and God knows what not. We might not have been a third world country if decisions were always taken this way and who knows if we start making decisions the critical thinking way we soon might not. That is how important critical thinking is for our nation

BB's case still a mystery

Benazir Bhuttto was assasinated on 27th december 2007 in Rawalpindi-Islamabad. Soon after she was shot she was taken to the Rawalpindi general hospital where she was declared dead at 18:16 P.S.T.
Soon after this entire incident, the crime sce ne was said to be washed after collectin evidence. Her husband, current president of Pakistan- Asif Ali Zardari didn't allow for a postmortem to be conducted on her body.

It has been three years since this happened, yes the case remains a mystery. The high government officials are still playing the blame game and they never seem to get tired of it. A few questions which have been somewhat asked but never answered are as follows : Why was the crime scene washed soo early? why was she burried so quickly? why was there no post-mortem? if you have suspects then why haven't you reached the guilty yet? why is it such a mysterious case?

Seems like no one is willing to come forward and take responsibility for the investigation and everything sounds very uncivillized. But if a member of one's family is killed, how can they even sit peacefully for even a sinle day? wouldn't they spend sleepless nights in sorrow and desperation to find their murderes? or would they act like nothing ever happened and set out a plan for a world tour?

Karachi on High alert

Karachi has been on high alert since after the CID building blast on 11th Nov' 2010. Roads leading towards clifton, aswell as Shahra-e-faisal is monitered by the rangers and police. It was said on the local media that the terrorists have threatened to attack the president's house next. The president's house is only at a distance of a few miles from both, the CID building, aswell as the Shrine of Abdullah Shah Ghazi (both locations of the recent terrorist attacks).

High security can be seen almost at almost every road in Clifton. The situation seems critical and it scares the civillians as to what will happen next. Lives of the citizens of Karachi have become players to the will of the government officials and the terrorists. What have the civillians really done in all of it? yet they become the victim of the cross-fire.

Everyone wonders as to how long will this go on, will there ever be peace on a land most of us know as our homeland.

Movie Reviw : Paranormal Activity 2

I was very excieted when i first heard about "paranormal activity part 2", I'm sure almost everyone who watched "paranormal activity" was. After all, such a low budgeted flim(paranormal activity) made it to the US & UK Billbord Charts and maintained it's position for quite some time. It contained an element of reality which people could relate to. I'm sure almost everyone hears furniture cracking at night, things falling unexplainably or waking up sweaty for no reason. That is the very reason the movie was soo scary.

Baby Hunter in his nursery

Paranormal activity-2 starts off with baby Hunter being introduced to his new family by his father, who uses a handicam to record the introduction for Hunter, so that he can watch it and relive the past when he grows up. You can see a big happy family living in a pretty big house which includes a huge swimming pool, lawn, an american kitchen, master bed, baby nursery and their daughter Alli's bedroom. The family installs CCTV cameras all around the house after a possible robbery which makes the video quality of this movie alot better. Since the first movie was recorded by a bouncy, moving handicam it wasn't as fun watching it as compared to this movie. 


Nothing paranormal is seen initially, but it you pay attention to the dates it states August 2006, not if you remember paranormal activity-1 was recorded on September and October 2006. Mica was killed on 8th October 2006. The movie takes a surprising turn when Ketie ( our lady with paranormal ghost/demon attached to her from the first movie) along with her husband Mica shows up on the screen. Which ofcourse drags the intrest of the viewers. So the first and the 2nd movie are related.


This movie is definatly more scary than the first one. But ofcourse I wouldn't ruin the fun for you. You definatly haveto watch it. Baby Hunter has some family secrets attached to him, and you really need to find out what...

How to keep your skin soft and smooth in winters:

As winter is pproaching, almost everyone is sick of their skin getting dry and chapping lips. It gets really annoying to sit in a bunch of people and you badly feel like scratching your skin or it either starts to strech because of dryness.  Well, here is the perfect remedy for you to heel your chapped lips and avoid dry strechy skin.

For skin:

Bathing:

First of all, always watch the temperature of the water you decide to takea bath in. Hot water leads to drier skin. It my be really hard to take a bath in warm water instead of hot water but it help saving moisture on your skin.

Use a shower gel or a body wash instead of soap. The soap, no matter how good it makes your skin feel in the short run, it always leaves your skin dry.

Always pat dry your skin after a bath, NEVER rub dry. It not only makes your skin dry but also demages the skin.

Also use a mosturizer on your body after taking a bath. Use aa body lotion with aloevera. coco butter or goat milk. 

Home remedies for dry skin:

In a mixing bowl, make a puree by mixing peach, 1 mashed papaya and a mashed banana too. Apply this puree mixture on the dry areas of the skin. Wait for 15-20 minutes and then rinse it. This is one of the best  dry skin remedies for your face. 

Use 1 tsp of raw honey and 1 tsp of green clay powder. This has to be applied on the dry skin areas and washed off after 20 minutes in lukewarm water. Substituting green clay powder with cooked oatmeal can also help in treating dry skin in an effective way.

For lips:

Always try keeping your lips hydrated and mosturize by applying a good chapstick on them. "Labello" is one of the best lips balms which adds colour to you lips aswell as kees them moisturized.

Moisturize your lips from the inside out by drinking additional fluids in the winter.Wear sunscreen on your lips every day. Apply a drop of tea tree oil which will help hydrate the lips and won't harm you if ingested,

Review on "confessions of a housekeeper"

Just a while back I read this atricle, tittled "confessions of a housekeeper" on the yahoo home page:

http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/life/confessions-of-a-hotel-housekeeper-2404272/

I must say, it takes great courage to acctually accept your mistakes and know what you have been doing rather than acting oblivious. Cleaning other perople' mess certainly sounds disgusting, and the thought of cleaing toilets and picking stinky smelly diapers from the dustbin us very disturbing. The fact that she started off with complete dedication towards her work clearly shows that she was really willing to work hard, it's just the fact that if her pay way a little more she might have out more effort into it.

Also, if we have an easier way out of anything, why chose the hard way? before saying anyting to the poor housekeeper we should peek in our closets where we all hide dirty skeletons. How many times have we gotten away with "copy pasting" someone elses ideas and frame them as ours, simple to save time? the answer is, MANY. How many times have we slept on messy sheets only because we are too tired to fix them? the answer is , MANY; again.

Taking a short-cut is always easy and if it doesn't really harm anyone and saves you trouble, then i say why not? infact, doesn't this happen in the hotels of our country on a daily basis? and the housekeeping here is totally oblivious of what they are doing and don't feel guilty at all.

Helen Keller



Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan

 

Helen Adams Keller was born on June 27, 1880, in Tuscumbia, Alabama.
Helen Adams Keller was an American author, political activist, and lecturer. She was the first deafblind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree.


Helen Keller was not born blind and deaf; she suffered an illness described as "an acute congestion of the stomach and the brain" when she was 19 months old. The illness did not last long however it left her deaf and blind. Her teacher Anne helped her break through the isolation imposed by a near complete lack of language, allowing the girl to blossom as she learned to communicate, has become known worldwide through the dramatic depictions of the play and film The Miracle Worker.




Keller wrote a total of 12 published books and several articles.


One of her earliest pieces of writing, at age 11, was The Frost King (1891). which was later classified a plagerism.
Her spritual autobiography, "My Religion", was published in 1927 and reissued as "Light in my darkness". It advocated the teachings of Emanuel Swedenborg, a controversial mystic who gave out the interpretion of the second coming of jesus and the judgement. 
 
Keller suffered a series of strokes in 1961 and spent the last years of her life in bed. She died in her sleep on June 1, 1968 at her home, Arcan Ridge, located in Easton, Connecticut


A service was held in her honor at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. and her ashes were placed there next to her constant companions, Anne Sullivan and Polly Thompson.

No body loves me, I'm alone and a burden on this planet, I should just die!!

Why do some teenagers commit suicide?


Nobody knows for sure, since the teens who commit suicide take the answers with them. But, mostly teens commit suicide due to either mental disorders (e.g. Depression, which is often undiagnosed) Some people who end their lives or attempt suicide try to escape feelings of rejection or feel like they cannot deal with a particular situation, feelings of loss and being hurt. Others might commit suicide because of anger, shame, or guilt about something. Some people commit suicide because they are worried about disappointing friends or family members. And some feel unwanted, unloved, victimized, or like they're a burden to others.

According to the reference from a site (http://menshealth.about.com/od/teenhealth/a/teen_suicide.htm) it's been observed that suicide is the third leading cause of death in young people aged 15-25. Furthermore, it also states that more women attempt to suicide men are more likely to succeed. In fact for every 4 male suicides there is 1 female suicide.

The warning signs of a teenage suicidal case!

Teenagers that have mark changes in moods and personality, giving away personal possessions or cleaning closets or his/her own room. They may be finding ways of showing worthlessness, depression, self guilt and feeling of isolation. They may even have sleep patterns, eating habits, lack of concentration and anhedonia.

But I thought a prince was comming.....

As a child we all were told fairytale stories. All the stories had happy endings stating " the prince took the princess on his royal horse and they all lived happily-ever-after". All these stories altered my perception of reality, little did I know that fairytales are locked in the books only. There is no horse, I am no princess and there will be no prince.

Everyday when I leave bed, I wish that this day be better than the last. But to my misery, wishes don't come true either. My day starts off with constant yelling and taking orders from the bratty sisters and their mother. "Bring my pag pack,  take out my socks and find a blue hair-band" , screams the older sister, "pack my laptop and set a breakfast tray and put it on the backseat of the car", oders the other, "pick up the baby, are u deaf? he is crying, go change his diaper and give him a bath before putting new cloths on", yells their mother, "where is the important office file I had in my hand?", inquires my employer. I in this; is not aloowed to open her mouth and keep my hands and feet busy, doing the chores which they should do themselves, but no , they won't. Why? because they are rich and they have the luxury to quiet literary buy a human being to do their buisnesses while they provide her with a place to live, food to eat and cloths to wear.

I havn't gone to school, but i always wanted to acquire education. Sit behind a desk and learn new things. My mother was a poor  lady, she was a poor tailor suffering from T.B. She always told me, that one day all the misery and sorrow will just disapear and I'll marry my fairy prince. Before I could ask any questions, she was dead and I had nowhere to go and no way of surviving until this family employed me. I was really happy to be living in a big house I could only dream of, and eat good food, but not after spending 15 years of my life here, I wish I had ran away the day I came here. Seaked refuge in an orphanage and perhaps get adopted by a rich family and even if not, I could've acquired education still and had reached a point where I could support myself and live a normal life rather than being a slave.

Life through the eyes of Mimzy

I opened my eyes in this world to found myself wraped in a furry guardian angel's arms. She was soo warm and comfortable, i could forget all my fears around her. Next thing i know is that i had a buddy to play with, he wasn't the same color as me, i was black and he was fair. Later i realized by buddy was my brother. I lived on a small porch in a house along with creatures who weren't as soft and cuddly as my guardian angel or my buddy, they were a little bigger and had paws, they didn't meow like us, but ther barked. Inside the house lived them, the humans.

I wasnt really loved by anyone of them except one, a fair young man, who'd sometimes pick me up and try to feed me milk, and there was this man, one old man who didn't really smell too good, he hated me and my family. He hated us soo much that he killed my buddy, ran his car over him. I was soo depressed after that, and so was the yound man, i wanted to get out of that place. I prayed every night to God, to take me somewhere far far away; and one day, not very long from then, God finally answered my prayers.

There stood a silver iron carriage, inside it sat a beautiful young lady. She gave me a warm smile as soon as she saw me, she picked me up; I was scared; bur I didnt try to run because there was something really soothing about her presence.

She brought me to her house, and took me to her room. She made me a bed, and fed me milk, kept a litter box outside. I didn't want her out of my sight, I couldn't let her leave me. Soon I realized she wasn't leaving me and I trust her more than anything. She is my beautiful angel who has helped me grow through time. I havn't left her side since that day. She still loves me the same, as much as she loves me then. We sleep together, she plays with me, feeds me good food and pats me when I'm being a good boy.

Blasts at Abdullah shah Ghazi's shrine

Two blasts take place simultaneously on thursday, 7th october 2010 around Magrib. The blasts were pretty loud and could be heard even from a distance. Windows and glasses of the nearby buildings shattered to pieces followed by road accidents. The clifton area was under a massive chaotic state within minutes. People could be seen hurrying out of Park Towers ( a mall situated very close to the shrine , a place where many families, indiusuals go for shopping and hanging out), holding hands and praying to reach home safely. At the same time students from SZABIST were seen hurrying trying to get home and tagging along with friends to reach home safely. Students could be seen hanging on to their cellphones and answering worried calls from home.



The shrine of Abdullah Shah Ghazi is a place where hundreds of people go to. From morning till evening, the place portrays an ongoing festival. Every time Karachi comes under a threat of a sea Storm, it always passes away and locals say it is only because of Ghazi Baba that the Storm always changes it's course. There has been no blood shed on the pious ground until now where people died, several got  injured and many were left terrified

Wild Dreams

She picked up her car keys from the messy study table where lay scattered books, a photoframe which was turned over, a few pens and paperclips. She turned around to give her appartment a final glance, takes a deep breath and closes the door behind her. She reaches the parking lot and threw her duffle bag on the backseat of her car while sitting on the driver's seat.
She had no idea of to where she was going but she still ignited the engine and started driving towards the highway. She wanted to drive all the way to Mexico and spend a few days in a cheap motel there away from her life. She stopped at the last gas station of the town to buy gas, use the facilities and buy some beer. As soon as she got done with it she started driving futher. She started thinking about how happily she had picked the orange flowers and went to see her mother and how she had thrown the innocent flowers on the floor calling her a burden. Tears started rolling down her cheeks and she clutched the wheel tighter.
All of a sudden she realizes that she has missed the last cut on the highway. She checked the map to see if there was anything up ahead but the map showed that there was a dirt road up ahead which to ends and shows abandoned land. She couldnt turn around now, so she decided to go straight ahead. She was soo hurt and tired that she didn't even care where she was going anymore. After driving for atleast two hours she felt tired and her car was low on fuel. She saw heavy mist on the road and decided she couldn't drive any further like this. She parked her car on the road side and decided to close her eyes for a few minuites.
As soon as she closed her eyes she felt  a little hard to breath and the smell of musk was everywhere. She tried to open her eyes and scream but she couldn't move. The pressure on her chest was increaing and she couldn't tell what happened next. When she wakes up she finds herself on the side of the same dirt road she was on lastnight. She looks around and sees a village. She gets out of her car and walks towards it while staring at the map trying to figure out where she was.
She stops to look up all of a sudden because she feels as if she is in front of something tall, She looks up and screams. What she had seen was nothing from this human world. It was a bull faced human bodied creature, She turned around and starts runnign towards her car only to find that her car is no longer there and she is now surrounded my similar creatured commig in from all directions.
She sees a well on her right, she starts running towards it. When she reaches the well she thinks of just one thing,
"the creatures are going to kill me anyways, i should just jump in this well and commit a suicide before I die a horrible death"
She jumped...but as soon as she does she is surrounded by darkness. When she opens her eyes next, she finds herself in a while room, wearing a white dress in white sheets. She assumes she is dead and in heaven, but then the reality kicks in. She was lying on a hospital bead a a canula inserted in her left hand's vain.
A doctor tower overs her and askes her how is she feeling. She tried to ask him questions but she couldnt find her voice. The only words she manages to choke our are "Where? , how?"
The doctor tells her that she was found in her bath-tub with a slittered wrist by her boyfriend. She had tried to attempt a suicide after she had returned from her mother's.
Her brain felt heavy blood pump through it. She was lost and confused, but she keeps he mouth close because she knows no one would believe her and that people will think she has gone crazy.

Demonic Lilith



A painting of Lady Lilith



Lilith is said to be a female demon; and according to the jewish folklore became the first wife of Adam. She was from the same time as Adam and on the same earth. Lilith left Adam after she refused to become subservient to him and then would not return to the "Garden of Eden" after developing a relation with "arcangel Samael".

Lilith is still used as a source material in modern times in the context of horror and fantasy.

There isn't much about Lilith in Bible, except it is in the Book of Isaiah 34:13-15, describing the desolation of Edom, where the Hebrew word liyliyth appears in a list of eight unclean animals, some of which may have demonic associations.

Movie review: Tooth fairy

20th Century Fox studios prodution "Tooth Fairy" : comedy, Fantasy , kids and family  

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  Starring:

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    Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson
    (Derek Thompson)
    
    
    

A movie, which caters all from kids to adults and is a wonderful family movie with hillarious punch lines and a great moral was released on 22nd January 2010 world wide. This movie starts off as Rock playing ice hockey but being rusty since it's his time to retire. Rock is known as the tooth fairy sinceh he is known for breaking his opponents teeth whenever he is on the feild.


The movie takes a dramatic turn when Derek shatters the belief of a young boy, he is sentenced to obey and play his role as a tooth fairy for a week by the tooth fairy centeral of the fairy land.
The movie is flooded with comedy, so funny that you'll be holding on to your tummy by the time this movie ends.


Messages:

The movie's overwhelming messages are that dreams are important and that kids must be allowed to have fantasies and believe in magic and possibility. 

says : common sense media

How much have I wasted...

how many weekends have I wasted,
waiting for you in the mist of hatered,
but baby you were gone,
though I thought u're the one....

there was evil , in your eyes , all the time , when I thought u were mine
and i was lost in love , didnt noice the signs...
I bought thm as truth all of ur lies...

how many days have I counted,
on my calender just to get connected,
but baby I was wrong,
someone kept you busy all nights long.

they were lies , all your words,
which came from you , when I thought you were mine,
and I showered you with care , closed my eyes to the signs..

I bought them as truth all your cries...

Frere Hall

Frere Hall is one of the buildings Built in the time of the British rule. the . It was built in honour of Sir Henry Bartle Edward Frere (1815–1884), who was known for promoting economic development in Karachi. This beautiful hall was desgined by Lt. Col St. Clair Wilson  in a Venetian Gothic style with yellowish Karachi limestone and red and grey sandstones from Jungshahipreserved in 1863 and it was inauguration was done by Samuel Mansfied in 1965.

Frere Hall was used as a town hall and served as a residence for many busts, amonst which one of them was King Henry VII. Later this place turned into an art gallery and library but due to security concerns, as Frere Hall is right opposite to the US Conslate, it is now off limits for the general public.

Supernatural- Drama series

Sam and Dean

Supernatural was a tv serial deputed in september 2005 on WB, and is not a part of CW. The show features Jensen Ackles (as Dean Winchester) and Jared Pedalki (as Sam Winchester). Dean and Sam (both brothers) hunt demons and paranormal creatures and live on stolen credit cards and fake id's.

Supernatural was an instant hit, the pilot alone was viewed by 5.9 million people, and after the first four episodes WB was forced to take up supernatural as a full series (which includes 22 episodes).

Uptil now Supernatural has had 5 complete seasons with season 6 currently on. Over the years the viewers have witnessed this show grow. From following a demon who killed the brother's mother and Sam's girlfriend, Jessica, to being possessed, from letting the hell's gate open to letting lucifer out of his den, from being Micheal and Lucifer's vessel, and from establishing relations with angels and demons till sending Lucifer and Micheal in their pithole and losing souls.

This is an amazing show with it's fan following all around the globe. Rumor has it that season seven will be the final season but the fans of this show may not let it die.

Reilly the amazing !!!

Just while randomly surfing blogs i came across a weird heart touching blog.. The first line really caught my attention and so i read further. By the time I was done reading I was highly confused. Just to let everyone know what I felt I've coppied the whole blog post below and I'm sure all of you will feel the same:


Saturday, July 24, 2010



I am still here


Do you know I am now 3 years old? It was my birthday a few days ago (on the 19th) and although we didn't do anything exciting I did get lots of packets of my favorite treats. You would think on ones birthday that you would be allowed to eat as many as you want - but NOOOOOO Dad said it wouldn't be good for me.


As for the Mom, she is doing okay - not great but she is hanging in there. We are still waiting for when she can have the skin graft and it seems like every week the doctors say "next week". Sadly, she has been in a lot of pain and it hurts even for her to pat and cuddle me. That is okay though because I much prefer to cuddle with my Dad anyway.

x---------------------------------x--------------------------------x------------------------------------x

Confused no? so was I, late when i looked around I found out that Reilly is a cow's pot colored dog.






see what I mean?  Anyhow, I was already curious and eager to find out what happened to Reilly's mom, and  found out that his mom had a surgery a few weeks back because she was suffering from malnutrition. His dad turned out to be the master who is writing the blog and Reilly sounds like a playful dog.


I can so relate myself to this blog as I myself took an initiative of writing a book for my cat after he fell really ill and to be frank we thought he wont make it.


Anyhow, amazing work, making a pet blog and i hope more people will take such initiatives as it enables pet owners to share information and seek help for their pets.

Letters sent by Hazrat Ali to Malik Ashter (Governor of Eqypt) dictating how to govern a state

Hazrat Ali (RAA) advised Malik Ashtar to do everything in a proper way. He told him that whenever you promise a product, deliver on it. The questions and feedback of the people would help to decide what the consumer really want and thus follow a consumer-oriented approach rather than a selfish product-oriented approach.

With the consumer-oriented approach and feedback it will be more beneficial for the State and his reputation and goodwill will be maintained. Hazrat Ali (RAA) also advised against leasing lands permanently to anyone that would lead to monopoly of raw materials that those lands may hold and be a cause of pain for the common man. He also advised not to deceive the common man

He was advised to avoid greedy and covetous persons who would teach him to exploit the community and how to oppress people to get their wealth and also asked to control markets and imports and exports, to curb evils of profiteering, hoarding, black-marketing which would lead to sudden increase in prices.

To be fair, impartial and just in the dealings with all, individually and collectively. Hoarding should be avoided because Holy Prophet had explicitly prohibited such practices. And that trade should go on between the buyers and sellers according to correct measures and weights and on such reasonable terms that neither the consumers nor the suppliers should have to face losses.

Ali (RAA) said that the prosperity of the whole set-up depends upon the traders and industrialists. They act as a medium between the consumers and the suppliers. They collect the requirements of the society and exert to provide goods.

There may be local businessmen carrying on their trade in certain places or those who send their merchandise from one place to another, those who import and export goods, those industrialists and manufacturers as well as industrial labour or men engaged in the handicrafts; they all deserve sympathy, protection and good treatment.

Most of these traders carry and convey these goods from across deserts, seas and over open lands and mountains, their consignments are brought from distant lands, often from places which are not easy to approach and where usually people do not care or do not dare to go. These businessmen are usually peace-loving people, not given to mischievous disturbances and seditious fomentation. Ali (RAA) that Malik Ashtar must look after their interest and protect them whether they are trading in his cities or towns or whether they are travelling over the countries carrying goods from place to place.

Ali (RAA) advised to not develop the trait of over exaggeration, to do no fraud or deception and not use ambiguous meaning in between the lines when making a promise (advertisements/promotions/treaties/contracts). Not to use works in the promotion that may be possibly translated into more than one way or as may have various interpretations and many explanations, but that they should be clear, precise and to the point.

And when once a treaty has been finally concluded, not try to take advantage of any ambiguous word or phrase in it and if any such term has been made which turns out to be against the person post-signing the contract, then that term should be adhered to and not go back on the promise.
These principles are still applicable today but rarely seen! 

Marketing Myopia

Marketing myopia is a term used in marketing as well as the title of an important marketing paper written by Theodore Levitt. This paper was first published in 1960 in the Harvard Business Review; a journal of which he was an editor.

Some commentators have suggested that its publication marked the beginning of the modern marketing movement. Its theme is that the vision of most organizations is too constricted by a narrow understanding of what business they are in. It exhorted CEOs to re-examine their corporate vision; and redefine their markets in terms of wider perspectives. It was successful in its impact because it was, as with all of Levitt's work, essentially practical and pragmatic.

According to the author, Theodore Levitt, the failure of companies starts from the top – the executives. In two major examples given by the author, he emphasizes how the (major) industries suffered drastically because they failed to see what the customers actually needed; had it been the opposite, they would have avoided the impending cataclysm. Then the author compares them to companies that are more versatile and how their management, which is customer-oriented, did to keep a growth industry growing, even when the obvious opportunities had exhausted. An error of analysis occurs due to constriction of views when readers think that it is unfair to compete versatile product industry with a service industry. The author exerts that the pride ‘growth’ industries take in the fact that their product has no parable substitute and future of intention to switch when substitute does come across prove destructive. There are conditions that lead a company deluded to ride a growth escalation into descent. The belief that growth is guaranteed by the ever-increasing buying power of the consumer is mistaken and that is what leads to a decline – absence of problem lead to an absence of thinking. Lack of research according to consumers growing need rather than their buying power is what is needed. The charter of success if not measured by applying present value method of investment evaluation, employee relations and in working with developing countries, a company asks for trouble when innovation occurs from outside the industry and finally, the wishful thinking that there is no competitive substitute for the major product. Multimillion-dollar businesses have transferred to competitors due to this delusion. The industry is blinded by its constricted views on its products and zero attention to customers’ basic needs and preferences. Major industries have grown by fits and starts, always saved by innovations from outside – making the company’s product obsolete and to the company’s horror, not by their own research. To make a company successful, customer-oriented strategies need to be adhered to and mass-production is one of the enemies of success along with the already afore mentioned. Theodore states that selling focuses on needs of seller whereas marketing on the needs of buyer. Most important point for a company to consider is that the product offered for sale is determined not by the seller but by the buyer, in a way that product becomes a consequence of the marketing endeavor. The cost of a company realizing the primary worth of its customers over the secondary worth of its product is millions of dollars, as it fails to research customer wants and only researches their preferences between products it already offers. Companies, which innovate according to customers’ needs, are not focusing on creating something technologically sophisticated but satisfying a powerful customer need. Another looming danger is not the firm’s less attention towards research and development but quite vice versa, when this happens, marketing becomes an enduring act that must be carried out once the essentials of research and product creation is complete. The customers are thought to be objects who will take whatever is offered, in fact, they are unpredictable, shortsighted and stubborn who need to be taken care of. If the customer-satisfying process is made primary then the industry develops backwards: first worrying about physical delivery of customer satisfaction, then to creating products achieving customer satisfaction and then the finding of raw materials necessary for making its products. During research and development, the executive scientists fail to see the actual problem of the company – the customers – not because they deny the existence of this problem, but during the course of operation of the organization, the management has been conditioned to look in the opposite direction. No organization attains greatness without a vigorous leader and the chief executive is responsible to create such an environment – to set the company’s style, direction and goals. If a chief executive believes any road will take him to greatness, then he might as well resign because if an organization does not know that, they do not need to highlight the fact with a ceremonial figurehead… everyone will eventually know.

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Drug Trafficing in Pakistan

Afghanistan is the world’s largest producer of illegal opium, which places our country Pakistan in a very helpless position in terms of drug trafficking as well as drug abuse. Illegal drug production, distribution and abuse effect not only our social development but also our political and economical development.

Cultivation of opium in Pakistan declined during 2000. Government of Pakistan with the help of International Programs tried their best to stop opium cultivation. In 2001, however, the cultivation of opium increased due to the ban of cultivation of opium by the Taliban in Afghanistan and for the very first time in the history, opium cultivation started in the province of Balochistan. Since Afghanistan is a landlocked country, the export of opium is very difficult which is why, ports of Pakistan such as Gwadar and Pasni are used to export opium.

Even though Pakistan produces almost 1% of opium when compared to Afghanistan, Authorities feel great risk that the production of opium in Pakistan might increase unless strict measures are taken against the farmers who produce opium.

The area’s in which opium cultivation is still found in Pakistan are in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Fata (Federally Administered Tribal Area) and the reason is due to lack of security and governmental control in such areas.

Drug cultivation and refining in Afghanistan has a major impact on Pakistan.

Information regarding the drug trafficking routes is not accessible but the assumption is that these drugs are being exported to Western Europe and other destination through:

       I.      The

Western Route

via Iran

    II.      The Southern route through Pakistan

 III.      The Northern Route through the Central Asian States

Pakistan’s geographical location provides a very fine route for drug trafficking. After drugs cross the Afghanistan-Baluchistan border, they are moved further into Pakistan and also to the coastal cities for international export. Another trafficking route is from Afghanistan into the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. These drugs are mostly used within Pakistan and very small amount are smuggled into other countries.

Peppermint Tea

Did u know that pepper mint tea is one of the best stress fighting foods? Tea on the whole is one great invention, green tea, rose tea, lemon tea, peach tea etc etc but peppermint tea is best known for fighting stress.

Students (teens and tween)  go through emotional hardships of life and ofcorse even the thought of giving a paper can make them so anxious, nausous and God knows what not. Sometimes these kids indulge themselves into smoking, drinking and even drugs to overcome the stress and get rid of the high emotional weck for awhile, this is not only harmful for themselves but they tend to bring a bad name to their respective famalies, schools and societies. So why not drink something organic and hazard free?

Peppermint tea smells great and it also prevents bad breath,  the smell alone can boast one's performance level. It helps one focus better and makes one more alert and less anxious. Peppermint tea also cures nausea which often comes with anxiety. This miraclous tea also cures congestions and helps with a blocked nose. It also controls flatulence and diverticular disorders. Peppermint tea is also soothing for muscle cramps.

So, why chose unhealthy substances when you have such body friendly natural products available?

Students of SZABIST unite to help the flood victims

Students of szabist Karachi campus participated in a rally called the "Azadi Flood March" on Aug18th'2010. Students marched from 90 Clifton to 2 Talwar and formed a circle around it while they sung the national anthem, after which the students spread out in all four directions around the round-a-bout and started collecting donations for the flood victims.

Students held green banners, green donation boxes and gathered around intersections in groups where they collected donations from people passing by. Great enthusiasm was seen among not only people in cars but people travelling in buses, rikhshaws (including rikshaw drivers who donated generously) and padistrins. Ocassional cheers were also heard from the students whenever someone would donate to boast the sprit of these young enthusiastic volenteers.

At the end of the 120 minute Azadi Flood Marzh the students gathered inside the round-a-bout and marcked  to SZABIST 100 Clifton where they counted the money they had gathered. Because of the tremendous effort put in by these students they managed to collect a sum of RS. 302,250 for the flood victims.


Hats of to SZABIST student council, SZABIST Rotract club, SZABIST Sports society, SZABIST Social Sciences Society and Jaag for hosting such a campaign.

Hey Wait! not my windscreen... I just got it cleaned at the last traffic signal!

The amount of beggers keep increasing on a daily basis in Karachi. These people shamelessly tap you car windows, quiet literary bang your car, stare at you as you eat or figid your purse looking for your cellphone. Sometimes they even say mean things, and tell you false stories to get some money out of you, sometimes they annoy the crap out off you and when you give them money they still donnot go away because they want more. Sometimes they demand food and goods to beg while they use "selling goods" as an alabi. Others will simply cloud your windscreen with soapy water as soon as your car stops at a traffic signal and they sometimes donnot listen to you when you tell them not to touch your windscreen

At the bussiest road in Karachi, Shahrah-e-Faisal, right where the traffic police stands you can see a folk of beggers, an entire family which consists of a mother, two daughters, one toddler and a little boy who'd automatically come and tap your car window in a very annoying manner as soon as your car stops at the Kashif Centre traffic signal.

At another area in Karachi, the Buhadrabad Chowrangi traffic signal (the road leading towards the newly constructed bridge), Right next to the Police check post, a lady, a very healthy looking lady with a dubatta on her head; would approach your car and tell you that her daughter is a T.B. patient and she needs to buy an injectine which costs arround RS. 90 , she'd give her blessings to you and your family and shed crocodile tears to a point that you'd be forced to give her money.

So, is anoyone going to stop these beggers? or are they keep going to increase day by day? government has taken several initiatives to irradicate beggery from Karachi but somehow these people just don't stop. They use selling their good and cleaning car windscreens as their alibis but they all beg for money rather than trying to sell the good they hold in their hands. The problem is that these people are soo used to running after the easy money they can earn just by extending their hands and using puppy dog eyes. This is a save permenant job where they are the employees aswell the the employers.

Review- 10 ways to save money !

Dear readers,
                    Ok, so the title may have appeared very catchy to most of you out there just like it appeared to me when i logged on to my yahoo home page this morning. " Ways to stop wasting money"


URL: http://finance.yahoo.com/banking-budgeting/article/110199/10-expenses-you-dont-need?mod=bb-budgeting


Of course it sounds interesting, we all need more money and we need to limit our expenses so we can have more money in the long run. As a matter of fact, though people may not accept it, everyone lives for money these days.


Teens usually are the troubled people on earth who usually suffer major financial crises all the time, I mean seriously, how long do the parents think the 2,000 or the 3,000 PKR are going to last? Maybe the first 10 days or 15 of the month, but that’s it! So yeah we all need techniques to save money, and like any teenager i opened the link.


Firstly, the writer here talks about bank fees, honestly though, most of the teens don't even have bank accounts and the ones who do are supervised until the age of 18 (till they are legal to hold a CNIC), and the ones who are over 18 and have their bank accounts are quite happy to have one because it helps save a lot of money. The author here states "Don't pay money just to manage your money. You can take easy steps to avoid these fees" well true indeed, keep a check on your balance and do not let it come below the minimum balance requirement. Know where the ATMs of your bank are located, and if you don't know, refer to your flashy, trendy cellphones and for once put the GPRS to some good use.


Coming to the part where the author talks about "Basic Investing Advice", the author has advised "By all means, get an excellent estate planner or an accountant when it's time to think about taxes and bequests. But you don't need help for everything" but I suggest you get yourself a National Savings Certificate, because it is safe and generates you a good profit every 6 months.


Next the author talks about "Help Applying for Financial Aid" where he/she mentions getting student loans via FAFSA, unfortunately this doesn't apply here in our part of the country and we have to rely upon need based and merit based scholarships. A few universities will put the names of "need based scholars" on the notice boards of the university and for this very reason many students will not even apply for the need based scholarships no matter how bad do they need it.


Next the author talks about pet care, from personal experience, I'd say the only thing which can lead to a MAJOR financial crises is Cat Food/ Dog Food. My God the amount of food these creatures can eat is unbelievable. Anyhow coming back to the article, yes pet sitting is a huge business these days. Though sadly this isn't applicable in Pakistan or else at least I would have been making some good money.


I say insurance is a good thing, it provides a little security for cars and businesses but I still say you should not completely relay upon it.


Credit reports; I completely agree with the writer on how easily you can be fooled to enroll yourself into expensive credit monitoring programs, so yes, beware of that. Talking of warranties, I say they work just fine for me, and I've never been into a situation where I really need to claim warranty. Buy reliable products. I'd like to quote what my mom says" a cheap product would cry every now and then but an expensive reliable product would cry only once, and that too when it is through its life."


Free shipping doesn't really apply here and as far as water is concerned, buy water from a general store rather than paying more than double the amount of money for the same bottle at a big flashy restaurant.


Thats it for not , stay put for the next blog.


Love,
Anam