Windows blue by Muhammad Umer

The long awaited windows blue which is the next update of the

 windows 8 was leaked on internet. Windows blue has introduced

 some very significant changes and improvements to the already

 released windows 8 which would make this window much more

 fun and easier to operate.

The main features of the windows blue include new sizes for icon

 tiles,50:50 snap option ,improvement in the setting panel and

 features like share charm. Windows blue has introduced the 2

 new sizes for the icon tiles in addition to the previous sizes in

 windows 8. Now the users can have teeny tiny icons sized tiles

 similar to the ones that are present in the windows phone8 and the

 giant sized tiles which are almost the double of the previous

 largest tile. The users can now fine tune the color of desktop

 background with many different shades of the same color. There

 is a variety of choices between the colors and the user can select

 the color of the background and then select the shade of the same

 color.

Use of 'Technology' as solution for energy crisis.

Well everybody knows that Pakistan is passing through a critical situation due to energy crisis; this is not only portraying a negative effect on the economy of the Pakistan but it’s ruining the country’s image worldwide. So, due to energy crisis both the agriculture and industry sector are collapsing so badly. As we all know that Pakistan is a developing country and naturally it’s enrich with the fertile soil, this country could produce enough to stable the country’s economy as well as GDP growth but there should be proper policies and upgraded technology.

As we all know that Pakistan is a developing country so more work is carried out in the agriculture sector, but this primary and most important sector of the country is still affected by the energy crises, the past government did not come with any new technology to promote this sector. The most important energy technology which could help this sector is solar energy. The basic need for agriculture is a tube well for irrigation, farmers those who usually use tube well for irrigation purpose they had an electricity problem we can avoid such problems by fixing solar energy panels to tube well for the effective and efficient production.

We all know that there are large numbers of mills are located in this country for example steel mills, rice mill, sugar mills and so many other, let’s talk about sugar mills, their waste (Bagasse) is one the cheaper renewable fuel to generate electricity so each and every mill owner should fix their own plant to generate the electricity for their own sugar plant. The government of Pakistan should take another step to attract the sugary industry owners to setup co-generation Bagasse/Biomass technology based power plants. Not only sugar mills but also rice husking mill, food processing center, livestock farm or from where ever we are getting the bio-waste. Government should start inventing, importing or introducing such technology to the country and ask mill owners/ bio-waste producer to install such machinery to adopt new techniques of producing electricity.

Energy crises are increasing day by day, annually large percentage of MW is increasing but the past government has failed to meet up the expected requirement.  PPP and PML-N policies regarding electricity production were not good enough those could help us out us from such crises, so we need a serious government about solving these energy crises and that is PTI. Their policies regarding energy crises are typical but we had a hope from them that they would do something for this country. Hydel energy, installing wind turbines in Sindh and Balochistan region which would help us in producing large number of electricity, gas pipelines (between Pakistan, Iran, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and India), the most important is Thar coal project which would give definite extensive electricity with an effective cost and the China’s nuclear project. These are the main sources from where Pakistan can earn the large number of MW and such policies are PTI’s main priority.

Economy And Education Of Pakistan

Our nation has been engulfed by problems wide-ranging and far-reaching for a very long time now. We tend to talk about them. Sit together in TV shows and make meaningless conversation or gather around on political rallies and make an even greater show of unproductive efforts. The problems on the other hand have been consistently proportional with our indifference, apathy and a general sense of irresponsibility. We play the blame games as part of our everyday routines. Each one of us finds it imperative to curse the government, political leaders, bureaucracy and well in short everybody else apart from us and our families. Sometimes even our own families. What each of us however on the other hand fails to realize is that the damage is done and we are far beyond the stage of crying over spilt milk. We are blinded of any sort of perspective. Blinded of the fact that it is step up time. Time to do something more productive, more meaningful.

This country and this nation need some real change to sprout up now. The need of the hour is to start eradicating at the basics rather than stitching up on a temporary basis. A country stands tall if it has strong international relations, a well built human resource and a glorious past. Most of all however, you need a strong economy. And yes, take the bitter pill here. We don’t even have anything close to a strong economy. Pakistan needs to work desperately on its financial position if it needs to come back in the game. We are heavily dependent on aid and grants by international agencies and global giants and their strings are crippling us. This country needs to work on its ability rather than run behind something which never was our strength. I believe that our God gifted capacity in agriculture and natural resources is what we should have built on in the first place. We need to train our farmers, make the agricultural sector more automated, more modernized. There needs to be a general awareness program in order to make the farmer realize his and his lands full potential. We read each day about the importance of pesticides, fertilizers, green reforms and other general awareness programs however it’s easy for us to dismiss them. Once in the field, however, they can do wonders.

If Pakistan can build onto its agricultural potential, it is not just going to make the country self sufficient and avoid our import expense but also bring in export revenue. We have been bestowed with the unique potential to cultivate a multitude of crops. What we just need to do is make our people more aware of where their strength lies. The people in the parliaments need to help the people in the fields.

On the other hand however it’s also important that we move hand in hand with the world so that our self sufficiency persists not just in agriculture but also spreads gradually to the industrial market. It may sound too much of a cliché stating the importance of education and how it can play a crucial role in helping us find a solution to our problems but that is the foremost long term solution that we need to work on. A well educated nation will not just bring about with itself more employment and greater inflows of revenue but will also help channel resources to the right direction. It will bring about a positive attitude towards work and life in general and help the country in garnering a positive image in the global community.

Thus improvement in economy and education will help us in striking that missing balance. The two E’s will help us attain the two P’s. Peace and prosperity.   

Promoting Pakistan By Syed Morrowat Ali Shamsi

According to the trends globally, countries are promoting themselves on the social media and you all might be quiet aware of this thing as we see a lot of promos meant to enhance the image of various countries such as ‘Malaysia truly Asia’ and many more. What does this type of advertisements do? They attract tourists which in itself are a good way to generate revenue and boost the national income of the country; a lot of countries rely on tourism and earn a lot through it such as Mexico, Brazil, Thailand and lot more, secondly it also helps to enhance the image of the country.

So why not brand Pakistan? We can highlight varies tourists spots as our country is blessed with so many of them such as our country is home for various mountain peaks especially K-2 this can help us to attract climbers in Pakistan. Secondly, Annual off road rally is held at Cholistan and we can promote it, moreover our government should also try to invest into this event as the amount they invest won’t go in vain, it shall help them in the long run. Furthermore, our country is blessed for with four seasons and our country is homeland for people who belong to varies some of cultures we can highlight them globally. Hence there are a lot more reasons for tourists to visit Pakistan, summing them all up Badshashi Masjid, Shalimar Gardens, Swat, Gilgit, Tomb of Jahangir, Lake Saiful Muluk, Harrapa, Moenja-daro, Azad Jammu and Kashmir. If we go on emphasizing on each one of them it would take years to explain the unique beauty of these spots, so the point is to attract tourism.

             
If we are going to promote Pakistan on social media we also need to come up with an interesting tagline for it; in order to differentiate our country from others, I have come up with an tagline ‘Pakistan – between the wonders of God’. This type of promotion is required by our country in these sorts of conditions and we as being natives of this country should be working towards it and acknowledge what is bestowed upon us. I AM PROUD TO BE A PAKISTANI. ARE YOU?

   

Author: Syed Morrowat Ali Shamsi

Changing Lines

Changing Lines

It is said that there is a common belief among anthropologists that you must immerse yourself in an unfamiliar world in order to truly understand your own. It was many years ago while I was a still in high school that I first came across these words. For some reason, I found it not only absurd but also very conflicting that in order to understand one’s own world why must one immerse himself into someone else’s.  It was the contradiction to the most common beliefs in these words that kept me intrigued for a very long time. I was taught that if we do not stay true to our values and culture we will eventually lose our identity ending up confused about who we truly however, on this occasion for once someone is suggesting the opposite.

It was not until a few years ago that I had a chance to travel through Europe and North America for the first time and had a chance to interact with other cultures. After spending a while there I could not help myself seeing my own reflection in everything there was to see. For once it made some sense to the statement that had been stuck to my mind for long time. Everything that I was not familiar with was a reflection telling me something about myself, good or bad but there was clearly a message in everything. On the other hand, all those things that I had been taking for granted all my life became the most essential parts of my identity.

This was the unfamiliar world that anthropologists had referred to. What they actually meant by this was that when you compare your world to another is when you clearly understand how better or worse yours is than others. The Pakistani culture is no doubt diverse and rich unlike most of Europe. Everything about Pakistan is unique the history, the cuisine, music, dresses etc. One can only appreciate his own self if he sees if from someone else’s eyes.

Having said so, there are also many harsh realities that dawned upon me during this journey of self actualization. The most appalling is the existence of another culture which lies parallel to our ideal culture. Ideally our culture is based on diversity, tolerance, honesty and the celebration of individuality. However, all these characteristics are a rare commodity in today’s Pakistan. The actual culture is what is actually going on. The very principles of Islam upon which the foundation of this country was laid are now being practiced somewhere else but not in Pakistan. Our society today is confused between two extremes; those who claim to be so called liberals where as they are merely residual spin off to the western civilization and those religious one who are there simply to balance out the one extreme with another. The story of Pakistan was always meant to a beautiful one but it is told in tragic way. The problem is that we never changed in all those years. We never immersed into another world.

Pakistan is not the country that it was when I was growing up in 90s and definitely that it once was in 60s or 70s. Everything has changed now, the population, the life style, culture and media. Pakistan is no more a predominantly agricultural country. Our cities are growing faster than ever before. The only thing that has not changed is us, the people or I would rather say we never tried to change. History is evident that whenever nations accepted the realities of this changing world and adapted them without leaving their local realities, they evolved into something much greater.  

Whether the times are good or not we have to keep changing. Whenever we had good times we never tried to preserve it and when we had bad times we simply accepted it as our fate and missed the good old days. I thinks its time we ask ourselves, are we ready to immerse into another world?

written by:
Mishal Fatima

A new vision

Pakistan is facing a terrible time due to poor economy and lack of education. If these two things would get better, a lot of problems can be eradicated.

If people of Pakistan would be educated, the law and order situation can get better. People would start knowing how to abide by the laws to become a civilized nation. Education teaches you the way to live a sophisticated and cultured life. Our nation does not know how to make a queue and wait for our turn. The latest example of unethical behaviour is at the time when the Metro Bus was providing free of cost services. People start fighting for their turn; women were pulling each other’s hair and destroying the new buses as well. So this is all due to lack of education. Our public has never gone to school to get social awareness.

If they would be given proper education, it would broaden their thinking and automatically they would know the voting system of Pakistan. Half of the populations, who vote for a new government, do for the sake of fun. They don’t know the consequences of choosing a wrong party. So they need proper guidelines.

In Pakistan a lot of parents send their children to Madrasas to give them education, without knowing that, are they gaining something from this or only ruining their lives. More than half of the Madrasas are giving wrong education which is resulting in terrorism. If these parents would have acquired education in their childhood, they would have definitely monitored their children properly. Hence, the lack of education is ruining many generations.

There are a lot of hurdles in women education in Pakistan. Through educating women, Pakistan can achieve social and human development. They can improve the economy by setting up businesses, helping their husbands and so on. Not only the economy is affected but also bringing up the children is equally important. If the mother would be educated, she will teach her children, who will result in better future of the country as well as the child himself.

This is also resulting in weak economy. The literacy rate is so low that economy is not increasing with a proper rate. The people in rural areas are still busy in their farms with old methods, resulting in slow production. They are not educated with the fast world, new technologies etc.

 Due to the corrupt government people are facing a lot of problems to set up the businesses in Pakistan. The skilled and productive people are moving abroad to set up their businesses. The energy crackdowns are forcing them to move some were else.

This is all related with education. If people would be educated, they would automatically vote for deserving government, which will create good law and order situation, minimize the corruption, less terrorism etc resulting in betterment of the economy.



SAAD HASSAN KHAN
SECTION J

Pakistan Through My Eyes

Pakistan Through My Eyes

(satpara lake- Skardu Pakistan)

A lot is said about Pakistan in the international media these days. Analysts talk about how Pakistan is a  terrorist or a rogue state. They fear that with the rising extremism in Pakistan coupled with her nuclear arms the country poses a serious threat to the safety of the world. The world however I believe has forgotten that Pakistan is a nation of 20 billion people and not all of whom are terrorists. This essay does not counter the arguments presented on all the things wrong about Pakistan, but is a small effort to highlight a few good things about Pakistan.

Pakistan is a very diverse nation. There are about 100 different languages spoken in Pakistan with many different cultures throughout each of our provinces. The food the clothing the lifestyle of the people of Pakistan varies significantly throughout the country. The diversity of this nation is not only restricted to its people. Pakistan has 4 seasons making its suitable for many types of tourism, her beautiful lush green valleys in the spring, her 814 Km long coastline in the summers and her majestic ski slopes in the winter are a mecca for local tourists and there is no reason why they cannot be the same for international tourists. There are few countries in the world with so much diversity in its temperatures, but in Pakistan one can find temperatures from 50 centigrade to -50 centigrade. The natural beauty of Pakistan’s mountains, desserts and coast are second to none. Of the 14 eight thousanders i.e. peaks greater than 8000m, 5 are in Pakistan including K-2 the second highest peak in the world.

Like all nations Pakistan too has produced some exceptional individuals but the media never focuses on them. Dr. Abdul Salam the first and only Pakistani to win a Noble prize for his work in electroweak interaction which is the unified description of strong force and weak force which are 2 of the 4 fundamental interactions in nature. He was a brilliant scientist respected across the globe and was a proud Pakistani. Abdul Sattar Edhi perhaps the greatest philanthropist and humanitarian of our time to this day, the Edhi Foundation continues to grow it is the largest welfare organization in Pakistan. The Edhi Foundation has rescued over 20,000 abandoned infants. It also runs over three hundred and thirty welfare centers in rural and urban Pakistan which operate as food kitchens, rehabilitation homes, shelters for abandoned women and children and clinics for the mentally handicapped.Edhi himself is a very modest man who lives in a small two bedroom apartment in Karachi Edhi is someone that all human beings no matter what their nationality or religion can be proud of as he selflessly serves humanity. Arfa Karim a Pakistani student in 2004 became the youngest Microsoft certified professional at the age of nine. She was invited by Bill Gates himself to visit the headquarters of Microsoft. She was such an asset that when she was suffering from cardiac failure in 2012 Bill Gates personally told her doctor to take all necessary measures, this shows how much of an asset she was unfortunately she is no longer with us.

Pakistan has abundant natural resources. The province of Balochistan is very rich in minerals and fossil fuels. There are reserves of natural gas and oil. The north has proven reserves of precious gems such as rubies and emeralds. The Balochistan plateau has proven reserves of gold and copper. The world has its eyes set on Gwadar due to its deep and warm water ports which have the capacity to serve central Asia China and Russia. If we could focus more on these perhaps one day Pakistan will be an investor’s paradise instead of being a terrorist paradise.

Now with this article I do not suggest that there are no problems in Pakistan but we are trying to solve those problems and if only the world knew what Pakistan and Pakistanis are worth than perhaps everyone will do their effort to solve the problems of Pakistan. We want the people of our country to finsih the negativity about our country and after that we will create the awareness internationally. We are the nation of the fastest century, we are a nation of passion. I do not ask you to consider us as the best nation in the world, but I ask you to see us in a way we deserve. With respect and honour.

By Rafil Zulqarnain
Section J

Lahore School of Economics