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Wizards of reforms and their spells WHENEVER a new regime mounts the throne, the first step it takes is to initiate reforms in all cardinal directions. For this vital task, it acquires the services of a plethora of reformers of varied kinds. One should not confuse such reformers with stalwarts like...		The story of science THE ancient Egyptians are known to have contributed to the development of the three implements, now known as simple machines in Physics. They are the wheel, the inclined plane and the lever. Using the machines...
Pressure cooker theory SUDDENLY new medic landed at dead of night. He was third or fourth medic to arrive in our lone town on the Isle of the Meek. It is situated in the vicinity of your prosperous country. The new medic, like his predecessors, arrived on his own. There is a significant common trait among the uninvited medics....		French consulate seeks safety at Runnymede THERE were no Bastille Day or French National Day celebrations in the city this year. Security concerns, following the blast that killed eleven French submarine engineers and technicians on May 8th,...
The glorious uncertainties PAKISTAN won the toss and a case could have been made for putting India in. There was a tinge of green on the wicket, the weather was inclement and the conditions...		All-time marital blues IT’S not the bindings that come with marriage that scare me, it’s that five (or even more) day fiesta that puts me off. I get nightmares at the thought of sitting with henna applied to my hands and feet for endless hours, people coming and going and everybody considering it their most important obligation to make sure that...
Overcoming shyness YOU don’t know how to handle strangers and make polite, small talk. You avoid places where you’ll be confronted with unknown people. The good news is that you are not alone....		The light of justice THE Supreme Court of Pakistan — to be exact, Chief Justice Sheikh Riaz Ahmed — has trekked the extra mile more than once in recent days to extend the light of...
All roads lead to Rome AS we stepped out of Rome’s Leonardo daVinci Airport, a hoard of people surrounded us. They were agents representing the various hotels of the city. Armed with albums full of photographs,...		Gojal, the backbone of Hunza THERE are many regions on the surface of this earth which play a vital role in terms of geo-strategic or geo-economic positions. These places also contribute to either the harmony or...
Predators of various kinds “LITTLE girls are not meant to die the way Samantha did,” Sheriff Mike Carona, wiping off his tears, said as he turned to the flower-decked casket of the five-year-old strangled at...		The day I died MY alarm clock buzzed at my regular waking up time of 5.30am. I couldn’t shut the alarm, so my wife got up and grumbled her way to my bedside and switched off the irritating ring. “He sets the alarm and expects....
Environmental concerns of UAE DUBAI is the hub of international business. Here, people from different social, cultural and psychological backgrounds reside and visit as tourists as well as on business trips. In such a cosmopolitan...		Post-modern short stories THE chapter of short stores in Urdu literature is almost seventy years old. And according to some critics, in the years since 1935, very little has changed. If for a brief moment those stories which have been categorized as modern or post modern are ignored, then a bold critic might claim that the vast majority...
Deities of our days IT is a widely held belief that with the advent of monotheistic religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, the ancient pagan deities of the Roman and Greek era were banished forever....		Years don’t matter, worth does STRANGE are the ways of rising to prominence in the world of art and literature. Each writer and artist claims to have a wonderful tale to tell about his creative journey,...
Churchill, the non-graduate “I WOULD quit politics forever if it were not for the possibility that I might some day become Prime Minister.” These were the words of Winston Churchill, when he had confided...		Taking on the world INDIA’S victory at Lord’s, in July this year, may have surprised many but to be brutally honest, it was an inevitability waiting to happen. I will not put it down to that gut feeling or because there was something in the air that morning; it is simply...
Will the Indians ever grow up? IT was the same story at Lord’s. India was once again thrashed on foreign soil. They were the sacrificial lambs that were led all the way to slaughter by the Englishmen....		Paper strengths do not matter AT the time of writing, Pakistan has won its three initial encounters at the Commonwealth Games, and is all set to play the semi-final after heading its wn group. True, everyone...
Hoping for peace THE fluid environment on our border with India is a matter of concern for every Pakistani, and it should be equally so for the people on the other side of the dividing line. Though the relationship between the two countries has always...		Billing blunders SOMETHING needs to be done about the PTCL. I am a disgruntled telephone user who has just about had it with the high-handedness of the entire staff of the organization —...
Graduate glory A COLLEAGUE asked me if I am a graduate. Sensing what he was hinting at, I emphatically replied: “No.” “But,” he said, “Your record shows that you are a double graduate.”...		Doctors who shouldn’t be I AM seriously disappointed by the writer’s thoughts in the article Doctors who shouldn’t be (issue of July 14, 2002). The writer is a male chauvinist!...
MOSAIC: Secret gardens are unlocked THE gates of more than 70 of London’s most beautiful private garden squares were be unlocked for one day only — Sunday, June 9, — as part of the fifth annual...		Newsmaker ALMOST every inventor in history has taken pride in his invention. It ensures a place in the annals of history. However, the same cannot be said of Mikhail Kalashnikov, who has mixed feelings about his invention. He is both happy...