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An iconic change THE death of Yasser Arafat is not just a loss to the Palestinian cause, but to the entire humanity, especially my generation that has been afflicted with a severe dearth of role models....		Role models galore THERE used to be a time when visionaries were held in high esteem. They were considered great role models. What they believed in was enough to make people look up to...
The president missed it DURING the third week of Ramazan, President General Pervez Musharraf invited a good number of writers, scholars and intellectuals from all over the country to break one of the fasts with him at Islamabad....		Children: a blessing or a bane? OUR society is very touchy about children. Issueless couples have to face the various and unnecessary comments of the people in their everyday life. It is a great deprivation to be...
The masi syndrome THE word masi, where Sindhis are concerned, is used in respect for an elderly aunt. This might come as a big surprise to the non-Sindhi-speaking community. But in urban society, where...		Highway robbery FOR weeks I have been noticing the erratic behaviour of the ‘factory fitted’ CNG cylinder in my car. It is not really a soothing thought to be carrying a fat piece of metal in the boot of your car containing highly inflammable material....
Walking for a healthy life WITH the kind of eating that most of us Pakistanis indulge ourselves with, it is no wonder that heart and other diseases associated with excessive eating are on the rise. Doctors...		Working for a better future FAR from the hustle and bustle of the city and living in conditions that are no less pathetic than any other underprivileged area of the country, the life of the inhabitants...
A guide to Singapore HAVING moved about a month back to Singapore, it was a nice experience settling down in a new environment. Comprising one main island and 63 small ones, the state is spread over an area totalling a little over 682 km/sq....		Hazards of steroids ANABOLIC androgenic steroids commonly known as steroids are used by many people in the hopes of increasing their muscle bulk. And though at first they are successful, it are the many...
Industrialization and pollution CENTURIES of industrialization and unrestricted use of chemicals have devastated the Earth’s environment and proved to be a real health hazard for all living things....		Perceptions of corruption A FEW days ago, two members of the National Assembly gave a statement on the floor of the house regarding the inability of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to curb corruption....
Trotskiites are here FROM Benazir Bhutto to Trotsky — that is how I will like to sum up the intellectual journey of a disillusioned poet of our times, Javaid Shaheen. He has lately discovered...		Hot Seat ACTOR par excellence, Rubina Ashraf is as fond of watching movies as she is of acting. She claims she watches all kinds of films, including Pakistani and continental cinema. She also...
Slave trade SLAVERY is the indenturing of human beings as personal property. This is a very old practice. Three millenniums ago, the Egyptians used a large work force of slaves to build the...		Can Pakistan break the jinx? CHAMPIONS Trophy, hockey’s premier tournament returns to where it all began as the world’s top teams gather for the 26th edition of the tournament....
An evening of cricket and biryani BY their very nature, cricketing encounters between India and Pakistan are always eventful. Talk of the ‘Salim Malik match’ or the magnificent ‘Imran-led victory’, both at the Eden Gardens and the...		It’s a matter of interpretation AFTER a thrilling series between Australia and India, one had to bear the agony of watching the first Test between India and South Africa. That was a bad and negative advertisement...
Meet Marie and Martini SOUNDS kind of wacky, but when days on earth seem numbered, why in heaven should mortals be celebrating life? Mirroring Schiller’s song Ode to Joy...		A step forward? WITH reference to the lead article, A step forward? (November 7), one wonders whether it is a desperate attempt on the general’s part or a public relations exercise at breaking the...
MOSAIC: Ship pollution FROM fishing skiffs to supertankers, boats and ships around the USA are belching out harmful pollutants that cloud the air. Almost none of them have pollution filters....		Newsmaker ONE of Italy’s best known filmmakers, Franco Zeffirelli has also become the first Italian citizen to receive an honorary knighthood from the UK....