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Weapons of mass depression FOOD, health and education are things that not only the ordinary man, but also a person earning a little more than the ordinary man find increasingly hard to afford. Last year’s constant chant of macroeconomic wonders, where rising income levels coupled with a low inflation rate, was supposed to make people more...		The price of living IT would be difficult to dispute that Pakistan is the only country where consumers have no right when it comes to the issue of a price hike. Producers, wholesalers and retailers enjoy complete liberty to change the market sentiments...
The one who killed his son MORE than two decades ago a semi-literate shopkeeper took his 10-year-old son to the Manghopir hills, put a butcher’s knife to his throat, and slaughtered him....		Self-destructive medication IT was my sister’s limp that caught my attention. A brotherly probe into the matter revealed that she had a wart on her heel. My father was quick to ask if...
Nurturing relationships IT was spring of 1996. I had just finished my studies and was desperately looking for a job. Not just any job, but a job of my dreams, a job where...		Tsunami explained FOLLOWING the recent destruction in various parts of Asia, by the series of tsunamis, there has been talk and wonder over the fact that Pakistan and Karachi specifically escaped the terrible ordeal. But what many fail to realize is that Karachi’s unique location puts the city out of harms way....
Chess mates! ONE of the most captivating of all board games, chess is something for which you surely need brains to be a champion. If one really gets the hang of it, the...		The kite and basant THE sky is not visible, people are dressed in their yellow best and families converge on their roof tops for countless hours of fun and laughter. This is basant, the coming...
Visiting Mao’s hometown CHINA has fascinated me since my first visit to the country, in 1969, during the Cultural Revolution period. Luckily, the country has invitingly called me many times and I have responded to the call, to explore its countless wonders and splendours....		New era of vaccines DURING the 20th century, vaccines for bacterial toxins and many common acute viral infections were developed and made widely available. There are currently 30 vaccines that are mainly given prophylactically to prevent or minimize diseases by agents infectious to human....
Emperor’s final resting place THREE miles north-west of Lahore, is Shahdara. Not much of a place to visit, except for the fact that it is the final resting place of the Mughal Emperor Jahangir. Recently,...		Askari: some memories THIS is not about M.H. Askari the writer and columnist who died in Karachi late last month following a brief illness. It is really about Askari the man, the times in which he lived and some of the friends who filled his life....
Reading Manto anew THERE are writers, who after acquiring popularity in their lifetime, are forgotten as soon as they pass away. They may have their place in literary history, but their names are erased...		The famous Prince ALL of William Shakespeare’s historical dramas deal with the struggle for power. The world of stage in the bard’s historical plays closely resembles the art scene of 16th century Europe...
Hot Seat SOME are born with a silver spoon in their mouth; but as far as Ahmed Jahanzeb is concerned, it very much seems that he was born with art in his soul....		Costly sports initiative THE Higher Education Commission (HEC), which replaced the University Grants Commission (UGC) over two years ago, is very enthusiastically and keenly promoting sports. To this end, last year it organized the first Pakistan Universities...
Karachi’s own Olympic stadium INFRA-structure plays a vital role in sports. It provides an opportunity to athletes to better their stamina and skills to a higher level that enable them to compete in the international...		Best of luck, Pakistan AS the VB Triangular series draws to a close, the Pakistani team appears to have regained some of its lost confidence. The victory against Australia and two against West Indies have...
The phantoms of the opera THEY are honourable people, you know. And to boot, blue-blooded. But leaning against the political railings of a life lived in privilege, high office and rah-rah, they won’t let go and sag away into the sunset of oblivion....		Still waters THE Eid season in Islamabad is usually a boring one, especially during Eidul Azha many citizens tend to stay home and watch movies after qurbani. But bureaucrats do not get bored...
Taken for a ride WITH reference to the article Taken for a ride (January 16), I would like to point out that the writer was out of context in at least two places. Once when...		Newsmaker SOME people and their legacy just never die. And Bob Marley is one such legendary person who is still living in the hearts of his fans. And in celebration of his music, month long festivities have kicked off in Ethiopia that will mark the Jamaican reggae superstar’s 60th birthday on February 6....