Daddy’s Poem October 24, 2008
Posted by Meher Nigar in Parenting.add a comment
Source: E-Mail
Today was Daddy’s Day at school, and she couldn’t wait to go.
But her mummy tried to tell her, that she probably should stay home.
Why the kids might not understand, if she went to school alone.
But she was not afraid; she knew just what to say.
What to tell her classmates, of why he wasn’t there today.
But still her mother worried, for her to face this day alone.
And that was why once again, she tried to keep her daughter home.
But the little girl went to school, eager to tell them all
About a dad she never sees, a dad who never calls.
There were daddies along the back wall, for everyone to meet.
Children squirming impatiently, anxious in their seats
One by one the teacher called, a student from the class.
To introduce their daddy, as seconds slowly passed.
At last the teacher called her name, every child turned to stare.
Each of them was searching, a man who wasn’t there.
‘Where’s her daddy at?’, he heard a boy call out.
‘She probably doesn’t have one,’, another student dared to shout.
And from somewhere near the back, she heard a daddy say,
‘Looks like another deadbeat dad, too busy to waste his day.’
The words did not offend her, as she smiled up at her Mum.
And looked back at her teacher, who told her to go on.
And with hands behind her back, slowly she began to speak.
And out from the mouth of a child, came words incredibly unique.
‘My Daddy couldn’t be here, because he lives so far away.
But I know he wishes he could be, since this is such a special day.
And though you cannot meet him,I wanted you to know.
All about my daddy, and how much he loves me so.
He loved to tell me stories, he taught me to ride my bike.
He surprised me with pink roses, and taught me to fly a kite.
We used to share fudge sundaes, and ice cream in a cone
And though you cannot see him, I’m not standing here alone.
‘Cause my daddy’s always with me, even though we are apart
I know because he told me, he’ll forever be in my heart’
With that, her little hand reached up, and lay across her chest.
Feeling her own heartbeat, beneath her favourite dress.
And from somewhere in the crowd of dads, her mother stood in tears.
Proudly watching her daughter, who was wise beyond her years.
For she stood up for the love, of a man not in her life.
Doing what was best for her, doing what was right.
And when she dropped her hand back down, staring straight into the crowd.
She finished with a voice so soft, but its message clear and loud.
’I love my daddy very much, he’s my shining star.
And if he could, he’d be here, but heaven’s just too far.
You see he is a soldier, And died just this past year
When a roadside bomb hit his convoy, and taught brave men to fear.
But sometimes when I close my eyes, it’s like he never went away.’
And then she closed her eyes, and saw him there that day.
And to her motherʼs amazement, she witnessed with surprise.
A room full of daddies and children, all starting to close their eyes.
Who knows what they saw before them, who knows what they felt inside.
Perhaps for merely a second, they saw him at her side.
‘I know you’re with me Daddy,’ to the silence she called out.
And what happened next made believers, of those once filled with doubt.
Not one in that room could explain it, for each of their eyes had been closed.
But there on the desk beside her, was a fragrant long-stemmed pink rose.
And a child was blessed, if only for a moment, by the love of her shining star.
And given the gift of believing, that heaven is never too far.
International Baccalaureate IB Vs O/A Levels August 12, 2008
Posted by Meher Nigar in Parenting.add a comment
What is the IB program?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Baccalaureate
http://durham21.co.uk/archive.asp?ID=1133
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IB is broader (Generalists) and A Levels is into specializations (Specialists)
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My research so far says that IB is a more widely accepted degree internationally for university admissions
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You are required to do community service in IB
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In IB, you have to focus on languages
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In IB, you have to mandatorily choose subjects from diverse pools of subjects. Cannot choose specializations in one particular area like all sciences
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In IB, you have to write an essay to pass the two year degree
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Beaconhouse is the only chain in Pakistan whose different branches are offering both IB & O/A Levels
The Debates
Teachers told not to promote A Levels
Universities shun A-levels for own admissions tests
King Edward’s School planning to scrap A-levels
Baccalaureate will lower sixth-form standards
IB in Pakistan
http://olevelsguide.com/Articles/IB%20vs%20A%20levels%20-%20Articles.htm
In Lahore, the following schools are planning the IB program
- International School of Choueifat http://www.isbi.com/istd-viewschool/4172-International_School_of_Choueifat,_Lahore.html
- Beaconhouse TNS www.tns.edu.pk (Born 2007)
- Stellar School www.stellarschool.com (Born 2008 )
List of medical tests recommended for annual health checkup August 11, 2008
Posted by Meher Nigar in Medical.add a comment
Source: Well reputed General Physician in Lahore. Dr. Jawad Zaheer from Naseer Clinic.
- Eyesight
- Blood Pressure
- Hepatitis B HbSAG
- Hepatitis C Anti HCV
- Blood Complete Blood C/E
- Urine Complete Urine C/E
- Liver Functions LFTs
- Lipids Profile
- Blood Sugar Fasting BSF
- Urea BUN
- S/ Creatinine
- Uric Acid
- Serum Ca+
- Gen PO4 —
- Thyroid T3.T4.TSH
- Allergies IgE
Moses and Pharaoh Ramesses II August 8, 2008
Posted by Meher Nigar in The Signs.add a comment
Source: Email
أولاً هذه أقرب صوره التقطت لمومياء فرعون ( رمسيس الثاني ) .
This is the closest picture taken of Pharaoh
Ramesses II
وهذه حكاية فرعون مع فرنسا ….
Here’s the story of France with Pharaoh Ramesses
عندما تسلم الرئيس الفرنسي الراحل فرانسوا ميتران زمام الحكم في فرنسا
When Francisco Mitra became the president of France in 1981
عام 1981 طلبت فرنسا من مصر في نهاية الثمانينات استضافة مومياء فرعون
France requested from the Egyptian government to host the mummy of Pharaoh
لإجراء اختبارات وفحوصات أثرية … فتم نقل جثمان أشهر طاغوت عرفته الأرض
For the purpose of running laboratory and archeological examinations on the mummy of the most notorious dictator ever lived on earth
… وهناك عند سلم الطائرة اصطف الرئيس الفرنسي منحنياً هو
upon arrival, a very royal attendants were there including the French president himself and all ministers who bowed in honor for the mummy
ووزراؤه وكبار المسؤولين الفرنسيين ليستقبلوا فرعون
وعندما انتهت مراسم الإستقبال الملكي لفرعون على أرض فرنسا .. حُملت
When the ceremony ended, the mummy was carried to a specially-designed section at the Archeology Centre of France
مومياء الطاغوت بموكب لا يقل حفاوة عن استقباله وتم نقله إلى جناح خاص في مركز الآثار الفرنسي ليبدأ بعدها أكبر علماء الآثار في فرنسا وأطباء الجراحة والتشريح دراسة تلك المومياء واكتشاف أسرارها
Were it started to be tested by the greatest French archeological and anatomical scientists in order to discover more about such a great mummy
وكان رئيس الجراحين والمسؤول الأول عن دراسة هذه المومياء هو البروفيسور
The scientists were headed by Professor Maurice Bucaille
موريس بوكاي
كان المعالجون مهتمين بترميم المومياء ، بينما كان اهتمام موريس هو محاولة أن يكتشف كيف مات هذا الملك الفرعوني ،
scientists were trying to restore the mummy while Professor Maurice was mainly concerned with how did this mummy die!
وفي ساعة متأخرة من الليل ظهرت النتائج النهائية .. لقد كانت بقايا الملح العالق في جسده أكبر دليل على أنه مات غريقا ، وأن جثته استخرجت من البحر بعد غرقه فورا ، ثم اسرعوا بتحنيط جثته لينجو بدنه
the final report of the scientists was released late at night which states that the remaining salt in the mummy is an overt evidence that it was drawn in the sea, and the body was rescued very shortly where it was immediately embalmed to be saved
لكن أمراً غريباً مازال يحيره وهو كيف بقيت هذه الجثة أكثر سلامة من
غيرها رغم أنها استُخرجت من البحر !
An amazing thing was still confusing Professor Maurice is that how could this body possibly be safer than any other mummy despite being taken out of the sea up until this time
كان موريس بوكاي يعد تقريراً
نهائيا عما كان يعتقده اكتشافاً جديداً في انتشال جثة فرعون من البحر
Professor Maurice was writing his final report on what he thought would be a new discovery about saving Pharaoh’s body immediately after his death and embalming it
وتحنيطها بعد غرقه مباشرة ، حتى همس أحدهم في أذنه قائلا : لا تتعجل …. فإن المسلمين يتحدثون عن غرق هذه المومياء
And there, someone whispered to him that Muslims claim to know something about the drowning of this mummy
ولكنه استنكر بشدة هذا الخبر واستغربه ، فمثل هذا الإكتشاف لا يمكن معرفته إلا بتطور العلم الحديث وعبر أجهزة حاسوبية حديثة بالغة الدقة
yet the Professor firmly denied such thing saying that it’s impossible to discover this without the development of science and without using his high-tech and complicated laboratories and computers
، فقال له أحدهم إن قرآنهم الذي يؤمنون به يروي قصة عن غرقه وعن سلامة
جثته بعد الغرق ، فازداد ذهولا وأخذ يتساءل .. كيف هذا وهذه المومياء
لم تُكتشف إلا في عام 1898 ، أي قبل مائتي عام تقريبا ، بينما قرآنهم
موجود قبل أكثر من ألف وأربعمائة عام؟ وكيف يستقيم في العقل هذا ،
والبشرية جمعاء وليس العرب فقط لم يكونوا يعلمون شيئا عن قيام قدماء
المصريين بتحنيط جثث الفراعنة إلا قبل عقود قليلة من الزمان فقط؟
to his surprise, he was told that Muslims believe in a book called “Quran” and this Quran narrates the story of Pharaoh’s drowning and ensures the safety of his body after his death as to be a Sign to mankind. The Professor couldn’t believe his own ears and started to wonder:
How can a book existed 1400 years ago speak about the mummy that was only found 200 years ago, in 1898 ??!!
How can that be possible while the ancient Egyptian heritage was discovered only a few decades ago and no one knew about it before??!!
جلس موريس بوكاي ليلته محدقا بجثمان فرعون يفكر بإمعان عما همس به
صاحبه له من أن قرآن المسلمين يتحدث عن نجاة هذه الجثة بعد الغرق ..
بينما كتابهم المقدس يتحدث عن غرق فرعون أثناء مطاردته لسيدنا موسى
عليه السلام دون أن يتعرض لمصير جثمانه .. وأخذ يقول في نفسه : هل
The Professor sat down pondering on what he was told
about the book of Muslims while his Holy Book narrates only the drowning of Pharaoh without saying anything about his body
يُعقل أن يكون هذا المحنط أمامي هو فرعون الذي كان يطارد موسى؟ وهل
يعقل أن يعرف محمدهم هذا قبل أكثر من ألف عام؟
“Is it possible that this mummy in front of me is the one who was chasing Moses ??!!”
“Is it possible that Muhammad knew this 1400 years ago ??!!”
لم يستطع موريس أن ينام ، وطلب أن يأتوا له بالتوراة ، فأخذ يقرأ في
التوراة قوله : فرجع الماء وغطى مركبات وفرسان جميع جيش فرعون الذي
دخل وراءهم في البحر لم يبق منهم ولا واحد .. وبقي موريس بوكاي حائراً فحتى الإنجيل لم يتحدث عن نجاة هذه الجثة وبقائها سليمة
The Professor couldn’t sleep that night till they brought him the Old Testament where he read: “the sea drowned Pharaoh and his army, no one else was left alive” He was surprised that the Holy Book didn’t mention about the destiny of the body and that it will be saved
بعد أن تمت معالجة جثمان فرعون وترميمه أعادت فرنسا لمصر المومياء ،
ولكن موريس لم يهنأ له قرار ولم يهدأ له بال منذ أن هزه الخبر الذي
يتناقله المسلمون عن سلامة هذه الجثة ، فحزم أمتعته وقرر السفر لبلاد
المسلمين لمقابلة عدد من علماء التشريح المسلمين
وهناك كان أول حديث تحدثه معهم عما اكشتفه من نجاة جثة فرعون بعد
When the scientists were done with the mummy, France retuned it to Egypt, but Professor Maurice couldn’t rest for a moment since he was told that Muslims know about the safety of the body. So, he decided to travel and meet anatomy Muslim scientists and there he spoke about his discovery of the safety of the mummy after its death in the sea and so on.
الغرق … فقام أحدهم وفتح له المصحف وأخذ يقرأ له
قوله تعالى : (فاليوم ننجيك ببدنك لتكون لمن خلفك آية .. وإن كثيرا من الناس عن آياتنا لغافلون).
سورة يونس: آية 92.
لقد كان وقع الآية عليه شديدا .. ورجت له نفسه رجة جعلته يقف أمام
الحضور ويصرخ بأعلى صوته : لقد دخلت الإسلام وآمنت بهذا القرآن
رجع موريس بوكاي إلى فرنسا بغير الوجه الذى ذهب به .. وهناك مكث عشر
One of the Muslim scientist stood up and simply opened the Quran and pointed to the Professor at one verse:
“This day shall We save you in your body, that you may be a Sign to those who come after you! But verily, many among mankind are neglectful of Our Signs”
(Quran 10:92)
The Professor was struck when he read that and immediately stood in front of the crowd and said loudly: “I believe in Islam, I believe in Quran”
Then he went back to France with a different face he traveled with.
سنوات ليس لديه شغل يشغله سوى دراسة مدى تطابق الحقائق العلمية
والمكتشفة حديثا مع القرآن الكريم ، والبحث عن تناقض علمي واحد مما
يتحدث به القرآن ليخرج بعدها بنتيجة قوله تعالى : لا يأتيه الباطل من
بين يديه ولا من خلفه تنزيل من حكيم حميد
In France, he dedicated 10 years investigating the scientific discoveries and comparing them with the Quran and trying to come up with one scientific contradiction with the Quran. Finally he quoted one verse from the Quran to be his conclusion:
“No falsehood can approach it (this book) from before or behind it: it is sent down by One Full of Wisdom, Worthy of all praise”
(Quran 41:42)
كان من ثمرة هذه السنوات التي قضاها الفرنسي موريس أن خرج بتأليف كتاب
عن القرآن الكريم هز الدول الغربية قاطبة ورج علماءها رجا ، لقد كان
عنوان الكتاب : القرآن والتوراة والإنجيل والعلم .. دراسة الكتب
المقدسة في ضوء المعارف الحديثة
As a result of all years of his research, Professor Maurice wrote a book that shook all Europe, especially the scientists there
“Quran, Torah, Bible and Science:
A Study of the Holy Books in the Light of Modern Science”
من أول طبعة له نفد
All copies were sold out at a very short time
سبق وأن زرت بنفسي المتحف الفرعوني في القاهرة ودهشت حقيقة من توافد الأولوف من السياح من جميع أقطار المعمورة لمشاهدة المومياء، ولكن مع الأسف كثير منهم يجهلون حقيقة الدرس الذي من اجله حفظ الله تعالى جسد فرعون وهو إنذار كل من يكذب الله تعالى ورسله صلوات الله عليهم
I personally visited the Qairo Museum where the mummy is preserved and there you get astonished at the scenery of thousands of people from all over the world visiting the place everyday , unfortunately, many of the tourists there would think: “Woow, look at that! Amazing!! So nice to see people of all times!! Without realizing the intended lesson that Allah has kept this body a Sign to all mankind of anyone who denies Allah and His messengers.
In another chapter in the Quran:
“When Moses came to them with Our clear Signs, they said: This is nothing but sorcery faked up: never did we hear the like among our fathers of old!
Moses said: “My Lord knows best who it is that comes with guidance from Him and whose end will be best in the Hereafter: certain it is that the wrong-doers will not prosper.
“Pharaoh said: “O Chiefs! No god do I know for you but myself: therefore, O Haman! Light me a (kiln to bake bricks) out of clay, and build me a lofty palace, that I may mount up to the god of Moses: but as far as I am concerned, I think (Moses) is a lair!”
And he was arrogant and insolent in the land, beyond reason, – he and his hosts: they thought they would not have to return to Us!
So We seized his and his hosts, and We flung them into the sea: now behold what was the end of those who did wrong!
And We made them (but) leaders inviting to the Fire; and on the Day of Judgment no help shall they find.
In this world We made a curse to follow them: and on the Day of Judgment they will be among the loathed (and despised).”
(Quran 28: 36-42)
So now,
“Has not the time arrived for the Believers that their hearts in all humility should engage in the remembrance of Allah and the Truth which has been revealed to them, and that they should not become like those to whom was given Revelation aforetime, but long ages passed over them and their hearts grew hard? For many among them are rebellious transgressors.
Know you (all) that Allah gives life to the earth after its death! Already have We shown the Signs plainly to you, that you may learn wisdom.
For those who give in charity, men and women, and loan to Allah a Beatiful Loan, it shall be increased manifold (to their credits), and they shall have (besides) a liberal reward.
And those who believe in Allah and His messengers- they are the Sincere (lovers of Truth), and the Witnesses (who testify), in the eyes of their Lord: they shall have their Reward and their Light.
But those who reject Allah and deny Our Signs,- they are the companions of Hell-Fire ”
Quran 57: 16-19
Burdens of Life August 7, 2008
Posted by Meher Nigar in Developing the Self.add a comment
Source: Email
A lecturer when explaining stress management to an audience,
Raised a glass of water and asked
“How heavy is this glass of water?”
Answers called out ranged from 20g to 500g.
The lecturer replied, “The absolute weight doesn’t matter.
It depends on how long you try to hold it.
If I hold it for a minute, that’s not a problem.
If I hold it for an hour, I’ll have an ache in my right arm
If I hold it for a day, you’ll have to call an ambulance.
In each case, it’s the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.”
He continued,
“And that’s the way it is with stress management.
If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later,
As the burden becomes increasingly heavy,
We won’t be able to carry on. “
“As with the glass of water,
You have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again.
When we’re refreshed, we can carry on with the burden.”
“So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down.
Don’t carry it home!
You can pick it up tomorrow.
Whatever burdens you’re carrying now,
Let them down for a moment if you can.”
So, my friend, Put down anything that may be a burden to you right now.
Don’t pick it up again until after you’ve rested a while.
Here are some great ways of dealing with the burdens of life:
* Accept that some days you’re the pigeon,
And some days you’re the statue.
* Always keep your words soft and sweet,
Just in case you have to eat them.
* Always read stuff that will make you look good
If you die in the middle of it.
* Drive carefully. It’s not only cars that can be
Recalled by their maker.
* If you can’t be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.
* If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again,
It was probably worth it.
* It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to be kind to others.
* Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time,
Because then you won’t have a leg to stand on.
* Nobody cares if you can’t dance well.
Just get up and dance.
* Since it’s the early worm that gets eaten by the bird, sleep late.
* The second mouse gets the cheese.
* When everything’s coming your way,
You’re in the wrong lane.
* Birthdays are good for you.
The more you have, the longer you live.
* You may be only one person in the world,
But you may also be the world to one person.
* Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once.
* We could learn a lot from crayons..
Some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull.
Some have weird names, and all are different colors,
but they all have to live in the same box.
*A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.
Have an awesome day and know that someone has thought about you today…I did.
Have a super day!
Theater Play: Shah Sharabeel’s “Bombay Dreams” April 18, 2008
Posted by Meher Nigar in Entertainment.add a comment
I have always loved books, movies, restaurants, stage plays, concerts, dance performances, art exhibitions, book fairs, museums and other cultural activities like that. Its such a fascinating world of expression, creativity and learning. But, study or job woes have always kept me back from educating myself thoroughly in such matters.
Tonight, I had the opportunity of watching a stage play, “Bombay Dreams” in the Lahore AlHamra along with my sisters. The play was directed by the hard working and impressive achiever of a director, Mr. Shah Sharabeel.
I have also had the pleasure of watching his hilarious comedy, “You Only Marry Twice”, the last time his team came to Lahore. I think my sister and I laughed the loudest with irrepressible peals of laughter. I did come back thinking why people did not laugh when they came out to enjoy a comedy. I have heard good things about his other directions of “Moulin Rouge” and also “Phantom of the Opera”.
“Bombay Dreams” is a story set in the heart of Mumbai and tells the tales of the slums to the glamorous and treacherous world of Show Biz in Bollywood. A crew of 70 or so youngsters who had worked very very hard at language, body language, dancing and even singing. A kaleidoscope of color, music and eunuch jokes.
The play started off on a very strong foot but as it moved on a little, my heart sagged with the settling thought that this was just going to be more of Indian meaninglessness coming at us through cables in our homes all the time. Although, I badly needed some shallow entertainment or a good meaningless laugh to lessen the burden of daily existence, but somehow, the mere thought of all material and no substance had me detached within minutes from the stage and the audience.
The play picked up though and I came to appreciate the show thoroughly as I experienced the effort of these kids in a bombastic musical. The tall slim eunuch among the trio was very mesmerizing in his performance. The most touching scene of all for me was not when the innocent Romeo and Juliet die but when the eunuch is murdered by the Bollywood villain. The dying Khussra cries to his friend that he had never had any choices in his life. He had not chosen to be so and was glad that atleast his story was ending.
Very nice sets and very good costumes. The hero’s mother’s and the heroine’s clarity of voice on the stage was very appealing. One of the performing couples and the choreographer depicted in the play were very good dancers. I was, however, unimpressed by the hero and his husky voice and over acting in tragic scenes. Its my opinion, but I felt that the character could have been made more endearing by someone else.
All in all, the play made for very good entertaining viewing but if you are looking for answers to some serious intellectual puzzles in the cosmos, you are at the wrong play.
I don’t know why the organizers had given out more passes than seats in the theatre. The hall was packed and youngsters had to be moved to accommodate the elders which really should’nt have been so.
There was also an announcement on funding being provided by sponsors for a dedicated theater place, where youngsters will be encouraged to write, act and direct plays. Good Luck to them all.
This group is publishing information on some interesting events http://lahore.danka.com.pk/
I would love you to share any entertaining experience that can be a good idea for personal, family, kids entertainment. With hectic schedules and pressuresome routines for ourselves and our children, its critically important to have such memorable outings to keep our sanities in balance. Thanks to my father, my childhood was rich with such events from flower exhibitions to trips to the Lahore Fort.
So, if you want to share a book, movie, outing place, picnic, movie or vacation idea that you know of or enjoyed, go right ahead and let us know. Even if we cannot relive your experience first hand, we would like to see it through your eyes.
What should my blog topic / post topic be? March 10, 2008
Posted by Meher Nigar in Me Myself & I.add a comment
So, my husband discusses how entrepreneurship is really taking off on the Internet and I get really excited. Why? Because it means freedom from geographical boundaries. We could relocate anytime anywhere in the world in the interest of our children’s future and I could still work? Yippee!!! Hurray!!!
I check out the Internet and it a new world out there that I am ashamed of having missed as an IT professional for so long. A world of wikis, forums, rss feeds, on-line communities and blogs. I start out reading anything and everything. The motivation is financial and geographical freedom of course, a powerful motivator. I get involved and research research research. Read all I can and all I can absorb fast and can’t wait to get started.
I don’t sleep for nights, reading and working. I subscribe to other blogs. I set up a blog, test it and get it up and running on WordPress. I write a series of my first posts on IT workplaces that I have recently researched and feel would be of interest to fellow professionals and publish them. Then, I advertise the series and wait for bated breath for the first comments to trickle in. I enjoy everything immensely. Its heady, wonderful, fun and crazy.
I obsess about everything. Should I bare my soul or not? Should I use WordPress or BlogSpot. Should I write a blog with many categories or a niche blog? Finally, I agonize over my blog focus. Oh! and I have forgotten everything about the money (For now 
).
I already know that I yearn for my blog to be a community of Pakistani cyber women. I want to meet them and make new friends. I want to learn from them and share my thoughts, experiences, challenges and my journey.
When it becomes clear to me what my first blog will be about, its like I have come home. I relax and bask in the pleasure of my mind at peace. I want to forget about sponsors, money, search strings and the whole baggage. I just want to let the words flow. Its such a relief to know that a blog/post topic can stem from heart also as well as my mind.
This blog is not going to be a niche blog. All that can come later if it is meant to be. I want to write about things that interest me; anything and everything. I want to talk about all the ideas floating in my head. I want to capture stories that make me laugh and make me cry.
For example, I want to share with you that when the room is dark and I put my almost two year old to sleep, rocking him and kissing his soft plump cheeks again and again, its a feeling that surpasses all other experiences of life. I can feel how this feeling is making his and my life complete.
I have claimed my property in cyber space. This is my home where I can talk to myself in isolation, yet in front of the whole world. My mind can reach out and connect with other minds. This is my web log.
So, tell me. What would you write in your first blog?
Have you ever maintained a pen and paper diary in your life? What did you write and how was the experience?
Are you already a seasoned blogger? How did you decide in your first blog what to write about?
Peace First! The rest will have to come later… February 18, 2008
Posted by Meher Nigar in Emerging Trends.1 comment so far
“Sab Say Pehlay Peace” should be the slogan of the hour.
When around seven schools in Lahore got bomb threats very recently, one had to stop to think that the insanity in the world is knocking at our doors and threatening to invade the peace inside our homes. The terrifying thought of our children or anyone’s children meeting a fate similar to Ms. Benazir Bhutto’s is enough to make everyone wake up to the fact that humanity has to step back from the brink of disaster that it is itself responsible for. All our personal endeavors in all spheres of our existence become meaningless if our children become universally homeless with no planet to grow up in.
Let us take a look at what is happening round the globe.
The above graphic and related information is taken from the website titled, “The Vision of Humanity”, http://www.visionofhumanity.com/ that was launched in May 2007 to highlight the Global Peace and Sustainability issue.
The website publishes a Global Peace Index, (GPI) which ranks 121 countries by their measure of peacefulness. GPI has been developed for the first time in conjunction with:
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The Economist Intelligence Unit
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an international panel of peace experts from Peace Institutes and Think Tanks
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the Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, University of Sydney, Australia
The Global Peace Index is composed of 24 indicators, ranging from a nation’s level of military expenditure to its relations with neighbouring countries and the level of respect for human rights. The index has been tested against a range of potential “drivers” or determinants of peace—including levels of democracy and transparency, education and material well-being.
The following are the top fifteen and worst fifteen countries ranked by the Global Peace Index:-
Sadly but not surprisingly, Pakistan is ranked seventh from the bottom at the 115th position.
Top Fifteen Countries by Global Peace Index
1. Norway
2. New Zealand
3. Denmark
4. Ireland
5. Japan
6. Finland
7. Sweden
8. Canada
9. Portugal
10. Austria
11. Belgium
12. Germany
13. Czech Republic
14. Switzerland
15. Slovenia
Worst Fifteen Countries by Global Peace Index
107. Algeria
108. Myanmar
109. India
110. Uzbekistan
111. Sri Lanka
112. Angola
113. Cote d’Ivoire
114. Lebanon
115. Pakistan
116. Colombia
117. Nigeria
118. Russia
119. Israel
120. Sudan
121. Iraq
Before the earth explodes and we fall of the edges, we have to focus our energies towards converting people and influencing minds. Teaching our kids peace is a big priority but the rate at which men are fighting and destroying in the name of religion, politics, greed for power and fighting terror might render the sowing of peace process in our kids too late.
