The Pursuit of Happyness

Yesterday night I watched will smith latest movie “The purist of Happynes”. It was good movie depicting  the struggle of a single farther combating the harsh realities of life. But the most amazing thing about this movie is that this movie is based on a true story. In fact this movie is based on the memoirs of Self made Multi-Millionaire Chris garner and the title o his book is “The purist of Happynes”.

 

The life of Mr. Garner shows that there is no limit to human courage and effort and when God has destined someone to be great where ever he is born and in what ever conditions he does become great. Also I recommend this movie to all of u readers because it is really one inspirational story. 

To know more about Mr. Garner visit Wikipedia.

Lets Peace Prevail

In 1947 two independent nations surfaced on face of the world. India and Pakistan with largest migration of people across the border of two countries taking place. With mass murder, looting raping and pillaging this was bloody event but in the end two countries stood on world map, in a sense both reaching there objectives. Pakistan got independence from British and separate Muslim state and Indians got there own sovereign state first time in over a thousand year period.

But let’s go back not 50 but 300-400 years back and even beyond. Indian Subcontinent for best part of last one and a half millennium has been controlled by Muslim rulers with both Hindus and Muslims living in harmony and peace.

My grandfather and grand mother were also from a small village in Indian state of Punjab and what I have heard they used to be friends with there Hindu neighbours. In fact the whole history of this region from Buddha, Asoka to Mughal and British Empire has been a collection of diverse religions living together in harmony.

Muslims were right though in 1947 for asking there own Country as a minority Muslim population would have got no overall powers in a combined  Subcontinent, but the fact the history of both these nations is interlinked to each other as Muslims and Indians both have there heritage in each others countries.

But for past 50 years in both countries young generations have been taught such hatred against each other which is unprecedented. Just due to this hatred we have fought 3 wars and even now are always a stone throw away from a full scale nuclear war.

Well it’s really heartbreaking to see two nations which share the common history and culture going for each others thought in such a way. If our forefathers could live together in peace why cant we.

Now what’s wrong if a Pakistani band goes to India as ambassador of peace and says “jan jan Hindustan”. In literal terms I say “dil dil Pakistan jaan jaan Hindustan” because without Hindustan we would not be complete.

We Pakistan boast of our Mughal culture and Muslim architecture. Well guys lets have a reality check. Mughal sultans mostly had there seat of power in India also the great Mughal architecture almost more than 70% lies in India. And in fact if u go some 1000 years back most of our ancestors were Hindus so why this hatred for each other.we should be brothers and not enemies.

I think time finally has come for peace to prevail and to let go of this hatred, and if we do so we will surely become one of the most prosperous region in the world,and i really appreciate the actions taken by the media community in this regard by making peace tours and mixing among people so that we can bridge gaps between these 2 great nations.

Doomsday Clock

“The Doomsday Clock is a symbolic clock face maintained since 1947 by the Board of Directors of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists at the University of  Chicago. It uses the analogy of the human race being at a time that is “minutes to midnight” where midnight represents destruction by nuclear war. The clock has appeared on the cover of each issue of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists since its introduction.

The number of minutes before midnight, an arbitrary measure of the degree of nuclear threat, is updated periodically. The clock is currently set to five minutes to midnight, having been advanced by two minutes on January 17, 2007.”

Well Just read this article on wikipedia. A very interesting concept of a clock and for the first time in 2007 climate change was also mentioned apart from nuclear bombs ad a way of dooms day.

For Full Article & Details see WIKIPEDIA

Mystery of Napolean’s Death Said Resolved

Putting to rest a 200-year-old mystery, scientists say Napoleon Bonaparte died from an advanced case of gastric cancer and not arsenic poisoning as some had speculated. 

After being defeated by the British in 1815, the French Emperor was exiled to St. Helena–an island in the South Atlantic Ocean. Six years later, at the age of 52, Bonaparte whispered his last words, “Head of Army!”

An autopsy at the time determined that stomach cancer was the cause of his death. But some arsenic found in 1961 in the ruler’s hair sparked rumors of poisoning. Had Napoleon escaped exile, he could have changed the balance of power in Europe; therefore murder speculations didn’t seem outlandish.

However, a new study–combining current medical knowledge, autopsy reports, Bonaparte’s physician memoirs, eyewitness accounts, and family medical histories–found that gastrointestinal bleeding was the immediate cause of death.

“This analysis suggests that, even if the emperor had been released or escaped from the island, his terminal condition would have prevented him from playing a further major role in the theater of European history,” said lead study author, Robert Genta of University of Texas Southwestern. “Even today, with the availability of sophisticated surgical techniques and chemotherapies, patients with gastric cancer as advanced as Napoleon’s have a poor prognosis.”

SOURCE & DETAILS AT YAHOO & LIVE SCIENCE

Hamilton Naki : A medical Giant

 

I just got an email regarding Hamilton-Naki and I was amazed when I read it. Mail was About Himilton-Naki and his life achievements. It’s really an interesting story. here is an excerpt from the article about Mr. Naki below

“Hamilton Naki was born in South Africa in the village of Ngcangane in the Eastern Cape. At the age of 14 he quit School because the Family could afford to Educate him further. He made his way to Cape Town and started life as a gardener in The University of Cape Town Medical school. His life changed when in 1954 Robert Goetz the head of the Animal Research lab in the University hired him as a lab Technologist. He got the job when he assisted in holding down a giraffe during a dissection.He started as a cleaner of cages , then to anaesthetizing animals and then dissecting them. He later moved to assisting in surgeries and learnt and later taught liver transplants. What should have been his moment in the sun but was eclipsed by the vagaries of apartheid was the event in South Africa in December 1967 when he was chosen by Cristiaan Barnard the heart surgeon to be his principal assistant in the first heart transplant. It was Hamilton Naki who on that fateful day on December 3 1967 that performed the crucial cardiac surgery of retrieving the heart of Ms Denise Duvall in the Groote Schuur hospital and passing it to Christiaan Barnard who then transplanted the heart. The rest is history Christiaan Barnard was feted around the World and nobody new about Hamilton Naki till the 90′s.
He was listed on Hospital records as a Senior Gardener but given a Lab Technologist salary.He trained several thousand Surgeons and Physicians over the years. Just before he died in 2001 Christiaan Barnard admitted belatedly that Hamilton Naki was probably technically better than he was.
Hamilton Naki retired in 1991 and drew a gardeners pension of the equivalent of $ 275. He was only able to send one of his 5 children through high school. Hamilton Naki was awarded the National Order of Mapungubwe and a Honorary degree in Medicine from the University of Capetown.
Mr Naki recently died of heart failure at the age of 78. This was a man who for lack of a better word i would paraphrase Professor Akinkugbe the eminent Nephrologist and icon of Hypertension in Africa in his excellent obituary on Prof Adeoye Lambo had what the Yoruba’s call ”Lakaaye”. This is an attributive word for industriousness, honesty ,steadfastness,intellect among others.”

Source and Details at:

 http://www.nigeriavillagesquare1.com/Articles/orems/2005/07/hamilton-naki-medical-giant-departs.html

 http://www.afrigeneas.com/forum/index.cgi?noframes;read=49682

Gandhi and Jinnah:Which was greater?

Well this is a never ending discussion .Indians will always say Gandhi and Pakistani’s Jinnah, but these comments are not based on logic but on patriotism.

For West whenever name of any Subcontinent leader is mentioned Gandhi always surpasses Jinnah thus many Pakistani’s consider such rankings as biased or based on hatred towards Muslims. Well I for one think that both leaders were great in there own right but Gandhi was Unique from Jinnah, based on the following reasons.

• First Gandhi started his struggle many years before Jinnah, Jinnah came to scene arou8nd 1915 whereas Gandhi was there from almost start of the century.
• Secondly Jinnah fought only for Muslims (20-30%) of total population, whereas Gandhi was fighting for whole India, Hindus and Muslims and if you take Gandhi out of the equation there would have been no independence.
• Thirdly, the life style, visual appearance and actions are what make Gandhi unique. What he did had never been done before. He was a leader of everyone. Even a poor farmer could relate himself to Gandhi. His clothing ,simple life style and tactics like hunger strikes was what rallied the masses against the British, Gandhi showed that power of masses is greater than any power, Jinnah on the other hand was quiet a Gentleman, he was one who could relate himself to British culture that’s why the general popular support of Jinnah was less then Gandhi among masses(Hindu and Muslims both).

Apart from all this discussions it is needless to say that we should be proud to get 2 great leaders in a same era. Jinnah and Gandhi are the never diminishing stars in the history of subcontinent. So comparing or not we should give equal respect to both leaders as it was due to effort of both these leader that we have an independent and a free country.

Time 100 most Important people of 20th Century

The List is topped by Albert Einstein and includes people like

Mahatma Gandhi, Adolf Hitler, Nelson Mandela, Alan Turing, Tim Berner’s Lee, Edwin Hubble, Alexander Fleming, Wright Brothers, Winston Churchill, Bill Gates, Henry Ford, Walt Disney, The Beatles, Oprah Winfrey, Muhammad Ali, Mother Teresa.

For complete list and details visit

http://www.time.com/time/ time100/index_ 2000_time100. html

Now many of my friend is Pakistan argue why Jinnah is not in this list.

Well the reason for this simply put is the difference between the stature of Gandhi and Jinnah as seen by the west.

Time magazine recently did included Jinnah name in 60 most influential Asians of 20th century.

The difference between Jinnah and Mikhail Gorbachev, Reagan, Roosevelt, and POP JAUNPAUL II, Gandhi is just one.

What Jinnah did was a great achievement, achievement that only a very few people had achieved but it was struggle that benefited a small community in the overall world population, so rest of the world had no benefit of it. Like a person in Europe had no concern over it.

Now look at what these other persons I mentioned did.

· Mikhail Gorbachev was last premier of Combined Soviet Union, It was he who signed the papers giving autonomy to the soviet states and eventually it was his decisions that became the reasons for eventual collapse of the Soviet Union. After its collapse dozen of new countries were formed. Almost a whole continent was affected.

· Monumental Speech and visit by Reagan in Germany was the one that shifted the balance against the USSR and eventually led to fall of Berlin wall. So he too as US president affected millions.

· Roosevelt was perhaps the greatest of all these men as it was all his decisions that mattered in WW2 and they affected almost every soul on the planet.

· POP JAUNPAUL II also helped the European nations in their struggle for independence from USSR and had a huge influence of world political scene as a whole.

· Gandhi was not fighting for Hindus only but for all Indians including Muslims that’s what separates him from Jinnah.

So it is the scale of effectiveness that matters. That’s why whenever a world ranking is done Jinnah is not mentioned.

Apple iPhone

“iPhone combines three products — a revolutionary mobile phone, a widescreen iPod with touch controls, and a breakthrough Internet communications device with desktop-class email, web browsing, maps, and searching — into one small and lightweight handheld device. iPhone also introduces an entirely new user interface based on a large multi-touch display and pioneering new software, letting you control everything with just your fingers. So it ushers in an era of software power and sophistication never before seen in a mobile device, completely redefining what you can do on a mobile phone.”

Well what can one say, another evolutionary product from apple after there extremely successful iPod series. And price of this iPhone are also really very suitable, you get touch screen os x, phone, media player,camera in just 500$.this product promises to be even bigger hit than iPod.Well done Steve Jobs and Apple Inc.

More details about iPhone at http://www.apple.com/iphone

Back In Pakistan

I arrived back in Lahore yesterday after a memorable trip to Dubai. Last 1 week was really superb got to see many new things in last week. Dubai is really a very nice place to visit and spend holidays. You can see sea, desert or mountains also for shopping crazy people there is a frenzy of massively huge and grand Malls to spend time. Now finally now I am back in Lahore and will start normal office routine from tomorrow.

DUBAI TRIP DAY – 2 & HAPPY NEW 2007

Today was my 2^nd day here in Dubai and Last day of year 2006.Visited 2 Malls Today and wrapped up the day with spectacular fireworks at Burj-ul-Arab for New Year celebrations. I will post the videos of Fireworks latter, for now here are pictures from rest of the day, also a very very Happy New 2007 to all of u.