I received the following Links:
1.
2.
A Pakistani kid getting PhD in an Year.
My thoughts:
The achievements sound so nice, Masha Allah.
But my initial thoughts after going through details were : does he really do anything else apart from parhayi? Is it a way to normal healthy life?
And after seeing his web page that he refers to as “my web” I was thinking why don’t he just create a blog where he can ACTUALLY share tips and informative stuff with others too? If I wouldn’t have clicked his personal page may be my positive aura would have remain intact.
Nevertheless thanks for sharing the academic success story with us all.
Apologies for getting a bit cynic =)
ps: well who creates a page on bravehost these days?
December 30, 2008
Courtesy: You know who – XKCD
December 18, 2008
from Dawn.
By Misbah Saadat
The day our twins were born, my husband took out a life insurance policy through his work and pestered me to do the same in case we suffered some misfortune and left the other high and dry to raise two kids alone.
My husband happens to be one of those individuals who like to prepare for every eventuality. The sort who was eating organic food way before it became in vogue, who started his retirement plan at age 25 and the only one I know who was thoroughly prepared for 9/11.
Gas masks, water, Gatorade, even freeze-dried food… all waiting to be used and consumed, if and when required. Post 9/11, when everyone around us in Washington was whining about “why do they hate us so?” my husband was whining, “Considering our policies, what took them so long?”
Therefore true to his nature, the day our twins were born, my husband took out a life insurance policy through his work and pestered me to do the same in case we suffered some misfortune and left the other high and dry to raise two kids alone. Now the life insurances provided by the federal or private agencies in the US are not like the ones provided here in Pakistan. To me, they are a commercial racket because basically you pay a premium each month never to be seen again unless the insured party unwittingly meets his/her maker. So one can pay thousands of dollars over a long period of time and unlike here, never see it again unless in case of death. Because of this, the girls were 4 before I agreed to get a life insurance policy for one year. Thrilled that I had finally seen reason, Adam, my husband, called up State Farm Insurance, one of leading US insurance companies, which also happened to be the one we had for our car insurance. We were called in for an interview by one of their agents — let’s call him Mr Ricardo. Things went smoothly. After discussing our reason for applying, I was told to fill out some forms asking me about our social habits like smoking, drugs, etc. One of the questions on the form — and the only one that I checked — asked if I was intending to travel anywhere in the next six months, and if so the destination. Now it just so happened that I was about to leave for Pakistan in two months. Therefore I happily checked the box and wrote PAKISTAN.
Mr Ricardo, beaming at making such easy money for his company, wished us well and told me that I should have my insurance as soon as the medical report came back. All was set to the point that we even gave him the first three months’ cheque. I was supposed to come back in four days to sign my name on the policy.
Imagine my surprise when three days later a very embarrassed Mr Ricardo called me up. He was stammering because he had to tell me that my application was rejected. Instantly I thought the worst that somehow they found something in my medical exam. He was quick to reassure me, “Oh no, Ms Saadat, you are healthy as a horse. We would have loved to give you life insurance based on your medical. I envy you your blood pressure and cholesterol.”
“Right,” I said, “What is the problem?” To which he told me that insurance companies were not prone to giving out charities. They had a whole risk-analysis department that looked at each application and decided how much it would cost or benefit the company to accept an application.
In my case I had said I was going to be visiting Pakistan within the next six months. According to the team assigned to my application, the figures provided to them by the US State Department were such that they believed the statistical probability of my coming back alive from Pakistan was so low that in all conscience State Farm could not honour my application. It would be like throwing money away. If did happen to come back alive, he said rather doubtfully, I should apply again with the assurance that I would not be travelling there again for the next 2 or 3 years at least in which case I would be awarded the policy.
Flummoxed, I asked how State Farm Insurance was calculating the probability. As in what’s the sample space and what’s the total number? Was it the death of the people each day divided by the whole population? Was it death each day in a particular city divided by the number of visitors? Mr Ricardo at this point got very flustered and said he didn’t know; it’s not his department. He was just the messenger. He then said in a rather terse manner, “Look, Ms Saadat, I like you. And so I feel it is my duty to say this. This whole idea was your husband’s who was also going to be the policy’s sole beneficiary. Are you sure he is not forcing you to go there?” I started laughing before saying, “No, Mr Ricardo. I just happen to call it my home. Just refund my cheque. Thanks.”
December 10, 2008
Business Week: Blogs WILL Change Your Business
Read More on Business Week.
December 6, 2008
Strange that none of the media (TV or Print) have picked this up at all. Or have they been deliberately ignoring it?
Have a look at the above picture of one of the terrorists. [Another angle]
Notice the orange thread / band on his right hand.
Tying a red thread or cord around the wrist is a Hindu practice and it is unlikely a Muslim, especially one politicized enough to carry out an attack such as this, would observe it. I think this provides more evidence that this was a false flag operation or at least an attack by a non-Muslim group. For more information about the significance of the red thread see wikipedia and this blog post. [Thanks to Uruk]
Additionally, the terrorists inside the Nariman House Building were reported to have stocked up on supplies on Wednesday evening, buying not just food items but liquor, among other things, from a local store [Source]. Again, it is highly unlikely that a Muslim, let alone a ‘Mujahid’, and especially one politicized enough to carry out such an attack, would consume liquor in normal life, let alone hours before his inevitable ‘martyrdom’.
Don’t let them ignore it. Circulate this to as many people as you can as we strongly believe it wouldn’t have been ignored if the terrorists were carrying a copy of the Qur’an, or a taveez.
(more…)
December 5, 2008
