So What is a Blog???

Confused yet? Don't be - its really quite simple. To put it as simply as possible - a blog is a type of website that is usually arranged in chronological order from the most recent ‘post' (or entry) at the top of the main page to the older entries towards the bottom.

Have a look at the main page of my blog at here for an example. for a different example you might like to look at this one (another of mine).

Ok - now you are a seasoned blog reader - you've seen two already at least.

Blogs are usually (but not always) written by one person and are updated pretty regularly. Blogs are often (but not always) written on a particular topic - there are blogs on virtually any topic you can think of. From photography, to spirituality, to recipes, to personal diaries to hobbies - blogging has as many applications and varieties as you can imagine. Whole blog communities have sprung up around some of these topics putting people into contact with each other in relationships where they can learn, share ideas, make friends with and even do business with people with similar interests from around the world.

Blogs usually have a few features that are useful to know about if you want to get the most out of them as a reader. Lets examine a couple briefly.

For many centuries, Christian writers accepted that Christmas was the actual date on which Jesus was born.[10] In the early eighteenth century, scholars began proposing alternative explanations. Isaac Newton argued that the date of Christmas was selected to correspond with the winter solstice,[11] which in ancient times was marked on December 25.[12] In 1743, German Protestant Paul Ernst Jablonski argued Christmas was placed on December 25 to correspond with the Roman solar holiday Dies Natalis Solis Invicti and was therefore a \"paganization\" that debased the true church.[13] In 1889, Louis Duchesne suggested that the date of Christmas was calculated as nine months after March 25, the traditional date of the conception of Jesus.[14] On the Roman calendar, March 25 was the date of the spring equinox.[15] In modern times, it is celebrated as Annunciation.[16]

Non-Christian celebration

Main article: List of winter festivals

Mosaic of Jesus as Christo Sole (Christ the Sun) in Mausoleum M in the pre-fourth-century necropolis under St Peter\'s Basilica in Rome.[17] Christians consider Jesus to be the \"sun of righteousness\" prophesied in Malachi 4:2.

A winter festival was the most popular festival of the year in many cultures. Reasons included the fact that less agricultural work needs to be done during the winter, as well as people expecting longer days and shorter nights after the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere.[18] Modern Christmas with pagan customs include: gift-giving and merrymaking from Roman Saturnalia; greenery, lights, and charity from the Roman New Year; and Yule logs and various foods from Teutonic feasts.[19] Pagan Scandinavia celebrated a winter festival called Yule, held in the late December to early January period. As Northern Europe was the last part to Christianize, its pagan traditions had a major influence on Christmas. Scandinavians still call Christmas Jul. In English, the word Yule is synonymous with Christmas,[20] a usage first recorded in 900.

Dies Natalis Solis Invicti

Dies Natalis Solis Invicti means \"the birthday of the unconquered Sun.\" The use of the title Sol Invictus allowed several solar deities to be worshipped collectively, including Elah-Gabal, a Syrian sun god; Sol, the god of Emperor Aurelian; and Mithras, a soldiers\' god of Persian origin.[21] Emperor Elagabalus (218-222) introduced the festival, and it reached the height of its popularity under Aurelian, who promoted it as an empire-wide holiday.[22] This day had held no significance in the Roman festive calendar until it was introduced in the third century.[23]

The festival was placed on the date of the solstice because this was on this day that the Sun reversed its southward retreat and proved itself to be \"unconquered.\" Several early Christian writers connected the rebirth of the sun to the birth of Jesus.[5] \"O, how wonderfully acted Providence that on that day on which that Sun was born...Christ should be born\", Cyprian wrote.[5] John Chrysostom also commented on the connection: \"They call it the \'Birthday of the Unconquered\'. Who indeed is so unconquered as Our Lord . . .?\"[5]

Patristic Developments

The New Testament does not give a date for the birth of Jesus.[24] \"There is no month in the year to which respectable authorities have not assigned Christ\'s birth,\" according to the Catholic Encyclopedia.[5] Around AD 200, Clement of Alexandria wrote that a group in Egypt celebrated the nativity on Pachon 25.[5] This corresponds to January 6, now Epiphany.[25] Tertullian (d. 220) does not mention Christmas as a major feast day in the Church of Roman Africa.[5] In Chronographai, a reference work published in 221, Sextus Julius Africanus suggests that Jesus was conceived on the spring equinox, which implies birth in late December.[26]
Origen, a father of the Christian church, argued against the celebration birthdays.[27]

De Pascha Computus, a calendar of feasts produced in 243, gives March 28 as the date of the nativity.[28] In 245, the theologian Origen of Alexandria stated that, \"only sinners (like Pharaoh and Herod)\" celebrated their birthdays.[27] In 303, Christian writer Arnobius ridiculed the idea of celebrating the birthdays of gods, which suggests that Christmas was not yet a feast at this time.[5]
Feast established

The earliest reference to the celebration of the nativity on December 25 is found in the Chronography of 354, an illuminated manuscript compiled in Rome in 354.[5][29] In the East, early Christians celebrated the birth of Christ as part of Epiphany (January 6), although this festival focused on the baptism of Jesus.[30]

Christmas was promoted in the Christian East as part of the revival of Catholicism following the death of the pro-Arian Emperor Valens at the Battle of Adrianople in 378. The feast was introduced to Constantinople in 379, and to Antioch in about 380. The feast disappeared after Gregory of Nazianzus resigned as bishop in 381, although it was reintroduced by John Chrysostom in about 400.[5]

The Twelve Days of Christmas end on January 5. December 26 is St. Stephen\'s Day and January 6 is Feast of Epiphany This period encompasses the major feasts surrounding the birth of Christ. In the Latin Rite, one week after Christmas Day, January 1, has traditionally been the celebration the Feast of the Naming and Circumcision of Christ, but since Vatican II, this feast has been celebrated as the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God.

Middle Ages

In the Early Middle Ages, Christmas Day was overshadowed by Epiphany, which in the west focused on the visit of the magi. But the Medieval calendar was dominated by Christmas-related holidays. The forty days before Christmas became the \"forty days of St. Martin\" (which began on November 11, the feast of St. Martin of Tours), now known as Advent.[31] In Italy, former Saturnalian traditions were attached to Advent.[31] Around the 12th century, these traditions transferred again to the Twelve Days of Christmas (December 26 - January 6); a time that appears in the liturgical calendars as Christmastide or Twelve Holy Days.[31]
Adoration of the Magi by Don Lorenzo Monaco (1422).

The prominence of Christmas Day increased gradually after Charlemagne was crowned Emperor on Christmas Day in 800. King Edmund the Martyr was anointed on Christmas in 855 and King William I of England was crowned on Christmas Day 1066.

By the High Middle Ages, the holiday had become so prominent that chroniclers routinely noted where various magnates celebrated Christmas. King Richard II of England hosted a Christmas feast in 1377 at which twenty-eight oxen and three hundred sheep were eaten.[31] The Yule boar was a common feature of medieval Christmas feasts. Caroling also became popular, and was originally a group of dancers who sang. The group was composed of a lead singer and a ring of dancers that provided the chorus. Various writers of the time condemned caroling as lewd, indicating that the unruly traditions of Saturnalia and Yule may have continued in this form.[31] \"Misrule\" - drunkenness, promiscuity, gambling - was also an important aspect of the festival. In England, gifts were exchanged on New Year\'s Day, and there was special Christmas ale.[31]

Christmas during the Middle Ages was a public festival that incorporating ivy, holly, and other evergreens.[32] Christmas gift-giving during the Middle Ages was usually between people with legal relationships, such as tenant and landlord.[32]
Excerpt from Josiah King\'s The Examination and Trial of Father Christmas (1686), published shortly after Christmas was reinstated as a holy day in England.

Reformation into the 19th century

During the Reformation, some Protestants[who?] condemned Christmas celebration as \"trappings of popery\" and the \"rags of the Beast.\"[33] The Roman Catholic Church responded by promoting the festival in a more religiously oriented form. Following the Parliamentarian victory over King Charles I during the English Civil War, England\'s Puritan rulers banned Christmas, in 1647.[33] Pro-Christmas rioting broke out in several cities, and for weeks Canterbury was controlled by the rioters, who decorated doorways with holly and shouted royalist slogans.[33] The Restoration of Charles II in 1660 ended the ban, but many clergymen still disapproved of Christmas celebration.

In Colonial America, the Puritans of New England disapproved of Christmas. Celebration was outlawed in Boston from 1659 to 1681. At the same time, Christian residents of Virginia and New York observed the holiday freely. Pennsylvania German Settlers, pre-eminently the Moravian settlers of Bethlehem, Nazareth and Lititz in Pennsylvania and the Wachovia Settlements in North Carolina, were enthusiastic celebrators of Christmas. The Moravians in Bethlehem had the first Christmas trees in America as well as the first Nativity Scenes. Christmas fell out of favor in the United States after the American Revolution, when it was considered an English custom.[34] George Washington attacked Hessian mercenaries on Christmas during the Battle of Trenton in 1777. (Christmas being much more popular in Germany than in America at this time.) By the 1820s, sectarian tension had eased and British writers, including William Winstanly began to worry that Christmas was dying out. These writers imagined Tudor Christmas as a time of heartfelt celebration, and efforts were made to revive the holiday. Charles Dickens\'s book A Christmas Carol, published in 1843, played a major role in reinventing Christmas as a holiday emphasizing family, goodwill, and compassion as opposed to communal celebration and hedonistic excess.[35] In America, interest in Christmas was revived in the 1820s by several short stories by Washington Irving which appear in his The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon and \"Old Christmas\", and by Clement Clarke Moore\'s 1822 poem A Visit From St. Nicholas (popularly known by its first line: Twas the Night Before Christmas).[36] Irving\'s stories depicted harmonious warm-hearted holiday traditions he claimed to have observed in England. Although some argue that Irving invented the traditions he describes, they were widely imitated by his American readers. The poem A Visit from Saint Nicholas popularized the tradition of exchanging gifts and seasonal Christmas shopping began to assume economic importance.[37] In her 1850 book \"The First Christmas in New England\", Harriet Beecher Stowe includes a character who complains that the true meaning of Christmas was lost in a shopping spree.[38] Christmas was declared a United States Federal holiday in 1870, signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant.

Nativity of Jesus
German painting, 1457

The Nativity of Jesus refers to the Christian belief that the Messiah was born to the Virgin Mary. The story of Christmas is based on the biblical accounts given in the Gospel of Matthew, namely Matthew 1:18-Matthew 2:12 and the Gospel of Luke, specifically Luke 1:26-Luke 2:40. According to these accounts, Jesus was born to Mary, assisted by her husband Joseph, in the city of Bethlehem. According to popular tradition, the birth took place in a stable, surrounded by farm animals, though neither the stable nor the animals are mentioned in the Biblical accounts. However, a manger is mentioned in Luke 2:7 where it states \"She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.\" Early iconographic representations of the nativity placed the stable and manger within a cave (located, according to tradition, under the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem). Shepherds from the fields surrounding Bethlehem were told of the birth by an angel, and were the first to see the child.[39] Many Christians believe that the birth of Jesus fulfilled prophecies from the Old Testament. Many modern scholars view the two Gospel accounts as theological fictions.[40]

Remembering is a central way that Christians celebrate Christmas. There is a very long tradition of the Nativity of Jesus in art. The Eastern Orthodox Church practices the Nativity Fast in anticipation of the birth of Jesus, while much of the Western Church celebrates Advent. In some Christian denominations, children perform plays re-telling the events of the Nativity, or sing carols that reference the event. Some Christians also display a small re-creation of the Nativity, known as a Nativity scene, in their homes, using figurines to portray the key characters of the event. Live Nativity scenes and tableaux vivants are also performed, using actors and live animals to portray the event with more realism.[41]

Nativity scenes traditionally include the Three Wise Men, Balthazar, Melchior, and Caspar, although their names and number are not referred to in the Biblical narrative, who are said to have followed a star, known as the Star of Bethlehem, found Jesus, and presented gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.[42]

In the U.S., Christmas decorations at public buildings once commonly included Nativity scenes. This practice has led to many lawsuits, as groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union believe it amounts to the government endorsing a religion, which is prohibited by the United States Constitution. In 1984, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Lynch vs. Donnelly that a Christmas display (which included a Nativity scene) owned and displayed by the city of Pawtucket, Rhode Island did not violate the First Amendment.[43]

Santa Claus and other bringers of gifts
Santa Claus hands out gifts during the American Civil War in Thomas Nast\'s first Santa Claus cartoon, Harper\'s Weekly, 1863.

Main article: Santa Claus

Originating from Western culture, where the holiday is characterized by the exchange of gifts among friends and family members, some of the gifts are attributed to a character called Santa Claus (also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas or St. Nikolaus, Sinterklaas, Kris Kringle, Père Noël, Joulupukki, Babbo Natale, Weihnachtsmann, Saint Basil and Father Frost).

The popular image of Santa Claus was created by the German-American cartoonist Thomas Nast (1840-1902), who drew a new image annually, beginning in 1863. By the 1880s, Nast\'s Santa had evolved into the form we now recognize. The image was standardized by advertisers in the 1920s.[44]

Father Christmas, who predates the Santa Claus character, was first recorded in the 15th century, but was associated with holiday merrymaking and drunkenness.[45] In Victorian Britain, his image was remade to match that of Santa. The French Père Noël evolved along similar lines, eventually adopting the Santa image. In Italy, Babbo Natale acts as Santa Claus, while La Befana is the bringer of gifts and arrives on the eve of the Epiphany. It is said that La Befana set out to bring the baby Jesus gifts, but got lost along the way. Now, she brings gifts to all children. In some cultures Santa Claus is accompanied by Knecht Ruprecht, or Black Peter. In other versions, elves make the toys. His wife is referred to as Mrs. Claus.

The current tradition in several Latin American countries (such as Venezuela) holds that while Santa makes the toys, he then gives them to the Baby Jesus, who is the one who actually delivers them to the children\'s homes. This story is meant to be a reconciliation between traditional religious beliefs and modern day globalization, most notably the iconography of Santa Claus imported from the United States.
Scrooge and the Ghost of Christmas Present, by John Leech. Made for Charles Dickens\'s novel A Christmas Carol (1843).

In Alto Adige/Südtirol (Italy), Austria, Czech Republic, Southern Germany, Hungary, Liechtenstein, Slovakia and Switzerland, the Christkind (Ježíšek in Czech, Jézuska in Hungarian and Ježiško in Slovak) brings the presents. The German St. Nikolaus is not identical with the Weihnachtsman (who is the German version of Santa Claus). St. Nikolaus wears a bishop\'s dress and still brings small gifts (usually candies, nuts and fruits) on December 6 and is accompanied by Knecht Ruprecht. Although many parents around the world routinely teach their children about Santa Claus and other gift bringers, some have come to reject this practice, considering it deceptive.[46]

Christmas tree and other decorations

Main article: Christmas tree

A Christmas tree ornament.

The Christmas tree is often explained as a Christianization of pagan tradition and ritual surrounding the Winter Solstice, which included the use of evergreen boughs, and an adaptation of pagan tree worship.[47] The English language phrase \"Christmas tree\" is first recorded in 1835[45] and represents an importation from the German language. The modern Christmas tree tradition is believed to have begun in Germany in the 18th century[47] though many argue that Martin Luther began the tradition in the 16th century.[48][49] From Germany the custom was introduced to England, first via Queen Charlotte, wife of George III, and then more successfully by Prince Albert during the reign of Queen Victoria. Around the same time, German immigrants introduced the custom into the United States.[50] Christmas trees may be decorated with lights and ornaments.

Since the 19th century, the poinsettia has been associated with Christmas. Other popular holiday plants include holly, mistletoe, red amaryllis, and Christmas cactus. Along with a Christmas tree, the interior of a home may be decorated with these plants, along with garlands and evergreen foliage.

In Australia, North and South America, and to a lesser extent Europe, it is traditional to decorate the outside of houses with lights and sometimes with illuminated sleighs, snowmen, and other Christmas figures. Municipalities often sponsor decorations as well. Christmas banners may be hung from street lights and Christmas trees placed in the town square.[51]

In the Western world, rolls of brightly colored paper with secular or religious Christmas motifs are manufactured for the purpose of wrapping gifts. The display of Christmas villages has also become a tradition in many homes during this season. Other traditional decorations include bells, candles, candy canes, stockings, wreaths, and angels.

Christmas decorations are traditionally taken down on Twelfth Night, the evening of January 5.

Christmas stamps
Christmas stamp 2000 from Faroe Island, featuring quote from John 1:14, designed by Anker Eli Petersen.

Main article: Christmas stamp

A number of nations have issued commemorative stamps at Christmastime. Postal customers will often use these stamps for the mailing of Christmas cards, and they are popular with philatelists. These stamps are regular postage stamps, unlike Christmas seals, and are valid for postage year-round. They usually go on sale some time between early October and early December, and are printed in considerable quantities.

In 1898 a Canadian stamp was issued to mark the inauguration of the Imperial Penny Postage rate. The stamp features a map of the globe and bears an inscription \"XMAS 1898\" at the bottom. In 1937, Austria issued two \"Christmas greeting stamps\" featuring a rose and the signs of the zodiac. In 1939, Brazil issued four semi-postal stamps with designs featuring the three kings and a star of Bethlehem, an angel and child, the Southern Cross and a child, and a mother and child.

The US Postal Service regularly issues both a religious-themed and a secular-themed stamp each year.

Economics of Christmas
Christmas display in a Brazilian shopping mall.

See also: Christmas in the media, Christmas tree production, Christmas tree cultivation, and Christmas Price Index

Christmas is typically the largest annual economic stimulus for many nations. Sales increase dramatically in almost all retail areas and shops introduce new products as people purchase gifts, decorations, and supplies. In the U.S., the \"Christmas shopping season\" generally begins on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, though many American stores begin selling Christmas items as early as October.[52] In Canada, merchants begin advertising campaigns just before Halloween (October 31), and step up their marketing following Remembrance Day on November 11.

In most areas, Christmas Day is the least active day of the year for business and commerce; almost all retail, commercial and institutional businesses are closed, and almost all industries cease activity (more than any other day of the year). In England and Wales, the Christmas Day (Trading) Act 2004 prevents all large shops from trading on Christmas Day. Scotland is currently planning similar legislation. Film studios release many high-budget movies in the holiday season, including Christmas films, fantasy movies or high-tone dramas with high production values.

An economists analysis calculates that Christmas is a deadweight loss under orthodox microeconomic theory, due to the surge in gift-giving. This loss is calculated as the difference between what the gift giver spent on the item and what the gift receiver would have paid for the item. It is estimated that in 2001 Christmas resulted in a $4 billion deadweight loss in the U.S. alone.[53][54] Because of complicating factors, this analysis is sometimes used to discuss possible flaws in current microeconomic theory. Other deadweight losses include the effects of Christmas on the environment and the fact that material gifts are often perceived as white elephants, imposing cost for upkeep and storage and contributing to clutter.[55]

Controversy

Main article: Christmas controversy

Books

* Christmas in America: A History, by Penne L. Restad (New York: Oxford University Press, 1995). ISBN 0-19-509300-3
* The Battle for Christmas, by Stephen Nissenbaum (1996; New York: Vintage Books, 1997). ISBN 0-679-74038-4
* The Origins of Christmas, by Joseph F. Kelly (August 2004: Liturgical Press) ISBN 978-0814629840
* Christmas Customs and Traditions, by Clement A. Miles (1976: Dover Publications) ISBN 978-0486233543
* The World Encyclopedia of Christmas, by Gerry Bowler (October 2004: McClelland & Stewart) ISBN 978-0771015359
* Santa Claus: A Biography, by Gerry Bowler (November 2007: McClelland & Stewart) ISBN 978-0771016684
* There Really Is a Santa Claus: The History of St. Nicholas & Christmas Holiday Traditions, by William J. Federer (December 2002: Amerisearch) ISBN 978-0965355742
* St. Nicholas: A Closer Look at Christmas, by Jim Rosenthal (July 2006: Nelson Reference) ISBN 1418504076
* Just say Noel: A History of Christmas from the Nativity to the Nineties, by David Comfort (November 1995: Fireside) ISBN 978-0684800578
* 4000 Years of Christmas: A Gift from the Ages, by Earl W. Count (November 1997: Ulysses Press) ISBN 978-1569750872
* The Birth of Christ\", by Peter Sammons (May 2006: Glory to Glory Publications) (UK) ISBN 0-9551790-1-7

See also

 

US Foreign Policy: What is next for Pakistan?

The following article has been written by Ms. Tairah Firdous. She is a Ford Fellow and student participant at the East West Center Hawaii, USA. She recently had a conversation with Dr. Charles E. Morrison, President East West Center on the U.S. Election-08 and future of Pak-U.S. relations. In Dr. Morrison's opinion, statements made during electoral battles are indicative of preferences but not necessarily policy decisions for the future, We invite you to share your opinion with us on this important topic. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Obama heated up his campaign last year by bombing Pakistan to hunt Al-Qaeda. Pakistan again figured high on the foreign policy segment of final presidential debates. The war in Iraq actually faded from view in the election and the focus instead remained on Pakistan, Iran and the pursuit of Osama bin Laden. "I'm not prepared to threaten Pakistan, as Sen. Obama wants to do, as he has said that he would announce military strikes into Pakistan. We've got to get the support of the people of Pakistan," said presidential candidate McCain in first presidential debate. However, Obama reiterated his long-held position of going after targets inside Pakistan if Islamabad was unable or unwilling to do so. "We've got to deal with Pakistan, because al Qaeda and the Taliban have safe havens in Pakistan, across the border in the northwest regions. We've been giving them $10 billion over the last seven years, they have not done what needs to be done to get rid of those safe heavens," affirmed Obama. "Statements are made are in response to the questions raised in presidential debates in context of debate. In a real foreign policy situation, there is a great deal of thinking that goes behind it," explains international affairs analyst and President East West Center in Honolulu - Hawaii, Dr. Charles Morrison. "It really makes a little difference for the Pakistan who the president actually is. Both the presidential candidates are likely to be cautious what they do. Pakistan obviously is a country important to US, and US needs to try to have as good relations as they can." While the US presidential candidates marked their foreign policy concerns, the US military have already initiated a review of the US military strategy on Afghanistan. Increase in attacks by US drones and jet fighters against Taliban and Al Qaeda targets inside Pakistan is a part of proposed radical shift in its regional counterterrorism strategy. The New York Times reported on September 11, 2008 that President Bush secretly approved orders in July that for the first time to allow American Special Operations forces to carry out ground assaults inside Pakistan without the prior approval of the Pakistani government. The North West region of Pakistan is rapidly becoming the new front in the US war on terror. War on terrorism has cost Pakistan more than any other US ally on terrorism. Internal security situation has constantly deteriorating with massive suicide attacks happening everywhere in the country. Blaming Pakistan for not willing to act and a possibility of unilateral military operation can put Pakistan in a more critical situation, which is already facing an economic crisis. Dr. Morrison believes that United States has been important supporter of Pakistan, and Pakistan's economic development. "Even if the US is trying to address its own economic problems, US should not forget Pakistan's economic crisis. Because the political situation in Pakistan is very delicate right now," explains Dr. Morison. Indian ambitions in Afghanistan are acquiring a special importance with the Indo-US strategic partnership sealed by the formal signature of a civilian nuclear agreement the two countries. US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen was reported in October 2008 as saying that there is a need to review the US strategy on Afghanistan and broaden its scope to include India, as it has like Pakistan, long historic links to Afghanistan and an important role to play there. This can prove a concern for Pakistan. However, the most important concern for Pakistan right now is the policy framework that the next US president opts for the region. Statements made during electoral battles are indicative of preferences but not necessarily policy decisions for the future.

A new era dawns with Obama presidency

Obama's victory tonight marked beginning of a new era in American politics. First time in the history of the US, a black president is going to take charge of White House. It was indeed a historic moment. This victory was not only significant because it put an end to eight year republican rule in the US, but it is more significant because a change was need of the hour. Obama's victory showed that change was inevitable. This word "Change" was in fact the central point of Obama's campaign, which not only helped him to win presidential race over Hilary Clinton, but also swept his way to white house. U.S. President-elect Barack Obama in his maiden presidential speech promised, "Change is coming to America" as he gave a victory speech after becoming the first African-American to be elected to the White House. Obama's victory is a new hope for the country, but the bigger challenges lay ahead. In his first speech as victor, to an enormous throng at Grant Park in Chicago, Obama catalogued the challenges ahead. "The greatest of a lifetime," he said, "two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century." The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America, I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there," he added. Change of government in the US has an impact across the globe. However, this time the main driving force for the change was the economic crisis in the country, at least according to the voters who voted in this election. A survey of voters leaving polling places showed the economy was by far the top Election Day issue. Six in 10 voters said so, and none of the other top issues - energy, Iraq, terrorism and health care - was picked by more than one in 10. Obama through out his campaign seemed to be very strict about the foreign policy. His statements indicated that there are going to be very significant changes in the foreign policy; be it war in Iraq, Afghanistan-Pakistan, Iran, or Cuba. However, these surveys don't show that foreign policy was on voters agenda. It will be interesting to see in the coming time, how Obama deals with his foreign policy and economy, which both are in crisis. We invite you to share your opinion with us on this important topic.

Pakistan knocks at IMF door again

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has decided to extend 7.6 billion dollars to Pakistan under a 23-month loan programme, said Adviser on Finance Shaukat Tareen. Addressing a press conference at State Bank of Pakistan, the Adviser said the IMF will provide this loan under stand by credit limit at interest rate ranging between 3.51 and 4.51 per cent and its repayment will be made in five years beginning from 2011. Governor SBP, Dr. Shamshad Akhtar was also present on the occasion. Shaukat Tareen said IMF has not attached any new condition to the loan facility. The IMF will release 4 billion dollars as the first tranche of the loan this year while the rest will be provided in the coming year. The Finance Adviser expressed his inability to announce the exact date of receiving the loan but said it will happen during the current month. He said the prime objective of receiving the IMF loan facility is to improve the position of SBP's foreign exchange reserves. The loan will not be utilized in the stock market and for this purpose a fund is being set up from the country's own resources, he clarified. Tareen ruled out the reduction of SBP's discount rate until the easing of the current high inflation rate. The foreign rating agencies downgraded Pakistan's credit rating due to the ongoing economic crisis in the country, he said, adding the government is doing its utmost to tackle this challenge. The Adviser said the balance of payments has been badly affected due to the depleting foreign exchange reserves of the country that shrank by half in one year. The rupee value declined by 21.8 per cent as oil and food prices galloped. The rate of inflation kept on rising, creating hardship for the people specially the poor. Also he said the Government has decided to stop borrowing from SBP and added that the fiscal deficit will be brought down to 4.1 per cent from 7.4 per cent and added the Government supports SBP stance of tightening the monetary policy. How far do you agree to the point that the IMF bailout package for Pakistan would help support our economy's fragile state? Would it cut the economic deficit? How would this loan turn helpful in industrial and agricultural sectors? Would it slide the inflation rate? What opinion do you have on this issue? You are welcome to post your comments!

Even five months after the PML-N pulled out of the government, the cabinet has not been expanded. This means that ministers hold up to four portfolios, and, quite naturally, are unable to do justice to any. Additions to the cabinets have been expected for weeks. We are now told this process is being held up because there is an untidy scramble for key posts. Coalition parties are locked in a tussle for ministries that are seen as the most prestigious – and the most lucrative. Those who are currently ministers wish also to cling on to the most important offices. All kinds of efforts are currently on to retain or acquire offices of choice, with key coalition partners making their own demands. There have been threats of pull-outs if requests are not complied with. The ministries of ports and shipping and of communications are reportedly among those that are being most heatedly fought for. The whole situation is of course highly unfortunate. It is a reflection, for one, on what a place in government means to those who have won seats. The question of personal power and prestige is paramount; everything else secondary. Even in a situation of acute national crisis, where everything seems to be falling apart all at once, our political parties and the politicians that constitute them have not been able to put self-interest aside. Indeed, many seem to be rather oblivious as to the scale of the problems, blithely insisting at dinners and other receptions that all, in the end, will come right. All of us earnestly hope that these happy predictions will prove accurate. The alternatives are too fearful to contemplate. But the fact is that wishes, after all, are not horses. The task of rescuing the country from chaos is a pressing one. It can be achieved only through dedication, hard work and a sense of commitment. So far, these qualities seem to be missing from government. Complaints of a sense of ineptness come in from everywhere in Islamabad. There are also many complaints about long delays in decision-making and a lack of direction within ministries. The government’s priority must be to correct existing perceptions on this account. Creating a sense of confidence in government is after all essential to managing national affairs. The prime minister and his advisers must keep in mind the inability to form a cabinet is only adding to this impression of incompetence, while the reports of bickering and in-fighting only go to strengthen the negative impression of our ministers and lower respect for them in the eyes of ordinary people.

A woman and her unborn baby are reported to have died at a government hospital in Lahore after being administered blood that did not match her group. Her complaints of feeling unwell during the transfusion were ignored. Just recently, another report from Rawalpindi spoke of a patient whose leg had to be amputated due to the negligence of doctors. Such reports are of course commonplace in a society where the value of human life is limited. It is most limited of all when it comes to the lives of the poor, who depend on poorly run public sector-health facilities to meet their needs. It is in these facilities, where cats roam wards and patients lie unattended for hours, that negligence is most common, though of course cases also occur at the private facilities that remain largely unregulated.

There are few accurate surveys as to the scale of the problem. But the anecdotal evidence available suggests scores of lives are lost each year as a result of negligence or indifference. Many of the deaths, particularly those that take place outside major cities, of course go unreported. There is no mechanism that can enable the relatives of victims to effectively seek redress. The fact that new cases of such needless deaths are reported everyday indicates an urgent need to look into the issue. Doctors must not be able to get away with such crimes of indifference. The means to review instances of negligence need to be updated so that the cases we hear of so often from facilities across the country can be brought down and lives treated with respect no matter whose they are.

 

Whilst Pakistan has no shortage of ‘culture' in the broadest sense, it is something of a cultural desert when it comes to displaying and promoting national arts and cultural activities. There was a long-delayed step in the direction of improving matters with the inauguration of the new National Gallery in Islamabad last year but as is often the way in this paradoxical nation, as one door opens, another closes. The dispute over the National Academy of Performing Arts in Karachi is the door at issue today, and it is looking increasingly like this unique national resource is under the axe. Good theatres are few and far between and good training in the theatrical and performing arts are about as rare as hen's teeth, with NAPA providing the principal pool in which performing arts students may learn their craft.

NAPA is currently situated in the Hindu Gymkhana and the crux of the dispute is around a new building which has been constructed on the site. The legality of the new building is itself in dispute but of perhaps greater significance to the Sindh government is the fact that the building - legal or otherwise - was constructed with money channelled from the Musharraf government. There has been no change to the original structure of the Hindu Gymkhana so there can be no suggestion that a historic monument has been in some way interfered with or modified, and there is no apparent demand from the Hindus for the return of the building to their own community. The building that has so offended the Sindh government is anyway unfinished and requires substantial funding to turn it from a half-completed shell to the finished item. The location of the Hindu Gymkhana in a middle-class part of the city is likely to ensure that were the new building completed it would soon start to pay its way - as anybody who saw the attendance figures for the recent production of ‘Chicago' could deduce.

We suggest that the Sindh government stands back and takes a deep breath before turfing out the students and faculty from NAPA. Put aside petty politics and the phoney arguments that underpin their dog-in-the-manger desire to erase the works of a previous regime and take a wider and more egalitarian view. Whatever the rights and wrongs of the new building may be, two wrongs do not make a right. We as a nation need this resource, the more so at a time when our culture at every level is under attack from the barbarians who would banish music from our ears and film and theatre from our eyes. The bold step would be to take up the challenge of completing the new building, leaving NAPA where it is and then, a couple of years down the line, treating us all to a festival of the performing arts the like of which Pakistan has never seen before. Be bold, Sindh government, and make an investment in our cultural future - many will thank you if you do, and an equal number will curse you if you don't.

 

Exhibiting the art of learning

By Shaza Khalid

There were few educational institutions in Karachi for girls at the time of partition, and The Mama School was one of them. The school came into being on 1st April 1918, and celebrated the 90th year of its glorious existence this year.

Every five years, the school celebrates in style with a grand exhibition, a concert, a fun fair and many other activities like debates, elocutions etc.

This year, too, a grand exhibition was held to display the excellence of projects, including chart and models, made by the students in the course of their studies throughout the year.

The occasion is always festive at such times. This year too, the visitors were amazed and expressed their delight at the talent of the young students.

Spread over two floors, the array of models and charts was almost endless. All subjects were done justice to. The experience was like visiting the exhibits in an art gallery.

"Our children have a lot of talent. They are very creative and come up with excellent ideas for their projects. Project work not only makes learning fun, it also teaches the students the importance of working as a team. Although the children I worked with were between nine to ten years of age, they did wonders with just a little guidance," said Kausar Shigri, dean of English language, of the Primary Section.

Most of us are familiar with Shakespeare's 'As You Like It'. So, it was a treat to watch a very well enacted skit from the play, portraying the life of the Duke and his companions in the 'Forest of Arden'! "It's a part of their course book and they performed the most popular wooing scene of 'As You Like It', explained Tahira Arif, the dean of English, of the Cambridge Section. "Such activities grab the students' interest and make them comprehend the play in a fun."

It would be unfair not to mention the very interesting art and crafts display. Children from Class 1 through Class X, Matriculation Section and Class X1, of the Cambridge section had chipped in with beautiful paintings, sketches, models, needle work and decoration pieces. Sketches made by the school's young artists were almost flawless and their paintings, with their vibrant colours and fine strokes, had all eyes riveted to them.

A lot of planning and hard work had gone into this grand exhibition. There was no haphazardness at all, although it was on a very big scale. All models and charts were laid out attractively. In fact, they were so well made that they were self-explanatory. Even the path which the visitors were supposed to take was marked clearly.

Comprehending difficult concepts has been rendered easy through activity based learning, and project work is an integral part of this method. Even the little ones of the Primary Section were explaining their projects very confidently. It is heartening to know that new concepts and teaching methods are being implemented in our educational institutions.

 

Dear Editor,

This year for the first time University of Health Sciences (UHS), Lahore was given the opportunity of conducting Medical Entry Test on September 14, 2008. There is no doubt that excellent efficiency was shown on part of the institute since the results were declared within 72 hours. However, to the dismay of many, the institute was unable to maintain the integrity of the test as 218 more test scores were later unfairly added to the final test result.

This created panic among the students and parents alike since this addition to the result affected the merit of many students negatively. It goes without saying that such an occurrence made the entire result process doubtful and raised questions regarding the integrity of this test. In order to justify what happened, following reasons for the addition of 128 test scores to the final result, have been posted on UHS website:

• R.L - Some students have not filled the MCQ paper ID and roll number correctly in the Response Forms, therefore, in the interest of these students, their results are being withheld at this point to further scrutinise their Response Forms so that they do not have to suffer for this mistake. These are shown as R.L.

• FSc results are continuously revised after the process of rechecking by various Boards.

• Hafiz-e-Quran students get 20 marks extra and these marks have not been added in this list as they have to be verified by special Board of Huffaz-e-Quran.

In the light of these statements and the incident that took place, the only logical question I want to ask the UHS Chairman is; why was the institute in such a hurry of declaring results within 72 hours that it did not even wait for the rules given above to be made public and then declared the results in one go?

In such a scenario it is no surprise that people don't believe in the transparency of the system. I would request the Chancellor of UHS and Chief Minister of Punjab to order a high level inquiry into the matter so that the facts can be brought to light.

--Majid Bashir,

Lahore