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Social Networks Bring Blessings, Pose Risks



Of the two recent studies making headlines this week, one brings good news and the other warns of grave risks.



The good news first: New research shows that in a social network, happiness spreads among people up to three degrees removed from one another. That means when you feel happy, a friend of a friend of a friend has a slightly higher… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on December 5, 2008 at 10:30pm — No Comments

Guest Post: The Singing Mullahs

Singing and musical instruments are categorically deemed prohibited by most, if not all, of the traditionalist Muslim scholars. Such vices could only be enjoyed by no less than drunken reprobates and good Muslims, we are told, would do well to poke fingers in their ears on hearing the voice of the devil or the sound of the satanic inventions. I will not attempt a rebuttal of this position but my view is diametrically opposed to the traditional view. There is plenty of research to suggest… Continue

Added by Saadia Malik on December 4, 2008 at 8:18am — No Comments

Indian Space Probe - Chandrayaan-1

Chandrayaan-1 - A great leap forward



The successful launch and lunar operations of the first Indian unmanned moon spacecraft Chandrayaan-1 is a remarkable milestone of Indian science. It was the 68th of the lunar missions that began with the Soviet Luna 1 launch on 02 January 1959. The total cost of the mission is approximately $83 million. On landing an impact probe on the moon surface from a lunar orbiting spacecraft India joins the elite club of space fairing nations that… Continue

Added by Ameer Alam on December 3, 2008 at 10:00am — 10 Comments

Why Americans Don't Get Soccer

Just to lighten up the mood a little, here's a funny piece I found on the net. If you follow football, or what is known in the U.S. as soccer, hopefully, you'll find this entertaining too. This is humour in good vein. Hopefully, it'll be consumed in that spirit! [Read more]

Added by Saadia Malik on December 1, 2008 at 10:57pm — No Comments

Believe Me

Truth be told. Honestly speaking. To be very honest. This is the truth and nothing but the truth.



Each one of us has encountered these phrases innumerable times. They serve as prologues to forthcoming statements. That they are said and heard so much, is an indication that we do not trust each other to be always telling the truth. Or in the very least, that we are so weary of being smothered with propaganda, exaggeration and lies, that we need that extra nudge to believe. Naturally,… Continue

Added by Saadia Malik on December 1, 2008 at 10:56pm — No Comments

Mumbai's Slumdog



Based on Simon Beaufoy's screenplay adapted from a Vikas Swarup's novel, Slumdog Millionaire is a well-made movie by a British director Danny Boyle. The early part of it reminds me of Dickens' Oliver Twist. But that impression quickly changes as the story develops into more than an… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on November 30, 2008 at 8:00am — No Comments

Indian Cricketers Recruited By Major League Baseball



While the Indian Navy is going after the pirates in the Gulf of Aden, two Indian youngsters are joining the Pirates in the United States.



Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel are two 20-year-old pitchers with million dollar arms. Neither had picked up a baseball until earlier this year. Both have now signed free-agent contracts with the Pittsburgh Pirates,… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on November 26, 2008 at 10:30am — 2 Comments

21st Century Challenges of Resurgent India

21st Century Challenges of Resurgent India

By Riaz Haq





The pre-British, early 19th century Moghul India, described as caste-ridden, feudalistic and unmodern, was economically ahead of the rest of the… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on November 22, 2008 at 4:09pm — 10 Comments

Aligarians Celebrate Sir Syed Day in Silicon Valley

ye meraa chaman hai meraa chaman, maiN apne chaman kaa bulbul huuN

sarshaar-e-nigaah-e-nargis huuN, paa-bastaa-e-gesuu-sumbul huuN

ye meraa chaman hai meraa chaman, maiN apne chaman ka bulbul huuN



Prior to the start of the mushaira, the above Aligarh Muslim University Taraana (Anthem) was sung by the Aligarians clad in black sherwanis (long tunics) and white pajamas (trousers) along with a few… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on November 18, 2008 at 4:30pm — No Comments

Obama's Technology Policy



Technology will likely get significant attention by President-elect Barack H. Obama, in spite of the more urgent issues of two wars, a sputtering economy and ballooning US national debt. While there will be the usual rush by various special interest groups in the high tech world to try and influence US technology policy to favor their particular sectors or… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on November 10, 2008 at 10:31pm — No Comments

How is NED Doing in 2008?



Is NED Making Progress?



Is NED University making progress to deal with the challenges of the 21st century? Is it competitive within Pakistan with other institutions of higher learning? How have NED University administration and faculty responded to the institution's low ranking by the HEC? How are the NED alumni… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on November 8, 2008 at 11:30am — 2 Comments

NED Alumni Convention 2008 Draws 400 NEDians



NED Alumni Convention 2008 in Hartford, Connecticut attracted over 400 NEDians and their families and friends this year on Nov 1, 2008. This was the fourth successful North America annual convention of NED University alumni after Houston, New Jersey and Silicon Valley conventions.… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on November 3, 2008 at 6:00am — 1 Comment

Grand NED Alumni Convention in Hartford, CT on Nov 1, 2008

Dear Friends:



Grand NED Alumni Convention in Hartford, CT at the Marriott Hotel is scheduled for Nov 1. Our NED Alumni Association of New England has moved into high gear and are extremely busy finalizing all the details of the Convention. I want to assure you that this will be a great Convention with both day time and evening activities to keep us all fully engaged and entertained. Let me share with you some of the high lights of the Program.



The day program is focused… Continue

Added by Moin Ahmed on October 20, 2008 at 6:55pm — No Comments

Powell: So What If Obama Is Muslim?



Former US Secretary of State Colin Powell, a life-long Republican who served George W. Bush in his first term and argued for Iraq war at the UN, endorsed Senator Barack Obama to be the next president of the United States on NBC's "Meet the Press". While the endorsement was not unexpected, what caught my attention was the statement that Secretary Powell made about… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on October 20, 2008 at 10:48am — 1 Comment

HEC University Rankings Controversy in Pakistan



Summary:

Higher Education Commission in Pakistan released its first and only ranking of universities in Pakistan in October 2006. Prior to this HEC effort, there had been no formal attempts by any public or private group to establish a set of criteria and judge Pakistani institutions of higher… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on October 14, 2008 at 12:30pm — 2 Comments

Can US. NATO Win in Afghanistan?



"We're not going to win this war", Brig Mark Carleton-Smith, the UK's commander in Afghanistan's Helmand province, told London's Sunday Times this week.



"It's about reducing it to a manageable level of insurgency that's not a strategic threat and can be managed by the Afghan army." he added.



"If the Taleban were prepared to sit on the other… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on October 9, 2008 at 8:57pm — No Comments

Pakistani Scientists "Hunting for God Particle"



Humans have been engaged in the perennial effort to crack the code of the physical world; to figure out what the universe is made of; to know the origins of human and other species; in other words, to get to the very bottom of things. These are existential questions that religions and philosophers have offered answers to. But most scientists remain unconvinced with these… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on October 1, 2008 at 11:41am — 1 Comment

US-Pakistan FATA Face Off Fears

"I've been to Waziristan. I can see how tough that terrain is. It's ruled by a handful of tribes", said Senator John S. McCain in a recent presidential debate referring to Waziristan "agency" in Pakistan's FATA region.



Often described in the world media as "lawless" and "a terrorists sanctuary", Pakistan's FATA (Federally Administered Tribal Area) region, particularly Waziristan, has been the… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on September 30, 2008 at 7:59am — 18 Comments

McCain and Obama Debate Pakistan Policy



By various estimates, there are about 1.5 million to 2 million American Muslim voters, including several hundred thousand Pakistanis, in the United States. There is a significant concentration of Muslim vote in Florida and Michigan. If, as the anecdotal evidence suggests, Obama gets the… Continue

Added by Riaz Haq on September 26, 2008 at 10:53pm — No Comments

Renewable Energy to Tackle Pakistan's Electricity Crisis

In June 2007, the power cuts in Pakistan lasted no more than 3 or 4 hours a day. Today, in extremely hot weather, Pakistanis have to endure without electricity for 8 to 10 hours a day. Industrial production is suffering, exports are down, jobs are being lost, and the national economy is in a downward spiral. By all indications, the power crisis in Pakistan is getting worse than ever.…



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Added by Riaz Haq on September 17, 2008 at 9:00am — 32 Comments

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    Blog Posts

    Silicon Valley Helping Build Pakistan's Human Capital

    Last week I attended a Silicon Valley fundraiser by iCodeGuru, a Pakistani-American group focusing on arranging training and guiding young men and women from underprivileged backgrounds to get full scholarships for advanced STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) degrees at universities in America. The well-attended event held at Chandni restaurant raised over…

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    Posted by Riaz Haq on February 25, 2025 at 10:00am — 2 Comments

    US-India Ties: Strategic or Transactional?

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    Posted by Riaz Haq on February 19, 2025 at 10:00am — 4 Comments

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