ishq mujhko nahi wahshat hi sahi By Mirza Asad Ullah Khan Ghalib

ishq mujhko nahi wahshat hi sahi
meri wahshat teri shohrat hi sahi

qata kije na talluq ham se
kuch nahi hai to adawat hi sahi

mere hone mein hai kya ruswai
ye wo majlis nahi khalwat hi sahi

ham bhi dushman to nahi hain apne
gair ko tujh se mohabbat hi sahi

apni hasti hi se ho jo kuch ho
agahi gar nahi gaflat hi sahi

umr har chand ki hai barq-e-khiram
dil k khun karne ki fursat hi sahi

ham koi tarq-e-wafa karte hain
na sahi ishq musibat hi sahi

kuch to de ai falak-e-nainsaf
ah-o-fariyad ki rukhsat hi sahi

ham bhi taslim ki khu dalenge
beniyazi teri adat hi sahi

yar se cheda chali jaye "Asad"
gar nahi wasl to hasrat hi sahi

(Mirza Ghalib)

Halloween Celebrations and History

What is Halloween?

Halloween or Hallowe'en (a contraction of All Hallows' Evening), also known as Allhalloween,All Hallows' Eve,or All Saints' Eve,is a celebration observed in a number of countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Hallows' Day. 

The popularity of Halloween is growing exponentially. Americans spend over $5 billion dollars annually on Halloween, making it the country’s second largest commercial holiday.

History behind Halloween

The origin of the festival is disputed, and there are both pagan and Christian practices that have evolved into what Halloween is like today. Some believe it originates from the Celtic pagan festival of Samhain, meaning 'Summer's End which celebrated the end of harvest season. 

HALLOWEEN COMES TO AMERICA

Celebration of Halloween was extremely limited in colonial New England because of the rigid Protestant belief systems there. Halloween was much more common in Maryland and the southern colonies. As the beliefs and customs of different European ethnic groups as well as the American Indians meshed, a distinctly American version of Halloween began to emerge. The first celebrations included “play parties,” public events held to celebrate the harvest, where neighbors would share stories of the dead, tell each other’s fortunes, dance and sing. Colonial Halloween festivities also featured the telling of ghost stories and mischief-making of all kinds. By the middle of the nineteenth century, annual autumn festivities were common, but Halloween was not yet celebrated everywhere in the country.

How correct is your English pronunciation? The Chaos by Gerard Nolst Trenité,

If you can pronounce correctly every word in this poem, you will be speaking English better than 90% of the native English speakers in the world. After trying the verses, a Frenchman said he’d prefer six months of hard labour to reading six lines aloud, and we’ll be honest with you, we struggled with parts of it.

Dearest creature in creation,
Study English pronunciation.
I will teach you in my verse
Sounds like corpse, corps, horse, and worse.
I will keep you, Suzy, busy,
Make your head with heat grow dizzy.
Tear in eye, your dress will tear.
So shall I! Oh hear my prayer.
Just compare heart, beard, and heard,
Dies and diet, lord and word,
Sword and sward, retain and Britain.
(Mind the latter, how it’s written.)
Now I surely will not plague you
With such words as plaque and ague.
But be careful how you speak:
Say break and steak, but bleak and streak;
Cloven, oven, how and low,
Script, receipt, show, poem, and toe.
Hear me say, devoid of trickery,
Daughter, laughter, and Terpsichore,
Typhoid, measles, topsails, aisles,
Exiles, similes, and reviles;
Scholar, vicar, and cigar,
Solar, mica, war and far;
One, anemone, Balmoral,
Kitchen, lichen, laundry, laurel;
Gertrude, German, wind and mind,
Scene, Melpomene, mankind.
Billet does not rhyme with ballet,
Bouquet, wallet, mallet, chalet.
Blood and flood are not like food,
Nor is mould like should and would.
Viscous, viscount, load and broad,
Toward, to forward, to reward.
And your pronunciation’s OK
When you correctly say croquet,
Rounded, wounded, grieve and sieve,
Friend and fiend, alive and live.
Ivy, privy, famous; clamour
And enamour rhyme with hammer.
River, rival, tomb, bomb, comb,
Doll and roll and some and home.
Stranger does not rhyme with anger,
Neither does devour with clangour.
Souls but foul, haunt but aunt,
Font, front, wont, want, grand, and grant,
Shoes, goes, does. Now first say finger,
And then singer, ginger, linger,
Real, zeal, mauve, gauze, gouge and gauge,
Marriage, foliage, mirage, and age.
Query does not rhyme with very,
Nor does fury sound like bury.
Dost, lost, post and doth, cloth, loth.
Job, nob, bosom, transom, oath.
Though the differences seem little,
We say actual but victual.
Refer does not rhyme with deafer.
Fe0ffer does, and zephyr, heifer.
Mint, pint, senate and sedate;
Dull, bull, and George ate late.
Scenic, Arabic, Pacific,
Science, conscience, scientific.
Liberty, library, heave and heaven,
Rachel, ache, moustache, eleven.
We say hallowed, but allowed,
People, leopard, towed, but vowed.
Mark the differences, moreover,
Between mover, cover, clover;
Leeches, breeches, wise, precise,
Chalice, but police and lice;
Camel, constable, unstable,
Principle, disciple, label.
Petal, panel, and canal,
Wait, surprise, plait, promise, pal.
Worm and storm, chaise, chaos, chair,
Senator, spectator, mayor.
Tour, but our and succour, four.
Gas, alas, and Arkansas.
Sea, idea, Korea, area,
Psalm, Maria, but malaria.
Youth, south, southern, cleanse and clean.
Doctrine, turpentine, marine.
Compare alien with Italian,
Dandelion and battalion.
Sally with ally, yea, ye,
Eye, I, ay, aye, whey, and key.
Say aver, but ever, fever,
Neither, leisure, skein, deceiver.
Heron, granary, canary.
Crevice and device and aerie.
Face, but preface, not efface.
Phlegm, phlegmatic, ass, glass, bass.
Large, but target, gin, give, verging,
Ought, out, joust and scour, scourging.
Ear, but earn and wear and tear
Do not rhyme with here but ere.
Seven is right, but so is even,
Hyphen, roughen, nephew Stephen,
Monkey, donkey, Turk and jerk,
Ask, grasp, wasp, and cork and work.
Pronunciation (think of Psyche!)
Is a paling stout and spikey?
Won’t it make you lose your wits,
Writing groats and saying grits?
It’s a dark abyss or tunnel:
Strewn with stones, stowed, solace, gunwale,
Islington and Isle of Wight,
Housewife, verdict and indict.
Finally, which rhymes with enough,
Though, through, plough, or dough, or cough?
Hiccough has the sound of cup.
My advice is to give up!!!

You’ve been reading “The Chaos” by Gerard Nolst Trenité, written nearly 100 years ago in 1922, designed to demonstrate the irregularity of English spelling and pronunciation.

10 most powerful Natural Antibiotics

God is so kind to us. Nature has provided thousands of antibiotics. Your first line of defense against any illness or infection is your own immune system. These foods will super boost your body's ability to fight t any nasty bugs that come your way and will help keep you on the top of your game all year long. 

1. Apple Cider Vinegar

The far-reaching benefits of daily doses of apple cider vinegar (ACV) include antibiotic and antiseptic properties, naturally alkalizing your system, and can aid you in everything from managing your weight to lowering cholesterol and your risk of cancer.

2. Garlic

Raw garlic when crushed or chewed contains a compound called allicin – which has similar properties to penicillin.

3. Ginger

Studies have shown that fresh ginger really does have an antibiotic effect against food borne pathogens such as salmonella, listeria and campylobacter.  Fresh ginger also increases stomach acid production and helps calm indigestion when a meal just doesn’t agree with you.

4. Onion

According to many clinical studies looking at onion nutrition benefits, onions help reduce the risk of developing colon, ovarian and mouth cancers through their rich supply of antioxidants that prevent cell damage.

5. Raw Honey

An enzyme found in honey releases hydrogen peroxide. This process helps your body fight infection and prevents the growth of bacteria. Soothing to the digestive system, honey removes toxins from the blood and helps your liver operate more efficiently.

6. Turmeric

In research, the curcumin in turmeric was shown to be effective against Helicobacter pylori common in gastroduodenal ulcers regardless of the genetic makeup of the strain.

7. Oregano Oil

There are over 40 different oregano species, but the most beneficial one to maximize the therapeutic antibiotic effect you need is the oil produced from wild oregano, called Origanum vulgare.  Thymus capitatus, a variety that grows in Spain, is also very powerful.

8. Colloidal silver   

A natural antibiotic, colloidal silver is a mixture of silver particles suspended in fluid that have been used for centuries.

9. Cabbage

There are sulfur compounds found in cabbage – a member of the cruciferous family that includes broccoli and kale – that have been shown effective as cancer fighters.

10. Olive Leaf Extract 

Olive leaf extracts and their oleuropein constituents are best known for their blood pressure-lowering effects.

Jo Hum Kehty Hain Yeh Bhi Q Nahi Kehta, Yeh Kafir hai

Jo Hum Kehty Hain Yeh Bhi Q Nahi Kehta, Yeh Kafir hai

Hmara Jabar Yeh Hans Kr Nahi Sehta, Yeh Kafir Hai

Yeh Insan Ko Mazjab Sy Parkhny Ka Mukhalif Hai

Yeh Nafrat K Qabilon Mai Nahi Rehta, Yeh Kafir Hai

Boht Behshram Hai Yeh Maa, Yeh Mazdori Ko Nikli Hai

Yeh Bacha Bhook Ik Din Ki Nahi Sehta Yeh kafir Hai

Yeh Badal Aik Rasty Par Nahi Chalty, yeh Baghi Hain

Yeh Darya Is Traf Ko Q Nahi Behta, Yeh Kafir Hai

Hain Mushrik Yeh Hawain Hey Roz Qibla Badlti Hain

Ghana Jungle Inhain Kuch Bhi Nahi Khta Yeh Kafir Hai

Yeh Tittli Fahisha Hai, Phool Ke Bistar Py Soti Hai

Yeh Jugno Shab Ke Pardy Mai Q Nahi Rehta, Yeh Kafir Hai

Shreey'n Tu Kisi ka Ghunghunana Bhi Nahi Ja'ez

yeh Bha'nwra Q Bhala Phr Chup nahi Rehta, Yeh Kaafir Hai

(Shakeel Jaffery) 

Artificial Intelligence, The state of Art

What can AI do today? A concise answer is difficult because there are so many activities in so many subfields.

Robotic vehicles: 

A driver less robotic car named STANLEY sped through the rough terrain of the Mojave dessert at 22 mph, finishing the 132-mile course first to win the 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge. STANLEY is a Volkswagen Touareg outfitted with cameras, radar, and laser rangefinders to sense the environment and onboard software to command the steering, braking, and acceleration (Thrun, 2006). The following year CMU’s BOSS won the Urban Challenge, safely driving in traffic through the streets of a closed Air Force base, obeying traffic rules and avoiding pedestrians and other vehicles.

Speech recognition: 

A traveler calling United Airlines to book a flight can have the entire conversation guided by an automated speech recognition and dialog management system. Autonomous planning and scheduling: A hundred million miles from Earth, NASA’s Remote Agent program became the first on-board autonomous planning program to control the scheduling of operations for a spacecraft (Jonsson et al., 2000). REMOTE AGENT generated plans from high-level goals specified from the ground and monitored the execution of those plans—detecting, diagnosing, and recovering from problems as they occurred. Successor program MAPGEN (Al-Chang et al., 2004) plans the daily operations for NASA’s Mars Exploration Rovers, and MEXAR2 (Cesta et al., 2007) did mission planning—both logistics and science planning—for the European Space Agency’s Mars Express mission in 2008.

Game playing:

IBM’s DEEP BLUE became the first computer program to defeat the world champion in a chess match when it bested Garry Kasparov by a score of 3.5 to 2.5 in an exhibition match (Goodman and Keene, 1997). Kasparov said that he felt a “new kind of intelligence” across the board from him. Newsweek magazine described the match as “The brain’s last stand.” The value of IBM’s stock increased by $18 billion. Human champions studied Kasparov’s loss and were able to draw a few matches in subsequent years, but the most recent human-computer matches have been won convincingly by the computer.

Spam fighting:

Each day, learning algorithms classify over a billion messages as spam, saving the recipient from having to waste time deleting what, for many users, could comprise 80% or 90% of all messages, if not classified away by algorithms. Because the spammers are continually updating their tactics, it is difficult for a static programmed approach to keep up, and learning algorithms work best (Sahami et al., 1998; Goodman and Heckerman, 2004).

Logistics planning:

 During the Persian Gulf crisis of 1991, U.S. forces deployed a Dynamic Analysis and Replanning Tool, DART (Cross and Walker, 1994), to do automated logistics planning and scheduling for transportation. This involved up to 50,000 vehicles, cargo, and people at a time, and had to account for starting points, destinations, routes, and conflict resolution among all parameters. The AI planning techniques generated in hours a plan that would have taken weeks with older methods. The Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) stated that this single application more than paid back DARPA’s 30-year investment in AI.

Robotics:

 The iRobot Corporation has sold over two million Roomba robotic vacuum cleaners for home use. The company also deploys the more rugged PackBot to Iraq and Afghanistan, where it is used to handle hazardous materials, clear explosives, and identify the location of snipers.

Machine Translation: 

A computer program automatically translates from Arabic to English, allowing an English speaker to see the headline “Ardogan Confirms That Turkey Would Not Accept Any Pressure, Urging Them to Recognize Cyprus.” The program uses a statistical model built from examples of Arabic-to-English translations and from examples of English text totaling two trillion words (Brants et al., 2007). None of the computer scientists on the team speak Arabic, but they do understand statistics and machine learning algorithms.

Highest Breast Cancer Rate in Pakistan, #ThinkPink

Do you know which country in the world has the 'maximum number of breast cancer' victims? Pakistan. According to reports, our country tops the list when it comes to breast cancer and our ladies suffer from this - the most than any other country in the world. According to World Health Organization (WHO), over more than 40,000 women die each year from breast cancer in Pakistan. Under societal pressure, females shy away from receiving treatment for their disease. Mostly the patients of breast cancer  begin receiving treatment when their disease is at an advanced stage which makes it un-treatable. To all the females  please do ensure that you guys get your monthly and annually physical check ups done in order to keep yourself prevented from this. It's not about shying away but it's about taking measures to keep you, your siblings, your family and friends safe. Pakistan has the highest rate of breast cancer victims, so that should be alarming. You never know what's inside you. See your doctors, soon!

In 2016, an estimated 246,660 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed, and about 40,450 women are expected to die in 2016.

Though decline in death rates can be achieved through advance treatment, earlier detection, and "Increase Awareness". Millions of women battle breast cancer every day, everywhere you turn you will find a mother, sister, or a daughter who has been affected by it. Support us in the cause of spreading awareness for a better and healthier tomorrow for women across the globe. #ThinkPink

Breast Cancer In Pakistan

Breast Cancer

Breast cancer usually starts off in the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply them with milk. A malignant tumor can spread to other parts of the body. A breast cancer that started off in the lobules is known as lobular carcinoma, while one that developed from the ducts is called ductal carcinoma.

1 out of 9 women will suffer from Breast Cancer in Pakistan. Over 40,000 women kill every year in Pakistan due to Breast cancer. Pakistan has highest incidence of breast cancer in Asia. This  is an alarming statistic, one which is only growing with time. But it is important to also know that this is a cancer that is curable, one that can be survived!!

Causes of Breast Cancer

One of the major causes for the rising numbers is the taboo attached to it - we don't openly talk about the disease and we must. Also the myths attached to it are just that - myths. No, you do not get breast cancer if you wear a black bra nor is it contagious. Another cause is awareness. We don't educate ourselves about it. It is very important that all women over the age of 20 must self examine (go online and find out how to do it, it's very easy) themselves monthly. Women over the age of 40 must go for a mammogram every 2 years. Early detection can prevent the cancer from spreading. Be aware of your body, the changes that you feel in your body. Take your health seriously. Inform and educate yourselves and pass it forward while you're at it.

Schizophrenia in Pakistan

Schizophrenia is a serious mental disorder that affects how you a person thinks, feels and acts. Previously, according to Pakistan's law, there was no 'execution' for a man suffering from this disorder but now, if a man with schizophrenia is found guilty in any serious crime, he will be executed because now, the lawmakers have ruled out the statement that schizophrenia is a medical condition.

An Unexpected guest

Envisage waking up in the morning to the sound of perpetual knocks on your front door. As you casually make your way to the entrance, you try recalling any appointment that you had made for this hour of day, but you are almost certain that none were made. Your door is gently knocked again. You quietly peek through the key hole just in case you find an unwanted visitor but, as you stare, it seems that your eyes are playing tricks on you.

You pull back, wipe the sleep away from your eyes and hesitantly take a second glance, a prolonged blink-less glance. At this point your heart skips a beat. Every milligram of moisture within your throat dries out, your eyes grow wild, your skin turns pale, you lose your words and your feet struggle to carry you.

“Am I dreaming?” You ask yourself. “This cannot be real.”

Your guest this morning is not the post man, a family friend or a celebrity. 

Your guest this morning is the greatest creation to ever walk this earth, the greatest that has ever been buried within it and the greatest that will emerge from it on the Day of Resurrection.

Your guest this morning is Prophet Muḥammad (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam).

You have recognised him by his wavy black hair which drops below his earlobe, by the magnificently wide openings of his eyes, by his finely arched eyebrows, by the purity of his skin’s texture, by the magnificent scents that are now creeping into your home, as he stands ahead of his three companions, Abū Bakr, ʿUmar and ʿUthmān, who have lowered their heads in awe of him, stationed in serenity.

Ask yourself with honesty:

Would you be happy for him to enter your home? Would you be proud of what he would see on your walls, tables and shelves? What you keep the pack of cigarettes lying there in front of him or would you frantically throw them out of sight? Would you hand over your phone to him if he requested to look over your conversations? Would you keep your Facebook page signed in? Would you - my sister – keep on the same Ḥijāb which you go out in? Or would it dramatically change? Would the makeup and perfume remain or...?

Would the Prophet (PBUH) be proud to meet you? Would he say, “This is another sweet fruit of my 23 years’ worth of Da’wah, of sacrifice, bloodshed and throbbing limbs”?

Or would his heart totally break following his first glance and subsequent conversation with you?

A companion by the name of Saʿīd b. Yazīd once said to the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam), “Advise me.” He responded with words that bring tears to the eyes of the honest, words which, if implemented, would bring about your happiness in this life and the next.

He said:

أوصيكَ أنْ تستحي منَ اللهِ تعالى كما تستحي منَ الرجلِ الصالحِ منْ قومِك

“I advise you to be shy of Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) the same way you are shy from the righteous man from your community.”

Ponder over our nervousness when a scholarly figure casts a glance at us, our sense of shame when a God-fearing individual spots our behaviour in the public or private domain.

Ponder over our utmost shyness and self-consciousness in the presence of the Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam).

Dearest reader...

Is Allāh, The King, the One free from all defects, the Giver of security, the Overseer, the All-Mighty, the Compeller, the Supreme, the One who is praised and glorified by everything within the heavens and earth, not worthier of that shyness?

Beauty of Arabic Language

Just how beautiful you will find the Arabic Language.

Makes your heart feel this sense of awe, love and peace. So much more.

Even when casually looking at a sentence I've read time and time again, then all of a sudden, when i read it again, somehow i feel something which i didn't think, and most importantly, didn't FEEL before.

Qur'an is not only a recital, it is a connection to our All loving creator.

Only through the Arabic Language, can you taste the Qur'an for yourself, and feel it.

Something so simple.

I just read "إِنَّكَ سَمِيْعُ الدُّعَاءِ"

You'd see it translated as "Indeed you (Allah) are the hearer of the supplication"

As i mentioned, i was just casually passing by this Aayah, and then I just thought the word سَمِيْعُ is an 'Ism Sifah.'

What that means is, not only is Allah a hearer and listener to our supplications,

Rather, much much more beautiful than that.

He is constantly, perpetually, always listening and hearing them.

The Ism Sifah suggests a consistent state.

So make your du'as now, Allah, the almighty is right here... listening to whatever you ask, whenever you ask. Be in constant conversation with your master.

One more thing, Allah mentions الدُّعَاءِ "The Call/supplication"

That is to say, Allah isn't saying he is ever listening to any and every Du'a, but by having the ال on the word suggests exclusiivity.

In other words, Allah doesn't treat it as 'just something, just another du'a', Allah specifies each of your Du'as.

Every du'a you make is THE Du'a to Allah.

Each of them holds great importance to Allah. Your Du'as are well known and he is well acquainted with it.

Your Du'as are special to Allah! You have Allahs full attention!

WHY WE SEEK ALLAH'S REFUGE BEFORE RECITING THE QUR'AN

فَإِذَا قَرَأْتَ الْقُرْآنَ فَاسْتَعِذْ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ
So when you want to recite the Quran, seek refuge with Allah from Shaitan (Satan), the outcast (the cursed one). [Surat An-Nahl 16:98]
And when you want to recite the Qur'ān, seek refuge in Allah... why?
Because the Qur'ān is a book of guidance and your salvation is in the Qur'ān. Therefore when you recite the Qur'ān.
You should turn to the protection of Allah from Shaitān when you want to recite the Qur'ān.
Because Shaitān is going to come between you and understanding the Book of Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'ala).
“From the devil's trick is to turn people away from Tadabbur (pondering on) the Qur’ān for he knows guidance comes from Tadabbur.”
- Ibn Hubayrah

The Day Of Resurrection

The Day Of Resurrection | Easy Upon A Believer, Heavy Upon A Disbeliever
قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : يوم القيامة على المؤمنين كقدر ما بين الظهر والعصر.
The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said: “The Day of Resurrection for the believers will be like the measure of what is between Ẓuhr and ‘Aṣr (prayer).”
● [أخرجه الحاكم ١/٨٤ وصححه الألباني في الصحيحة ٢٤٥٦]
As for a disbeliever, Allāh says:
تعرج الملائكة والروح إليه في يوم كان مقداره خمسين ألف سنة.
'The angels and the Rūḥ (Jibreel) ascend to Him in a Day the measure whereof is FIFTY THOUSAND YEARS’ • [al-Qur’ān 70:4]
Ibn 'Abbās RaḍiAllāhu-'Anhumā said regarding this Āyah: “It is the Day of Resurrection that Allāh has made to be the measure of FIFTY THOUSAND YEARS for the disbelievers.”
● [تفسير ابن كثير]
Allāhul Musta'ān, we ask Allāh to allow us to die upon Eemān !!

The Turing Test approach, Artificial Intelligence

The Turing Test, proposed by Alan Turing TURING TEST (1950), was designed to provide a satisfactory operational definition of intelligence. A computer passes the test if a human interrogator, after posing some written questions, cannot tell whether the written responses come from a person or from a computer. For now, we note that programming a computer to pass a rigorously applied test provides plenty to work on. The computer would need to possess the following capabilities:

• natural language processing to enable it to communicate successfully in English;

• knowledge representation to store what it knows or hears;

• automated reasoning to use the stored information to answer questions and to draw new conclusions;

• machine learning to adapt to new circumstances and to detect and extrapolate patterns.

Turing’s test deliberately avoided direct physical interaction between the interrogator and the

computer, because physical simulation of a person is unnecessary for intelligence. However,

the so-called total Turing TOTAL TURING TEST Test includes a video signal so that the interrogator can test the subject’s perceptual abilities, as well as the opportunity for the interrogator to pass physical objects “through the hatch.” To pass the total Turing Test, the computer will need

• computer vision to perceive objects, and

• robotics to manipulate objects and move about.

These six disciplines compose most of AI, and Turing deserves credit for designing a test

that remains relevant 60 years later. Yet AI researchers have devoted little effort to passing

the Turing Test, believing that it is more important to study the underlying principles of intelligence than to duplicate an exemplar. The quest for “artificial flight” succeeded when the Wright brothers and others stopped imitating birds and started using wind tunnels and learning about aerodynamics. Aeronautical engineering texts do not define the goal of their field as making “machines that fly so exactly like pigeons that they can fool even other pigeons.”

Top 10 universities in the world, World University Ranking

QS world university rankings 2016-2017 is the list of best global universities. Here is the list of top tens. 

1) Massachusetts Institute of technology(MIT)  

2) Stanford University

3) Harvard University

4) University of Cambridge 

5) California Institute of Technology(caltech) 

6) University of Oxford 

7) UCL(university College Landon) 

8) ETH Zurich - Swiss Federal Institute of technology 

9) Imperial college Landon 

10) University of Chicago

David Ogilvy's four rules of advertising

If you're an advertising professional or student or somebody who wants to make his/her career in advertising world, you need to know this man called David Ogilvy as he's known as the Father of Advertising and if you don't read his work or quotes, you're actually selling peanuts. Was reading this article written on him, its important for any advertiser/advertising student to know four basic rules when they are making an ad (or content) to hit their target audience/consumer. What are those four pointers that they need to focus? They are as followed:

1. Creative brilliance:

 Advertisers need to come up with brilliant concepts that not only catch their best targets’ attention but also sell them on the product. Don't give people bullshit, talk less and deliver more. Come to the point, this is an ad, not a god damn newspaper.

2. Research: 

Make sure you have ample research behind to prove what you're selling. If you don't know the attributes and history about your own product, you're dead. So whatever you're communicating, make sure that you have thorough research behind it.

3. Professional discipline:

 Whatever you produce, make sure its the best thing that you are making. If you want to be successful at promoting something, through any medium, apply yourself to creating the best campaigns possible or you’ll never achieve everything that’s possible for you. If you have an idea, explain it in the best possible way. If you're failing in delivering what you have in mind, you're doing nothing at the end of your day.

4. Believe: 

Just believe in your work. Be it writing, creative, design or anything. If you won't trust or respect your work, nobody will. Have faith in what you're producing is good, you'll end up achieving your goals.

Say yes to brown skin

Brown skin is apparently the one that can carry anything and everything competently. Everything looks good on them. Foreigners keep looking of ways to have tan skin.. Do you know why? Because,it's beautiful and exactly less prone to incidence of skin cancer.I love brown. I still don't understand how people define beauty.

I believe while taking up such an important and bold topic one should consider the overall impact of the discussion.Among the hundreds of thousands of women especially that read this would emotionally agree/support the sentiment, wouldn't it be more effective to educate them in the process? For example a brown person has more melanin pigmentation on their skin thus lessening the instance of skin cancer by exposure to UV rays.We need to write a brutal letter to the capitalistic cosmetic industry hell bent on proving white is more beauty. For those who criticize on how you look like. Remember Allah S.W.T has created you and that's how he wanted you to look like. So instead for people say you "kali" or "different". Sisters you all are pretty the way you look like. Forget, what other say. People should rather talk about personality instead of your appearance. No, one like disrespected person or downgraded person.

Wrapping it up, i just want to say that Beauty has no skin tone.Brown people are COLORFUL. Proud to belong to a country where majority have such exquisite and beautiful skin tone.

DC Comics character Wonder Woman as UN Ambassador for Goodwill

Y'all have heard and seen humans being the ambassadors of different organizations/brands and companies but for the first time, y'all will see a comic character becoming a goodwill ambassador. Well, yes. According to United Nations, they have announced the popular DC Comics character Wonder Woman as their next UN Ambassador for Goodwill for Women 

Improvement. 

University of Punjab, A river of light

The University of the Punjab is the largest and the oldest seat of higher learning in Pakistan. It was the first to be established in the sub-continent in Muslim majority area.

Located in the historical and culturally alive city of Lahore, this University has played a leading role in higher education in the country. The University strives to provide a conducive environment for the pursuit of the academic activities. On account of its quality degrees, pleasant environment and low tuition fees the University remains the institution of first choice for admission seeking students. On this day the famous and historical University of the Punjab was founded. For people to know, UoP is the largest 'public' university in Pakistan and was established by British government in 1882. Today, the university has over 63 departments and is known for training two Nobel Peace Prize laureates respectively. Today marks 134 years of its founding.

Advantages and Disadvantages of DBMSs

The database management system has promising potential advantages. Unfortunately, there are also disadvantages.First we will examine  advantages of DBMS. 

Advantages

Control of data redundancy

Traditional file-based systems waste space by storing the same information in more than one file. In contrast,the database approach attempts to eliminate the redundancy by integrating the files so that multiple copies of the same data are not stored. However, the database approach does not eliminate redundancy entirely, but controls the amount of redundancy inherent in the database. Sometimes, it is necessary to duplicate key data items to model relationships. At other times, it is desirable to duplicate some data items to improve performance. 

Data consistency

By eliminating or controlling redundancy, we reduce the risk of inconsistencies occurring. If a data item is stored only once in the database, any update to its value has to be performed only once and the new value is available immediately to all users. If a data item is

stored more than once and the system is aware of this, the system can ensure that all copies of the item are kept consistent. Unfortunately, many of today’s DBMSs do not automatically ensure this type of consistency.

More information from the same amount of data

With the integration of the operational data, it may be possible for the organization to derive additional information from the same data. We may now be able to derive more information from the same amount of data.

Sharing of data

Typically, files are owned by the people or departments that use them. On the other hand, the database belongs to the entire organization and can be shared by all authorized users.In this way, more users share more of the data. Furthermore, new applications can build on the existing data in the database and add only data that is not currently stored, rather than having to define all data requirements again. The new applications can also rely on the functions provided by the DBMS, such as data definition and manipulation, and concurrency and recovery control, rather than having to provide these functions themselves.

Improved data integrity Database integrity refers to the validity and consistency of stored data. Integrity is usually expressed in terms of constraints, which are consistency rules that the database is not permitted to violate. Constraints may apply to data items within a single record or they may apply to relationships between records. For example, an integrity constraint could state that a member of staff’s salary cannot be greater than £40,000 or that the branch number contained in a staff record, representing the branch where the member of staff works, must correspond to an existing branch office. Again, integration allows the DBA to define, and the DBMS to enforce, integrity constraints.

Improved security

Database security is the protection of the database from unauthorized users. Without suitable security measures, integration makes the data more vulnerable than file-based systems. However, integration allows the DBA to define, and the DBMS to enforce, database security. This may take the form of user names and passwords to identify people authorized to use the database. The access that an authorized user is allowed on the data may be restricted by the operation type (retrieval, insert, update, delete). For example, the DBA has access to all the data in the database; a branch manager may have access to all data that relates to his or her branch office; and a sales assistant may have access to all data relating to properties but no access to sensitive data such as staff salary details.

Enforcement of standards

Again, integration allows the DBA to define and enforce the necessary standards. These may include departmental, organizational, national, or international standards for such things as data formats to facilitate exchange of data between systems, naming conventions, documentation standards, update procedures, and access rules.

Economy of scale

Combining all the organization’s operational data into one database, and creating a set of applications that work on this one source of data, can result in cost savings. In this case, the budget that would normally be allocated to each department for the development and maintenance of its file-based system can be combined, possibly resulting in a lower total cost, leading to an economy of scale. The combined budget can be used to buy a system configuration that is more suited to the organization’s needs. This may consist of one large, powerful computer or a network of smaller computers.

Balance of conflicting requirements

Each user or department has needs that may be in conflict with the needs of other users. Since the database is under the control of the DBA, the DBA can make decisions about the design and operational use of the database that provide the best use of resources for the organization as a whole. These decisions will provide optimal performance for important applications, possibly at the expense of less critical ones.

Improved data accessibility and responsiveness

Again, as a result of integration, data that crosses departmental boundaries is directly accessible to the end-users. This provides a system with potentially much more functionality that can, for example, be used to provide better services to the end-user or the organization’s clients. Many DBMSs provide query languages or report writers that allow users to ask ad hoc questions and to obtain the required information almost immediately at their terminal, without requiring a programmer to write some software to extract this information from the database. For example, a branch manager could list all flats with a monthly rent greater than £400 by entering the following SQL command at a terminal:

SELECT*

FROM PropertyForRent

WHERE type = ‘Flat’ AND rent > 400;

Increased productivity

As mentioned previously, the DBMS provides many of the standard functions that the programmer would normally have to write in a file-based application. At a basic level, the

DBMS provides all the low-level file-handling routines that are typical in application programs. The provision of these functions allows the programmer to concentrate on the specific functionality required by the users without having to worry about low-level implementation details. Many DBMSs also provide a fourth-generation environment consisting of tools to simplify the development of database applications. This results in increased programmer productivity and reduced development time (with associated cost savings).

Improved maintenance through data independence

In file-based systems, the descriptions of the data and the logic for accessing the data are built into each application program, making the programs dependent on the data. A change to the structure of the data, for example making an address 41 characters instead of 40 characters, or a change to the way the data is stored on disk, can require substantial alterations to the programs that are affected by the change. In contrast, a DBMS separates the data descriptions from the applications, thereby making applications immune to changes in the data descriptions. This is known as data independence. The provision of data independence simplifies database application maintenance.

Increased concurrency

In some file-based systems, if two or more users are allowed to access the same file simultaneously, it is possible that the accesses will interfere with each other, resulting in loss of information or even loss of integrity. Many DBMSs manage concurrent database access and ensure such problems cannot occur.

Improved backup and recovery services

Many file-based systems place the responsibility on the user to provide measures to protect the data from failures to the computer system or application program. This may involve taking a nightly backup of the data. In the event of a failure during the next day, the backup is restored and the work that has taken place since this backup is lost and has to be re-entered. In contrast, modern DBMSs provide facilities to minimize the amount of processing that is lost following a failure.

Disadvantages

The disadvantages of the database approach are

Complexity

The provision of the functionality we expect of a good DBMS makes the DBMS an extremely complex piece of software. Database designers and developers, the data and database administrators, and end-users must understand this functionality to take full advantage of it. Failure to understand the system can lead to bad design decisions, which can have serious consequences for an organization.

Size

The complexity and breadth of functionality makes the DBMS an extremely large piece of software, occupying many megabytes of disk space and requiring substantial amounts of

memory to run efficiently.

Cost of DBMSs

The cost of DBMSs varies significantly, depending on the environment and functionality provided. For example, a single-user DBMS for a personal computer may only cost US$100. However, a large mainframe multi-user DBMS servicing hundreds of users can be extremely expensive, perhaps US$100,000 or even US$1,000,000. There is also the

recurrent annual maintenance cost, which is typically a percentage of the list price.

Additional hardware costs

The disk storage requirements for the DBMS and the database may necessitate the purchase of additional storage space. Furthermore, to achieve the required performance, it may be necessary to purchase a larger machine, perhaps even a machine dedicated to running the DBMS. The procurement of additional hardware results in further expenditure.

Cost of conversion

In some situations, the cost of the DBMS and extra hardware may be insignificant compared with the cost of converting existing applications to run on the new DBMS and hardware. This cost also includes the cost of training staff to use these new systems, and possibly the employment of specialist staff to help with the conversion and running of the system. This cost is one of the main reasons why some organizations feel tied to their current systems and cannot switch to more modern database technology. The term legacy system is sometimes used to refer to an older, and usually inferior, system.

Performance

Typically, a file-based system is written for a specific application, such as invoicing. As a result, performance is generally very good. However, the DBMS is written to be more general, to cater for many applications rather than just one. The effect is that some applications may not run as fast as they used to. Higher impact of a failure The centralization of resources increases the vulnerability of the system.