Loud Thinking

Archive for January, 2014

“Enjoy your own life without comparing it with that of another.”

— Marquis de Condorcet

Mr. Prime Minister of Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

AoA.

Your government is making all out efforts to put the economy back on track as soon as possible. As they say sick economy is like a sick man which regains strength slowly if the treatment is done on the right lines.

In this regard, I will suggest that your government may launch a scheme, under which all USD deposits in Pakistan, should get an yearly profit rate of 3% (to be paid bi-annually), from a fixed future date, for a period of 5 years. It will not be a fixed deposit for 5 years. Rather, the government will commit profit paying till 5 years.

Here, we already know that we are getting loan from the IMF at 3% and also government has plans to obtain USD600 million from the selected foreign banks at about 6%.

In my humble opinion, if the above proposal is implemented the government will get a flood of USD’s beyond its imagination, which will obviously give a very quick fillip to the ALL sectors of the economy; and the urgently needed boost in the defence & science, upper space and technology budgets, in which India is now spending about USD40 billion; and has already despatched a rocket to the Mars.

With Best Regards.

Syed Nayyar Uddin Ahmad

Learn to Hear the Coaching in Criticism

Criticism can be hard to hear, but pulling value from it is essential to your development and success. Luckily, it’s possible to strengthen your capacity to receive feedback. To get more from criticism, recognize that some feedback is evaluative (“Your rating is a 4”) and some is coaching (“Here’s how you can improve”). Work to hear the coaching in feedback; don’t get stuck on the evaluation. Next, don’t wait for a formal review: ask for bite-size pieces of coaching from a variety of people throughout the year. Instead of asking an unfocused question like “Do you have any feedback for me?” make the process more manageable by asking, “What’s one thing you see me doing (or not doing) that holds me back?” This way, you’ll get more concrete information.

Adapted by HBR from “Find the Coaching in Criticism” by Sheila Heen and Douglas Stone.

The great Eusebio was hailed as a national hero both in Portugal and Mozambique
Eusebio who passed away on January 5 is widely acknowledged not only as the finest footballer of Portugal but also the greatest to come out of Africa. Named in the top ten players in the all-time list, Eusebio gained eternal fame when he spearheaded Portugal to their best ever show ñ a third position in the 1966 World Cup.

Nicknamed “Black Panther” for his pace and awesome presence, the gifted striker netted nine goals to top the scorers’ list. He was deservedly declared the player of the tournament.

He was born in 1942 in Mozambique. The South East African country was a Portuguese colony at the time. Born in an impoverished family, he had to endure further hardships as his father passed away when he was only eight.

All this meant his earlier games were played barefooted with socks or a newspaper rolled into a ball. But his precocious talent was very much evident. Eusebio was only 15 when Juventus, the famous Italian club, expressed interest in him; only to be refused by his doting mother.

However, it was only a matter of time. The scouts of Portugal’s two top clubs, Benfica and Sporting Lisbon, both wanted to have the rare talent in their ranks. Benfica offered better terms and the mother agreed to allow her 18-year-old son to move to Europe for a better future.

His salary was believed to be twice as much as paid to any African footballer before. It is said that Benfica had to hide him in Portugal for a few months so as to prevent Sporting reaching him.

Eusebio made an immediate impact. After making his club debut in 1961, he donned the Portuguese national shirt the same season.

At the time, Mozambique, being a colony of Portugal, didn’t field their own national team; all the Mozambicans were Portuguese. From then onwards, it was a great success story as he starred for both the club and the country.

Also called “Black Pearl”, he turned out for Benfica from 1961-1975 and helped them win the Portuguese league as many as 11 times.

He was blessed with amazing physical attributes — he could run 100 metre in 11 seconds and had massive thighs. He had a superb technique and a thunderous but accurate right-footed shot.

He topped the scoring charts in his domestic league on no less than seven occasions.
On the continental stage, Eusebio’s Benfica won the European Cup (now UEFA Champions League) in 1961-62 (he scored twice in the final against Real Madrid). He appeared in three other finals in the 1960s. They had to wait till 1987-88 for the next appearance in the final.

Eusebio was the 1965 European footballer of the Year (Ballon d’Or) and finished as runner-up twice, in 1962 and 1966. In 1968, he was the first winner of the Golden Boot Award, as Europe’s leading scorer, a feat he repeated five years later.

The 1966 World Cup earned him an immortal status as one of the game’s all-time greats. Ironically, it was Portugal’s first ever appearance in soccer’s quadrennial showpiece event.

In the group phase, they won all the three games, including one against the mighty Brazil (two-time defending champions) with Eusebio netting twice in the famous 3-1 victory.

In the quarter-final, Portugal came across North Korea who had reached the knockout stage by eliminating Italy in the group phase, one of the greatest upsets in the history of the World Cup.

The East Asians had one foot in the semi-finals as they led the Portuguese 3-0 after 25 minutes. But then there was a turnaround and it was a one-man show. Eusebio scored four successive goals, two before the half time and two within 15 minutes of restart. The final score was 5-3. His feat is arguably the finest individual performance ever witnessed at any World Cup match.

With four goals, he also tied the record of the most individual goals in a World Cup game at the time. Portugal equaled the World Cup record of overcoming the greatest deficit to win a match.

Their semi-final was against the hosts England. The gallant Portuguese narrowly lost 1-2; no need guessing the scorer. Eusebio was inconsolable after the defeat. He regained composure to score one more in his team’s 2-1 win over the Soviet Union in the 3rd place tie to take his tally to nine, the highest of the 1966 competition.

These performances at the biggest stage made him the world’s most popular footballer in the era of Pele, George Best and Bobby Charlton.

The 1966 Eusebio show in England enthralled the people so much that his wax statue was immediately added to Madame Tassaued’s museum in London.

His 41 international goals remained a Portuguese record until 2005. In 2003, at the celebrations for UEFA’s Jubilee, the Portuguese Football Federation selected Eusebio as the Golden Player of Portugal — the country’s most outstanding player of the past 50 years.

No wonder, following his death, the Portuguese government declared three days of mourning. Despite rain thousands lined the streets of Lisbon to pay tribute to their country’s most loved sportsperson. Hailed as a national hero in Mozambique as well, there was grief in his country of birth as well. The President of Mozambique stated, “He’s a figure who has contributed to the deep and rich history of Mozambique. Eusebio came here from time to time. He always maintained a link with Mozambique.”

Written by the famous international sports journalist Mr. Ijaz Chaudhry
Link:- http://tns.thenews.com.pk/au-revoir-black-panther/
Published by the daily “The News” on 12 January, 2014.

“Your mind will answer most questions if you learn to relax and wait for the answer.”

— William S. Burroughs

How to win Pakistan’s world war..?

Pakistan is not in an ordinary war rather, for us, it is our world war, which is being fought for the life and death of Pakistan. This type of war has not been witnessed by any other nation, in the history of the world.

Moreover, it seems that this fight may not end very soon, in the near future. As such, our civil, military and all non military people, will have to stand united in front of the terrorists, who are hell bent to fight this war, not in our back yard, but right in the middle of our house.

In view of the seriousness of the situation and to keep the motivation of the general public alive, it is imperative to immediately announce the following initiatives:

1. The super cop of the Sindh Police, Shaheed Chaudhry Aslam SSP and Shaheed Aitzaz Hussain (the 9th class student of Hangu, who embraced SHAHADAT while grabbing the suicide bomber, who was about to enter his school to kill hundreds of students ) may be awarded the highest national bravery award (NISHAN-e-HAIDER)for offering ultimate supreme sacrifice, in beyond the call performance of their duties.

2. As a safety and precautionary step, government must announce that with immediate effect, no vehicle of any type, including cycles and motor cycles etc., be allowed to enter or be parked in any bazaar, throughout the country. This is a harsh and very inconvenient step, but it may save many lives.

3 (i). In any crime investigations, the first logical step is to find the beneficiary of that criminal act. Here, in Pakistan we have observed a pattern, which reveals that either, the terrorists have been targeting the GHQ, Naval and Air Force bases or indulging in specific targeted attacks on Sri Lankan cricketers, Chinese and other foreigners and Pakistani minorities.

3 (ii). All these operations are carried out (at specifically chosen vital timings) not only to inflict maximum men and material losses, but also to undermine Pakistan’s economy and military power; and also to create isolation in foreign policy, sports and tourism etc.

3 (iii). We should not be so naive to indefinitely close our eyes and ignore the role of huge number of Indian consulates, specially based near the Pakistan’s western borders with Afghanistan.

3 (iv). In fact, the terrorism in Karachi and the insurgencies of Swat, FATA and Balouchistan are a clear testimony of the Indian evil designs of proxy war being perpetrated against Pakistan, through these consulates in Afghanistan.

3 (v). However, Pakistani authorities must know that this Indian game plan, specifically designed to keep Pakistan burning for an indefinite period, will never cease, till such time we repay the Indians in the same coins, by devising a strategy, to fight fire with fire.

3 (vi). As such, it is high time that Pakistan officially warn India to immediately pack up all its consulates in Afghanistan, failing which Pakistan should also immediately take steps to establish its own consulates, in the border areas of all those countries, which share a common border with India e.g., China, Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar and SriLanka etc. Moreover, all Indian civil and military transportation via land and air routes from Pakistan must also be immediately stopped.

4 (i). The sudden increase of acts of terrorism, highlights the importance of preventive measures to curb the menace of terrorism, which is causing severe losses to men, material and reputation of the country.

4 (ii). In the cases of terrorist attacks on the GHQ, PIDC house and Pakistan Navy air base, it was reported that the gangs of attackers were residing in a rented house, for quite some time, in an area not very far away from their targets. It was also reported that the neighbours of these houses were although, suspicious of these tenants yet; they kept quiet and did not tip area police, about their apprehensions.

4 (iii). Under the circumstances, there is a dire need for motivating general public, which must remain extra -vigilant, in playing their role of defending the motherland, by involvement of entire population of the country, to look out for the stay and suspicious activities of the terrorist, in their near vicinity.

4 (iv). As such, In order to make the stay of terrorists at any place almost impossible, it is proposed to actively involve the entire population to look out & hunt them. This objective can be easily achieved, by the announcement of the Government that a reward of Rs.50 million shall be paid to any person, who informs the Police, about the terrorist staying in a house, hostel, hotel, rest house or any such place.

4 (v). If the war against terror is to be won quickly, the entire population of the country will have to be geared up and involved in the task of watch and vigilance.

How to save Pakistan..?

After 66 years, Pakistan is a more fragmented society than our forefathers could have ever imagined. The schism (division or disunion), is so intense that if immediate corrective steps are not taken, God forbid, this country may see even more turbulent times.

The writing on the wall is clear for all to read. The decadence of Pakistani society in every sphere of life, be it political, economic, educational, industrial, agricultural, religious, law and order or any other segment worth naming, is abysmal, to say the least.

Hardly any day passes without reports of suicides committed by the poor due to the economic hardships. Children did not not die in dozens, but in scores, due to the measles outbreak and; strangely enough, no soul moved and not even a single person was held accountable.

Maybe, we have one last chance to stem the rot, to unite the people and to give them a prescription, to rise again and re-build the nation from the ashes; because, for the overwhelming majority, a time is coming that the masses may will be forced to think: no life no nation.

The current frame work, under which the country is being run will not take Pakistan any forward, even if it is allowed to continue as such, for another 100 years. All small and big nations in our region and the world have overtaken us, in the basic fields of health, education, justice, law and order and food security.

All stakeholders must wake up, as the nation is moving towards destruction and business as usual, can do no good for Pakistan; our survival is directly linked with the existence of our nationhood. Nationhood means, “the state or quality of having a status as a separate and independent nation”.

Pakistan needs a turnaround for which the basic need is our adaptation and readiness for the change, not in cosmetic but real sense. We need a complete change from one era to another, like the one, witnessed by China, under Mao Zedong.

Hence, for all Pakistanis, failure is not an option but success is also not automatically guaranteed. In this regard, I would like to suggest that we formulate a new social contract, for the common people of Pakistan, who always pay 100 percent bills and taxes and never defaults on their bank loans. Let us make a new Pakistan, which is redesigned to practically cater to the needs of the exploited masses.

Changes must be made in the constitution, to make it a presidential form of democratic set up. The election system should also be changed, so that the whole country directly votes for the president. However, before voting, the candidates of all political parties for presidential post, must notify a list of their MPAs, MNAs and Senators, who will be automatically considered elected, according to the percentage of votes cast, in favour of the main candidate for the top post of the country.

The decision for Pakistan’s charter of development for building dams and mega projects for the next 50 years should also be finalised, on which, later on, no politics should be allowed. In other words, the representatives of the nation should decide now, where they would like to see Pakistan, in each and every field of life after 50 years. This plan should be further divided into ten five years plans.

In order to decentralise and empower the maximum number of people, to enjoy the fruits of self-rule, we should convert every division of Pakistan into a province. This will also work as a panacea (an answer or solution for all problems or difficulties), for the eradication of linguistic and any other type of frictions and doubts about the hegemony of one class of the people over the other. In fact, it will work wonders in the speedy development and unity of Pakistan; and kill instantly, any secessionist or separatist activities, currently prevailing in some parts of the country.

“When something bad happens you have three choices. You can let it define you, let it destroy you, or you can let it strengthen you.”

— Author Unknown

I am saying from the day one that our selectors missed a trick, by not including batsmen Sohaib Maqsood, Sharjeal Khan and all rounder Anwer Ali, for which we are now paying the price, by way of the looming chances of defeat, in the 2nd Test match, being played in Dubai.

Moreover, our forced and imposed captain Misbah ul Haq, as always selected the wrong team, for the match and people like Talha and Abdur Rehman were made to sit out; and dud players like M Hafeez, Asad Shafiq were again included in the team.

Hail the PCB, its selectors and the touring team management.

Burglary In Egypt – Enjoy!

There was this burglary in Egypt , the main burglar shouted to all the bank employees: “Nobody move, money belongs to the government, life belongs to you”.

Everyone in the bank laid down quietly.

This is called “Mind Changing Concept –> Changing the conventional way of thinking”.

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One lady lay on the table uncivilized, the burglar shouted at her “Please be civilised! This is a burglary and not a molestation!”

This is called “Being Professional –> Focus only on what you are trained to do!”

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When the burglars got back, the younger burglar (MBA) told the older burglar (who is only primary school educated), “Bro, let’s count how much we got”, the older burglar rebutted and said, “You very stupid, so much money, how to count, tonight TV will tell us how much we robbed from the bank!”

This is called “Experience –> nowadays experience is more important than paper qualifications!”

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After the burglars left, the bank manager told the bank supervisor to call the police quickly. The supervisor says “Wait, wait wait, let’s put the 10 million pounds we embezzled into the amount the burglars robbed”.

This is called “Swim with the tide –> converting an unfavorable situation to your advantage!”

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The supervisor says “It will be good if there is a burglary every month”.

This is called “Killing Boredom –> Happiness is most important.”

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The next day, TV news reported that 50 million pounds was taken from the bank. The burglars counted and counted and counted, but they could only count 20 million pounds. The burglars were very angry and complained “We risked our lives and only took 20 million pounds, the bank manager took 30 million pounds with a snap of his fingers. It looks like it is better to be educated to be a thief!”

This is called “Knowledge is worth as much as gold !”

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The bank manager was smiling and happy because his loss in shares are now covered by this burglary.

This is called “Seizing the opportunity –> daring to take risks!”