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My two questions to Pak Foreign Office Spokesperson?

@PakSpokesperson when Pak govt will ask India to apologise over fake involvement of Pak on Mumbai & Parliament attack?

Any chance of taking taking up the most grave issue to UNSC which almost triggered a nuclear war? Or do u still think we were involved?

My two questions to Mr. M M Singh PM India?

@PMOIndia why Indian Govt is mum? Will u apologise to Pak? Indian Govt behind Parliament attack, Mumbai attack of 26. http://t.co/IjXShi9pe3

Building Pak Economy – Solid Suggestions

By Rizwan Ghani

Published by the daily “Pakistan Observer” 16 July, 2013

Government needs to take following steps after PM’s China visit to build Pakistan’s economy under its economic diplomacy.

Tax laws should be passed. Gwadar cannot become another Hong Kong with tax free zone. Investment of Chinese firms in US increased to $9.3bn in 2012 (cumulative $22.8 bn) from $1.77bn in 2007 due to advanced technology, management , and ease of business. Chinese investments are on the rise in US due to low costs of utilities, land use, green policies, US SelectUSA FDI initiative and Chinese government’s encouragement to domestic companies to invest abroad including US (More Chinese firms investing in US, July 9, China Daily). Islamabad needs to announce clear tax rates, anti-corruption policy and supporting infrastructure including courts and policing to investors to generate revenue from Gwadar instead funding private business and individual profits at the cost of public welfare and tax money.

Effective and accountable LG is must for strong economy. In Need for Neutral Monetary Policy (July 13, China Daily), it has been highlighted that local governments and poor banking practices have built China’s debt. The most significant medium- and long-term threat to China’s fiscal position lies in the system of implicit guarantees that the central government has established forlocal government (LG) debt ($1.7 tn) by 2011. It forced LG to sell their lands and central government to increase financial assistance by 78%, deal with shadow banking, resultant inflation and unemployment. Chinese government is using combination of steps to make LG viable and accountable such as cutting bank lending, transparency and zero tolerance for corruption. Pakistan needs to address these issues ahead of LG elections for sustainable economic growth, generation of jobs and revenue at grassroots.

Privatization has failed to build economies. China’s 64 State Owned Enterprises (SOEs) are inFortune 500. Central government’s 118 SOEs accounted for 43% of China’s GDP in 2012. There are 1,45,000 SOEs under local governments in China. The value of SOEs in China is 190bn yuan (Debate heats up on role of govt. giants, July 8, China Daily). Privatizations of SOEs in former USSR resulted in monopolies and 56 % increase in poverty. It also failed in Eastern Europe. British government spent £9bn to upgrade tracks and cut £3bn annual rail-access by half (£1,5bn) to attract £200 mn investment in British rail, but still it failed to reduce ticket prices. (Don’t be fooled …Virgin trains, June 24, the Guardian). Harbin province of China employs 7, 17,000 employees in 1800 SOEs and it earned 3.4bn yuan profit in 2012. SOEs are part of Beijing’s strategic planningincluding public welfare. Pakistan needs to reform SOEs instead of privatizing them to improve its economy, create and sustain jobs and save taxpayers for funding profits of privatized SOEs.

Pakistan needs to align its economic policies with new global development model. West’s trade liberalisation and financial deregulation systems have failed to deliver. China’s has used infrastructure and industrial policies under regulated trade and financial markets to transform its economy in last 30 years, and brought more than 600 million people out of poverty. Western policies, on the other hand have led to financial crises, slower growth, growing poverty, poor healthcare and education. Central Bank of China is lending more than World Bank for its policies without imposing conditions like liberalisation and fiscal austerity. If Chinese banks manage to incorporate environmental and social safeguards in their overseas operations it can boost global development (China’s dev banks…July 10, the Guardian).

Global poverty alleviation models can help revive Pakistan’s economy. China relocated 250 million people in last ten years under its poverty alleviation scheme. America used Homestead Law in 13 states under which state land was allotted to families as long as they continued to till it. There is a need to relocate 40-50 million people in KPK, Baluchistan, and Deserts of Sindh & Punjab to fight poverty, unemployment, and ensure food security through cultivation of unused land, value addition of agriculture, dairy, meat, poultry, fish, adopting renewable energy and vertical farming. Ethiopia expects to earn $2bn annually from sesame seed export to China by 2015 (Ethiopia’s sesame seed trade with China-a partnership of equals? July 10, the Guardian). It will help to end anti-state activities, improve security and become prosperous economy (Impact of changing demographics, July 10, China Daily).

SMEs, MSEs and alternate energy are the new future. Small and medium enterprises and micro and small enterprises are drivers of economy, generators of jobs and reducing poverty. Government can expand agriculture, manufacturing and services sector ten folds in next three years by ending indirect tax, imposing 7% stat tax on all earning and giving loans on 5% (EU, US interest rates). Government can realize this policy by generating 10GW power from alternate energy due to 10-15% annual decrease in its per unit cost. There are 13.7 million registered and 40.6 million self-employed companies in China in 2012. More than 99 percent of them were SMEs and MSEs. They contributed to more than 60 % of the annual GDP and 80 % of the jobs in cities (Thinking small begins to yield results, July 7, China Daily). SMEs part of China’s regional cooperation with 19 countries. Similarly, SMEs are the drivers of US and European economies. Pakistan needs to use country’s banking sector, universities, and local governments to use them in economic growth, job creation and social progress.

Determination is firmness of purpose.

“People of mediocre ability sometimes achieve outstanding success because they don’t know when to quit. Most men succeed because they are determined to.”

George Allen (1918-1990);
American football coach

I NEVER KNEW THIS!

What IS The Main Ingredient of WD-40?
Before you read to the end, does anybody know what the main ingredient of WD-40?
No Cheating…..

WD-40 ~ Who knew!

I had a neighbor who bought a new pickup.
I got up very early one Sunday morning and saw that someone had spray painted red all around the sides of this beige truck (for some unknown reason).
I went over, woke him up, and told him the bad news.
He was very upset and was trying to figure out what to do….
probably nothing until Monday morning, since nothing was open.
Another neighbor came out and told him to get his WD-40 and clean it off.
It removed the unwanted paint beautifully and did not harm his paint job that was on the truck. I was impressed!

WD-40 who knew?
“Water Displacement #40”.
The product began from a search for a rust preventative solvent and degreaser to protect missile parts.
WD-40 was created in 1953, by three technicians at the San Diego Rocket Chemical Company.
Its name comes from the project that was to find a ‘Water Displacement’ Compound.
They were finally successful for a formulation, with their fortieth attempt, thus WD-40.
The ‘Convair Company’ bought it in bulk to protect their atlas missile parts.
Ken East (one of the original founders) says there is nothing in WD-40 that would hurt you.
When you read the ‘shower door’ part, try it.
It’s the first thing that has ever cleaned that spotty shower door.
If yours is plastic, it works just as well as on glass.
It’s a miracle!
Then try it on your stove-top.
It’s now shinier than it’s ever been.
You’ll be amazed.

WD-40 Uses:
1. Protects silver from tarnishing.
2. Removes road tar and grime from cars.
3. Cleans and lubricates guitar strings.
4. Gives floor that ‘just-waxed’ sheen without making them slippery.
5. Keeps the flies off of Cows, Horses, and other Farm Critters, as well. (Ya gotta love this one!!!)
6. Restores and cleans chalkboards.
7. Removes lipstick stains.
8. Loosens stubborn zippers.
9. Untangles jewelry chains.
10. Removes stains from stainless steel sinks.
11. Removes dirt and grime from the barbecue grill.
12. Keeps ceramic / terracotta garden pots from oxidizing.
13. Removes tomato stains from clothing.
14. Keeps glass shower doors free of water spots.
15. Camouflages scratches in ceramic and marble floors.
16. Keeps scissors working smoothly.
17. Lubricates noisy door hinges on both home and vehicles doors.
18. It removes that nasty tar and scuff marks from the kitchen flooring.
It doesn’t seem to harm the finish and you won’t have to scrub nearly as hard to get them off.
Just remember to open some windows if you have a lot of marks.
19. Remove those nasty Bug guts that will eat away the finish on your car if not removed quickly!
20. Gives a children’s playground gym slide a shine for a super fast slide.
21. Lubricates gearshift and mower deck lever for ease of handling on riding mowers…
22. Rids kids rocking chair and swings of squeaky noises.
23. Lubricates tracks in sticking home windows and makes them easier to open.
24. Spraying an umbrella stem makes it easier to open and close.
25. Restores and cleans padded leather dashboards in vehicles, as well as vinyl bumpers.
26. Restores and cleans roof racks on vehicles.
27. Lubricates and stops squeaks in electric fans.
28. Lubricates wheel sprockets on tricycles, wagons, and bicycles for easy handling.
29. Lubricates fan belts on washers and dryers and keeps them running smoothly.
30. Keeps rust from forming on saws and saw blades, and other tools.
31. Removes grease splatters from stove-tops.
32. Keeps bathroom mirror from fogging.
33. Lubricates prosthetic limbs.
34. Keeps pigeons off the balcony (they hate the smell).
35. Removes all traces of duct tape.
36. Folks even spray it on their arms, hands, and knees to relieve arthritis pain.
37. Florida’s favorite use is: ‘cleans and removes love bugs from grills and bumpers.’
38. The favorite use in the state of New York, it protects the Statue of Liberty from the elements.
39. WD-40 attracts fish. Spray a little on live bait or lures and you will be catching the big one in no time. Also, it’s a lot cheaper than the chemical attractants that are made for just that purpose.
Keep in mind though, using some chemical laced baits or lures for fishing are not allowed in some states.
40. Use it for fire ant bites. It takes the sting away immediately and stops the itch.
41. It is great for removing crayon from walls. Spray it on the marks and wipe with a clean rag.
42. Also, if you’ve discovered that your teenage daughter has washed and dried a tube of lipstick with a load of laundry, saturate the lipstick spots with WD-40 and rewash. Presto! The lipstick is gone!
43. If you spray it inside a wet distributor cap, it will displace the moisture, allowing the engine to start.

P.S.
As for that Basic, Main Ingredient…….
Well…. it’s FISH OIL….

Shahid Afridi’s ODI Records Courtesy ESPNCRICINFO

Shahid Afridi has now become the only player in ODI history to score 7000 or more runs and take 350 wickets. Dwayne Bravo’s wicket was Afridi’s 350th, making him only the eighth bowler, and the third Pakistan bowler after Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis, in ODIs to take these many. The only other player to take 300-plus wickets and score 7000-plus runs in ODIs is Sanath Jayasuriya.
Afridi has taken a five-wicket haul and hit fifty-plus runs in a match three times in his career. No other player has repeated this feat more than once. The last time this was done in ODIs was also by Afridi, against Sri Lanka, in 2011. This was the 16th instance of a player taking a five-wicket haul and scoring fifty or more runs in the same match.
Afridi’s bowling figures of 7 for 12 were the second-best in ODIs. The best figures in ODIs belong to Chaminda Vaas, who took 8 for 19 against Zimbabwe in 2001. Afridi’s bowling figures in this match are the best for a spinner in ODIs. These figures were also the best for a bowler bowling third change or later in an innings. In terms of runs given, this was Afridi’s most economical spell in ODIs in which he has bowled five or more overs.
This was Afridi’s 30th Man-of-the-Match performance, which equals the number of such awards won by Brian Lara and Aravinda de Silva. Only six players have won more Man-of-the-Match awards, but among active ODI players, only Jacques Kallis, with 32, has won more such awards. Among Pakistan players, Afridi holds the record; Saeed Anwar is next with 28.
Afridi’s performances in matches in which he’s made a return to ODIs (after missing out on one or more series) have been excellent. In eight such matches he averages 46.85 with the bat from seven innings, including four half-centuries. His bowling outshines his batting in these matches: he has taken 23 wickets, including two five-fors, at an average of 10.30 and a strike rate of 15.3. His impact in these matches is reflected in the number of Man-of-the-Match awards he’s won in these eight games – four.
Afridi’s bowling average of 16.87 in the West Indies is the best by a visiting bowler to have bowled in at least ten innings. His strike rate of 24.5 is the third-best for a visiting bowler, with a minimum of ten innings in the West Indies.
This was only the eighth instance of West Indies getting bowled out for under 100 runs and only the second at home. The last time West Indies got dismissed for under 100 runs was in February 2011 against Australia at Perth.
Misbah-ul-Haq’s fifty in the match ranks fourth in the list of slowest fifty-plus scores by Pakistan’s batsmen. Javed Miandad’s unbeaten 63 from 167 balls against West Indies is the slowest fifty-plus score by a Pakistan batsman. Three of the four slowest fifty-plus scores by Pakistan batsmen have now come against West Indies.
This was Chris Gayle’s 250th ODI of his career. He hasn’t played all of his ODIs for West Indies though. Gayle has represented the ICC World XI in three ODIs. He is three ODIs away from becoming only the third West Indies player, after Brian Lara and Shivnarine Chanderpaul, to play 250 or more ODIs.
Jason Holder doubled his tally of ODI wickets in this match. Holder’s spell of 4 for 13 bettered his performance in his previous three ODIs.

Share the Burden of Your Project

If you’re in a role where you’re responsible for a project’s success—such as project manager or team lead—it’s tempting to bear the whole burden alone. Sure, you may share regular progress updates with teammates or hint at possible roadblocks, but you might prefer to keep the telling, nitty-gritty details (especially if they’re not pretty) to yourself. This is incredibly stressful and unnecessary. Try an open-book system: Every week, put key numbers for your project on a whiteboard to discuss at a regular team meeting. This will reveal difficulties lurking in the shadows, especially ones that could be easily addressed if people knew they existed. Consistently sharing results will involve others in solving these critical problems, as well as reduce your own stress.

Adapted by HBR from “Project Managers Should Share Their Stress” by Joe Knight, Roger Thomas, and Brad Angus.

Really am amazing quote:

“If your parents ever measured you as a child, they had you
stand against a wall, and made a little pencil mark on the
wall to show your growth. They did not measure you against
your brother, or the neighbor’s kids, or kids on TV. When you
measure your growth, make sure to only measure your today self by your past self. If you compare your relationships, your success, or your anything against anyone else, you are not being fair to you. Everyone has a different path, a different
pace, and different challenges to face along the way.”

— Doe Zantamata

By Nadeem M Qureshi

In 2008 when the PPP government of President Asif Zardari took office Pakistan’s total foreign debt was about $40 billion. Today, at the end of the PPP government’s term, it is $60 billion. Twenty billion dollars of new debt has been added. As the Government of Nawaz Sharif begins negotiations with the IMF to seek more loans, the people of Pakistan need to ask two basic questions. The first is: What happened to this money?

By almost any economic indicator people are worse off today than they were five years ago. Unemployment and inflation are higher. Vital infrastructure – railways, roads, public transport, hospitals, schools, water supply and sewage systems – have deteriorated to unprecedented and unacceptable levels. It is almost as though the $20 billion has vanished into thin air.

Well, some of it has. Consider, for example, the single case of the purchase of Boeing 777 aircraft by Pakistan International Airlines in 2011. Transparency International Pakistan maintains that of the $1.5 billion paid for the aircraft, $500 million were diverted as kickbacks to the government functionaries. Multiply this by dozens of multibillion dollar deals over five years, across different economic sectors, and it is clear that many of the billions taken in the name of the people of Pakistan have disappeared into private bank accounts.
Not all of the $20 billion is unaccounted for. Some of it is on rude display in the fleets of bullet proof luxury vehicles of politicians and bureaucrats. Less visible is the money spent on acquiring and maintaining the fleet of private jets at the disposal of the country’s ‘leaders’ and their acolytes. Also hidden from view but widely reported are the luxurious lifestyles of the people’s ‘servants’. A distasteful example of this was the news that the government planned to spend Rs. 260 million to renovate the President’s kitchen.

The second question that the people of Pakistan are entitled to ask is this: Should they be liable to pay back money taken in their name but used almost exclusively to enrich the ruling coterie? It is clear that the highly paid international bureaucrats who work for the IMF are not stupid. It cannot have escaped them that the money they are doling out is misused, or worse, stolen. Why then should the people of Pakistan pay for their willful negligence? This raises issues of legality and precedent. Is it lawful for a country to refute debt taken on by corrupt politicians? And, are there any precedents for this? The answer to both questions is yes.

The concept of odious debt was established in international law by Alexander Nahum Sack, a Russian born jurisprudence expert, in a paper published in Paris in 1927. Odious debt “is a legal theory that holds that the national debt incurred by a regime for purposes that do not serve the best interests of the nation, should not be enforceable. Such debts are, thus, considered by this doctrine to be personal debts of the regime that incurred them and not debts of the state.”

The doctrine further suggests that since odious debt is deemed the personal debt of the rulers in power at the time the debt was secured, recovery should be from their personal assets. There are also several precedents in which countries have repudiated national debt. The United States set the first precedent of odious debt when it seized control of Cuba from Spain. Spain insisted that Cuba repay the loans made to them by Spain. The U.S. repudiated that debt, arguing that the debt was imposed on Cuba by force of arms and served Spain’s interest rather than Cuba’s, and that the debt therefore ought not be repaid.
The debt was annulled. In recent times, there is the example of Haiti. When the dictator Jean Claude Duvalier was overthrown in 1986, 66 US senators supported a resolution calling for cancellation of Haiti’s debt on the grounds that the money was misused. In the end, half of Haiti’s debt was written off.

By far the most effective use of the ‘odious debt’ doctrine in recent times is by President Rafael Correa of Ecuador. In 2008 he repudiated Ecuador’s national debt of $ 3 billion and announced the country would default and fight creditors in international courts. He succeeded eventually in getting a 60% write off on Ecuador’s debt.

Sadly, it is doubtful that Pakistan’s current leaders will be able to take the IMF bull by its horns. They lack the competence, integrity and, yes the intelligence, to do so. What a tragedy for the poor people of Pakistan who will continue to pay for their leaders’ larceny.

(The writer is Chairman of Mustaqbil Pakistan)

Moreover, Mr. Naeem Sadiq wrote on 12, July 2013 in the daily “The News” quoted as below.
Quote.”Dear Bank
Naeem Sadiq
TheNews
Friday, July 12, 2013
Many thanks for the $5.3 billion loan. One small step for a bank, a giant leap for a chronic borrower. I can proudly claim that my debt, steadily rising every year, has now reached $66.17 billion. This would mean that every member of my family must cough out $366 to repay this loan. This can only happen if we all stop eating, drinking – in fact living – for the next 10 months. Is that what they also call collective suicide? I made sure not to consult my unenthusiastic family, on whose behalf these loans were taken. They never seem to agree with my lifesaving – or should I say death-delaying? – initiatives. You too must be equally ecstatic. After all you end up gaining the most. You will retain most of this amount as repayment of the earlier loan, while my unflinching yearly debt-servicing will keep you charmed for a long time to come.

You had raised a number of questions before you approved the loans. Why is it that despite such massive borrowing, my family shows no signs of getting any better? Why are 50 percent of the family members illiterate and 60 percent below poverty level? Why are half the children out of school? Why is there no electricity half the time? Why does no one in the family have access to clean tap water?

You also wanted to know the reasons for the striking disparity in the lifestyle of some other members of our family. They move about with armed guards in obscenely large vehicles (often smuggled), live in luxury homes, have properties and cash stacked in foreign lands and drink corporate soda or water only from those neat-looking plastic bottles. It is only this segment of the family that is forever pushing for more loans. They are the ones who justify the bank’s slogan of ‘poverty alleviation’ – since this is the only group whose poverty gets truly alleviated.

My sixth sense tells me that you already know the answers to all these questions. You were merely going through the motions, filling forms, giving an impression of officious formality and appropriateness. The fact that I earn little, waste a lot and pilfer the most, makes me an ideal customer for the sort of business you are in. I have learnt to plead my case by closely studying beggars who flock the streets of Karachi during the holy month of Ramazan every year. I use exactly the same techniques with only three minor variations – dress, language and location.

Now, some bad news for you. My entire family, except those very few who gained the most from your loans, got together last night to say that they would no longer tolerate being pushed into this bottomless cesspool.

When I gave them your message that they needed to tighten their belts, they said they were too poor and did not have any belts to tighten. They said they were fed up of the loans taken on their name – the loans that make the elite of the family get richer and have still more fun. The mounting loans have made them poorer than before and taken away the last shreds of dignity that covered their half-naked bodies. Getting crumbs like 0.8 percent for health and 1.8 percent for education made them still more unhealthy, and yet more uneducated.

In simple words, my family has decided not just to stop seeking any further loans but to also stop any further debt-servicing. An unemployed maths teacher in my family spent some time to calculate that we paid $37.2 billion as debt-servicing alone in the last eight years. This is many times more than the principal amount that we borrowed during this period.

We are absolutely sure that there is no law that can force us to close our schools, starve our children, privatise our resources and abandon our welfare, simply because our selfish elders borrowed huge sums on behalf of those who cannot even spell the word ‘loan’ or have ever seen a bank from the inside.

Having paid off the principal amount several times over, we have a good reason to ask for total debt cancellation and an immediate freeze on any further debt-servicing. Do you realise that discovering a new mode of dying – by getting trampled while struggling to receive free food donations – speaks volumes about the poverty that your loans have been able to alleviate?

Sincerely,

Issac.dare@gmail.com
naeem sadiq
twitter : @saynotoweapons ” Unquote.