Loud Thinking

Archive for the ‘My Views’ Category

Don’t Be Late for That Meeting

When you can text or email a colleague and let her know you’re running late, it’s easy to push back meetings. This ability to quickly communicate is helpful when you’re unavoidably detained, but overusing it has costs. One study found that staff lateness costs the UK economy £9 billion per year. There’s something to be said for old-fashioned punctuality. Sixty years ago, it was important to keep commitments because there was less opportunity to reschedule on the fly. But even in this era of always-on technologies, being on time is important. It keeps you focused. It conveys to others that you’re reliable. And it shows respect for the people who don’t have to waste their time waiting on you.

Adapted by HBR from “Old-School Business Practices Worth Bringing Back,” by John Coleman.

Sleeping with enemy???

Mr. Imran Khan can someone from KPK government clarify the statement of Mr. Faisal Karim Kundi that PTI KPK law minister Mr. Israr ullah Gandapur is supporting the son of Maulana Fazlur Reman in elections?

PM Mian M Nawaz Sharif needs to clarify that:-

1. Is the below mentioned news true as reported by Dawn today on 5 August, 2013 that our PM has assured the Americans that there will be no trial of Pervaiz Musharraf under article 6?

2. And if the release of Dr. Shakeel Afridi and Pervaiz Musharraf was discussed with John Kerry why the release of Dr. Aafia was not discussed with the visiting US SoS?

Dawn News:-

ISLAMABAD: Former interior minister and a leader of the All Pakistan Muslim League Mian Zahid Sarfaraz has claimed Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has assured the United States that retired Gen Pervez Musharraf will soon be released and allowed to go abroad.

Addressing a news conference on Sunday, Mr Sarfaraz said that the release of Gen Musharraf and Dr Shakil Afridi, who had allegedly helped the US trace Osama bin Laden’s hideout in Abbottabad, had come under discussion between Mr Sharif and US Secretary of State John Kerry during the latter’s recent visit to Islamabad.

Mr Sarfaraz, who is chief organiser of the Musharraf-led APML, said the US never left its supporters in trouble and just like Raymond Davis, who shot dead two people in Lahore, both Gen Musharraf and Dr Afridi would soon be allowed to go abroad.

He said Mr Sharif had no courage to seek Gen Musharraf’s trial under article 6 of the constitution.

Mr Sarfaraz said Gen Musharraf was living a comfortable life with his family at his farmhouse, though the same had been declared a sub-jail.

Difference of a timid dictator and a brave popularly elected leader..!

Hope the lion Mian M Nawaz Sharif will not succumb to the empty threats of the USA on this issue like PM fell in line on one telephone call of Colin Powell

@LondonNiazi: IP project in jeopardy: US threatens curbs if Pakistan pursues Iran deal, says PM http://t.co/5uIkxB8Cbl via @etribune

Few Suggestions for the Consideration of ICC..!

1. In order to enhance credibility and transparency of the game, it should be made mandatory for the TV camera to show the stopped coin after the toss. This will remove any doubt about the rumours that huge money is involved in betting regarding the toss decision, which obviously is not shown these days on the TV screens.

2. Rules regarding the UDRS may be amended so that batting or bowling side may ask for unlimited number of reviews, with a condition that EVERY unsuccessful review will result in deduction of 10 runs from the grand total of the team’s TOTAL score, as UDRS penalty; only for deciding the result of the match.
It is repeated that these penalty runs will not be deducted from the individual scores of the batsmen, but only from the total score of the team, to ONLY just decide the winner of the match.

“Courage isn’t having the strength to go on –
it is going on when you don’t have strength.”

“Confidence sells — people believe in those who believe in themselves. No one wants to be stuck in a room with other people who feel like they don’t deserve to be there. Stop wondering if you’re good enough. Know you are, and start acting like it.”

— Simon Black

Will the US Secretary of State Senator John Kerry consider an honourable action after his categorical statement on PTV about ending drone attacks in Pakistan was rubbished by State Dept?

Please read the full story reported by the daily “Dawn” as below:

US NOT TO GIVE UP DRONE ATTACKS

WASHINGTON: “In no way would we ever deprive ourselves of a tool that would help us fight a threat if it arises,” says the US State Department while explaining Secretary of State John Kerry’s statement that US drone strikes in Pakistan will end soon.

Mr Kerry declared in an interview with Pakistan Television on Thursday the drone strikes in the country would soon come to an end.

“I think the programme will end as we have eliminated most of the threat and continue to eliminate it,” the secretary said.

Asked if there was a timeline for ending the drone strikes, Mr Kerry said: “I think the President (Obama) has a very real timeline, and we hope it’s going to be very, very soon.”

The two quotes were read out at a news briefing at the State Department and spokesperson Marie Harf was asked to give a timetable for ending the drone programme.

The official referred to President Barack Obama’s policy speech in May this year when he said the US had made significant progress against core Al Qaeda by using the drones and as it made more progress, the need to use the drones would also reduce.

Ms Harf said that in his interview to Pakistan Television, Secretary Kerry only “reinforced the changes” that the US expected to take place in the drone programme over time, “but there is no exact timeline to provide. Obviously, a lot of this is driven by the situation on the ground”.

She added: “The goal…is as we have success against Al Qaeda…we need to use this tactic less going forward, and that’s what the secretary was referencing.”

She was reminded that Secretary Kerry talked about ending the strikes, not reducing them.

“Well, clearly the goal of counter-terrorism operations, broadly speaking, is to get to a place where we don’t have to use them because the threat goes away. Now, we’re all realistic about the fact that there is a threat that remains and that we have to keep up the fight in this and other places around the world,” Ms Harf responded.

The secretary’s statement, she said, was “in no way indicating a change in policy”.

The State Department official pointed out that US drone strikes had eliminated a number of key Al Qaeda leaders but “nobody is naive about the threat, certainly, which is why we remain very focused on it, there and elsewhere”.

Asked why the secretary was then talking about ending the use of a tool which the administration regards as so highly effective, she said: “We would all like to get to a place where there is no threat. Now, nobody’s naive about the fact that one still exists, and that we’re going to keep up the pressure.”

If the US will not deprive itself of an effective tool like the drone, will it start using it again even if it was stopped, a journalist asked.

“In no way would we ever deprive ourselves of a tool to fight a threat if it arises,” she responded. “That’s a point I’d like to make very clear.”

The United States, however, would continue to discuss a broad range of counter-terrorism issues with the Pakistani government going forward, she said.

Reminded that keeping the option available meant using it when needed, Ms Harf said: “I would not want to further expand on what it means when I say, ‘We would not deprive ourselves of a tool’. There’s a very different thing between saying we would keep tools that we think help us achieve our goals, and saying we reserve a certain right to do a certain thing in a certain place. I’m not going to commit to the specific hypothetical that you have raised.”

A sensational report by Pro Pakistani..!

FBI Can Remotely Activate Your Android Phone Mic or Laptop Cameras: Report

It wasn’t long ago when whole world was shocked at the revelation that NSA (National Security Agency) and FBI of United States of America has direct access to the servers of Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Skype, Yahoo, Apple and other internet companies, from where they can extract any user information at their will, without any authorization or approval required from justice and legal departments.

Situation has only worsen with this new finding that FBI can remotely activate the microphones and cameras of your smartphones running Google’s Android platform and laptops without users’ consent, reported WSJ.

Report said that FBI has been developing such hacking and surveillance tools for last ten years. Additionally, there are private firms which sell them such tools to spy the users. Without a doubt – as unveiled earlier – FBI has support from technology companies, such as Google, Microsoft, Apple and others.

Moreover, FBI uses spyware tools to record keystrokes or almost any activity on a computer or smartphone.

Report says that there are usually warrants required to undergo such surveillance on suspects, however, it argues that there were instances when FBI had recorded users’ data without any legal authorization.

With plenty of criticism about NSA’s PRISM program, this new hacking and spying practices from US law enforcement agencies are going to further hike the distrust level of technology users.

It merits mentioning here that there are over 900 million users with Android devices.

These revelations also raise serious questions about the privacy of individuals, which is seemingly brutally murdered by American government and agencies and buried hundreds of miles down under the turf.

Third world citizens are in desperate position, who had embraced these emerging technology gadgets and software for simplifying their lives, but ended up only to be watched by the American government.

Our own government, which can question American government about such shameless practices, is busy doing so many other use-less things.

“Your present circumstances don’t determine where you can go; they merely determine where you start.”

— Nido Qubein