Pakistan Information & News

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Basic Steps of Book Collection:

Book Collection is a good hobby and if you see a book on your favorite subject, say a mystery or a cookbook, do you feel compelled to buy it? Do you have a shelf full of science fiction books or books about World War II, the Civil War, or children’s books? Can you find half a dozen books you like on the book shop remainder table? Then you already have the start of a book collection–a passion for a certain kind of book. If you are thinking of turning that passion into a hobby, then you may want to start collect books. I am also a book collector and i use to record all my books in a pretty simple software.

 ·         Look up various types of book collections: a single subject, a single author, numerous versions of a single classic book, sets of series, or, if your goal is primarily investment, rare books and first editions. Even paperbacks can be valuable. Check out the Books and Book Collecting site. Keep it simple–which do you like best. ·         Look up prices for books in your chosen area. Are they affordable for you.  ·         Think about the conditions necessary to keep your collection in good shape–cool and dry with limited exposure to light. Can you provide those conditions. ·         Figure out the best place to obtain the type of books you collect. Start with secondhand stores, flea markets and garage sales, often fertile fields for book collectors.  Now a days the books can be organised through softwares which manage the archieves in a proper manner and one can wasily locate the book of his or her choice.

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The legend of Santa Claus can be traced back hundreds of years. The story starts with a monk named Saint Nicholas. As the legend goes, Saint Nicholas was born sometime around 280 A.D. in Patara, Turkey which is near Myra in the country of Turkey we know today. Much admired for his piety and kindness, St. Nicholas was the center of many grand tales. These legends have been passed down to generations and generations of children. It is thought that he gave away all of his inherited wealth and riches so he could travel the country. He wanted to travel so he could help the poor and sick. One of the more popular St. Nick stories is the one about him saving three poor sisters from being sold into a life of slavery or prostitution by their father. Other stories tell of St. Nick saving people from famine and disease, sparing the lives of those innocently accused, and much more. He did many kind and generous deeds without expecting anything in return. Over the course of hundreds of years, Saint Nicholas’s popularity spread across the globe. The Saint became known as the great protector of children. He was admired for his work to help the needy. He was also revered for his great Christian faith. By the Renaissance period, St. Nicholas was the most popular saint in all of Europe. Even after the Protestant Reformation, when the admiration of all saints was discouraged, Saint Nicholas was able to maintain a good reputation. He is honored by all of the Christian world, in both the East and West. In the West, he is especially honored as he is considered the great patron Saint of children and the jolly giver of gifts. He is often called Santa Claus. On the anniversary of his death which is thought to be December 6, a feast day is celebrated. This was traditionally considered a lucky day to get married or make large purchases. Another tradition that we all are familiar with is writing a letter to Santa. Writing letters to Santa Claus has been a Christmas tradition for many years. These letters from children usually includes a wishlist of toys and gifts. Children often include their accomplishment of good behavior. Now only santa letters depict the above customs.

Modern Santa Claus:

 It would be a mistake to describe today’s letters of Santa as a simple amalgam and evolutionary endpoint of his rich mixture of ancestors as can be trackby through letters from Santa. For one thing, many versions still exist. In different regions of Germany St. Nick is known by various names including Klaasbuur, Burklaas, Rauklas, Bullerklaas, and Sunnercla. In eastern Germany, where the Santa figure remains more connected with his pagan past, he is called Ash Man, Shaggy Goat, or Rider. There is also the Weihnachtsmann, a Father Christmas-like figure who is depicted as tired and stooped from toiling through the dark winter night with his heavy burden of toys. Another blow against the Santa-as-amalgam model has been struck by anthropologists. They have set to work on the most ubiquitous form of the modern Santa and declared him to be more than the sum of his European influences-indeed they see him as distinctly American. They highlight  key differences between the Santa of today and his ancestors:  ·         Santa lacks the religious baggage of his predecessors.·         He is, by the standards of Knecht Ruprecht, a bit boring. ·         He has turned into a softhearted liberal with no stomach for the punishment meted out by the likes of Sinterklaas and Knecht Ruprecht.This mythical figure is more tangible than his predecessors, thanks to appearances in films, TV shows, and department stores even in Japan. Buy a letter from santa cards or publication to cheer  the kids or friends.

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The knowledge that our children are safe, happy and emotionally sound is one of our greatest concerns. If they were being traumatized by something at school or, even worse, the attentions of a predator, we would want to be the first to know. The only way we can truly be sure that they are all right, or if something is troubling them, is if they feel they can confide in us on a person-to-person basis. But are we actually listening to them as equals, or are we listening to them with condescending ears and, in the process, inadvertently breaking these lines of communication between parent and child – leaving them unwilling to come to us for help? Children don’t seem to get as much respect as other members of society,” says Julie Scandora, teacher and author of the book ‘Rules Are Rules.’ “They experience the same emotional obstacles as adults, but this is often overlooked by grown-ups. Parents need to treat children with respect and ensure a trusting relationship. Here are five of Julie’s tips to help you communicate more effectively with your children:1. Listen. It sounds obvious, but if your children don’t think they will be heard, they won’t go to you with the hard questions or problems.2. Create opportunities for interaction with your kids. Families spend so much time apart these days. Use ‘car time’ – such as the 20-minute drive to school – as a time to communicate with your children.3. Lead by example. Far too many parents opt for the ‘do as I say not as I do’ method. But this sends mixed messages to children regarding important situations.4. Respect the child’s intuition. We all have ‘gut feelings,’ and if kids are encouraged to trust theirs, they will be able to heed their intuition in dicey situations when we aren’t around to help.5. Don’t confuse ‘respect’ with ‘giving in.’ It is important that the parental role is not usurped. Don’t give in to kids just to diffuse a problematic situation. Instead communicate with them and let them know why rules are rules. By showing our children that we are receptive to what they have to say and that we are willing to talk with them, not just at them, we can help them gain confidence and maturity, but we need to make sure we are practicing what we preach. “Perhaps we need to start with ourselves, don’t we!” laughs Julie, “But if we give our children the respect we give our peers, they will be better prepared to deal with whatever life throws at them. And when they encounter something for which they are still too young to deal with by themselves, they’ll naturally come to us for advice

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Three newspaper tables and two world rankings were analysed for the Higher Education Funding Council for England.The researchers said efforts to move up the tables might clash with policy objectives and academic standards.University leaders say there is still insufficient transparency about the way the league tables are compiled.The study was undertaken by the Centre for Higher Education Research and Information at the Open University and Hobsons Research. They looked at the Sunday Times Good University Guide, the Times Good University Guide, the Guardian University Guide, the Academic Ranking of World Universities published by Shanghai Jiao Tong University Institute of Higher Education and the Times Higher Education Supplement (now THE)/Quacquarelli Symonds ranking.

Reputation.

Their report, Counting what is measured or measuring what counts?, published by Hefce during its annual conference, said there was clearly a demand for league tables among prospective students and others. It said the rankings largely reflected “reputational” factors such as students’qualifications on entry, the level of degree they attained and Research Assessment Exercise grades. The tables measured the data available, some of which were poor indicators for the qualities they were supposed to reflect, such as “excellence” or “a world class university”Also the weightings applied do not always seem to have the desired effect on the overall scores for institutions. “This brings into question the validity of the overall tables,” the report said. The way scores were worked out was not always transparent. “The resulting rankings largely reflect reputational factors and not necessarily the quality or performance of institutions.” 

 Staff morale. Yet institutions were strongly influenced by them. “League tables are being used by many institutions as key performance indicators and, in some cases, strategic targets. They are being used by some senior management teams and governing bodies as one of several drivers for internal change.”Despite widespread scepticism, staff morale was affected. The report concludes: “The influence of league tables is increasing both nationally and internationally, and cannot be ignored despite serious methodological limitations. “They are being used for a broader range of purposes than originally intended, and being bestowed with more meaning than the data alone may bear. “It is possible that the influence of league tables will increase further if the cap on tuition fees for full-time undergraduate courses is raised or lifted altogether“It is possible that ranking position will affect an institution’s ability to charge the highest fees across all its courses.

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I remember my old college days which i termed as golden days. Those were the days i enjoyed by making my carrier. I had lot of friends at that time who really share their thoughts  and really guide me for future. We studied together, eat together and play together. I cannot bring back those days to my life. Now all we friends are scattered and busy in our jobs and families. We are still in contact but there were some to whom i dont have any contact. Their phone numbers has been changed. Some has been relocated to other countries.

I really miss those aluminy. But suddenly i got a website which became really helpful in getting contacts of my college time friends even i can contact my non college fiends too. Onlyaluminy.com really helps me in getting my friends back to my contact list. Now i can again share my thoughts with them.

If some one is looking for Fresno State Alumni , Chico State University Alumni or Harvard University Alumni then you may use this college aluminy community portal. It is free and easy to use. It is a good community platform to join together your love one.

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Ghonabit who lives in Qom,a very important religious city in Iran, says[Fa] there is a real discrimination between ordinary citizens and religious students and clerics. The blogger adds these religious people have their own private buses and some places such as Television Faculty just accept them as students.
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Keith blogs about education in Burkina Faso: “We are also looking at the possibility of starting a primary school in the region, and I will let you know as things progress. Education is one of the Millenium goals, and a priority in Burkina, where literacy (according to the 2005 UNDP report) is 12.8%.”
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Read more at Ndesanjo Macha

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A video of “Camel Library” in Garissa, Kenya: “For thouands of years they are trekking though the desert. Now camels in Kenya are bringing books to the ever moving nomadic communities.”
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Read more at Ndesanjo Macha

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Jamaica and the World identifies what she thinks are “4 biggest non-debates in the lead-up to the election in Jamaica”.
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Read more at Janine Mendes-Franco

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This week’s Arabic translation has good and bad news. On the good side is a pioneering scheme by Jordan to publish draft laws online and give people the chance to comment on them before being passed as legislation while on the bad are stories about more censorship and arrests of student activists in Egypt.
Jordan: Online Democracy
Jordanian Batir Wardam sings laurels to his country’s pioneering move to post drafts of new legislation on-line and allow comments from the public.
إجراء إيجابي يستحق التقدير ذلك الذي قام به ديوان التشريع بإنشاء موقع إلكتروني www.lob.jo يتضمن كل مسودات التشريعات التي يتم تطويرها في الأردن حتى يتسنى للمواطنين وزوار الموقع وضع ملاحظات خاصة على مسودات التشريع كنوع من المشاركة الشعبية المباشرة.
هذه الخطوة تستحق التقدير لأن الأردن هو الدولة العربية الوحيدة التي تتخذ هذا الإجراء، إضافة إلى أن اسلوب المشاركة المفتوحة Public Hearing لمناقشة مسودات التشريعات غير معمول به إلا في دول قليلة وصلت إلى مستويات عالية من احترام الإرادة الشعبية.
بالطبع لهذا الإجراء حدوده والتي تتركز في قلة إنتشار الإنترنت في الأردن ولكن من الممكن تنفيذ الكثير من الطرق التي بإمكانها زيادة عدد المشاركين في المناقشة العامة لمسودات القوانين والأنظمة والتعليمات، والتي يمكن أن يشكل الموقع الإلكتروني البنيان الأساسي له
The Legislation’s Bureau latest move of posting draft laws bring discussed in Jordan online on www.lob.jo is a positive move forward which deserves applause as it enables citizens and visitors to the site to comment on legislation as part of a direct national participation project. This is a step which deserves appreciation as Jordan is the only Arab country to implement this project. Furthermore, the way in which participation is open for all through Public Hearing to discuss draft laws is not used in but a handful of countries which are renowned for respecting the will of their citizens. There is no doubt that this process will have its limitations, mainly in that internet penetration is not very high in Jordan but there certainly are ways to increase participation in general discussions, which could be hosted primarily on this site.
Kuwait: Water Conservation
In Kuwait, Da Vinci comes up with an innovative idea to conserve water in the desert Emirate. Click the link to check out the photographs!
تضامن مع حملة الترشيد
قام الأستاذ رشيد بتصغير حوض السباحة في البيت
بالتعاون مع صاحبة البيت الآنسة لولو
In support of the water conservation campaign, Mr Rasheed has decided to make the swimming pool at home smaller in cooperation with the house’s owner Ms Lulu.
UAE: The Rule of the Jungle
Osama, from the UAE, has his own axe to grind, after he was stood up by a tradesman.
مع الطفرة الحاصلة هذه الأيام في جميع المجالات يبدو أن معاني الشرف والمروءة في طريقها للانقراض بعد أن سيطر الجشع والطمع واللهاث الأعمى خلف المال على عقول و عواطف كثير من الناس، وصار المنطق السائد هو شريعة الغاب الذي لا تحكمه أية قوانين أو مواثيق متعارف عليها، فيوم الخميس الماضي أمضيته كله بانتظار أحد الحرفيين بعد أن اتفقت معه على اللقاء بعد الظهر في موقع المنزل الجديد لإنهاء بعض الأشغال [...]

Read more at Amira Al Hussaini

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Venezuela News and Views states that private education in Venezuela continues to be “under siege,” because of the state belief that “nobody should be allowed to develop a dissenting perception of life, the only one being allowed is the one from the state.”

Read more at Eduardo Avila

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