Lyceum School Karachi " s team won Model UN " Best International Award"

LYCEUM SCHOOL KARACHI "S TEAM WON MODEL UNITED NATION AWARD The Lyceum School ,Karachi " s Model United Nations team won the ‘Best International School’ Award at Harvard MUN 2014 in Boston, USA. Over 3,000 delegates were present from across 36 countries at the Harvard MUN this year. The Lyceum School team is the first team from Pakistan to win this prestigious award. This group of students also won four delegates awards and two notable mentions during the competition held in Boston , MA . The Lyceum School was established in August 1987 to meet a growing demand for quality Advanced level education. It has Science , Arts and Commerce departments .

Newspaper : no more......the only source of knowledge .......

NEWSPAPERS : NOT THE ONLY SOURCE OF KNOWLEDGE My earliest memories of reading newspaper is as an elementary school student early in the morning during breakfast, my parents always insisted on reading the newspaper as it is was considered the source of knowledge. We used to discuss the world happenings during the Social Studies Class at school and collected newspaper clippings of famous incidents. Now when I look at my kids they get knowledge from the internet, they read about social and political happenings in the world on the computer rather than reading it on a newspaper . “Never pick a fight with someone who buys ink by the barrel”, was Mark Twain’ advice to the masses during his time but it does not sound quite feasible for the world of today! The ink-stained publishing world is battling against companies that sell ads via Internet. According to my analysis there are several reasons for the decline of newspaper industry; most notably rise of the “cable news network”. Cable TV channels broadcast stories within few hours as it happens in contrast to the newspaper which comes only once a day. Internet is also a huge factor , news is reported on the Internet within few minutes and sometimes within few seconds , that makes the news reported in a newspaper “ old news” or “ news of yesterday “ . Another factor is money, printing presses need big offices , warehouses and salaried employees while E-books and online based newspapers require less overhead and large profits earned through advertisement revenue . It is also “impractical” to dig through a pile of newspapers to obtain a news story from last year; whereas with the internet, archives exist. Yes for sure the world of today has many different sources of information . Well when I look at my parents I see them enjoying the morning newspaper printed on paper while enjoying a cup of tea. On the other hand my kids read about the world issues on the Internet and they read books on various electronic educational devices. As for “me” I do click the computer several times during the day to get the world news, yet I also buy newspapers from grocery stores and book stores and enjoy reading every page . I think it’s not only the evolution of social media but it is also the evolution of human beings and it will continue on.

A Jewish organization recognizes a Muslim Girl

A JEWISH ORGANIZATION RECOGNIZES A MUSLIM GIRL Anne Frank Trust UK, will honor Malala Yousufzai by bestowing upon her Ann Frank Courage Award. "Malala is one of the most remarkable people we have encountered, both as a teenager and an educator, and is as inspirational a figure as Anne Frank."..........statement was released by the AF Association . Yousafzai is studying for her A-levels and cannot attend the event. Her father, Ziauddin Yousafzai, who is a UN adviser on education, will accept the award on her behalf. Naomie Harris, who recently starred as Winnie Mandela in the film "Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom" will present the award. Malala Yousafzai was targeted by the Taliban because of her campaigning work for the education of girl's in Pakistan. She is termed as Anne Frank of Pakistan .

50 and FABULOUS

50 and FABULOUS I have to admit one thing " Americans know how to enjoy life "....... their First Lady is proud to tell the nation that she is enjoying life on her 50 th birthday and poses with her new AARP card . Most ladies from the East will not announce to the world that they are turning 50 , they may stay on 45 for a pretty long time .When asked if she has peaked at 50, she joked that first lady is "pretty high up," but said she's always felt her life is "ever-evolving." Michelle Obama has plenty of fabulous company when it comes to celebrating a milestone birthday in 2014, with a host of amazing women including Sandra Bullock, Elle Macpherson, philanthropist Melinda Gates, California Attorney General Kamala Harris and Susan Rice, President Obama's national security adviser, all turning 50 this year. When we look at the list of best actress academy award nominees for 2014 only Amy Adams is 39 the other 4 are over 40. Merly Streep and Judi Dench are over 60 and 70 respectively . This certainly tells that women are strong, beautiful and talented at every age ........

SPECIAL CHRISTMAS GIFTS : an immigrant"s Christmas , Eid and Diwali

SPECIAL CHRISTMAS GIFTS" an immigrant" s Christmas , Eid and Diwali After reading an article in the New York Times I was greatly moved by the love shared by immigrants for their family members back home. It tells the story of immigrants living on Roosevelt Ave in Queens , New York .This area compromises of a large immigrant population :chinese, Koreans,Ukranians, Indians, Pakistanis, Bengalis, Mexicans, Malaysians and immigrants from various African Countries live in this area. It is believed that about 1200 different languages are spoken here .They save money all year round by doing two or three odd jobs everyday then during their respective religious holiday season send gifts back home for family and friends . The post offices and UPS stations are quite busy in late November when these immigrants bring boxes filled with hand me down clothes, toys , coffee boxes, cookie packs, soaps , sweaters and blankets to be shipped to their families for Christmas.These may be ordinary everyday items for an average US citizen but a " luxury gift " for a person living in a small town of Uganda or a millworker in Bangladesh . Some of these immigrants have not visited their families for 10 or 15 years and these gifts and the weekly telephone calls are the only source of connection among them. My 50 year old cleaning lady Olga barely speaks English but enjoys collecting decorative cookie boxes ,old sweaters and gently used toys all year. "I mail everything to my grandchildren in Yugoslavia on dec 1 st every year "she told me. She saved $100 to send a new overcoat for her daughter . I can never forget the smile on her face when she showed me the overcoat " my daughter is 28 years old , she does not have enough money to buy an overcoat", Olga said . How life can be so tough for some families. When I asked the clerk at a post office in Dearborn,MI about local immigrants bringing holiday gifts to be mailed back home . He informed me that the busiest times are during Ramadan when Arab Americans send Eid gifts and Christmas when Chaldeans send gifts to families in various Arab Countries. "They send everything from dried food items like pasta, dried fruits to soaps to electronic items ", informed the clerk. Among these struggling immigrant families the ritual of gift-giving may have a special meaning ........ Tis the season .........

GUMBO : CUISINE TRANSFORMED BY CULTURES AND TRADITIONS

GUMBO : CUISINE TRANSFORMED BY CULTURES AND TRADITIONS Louisiana is world famous for its " seafood gumbo "and claims itself as the as the Gumbo Capital of the world .Gumbo can be termed as an "economical dish" which can feed a large number of people with a small amount of meat or seafood. With this dish, cooks can use up small portions of various ingredients that were not sufficient for an individual meal. Gumbo is sort of a thick seafood and vegetable soup which is rich in spices . It is made of a thick stock and served with rice. It combines the culinary practices of French, Spanish, African slaves, Italians and Germans . In the 18th and 19th centuries, people from these cultures lived together in Louisiana. They all added their special flavors to the " gumbo", it is believed that French settlers and native tribes prepared soups with vegetables like onions , bell peppers and corn.Slave Ships started arriving in early 1700s bringing rice and African slaves who could cultivate rice . They added rice and okra in the gumbo . German settlers added meats while the Spanish settlers were mostly fishermen they introduced fishing of shrimps , oysters and crawfish. They started making the gumbo soup with seafood. A large number of people from Canary Islands move to NewOrleans in that time they spiced up the gumbo with hot peppers and cayenne peppers . Louisiana was purchased by United States in 1803 , after which tomatoes were also added to the "gumbo". Since the 19th century, gumbo has often been served at social gatherings or on other special occasions .In rural Acadiana in southern Louisiana, gumbo is a central feature of Mardi Gras celebrations. On Mardi Gras, local men wander from house to house asking for gumbo ingredients. Members of the local community then gather in a central location while the men cook the gumbo. When it is ready, the group eats and dances until midnight, when Lent begins. Hundreds of restaurants around the French Quarters area in downtown New Orleans serve the finest quality gumbo . It is the official cuisine of the state of Louisiana .

REVIVAL OF THE RICKSHAW gadgets and gizmos used by Movie Stars It's always a treat to look at the cool cars .......the Austin Martins and BMWs of James Bond 007 . His cool gadgets , his shinny cars, his catchphrases ......wow.....how a watch can turn into a parachute or a pen can convert into a sword . The master detective of all times Sherlock Holmes used his magnifying glass.He used a modern toxicology to detect poisons, and he analyzed shoe prints to determine a person's build , height and weight. Hollywood gave us old westerns with cowboys riding on horses and Japanese gave us Samurais fighting bad guys . Then there was Inspector Gadget the guard transformed into a electro cop with few cool gadgets . Well Bollywood gave us " shoo sha , dhishu , dhishu fights of the 80s" the Angry Youngman Amitabh killing 40 " gundas" in 10 minutes . Lolly wood had Maula Jat killing Noori Nat with a " gandasa " ......the macho hero of punjabi films Sultan Rahi killed bad guys by smashing them with his gandasa .I don't understand punjabi very well but enjoy the " cool fights". Bollywood is famous for producing some popular " fighting scenes ". The super powerful heros and few heroines have used all kind of weapons from swords to hammers. They jump from buildings, run on top of fast moving trains . They have used cool cars, high tech motor bikes and sailboats . The latest Bollywood blockbuster Dhoom 3 featured police walas fighting the bad guys on a " rickshaw " . It was fun to watch ACP Jai Dixit smashing the bad guys while sitting in his auto rickshaw . The amazing rickshaw could tear apart brick walls. Dhoom 3 maybe one of the priciest Indian movie ever made with latest roaring BMW bikes, police choppers and Broadway style musical entertainment . Yet the " flying rickshaw " was awesome . It was fun to look at a Desi Rickshaw in an American theatre . Seemed like the "revival of rickshaws " ......what next Police Walas on flying carpets ???