One story : two perspectives

ONE STORY : TWO PERSPECTIVES Palestine in and Israel out of Oscar race Some might call it a coincidence others might believe its art depicting life but fact is that both Israel and the Palestinian Authority choose the same story to make a movie on . Israeli Movie "Bethlehem " is the story, about a relationship between a Palestinian collaborator and his Israeli operator at the intelligence services. It is directed by Israeli Yuval Adler and written by Palestinian Ali Waked. It’s the kind of gritty, political drama about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict that tells the story of an Israeli secret service officer and his Palestinian informant . Two strong characters who are dealing with their moral demons . Powerful portrayal of "Human feelings and loyalties" set against the backdrop of war . Omar is a Palestinian movie directed by Hani Abu -Assad , it is a dramatic love story about Omar a baker arrested and beaten by Israeli intelligence agents following the murder of an Israeli soldier. He is later forced to act as a double agent for Israeli intelligence and help an Israeli secret service agent . He is in love with Nadja but the movie is quite tragic . It is shot in the city of Nazareth, which has the largest Arab population of any city in Israel. Much of the on-location shoot for Omar, inspired by a true story Abu-Assad heard from a friend, growing up in Nazareth .

A Skier"s fairy tale journey

Pakistani Skier "s fairy tale journey to the Olympics Mohammed Karim young skier’s story is an inspiring one .........it is true that given the opportunity, training and encouragement Pakistanis are capable of competing in any international tournament .He was born and raised in a small village near Naltar in Gilgit-Baltistan, young Karim learned to ski the slopes using wooden skis made by his uncle. His talent for the sport was spotted by an official of the Ski Federation of Pakistan, which helped train him for the game and sent his name for Olympic qualifiers. He proudly carried his country "s flag at the Sochi Opening Ceremony ,2014.

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 .........