Light's Off- WAPDA

The WAPDA (Water and Power Development Authority) announced today that due to the shortage of electricity all ships were to be closed down by 8:00p.m. 

This method is adopted by the government to help save electricity for the benefit of the people. Pakistan is becoming low on it's dams and reservoir water is drying up or being excessively used by the agriculture sector. therefore, the government wants to protect it's resources and try to minimize load shedding by the co-operation of the people. But the general public is not agreeing with the decision of the government. especially the shop keepers who own large departmental stores and boutiques say that since it is the wedding season people generally shop during the night and that is when they make most of their income. they have refused to lower down their shutters. 

The town police was asked to raid the streets of Karachi, Peshawar, Islamabad and Lahore to ask the shopkeepers personally to close down the shop. The shopkeepers do shut down their shops, but they are re-opened as soon as the police leaves.The people who shop need to understand that the notice passed is for their benefit only and it is not necessary that they purchase their items at night only. Shopping can be done during the day time when the need to electricity is less. 

If the people co-operate with the government and the government fulfills its promise then the problem of shortage of electricity can be controlled.

Turkey's mode of education

The Imam-Hatip network is a far cry from the western stereotype of the madrassa as an institution that teaches the Quran by rote and little else. Originally founded to educate Muslim religious functionaries in the 1920s, the Imam-Hatip syllabus devotes only around 40 per cent of study to religious subjects like Arabic, Islamic jurisprudence and rhetoric. The rest is given over to secular topics.

In the Beyoglu Anadolu religious school in Istanbul, gilded Qurans line the shelves and on a table lies a Turkish translation of “Eclipse”, a vampire-based fantasy romance by US novelist Stephanie Meyer.

No-one inside the school would have you believe this combination of Islamic and western influences demonstrates potential to serve as a 'moderate' educational antidote to radical Islam.

Earth Day- 22nd April 2010

Earth Day was the brain child of U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin who first announced the idea of a nationwide environmental teach-in a speech in 1969. The senator had hoped for a grassroots outcry over environmental issues to prove to the government in Washington D.C. that the public did care about them but even he had not expected the around 20 million participants nationwide that turned up on the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970.

Today, the tremendous success of that first Earth Day is seen as the beginning of the modern environmental movement. Since then, Earth Day has grown steadily, already reaching ten times the participation in 1990 when 200 million people in 141 countries participated, picking recycling as their main issue.

In 2000, the event had grown further: Hundreds of thousands of people from 184 nations participated in Earth Day, focusing on global warming and clean energy. The Internet played a big role in connecting and organizing so many people. Earth Day 2007 has so far been the biggest event with over a billion people mobilizing worldwide for the big day.

watch the video for more details on the importance of Earth Day
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/getinvolved/give-earth-a-hand

Subliminal Messages

Subliminal messages are hidden codes inside of pictures that are not visible to the conscious mind but psychologists say that they are seen by the subconscious of a person. The concept of subliminal messages has existed since the time of Jesus Christ. Some historians say  that the descendants of Christ known as the "Knights of the Templar" who were supposed to protect the on going generation of the Christ and spread his message which was banned by the church after his death, used such subliminal messages in paintings and sculptors to express what he had said. Leonardo Davinci has been one of the world's oldest and most famous artist to use subliminal messages in his paintings. His "Last Supper", Mona Lisa", "The Vitruvian Man" and many more have been some of the most popular examples of paintings with subliminal messages. 

In the 1600's when the first from of advertisements had started people used this form of communication to advertise their products. Subliminal messages can be both positive and negative, but in most cases they are negative.Nobody has yet been able to explain why such big companies like the Warner Brothers, Coca cola or Pepsi would use such methods to corrupt the minds of the youth, even more so as to why they would do it. Yet they still prevail even today in advertisements all across the globe
.

Coca Cola advertised in Australia with this poster, somewhere during the eighties. Until someone discovered what could be seen in the ice cube on the right ... That's not a bottle she's going to put in her mouth ! The artist, which probably thought it was a good joke (it was), was fired and sued. All posters were recalled and a new campaign was launched

This ad appeared in the British Yellow Pages The title is of course already double in itself. But if you turn the picture upside down and cover part of it, you can see a young girl fingering herself. I think this is the most convincing example of a subliminal ad, possibly also a joke. What else would the picture of a drinking woman be doing on an ad for flooring ?

In a promotional campaign by Pepsi in 1990, the company sold cans with a neon-design. If you stack two of those cans and turn them just right, the word SEX becomes readable. Intentional or not, it proves that sublimal ads can work after all. This fact or fantasy turned a lot of attention to Pepsi.And it obviously still does.

In the Disney movie The Rescuers, one of the animators built in a joke. During a flight scene, something odd is visible in a window in the background. This would be barely visible in the movie, but it's very clear in this frame : a naked woman in the window !

World's Worst Taxi Rides.

In the past we've extolled the virtues of "The World's 10 Best Taxi Rides"—interesting and sometimes beautiful routes that can add fun and excitement to what might normally be just another trip across town. But what about the flip side?

 Everyone has a taxi horror story to share, a tale of woe that may involve scamming, intimidation, extortion, physical threats, drunken driving, faulty shock absorbers, unending traffic jams, malfunctioning meters—or simply hellacious body odor. Add infrequent but terrifying armed robberies and kidnappings, and simply sticking out your arm on the sidewalk can seem like a dangerous roll of the dice.

 What should you worry about most? The Mexican kidnappers? The Russian thugs? The Sao Paulo gridlock? Collisions with elephants in Thailand? In reality, your biggest problem will be simple scams or miscommunications that escalate into shouting matches hindered by language barriers.

 Taxi drivers around the world have perfected the art of loud righteous indignation that's meant to intimidate, especially when they attract a crowd of curious onlookers who back them up and enjoy the show. It's up to you to decide when to cut your losses, pay up and get out of the situation.Here are some tips to help you get a safer ride.

·         Know what a legitimate taxi looks like

·         Have enough local knowledge to avoid scamming

·         Keep your travel guide with you

·         Know the currency and the tipping policy

·         Depend on your hotel concierge for advice

 A taxi ride is a business transaction, and it's important to hold up your end of the deal, even if you've had an unpleasant trip. And at the end of a long night, make sure you or one of your companions is sober enough to remain civil and keep your wits about you when it's time to pay.

The Express Tribune

What on the onset seemed quite trivial actually turned out to be quite hard. The Express Tribune , a newspaper by the Express group in collaboration with the International Herald Tribune launched just few days ago with a stunning paper and a web portal to match.

The newspaper is fresh and alive as it focuses on the younger generation more. The layout and the design of the paper are quite colorful as compared to the other newspaper of Pakistan that go with the standard black and white format. The style of writing and the photography is noteworthy as is the outline of the paper. A major drawback however is that the paper is divided in to four different sections which makes it much to long for an average daily reader.

However despite its pros and cons the Express Tribune shows a promising future in the world of print and electronic media. With internet penetration growing the way it is, I have no doubt that The Express Tribune portal will provide common ground for a lot of avid readers and have interesting side effects.

IMARC 2010

IBA Media and Publications Society is hosting an event "IMARC 2010"- The first of its kind event in the country.

I-MARC 2010 is a three day competition-centric workshop that envisions infusing the spirit of patriotism within the youth of Pakistan through the tools of media. The competition will encompass a wide range of activities from thrilling adventures that will demand ingenuity, zeal, spontaneity, unconventional thinking and above all the spirit of patriotism, to intellectual debates and panel discussions. Participants should anticipate surprises, astounding revelations and sessions of physical activities. 

I-Marc will provide teams with a platform that will open up new avenues for the media-youth alliances, reignite the dormant patriotism, and furnish prospects to project the side of Pakistan that we all adore.Pakistan’s media has the potential to portray the real image of our country in the international arena, a faded image that needs revival; I-MARC takes the first steps towards this goal.

Follow and stay tuned on the Website and Facebook Group for any news and updates.

All universities, colleges and schools are invited as are private teams.

Date: 14-16th May 2010
Venue: Liaquat National Auditorium, Karachi

registerations starts from 14th april

imarc2010@live.com

http://www.imarc.iba.edu.pk/