Cultral Scene: Mathematics and Poetry

Jassim Taqui

Mathematics teaches you rational thinking. It opens your horizon to a world of pure mathematics and numbers. However, soon you find its applications in all fields of sciences. I used mathematics as a powerful tool in teaching Arabic language and translation. My students in International Islamic University were elating when I used mathematics and linguistics to explain both Arabic and English poems. My students could not believe the ease with which I linked mathematics with poems...read the rest on the following link:https://www.facebook.com/widad.shahid/posts/10154087116772437?comment_id=10154087243032437&notif_t=like

Cultural scene: Salvation from the Sultan

Salvation from the Sultan

Jassim Taqui

Liberty, salivation, redemption from the Sultan, hope,

Moving fast, crossing all barrier with energy none can stop,

Enough dictates, enough shackles, enough brutality, fear,

For all and sundry rise with one voice radiating in all air,

Enough jokes , fairy tales, enough lies, the tide is strong, fair,

Marching ahead sweeping hurdles killing the evil without fear,

Enough noise through mercenaries, armed force all the day,

The tide is tornado , so forceful, powerful that sweep you away,

The freed people are moved in unison on the fine tunes dance,

Never look back, never fear, never bother to give a glance,

Oh sultan, your day are numbered, your castles will end, fall,

No more torture, no more power, misery, God issued the call.

ILO organized World Water Day

ILO organized World Water Day with theme “Better Water, Better Jobs” in Pakistan

Al-Bab Report

Hyderabad (ILO News):  The Vice Chancellor Sindh Agriculture University, Dr. Mujeeb ud Din Memon Sehrai announced to conduct research with the students to find how the water bound disasters and mismanagement of water resources was affecting human resources in rural Sindh, which would support the provincial government in understanding the problems. He said there was need to educate the youth about the issue of water. He was speaking over a seminar organized by the Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam in collaboration with the International Labour Organization (ILO) in Pakistan to commemorate World Water Day with the theme “Better Water, Better Jobs”. The United Nations has declared 22 March as the World Water Day (WWD) in order to magnify the international focus on water related issues and to inspire people and organizations to think about the link between the Water and Jobs. The ILO Director General, Mr. Guy Ryder, who is the ex-officio chair of the UN-Water Secretariat launched the World Water Development Report (WWDR) on the same day in Geneva. The Vice Chancellor of the Sindh Agriculture University chaired the seminar that was participated by more than 250 people including water sector researchers, experts and the think tanks, deans of various faculties, civil society activists, media personnel, students and the rural communities of Sindh.

While referring to the WWDR, the ILO Project Coordinator, Abid Niaz Khan explained the horrendous joblessness created in the Sindh province due to sea intrusion, over exploitation and mismanagement of the mangroves and wetlands, the menace of water logging and salinity, inability of the public sector to provide clean drinking water and the sanitation services to the rural and urban populace, the depletion and contamination of ground water resources and no public investment in building water reservoirs. He further informed that by investing in water sector infrastructure and improvement many direct and numerous indirect jobs can be created sustainably. Mr. Abid also informed about the One-UN Livelihood Restoration Project that responded to 2010 floods and was implemented jointly by the ILO, FAO and UN Women. As part of its livelihood protection strategy, the project supported the improvement of water courses and the irrigation infrastructure through labour intensive methods. These initiatives improved the irrigation efficiency, bettered the drainage system, created short term employment for the poorest peasant communities and sustainably improved their income levels through increasing their agriculture and livestock productivity.

Mr. Irshad Ahmed Bohyio, General Manager, WAPDA South (Water & Power Development Authority) said that “Despite the fact that per capita access to water has decreased from 1500 cubic meter a decade ago to 1000 cubic meter now, Pakistan still is a water surplus country. We have to recognize the importance of water because our mismanagement of water resources has resulted in Pakistan’s inclusion into the list of water scarce countries”.

Mr. Nazeer Essani, General Manager, SIDA (Sindh Irrigation & Drainage Authority) admitted that inefficiencies in the irrigation system as well as the poor drainage of saline water are resulting in the increased water logging and salinity, thus reducing the on-farm employment opportunities for the farming communities.

The Vice Chancellor who is ex-officio member of the agriculture policy task force also highlighted that the impact of water bound disasters has, over the last five years, adversely affected Sindh Province of Pakistan resulting in poor income and vulnerable livelihoods. Sindh was the most severely affected province of the 2010 floods with close to 970,000 households suffering agricultural losses estimated at USD 2,301.6 million. He pledged his university’s support in incorporating the following recommendations, drawn on the basis of the known challenges that Sindh confronts on the water front, into the agriculture policy, which is in the drafting stage:

1. There is an immense need for immediately evolving a separate Water Policy for the Sindh Province. Until that happens, the water issues need to be addressed under the Agriculture Policy for Sindh.
2. Increasing joblessness at the behest of Sea intrusion should be addressed through a twin pack approach, i.e, A)- increasing the efficiency of Indus river system for a sustainable and consistent flow of water in the river stream, and B) - Providing alternate and off-farm livelihood options for the affected populations.
3. Plight of the fisher communities because of the deforestation of mangroves and mismanagement of wetlands should be dealt with through an increased focus on mangroves afforestation and reforestation and better management of wetlands.
4. Jobs being compromised at the behest of water logging and salinity should be protected through improved drainage, and bio-chemical techniques.
5. Increased investment need to be made in the Protection infrastructure & DRR interventions to minimize the losses from water-bound disasters.
6. Clean drinking water and the water for household consumption should be made available to the rural and urban populace thus also creating decent jobs within the water market.
7. Groundwater resources should be re-charged, protected from contamination, properly priced and distributed thus creating jobs and improving the service delivery in the water sector.
8. Water use should be made more efficient to maintain the per capita water consumption at par with the world standards and efforts should be made to better regulate the water distribution and making the water more worthy.

Others who spoke over the seminar included: Mr. Ali Akbar Rahimoon, CEO, AWARE Thar (Association for Water, Applied Education & Renewable Energy), Mr. Mustafa Ujjan, Director NARA Canal Area Water Board, Prof. Dr. Muhammad Saffar Mirjat, Dean (Faculty of Agriculture Engineering) and Mr. Ghulam Mustafa Abro (Ex-Chief Economist, Government of Sindh).

The seminar was organized under the One-UN Livelihood Restoration Project being implemented jointly by the International Labour Organization (ILO), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and UN-Women. The project is funded by UN Trust Fund for Human Security (UNTFHS) and steered by the Sindh government through a project steering committee set up for the purpose in the P&D department.

PWF, ILO impart paralegal training to trade unionists

PWF, ILO impart paralegal training to trade unionists

Al-Bab Report

 

KARACHI, 24 March 2016: 28 members from different trade unions of Pakistan completed a 14-day paralegal training course jointly organized by the Pakistan Workers’ Federation (PWF) and the International Labour Organization (ILO).

Different sessions of the training were conducted by Dr Muhammad Ishaq, Zulfiqar Ahmed and Shehr Bano from the Pakistan Workers’ Federation (PWF). The regional leadership of PWF Karachi and Baluchistan monitored the training and gave its feedback. Those present on the occasion included PWF President Ajab Khan, Karachi Region General Secretary Qazi Tanveer Ahmed and Central Finance Secretary Ejaz ul Haq Siddiqui.

The audience was informed that the variety and complexity of labour laws in Pakistan have contributed adversely to the industrial relations system in the country. Besides, the structural and legislative changes and simplification and minimization of labour judicial system to provide speedy justice to the labour sector have been recurring issues in Pakistan.

It was also shared that the trade unions in Pakistan and the workers at the plant level face a lot of litigations and have to take recourse to immediate judicial relief which is not forthcoming. The reason for this delay in getting justice is also for the reason that the trade unions do not have the financial strength to hire lawyers who can represent them in courts.

“Workshop aimed at developing the capacity of the second line emerging leadership of trade unions. This will help them contest their cases themselves without hiring expensive legal services” said Mr Razi Mujtaba Haider from ‘Gender Equality for Decent Employment (GE4DE)’ Project of ILO.

The workers (both women and men) usually face cases like those involving charge sheet, termination from service, discriminatory wages, lack of contracts and formal Terms of Reference (ToRs) and so on. Women workers additionally face the cases of sexual harassment at workplace.

The PWF realizes that there must be an alternative cost effective mechanism at the disposal of the workers to provide them with legal relief and to represent them in courts. The federation ultimately reached a conclusion that the trade union members should be imparted training and basic education to enable them to represent their fellow workers in the courts and thus enable them to have access to justice.

There were equal number of women and men from various affiliated unions of the PWF. The participants already had basic education and experience within the trade unions and were quite familiar with the issues faced by workers at their workplaces.

The best part was that instead of hiring trainers from the market, the PWF utilized the newly trained young trainers who had been trained through the educational activities of the PWF supported by the GE4DE Project. One new emerging male trainer and one new emerging female trainer conducted each of these four trainings. A senior trainer would also be present at the venue to provide pre and post session feedback and guidelines to these trainers.

Netherlands Ambassador Jeannette Seppen presents the Salt Tolerant Potato

Netherlands Ambassador Jeannette Seppen presents the Salt Tolerant Potato

Al-Bab Report

On Thursday March 24th, Dutch Ambassador Jeannette Seppen proudly presented the ‘Salt Tolerant Potato’ in Islamabad, with a live cooking show with celebrity chef Mehboob Khan, a tasting and an explanation by a Dutch expert of this innovation. The Dutch salt tolerant potato is expected to make a great contribution to Pakistan’s food security, as it will make saline land viable again for agricultural production.

With support of the Securing Water for Food Program - a combined effort of U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) and the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dutch development consultancy MetaMeta tested this salt tolerant potato variety in Pakistan – with very encouraging results.

Described as a game changer, this revolutionary potato variety has now advanced to the second stage of a test production phase in Pakistan. If proven commercially feasible, this innovation will bring a viable option for innumerable farmers who are currently unable to grow crops on their saline landholdings and provide a new lease of life for communities that suffer from food-insecurity and malnutrition.

The event allowed guests from the agricultural, governmental and development sector to learn about this tremendous agricultural break-through and taste the potato themselves. Chef Mehboob had produced a variety of dishes in order for everyone to sample the four types on offer.

Ambassador Jeannette Seppen was very excited about the prospects: “This new innovation is truly impressive. These unique potatoes – a prime example of Dutch innovation in agriculture – can enable cultivation in saline areas, which is a great opportunity not only for Pakistan but for the world at large.

I commend MetaMeta, Jaffer Brothers, Salt Farm Texel, USAID and SIDA on the tremendous success of this joint effort.”

Cultural Scene: The Angel

The angel looked so innocent , so kind,

So elevating, friendly, love abound,

Playing  with the children with ease,

chasing them lovingly like a breeze,

Hugging, kissing them, radiating love,

The angel, leaves  imprints, merry cheer,

Never before,  I witnessed or ever hear,

Is, it English, is it French : joie de vivre?

The Cultural Scene: Making Federation work

Brussels airport and Metro bombings

Brussels airport and Metro bombings

Blasts rocked the departure hall of Brussels’ Zaventem Airport and the city Metro stations, killing over 30 people, injuring dozens more. While the death toll keeps growing, authorities said the attacks are terror bombings and more undetonated homemade bombs are being discovered in security ops.

US President Barack Obama has offered his condolences in a phone call to Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel, and vowed his support against the“scourge of terrorism.”

“The president reaffirmed the steadfast support of the United States for Belgium, and offered any assistance necessary in investigating these attacks and bringing those responsible to justice. The president reiterated that the United States stands together with the people of Belgium, as well as NATO and the European Union, and once again pledged the full cooperation and support of the United States in our shared commitment to defeat the scourge of terrorism,” a White House statement reads.

Source: RT

Technology: 10 Myths about Cloud Computing

10 Myths about Cloud Computing

Ahmed Banafa

Cloud is recognized as facilitating “speed-to-market” – and for its ability to drive business agility. This is because cloud supports rapid experimentation and innovation by allowing companies to quickly try and even adopt new solutions without significant up-front costs. The Cloud can be a highly agile wrapper around different systems, different behavior and bringing it all together in an engagement cycle. By changing the way people interact with technology, cloud enables new forms of consumer engagement, expand collaboration across the value chain and bring innovation to companies’ core business models.

Gartner listed cloud computing as one of the top technology’s investment in the next 5 years as showing on the chart below:

Credits: Gartner

• Public Cloud: In Public Cloud the computing infrastructure is hosted by the cloud vendor at the vendor’s premises. The customer has no visibility and control over where the computing infrastructure is hosted.The computing infrastructure is shared between any organizations.

• Private Cloud: The computing infrastructure is dedicated to a particular organization and not shared with other organizations. Private Clouds are more expensive and more secure when compared to Public Clouds. Private Cloud is what used to be called your company network.

• Hybrid Cloud: Organizations may host critical applications on Private Clouds and applications with relatively less security concerns on the Public Cloud. The usage of both Private and Public Clouds together is called Hybrid Cloud.

With all this in mind and the reality of cloud comping impacting businesses in all aspects and at all levels, there are myths surrounding cloud computing and clouding the reality of the cloud:

• Myth # 1: It is only for tech companies. Nothing is far from the truth as this myth, any company in the horizontal and vertical markets can use it including no matter what is the size.

• Myth # 2: Security is the biggest risk. Security measures used by well-known cloud vendors are often better than their clients; the cloud vendors have the resources and the skills to keep it up to date.

• Myth # 3: Everything works better in the Cloud. Except old applications that were designed to run on dedicated servers, often difficult to run on the cloud.

• Myth # 4: It is always cheaper to run in the Cloud. It is not always cheaper to run on the cloud, but it can often be more cost efficient. Cloud works best for variable demands and workloads, where you have high demand at times but lower demand at others.

• Myth # 5: Cloud is harmful to the environment. There’s no question that data centers consume huge amounts of energy. But when businesses move from on-site facilities to consolidated cloud data centers, it saves energy and cuts pollution.

• Myth # 6: Cloud costs jobs. Instead of taking jobs it is in fact creating them, industry predictions suggesting that by the end of 2015 cloud computing will have created more than 13 million jobs worldwide. It required a host of cloud-savvy experts whose skills and knowledge will maintain and strengthen growth and development.

• Myth # 7: Migrating into the Cloud is more hassle than it is worth. If you work in partnership with a trusted and experienced hosting provider it’s a seamlessly process. It can all happen very quickly with minimal downtime.

• Myth # 8: Cloud Is Not for Mission-Critical Use. Cloud computing can be used for all aspect of business including Mission-Critical applications for many reasons including less downtime, and auto backup.

• Myth # 9: Cloud is virtualization. Virtualization is software that manipulates hardware, while cloud computing refers to a service that results from that manipulation.

• Myth # 10: I’ll be caught by Vendor ‘lock in’. This is true only to the same extent of on-premise, traditional software. There would be nothing to stop businesses building their own applications and deal with more than one vendor.

Understanding what is next for cloud computing is crucial for businesses at all levels because the cloud isn’t just for techies anymore. Managers are responding to the real opportunities that the cloud offers to develop new business models, forge closer ties with customers, and use the expertise of employees and partners. From a technology that was initially adopted for efficiency and cost savings, the cloud has emerged into a powerhouse of innovation throughout organizations.
Cloud computing is here to stay and the numbers are supporting that:

• 75% of decision makers use the cloud in their business

• 94% of IT managers reported improvements in security with the adoption of the cloud

• 75% of business reported improvements in the availability in their services

• 91% of SMB used cloud services to satisfy compliance requirements

• Spending on Cloud Computing never slow down, with a projected 183 Billion in 2015

The next-generation of cloud computing will deliver value to the business faster by automating everything from request to deployment and configuration — and do so up and down the stack and across the entire infrastructure. Cloud computing is part of the “Third Platform” according to IDC along with Mobility, Big Data Analytics and Social business, that explains why many businesses adopted the cloud to create innovative industry solutions. Now cloud computing is moving the bar higher with the Internet of Things (IoT) which is built by the cloud for the cloud.

 Ahmed Banafa

Faculty | Author | Speaker | 5-time instructor of the year

Diplomatic Service: The Dean Leaves

A wonderful Diplomat bid farewell

Dr. Jassim Taqui

 Mr. Rodolfo J. Martin-Saravia  the Dean of Diplomatic Corps Rodolfo presented a souvenir to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif during a reception hosted by him and the Diplomatic Community in the honor of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif at Serena Hotel. 

Saravia has been a great friend of Pakistan. He worked hard to add a new dimension to the bilateral relations between the two countries. I had the privilege of being the first journalist to interview him way back in 2004. subsequently, I covered every function he held until 2011 when I was bedridden for over 4 years. The functions I covered included those specially arranged for diplomats to bid farewell to Ambassadors and heads of the Diplomatic Missions and to introduce new diplomats.I found him  the most dynamic and active Ambassador. During his tenure he has done a tremendous job in promoting the Argentine-Pak relations. I am very impressed by his professional and diplomatic skills. 

He was known of his soul-soothing parties, where the elite of the elites were invited in his parties. All parties were held in his residence, which looks like National Gallery depicting his unique taste of fine arts. One notices his command on brevity. His speeches would not last more than a few minutes. His sitting dinner parties were characterized by elegant arrangements and serene atmosphere, full of joy , music, art and optimism.I have had never witnessed such atmosphere in any other diplomatic function. 

In view of his services in promoting relations between Pakistan and diplomatic community for a long period of 12 years, the government of Pakistan should honor him with the highest civil award. 

I sincerely wish Saravia  his spouse and wonderful familya brilliant future, good health, happiness and peace of mind.

Saravia cannot be defined except by himself. This reminds of this famous saying by the renowned Sufi poet Rumi, " What you seek is seeking you." 

Diplomatic Service: Tunisia's Mother of all Revolutions

Tunisia: The Mother of All Revolutions

Dr. Jassim Taqui

Message of H. E Mr. Adel Elarbi, Ambassador of the Republic of Tunisia to Pakistan on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Independence of the Republic of Tunisia

It gives me great pleasure to address the brotherly people of Pakistan on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Independence of the Republic of Tunisia.  

The commemoration of the anniversary of Independence Day provides the opportunity to celebrate with immense exuberance and joy enriched with a sense of patriotism and faith in our country as well as to reflect upon the outstanding achievements made by Tunisian people over the past five years. 

Tunisian people have liberated themselves from the yoke of colonization and oppression; they have seized upon eternal principles and set a glorious example in the region. Tunisians have successfully institutionalized their revolution by electing a new Parliament which appointed a new Government, a new President of the Republic and charted a new constitution. Recently, the coronation of the Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet with the prestigious 2015 Nobel Peace Prize came at a pivotal moment for the nascent Tunisian democracy to steer Tunisia away from the path to conflict towards the path to political compromise and assure a smooth transition from an authoritarian to a democratic state.

Every year, March 20th is an auspicious day for all Tunisians to solemnly salute, respect and truly acknowledge our brave men and women, who sacrificed their lives to gain freedom for our country. We have earned our independence through blood, sweat and tears. We must pay tribute to our martyrs who sacrificed their lives to gift us freedom. On this day, we shall as well salute all our national heroes and leaders who guided us from confinement to freedom.

          The commemoration of the Independence Day should remind us that there is no perfect nation, but it is our duty to make it perfect. In this connection, we are aware of the obstacles and challenges that remain to realize in terms of eradicating extremism, implementing the adequate economic policies that will to tackle the problems of poverty, unemployment, regional disparities, establishing reforms that create a climate conducive to private initiative and business and stimulating growth through trade diversification and access to new markets.

The European Union is by far Tunisia’s largest partner; Tunisia is as well actively engaged in the Maghreb integration process. Tunisia has also concluded a preferential trade arrangement with the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) and is in talks with the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC) as well as with several countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and in the Near and Middle East. In this connection, Tunisia is in talks with the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to conclude a preferential trade arrangement in order to upgrade the bilateral relations between them to the highest levels of cooperation and partnership.