My Blog

پروفیسر سٹیفن ہاکنگ پروفیسر سٹیفن ہاکنگ آج اتوار کو ستر برس کے ہو گئے ہیں کیمبرج یونیورسٹی میں ریاضی اور نظریاتی طبعیات کے پروفیسر سٹیفن ہاکنگ کو نظریاتی فزکس میں آئن سٹائن کے بعد سے سب سے باصلاحیت سائنسدانوں میں سے ایک شمار کیا جاتا ہے۔ انہوں نے 12 اعزازی ڈگریاں حاصل کی ہیں اور 2009 میں امریکہ میں انہیں سب سے اعلیٰ سول اعزاز صدارتی میڈل سے نوازا گیا تھا۔ ایک طرف ان کی تعلیمی کامیابیاں ہیں تو دوسری جانب ان کے طبی کامیابیوں کے بارے میں بہت کچھ کہا جاتا ہے۔ آج اتوار کو وہ اپنی 70 ویں سالگرہ منا رہے ہیں۔ 1963 میں جب انہیں موٹر نیورون کا مرض لاحق ہوا تو اس وقت طبی ماہرین نے پیش گوئی کی تھی کہ وہ صرف چند ماہ ہی زندہ رہ سکیں گے۔ اس بیماری کے شکار صرف پانچ فیصد لوگ بھی مرض کی تشخیص کے بعد ایک دہائی سے زیادہ عرصہ زندہ نہیں رہ سکے۔زیادہ تر لوگ اس بیماری کی تشخیص کی چند سالوں کے اندر اندر مر جاتے۔ حقیقت یہ ہے کہ پروفیسر ہاکنگ اس بیماری کے ساتھ تقریباً نصف صدی تک زندہ رہے جو آہستہ آہستہ جسم کے ان پٹھوں کو کمزور کرتی ہے جو اعصاب کو کنٹرول کرتے ہ...

سالا کیریکٹر ڈھیلا ہے ! وسعت اللہ خان بی بی سی اردو ڈاٹ کام، کراچی وہ اچھے بھلے چلتے نظام کا تختہ الٹ کر میرے ہی اوپر بیٹھ جائے تو نظریہ ضرورت۔ میں فیڈریشن کو کنفیڈریشن بنانے کی بات کروں تو ملک دشمن ۔ وہ اپنی پالیسیوں سے ملک توڑ دے تو صرف نااہل شرابی۔پھر بھی قومی پرچم میں لپٹ کر دفن ہونے کا مستحق۔ میں ہزاروں جنگی قیدی چھڑوانے اور ایٹمی پروگرام شروع کرنے کے بعد بھی پھانسی چڑھ جاؤں تو میرے جنازے میں کسی کا شامل ہونا بھی جرم۔ وہ بھارت سے تین دریا تیرے، تین دریا میرے کا معاہدہ کرلے تو حقیقت پسند۔ میں بھارت کے زیرِ قبضہ کشمیر میں چلتے دریا پر بننے والے ڈیمز رکوانے کا مقدمہ ہار جاؤں تو نا اہل اور مشکوک ۔ وہ اگر کہے کہ کیا ہوا بھارت نے سیاچن قبضہ کرلیا وہاں تو گھاس کا تنکہ نہیں اگتا تو اس کا بیان محض ایک شگفتہ تبصرہ۔ میں اگر کہوں کہ ممبئی حملوں میں پاکستانی عناصر ملوث تھے تو کان پکڑوا کر نوکری سے باہر۔ وہ اگر مسئلہ کشمیر کو اقوامِ متحدہ کی قراردادوں سے ہٹ کر حل کرنے کا فارمولا پیش کرے تو مدبر۔ میں اگر بھارت کو تجارتی لحاظ سے موسٹ فیورڈ نیشن ک...

Viewpoint: A year of transition, uncertainty and change By Rajiv Biswas Asia-Pacific Chief Economist, IHS Global Insight China's continued economic expansion is key to the region's overall growth In the Chinese Zodiac, 2012 is the Year of the Water Dragon - marking a year of transition, uncertainty and change. The Asia-Pacific economies certainly face considerable uncertainty as well as headwinds in 2012, with the eurozone already sliding into recession at the end of 2011, while the momentum of US economic recovery - although encouraging in recent months - remains moderate at best. The Year of the Dragon will also be a year characterised by political uncertainty, with presidential elections in the US and France, as well as leadership change in China. In autumn 2012, the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China will elect the new Central Committee and Politburo Standing Committee members. The curre...

Uproar over China's 'angry dragon' stamp   The new stamp has managed to attract many buyers despite the controversy A Chinese postage stamp to mark the upcoming Year of the Dragon has sparked uproar among the public because the dragon is thought to look "too fierce". One Chinese writer is quoted as saying she was "scared to death" on seeing the image of the creature with its claws, scales and bared teeth. China Post, which produced the stamp, insists it is a perfect combination of history and modernity. The stamp's designer says a tough image was needed for a powerful creature. "Among everyday people, the dragon is thought to exorcise evil spirits, avert disasters and give blessings, so we need a tough image," Chen Shaohua is quoted by the China Daily as saying. The dragon has been a symbol of Chinese imperial power for centuries. But media figures and people posting on Chinese microblogging sites have said the im...

Golf for all?     Elite game, or everyman's pursuit? Andrew Mlangeni was in a hurry. "We have lots to celebrate," said the 86-year-old anti-apartheid icon, former Robben Island prisoner, and friend of Nelson Mandela. "But now I must play golf." Mr Mlangeni was in Bloemfontein for this weekend's ANC centenary festivities, which began on Friday with a golf tournament for senior party figures and VIPs. "I have a handicap of 16," he said, before speeding off in his golf cart - "not bad for a man of my age." Does golf send off the wrong messages for a party already accused of being elitist, corrupt and out of touch with the struggles of ordinary South Africans? Across town, the ANC's disgraced but militant youth leader, Julius Malema, reportedly was busy telling his supporters that the party's leaders were "baboons" who ignored the poor. Relaxing at the clubhouse, the ANC's spokesman Jimmy Many...

Inside North Korea: The day Kim Jong-il gave me a Rolex As part of North Korea's propaganda machine, Jang Jin-sung spent his career writing eulogies of Kim Jong-il, before growing disillusioned and fleeing to South Korea in 2004. Here he describes life as a member of the North Korean elite. I wrote poems for the regime under a pen name, pretending I was a grass-roots poet from the South. I wrote epic poems glorifying Kim Jong-il, which were published in the main newspaper in the North. I met Kim Jong-il twice. The first time, in 1999, I was overwhelmed and full of emotion. But at the same time I thought the image I had received of him - through brainwashing - was very different to how he appeared in person. Kim Jong-il's words are used as guidelines for running the country. He is a god-like figure. But when I met him I felt he was much more individualistic, even a bit selfish - and I was disappointed. Lavish rations I was given a Rolex watch as a gift ...

Paws 'Dogcam' aids search-and-rescue with canine tech By Dougal Shaw Technology reporter Grant Notman demonstrates the product at a mock disaster scene The first thing you remember is that the floor was trembling and the ceiling cracked - could it have been an earthquake? You look around and see things from your house in unusual places. Floorboards are strewn about you and your bed is at ninety degrees, trapping your legs. Suddenly the friendly face of a dog weaves through the rubble and licks your face. It barks, then a human voice asks if you are OK. This is not a hallucination, Narnia, or your first taste of the afterlife. You have been saved by a rescue dog fitted out with the latest application of wireless broadcast technology. Instead of bringing you some alcohol, this modern day St Bernard offers you the chance to communicate in real time video wi...