Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Saturday, September 8, 2007

cartoons not for kids!!



Children have become much more interested in cartoons over many years and it has become a primary action to some lives. Typically, children begin watching cartoons on television at an early age of six months, and by the age two or three children become enthusiastic viewers. This has become a problem because too many children are watching too much television and the shows that they are watching (even if they are cartoons) have become violent and addictive. The marketing of cartoons has become overpowering in the United States and so has the subliminal messaging. The marketing is targeted toward the children to cause them to want to view the cartoons on a regular basis, but the subliminal messaging is for the adults’ to target them into enjoying the “cartoons”. This is unfortunate because children watch the cartoons on the television and they see material that is not appropriate for their age group. The Children who watch too much cartoons on
television are more likely to have mental and emotional problems, along with brain and eye injuries and unexpectedly the risk of a physical problem increases.



Mental and Psychological Effects on Children who Watch Cartoons From the time children start school to the time that they graduate they are averaged to spend around 13,000 hours in school. This may seem like an awful lot of hours to attend
school unless it is compared to the hours a child watches television, which is nearly 18,000 hours (from the time school is started to the time of graduation). This comparison is an outrage because of the amount of television that is watched by a child will have an effect on their brain, emotions and their sense to feel pain. In a 2000 report on adolescent violence, the U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher stated that more aggressive behavior in

a young child’s life is caused by frequently watched entertainment that incorporates violence in it. This has become a public health issue and because of the research findings; the American Psychological Association passed a resolution in February of 1985,informing broadcasters and the public about the dangers violence on the television has on children. Three major effects have been proven by psychological research caused by children seeing violence on television are that the child may become less sensitive to the pain and suffering of others; children who watch violence do not fear violence nor are they bothered by violence in general and the children are more likely to become aggressive or use harmful actions towards others. When we are born we have the capacity
for motivation, experience, and training, and because of this our minds are very impressionable. Therefore, our brains’ development is a dynamic mix of nature and nurture, so it is important to choose a healthy environment for all children. This means cartoons with violence will be unhealthy for a child because in general, being interactive with any environment enhances the development of a successful brain. As a result, a
tremendous amount of childhood involvement with electronic media can limit social interaction and may obstruct the development of a brain’s social systems.

Tuesday, September 4, 2007

colors!


Black
Black is the color of authority and power. It is popular in fashion because it makes people appear thinner. It is also stylish and timeless. Black also implies submission. Priests wear black to signify submission to God. Some fashion experts say a woman wearing black implies submission to men. Black outfits can also be overpowering, or make the wearer seem aloof or evil. Villains, such as Dracula, often wear black.

White
Brides wear white to symbolize innocence and purity. White reflects light and is considered a summer color. White is popular in decorating and in fashion because it is light, neutral, and goes with everything. However, white shows dirt and is therefore more difficult to keep clean than other colors. Doctors and nurses wear white to imply sterility.

Red
The most emotionally intense color, red stimulates a faster heartbeat and breathing. It is also the color of love. Red clothing gets noticed and makes the wearer appear heavier. Since it is an extreme color, red clothing might not help people in negotiations or confrontations. Red cars are popular targets for thieves. In decorating, red is usually used as an accent. Decorators say that red furniture should be perfect since it will attract attention.

The most romantic color, pink, is more tranquilizing. Sports teams sometimes paint the locker rooms used by opposing teams bright pink so their opponents will lose energy.

Blue
The color of the sky and the ocean, blue is one of the most popular colors. It causes the opposite reaction as red. Peaceful, tranquil blue causes the body to produce calming chemicals, so it is often used in bedrooms. Blue can also be cold and depressing. Fashion consultants recommend wearing blue to job interviews because it symbolizes loyalty. People are more productive in blue rooms. Studies show weightlifters are able to handle heavier weights in blue gyms.

Green
Currently the most popular decorating color, green symbolizes nature. It is the easiest color on the eye and can improve vision. It is a calming, refreshing color. People waiting to appear on TV sit in "green rooms" to relax. Hospitals often use green because it relaxes patients. Brides in the Middle Ages wore green to symbolize fertility. Dark green is masculine, conservative, and implies wealth. However, seamstresses often refuse to use green thread on the eve of a fashion show for fear it will bring bad luck.

Yellow
Cheerful sunny yellow is an attention getter. While it is considered an optimistic color, people lose their tempers more often in yellow rooms, and babies will cry more. It is the most difficult color for the eye to take in, so it can be overpowering if overused. Yellow enhances concentration, hence its use for legal pads. It also speeds metabolism.

Purple
The color of royalty, purple connotes luxury, wealth, and sophistication. It is also feminine and romantic. However, because it is rare in nature, purple can appear artificial.

Brown
Solid, reliable brown is the color of earth and is abundant in nature. Light brown implies genuineness while dark brown is similar to wood or leather. Brown can also be sad and wistful. Men are more apt to say brown is one of their favorite colors.

Friday, August 31, 2007

What's cooler than Ice Cream?


Once upon a time, hundreds of years ago, Charles I of England hosted a sumptous state banquet for many of his friends and family. The meal, consisting of many delicacies of the day, had been simply superb but the "coup de grace" was yet to come. After much preparation, the King's french chef had concocted an apparently new dish. It was cold and resembled fresh fallen snow but was much creamier and sweeter than any other after dinner dessert. The guests were delighted, as was Charles, who summoned the cook and asked him not to divulge the recipe for his frozen cream. The King wanted the delicacy to be served only at the Royal table and offered the cook 500 pounds a year to keep it that way. Sometime later, however, poor Charles fell into disfavour with his people and was beheaded in 1649. But by that time, the secret of the frozen cream remained a secret no more. The cook, named DeMirco, had not kept his promise.

This story is just one of many of the fascinating tales which surround the evolution of our country's most popular dessert, ice cream. It is likely that ice cream was not invented, but rather came to be over years of similar efforts. Indeed, the Roman Emperor Nero Claudius Caesar is said to have sent slaves to the mountains to bring snow and ice to cool and freeze the fruit drinks he was so fond of. Centuries later, the Italian Marco Polo returned from his famous journey to the Far East with a recipe for making water ices resembling modern day sherbets.

Monday, August 27, 2007

love at first bite!



guys anyone of you seen CANTEEN KAHANI? its on ARY digital...every Monday 10 pm
its really nice! i don't watch Pakistani dramas but this one is great! the best part about it is that its VERY close to our real college lives and not like those typical Pakistani melo dramas :P hehe and i liked the character of sarmad(shehroze sabzwari) and jasim(danish taimoor)...they played their roles very well!
Its a funny love story that takes place in a college. if you guys haven't watched it trust me your missing on it! check this out and you'll know what im talking about!
http://www.canteenkahani.com/

Friday, August 24, 2007

telecommunication in the past ten years...


In the past decade Pakistan has witnessed a prodigious growth in the telecommunications sector. Most of this development has been restricted to urban areas, but the tremendous progress cannot be downplayed. Technology which was previously viewed as arcane and virtually out of reach has been made easily accessible to the common man. The younger generation, in particular, has drawn innumerable benefits from the availability of such technology, and recent years have witnessed foreign constructs such as the ‘Internet culture’ take root and grow.

While computers and the like have admittedly been around for longer than the past ten years, they have never before been so widely utilised. A worldwide revolution in information technology has reduced the prices of such equipment, and it has since then become seemingly ubiquitous.

Cell phones have become a veritable phenomenon in the past few years, their affordability rendering them a bare necessity rather than a luxury.
Cell phones allow the user to establish communication regardless of time, location or velocity. They have perpetuated the rather dubious practice of remaining in constant, succinct contact with friends and acquaintances, which, if done with a certain presence of mind, can be time-saving and useful. Instant messaging (sms), however, is availed with a passion and conviction which can at times be slightly obtrusive (especially if being done with the pretence of judicious discretion during academic classes). Even so, it is an efficient means of communication, and a largely innocuous indulgence of the youth’s more frivolous tendencies.

Also the computer has brought a world of infinite information to us, and we have reaped the benefits with single-minded diligence. Most children who attend private schools have easy access to computers, a luxury previously unheard of. Ten years ago a school project would have invariably demanded a trip to the library and hours’ worth of tedious note-taking. Often, the student would be forced to toil for unduly long periods of time in a diminishing attempt to procure the necessary information. Today, libraries are looked at with poignant nostalgia, a quaint reminder of the past.

The advent of the Internet has dramatically changed the amount of time and effort students invest in the completion of their school assignments. Information is easily accessible, and requires little more than a cursory knowledge of the subject in question and familiarity with the simple workings of the system. Assignments and projects no longer inspire the same dread that they used to, rather they are viewed as an opportunity to gain marks without the need for any unjustifiable exertion. Information, even on the most obscure topics, can be found in abundance on the Internet, and this has led to many students selecting more and more adventurous topics for their projects. As a result, the models and practical demonstrations displayed during science fairs have become successively more impressive. The Internet has also managed to enrich the classroom experience as teachers increasingly supplement the course material with information gathered over the omnipotent ‘Net’.

However, the ease with which information can be collected over the Internet has prompted some to develop a penchant for ‘copy-pasting’ off websites, and then claiming authorship of the material. This practice is quite prevalent in schools due to the difficulty of verifying the authenticity of each piece of work. Plagiarism, despite having been frequently identified as such, is rampant. This in large part can be attributed to the Internet and a general apathy towards this reprehensible practice by those in authority.
Several networking websites have become unrivalled in popularity amongst the younger generation during recent years. Such websites have established vast on-line communities, where young people interact freely and discuss shared interests. These ‘sites’ provide a source of recreation to millions of youngsters and allow them to hone their social skills which are imperative to one’s success later in life. Orkut in particular attracts countless Pakistani users and has become a genuine phenomenon.

It is evident that the rapid progress experienced in the sector of telecommunications has yielded immense benefits for those belonging to the younger age bracket, as we have access to many of the resources present in more developed countries. Yes, there is certainly room for improvement, but even so there has been remarkable advancement, much of it within the reach of the common man. Technology which was previously only available to the affluent is now central in the lives of countless youngsters.

Thursday, August 23, 2007

Rain...blessing or a nightmare!?!


I love rain, but it is, indeed, painful to recall those dreadful thirteen days of last August, when the rich and resourceful inhabitants of a posh locality in Karachi lived a nightmare in the wake of the rather generous monsoon showers.

Yet, I am penning the whole experience yet again because the very people of that posh locality are again marooned, thanks to the recent rains and there is likelihood that the same fate awaits them as it did last year. The purpose is also to blow the whistle near the ears concerned which proved to be deaf as stone last year.

The crises began when the electricity was turned off for ‘protective reasons’. As the drizzle turned into a downpour, other basic amenities such as telephone, cable, water and eventually roads were cut off. In just three hours the entire area had turned into a dark eerie place, submerged in three to four feet high water and cut off from the rest of the world.

The foremost problem was of potable water. The underground tanks were inundated. Water tanker operators refused to supply water because of the flooded roads. The local officials of the city government made tall promises but to no avail.

Therefore, initially people had to make do with whatever water was available in their water tanks. Meticulous rationing was regimented. Bathing and cooking was minimised. Even drinking was restricted. Yet scarcity led to friction within the house and outside due to discomfort and deprivation.

As incidents of water theft from the rooftop tanks increased, so did the acrimony among old neighbours. Strict vigilance ensued. A new genre of theft – from private tanks – gained legitimacy under the (until then) judicially approved ‘doctrine of necessity’; water wars had started!

With the last drop of water running out, people began to look for other means. Thus came in the most dependable of all animals – the donkey! Soon the high-tech cellphones buzzed to book a donkey-cart laden with a water tank.

Poor donkeys, loaded with water containers, wearily trudged through dirty waters, which surprisingly made for a lovable sight. Adversity had changed aesthetics. Survival instinct had overcome sensibilities. All was fair in war.

Indeed, as the days passed by donkeys came to symbolise the only hope of survival. Ditched by their government, the marooned denizens gladly pinned all their hopes on these on the donkeis! And why not after all their redeemers were rustic Pathans and their donkeys! Not the KWSB, which was busy blaming the past rulers.

For these ‘enlightened’ people, it was a moment of truth. Here they were imploring a donkey cart water supplier for water. There the country was celebrating its 59th birthday with great fanfare. Here the people were cherishing the labour of a donkey or mules which ever on ethey could get their hands on, more than that of all the governments put together! There the ‘leaders’ of the past and present were receiving eulogies for bringing progress and prosperity to this land of pure.
As far as i was told when i was a kid, rain was supposed to be a blessing, but has our governmenet let rain BE a blessing??