CSS, PCS, ISSB and other Competitive examination preparation

A short professional bio has become increasingly important as most of us suffer from information fatigue and cannot be bothered to read lengthy documents about anybody. Experts such as Matthew Levy reckon your bio is the most important document you will ever write. A bio is useful for a host of reasons such as applying for a job, publishing an article or guest blog post, general networking etc. It’s basically a great vehicle for quickly communicating who you are and what you do.

ONE of the world’s great economic success stories, Singapore owes much of its prosperity to a record of honest and pragmatic government, the legacy of Lee Kuan Yew, who has died aged 91. He retired as prime minister in 1990 but his influence shaped government policy until his death, and will continue to do so beyond. Born when Singapore was a British colony, the young Mr Lee saw the humiliation of the colonial power by Japan and the tough years of Japanese occupation. A brilliant scholar, he thrived in London and Cambridge after the war and came back to Singapore to assume a leading role in the anti-colonial struggle, co-founding the People’s Action Party (PAP), which governs Singapore to this day.

THE tale of the two non-hangings is the tale of a criminal justice system largely discredited and irrelevant. Why is the state nurturing a penchant for quick convictions at the expense of our justice system’s safety? Why are we picking sides not principles, and confusing revenge with justice? Why are those in power strengthening the cynical belief that given our system breakdown only two wrongs can make a right in Pakistan?

WE are living in a nuclear state which has developed ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, trainer/fighter aircraft, tanks and armed drones. But we are unable to ensure immunity for our future generations from crippling and potentiallyfatal diseases such as polio. We usually fail to address challenges because of lack of will rather than lack of resources. The campaign to eradicate polio demonstrates as much.

Martin Luther King Jr was one of America’s most influential civil rights activists. His passionate, but non violent protests, helped to raise awareness of racial inequalities in America, leading to significant political change. Martin Luther King was also an eloquent orator who captured the imagination and hearts of people, both black and white.

Abraham Lincoln  was the 16th President of the United States , serving from March 1861 until  his assassination in April 1865 . Lincoln led the United States through its  Civil War —its bloodiest war and its greatest moral, constitutional and political crisis.   In doing so, he preserved the  Union , abolished slavery, strengthened the federal government, and modernized the economy. Abraham Lincoln was born Feb 12, 1809, in Hardin Country, Kentucky. His family upbringing was modest; his parents from Virginia were neither wealthy or well known.  became a lawyer in  Illinois , a  Whig Party leader , and a member of the  Illinois House of Representatives , where he served from 1834 to 1846.  Elected to the  United States House of Representatives  in 1846 in 1846, Lincoln promoted rapid modernization of the economy through banks, tariffs, and railroads. Because he had originally agreed not to run for a second term in Cong...

Paulo Coelho  (  born August 24, 1947), is a  Brazilian  lyricist and novelist. He is the recipient of numerous international awards, amongst them the Crystal Award by the World Economic Forum.  The Alchemist , his most famous novel, has been translated into 80 languages.  The author has sold 175 million copies worldwide and is the all-time bestselling Portuguese language author.

The  Grand Mosque seizure  occurred during November and December 1979 when extremist insurgents calling for the overthrow of the House of Saud took over Al-Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage. The insurgents declared that the Mahdi (the "redeemer of Islam") had arrived in the form of one of their leaders – Mohammed Abdullah al-Qahtani – and called on Muslims to obey him.

BY all accounts, a “framework” agreement on Iran’s nuclear programme is likely to be concluded by end-March between Iran and the P5+1 (China, France, Germany, Russia, UK and US). A full agreement is to be finalised by end-June. Although the precise elements of the agreement are as yet not known, it appears, from public information, that it will include: — limits on Iran’s centrifuges (to ensure it would take it at least 12 months to have enough highly enriched uranium to build a bomb, or ‘breakout capability’);

MADRESSAHS have of late been back in the limelight, for discussion of what they produce and how, ever since a feeble expression of intent by the government to regulate them became part of the National Action Plan. (Some of the latest reports suggest the government has reneged on its plan now.)

INTRODUCTION: internationally recognized and renowned polymaths who laid the foundations of the modern scientific knowledge. From 8th till 13th century, the world witnessed the grandeur of Muslim scientists and artists. One of the earliest and most celebrated scientists was Jabir Bin Hayyan; called Geber in the West. He has been titled “Father of Chemistry” due to his invaluable contribution to the field of chemistry 

Battle of Marj-ud-Deebaj  was fought between the  Byzantine army , survivors from the  conquest of Damascus , and the  Rashidun Caliphate army  in September 634. It was a successful raid after three days of armistice, on the  Byzantine  survivors of the conquest of Damascus. BACKGROUND: After the battle of  Ajnadayn , the Arabs took easily all Palestine and most parts of Syria, including  Damascus , after an one-month siege. The Byzantine commander  Thomas , son-in-law of Emperor  Heraclius , after hearing that Muslim troops had entered Damascus at the Eastern gate, wisely tricked the Muslim commanders at the other gates by suing for peace.

source = dawn.com It is said that Chingiz Khan (1162-1227), the Mongol ruler, in his last days called his sons and gave them permission to convert to any religion of their choice.  On his advice, some of them became Buddhist while others converted to Islam. The Mughal emperors were proud of this relationship and from time to time adhered to Tora-i-Chingizi, i.e. laws of Chingiz Khan. Perhaps, they inherited their religious tolerance from their maternal ancestors.

Rise above sectional interests and private ambitions. Pass from matter to spirit. Matter is diversity; spirit is light, life and unity. Muhammad Iqbal In his address to the Constituent Assembly on August 11, 1947 Quaid-e-Azam Mohammed Ali Jinnah had this to say:  “If you work together in a spirit that everyone of you, no matter to what community he belongs, no matter what is his colour, caste or creed, is first, second and last a citizen of this state with equal rights, privileges, and obligations, there will be on end to the progress you will make. You may belong to any religion or caste or creed… 

On March 3, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued an impassioned plea to Congress to protect Israel by opposing diplomacy with Iran. Referring to “the remarkable alliance between Israel and the United States” which includes “generous military assistance and missile defense,” Netanyahu failed to mention that Israel has an arsenal of 100 or 200 nuclear weapons.

THE government`s studied disinclination to answer criticism of its somewhat reckless policy to privatise national assets is posing a serious threat to the economy and the right to employment of a sizeable labour force. It is no longer advisable to recall the Quaid-iAzam`s pledge that the key industries in Pakistan would be in the public sector because his views on this issue, as in other matters, have been rendered irrelevant by time or by his more patriotic successors in authority. Also, little heard is the voice of economic experts who till recently argued that the public sector had a significant role in countries like Pakistan.

Wikipedia says, Rana Bhagwandas  (20 December 1942 – 23 February 2015), was a senior judge and former acting chief justice of the  Supreme Court of Pakistan  (CJP). He has enjoyed extremely high reputation as a judge.  He remained the acting CJP during the 2007 judicial crisis in Pakistan and also briefly became the acting  Chief Justice of Pakistan  when the incumbent  Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry  went on foreign tours in 2005 and 2006,  and thus became the first  Hindu  and the second non- Muslim  to serve as chief of the highest court in Pakistan.  Rana Bhagwandas also worked as the Chairman of Federal Public Service Commission of Pakistan. He headed the interview panel for the selection of the Federal Civil Servants 2009.

Bringing multimedia into the classroom is a great way to engage students in learning. Supplementing lessons, opening up new interests, and offering inspiration, online videos make for an incredible teaching tool. Educational Video Collections Specifically designed for education, these collections make it easy to find video learning resources. TeacherTube : This YouTube for teachers is an amazing resource for finding educationally-focused videos to share with your classroom. You can find videos uploaded by other teachers or share your own.

#1:   Ruffian  Definition: a brutal person; bully Examples: “‘You try me too much. A ruffian – a common brawling ruffian – that’s what you have become.'” – Arthur Conan Doyle,  The Lost World , 1912 “Tintin always moves (unless he’s been knocked out by some ruffian). Motion is his appeal and the reason Steven Spielberg’s representation rings true.” – Matt Easton,  The Michigan Daily , January 4, 2012

Background The political scene of India was affected by the vigorous political activities of the Congress which had no rival in the political arena. The Muslims believed that only an organized endeavour would lead them to success.  Political Scene of  India  in that arena was as follow: 1. Ever since its establishment in 1885 as a political organization, All India Congress had been actively striving for the Hindu cause. It had ignored the aims and objectives which said that the Congress would work for the protection of interests of all communities of India irrespective of their religion and nationality. It, however, could not pursue this lofty principle of looking after the interests of all communities of India and very soon indulged in purely pro-Hindu activities. It became clear, by Congress designs, that it was a forum meant to project the Hindu demands only.

Background By 1909 the political turmoil and unrest prevailed in India. The Extremists Hindu and Congress activities had forced the Muslims to give a serious thought to their future line of action in order to protect and safeguard their interests as a nation. By now the Muslims had come to realize with firmness that they were a separate nation. The demand for separate electorate by the Simla Deputation and later by the Muslim League was the first step taken into the direction to protect and maintain the separate image of the Muslims. 

Sherlock Holmes  is a fictional character created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, a graduate of the University of Edinburgh Medical School. A London-based "consulting detective" whose abilities border on the fantastic, Holmes is known for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to adopt almost any disguise and his use offorensic science to solve difficult cases.

THAT’S the temperature at which paper auto-ignites, and is also the title of Ray Bradbury’s dystopian novel about a future America where books are burned by the state. However, I doubt if the story inspired this generation of jihadis to go on their book-burning spree as nobody has accused these semi-literate barbarians of being fans of modern fiction. Quite the contrary: to show their devotion to culture, the warriors of the Islamic State recently blew up the Mosul Public Library that contained, among other volumes, 8,000 old manuscripts.