I have recently uploaded an industry-cum-firm note on SSRN (Social Science Research Network): click here to go to the page and download for free. I just wanted to share it to encourage you to submit your papers to this most popular research paper database where barriers to publishing are almost zero. This site was created by Harvard professors who wanted to create a parallel medium for people to publish their papers free of any ideological bias and entry requirement. Most of the papers you find here are of top quality and free.
Abstract to my paper: The New York Times: Newspaper Industry Analysis, Crises & Reforms
Newspaper industry is the fastest shrinking industry in America, according to a research by LinkedIn. What are the implications for society and journalism? Why did the fall come about? How did a very profitable industry become so precarious that even the giant newspapers face the threat of going out of business, perhaps forever? In this paper, we do not seek to provide a strategic, bailout plan that if implemented can save a newspaper; however, it give clues about what went wrong by introducing to the industry structure of newspapers and its crises.
At the helm of this affair is the leading ‘general-interest’ newspaper, The New York Times, which is our protagonist. The story of New York Times also applies and explains how majority of conventional newspapers work or worked (as many have ceased producing print, reduced days of productions, or filed for bankruptcy). This study is about an industry facing a creative disruption, about which it had little clue. We will give a diagnosis of the crises of newspapers and possible reforms, focusing on it market leader: The Times.
This paper is divided into three sections: introduction to the New York Times as an institution; analysis of the news industry in the USA, print and online; recommendations for New York Times.
NATO Supply Stoppage costing US Millions of $$
Pain in the side! Surely. America had been in denial of the critical importance of Pakistan trade routes of death, destruction and expansion of Dajjalic mission of conquering the world, and becoming a false messiah and a god. Pakistan, understandably pragmatically, sold out for pennies and paved way for food and weapons of mass destruction into a country where humans are being slaughtered in the name of collateral damage, for its own happy demise in creation (God forbid).
However, things are not too bleak. In the short-run, at least for few months, America has been losing millions of dollars due to the closure of Nato supply route, reports The News (Pakistan). This may be too short a trouble, as Pakistan would be expected fall to its knees.; or, maybe its a drama staged by government and army to fool around with public opinion.
However, things are not too bleak. In the short-run, at least for few months, America has been losing millions of dollars due to the closure of Nato supply route, reports The News (Pakistan). This may be too short a trouble, as Pakistan would be expected fall to its knees.; or, maybe its a drama staged by government and army to fool around with public opinion.
Two Breathtaking Residential Courtyards
When I looked at these, oxygen circulation reduced in my lungs and i was awestruck by the beauty of these truly exotic, Islamic residential courtyard, which i'd construct one day inshaAllah...
Why I support Imran Khan?
That's a question i have to answer myself only. For following reasons i believe Imran Khan should lead Pakistan:
1. He understands troubled Tribal Areas more than any other mainstream politician (apart from ANP or JUI may be) - her mother belonged to Waziristan and he travelled each and every village to record about these fascinating people in a book in 1990s
2. Wikileaks leaked his meeting with US ambassadors and this is the bottomline: War of terror in Pak is wrong, Pak should get out of here and he (IK) 'would shoot down drones if come in power'
3. Most importantly, he doesn't need politics for "self-fulfillment" (although self-fulfillment is a more positive word).
1. He understands troubled Tribal Areas more than any other mainstream politician (apart from ANP or JUI may be) - her mother belonged to Waziristan and he travelled each and every village to record about these fascinating people in a book in 1990s
2. Wikileaks leaked his meeting with US ambassadors and this is the bottomline: War of terror in Pak is wrong, Pak should get out of here and he (IK) 'would shoot down drones if come in power'
3. Most importantly, he doesn't need politics for "self-fulfillment" (although self-fulfillment is a more positive word).
A Grand Wish of 21-yr old
Apart for million other personal, social, religious, intellectual and above all academic wishes, I wish to have a large number of children of various elements, of various colors, "circuit boards," temperaments - differing on various kinds of continuum... Sounds really funny...
A Day of Celebration
Allah says in Quran to proclaim His favors. It should be our discourse to tell about blessings he has bestowed on us. Today i feel inner happiness; the same old boring environment looks fresh, lively and joyous. How could it not be: today, it is reported, Prophet Muhammad came into this world.
Previous many days have only produced compound sadness. Main source of it has been writings of modernized Muslims who are completely ignorant of their own religious Tradition*. They are mocking their religion, final Divine Guidance from on high, and culture... They suffer from deep inferiority complex about their sacred history, culture and are hopeless of Qur'an, latter is also a state of many religious-minded people. They are borrowing failed Western models, especially in Social Sciences. Their minds are suffering from the blight of modernism and rationalism 'for which their hearts and minds have been eclipsed'.
_________
* Please see this article (click on it) to know what we mean by Tradition.
Previous many days have only produced compound sadness. Main source of it has been writings of modernized Muslims who are completely ignorant of their own religious Tradition*. They are mocking their religion, final Divine Guidance from on high, and culture... They suffer from deep inferiority complex about their sacred history, culture and are hopeless of Qur'an, latter is also a state of many religious-minded people. They are borrowing failed Western models, especially in Social Sciences. Their minds are suffering from the blight of modernism and rationalism 'for which their hearts and minds have been eclipsed'.
_________
* Please see this article (click on it) to know what we mean by Tradition.
A Taliban Commander: Insan Al-Kamil (Universal Man)
I will not back down, I am victorious in the battle as well as in the propaganda (media)
- A Taliban soldier singing on radio while attacking US convoys
Paul Refsdal, a Norwegian journalist, went into Taliban when they were fighting against Russian invading forces back in 1980s. He visited them again in 2010-11, only because he was not allowed to do that for ten years since the war began. (That shows how tight the control of media has bee in the hands of Western powers.) The difference today is that in 1980s Western media backed Taliban hugely, for they were freedom fighters. But now, when they defend their country against US and western imperial forces, they are demonized below human beings, and become terrorists and absolute fanatics.
For Refsdal, this overnight change in the media propaganda was intriguing. Being a journalist, he could bet there must be another version of current affairs. The difference between him and westernized creatures in areas like Pakistan is that he decided to put his life to risk and find out the truth for himself. He was able to know more deeply at least one important Taliban commander, whom he met in 1980s: Qari Darwan, who owned a lot of property before joining Taliban. Dawran, may Allah protect him if he still has not achieved martyrdom, to me has led an archetype just war or jihad. Mentoring his warriors, he said to them:
Be just. God appreciates justice ... We are fighting for freedom, for Islam and for our holy land. What are their [intruders, US et al.] goals? Are they oppressed? Have they been treated unfairly? Do they have dictatorships [in their countries]?
When Refsdal was kidnapped by 'a wild card' of Dawran after his group disbanded the area, it was Dawran who, even in his physical absence, used all means to free Paul without having anyone to pay ransom for him.
Refsdal mentions at the end of film that Dawran's two little children, below 3 years to me, were killed by US Special Forces in an attempt to kill the commander! During Paul's last night with Dawran, a commander working under D was attacked, leaving him and his whole family, women and children martaryed by US forces...
I leave it up to the viewers of documentary made, embedded below, for what kind of military commander he is/was; and what kind of war Americans are fighting there.
Imran Khan's Economic Team Leader & Neo-Classical Economics
i'm so excited! i heard Imran Khan, Chairman of Justice Movement Pakistan, in an interview said they have an economic expert in their party, a professor in Cambridge University, who has critiqued neoclassical economic theory. Neoclassical economics or capitalism is anti-poor, it professes theories with sophisticated mathematical foundations which ultimately argue against welfare economics in which "people are means and ends of development", where growth and progress is not pursued with promotion of selfishness. I cannot explain neoclassical economics and its flaws, i'd recommend exploring this site by another Pakistani economist Dr Asad Zaman: Critiques of Economic Theory.
[update coming]
Commons Land Case: Western vs Islamic Perspective
In England there was commons' land, and as the word common modifies the land it means land for the common people. Common people depended on this land for their livelihood and shelter. They were mostly people with no luxuries or even modest income levels, who're only surviving on what they could find in the forests, lakes, etc., for themselves and/or for their cattle. Similarly, it provided them housing and stuff. They were poor people but the land made life liveable and gave a sense of security against economic upheavals and complete bankruptcy of basic necessities.
The rich people had their eyes on it for long. In 1066, after the Normans Conquest, things changed drastically. Rich and powerful lords approached for 'privatization' of the land, in a sense. All the poor people were banished from the commons land, which became not so common by then. Their houses were destroyed and what not. Survival became difficult, if not impossible. Previously, they could graze their sheep and drink its milk or eat fresh fish from flowing lakes or rivers and survive, but now the conditions became worse.
The same situation took place back in the times of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Their was a commons land under his rule on which poor people used to graze their cattle. Rich and powerful people approached him (PBUH) to allow their cattle to enter it for grazing. Prophet (PBUH) forbade their entrance and instructed them to find some other pasture or land for their big flocks, lest they might overgraze the rightful share of poor people's pasture.
The judgement given by Prophet (PBUH) is totally opposite to the one given by the kuffar and shows the basis of Islamic economics to be welfare of the people and especially the poor.
Tanzil.net - Quran Navigator
Tanzil.net is Quran navigator that i use on daily bases. It has over 100 translation texts. It has multiple Arabic typefonts, if you will. The main thing which other Quran projects - like Online Quran Project, etc - lack, despite their brilliance, is recitation along with translation text with Arabic, but also English translation. I hope they expand and include other voice translations. Moreover, i find it very user friendly in terms of finding ayahs, etc.
The project teams introduces Tanzil.net as following:
"Tanzil is a Quranic project launched in early 2007 to produce a highly verified Unicode Quran text to be used in Quranic websites and applications." [Italics mine.]
The fact that it can be incorporated into other apps and sites is very useful. The developer of the project is Mr Hamid Zarrabi-Zadeh, who also teaches computer science in Iran, may Allah preserve him and his team.
The project teams introduces Tanzil.net as following:
"Tanzil is a Quranic project launched in early 2007 to produce a highly verified Unicode Quran text to be used in Quranic websites and applications." [Italics mine.]
The fact that it can be incorporated into other apps and sites is very useful. The developer of the project is Mr Hamid Zarrabi-Zadeh, who also teaches computer science in Iran, may Allah preserve him and his team.
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