Chinese meditation technique boosts brain function: study dawn.com The research to be published in the upcoming issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences involved 45 test subjects, about half of whom received IBMT, while a control group received relaxation training. — File Photo WASHINGTON: A Chinese-influenced meditation technique appears to help the brain regulate behavior after as little as 11 hours of practice, according to a study released on Monday. Researchers at the University of Oregon and Dalian University of Technology charted the effects of integrative body-mind training (IBMT), a technique adapted in the 1990s from traditional … Continue reading Chinese meditation technique boosts brain

Archaeologists hail unique find in Albania dawn The bust of an athlete and the decorated foot of a bronze statue were discovered by an Albanian-French archaeological expedition in the remains of a Roman section of the site in southern Albania. -AFP Photo APOLLONIA: Archaeologists unearthed a Roman bust from the 2nd century AD hailed as the most important archaeological find of the last 50 years in Albania, experts said Friday. “It is an exceptional discovery, the most important in the last 50 years in Albania because the bust is still intact,” French professor Jean-Luc Lamboley, who led the dig at … Continue reading Albanian Archaeologist Find

No Spinzone: Poppycock and prejudice By Anjum Niaz dawn.com On Ellis Island stands the building that once sent shivers down an arriving immigrant — whose fate lay in the hands of the immigration officer, the same as today. – (File Photo) “My husband cut himself while shaving one morning on board the ship. The wound turned septic when we landed in New York. The authorities checked his face and declared him unfit to enter the US,” a Hungarian woman writes in her journal while describing her ordeal as an immigrant to the US 100 years ago. “With five little children, … Continue reading American Mentality: Poppycock and prejudice

dawn.com An aerial view shows water covering huge areas in the southern Punjab province. -AFP Photo Pakistan Militants can take advantage of crisis, says Zardari MEDIA GALLERY Earth: Art of a changing world WASHINGTON: Environmental woes as witnessed in Pakistan’s devastating floods threaten the unity of the nation, exacerbating the threat of extremists, a US government report said. The study prepared for US lawmakers warned that Pakistan’s ecological problems would likely get worse due to climate change, potentially inflaming tensions with nuclear-armed adversary India. The report said that Pakistan faced critical risks to food security in the coming decades due … Continue reading Environment threatens Pakistani state: US report

By Huma Yusuf dawn.com The inaugural edition is thus a collection of the best short stories submitted for the short story competition The Life’s Too Short Literary Review, the first edition of a magazine featuring new Pakistani writing, is now on the stands. The cover illustration depicts a parked ambulance on a typical Pakistani street — implying perhaps that this review is a saviour for the ongoing literary boom, which threatens to go bust in the absence of local publishing outlets. Indeed, editor Faiza Khan declares at the outset that the review is on a mission to encourage, promote and … Continue reading Short and sweet

dawn.com Locals fight to get food donated by a local charity at Karamdad Qureshi village in Dera Ghazi Khan district of Punjab province August 21, 2010. – Reuters World Salzburg Festival holds benefit gala for Pakistan DISTRESSED For the tail end it’s crumbs only ISLAMABAD: Nearly a month after Pakistan’s worst ever natural disaster flooded a fifth of the country and hit 20 million people, the spectres of social unrest and extremism are stalking the nation. Torrential rains have had a catastrophic impact on the impoverished, nuclear-armed nation, causing economic losses that could see Pakistan default on an IMF loan … Continue reading Floods raise spectre of social unrest

By Jawed Naqvi dawn.com India it is clear does not live by Dr Singh’s vaunted miracles or anyone else’s. It manages somehow to keep its integrity in spite of their widely acknowledged counsel. – File Photo. I am in Mustafabad for the weekend. It’s a small village at the halfway mark on a refurbished dual-carriage road which links Lucknow with Allahabad. Gandhi had sent Nehru here to bring his message of non-violence to agitating peasants. The young apprentice found himself equally if not more at ease with Muslim and Hindu landlords who governed the area, first for the Shia nawabs of … Continue reading Defying Indian stereotypes

by Jawad Muzaffar Let us all mourn for the family of the two brothers who were killed by an angry mob in the presence of police officials in Sialkot last week. My heart compelled me to write this due to the depression and anxiety that has been looming in my mind after hearing about the brutal killings. Pakistan has been going through a terrible crisis situation. No one knows where this country is going, but it certainly does not feel like we are heading in the right direction. Is this is the beginning of some terrible end? Everyone has a … Continue reading Mourning the Sialkot killings

by Shyema A judicial executioner, someone whose job description in simple terms requires him to kill, covers his face when he carries out a death sentence. The reasons for this vary from law to law, but one thing is for certain, no executioner would probably want his face displayed each time he drops the rope. I am not sure however, if this sentiment applies to the angry Pakistani mobs who have boldly taken to the streets to burn, beat and kill anyone who may have allegedly done something wrong. Hiding faces or identities is not even necessary here where even … Continue reading Murder will out

Skepticism Widespread in Mideast Over New Peace Talks by: Sheera Frenkel and Margaret Talev, McClatchy Newspapers Israeli PM Benyamin Netanyahu. (Photo: Moshe Milner GPO) Jerusalem – As the Obama administration heralded a new round of face-to-face talks on Mideast peace, the abiding reaction across the region Friday was skepticism, with many expressing doubt that conditions are ripe for much to come from negotiations between Israeli and Palestinian leaders. The talks are set to resume Sept. 2 after nearly two years. Several coalition partners of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as well as members of his Likud Party, have threatened to … Continue reading Guess What: Mideast Peace Talks WILL Fail!