Persuade, promote or pressure, the new kid on the block seems to be doing all that. Dr Harlan K. Ullman who has quite a few feathers in his cap (member of a Washington think-tank, US military strategist, columnist and now adviser to President Zardari) is to be seen everywhere. That is everywhere advice is being sought. Once the late BB's friend, now President Zardari's confidante, few weeks ago Dr Ullman addressed the staff at the Pakistan Embassy in Washington. A paid lobbyist, a salaried adviser or just a friend helping out? God knows we desperately need all those these days. Whatever be the case, it does seem we will be seeing a lot of Dr. Ullman in the days to come. But he is yet to register as a 'foreign agent' (no pun intended) with the US administration. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * The Lahore Gymkhana Club is stirring things up as usual. The Civil Servant (alias Civil Serpent) Group was hoping for an easy win given that it was also backed by a strong traders' lobby. Their opponents calling themselves the 'Obama Group' (a reference to their "nobody" status) was resigned to a sure defeat. But now it seems the Obamas have found a "somebody", the evergreen and always-in-an-important-office, Tariq Hameed. The latter has jumped in with the Obamas adding that Hillary Clinton touch. The race is now truly on. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * A brother is a brother till he takes a wife but a sister is a sister all your life. Or something to that effect. MNA Faryal Talpur seems to be that very sister figure that is keeping the President's family, his late wife's constituents and lately PPP grouches together. Apparently the Zardari House in Islamabad is the venue for a massive off load of complaints, the latest by PPP parliamentarians from Punjab. We hear that Faryal consoled the inconsolable MPA's as they groaned "Nobody listens to us". * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Apparently our ever assertive prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani was a bit miffed when he came to know that his British counterpart(?) Gordon Brown is not going to call on him during his recent one day visit to Islamabad. Instead our prime minister was scheduled to meet Mr Brown at the presidency for lunch with Mr Zardari. Gilani would not stand for this breach of protocol and finally Brown did call on him