Past in Perspective

The cinema has no boundary; it is a ribbon of dreams –Orson Welles The twenty-year period between 1960 and 1980 is often cited as the Golden Era of Pakistani cinema. This era saw the introduction and popularity of colored film in Pakistan with Zahir Raihan’s Sangam being the first colored film released in 1964. Following the Indo-Pak war of…

“The past is blind. The future is unwanting. All you need is in front of you.” –Dennis T. Maglinte The Siachen Glacier is located in the Northern Ladakh region of the Karakoram range. This world heritage site turned into a battlefield due to the conflict between India and Pakistan in 1984. The boundary of the glacier was undefined and the line…

“Stem cell research is the key to developing cures for degenerative conditions like Parkinson’s and motor neuron disease from which I and many others suffer.” –Stephen Hawking The history of stem cell therapy and research dates back to 1902 when Alexander M. Maximow, a Russian histologist, discovered ‘polyblasts’. He authored documents and…

Know thy self, know thy enemy. A thousand battles, a thousand victories. –Sun Tzu The battle of Plassey took place in 1757 when the British East India Company fought the Nawab of Bengal, Siraj-ud-Daulah with the help of his deceitful commander in chief, Mir Jafar. After winning the battle, the company was able to take control of all of the…

“I think it is time for reflection. Reflection by the government and by the moderate opposition. The no-confidence motion should have given everyone food for thought.” –Benazir Bhutto Today’s no-confidence motion against the Prime Minister will only be third in Pakistan’s 75-year history. The first was tabled in 1989 against Prime Minister…

Waste is worse than loss. The time is coming when every person who lays claim to ability will keep the question of waste before him constantly. The scope of thrift is limitless. –Thomas A. Edison During colonial times, the concept of thrifting was considered to be an embarrassment. The narrative was that second-hand clothing was owned by the…

All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt. –Charles M. Schulz The creation of the first chocolate bar is credited to Joseph Fry in 1847. Upon experimentation, he found that he could mold chocolate paste by adding melted cacao butter into Dutch cocoa. By 1868, this practice was expanded by a company called Cadbury…

“Formula for success: rise early, work hard, strike oil.” –J. Paul Getty Nothing has perhaps shaped the course of history as the discovery or oil and gas has. The energy sector has always been a key enabler of living standards, as evidenced by the fact that agrarian societies would burn wood for warmth and cooking. With the invention of the…

“Don’t confuse the teacher with the lesson, the ritual with the ecstasy, the transmitter of the symbol with the symbol itself.” –Neil Gaiman

“I’m going to be so much better a president for having been at the CIA that you’re not going to believe it.” –George H. W. Bush The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is an agency that is tasked with gathering intelligence and international security information from foreign countries by the US government. Its history dates back to WW1 as it…