Postage Stamps on Aitchison College, Lahore

While driving on the main Mall Road, Lahore from the city centre to the cantonment, one can see a majestic Victorian style building to one's left near the Lahore Canal. This is the Aitchison College or the Chiefs' College which it is informally known.

Logo Aitchison College, Lahore

Established in 1886 mainly for the wards of the British officers and some loyal landlords of the area, this education institution soon became a premiere institution in the South Asia of its time. The institution was named after the then Lieutenant Governor of the Punjab, Sir Charles Umpherston Aitchison, whose vision for the institution was to produce educated individuals with a refined personality.

The college has retained its traditions and style of education since its inception and continues to educate the wards of the elite of Lahore and surrounding areas. The college is the second only school in Pakistan that is a part of the Headmasters' Conference.

Pakistan Post issued two stamps on Aitchison College: one on the centenary celebrations of the college in 1986 and the other on the 125th anniversary of the college.

Centenary Celebrations of Aitchison College, Lahore 1886-1986

125th Anniversary Celebrations of Aitchison College, Lahore 2012

Some of the notable personalities of Pakistan who have attended the Aitchison include: former Prime Minister of Pakistan Malik Feroz Khan Noon, former Governor West Pakistan Nawab Amir Mohammad Khan of Kalabagh, former Governor Balochistan province of Pakistan Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, former foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and famous cricketer turned politician Imran Khan.

Related: Aitchison College (Wikipedia)

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Rafi Peer's International Folk Puppet Festival

whenever dolls, puppets and entertainment is talked about, the name of Rafi Peer Theater Workshop stands out loud anywhere in the world.

The Workshop is the pioneering organization of its kind in Pakistan, which has produced a vast variety of interesting work for urban and rural audiences from avant-grade experimental productions to highly innovative and controversial themes and productions about serious social issues which confront our society like environment, family planning, education, self help.

Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop in collaboration with International co-productions - mostly with European companies, and has brought over 30 countries at a time to Pakistan and exposed our audiences to a wealth of different cultural experiences. It is the only organization in Pakistan that has done extensive work for the development of theater with its focus on youth and children.

The productions of the Rafi Peer Theater Workshop are not geared to make profit. However many major sponsors come forward to support the activities of the Workshop for the noble cause undertaken by the organization.

Recently, Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop organized the International Folk Puppet Festival of contemporary and traditional Puppetry in collaboration with The Royal Norwegian Embassy in Lahore. Six countries performed in Lahore for this festival.

Watch a video of the festival:

Video source: YouTube/The Express Tribune

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Fried Chicken in your Kitchen: Video Recipe

Fried chicken is every one's weakness. We go to eateries specialist in this kind of fried chicken and spend lot of money. But if you can make these fried chicken in our kitchens?

Though the recipe given below is not the one used by the famous outlets, its taste does resemble of the fried chicken we eat when not in mood of eating at home. But you will be amazed to note that how simple it is to have fried chicken prepared in our kitchen with the simplest of recipe given below.

The Ingredients:
8 pieces of chicken wing and drumstick
1 egg
1 cup milk
2 cups flour
2 tsp pepper
3 tps salt
4 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp paprika
vegetable oil for frying

Method: Watch the video below:

I a sure you must have found the recipe simple and easy to adopt. Do give it a try and tell Nicko at the Facebook how you enjoyed frying and eating the fried chicken.

The recipe is taken from Nicko's Kitchen - you may join Nicko's Kitchen at Facebook for more recipes, news and tips on cooking.

Video courtesy: YouTube / Nicko Kitchen

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Vintage Sports cars steal classic cars’ thunder

Flashy well kept vintage sports car dazzle Lahorites [Photo:  IJAZ MAHMOOD/EXPRESS  ]

The second Auto Show at Lahore's Liberty Market parking lot on Sunday brought out droves of car lovers.

Dozens of cars were part of the Auto Show that had been organised by the Tourism and Development Corporation of Punjab (TDCP) in collaboration with Pakwheels. A total of 150 cars were registered to appear in the show. However, the sports cars stole the limelight from classic cars.

The cars on display in the classic and vintage category included Nissan Murano, Nissan Nizmo, Triumph Spitfire, Opel Rekord 1966, Peugeot 504 (1974 model), Chevrolet Van 1973, Mercedes 109, Morris Oxford 1962, Morris Minor 1967, Datsun Cherry 100A, VW Beetle Convertible 1967, Chevrolet Impala 1962, Triumph Herald 1965, Dodge Dart and others. Mercedes S Class, E Class, CLK 350, Cayman Porsche, Nissan Skyline, G 35, 7 ,5 and X5 BMWs were some of the new cars on display.

Read more: The Express Tribune

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Want something sweet after dinner? Try 'Kheer' - Asian Rice Pudding tonight

Many people like something sweet to eat after the dinner. The sweet dishes different from place to place, from ice cream in summers to many forms of cakes, puddings and chocolates. But ever tried something eastern?

The easters desserts are not only different, these have a very distinctive and aromatic taste. Most of the eastern desserts are made of milk, sugar and many add ons. 'Kheer' is one of the most easily made desserts, with main ingredients like milk, sugar and rice. Normally it is taken cold with almonds either sprinkled over it or even added during the process of cooking.

The video herein under is by a lady who visited Lahore, Pakistan and learnt how to make 'Kheer' from her host. She shared here experience on YouTube and I am sharing for you. Try this simple recipe and you would definitely love it and sharing with friends. 

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Postage stamps of Pakistan - 2011

19 January 2011100 MILLION CELLULAR SUBSCRIBERS CELEBRATIONS PTA, Headquarter Islamabad 

10 February 2011 
6th Population & Housing Census - 2011  

13 May 2011150th Anniversary of Pakistan Railways  

21 May 201160th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations Between Pakistan and China 

08 June 2011HIV Awareness Campaign 

10 June 2011PAKISTAN-RUSSIA FRIENDSHIP 

24 June 2011Child Art Competition National Stamp Exhibition Kurrachee 

01 July 2011Golden Jubilee of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of
Pakistan (ICAP)  

17 July 2011100th Birth Anniversary Celebration 2011 of His Holiness Dr. Syeda Mohammad Burhanuddin Saheb (TUS) 

14 Auguest 2011Golden Jubilee of Zarai Tarqiati Bank Limited  

18 Auguest 201160th Anniversary in Managing Frequency Spectrum 

29 Auguest 2011Joint Commemorative Postage Stamp Between Pakistan and Iran on Minar-e-Pakistan and Milad Tower Iran 

16 September 2011Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) 

23 September 2011On the Eve of 125th Founder's Day Celebration of Karachi Gymkhana 

30 November 2011Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign in Pakistan 

13 December 201160th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations Between Pakistan and Thailand 

31 December 2011150th Anniversary of St. Patrick's High School, Karachi 

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Sun brings the spring

'Here comes the sun' is one my favourite songs by The Beatles. Whenever I listen to this song, which I do very occasionally, it takes me back into my memories of good old days when I bought this 45-RPM record long time ago. Herein under are the beautiful lyrics of the song, which once you read will find out the relevance of the song with the caption of my post today (I have edited and shorten the compelte lyrics so as not to make it long for the actual post down below):

Here comes the sun
Little darling, it's been a long cold lonely winter

Little darling, it feels like years since it's been here
Here comes the sun, and I say It's all right

Little darling, the smiles returning to the faces

Little darling, it seems like years since it's been here

Here comes the sun
Little darling, I feel that ice is slowly melting

Little darling, it seems like years since it's been clearHere comes the sun

As narrated in the lyrics of the song above, it is about the sun coming out of the clouds after a long cold winter - a winter that we had this time in Islamabad, which is said to be one of the coldest in the recent past. It really made us shiver when outside and when inside the house, it restricted us closer the fireplace  all day long.

But in this cold winter, my wife who had a passion of gardening, was outside planting seeds and saplings to blossom in the coming spring. and with the sun coming, here is the much awaited spring that my wife prepared our lawn in the cold winter last year.

And today, a sunny day after a long spell of clouds took me outside and see how have we welcomed the warm sun and the accompanying spring - and wow!! I was amazed and dazed at the colourful flowers that have sprang up all over our garden and lawn. I cannot describe the joy I saw on my wife's face as it radiated the same glow as being displayed by the fresh and colourful flowers. While I appreciated the beauty and the gift of the Nature to us, I took a few shots from my cellular camera for sharing with you. Here are some:

And this reminds me one of the beautiful verses:

Roses are red

Violets are blue

I am counting the days

that I can finally

see you

A little digression from the traditional poem, but counting of the days is over as it is spring all over with its multitudes of hues and colours and so soothing fragrance spread into the environment, a making one happy, joyous and cool. and  thanking the nature for all the seasons and the suns, specially the spring. 

Do fall in love in the hobby of gardening and you would know one day what is real joy seeing the sapling and seeds you planted, cared for months during the severe winters and finally seeing these sprouting into beautiful colourful flowers, with butterflies hovering these.


Originally posted at Jaho Jalal

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Fly your own MiG-25 Foxbat

MiG-25 is the highest flying military aircraft ever produced in the world. The Russian high-altitude supersonic reconnaissance and fighter interceptor aircraft flies at altitudes beyond 36,000 metres (37,650 meters to be exact). 

Code named 'Foxbat' by NATO, the aircraft was developed in 1964, probably as a response to the American U-2 spy plane that was shot down by the Russians in 1960.With a speed of 3.2 Mach, the aircraft is also equipped with four air to air missile and a powerful on-board radar. It is said that the development of MiG-25 led to the creation of American F-15 Eagle subsequently.

Watch a rare video of MiG-25, as it has seldom been seen flying otherwise, since a very numbers have been produced and even it flies, it flies so high that it is not seen:

Well that is the actual MiG25. But hobbyists finally find ways and means to 'build' their own aircraft and fly it to satisfy their dreams of flying an actual aircraft. 

Generally remotely controlled aircraft are not very big and heavy. But herein under is a video of the MiG-25 which much bigger than normal Rc aircraft and weighs heavily. With a length of hefty 4.2 metres and a weight of 42 kg, the RC MiG-25 was skillfully test-flown by 18-year-old Clinton on the first day of the 2011 ANZAC jet rally in Tokoroa New Zealand. 

Having watched the actual MiG-25 above, you will not find any difference between the two and must appreciate the effort of this young man of flying the RC Foxbat as good as an actual aircraft.

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Shark around you

I have been sharing many RC gadgets in my blog - but I have never been so impressed by the gadgets I am sharing today: the radio controlled sharks !!

Not only he gadgets are highly innovative, these speak of the aesthetics and use of technology for fun and even surprises as can be seen in the video below:

Just see how real the fish look and how majestically these swim in air. It looks as if these are actually swimming in the water. Also see the expression of people when these suddenly appear - naturally no one would expect a life size shark floating  by in air and when it does, it leaves them really flabbergasted. 

Next time you are standing by an elevator, be ready - anything can come out of it.

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New NASA glasses don't fog up, but they can see through it

The world's deadliest aviation disaster took place on a foggy airport runway rather than in the air. That's why NASA is offering "augmented reality" glasses that would allow commercial airline pilots to see a virtual version of runways in even the worst weather conditions.

NASA's prototype of "augmented reality" glasses that would let pilots see through foggy conditions.

Such glasses represent a portable head-worn display that shows critical flight information such as airspeed, altitude and orientation floating in front of one eye at all times. The NASA display would also track pilots' heads so that an updated virtual outline of an airport's runways and towers always appears wherever they look — allowing them to keep their attention on what's happening outside rather than staring at a chart or tablet.

Similar heads-up display (HUD) technology exists for military fighter jet and helicopter pilots, who wear helmets with the transparent displays. Newer commercial airliners also use HUDs installed in the cockpit, but lack the head-tracking " augmented reality " of NASA's technology that layers virtual images or maps on top of a pilot's real-world vision.

Read details: New NASA glasses don't fog up, but they can see through it

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How To Jailbreak (Tethered) iOS 5.1 Running A4 Devices Using SnowBreeze 2.9.2

Just days ago a new version of SnowBreeze got released which added support for jailbreaking iOS 5.1 running A4 devices using Windows platform. The procedure can be a little tricky so for complete steps, see the step-by-step guide below after the jump. 

Procedure: How To Jailbreak iOS 5.1 Running A4 Devices Using SnowBreeze

STEP 1: Download the latest version of Snowbreeze (i.e 2.9.2)  [Download Link] and open it.

STEP 2: Place your device in DFU mode and browse the iOS 5.1 firmware for your device from the jailbreak utlility.

STEP 3: After selecting the firmware version, click simple mode from options so that Snowbreeze is able to a custom firmware file and place the custom made firmware file on any location (usually the desktop)

STEP 4: After the custom firmware is built, put your device back in DFU mode and click start to put your device in PwnedDFU mode.

STEP 5: After that open iTunes, hold the shift key button and click restore. Select the custom firmware made through SnowBreeze.

STEP 6: If the restore procedure is successful, you’ll see a Cydia icon on your home screen (usually on the second page). If it’s so, place your device back in DFU mode and locate/execute the iBooty file from the iBooty folder and select your device from the menu and click start.

Once the process is complete the main home page screen will appear and then you’ll be able to operate your jailbroken deivce. Remember, whenever you reboot your device, you’ll have to perform step 6.

Shared from Chip Hazard

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Closest pairing of Venus and Jupiter coming up

Good news for the astronomers and astronomy lovers !!

Pairing of Venus and Jupiter [ Photo: 2012 Sky and Telescope ]

You may be able to see Jupiter and Venus in the sky very close to each other and  reach to their  closest point in the coming days.

Despite being vastly far from one another in space, the conjunction will make them appear just a few degrees apart in the sky - about the width of a pair of fingers held at arm's length.

The pair can be seen to the west-southwest, shortly after sunset.

Venus is the brighter of the two, and Jupiter will appear to move in a line past it for the rest of the month.

Another anticipated planetary event for 2012 will be the transit of Venus in early June, when it will appear from some locations on Earth to pass in front of the Sun.

Shared from: BBC News

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Download SnowBreeze 2.9.2 [v2.9.2] For A4 Devices To Jailbreak (Tethered) iOS 5.1 [Direct Links]

After Redsnow update, the popular windows jailbreak tool SnowBreeze has also been updated to version 2.9.2 which adds compatibility to jailbreak iOS 5.1 running A4 devices (iPhone 4, iPad etc).

If you jailbreak using SnowBreeze, not only you’ll jailbreak your iOS device but also you’ll be able to preserve your device’s baseband for those users concerned about unlocking. 

 Following is the change-log for this version :-

• Added Tethered Jailbreak support for 3GS/iPod Touch 3/A4 Users on iOS 5.1 (9B176)

• iPhone 3GS old-bootrom users are untethered on 5.1/9B176 (as usual).

• Bug Fixes (Specifically with the iPad baseband and iPhone 2G).

• Re-added the iPhone Dev-Team’s iPhone 2G permanent unlock ‘BootNeuter’.

The direct Download link for SnowBreeze v2.9.2 For tethered Jailbreak iOS 5.1 Running A4 devices is given below:

[Direct Link]

Shared from: Chip Hazard

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Flying Over the Earth at Night - Time-lapse footage of the Earth as seen from the ISS

Many wonders are visible when flying over the Earth at night. A compilation of such visual spectacles was captured recently from the International Space Station (ISS) and set to rousing music. Passing below are white clouds, orange city lights, lightning flashes in thunderstorms, and dark blue seas. On the horizon is the golden haze of Earth's thin atmosphere, frequently decorated by dancing auroras as the video progresses. 

The green parts of auroras typically remain below the space station, but the station flies right through the red and purple auroral peaks. Solar panels of the ISS are seen around the frame edges. The ominous wave of approaching brightness at the end of each sequence is just the dawn of the sunlit half of Earth, a dawn that occurs every 90 minutes.

Watch this amazing video:

Video Credit: Gateway to Astronaut Photography, NASA ; Compilation: Bitmeizer (YouTube); 
Music: Freedom Fighters (Two Steps from Hell)

Shared from:

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day

YouTube

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