Barack Obama's Latest Formulation

Barack Obama's latest formulation on Afghanistan is a continuation of the former administration's muddle: We are there because we can't just up and leave. That would be an admission of defeat. 

Given the need for a more respectable rationale for staying on, Obama has opted for Bush's: We must defeat Al Qaeda because it poses a threat to us. 

Except that it no longer does. Even if it does, it does so from Pakistan, Osama bin Laden and his ilk being in caves there. So, why not attack Pakistan rather than go on spinning our wheels in Afghanistan?

But Obama being Obama, he has offered, even within the faulty framework he has adopted, a more honest and intelligent assessment of the crisis and an acute awareness of some regional realities.

NATO is not only not winning, it has been losing to the Taliban.

The allied aim is no longer to vanquish them but rather to contain them – "reverse their momentum" – so that they don't topple the Hamid Karzai government.

That means talking to and buying off as many Taliban as possible on the one hand, and curbing Karzai corruption and incompetence on the other. (Easier said than done.)

There's no more talk of transplanting a modern, Western-style democracy in Afghanistan or of liberating Afghan women. But there is of a timetable for American troop withdrawal: 2011 onward.

Besides the military surge, there's to be a parallel "civilian surge" for development and reconstruction. Plus, most sensibly, "an effective partnership with Pakistan."

"In the past, we too often defined our relationship with Pakistan narrowly. Those days are over ...

"America is providing substantial resources to support Pakistan's democracy and development ...

"America will remain a strong supporter of Pakistan's security and prosperity long after the guns have fallen silent."

Noting that the Pakistani army has launched offensives against militants in Swat and South Waziristan, he promised: "We will strengthen Pakistan's capacity to target those groups that threaten our countries, and have made it clear that we cannot tolerate a safe haven for terrorists whose location is known, and whose intentions are clear."

That's a loaded sentence. It papers over deep differences with Pakistan, while warning Islamabad to go after the Taliban leadership that's said to be safely ensconced in Quetta, across from the Afghan border.

The Pakistani army is going after the "Pakistani Taliban," not – as the U.S. wants – the "Afghan Taliban."

It does not take on the latter for practical as well as strategic reasons. Its troops are stretched. They do not have the equipment needed for mountain warfare, especially helicopters, of which the U.S. has given only 10 of late. More important, why pick a fight with a force that may, even under Obama's plan of a political solution, get a share of power in Kabul?

The Afghan Taliban are also Pakistan's trump card against archrival India, which is cozy with Karzai.

Obama has another problem. The Pakistani army is operating independently of the civilian government. It traditionally has. But it is particularly wary of President Asif Ali Zardari. His grip on power is shaky. He's busy fighting off past corruption charges. His ruling Peoples Party is divided. To stay in power, he says yes to everything Washington wants. But the national consensus is against taking dictation from the U.S. And the army has its view of what is or is not possible.

Hovering above all this is a national sentiment that while a limited U.S. presence in Afghanistan is welcome (to avoid a vacuum that would only be filled by India), too big an American footprint could spill the war over into Pakistan.

Obama has understood that there can be no solution to Afghanistan without a solution to Pakistan. "We need a strategy that works on both sides of the border."

But I am told his advisers are deeply divided on how to resolve the Af-Pak dilemmas – and the complex Indo-Pak imperatives.
All that can be said for now is that he has made a good beginning.

(Source file)

Create Your Own Fonts

If you have any problem for fonts then I have a solution. Today I tell you an idea about fonts. You can create your own fonts. Here is a trick how you can create your own fonts?  Just apply and enjoy.

• 
  1. Click "Start"
  2. Click "Run"
  3. Type in "eudcedit"
  4. The program that pops up is a hidden font editor that lets you create your own fonts and characters to use in other programs like MS Word.
  

Get a great body in Few Steps

Here are some interesting exercises that can be done at home easily without any equipment. Also you can do it wherever you want!

Do one to three sets of each exercise, with eight to 15 repetitions per set.

Step 1: The warm up

Leg lifts: Stand with your feet apart at hip width. Place your hands on your hips. Bend both knees slightly and shift most of your weight onto your left leg.

Keeping your knee slightly bent, lift your right leg up and out to the side, about six inches. Lower to the original position. Repeat with the right leg, then with the left.

Arm curls: Use hand weights or dumbbells. Hold a weight in each hand, arms at your sides, palms facing forward.

Stand with your feet apart at hip width, knees slightly bent. Curl the weights up to your shoulders, then lower to the original position.

Step 2: Stretch exercises

Hamstring stretch: Lie on the floor and stretch your legs. Raise your left leg, using a towel to assist, until you feel the tension in your hamstring. Hold. Repeat on other side.

Inner thigh stretches: Sit on floor; place the soles of your feet together. Drop your knees toward floor. Gradually, lower your torso towards the floor until you feel a gentle tension in your inner thighs. Release.

Modified hurdler: Sit on floor, right leg extended, left foot against the right knee. Lower your torso and reach for your ankle until your hamstring feels tight. Repeat on other side.

Step 3: Floor exercises

Crunches: Lie on the floor with your feet hip width apart. Cradle your head in your hands without lacing your fingers together and with your elbows pointed slightly inward.

Tilt your chin a little bit toward your chest and pull your abdominal muscles in. Exhale through your mouth as you curl your head, neck and shoulders up off the floor. Hold this position for a moment, then inhale as you return to your original position.

Squats: Stand tall with your feet apart at hip width, with your weight slightly back on your heels. Place your hands on your hips. Sit back and down as if you're sitting into a chair directly behind you. Lower as far as you can without leaning your upper body more than a few inches forward (this depends on your flexibility and your build).

If you can bend your knees far enough so that your thighs are parallel to the floor, stop. Don't allow your knees to travel out in front of your toes. Once you feel your upper body fold forward over your thighs, straighten your legs and stand up. Take care not to lock your knees as you complete the movement.

Push-ups: Lie on your stomach. Bend your knees and cross your ankles. Bend your elbows and place your palms on the floor, in front of your shoulders and a bit to the side. Straighten your arms and lift your body so you are balanced on your palms and knees.

Tuck your chin a few inches towards your chest so that your forehead faces the floor. Tighten your abdominal muscles. Bend your elbows and lower your entire body at once. Rather than trying to touch your chest to the floor, lower until your upper arms are parallel to the floor. Push back up.

Step 4: Stretching exercises

Dips: Sit at the edge of the desk or on a sturdy chair. Place your hands with the palms facing your body. Slide yourself off the seat and support yourself with just with your hands. Slowly lower yourself by bending your elbows until your upper arms are parallel to the floor, and then press yourself back.

Lunges: Stretch your legs a stride's distance apart. Slowly bend your knees until you are in a kneeling position with your knees not quite touching the floor. Don't look down; don't allow your knees to shoot out past your toes. Return to your original position.

Step 5: Face exercises

~ Tilt your head backwards. Let your upper lip cover your lower lip. Maintain the posture as you curl your tongue up inside the mouth and press it against your upper palette. Then smile.

~ This exercise helps to get rid of furrows and lines on the forehead. All you have to do is lift the eyebrows upward and open your eyes wider with each count.

~ Place the entire thumb inside your mouth, between the teeth of the upper jaw and the upper lip. Press the upper lip back into the teeth so that your thumb is squeezed.

source

Special Eid-Ul-Azha Recipes

Today I share Eid-ul-Adha recipe for my Muslim friends and readers. The menu is as much an integral part of Eid celebrations as the ritual and customs. It's very much an integral part of the Eid-ul-Adha celebrations. Every Muslim family takes great care to prepare the exclusive dishes on Eid-ul-Adha. The idea is to make the menu over-the-top and include food which are not regularly eaten . Most Eid-ul-Adha items are focused on the sacrificial meat of the Eid-ul-Adha ritual. Beef, of course, is the meat of choice!

• Kheer - Rice Pudding

Ingredients:

1 cup of cooked basmati rice (long grain rice)
8 green cardamom pods crushed
2 tablespoons rose essence
2 tablespoons ground pistachio nuts
71/2 cups of whole milk
12 tablespoons sugar


Method:


The rice is to be ground finely and placed in a saucepan with the cardamoms. Add 6 3/4 cups of milk and boil over medium heat stirring continuously. Add remaining milk and cook over a medium heat until the rice mixture thickens to a creamy consistency. Add sugar and the rose water and continue to cook for another 2 minutes. Serve chilled, and garnished with nuts.

• Biryani

Ingredients:

500 gms Basmati Rice (long grained rice).
1kg Mutton (cut into small pieces).
2 tsp. Garam Masala.(mixed spices)
6 Red chilies.
2 Dalchini (Cinnamon Sticks)
2 pieces Elaichi.(cardamom)
3 Green chilies.
7 Cashew nuts.
Onions (A handful, sliced fine and fried till crisp)
5 Lavang (Cloves)
6 Kothmir, (chopped Fresh coriander)
1 small bunch Pudina (mint leaves) chopped.
Ginger Garlic paste.
3 tsp. Saffron. (dissolved in ¾ cup milk)
Curd beaten 1 cup.
Juice of 2 Limes.
4 boiled eggs. Ghee /Oil 5 tbsp.
Salt to taste.

Method
The chillies and the cashew nuts needs to be ground into a fine paste. Mix the mutton pieces with the ginger-garlic paste and beaten curd and Keep aside. Fry the chili paste in 4 tablespoons clarified milk or oil. To this add the mutton, ¼ of the fried onion, 1tsp garam masala(mixed spices) and salt to taste. When the clarified milk separates from the mixture, add one and a half cups warm water and pressure cook till tender. Fry the whole spices in 1 tbsp. clarified milk/oil in a wide-mouthed vessel. Add the rice and fry a little, add green chilies and salt to taste and enough water for the rice to cook. When the rice is cooked, spread it on a plate and remove the spices . Make a mixture of the chopped Kothmir, mint, mixed spices and fried onion and keep aside. Smear the inside of another wide-mouthed and thick bottomed vessel with clarified milk. Spread a layer of rice in it and cover it with half the mutton. Sprinkle half of the Pudina mixture* and juice of a lime. Put a layer of rice followed by a mutton layer and finish with a final layer of rice. Sprinkle the rice with saffron milk and some clarified milk. Cover tightly and cook for twenty minutes over slow fire. Serve hot.

• Shami Kabab

Ingredients:

½ kg minced meat without fat.
2 tbsp chana dal (split gram) washed and soaked in water for ½ hr.
2 pieces dalchini. (cinnamon)
3 cloves.
1 piece ginger.
1 tsp coriander and cumin powder.
1 tsp garam masala.(mixed spices)
10 garlic flakes.
2 elaichi. (cardamom)
1 tsp chili powder.
A pinch of pepper.
A handful of Kothmir and chopped pudina.(mint leaves)
1 egg.
Juice of ½ a lemon.
1 finely chopped onion.
Oil for frying.
Salt to taste.

Method
Wash and drain the mince. Mix the split gram , whole spices, a cup of water and salt to taste. Cook until it becomes dry. Remove from the fire and add ginger, garlic, pepper, chili powder, coriander and cumin powder and grind the mixture into a fine paste and knead into a dough. Now add the chopped mint leaves, kothmir, lime juice and salt to taste. Make lemon sized balls of the dough, flatten the balls and stuff them with a little onion mixture. Dip the stuffed kebabs in the beaten eggs and shallow fry till it is cooked.

• Mutton Korma

Ingredients:

½ kg Boneless mutton.
½ tbsp Jeera.
Onions.(Finely chopped 1 cup)
Poppy seed paste. (½ cup)
Coconut paste. (½ cup)
1 tbsp Ginger paste.
1 tbsp Garlic paste.
Coriander powder 1 tbsp.
Turmeric powder ½ tsp.
Red chili powder ½ tsp.

Bay leaves 2 nos.
Cloves 6-8 nos.
Green elaichi 6-8 nos.
Cinnamon sticks A few.
Nutmeg powder A little.
Oil 4 tbsp.
Salt to taste.

Method
Roast (dry) the cloves, elaichi, nutmeg powder, jeera and cinnamon sticks and then grind to a fine paste. Heat some oil in a saucepan, add bay leaves and chopped onions and saute. When the onion browns add the ginger and garlic paste. Put in the boneless mutton and stir, mix in the ground masala, turmeric and red chili powder. Pour some water, sprinkle salt to taste and boil till the mutton is tender. Finally add in the poppy seeds paste along with the coconut paste and roasted coriander powder. Boil for another 10 minutes. Serve hot, garnished with coconut paste.

• Almond Ice Cream

Ingredients:

1 lb of blanched almonds
1 pint of heavy cream
4 tablespoons rose essence.
6 pints of whole milk
1 lb sugar

Method:

The almonds are to be placed in a large bowl ,covered with cold water and set aside. Set aside 1/2 pint of the milk. Boil the rest of the milk in a large non stick saucepan. Simmer until the milk is reduced by half. Stir from time to time.
Drain the almonds .After grinding them them roughly mix it together with the 1/2 pint of milk set aside. Add almond mixture and sugar to the hot milk and continue stirring on low heat for approximately 20-30 minutes. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature. Place in the refrigerator until well chilled. Chop the remaining almonds, but not too finely and stir into the chilled milk mixture. Add the heavy cream and the rose essence. Stir to mix all the ingredients. Pour into a freezer safe container and freeze until solid. Thaw in the refrigerator 20 minutes and serve.

Laptop Computers, Styles And Guides

There are many different laptop computers on the market today. As technology gets smaller and less expensive to produce, laptops have become quite a bit more powerful and less expensive at the same time. If you want to compare computers properly, you should do so by organizing them according to screen size. That way you can accurately assess whether you are getting the best value for your money. You can expect that most mass-produce laptops will start out with a fourteen inch screen size and the size will increase from there.

There are many good cheap laptop computers available on the market nowadays, and with some research and basic information, you can find one to fit your personal needs, whether it is for business or home use. A tight budget, not wanting to purchase expensive equipment for somebody who may not use it correctly or a need to save money are all reasons for wanting to buy a cheap laptop. Below are some handy hints to help you find a good cheap laptop.

The sales are an obvious place to look for your cheap laptop. Both conventional computer shops and online companies regularly have laptop sales. If you opt for this please ensure that the company is reputable. The larger and well-known ones usually are.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  

 

  

World Park “Love Land”

The “Love Land” located in Cheju Island of South Korea is well known among the tourists around the world. “Love Land” is also famous honeymoon spot for newly married couples. Most famous artists of the country created these touching, strange but very attractive sculptures. Let’s take a look at some of fabulous sculptures placed in “Love Land”. (Source File)

  
  

     

   
   

Calculation Error In Microsoft's Calculator

Today I tell your about calculation error in Microsoft's Calculator.

You can also find error, method is here.

Go to Start-->Run-->type Calc and Check the following... .

2704/50 = 54.08 Works Good
2704/51 = 53.01960784 Works Good
2704/52 = Try yourself Doesn't Work


2704/53 = 51.01886792 Works Good
2704/54 = 50.07407407 Works Good

Due to this reason Microsoft Calculator Failed.

Try it ....