Basim Ali

@Haji 2003 Salam Haji! Long time!! I took my IGCSE's in 2010/11. It's been several years but I used https://xtremepape.rs/ back in the day for practice questions (a cursory look tells me it's still going strong). You may have already found it since its pretty popular but incase you haven't - it is THE online forum for the newest content on the exams (including prep material etc) and they also manage to keep a record of all recent exams. Might be helpful for Maryam! Good luck to her!

Salam! Sorry I've been on a bit of a blog-stalking spree since I recently re-joined SC! But I must say I found this to be a very interesting and observant blog entry Haji - one that also hit close to home! Kids graduating from top schools in my country (traditionally a 'drainee' country) have always been slapped with that label of being responsible for the 'brain drain' in the country that direly needs them. The emphasis on trying to send them on a guilt trip back back to their country if they decide to move can sometimes get really out of hand (coverage and negative publicity in the press etc). The argument is (at least for private schools) if someone was put on their mettle to get into these schools and pay the exorbitant fee out of our own pockets (or private loans etc) then they have every right to take the brain where they want without feeling guilty. If they were born in a 'drainer' country, they'd probably be able to achieve just the same (or more) without the added guilt if they decided to move elsewhere. These drainee countries arguably and potentially keep these brains from reaching their full potential leading to a 'functional drain'. For example, over time many of these countries have developed decent undergraduate programs in STEM specialities but have not been so successful for postgraduate/doctorate programs. So how far are the brains themselves responsible for the drain if they leave the drainee country just to get access to greater academic opportunities? Finally, the academic fraternity often argues for the pursuit of a global academia without borders - where institutions are not defined by their geographical location. With that argument in mind, it's interesting to consider that this pattern of moving from one institute to another exists even within 'drainer' countries (so people who complete their medical school at Yale are less likely to also pursue their PhD at Yale in favor of another institution). Here these brains do it for professional growth. If brains from drainee countries do the same with the same goal, they also have to live with the label that they fueled the drain. Some more interesting thoughts in these articles from people I know: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1275995/ https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/e938/e1c2d3d77c1b947cf4f74c061524e361a7ac.pdf

1) i) Probability of surviving first inspection = 1 - probability of being rejected by the first inspection (ie 1-0.1) 0.9 * 0.08 = 0.072 ii) 0.9 * 0.92 * 0.12 = 0.09936 2) i) (3/5) * (2/6) = 0.2 ii) (2/5) * (4/6) = 0.267 iii) The possibilities are: aspirin + thyroid, aspirin + laxative, thyroid + aspirin, thyroid + laxative So 2/5 * 3/6 + 2/5 * 1/6 + 3/5 * 3/6 + 3/5 * 1/6 = 0.667 3) 0.6 * 0.3 * 0.1 = 0.018 I don't take any responsibility for any answers. I've been in medical school for the past few years.

I know MMA failed to polarize the Shia vote bank (or any vote bank for that matter - it won a single seat in the Sindh assembly and none in the National Assembly) in Karachi at least last election season. It's always baffled me how Shias can decide to join hands with the likes of Maulana Fazlur Rehman. Served them right to lose terribly in the election.

Might be symptoms of hypothyroidism. Fatigue >2 weeks warrants a visit to a doc. Hope everything turns up fine. Good luck!

There's a chapter in Al-Kafi Volume 6 that is called 'باب لُبْسِ السّوَادِ' which is 'Dislike for black clothes'. Here's the first hadith: Some doubts have been raised about the authenticity of the above. There's a long (but interesting) analysis of the ahadith we have on the topic here: http://www.valiasr-aj.com/english/mobile_shownews.php?idnews=251 Salam

You're comparing apples to oranges. The brother asked about wearing black. How the Kiswah fits into the argument here is beyond me. Besides, it used to be white during the Prophet's (p) time! Anyway, to answer your question brother @Shah Khan: Yes. It is Makrooh to wear black attire when not worn in order to mourn (with few exceptions like turban etc.). From Ayatullah Sistani's (rh) website: Question: Is it permissible to wear black on an ordinary day when it is not coinciding with the martyrdom of one the fourteen infallibles? Answer: It is permissible but it is reprehensible (makrooh) to wear full black. https://www.sistani.org/english/qa/01134/ Maybe later if I have some more time I can dig up a couple of ahadith that I recall from Al-Kafi that state the same. Salam

Do apples have it easier than oranges?

Why what's so special about 'nowadays'?

A lot of airports are now heavily invested in offering quality services to passengers and making their transit comfortable. I happen to have had transits at a lot of Middle East airports and I've really come to enjoy airports that are kind to their passengers (and cognizant of the fact that travelling is a tiring and unpleasant experience for many who are forced to do it for work and/or family). I think they also carry an enormous responsibility of representing their countries/cities for the short duration that passengers stay there. Abu Dhabi and Doha are probably at the top of my list of favourite Middle East airports. Muscat was also surprisingly serene. Riyadh inaugurated a very impressive domestic airport recently. Dubai has become too crowded with multiple airlines using it as a transit destination. I recently had a 4-hour transit at Sharjah airport and it was terrible. It smelled, the WiFi wasn't complimentary and I couldn't find a place to sit. Air Arabia is pennies on the dollar so I guess this is where they make their cuts lol. Salam

I think this is what OP is talking about: http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/babri-dispute-shia-wakf-board-says-ram-temple-can-be-built-at-disputed-site-mosque-at-a-distance/story-Te9ytfzjvm8tBI9GYmTHwK.html I know about the Babri Masjid issue but never knew that the Shias of India claim it as their mosque! This is pretty interesting. In any case, their position seems to be pretty sensible. If they did indeed own the land they have a right to decide what happens to it. And even if they don't, Babri Masjid has become an unnecessary war of egos for Hindus and Muslims of the subcontinent that has claimed countless innocent lives. This issue needs to be put to rest even if it means one side conceding to the other.

Hmm I've been taught, for as long as I've been part of research projects, never to offer financial incentives to your study subjects to participate in your study as it a) introduces a bias and b) is unethical. Not to mention, online surveys have their own major issues. So I'm really curious as to how they manage to maintain the reliability of their questionnaires.

Lol Fisk is such a savage.

Why Pakistan is mourning loss of German nun Ruth Pfau Tributes are pouring in for a German nun who spent more than half a century in Pakistan battling leprosy and helping the country's most vulnerable people. Pakistan's Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi announced in a statement that a state funeral would be held for Ruth Pfau who died on Thursday aged 87. "She gave new hope to innumerable people and proved through her illustrious toil that serving humanity knows no boundaries," the statement said. "We are proud of her exemplary services, and she will remain in our hearts as a shining symbol in times ahead." Pfau trained as a doctor in her youth and went on to join a Catholic sisterhood. She arrived in Pakistan, where she spent the rest of her life, in 1960. She specialised in the treatment of leprosy, a disease that causes discolouration of the skin, sores, and disfigurements. Pfau's work earned her the Nishan-e-Quaid-i-Azam, one of Pakistan's highest civilian awards. More here. ------------- This is an interview by her before she passed away:

I don't think the Prophet (p) always had someone pouring water for him!! (think Tahajjud or all the other prayers offered in private when no one would be around/awake). Here are videos of Agha Khoei (rh) and Agha Sistani (rh) pouring water for themselves while performing wudhu (they make it look so easy lol):