Current Final

Tag: home-life

  • Three millennial humanitarians, you should know about

    Three millennial humanitarians, you should know about

    The Oxford dictionary describes a humanitarian as someone who “is concerned with or seeking to promote human welfare.”

    Abdul Sattar Edhi, Lady Diana, Martin Luther King and Angelina Jolie, to name a few, are world-renowned humanitarians who have dedicated their lives for humanity.

    On World Humanitarian Day, The Current brings to you three millennials who are working towards making the world a better place.

    Rizq

    Rizq, a social enterprise, works towards preventing food wastage. Run by three LUMS graduates, Rizq collects food from hotels, restaurants and marriage halls, repackages it and then distributes it among the needy. Rizq also provides the poor with monthly rations.

    Their #Ramazan Dastarkhwans across Pakistan are truly special and watch the video for a tour of one in Lahore.

    https://youtu.be/sv91cpiqrSg

    Tayaba Org

    Remember the boys who went viral after the India Pakistan Cricket Worldcup match for their antics? You’ll be surprised to know that one of them runs an NGO which is making water transportation easier through H2O wheels in one of Pakistan’s poorest areas – Tharparkar. The wheels enable women and children in Thar carry water easily and in a shorter period of time.

    https://youtu.be/EV7nJaorvVQ

    ACF Animal Welfare

    ACF (Ayesha Chundigar Foundation) is a non-profit organisation based in Karachi, which rescues and rehabilitates animals. The welfare also has the first-of-its-kind animal shelter in Pakistan for injured and unwell stray animals such as dogs, cats, donkeys, horses and camels. The foundation also has rescue service ambulances, which actively help injured animals.

    The owner of ACF, Ayesha, with a donkey

    ACF picks up strays, after which they undergo a spay/neuter/release program. When the animal becomes healthy, they are released back into the community in areas, identified as safe zones.

    A foundation also holds unique donkey camps in different donkey/equine populated areas of the city including brick kilns and coal mines, through which they provide medical treatment, food and water to the donkeys educate the owners on the animal’s behaviour and handling.

    Todd’s Welfare Society

    Also, an animal rescue initiative, Todd’s Welfare Society is run by a group of young adults who help, save and rescue injured, sick, neglected and abused animals in Lahore.

    Todd’s recently opened an animal shelter in the outskirts of Lahore where they provide animals with shelters and nurse them to health. Animal lovers can either adopt an animal and take them home or provide for their sustenance and other needs.

  • Winners of The Current’s photography competition

    Winners of The Current’s photography competition

    The Current on Saturday held an online photography competition. We received a lot of entries and some of them were really good, which made it hard for us to choose the winners.

    Here are the top three photographers:

    3rd Best Photographer

    Talha Ch

    2nd Best Photographer

    PHOTONLOCKER Cinematics

    AND the WINNER is….

    Winner

    Genetic Films

  • Benefits of eating bananas every day

    Benefits of eating bananas every day

    Bananas are probably the most readily available fruit. They are easily available all year round and are a fruit basket staple. More than that, the banana is something that will taste good with anything – you can have it as it is or add it to your fruit salad or make a shake out of it – it’s that versatile. Plus it contains only 90 calories.

    And the good news is that eating a banana every day is very good for your health.

    Bananas are good for the heart

    Bananas are loaded with potassium which is an important electrolyte that helps in regulating heart function. According to a study done by the University of Leeds, increasing the consumption of fiber-rich foods such as bananas can lower the risk of both cardiovascular disease (CVD) and coronary heart disease (CHD).

    Maintain gut health

    Bananas are full of soluble fiber which slows down digestion and keeps you feeling full for a longer time. Which is why bananas are the perfect breakfast meal.

    Perfect pre-workout meal

    Bananas are rich in carbohydrates that keep you full throughout your workout sessions which is why they are considered to be the best energy-boosting pre-workout meal.

    Boosts mood

    Bananas contain amino acid and antioxidants, like dopamine, which play a vital role in boosting one’s mood.

    Assists in treating anemia

    If you have a low blood count, then it important for you to include bananas in your diet as they have a high iron content, which is essential for the development of red blood cells. Anemia leads to fatigue, shortness of breath, and paleness.

  • Murders of husbands by wives on the rise in Lahore

    Murders of husbands by wives on the rise in Lahore

    In an extremely bizarre turn of events, more and more wives in Lahore are murdering their husbands, either with their own hands or through hired killers.

    According to reports, eight of such instances occurred in the last year alone. The reasons behind the murders are often stated to be domestic disputes or marital misunderstandings.

    According to Senior Superintendent Police (SSP) Operations Ismail Kharak marital disputes are the main cause behind such incidents. He elaborated that abusive husbands compel women to commit such crimes.

    “The story usually revolves around the husband being unjust and abusive to his wife. In some cases, the woman’s marriage takes place against her wish due to factors such as poverty,” he said.

    He added that in some instances, cheating or second marriage is the reason behind the murders, while substance abuse and addiction is also a cause.

    A lawyer pointed out that women get frustrated when the law doesn’t protect them and their husbands are not punished for their actions which is why they decide to take the law in their hands.

    Meanwhile, a religious scholar said that one of the reasons for a rise in such incidents is a lack of moral values. He added that parents should take the wishes of their children into account at the time of marriage.

  • Dawlance vs Kenwood: Who has the better fridge?

    DISCLAIMER: This review is not sponsored. The Current has done its own independent research for this review.

    Looking to buy a fridge? Which one is the most popular in Pakistan? We compare two – Dawlance and Kenwood – that are the most popular in your city. According to our research, Orient, PEL and Haier are also very popular but salespeople at local stores claim that these two are the ones which are most commonly bought.

    The table below gives a brief outline of the two fridges.

    DawlanceKenwood
    Rs 33,000 – 55,000Rs 45,000 – 65,000
    Service Centres: 4 in Karachi, 2 in LahoreService Centres: 4 in Karachi, 3 in Lahore
    3-way coolingUnbreakable models
    Works on low voltageBest in load shedding
    Warranty – 12 yearsWarranty – 3 years

    Because of its services, price and warranty time period, Dawlance emerges as a winner.

  • Police arrests couple for sexually abusing and filming 45 girls

    Police arrests couple for sexually abusing and filming 45 girls

    Police have arrested a couple allegedly involved in kidnapping, sexually abusing, blackmailing and also recording inappropriate videos of 45 girls in Rawalpindi. The accused identified as Qasim Jahangir and Kiran Mehmood confessed to the crime.

    As per reports, the action was taken after a complaint was filed by a victim, a student of Allama Iqbal Open University. The student said that she was kidnapped from outside Gordon College by a woman who pretended to be a fellow student. She said that her brother was coming to pick her up. After a few minutes, when her “brother” arrived in a grey car, the woman pushed the victim inside the car and threatened her with a knife. The student was then taken to a house in Gulistan Colony where Qasim, the husband, allegedly raped her while the wife recorded a video of the crime. They blackmailed the girl by showing her video. Later at night, she was released on Tipu Road.

    Police officials said that the couple had sold the videos and photos to an international porn website. The wife has been sent to Adiala jail on judicial remand while the husband is in police custody on physical remand.

    The police have also involved the FIA as they do not have modern technology to examine laptops and other devices used by the accused.

  • Popular Fiction: Don’t feel like you’re Normal?

    Popular Fiction: Don’t feel like you’re Normal?

    It’s a trend now. To talk about the non-conformists, the ones who don’t fit in and the ones who don’t want to.

    In her 10th novel, Japanese fiction author Sayaka Murata doesn’t make up a story. She calmly and incredibly coolly takes us into the world of the straight face life of a “convenience store woman” in her internationally best-selling book of the same name.

    Stores of Convenience

    It’s a weird book and it’s so much fun. We enter the world of a convenience store worker, Keiko, who is 36 years old and single, has never dated anyone and has worked part-time at the same store for the past 18 years.

    No one seems to understand why she has worked in the Smile Mart for so long, why she yearns to be there and how it literally becomes her day and her night. But then she isn’t one to do things normally.

    The first blow that Keiko gives us is a memory of her childhood, when, to break up a fight, she hits one of the boys on the head with a spade and doesn’t understand when everyone is shocked by what she does. They did say they wanted the fight to stop.

    Deadpan and almost robotic, Keiko is the person we would tend to avoid — lacks emotion, copies emotion, and doesn’t get angry. You can’t trust Keiko but you can’t help but like her. Murata has so beautifully carved out Keiko’s character that you somehow don’t feel bad for her at all. Perhaps because you know that she already has everything; a job she lives for, a convenience store she loves and that’s enough for her.

    Murata, through Keiko, takes us through the experience of milestones that are part of every single society in the world. Work, life-partner, marriage, children and how we tend to isolate and judge people who don’t fit in society’s norms.

    Keiko’s counter, the young, lanky, and smelly Shiraha, is full of disdain. He joins the store and soon gets fired from the Smile Mart for not doing his duties. Figures that his only reason for taking the job was to find a woman, stalk her and marry her.

    The utter stench his words produce when we meet him is more effective than repellent. He is a loathsome character and as we move through the book, and discover that he might be important, we try to like him when there is nothing at all to like.

    But to be fair, Murata rushes through the existence of Shiraha. Maybe because she doesn’t want to marry the crazy beauty she has created with Keiko and perhaps she realises that the reader might relate more to Shiraha; whether they like him or not.

    It’s a short read, ends in 162 pages, bound to finish in a few hours because of how perfectly normal it is. It’s not at all a judgey book but it takes us into such a quirky and strange journey through Keiko that we can’t help but reflect on how judgemental we can be. How she, without question, anger, regret, tries to adapt to her society, where she doesn’t fit in. She cleverly and poignantly highlights what we all do: mirror others, judge others for not fitting in molds and feel happy for them when they do.

    At one point of the book, Keiko is told off by Shiraha who says, “You’re not human” to which Keiko thinks, “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you!” a thought which will leave you with a smile and simple reflection on life’s ambitious rat race and the simplicity of the convenience store worker. For a moment you’ll want her contentment, her creepy thoughts (inertly thinking that you might have had one or two of those yourself) until you conveniently forget and go back to ignoring the simple, convenient things.

  • Seven crocodiles escape from a farmhouse in Karachi

    Seven crocodiles escape from a farmhouse in Karachi

    Karachi police is on high alert after seven crocodiles escaped from a farmhouse in Steel Town of Karachi. Five crocodiles have been captured while the hunt for the remaining two is ongoing.

    As per reports, the crocodiles escaped from the farm after a wall of the farmhouse premises collapsed in the morning due to heavy rain. The farmhouse management called the police and other relevant government departments for help to find the escaped crocodiles.

    While the police have managed to nab five crocs, two are still on the loose because of standing rainwater at various places in the area.

    No news has been received about the crocodiles harming any person.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6H_yZ2dCR1g

    Keeping wild, exotic animals as pets in privately-owned farmhouses is a growing trend in Karachi. However, many owners have not gotten a permit from the concerned government departments to keep the animal.

  • Here’s how much you have to pay to stay in KP Govt guest houses

    Here’s how much you have to pay to stay in KP Govt guest houses

    Following a cabinet decision, the provincial government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) has opened several government-owned guest houses for the public. However, the per-night charges of staying in these lavish mansions are a little steeper than expected and are in line with some of the highest rates charged by the best private hotels in the province.

    Some 49 government-owned buildings which have been opened include official residences such as Chief Minister House, Governor House, K-P Assembly Speaker and Police House. The aim of the decision was to allow the public to enjoy these buildings and generate much-needed revenue for the government.

    Here’s an overview of the prices:

    BuildingPrice (per night)No of Rooms available
    Governor House, Nathia GaliRs 40,0008
    CM HouseRs 24,0004
    KP Assembly Speaker House,
    Abbottabad    		Rs 16,0008
    KP Police HouseRs 12,0008

    Speaking to the media, KP Senior Tourism Minister Atif Khan said that online bookings for these facilities will begin after Eid ul Azha. Further details on the services offered have not been shared as yet.

  • Tips to deal with hot and humid weather

    Tips to deal with hot and humid weather

    The only thing worse than extreme heat is hot weather with high humidity. Hot, muggy air makes you sweaty and exhausts you to no extent. Here are a few tips which might help you stay fresh, cool and comfortable on the warmest and most humid days.

    Drink plenty of water

    Excess of everything is bad except water. One must drink at least 8 glasses of water per day. Hot, humid weather makes you sweat more, which means you’ll need to increase your hydration. Drinking lots of water also helps keep your body temperature down, which keeps you more comfortable overall.

    Take a cool shower on your pulse points

    Taking a cold shower is a fast and effective way to cool down. If you’re not at home, you can splash cold water on your neck, forehead, and armpits. You can also use ice packs or cool, wet towels for more sustained relief.

    Set air conditioner’s temperature

    Air conditioning is the best way to keep your house cool, setting it too low can make your utility bill cost more. Try to set your AC to 26 °C when you’re at home and awake. Increase it to 28 °C when you are going for sleep.

    Eat cool foods like salads and fresh fruit

    Eating hot foods when it’s hot and humid will only raise your body temperature. Instead, wash fresh vegetables and make a salad or fruit chaat with all the seasonal fruits. For dessert, try popsicles and ice cream. For a healthier alternative, go with fresh fruit, plain or paired with yogurt.

    Wear loose and light-colored clothes

    Hot, humid days call for loose, cotton clothing in light colours. Avoid tight jeans and synthetic fabrics like Rayon or spandex, and go with sandals or canvas shoes to keep your feet cool.

    Use cotton bedsheets

    Make sure your sheets are made of light fabric, like cotton, rather than fleece. Cotton bed covers will stay cooler at night, making for a more comfortable night’s sleep in this hot and humid weather.