I have a friend who is 17 years old and has just given his matriculation exams.

His mum died when he was 10 years old. His father is a very wild person (well call him Mr X). My friend has an elder sister who is also obsessed with her life. He also has a stepmother and a younger step brother as well. He is not very comfortable with his step mum. His dad doesnt give him any money. He and his sister are coping on their dead mothers pension. Mr X treats him like a servant and often beats him and his sister when he gets angry for no reason. Mr X doesnt let him go out and have fun with his friends. When Mr X needs his son to help him for anything he talks very politely and nicely. My friend doesnt have anyone to support him in these circumstances. He doesnt have any mamu (mums brother) or chachu (dads brother) and his sagikhaalas (mums sister) or phuppos (dads sisters) dont care about his problems. He also doesnt have any grandparents. Whenever he tries to talk to his sister she ends the conversation by fighting. He has applied to a private college for further studies where he got admission. But his dad wants him to take admission in a government college now. His other problem which he is depressed about is that he is very tall (6 ft) and skinny. He thinks he looks odd when he walks or sits around people. How can he solve his problems? How can he convince his dad for admission in the private college? How can he gain weight and stop growing more? Worried friend

Dear Bestie, Thanks for being such a great and supportive friend. I suggest you ask your friend to read this letter as I will address is directly to him. The good thing in this whole situation is that you realise that your father has a problem and he is abusive, which you should know by now has nothing to do with you. It is very important that you understand this and the fact that we dont choose our parents. Your dad is a bad role model thats not a great feeling to live with, but thats the truth. So stop trying to win his approval for everything which will only end up making you feel desperate. In fact, I suggest that you stay out of your fathers way as much as possible, trying to avoid any confrontations. You could try telling him that he isnt a good father, but unless he shows some sort of change in attitude and you sense that the conversation can go further, just leave it at that. Instead there must be a few good relationships that you have. Cultivate those and surround yourself with people who appreciate you for who you are. If you feel that there is no one, nows the time to reach out and make good friends. While youre at it, watch out for any tendency you might have for bullying people. Sometimes those of us who are abused end up doing the same to others. So watch yourself. As for your studies, could you look around for a scholarship? Could you work and save some money for college? You now have to set a few goals in your life and look hard to see the opportunities that are all around you to help you reach them. Also look hard to see if you can find any potential mentor along the way. Just stay strong. Everyone has been dealt with something in their lives that is not working for themin your case its your father. For your weight and height, go see a doctor.

Dear Phupo, I just love your column and today I want to share something with you. I have a boyfriend who is two years older than me. He also has an ex-girlfriend whom he loves more than anyone else. He also cares about me a lot and he doesnt want to see me cry. I just love him and he loves me too. We both are quite honest and sincere with each other. He also talks a lot about his ex-girlfriend and he has told me everything about their relationship. But here the problem begins. His ex is in a relationship with another boy. If they break up, I think my boyfriend will get confused and that will be a problem for me. I want to ask you whether he is the perfect guy for me or not? Confused crazy girl Dear Darling, Forget your boyfriend loving you, are you quite sure you love yourself? Because Auntie seriously doubts that. Your boyfriend is either madly in love with his ex-girlfriend or hes playing games with you and either way it should be clear that he is most certainly not the perfect guy for you. Someone who truly loves you would not dwell endlessly on a past relationship or an ex-girlfriend. Hed be too besotted by you to think about an ex. You would be girl no.1 in his life and would not be living in fear of his ex breaking up and coming back to him. The only word to describe this relationship is toxic, and the only thing it seems to be doing is giving your self esteem a beating. You perhaps dont realize this but subconsciously you are playing second fiddle to the diva in his life. And that most certainly is not love. You deserve better. You deserve someone who will make you his diva, who will see you for the wonderful beautiful person that you are. Please focus on yourself, your gifts and talents, and when you fall in love with yourself thats when real love will walk into your life.

I am 16 years old. My best friend (lets call her X) is dating a boy who is three years older than us. She met him on a social networking site. X bunked tuitions to go on dates with him and that has adversely affected her studies. I tried to explain to her the disadvantages of dating people at our age, but she just doesnt seem to understand. Her parents caught her twice and she got grounded but she just wont give up! I keep telling her that if her parents find out about this she will lose their trust and they will get infuriated. Secondly there were rumours spread about X and most of the people in our school dislike her because of all the things that they believe she has done. Im just worried about my own reputation. If I hang out with her, people will think Im just like her. What should I do? Should I un-friend her to save my reputation? Please help me. Worried Dear Friend There is nothing wrong with being in love at the age of 16 in fact, it is quite normal. Your friend is besotted and will go to any lengths to be with her BF, which may adversely affect her and her future. Youve told her as much. Now, do you realise that there is only so much you can do? You have advised your friend against the relationship as have her parents, but she aint listening, so just let her be. Some lessons just need to be learnt the hard way. Or maybe there is no lesson to be learnt. Maybe this BF and this relationship is the one. Who can tell?

As for your reputation, its a tossup between being a good friend to your best friend or worrying about an imagined reputation people will cook up in their heads in the future. Do you realise that the latter is nonexistent? Do you also realise that people who revel in destroying your character for no reason other than the fact that you hang out with someone who goes out on dates with her BF are not worth the time of day? I dont think this is such a difficult decision. Chill please. Dear NaaniAmma I am a concerned mother who is worried about my daughter aged 16. I have one younger son, but my daughter is becoming very problematic. She is a good student who does very well in school. All the teachers praise her but I am a little worried these days because of the way she has started dressing. She has got her ears pierced in several places and also her nose and eye brows. She puts on dark eye makeup when she goes out and has also cut her hair very, very short recently. I get very embarrassed when she goes out with me as people start looking at her. She also wears t-shirts with strange things written on them and only wears black or dark purple. My husband is also very worried about her. I dont know what to do. Please help. Mom Dear Mummyji, Your daughter is at an age where you have to decide what all you will tackle and what you will just let be. You cannot and should not expect that theres a magic wand out there that you will wave over her head and turn her into a shalwarkameez-wearing teenager who will obediently make rotis for your dinner while her peers hang out at the mall. Your daughter is getting good grades and there have been no complaints from school which means that generally she is a smart and well-behaved kid. This new look is thus just a form of experimentation very common at this age and not a statement of some drastic lifestyle change that includes drugs and other evils. She was a good student before the Goth look and she still is. What can you do? You and your husband should set down some rules such as no cuss words on t-shirts, no tattoos, fewer piercings. Tell your daughter what the rules are and fight your battles where needed. For instance, you can decide that she can wear black and purple clothes but the offensive messages printed on them have to go. Some stuff you can just let be. For instance her hair. It will grow back (so let her keep it short) and her makeup will probably tone down over the years. These things are manageable. Her look is probably coming from the group of friends that she is hanging out with. Approach this in a balanced way and allow her to rebel a bit. Just be clear about stuff that matters and that doesnt. Give her some leeway where she can keep a bit of her look. But dont compromise on the serious stuff. What is on your menu of love? By Lizzie Cernik - They say the way to a mans heart is through his stomach but we reckon the same is true for women. A shared appreciation of food unites many couples and cooking can be a great way to spend an evening in. But what recipes should you have on the menu? We bring you some of the most popular dishes for a romantic meal.

Seafood From lobster to king prawns, theres definitely something romantic about sharing a platter of luxury seafood. Ideal for a treat on special occasions, make sure you always choose fresh high quality products. Crab linguine is divine but a night of food poising is less so. Cheese fondue Gooey, tasty and utterly decadent, cheese fondue is the perfect dish for two. Use different types of cheese to spice it up and serve with croutons and red onion chutney. Spaghetti Carbonara Remember that moment in Lady and the Tramp where they share a romantic moment with the pasta? Well we cant promise a cartoon waiter will be there to serenade you and your partner, but if you serve your man this creamy dish we can guarantee hell be impressed. Steak Served with chunky chip or creamy mash, steak is any easy dish to cook together. With a cooking time of just 5-10 minutes (depending on the steak cut and your preferences) youll still have time to head out for a romantic drink later in the evening. We recommend a good quality fillet steak for a special treat. Chocolate covered strawberries - great for indulgence; easy to prepare But our number one romantic treat is Chocolate covered strawberries. Ideal for Valentines Day, Christmas or just an indulgent Friday night, chocolate covered strawberries are delicious and easy to prepare. Heres how to make them: Ingredients Fresh strawberries Cooking chocolate (light or dark depending on your preference.) A spoonful of vegetable oil A saucepan filled with water A glass bowl that fits inside the saucepan A flat baking tray covered in baking paper or foil White or pink writing icing Preparation 1. Firstly youll need to heat a pan of water. Inside the pan place a small glass bowl to melt the chocolate. 2. When it reaches a certain temperature chocolate starts to solidify and form lumps, so you need to be very careful not to over melt it. If youve invested in really good quality cooking chocolate, it should be easier to work with. Alternatively you can always add a splash of vegetable oil to make it more pliable. 3. Wash your strawberries, smear them with a small amount of jam (it helps the chocolate stick) and skewer them. 4. When the chocolate starts to melt take it off the heat to stir. You need to watch it like a hawk to avoid

overcooking. Just before the last small chunks melt, it should be ready to use. 5. Dip your skewers in the chocolate and lay them down on the baking sheet to set. 6. When theyve dried, take your icing pie and decorate as you please. Why not add some hearts if youre feeling romantic? This is a very easy and delicious recipe for crpe. The coconut together with bananas enriches the flavor and the dish looks very nice, too. Cuisine French Main ingredients Flour, Milk, Eggs, Bananas, Coconut Time of preparation 20 Minutes Time of cooking 40 Minutes Serving 4 Ingredients 1 cup Flour 1 1/3 cups milk 1 egg 1/2 tsp vanilla 60 g butter 1/4 cup coconut 4 bananas, medium size, diagonally sliced 1/3 cup brown sugar 1/3 cup lemon juice, or lime juice

Directions 1-Preparing crpe In a medium bowl, mix flour, coconut, milk, eggs and vanilla. Whisk well until mixture is smooth with no clumps. In a small non-stick skillet, melt tsp butter over low heat. Add cup from milk and flour mixture and spread all over skillet. Leave until bottom is golden. Flip to cook the other side until golden. Remove and put on a platter. Repeat the process until you finish all quantity of mixture, arranging crpe over each other on the platter. You shall have about 8 crpe. Cover and set aside until needed. 2-Preparing filling and serving In a large skillet, melt remaining butter over medium heat. Add banana slices and cook until bananas start to soften. Add brown sugar and leave until it melts shaking skillet occasionally. Add lemon or lime juice and leave for about 1 minute. Take off heat and set aside. Put 2-3 tbsp of banana filling on one side of each crpe. Fold the other side over filling. Sprinkle some coconut on the surface .

GEO NEWS. SWAT: MalalaYusufzai the National Peace Award winner who came under the global spotlight for her efforts to bring back peace to her hometown Swat came under attack earlier today. MalalaYousafzai was injured along with two other girls when unknown assailants opened fire on her vehicle in Swat, Geo News reported.According to police, Malala a childrens rights activist received two bullets, and was rushed to the District Headquarter Hospital in Saidu Sharif, and later shifted to a hospital in Peshawar.It is important to mention that Malala had been receiving threats to her life, after which she was provided with a special car and unarmed security by her school.The international children's advocacy group Kids Rights Foundation nominated Malala for the International Children's Peace Prize, making her the first Pakistani girl nominated for the award.For her courageous and outstanding services for the promotion of peace under extremely hostile conditions in Swat, she was awarded the first National Peace Award by the Pakistani government on 19 December 2011. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ISLAMABAD: World Heart Day is globally held on 29 September each year to inform people to become proactive about reducing heart disease and stroke which are the biggest cause of death worldwide, the theme this year is "One World, One Home, One Heart". Cardiovascular diseases are the world's largest killers, claiming 17.5 million lives a year, according to WHO. Risk factors for heart disease and stroke include raised blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose levels, smoking, inadequate intake of fruit and vegetables, overweight, obesity and physical inactivity. The World Heart Federation created World Heart Day in 2000 to remind people of the enormity of the problem and of ways to prevent cardiovascular disease related deaths. In 2012, campaign activities focus on taking action to prevent heart disease in women and children.In partnership with WHO, the World Heart Federation organizes awareness events in more than 100 countries including health checks, organized walks, runs and fitness sessions, public talks, stage shows, scientific forums, exhibitions, concerts, carnivals and sports tournaments. It also aims to promote preventative measures that reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.The term "heart disease" refers to several types of heart conditions.The most common type is coronary heart disease (CHD), which can cause heart attack, chest pain, heart failure, and arrhythmias. CVD is commonly considered an "older persons" and a "man's" disease. women underestimate their CVD risk, even though almost half of the 17.3million annual deaths occur in women. Children are particularly at risk, since they have little control over their environment and can be limited in choices to live heart healthily. The World Heart Federation organizes awareness events in more than 100 countries. They include health checks,organized walks, runs and fitness sessions, exhibitions. These activities are done in partnership with organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO), which is the UN's directing and coordinating authority for health. World Heart Day was created to inform people around the globe that heart disease and stroke are the world's leading cause of death. Together with organizations such as WHO, the World Heart Federation spreads the news that at least 80 percent of premature deaths from heart disease and stroke could be avoided if the main risk factors - which are tobacco, unhealthy diet and physical inactivity - are controlled.

Weather forecasts
It is hard to imagine a world without weather forecasts they have become so essential to so many facets of everyday life in the 21st Century. On an individual basis, of course, people use weather forecasts to decide what to wear: whether they need an umbrella, protection against the sun or even medication against abnormally high pollen levels. The forecast is also seen as a necessary safeguard to protect life and property and we have also become accustomed to receiving warnings against extreme weather conditions such as drought, heavy snow, flooding or high winds. In our increasingly motorised age, the weather report is now seen as vital for advising drivers of difficult driving conditions. The forecast is equally important in agriculture and commerce so that famers can grow their crops and commodity brokers can trade them on stock markets. Energy providers are also among a wide range of institutions that rely on an accurate forecast so that they can plan ahead for the services they provide. While the technology we use today to provide weather forecasts is new, the study of weather patterns is as old as the hills as mankind has always been dependent on weather. In primitive civilisations, hunters, warriors, farmers and shepherds alike would look to the gods in the sky as the force behind the weather. Often the priests of these gods would enjoy high status and considerable power in the belief they could influence the gods to provide the right weather conditions by performing a rain dance or even, in the case of the Aztecs, commanding a human sacrifice. The actual forecasting methods usually relied on observed patterns of events, also termed pattern recognition. For example, if the sunset was particularly red, the following day often brought fair weather. This form of weather lore, which was passed from one generation to the next, has not entirely disappeared as is evidenced by such sayings as red sky at night, shepherds delight. However, not all of these predictions proved reliable, and many of them have since been found not to stand up to rigorous statistical testing by meteorologists today.

Our roots of our modern scientific tradition can be traced back to the Babylonians who began to predict weather from cloud formations and, more particularly, the Ancient Greeks. As is the case in so many other fields, Aristotle is considered to have founded the modern science of meteorology when he correctly identified the hydrologic cycle in 350 BC. This cycle, which describes the continuous movement of water on, above and below the surface of the Earth, is fundamental to much of modern weather forecasting. However, Aristotle himself and his follower and pupil Theophrastus largely failed to make the connection between the water cycle and weather forecasting and their science was scarcely more reliable than the aboriginal rain dance. Indeed, the word meteorology literally means the study of heavenly bodies and the Greeks attempted to explain weather conditions through heavenly signs such as colours of the sky, rings and halos. The influence of Aristotle on weather forecasting lasted for almost 2000 years and was only gradually eroded by a combination of a series of scientific discoveries and advances in communication technology. One important step forward was made in 1654 when Fernando de Medici set up the first weather observation network with meteorological stations in eleven separate European cities. When this data was centrally collected in Florence, it became possible to analyse weather patterns on a grander scale than ever before by allowing maps to be produced that showed atmospheric conditions over a large area of the Earths surface. The invention of the telegraph in 1837 allowed such observations to be collected more quickly and from a wider region than ever before and as a consequence meteorologists were able to identify the global nature of weather patterns. A central figure in turning the science of meteorology into the modern-day weather forecast was Robert Fitzroy. Fitzroy was a man of many talents who had sailed with Charles Darwin in The Beagle, helped to pioneer the use of barometers in the navy and correctly identified sunspots as an influence on weather conditions As a former naval captain he was aware of the necessity of accurate forecasting and he helped to establish The United Kingdom Meteorological Office, which became the first national meteorological service in the world. This office would advise ports around the United Kingdom when a gale was expected so that the fishing fleets would not put out to sea. These forecasts were so reliable that they were published in the newly-founded daily newspapers and it is said that Queen Victoria would not sail anywhere unless Fitzroy had said the seas would be calm. How has weather forecasting evolved in the past 20 years? There have been a number of influences and perhaps the most visible is the use of satellite technology. It is almost impossible to watch a forecast on

television nowadays without seeing a satellite picture showing where the areas of high pressure and low pressure are and how the weather is likely to develop. Indeed, a whole new industry of nowcasting has developed, telling us what the weather is like now and what we could expect tot see if we could be bothered to look out of the window. A less evident, but equally relevant, innovation has been the application of the comparatively new science of mathematical modelling to weather forecasting. This involves using the massive computational powers of supercomputers to process all the different variables so as to provide some likely forecasts of what will happen next with the weather. Even here, however, the science is by no means complete and the weather experts still need to choose between different possible forecasts. How do they do that? Experience and judgment not perhaps that different from the ancient Babylonians who decided if it was going to rain by looking at the shape of the cloud.

Complete the summary below. Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer.

Early societies used to predict the weather by noting was not completely While the discovery of

. Although this body of knowledge

in making forecasts, it was more accurate than performing a rain dance. was academically important, it did not notably improve was a major step forward because then

forecasting methods. The establishment of an early meteorologists

charts showing weather patterns. However, real progress was not made by means of

until the information that formed the basis of these charts could be sent telegraph.

patterns of events 2 reliable 3 the hydrologic cycle

4 observation network 5 produced 6 more quickly