Narrated Abu Burda bin 'Abdulla (RA) (On the authority of his father):

The Prophet (PBUH) said, "Whoever passes through our mosques or markets with arrows should hold them by their heads lest he should injure a Muslim."

Angry kid!

Hi,

I'm writing for the first time to your mag , but I m sorry my first letter does not contain any praise. I sent you a poem of mine, and that was my first attempt ever, and I waited the whole week to see it in print. But you guys simply decided to dumped the 'Poets' Corner' altogether! This was very discouraging for a 12-year-old girl! All I could say was 'Why me!!!' I don't think I'm ever going to read your mag after that, even though I really used to like it before... You might not take this letters seriously because a kid has sent it, but for the kid, it is important! Thanks for the support and encouragement that you never gave to me!

Sidra Saadat, Islamabad

And who said that kids are not important for Us? The thing is, we receive a lot of contributions for 'Poets' Corner' so you'll have to wait for your turn to see your poem/article in print. And you didn't see the page because Naeema, who looks after 'Poets' Corner', is busy with her exam. So, wouldn't it be nice that instead of being angry, you wish her all the best for her exam?

Help!

Dear Ed!

I still remember the day when my four-line poem was published in Us and I was given an appreciation note by Naeema Akram. Now the problem is that I have lost that issue of Us and I don't remember which edition it was except that it was the year 2006 and the cover page of that issue had the picture of Orkut's homepage. Can anyone find out that specific issue for me? I'll be really thankful…

Faheem Akhtar, Haripur

Query

Salaam!

The issue of December 18 was superb, but I really miss the old Us which was thicker. Ed, I have a question. I don't have the facility to use Internet for a long time, so I can't type the whole article/story online and send you. Can I just save it on MS word and then e-mail it to you by attaching files? Anyway, the mag is awesome! Keep rocking and making our Fridays brighter!

Nyla Maqsood

My, my…how unreasonable do you think we are? :) We don't expect our writers to write and submit their contributions in one go. Most of our writers first write it on Word only and then e-mail; except maybe the letters! So can you, Nyla.

Tidbits

Dear Eddy!

The issue of Dec 18 was really great. I agree with Abdul Wasay that 'The Green Room' shouldn't be stopped. I fail to understand why people are against it!   The story 'Notes from the underground' by Neelum Raza was mind blowing. The article by Faiza Hameed was really interesting.

Imama Ibrar, Muzaffarabad

Hello Ed,

It felt great to read your editorial again. I think you should write

more often. The issue was okay. I sorely missed 'Poets' Corner'. In 'Reel Roundup', Fatima included Benjamin Button. That's weird. It was a 2008 movie and has already been nominated at last year's Oscars. I don't know what was the point of the whole MMIX recap when' it had already been covered in previous issue. Chachi Chatter was the only saving grace of the issue. The snappy style of Chachi works for me. I think she will eventually divide readers into Chachi lovers and Chachi haters. I would rather be in the first category. Happy New Year!

Adam Khan, Peshawer

The error is regretted.

Salam Ed!

The issue of December 25 should rightly be called as the sum-up of 2009. The way you guys made Us go back through the whole year was awesome. But at the same time, I was quite disappointed to find nothing about Quaid-e-Azam. Why was it so?

I liked the way Mr. Jawad spoke up for Ms Toor, but the way she has kept mum over the issue has made her position quite dubious. Well, whatever, I'm waiting for the announced surprise impatiently!

Happy New Year to all.

Aminah Pervaiz, Haripur

Salam Ed!

I absolutely loved the article MMIX (December 25)! The writer managed to sum up 2009 in a perfect way. With a sprinkle of humour here and there, it gave a complete recap of the year and it also managed to make us smile. Us has been going great and I wish you all the best for the New Year.

P.S The fact that we won the T20 was indeed very weird :D I laughed my head off at that!

Juwayriyah Shabir, Rawalpindi

Dear Eddie!

In the issue of December 18 of Us mag the article that caught my attention was 'The imperfect perfection' by Faiza Hameed. She sketched our society's absurd customs, traditions and wedding rituals very nicely. Everyone can relate to the things that she mentioned in her write-up and I think it was a great effort on the writer's part to talk about them in a humorous way. I appreciate her efforts very much. Keep it up!

Hammad Khan, Abbottabad

Hello Edd,

Us is doing a great job. The issue of December 18, 2009 was great, especially the cover story. Ed, I am very happy that you are giving opportunities to new writers. But Ed, where is the poster page? All the readers are missing it. Best of luck for the future.

Roshaan Khan, Kohat

Hi Ed,

I read your fantabulous mag every Friday. The issue of December 18 was fantastic. Hats off to Neelam Raza for her excellent and inspirational story 'Notes from the underground'. 'Graffiti' is going good but the most amazing thing in the mag was the cover story by Sameen Amer. It was a very comprehensive one, as the writer touched all the topics in a very interesting manner. Lastly, please increase the number of pages.

Yasir Abbas, Gilgit Baltistan

Salam Ed!

First of all, I'd like to thank you and your team for publishing my letter. Ed, I want to know the procedure for sending anything for 'Graffti' section. Do tell me. Above all, your mag is simply fabulous. Thanks for making our Fridays so special. Keep up the good work.

Fatemah Shahbaz, Rawalpindi

Simply mail it to Us at us.mag@thenews.com.pk

Eddy,

A very warm salam! I cannot resist reading your mag. I wrote a few letters to you, but they failed to find space in Us. Each and every page of your mag is fantastic. Indeed, I may say that it is a fascinating flower in the garden of the young people of Pakistan. Don't remove any page, but increase the number of pages. Do print my letter. I want to send a poem. What should I do?

M. Shoaib Khan, Mianwali Jhambra

Send your poem at uspoetscorner@gmail.com!

Hi Editor,

I am doing BS in Computer Science. I read the issue of December 18, 2009, which I really liked. The first thing that I liked was the starting with 'Reflection'. The 'Technology' section in the cover story was just fantastic; the descriptions were marvelous and very brief and yet contained everything.

Adil Akbar Islamian, Peshawar

Hey Ed,

I was trying to stay a silent reader, but it has become almost impossible now and I can't resist writing to you anymore! It's so good to see that Us is getting back its lost charm. It makes my Fridays awesome. I congratulate your team for their hard work. Please do not stop 'In Your Aangan' as it really helps those who are going through the trauma of child sexual abuse. When do you plan to start the section about the campus information?

Rida Mehtab Akram, Rawalpindi