Much ado about nothing?
Hi Ed!
The issue of January 15 was good as
expected. The most interesting part of your mag was the
cover story 'Sands of time’. The writer explained the
evolution and types of calendars very comprehensively.
Good job! These days there is a debate going on about
Sana Toor’s act of plagiarism. I call it much ado
about nothing as she has already mentioned that she is a
student of grade eight and was not aware of the specific
rules of your mag. This topic must end here and at the
same time I would urge Sana Toor to seek apology for her
act of plagiarism. And lastly please increase the number
of pages.
P.S. Where is Chachi?
Yasir Abbas, Gilgit
Dear Editor,
If Sana Toor is in eighth grade, she
must be at least 13 years old. She is no baby. Her
statement that "I was not aware of the terms
and conditions of your magazine" implies that there
are magazines out there that allow you to take
other people’s work and get them published in your own
name. Name just one magazine that lets you do this!
I totally agree with the editorial.
Speaking about the editorial, I
appreciate that you told us about the delay in the short
story competition results. It’s good to know
instead of just wondering what happened to it.
To end on a happy note, Sameen,
Luavut and Pinar rock! And so did 'Mughalmania’.
Iqra Asad, Lahore
The IPL fiasco
AoA Ed,
What happened at the IPL auction was
very embarrassing. I don’t understand why our players
are so desperate to play the IPL. They didn’t let the
Pakistan players play the second season, remember? And
now they first tortured our players about visa issues
and then when the players did send their names for the
auction, no one bid for them! All this was done just to
hurt the feelings of the Pakistani nation.
Maryam bint-e Humayun
Hi Ed,
We all know about the shameful
decision of IPL to not select the Pakistani cricket
stars. I simply can’t understand why didn’t they
select our stars like Shahid Afridi, Imran Nazir, Suhail
Tanveer, Abdul Razzaq, Umar Akmal, Kamran Akmal etc!!!!
Indian government is jealous of
Pakistani players. They know very well that if they
select these players then all the prize money will come
to Pakistan. I have decided to boycott all the
matches of IPL and request all of you to be with me; don’t
watch a single match of IPL...
Shahzad Arif, Sheikhupura
Comments
Hi Ed,
I want to thank you for publishing my
letter in your mag. I was so surprised and happy to see
it. The cover story 'Holmes, Sweet Holmes’ (January
22, 2010) was really interesting. You should give space
to more articles about literature in the mag.
Abdullah Nasir, Islamabad
Hello Ed!
This is the first time I’m writing
to any magazine! *wink wink* just to say that Faiza
Hameed writes well!
M.I.S.
Dear Editor.
The issue of January 22, 2010 was
great, especially the article 'The fear of the unknown’
by Saba Fatima. Hats off to you, Saba. Keep on doing the
great work guys.
Zara Wali
Assalam o Alaikum Ed,
Us is going aala! You guys have
surely got an excellent team there that compiles such
interesting issues every week. I really loved Mujeeb
Mufti’s write-up. It was very touching. I appreciate
Zahra for her article 'Averted eyes’. Finally, someone
is breaking the silence! I was soooo happy to see WHS
back in Us; I totally missed his stuff. Hey Ed, can you
people do an exclusive interview of 'Laal’, please!
P.S. I really miss the write-ups of
Haseeb Ahmed and Bilal Tanweer; please bring both of
them back. Keep up the good work, Us!
Madiha Ghous
Dear Editor,
I just love your magazine! This is my
first ever letter to you so please print it.
I have sent you guys one of my best
poems, so please publish it as well because I need a lot
of encouragement...
Maryam Ghaznavi, Lahore
Hi,
I have been reading this marvellous
mag for quite a long time and have found it both
informative and entertaining. Now, finally I have
decided to break my silence by becoming a part of this
awesome mag. This is my first letter to you, or to any
other mag. Please do not disappoint me and do print it.
The previous issue was great. 'Graffiti’ is going
good. Please print the poster of Hanna Montanna. The
rest of the mag is great. Keep doing the good work. Hats
off to you!!!!
Bushra Latif, Gilgit
Dear Editor,
I am writing to you for the first
time so please publish my letter. I simply admire your
magazine. You are doing a great job. I really liked the
story 'Can I help you?’ by Aksa Bilal (January 15,
2010). I wanted to write reviews of books by Christopher
Paolini. Contact me if you are interested! Keep up the
good work!
Momina Iftikhar, Lahore
Thank you so much, Momina, for
considering us worthy enough to send us your reviews :p
We’ll contact you as soon as we need them ;)
Salam Eddy,
Firstly, I would like to appreciate
the class of your mag! I enjoy it every time I read it.
It has a standard that you must maintain. The issues are
very innovative. It’s giving a great chance to the
youth to show their talent and skills. It’s also a
great source of knowledge. I have a small request as
well. Kindly bring the poster page back, and print the
poster of our national heroes and inspiring
personalities. And PLEASE increase the number of pages.
May Allah bless your mag, always, amen. Thumbs up!
Nishat Saleem, Mirpur A.K.
Hi,
I love your mag, and like the cover
stories and the poetry section. I really liked the poem
by Humna Hamid. 'Graffiti’ section as usual was
amazing. You should restart the poster page; I really
miss it. The 'Art Mart’ is going superbly. That’s
all from my side. And save my letter from your hungry
dust bins.
Mashud Nadeem Azam, Rawalpindi
Feeding the hungry is the surest way
to gain sawab :p
Dear Editor,
Please permit me to confess that it
was the first time ever I read Us. Faiza Hameed’s
'Introspection’ (Jan 22 issue) was a fine piece.
Please accept my compliments for printing it and convey
the same to the author.
Zeah ul Hook’s evil legacy, if
followed through, I am sure, will eradicate our dear
country from the map of the world – in not too distant
future!
I’d like to read more by Ms Faiza
Hameed.
Swaida Darvesh
Hi Ed,
I’m writing to you for the first
time. I love this magazine, and all the sections in it.
I always wait on Friday for this Us and I’m a huge
fan. I would like you to print a poster of New Moon
or Robert Pattinson. I would be glad if you do so. You
are doing a great job. Keep it up!
Natalia Khawar, Rawalpindi
Where is Saad?
Hey Ed,
Us is the best magazine ever but
nowadays it’s becoming boring. Really Ed, trust me.
That 'Gogi’ comic was not at all funny. Don’t think
I don’t have a sense of humour because I asked a lot
of people to read it and they also didn’t find it
funny. But the cover stories were amazing so far! By the
way, where is Saad Javed?
Hanya Malik, D.G.Khan
We, too, would like to know actually
:p He is probably recovering from Examination Fever, a
sinister bug that has a habit of attacking students,
even if they are brilliant to-be-docs of KE!
More about calendars
Dear Editor,
I read the article in
the January 15th issue of Us - Sands of Time
- which I found interesting and very educational.
However, the author neglected to mention when
writing about Gregorian calendar that in order to bring
the calendar in sync with the seasons, during the month
of October 1582, the Pope skipped dates from 4th
through 14th - eleven days. So, the date after 4th
was 15th. This was adopted in most of Europe
gradually over the following years, except England
- they did not accept the change till the year 1752.
The other thing is that those of us
from older generation are used to the terms A.D. which
most people would call it as abbreviation for
"after death (of Jesus)" instead of what it
really stood for: Anno Domini (Latin - In the year of
the Lord). The other most commonly used term for year is
Circa - the term used for events or birth years
etc. that are approximate and are not
exact.
I had heard about the new substitute
for A.D which was used in the article - C.E
which stands for "Common Era". This
needed to be explained but was not. I had to look up its
meaning as l had forgotten what it meant. Otherwise, the
article was well researched and enjoyable.
Dr. Abdur Rahman Sahibzada,
Peshawar
Thanks for your input and the
additional information. Us appreciates it!
