2011/08/14

Pakistan Makes National Anthem World Record

KARACHI: Karachiites has made a world record for the most number of people singing a national anthem simultaneously as they gathered here on late Saturday.



According to witnesses and event management, 5,885 people (Boys, Girls and children) started gathered at a stadium in Khadda market area of Karachi and beat the previous record of 5,248, achieved by students, staff, faculty and alumni of MSU-IIT (Philippines) who sang ‘Lupang Hinirang’ Philippines’ National Anthem, at the MSU-IIT gymnasium, in Iligan, Philippines, on 1 September 2009.

The record breaking attempt was organised online using Facebook and Twitter and even included a last minute tweeting frenzy as the record-attempt faced failure of falling short of a few hundred people.

In the end, the required number of people gathered at the spot and as the clock struck 12, the jubilant crowd started singing the national anthem “Pak sar zameen” to mark Pakistan’s 64th independence day and set a new world record.

The record itself will be unofficial until formally recognized by Guinness World Records.

View a video of the complete anthem record here.



via Zurmat

2011/08/12

Google+ To Suspend Users Using Pseudonyms

Google+ has decided to ban the use of pseudonyms and nicknames in place of real names. In response to feedback though, users will not be immediately suspended for violating Google’s Common Names Policy.

The change comes weeks after Google came under fire for suspending countless accounts that violated its Common Names Policy. The policy, designed to fight spam and prevent the creation of fake profiles, suspended several high-profile users for using their commonly-known pseudonyms instead of their real names. It resulted in a firestorm of criticism and questions about potential safety issues.

That hasn’t stopped Google from deciding to eliminate the use of pseudonyms on its social network. Google+ Product Manager Saurabh Sharma explained that the decision was made “to make connecting with people on the web more like connecting with people in the real world” on Google+.

Sharma also announced a change though — instead of immediately suspending accounts in violation of the policy, the company will be giving users a four day grace period to fix their profile names before they’re suspended.

Check out the full article here

Maher Zain's Hip but Pious Soundtrack to the Arab Spring

The superstar uses pop music to praise Islam and advocate for political change in the Middle East



Ramadan 2011 coincides with two significant events for the people of the Middle East. The first—Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s appearance in a Cairo courtroom—has received plenty of coverage and was seen as emblematic of a new Egypt in which even the highest officials are accountable to the law. The second event will get less attention in the West, but also comes out of the political movements that have transformed the Arab World in the last seven months: Lebanese superstar singer Maher Zain is set to release his new music video, “Ya Nabi Salam Alayka” (“Oh Prophet Muhammad, Peace Be Upon You”).

Washington analysts have overlooked the political significance of the pop singer, who—like the Bob Dylan of the ’60s—represents a new generation of Arabs: Young people who want a new society and a new nizam (political system) in which Arabs no longer have to choose between modernity and Islam, and where neither Islam nor the West can be used to justify autocracy. The importance of a change of nizam can be seen in the chief demand of demonstrators from North Africa to the Persian Gulf: “al-sha'b yuridu isqat al-nizam,”which means, “The people want to overthrow the system.”

Few artists understand the yearning for change in the Arab World better than Maher Zain. Born in Lebanon but raised in Sweden, Zain studied aeronautical engineering and partnered with an Arab singer/songwriter who had also migrated to Sweden, Nadir Khayat (known as “RedOne”). The two men traveled to New York, where they worked in the city’s music industry with some of its brightest young stars. Khayat played a key role in the rapid emergence of Lady Gaga and went on to become one of America’s top music producers, working with Akon, Lionel Richie and Michael Jackson.

Check out the full article here

2011/08/10

Facebook Launched Mobile Messenger

Today, Facebook launched app for Every Phone, which offers a fast and comprehensive Facebook experience on over 2,500 different phones. This app not only includes Facebook’s most popular features, such as News Feed, Inbox, and Photos, but also enables you to upload photos and find friends from your phone’s contacts. People all over the world can download the app by visitingm.facebook.com and scrolling down to the download link, or by entering d.facebook.com/installdirectly into their mobile browser. You can also find it in leading app stores, including GetJar, Appia, and Mobile Weaver.




Facebook for Every Phone app is affordable to try and use, which is why we’ve collaborated with many carriers worldwide (see list below) to offer you free data access to this app for 90 days. This experience is optimized to use less data than other Java apps or mobile sites, making it much more affordable for people to use when the 90-day period ends.

The Facebook for Every Phone app will be available globally on Java-enabled phones starting today, and we are working on making the app compatible with even more handsets in the future.

With one easy download of this app, get all of what Facebook has to offer on your mobile device so you can stay connected with your family and friends wherever you are. For more information on how to download and use this application, you can check out the video below.



Carriers offering free data access for a limited time:

• Aircel (India)
• Airtel (India)
• Banglalink (Bangladesh)
• Beeline (Russia)
• Celcom (Malaysia)
• Etisalat (Egypt, Nigeria)
• Globe (Philippines)
• Idea (India)
• Indosat (Indonesia)
• O2 Telefonica (Germany)
• Reliance (India)
• Smart (Philippines)
• Smartfren (Indonesia)
• Telkomsel (Indonesia)
• Three (Indonesia, United Kingdom)
• TIM (Brazil)
• TMN (Portugal)
• Ufone (Pakistan)
• Vodafone (Turkey)
• XL (Indonesia)

How to get Messenger:

Messenger will be available for both iPhone and Android starting today. Just search for “Facebook Messenger” in your phone’s app store, or get a link to the app texted to your phone.

via Facebook Blog

2011/08/09

Dog Helps Young Rape Victim Testify

POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. — Rosie, the first judicially approved courtroom dog in New York, was in the witness box here nuzzling a 15-year-old girl who was testifying that her father had raped and impregnated her. Rosie sat by the teenager’s feet. At particularly bad moments, she leaned in.



When the trial ended in June with the father’s conviction, the teenager “was most grateful to Rosie above all,” said David A. Crenshaw, a psychologist who works with the teenager. “She just kept hugging Rosie.” Read More