Leap Day Sunrise, February 29

Leap Day Sunrise

Astronauts and cosmonauts on the ISS see 15 to 16 sunrises and sunsets every 24 hours, and Kelly had an opportunity to witness roughly 5,000 spectacular sunrises during his stay in orbit. Even though Kelly saw plenty of sunrises from space, he didn't seem to grow tired of the view. Here's one of the last sunrises he enjoyed from the ISS on Feb. 29. He wrote the following message to go along with his tweet:
"Take a leap and explore new possibilities! #Good Morning & Happy #Leap Day from @space_station! #Year In Space"
This article is about the calendar day. For the South Korean film, see February 29 (film).

"Leap Day" redirects here. For the "30 Rock" episode, see Leap Day (30 Rock). For the "Modern Family" episode, see Leap Day (Modern Family).

February 29, also known as leap day or leap year  day, is a date added to most years that are divisible by 4, such as 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020, and 2024. A leap day is added in various solar calendars (calendars based on the Earth's rotation around the Sun), including the Gregorian calendar standard in most the world. lunisolar calendars (calendars based on the rotation of the Moon) instead add a leap or intercalary month.
In the Gregorian calendar, years that are divisible by 100, but not by 400, do not contain a leap day. Thus, 1700, 1800, and 1900 did not contain a leap day, 2100, 2200, and 2300 will not contain a leap day, while 1600 and 2000 did, and 2400 will. Years containing a leap day are called leap years. February 29 is the 60th day of the Gregorian calendar in such a year, with 306 days remaining until the end of the year. In the Chinese calendar, this day will only occur in years of the monkey, dragon, and rat.
A leap day is observed because a complete revolution around the Sun takes approximately 6 hours longer than 365 days (8,760 hours). It compensates for this lag, realigning the calendar with the Earth's position in the Solar System; otherwise, seasons would occur in a different time than intended in the calendar year. The Gregorian calendar has the century rules to the leap year to ensure that Easter occurs near the vernal equinox, or spring in the northern hemisphere.

Blooms in Space

Blooms in Space

In January, Scott Kelly showed off his green thumb and posted a picture of the first zinnia to bloom in space.
Zinnias were chosen as the next test of the ISS Veggie lab because their sensitivities to light and other environmental factors made them difficult to grow. They certainly posed a challenge for the crew. In December, the zinnias looked wilted and near death. But Kelly took over the horticultural duties on the ISS and helped lead a dramatic comeback. He cut away the dead foliage and sanitized the plants to control the mold.
In January, one of the zinnias bloomed and completed the comeback story.

RELATED TAGS: SPACE EXPLORATION\

A Year in Space

 

A Year in Space

On March 1, after 342 days in orbit aboard the International Space Station, astronaut Scott Kelly will return to Earth with fellow year-in-space partner, cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko.
Once they land, scientists will begin analyzing data from the men to study changes that occurred in their bodies over an extended stay in space. The things scientists learn about their health will help guide the planning process for a manned mission to Mars — it’ll take about a year to get there — in the not-so-distant future. In a first-of-its-kind study, Scott’s twin brother, former astronaut Mark Kelly, remained on Earth to serve as a human control for the experiment. 
Scientists monitored changes to Kelly's vision, gut bacteria, bone density, metabolic activity, behavioral health and more. Back on Earth, his brother also underwent a series of physical and mental tests. It’ll be another six months to six years before we see published results from this unique experiment.
Throughout his stay, Scott Kelly invited the world to join him (virtually) on the ISS, and he provided us with an intimate glimpse of life in orbit and our planet. He became a household name with regular updates — from selfies to viral videos — from 249 miles above Earth. The photo to the left is a selfie Scott Kelly took six months into his mission on the ISS. Here’s a look back at the finest images from Scott Kelly’s historic year in space.

RELATED TAGS: SPACE EXPLORATION

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A Way Beyond Failed S&T Policies – By I. Daudpota

[The article reviews how national institutions have failed to present a viable vision for the country’s S&T sector. Conscientious professionals need to propound their ideas and reach out to the public. An increased role of expat. Pakistanis is suggested.]
Among teachers and science and technology workers, the nonchalant attitude of successive governments to knowledge acquisition and science and technology (S&T) is an accepted fact. The apathy is evident in the quality of the ministerial and top bureaucratic appointments in these areas. It is easy to fault the government, but what have these grudging workers done themselves? Haven’t they generally failed to provide innovative, practical ideas suitable for implementation, and lacked a commitment to engender a local change, well within their own domains? Blaming the government, instead of taking a personal initiative is where things invariably end. Public institutions have crumbled partly due to lack of funds; an important reason for their decline has been their listless, insipid leadership and workers, and the overall lack of internal and external monitoring, evaluation and accountability. These includes premier institutions such as PAEC, Kahuta Labs, PCSIR and the military.
With external pressure to reduce public expenditure, non- productive jobs are being reduced through golden handshakes. The fear is that many of the relatively useful workers will take the lucrative offer and depart, leaving their incompetent colleagues behind in their old jobs. The hastily formulated down-sizing scheme, like the successive education and S&T policies will fail to give new life to these institutions. Only a thorough analysis of the causes of past failures, their rectification through a swift accountability process, the formulation of realistic policy for the future bolstered by a new political will and the consensus of the major political parties, can lead to success. Massive down-sizing, long overdue, will no doubt be essential, but it cannot be an end in itself. The four examples below from different periods illustrate the failure to plan judiciously. There is a myth going around, perhaps propagated by the friends of our planners, that they make wonderful strategies, and it is only the implementation that lets us down. Hopefully these facts will put paid to these delusions.

KFC PRODUCTS

KFC PRODUCTS
KFC in Pakistan offer a limited variety of food as compare to its international chains of restaurant. The major items included in the menu are:

• Zinger Burger
• Masala masti
• Colonel Sub
• Broasted Chicken (Original Recipe)
• Broasted chicken (Crisp and Spicy)]
• Chicken Wings
• French Fries

Varous deals are offered to customers comprising of above items. These deals ranges from Rs. 50 to Rs. 700 to attract different customers.

ORGANIZATIONAL CHART
Use of Information Technology at Artal Restaurants Limited


INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND ITS USE IN ORGANIZATION
The organizational chart of KFC shows that there is a decentralize management in the company. The head of the company is the CEO who has to report directly to the owner in Belgium. The company uses information technology in all its outlets and head office to record sales and to communicate with each other. There are around 52 computers which are used by different persons simultaneously in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi. The use of these computers can be viewed as follows:

Head Office

Each person in the office located at Korangi has a computer at his desk which is used for different purposes. The Finance manager and his team use it to maintain accounting information. A special software known as “GL” (General ledger) is used to keep the record of daily sales which are received from each outlet via email. The computers also helps them in making Pay rolls and keeping record of the fix assets. The purchasing manager uses a software to control Inventory. His job is to make sure that he gets the demand from all the outlets on time. He then maintains all information in an inventory system.
The IT manager’s job is to ensure that all computers are working in an order. He has the host computer which organize the activities of all computers, ensure proper communication and allow users to access to relevant information. It also retrieves and send emails of all the users and direct them to their  respective clients.
The Receptionist has a computer with a PABX system installed which helps her in transferring  calls and noting appointment schedules.

Information Technology System of Artal Restaurants Ltd. [KFC Pakistan] – A Report

KFC^®, the world’s largest fried and rotisserie chicken restaurants chain, offer great tasting complete meals and snacks in nearly 10,000 restaurants around the world. KFC operates in more than 76 countries — from Shanghai to Sao Paolo, from the sands of Saudi Arabia to the sidewalks of New York. Every day, nearly seven million meals are served around the world.

Since 1950, KFC has grown at a remarkable pace from one small roadside restaurant, into an internationally renowned restaurant chain – the largest chain of chicken restaurants in the world. But none of this would have happened, had there not been some persistence from one man – Colonel Harland D. Sanders, who was the founder of KFC. Fried chicken itself was not a new concept, but the unusual combination of herbs and spices which made up the Colonel’s chicken coating became the star attraction. The Colonel’s spirit and heritage are now reflected in KFC’s new brand identity, which can be seen on KFC restaurants, packaging and uniforms. The new graphic features one of the best-recognized icons in the world — Colonel Harland Sanders.
COMPANY PROFILE – ARTAL GRANASIA
Kentucky Fried Chicken was introduced in Pakistan in 1997 by Artal Restaurants Limited which is a subsidiary of Artal Granasia. The group is owned by a Belgium investor, which has taken franchise of different international brands in Pakistan. Other products offered by its subsidiaries are:

AVA

Artal Bottlers Ltd. was formed in Dec 1997 to produce mineral water bottles“AVA” which now holds a very prominent position in the mineral water industry. The company serve the needs of various household and corporate users who prefer drinking pure and hygienic water.

HARRYS

Artal Foods Limited has the franchise of producing and marketing the French “Harrys” bread. It was formed in 1998 to cater the needs of rich bread lovers. The brand enjoys a good reputation among people of relatively high-class societies.

VALUE CHICKEN

The concept of frozen food was introduced in Pakistan by Artal Poultry Ltd. in early 1999. “Value Chicken” outlets were opened at various places to provide people with a clean environment to purchase chicken.

All these companies along with Artal Restaurants Limited work independently and are directly liable to the owner of Artal Granasia.

KFC OUTLETS MANAGED BY ARTAL
After opening its first outlet at Nipa, Gulshan Iqbal Karachi, the company has up till now opened 13 restaurants all over the country. There are 9 outlets in Karachi, 3 in Lahore and 1 in Rawalpindi. The Karachi outlets are at:

1. Nipa
2. Aladin Water Park
3. Boat Basin
4. 26^th Street Defence
5. Sindhi Muslim
6. Sadar
7. North Nazimabad
8. Federal B Area
9. Korangi

Jassa Singh, The Forgotten King of Punjab – By Sameer

Recognizing and honoring heroes is an essential component of the national identity. The list of our modern heroes includes Jinnah, Iqbal, Dr. Salam, Abdus Sattar Edhi, Asma Jahangir and Noor Jahan. As we go back in time, more heroes like Sir Syed Ahmad Khan are recognized. Going further back in history, for example in the case of Punjab, one finds great Sufis, Sikh Gurus and heroes like Dulla Bhatti who fought for peasant rights against Akbar, the mighty Mughal ruler. The heroes are remembered in epics, in folklore, by making monuments in their memory and naming places after them. In the case of Pakistan, not only do we not recognize them by naming streets, parks or cities after them; some are altogether forgotten. They are only known to few and their names are buried only in the history books. There are no monuments, no towns, no cites named after King Ashoka, Raja Porous, Raja Jaipaul or Maharaja Ranjit Singh yet there are a number of Sikanderabad and Sikanderpur in Pakistan, honoring Alexander the Great.
A large number of followers have expressed their views about the level of admiration bestowed upon so-called Islamic rulers (Turkish and Afghan) in India, relationship between native converts and invading Muslims and overly ambitious attempts to accept some of them as heroes. This is the story of a forgotten hero who fought all his life against the Turkish/ Afghan rulers and in all likelihood was a Muslim of sub-continent origin. Most people might have never heard of his name because of no folklore, no epic, no mention in the textbooks and no street/ town/ city is named after him. He is considered one of the leading gorilla leader of the fifteenth century who fought for and along with his people, perfected the art of war in that terrain and gave Turkish ruling elite a taste of their own medicine. His name was Jasrat alias Jassa.
The invasion of Timur exposed the hollowness of Delhi Sultanate in north India. A large number of leaders of native rose up and some even supported Timur out of disgust for Sultanate. The chief of Khokhar (Gakkhars according to some historians) tribe named Shaikha was one of them. After the fall of Delhi at the hands of Timur, Shaikha defected and captured Lahore. Timur recaptured Lahore on his way back from Delhi, got Shaikha beheaded on March 5, 1399 and took his son Jasrat to Samarkand as a captive. After the death of Timur, Jasrat escaped from his prison, returned home, assumed the leadership of his tribe and set himself up at Sialkot. This was the beginning of a remarkable career, lasting almost 40 years, which began during Mahmud Tughlaq reign but most of it occurred during the reign of Syeds (Sadat) Sultanate.
His first act was to side with Shahi Khan against Ali Shah in the civil war in Kashmir. The backing of victorious Shahi Khan made Jasrat powerful and well equipped to conceive of conquering Delhi. He was joined by another great rebel, Tughan Rai, who had just lost a rebellion against Syed Khizar Khan (Founder of Syeds Sultanate). Together they swooped across the rivers Ravi, Sutlej and Beas and defeated the governor of Ludhiana, Rai Kamal-ud-din Firoz at Talwandi. Encouraged by the victory, he captured areas as far as Ropar and laid siege to Jullundhar. The new Sultan, Syed Mubarak Shah moved against him in October 1421, retaking most of the area from Jasrat but failed to capture him.
In the next act of his career, he assaulted Lahore in May 1422 with a large force which apparently he had no difficulty in collecting from his hideout in the hills surrounding Jammu (an indication of widespread discontent and frustration with the rulers). He tried twice but each time was defeated by Lahore governor, Mahmud Hassan, with help from Raja Bhim of Jammu.
In April 1423, Jasrat emerged from his abode, attacked Raja Bhim of Jammu (a supporter of Sultanate) and killed him. Not only did he remove a thorn from his side, but also took possession of large reserves of arms and treasure, increasing his strength. With a force of 10,000-12,000 strong, he sacked Lahore and Dipalpur. When governor of Punjab, Malik Sikander Tuhfa encountered him with a much larger force, Jasrat promptly withdrew from the contest. In 1427, he saw a window of opportunity when royal armies were busy in quelling the uprising in Mewat and Bayana. He appeared from his hideout and laid siege to Kalanaur. The Sultan deputed a large army against him but just before its arrival, Jasrat retreated to his abode.
In 1430, a slave of Syeds, Faulad Turkbaccha, revolted against Syeds, allured ruler of Kabul, Shaikh Ali, for help. The Khokhars, under the leadership of a minor leader Ain-ud-Din joined Shaikh Ali during his attacks on Punjab, Malik Sikander Tuhfa and Syeds Sultanate. Taking advanatage of the weakened Sultanate position, Jasrat reemerged from the hills, crossed rivers Chenab, Ravi and Beas, defeating Malik Sikander Tuhfa at Jullundhar in 1431. He arrested Malik Tuhfa and recaptured Lahore. As usual, when Sultan marched from Delhi with a large force, Jasrat had no option but to withdraw.
As soon as, Sultan withdrew and moved his armies to Gwalior and Bayana to quell another rebellion, Jasrat captured Lahore for the third time in 1432, from remaining Sultanate armies. And once again he had to retreat with the arrival of fresh Sultnate armies. In 1433, Sultan Syed Mubarak Shah replaced Nusrat Khan with Allahabad Kaka Lodhi as the governor of this region. Jasrat, immediately took the advantage of changeover, marched to Bajwara and defeated the new governor. Sultan Syed Mubarak Shah was assassinated in 1434.
The rise of Bahlol Lodhi that ultimately led to the changeover of Sultanate from Syeds to Lodhis also marks an end of a remarkable career of Jasrat. He was getting old and saw no chance of fulfilling his dream of eliminating the yoke of Turkish/ Afghan rule over sub-continent. As a last resort, he made a pact with Bahlol Lodhi promising not to interfere with Bahlol’s design to capture the throne in return for Bahlol not attacking Jasrat’s people and hometown on both sides of lower river Jhelum. Jasrat died in 1442.
“In spite of well over three centuries of almost unbroken rule, the famished Indian peasant wrote lungi and ate khichri and frequently shifted his hamlet and village to avoid the wrath of nature and the tyranny of the state. He (the people) lost all sense of pleasure, his genius was stunted, his mind was subdued and his heart became rude” noted Babur, on Indian affairs from the epitaph of the Delhi Sultanates, in Babur Namah. What he and his descendants did to Indian peasants is another story, a story of almost equal disappointments.