FOREX BANK PROFITS

The Bank Profits EA is a unique Forex robot that uses the same strategies of slow, consistent growth that the large banks utilize. Many systems out there make outrageous claims of 95-100% winning trades, which everyone knows is impossible. They lure you in with a small price and then as soon as you purchase, they proceed to upsell you "advanced upgrades" which can range from $400-$1,500 or more. If their EA's really worked, they wouldn't charge you so many times just to make their product "work better." On top of that, a lot of the EA's that you've seen charge a monthly or weekly fee for "updates"... again any real system shouldn't do that. here's what makes the Bank Profits EA different: We use minimal risk because our EA is self hedging We programmed this for slow steady growth to ensure preservation of capital The Bank Profits EA gets in, collects 15-20 pips consistently and gets out The Bank Profits EA will be consistent no matter the market conditions Remember, the Forex Bank Profits EA is not being mass marketed to the general public, so in order for you to gain access you need either be previously invited or you need to send an email to:

Foreign exchange reserves rise to $17.5b

KARACHI: Foreign exchange reserves of the country have increased by $353 million to $17.52 billion in the week ended on June 11 compared with the previous week, when reserves stood at $17.16 billion, data released by the State Bank of Pakistan shows. Reserves held by the State Bank rose to $14.09 billion compared to $13.73 billion in the previous week while reserves held by banks dropped to $3.43 billion against $3.44 billion in the previous week. Foreign exchange reserves have been growing steadily due to a current account surplus, record remittances from overseas Pakistanis and record earnings from exports. The current account recorded a surplus of $748 million in 10 months (July-April) of the current financial year 2010-11 compared to a deficit of $3.46 billion last year, supported by a sharp rise in exports. In 11 months (July-May), exports surged 28 per cent to $22.5 billion due mainly to a hefty increase in prices of textile products in the international market. Remittances sent home by overseas Pakistanis also provided a boost to the foreign exchange reserves. In July-May, remittances rose 25 per cent to above $10 billion for the first time in the country’s history. Last year, release of loan installments by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) increased reserves of the country. Since November 2008, IMF has released around $7.8 billion of the approved amount of $11.3 billion.

Make Money On Forex Trading

In the past two years or so, I have seen a growing clamor about the Forex Factory, as if the trade at the market exchange rates was a newly discovered source of easy profits (which, incidentally, is not). You can think for themselves “how difficult it may be, it is all about buying and selling currencies with the computer” and I am sure that is the easy part, but how do you really arrived? This is a question very few people can really answer for you, and the reason for this is that the Forex trading market, or the Forex Factory as it is sometiomes called, requires that you have a well thought out and thoroughly planned strategy, and believe me, even the so-called “FX gurus” do not have and can not provide you with this key element. The fact is that coming from a profitable trading strategy, it is not as easy as some people would lead you to think, because one thing you should keep in mind from the outset is that the Forex trading business. Indeed, Forex has all the attributes of any business, you need capital, there is a risk, you need to manage these risks, plan ahead and carry out their tasks in accordance with the plan and so on. If you consider all the different FX you will lose it, as in any other business venture, where you skip all these important factors. Then, with the idea of “Forex system is to provide a business plan, there is really nothing more to it. Do not think about the Forex system (whether it is, of course, software or services signals), and by some wonder formula that will abruptly make you rich, think about it as part of your business plan. If you submit a business in the restaurant industry, you will probably do some research and buy a manual or a set of guidelines that will teach you how to go about running a business, like all the tools and resources necessary to get it up and running. Here is how you should look Forex trading, and this will be your approach to this matter, which, in turn, means that you must dedicate time and resources to build your plan, so when you decide to put money to work, you will know exactly how, when and why did you trade in a way that each position opening will be closed for a profit or at least most of them (as there is no such thing as an ideal strategy). Which is the best system for Forex consistent profits? Simple, which has been used and work well, many, and not one that is simply recognition of its creator, and some fake reviews on the sales letter. You may ask: “How will I know that the first Forex system this profile? The answer to this question careful study and some due industriousness before you solve to begin using any Forex system as part of your trading plan. It is a must to gather as much information about Forex as possible. Because this knowledge will help you not to lose much money on Forex trading or Forex investment. Surely not a single piece of knowledge can be a 100% guarantee against losses, especially on Forex market, but sometimes even one Forex book can save you much money.

The Basics Of Automated Forex Trading

Automated Forex trading, as the name indicates, is currency trading, which is carried out by automated Forex system or robot. Over a period of time these automated Forex trading systems have created a niche in Forex market and that is why there are so many facts and myths about the usage of these systems. One of the most common myths associated with Forex robots is that when they are used for currency trading, it can effectively replace human trading. This is not true, because none of the automated trading systems can be completely independent from real traders and need some level of human supervision for successful trading. Even though these trading systems are built with the concept of artificial intelligence, they still need to be set up and monitored regularly by Forex trader, who owns the trading system. Forex trading has become very popular among a lot of people, who want to make extra money online. That is why this field generated a lot of different frauds and scams. A lot of people are trying to sell different automated trading systems, promising great profits. This is actually the beginning of second myth, which says that all Forex robots are nothing but frauds. Many new traders, who had bad experience with automated trading systems, claim that all systems are scams. That is why you should always buy these systems only from a reputable provider, ensuring that the system is authentic and all features work as promised. Another myth, which many new traders trust, is that all automated Forex trading systems are totally immune to losses. This is not true as well, because there is no trading system, which is 100% foolproof. And even though these systems can greatly reduce your Forex losses, they still cannot totally eliminate them.Now that you are aware of all the myths associated with automated trading systems, you should also know the facts about these robots. One of the most important facts to know is that every Forex trader must know how the trading system works before buying it for personal trading. The market is full with different Forex trading systems, which have different features and functions, so you should precede any system purchase with a proper research. You should first identify if the trading system will match your requirements. You can test and research the trading system physically or through the internet. Eventually, if the product matches your preferences, you can purchase it. Forex robots are certainly beneficial for traders and can help reduce trading losses greatly, but just as any other software it also should be handled with the right attitude. Only then these automated Forex trading systems can prove to be effective in bringing profit and saving your time while trading on Forex. If you want to participate in forex trading should start from learning the basics of currency exchange market to make sure you do not have problems with this industry. There is another option – you can hire experienced traders to managed your trading account – read more about forex investment here. Also make sure to search for the info in a good forex book.

Known forex factory scams and scammers

Here were gonna expose scams and scammers working on forex factory.. Here is a link with ongoing scammers…beware of this crew…….. more to come when i got time…. http://www.forexfactory.com/showthread.php?t=242404 Brijon and slat$ are 2 guys you gonna be aware of..they have an ongoing scam attempt on forex factory at the moment..

Forex factory

I decided to call this post Forex factory. I got the idea from the famous Forex forum under the same name. It sounds cool and shows exactly what it takes to become a successful Forex trader. You have to undergo a series of processes in the same manner as some product undergoes various stages in a factory until it goes for sale. Those who have attempted to trade stocks, commodities or Forex know that it is not easy to be a profitable trader. Most traders get burnt within two months of their trading. Most of them decide to leave trading and make money or realize themselves in some other way. I remember myself and my first steps in Foreign Exchange market. I repeated the statistics and lost my initial deposit it 2 months. I almost left the thing, but after a few months having seen some repetitive technical structures in the market I decided to study the thing more carefully. After some time I was able to come back to the market by trading trends and swings with a friend of mine and this time we managed to make money, not to lose it. In the post I want to share some of the things that I believe are necessary to become a successful forex trader. I guess that for those who are not new these processes in ‘Forex factory’ will not be new, but for some it will be, so let me start. Forex factory rule number 1 – understand the basics of the market Anybody who wants to be a successful Forex trader should understand the fundamental part of Forex. One should know how this market operates, what causes prices to change, have understanding on what kind of orders exist and which type of orders are best at various conditions market can be in, the biggest size of position that one can take without risking to lose too much, best times for trading, closing and leaving open positions and a few more things. I remember my friend opening a real Forex account with one of European Forex brokers. At one time he had usd/jpy pair open and wanted to close it. However, the platform he was using was rather complicated. So, instead of closing the order, he opened another one. My friend did not know how to close his position. Finally he had to phone company’s help desk and after some twenty minutes of talk his order was finally closed. I believe he was lucky that the thing did not happen during some news release. Having one standard lot open with 2 thousand bucks in the deposit and not knowing how to close it could be a fatal mistake at the time when news comes out. So, you can blow off your account just because you do not understand a few basic things about Forex trading. Forex factory rule number 2 – have a thoroughly tested and profitable trading system If you want to be a successful Forex trader you must develop or simply get a tested and reliable trading system that could be used long term. I am sure that with time you will be able to develop and use as many trading strategies as you want, but when you start you should master one. I would really advise you to try the system for at least two months and if that is possible try to backtest its’ performance for twelve or twenty four months. If the system is not profitable within that period of time, do not deceive yourself that it will be successful. Just drop it and search for another one. If it is profitable just go ahead and use it trading in small lots until you feel comfortable. Forex fatory rule number 3 – develop a trading plan Ask any trader who has been in the market for five or more years and is able to trade profitably and he/she will tell you a well developed trading plan is a must. A plan can remind you about the direction that you take, goals you want to achieve and the way you are going to trade. It must include: frequency of your trades, rules about entering and exiting the market, what market conditions should be present in order for you to execute a trade. It should also remind you how you are going to solve complicated situations in trading; let’s say when the market starts going against you. It must also remind you how you should behave when you have a few bad trades one after another and maybe even a few good trades one after another.

My Forex Strategy

As you know FXDD is in the process of registering with the CFTC and joining the NFA. In order to complete our registration process FXDD must be in full compliance with all applicable NFA and CFTC regulations. We are taking this opportunity to advise you that beginning Sunday November 29th, 2009 FXDD will implement strict compliance with all applicable CFTC and NFA Regulations. Going forward, FXDD’s back office system will be the official statement of record for all accounts. Meta Trader statements will not be recognized as official records. FXDD’s back office is compliant with all CFTC and NFA regulations regarding hedging and FIFO. Also, leverage will be adjusted to comply with NFA regulations. The following is a list of changes that will be executed: Leverage will be set at 100:1 for major currencies; all others will have a leverage of 25:1. The only currencies affected by the 25:1 will be the USD/TRY and the USD/MXN. Gold and silver leverage will be set at 100:1 We urge you to examine your positions now and determine if and how the change in leverage will affect you. FXDD’s pip calculator is a useful tool: http://www.fxdd.com/en/forex-trading-tools/calculators.html. Going forward, the official FXDD account statements will show positions offset on a FIFO (first in, first out) basis. FXDD’s back office does not recognize hedging. FXDD’s back office is a position based system and all opposing orders are offset immediately. Going forward the official FXDD account statements will show opposite positions being offset immediately. Please note: this change will not affect your trading style and will not affect your EA if you use one. You will no longer receive a daily MetaTrader statement via email. Official daily and monthly account statements will be emailed to you directly from the FXDD back office. You may, however, retrieve a complete trading history for your account from the “Account History” tab in the terminal on the MetaTrader platform. Please note that the trading history provided on the MetaTrader platform is for trade ticket reference only, and is not an official account statement. Shortly you will be given access to FXDD’s back office report viewer that will give you real time access to the back office and allow you to create and print detailed account statements.

Forex trading systems collection revealed!

Active Forex trading and constant research enabled us to collect different strategies and techniques in our trading arsenal. Today our Team is glad to present a new fair Forex trading strategies website where traders can quickly and free explore different Forex strategies and learn trading techniques!Why do we share our knowledge?We are traders like others and we like what we do.There are no secrets about Forex trading, only experience and dedication.Besides, on the Internet there are countless sellers who offer their strategies and systems for traders ready to pay... we would be surprised if you haven't met one yet! Free or paid — the choice is for traders to make. Our choice is a free collection. We are also going to update our collection each time we discover a new good Forex strategy!We welcome You today to explore Forex trading strategies and systems with us and hope You find some useful information for yourself that will eventually improve your tradReady to share your ideas with other traders? Post your trading strategy at our forum — join us in our mission to help Forex traders become better traders!

UK Forex Reserve Plan could Harm Pound

Yesterday, UK Chancellor George Osborne announced that his government was ready to begin rebuilding its foreign exchange reserves. Depending on when, how, (or even if) this program is implemented, it could have serious implications for the Pound. Forex reserve watchers (myself included) were excited by the updated US Treasury report on foreign holdings of US Treasury securities. As the Dollar is the world’s de-facto reserve currency and the US Treasury securities are the asset of choice, the report is basically a rough sketch of both the Dollar’s global popularity and the interventions of foreign Central Banks. Personally, I thought the biggest shocker was not that China’s Treasury holdings are $300 Billion greater than previously believed (with $3 Trillion in reserves, that’s really just a rounding error), but rather that the UK’s holdings declined by 50% in 2010, to a mere $260 Billion.Given that the Bank of England (BoE) injected more than $500 Billion into the UK money supply in 2010, I suppose that shouldn’t have been much of a revelation. After all, selling US Treasury Securities and using the proceeds to buy British Gilts (sovereign debt) and other financial instruments would enable the BoE to achieve its objective without having to resort to wholesale money printing. In addition, if not for this sleight of hand, UK inflation would probably be even higher. Still, this is little more than a mere accounting trick, and those funds will probably still need to be withdrawn from the money supply at some point anyway. Whether the BoE burns the proceeds or reinvests them back into foreign instruments is certainly worth pondering, but insofar as it won’t impact inflation, it is a matter of economic policy, and not monetary policy. As Chancellor Osborn indicated, the UK will probably send these funds back abroad. In addition to providing support for the Dollar (as well as another reason not to be nervous about the upcoming end of the Fed’s QE2), this would seriously weaken the Pound, at a time that it is already near a 30-year low on a trade-weighted basis. After falling off a cliff in 2009, the Pound recovered against the Dollar in 2010, largely due to the BoE’s shuffling of its foreign exchange reserves. To undo this would certainly risk sending the Pound back towards these depths.

Archive for the 'British Pound' Category

The British Pound has struggled to find direction in 2011. After getting off to a solid start – rising 4% against the US dollar in less than a month - the Pound has since stagnated. At 1.625 GBP/USD, it is now at the same level that it was at five months ago. Given the paltry state of UK fundamentals, the fact that it still has any gains to hold on to is itself something of a miracle.The Pound’s failure to make any additional headway shouldn’t come as a surprise. First of all, the Pound is not a safe haven currency. That means that the only chance it has to rise is when risk is “on.” Unfortunately, the Pound also scores pretty low in this regard. Annual GDP growth is currently a pathetic .5%, and is projected at only 1.8% for the entire year. Inflation is high, and both the trade balance and the current account balance are in deficit. Deficit spending has caused a surge in government debt, and there is a possibility that the UK could lose its AAA credit rating.Investors might be willing to overlook all of this if interest rates were at an attractive level. Alas, at .5%, the Bank of England’s (BOE) benchmark rate is among the lowest in the world. Moreover, it isn’t expected to begin hiking rates for many months, and even then, the pace will be slow. Simply, the economy is too fragile to support a serious tightening of monetary policy. Interest rate futures reflect a consensus expectation that rates will be only 75 basis points higher one year from now. If that’s the case, why hasn’t the Pound crashed entirely? To be fair, the Pound is losing groroundround against both the euro and the franc, the former of which has it bested in economic grounds while the latter is cashing in on its status as a safe haven currency. On the other hand, the Pound is still up for the year against the US dollar and Japanese Yen, both of which are also safe haven currencies.It could be the case that the Pound is simply not the ugliest currency, since all of the charges that can be leveled against it can similarly be leveled against the dollar. Head-to-head, it’s actually quite possible that the Pound still wins, if only because its interest rates are slightly higher than the US. Or, it could be the case that investors still believe the BOE will come around and begin hiking rates. After all, at the beginning of the year (when by no coincidence, the Pound was still rising), expectations were that the BOE would have already hiked twice by this time, bringing the benchmark to a level that would make the Pound attractive to carry traders. While the BOE hasn’t followed through, carry traders may be sticking around, since the opportunity cost of holding the Pound is basically nil. As for whether the Pound correction (that I first observed last month) will continue, that depends entirely on the BOE. Unfortunately, there is very little reason to believe that the UK economy will suddenly pick up, and hence very little reason to expect the BOE to suddenly tighten. At some point, earning .5% interest on Pounds will become unattractive to investors. Until that day comes, that might stick with the Pound out of sheer inertia. While the Pound may hold its value for this reason, I don’t think it has any hope of appreciating further this year.

4XP Awarded Best Broker of the Year 2012 by World Finance Magazine

By scorpion Published: February 11, 2012 London, United Kingdom, 2 February, 2012 – 4XP is proud to announce that it’s been awarded Best Broker of the Year 2012 by World Finance Magazine. Read More...

TRADING METHODS

The Difference between Day and Swing Traders Summary: Day trading is defined as the opening and closing of Forex trades within a single trading day. In contrast, Swing Trading is used to capture profits by trading Forex currency pairs usually for periods of days or even weeks. This article discusses and compares the advantages and disadvantages of both types of trading...Read more Pros and Cons of Forex Scalping Summary: Forex Scalping is a trading strategy that utilizes the shortest time frames i.e. 1 minute, 5 minute or 15 minute charts. Forex scalpers are interested in only very small price fluctuations and avoid volatility as a premium. They seek trading conditions which allow them to activate as many trades as possible targeting small profits of 1 to 10 pips each time...Read more Understanding Martingale and Basket Strategies Summary: The Martingale strategy recommends that the value of every new trade should be continually increased after a loss. This trading technique was first conceived in the 18th century France and was based on the theorem that you cannot lose all the time....Read more Should you use automated or manual Forex strategies? Summary: One of the main differences between Forex experts and beginners is that the former trade using a consistent approach whilst beginners lose consistently by trading in an amateurish manner...Read more The secrets of profitable Forex money management Summary: One of the main reasons why over 90% of new Forex Traders lose their entire accounts within a few months is that they fail to understand that their new profession entails high levels of risk...Read more Mastering Forex risk control and stop loss Summary: Choosing your position size and stop loss correctly, for each trade you enter, are very important factors in trading the Forex Market successfully. Failure to do so is probably the core reason why so many traders lose, as it often leads to overtrading i.e. using position sizes that are too large a proportion of the trader’s account...Read more Is Forex a Zero-Sum Game? Summary: This is a question often passionately debated in the Forex community, so it's time to put things in their perspective. The definition of a zero-sum game is an event or situation in which a participant’s gains must be matched exactly by the same loss amount incurred by a competing rival...Read more Should you use automated or manual Forex strategies? Summary: One of the main differences between Forex experts and beginners is that the former trade using a consistent approach whilst beginners lose consistently by trading in an amateurish manner...Read more

FOREX ARTICLES

Our team members have been working for years with many professional traders around the world. Many agreed to share their wisdom and experience in the form of Forex articles and lessons. The articles here cover all areas of the Forex market and trading. We will add new content often so be sure to bookmark this page. If you've written an article and would like the entire Forex community to benefit from it, you're welcome to submit it for approval and publication here. Please email us the article to the following address: contact@4xRobots.com and we will be happy to publish it after our examination.

How The Forex Profit Multiplier Strategies Have Performed Recently

In my last blog post I told you about 3 strategies that are included in the upcoming Forex Profit Multiplier course that generated more than 2000 pips profit in the first few months of 2012. Well Bill Poulos has just put a new video online which shows you how these same strategies have performed in recent weeks. You can watch this video (plus all of the previous videos) by clicking

About Forex Rate

At Forex Rate our aim is to provide as much free forex trading information as possible. Our pages are geared towards active currency daytraders and include our online Forex Trading recommendations and information, live Forex charts, live Forex quotes for most currency cross pairs,daily currency trading news and forex forecasts with our free RSS news feed. We also provide intraday and end of day forex historical data - free for downloading, currency trend charts and a currency converter. Forex Rate provides live information for currency trading. The one stop currency site , e mail us from our contact page.

Course on Forex and Treasury Management?? in icfai if good or bad

do the forex and treasury management course is good to do from icfai?? or not?? if not than from where to do forex and treasury management course?? which institute is the best for the forex management course?? 1 year ago Report Abuse Aaron Brown Aaron Brown Best Answer - Chosen by Voters Are you asking about where to find information on how to trade the Forex? It sounds like you are looking to actually go to school on the subject. A lot of information can be found online. I would try some of the courses at babypips.com. And then, I'd check out some of the signal providers that you can follow. There are over 8000 Forex strategies that you can browse and sort through, and follow any number of them simultaneously, with lots of settings and historical information available on each of them. I've included the link below in my sources. Source(s): http://comefollowme.zulutrade.com/ 1 year ago

Financial, Treasury and Forex management

Level of Knowledge : Expert knowledge. Objectives . . . To provide conceptual clarity about the management tools and techniques used in financial planning, analysis, control and decision making. To provide knowledge of derivatives, forex and treasury management to enable the candidates to tackle practical situation with ease. Detailed Contents . . . Nature and Scope of Financial Management Nature, significance, objectives and scope of financial management; risk-return and value of the firm; financial distress and insolvency; financial sector reforms and their impact on financial management; functions of finance executive in an organisation; financial management – recent developments. Capital Budgeting Decisions Planning and control of capital expenditure; capital budgeting process; techniques of capital budgeting- discounted and non-discounted cash flow methods, choice of methods; capital rationing; risk evaluation and sensitivity analysis, simulation for risk evaluation; linear programming and capital budgeting decisions. Capital Structure Decisions Meaning and significance of capital structure; capital structure vis-a-vis financial structure; capital structure planning and designing; optimal capital structure; determinants of capital structure; capital structure and valuation - theoretical analysis; EBIT – EPS analysis; cost of capital; factors affecting cost of capital, measurement of cost of capital, weighted average cost of capital, marginal cost of capital; risk and leverage; measures of leverage, leverage effects on shareholders returns. Sources of Company Finance Equity, non-voting preference shares; debentures and bonds; company deposits; term loans from financial institutions and banks; international finance and syndication of loans; euro-issues and external commercial borrowings; internal funds as a source of finance; dividend policy and retention of profits; bonus shares; deferred payment arrangements; corporate taxation and its impact on corporate financing; financing cost escalation. Dividend Policy Introduction; types, determinants and constraints of dividend policy; different dividend theories — Walter’s Model, Gordon’s Model and Modigliani-Miller Hypothesis of dividend irrelevance; forms of dividend; dividend policy - practical considerations and legal constraints; corporate dividend practices in India; statutory framework. Working Capital Management and Control Working capital - meaning, types, determinants; assessment of working capital requirements - operating cycle concept and applications of quantitative techniques; management of working capital - cash, receivables, inventories; financing of working capital; banking norms and macro aspects of working capital management. Security Analysis and Portfolio Management Security analysis - fundamental approach, technical approach and efficient capital market theory; portfolio management - meaning, objectives; portfolio theory – traditional approach; modern approach - CAPM model. Financial Services Meaning, significance and scope of financial services; types of financial services – merchant banking, leasing and hire purchase, venture capital, mutual funds, factoring and forfaiting, securitisation of debt, loan syndication, custodial and corporate advisory services, credit rating; present status of financial services industry in India. Project Planning and Control Project Planning and preparation of project report; project appraisal under normal, inflationary and deflationary conditions; project appraisal by financial institutions – lending policies and appraisal norms by financial institutions; IDBI, IFCI, ICICI, etc; loan documentation and loan syndication, project review and control; social cost and benefit analysis of project. Derivatives Concept of derivatives; financial derivatives and commodity derivatives; types of derivatives – forward contracts, futures contracts, options; participants in futures and options market, stock index futures; derivative markets in India. Treasury Management Meaning, objectives, significance, functions and scope of treasury management; relationship between treasury management and financial management; role and responsibilities of chief finance executive; tools of treasury management; internal treasury controls; environment for treasury management, present status of treasury management in India. Forex Management Nature, significance and scope of forex management; forex manager; foreign exchange market; foreign exchange rates; determinants of foreign exchange rates; exchange rate quotes; types of exchange rates; forex trading; foreign exchange risk exposures and their management; exchange rate forecasting; present status of foreign exchange market in India. Recent Developments in Financial, Treasury and Forex Management. Case Studies.

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DISCLAIMER Nothing contained on this website constitutes a solicitation or offer, or recommendation, to acquire or dispose of any investment or to engage in any other transaction. Not all products will be available to all investors. The products or services of MIG BANK Ltd are only offered to clients in those countries and regions with applicable laws and regulations. The products and services referred to on this website may not be available or eligible for sale to residents of certain countries or certain categories of investors. FX and CFD trading may be subject to restrictions in different countries. The information contained herein is not intended for distribution to, or use by, any person or entity in any jurisdiction or country where such distribution or use would be contrary to law or regulation. This website is not intended for use by any person in any jurisdiction where the publication or availability of our services is prohibited, by reason of that person’s nationality, residence or otherwise. Persons under these restrictions must not use this website. Some services may not be available to certain investors due to regulatory or other constraints. You should take appropriate advice from a suitably qualified professional adviser in the country in which you reside or do business in order to find out if any restrictions are applicable. You are advised that most services are only available following completion of the MIG BANK contractual documentation. Investment in FX and CFD involves a high degree of risk to your money. Before investing in the FX and/or CFD market you should be aware of the risks involved due to the fluctuation in the value of such commodities' prices, which can cause fluctuations in the value of your investment. Any type of market or trade speculation that can yield an unusually high return on investment is subject to unusually high risks. FX and CFD trading may give rise to large losses within a relatively short period of time that may be attributed to adverse market movements or to position build-up. Before deciding to enter into FX and/or CFD trading, you should carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite. FX and CFD trading are not suitable for everyone. You should only invest in FX and/or CFD trading the portion of your own assets you are disposed to lose entirely. In this respect, only your surplus funds should be placed at risk and anyone who does not have such surplus should imperatively avoid engaging in FX and/or CFD trading. In particular, you should not engage money you cannot afford to lose. You should immediately contact any independent financial advisor and request any necessary information in case of doubts on the risks related to FX and CFD trading. Please read the full disclaimer.

mobile9 client

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Mobile GPS Tracker: Trace The Location Of Any Mobile Phone!

Looking for a GPS Mobile Tracker? Everyone knows what satellites are and how they help us: satellites have made possible the millions of shows on TV, they help scientists study the atmosphere, astronomy and space, they are used in Search and Rescue missions, and also to detect changes in weather and predict snow, rain etc. Such are the uses of Satellite technology and mankind is very much dependent on it today. Coming back to the point of GPS mobile tracker, it is basically the software for tracking or tracing or locating of a cell phone by means of a GPS. GPS is the Global positioning satellite, which all of us know about: we all use them in our cars and cannot get to unknown destinations without them. The same satellites are now being put to the use of tracking or spying on mobile phones. To do this, a GPS signal receiver has to be installed on the phone that is to be tracked. Once this is done, one can spy or track that phone from any computer screen. Is the use of GPS mobile tracker ethical? A GPS mobile tracker comes as a blessing to thousands of spouses, parents or employers. It is a discrete way of reassuring their belief and confirming their suspicions. Where the only other method in the past was to hire a P.I (private Investigator), this new method is a cost effective and discrete one. Hiring a P.I meant washing your dirty laundry in public. With the GPS mobile tracker, one can discretely find out whether one’s spouse is actually in the location he/she claims to be .One can also track all the phone numbers made from the phone being traced. With this method, thousands of spouses have either received peace of mind and assurance or closure to their infidelity filled marriage. Another important use of this technology is for anxious parents of teenagers who want to have the peace of mind of locating their sons and daughters. With so many teens falling prey to substance abuse or internet predators and cyber crimes, this method of keeping tabs on teens is a blessing to many parents. Today’s society has caused a severe lack of communication between parents and their offspring and the GPS mobile tracker is a reliable method of assuring uneasy parents of the safety of their child. Even Employers have saved millions of dollars by tracking lazy or corrupt employees by using the GPS mobile tracker system. Many have caught employees red-handed while abusing company resources. Sounds interesting? Why don’t you give it a try? Visit: Mobile GPS Tracker Software With thousand such stories and examples present where GPS mobile tracking has saved lives, marriages and dollars, would you not like to use this technology? You can rid yourself of all your problems like cheating spouse, lying kids and unfaithful employees. This powerful, yet discrete software will answer all your doubts and help you sleep better at night. So, do you want to start tracking your partner’s, child’s or employee’s movements? Visit: Mobile GPS Tracker

Mobile Location Tracker: Get Ready To Locate Any Mobile Phone Easily

Software developers have been developing different applications that makes our daily lives an ease. Now they have come up with a software that lets you spy using a Mobile Location Tracker. This software will help you track anyone’s location in no time. This works by having an access to all that person’s mobile activities and information. There are numerous reasons why most people want to spy on someone. It may be their spouse, workers and kids. This is not unethical because you also have every right to know what is really going on with the person you love and care about when you’re not together and sometimes, even when you’re under one roof. A parent has the right to know the whereabouts of their teenage young adults, whether they are in a good company and if they’re safe. These are the different features of a Mobile Location Tracker that lets you spy 24/7: 1. Full access to the mobile owner’s phonebook contacts. 2. Call logs access. You can see all the calls made and received. 3. Web browser activities. Yes, even the sites the mobile phone and its owner have been visiting. 4. You can also record the conversion between the owner and the caller. This is one of the best features a mobile locator tracker has. 5. Access to messages, both the inbox and sent items. You’ll have the chance to read all the messages in the phone. 6. Know their exact location in real-time and this is the most important part of being a spy. Keeping an eye to that person’s whereabouts is like being with them only in invisible mode. Why don’t you take a look at this software? Visit: Mobile Location Tracker Software This software is one of the most trending development in the mobile phone history. This is more of a necessity than a privilege. Especially for the man of the house, most of them are busy with work and sometimes being too occupied with their job leads to less time with family. Having this software allow them to know their wives and kids activities, this is something that men need. If you’re one of the spy wanna be, this Mobile Location Tracker is the perfect gadget you can ever have. You don’t have to be inspector gadget to be a spy, all you need to have is a simple but brilliant software that will help you become successful in getting information from the people you want to keep a closer look. Visit: Mobile Location Tracker

Mobile Tracker Software: Keeping an Eye On Someone Made Easy!

People who would like to keep their eyes on someone may get better results using mobile tracker software. Each one may have a significant reason to do so. People have to protect their relationships, their family or their business. They may think of using this innovation in technology to their advantage. Many times people do not listen to their gut feel about somebody. They may consider this as not an evidence to confront or to take action. But with mobile tracker software, they can now confirm all. The thoughts and the feelings that are bugging them may really have some solid basis. Tracking a Phone Individuals who would like to track someone’s phone need mobile tracker software. They need one that is reliable but discreet as much as possible. They must see to it that they make use of one that will not be detected easily by the owner of the phone. However, they must do the downloading and the installation of the program into the phone. People will be able to access all of the information going in and out of that phone. They may also be able to pinpoint the phone’s exact location wherever the owner might be. Avoiding Scams With the introduction of the mobile tracker software, people need to beware of scammers that abound in the internet world. There are people who take advantage of other’s vulnerability. Sometimes these scammers only capitalize on the needs or the desperation of others. People sometimes are more than willing to part with their money for nothing. People need to be careful and deal only with reputable websites who offer genuine mobile tracker software that really works. For one reason or the other, people have to monitor somebody. People may keep their eyes on their kids’ whereabouts and activities. They may also check their employees to know whether they are really working or not. For some, mobile tracker software may enable them to monitor their spouse for any cheating activities. Individuals most of the time are the last ones to know that something has been going on wrong for a period of time. If you think that you are one of these people, then perhaps you need to consider availing yourself of this technological advantage. Why not take a look at the new software program that is available? Visit: mobile tracker software. It is possible for people to nip possible problems in the bud. They may want to learn how they can keep their eyes especially on those that are near and dear to them. Visit: mobile tracker software.

Mobile Tracker – Easily Track Any Mobile Phone With Success!

Specs & Features Are you thinking about installing a Mobile Tracker to your target person’s phone? If you have thought about this, then consider knowing the unprecedented powers that you can get a hold of in using this investigative software program. What Is The Process Of Mobile Tracking? The software installation is normally made using a computer and the phone to be monitored. When the tracking software is successfully installed in the target device, you may then start supervising the targeted phone’s calls, text messages and location using your username and password as well as your computer. How Do The Tracking Software Features Work? The call tracking feature works by giving you access to every phone number associated with the incoming and outgoing calls made on the device being monitored. You will also be able to see the number of calls made to every number, call duration and time of the call. You will also see the name of the caller in case it is saved in the phone’s memory. T he SMS Tracking feature enables you to read all the sent and received messages from the target phone even if the messages are already deleted by the phone owner. The GPS location tracking feature works by tracking the exact location of the monitored device with the use of Google Maps and providing you with updates on its mobility. The software is also capable of giving you access to the target phone’s incoming and outgoing emails, sent and received photos, URLs of the visited websites and phone book numbers. What Are The Other Offers Provided By A Mobile Tracking Tool? Part of the mobile tracking software package includes online technical support for customers who may need assistance in using the tool. And if for any reason you are not happy with using the software, you will be given full refund if it’s within 60 days from purchase. Mobile tracking software applications are ideal tools to use especially in circumstances which require investigation. Get the right software product and expect extremely satisfying results. Why don’t you take a look at the most authentic mobile spying tool in the market today! Visit: Mobile Tracker Software Mobile tracking tool put greater weight on the importance of accuracy and confidentiality. You can be assured of both when you investigate by means of a cell phone tracking application. However, it’s wise to not just use a tracking tool but also to make sure that you are using an authentic program. Do you want to get a highly favoured Mobile tracking software program for your investigative needs? Visit: Mobile Tracker

Nokia C7

GENERAL 2G Network: GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 3G Network: HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700 / 1900 / 2100 SIZE Dimensions: 117.3 x 56.8 x 10.5 mm, 64 cc Weight: 130 g DISPLAY Type: AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors Size: 360 x 640 pixels, 3.5 inches (~210 ppi pixel density) Multitouch: Yes Sensors: Accelerometer, proximity, compass - Gorilla glass display SOUND Alert types: Vibration; MP3, WAV ringtones Loudspeaker: Yes 3.5mm jack: Yes MEMORY Phonebook: Practically unlimited entries and fields, Photocall Call records: Detailed, max 30 days Internal: 8 GB storage, 256 MB RAM, 1 GB ROM Card slot: microSD, up to 32GB DATA GPRS: Class 32 EDGE: Class 32 3G: HSDPA, 10.2 Mbps; HSUPA, 2 Mbps WLAN: Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n Bluetooth: Yes, v3.0 with A2DP NFC: Via software update USB: Yes, microUSB v2.0, USB On-the-go support CAMERA Primary: 8 MP, 3264x2448 pixels, fixed focus, dual-LED flash,check quality Features: Geo-tagging, face detection Video: Yes, 720p@25fps, video stabilization Secondary: Yes, VGA FEATURES OS: Symbian^3 OS, upgradable to Symbian Anna OS CPU: 680 MHz ARM 11 GPU: Broadcom BCM2727 Messaging: SMS, MMS, Email, Push Email, IM Browser: WAP 2.0/xHTML, HTML, RSS feeds Radio: Stereo FM radio with RDS, FM transmitter Games: Yes + downloadable Colors: Charcoal black, Frosty metal, Mahogany brown GPS: Yes, with A-GPS support; Ovi Maps 3.0 Java: Yes, MIDP 2.1

HTC One S Price & Specs

Specs & Features HTC One S - Simply Stunning. Head-turning design & thinnest phone yet, guess which? its HTC One S. With beauty both inside & out HTC One S 4.3" display delivers a rich viewing experience like you’ve never seen before, You’ll love the camera of HTC One S that captures every moment (even in low light) with crisp, vivid & beautiful photos, Sound on your HTC One S phone is worth bragging about. With Beats Audio listening is truly different, HTC One S comes in two exceptional finishes. Dimension 130.9 x 65 x 7.8 mm Weight 119.5 g Battery N/A OS Android OS, v4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) Memory 16GB built-in, 1GB RAM, no microSD card slot Processor Dual-core 1.5 Krait + Adreno 225 GPU, Qualcomm MSM8260A Snapdragon Connectivity Bluetooth v4.0 with A2DP, USB, WLAN (Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot), GPRS, EDGE, 3G (HSDPA, HSUPA) Display Size 540 x 960 pixels, 4.3 inches, Corning Gorilla Glass, Touch-sensitive controls Sensors: Accelerometer, gyro, proximity & compass Display Colour Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors, Multitouch, HTC Sense UI Operating Frequency / Band GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 (HSDPA 850 / 900 / 2100) Browser HTML, Adobe Flash Colors Black Entertainment Stereo FM radio with RDS, 3.5mm audio jack, MP4/H.263/H.264/WMV player, MP3/eAAC+/WMA/WAV player, Beats Audio, TV-out (via MHL A/V link), SNS integration, YouTube, Google Talk, Games (built-in + downlaodable) Camera 8MP, 3264x2448 pixels, autofocus, LED flash, Simultaneous HD video & image recording, geo-tagging, face & smile detection, Video (1080p 30fps, stereo sound rec., video stabilization), 2ndary (VGA) Other Features GPS + A-GPS support, MicroSIM card support only, Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic, Google Search, Maps, Gmail, Document viewer, Predictive text input, Speakerphone Ring Tones Polyphonic, Downloadable, MP3

Samsung Galaxy S II I9100 Price & Specs

Specs & Features Samsung Galaxy S II - Simply The Best Smart Phone. Making the impossible possible, Yes Samsung Galaxy S II is indeed the best smart phone, Samsung Dual Core Application Processor feature of Samsung Galaxy S II is the ultra responsive answer to mobile performance, providing high-speed multitasking and high performance gaming, Express your colour! This brilliant display of Samsung Galaxy S II delivers the best colouminimise, high contrast ratio as well as ultimate sharpness of image, Get vocal Just double tap the home key and you can control the Samsung Galaxy S II with a few selected words, With all these awesome features Samsung Galaxy S II is the cell phone you reallywant to put your money on. Dimension 125.3 x 66.1 x 8.5 mm Weight 116 g Battery Talk time Up to 6 h, Stand-by Up to 372 h OS Android OS, v2.3 (Gingerbread) Memory 16GB built-in, 1GB RAM, microSD card (supports up to 32GB) Processor Dual-core 1.2GHz ARM Cortex-A9, Exynos chipset Connectivity Bluetooth v3.0+HS, USB, WLAN (Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, DLNA, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi hotspot), GPRS, EDGE, 3G (HSDPA 21 Mbps, HSUPA 5.76 Mbps) Display Size 480 x 800 pixels, 4.3 inches, Gorilla Glass display, (Accelerometer + Proximity sensor), Touch-sensitive controls Display Colour Super AMOLED Plus capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors, TouchWiz UI v4.0, Multi-touch input method, Gyroscope sensor Operating Frequency / Band GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 (HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100 /1800) Browser HTML Colors Black Entertainment Stereo FM radio with RDS, 3.5mm audio jack, MP4/DivX/XviD/WMV/H.264/H.263 player, MP3/WAV/eAAC+/AC3/FLAC player, Image/video editor, YouTube, Google Talk, Adobe Flash 10.1 support, TV-out (via HDMI MHL A/V link), SNS integration, Games (built-in) Camera 8MP, 3264x2448 pixels, autofocus, LED flash, Geo-tagging, touch focus, face & smile detection, image stabilization, Video (1080p 30fps), 2ndary Other Features GPS + A-GPS support, Digital compass, Document editor (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF), Google Search, Maps, Gmail, Voice memo/dial/commands, Organizer, Speakerphone Ring Tones MP3, WAV

InstaForex - the best broker of Asia

InstaForex trading conditions are universal tools for funds management at Forex market. The main activity line of the international Forex broker InstaForex is rendering first-grade investment services aimed at speculative profit making from operating in the worldwide financial markets. InstaForex Company clients use the leading-edge technologies in the online-trading and they have an access to news and informational resources submitted by the major information agencies. Today, InstaForex services are of a great interest for more than 500 000 Forex traders all over the world, among them there are beginners as well as professionals of Forex currency trading. Opening an account you get an access to Forex trading operations, CFD for NYSE shares and also to futures deals of Forex and commodity markets.

A History of Video Games : Innovation Timeline

A history of video games from the 1950s up to now in terms of influence and innovation. Links to video footage of games included.

1950s

1952 - OXO (Alexander Douglas) - This tic-tac-toe game is the first known computer game.

1970s

1972 - Arcade: Pong (Atari) - The first video game to achieve widespread success.
1975 - RPG: dnd and Dungeon - The two first CRPGs (computer role-playing games).
1976 - Adventure: Colossal Cave Adventure (William Crowther and Don Woods) - The very first adventure game.
1978 - Arcade: Space invaders (Taito Corporation) - This highly popular game played an important role in turning video games into a global industry, inspiring dozens of manufacturers to enter the market.

1980s

1980 - Arcade: Pac-Man (Namco) - A classic video game and 1980s pop culture icon, Pac-Man introduced a new video game genre which appeals to both genders.
1980 - Arcade: Battlezone (Atari) - The first true 3D game.
1980 - Adventure: Zork I: The Great Underground Empire (Infocom) - The game that arguably popularized the adventure game genre. It is completely text-based.
1980 - Adventure: Mystery House (Sierra) - The first adventure game with graphics.
1984 - Adventure: King's Quest 1: Quest for the Crown (Sierra) - This game pioneered the modern adventure game genre and was one of the first animated adventures. It led to many other successful quest games including the Police Quest, Space Quest and Quest for Glory series.
1985 - Platform: Super Mario Bros (Nintendo) - Popularized the side scrolling genre of video games.
1986 - Action/Adventure: The Legend of Zelda (Nintendo) - Introduced one of the most - if not the most - critically acclaimed game series of all time.
1987 - Adventure: Maniac Mansion (LucasArts) - This game introduced the shift to point-and-click interfaces for adventure games (instead of text input). Its other innovations are multiple possible endings and selectable characters with different abilities.
1989 - Platform: Prince Of Persia (Brøderbund) - The fluid, life-like character motion was a huge leap forward in animation quality.
1989 - Strategy/Simulation: SimCity (Maxis) - The very first sim (simulation) game, pioneering a new genre of video games which are open-ended. Game publishers were initially skeptical that such a game could be successful.

1990s

1992 - RPG: Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss (Looking Glass Studios) - An RPG with an advanced 3D engine which brought unparalleled realism. Among the innovations are relatively advanced texture mapping, inclined surfaces, ability to jump and an interactive world with 3D objects that could be picked up and thrown. Its 3D engine was much more advanced than the one used by Wolfenstein 3D, released later in the year.
1992 - FPS: Wolfenstein 3D (id Software) - The game that launched and popularized the First Person Shooter (FPS) genre.
1992 - Strategy: Dune II: The Building Of A Dynasty (Virgin Games) - The game that popularized and set the standard game mechanics for the Real Time Strategy (RTS) genre, building the basis for future RTS games such as Warcraft and Command & Conquer.
1992 - Survival horror: Alone in the Dark (Infogrames) - This game popularized the survival horror genre. It was the first 3D survival horror game and the first game known to use interpolated animation.
1993 - Strategy: UFO: Enemy Unknown (X-COM: UFO Defense) (MicroProse) - X-COM successfully blended different types of game play, mixing tactical combat, base building and research elements, making it a unique game unlike anything seen before.
1993 - Adventure: Myst (Cyan Worlds) - Myst popularized a new style of puzzle-based adventure games.
1993 - FPS: Doom (id Software) - Doom further popularized the FPS genre and pioneered realistic and immersive 3D graphics, networked multiplayer gaming and support for custom expansions.
1996 - FPS: Quake (id Software) - Quake introduced play over the Internet in first-person shooters (FPS) and helped turn Internet multiplayer capability into a de facto requirement.
1997 - MMORPG: Ultima Online (Origin Systems) - Popularized the MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game) genre, and was the first MMORPG to reach a subscriber base of 100,000.
1997 - RPG: Diablo (Blizzard) - Introduced the point-and-click action RPG sub-genre. The game mechanics of this sub-genre have been copied by many subsequent RPG games.
1998 - Strategy: Starcraft (Blizzard) - Pioneered the use of highly distinct races in strategy games and is often seen as the standard for real-time strategy games. In Korea, StarCraft led to the establishment of a successful pro-gaming scene; games are broadcast on TV and professional gamers have become celebrities.

The new millenium

2004 - MMORPG: World of Warcraft (Blizzard) - Although not particularly innovative, it borrowed the best features of its predecessors and made RPGs more accessible to casual players. It is one of the best selling PC games of all time and the most popular MMORPG with over 10 million subscribers worldwide.
2006 - Arcade: Wii Sports (Nintendo) - The best-selling video game of all time, it introduced many non-gamers to games. It has also become popular in senior centers and retirement homes.

Developers with the most innovative games according to this list:

Blizzard: 3 games - Diablo (1997), Starcraft (1998), World of Warcraft (2004)
id Software: 3 games - Wolfenstein 3D (1992), Doom (1993), Quake (1996)
Nintendo: 3 games - Super Mario Bros (1985), The Legend of Zelda (1986), Wii Sports (2006)
Atari: 2 games - Pong (1972), Battlezone (1980)
Sierra: 2 games - Mystery House (1980), King's Quest (1984)

Summary:

1970s: dnd, Dungeon, Colossal Cave Adventure, Pong, Space invaders
1980s: Battlezone, King's Quest 1, The Legend of Zelda, Maniac Mansion, Mystery House, Pac-Man, Prince of Persia, SimCity, Super Mario Bros, Zork 1
1990s: Alone in the Dark, Diablo, Doom, Dune II, Myst, Quake, Starcraft, UFO: Enemy Unknown (X-COM), Ultima Online, Ultima Underworld, Wolfenstein 3D
2000s: Wii Sports, World of Warcraft

What is the History of Video Games? Timeline Walkthrough of Gaming

memory lane & learn the history of video games. Our timeline of video game history includes best selling games, technology developments & more.There may be many names who can share in the glory of the glowing popularity of the history of video games, with the earliest time frames being between the late 40’s through the 50’s and 60’s. This can be attributed to the advancement of radio, television and computers, which during that era were mostly mainframes that only a select few individuals had access to.

The first commercially introduced video game was released in 1971, bringing forth a whole new concept to the entertainment industry.

Of course, just like any new concept there were to be a few hurdles to pass before the boom in video gaming became as popular as it is today.

Timeline: History of Westeros

Timeline of the History of Westeros
Note: The dates listed are approximations. Westerosi scholars debate many of the events of history, and thus there may be conflicting interpretations. Additionally, the current period is the year of Lord Jon Arryn’s death and the appointment of Lord Eddard Stark as King Robert Baratheon’s Hand.
YEARS AGO EVENT
12,000+ DAWN AGE
12,000 - First Men come to Westeros
12,000 — 10,000 - Wars between the First Men and the children of the forest
10,000 - The Pact between the First Men and the children of the forest
8,000

AGE OF HEROES
- Long Night
- Battle for the Dawn
- Building of the Wall
- Founding of House Stark
6,000 - Arrival of the Andals
- Breaking of the Pact
- Rise of Valyria
5,000 AGE OF VALYRIA
- Valyria conquers Old Ghis
- War between Valyria and the cities of the Rhoyne
1,000 - Arrival of Nymeria and the Rhoynar in Dorne
650 - Storm Kings kill the last River King
500 - Targaryens leave Valyria, land on Dragonstone
400 - Doom of Valyria
- Dothraki ride out of the east
400 — 300 - The Bleeding Years
300 AGE OF THE DRAGONS
- Harren the Black rules the Iron Islands and the Trident
- Targaryens set foot on Westeros
- Aegon’s conquest
- The army of the Two Kings destroyed on the Field of Fire
- Harlen Tyrell raised to lord of the Reach
- Orys slays Argilac the Storm King, becomes lord of Stormlands
- Edmyn Tully elevated as lord of the Trident
- Vickon Greyjoy chosen as lord of the Iron Islands
- Torrhen Stark bends the knee to Aegon Targaryen
171 - Dance of the Dragons
- Death of the last dragon
143 - Daeron I conquers Dorne
139 - Dornish rebellion
116 - Daeron II succeeds King Aegon IV
104 - Blackfyre rebellion
103 - Dorne joins the Seven Kingdoms by marriage
100 - Raymun Redbeard, King-Beyond-the-Wall, invades over the Wall
40 - War of the Ninepenny Kings
38 - King Aerys II ascends to the throne
15 - War of the Usurper (Robert’s Rebellion)
9 - Greyjoy’s Rebellion
0 - Appointment of Eddard Stark as Hand of the King

A Football History - from its origin to now

There is no clear documentation stating the date and place of origination of today's most popular sport - world football. However, most historians agree that some type of a ball game has been played for at least over 3000 years. The origins of the game can be seen in games played in China, Japan, Egypt, Greece before our modern game developed in England.

Here is a brief outline of some of the events that have shaped the game of soccer throughout history.

Slavery comes to North America, 1619

To satisfy the labor needs of the rapidly growing North American colonies, white European settlers turned in the early 17th century from indentured servants (mostly poorer Europeans) to a cheaper, more plentiful labor source: African slaves. Beginning around 1619, when a Dutch ship brought 20 Africans ashore at the British colony of Jamestown, Virginia, slavery spread quickly through the American colonies. Though it is impossible to give accurate figures, some historians have estimated that 6 to 7 million slaves were imported to the New World during the 18th century alone, depriving the African continent of its most valuable resource–its healthiest and ablest men and women.

After the American Revolution, many colonists (particularly in the North, where slavery was relatively unimportant to the economy) began to link the oppression of black slaves to their own oppression by the British. Though leaders such as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson–both slaveholders from Virginiatook cautious steps towards limiting slavery in the newly independent nation, the Constitution tacitly acknowledged the institution, guaranteeing the right to repossess any “person held to service or labor" (an obvious euphemism for slavery). Many northern states had abolished slavery by the end of the 18th century, but the institution was absolutely vital to the South, where blacks constituted a large minority of the population and the economy relied on the production of crops like tobacco and cotton. Congress outlawed the import of new slaves in 1808, but the slave population in the U.S. nearly tripled over the next 50 years, and by 1860 it had reached nearly 4 million, with more than half living in the cotton-producing states of the South.

HISTORY OF HOME AND GAME COMPUTERS

This site will offer you information about all sorts of home computers and game computers from the seventies and eighties. Computers today and computer games are much more advanced, but it's nice to go back and look at where it all began. From the Altair to the latest Dell touch screen laptop, computers have evolved in an exponential and dramatic fashion. Their history, anecdotes about their development and the people behind them, like Ralph Baer who invented the Magnavox Odyssey waiting at a bus terminal and of course Nolan Bushnell, the founder of Atari.

You can also take a look at my own cartridges, pong consoles and my computer collection, with home computers and game consoles I'm very proud of, like the Sinclair ZX80, the Commodore SX-64 and the first GDR home computer, the Robotron Z1013. I also have many interesting home and game computers for swap. When you see what desktop computers today are capable of such as system z deduplication and virtual tape deduplication it is hard to compare the two.

In other words... welcome to the nostalgic history of Pac-Man, Space Invaders, and famous home and game computers like Atari, Commodore and Sinclair. The time you had to wait endlessly before a computer game had loaded, but in which systems hardly crashed yet.

The history section of my site will gradually take shape. Almost every time you visit this site, you'll see that a section is added. Feel free to e-mail me or sign the guestbook with any suggestions and remarks.



Some home and game computers in my collection:

The 7 Biggest Dick Moves in the History of Online Gaming Read more: The 7 Biggest Dick Moves in the History of Online Gaming

Tens of millions of adults spend all their free time in fictional worlds that are full of more tedious work and assholes than most real-life jobs. Combining Internet anonymity with people who have absurd amounts of free time, massive multiplayer online role-playing Gamers (MMORPG)are a better guarantee of asshole-ry than a digestive system, and yield uglier results. But there are some spectacular douche bags who have put more work into screwing with strangers than should be humanly possible.

Read more: The 7 Biggest Dick Moves in the History of Online Gaming | Cracked.com http://www.cracked.com/blog/the-7-biggest-dick-moves-in-history-online-gaming/#ixzz1rO5KVY5i
EVE Online's universe consists of 350,000 active subscribers piloting customizable space craft around 7,500 solar systems. Putting that many people in space with lasers might sound like an open horizon to awesome, but the players who hang out there created a fully functional free market economy that ends up feeling more like space accountancy. The ad may look like this ...

Read more: The 7 Biggest Dick Moves in the History of Online Gaming | Cracked.com http://www.cracked.com/blog/the-7-biggest-dick-moves-in-history-online-gaming/#ixzz1rO5PqYUc but it doesn't tell you that you have to pay for those lasers. To do that, a lot of game play involves your screen looking more like this ...

Read more: The 7 Biggest Dick Moves in the History of Online Gaming | Cracked.com http://www.cracked.com/blog/the-7-biggest-dick-moves-in-history-online-gaming/#ixzz1rO5TbdZZAs with the real-world economy, making a profit in the world of EVE Online is easier if you form corporations. While many spend years working together for mutual gain, others behave a lot like corporations do in the real world. Or at least how they would if they operated in a universe where murder is legal.

For instance, the Guiding Hand Social Club assassinates people for profit and steals their stuff for bonuses. In one instance, they were hired to destroy "Mirial," the CEO of Ubiqua Seraph corporation. While many EVE Online players literally grind rocks for hours to make a profit, the GHSC use the assignment to show everyone what Ocean's Eleven would have been like if it took place in the Star Wars universe. No one has had so much more fun than everyone else playing a game since Michael Jackson suggested Junior Twister.

Read more: The 7 Biggest Dick Moves in the History of Online Gaming | Cracked.com http://www.cracked.com/blog/the-7-biggest-dick-moves-in-history-online-gaming/#ixzz1rO5ZrxTB
First, they got jobs with the target corporation and worked their way up the ranks. The primary assassin became second in command of the entire firm because the background checks for imaginary space pilots aren't very good.

Then, after a year of real-time play, they struck harder than Keyser Soze in that one flashback scene where he's played by Fabio. They killed Mirial, emptied the corp's accounts and hangars, stole everything that wasn't bolted down and blew up everything that was, then killed Mirial again because EVE is specifically programmed to let you kill people twice. The first time gives you all the XP and valuable wreckage, but allows the murdered player to escape in a pod. The second does nothing but shout, "Screw You!" with murder (which is admittedly the best way to do that).

Mirial was in a Navy Apocalypse at the time, which is basically EVE Online's equivalent of the Death Star.

Read more: The 7 Biggest Dick Moves in the History of Online Gaming | Cracked.com http://www.cracked.com/blog/the-7-biggest-dick-moves-in-history-online-gaming/#ixzz1rO5fAAav

History of Pakistan

PAKISTAN BECAME AN INDEPENDENT STATE in 1947, the realization of a yearning by India's Muslims, who feared domination by the Hindu majority in a postcolonial India. As the British made their final plans to surrender the "Jewel in the Crown" of their empire, the earlier, elite "Two Nations Theory," premised on the notion of a separate homeland for the subcontinent's Muslim minority, had broadened its popular appeal and evolved into a collective vision championed by Muslims of all backgrounds. After independence, a debate commenced among contending groups over further refinement of that vision. Agreement on what system of government the new nation should adopt--a critical aspect of the debate--was never fully reached. Indeed, few nations have in so short a period undergone as many successive political and constitutional experiments as has Pakistan. This irresolution contributed, in the decades following independence, to a recurrent pattern of crisis: repeated coups and extended periods in which martial law replaced civilian government, violent deaths of several national leaders, periodic strife among ethnic groups, and, most traumatically, a civil war that divided the country in two.

The struggle over the character and soul of Pakistan continues. Although democracy returned to Pakistan in 1988 after a long lapse, it is on trial daily, its continuation by no means certain. Definition of the vision of what Pakistan represents is still being contested from many opposing quarters.

Pakistan's status in the world has changed dramatically in the nearly one-half century of its existence as an independent state. In the twilight years of the Cold War, it achieved international stature as a "frontline" state during the Soviet occupation of neighboring Afghanistan. With the Soviet departure from Afghanistan in the late 1980s and the end of the Cold War, Pakistan's role in the world arena has become less visible, and its voice has diminished to the level of many other developing states competing in the new world order. Yet, during the years it spent in support of the Afghan struggle against Soviet domination, Pakistan impressed upon the world community a new appreciation of its standing among Islamic nations and of its ideological commitment to causes it champions.

In terms of its military and economic development, Pakistan is a "threshold" state. The world's first Islamic "de facto" nuclear-weapon state, it has long been at loggerheads with its larger and more powerful neighbor, India, which, like Pakistan, denies having built nuclear weapons but not its ability to do so at the "turn of a screw." A nation well positioned to serve as an economic model for other developing countries in the post-Cold- War era--especially the Islamic states of the former Soviet Union--Pakistan has shown steady and impressive long-term economic growth and is successfully making the transition from an overwhelmingly agricultural to an industrial economy. Yet, despite its considerable achievements in technology and commerce, Pakistan confronts many of the same problems it faced at its birth. The nation has one of the world's highest population growth rates, making it difficult for the government to address the problems of poverty and attendant ills that affect so many in its society. Indeed, social development has lagged behind economic gains. Quality of life indicators--literacy rates, especially among women, human rights, and universal access to heath care--have shown Pakistan to be a country with serious deficiencies.

Throughout history, Pakistan has been strongly affected by its geostrategic placement as a South Asian frontier located at the juncture of South Asia, West Asia, and Central Asia. Scholars have called Pakistan the "fulcrum of Asia" because since antiquity invaders have traversed this frontier carrying with them the seeds of great civilizations. The armies of Islam came to South Asia through the same mountain passes in the north-west of Pakistan that the Indo-Aryans, Alexander the Great, the Kushans, and others had earlier entered.

Present-day Pakistan has been shaped by its rich history, pre-Islamic as well as Islamic, but colored in particular by the exigencies of its troubled and bloody birth as a nation in 1947. The partitioning of British India into India and Pakistan was preceded and accompanied by communal riots of unprecedented violence and scope that forced millions of Hindu, Muslim, and Sikh refugees to flee across the new international borders.

The partition plan that led to the separate states of India and Pakistan was drawn up in an atmosphere of urgency as a swell of religious and ethnic unrest shook India. Under guidelines established with the help of Britain's last viceroy in India, Lord Louis Mountbatten, the perplexing task of establishing the new boundaries of Pakistan was accomplished. Most Indian Muslims lived either on the dusty plains of Punjab or in the humid delta of Bengal. Contiguous Muslim-majority districts in Punjab and Bengal were awarded to Pakistan under the plan's guidelines. The additional task of deciding the status of the more than 500 semiautonomous princely states of India still remained. All but three of these quickly acceded to either Pakistan or India. But the two largest princely states, Jammu and Kashmir (ususally just called Kashmir) and Hyderabad, and one small state, Junagadh, posed special problems. Hyderabad and Junagadh were located within territory awarded to India but were both Hindu majority states ruled by a Muslim leader. These states hesitated but were quickly incorporated by force into India. The status of the third state, Kashmir, which had borders with both India and Pakistan, proved especially problematic. Unlike Hyderabad and Junagadh, Kashmir had a Muslim majority and was ruled by a Hindu. Kashmir's maharaja was reluctant to accede to either Pakistan or India, but when threatened by a Muslim uprising (with outside support from Pakistani tribesmen) against his unpopular rule, he hurriedly signed the documents of accession, in October 1947, required by India before it would provide aid. Pakistan then launched an active military and diplomatic campaign to undo the accession, which it maintained was secured by fraud. Kashmir was subsequently divided by the occupying armies of both nations, the Indians holding two-thirds of the state, including the Muslim- dominated Vale of Kashmir and the Hindu-majority region of Jammu to the south, while the Pakistanis controlled the western third, which they call Azad (Free) Kashmir. India and Pakistan would fight two major wars to maintain or seize control over this state: in 1947-48 and in 1965. Kashmir's contested and indeterminate status continues dangerously to complicate relations between South Asia's two most powerful states.

The bifurcated Pakistan that existed from August 1947 to December 1971 was composed of two parts, or wings, known as East Pakistan and West Pakistan, separated by 1,600 kilometers of Indian territory. Observers pointed out, however, that the people of the two wings were estranged from each other in language and cultural traditions: that the Bengali "monsoon Islam" of the East Wing was alien to the "desert Islam" of the West Wing. The East Wing, notable for its Bengali ethnic homogeneity and its collective Bangla cultural and linguistic heritage, contained over half of the population of Pakistan and sharply contrasted with the ethnic and linguistic diversity of the West Wing. The West Wing consisted of four major ethnic groups--Punjabis, Pakhtuns, Sindhis, and Baloch. The muhajirs constituted a fifth important group. The political leaders of Pakistan, however--particularly those of West Pakistan--asserted that the Islamic faith and a shared fear of "Hindu India" provided an indestructible bond joining the two societies into one nation. This assertion proved flawed, however. A culture of distrust grew between the two wings, fueled by imbalances of representation in the government and military. Furthermore, Bengali politicians argued that the economic "underdevelopment" of East Pakistan was a result of the "internal colonialism" of the rapacious capitalist class of West Pakistan. In the final analysis, real and perceived iniquities would fray this "indestructible" bond holding the country together. Less than a quarter century after the country's founding, Pakistan would fission, the eastern wing becoming the independent nation of Bangladesh.

It was not Pakistan's precarious security nor even its cultural and ethnic diversity, but rather characteristics deeply rooted in the nation's polity that most impeded its early democratic development. The essentials for such a process-- disciplined political parties and a participatory mass electorate--were missing in Pakistan's first years as an independent state. The All-India Muslim League, the party that led the struggle for Pakistan, failed to mature into a stable democratic party with a national following capable of holding together the nation's diverse ethnic and cultural groups. Instead, it disintegrated into rival factions soon after independence. Lack of a consensus over prospective Islamic provisions for the nation's governance, Bengali resentment over the West Pakistanis' initial imposition of Urdu as the national language, and the reluctance of West Pakistani politicians to share power with politicians of the East Wing--all were factors that delayed the acceptance of Pakistan's first constitution until nine years after independence. The nation was also dealt a severe psychological blow when in September 1948, only thirteen months after independence, Mohammad Ali Jinnah--known reverentially as the Quaid-i-Azam (Great Leader)--died. Jinnah's role in the creation of Pakistan had been so dominant that it has been observed that he had neither peers nor associates, only lieutenants and aides. Jinnah's primary lieutenant, Liaquat Ali Khan, the nation's first prime minister, was assassinated in October 1951.

Jinnah's and Liaquat's leadership, so critical to the nation in its infancy, was replaced in the early and mid-1950s by the generally lackluster, often inept performances of the nation's politicians. Those few politicians who were effective were all too willing to play upon the emotions of an electorate as yet unaccustomed to open democratic debate. The ethnic and provincial causes championed by these politicians too often took precedence over national concerns. The government was weak and unable to quell the violence and ethnic unrest that distracted it from building strong parliamentary institutions.

Believing that Pakistan's first attempt at establishing a parliamentary system of government failed, in the late 1950s the military ousted the "inefficient and rascally" politicians. During this period, however, the belief that democracy was the "natural state" of Pakistan and an important political goal was not entirely abandoned. Mohammad Ayub Khan, Pakistan's first "soldier-statesman," regarded himself as more of a reformer than an autocrat and, as chief martial law administrator, early on acknowledged the need to relinquish some military control. In his unique governmental system called the "Basic Democracies," Ayub Khan became the "civilian" head of a military regime. Ayub Khan's "democracy from above" allowed for controlled participation of the electorate and was supposed to capture the peculiar "genius" of Pakistan. To his critics, however, Ayub Khan's political system was better characterized as a form of "representational dictatorship." In 1969 an ailing Ayub Khan was forced to resign following nationwide rioting against his regime's perceived corruption, spent economic policies, and responsibility for Pakistan's defeat in the 1965 Indo-Pakistani War over Kashmir. Ayub Khan was briefly succeeded by his army commander in chief, General Mohammad Yahya Khan, who would best be remembered for presiding over the two most traumatic and psychologically devastating events in the country's history: the humiliating defeat of Pakistan's armed forces by India and the secession of East Pakistan.

The East Wing of Pakistan had not benefitted greatly from Ayub Khan's "Decade of Progress," with its gains in agricultural production and trade. Bengali politicians wanted to improve what they considered to be the second-class political and economic status of their province vis-à-vis West Pakistan, just as they had earlier agitated for greater cultural and linguistic recognition. The country's first nationwide direct elections were held in December 1970. The East Pakistan-based Awami League, campaigning on a platform calling for almost total provincial autonomy, won virtually all the seats allotted to the East Wing and was thereby assured a majority in the national legislature.

The results of Pakistan's first nationwide experiment in democracy were not honored. Fearing Bengali dominance in the nation's political affairs, West Pakistani politicians, led by Pakistan People's Party (PPP) leader Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and supported by senior army officers, most of whom were Punjabis, pressured Yahya Khan to postpone the convening of the National Assembly. When the Bengalis of East Pakistan revolted openly at this turn of events, the Pakistani military banned the Awami League, arrested its leader, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and began a massive military crackdown. In the savage civil war that followed, tens of thousands of Bengalis were killed, and an estimated 10 million people took refuge in India. In early December 1971, India entered the war and within weeks decisively defeated the Pakistan military. From the aftermath of the war and the dismemberment of Pakistan came the birth of a new nation: Bangladesh.

To most Pakistanis, the news of Pakistan's defeat came as a numbing shock--their military was disgraced and condemned for its brutal crackdown in East Pakistan. Literally overnight, the country had lost its status as the largest Muslim nation in the world. Gone, too, were any illusions of military parity with India.

Pakistan soon recovered under the charismatic leadership of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, who launched a forceful campaign to restore the people's self-confidence and to repair Pakistan's tarnished image abroad. Initially, Bhutto was sworn in as president and chief martial law administrator, the two positions he took over from Yahya Khan. Although he soon revoked formal martial law, he governed autocratically until he was overthrown in 1977.

A man of contradictions, a product of a privileged feudal background, the Western-educated Bhutto nonetheless expounded populist themes of shared wealth, national unity, and the need to restore political democracy under the slogan "Islam our Faith, Democracy our Polity, Socialism our Economy." Bhutto nationalized a large number of the most important manufacturing, insurance, and domestically owned banking industries--actions that substantially slowed economic growth.

By the mid-1970s, Bhutto's autocratic tendencies were interfering with his ability to govern. His determination to crush any and all potential opposition had become obsessive. Bhutto purged his party of real or imagined opponents, created a praetorian security force answerable only to himself, brought the prestigious civil service under his personal control, and sacked military officers who possessed what he described as "Bonapartist tendencies." Fatefully, Bhutto then named General Mohammad Zia ul-Haq--a relatively junior and obscure general--to hold the top army post. Most observers had predicted that Bhutto's PPP would retain control of the National Assembly in the elections of March 1977, but the margin of the PPP's victory was so overwhelming that charges of fraud were immediately made, and riots erupted throughout the country. General Zia was well positioned to act against Bhutto. He abruptly informed the nation that he had taken over as the chief martial law administrator but assured the people that the military desired only to supervise fair elections, which he said would be held in ninety days. This was the first of many promises Zia did not keep. As election time approached, Zia announced that criminal charges were being brought against Bhutto and postponed the elections until after Bhutto had been tried in court. Bhutto was found guilty of complicity in murder of a political opponent, and later hanged. The memory of Bhutto and the circumstances surrounding his fall became a rallying cry for his daughter, Benazir, who, during the 1980s, embraced the politics of revenge as she began her political ascent in steadfast opposition to Zia and martial law.

Zia ul-Haq's eleven years of rule left a profound--and controversial--legacy on Pakistani society. Zia's military junta differed in important aspects from the earlier military regime of Ayub Khan. Like Zia, Ayub Khan had been contemptuous of politicians; his style of governing was autocratic in the tradition of the British Raj and its Mughal predecessors. Nevertheless, Ayub Khan welcomed Western influences in his quest for economic development, and he introduced various reform measures, such as the Muslim Family Laws Ordinance, which provided protection for women within their families. Moreover, early in his rule, Ayub Khan isolated the army from the governmental decision-making process and instead relied heavily on senior civil servants and a few conservative politicians.

Zia's rule, by contrast, was notable for the high visibility of a small number of army officers and for his fervent advocacy of a more stringent version of Islamic orthodoxy. Zia made clear his desire to supplant the prevailing legal system with Islamic law, the sharia, and championed a role for Islam that was more state directed and less a matter of personal choice. He proclaimed that all laws had to conform with Islamic tenets and values and charged the military with protecting the nation's ideology as well as its territorial integrity. His establishment of the Federal Shariat Court to examine laws in light of the injunctions of Islam further involved the state in religious affairs.

The crucial and perplexing question of the role Islam should play in Pakistan existed before the creation of the nation and remains unresolved today. Jinnah, himself, supplied a historical reference to the dilemma, stating in his inaugural address, "You will find that in course of time Hindus would cease to be Hindus and Muslims would cease to be Muslims, not in the religious sense, because that is the personal faith of each individual, but in the political sense as citizens of the State." Although each of Pakistan's indigenous constitutions has defined Pakistan as an Islamic state, determining what this means in practice has usually been left open to individual preference. Zia elevated the tempo of the debate over the role of Islam in Pakistani society by directly involving the state with religion.

The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in December 1979 and its nine-year occupation of that country not only had a direct impact on Pakistani society in general but also held vital importance for Zia's leadership, influencing his domestic and international image as well as the survivability of his regime. From the beginning of his rule, Zia was regarded by much of the world community as a usurper of power and as something of an international pariah. He furthered his isolation by deciding, early in his regime, to pursue the development of nuclear weapons, a program begun earlier by Bhutto. Building on the long and close relationship between the United States and Pakistan dating from the early years of the Cold War, United States president Jimmy Carter and his administration worked energetically but unsuccessfully to discourage Pakistan's nuclear program, and finally suspending all economic and military aid on April 6, 1979. The execution of Bhutto two days earlier that month had added to United States displeasure with the Zia regime and Pakistan. Relations with the United States soured further when a Pakistani mob burned down the United States Embassy in November 1979.

The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan abruptly ended Pakistan's estrangement from the United States. Within days, Pakistan once again became Washington's indispensable frontline ally against Soviet expansionism. Massive military and economic assistance flowed into Pakistan despite Zia's continued pursuit of nuclear weapons technology. Pakistan's nuclear program made major advances in the 1980s. Moreover, the change in geostrategic circumstances following the occupation of neighboring Afghanistan allowed Zia to postpone the promised elections repeatedly while he consolidated his position. Foreign assistance provided a stimulus to the economy and became an important means by which Zia neutralized his opponents. The war, depicted by Zia and the Afghan resistance as a holy war of believers versus nonbelievers, facilitated Zia's efforts to transform Pakistan into a state governed by Islamic law.

The war in Afghanistan had many profound and disturbing residual effects on Pakistani society. Pakistan absorbed more than 3.2 million Afghan refugees into its North-West Frontier Province and Balochistan. The influx of so many displaced people threatened to overwhelm the local economies as refugees competed with Pakistanis for resources. With the refugees came an arsenal of weapons. Domestic violence increased dramatically during the war years, and observers spoke dismally of a "Kalashnikov culture" asserting itself in Pakistani society.

By the time of Zia's death in an airplane explosion in August 1988, an agreement had been signed signaling the end of Soviet military intervention in Afghanistan, and the Soviet pullout had already begun. Domestic politics in Pakistan were surprisingly tranquil as Pakistan prepared for a transition of power and elections for the National Assembly, which Zia had earlier dissolved. An era seemed to have ended and a new, more promising one to have begun. The prospect for genuine democracy in Pakistan appeared to have dramatically improved, and Pakistan appeared to have reached a watershed in its political development.

After her party won a plurality of seats in the parliamentary elections of November 1988, Benazir Bhutto formed a fragile coalition government and assumed the position of prime minister. She became the first freely elected leader in Pakistan since her father was deposed and the first woman to hold such a high position in a Muslim country. Confronted by severe disadvantages from the start, Benazir soon discovered that the art of governance was considerably more difficult than orchestrating opposition politics. An experienced politician but an inexperienced head of government, she was outmaneuvered by her political opposition, intimidated by the military, and diverted from her reform program. Benazir was also frustrated by her inability to control the spreading social disorder, the widespread banditry, and the mounting ethnic violence between Sindhis and muhajirs in her home province of Sindh. A prolonged struggle between Bhutto and the provincial government of Mian Nawaz Sharif in Punjab culminated in bureaucrat-turned- president Ghulam Ishaq Khan's siding with Nawaz Sharif against Benazir. Empowered by the Eighth Amendment provisions of the constitution--a direct legacy of the Zia ul-Haq regime, which strengthened the powers of the president at the expense of the prime minister--Ishaq Khan dismissed Benazir in August 1990 for alleged corruption and her inability to maintain law and order. He also dismissed her cabinet and dissolved the National Assembly as well as the Sindh North-West Frontier Province provincial assemblies and ordered new elections for October.

Pakistan: A Cradle of Civilization Breeds a Young Nation

As a nation, Pakistan is a mere 60 years old, but as a civilization, it is an astonishing 4,500 years old. One of the world’s earliest civilizations, the Indus Valley culture once thrived where a large part of Pakistan stands today. Since then, the country’s journey toward nation building has been long and arduous, marked by milestones like the freedom struggle, independence from British rule, separation from India, government formation, and alternating civilian and military rule. Unfortunately, though, the country is yet to reach some sort of constancy. Geographically, Pakistan lies at the meeting point of South Asia, Central Asia, and South West Asia. Bordered by Iran, Afghanistan, China, and India, it has an area of 340,403 square miles. Though a very poor nation at birth, Pakistan clocked above-average growth in the initial years of its formation. However, a tumultuous political climate stymied development in the 1990s. Nevertheless, the beginning of this century saw economic growth back on track despite a military rule.

History


From invasion to division

Pakistan is a part of the Indian subcontinent, the Southeast Asian peninsula that, for the greater part, is comprised of Pakistan, India, and Sri Lanka. The nation’s history more or less mirrors the history of the subcontinent. After the Indus Valley Civilization, which flourished largely in Pakistan and some parts of today’s India, ended around 1700 BC, the subcontinent saw its next big milestone in history during AD 700-1800 when many Muslim invaders raided and overtook the region. Prominent among these were Mohammed of Ghazni, Qutubuddin Aibak, and the Mughal emperors. In fact, this long period of Muslim rule forms the basis of Pakistan’s culture and identity today. The Mughals were the last Muslim rulers of the Indian subcontinent. In the 18th Century, when the Mughals were considerably weak, the British snatched control and spread their roots throughout the subcontinent. They ruled until a long, and arguably history’s biggest, freedom struggle unseated them. But before leaving, they partitioned India and Pakistan into separate countries. This was at the insistence of Mohammed Ali Jinnah, the leader of the Muslim League which was formed at the height of the freedom struggle in 1906. Thus, finally, the birth of Pakistan took place on August 14, 1947. India was declared independent the next day. The State of Pakistan comprised two territories, West Pakistan, which is current-day Pakistan, and East Pakistan, which is at present Bangladesh. The two territories lay separated by 1,000 miles of Indian territory.

The division of India and Pakistan dislocated millions of people. Muslim refugees moved to Pakistan from India and numerous Hindus and Sikhs moved to India from Pakistan. One issue that has been festering between India and Pakistan since partition is the territory of Kashmir. During the independence of Pakistan and India, Kashmir had a largely Muslim population but a Hindu king who ruled under British protection. The king decided to remain with India during partition. However, Pakistan has been claiming its right over Kashmir on the grounds that 85% of the region’s population is Muslim. There have been three wars between India and Pakistan over this issue. The dispute regarding the area remains a barrier to friendly relations between the two countries.