Shan-ul-Hai

Studies show that people are consistently bad at describing themselves, so I'll try to be objective. I consider myself a citizen of the world. I am a scientist by training. I love to express my opinions. I come from a Muslim background. I was born in Pakistan, but currently live in the US. Rationality and pragmatism define everything I do (and write). If I suggest something, I will try my best to back it up with facts whenever possible.

Discrimination isn’t just for white people anymore

//For those of you who haven’t heard, Alberto Gonzales was recently accused of discriminatory hiring/firing practices during his tenure as US Attorney General.  Let’s skip the irony in the fact that Gonzales was probably never would have gotten his job in the first place if it weren’t for the Bush Administration’s attempt to bring some […]

Popularity: 29% [?]

7 reasons why nuclear energy may be better than you think

//I’m surprised that there has been very little activity on the blogosphere concerning the potential of nuclear energy as a key stepping stone in the path to energy independence.  Even many environmentalists are opposed to the idea, since they don’t seem to realize the fact that nuclear energy is, in fact, completely clean and free […]

Popularity: 31% [?]

SUNDAY REWIND | Immigration - the key to economic success?

//Which comes first in a country: the immigrants or the economic success?
It’s like the chicken-and-egg paradox. If there was no promise of success, then immigrants wouldn’t come; meanwhile, if there were no immigrants, there wouldn’t be enough people to succeed (in cosmopolitan countries like the US). Of course, there are exceptions to the rule… China […]

Popularity: 28% [?]

Science and you

//I’ve noticed that people are completely willing to accept Einstein’s theory of relativity, but many people refuse to accept Darwin’s theory of evolution.  The most interesting thing about this is the fact that relativity is a very complex idea that can only be truly fathomed by people with a deep understanding of mathematics and physics; […]

Popularity: 27% [?]

Recognizing genius

//Humans have done more disgusting things than what I can even begin to fathom. The worst part about this is the fact that we let it happen not because of malicious intent, but because of irrational submission. Much of the German population - as well as a substantial part of the rest of […]

Popularity: 23% [?]

The gas tax holiday vs. the gas tax hike

//A few months ago, John McCain proposed a gas tax holiday (and Hillary Clinton backed it avidly), despite the disagreement of many economists.  I later mentioned that I think it might actually be a better idea (for a variety of reasons) to actually increase the taxes on gas rather than to decrease them.  I suggested […]

Popularity: 25% [?]

The unsung price of universal healthcare

//Make no mistake; I am a staunch supporter of a universal healthcare plan for Americans. It’s about time that we caught up with the rest of the developed world (and much of the developing world) in providing health coverage to our population, particularly to children who would otherwise go without receiving care for problems […]

Popularity: 29% [?]

SUNDAY REWIND | The “Where are you from?” question

//I’ve been asked questions like “where are you from?” many times. Every time, it’s clear to me that the inquisitor wants to know what country I was born in. I refuse to succumb; it’s not that I have any lack of respect for my background, but I just don’t understand why the person has to […]

Popularity: 25% [?]

Propaganda Watch: The Pakistani Tribal Areas

//Based on the reactions to the article I wrote yesterday, I came to the realization that people don’t really understand anything about the Federally Administered Tribal Areas in northwestern Pakistan.  People blame the Pakistani government for not doing enough to restrict extremist activity in these areas and they suggest that local authorities should do something […]

Popularity: 28% [?]

When is it OK to launch a bomb?

//Most Americans don’t know this, but NATO is currently dropping bombs on parts of Pakistan. That means that, technically, US forces have attacked Pakistani soil… and this isn’t just like the time that a bunch of Pakistani civilians were “accidentally” killed by an American bomb that was intended for an Afghani target. This […]

Popularity: 31% [?]