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Politics : Idea Of The Day -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: IQBAL LATIF who wrote (44117)	5/1/2003 9:46:47 AM
From: IQBAL LATIF	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 50167

Einstein and Newton showed signs of autism 19:00 30 April 03 Exclusive from New Scientist Print Edition They were certainly geniuses, but did Albert Einstein and Isaac Newton also have autism? According to autism expert Simon Baron-Cohen, they might both have shown many signs of Asperger syndrome, a form of the condition that does not cause learning difficulties. Although he admits that it is impossible to make a definite diagnosis for someone who is no longer living, Baron-Cohen says he hopes this kind of analysis can shed light on why some people with autism excel in life, while others struggle. Autism is heritable, and there are clues that the genes for autism are linked to those that confer a talent for grasping complex systems - anything from computer programs to musical techniques. Mathematicians, engineers and physicists, for instance, tend to have a relatively high rate of autism among their relatives. Baron-Cohen, who is based at Cambridge University, and mathematician Ioan James of Oxford University assessed the personality traits of Newton and Einstein to see if they exhibited three key symptoms of Asperger syndrome: obsessive interests, difficulty in social relationships, and problems communicating. Newton seems like a classic case. He hardly spoke, was so engrossed in his work that he often forgot to eat, and was lukewarm or bad-tempered with the few friends he had. If no one turned up to his lectures, he gave them anyway, talking to an empty room. He had a nervous breakdown at 50, brought on by depression and paranoia. Repeated sentences As a child, Einstein was also a loner, and repeated sentences obsessively until he was seven years old. He became a notoriously confusing lecturer. And despite the fact that he made intimate friends, had numerous affairs and was outspoken on political issues, Baron-Cohen suspects that he too showed signs of Asperger syndrome. "Passion, falling in love and standing up for justice are all perfectly compatible with Asperger syndrome," he says. "What most people with AS find difficult is casual chatting - they can't do small-talk." Glen Elliott, a psychiatrist from the University of California at San Francisco, is not convinced. He says attempting to diagnose on the basis of biographical information is extremely unreliable, and points out that any behaviour can have various causes. He thinks being highly intelligent would itself have shaped Newton and Einstein's personalities. "One can imagine geniuses who are socially inept and yet not remotely autistic," he says. "Impatience with the intellectual slowness of others, narcissism and passion for one's mission in life might combine to make such an individuals isolative and difficult." Elliott adds that Einstein had a good sense of humour, a trait that is virtually unknown in people with severe Asperger syndrome. But Baron-Cohen thinks the idea is still worth considering - there may be certain niches in society where people with AS can flourish for their strengths rather than their social skills, he says. "This condition can make people depressed or suicidal, so if we can find out how to make things easier for them, that's worthwhile." Hazel Muir

To: IQBAL LATIF who wrote (44117)	5/1/2003 11:23:25 AM
From: IQBAL LATIF	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 50167

dawn.com <>Pakistan third in the world (behind the United States and Switzerland) in seizing terrorist assets, AFP reported. (May be because that had so many!! ggg my comments..) US lauds Pakistan's cooperation WASHINGTON, April 30: A new US report released on Wednesday termed Pakistan a "key" anti-terror ally, and ranked Pakistan third in the world (behind the United States and Switzerland) in seizing terrorist assets, AFP reported. The Patterns of Global Terrorism Report for 2002 lauded Pakistan's cooperation in the US anti-terror campaign stating, "Pakistan remained a key ally in the anti-terrorism effort, offering support to US operations in Afghanistan, implementing close law enforcement cooperation and cracking down on domestic extremists." The report praised Pakistan as a "vital partner in the global coalition against terrorism," noting that President Pervez Musharraf's government had banned five extremist organizations including Lashkar-e-Taiba (LT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JEM). It noted Pakistan's arrest of former Taliban and Al Qaeda operatives who fled into its territory from Afghanistan and Islamabad's cooperation following terror attacks against US citizens and interests. Our Correspondent adds: Several Pakistani and Kashmir organizations are on a list of 36 terrorist outfits the US State Department named on Wednesday. The annual report on "patterns of global terrorism" also includes 38 other terrorist groups that were identified in the previous report as well. The Pakistani and Kashmiri groups named on the list include Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Jhangiv, Sipah-e-Sahaba, Lashkar-e-Tayyaba, Hezbul Mujahideen, Harkatul Mujahideen and Al-Badr Mujahideen. An Iranian group, Mujahideen-e-Khalq, also remains on the list although Iran recently claimed that the United States was negotiating a deal with this group to use it against the government in Tehran. Afghan leader Gulbadin Hekmatyar's Hezb-e-Islami also made it to the list along with other armed movements around the globe, such as the Tamil Tigers, the Basque separatists, the Shinning Path. But the largest bunch of the groups designated as terrorists belong to the Middle East, particularly those fighting the Israelis in Palestine. This includes such big names as Hamas, Hizbollah and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine as well as splinter groups that separated from larger organizations, such as the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade. The Egyptian al-Jihad and Jemaah Islamiya are there. So is the Kurdistan Workers Party, which has carried out terrorist attacks in Turkey in the past. An Iraqi religious group, Ansar ul Islam, shares the list with the Muslim movements of Turkestan and Uzbekistan. Last year's biggest name, Al Qaeda, is sandwiched between PFLP (General Command) and the Real IRA. The original IRA is also there, but Middle Eastern and Muslim groups keep popping up under every heading. Even groups previously unheard of, such as the Salafist Group for Call and Combat, have not been missed. Harakat ul-Jihad Islami is there along with Harakat ul-Jihad Islami (Bangladesh).