Crow's Nest...

Leiden Centraal IV    when you are up for more than 48 hours (include my pre departure hours full of glee and expectations) it is not usual to go see the city instantaneously. My case differs_it differs in many other ways too that you don't want to know. First things first I went to the registration desk, which was closed. Had to dump my baggage at the hotel so I did that as quickly as I could. The urge to get out and see around over took the sleep deprived centres of brain that wanted to lullaby me into sleep.    Leiden is a student city just like the ones you are so accustomed to in America. But it is not a large city just like most of the European cities. I almost traversed the two corners of the city within 3 hours of my strolling on the cold windy streets of the city. The first thing that impresses me is the architecture of the place. Truly domesticated yet touch of modernity. Traditional in its own right yet subtle touches of fast track. Ea...

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Four     Hatim al Assam , "I have chosen four things to know and have discarded all the knowledge in the world besides." "One", he answered, "is this: I know that my daily bread is apportioned to me, and will neither be increased nor diminshed; consequently I have ceased to seek to augment it. Secondly I know that I owe to God a debt which no other person can pay instead of me; therefore I am occupied with paying it. Thirdly, I know that there is one pursuing me( i.e. death) from whom I can't escape; accordingly I have prepared myself to meet him. Fourthly, I know that God is observing me; therefore I am ashamed to do what I ought not."

Eid Milad un Nabi Mabrook

Open access Articles.    For students like myself who are not able to afford exorbitantly high subscription rates of scientific journals open access journals is the way to go. The idea that high costs prevent some of the people from accessing published research is forwarded by the proponents of open access policy. On the other hand however the opponents argue that if open access is promoted this might lead to decrease in the quality of research thus published. This could probably be due to many reasons. Journals pay the reviewers to review articles. They are incentive driven. Capital competition is present even in this field. Thus readers must pay for what they read.    I have a different idea. I believe that no one has a birth right to knowledge. And that the benefits of research are in essence derived from access to research results. If the lot is not able to find out what you have done what is the purpose of what you have done in the first plac...

Leiden Centraal III.    Not that I am feeling really great and in top form these days but still I have to write for those wandering visitors and continue what I started two posts earlier. The Schipol airport, as it is called, is a pretty big one especially for a new comer like me. But even then it doesn't deny you the same feeling that all other international airports in the western world provide you with. I haven't been to many, I must admit, yet to those where I have been I could see the stark sidelining of the third world airliners into one part of the airport. This time around the area was to be the part of airport called docking bay E. My plane landed and docked at E04. After disembarking the plane the very first thing that I did was get some change for the rest of my journey, which wasn't difficult to get on the airport. The immigration officer took extra time screening a young student travelling from one of the most notorious Muslim countries in the world. ...