Archives October 2012

Someone has rightly said: "If wealth is lost; nothing is lost. If wealth is lost, nothing is lost. If character is lost, everything is lost." Thus, if we lose health, we lose something. Of course, it’s not wise to lose even 'something'. So, we must take great care of health. In advanced countries, people enjoy very good health. It is because they are health-conscious. They compel their governments to spend a major part of the budget on health measures for the common people. India is a developing country. People here are not as health-conscious as in developed countries. The Indian government provides only a meager amount for health purposes in the annual budget. Fortunately, there has been a slight change after Nobel Laureate Dr. Amartya Sen declared emphatically that no country could progress in real terms until sound measures are taken to provide education and health services even to the more...

"India is the cradle of human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of human history, the grandmother of legend and the great grandmother of tradition," thus said Mark Twain. The rich and composite Indian civilization is more than 4,500 years old. It has a glorious history where one of the world's greatest civilization was cradled and nurtured. It is the melting pot of all the religions of the world where everything is assimilated in the large-hearted Indian character as its own. India is the land where everything is a way of life and full of life. It is a civilization united by its diversity more heterogeneous than any other country in the world, India is a land of great diversity. Four of the major racial groups met and merged in the Indian society and as a result there is a complex demographic profile in the Indian society. The more...

Last year, two Cloverdale teenagers pleaded guilty to federal charges. What did they do that the FBI raided their homes and seized their computers? They hacked into Pentagon computer systems. These two teenagers, Machiavelli and Too Short, were also suspected of breaking into computer sat universities, government agencies and military bases. This example and many others fallow the increase of hackers and their crimes over the years. In another story that is similar to the story thong Machiavelli and Too Short, from a BBC News lorry, Hackers target Naas and Pentagon, an international group of computer hackers broke into Pentagon computer systems and also seedily had stolen key software from Naas. The group consisted of eight Americans, five British and two Russians. They called themselves the “Masters of Downloading.” They were considering selling the information to international terrorist groups or foreign governments. The number of hacker related rimes seems to more...

The word 'caste' is not an Indian one but originates from the Portuguese word 'casta' (breed or race). The Sanskrit word used for groupings is Varna, which was often interpreted to signify colour In a verse from the first millennium epic, the Mahabharata, Bhrigu, the sage explains: "The Brahmins are fair, the Kshatriyas are reddish, the Vaishyas yellow and the Sudras are black"—in simplified terms what the caste system is all about—a stratified and hierarchical socio-economic organization of society (with its own social order, moral and ritual codes), that evolved with India's ancient civilizations, and absorbed the nomadic, Sanskrit speaking Aryan populations who crossed the mountain passes from the steppes of Central Asia and settled in Northern India. The ancient Hindus, literally meaning the people of the valley of the Indus river, soon took on functions and specializations that had little to do with tilling the soil. The four castes more...

Teachers have the very important responsibility of shaping the lives of young, impressionable children. With this responsibility comes great pride and joy. Therefore all teachers should strive for what can be considered to be a "good teacher." A good teacher can be defined as someone who always pushes students to want to do their best while at the same time trying to make learning interesting as well as creative. Positive or negative influences from a teacher early on in life can have a great effect on the life of a child. Teachers, especially at the elementary level, must be very creative with their teaching styles. Not every child learns the same way, nor are they interested in the same things. It is difficult to keep the attention of 15-20 children under the age of ten.  Classroom setup and design is a good way to get and keep the attention of more...

"A house divided against itself cannot stand together" is an old saying and it holds true in the present context of increasing communal disharmony in the society as these dividing forces weaken and mutilate the society. The culture, civilization and tradition of India is approximately 12,000 years old. The spirit of tolerance and assimilation has made it possible for our civilization to survive the test of time. But with passage of time, the growing attachment to one's own ethnic, religious, racial or cultural group rather than being a part of a wider circle of the entire social milieu, has posed one of the gravest problems of modern times. Somehow with the increase in science and technology, the man who should have opened up to assimilation and integration has receded into his own cells and has become more conservative and protective towards his own culture and community. Fear, suspicion and insecurity more...

Good manners are the first mark of good breeding and reflect directly on a person’s upbringing. I have been given a very simple criterion for judging manners — good manners are based on consideration for other people. Tact, diplomacy and hospitality—all these are based on good manners. For or instance, take table manners You are not supposed to put your elbows on the table whilef.il in because it doesn't allow enough space forllx1 person who is sitting next to you. Similarly, it is important for you to respond to someone who wishes you 'good morning' or says 'Neonate', even if it a stranger. If you do not return the greeting, the stranger will feel insulted and will not greet others easily again. I’ or parents and teachers, there is one simple norm - do not tolerate bad manners. Give incentives and affection in return for good mummers. But do not more...

Today's child is a citizen of tomorrow. The condition of a child foretells the future of any society or nation. Children are the real mirrors of the society—the quality of life of a child reflects how progressive a society is. With the dawn of the twenty first century, one of the problems prevalent globally is the problem of child labour. Millions of children in the world have been forced into child labour owing either to non-schooling or due to dropping out from the school at an early age. Child labour may be defined as one who has not yet attained the age of 14 years and whose physical, mental and social development has suffered due to his pre-mature employment. Children make up 36% of the country's total population. We might boast of being the largest democracy on account of numbers, but we definitely don't seem to be the greatest one. more...

Ever since independence, the question of rejection or retention of English as a subject of study has been agitating the public mind in India. People believed that English would soon go with the departure of the British from India forever. But, English has rooted itself deeply in the Indian soil. It is spoken widely and serves as a link between the people speaking different regional languages .A Bengali-speaking man speaks English for expressing his ideas and feelings in South and similarly the people of Southern India speak English in Eastern India, as they do not understand Bengali. Thus, on account of the large number of regional languages, English continues to be the language of greater significance and use. English is losing its hold over India day by day. According to the Constitution of India, Hindi, in the denary script has been the official language of the union since 1950. But, more...

How many times have you felt that your parents don't understand you, and have no respect for you as an individual? How often do you shake your head in frustration unable to get your point across to your parents? Parents! They are like aliens from another planet altogether! You and they are in different camps; strangers forced to live under the same roof Right? Wrong! There is a way of bridging what appears to be a yawning chasm. If you genuinely want to improve your relationship with your parents (and give them a big shock in the bargain!) try listening to them, just like you would listen to a valued friend. Instead of always whining, "You don't understand me", stop and think. Do you ever try and understand them? Parents are under a tot of stress too. When we are worrying about our upcoming Maths exam, they are worrying about more...