Terrorism The World's Burden

            Terrorism is prominent in today’s world and affects a lot of countries. Last July, in Mumbai, at 3 populous places there were simultaneous bombings in which 27 people were killed and over a hundred were injured. A terror group called “Mujahidin” claimed blame for this break in peace. I believe a world free from such terrorism is worth fighting for.

Terrorism affects many countries and puts the lives of many innocents at stake. The US 9/11 official final death toll was placed at 2975 (CBS). 164 guests and police officers lost their lives in the 26/11 hotel hijackings in India.  The survivors from such attacks have mental and physical problems since the injuries are  not only limited to being physical, but the trauma of being in such a situation also leaves deep psychological wounds in survivors and their relatives. These wounds sometimes take too long to heal. These people suffered just because they were in a place where one or more persons wanted to cause havoc in revenge for a cause that they believed in, without realizing that these people may not have been the reason behind their problems. This human loss of life, the mental suffering and their consequences, that are reasons enough for fighting against terrorism. But they are not the only costs of terrorism.

            Terrorism also affects government spending because terrorist attacks end up damaging property and life causing the government to spend more on fixing the damage caused and in compensations. The government also has to spend a lot on terrorists who have been captured and imprisoned. For example, India has spent 31 crores on the terrorist Amir Ajmal Kasab, who was responsible for the attack on one of India’s busiest railway stations. The Indian government spends more money per day to just to keep him alive in their prison compared to what the average Indian worker earns. Countries and their governments also start worrying about protecting their country from future attacks and hence beef up their security budgets. The US spent  $7.6 trillion on defence and homeland security and $635.9 billion on homeland security in around 10 years after 9/11. That’s 7 times India’s GDP! Hence terrorism depletes countries economy by using up the funds that could go into constructive developmental work in improving healthcare and education that will go further into improving individual citizen’s income and standard of living. So that is another reason why freedom from terrorism is worth fighting for.

Also in countries where poverty is prevalent, desperate people sometimes turn to terrorism in the absence of paying jobs to employ them. For example, in Pakistan there was a car bomb in March9, 2011 killing 40 and injuring much more. On the tenth of January, 2012, there was another bombing that killed at least 30 and injured 78 more. The government has had to impose higher taxation to tackle terrorism and its consequences. This then causes much more hardship to the poor who are pushed deeper into poverty.  This vicious cycle of terrorism leading to poverty and poverty leading to terrorism is endless. Hence I believe that if we don’t put a stop to terrorism then the poor will get poorer.

We earlier saw how government spending is altered by terrorism. Now let’s see the hand of terrorism in further cutting off the incomes in a few countries. Terrorism makes people feel insecure causing them to stop going to tourist destinations such as Bali or Bombay, previously affected by terrorist threats. The number of tourists coming to Bali reduced by 32% after the 2002 Bali bombings reducing money coming in from foreign and local tourists to Bali. This incident was a great injury to Bali and Indonesia since tourism is a large part of Indonesia’s economy. Hence terrorism not only feeds on the economy and deranges their development but adds salt to the wound by reducing their income. This argument justifies fighting against terrorism.

            Therefore, terrorism feeds on a country’s economy, depletes its income and worsens poverty. The war against terrorism, to me, means a positive action that involves improving education and providing a good source of livelihood to all citizens of the world, without any disparity. To me, such a peaceful war against terrorism is worth fighting for.

Let there be peace instead of violence.

Robots In our Lives

In Japan, at an elementary school today there is a robot teaching math to students. This robot has motors that make it seem like it has facial expressions and she can speak in multiple languages. This robot is one step that Japan is taking to put robots in every day in the life of Japanese.  I believe that a world, in which robots replace the human touch in our lives, is not worth fighting for.            

A recent news segment reporting on people’s opinion of using robots at school had the following  to say about it- “(the robot) favouritism or get snappy, but isn't there something about human emotion-something no facial motors could ever replicate-that students are supposed to learn from a young age? If Saya (the teaching robot) gets rolled out to other schools, what would we be unintentionally depriving these children of?” Hence using robots as teachers will cause children to miss out on the essential emotional learning from the teachers. And, as is often expressed, this shows how humans cannot be replaced by robots, as teachers since they basically do not possess emotions that are key to humans.

Also, robots are not that effective in teaching humans because they can only teach what is told (written in the hard drive). An anonymous comment in a debate agrees with this thought and says, “It basically dictates according to the information stored. The fun and room-to-think-for-every-student is lost.” Each individual student has a particular learning style and hence needs a different teaching approach. “Teachers also need to adapt, learn, feel, engage with pupils, have experiences - some can even be friends to pupils.”  However when questioned on adaptability, the inventor of Saya responded to a journalist saying, “The robot has no intelligence. It has no ability to learn. It has no identity, it’s just a tool” In order to effectively teach one needs to have experiences and learn from them to connect with the children and to give them useful information that will help the student. Therefore, without such ability robots cannot take the place of teachers because they cannot connect with the students they teach.  

Given that robots don’t have our emotions, or our adaptability, when our everyday lives are affected by robots, I am afraid we could lose control of happenings. For example, if a robot becomes a President or a Prime Minister, will it know what to do in the event of natural/man induced distress? How risky would it be if computers were put in charge of affairs of nations? I dread to even think of such a situation where a robot without emotions or human adaptability to situations makes important decisions. Hence, you can see that robots can’t take the place of humans at a workplace or represent a country at a political level as appropriately as humans do.

Another reason why a world where robots take over our jobs is not worth fighting for is that robots just cost too much. The robot Saya costs about $51,000. This price tag comes for just a function of 700 words and 300 phrases. This amount could actually rope in better, professional teachers who would not only teach, but also connect with the students helping them with emotional growth. The handling costs would also be high for this robot. The da Vinci  surgery robot costs about $1.5 Million. Due to this steep price some nations cannot have this technology. Hence, robots in everyday life may be too expensive to deal with.

In 2010, robot sales almost doubled compared to 2009 to 118,337 units most of these robots were labour robots. On the contrary we look forward to convenience and freedom from hard-work. To conclude, while robots may make things a bit easier for us. They are way too expensive and do not possess emotional qualities or capacity for natural learning from situations that are needed to effectively replace humans. Hence, robots in everyday life, for decision making, teaching, or functions that require personal interaction, is not worth fighting for.

Smoking Leads to Coffin

“Smoking is hateful to the nose, harmful to the brain, and dangerous to the lungs.”

King James I. But man continues to smoke away his life and those near him. Lung cancer due to smoking is one of the top most killers in many countries. Hence today, world over, health organizations and governments speak with increased concern, and  encourages us to consider and abstain from smoking. I think a universal ban on smoking is worth being fought for.

A ban on smoking is important to fight for because smoking adversely affects health. An article in the BBC details the health effects of smoking. Smoking is known to cause diseases such as cancer and heart disease. Half of all smokers are said to die because of smoking related health issues. Children born to mothers who smoke or are exposed to smoke  may also have birth defects. Hence smoking is an issue that affects the health of not-only adults but babies that are not yet born.

Additionally, it is important to fight for a ban on smoking because  it shortens the life span of an individual that smokes excessively. Cigarettes contain more than 7000 chemicals that if digested can be lethal to the human body. Wikipedia says that when smoked, a single cigarette can shorten a lifespan by 11 minutes this is scary because if you are a heavy smoker you might easily have an early death. There are other reports that state that smoking shortens life by about ten years.

Moreover, when a law prohibiting smoking is not strictly enforced, even younger children are liable to start smoking. An disturbing video clip  in the abc news channel talks of the smoking habit of a two-year-old “smoking baby”! The post said that the baby is addicted to the cigarettes and had to be forced to  enter a rehabilitation center for de-addiction . If and when lots of young children take to smoking, it would be a big health hazard and the lifespan of these young adults would be shortened and that would be a great loss of their productive  years.

Without smoking, the world would be more healthier place and global life-spans would be longer than what they are today. This in turn can lead to a lot more constructive work.  I found the BBC’s article on smoking inspirational because it tells me more facts about smoking, a topic I am not well-versed with, but definitely wanted to know more about. Armed with this knowledge, I now know how to deal with smoking in my own life. And in future , I can influence my friends to kick the habit if they already do smoke or refrain from making that first fatal try.

Talking these days

Talking these days

Talking has been

Infected by a totally

Hip tone with

Declarative sentences

Attaching invisible question marks to themselves

YOU KNOW?

Speaking with conviction has

Become uncool

I challenge you

To know what you are talking about

The Fact is that

Society

has become the most

Inarticulate Generation

that

Disguises its uncertainty

In your own opinion

I implore you

to believe strongly

and

Question Authority

in a manner

that is aggressive

and don’t let

you limbs get

Chopped Down

by WISDOM

Corruption is the Heart of All Evil

“Experience has shown, that even under the best forms of government, those entrusted with power have, in time, and by slow operations, perverted it into tyranny.”  ― Thomas Jefferson

The Times of India has recently encouraged us Indians to step-up anti-corruption efforts by supporting the Citizen’s charter of “Jan Lokpal Bill” as against the one formatted by the government ruling party. This effort is encouraged since the original bill drafted by the government is very weak and does not ensure appropriate punishment for offenders. I think that freedom from corruption is worth being fought for.

It is important to fight against Corruption in India which ranks 87 out of 182 in the corruption ranking of the world since; corruption is holding India behind from the growth it could actually achieve. Implementing the “Jan Lokpal Bill “, the civil society’s version of the Bill, will allow us to “redress citizen's grievances, protect whistle-blowers and more importantly, deter corruption” .If this is achieved then India will reach greater heights and the life of all Indian citizens will be much easier and happier.

Additionally, it is important to support anti-corruption efforts because it will put an end to the injustice to those affected by corruption. Unfortunately corruption is known to affect people from the lower and middle economic class sections of the society. Getting justice allows us to give money to those who need it because the bill would then penalize the corrupt person and free the money for good and important uses like infrastructure, education and health care services. These three sectors are where the government spends the most money and where corruption is at its peak. If this bill is not passed the vital money for these developmental services would reduce from the portion that is being allocated thus giving a better reason for the bill to be passed. An editorial appearing in the newspaper “The Hindu” says that the “Lokpal bill (that) will allow for impartial and effective inquiries into complaints against public officials.”

Without corruption, India would be developed and problems due to unequal distribution of money would be solved. With development come growth, opportunities and prosperity for all Indians. I found the articles in the  “Times of India” and “The Hindu” inspirational because it’s articles was very compelling, dissident and garnessed support for a second freedom for Independence in India, a freedom not from colonizers but from an evil that is rampant in the society.

  

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-08-18/india/29900237_1_lokpal-bill-ombudsman-corruption-in-public-life
http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/article1628437.ece

The Key to Success: Education

The emphasis laid on the principle of spending every minute of one’s life usefully is the best education for citizenship.”- Gandhi.

If given an opportunity to begin a New World, I hope that its citizens would receive a well-rounded education. Education is important because it imparts physical and mental skills on many different levels. Education helps improves survival and therefore paves way for better health and wealth. Also a really educated mind is also at peace knowing how to rightly deal with problems. All knowledge and skills of a society are passed down from previous generation to the next through the process of education. Hence it is the key to a society’s success and sustenance for it is an element that primarily differentiates man from beast. Let’s see a few examples of how I think education would be of use in the New World.

Firstly, education helps improves ones knowledge of survival and improves basic necessities (food, clothing, and shelter) so that they are available at ease. With improved techniques in farming, agriculture, textiles and building technology more of quality food, clothing and housing is made available to people. Availability of good food, clothing and shelter supports health. Also in the “New World” for example, ill -health can be treated by a doctor who has had schooling in medical science. Most simple illnesses can be corrected with the right medications. The knowledge that the doctors need to find the right medication is imparted through the education he/she received at the medical school. Correct knowledge of surgeries can correct most other illnesses that cannot be treated with just medicines. From this, we can see that survival and health is achieved through education.

Secondly, education provides good fortune, which comes through good jobs. For example, good education gives the learner better skills and so they get better jobs with higher salaries. Education can also make man find opportunities that create work and jobs for himself and many others. In this process education therefore helps to create more jobs and more fortune for everyone.

 Thirdly, education teaches us how to rightly deal with certain situations those challenge us. At a very simple level, knowledge in basic math and science is useful for everyday life problems. For instance arithmetic teaches us to deal with money or to measure gas to fill in our automobile’s tanks.  For a ‘New World’ learning from the previous is crucial for success as one can learn from history's success and failure. Everyday news helps us learn about what happens in the rest of the world and how they deal with their problems. The news then educates us on how we can use their solutions for our problems. Without this crucial exchange of information and learning, the world would be divided into different parts each on different levels. 

Furthermore, because ignorance can be the root of all evil, moral education teaches man to define what is right and what is wrong, so that he does not harm himself and others around him. All other knowledge will perish if humans don’t care for each other. Gandhi once rightly claimed, “The emphasis laid on the principle of spending every minute of one’s life usefully is the best education for citizenship.” - meaning that if people made sure that every minute they spent was useful then it is the best knowledge for citizenship. People who constantly make right choices make up a great society.

           

Importantly, as mentioned earlier education passes down a society’s knowledge skill and values from previous generation to the next. If this process is stopped, everybody then starts from scratch and not much progress can happen. Without education, the New World would be in regression. People won’t have the same amenities like today. Therefore, if given the opportunity to begin a New World, I would hope the society would be built around well-rounded education that would ensure good citizenship among its enlightened occupants.

Hunger Games

The Hunger Games is a book about the future of North America. In this book, North America is called Panem and it is divided into districts. The games are a tribute to the country and children are forced to fight against each other and victor is the last person standing in the fight. We chose a ticket to introduce the games and it’s setting to the viewers and to create an interest. This is a “gold class ticket” we have created for the Hunger Games. The ticket details the events and it has the map of the arena. The ticket makes the viewers realize that the game could go on indefinitely. We further chose quotes to show the significant aspects of the games. These quotes from Chapter 15 tells us a lot about Katniss, the main character of the story and her interaction with her friends, Reeta and Gale. Asuka and I also created imaginary IM tweets of how the players would communicate with each other in the games. This we thought would take the games closer to the readers and make them understand the characters in a short span of time. The tweets between Katniss and Rue provide glimpses of events occurring in the story and how they made an alliance. They talk about supplies they both had to survive the games. In doing this project we were able to appreciate the book more and I felt how hard it is to create a story. I hope these visual items that we have taken pains to create with vivid colours, different textures, images and text fonts will make you read the book too!