The
inefficient power supply.
Since
3 days back, lights have been going off frequently. Say from 7:00 in the
morning to 5:00 in the evening. Reasons stated are not clear. These power
outages have caused nothing but great distress from all corners of the country.
A lot of chaos is arising everywhere. People can no longer turn on fridges or
other stuffs. People wake up from their sleeps covered in sweat like they never
bathed.
These
power outages are becoming outrageous and if nothing fast is done about it, we
will all break down. Machines have broken down and so many other things are
happening. Some serious deliberations should be done in other to avoid serious
deadly consequences.
The
Concept OF “it is too late”.
The
concept “it is too late” is a concept that should not exist. It is a devil’s
saying. One must not give up so easily just because see something axiomatic
that shows it is. You must thrive for success even in the most stubborn
situation. It is abstruse when one gets up late for work, late for school and
other situations and says it is too late. Giving up easily is one of the ways
the devil easily makes his way into you. It
addles me when I think sometimes that maybe the world would have been better
off if there was no time. Because people keep on abusing it. Let us stop the
ruckus and neglect the concept “it is too late” changing it to “it is never too
late”.
The End
Justifies the Means
“The
end justifies the means” is a phrase used that depicts the fact that the result
of something is determined or found out at the end. Everything in life has a
beginning and an end. Whether a good or bad ending, it all comes out at the
end.
The phrase is esoteric. The whole phrase
is wreathed around the fact that with anything you do, for the result you have
to wait till the end. This phrase can also be used as a way to advice or put
knowledge into a person as it seeks to express wisdom on its own. This phrase
is indubitable. It is significantly true that every result comes at the end of
everything. We must learn to respect this phrase for it alone can save lives.
PW BOTHA"S
P W Botha: The Black People are Inferior
The following is a speech made by former South African President P.W. Botha to his Cabinet. This reprint was written by David G. Mailu for the Sunday Times, a South African newspaper, dated August 18, 1985.
"Pretoria has been made by the White mind for the White man. We are not obliged even the least to try to prove to anybody and to the Blacks that we are superior people. We have demonstrated that to the Blacks in a thousand and one ways. The Republic of South Africa that we know of today has not been created by wishful thinking. We have created it at the expense of intelligence, sweat and blood. Were they Afrikaners who tried to eliminate the Australian Aborigines? Are they Afrikaners who discriminate against Blacks and call them Nigge*rs in the States? Were they Afrikaners who started the slave trade? Where is the Black man appreciated? England discriminates against its Black and their "Sus" law is out to discipline the Blacks. Canada, France, Russia, and Japan all play their discrimination too. Why in the hell then is so much noise made about us? Why are they biased against us? I am simply trying to prove to you all that there is nothing unusual we are doing that the so called civilized worlds are not doing. We are simply an honest people who have come out aloud with a clear philosophy of how we want to live our own White life.
We do not pretend like other Whites that we like Blacks. The fact that, Blacks look like human beings and act like human beings do not necessarily make them sensible human beings. Hedgehogs are not porcupines and lizards are not crocodiles simply because they look alike. If God wanted us to be equal to the Blacks, he would have created us all of a uniform colour and intellect. But he created us differently: Whites, Blacks, Yellow, Rulers and the ruled. Intellectually, we are superior to the Blacks; that has been proven beyond any reasonable doubt over the years.
I believe that the Afrikaner is an honest, God fearing person, who has demonstrated practically the right way of being. Nevertheless, it is comforting to know that behind the scenes, Europe, America, Canada, Australia -and all others are behind us in spite of what they say. For diplomatic relations, we all know what language should be used and where. To prove my point, Comrades, does anyone of you know a White country without an investment or interest in South Africa? Who buys our gold? Who buys our diamonds? Who trades with us? Who is helping us develop other nuclear weapon? The very truth is that we are their people and they are our people. It's a big secret. The strength of our economy is backed by America, Britain, and Germany. It is our strong conviction, therefore, that the Black is the raw material for the White man. So Brothers and Sisters, let us join hands together to fight against this Black devil. I appeal to all Afrikaners to come out with any creative means of fighting this war. Surely God cannot forsake his own people whom we are. By now every one of us has seen it practically that the Blacks cannot rule themselves. Give them guns and they will kill each other. They are good in nothing else but making noise, dancing, marrying many wives and indulging in sex. Let us all accept that the Black man is the symbol of poverty, mental inferiority, laziness and emotional incompetence. Isn't it plausible, therefore that the White man is created to rule the Black man? Come to think of what would happen one day if you woke up and on the throne sat a Kaff*ir! Can you imagine what would happen to our women? Does anyone of you believe that the Blacks can rule this country?
Hence, we have good reasons to let them all-the Mandelas-rot in prison, and I think we should be commended for having kept them alive in spite of what we have at hand with which to finish them off. I wish to announce a number of new strategies that should be put to use to destroy this Black bug. We should now make use of the chemical weapon. Priority number one, we should not by all means allow any more increases of the Black population lest we be choked very soon. I have exciting news that our scientists have come with an efficient stuff. I am sending out more researchers to the field to identify as many venues as possible where the chemical weapons could be employed to combat any further population increases. The hospital is a very strategic opening, for example and should be fully utilized. The food supply channel should be used. We have developed excellent slow killing poisons and fertility destroyers. Our only fear is in case such stuff came in to their hands as they are bound to start using it against us if you care to think of the many Blacks working for us in our houses.
However, we are doing the best we can to make sure that the stuff remains strictly in our hands. Secondly, most Blacks are vulnerable to money inducements. I have set aside a special fund to exploit this venue. The old trick of divide and rule is still very valid today. Our experts should work day and night to set the Black man against his fellowman. His inferior sense of morals can be exploited beautifully. And here is a creature that lacks foresight. There is a need for us to combat him in long term projections that he cannot suspect. The average Black does not plan his life beyond a year: that stance, for example, should be exploited. My special department is already working round the clock to come out with a long-term operation blueprint. I am also sending a special request to all Afrikaner mothers to double their birth rate. It may be necessary too to set up a population boom industry by putting up centres where we employ and support fully White young men and women to produce children for the nation. We are also investigating the merit of uterus rentals as a possible means of speeding up the growth of our population through surrogate mothers.
For the time being, we should also engage a higher gear to make sure that Black men are separated from their women and fines imposed upon married wives who bear illegitimate children. I have a committee working on finding better methods of inciting Blacks against each other and encouraging murders among themselves. Murder cases among Blacks should bear very little punishment in order to encourage them.
My scientists have come up with a drug that could be smuggled into their brews to effect slow poisoning results and fertility destruction. Working through drinks and manufacturing of soft drinks geared to the Blacks, could promote the channels of reducing their population. Ours is not a war that we can use the atomic bomb to destroy the Blacks, so we must use our intelligence to affect this. The person-to-person encounter can be very effective.
As the records show that the Black man is dying to go to bed with the White woman, here is our unique opportunity. Our Sex Mercenary Squad should go out and camouflage with Apartheid Fighters while doing their operations quietly administering slow killing poison and fertility destroyers to those Blacks they thus befriend. We are modifying the Sex Mercenary Squad by introducing White men who should go for the militant Black woman and any other vulnerable Black woman. We have received a new supply of Love Peddlers from Europe and America who are desperate and too keen to take up the appointments.
My latest appeal is that the maternity hospital operations should be intensified. We are not paying those people to help bring Black babies to this world but to eliminate them on the very delivery moment. If this department worked very efficiently, a great deal could be achieved.
My Government has set aside a special fund for erecting more covert hospitals and clinics to promote this programme. Money can do anything for you. So while we have it, we should make the best use of it. In the meantime my beloved White citizens, do not take to heart what the world says, and don't be ashamed of being called racists. I do not mind being called the architect and King of Apartheid. I shall not become a monkey simply because someone has called me a monkey. I will still remain your bright star,
His Excellency Botha
Importance
of Education
Education refers to the
process of acquiring knowledge by learning and instruction. Education is the
future of the world. It is axiomatic that education is the life leading factor
among everything. No matter the status quo of a person or place, no one should
be defined or have his or her education admonished. Being erudite and eloquent
earns respect; recognition and higher grade point averages and increase your
knowledge and vocabulary.
Some
may call this clairvoyance, but the truth is, clairvoyance has made so many
people great. People who even thought they were clairvoyant. It is esoteric as
to why education is treasured by the understanding but once you grasp it, you
will know it should not be joked with. One must try to be educated formally or
informally as to equip them with the know-how and wherewithal to prosper in
life.
Over
the decade, our educational reforms and its component parts including the
laudable Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education (fCUBE) has been a spectacular
failure. Nonetheless, we still display gross happy-go-lucky attitude to the
realities on the ground. What is the nemesis of our educational policies? My
view is not far from yours.
The biggest enemy of our educational policies
is politics. It is time we made the education sector completely independent of
all forms of political miasma. The political-manifesto-to-and-fro policies of
our education are doing us a great disservice as a developing country.
We need resilient, strategic and futuristic
educational policies with no-nonsense law to ensure that it is not toyed on
grounds of mere fulfillment of campaign promises. These persistent and needless
rejig to the policies are not only wasteful to our constraint resources but
thrash the educational system to utter higgledy-piggledy – no bearing.
Education is a right, and to make the right
realistic, government needs to sub vent more funds in the name of subsidies to
our educational institutions to avert the mass exodus of students from schools,
especially at the tertiary level. Any attempt to reduce government subvention
to education will be perfectly chaotic from all angles.
Education is not all about structures; but the
core values needed to help propel our society into a near perfect place. There
is burgeoning of educational structures across the length and breadth of Ghana
This
issue of education should be deliberated over to extract all the truths and
merits cloaking it in the minds of people. Education is the inaugural stage of
life. What you do with it determines the outcome in future. Being astute is
thinking of how to further your education.
Do
not let your education be apocryphal. You should be in the tutelage of good
hands. Let your education be your strength. Hone education because it is
immaculate. It helps to avoid speaking or doing anything ad lib. Make yourself
a simpatico person not a precarious situation.
Make
education top of your priorities. Antipathy for education is a cause for doom.
Created by elisha
Volume
1.
MY
JOURNEY WITH GRANDPA
Today the 23rd of February 2013 was a very
tiring and fagged. Everything went well and smoothly. At school getting to the
end of the day Grandpa my BDT teacher took me along with a few of my friends.
We helped him with everything. It was fun. We enjoyed conversations whilst
working and I learnt about a new place. The day was ok and my journey with him
was an eye-opener.
Increased carnage on roads in recent times.
Road carnage can also be referred to as road accidents. They
are a great cause of worry in our societies. The deplorable nature of the road
has caused a lot of catastrophes and chaos everywhere. So many things cause
road carnages. Some of which include portholes, unclear road signs, neglecting
of law etc.
Portholes destroys roads. Portholes
are said to be a major factor as to why roads get covered in blood. The holes
cause a disruption in the rider’s path which causes too much damage. Portholes
are caused by fatigue on road surfaces.
They exacerbate motion on road and cause a lot of damage.
Also, the marks on the roads which
divide the road into two as well as the road from the pedestrian’s lane is
depleting. The mark can no longer be seen clearly. Some people ride or drive
without knowing whether they are on the right path or not. The inadequacy of
road signs and markings all make a head way in accident causing.
In addition to the previous causes,
disregard for the norms of riding and driving also cause major collisions.
Riding without helmets, careless overtaking and over speeding cause carnages.
Some effects of these carnages
include loss of property and most feared- loss of death.
In
addressing this issue, we must take the best and safest methods required to rid
us of this curse of death.
Methods such as enforcing law and
order in societies, re-marking the roads, and motivating youth to help fill
portholes around.
Barack Obama's Victory Speech 2012
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much. (Sustained cheers,
applause.)
Tonight, more than 200 years after a former colony won the
right to determine its own destiny, the task of perfecting our union moves
forward. (Cheers, applause.)
It moves forward because of you. It moves forward because
you reaffirmed the spirit that has triumphed over war and depression, the
spirit that has lifted this country from the depths of despair to the great
heights of hope, the belief that while each of us will pursue our own
individual dreams, we are an American family, and we rise or fall together as
one nation and as one people. (Cheers, applause.)
Tonight, in this election, you, the American people,
reminded us that while our road has been hard, while our journey has been long,
we have picked ourselves up, we have fought our way back, and we know in our
hearts that for the United States of America, the best is yet to come.
(Cheers, applause.) I want to thank every American who
participated in this election. (Cheers, applause.) Whether you voted for the
very first time (cheers) or waited in line for a very long time (cheers) – by
the way, we have to fix that – (cheers, applause) – whether you pounded the
pavement or picked up the phone (cheers, applause), whether you held an Obama
sign or a Romney sign, you made your voice heard and you made a difference.
(Cheers, applause.)
I just spoke with Governor Romney and I congratulated him
and Paul Ryan on a hard-fought campaign. (Cheers, applause.) We may have
battled fiercely, but it's only because we love this country deeply and we care
so strongly about its future. From George to Lenore to their son Mitt, the
Romney family has chosen to give back to America through public service. And
that is a legacy that we honour and applaud tonight. (Cheers, applause.) In the
weeks ahead, I also look forward to sitting down with Governor Romney to talk
about where we can work together to move this country forward.
(Cheers, applause.)
I want to thank my friend and partner of the last four
years, America's happy warrior, the best vice-president anybody could ever hope
for, Joe Biden. (Cheers, applause.)
And I wouldn't be the man I am today without the woman who
agreed to marry me 20 years ago. (Cheers, applause.) Let me say this publicly.
Michelle, I have never loved you more. (Cheers, applause.) I have never been
prouder to watch the rest of America fall in love with you too as our nation's
first lady. (Cheers, applause.)
Sasha and Malia – (cheers, applause) – before our very eyes,
you're growing up to become two strong, smart, beautiful young women, just like
your mom. (Cheers, applause.) And I am so proud of you guys. But I will say
that, for now, one dog's probably enough. (Laughter.)
To the best campaign team and volunteers in the history of
politics – (cheers, applause) – the best – the best ever – (cheers, applause) –
some of you were new this time around, and some of you have been at my side
since the very beginning.
(Cheers, applause.) But all of you are family. No matter
what you do or where you go from here, you will carry the memory of the history
we made together. (Cheers, applause.) And you will have the lifelong
appreciation of a grateful president. Thank you for believing all the way –
(cheers, applause) – to every hill, to every valley. (Cheers, applause.) You
lifted me up the whole day, and I will always be grateful for everything that
you've done and all the incredible work that you've put in. (Cheers, applause.)
I know that political campaigns can sometimes seem small,
even silly. And that provides plenty of fodder for the cynics who tell us that
politics is nothing more than a contest of egos or the domain of special
interests. But if you ever get the chance to talk to folks who turned out at
our rallies and crowded along a rope line in a high school gym or – or saw
folks working late at a campaign office in some tiny county far away from home,
you'll discover something else.
You'll hear the determination in the voice of a young field
organiser who's working his way through college and wants to make sure every
child has that same opportunity. (Cheers, applause.) You'll hear the pride in
the voice of a volunteer who's going door to door because her brother was
finally hired when the local auto plant added another shift. (Cheers,
applause.)
You'll hear the deep patriotism in the voice of a military
spouse who's working the phones late at night to make sure that no one who
fights for this country ever has to fight for a job or a roof over their head
when they come home. (Cheers, applause.)
That's why we do this. That's what politics can be. That's
why elections matter. It's not small, it's big. It's important. Democracy in a
nation of 300 million can be noisy and messy and complicated. We have our own
opinions. Each of us has deeply held beliefs. And when we go through tough
times, when we make big decisions as a country, it necessarily stirs passions,
stirs up controversy. That won't change after tonight. And it shouldn't. These
arguments we have are a mark of our liberty, and we can never forget that as we
speak, people in distant nations are risking their lives right now just for a
chance to argue about the issues that matter – (cheers, applause) – the chance
to cast their ballots like we did today.
But despite all our differences, most of us share certain
hopes for America's future.
We want our kids to grow up in a country where they have
access to the best schools and the best teachers – (cheers, applause) – a
country that lives up to its legacy as the global leader in technology and discovery
and innovation – (scattered cheers, applause) – with all of the good jobs and
new businesses that follow.
We want our children to live in an America that isn't
burdened by debt, that isn't weakened up by inequality, that isn't threatened
by the destructive power of a warming planet. (Cheers, applause.)
We want to pass on a country that's safe and respected and
admired around the world, a nation that is defended by the strongest military
on Earth and the best troops this – this world has ever known – (cheers,
applause) – but also a country that moves with confidence beyond this time of
war to shape a peace that is built on the promise of freedom and dignity for
every human being.
We believe in a generous America, in a compassionate
America, in a tolerant America open to the dreams of an immigrant's daughter
who studies in our schools and pledges to our flag – (cheers, applause) – to
the young boy on the south side of Chicago who sees a life beyond the nearest
street corner – (cheers, applause) – to the furniture worker's child in North
Carolina who wants to become a doctor or a scientist, an engineer or an
entrepreneur, a diplomat or even a president.
That's the – (cheers, applause) – that's the future we hope
for.
(Cheers, applause.) That's the vision we share. That's where
we need to go – forward. (Cheers, applause.) That's where we need to go.
(Cheers, applause.)
Now, we will disagree, sometimes fiercely, about how to get
there. As it has for more than two centuries, progress will come in fits and
starts. It's not always a straight line. It's not always a smooth path. By
itself, the recognition that we have common hopes and dreams won't end all the
gridlock, resolve all our problems or substitute for the painstaking work of
building consensus and making the difficult compromises needed to move this
country forward.
But that common bond is where we must begin. Our economy is
recovering. A decade of war is ending. (Cheers, applause.) A long campaign is
now over. (Cheers, applause.) And whether I earned your vote or not, I have
listened to you. I have learned from you. And you've made me a better
president. And with your stories and your struggles, I return to the White
House more determined and more inspired than ever about the work there is to do
and the future that lies ahead. (Cheers, applause.)
Tonight you voted for action, not politics as usual.
(Cheers, applause.) You elected us to focus on your jobs, not ours.
And in the coming weeks and months, I am looking forward to
reaching out and working with leaders of both parties to meet the challenges we
can only solve together – reducing our deficit, reforming our tax code, fixing
our immigration system, freeing ourselves from foreign oil. We've got more work
to do. (Cheers, applause.)
But that doesn't mean your work is done. The role of
citizens in our democracy does not end with your vote. America's never been
about what can be done for us; it's about what can be done by us together,
through the hard and frustrating but necessary work of self-government.
(Cheers, applause.) That's the principle we were founded on.
This country has more wealth than any nation, but that's not
what makes us rich. We have the most powerful military in history, but that's
not what makes us strong. Our university, our culture are all the envy of the
world, but that's not what keeps the world coming to our shores. What makes
America exceptional are the bonds that hold together the most diverse nation on
Earth, the belief that our destiny is shared – (cheers, applause) – that this
country only works when we accept certain obligations to one another and to
future generations, so that the freedom which so many Americans have fought for
and died for come with responsibilities as well as rights, and among those are
love and charity and duty and patriotism. That's what makes America great.
(Cheers, applause.)
I am hopeful tonight because I have seen this spirit at work
in America. I've seen it in the family business whose owners would rather cut
their own pay than lay off their neighbours and in the workers who would rather
cut back their hours than see a friend lose a job. I've seen it in the soldiers
who re-enlist after losing a limb and in those Seals who charged up the stairs
into darkness and danger because they knew there was a buddy behind them
watching their back. (Cheers, applause.) I've seen it on the shores of New
Jersey and New York, where leaders from every party and level of government
have swept aside their differences to help a community rebuild from the
wreckage of a terrible storm. (Cheers, applause.)
And I saw it just the other day in Mentor, Ohio, where a
father told the story of his eight-year-old daughter whose long battle with
leukaemia nearly cost their family everything had it not been for healthcare
reform passing just a few months before the insurance company was about to stop
paying for her care. (Cheers, applause.) I had an opportunity to not just talk
to the father but meet this incredible daughter of his. And when he spoke to
the crowd, listening to that father's story, every parent in that room had
tears in their eyes because we knew that little girl could be our own.
And I know that every American wants her future to be just
as bright. That's who we are. That's the country I'm so proud to lead as your
president. (Cheers, applause.)
And tonight, despite all the hardship we've been through,
despite all the frustrations of Washington, I've never been more hopeful about
our future. (Cheers, applause.) I have never been more hopeful about America.
And I ask you to sustain that hope.
[Audience member: "We got your back, Mr
President!"]
I'm not talking about blind optimism, the kind of hope that
just ignores the enormity of the tasks ahead or the road blocks that stand in
our path. I'm not talking about the wishful idealism that allows us to just sit
on the sidelines or shirk from a fight. I have always believed that hope is
that stubborn thing inside us that insists, despite all the evidence to the
contrary, that something better awaits us so long as we have the courage to
keep reaching, to keep working, to keep fighting. (Cheers, applause.)
America, I believe we can build on the progress we've made
and continue to fight for new jobs and new opportunities and new security for
the middle class. I believe we can keep the promise of our founding, the idea
that if you're willing to work hard, it doesn't matter who you are or where you
come from or what you look like or where you love. It doesn't matter whether
you're black or white or Hispanic or Asian or Native American or young or old
or rich or poor, abled, disabled, gay or straight. (Cheers, applause.) You can
make it here in America if you're willing to try.
(Cheers, applause.)
I believe we can seize this future together because we are
not as divided as our politics suggests. We're not as cynical as the pundits
believe. We are greater than the sum of our individual ambitions and we remain
more than a collection of red states and blue states. We are, and forever will
be, the United States of America. (Cheers, applause.)
And together, with your help and God's grace, we will
continue our journey forward and remind the world just why it is that we live
in the greatest nation on earth. (Cheers, applause.) Thank you, America.
(Cheers, applause.) God bless you. God bless these United States. (Cheers, applause.)
The inefficient power
supply.
Since 3 days
back, lights have been going off frequently. Say from 7:00 in the morning to
5:00 in the evening. Reasons stated are not clear. These power outages have
caused nothing but great distress from all corners of the country. A lot of
chaos is arising everywhere. People can no longer turn on fridges or other
stuffs. People wake up from their sleeps covered in sweat like they never
bathed.
These power
outages are becoming outrageous and if nothing fast is done about it, we will
all break down. Machines have broken down and so many other things are
happening. Some serious deliberations should be done in other to avoid serious
deadly consequences.
The baseline is not how swines are being kept under strictly hygienic conditions in other parts of the world. The baseline is
OBAMA'S SPEECH ON IMPORTANCE OF EDUCATION
US President Barack Obama delivers a national address directed to students across the nation, at a back to school event at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia, USA, 08 September 2009. President Obama delivered remarks to encourage students to study hard, stay in school and take responsibility for their own education on the first day of the school year for many children across America. License photo
Published: Sept. 8, 2009 at 1:08 PM
ARLINGTON, Va., Sept. 8 (UPI) -- The following are remarks made Tuesday by U.S. President Barack Obama to students at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Va.
Hello, everybody.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, everybody.
All right, everybody go ahead and have a seat.
How's everybody doing today?
How about Tim Spicer?
I am here with students at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia. And we've got students tuning in from all across America, from kindergarten through 12th grade. And I am just so glad that all could join us today.
And I want to thank Wakefield for being such an outstanding host. Give yourselves a big round of applause.
I know that for many of you today is the first day of school. And for those of you in kindergarten or starting middle or high school it's your first day in a new school, so it's understandable if you're a little nervous.
I imagine there are some seniors out there who are feeling pretty good right now, with just one more year to go.
And no matter what grade you're in, some of you are probably wishing it were still summer, and you could've stayed in bed just a little longer this morning.
I know that feeling.
When I was young, my family lived overseas. I live in Indonesia for a few years. And my mother, she didn't have the money to send me where all the American kids went to school. But she thought it was important for me to keep up with American education.
So she decided to teach me extra lessons herself, Monday through Friday. But because she had to go to work, the only time she could do it was at 4:30 in the morning.
Now, as you might imagine, I wasn't too happy about getting up that early. A lot of times, I'd fall asleep right there at the kitchen table. But whenever I'd complain, my mother would just give me one of those looks and she'd say, "This is no picnic for me either, buster."
So I know that some of you are still adjusting to being back at school. But I'm here today because I have something important to discuss with you. I'm here because I want to talk with you about your education and what's expected of all of you in this new school year.
Now, I've given a lot of speeches about education, and I've talked about responsibility a lot.
I've talked about teachers' responsibility for inspiring students and pushing you to learn.
I've talked about your parents' responsibility for making sure you stay on track, and you get your homework done, and don't spend every waking hour in front of the TV or with the Xbox.
I've talked a lot about your government's responsibility for setting high standards, and supporting teachers and principals, and turning around schools that aren't working where students aren't getting the opportunities that they deserve.
But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, the best schools in the world, and none of it will make a difference -- none of it will matter -- unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities: unless you show up to those schools, unless you pay attention to those teachers, unless you listen to your parents and grandparents and other adults and put in the hard work it takes to succeed.
And that's what I want to focus on today: the responsibility each of you has for your education. I want to start with the responsibility you have to yourself.
Every single one of you has something that you're good at. Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. That's the opportunity an education can provide.
Maybe you could be a great writer; maybe even good enough to write a book or articles in the newspaper. But you might not know it until you write that English paper -- that English class that's assigned to you.
Maybe you could be an innovator or an inventor; maybe even good enough to come up with the next iPhone or the new medicine or vaccine. But you might not know it until you do your project for your science class.
Maybe you could be a mayor or a senator or a Supreme Court justice. But you might not know that until you join student government or the debate team.
And no matter what you want to do with your life, I guarantee that you'll need an education to do it.
You want to be a doctor or a teacher or a police officer, you want to be a nurse or an architect, a lawyer or a member of our military, you're going to need a good education for every single one of those careers.
You cannot drop out of school and just drop into a good job. You've got to train for it and work for it and learn for it.
And this isn't just important for your own life and your own future. What you make of your education will decide nothing less than the future of this country. The future of America depends on you.
What you're learning in school today will determine whether we as a nation can meet our greatest challenges in the future.
You'll need the knowledge and problem-solving skills you learn in science and math to cure diseases like cancer and AIDS, and to develop new energy technologies, and protect our environment.
You'll need the insights and critical thinking skills you gain in history and social studies to fight poverty and homelessness, crime and discrimination, and make our nation more fair and more free.
You'll need the creativity and ingenuity you develop in all your classes to build new companies, that'll create new jobs and boost our economy.
We need every single one of you to develop your talents and your skills and your intellect so you can help us old folks solve our most difficult problems.
If you don't do that, if you quit on school, you're not just quitting on yourself, you're quitting on your country.
Now, I know it's not always easy to do well in school. I know a lot of you have challenges in your lives right now that can make it hard to focus on your school work. I get it. I know what it's like.
My father left my family when I was 2 years old, and I was raised by a single mom who had to work and had struggled at times to pay the bills and wasn't always able to give us the things that other kids had. There were times when I missed having a father in my life.
There were times when I was lonely and I felt like I didn't fit in.
So I wasn't always as focused as I should have been on school, and I did some things that I'm not proud of, and I got in more trouble than I should have. And my life could have easily taken a turn for the worse.
But I was -- I was lucky. I got a lot of second chances and I had the opportunity to go to college and law school and follow my dreams.
My wife, our first lady, Michelle Obama -- she has a similar story. Neither of her parents had gone to college, and they didn't have a lot of money. But they worked hard, and she worked hard, so that she could go to the best schools in this country.
But some of you might not have those advantages. Maybe you don't have adults in your life who give you the support that you need. Maybe someone in your family has lost their job, and there's not enough money to go around. Maybe you live in a neighborhood where you don't feel safe, or have friends who are pressuring you to do things you know aren't right.
But at the end of the day, the circumstances of your life -- what you look like, where you come from, how much money you have, what you've got going on at home -- none of that is an excuse for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude in school. That's no excuse for talking back to your teacher or cutting class or dropping out of school.
There is no excuse for not trying.
Where you are right now doesn't have to determine where you'll end up. No one's written your destiny for you. Because here in America you write your own destiny, you make your own future.
That's what young people like you are doing every day, all across America; young people like Jazmin Perez, from Roma, Texas.
Jazmin didn't speak English when she first started school. Neither of her parents have gone to college. But she worked hard, earned good grades and got a scholarship to Brown University, and is now in graduate school, studying public health, on her way to becoming Dr. Jazmin Perez.
I'm thinking about Andoni Schultz from Los Altos, California, who's fought brain cancer since he was 3. He's had to endure all sorts of treatments and surgeries, one of which affected his memory so it took him much longer -- hundreds of extra hours -- to do his school work, but he never fell behind. He's headed to college this fall.
And then there's Shantell Steve from my hometown of Chicago, Illinois. Even when bouncing from foster home to foster home in the toughest neighborhoods in the city, she managed to get a job at a local health care center, start a program to keep young people out of gangs, and she's on track to graduate high school with honors and go on to college.
And Jazmin, Andoni and Shantell aren't any different from any of you. They face challenges in their lives just like you do. In some cases, they've got it a lot worse off than many of you. But they refuse to give up. They chose to take responsibility for their lives, for their education and set goals for themselves, and I expect all of you to do the same.
That's why today I'm calling on each of you to set your own goals for your education and do everything you can to meet them.
Your goal can be something as simple as doing all your homework, paying attention in class, or spending some time each day reading a book. Maybe you'll decide to get involved in an extracurricular activity or volunteer in your community. Maybe you'll decide to stand up for kids who are being teased or bullied because of who they are or how they look, because you believe, like I do, that all young people deserve a safe environment to study and learn.
Maybe you'll decide to take better care of yourself so you can be more ready to learn.
And along those lines, by the way, I hope all of you are washing your hands a lot and that you stay home from school when you don't feel well so we can keep people from getting the flu this fall and winter.
But whatever you resolve to do, I want you to commit to it. I want you to really work at it.
I know that sometimes you get that sense from TV that you can be rich and successful without any hard work; that your ticket to success is through rapping or basketball or being a reality TV star.
Chances are, you're not going to be any of those things.
The truth is, being successful is hard. You won't love every subject that you study. You won't click with every teacher that you have. Not every homework assignment will seem completely relevant to your life right at this minute. And you won't necessarily succeed at everything the first time you try.
That's OK. Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who've had the most failures.
J.K. Rowling, who wrote Harry Potter -- her first Harry Potter book was rejected 12 times before it was finally published.
Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team. He lost hundreds of games and missed thousands of shots during his career. But he once said, "I have failed over and over and over again in my life, and that's why I succeed."
These people succeeded because they understood that you can't let your failures define you; you have to let your failures teach you; you have to let them show you what to do differently the next time.
So if you get into trouble, that doesn't mean you're a troublemaker. It means you need to try harder to act right.
If you get a bad grade, that doesn't mean you're stupid. It just means you need to spend more time studying.
No one's born being good at all things. You become good at things through hard work. You're not a varsity athlete the first time you play a new sport. You don't hit every note the first time you sing a song. You've got to practice.
The same principle applies to your schoolwork. You might have to do a math problem a few times before you get it right. You might have to read something a few times before you understand it. You definitely have to do a few drafts of a paper before it's good enough to hand in.
Don't be afraid to ask questions. Don't be afraid to ask for help when you need it. I do that every day. Asking for help isn't a sign of weakness, it's a sign of strength, because it shows you have the courage to admit when you don't know something and that, then, allows you to learn something new.
So find an adult that you trust -- a parent, a grandparent or a teacher, a coach or a counselor -- and ask them to help you stay on track to meet your goals.
And even when you're struggling, even when you're discouraged, and you feel like other people have given up on you, don't ever give up on yourself. Because when you give up on yourself, you give up on your country.
The story of America isn't about people who quit when things got tough. It's about people who kept going, who tried harder, who loved their country too much to do anything less than their best.
It's the story of students who sat where you sit 250 years ago, and went on to wage a revolution and they founded this nation -- young people; students who sat where you sit 75 years ago who overcame a depression and won a world war; who fought for civil rights and put a man on the moon; students who sat where you sit 20 years ago who founded Google, Twitter and Facebook and changed the way we communicate with each other.
So today I want to ask all of you, what's your contribution going to be? What problems are you going to solve? What discoveries will you make? What will a president who comes here in 20 or 50 or 100 years say about what all of you did for this country?
Now, your families, your teachers and I are doing everything we can to make sure you have the education you need to answer these questions. I'm working hard to fix up your classrooms and get you the books and the equipment and the computers you need to learn.
But you've got to do your part, too. So I expect all of you to get serious this year. I expect you to put your best effort into everything you do. I expect great things from each of you.
So don't let us down. Don't let your family down, or your country down. Most of all, don't let yourself down. Make us all proud.
Thank you very much, everybody.
God bless you. God bless America.
Thank you. Thank you.
Read more: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2009/09/08/Obamas-speech-on-importance-of-education/UPI-21501252429738/#ixzz2M2c4Q3DN
The baseline is not how swines are being kept under strictly hygienic conditions in other parts of the world. The baseline is
1. What do
the major Scriptures say about swines?
2. The
symbolic representation of swines in the society. How the swine does behave on
its own?
3. What are
the practical risks of consuming pork?
SCRIPTURES
The Bible:
“And the
swine, because it divideth the hoof, yet cheweth not the cud, it is unclean
unto you. Ye shall not eat of their flesh, nor touch their dead carcass.”
[Deuteronomy 14:8]
2. I have
stretched out My hands all day long to a rebellious people, Who walk in a way
that is not good, According to their own thoughts; 3. A people who provoke Me
to anger continually to My face; Who sacrifice in gardens, And burn incense on
altars of brick; 4. Who sit among the graves, And spend the night in the
tombs; Who eat swine’s flesh, And the broth of abominable things is in
their vessels; [Isaiah 65:2-4]
"And
the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be cloven-footed, yet he cheweth not
the cud; he is unclean to you. Of their flesh shall ye not eat, and of their
carcase shall ye not touch; they are unclean to you." Leviticus 11:7-8 KJV
The Quran:
Forbidden
to you (for food) are: dead meat, blood, the flesh of swine, and that on which
hath been invoked a name other than that of Allah. [Al-Qur’an 5:3] The above
verses of the Holy Qur’an are sufficient to satisfy a Muslim as to why pork is
forbidden.
The Qur’an
prohibits the consumption of pork in no less than 4 different places. Its
prohibited in 2:173, 5:3, 6:145 and 16:115.
SYMBOLISMS
The pig is
a symbol of filth, greed and idiocy. It eats faeces and dead bodies, snouts
gutter water, wallows in sheer sordidness and a shameless animal which will
invite its mate for sex bout. Pork consuming friends and families do share
wives as well. George Orwell's "Animal Farm" has a better symbolic
representation of pigs (swines).
SICKNESSES
As a
Science student I am wary that most farm animals are carriers/hosts/vectors of
varying pathogens, parasites and diseases. Even beef, the widely untaboo meat
is a good carrier of the deadly anthrax and tape worm. However, the pig is
guilty of most known, unknown and emerging disease-causing processes.
99% of
helminthiasis, worms infestations is caused by pork (you can debate me on that)
including round worms (Ascaris), pinworms, hookworm and the most dangerous
Taenia solinum (a type of tape worm). Even, well cooked pork still
carries viable worms that are injurious to the system. Eight out of ten is
likely to be infested after consuming well-cooked pork.
Taenia
solinum for instance has the destructive capability to migrate to any organ in
the body:
· In the brain, you lose your memory,
· Blindness at the eyes,
· Deadly at liver (the liver is the
most important organ in the body with over 500 known functions),
· In the heart, you can be rest
assured of cardiovascular torments
The
emergence of Swine flu was rippling and deadly and nearly almost half of the
world’s pig population was decimated. According to the Pet Doc Chart of
zoonotic diseases, the diseases from pigs are nearly double of that of goats,
sheep and cattle combined.
Pork has
large amounts of saturated lipids (fats). Every health science student
understands that most heart, blood, blood-vessel diseases are importantly
caused by animal fat. Notably among these diseases include hypertension,
atherosclerosis, stroke and heart attack.
In
countries where religion is practised like democracy with little or no food
taboos, there is high prevalence of cardiovascular diseases. More than 50%
percent of Americans have hypertension, the commonest cardiovascular disease.
The CDC and America Heart Association have related this phenomenon to
unrestrained consumption of “High-fat cuts of meat”. As a matter of fact, pork
is richly generous with fat – no other meat can challenge pork in terms of fat.
Let's stop
the needless diplomacy over pork and other technical jargons that sought to
justify pork. This afore-expatiated trinity is enough of a reason!
Just trying
to help you choose a healthy meat for your meals!
OBAMA'S SPEECH ON IMPORTANCE OF EDUCATION
US President Barack Obama delivers a national address directed to students across the nation, at a back to school event at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia, USA, 08 September 2009. President Obama delivered remarks to encourage students to study hard, stay in school and take responsibility for their own education on the first day of the school year for many children across America. License photo
Published: Sept. 8, 2009 at 1:08 PM
ARLINGTON, Va., Sept. 8 (UPI) -- The following are remarks made Tuesday by U.S. President Barack Obama to students at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Va.
Hello, everybody.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, everybody.
All right, everybody go ahead and have a seat.
How's everybody doing today?
How about Tim Spicer?
I am here with students at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia. And we've got students tuning in from all across America, from kindergarten through 12th grade. And I am just so glad that all could join us today.
And I want to thank Wakefield for being such an outstanding host. Give yourselves a big round of applause.
I know that for many of you today is the first day of school. And for those of you in kindergarten or starting middle or high school it's your first day in a new school, so it's understandable if you're a little nervous.
I imagine there are some seniors out there who are feeling pretty good right now, with just one more year to go.
And no matter what grade you're in, some of you are probably wishing it were still summer, and you could've stayed in bed just a little longer this morning.
I know that feeling.
When I was young, my family lived overseas. I live in Indonesia for a few years. And my mother, she didn't have the money to send me where all the American kids went to school. But she thought it was important for me to keep up with American education.
So she decided to teach me extra lessons herself, Monday through Friday. But because she had to go to work, the only time she could do it was at 4:30 in the morning.
Now, as you might imagine, I wasn't too happy about getting up that early. A lot of times, I'd fall asleep right there at the kitchen table. But whenever I'd complain, my mother would just give me one of those looks and she'd say, "This is no picnic for me either, buster."
So I know that some of you are still adjusting to being back at school. But I'm here today because I have something important to discuss with you. I'm here because I want to talk with you about your education and what's expected of all of you in this new school year.
Now, I've given a lot of speeches about education, and I've talked about responsibility a lot.
I've talked about teachers' responsibility for inspiring students and pushing you to learn.
I've talked about your parents' responsibility for making sure you stay on track, and you get your homework done, and don't spend every waking hour in front of the TV or with the Xbox.
I've talked a lot about your government's responsibility for setting high standards, and supporting teachers and principals, and turning around schools that aren't working where students aren't getting the opportunities that they deserve.
But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, the best schools in the world, and none of it will make a difference -- none of it will matter -- unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities: unless you show up to those schools, unless you pay attention to those teachers, unless you listen to your parents and grandparents and other adults and put in the hard work it takes to succeed.
And that's what I want to focus on today: the responsibility each of you has for your education. I want to start with the responsibility you have to yourself.
Every single one of you has something that you're good at. Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. That's the opportunity an education can provide.
Maybe you could be a great writer; maybe even good enough to write a book or articles in the newspaper. But you might not know it until you write that English paper -- that English class that's assigned to you.
Maybe you could be an innovator or an inventor; maybe even good enough to come up with the next iPhone or the new medicine or vaccine. But you might not know it until you do your project for your science class.
Maybe you could be a mayor or a senator or a Supreme Court justice. But you might not know that until you join student government or the debate team.
And no matter what you want to do with your life, I guarantee that you'll need an education to do it.
You want to be a doctor or a teacher or a police officer, you want to be a nurse or an architect, a lawyer or a member of our military, you're going to need a good education for every single one of those careers.
You cannot drop out of school and just drop into a good job. You've got to train for it and work for it and learn for it.
And this isn't just important for your own life and your own future. What you make of your education will decide nothing less than the future of this country. The future of America depends on you.
What you're learning in school today will determine whether we as a nation can meet our greatest challenges in the future.
You'll need the knowledge and problem-solving skills you learn in science and math to cure diseases like cancer and AIDS, and to develop new energy technologies, and protect our environment.
You'll need the insights and critical thinking skills you gain in history and social studies to fight poverty and homelessness, crime and discrimination, and make our nation more fair and more free.
You'll need the creativity and ingenuity you develop in all your classes to build new companies, that'll create new jobs and boost our economy.
We need every single one of you to develop your talents and your skills and your intellect so you can help us old folks solve our most difficult problems.
If you don't do that, if you quit on school, you're not just quitting on yourself, you're quitting on your country.
Now, I know it's not always easy to do well in school. I know a lot of you have challenges in your lives right now that can make it hard to focus on your school work. I get it. I know what it's like.
My father left my family when I was 2 years old, and I was raised by a single mom who had to work and had struggled at times to pay the bills and wasn't always able to give us the things that other kids had. There were times when I missed having a father in my life.
There were times when I was lonely and I felt like I didn't fit in.
So I wasn't always as focused as I should have been on school, and I did some things that I'm not proud of, and I got in more trouble than I should have. And my life could have easily taken a turn for the worse.
But I was -- I was lucky. I got a lot of second chances and I had the opportunity to go to college and law school and follow my dreams.
My wife, our first lady, Michelle Obama -- she has a similar story. Neither of her parents had gone to college, and they didn't have a lot of money. But they worked hard, and she worked hard, so that she could go to the best schools in this country.
But some of you might not have those advantages. Maybe you don't have adults in your life who give you the support that you need. Maybe someone in your family has lost their job, and there's not enough money to go around. Maybe you live in a neighborhood where you don't feel safe, or have friends who are pressuring you to do things you know aren't right.
But at the end of the day, the circumstances of your life -- what you look like, where you come from, how much money you have, what you've got going on at home -- none of that is an excuse for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude in school. That's no excuse for talking back to your teacher or cutting class or dropping out of school.
There is no excuse for not trying.
Where you are right now doesn't have to determine where you'll end up. No one's written your destiny for you. Because here in America you write your own destiny, you make your own future.
That's what young people like you are doing every day, all across America; young people like Jazmin Perez, from Roma, Texas.
Jazmin didn't speak English when she first started school. Neither of her parents have gone to college. But she worked hard, earned good grades and got a scholarship to Brown University, and is now in graduate school, studying public health, on her way to becoming Dr. Jazmin Perez.
I'm thinking about Andoni Schultz from Los Altos, California, who's fought brain cancer since he was 3. He's had to endure all sorts of treatments and surgeries, one of which affected his memory so it took him much longer -- hundreds of extra hours -- to do his school work, but he never fell behind. He's headed to college this fall.
And then there's Shantell Steve from my hometown of Chicago, Illinois. Even when bouncing from foster home to foster home in the toughest neighborhoods in the city, she managed to get a job at a local health care center, start a program to keep young people out of gangs, and she's on track to graduate high school with honors and go on to college.
And Jazmin, Andoni and Shantell aren't any different from any of you. They face challenges in their lives just like you do. In some cases, they've got it a lot worse off than many of you. But they refuse to give up. They chose to take responsibility for their lives, for their education and set goals for themselves, and I expect all of you to do the same.
That's why today I'm calling on each of you to set your own goals for your education and do everything you can to meet them.
Your goal can be something as simple as doing all your homework, paying attention in class, or spending some time each day reading a book. Maybe you'll decide to get involved in an extracurricular activity or volunteer in your community. Maybe you'll decide to stand up for kids who are being teased or bullied because of who they are or how they look, because you believe, like I do, that all young people deserve a safe environment to study and learn.
Maybe you'll decide to take better care of yourself so you can be more ready to learn.
And along those lines, by the way, I hope all of you are washing your hands a lot and that you stay home from school when you don't feel well so we can keep people from getting the flu this fall and winter.
But whatever you resolve to do, I want you to commit to it. I want you to really work at it.
I know that sometimes you get that sense from TV that you can be rich and successful without any hard work; that your ticket to success is through rapping or basketball or being a reality TV star.
Chances are, you're not going to be any of those things.
The truth is, being successful is hard. You won't love every subject that you study. You won't click with every teacher that you have. Not every homework assignment will seem completely relevant to your life right at this minute. And you won't necessarily succeed at everything the first time you try.
That's OK. Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who've had the most failures.
J.K. Rowling, who wrote Harry Potter -- her first Harry Potter book was rejected 12 times before it was finally published.
Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team. He lost hundreds of games and missed thousands of shots during his career. But he once said, "I have failed over and over and over again in my life, and that's why I succeed."
These people succeeded because they understood that you can't let your failures define you; you have to let your failures teach you; you have to let them show you what to do differently the next time.
So if you get into trouble, that doesn't mean you're a troublemaker. It means you need to try harder to act right.
If you get a bad grade, that doesn't mean you're stupid. It just means you need to spend more time studying.
No one's born being good at all things. You become good at things through hard work. You're not a varsity athlete the first time you play a new sport. You don't hit every note the first time you sing a song. You've got to practice.
The same principle applies to your schoolwork. You might have to do a math problem a few times before you get it right. You might have to read something a few times before you understand it. You definitely have to do a few drafts of a paper before it's good enough to hand in.
Don't be afraid to ask questions. Don't be afraid to ask for help when you need it. I do that every day. Asking for help isn't a sign of weakness, it's a sign of strength, because it shows you have the courage to admit when you don't know something and that, then, allows you to learn something new.
So find an adult that you trust -- a parent, a grandparent or a teacher, a coach or a counselor -- and ask them to help you stay on track to meet your goals.
And even when you're struggling, even when you're discouraged, and you feel like other people have given up on you, don't ever give up on yourself. Because when you give up on yourself, you give up on your country.
The story of America isn't about people who quit when things got tough. It's about people who kept going, who tried harder, who loved their country too much to do anything less than their best.
It's the story of students who sat where you sit 250 years ago, and went on to wage a revolution and they founded this nation -- young people; students who sat where you sit 75 years ago who overcame a depression and won a world war; who fought for civil rights and put a man on the moon; students who sat where you sit 20 years ago who founded Google, Twitter and Facebook and changed the way we communicate with each other.
So today I want to ask all of you, what's your contribution going to be? What problems are you going to solve? What discoveries will you make? What will a president who comes here in 20 or 50 or 100 years say about what all of you did for this country?
Now, your families, your teachers and I are doing everything we can to make sure you have the education you need to answer these questions. I'm working hard to fix up your classrooms and get you the books and the equipment and the computers you need to learn.
But you've got to do your part, too. So I expect all of you to get serious this year. I expect you to put your best effort into everything you do. I expect great things from each of you.
So don't let us down. Don't let your family down, or your country down. Most of all, don't let yourself down. Make us all proud.
Thank you very much, everybody.
God bless you. God bless America.
Thank you. Thank you.
Read more: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2009/09/08/Obamas-speech-on-importance-of-education/UPI-21501252429738/#ixzz2M2c4Q3DN
Schooling
Today in our country, only 40 per cent of the total children go to school. What about the other 60 per cent of the children? What do they do? The answer would shock many. The bulk of our child population is employed in hazardous and menial jobs. We see them in hotels and dhabas (roadside eateries) as waiters, working in factories and in houses as domestic help.
The government has laid down no provision for them. Some of them, who are not even lucky to get a job, earn their living as rag pickers, sweepers, toilet cleaners etc. This is their age to read, write, play, go to school etc., but it is not so. They should also have an equal right to education and comfortable living as the other 40 per cent of the children have.
Take the example of Shravan Kumar who is employed in a fireworks factory. He is only 12 years of age. He makes crackers, bulbs, electric rods etc. This is the age to play, read and write, but he is helpless. He has a mother and four sisters to provide for. There are thousands of children like him who need attention and love.
The children are the future citizens of our country. If the bulk of our child population is in this pathetic condition, our country can't progress. It is a bad example of our society and country. It is now up to us to do something for these children. We should co-operate with the government in finding a solution to this problem. It is a grave matter, which merits immediate attention.
Today in our country, only 40 per cent of the total children go to school. What about the other 60 per cent of the children? What do they do? The answer would shock many. The bulk of our child population is employed in hazardous and menial jobs. We see them in hotels and dhabas (roadside eateries) as waiters, working in factories and in houses as domestic help.
The government has laid down no provision for them. Some of them, who are not even lucky to get a job, earn their living as rag pickers, sweepers, toilet cleaners etc. This is their age to read, write, play, go to school etc., but it is not so. They should also have an equal right to education and comfortable living as the other 40 per cent of the children have.
Take the example of Shravan Kumar who is employed in a fireworks factory. He is only 12 years of age. He makes crackers, bulbs, electric rods etc. This is the age to play, read and write, but he is helpless. He has a mother and four sisters to provide for. There are thousands of children like him who need attention and love.
The children are the future citizens of our country. If the bulk of our child population is in this pathetic condition, our country can't progress. It is a bad example of our society and country. It is now up to us to do something for these children. We should co-operate with the government in finding a solution to this problem. It is a grave matter, which merits immediate attention.
TEASING AND BULLYING
Unfortunately, teasing is often part of growing up — almost every child experiences it. But it isn't always as innocuous as it seems. Words can cause pain. Teasing becomes bullying when it is repetitive or when there is a conscious intent to hurt another child. It can be verbal bullying (making threats, name-calling), psychological bullying (excluding children, spreading rumors), or physical bullying (hitting, pushing, taking a child's possessions).
How Bullying Starts
Bullying behavior is prevalent throughout the world and it cuts across socio-economic, racial/ethnic, and cultural lines. Researchers estimate that 20 to 30 percent of school-age children are involved in bullying incidents, as either perpetrators or victims. Bullying can begin as early as preschool and intensify during transitional stages, such as starting school in 1st grade or going into middle school.
Victims of bullying are often shy and tend to be physically weaker than their peers. They may also have low self-esteem and poor social skills, which makes it hard for them to stand up for themselves. Bullies consider these children safe targets because they usually don't retaliate.
Victims of bullying are often shy and tend to be physically weaker than their peers. They may also have low self-esteem and poor social skills, which makes it hard for them to stand up for themselves. Bullies consider these children safe targets because they usually don't retaliate.
Effects of Bullying
If your child is the victim of bullying, he may suffer physically and emotionally, and his schoolwork will likely show it. Grades drop because, instead of listening to the teacher, kids are wondering what they did wrong and whether anyone will sit with them at lunch. If bullying persists, they may be afraid to go to school. Problems with low self-esteem and depression can last into adulthood and interfere with personal and professional lives.
Bullies are affected too, even into adulthood; they may have difficulty forming positive relationships. They are more apt to use tobacco and alcohol, and to be abusive spouses. Some studies have even found a correlation with later criminal activities.
Bullies are affected too, even into adulthood; they may have difficulty forming positive relationships. They are more apt to use tobacco and alcohol, and to be abusive spouses. Some studies have even found a correlation with later criminal activities.
Warning Signs
If you're concerned that your child is a victim of teasing or bullying, look for these signs of stress:
- Increased passivity or withdrawal
- Frequent crying
- Recurrent complaints of physical symptoms such as stomach-aches or headaches with no apparent cause
- Unexplained bruises
- Sudden drop in grades or other learning problems
- Not wanting to go to school
- Significant changes in social life — suddenly no one is calling or extending invitations
- Sudden change in the way your child talks — calling herself a loser, or a former friend a jerk
How to Help
First, give your child space to talk. If she recounts incidences of teasing or bullying, be empathetic. If your child has trouble verbalizing her feelings, read a story about children being teased or bullied. You can also use puppets, dolls, or stuffed animals to encourage a young child to act out problems.
Once you've opened the door, help your child begin to problem-solve. Role-play situations and teach your child ways to respond. You might also need to help your child find a way to move on by encouraging her to reach out and make new friends. She might join teams and school clubs to widen her circle.
At home and on the playground:
Once you've opened the door, help your child begin to problem-solve. Role-play situations and teach your child ways to respond. You might also need to help your child find a way to move on by encouraging her to reach out and make new friends. She might join teams and school clubs to widen her circle.
At home and on the playground:
Adults need to intervene to help children resolve bullying issues, but calling another parent directly can be tricky unless he or she is a close friend. It is easy to find yourself in a "he said/she said" argument. Try to find an intermediary: even if the bullying occurs outside of school, a teacher, counselor, coach, or after-school program director may be able to help mediate a productive discussion.
If you do find yourself talking directly to the other parent, try to do it in person rather than over the phone. Don't begin with an angry recounting of the other child's offenses. Set the stage for a collaborative approach by suggesting going to the playground, or walking the children to school together, to observe interactions and jointly express disapproval for any unacceptable behavior.
At school:
If you do find yourself talking directly to the other parent, try to do it in person rather than over the phone. Don't begin with an angry recounting of the other child's offenses. Set the stage for a collaborative approach by suggesting going to the playground, or walking the children to school together, to observe interactions and jointly express disapproval for any unacceptable behavior.
At school:
Many schools (sometimes as part of a statewide effort) have programs especially designed to raise awareness of bullying behavior and to help parents and teachers deal effectively with it. Check with your local school district to see if it has such a program.
Schools and parents can work effectively behind the scenes to help a child meet and make new friends via study groups or science-lab partnerships. If you are concerned about your child:
Schools and parents can work effectively behind the scenes to help a child meet and make new friends via study groups or science-lab partnerships. If you are concerned about your child:
- Share with the teacher what your child has told you; describe any teasing or bullying you may have witnessed.
- Ask the teacher if she sees similar behavior at school, and enlist her help in finding ways to solve the problem.
- If she hasn't seen any instances of teasing, ask that she keep an eye out for the behavior you described.
- If the teacher says your child is being teased, find out whether there are any things he may be doing in class to attract teasing. Ask how he responds to the teasing, and discuss helping him develop a more effective response.
- After the initial conversation, be sure to make a follow-up appointment to discuss how things are going.
- If the problem persists, or the teacher ignores your concerns, and your child starts to withdraw or not want to go to school, consider the possibility of "therapeutic intervention." Ask to meet with the school counselor or psychologist, or request a referral to the appropriate school professional.
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