147. What is your favorite quotation and why? (Princeton)

My favorite quotation is “blame yourself if you have no branches and leaves, do not blame the sun of partiality.” This quotation has inspired me throughout my life. I always believe that a person shapes his or her future by virtue of his own deeds. All over the world, in the past and in the present, men and women, rich and poor, all complain about life. They all feel that God has been unjust to them and always want more than what they have. I feel that God has given us whatever we need to succeed in life. But it is only through our hard work that we can achieve whatever we want in life. We must always be self-sufficient thanking God for what we have rather than asking for more. I strongly believe that a person can shape his own future by his own actions. God has given us all talents that can help us become successful in life. Now it is up to us whether we utilize this talent properly or just waste it. Those who learn to utilize their talents become well to do people. But those who do not, become unsuccessful in life. Then they start blaming their fate and how their luck was not with them. It is never about luck. It is always about how much one has sweated to achieve success in life. History has shown us that the most successful of people had nobody to support them. They shaped their own destiny through their actions and now they are enjoying the fruits of all the handwork. I always keep on telling myself that even if I fail it is not because God was not with me, but it is because God wants me to try harder. With this in mind I keep on moving forward in life hoping to achieve success.

1. What is your approach to life? Reveal your life philosophy.

For me life is a journey full of ups and downs that we must enjoy to the fullest. The journey of life begins from the womb of a mother and ends in a person’s deathbed. But the time between these two periods is one of the most precious in a person’s life. My philosophy of life is that live every moment as if it is your last and to believe in myself. I strongly believe that life is too short to waste and that we should enjoy every moment as it is. We must be thankful to God about what he has given us rather than be sad about what we don’t have. We must also work to our fullest potential every second of life. This hard work will help us bear the fruits that we deserve. We must strongly believe in our beliefs and not let anybody deter us from our goals. Life is not about being rich or poor. It is about being happy. I want to enjoy my life and do thing that I like rather than just thinking about earning money. Money is just a materialistic think that we cannot take with us to heaven or hell wherever we go. But if we enjoy our life we will relish it and remember every moment. I want to roam all around the world and see the various wonders that our planet has to offer. I don’t believe that we should only enjoy and not work. We must also strive and try to achieve success. Whether we succeed or not that is a completely different matter. But what counts is the effort. For me life is a gift of God that is more precious than any gem or riches in the world. So work, enjoy and be grateful for what you have, that is my principal in life.

Article 20

Fight Against Corruption

Article title: Efforts on to pass Lokpal Bill : PM

Date Published: December 17, 2011
Date Accessed: December 18, 2011

The Indian government has been facing a lot of pressure from the people for a long time. A few years ago an ex-military officer Anna Hazare came into the scene of Indian politics and since then has been a nightmare for Indian politicians. His approach to attain the final goal of anti-corruption has been both radical as well as peaceful. He has opened the minds of the common people to the corruption in todays government. He has organized hunger strikes, rallies, meetings etc. to fight against corruption. His latest venture to end corruption is the Lokpal Bill. This will put a check on the power and authority of all the politicians in top posts. They will no longer be able to make undue use of their power. The current Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh has stated that the government at current is working very hard to get the Lokpal Bill to be drafted and passed. Anna Hazare has accused the government of delaying the Lokpal Bill for their own benefit.

Anna Hazare has been called the Gandhi of modern India. He has played a very important role in ending corruption in the Indian government. His right to information movement has been well known for its tremendous success in providing the common people with knowledge of the things that concern them. He along with Arundhita Roy worked very hard to get the Right to Information Bill to be passed. He also led a campaign to stop the use of food grains for making liquor. His most recent endeavor is to get the Lokpal Bill passed. He has gone into several fasts and has even been imprisoned on the accusation of causing public violence. In August 2011, when the police arrested Anna Hazare, millions of his followers all over India protested and the police were forced to leave him. This was the power of his support. He has been putting a lot of pressure on the government to pass the Lokpal Bill. He believes that this is the most important step to free India of corruption. The current Congress government is in a dilemma. They have assured the people that Lokpal Bill will be passed. Now we have to wait and see that will it be actually passed.

VOCABULARY

attain
success in achieving
ORIGIN Middle English (in the senses‘bring to justice’ and ‘reach (a state)’): fromOld French ateindre, from Latin attingere, from ad- ‘at, to’ + tangere ‘to touch.’
The Indian team attained its goal after it won the 2011 World Cup.

radical
 relating to or affecting the fundamental nature of something; far-reaching or thorough
ORIGIN late Middle English (in the senses‘forming the root’ and ‘inherent’): from late Latin radicalis, from Latin radix, radic-‘root.’
The radical sector of the society has always been the more violent one as it is made of men of action.


venture
a risky or daring journey or undertaking
ORIGIN late Middle English (in the sense‘adventure,’ also ‘risk the loss of’): shortening of adventure.
The business venture that the Reliance group took was very dangerous but in the end the risk paid off.

149. Select any issue that is of importance to you and discuss your views. (New College of University of South Florida)

An issue that is of a lot of importance to me is that of education. I have had good education thanks to my parents and want to get into a good college. All over the world there are several children who have been denied access to education. These children have been forced to do menial job and never use their own potential to the fullest. For me life without education is no life at all. Thus I cannot imagine the life that the uneducated people have to live. These people are as human as us and thus deserve the opportunity to basic education at the least. Education helps broaden a person’s perspective of the world. It makes a person presentable, helps him or her get a job and earn money. The fact that a large part of today’s population is uneducated is a clear indication of the need for reforms. An educated population is an asset to the country while an uneducated population is a liability. The government must address the issue of education, as every person deserves it. Knowledge is wealth and a person who has it, is already rich. Those who have access to education should be proud of it and not waste their time. They do not realize how lucky they are as they have never even dreamt of a life without education. Education also helps a person to think out of the box and thus do wonderful stuff. All the various inventions that we use are because of individuals who were able to use their knowledge to invent something that would help the world. Thus if every person in the world is educated, there is no doubt that the world will see many more wonderful inventions. All this can help us in the future solving financial as well as environmental problems. Education is not just something that will get you a job but is much more. So it is time we appreciate it.

43. What are the responsibilities of an educated person? (University of Puget Sound)

The responsibilities of an educated person are :

1) He or She must be ready to take on responsibilities as they come and not run away from them. An educated person is always considered superior to an uneducated person. People look up to them in times of crisis. He or she are considered to be the leaders as they have the extra grooming which uneducated people lack and thus can do a better job.

2) An educated person commands respect. People consider him or her a leader and they must use this to avert crises. They must always act as role models and never do anything which will make people doubt him or his qualifications.

3) An educated person must take on the responsibility of educating others. Education is one of the most important tools that can help a person in life. An educated person is considered an asset while an unedited person is considered a liability. Thus an educated person must take on the responsibility of educating others so that they can use their potential to the fullest and help in the development of the world.

4) He or she should have a sense of duty towards his or her country. An educated person must do something for his or her country that will make his country proud. He must use his education to do something that will help in the development of his or her country. If an educated person just goes abroad for a higher earning and not do anything for his own country, then in one sense he is betraying his own country.

5) And finally an educated person must be smart enough to us this education in the right direction and not for wrong purposes. There are some educated people who use their education for terrorism, hacking and cyber warfare. They should learn form those who are using their education to promote growth and development.

An educated person is an asset to the country who must realize his or her own potential and use it to the optimum.

Describe your most important academic accomplishment or intellectual experience to date. We don’t want to know about test scores or course grades, rather we want to know about your creativity, your willingness to take intellectual risks or your affinity for scholarly endeavors. (MIT)

The most important intellectual experience that I ever had was a course that I took on Artificial Intelligence. An Internet course organized by two Stanford University professors, it taught me various things related to Artificial Intelligence. I had one of the best experiences while taking the course. It opened my mind to many new topics, which I was otherwise ignorant about. The sheer thrills in observing things like machine learning, Bayes’ network and other topics to do with Robotics and machinery was a lifetime experience. Solving the problems put forward in front of me and learning from my mistakes was a true intellectual experience. I love mathematics and physics; lucky for me, the course had everything to do with those two subjects. It activated some hidden machinery within me, which energized me even at the dullest of times. It taught me the vast fields to do with machines. It is not just taking two parts and joining them together, it is not just instilling a program within a machine; it understands a part of a very wide field. It taught me a part of the field I am deeply interested in and that I still have a lot to learn. For me the zeal to learn machines is like a large sea that will never be full despite all the knowledge I gain. For I believe that education is a never-ending field, and especially subjects like Mathematics and Physics. Whenever I switched on the Internet I just thought of going to the ai-classroom. Facebook, Gmail, Google and other websites no longer seemed important. Every thing that I learnt has become an integral part of me. Nobody forced me to take the Artificial Intelligence course. It was my choice and I will always be proud of it. My thirst for learning is still not quenched and I want to explore every thing that I can learn in Mathematics and Physics. Time flies when I do Mathematics and Physics, and I can do it day and night. Overall the Artificial Intelligence was a memorable, intellectual and true learning experience.

Article 16

Russia changing ??

Article title :

On Russian TV, a Straightforward Account Is Startling

Date published : December 10, 2011
Date accessed : December 11, 2011

Millions of television viewers in Russia were astound when they switched on their television sets on Saturday night and tuned into the, government controlled, news channel. The news channel was showing signs of protest by the people against the government demanding a "new elections". It showed several thousand people gathered in the Moscow square protesting against the Kremlin government. These people felt that the recent elections which ended in favor of the United Russia party was rigged. They wanted fresh elections. The surprising thing was that the government controlled channel portrayed the protests just as they were. No interference or deception took place. In recent years Moscow has witnessed the largest protest against Kremlin in years. For more than a decade the television news channels were a median to portray and support the government of Vladimir V. Putin. The television was used to portray only those news which favored the government. But the surprising thing is that the Saturday protests were portrayed as they were, anti-government.

Russia is still a communist country. The government still holds most of the power and does not tolerate any protests or rallies against it. It is still a far way away from democracy. The transition to democracy will be difficult because even the election that are held are rigged. People vote for one party but in the end another party comes victorious. For a long time the ruling party has stayed in power without any opposition. But the surprisingly new large scale protests in the last decade has raised questions. The government has allowed television channels to broadcast things that are completely against them. Ironically, the government owns these television channels. Whether this is a plan of the government or Russia is truly changing we have got to see. But one thing is clear. The flu of revolution is spreading all across the world from the Arab Springs to the peaceful protests in Russia.

VOCABULARY

astound
shocked
ORIGIN Middle English (as an adjective in the sense ‘stunned’): from astoned, past participle of obsolete astone (see astonish) .
The audacity of the student to lie to the principal on his face astound his friend.

deception
act of portraying something unlike what it really is
ORIGIN late Middle English: from late Latindeceptio(n-), from decipere ‘deceive.’
The magician was an illusionist who with his charm and skills became profound in the art of deception.

transition
the process or period of changing from once state to another
ORIGIN mid 16th cent.: from French, or from Latin transitio(n-), from transire ‘go across.’
The transition of the molecules from solid to liquid state in room temperature shocked the chemistry teacher.

18. What invention would the world be better off without, and why? (Kalamazoo)

One invention that the world would surely be better of without is the air conditioner. When it came out people were overjoyed. No longer would they have to sweat in the scorching heat of the sun. It would be a new life for them. They could sit back and relax in their houses or take afternoon siestas. The air conditioner spread far and wide and people in cold countries also started to buy it, sometimes just as a status symbol. But the air conditioner had a lot of negative effects. In todays world electricity is needed more than anything else. People need it in all aspects of life. Everything that we use in our daily life runs on electricity. But this electricity is produced from natural resources and renewable resources. The natural resources are slowly getting exhausted. Thus the availability of electricity is going down. Air conditioners are one of the largest consumers of electricity and as they are not a necessity, air conditioners should never have been invented. They are just an added luxury without which people can easily live. It has also changed a person's lifestyle. No longer are we human outdoor people as we used to be. There are air conditioners in malls, cars, houses and offices. Thus we don't want to go out in the sun and sweat. THe hard working lifestyle has gone. People prefer traveling in private cars or cabs which have air conditioners. Thus they use less of public transport which indirectly leads to more of pollution and traffic jam. People also have more chances of catching cold due to air conditioner rather than the cold weather. It has also been proven that excess use of air conditioner causes adverse effects to the body which can be harmful in the later run leading to unseen diseases. Thus it is safe to conclude that air conditioners were an invention that the world would have been better of without.

145. Select a technological innovation of this century and discuss its effects on your family, local community or nation. (Notre Dame)

The most successfully selling Apple product of all times is the iPhone. When Steve Jobs stood on the podium and introduced the iPhone, he never could have imagined that he was going to change the world forever. The iPhone has become an integral part of a large populations daily life. Whether it is adults or children, men or women, Asian or American, all have been caught in the ever-expanding sea of this technological marvel. People can play games, call, use applications for travel and even make movies on their iPhones. In India the iPhone came a little late. But as soon as it came, it became an instant hit. People started carrying iPhone everywhere. It was there source of entertainment as well as a utility. Carrying an iPhone became a status symbol. Apple kept on revolutionizing the iPhone and people kept on buying it. All my relatives started buying the iPhone. My dad, who never was interested in technology, bought it. I was shocked. But I guess that’s how we change. My father started spending more time on his iPhone than on anything else. He used it to check the stock market condition, currency rates, travel routes and many other purposes. My neighbors started talking about iPhone all the time. No longer were they interested in gossips. In fact they were interested in the launch of the new iPhone or the competition it faced. Every time I came out of my building, I saw somebody or the other fiddling with his or her iPhone. Apple had launched a product that not only captured the American market, but the worldwide market itself. People all over the world went crazy over it. The technology involved in it was so scintillating that I myself wanted to work in Apple or invent something like the iPhone. Machinery and electronics have a very wide scope and that is why I have always wanted to pursue it as a carrier. I wanted to change the world.

Article 13

 Violent Protests in Syria continue
Article Title : 25 Reported Dead in Syria as Violent Clashes Continue
Date Published: 3 December, 2011
Date Accessed: 4 December, 2011


Protestors in Syria led to a violent clash between the army defectors and the Syrian Security force leaving 15 people dead in northwest Syria. This has been one of the most violent clashes since the protest began against the autocratic President Assad. These deaths took place a day after the United Nations Human Rights Council proposed stricter actions against Syria.The gun fight lasted for approximately three hours. It took place near the provincial headquarters. This battle between the pro-government military and the anti-government civilians has been lasting for a number of weeks. Dara'a, Homs and Idlib have been the government's biggest challenge. The strikes has killed 4,000 people. The United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva has condemned the human rights violation and freedom of all the people in Syria.
The protests in Syria against the autocratic regime of President Assad has been lasting for eight months. NATO, United Nations, Arab League, and the United States of America have all condemned the actions of the Syrian government. Many leaders all over the world have urged President Assad to step down but he refused. After a lot of pressure from Arab League, Assad agreed to step down in October but he still is in power. Arab League in November refused to accept Syria as a part of it. The Syrian government exclaimed deep discontent but the Arab League refused to avert its decision. The protests in Syria are getting more violent with every passing moment. The military even attacked the people on the religious festival of Eid. The regime of President Assad is not expected to end soon. The only way to help Syria gain freedom is by intervention of the NATO or the United States of America.


VOCABULARY


defectors
abandon one's country or cause in favor of an opposing one
ORIGIN late 16th cent.: from Latin defect-‘failed,’ from the verb deficere (see defect1).
The defectors were arrested by the government and executed.


condemned
express complete disapproval of, typically in public
ORIGIN Middle English ( sense 2): from Old French condemner, from Latin condemnare, from con- (expressing intensive force) +damnare ‘inflict loss on’ (see damn) .
The actions of the seniors were condemned by the entire school when they mocked the school system.


intervention
interference by a country in another's affairs
ORIGIN late Middle English: from Latininterventio(n-), from the verb intervenire (seeintervene) .
NATO had to intervene in Libya's protest when the clash against Gadaffi became too violent.

142. If you were to look back on your high school years, what advice would you give to someone beginning their high school career? (Simmons)

If I were to advice someone beginning his or her high school career, I would tell him only one thing. Enjoy this time to the core, as it won’t come back. High school is the time of school when a person can follow his passion, take a variety of courses that he likes and practice his hobbies without restraint. As a person grows life becomes more hectic. He has to think about his income, job and how will he support his family. But during the school years these fears are no longer there. The people can relax and take things lightly. The true friends are generally those who a person makes during his school life. They will be there for you whenever you need them. But high school is not all play no study. A person in high school has to think of the colleges he wants to go to. He also has to work hard to get good grades and do extra curricular activities so that he gets admission into a good college. The high school life is full of fun and frolic. When a person is in high school he or she cribs about their lives accusing it of being too much of hard work. They desperately look forward to college. According to them the college life is only party and no study. This is mainly because of the wrong portrayal that movies and TV shows give of college life. When they come to college life they start realizing how wrong they were. College life is a lot more hard work than high school life. Students start missing their high school life and regretting that they did not enjoy it to the fullest. To all the high schoolers, I can only say one thing. Don’t waste this time as t will never come back and then you will regret it throughout your life.