News analysis

SUMMARY- "Show us one Indian city that can boast of one kilometre of clean street - with no open garbage dumps, no missing footpath slabs, no urine stench, no paan (betel leaf) stains on walls? Bangalore, we challenge you, is the only Indian city that now has 4km of streets clean from these four civic ills."(BBC) In Bangalore a new self-motivated group called the “Ugly Indian’s” have spent every week of the past year cleaning the city's central business district with face masks, gloves, buckets, broomsticks and mops. The came up with an ugliness challenge, with a mission to “spot fix” the city of Bangalore and then move on to other metropolitan cities in India. At the last count the “Ugly Indian’s” had fixed 104 spots – to per week- around Bangalore’s business district. That’s almost a 4Km area. Another part of the operation is to install dustbins around the city, so far 150 have been installed and they are maintained by the group. They have also installed seven eco-friendly waterless toilets.

ANALYSIS- The ugly Indian project is a great and much needed project for the immensely polluted country. Many may call the name weird, and it is but it is not describing the people as being ugly but the country as ugly. It basically says that because of trash everywhere India is an ugly country, and because the country is so ugly it also makes the citizens of the country look ugly. In this project there is no profit being made, there is giving big donations or anything of the sort. It is fully run by voluntary and selfless citizens of Bangalore who are willing to give the time and effort in making a change. If this project becomes big and if this project succeeds and reaches the city of Delhi then I will make sure that am one of the volunteers willing complete the job that the government of India has neglected for so long.

· Vocabulary- Anonymity

o Anonymity is a big attraction - many members are fairly senior corporate leaders

o the state or quality of being anonymous

o 1810–20; anonym(ous) + -ity, or < French anonymité

o Anonymity is a must, especially for those caught doing wrong things in schools.

· Vocabulary- constabulary

o The work has won the affection of the local constabulary.

o the body of constables of a district

o 1350–1400; < Medieval Latin constabulāria,

o The local constabulary agreed to help Andrew Cashion when he lost his passport in Mussoorie.

· Vocabulary- civic

o The Bangaloreans in the Ugly Indians civic group have spent every week …

o of or pertaining to a city; municipal

o 1535–45; < Latin cīvicus, equivalent to cīv ( is ) citizen

o The mussorians in the clean civic group have done a great job in helping cleaning the khuds.

If you were to develop a Mt. Rushmore representing the 20th century, whose faces would you select and why? (William and Mary)

If I had the money and resources to build something similar to Mt. Rushmore I would put the faces of people who made a change in this world, people who gave hope to the rest of mankind showing that change is possible. At the same time while considering the above criteria’s I would also try to represent people from different fields and countries to make the mountain a symbol for the world rather than just the American people. The first face on the mountain would be Martin Luther King Jr. The great man who played the biggest role in removing black and white inequality in the United States and at the same time he sent a message across the world to all people showing them that racism should not be tolerated anywhere. The second person on the wall would be Aung San Suu Kyi a Burmese woman who was awarded the noble prize for trying to free the country of Myanmar from the tyrannical rule of the army there. The third face on the wall would be the most common name on everyone’s lips under the topic of peace and independence, Mohan Das Karamchand Gandhi. The father of the indian nation who rid the country from british colonization, he is still among one of the most respected men in the world and many of his non-violent protesting methods are still visible in current revolutions such as the Arab springs. The last face on the wall would be that of Bono, the lead singer in the rock band U2. As unconventional as it may seem to include him with all these other revolutionaries, Bono has a right to go down in history. Through music, Bono informed many fans about current catastrophes affecting the world, he has raised millions of dollars for charity and continues to do so even today. These are the faces that I would put on my development of Mt. Rushmore.

News analysis

Summary: A US Judge has ordered Google, Yahoo, Twitter and Facebook, among others, to delist domain names linked to websites that have been selling counterfeit goods. The case was brought by luxury goods maker Chanel against 600 sites which it had identified as trading in counterfeits. Chanel's counterfeit investigative team identified the websites by ordering goods from them which it then determined to be fakes. Many experts were surprised at the scope of the Nevada judge's ruling.US firm Go Daddy, which manages around 45 million domain names around the world, has been given control of the web addresses of the 600 firms. It has been told to ensure that none of the sites can be accessed by the public. Other questions also came up concerning, how much jurisdiction the court would have over domains that had been registered outside of the US. Google said that it had no comment to make at this stage because it was yet to be served with the judgement. Facebook said was looking into the matter.

Analysis: The market for fake goods is a massive one specially in countries such as China, Thailand, Nepal etc. The selling of fake goods or piracy is a massive problem for many giant corporations around the world. Numerous companies such as software giants Microsoft and Adobe lose up to seven billion dollars yearly just because of piracy. The selling of fake goods is not only bad for companies such as channel directly but also because the brand name and image of the company is greatly depreciated. If most people in the streets are wearing channel or any other top brand for that matter, those who can actually afford to buy products from such brands will stop. The selling of fake items, from movies and games to perfumes and bags is a great catastrophe that modern companies face these days. Quite honestly, I will continue to buy fake movies, software and games as long as I can simply because it is much cheaper. I think these computer giants make enough as it is and another wasted copy will not affect them.

Vocabulary – Intermediaries

- It is acknowledged that third party intermediaries are best placed to tackle online

- an intermediate agent or agency; a go-between or mediator

- 1785–95; < Late Latin intermedi ( um ) intervening place + -ary;see intermediate¹

- Sainyam was unable to attend the STUCO meeting himself, so he sent Namsey as his intermediary

Vocabulary – Jurisdiction

- Others have questioned how much jurisdiction the court would have over domains

- the right, power, or authority to administer justice byhearing and determining controversies.

- 1250–1300; Middle English < Latin jūris dictiōn- stem of jūris dictiō (see jus, diction);

- The Woodstock Honour Council gave the jurisdiction that my friend had to be suspended for his minor crime.

Vocabulary – Counterfeit

- 600 sites which it had identified as trading in counterfeits.

- made in imitation so as to be passed off fraudulently or deceptively as genuine;

- 1250–1300; (adj.) Middle English countrefet false,

- In Woodstock history few students have ever successfully counterfeited health centre notes and gotten away with it.

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

One of the many great innovations made in the computer industry is the widely used software, Skype. Skype is a software that allows you to video call or conference with anyone around the world, as long as they have an internet connection, for free. This is a great software that has affected my family in small ways. Due to Skype, I can now sit in my little dorm room in India and video call my parents in Nepal, my sister in Switzerland, my brother in Singapore. Belonging to a conservative Indian family, Skype’s has enabled my parents to further consider sending my brothers, sisters and me to collages thousands of miles away from home. If a regular face to face conversation can occur on a daily basis between two people thousands of miles away, it just means technological innovation is reaching its apex. Skype is great but it also has its flaws, apart from lagging due to slow internet, for a boy who has spent the majority of his life in boarding school. maybe regular or even daily conversation with parents can become a little annoying. Constant questions like “how are your grades?” or “are you eating well, what’s your weight?” can be irritating. Furthermore listening to the regular and annoying telephone like ringing of the laptop every time you use it can’t always harvest relationships with family but also damage them. Skype is a great advancement in modern computer technology, it has effected my family in a major way, much so that the younger generation of my family is getting the opportunity to pursue a higher quality education outside the country.

If you could spend a year with any real or fictional person in the past, present, or future, whom would you choose? Why?

If I could spend a year with any real or fictional person, I would spend a year with Napoleon Bonaparte, a small French man who single headedly proclaimed himself the emperor of France and then went to war with most major countries in Europe and almost won, twice. After his losses, when he was exiled to the island of Elba, less than a year later he escaped from Elba retook control of his army and once again returned to his throne. Then finally when he fought the great battle of waterloo in 1815, he was again exiled to the island of Saint Helena where he died. I would like to bring this man back from the dead and meet him because I respect him immensely. Napoleon never let any loss get to him; he always simply came back stronger. I want to meet Napoleon just to discover the secret to his never failing hope. I want to ask him how he escaped the island of Elba and retook the French throne. How can a single man have so much courage and guts to take over an entire empire alone? I want to find out how his death took place as to this day it remains a mystery. It is a well-known rumour that when Napoleon tried to commit suicide he took six times the amount of poison necessary to die because he thought so highly oh himself, he thought he was divine. If I could live with Napoleon for a year I would want to bring down his ego. Napoleon even with his flaws was a great man, general and emperor, to stand beside him and learn from him would be an honor.

Journal 3

INDIAN OIL PRICE HIKE

SUMMARY: On Thursday (3^rd November) oil companies yet again hiked petrol prices by Rs. 1.8 litre to counterbalance the fall in rupee that has made the imports of crude oil even more expensive. After Thursday’s rise, petrol in Delhi will cost Rs. 68.64 a litre This Is the second hike in petrol prices in less than two months and the fifth this year, the first hike in the last two months took place on the 16^th of September when state owned oil firms such Hindustan Petroleum and Bharat Petroleum increased prices by Rs. 3.14. In June last year to help prevent price hikes the government deregulated many restrictions but it seems those didn’t help much. The Finance Minister, Pranab Mukherjee also defended the Government's move to raise prices of petroleum products saying the country does not control fluctuations in the global market and must keep its own economy balanced.

RESPONSE: This article shows a clear example of a topic being discussed in my micro economics class, people must face the cost of necessities and it is the government’s job to keep the prices of these necessities from regular fluctuations and increments. Petrol is one of the few things that have become a necessity over the past five decades, with these price hikes many public transportation companies. Such a company is the Blue Line bus service, who has to increase its bus ticket prices, making people either under or just above the poverty line, commute around the city more difficult and more expensive than it already is. This also affects the middle working class because due to these petrol hikes fewer buses and auto rikshaw’s are deployed into the city by companies rendering the possibility of many employees arriving late for work on a more regular basis, which then impacts the entire economy in a negative direction.

VOCABULARY: subsidy

A) Government was still providing substantial subsidy despite some recent rate hikes.

B) a grant or contribution of money

a. Origin: 1325–75; Middle English subsidie

C) Sanjay Narang provided to Woodstock enough subsidy to build a new dormitory.

VOCABULARY: quantum

A) The quantum had swelled to rs. 1.52 a litre

B) quantity or amount

a. Origin: 1610–20; noun use of neuter of Latin quantus

C) I find studying quantum numbers in math extremely challenging

VOCABULARY: fiscal

A) Three firms would end this fiscal with 132,000 core of loss on three products

B) Of or pertaining to financial matters in general

a. Origin: 1530–40; < Latin fiscālis.

C) At the end of the fiscal year, I had saved more than rupees five hundred from my pocket money which is three hundred more than the year before.

Tell us about the most embarrassing moment of your life

I grew up in a boarding school in the Himalayas, surrounded by lush green forests and a variety of wildlife, especially monkeys. In my early years in the school I spent my days in a little dormitory called Edge Hill. I have many fond memories of the place except one, the day a Himalayan Recess monkey peed on my head.

Edge Hill was small cosy little dorm at the top of a hill. In Edge Hill there is a small basketball court, a slide and other playground equipment but what I remember most distinctly is Edge Hill’s “stand up swing.” This was no ordinary swing, when making the Edge Hill playground the workers made a mistake and made the swing too low to sit on and hence the name “stand up swing.” I remember that people would wait in line for quite a long time just to get five minutes on that swing. Like most other kids I too waited in line, waited while listening to my MP3 player. I stared at the old pine tree right above the swing wondering how old it must be when suddenly someone said, “HURRY!” I ran and boarded the swing, listening to my favorite song at an extremely loud volume. As I closed my eyes and stood swinging I suddenly felt a nice warm tingling sensation on my scalp, I stopped swinging, trying to preserve the feeling as long as I could. Suddenly I heard a roar of laughter from all directions, every child in the playground and basketball court was looking towards me and laughing their butt off. I felt insecure, not knowing if they were laughing at me, I stepped off the swing only to notice a clear yellow liquid trickling beside me. I followed the thin trickle up the old pine tree only to spot the scrotum of a Himalayan Recess monkey.

Journal 1

More than 100 patients escape from secure hospitals

By Ben Padley, PA

Tuesday, 9 September 2008, Accessed 16^th October 2011

Article Link: http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/more-than-100-patients-escape-from-secure-hospitals-923782.html

Summary: There were more than 100 escapes from psychiatric hospitals in England and Wales last year. According to figures presented to the BBC at least 116 patients in medium and low security psychiatric hospitals, escaped from the institutions. This statistic came aid in the wake of the investigation of Darren Harkin who raped a fourteen year old school girl after absconding form a physiatrist unit. Former chief inspector of prisons, Sir David Ramsbotham was quoted as saying "today's figures are horrifying." He also went on to say that the government should build more facilities inside prisons so that the public will know that prisoners sentenced for crime, and have mental health problems are properly looked after. Then Professor Louis Appleby, national director for mental health in England went on to say “"A prison removes people from society, a secure unit prepares people to return to society - its purpose is treatment and rehabilitation. "A prison removes people from society, a secure unit prepares people to return to society - its purpose is treatment and rehabilitation.” He further added "If it's a humane society, we want people to return to a normal life.”

Response: This article in many ways relates to certain themes and events discussed in Ken Kesey’s novel One flew over the Cukoo’s nest. The most obvious relation is that this article talks about people escaping from mental hospital and in the novel, the narrator chief Bromden too escapes from a mental asylum. Concerning a more in depth topic, that of conformity in society Louis Appleby said “a secure unit (mental hospital) prepares people to return to society. This topic is repeatedly emphasized throughout the novel as society or the combine wants to fix anyone who is different, it is not willing to accept them but wants to fix them instead. The book proves that a repetitive cycle is followed over and over again in reality as no one really wants to accept the difference they want to change it.

Vocabulary: absconding

A) The investigation comes in the wake of the case of Darren Harkin who raped a schoolgirl after absconding from a psychiatric unit.

B) To depart in a sudden and secret manner, especially to avoid capture and prosecution;

ORIGIN- 1605 15; < Latin abscondere to hide or stow away, equivalentto abs- abs- + condere to stow ( con- con- + -dere to put;see do¹ )

C) The boys absconded from the dorm to bazaar to eat in Rice Bowl.

Vocabulary: indefinitely

A) detained indefinitely at maximum security Broadmoor Hospital

B) not clearly defined or determined; not precise or exact: an indefinite boundary;

a. 1520–30; < Latin indēfīnītus. , definite

C) When boys are out of bounds in bazaar, the common excuse is that the boundaries are indefinite.

Vocabulary: appalling

A) Obviously the incident which was in the news yesterday was an appalling incident

B) causing dismay or horror

a. 1275-1325; Middle English < Middle French ap ( p )allir to growor make pale,

C) The drinking incident that took place recently was appalling to some teachers and humours to others.

All word roots taken from: www.dictionary.reference.com