Education

by Philip Yaffe
“I was 24 years old when I first began thinking and speaking in a foreign language. It was like being released from prison. I saw my cell door swinging open and my mind flying free. That was over 40 years ago, but the picture is as fresh now as if it had just happened.”
I am a linguistic iconoclast. Throughout my life (I am now in my seventh decade), I have heard the mantra that learning a foreign language gives you invaluable insights into the cultures of the people who speak it. I don’t believe it.
In addition to my native English (I grew up in Southern California), I have become fluent in two other languages and have a good working knowledge of three more. I doubt that all this effort has given me any insights into the cultures of the people who speak these languages. At least no insights that I couldn’t have acquired more easily in 30 – 60 minutes by reading a well-written essay or in a few hours by attending well-crafted social-cultural lectures.
By contrast, I have acquired a deeper understanding of science.
What does science have to do with language? Actually, very little. But it has a lot to do with flexible thinking. And this is where science and language learning converge.
Contrary to the common belief, science is not about certainty but rather uncertainty. Good scientists are always looking for what has been overlooked, i.e. they are always searching for surprises and welcome them when they happen. They know that moment we believe a phenomenon is “natural” and must be that way, or that it is “unnatural” and cannot be that way, we are either heading for trouble or missing out on something important.
For example, Albert Einstein investigated the “unnatural” belief that a beam of light in space must always have the same velocity; other scientists had spent decades trying to disprove this. He wanted to see where this “unnatural” might lead. In fact, it lead to e = mc², the formula for atomic energy, and transformed the world.
It is not necessary to be a genius like Einstein (who spoke German, French, Italian and English), or even a scientist at all, in order to profit from the mind-stretching benefits of learning foreign languages. In our daily lives we all make assumptions about how the world works; often we are not even aware that we are making them. And that’s the danger. If we are insensitive to our assumptions, we are almost certain to end up believing things that aren’t true and refusing to believe things that are true.
Learning languages can help correct this parlous state of affairs. How? Quite simply, because nowhere else are our assumptions more rapidly and forcefully challenged by other assumptions about what is or isn’t natural that are equally valid.
Here are some simple examples.
1; Trailing Adjectives
It is “natural” to put adjectives before a noun, e.g. “an unidentified flying object”. Well not really. Many languages put adjectives after the noun, e.g. “un objet volant non-identifie”. You could argue the “naturalness” of these conflicting practices both ways. In English, we prefer to describe something before identifying what it is, as if to build up the suspense. In French, they prefer to identify what it is first and describe it afterwards. Who is right?
2. Optional Pronouns
English speakers take it for granted that constructing a sentence requires a subject and a verb. The subject can be either a proper noun (John talks) or a pronoun (He talks). If you have any acquaintance with Spanish, you know that in this language the pronoun is usually not necessary. You would still say “Juan habla” (John talks); however, in most cases you would simply say “Habla” for “He talks”. In fact, if you use a pronoun where it isn’t required (“El habla”), you would be committing a serious error.
3. No Distinction between Male and Female
English speakers learning French are often puzzled by the language’s apparent inability to distinguish between male and female. For example, “This is his book” and “This is her book” in French are both “C’est son livre”. The possessive adjective “son” means both “his” and “her”. If it is absolutely necessary to distinguish between “his” book and “her” book, there is a way of doing so. However, it is employed only when absolutely necessary.
But isn’t it always absolutely necessary? It seems so unnatural not to specify whether the book’s owner is male or female. Isn’t this fundamental information?
It may seem so, but it isn’t. By the same logic, it should be fundamental information to distinguish between male and female when saying “This is their book”, but we don’t. “This is your book” can be either male, female, or both, but we never specify. Even “This is my book” can be either male or female, but again we don’t specify.
Having grown up speaking only English, you probably have never noticed this inconsistency in the language. Neither had I. I simply knew that is was “natural” to distinguish between his and her book, until a Frenchman asked me why. I couldn’t tell him.
4. Inclusive and Explicit Forms of “You”
In English, we have only one way of saying “you”, which covers all situations. Many languages have several ways of saying it, notably the “formal you” and the “familiar you”. English used to have a familiar “you” (thou), but it has essentially disappeared. But in French and Spanish, for example, it is still widely used, making speakers of these languages feel that English is somehow “incomplete”.
Spanish speakers are particularly poorly served. In their language, not only do they have a formal and familiar “you”, they have them both in the singular and plural. In other words, in Spanish there are four ways of saying “you”: formal singular (one person), familiar singular (one person), formal plural (several persons), familiar plural (several persons). For Spanish speakers, having these four options is natural and necessary; not having them in English is unnatural and constricting.
5. Exclusive and Explicit Verb Forms
English has very few verb forms. For example, in the present tense we say “I cook”, “You cook”, “He cooks”, “She cooks”, “We cook”, “They cook”. In other words, there are only two forms of the verb, “cook” and “cooks”, depending on whom we are talking about. In the past tense English has only one verb form, e.g. “I cooked”, “You cooked”, “He cooked”, “She cooked”, “We cooked”, “They cooked”. Likewise in the future tense; everyone “will cook”.
In other languages this is quite unnatural, because they use distinct forms for each different person being talked about. For example, in French and Spanish “I” is associated with one verb form, “you” with a distinctly different verb form, “we” with yet another form, etc. And of course there are distinct verb forms for the “familiar you” and “formal you” (singular in French, and both singular and plural in Spanish).
But doesn’t all these differences make other languages significantly more complex than English? Yes, indeed. However, they also make them significantly more precise. For speakers of these languages, it is crucially important to make these distinctions, because this is how their minds have been trained to work. Just as it is crucially important for English speakers to distinguish between “his” and “hers”, because this is how our minds have been trained to work.
Examples of these different ways of doing things from one language to another are endless. Each time we encounter them our mind opens up a little bit more, because the unexpressed assumptions we all carry around with us are continually being challenged.
Growing up in California, I used to be strongly opposed to language learning because it seemed so difficult and pointless. I have since changed my mind. I now strongly advocate language learning. Not because knowing a foreign language teaches us very much about others, but because it teaches us so much about ourselves.
Accepting that language learning is more abou
t mind expansion than culture implies that language teaching must be fundamentally reformed.
I live in Belgium, where speaking two or three languages is the norm rather than the exception. This is generally true throughout Europe. In these countries, teaching languages in the belief that people will actually use them makes sense. The mind-expanding aspects of the effort come along as a welcomed bonus.
However for English speakers in general, and Americans in particular, it is almost impossible to learn to speak foreign languages because it is so difficult to practice them outside of the classroom. Here, the mind-expanding aspects of language learning should be the primary objective, and courses designed and taught in consequence.
If this were done, I believe that the American fear – and dare I say loathing – of other languages could be reversed. The schools would lay down the foundations of a language without trying to force students into the hopeless and demoralizing task of trying to speak it.
With this foundation firmly in place, when a person traveled to an area where that language is spoken, he would be able to rapidly turn his passive knowledge into active use. Even better, even if he traveled to an area with a totally different language, he would understand how languages work and therefore be ready to learn the new language rapidly and without fear.
Finally, the general aversion – and again dare I say loathing – many monolingual English speakers have of science and technology might also moderate. A mind made flexible by language learning would find it much easier to grasp and appreciate scientific principles than one still imprisoned in single-language rigidity.
In an age dominated by science and technology, surely this would be a benefit of ineffable importance.
Philip Yaffe is a former reporter/feature writer with The Wall Street Journal and a marketing communication consultant. He currently teaches a course in good writing and good speaking in Brussels, Belgium. His recently published book In the “I” of the Storm: the Simple Secrets of Writing & Speaking (Almost) like a Professional is available from Story Publishers in Ghent, Belgium (storypublishers.be) and Amazon (amazon.com).
For further information, contact:
Philip Yaffe Brussels, Belgium Tel:
+32 (0)2 660 0405 Email: phil.yaffe@yahoo.com

The assiduous onset of global warming, reducing oil stocks conspire to threaten the world that will ultimately pass to future generations to resolve. Our school children need teaching resources to be groomed on the significance of alternative energy sources, and receive our apologies for getting it so wrong. The International Energy Agency projects that the world’s electrical power generating capacity will increase to nearly 5.8 million megawatts by the year 2020, up from about 3.3 million in 2000. However, the world’s supply of fossil fuels – our current main source of electricity – will start to run out from the years 2020 to 2060, according to the petroleum industry’s best analysts. Unlike fossil fuels, renewable energy sources will never run out. In one day, the sunlight which reaches the earth produces enough energy to meet the world’s current power requirements for eight years. On a global average, each square metre of land is exposed to enough sunlight to produce 1,700 kWh of power every year. The average output is between 850 kWh/m2 in Northern Europe, 1,200 kWh/m2 in Central Europe and 1,200-2,000 kWh/m2 in Southern Europe and the Mediterranean. Only a percentage of the potential held by renewable resources is technically accessible. According to scientists and the solar industry, acknowledging the current state of technology, this percentage is still enough to provide just under six times more power than the world currently requires. Nature offers a variety of options for producing renewable energy. It is mainly a question of how to convert sunlight, wind, biomass or water into electricity, heat or power as efficiently, environmentally friendly, and cost-effectively as possible. Renewable energy technologies, which have a positive impact for our environment, include wind, solar, hydro, geothermal and organic bio-energy. These are a lot friendlier to the environment than conventional energy technologies which rely on fossil fuels. Fossil fuels contribute significantly to many environmental problems – greenhouse gases, air pollution, water and soil contamination – while renewable energy sources contribute very little or none at all. Greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrocarbons, and chlorofluorocarbons) surround the Earth’s atmosphere like a clear thermal blanket allowing the sun’s warming rays in and trapping the heat close to the Earth’s surface. This natural greenhouse effect keeps the Earth’s average surface temperature at about 33°C (60°F). But scientists believe the increased use of fossil fuels has significantly increased greenhouse gas emissions, particularly carbon dioxide, creating an enhanced greenhouse effect known as global warming. Both pollution and global warming pose major health risks to humans as this contributes to lung disease, including asthma, lung cancer and respiratory infections. A significant global effort in clean energy technology research is needed to develop, collect, store and deliver energy efficiently without harming our planet. Securing our energy holds many political problems, especially since the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001. Foreign oil dependence has resurfaced carrying significant political and economic risks. This conventional energy source is vulnerable to political instabilities, trade disputes, embargoes and other disruptions. Because renewable supplies are predictable and abundant, they can help stabilize energy costs and free consumers from the volatile price swings in the natural gas and oil markets caused by supply and demand issues. Technological improvements and federal production incentives have made the cost of electricity from some renewable sources more cost-competitive compared to generating power from conventional sources. In fact, technological improvements and market growth are making renewable sources more cost competitive. Some countries are using renewable energy as one way to encourage economic development and stimulate local economies. In many instances energy needs result in a community going to outside utilities or energy suppliers. By developing renewable energy sources, which often employ native resources and local production, energy money is spent in the local economy, helping to generate local revenue. A renewable energy teaching resources set has been developed to demonstrate the workings of clean energy technologies on a miniature scale. Using an educational games approach can let children build an entire miniature renewable energy system and configure the system in different ways to visualize the complete system from start to finish. Children can learn about direct renewable power generation using solar photovoltaic technology. Experiments with electrolysis shows how to generate and store hydrogen and discover how hydrogen can be used as a renewable “energy carrier” that can power many applications via fuel cell technology. The combination of science games provides an excellent opportunity to learn about the exciting prospects of renewable energy, as well basic physics and chemistry principles. Seeing how renewable energy can be harnessed, stored, and re-used is an essential ingredient in children’s understanding that can inspire novel developments of the future. Their inheritance may have been eroded over the last few generations; this is a way to start putting something back for the future. Alistair Owens http://www.keen2learn.co.uk/c/424/Physics.php.

Predator/Prey/Humans By Larry Whittler In nature the herd crosses the river as the crocodile kills at will…. We are humans, not herd animals!
We are responsible for educating our children to respect life… You can’t give that right away!
When I was growing up in the mid 1900’s I was taught to help our neighbors… If his barn was on fire the whole neighborhood turned out to help….
America fought wars to help our neighbors…
Then I noticed a change, Schools were teaching our kids about “Me”, forget the other guy. Being “politically correct” started taking away competition in education with phrases like “no child left behind”, lets make everyone dumb, that way no one will feel inferior… Slowly the values that America was founded on have been eroded away…
It’s so obvious to the older generation that this is the basis for “Divide and Conquer” and a way to destroy America from within…
Our enemies couldn’t beat us on the battle field so they started attacking our children through our educational system…. Wow, Mickey Mouse look-a-likes teaching kids to kill Americans using their own bodies as weapons, no way…
We see the decay in our society everyday on the news; Increased crime, apathy, lack of sensitivity and respect even in our own family…. Our children are strangers in our own home. The list goes on and on… It’s time for the parents to take back their children…
We are a nation of laws that are enforced only if the “Judges” are made to stand by the Constitution of the United States, we didn’t elect or appoint Judges to change the laws…
We invite all religions of the world to come to the America…. But a religion that doesn’t tolerate other religions…. A religion that keeps women in the dark ages…. By the way where are the ‘women libs’? Why isn’t there a public out cry? Oh well if it doesn’t affect “ME”… That Dog Don’t Hunt!
www.thatdoghunts.com

The Use of Epidemiological Methods in Assessing the Impact of Democracy in Iraq

Introduction
Before a democratic Iraq can take shape and provide peace and security for the Iraqi people there must be understanding of the various factors and factors interaction in response to a new doctrine of democracy an unfamiliar experience that could clash with the tenets of Islam. In the fifth century B.C. Hippocrates wrote that one had to consider lifestyles, social, and geographic attribute of a community in order to study medicine property ( Hippocrates, 1938). In order to impose a democracy on a people who have no experience with it is problematic not only risky but it will be a new experience following the degree of fear of the unknown. In Iraq the unanswered question is weather democratic process will create culture conflict because the population not the elites will seek comfort in their belief system more than the total of its established facts. It includes their orderly arrangement into chains of inference, which extend more or less beyond the bounds of direct observation (Frost, 1936). Epidemiology help in our understanding the human impulse to hate and the forces that transform that impulse to undermine democracy in Iraq.
Epidemiology remains concerned first and foremost with examining the association between various factors and an outcome of interest. Culture is a complex phenomenon with a wide variety of outcomes that have wither a direct or indirect on democracy in Iraq. Epidemiology can help give to fundamental building blocks for investigation, data collection, analysis and interpretation. The exporting democracy is so small but epidemiology as a research method can make the task easier once the analysis has been complete regarding the success of democracy in Iraq. This means the development of institutions necessary for the transition to democracy, from the short- term establishment of civil services and rule of law, to the large- scale creation of a political representation body and a constitution.
Abstract
This article examines the use of epidemiological methods in assessing the impact of democracy in Iraq. The primary focus of epidemiology is the study of disease. The rational for such study is based on two fundamental assumptions. The first is that disease does not occur at random. The second is that systematic investigation of populations of interest can lead to the identification of casual and preventive factors. The use of epidemiological research can be applied to Iraq

Democracy And Iraq
Iraq has been transformed from authoritarian or oligarchy regime with limited suffrage to democratic and constitutional system. Political change brings about new ideology. Values that were formally held or certain emphasis upon certain matters might not hold true after political change. The political system process change and process and structure could also be victims to this change. A political structure is a particular distribution of political attitudes affect what they will do and a nation’s political culture affects the conduct of its citizens and leaders throughout the political system. The fact that the Shiites make up a majority in Iraq and in a direct election they would win the majority of seats in government is problematic for Sunni and Kurds whom view the Shiites’ gains as a threat to their ethnicity and to a stable democratic Iraq.
The Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani and his supporters are calling for direct elections because they know that the major democratic principle the west hold dear. People must feel that any elections held in Iraq are credible elections are not just the ratification of the elites selected at the local level. Despite, the fact that Baathist and others will try to destabilize their nations’ transition to democracy the elections must be held. However, the situation in Iraq could become more volatile as various parties seek to fill the power vacuum that could open up after June 30,2004 or Iraq soverenity.
Henderson argues that decision makers can be bias and ethnocentric in imposing their structure of government on others (Henderson, 1998). Weart 1998: 242 who is convinced that the major influence that may undermine democracy is ethnocentric views of those who are involved in the democracrazation process of Iraq. He opines that the:
Week point… that threatens peace between any regimes, democracies or not is that the people may identify so strongly with their nationality with its territory, languages, ethnic stock, religion, and so forth that this loyalty outweighs even the solidarity among fellow democrats. They may then see foreigners as a alien and untrustworthy out group regardless of their form of government.

According to Weart this process often take the form of “aggressive imperialism on the part of a strong democracy that attempts to enforce its hegemony over people i.e. the democratization of Iraq. Russett (2000) suggest “Europeans ethnocentric views of those people carried assumption that they did not have democratic institutions of self government, because they are candidates for the betterment”(pp.34-35).
Respect for the will of the majority and the rights of others, justice, sympathy, and trust are among the pivotal principle of democracy. There is no question that the new Iraq’s nascent political system (Democracy) will have to respect the Islamic identity of the majority of the Islamic people, regardless of the west support foe the new Iraq political system. If the west is to succeed in creating a democratic Iraq the west must understand the fact that Islam is very important to the Muslims of Iraq. In the post saddam Iraq it is not the secular separation of religion state, but promoting a culture of democracy that accommodates Iraq’s delicate ethnic and religious mix. The very nature of secularism is regarded with suspicion in the Iraqi society contrary to the forth coming fruits of democracy to the Iraqi people this is why it is difficult for the west to understand why non western nations do not appreciate democracy when we provide them with our model of the government to them.
The united states department of state international information program suggest that,” Democracy is more than a set of constitonal rules and procedures that determine how a government functions. In democracy, government is only one element coexisting in a social fabric of many and varied institutions, partial, organizations and associates”. Some of the principles of a democratic Iraq will have to be slowly integrated into the Iraqi culture if democratic institutions are to be successful in transforming the Iraq political culture. The following democratic principles and values the Iraqi must understand and accept will not be easy. Because democracy is based on the sovereignty of the people, government based upon consent of the governed majority rule, minority rights, guarantee of basic human rights, free and fair election, equality before the law, due process and constitutional limits on government. These values of democracy are not always compatible with the nature of Iraqi society. The concept of sovereignty of the people is a corner stone in national building but in Islam in Iraq the concept is conflict because to Muslims sovereignty is placed in god and not in the people.
Some scholars question whether democracy and Islam can coexist? However, it must be noted that of some the foundations and religious of Islam are the seeds from which democracy can be established in the new Iraq. For example self-government does have some history in the Muslim societies because there was more decentralization of power. The central government was interested in mostly issues of law, order and security. There are some concepts the Muslims cite when they explain the relationship between Islam and democracy. The first would be the Quran, it describes the righteous people as those who manage their a
ffairs through “natural consolation” or shura. On the basis of principle of consultation, the people have a general right to dispose of their affairs. Based on the values of justice, equality, and shura several participants agreed on the compatibility of democracy and Islam. Muslims in support of Iraq democracy would agree that democracies are based on civil societies that value pluralism and respecting Shiites,Sunnni, Kurds and others ethnic and religious will bring peace and security to Iraq.
Sery Hossein Nassar, author “slam: Religious, History, and civilization,” suggest that Muslims need to be convinced that democracy does not mean taking god’s sovernity and giving it to humans. The Muslims want a moderate, progressive interpretation of Islam, a democratic state that respect the will of the majority and protects the rights minority. Choudhury in contrasting Islam and democracy believes without the West understanding Islam has the inclusion of religious norm in their government imposes obligations on the states the same as it does on the individual. Chouhury comprising and contrasting democracy and Islam he says that:
Western democracy is based on the concept of popular sovereignty whereas Islamic political is based on the popular khilafat. The people are the sovereign in western democracy. In contrast, Islam sovereignty is vested in god and the people are his representatives. In democracy the people make their law, whereas in Islam they follow and obey the laws given by god through his prophet. In democracy, the government has to fulfill the will of the people, by contrast, in Islam the government and the people have to do the will of god. Islamic democracy is subservient to the divine law and exercises its authority in accordance with the injunctions of god and within the limits prescribed by him, whereas, western democracy is a kind of absolute authority which exercise its authority in accordance with the inunctions of god and within the limits prescribed by him, whereas, western democracy is kind of absolute authority which exercise it powers in a free and uncontrolled manner (Choudhury, 1)
There is an organic relationship between culture and democracy. Its impossible to develop one without the others. We can not build democratic system without developing culture. If a democratic Iraq is possible it will because the promoting a cultures of democracy that Iraq’s ethnic and religious groups can accept the American model of democracy is unique because of its culture, time and place in history and would be difficult for a fractional culture to experience democracy. Iraq essential problem then is legitimacy which manifests through three competing priciples: popular sovereignty, religion and natural community ethnicity. A culture that place more emphasis on their ethnicity than their nationalism is problematic for democratic institutions to work. Western concept of democracy has two basic principles of “majority will” and “majority rule”. The majority will place emphasis on everyone vote counts equally. The majority rule is a basic principle of democracy asserting that the greatest number of citizens in any political unit should elect officials to set policies. This becomes even more problematic is attempting to establish a democracy in Iraq where the majority of citizens are Shiites thus giving them the majority to determine policies. Any attempt by the West to broker any power- sharing agreement by constitutional means will be seen as an government that is illegimate. The West can not be selective as to which democratic principles they want Iraq to ignore when it is not in West interest. The West fear is that if the majority principle in democracy is honored then there is a possibility that Iraq will be politically influenced by the Shiite that would hold the head of state position and the Shiites majority would hold the most seats in Parliament. The fear on the part of Muslims of Iraq is the democratization of the Iraq Muslim society. This is noted because many ethnic and religious traditions limit the role of women with the exception of very few women of the elite who are able through family connection allow participating.

THE WORLD IN 2050
(AN ESSAY ON THE ISSUES THAT WE WILL FACE)
DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRL CHILD The ‘mighty hunter myth ‘ is nothing but ‘Apartheid of gender’. Especially in non-western societies and countries like India, we notice a shameless discrimination against millions of women. Through several Indians have won the Miss World title, yet no woman would prefer a girl to a boy for her first-born. The reports of brides burning, dowry deaths, rape and widow’s shaven head are regularly published in the newspapers and magazines. The bias against women is clearly a world-phenomenon as proved by increasing number of rape cases even in advanced countries like South Africa.
Everyone is answerable to gender equality. I fail to understand the logic behind the refusal of Radio Islam to broadcast women’s voice ‘for religious reasons.’ Who is responsible for the marginalised women in the patriarchal order? Male culture is responsible for vilifying woman as the Whore of Babylon.
Gender and Democracy workshops should be held in every country to find out ways of eliminathing discrimination against women. The ministers, parliaments, students, teachers, members of Rotary, Lions and Jaycee’s clubs, NGOs, confederation of industries and philanthropists and the media from all regions should be brought together in such workshops. The importance of women and men working harmoniously to promote new attitudes should be stressed. The significance of woman’s participation in local government and at the national level should be emphasized. The women should be empowered in all areas of decision-making. These commitments should be fully implemented by the governments. We should not simply pay lip service to gender equality. All the international commitments made in these workshops on the elimination of discrimination against women should be translated into practical action. Only by these affirmative action programmes, Virginia Woolf’s dream of a ‘female Shakespeare’ may be fulfilled.
In fact, we need the abolition of gender roles. The housewife should be given payment for domestic work. Secondly, the concept of the family should be abolished. This will break the vicious circle of girls learning from mothers. Thus, women must be judged as a person, not as gender. Thirdly, collective childrearing wherein all adults in the family must be responsible for the care of children will help in liberating the woman. Alvin Toffler ’s radical suggestion of ‘pro -parents’ is impractical for undeveloped countries in a country like India where about forty crore people are illiterate, to talk about professional parents as an alternative to the family is to build castles in the air.
In India, arranged marriages, polygamy ceaseless pregnancy, dowry deaths and plight of widowhood reveal female despondency and male chauvinism. Here the big question mark is woman ’s evolution from enslavement to liberation. How will an illiterate rural woman aspire for liberation? Even today about sixty percent females are illiterate. I am reminded of Shelley’s wise words:
Can man be free if woman be a slave ? Chain one who lives, and breathe this boundless air, To the corruption of a closed grave!
Indians consider women as a piece of property. They never allow their daughters to go out. Moreover, marriage for an Indian women is a jail or a cage. The husband tortures her physically and psychologically. If she asserts her individuality, divorce or murder is her reward. In the name of dowry, her humiliation continues unabated. The women’s Liberation Movement during 1960sespecially in U.S. highlighted their slavery, still the prevailing gender inequality exists condemning woman to a servile role of meek acquiescence in a patriarchal society. It is difficult to agree with Talcott Parsons that the ‘expressive’ female role is indispensable for performing two ‘irreducible functions’ of the family this will only justify male dominance and women will find it impossible to come out of traditional bondage. Hindus’ scriptural assertion that a female child should be married before she learns to masturbate, the custom of destroying female foetuses and shaving widow’s head — all these evils reveal the gender bias in developing countries. Treating women unequally from men will be a major issue in the world of the mid-21st century. Seventy percent of the world’s billion poor are women. Two-thirds of the 130million children denied opportunity of education allover the world are girls. (Unicef’s The state of the world’s children, 1999) The world in 2050s will have to meet this challenge successfully so that the unlimited potential of the girl child suppressed by irrational customs, illiteracy and poverty might be discovered . Recently, the news and photo of a girl child married to a dog in an Indian village was published in the newspapers. This reveals the tragedy of superstition and illiteracy.
GLOBALISATION-OUR FUTURE Globalisation has widened the gap between the world’ s haves and have-nots. Due to rapid advance in Information and communication technology, poverty among abundance is a highly serious challenge at the threshold of 21st century . Globalisation is moving fast, but our capacity to cope with its aftereffects is very slow. What we need most is improving global governance. The world should seriously debate about the following issues, or the benefits of globalisation will be futile:
1. Alarming increase in the cases of HIV/AIDS; 2. Culture in danger due to increased flow of information from industrialised nations to poor ones; 3. 61 cases of small scale battles during the post-Cold War period. The reason is globalisation resulting in liberalised flow of arms and mercenaries. Pakistan may acquire the nuclear technology to Iraq. From 2005 seven middle East countries may acquire the nuclear missiles which are sure to threaten central Europe . A cash- strapped country like Pakistan might be tempted to sell nuclear technology to the highest bidder. Germany’s intelligence service BND has predicted an outbreak of nuclear war in Kashmir. 4. Environmental insecurity including marine pollution. My point is that globalisation should work for people ’s welfare and make the earth a better and safer place for all. We have to find out better ways of global governance. We have to see how the world’s poor are benefited by globalisation rather than being further impoverished by it. Globalisation has increased the profits of the big corporates, but has it added to the wage share of the workers? We find a very peculiar situation when the governments advocate lower wages and retrenchment of workforces so that their profits may increase in a highly competitive global markets . This is leading to a big disparity between rich and poor all over the world. Let us pause and think about the fate of the smaller undeveloped and developing countries in global markets dominated and controlled by big financial institutions and colossus corporates. This may one-day lead to a complete breakdown of Asian markets. The Southeast countries would face a big problem in defending their currencies against speculative attacks due to globalisation. I would suggest the creation of an all-Asian rescue fund to diminish the importance of IMF, because in some cases IMF bailouts have helped the lenders more than the countries themselves. The cruical problem before the undeveloped countries is how to safegauard their own interests in an undependable world due to globalisation. The world in the new millennium urgently needs an international Forum so that fair-trading may become a reality. The Commonwealth representing over fifty countries should take major initiatives in balancing the aims of the major states with the welfare of the rest of the world. We should never forget that Globalisation is full of opportunities for poor countries to turn things around, because these nations need more technology, more access to world markets and more cooperation.
Globalisation and revolutionary technological progress will upset the ecosystem in the mid 21st ce
ntury. Environmental pollution will be a big crisis all over the world after four decades in the third Millennium. Due to millions of tons of chemical wastes polluting the rivers, water will become absolutely unfit for human use. The developing countries will have to find out the requisite technology to dispose off industrial wastes, otherwise all industrialisation and globalisation will backfire. The main issue before the world in 2050s will be how to protect our environment along with industrial growth.
Besides, the continued loss and degradation of forests will be a matter of great anxiety in the second half of the new Millennium. We have to find ways to conserve our forests. About 50to90% of all plants and animals are to be found in the forests. In the post-globalised world, we notice about thirty percent carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere from forest clearing. If this trend continues, it may pollute the eco-system like nuclear wars. We will have to preserve the rainforests to avoid such lethal emissions. The global forest management startegies during 2050s should zone the forest area into two-one half to be a wilderness preserve to preserve rich heritage and the other utilisation area for generating economic activities like medicinal plants and eco-tourism.
G-8 leaders must ensure that the globalisation does not pollute the environment. The advantages of globalisation instead of being the preserve of the few should be shared by everybody. The hardest challenge facing the world in 2050s may be to formulate strategies to eliminate poverty. Launching new global trade negotiations has done nothing so far for world’s poor. I agree that there are immense benefits of global medical research, but these benefits should be extended to the poor in developing countries through the provision of the drugs at affordable price.
DIGITAL DIVIDE The latest Information Technology is not available to all. Five percent of the world’s population are enjoying the Internet’s benefits. This terrible gap between rich and poor is a matter of great concern and the developed nation will have to take practical initiatives to bridge the ugly ‘digital divide’. All persons should gain an equitable place in the global information and communication technology. ICT can be effectively applied in e-commerce, Education, human rights and development . The revolutionary strides by ICT are meaningless if its benefits are denied to the people living in the poor and remote areas in the least developed countries.
A vast country like India is an example of innovative ICT needed to help its millions of poor people, victims of ignorance and unawareness. Especially the tribal population is devoid of any ability or resources to access the Internet’s benefits. Cruel practices like child-abuse, pre-and post-marital sexual habits creating alarming rise in AIDS are prevailing in the remote poor villages. One suggestion. The Indian government should provide loans to the poor villagers to set up phone shops and telecentres in the trible villages of the country. Thus , we may be able to bridge the country’s terrible divide. The private sector also should come forward to bridge this gulf. All kinds of trades, schools and colleges in the distant villages and public services should be linked to the ICT infrastructure. Thus, there is no doubt that ‘digital divide’ will be a big problem for the world in 2050s.
FIGHT AGAINST HIV/AIDS According to the UNICEF report 5.I million people in India are infected with HIV. The number is the second highest after Sub-Saharan Africa. The fight against HIV/AIDS in their countries and internationally will compel the policy-makers in 2050s to formulate sane strategies to save mankind against this disaster. HIV/AIDS is gradually becoming the greatest threat for the survival of women and children. Until we destroy this epidemic, the multinationals won’t be able to sell their goods in the African and Asian countries. The main reason to thirty six million AIDS patients worldwide is poverty, illiteracy and lack of awareness.
WORLD PEACE The First World War (1914-1918) was on a scale unprecedented in any previous century. It was rightly pointed out’ The National Debt of Great Britain was in 1914 before the war was 708 million pounds – it was 7435 million pounds in 1915. ‘. R.C. Macfie in his review of The Biology of War remarked thus: ‘Each chapter points the same moral and derives home the same lesson, that war is a blunder and crime.’ The British Army attacked the Some and lost sixty thousand men on the first day. Malcolm Cowley has aptly observed as follows: ‘The Eastern battles of World War I were most of them useless and stupid from the military point of view’.
In the Second World War(1939-45) thirty million died and nuclear weapons were dropped over Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Since then, a hundred times more destructive than the Hiroshima bomb nuclear bombs have been prepared, and mankind is in the grip of a frightening mad race among developed countries for superiority in the production of nuclear weapons. Both India and Pakistan have the nuclear bomb and both talk about ” a minimum nuclear deterrent ‘. This is a clear warning to use the bomb. An Indo-U.S. alliance against China could spoil the chances of world peace further.
The most important issue before the world in 2050s will be to implement the Sermon on the Mount in actual practice all over the world. Only by following the eternal values like love, compassion, Truth and Ahimsa (Non-Violence) as emphasized by the Bible, Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King we can hope for a world free from nuclear war .The new millennium will have to choose Non-Violence or bloodbaths of the horrifying nuclear winter. I hope the world in 2050s may become wiser if we pay attention to what the Soldier poets of the First World War said from the battle fields: 1. What passing bells for those who died like cattle? Only the monstrous anger of the guns. Only the sttuttering rifle’s rapid rattle…

(Wilfred Owen, ed.C.Day Lewis, London, 1963, p80.) 2. But cursed are dullards whom no canon stuns / That they should be as stones.

(Ibid, p.64) 3. The place was rotten with dead; green clumsy legs/ High-booted, sprawled and grovelled along the saps…(Siegfried Sassoon, Collected Poems: 1908-1956,London, 1961,p.68.) 4. “We’re none of us the same;” The boys reply: ‘For George lost both his legs, and Bill’s stone blind;/ And Bert’s gone Syphilitic: you ‘ll not find/ A chap who ’s served that has n’t found some change./ And the Bishop said: ‘The ways of God are strange.’
(pp. 23-24).
BOOKS & AND JOURNALS CONSULTED

Toffler: Future Shock, London, 1971. T.Parsons: The Structure of Social Action, New York, 1951. George Townsend Warner, The New Ground of British History, London, 1959, p.951. Ronald Campbell Macfie, The BOOKMAN, IVI, April, 1919, 22. Malcolm Cowley, The Literary Situation, New York, 1953, p.37.

Going back to school is as appealing as the scent of rotten banana peels, and, combined with the spring weather, studying for finals seems nearly impossible. But earning your degree is one of the most important and best decisions you can do now in order to secure your future. Just ask the A-list celebrities and athletes who’ve continued their education. Many of Hollywood’s most athletic and most talented have prepared for the day when their playing/acting/singing careers end, and real life begins. Though some celebrities earned their degrees the traditional method—through attending university and college campuses, more and more celebs are opting for online distance learning courses as well.
Stars on the Field, in the Online Classroom • Left-handed MLB pitcher, Al Leiter, knows more than just how to pitch a perfect game. In addition to being the only major leaguer to defeat all 30 teams, Leiter, a retired Marlin, also earned his associate’s degree through Penn State University’s World Campus program.
• What’s 7 feet tall, wears purple and appeared in 1994’s “Blue Chips”? You guessed it: Shaquille O’Neal. In addition to a NBA Championship, O’Neal also holds a bachelor’s degree from Lousianna State University. But the Shaq-Attack’s education doesn’t end there; O’Neal continued his education, earning an online MBA through University of Phoenix in 2005. Upon earning his MBA, O’Neal, A Miami Beach reserve officer, announced his desire to pursue a degree in criminal justice.
• Retired Phoenix Suns forward, Jalen Rose, is a paradigm athlete-scholar. Rose, who was recruited to the NBA from University of Michigan during his junior year of college, was determined to earn his degree. He enrolled in online classes from the University of Maryland University College (UMUC). There, Rose earned his Bachelor’s in Management Studies. Now retired, Rose continues to support education through the Jalen Rose Foundation, which offers five $10,000 scholarships to Michigan-area public school students each year.
• On the ice, she popularized the “I” spin position and wows crowds with her difficult jump sequences. As a competitive athletic and professional ice skater, Sasha Cohen understands the importance of nutrition, exercise, and a balance of the two. That’s why this young Olympic medalist is focusing on earning her undergraduate degree in Nutrition to Pennsylvania State University’s distance learning program. • Former University of Nebraska football star and wide receiver Bobby Newcombe enrolled in an online master’s in business administration program through University of Phoenix. While enrolled in the online program, Newcome played for both the Indianapolis Colts as well as the Baltimore Ravens. After his two-year career in NFL, Newcombe returned to the education field. Currently, Newcombe serves as an enrollment manager for his alma mater, the University of Phoenix. Beauty, Fame and Brains • You’ve seen her in Lizzie Maguire, and your kid sister probably adores her line of clothing, Stuff by Duff. But what you probably don’t know is that Hillary Duff, Disney channel actress-turned-pop-singer-turned-entrepreneur, is currently pursuing her college education. Between recording pop hits, rehearsing for an upcoming film and designing products for her clothing line, Duff chooses from classes in liberal arts, computer science and management through Harvard’s Distance Extension program.
Celebrities on Campus • He’s famous for his commitment to body building, and most frequently associated with the quote, “I’ll be back” but Mr. Olympia/actor/Governor of California also dedicated himself to his studies. Arnold Schwarzenegger earned a degree in International Fitness Marketing and Business Administration from University of Wisconsin.
• If the words Griffyndor, Hufflepuff, Slytherin and Ravenclaw mean anything to you, then you’ll know Harry Potter series author J.K. Rowling captivates audiences young and old with her imaginative writing. Before Rowling’s wizarding series developed, she earned a Bachelor’s degree in French from Exeter University.
• Oscar winner Jennifer Connolly has been in critically acclaimed films including Requiem for a Dream, A Beautiful Mind and, most recently, Blood Diamond. Connolly began her undergraduate studies at Yale, but later transferred to equally prestigious Stanford University where she earned her BA in English. Additionally, Connolly is fluent in both Italian and French.
• He’s most often playing opposite fellow actor, Rob Schneider in comedic films such as The Hot Chick, Big Daddy and The Waterboy. But actor Adam Sandler started and honed his comedic capabilities at his alma mater, New York University. While there, Sandler pursued his degree in Fine Arts, and regularly performed at local comedy clubs.
• Tommy Lee Jones is not only an Academy Award-winning actor, director and Broadway star, but he is also a cum laude graduate of Harvard’s class of 1969. While earning his degree in English, Jones played offensive tackle on Harvard’s undefeated football team and was hallmates with future Vice President Al Gore.
• Most famous for her stunning Barbie doll physique, The Girls Next Door star Bridget Marquardt is no dumb blonde. This Playboy Playmate graduated from CSU Sacramento with a B.A. in Communications, with a concentration in Public Relations. In 2001, Marquardt received her Master’s in Communications from University of Pacific in Stockton, CA. Arguably one of Hugh Hefner’s most educated girlfriends, Marquardt continued her education even further by enrolling in a graduate level broadcast communications program through UCLA’s Extension program. Jenny Sweeney is a copywriter with DMi Partners, an interactive marketing agency devoted to informative websites, including ecollegefinder.org, a site devoted to distance learning and getting your accredited online degree.