Hopes were flooded with disappointment as the government handed yet another raw deal to the Indian Army. Buckling under an acute shortage of officers and a host of them queuing up for a pre-mature retirement, the Sixth Pay Commission looked like an only deciding factor which would tip the scales in either side. But alas, that did not do anything to bring smiles on the faces of thousands of military personnel who were hoping for better salary after the pay-commission.

What is the future of Indian Army, one would ask? The charm the uniform, the stylish lifestyle and the unending list of facilities may have had their glitter in yesteryears but with corporate companies offering that and much more, the defense forces are no longer a tempting option for youngsters. Who would want to put their lives on risk for peanuts? That is what it boils down to ultimately. “doubling of allowances” and “special military service pay” may look enviable when they are flashed on television but how many people know that an allowance that was once Rs.50 has been doubled up to Rs.100! And what’s more? The counter-insurgency allowance has been conveniently overlooked and substituted by a paltry sum of Rs.6000 for an officer and Rs.1000 for a jawan. Can this amount make up for all the hard-ships and risks that a soldier has to put up with? With growing expenses and amenities, it is not easy for a military man to keep his family comfortable. A jawan candidly states- “I do not want to get posted anywhere close to my home-town because I do not want my parents to see what pathetic conditions my family lives in”. That pretty much sums up a soldiers concern. A colonel earns as much as a call-center fresher- why on earth wouldn’t he be tempted to dump the uniform and look for a corporate job when companies are dying to hire an experienced and talented officer like him. After all, money has always had its lure and there is no denying that money is what people work for.

In the end, it all culminates into vote politics. Most army-men do not stay in their home towns and some are posted in remote valleys and border-villages. As a result, they do not get to cast their votes as often as they would like. Has the government realized that the vote of an army-man is not substantial enough to be cared for?

Officers who had not put up their papers yet were waiting for the prospects to unfold after the pay-commission. With an excuse of a hike and a certainty of stagnation till the next-pay commission, they have now geared up with their retirement procedures. Keeping the current scenario in mind, if our country faces a security thereat- will there be anyone left to defend it?
Like the cliché goes: “you pay peanuts, you get monkeys!”
Image: Hindu

Pattern of education has also undergone a sea change with a shift in focuses and priorities. “Whilst today’s education system encourages individuality, and expression of opinion, the education system of the 40s and 50s put a firm emphasis on discipline and uniformity” (BBC). Education now had transcended beyond bookish knowledge and lays more emphasis on over-all character development. Mediums like internet and tele-education were practically unheard of in the 50’s and 60’s and hence the Boomers had only their books and a few audio-visual sources to rely upon. The newer generation was encouraged to analyze and interpret books based on their own sensibilities as opposed to memorizing and reproducing text which was a common mode of learning until a few years ago. This change is now reflected in the difference in approach of the two generations in problem-solving and teaching methods. Boomers also find it difficult to see sense in recent trends like blogging and networking for friends and dating. They would rather spend money on an international call than try to endlessly chat over the internet for free just because they were not exposed to such concepts in their formative years.

Even in the professional arena, Boomers are known as the more “subtle” generation and X-ers and Y-ers are subjected to continuous scrutiny regarding the clothes they wear, the language they use and the time they put into their work. Often, the young employee’s expression of self though tattoos, radical fashion and body piercing is met with resentment from the Boomer leading to workplace conflicts. The latter views such fashion as “offensive”, “un-professional” and even “vulgar”. They tend to emphasize more upon the young worker’s personal attributes that his/her professional credibility. According to Dan Kadlec- co-author of The Power Years, a guide for boomers- “Tensions typically stem from perceptions of loyalty and respect - as in, we think the kids don’t have any”. Along years the work pattern has also undergone a drastic transformation. The generation of Boomers has seen extreme struggle and job scarcity which is not the case with the younger lot. As a result, the latter are more willing to take risks in their careers, change jobs and switch professions – all of which was unthinkable of in the 70’s and 80’s. While a Boomer would not think much of working past office hours and even on weekends, an X-er has stringent rules about personal and professional time and does not allow one to infringe upon the other .nevertheless; they do not compromise on quality and efficiency by being more focused. Also, thirty-something’s are accustomed to following their job blindly without raising an eye-brow to the instructions. They feel irked and offended when a twenty-something questions their authority and demands explanations and view this as a mark of disrespect- even when it may simply stem from curiosity and a need to establish a logic in implementing instructions. The older generation still prefers to communicate via the old fashioned and formal means like meetings and letters and the new generation considers it perfectly acceptable to convey a professional message via a short e-mail or text message. According to the Boomers the X-ers and Y-ers lack serious work ethic whereas the latter feel that the former refuse to embrace chance which is essential for progression.

The generation of Boomers witnessed the trend of young adults moving out of their parental homes around the age of eighteen in pursuit of education or jobs and to establish an identity and family of their own. According to Marcia Mogelonsky “When a college education became the norm for a large share of American women and men, the deferral of adulthood began. People got married later, had children later, bought homes later, and started careers later”. Most people now prefer to live with their parents in order to save money for other luxuries without feeling ashamed. By doing this they also enjoy the freedom of making choices and exploring options without being burdened with the responsibility of home and family. In her article titled “The Rocky Road to Adulthood”, Marcia Mogelonsky quotes psychologist Ross E. Goldstein: “It may be time to redefine the meaning of being `grown-up.’ If we continue to apply the same standards used to identify the transition from childhood to adulthood among baby boomers, we may discover that Generation X will never grow up”. The boundary between adolescence and adulthood is fast fading as people as meeting the requirements for adulthood like education, job and family relatively late in life.
According to Carole Bonnet women are increasingly making their presence felt in all professional fields and the incidence of career breaks among women are gradually decreasing. In the coming generations, the gap between the retirement ages for men and women is expected to close in. in many countries the new generation is striving hard to eradicate gender bias, racism and class discrimination.
David Plotz examines the difference between Generation X and Y and feels that Generation Y is a more “cheerful” generation as it marks a significant decrease in social mal-functions like teenage pregnancy, racism, drug abuse, teenage crime and school drop-outs- all of which were rampant in the 80’s and 90’s. After the tumultuous years it comes as a pleasant surprise when teenagers take active interest in spirituality and social causes. In his article titled “The American Teenager”, he says: “the slump of the 90’s has been replaced by eternal boom; the cynical pessimists of Gen X have been replaced by cheery Y’s”. this is probably a consequence of increasing awareness and incorporation of sex- education and psychological counseling as part of the educational curriculum. Plotz also observes that the new generation does not resort to rebellion- rather they believe in “New Earnestness” and “New Familism”. The Y-ers are keener on attending church as opposed to the X-ers who believed in rebelling against any and every thing that they were expected and asked to do.
Even after noting the vast generation gap, it would be incorrect to say that two generations have little in common. Although there might be a vast difference between opinions, views and tastes, generations seldom fail to find common ground in order to co-exist in harmony. Minor adjustments and willingness to be open-minded go a long way in bridging the eternal “generation gap”.

The above studies article only highlights one of the many problems posed by global warming with water shortage as only a small part of the spectrum. Apart from exposing humans and animals to serious health hazards, greenhouse emissions have resulted in a dramatic climatic shift that has caused havoc and destruction in many parts rendering a severe blow to the world economy. While a part of the earth is facing draught and famines, coastal areas in many countries are immersed in flood and sea water almost throughout the year. Global warming effects ecology at all levels and is slowly driving many species to extinction. Some scientists have even predicted the coming of a second Ice Age. Considering the grave consequences, it is time to take drastic measures in order to save the world for future generations. Small everyday actions can actually go a long way in preventing global warming which is progressing faster than its expected rate. For example: saving electricity by using solar power and compact fluorescent bulbs, using eco-friendly means of transport like bicycle and walking, recycling water and wastes. The basic idea is to minimize carbon dioxide emissions in any form and spreading awareness all around us. Not only do the above mentioned things save a lot of money, they can cumulatively make a big difference to the environment.

Ever since the commencement of the US-led war on Iraq, there has been constant speculation regarding its impact on Islamic terrorism in Iraq. Though the war was meant to be a counter-terrorism act, the present case scenario proves to be quite contradictory. This fact is evidenced by American intelligence agencies’ meticulously assessment of global terrorism trends that concluded that American invasion and occupation of Iraq post Iraq war has fuelled Islamic radicalism and terrorism as a whole since September 11 attacks with the growth of new terrorist outfits and cells that function independently or are in indirect contact with Laden.
The “National Intelligence Estimate” is said to be a cumulative analysis of all sixteen American intelligence agencies and is considered the most comprehensive report yet; nevertheless, there had been a prediction of terrorism upsurge even before the US-led invasion in 2003. This report, completed in April reveals that Islamic radicalism has mushroomed worldwide and cites the Iraq war as a reason for the spread of jihad ideology. Internet has also played a crucial role in the spreading of jihad’s ideologies and has facilitated terrorist operations through multiple extremist websites.
The radical Islamic movement has expanded from a core of Qaeda operatives and affiliated groups to include a new class of ’self-generating’ cells inspired by al Qaeda’s leadership but without any direct connection to Osama bin Laden or his top lieutenants. This theory is supported by the estimates’ derivations. In counter-argument it can be said that Islamic militants had hated the US long before it invaded Iraq, or even Afghanistan for that matter as agreed upon by Mr. Bush.
The federal government received many predictive warnings regarding the aggravation of Islamic terrorism, recruitment and religious extremism. The briefing about the possible consequences were given verbally and in written to the intelligence officials. However, the Prime Minister claimed that the war would be an important step in the global war against terrorism.
As it eventually turns out, the US led war on Iraq has not made the world any safer and Iraq has now become worse than Taliban ruled Afghanistan in terms of militancy as attacks attributed to al-Qaeda’s wing surges in Baghdad and the west of the country.
Although the US had impacted a serious blow onto al-Qaeda and counteracted and averted many of their major operations, radical Islamic networks had however spread and decentralized.

The report concludes that many new outfits and cells have no connection with any central structure and communicate only among themselves, getting their inspiration, ideology and tactics from the innumerable extremist websites that propagate the idea that the Iraq war is a Western attempt to conquer Islam by first occupying Iraq and establishing a permanent presence in the Middle East.
Image:learn sigma

According to wildlife activist Christina Lapis, destruction of the bears’ natural habitat and lack of food are the two main reasons that drive the animals into human habitats in search of food which they find in abundance in garbage cans. This has also led to the promotion of bear-hunting as a tourist attraction as bear is an exotic animal which in turn makes it an expensive sport. Some authorities have even proposed bear -hunting as a means to control their rampaging population - much to the dismay of environmental activists. Bears leaving their natural forest habitat for food is in itself a red sign and hunting them down would do little else that pose a threat for the species which is already in trouble Lapis feels that the bears straying into towns and villages should be captured and rehabilitated into the wild- where they rightly belong.

Although the bears may be as abundant as chickens at the moment, uncontrolled hunting and deforestation would drive them back into the danger zone- like they were before the communist times. It would probably help to spay and neuter for a period of time and mark conservation zones where bears can live a healthy and safe life in their natural habitat.

Source Link: ABC News
Image Credit: Quantum Conservation

href=”http://www.quantum-conservation.org/ESB/EUROPEAN%20BROWN%20BEAR.html”>
href=”http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/11/06/2083558.htm”> ]]> Wed, 07 Nov 2007 06:41:16 +0000 brown bearsRomaniaconservationdeforestation http://shuchikalra.instablogs.com/entry/wheat-bran-the-stuff-that-we-sift-away/ http://shuchikalra.instablogs.com/entry/wheat-bran-the-stuff-that-we-sift-away/ Shuchi Kalra

Although whole-wheat products are fast gaining popularity in today’s health savvy society, many of us still prefer soft, white bread instead of the wholesome version which is a bit coarse in texture. Wheat bran (commonly known as...