GLOBAL WARMING

This is an article I wrote that was published in Gulf News- a newspaper in UAE. This was written when I was 13 years old.


While most of us would like to think that we aren't a part of the problem, the fact is that if you drive one of the many vehicles on the road, you are contributing to global warming.

Global warming is defined as an increase in the average temperature of the Earth's air and oceans, which is a big threat to the future of the world. Everywhere you turn, there is something describing the dangers of global warming. We have finally begun to realise the effect we are having on the planet but, unfortunately, as far as I know no one has been trying to reduce it by recycling or reducing. No one seems to be worried about the future. We aren't looking ahead at how all this could affect future generations and because of that, the planet is going to be in trouble. So why are we waiting to be blamed?

Prevention is always better than cure. Global warming has started and there isn't a way to stop it. All we can do now is reduce it as much as possible but it's a shame that no one is seriously considering ways to do that.

Do your part

People may think that it is impossible to live without air conditioners here because of the heat, especially in the summer. But I think that people can find ways to cool down. However, they wouldn't be able to do that if global warming reaches its peak.

Here are some other things that everyone can do to help reduce global warming:

- Reduce, re-use and recycle, the triple R's. It seems easy to do, so why aren't people doing that? By recycling half of their household waste, people can safe up to approximately 1,088 kilogrammes of carbon dioxide annually.

- Drive less. When you drive less, you emit fewer emissions. Other than saving fuel, walking and biking are great forms of exercise.

- Turn appliances off. When you leave a room, turn off un-used lights as well as appliances such as the television, stereo and computer. If you're not using them, then they shouldn't be plugged in.

- Plant a tree. A single tree will absorb approximately one ton of carbon dioxide throughout its lifetime.

The final thing that everyone can do is spread the message about global warming and its consequences. That way when people are aware, they can find ways to reduce the carbon dioxide levels before it's too late. It's the least we could do for our poor Earth.

http://youtu.be/6CcM8wcspmM

His name was Stallone. Rescued during a dogfighting raid, this pitbull terrier won the love of everyone around him. The heartbreaking story of this victim sheds light on the extreme cruelty he, and other dogs like him, endured - fight after fight.

DO NOT WATCH IF SENSITIVE .

FREEDOM

Today, during English class, we had a deep discussion about what the word ‘freedom’ meant to us students. Though my friends just laughed it off casually and answered with whatever came into their mind, it put me into a deep, deep thought. When it was my turn to answer, I voiced my opinion of how freedom meant being able to take some decisions that we are really sure of. Freedom is the ability to stand on our own feet and not depend on others. My friend gave a similar but different opinion on that matter. She said, according to her, freedom meant being able to soar in the sky like a free bird. An image of a free bird soaring high in the sky with no responsibilities and no tension drew itself into my mind. It felt good. Freedom.


When I came back to reality and actually thought rationally about it, a free bird I not free from responsibilities or fears or tensions. Who are we to judge? Then what exactly is freedom? The various answers my friends gave were somewhat funny. One said, freedom is being able to chat in private without our parents watching over us. That, I do not agree to. Myself being a teenager, I know what a teenager is capable of doing online. It’s not a very pretty thing to say in a blog. If not properly looked upon and taken care of, a child can grow up in a wrong way. A million examples are portrayed in front of us in our society and surrounding. I have friends who are doing very wrong things that will bring shame to them and their family. Therefore, I am growing up a little and agreeing with the parents when they keep a watch on what their teenager is doing online in the privacy of her room.

I’m sorry for deviating from the topic of freedom. I don’t promise to stay on the topic though. A scene vividly came into my mind when the teacher told us about freedom. It was a scene from a movie. A wounded man was a battle ground fell to the ground and he screamed “FREEDOM” before he died. The scene sent a chill down my spine. Freedom is basically having rights. Having the power to be who you are. Not having to fear something or someone but god. When one of my other friends said that freedom to her meant being taken seriously, that led me into a totally different angle of thoughts. When she spoke, we could actually hear from her voice that she was hurt. She sorrowfully said about how her parents listened only to her elder sisters and not to her. It seems her opinions were never taken into matter. She was treated as a nobody. I wouldn’t have been surprised if she had broken down into tears then and there. Some parents do that and knowingly or unknowingly, a child is hurt. She told us about how her parents ask her elder siblings about what colour the room should be painted, which type of cell phone he should buy, where they should go out for dinner etc. It seems they never bother about her suggestions unless it is solely relating to her. I can understand this situation if she was a 6 year old kid. But mind you, she is 16 years old. Her older siblings are 18 and 20. How does being 2 to 4 years elder than a person make that person anymore wiser? Maybe it does. Maybe it doesn’t.


I had a similar case in my house yesterday. My elder sister had gone for her evening classes when my dad brought home a new iPhone 4G. Now mind you, I already have an iPod Touch 3rd gen. An iPhone and iPod is not much different except for iPhone letting you to make calls and send texts. As my father was not much of a tech-whiz, I took the iPhone from him and started making homely (creating a mobile account, setting iTunes etc). My father’s first reaction surprised me. He asked me to wait for my sister to come because she would know what to do more than me. A full year of using an iTouch, and my father expected my sister (who owned no Apple product) to know better. If I actually had the power to do so, I would have slammed down the iPhone and walked away. Don’t worry, I didn’t do it. I suddenly remembered that when I had purchased my iTouch, my sister was the one to configure it and make it ready to use. I didn’t get the chance to configure my own gadget. Would you blame me for being mad? I wouldn’t!


That’s where parents go wrong. They forget who to give importance and what kind of importance. Somewhere along the path of growing up, maybe my parents forgot that I wasn’t a kid anymore.

DEVIATED! Haha! Anyways what I just wanted to say is that freedom has a lot of meaning to different people. For some, it is being able to voice an opinion. But for some other, it may be equal to being born. Every day in our life is a fight to get recognized and taken seriously. Everyone wants to be free. Freedom is an everyday fight to be who you are.

“The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.” - Albert Camus

FUN SIZED

Let me tell you how it feels
Let me show you how it deals
I am not skinny, I am fat
Not so thick haired, I know that

I am kinda’ short, about four-one
What they don’t say, short is fun!
I got no Gucci, or Prada in my closet
Woolen X’mas sweaters, to be honest

I can open a pickle jar
I am strong, I got some scars
I don’t act feeble to get him near
Men will come and go, I have no fear

I am not skinny, I don’t really wish
But I can make a guy wish I was his.
I can walk on the road, make-up free
Unlike you, face pack times three

I can walk, I can sing, feel the ray
You are a plastic doll, nothing more to say
I am real, nothing fake, everything fair
I’m free, I’m alive, don’t you wish you were ?

IRRITATINGLY PERFECT

Let me tell you from the beginning
How much you mean to me
Just seeing you in the morning
Magically brings a smile across my face

I don’t want to lie and say
That you bring the rainbow after the rain
You don’t always know the right thing to say
But you do always make me feel great

It just comes along with friendship
Anger, resentment and love
You hold my biggest pet peeves
You act like a little child

You really don’t know how to sing
On the other hand neither do I.
Maybe that’s what brought us so close
Or maybe it’s the way you listen when I talk.

It surprises me when you listen
(Though you have a blank expression)
For hours my exciting stories
About how my turtle ate a fish.

You act like a know-it-all
You want to be the UN secretary
You eat up all my Doritoes
The moment I open the packet!

Then what makes you my best friend?
I have wondered so many times!
Maybe it’s the way you are
You are irritatingly perfect.

You complete my mission called ‘life’.
Helping me survive the crazy twists and turns.

Looking back I take back what I said…
Maybe you do bring the rainbow after the rain.

DADDY'S DARLING...OR NOT

A tear dropp fell today From a childs innocent eyes The reason, I know not Might be of fear, terror and lies A tear dropp fell today Unnoticed and forgotten… From her blue azure eyes It lay silent, fear gripped Usually tucked into bed Happy, content, fully fed Kissed and tenderly hugged Memories remaining And they are fading Nothing‘s the same right now Things changed, don’t know how Her eyes are gripped in fear Reason hidden beneath her tears Her young body is frail Her footprints leaving a trail She wonders what has happened Her daddy, he has changed She is touched, not by love Nowhere, she sees a peaceful dove She is destroyed, by her trusted man To breath, she tries, she can’t Daddy’s darling has changed for worse Daddy’s darling is gone Daddy’s darling is bitterly cursed Daddy’s darling, gone with the wind A tear dropp falls from her eyes Falls to the harsh ground It rolls slowly down her cheeks It breaks… And the memories wash away Sania Harris

INDIA - A Global Economic Superpower

With great power come great responsibilities. Every ten year old knows where that has come from. India has the world’s second largest population with nearly 1000 people on every square mile of area nationwide. Since attaining independence from the British rule in 1947, India has been tackled with a lot of struggles and coercions. But this has not stopped the scenic country from appearing frequently in the reports of global political analysts and media mavens as the next probable superpower worldwide.

The bygone couple of years have rendered deterioration in the influence of United States as a super power. The morbid relationship of the country in finance and trade and commerce has handicapped the notion of the United States being a superpower. The gradual but rapid hampering encumbering of the United States has led the economists into pondering about the other prospects of worthy aspirants for the sought after “Super Power” emblem. The possibilities of the countries evolving as a superpower had our ever flourishing India at its chief.

On one hand, the news was received with astonishment and awe of the citizens due to several indicators like the fiscal, social and radical encounters faced by India. On the other hand, majority of the citizens hailed and saluted the news with their patriotic outlooks escalating beyond the blue. The republic had portrayed numerous demographic trends and has a rapidly expanding economy. It is not yet influential on the international platform as compared to some other major countries. But the bells have chimed and the future is vibrant and clear. India is ordained to be on the top.

I believe that India would make it to the top of the world as Indians are among the most intelligent people of the world. India has all the human and material resources that are prerequisite to become a superpower. It is only a question of administration and supervision. The country proudly holds immense resource of experienced, high caliber professionals in all spheres of knowledge and technology. India is deemed as a ‘Sleeping Tiger’ due to its capabilities in different fields like nuclear technology, space technology, agricultural research and software development. If provided with proper support, they would be able to implement any task that a developed nation may or may not be able to do.

My vision as a citizen of India would be to make India a superpower, both in economic and military terms. The endeavour to be taken to herald this result would be tremendous and not without pain. One may wonder why India has not achieved this goal yet and what has prevented India from achieving this goal. Many reasons point back at us the root cause is paved by the citizens themselves. Too much focus is given on social and religious issues and too little on economic matters. The national elections are being based on religious outputs which eventually lead to the election of leaders that are more focused on these aspects rather than on the economy and well-being of the country. ON the other side of the coin, India faces more problems like proper infrastructure facilities, low agricultural output, high illiteracy rate and poverty. India should be made fully self-reliant in the fields of technology, energy and food. The infrastructure facilities should be expanded and must prove to be one of the best that is available anywhere in the world. The scourge of illiteracy and corruption that can be seen in all walks of life should be thoroughly eradicated. They are sharpened knives wounding the country’s powers. The most threatening disruption faced by India in this era is that of utter poverty and helplessness. To become a superpower one day, the government should take a large step in eradicating poverty and ensure that no Indian is below the poverty line. A fast developing country requires educated and skilled labour and decent economic growth. A necessary step should be taken towards stabilizing a value for a rupee as the continuous devaluation of the rupee is seen as a major demerit. These necessities, hopes and aspirations should be raised without harming or sacrificing on any of the rich cultural heritage and diversity that India is blessed with.

The British Empire, where the sun never sets does not exist anymore. Therefore, there is no historical reason to believe that the richest and strongest nation of today will remind like that forever. Changes are occurred in the day to day life and thus, it does not come as a surprise that India holds an opportunity to become a superpower by the year 2025. It is about time that each and every citizen of the country realized that he is part of a winning team called INDIA. These dreams cannot be turned into reality by a magic wand or by chanting prayers or by a stroke of good luck. Only sheer hard work can result in the upbringing of the country. So let’s make it the obligation of every Indian citizen to aid their full effort in overcoming the challenges of the nation. With great power come great responsibilities. Let us initiate at this instant moment to be a responsible citizen to the country and a reliable human being to the world. India will ascent. Jai Hind.