Comprehension Passage - 2

Title: Bad temper - The vice of the virtuous

The next ingredient is a very remarkable one: Good Temper. "Love is not easily provoked". Nothing could be more striking than to find this here. We are inclined to look upon bad temper as a very harmless weakness. We speak of it as a mere infirmity of nature, a family failing, a matter of temperament, not a thing to take into a very serious account in estimating a man's character.

And yet here, right in the heart of this analysis of love, it finds a place; and the Bible again and again returns to condemn it as one of the most destructive elements in human nature. The peculiarity of ill temper is that it is the vice of the virtuous. It is often the one blot on an otherwise noble character. You know men who are all but perfect, and women who could be entirely perfect but for an easily ruffled, quick tempered or touchy disposition. This compatibility of ill temper with high moral character is one of the strangest and saddest problems of ethics.

 The truth is there are two great classes of sins - sins of the Body,  and sins of Disposition.  The Prodigal son may be taken as a type of the first, the Elder brother of the second. Now society has no doubt whatever as to which of these is worse.  Its brand falls, without a challenge, upon the Prodigal. But are we right? We have no balance to weigh one another’s sins, and coarser and finer are but human words; but faults in the higher nature may be less venial than those in the lower, and to the eye of Him who is Love, a sin against Love may seem a hundred times more base. No form of vice, not worldliness, not greed of gold, not drunkenness itself does more to un-christianise society than evil temper. 

For embittering life, for breaking up communities, for destroying the most sacred relationships, for devastating homes, for withering up men and women, for taking the bloom off childhood; in short for sheer gratuitous misery-producing power, this influence stands alone. 

Jealousy, anger, pride, uncharity, self-righteousness, touchiness, doggedness, sullenness - in varying proportions these are the ingredients of all ill-temper. Judge if such sins of disposition are not worse to live in, and for others to live with than sins of the body. There is really no place in Heaven for a disposition like this. A man with such a mood could only make Heaven miserable for the all the people in it.

                                                                                                    Henry Drummond

Questions

1. What is the popular notion about 'bad temper'?

Answer -  According to the author, bad temper is considered as a harmless weakness and is spoken merely as if it is a mere infirmity of nature, a family failing or as a matter of temperament. 

2. How is bad temper 'the vice of the virtuous'?

Answer - Bad temper is one blot on an otherwise noble character. Men and women could be entirely perfect except for a ill-tempered disposition. Hence bad temper is referred as the vice of the virtuous.

3. Which class of sins is the worse and why - sins of the body or the sins of the disposition?

Answer - Sins of the disposition are worse than the sins of the body because evil temper un-Christianise the society more than the bodily sins. 

4. Mention some evils of bad temper?

Answer - Evil temper can embitter life, break up communities, destroy most scared relationships, devastate homes, wither up men and women, for taking the bloom off childhood. 

5. Why, according to the author, will there be no place in Heaven for bad-tempered folks?

Answer - According to the author, there will be no place in Heaven for bad-tempered folks because people with evil-temper can only make heaven a miserable place for all the people in it. 

6. Who is the author of this passage?

Answer - Henry Drummond.

7. What could be the title for this comprehension passage?

Answer - Bad temper - The vice of the virtuous. 

8. Name any three ingredients of ill temper?

Answer - Jealousy, anger and cruelty.

9. What is the nearest meaning for the word 'ruining' in the passage?

Answer - Devastating.

10. Find words from the passage which mean : breaking up, ruining, scandalising, souring, easily or quickly offended.

Answer - 1. breaking up: destroying.

               2. ruining: devastating.

               3. scandalising: withering.

               4. souring: embittering.

               5. easily or quickly offended: touchy.

The Farmer and the Donkey Story

 The Story of the farmer and his donkey

Author - Unknown

This is one story that I came across the internet and I was amazed with the positivity it set. This is how you shove out the dirt that is thrown at you and then you step up. Let's show the world what we are made of and how we never give up. 

Photo Courtesy: Google  

One day a farmer’s donkey fell into a well. The animal cried loudly for hours, while the farmer tried to find something to do to get him out.

Finally, the farmer decided that the donkey was old and the well was already dry and needed to be covered anyway; and also that it really wasn't worth pulling the donkey out of the well..

He invited all his neighbors to come help him. They each grabbed a shovel and began to throw dirt into the well.

The donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly loud. Then, to everyone's surprise, he quieted down after a few shovels full of dirt.

The farmer finally looked down into the well and was amazed at what he saw... with each shovel full of dirt, the donkey was doing something incredible: It was shaking off the dirt and stepping on top of the dirt.

Very soon everyone saw surprised how the donkey reached the mouth of the well, went over the edge and trotted out.

Moral Lesson from the story of the farmer and the donkey

Life is going to throw dirt at you, all kinds of dirt... the trick to getting out of the hole is to shake it off and use it to step up. Each of our problems is a step up. We can get out of the deepest holes if we don't give up...

Use the land they throw you to get ahead!!!

Remember the 5 rules to be happy:

1. Free your heart from hate.

2. Free your Mind of distractions.

3. Simplify your life.

4. Give more and expect less.

5. Love more and... shake the dirt, because in this life you have to be a solution, not the problem!

Comprehension Passage - 1

Title: Mahatma Gandhi - The Great Internationalist

"People talk of memorials to him in statues of bronze or marble or pillars and thus they mock him and his message. What tribute shall we pay to him that he would have appreciated? He has shown us the way to live and the way to die and if we have not understood that lesson, it would be better that we raised no memorial to him, for the only fit memorial is to follow reverently in the path he showed us and to do our duty in life and death.

He was a Hindu and an Indian, the greatest in many generations, and he was proud of being a Hindu and an Indian. To him, India was dear, because she had represented throughout the ages certain immutable truths. But though he was intensely religious and came to be called the Father of the Nation which he had liberated, yet no narrow religious or nation bonds confined his spirit. And so he became the great internationalist, believing in the essential unity of man, the underlying unity of all religions, and the needs of humanity, and more specially devoting himself to the service of the poor, the distressed and the oppressed millions everywhere.

His death brought more tributes than have been paid at the passing of any other human being in history. Perhaps what would have pleased him best was the spontaneous tributes that came from the people of Pakistan. On the morrow of the tragedy, all of us forgot for a while the bitterness that had crept in, the estrangement and the conflict of these past months and Gandhiji stood out as the beloved champion and leader of the people of Indian, of Indians it was before the partition cup up this living nation.

What was his great power over the mind and heart of man due to? Even we realize, that his dominating passion was truth. That truth led him to proclaim without ceasing that good ends can never be attained by evil methods, that the end itself is distorted if the method pursued is bad. That truth led him to confess publicly whenever he thought he had made a mistake --- Himalayan errors he called some of his own mistakes. That truth led him to fight evil and untruth wherever he found them, regardless of the consequences. That truth made the service of the poor and the disposed the passion of his life, for where there is inequality and discrimination and suppression there is injustice and evil and untruth. And thus he became the beloved of all those who have suffered from social and political evils, and the great representative of humanity as it should be. Because of that truth in him wherever he sat became a temple and where he trod was hallowed ground."

                                                                                                                        - Jawaharlal Nehru. 

Questions

1. About whom is the passage written?

Answer - This passage is written about the great Mahatma Gandhi.

2. What great lesson did this great man show for life?

Answer -  This great man made us see the way we live and the way we die.

3.  How can we pay him a real tribute?

Answer - We can pay him a real tribute by following the path that he showed us and by doing our duty.

4. Mention why he is called 'the great internationalist'?

Answer - He is called a great internationalist because he was an intensely religious man yet no narrow religious or nation bonds confined his spirit.

5. What did "truth" mean to this great man?

Answer - Truth for him was his dominating passion which led him to fight evil, which led him to suppress the injustice, and which led him to offer service to the poor.

6. What did Mahatma Gandhi refer his mistakes as?

Answer - Mahatma Gandhi often referred his mistakes as Himalayan Errors. 

7. Give the meaning of the following: memorials, immutable, essential, estrangement, spontaneous, discrimination, dominating.

Answer -  1. Memorials  - Something that is built or done to remind of any person or any event.

                2. Immutable - Unchanging over time.

                3. Essential - Completely necessary.

                4. Estrangement - The fact of no longer being on friendly terms.

                5. Spontaneous - Not planned or happening suddenly. 

                6. Discrimination - Treating someone worse than others.

                7.  Dominating - To be more powerful.

The Boy with a Green Cloth - Motivational Story

A building construction work was going on nearby. Lots of poor laborers were working there and their small children used to hold onto one another's shirt and play "train-train". Someone would become the engine and others would become bogies. Every day these children used to take turns becoming the engine and bogies but there was one small boy wearing only a half pant who used to hold one small green cloth in his hand and become the guard daily. 

I went to him and asked him, "Child, don't you also wish to become an engine or a bogie some time?" He softly replied, " Sir , I don't have a shirt to wear so how will the other children catch me to make the train?" I could see the slight wetness in his eyes.

But it gave me a lesson - he could have cried and sat at home and abused his parents for not affording to buy him a shirt but instead he chose another way to play and enjoy himself. In life, we don't get all things we desire and we keep complaining, "I don't have a bike,  I don't have car, I don't have this or that etc."

 Life is like that ....we need to make it beautiful and be grateful of what we have. 

Kids - The Unsung Heroes of Corona Virus

This Corona Virus pandemic has left us speechless and helpless. The doctors, medical care workers, police and soldiers and essential service workers have been fighting on the front line trying to offer us services and help that we need. But in this testing times, we have to acknowledge our kids who have been patient beyond their age and understanding for all these days. It is not easy for those young minds to stay indoors throughout their vacation time when they could actually enjoy being with friends and travel places with their family. 

Vacation is a time when kids get to play in open spaces and visit their native places. But none of this could happen because COVID struck us badly. Everything changed overnight and everyone got stuck at home. It must have been hard on them being home all the time playing just with the toys or watching TV. They frankly don't deserve this as it is not their fault. The harsh world that we have created has affected them badly. They deserve an apology for our mistakes. But these young minds irrespective of their age have been patient, learning and wondering what would happen next. They have been a helping hand, who did not add to our problems but in fact their tighter hugs provided encouragement and a will to survive.

So, what we need to do is provide them with a space for themselves where they could have fun. Let them play with colors and crayons. Let them paint or draw. Allow them to investigate, learn and get answers. Allow them a space within the house which could be made dirty by their science experiments. Read them stories and spend time with them as much as you could. Consider this time to be a blessing as you can spend some creative time with your kids. Make them feel special at times and show them that they are appreciated. Make it a point to cook their favorite dish which brings smile on their face. Allow them to be part of your daily chores in anyway they could. As they are our heroes who should be appreciated for showing maturity at such a young age.

Why Cognitive Skills Are Important For Children

The memory of a person has an ability to learn and process new information. This capacity to adapt and understand new things which could include a high level of perception to certain information or understanding written data, could vary from person to person. Such an ability to interpret and process certain notion is termed as Cognitive Skill. Every individual has his or her own level of capacity to cognitive functioning which usually develops during the childhood. At an early age children are more adaptive in learning new skills and functions. As compared to an adult, a child can absorb and analyze information to greater levels. And hence learning to improve cognitive skills for children is very important at an early age.

Six Important Cognitive Skills

- Memory.

- Attention.

- Processing.

- Perception.

- Mobility.

- Logic and Reasoning.

Need of Cognitive Skills for Children

In today's competitive world nothing is easy. Not even for children! The competition starts right at the school level and continues to rise every single level. Smart kids make their way through but certain children cannot always work up their way to the top. This is where the development of cognitive skills for children comes handy. The development of cognitive skills not only helps in a child's progress but it also improves other key areas pertaining to his or her academics such as  learning, attention span, memory  and perception. A child with improved cognitive skills can grasp and comprehend way better than other children. And this evaluation of information by a child works in a positive manner in his or her  overall development.

Teaching Cognitive Skills to Children

Every parent dreams about their child's excellent academic and social growth. They wish their child grow smarter and do well in his life. As every plant needs regular dose of water, sunlight and good care to grow, so does children. Certain cognitive skills such as perception, concentration, memory, logical thinking, and thought process needs proper learning as these skills need to be taught.  Every single parent out there should be aware of this fact that cognitive skills need to be 'taught' . For example, a child may pay attention in the class but still be unable to focus or concentrate on the words he is been taught. And concentration is one of the important cognitive skill a child needs to learn to perform well academically.

In the similar manner, no progress could be achieved from a child who has problem in recalling what he had learnt. If a child has a habit of forgetting what is been taught to him, then it is important to work in this area by teaching cognitive skills which would benefit  in improving his memory.  Not just teachers but even parents need to play an important role in this matter. At an early age children can learn these cognitive skills and absorb way better than adults. And hence it is important to empower a child to grow smarter by sharpening his cognitive skills.

Essay - Failure in Life

Encountering failure is one of the biggest challenges known to mankind. Not everyone is good at handling failure. One may overcome the biggest challenges to achieve success but when it comes to handling failure, not everyone can tackle it. Each individual has his own way of tackling failure. It is a whole different story for each one of us. Some may accept failure and learn to fight a way through it by trying again. Some take failures as graciously as they could while some miserably mess things up. Here is a story that I recently learnt which tell us about how not having the strength to handle failure could lead to serious repercussions. 

There was a very brilliant boy, who always scored 100% in Science. He got selected for IIT Madras and scored excellent in IIT. He then went to the University of California for MBA and got a high paying job in America and settled there. 

He got married a beautiful Tamil girl and bought a 5 room big house and luxury cars.

He had everything that made him successful but a few years ago he committed suicide after shooting his wife and children.

So, WHAT WENT WRONG?

California Institute of Clinical Psychology Studied his case and found “what went wrong?”  The researcher met the boy’s friends and family and found that he lost his job due to America’s economic crisis and he had to sit without a job for a long time. Even after expecting a job with less salary than his previous, he didn't get any. 

Since he couldn't manage keeping steady his house installments, the family lost the home. They survived a few months with low money and then he and his wife together decided to commit suicide. He first shot his wife and children and then shot himself.

The case concluded that the man was programmed for successes but he was not trained for handling failures. Now let's come to the actual question, 

"What are the habits of highly successful people?"

People often share their success stories but very few share their battles and struggles to success. Many fail miserably in their early attempts of success and then rise to shine.  Nothing is predictable in life. There are risks and possibilities. At any point of time, one may lose what he owns. Here is a quote that speaks the same, 

" Life is like a river, 

sometimes it sweeps you gently along and 

sometimes the rapids comes

out of nowhere."

What this means is that when we plan to start something new, nobody can predict how things would go on. We can desire success, but we should learn to accept failures too. Failures make us who we are. They help us learn things and give us experiences that we knew nothing about. Hence one of the most important success habit to share is to learn to handle failures. 

Same lesson applies to the kids. We want our children to gain success in everything they do. Seldom we teach our child that it is okay to fail. When a child fails we get disappointed which in turn disappoints the child. But instead of programming our child to be successful we should prepare them to handle failures which is one of the most important life lesson you could teach your child.

Essay - The Change in Gender Role

In this evolving world, not only women but men too must prepare themselves for the change. Today's scenario one witnesses a lot of change and confidence building in women. Women are meeting challenging roles successfully, but one can't say the same about the men. It has been a matter of two generations especially in the urban scenario, where women changed their gender based role. It could be the result of perfect parenting where women were raised to be confident and made aware to stand for their rights. But has this parenting been biased when it came to boys? Has it been made clear to them about the change that was imbibed in women and how it was going to effect in the future run?

 When the daughters of the house were taught to shape into this new role, no one bothered to notify the men that their sisters were changing and evolving. No more the women in the house needed the so-called protection and dependency. Where women were taught to grow beyond their roles in kitchen and work in male dominated areas, men were never taught to cook and house-keep. Why is cooking and housekeeping considered solely to be a women's job? If women can work and walk hand in hand with men today by earning equals, men don't seem to approve the idea where they could cook and clean when their wives or mothers were out working.

Theoretically men accepted the role of their wives or mothers or sisters as working women; but they were completely unprepared for the role of a homemaker. Men were never taught to honor and accept living with women who earned more. Men were never taught that it was okay to stay home and manage the house and kids while their wives continued to work. A women is so good with multi-tasking. She can successfully handles a field job, prepare reports, manage house, manage kids, prepare lunches, come home and cook dinner. But men seem to lack this potential.

 When a woman gets a promotion or a career boost which may take her away from the city or which may mean less family indulgence, it gets quite clear that she has to select her family first and turn down such opportunities. But have the men been taught to do the same? No. And hence men need to be made aware that they too need to come out of their shelves and evolve. When we speak of empowering women, we must also help men to prepare for the change in gender role so to set their expectations right.

When Blindness Is In The Mind and Not Eyes

A blind man once asked a

Wise man, 

"Can there be anything

worse than losing eye 

sight?"

The Wise man replied,

"Yes, losing your Vision."

I recently came across a thought of wisdom by unknown which made me think about the actual difference in losing one's vision and losing eyesight. This above thought says a lot in itself. It is all about when blindness is in the mind and not eyes. The eyes are the windows to the soul. But if the soul is empty, what could the eyes see. It is not about losing the eye sight, it is about losing the vision.


According to Anglo-Irish poet Jonathan Swift,

“Vision is the art of seeing 

what is invisible to others.”

It is really important to have vision in our life as it helps us to concentrate and pay heed to the direction we choose. It allows us to enjoy a realistic yet positive mindset. It inspires and provides us with immense energy to carry on the path that we choose in our life.

George Washington Carver quoted,

"When there is no vision,

there is no hope."

So it is important to not limit our vision to reality but to focus far ahead and create our own path that can help us achieve our dreams.

Expansion of Idea - However Mean Your Life is, Meet it and Live it; Do no Shun it and Call it Hard Names.

Human being has harvested into the constant habit of nagging. Be it grumbling about their financial problems or crying over facing daily struggles. Such people who persistently complain can never achieve happiness in life. Nor would success come to such people who whine about every single thing happening in their life.

Life could be mean at times, but that doesn't mean we stop living it or we stop enjoying the good moments that come across. Once we start living our life we will soon realize that it is not that bad at all. So instead of shunning our life and complaining about it, we should enjoy each and every moment we come across. 

Expansion of Idea - A Great Deal of Talent is Lost in the World for the Want of a Little Courage

There are many people out there who have real talents. Some are out exhibiting it, but not all. Seldom these talents go recognized or known to others. Many people with real talent rarely accomplish any success. This is the case with most because they hardly let others know in the first place that any talent does exist.

Timidity is one of the major fault that stops an individual from making the first venture. The fear of failure and being a source of embarrassment can keep a person from showcasing his or her talent. Then steps in self-distrust, where a person doubts himself and his capabilities. Thus the talent he possesses stay hidden within him, away from the eyes of others. And hence a great deal of talent is lost in the world for the want of a little courage.

Expansion of Idea - Living Life

Life is said to be worth living. Though it never turns out the way you want it. Unexpected things do happens, which aren't wished for. Every day is a new challenge, a new journey. It is not something that has an editing facility. If there had been such a facility, imagine how wonderful life would have been.

We would have edited every difficult and untoward situation and lived happily. But few people don't find happiness in their entire life. It seems to unbalanced. Seeking happiness is like winning a lottery. This happens to one in million.

Consider memories, when you think of past, along with all the good, funny and happy moments, you also remember all sad, horrifying and bitter moments. Wish life had a delete button, and then maybe we could delete all the unwanted, scary and non – happening memories permanently.

Life is a sad phase, where no one can expect the next thing going to happen in their life. What if we really had choices, like choice to live, to make amends? Though we have few choices; that can make us live peacefully or disturb our existence. Choices like forgiving someone, blaming someone, hating someone, forgiving someone etc.

Do we make a good use of such choices? Indeed no, we end up making a wrong choice at the wrong time and end up in dirt. Repentance makes us feel vulnerable to an extent that we start hating ourselves.

But then aren't mankind known to live out in odds and overcome such situations. Aren't we capable enough to make a better use of our life and handle things? Aren't we known for our power in terms of raising our voice, speaking out our mind, fighting back, building our own empire and striving hard to make our survival worth living? It's never too late and we can always make it happen what is wanted by us from our life.

Expansion of Idea - For Some The Journey is Quicker, For Some The Journey is Slow

Very often life is compared to a journey. When people set on a journey, some are quick enough to reach their destination while some meander on slow. Similarly in life people walk in their own pace. For some achieving destination is the only goal they planned and hence they set their mind on it. But some walk the way their life takes them, without having any idea what they wish to be. For such the journey could often be slow and dreadful.

Our pace of life also depends on our abilities, skills, goals and our determination. If you are determined, you can make your dream come true. But without determination life can stagnate for some. Life provides us with vast opportunities and experiences. It is upon us to make most of it and enrich our lives by living it to the fullest. Or else our journey of life would be slow and meaningless.

Expansion of Idea - Life is Beautiful, Don't Be Sad Living It

"The flower that blooms in adversity is 

the rarest and most beautiful of all."

                -Walt Disney

Not everything goes the way you planned, but that doesn't mean you should quit planning. Giving up on planning means giving up on life.Giving up on life eventually means forgetting how to live. Abandoning your dreams and accepting the present even if it is painful and unacceptable, makes you a loser. Life is a beautiful wish. A wish that some pray to have. And this one unique thing we have and we are ungrateful about makes us a loser.

Not everyone will stand by you  the way they used too, but that doesn't mean you should abandon those who support and pray for you. We need to respect feelings of those who love us and support us. Very few people do that. They do it because they believe in us. I don't think there is anything valuable than someone's trust and we need to respect that.

And we should be thankful for everything that we had or will have in life. Our past, our present. Our friends our enemies. They make us what we are. They teach us and leave us with experience, which can play a vital role in our life and to shape our future. These life lessons are important and cannot be learned in any classroom.



Life is beautiful, Don't be sad living it.

5 Amazing Facts about Puffin Bird

Puffins are pelagic seabirds that feed on fish which they catch by diving in the water. They have black and white feathers and a large and colorful beak(shaped more like parrot's beak). Puffin birds are found in three species, out of which two species the tufted puffin and horned puffin are found in the North Pacific Ocean where as the Atlantic puffin is found in the North Atlantic Ocean.

Atlantic Puffin

5 Amazing Facts About Puffin Birds 

1. Many misinterpret puffin bird with penguins. This could be because they share the same black and white body color. Penguins have black and white skin coat, while puffins have black and white feathers. One more similarity between both penguin and puffin bird is their love for eating fish. But penguins are penguins and puffins are birds. Penguins have wings but can't fly, but puffins are seabirds that fly. They don't even belong to the same family. While penguins belong to the family Spheniscidae, puffin bird belongs to family Alcidae.

2. Puffin birds always breed in large colonies usually on coastal cliffs or offshore islands. They nest in burrows(empty rabbit burrows), or even in rock crevices. They are found in a much larger number and mostly the areas or islands they breed are referred to as Puffin Islands.

Tufted Puffin

3. After the breeding season, puffin birds shed the colorful part of their beak leaving it to look dull and small.  Only during the breeding season the puffin birds have a colorful beak.

4. Puffins feed on fishes like herring, capelin, hake etc and also zooplankton. They have this unique ability to hold and carry as many as dozen small fishes at a time crosswise in their bill.

5. Puffins have the ability of swimming underwater as well as fly in the air. Their webbed feet enables them to swim effortlessly underwater, where they catch many fishes at a time. 

20 Eco-friendly Tips to Help Save the Earth

In simple ways and methods we too can lend our hand towards saving our Planet Earth from destruction. Each one of us can come up with some contributions towards helping save our beautiful planet. This can be done with easy and smaller ways. But these easy and simple ways will definitely have a big impact towards saving our environment. Here are some ways you can help and protect planet earth.

20 Eco-friendly Tips to Help Save the Earth

1. Fix the Leaking Tap

Wasting water is one of the critical problems that need to be taken care of. We know that there is not much drinking water left on our planet. Many houses ignore the problem of leaking taps which is one of the major causes of water wastage. So first and foremost that you can do is get a plumber and fix the leaking taps in your house.

2. Use Energy Efficient Light Fixtures

Energy efficient light bulbs have several advantage over traditional light fixtures. They use 30 to 50% less energy. They last 10 times longer than the traditional light bulbs. The energy efficient light-bulbs save your money in a big way. So replace those traditional light-bulbs with energy-efficient light bulbs and save energy which in turn helps saving the earth.

3. Turn Off your Computer at Night

Many have the habit of keeping their computer on even when not in use, especially during nights. Turning computer off during nights can help you cut down a lot on electricity bills.  Unless you want your computer to perform any overnight task, it is advisable to turn it off during night. It helps in energy conservation and thus to save Mother Earth. This also helps your computer to perform better.

4. Use a Pressure Cooker

Using a pressure cooker is the best way to save time and energy. With pressure cooker the cooking time reduces which also ensures less use of energy. When we cook our food in a pressure cooker, the escape of steam is lesser than a regular cooking pan. Pressure cooker uses up to 70% less energy than other cooking appliances. It thus reduces fuel bills and carbon emissions. One more advantage about cooking food in the pressure cooker is the food cooks quicker and tastier.

5. Stop Wasting Food

Some of us are fortunate to get good food and some are not. But those who have a lot of food at their disposal waste most of it. Wasting food not only reduces the amount of food available on the planet but also contributes to the wastage of the natural resources. It also effects the energy conservation. In a way food wastage impacts the Planet Earth in a big way.

6. Buy Energy Efficient Appliances

Before buying or replacing electrical appliances such as dishwasher, washing machine, microwave ovens, air-conditioners etc for your house, try and learn more about these appliances. Check whether these electrical appliances are energy-efficient and are made in sustainable ways. Such energy-efficient electrical appliances would not only protect the environment but also reduce your energy use and in turn lower your electricity bills.

7. Stop Using Plastic Bags

One of the most important way to save our planet is to completely stop the use of plastic bags. Plastic serves a serious threat to the environment. Disposing plastic poses a risk for animals and birds as well. Hence it is important that we stop using plastic bags right-away. Even if a shopkeeper gives us a plastic bag to carry our shopping items, we should be able to say no. Carry your own cloth bags or jute bags for shopping.

8. Reduce Use of Paper

Gradually we have come to a point where we realize that this planet of ours is turning into a big dumping ground. In an effort to clean our house, we dump almost everything on this big, giant dumping ground without giving it a second's thought. And that includes paper too. Hence to make a difference and save our planet, try to reduce use of paper as much as you can. This can be done by reducing use of book-prints, making use of digital prints, implementing cost-saving paper reduction program and recycling paper.

9. Donate Old Books

Instead of throwing away books, donate them to libraries or anyone who may find them useful. This especially can be done with study books. Poor students who cannot afford study books can make use of such books and would definitely be thankful. If you have unused pages that can be reused, try to bind them and make diaries or recycled notebooks out of it.

10. Grow Your Own Food

You do not need to be a farmer or have a farm to grow your own food. But you can try to grow some food items like vegetables, herbs, fruits within your kitchen window, terrace or balcony for your regular use. This can be done on a smaller scale and on organic terms. This way you know what you eat is good enough for your consumption and safer for your health. Some food items that can be grown include chilies, herbs, tomatoes, brinjal, coriander, curry leaves and so much more.

11. Shorten Showers

One way to save water is by shortening the time you stand below a shower. Shower bath can be relaxing but they do waste a lot of water. So try to shorten your shower timings or better - take a bucket bath.

12. Recycle and Reuse

This is the best way one can help Planet Earth. What we can do is reuse and make use of most of the things that we think we do not want anymore. Such as plastic cups which can be used as plant pots or pen holders. Recycling helps reduce the amount of waste that we dump on the earth. This can be done by redecorating and recycling a used product to turn it into entirely new product. Such activity can be fun and help us make the environment cleaner and much better place to live.

13. Borrow, Don't Buy

This may not be something that many prefer, but it is an ideal way of saving our planet. We can borrow books from our friends to read instead of buying a whole new one which may be responsible to cut down a tree to create. We can borrow study books from senior kids for our younger kids. We can borrow dresses which our elders outgrow into. Even if you don't wish to wear them, you could borrow and donate it to those underprivileged kids who can make the most of it. Few borrowed items which your family or friends do not want anymore can be recycled to make something new. This way we can make use of the most of it and help our planet earth.

14. Turn Off The Switches

Whenever not in use, make sure you turn of all the unnecessary switches. Many of us have a habit keeping lights and fans on, even when they leave the room. Switches to ovens, television, chargers, computers, speakers are left on even when they are not in use. We should pay attention to such details by checking out and turning them off if unused. This way you play a major role in energy conservation.

15. Start a Compost Pile

Composting is very planet friendly and can benefit your gardens a lot. If you reside in a building, introduce the idea of a compost bin where all the household kitchen waste and garden waste can be composted to make a organic fertilizer. This can be used to enrich your compound gardens as well as individual plant pots. Vegetable scrapings, used water, rotten food, dried leaves, grass etc can be added to this compost bin on a regular basis to create rich and eco-friendly fertilizer.

16. Use a Clothesline

Instead of using a clothes dryer, one can use a clothesline to save our planet. Use of clothesline not only helps save energy but reduces energy bills and saves money. With enough humidity, clothes that are hang on clothesline dry in no time.

17. Plant Trees

One of the most important and easy way one can help the planet from degradation is by planting trees. We know how important trees are to the planet to stay healthy. It is not just about the health of the planet but our health too which is at risk. The only way both can be taken care of is by growing and maintaining lots and lots of trees.

18. Shop Wisely

Shopping plays an important role in our efforts towards saving our planet. What we shop and how we shop has a huge impact on our contributions towards saving our planet. Buying less plastic and carrying reusable shopping bags works in a positive manner. One has to put a lot of thought before buying certain items to make sure you are not cheating yourself as well as your planet. Reduce use of plastic-wares and disposable items. Instead opt for recyclable and reusable items. Do not buy things if you are not going to use them immediately.

19. Volunteer to Cleanup Drives

Do your bit to save your planet and be proud of it. Volunteer in cleanup drives and help clean the areas around you. This will not only make your planet clean but would make you feel proud of yourself. Sign up with society cleaning drives or NGOs for a weekend task and spend some time cleaning your surroundings.

20. Educate Others

If you as an individual alone can make a difference by doing your bit, imagine what would be the result if many follow your path. This can happen only when you don't keep your knowledge to yourself and educate others. Start by talking to people in your society or office and make them realize the importance of these steps they can carry too for saving the planet earth. Make them realize the importance of energy conservation, recycling, reusing and inspire them to do their bit. Initiate a cleaning drive or a tree plantation drive within your neighborhood. These efforts of yours will never go wasted and would benefit all of us in the near future. 

Expansion of Idea - Live and Let Live

Life is the best gift to mankind. Enjoying life and allowing others to enjoy so is the right thing to do. Making use of every opportunity available to us helps to make life better. Such opportunities should be enjoyed and allowed others to enjoy as well. Every person has the right to make the most of the opportunity provided to him to improve his standard of living and to develop his own skills. Man in his own greed at times, takes away such opportunity from others who too deserve to enjoy. By doing so, we destroy the peace and well being of others.

No one can predict the time allotted to them to make their presence on this earth. Hence one should make the right use of his time and allow others to do so too. But greed overpowers all the desires. Greed not just to have everything to oneself, but greed to peace, greed to fame, greed to power and greed to success makes man cruel and selfish. In such cases, we destroy lives of others and bring harm to innocent people. We should allow each and everyone the opportunity to live and enjoy life. Every one has the right to do so. No one is less fortunate than other. 'Live and let live' indeed should be the prime principle of every individual's life.

Expansion of Idea - We Live in Deeds Not in Years

Man is known for his deeds. Our actions speak louder than our words. What a man does in his life counts more than how long he lived. You may live a short span life, but if your life is well-spent than such a life is far better than a life that is long lived. Life that we have is a god's gift, and it is upon us how we make the most of it.

What is the point in living a longer life which is wasted and has nothing to remember by! Man in it's entirety can survive on his actions rather than how long he lived. Deeds speak for themselves. Our deeds and our actions are what we are judged for, not for the length span of our life.  A life full of negativity, regrets and unpleasantness is not a life well spent.

You rather live short, but whatever time you spend on this earth it should be worth it. A good living never goes unnoticed. Some spend their life with actions that announce positivity, generosity, humility, charity and forgiveness. Such people are followed by many and often serve as examples to live by. Hence it is imperative that one should make a good living of his life and enjoy optimistic and positive approach. Because we live in deeds not in years. 

What is a Sinkhole

Also known to be a swallow hole, shake hole, sink or even a doline, a sinkhole is a depression caused in the Earth's surface. These sinkholes that form on the earth's surface do not usually form due to natural process. They can be natural or even man made. These depressions formed in the earth's surface, are due to the dissolution of carbonate rock. And this process is also known to be the Karst process. Sinkholes either could form gradually or may appear sudden.

When water flows underground and starts dissolving the rocks, slowly and gradually sinkholes form. These rocks that dissolve are mostly limestone, salt beds, gypsum or clay.  When rocks start dissolving, small caverns form within the surface. This process carries on over a period of time and the land later caves in. This sudden collapse happens when pressure hits on the earth's surface. Small cracks may emerge to show the beginning of the sinkhole. These small cracks are not dangerous in the beginning. But as the cracks keep expanding and forming a hole, a weight of certain object would make the land cave in.

Sinkholes can differ in size and at times could be big enough to swallow even a house or a swimming pool. The process is so dramatic that it would not give out a warning at times, and suddenly would break out into a big, enormous hole creating chaos. 

What is Soundproof Glass

There are numerous occasions when we wish, we were sitting in a room with soundproof glass; especially when we are with friends spilling out secrets. Soundproof glass help us achieve that level of privacy where conversation stay intact with no secrets been revealed to the outside world.

Soundproof glass is a type of glass which refrains sound from penetrating from one side to the other. This could either be from inside to outside or from outside to inside. Such type of glass are used by people who spend time in noisy environment. For example, people living on busy streets or cabins of noisy offices.

How Does Soundproof Glass Work 

Sound in the form of energy pass through various mediums such as solid, liquid or gas. The closer the molecules in the medium, the faster the sound energy pass from one point to another. Since the molecules of a solid medium are closely held, the sound travels faster through it. But when a soundproof glass is installed, it absorbs the sound waves and reduces vibration thus working as a barrier and preventing the sound from passing.

How can Soundproof Glass be Made

A sound proof glass can be made by simply using a thicker glass. The thicker the glass, the stiffer it would be and lesser the vibration. One of the other option to make a sound proof glass is using a material between two panes of glass. One of the most common material used for glass sound proofing is lamination. Lamination of glass is where a thin piece of plastic is placed between two glass panes. This cuts down significant amount of sound and allows noiseless atmosphere. Laminated glass work as the best soundproof glass and best soundproof windows.