JUST THE WAY IT IS ........

The Promise of World Peace

noreply@blogger.com (Learn and Earn) — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 14:48:00 +0000

To the Peoples of the World:

The Great Peace towards which people of good will throughout the centuries have inclined their hearts, of which seers and poets for countless generations have expressed their vision, and for which from age to age the sacred scriptures of mankind have constantly held the promise, is now at long last within the reach of the nations. For the first time in history it is possible for everyone to view the entire planet, with all its myriad diversified peoples, in one perspective. World peace is not only possible but inevitable. It is the next stage in the evolution of this planet--in the words of one great thinker, "the planetization of mankind".

Whether peace is to be reached only after unimaginable horrors precipitated by humanity's stubborn clinging to old patterns of behaviour, or is to be embraced now by an act of consultative will, is the choice before all who inhabit the earth. At this critical juncture when the intractable problems confronting nations have been fused into one common concern for the whole world, failure to stem the tide of conflict and disorder would be unconscionably irresponsible.

Among the favourable signs are the steadily growing strength of the steps towards world order taken initially near the beginning of this century in the creation of the League of Nations, succeeded by the more broadly based United Nations Organization; the achievement since the Second World War of independence by the majority of all the nations on earth, indicating the completion of the process of nation building, and the involvement of these fledgling nations with older ones in matters of mutual concern; the consequent vast increase in co-operation among hitherto isolated and antagonistic peoples and groups in international undertakings in the scientific, educational, legal, economic and cultural fields; the rise in recent decades of an unprecedented number of international humanitarian organizations; the spread of women's and youth movements calling for an end to war; and the spontaneous spawning of widening networks of ordinary people seeking understanding through personal communication.

The scientific and technological advances occurring in this unusually blessed century portend a great surge forward in the social evolution of the planet, and indicate the means by which the practical problems of humanity may be solved. They provide, indeed, the very means for the administration of the complex life of a united world. Yet barriers persist. Doubts, misconceptions, prejudices, suspicions and narrow self-interest beset nations and peoples in their relations one to another.

It is out of a deep sense of spiritual and moral duty that we are impelled at this opportune moment to invite your attention to the penetrating insights first communicated to the rulers of mankind more than a century ago by Bahá'u'lláh, Founder of the Bahá'í Faith, of which we are the Trustees.

"The winds of despair", Bahá'u'lláh wrote, "are, alas, blowing from every direction, and the strife that divides and afflicts the human race is daily increasing. The signs of impending convulsions and chaos can now be discerned, inasmuch as the prevailing order appears to be lamentably defective." This prophetic judgement has been amply confirmed by the common experience of humanity. Flaws in the prevailing order are conspicuous in the inability of sovereign states organized as United Nations to exorcize the spectre of war, the threatened collapse of the international economic order, the spread of anarchy and terrorism, and the intense suffering which these and other afflictions are causing to increasing millions. Indeed, so much have aggression and conflict come to characterize our social, economic and religious systems, that many have succumbed to the view that such behaviour is intrinsic to human nature and therefore ineradicable.

With the entrenchment of this view, a paralyzing contradiction has developed in human affairs. On the one hand, people of all nations proclaim not only their readiness but their longing for peace and harmony, for an end to the harrowing apprehensions tormenting their daily lives. On the other, uncritical assent is given to the proposition that human beings are incorrigibly selfish and aggressive and thus incapable of erecting a social system at once progressive and peaceful, dynamic and harmonious, a system giving free play to individual creativity and initiative but based on co-operation and reciprocity.

As the need for peace becomes more urgent, this fundamental contradiction, which hinders its realization, demands a reassessment of the assumptions upon which the commonly held view of mankind's historical predicament is based. Dis- passionately examined, the evidence reveals that such conduct, far from expressing man's true self, represents a distortion of the human spirit. Satisfaction on this point will enable all people to set in motion constructive social forces which, because they are consistent with human nature, will encourage harmony and co-operation instead of war and conflict.

To choose such a course is not to deny humanity's past but to understand it. The Bahá'í Faith regards the current world confusion and calamitous condition in human affairs as a natural phase in an organic process leading ultimately and irresistibly to the unification of the human race in a single social order whose boundaries are those of the planet. The human race, as a distinct, organic unit, has passed through evolutionary stages analogous to the stages of infancy and childhood in the lives of its individual members, and is now in the culminating period of its turbulent adolescence approaching its long-awaited coming of age.

A candid acknowledgement that prejudice, war and exploitation have been the expression of immature stages in a vast historical process and that the human race is today experiencing the unavoidable tumult which marks its collective coming of age is not a reason for despair but a prerequisite to undertaking the stupendous enterprise of building a peaceful world. That such an enterprise is possible, that the necessary constructive forces do exist, that unifying social structures can be erected, is the theme we urge you to examine.

Whatever suffering and turmoil the years immediately ahead may hold, however dark the immediate circumstances, the Bahá'í community believes that humanity can confront this supreme trial with confidence in its ultimate outcome. Far from signalizing the end of civilization, the convulsive changes towards which humanity is being ever more rapidly impelled will serve to release the "potentialities inherent in the station of man" and reveal "the full measure of his destiny on earth, the innate excellence of his reality".

noreply@blogger.com (Learn and Earn) — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 12:01:00 +0000

Dear Rose Color Curious,
Yes, it is indeed true that each rose color has its own unique meaning. This presents a great opportunity to send a message along with your thoughtful gift. Here are the color meanings:

Red Rose
This one is the most obvious. It means "I love you." It represents romance and love.

Deep Pink
This simply means "thank you". If someone you know does something nice for you, a deep pink rose is a good way of saying "thank you".

Regular Pink
A pink rose represents happiness. It's great to give a pink rose to a partner to say, "I'm very happy with our relationship."

Light Pink
A light pink rose means "sympathy". When someone has had a loss then light pink roses is a very nice way of expressing your condolences.

White Rose
A white rose symbolizes innocence and purity. When combined with red roses (see further down), it represents "unity".

Yellow Rose
A yellow rose symbolizes friendship and caring. It's the perfect innocent gift to give to a friend or give to a loved one when you simply want to say "I care". When given to a friend it also means "I'm happy with our friendship."

Lavender Rose
A lavender rose is a symbol of "falling in love". When you give it to a person you are saying "I have fallen in love with you and am enchanted by you."

Orange Rose
An orange rose is a symbol of desire. "I desire you" or "I desire to get to know you better" is the message that orange roses send.

Black Rose
Never ever give a woman a black rose, because Hollywood has, unfortunately, made out the meaning to be "death". These aren't easy to find and some maintain that they don't actually "exist".

Blue Rose
A blue rose is very hard to reproduce or find, although some floral companies are trying to do it naturally. Others just dye them. To some a blue rose symbolizes "mystery" and to others "attaining the impossible". A blue rose given can symbolize the rarity of your partner. You have attained the impossible.

Mixture of White and Red Roses
When you deliver white and red roses together to someone, it is a symbol of unification and unity. "May we always be together as one."

just an Imagination ...

noreply@blogger.com (Learn and Earn) — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 09:22:00 +0000

A conservative is a man who will not look at the new moon out of respect for that "ancient institution" the old one.

" Every one is a moon, and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody."

" The faults of a superior person are like the sun and moon. They have their faults, and everyone sees them; they change and everyone looks up to them."

"You have to be able to appreciate these things. How many people can say it was a full moon last night and appreciate it?"

"Everything has a natural explanation. The moon is not a god, but a great rock, and the sun a hot rock."

"For most people, we often marvel at the beauty of a sunrise or the magnificence of a full moon, but it is impossible to fathom the magnitude of the universe that surrounds us."

"From now on we live in a world where man has walked on the Moon. It's not a miracle; we just decided to go."

"Some ways of using our thinking are really inspiring. There are people who use their thinking to race cars. People use their thinking to build rockets to the moon. It's all just a use of your thinking."

"Never say no when a client asks for something, even if it is the moon. You can always try, and anyhow there is plenty of time afterwards to explain that it was not possible."

"Most people are unable to write because they are unable to think, and they are unable to think because they congenitally lack the equipment to do so, just as they congenitally lack the equipment to fly over the moon."

"Men are like the earth and we are the moon; we turn always one side to them, and they think there is no other, because they don't see it - but there is."

" If you strive for the moon, maybe you'll get over the fence."

" The directors thought, They understand nothing in the real economy, in real life. They read some stupid books, and they came from the moon to the earth, and maybe in one month they will disappear."

THE WAY OF LOVE

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 18:02:00 +0000

"Love will not always go on easy waters. Waves will pour in and test the power of your love. Keep the love burning so that no matter how many problems you will have to put up, however turbulent they may be, your love will stay afloat."

Most people have experienced the ups and downs in a relationship. Arguments and clashes happen. Some looses it and others have overcome it. Well, It can't be denied that those little differences between lovers has helped a lot in building a more healthy relationship. Arguments or "Love quarrel" as they call it, add spices to every relationship. This is one way of showing how they care and how they value with each other.

Do we really have to experience it? Do we need to undergo this irritating scene in love's journey? These questions keep on bugging me. Writing this article makes me remember one person, a very special one. He is someone who can twist your world upside down. A someone who never fails to give surprises, whose mind never stop in experimenting new ideas and events, even in love. I find this someone so candid-- the way he speak out everything and acted as if he dominates his own world. One time I asked myself, is it his way of showing Love? There is simply magic in this man. I can't even define him, and the worst is I lost my reasoning when it comes to him. Everytime I hate him, the more longings come within. How did this someone become so dear to me? my gosh I do not even know!!! Events have overtaken the day since I have received that message "I am always ready for a noble cause" from him. It was just like a lightning that struck me, but instead of killing me has invigorated my life.

There is promise in him. I feel it. Everytime we talk I feel the love in him. I have concluded that everything he did and everything he said to me are reflections of what is inside of him. This is how he loves me. This is his way of love. This is how I am journeying with him.

In Love's journey, always go to the mile together. Do not leave your beloved behind, or both of you would be lost. As long as you have each others hand, everything would be alright. With your hands together, you can set your destiny, your dream, your family. have faith in each other.

A Smile ...........

noreply@blogger.com (Learn and Earn) — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 17:34:00 +0000

Smiling is a great way to make yourself stand out while helping your
body to function better. Smile to improve your health, your stress
level, and your attractiveness.

10 reasons for smile :

1. Smiling makes us attractive.We are drawn to people who smile. There is an attraction factor. We want to know a smiling person and figure out what is so good. Frowns, scowls
and grimaces all push people away -- but a smile draws them in.
2. Smiling Changes Our Mood next time you are feeling down, try putting on a smile. There''''s a good chance you mood will Change for the better. Smiling can trick the body into helping you change your mood.
3. Smiling is Contagious when someone is smiling they lighten up the room, change the moods of others, and make things happier. A smiling person brings happiness withthem. Smile lots and you will draw people to you.
4. Smiling Relieves Stress. Stress can really show up in our faces. Smiling helps to prevent us from looking tired, worn down, and overwhelmed. When you are stressed, take time to put on a smile. The stress should be reduced and you''''ll be better able to take action.
5. Smiling Boosts Your Immune System . Smiling helps the immune system to work better. When you smile, immune function improves possibly because you are more relaxed. Prevent the flu and colds by smiling.
6. Smiling Lowers Your Blood Pressure When you smile, there is a measurable reduction in your blood pressure. Give it a try if you have a blood pressure monitor at home. Sit for a few minutes, take a reading. Then smile for a minute and take another reading while still smiling. Do you notice a difference?
7. Smiling Releases Endorphins, Natural Pain Killers and Serotonin . Studies have shown that smiling releases endorphins, natural pain killers, and serotonin. Together these three make us feel good. Smiling is a natural drug.
8. Smiling Lifts the Face and Makes You Look Younger.The muscles we use to smile lift the face, making a person appear younger. Don''''t go for a face lift, just try smiling your way through the day --you''''ll look younger and feel better.
9. Smiling Makes You Seem Successful.Smiling people appear more confident, are more likely to be promoted, and more likely to be approached. Put on a smile at meetings and appointments and people will react to you differently.
10. Smiling Helps You Stay Positive .Try this test: Smile. Now try to think of something negative without losing the smile. It''''s hard. When we smile our body is sending the rest of us a message that "Life is Good!" Stay away from depression, stress and worry by smiling.

LIFE ---> AN ARENA ........

noreply@blogger.com (Learn and Earn) — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 17:09:00 +0000

We are a process.
The universe is a process.

Life is a process.

The most decisive actions of our life ... are most often unconsidered actions.

How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.They're basically moments in which you're in touch with the meaning of life, when your relationship to the rest of the universe makes sense.How is one to live a moral and compassionate existence when one is fully aware of the blood, the horror inherent in life, when one finds darkness not only in one's culture but within oneself? If there is a stage at which an individual life becomes truly adult, it must be when one grasps the irony in its unfolding and accepts responsibility for a life lived in the midst of such paradox. One must live in the middle of contradiction, because if all contradiction were eliminated at once life would collapse. There are simply no answers to some of the great pressing questions. You continue to live them out, making your life a worthy expression of leaning into the light.Dreams pass into the reality of action. From the actions stems the dream again; and this interdependence produces the highest form of living.Deliver me from writers who say the way they live doesn't matter. I'm not sure a bad person can write a good book. If art doesn't make us better, then what on earth is it for.Ethics, too, are nothing but reverence for life. This is what gives me the fundamental principle of morality, namely, that good consists in maintaining, promoting, and enhancing life, and that destroying, injuring, and limiting life are evil.Ethics cannot be based upon our obligations toward [people], but they are complete and natural only when we feel this Reverence for Life and the desire to have compassion for and to help all creatures insofar as it is in our power. I think that this ethic will become more and more recognized because of its great naturalness and because it is the foundation of a true humanism toward which we must strive if our culture is to become truly ethical.There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.
Living gives you a better understanding of life. I would hope that my characters have become deeper and more rounded personalities. Wider travels have given me considerably greater insight into how cultural differences affect not only people, but politics and art.I like living. I have sometimes been wildly, despairingly, acutely miserable, racked with sorrow, but through it all I still know quite certainly that just to be alive is a grand thing.Religion is not something separate and apart from ordinary life. It is life -- life of every kind viewed from the standpoint of meaning and purpose: life lived in the fuller awareness of its human quality and spiritual significance.

noreply@blogger.com (Learn and Earn) — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 07:17:00 +0000

PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT

There are some wonderful steps for developing your personality and in doing so , making this world a happier place to live in. Do contribute your bit, it matters.

Always smile

Remember other people's birthday
Have a firm handshake
Compliment three people everyday
Look people in the eye
Say " THANK YOU " a lot
Say " PLEASE " a lot
Sing in the shower
Be the first to say " Hello "
Live within your means
Always accept an outstretched hand
Live so that when your children friends of fairness , caring and integrity , they think of you.
Demand excellence and be willing to pay it
be brave. Even if you are not, pretend to be. No one can tell the difference.
Hug children after you discipline them
Don't smoke.
Don't ever mess with drugs and don't associate with those who do .
Avoid sarcastic remarks
Don't let any one ever see you tipsy
Make it a habit to do nice things for people who will never find out
Think big thoughts , but relish small pleasures
Never cheat
Take a brisk walk everyday
Smile a lot . It costs nothing and is beyond price
Learn to listen. Opportunity sometimes knocks very softly.
Respect everybody's privacy ; Knock before entering their rooms
Remember people's names
Keep your watch five minutes fast
Never deprive someone of hope; it might be all they have
Pay your bills on time
Strive for excellence not perfection
Avoid negative people
Be kinder than necessary
Observe speed limits
Be insatiably curious
Don't quit a job until you have lined up another
Read the document carefully before signing
Be your spouse's best friend and be romantic
Become the positive and enthusiastic person you know
Have a good posture. Enter a room with purpose and confidence
Give your best to your employer
Commit your self to constant self improvement
Be a good looser and grace full winner
Keep your promises
Have impeccable manners
Keep good company
Seek out good in people
Show respect for other's time
Keep expectation high
Refrain from envy
Wear polished shoes
Don't postpone joy
Write " THANK YOU " notes promptly
Make new friends but cherish the old ones too
Donate some blood every year
Treat every one you meet like you want to be treated
Learn some clean jokes
Return all things you borrow and show gratitude
Be forgiving of your self and others
Be courteous to everyone
Judge your success by the degree that you are enjoying peace , health and love
Don't expect money to bring you happiness
Leave everything a little better than you found it
Be modest.A lot was accomplished before you were born.
Buy great books even if you never read them
Seek opportunity . Not security
Admit your mistakes
Never give up on anybody Miracles happen every day
Show respect for elders
Keep your temper under control
listen to your elders , friends and children
Focus on making things better , not bigger
Improve your performance by improving your attitude
Take care your reputation-it's your most valuable asset
be enthusiastic about the success of others
visit friends and relatives when they are in hospital
Remain open , flexible and curious
Be a self starter
Take charge of your attitude
Remember ABC of Success , Ability , Breaks and Courage
Know when to keep silent and when to speak up
Be prepared to lose once in a while
be there when people need you
own a good dictionary and thesaurus
Vote
Count your blessings
Commit yourself to quality
be a leader
be open to new ideas
Never compromise your integrity
Look for opportunity to make people feel important
Don't be afraid to say , ' I am Sorry '
Don't be afraid to say , ' i made a mistake '
Laugh a lot. A good sense of humor cures almost all of life's ills

“Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die today.”

What is AI ?

noreply@blogger.com (Learn and Earn) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:50:00 +0000

What is AI ?
Artificial Intelligence is concerned with the design of intelligence in an artificial device.
The term was coined by McCarthy in 1956.
There are two ideas in the definition.
1. Intelligence
2. artificial device
What is intelligence?
– Is it that which characterize humans? Or is there an absolute standard of judgement?
– Accordingly there are two possibilities:
– A system with intelligence is expected to behave as intelligently as a human
– A system with intelligence is expected to behave in the best possible manner
– Secondly what type of behavior are we talking about?
– Are we looking at the thought process or reasoning ability of the system?
– Or are we only interested in the final manifestations of the system in terms of its actions?
Given this scenario different interpretations have been used by different researchers as defining the scope and view of Artificial Intelligence.
1. One view is that artificial intelligence is about designing systems that are as intelligent as humans.
This view involves trying to understand human thought and an effort to build machines that emulate the human thought process. This view is the cognitive science approach to AI.
2. The second approach is best embodied by the concept of the Turing Test. Turing held that in future computers can be programmed to acquire abilities rivaling human intelligence. As part of his argument Turing put forward the idea of an 'imitation game', in which a human being and a computer would be interrogated under conditions where the interrogator would not know which was which, the communication being entirely by textual messages. Turing argued that if the interrogator could not distinguish them by questioning, then it would be unreasonable not to call the computer intelligent. Turing's 'imitation game' is now usually called 'the Turing test' for intelligence.
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Turing Test
Consider the following setting. There are two rooms, A and B. One of the rooms contains a computer. The other contains a human. The interrogator is outside and does not know which one is a computer. He can ask questions through a teletype and receives answers from both A and B. The interrogator needs to identify whether A or B are humans. To pass the Turing test, the machine has to fool the interrogator into believing that it is human. For more details on the Turing test visit the site http://cogsci.ucsd.edu/~asaygin/tt/ttest.html
3. Logic and laws of thought deals with studies of ideal or rational thought process and inference. The emphasis in this case is on the inferencing mechanism, and its properties. That is how the system arrives at a conclusion, or the reasoning behind its selection of actions is very important in this point of view. The soundness and completeness of the inference mechanisms are important here.
4. The fourth view of AI is that it is the study of rational agents. This view deals with building machines that act rationally. The focus is on how the system acts and performs, and not so much on the reasoning process. A rational agent is one that acts rationally, that is, is in the best possible manner.
1.1.2 Typical AI problems
While studying the typical range of tasks that we might expect an “intelligent entity” to perform, we need to consider both “common-place” tasks as well as expert tasks.
Examples of common-place tasks include
– Recognizing people, objects.
– Communicating (through natural language).
– Navigating around obstacles on the streets
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These tasks are done matter of factly and routinely by people and some other animals.
Expert tasks include:
• Medical diagnosis.
• Mathematical problem solving
• Playing games like chess
These tasks cannot be done by all people, and can only be performed by skilled specialists.
Now, which of these tasks are easy and which ones are hard? Clearly tasks of the first type are easy for humans to perform, and almost all are able to master them. The second range of tasks requires skill development and/or intelligence and only some specialists can perform them well. However, when we look at what computer systems have been able to achieve to date, we see that their achievements include performing sophisticated tasks like medical diagnosis, performing symbolic integration, proving theorems and playing chess.
On the other hand it has proved to be very hard to make computer systems perform many routine tasks that all humans and a lot of animals can do. Examples of such tasks include navigating our way without running into things, catching prey and avoiding predators. Humans and animals are also capable of interpreting complex sensory information. We are able to recognize objects and people from the visual image that we receive. We are also able to perform complex social functions.
Intelligent behaviour
This discussion brings us back to the question of what constitutes intelligent behaviour. Some of these tasks and applications are:
􀂃 Perception involving image recognition and computer vision
􀂃 Reasoning
􀂃 Learning
􀂃 Understanding language involving natural language processing, speech processing
􀂃 Solving problems
􀂃 Robotics
1.1.3 Practical Impact of AI
AI components are embedded in numerous devices e.g. in copy machines for automatic correction of operation for copy quality improvement. AI systems are in everyday use for identifying credit card fraud, for advising doctors, for recognizing speech and in helping complex planning tasks. Then there are intelligent tutoring systems that provide students with personalized attention
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Thus AI has increased understanding of the nature of intelligence and found many applications. It has helped in the understanding of human reasoning, and of the nature of intelligence. It has also helped us understand the complexity of modeling human reasoning.
We will now look at a few famous AI system.
1. ALVINN:
Autonomous Land Vehicle In a Neural Network
In 1989, Dean Pomerleau at CMU created ALVINN. This is a system which learns to control vehicles by watching a person drive. It contains a neural network whose input is a 30x32 unit two dimensional camera image. The output layer is a representation of the direction the vehicle should travel.
The system drove a car from the East Coast of USA to the west coast, a total of about 2850 miles. Out of this about 50 miles were driven by a human, and the rest solely by the system.
2. Deep Blue
In 1997, the Deep Blue chess program created by IBM, beat the current world chess champion, Gary Kasparov.
3. Machine translation
A system capable of translations between people speaking different languages will be a remarkable achievement of enormous economic and cultural benefit. Machine translation is one of the important fields of endeavour in AI. While some translating systems have been developed, there is a lot of scope for improvement in translation quality.
4. Autonomous agents
In space exploration, robotic space probes autonomously monitor their surroundings, make decisions and act to achieve their goals.
NASA's Mars rovers successfully completed their primary three-month missions in April, 2004. The Spirit rover had been exploring a range of Martian hills that took two months to reach. It is finding curiously eroded rocks that may be new pieces to the puzzle of the region's past. Spirit's twin, Opportunity, had been examining exposed rock layers inside a crater.
5. Internet agents
The explosive growth of the internet has also led to growing interest in internet agents to
monitor users' tasks, seek needed information, and to learn which information is most useful