It was hard but it was a work of love. Williams learned to read by tracing each letter with her finger over and over again. As she began to learn to read, Williams realized that she not only loved reading, she also wanted to write. She wondered what all her teachers would say if they knew, “lazy,” “stupid” Amanda had found a purpose in her life and that purpose was writing. Of course when you find your purpose in life, you have to do whatever it takes to fulfill it.

It takes money to pay bills and follow your dream so Williams continued to walk dogs, house paint, serve food or whatever she had to to keep writing. It has been twenty five years since she learned to read and knew she would be a writer, Williams has worked at her craft and at whatever jobs she could. She bounced back from one rejection after another. But she never gave up. Williams is an inspiration to anyone who has dreams and works toward fulfilling them.

Now, Random House has published the book, “The Stranger You Seek” it’s about a funny, engaging FBI profiler. Williams weaves a terrifying hunt for a serial killer with humor and an intriguing main character. William says she is laughing all the way to the bank. Twenty five years after she learned to write, she signed up with Random House for a three book deal worth $1 million dollars. Williams says things began to change for her three years ago when she began saying only positive things to herself.

Today she wants others who struggle with reading to know they can learn. It might take a long time. It might be a hard road and a long walk, she says, but it’s a route worth taking.

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Andreas Panayiotou has a property empire worth 400 million pounds ($ 5.5 trillion) and was ranked the richest 200 people in the UK. On Friday (6/3/2011), he makes a startling confession. “I can not read,” he said.

I train the mind to have a strong memory. We become more creative in solving problems because our minds are forced to work.

Father of five children it was not willing to learn to read. “As a kid I tried hard to read,” said 45-year man. He decided to quit school at age 14.

Beyond the problem of dyslexia, Panayiotou never denied that he hated reading as a child. “So as an adult I have a certain way to avoid it.”

So he has a special trick to outsmart the weaknesses that. “I have an incredible memory, photographic memory. I recognize the form to recognize a word, without the need to be able to read,” he said.

On the road for example, in addition to memorize traffic signs, she memorized form of the word street name or the name of the city. Unfortunately, that trick does not apply in every case. “If there is a new last name which I did not recognize, I could not. So also with filling out the form as a passport. That’s my forbidden area,” said the man who was once a boxer’s.

Despite having serious deficiencies, he successfully built a business empire that amazing. At a young age, the Greek immigrant’s son bought a small plot of land in Islington. Slowly he built it into an apartment building. From there the business grew. In 2007, he managed to sell thousands of homes. Now the focus switches to the hotel.

His company, The Ability Group, now owns seven hotels. The most brand is the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel London worth 70 million pounds ($ 979 billion). He also will sell “most expensive house in Britain”, a newly renovated property in Hamstead. He hoped the house was sold at 100 million pounds ($ 1.3 trillion).

His home in Epping Forest area of ​​8 hectares. He also has three private planes and a yacht.

He believes his success is because of dyslexia because of the shortcomings that, he must train yourself to work harder than anyone else. “Overall, a strong urge to prove that I mean, a very strict discipline, and pride that I have achieved is a result of feelings of shame and about which I had experienced because lags behind other children who could read,” Panayiotou said.

“By flipping dyslexia, you managed to develop other talents. I train the mind to have a strong memory. We become more creative in solving problems because our minds are forced to work to understand is going on around us.”

“Our mind is always trying, trying, and trying. We are so much stronger because of learning problems are part of life,” he said.

Panayiotou is now actively involved in the campaign to overcome illiteracy. “The ability to read is a basic thing like eating,” he concluded.

The romani are a group of people who traveled from India to Europe in the 1400s. The Romani have kept their own language, music,culture. Today more than half a million Romani linve in Romania. Significant Romani populations are found in the Balkan peninsula, in some Central European states, in Spain, France, Russia, andUkraine. there are still million Romanies may live out of Europe and americas.

They madeup 2.5 percent of Romania’s population. Sadly, the Romani are discriminated against. Today, many people in Romania and Europe believe that if you are Romani, you are a thief or a dirty person. The Romani were slaves in Romania from the 1400s until 1856. When slavery ended, there were new laws. The Romani had to give up nomadic life. It was illegal to spea Romani or wear traditional Romani clothes. For a short time it was even illegal for Romani man and woman to get married. During World War 11, many Romani Nazi death camps.

Today racism still affects the Romani people. Romani children don’t get a good education and therefore manyRomani are illiterate. If you are Romani, it’s difficult to get a good job. Romani are also harassed by police.

Dicrimination agains the Romani is a serious problem all over Europe. That’s why the European Union made 2005-2015 the decade of Romani Inclusion. They want countries to fight racism and help improve the education, jobs, and health of the Romani people.

The latest figures by the UNESCO institute of statistics have it at 504 million illiterates in  Asia Pacific.  In the Philippines alone according to the Functional Literacy Education and Mass Media Survey (FLEMMS)  about 2.8 million Filipinos could not read and write while 7.4 million others are functionally illiterate.  It’s as if illiteracy is the neglected enemy in public service. So who pays when Juan can’t read? It is society itself.

What contributes to this social problem that many are  faced with?  Illiteracy is not caused by a lack of intelligence. It is often a result of outside factors   such as poverty, lack of literacy within the family and learning disabilities.  Problems, I believe,  that can be addressed through collective effort. What’s important is to have people understand that if we all shared our own little way of helping others, many can improve their way of life. Here are some ways that we can help in our communities with the problem of illiteracy;  1. Be tolerant for those who can’t read or write,  2. Become a volunteer,  3. Be a model for younger children,  4.Donate funds for scholarships, 5. Donate reading and learning materials,  6. Become literate yourself

How fortunate we are to be able to have the  skills to read and write.  Through our own little effort the battle against illiteracy can be solved.

But now i’ve gained a love for languages. As soon as you leave school, learning stuff seems interesting.

Now i’ve been training myself in Japanese, Norwegian and French. I can’t think of anything better than learning these languages. But how do I find it interesting after years of hating it?

1.  Never write a verb table.

They are boring boring boring. If i have to Je vais, I will je vais, I will not write it in a table….. Learn the phrases you want to know, be it I’m going, or you’re going. Just learn the phrases you think you will use, not a long list of verb formations that make you hate the very language  you liked the sound of.

2. Try being illiterate?

Sometimes it’s easier to learn a language as a spoken form than a written form. If you are dealing with Kanji and Hangul, it’s best to pretend you understand it and move onto the words. I’ve been practically illiterate in Japanese, but I can converse and understand TV in Japanese. I’m gonna start learning the kanji soon. But because I can say the words, it will be so much easier than learning all of it at once. It’s a good way to start.

3. Watch TV.

Watch TV, watch films, watch anything in the language. Listen to radio and music, every free moment you have. I know mother told you that watching TV wouldn’t help your studies, but she lied. When it comes to language, total immersion in the topic by audio visual media is the best. I have streamed news in foreign languages to learn how it sounds. I try and immitate the sounds and eventually I work out what the words can mean.

4. Speak

Speak to yourself, speak to anyone. If you have a native speaker, speak to them. Keep an active use of the language you want to learn. It’s all about creating new neural pathways, making connections with the sounds and phrases you know. Any chance you have, even if it’s a chance encounter in a shop or a bus, try and talk.

5. Keep trying

You may think you’re going nowhere. You haven’t understood a word that’s been said for the last few weeks. But, then, one day you will remember a phrase, a word, even a sound and you will grin ear to ear. Only by failing do we find out we’ve learnt something.

Remember. It isn’t school, you’re not bound to do anything. But good luck!

The bearing of a person has a magnetic personality. However, it is not with the same proportion with all. Some people have a strong attraction power. Some will cultivate in themselves. Some though they put in hard labor, whatever they undertake they fail. In addition, some will live and die like wild plants, silently they are born and silently they pass away. Some are born as mentally retarded and they are a great burden to the family.

Some leaders are born leaders. Their personality bearing and the nobility of the character compels obedience naturally. Most of our leaders like Kennedy, Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, and Mother Theresa are among these. These are charismatic people.   Huge crowds gather around them without propaganda. They are able to hypnotize or mesmerize the great assembly or the crowds. For some it becomes a family heredity and for some a single son or daughter gain popularity even though in the family there are some handicaps.

Some times people believe that rich and intelligent people breed great leaders. Most of the time when they notice a son gaining popularity, they ask for his parents or family.

However, there are exceptions. Some parents are very poor and illiterate, but a particular son comes up in life as a great leader.

However, today it is different. A lot of research is made on personality development and talents research tools. Therefore, the students, from their very young age are trained and drilled to discover and develop their talents. The modern technology like the computer, internet and many other digital devices offer ample opportunities to discover, train and gain master the excellence. It is very important that the parents provide these chances to their children.

This is not an interconnected society, at best only 25% of the population can read and the difference between a village and the nearest city is about two hundred years. In Afghanistan you are starting at the very beginning. It’s like trying to take the American Indians in their purest form and put them today in New York city.

Image via Wikipedia

When you have a population that can’t read and religious leaders are trusted, they can say whatever they like and people will believe it. It is very hard for the American military to penetrate this influence. The U.S. effort is aimed at bridging the gaps between villages, districts, and the provincial capital government in Kabul which has had little control over the country for 30 years. It is not an easy task.

Image via Wikipedia

9,000 Marines have begun deployment to the southern provinces of Helmand to renew the assault on the Taliban. They will be followed by 1,000 Army trainers in February. New forces will not start moving until President Obama outlines his new strategy in his speech at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. The plan is expected to call for 30,000 to 35,000 new troops in a phased deployment in the next 12 to 18 months.

Sgt. Michael McCann said,”Before deploying here we were given training on language, culture,and everything. I thought since I was an Iraq combat veteran, I didn’t need any of that stuff. I was wrong. Both countries may be Muslim, but this is a totally different place. The sheer terrain of Afghanistan is much more challenging: for mountains, altitudes, severity of weather, the distances. That wears on an Army.”

Image via Wikipedia

In Afghanistan troops routinely cross passes of 10,000 feet, going down into valleys where villagers hibernate five months out of the year, and are cut off by the winter snows. Relying on religious leaders to shape their view of the outside world. Loyalty is first given to religious leaders, second to the tribe, with government coming in a poor third.

http://socyberty.com/issues/military-suicide/

http://newsflavor.com/world/middle-east/soldiers-die-in-Iraq-due-to-contractors-shoddy-work/

http://socyberty.com/education/the-story-of-one-child-in-georgias-alternative-schools/

http://socyberty.com/history/longest-prison-sentence-in-the-history-of-georgia/

http://socyberty.com/history/1932-in-washington-dc/

But still we are not successful in tackling problems.

What is the reason?

Why is it that so much propaganda addressing to various problems is having not the impact which it should have?

These and much more similar questions always arise in my mind and probably in the mind of many more like minded people.

I think the answer lies in the fact that we so called “The educated class of this world” are so much selfish that we don’t even care for our children and our grandchildren. Forget about our rest of the generations down to the line.

Now days, we are going for nuclear families so that we can nurture our children properly. But, then I feel that all such love and care is all rubbish. If we really love them then we should have made efforts to solve various global problems which we are facing now days.

When our child gets ill we take him/her to the doctor so that he gets well and we think that we try to show him/her that how much we love him.

But, then who is responsible for the illness of child?

It’s not nature or any one else but the parents of the child. If rather than using their private transport for traveling if they would have used public transport it would have prevented the pollution level to rise to such high level that it cause breathing problem to their child.

I just don’t know why we cry so much on our problems if we can’t even make an effort to solve our problems.

Whenever I try to tell anyone that how their small-small efforts can really help to the grater cause. They just have one excuse that with the help of one person nothing is going to change and in that way they carry on.

Some people ask about proofs and when proofs are given then they say that who cares. Nothing is going to happen in their lifetime so live life king size. Why to take so many precautions.

These are the two most common excuses people give to avoid giving any kind of support.

So, sometimes I really feel that what is the use of spreading knowledge?

What is use of educating people?

Since, the behavior of a literate is going to be worse than an illiterate. At least, illiterate people listen when they are made aware of such astonishing facts, but these educated people will make fun and will continue ruining their as well as other’s life.

For more related and much better articles, you can refer following links:

  1) Characteristics of Good People: My best article. Must read article for everyone. It tells the most important ways of finding that whether a person is good or bad since all that glitters is not gold.

   2) How to Know Someone Using a Single Question: A must topic for everyone. in today’s time when we don’t much time it is necessary to analyze a person as quickly as possible to prevent any kind back stabbing from that person.

  3) Why People Don’t Help?: A very similar topic but explains this phenomenon in lot more detail. Have you ever thought what wrong with people nowadays, why they don’t want to help others? Check out the main reasons behind these problems

  4) Why Good People Always Suffer: Why is it that all of God’s havoc is borne by good people? A mentality which is normally seen among good people need to be changed for good. Here, I give some very strong reasons of why to change this attitude. 

  5) How to Make Your Problems Easy?: A very simple but an effective way of reducing your problem is told here. To make this idea easier to understand, I have made it very funny so you won’t be bored while reading.

  6) How to Make an Enemy Your Friend: A must article for everyone. It tells the important way to solve the problem of generating enemies, especially if you are a good person.

  7) Who is More Dangerous?: What will you do when you have to choose between a good person and bad person? Sometimes the truth is not what it appears to be.

  8) How It Feels When You are Cheated?: A situation which is a nightmare for all people. It tells a way to come over with such a trauma.

  9) Are Scholars Really Scholars? : The question which always haunt an intelligent student with bad luck, a reason why some times good people turn bad.

The democratic developed countries siphon off a major chunk of their resources for education. Therefore, democracy is alive and kicking in these countries that guarantee meaningful participation of the rank and file in nation building. This state of affairs generates public responsiveness about their rights and responsibilities. Therefore, when the people see any violation of their legitimate rights they vehemently protest against the liable authorities. No one is above the grip of corpus juris and the transgressors are brought to book without distinction due to strong accountability institutions. The rulers also work dedicatedly and with a sense of commitment because they are answerable to the public that empowered them through ballet power to govern the business of the state. The men in the driving seat consider themselves true public representatives. When they find that they have failed to fulfill their due duties they give up their job posts. Shinzo Abe, the youngest PM of Japan , has recently resigned because he found himself unable to accomplish his national and political obligations.

Paradoxically, in developing countries the democracy is as scarce as warm water in the Antarctica because only bare resources are funneled for the education sector. The teeming millions are indifferent towards democratic norms and practices because of exceedingly low literacy rate in these countries. The massive resources are squandered for the luxurious activities of the despotic men in the throne. These authoritarian potentates have illusion that their presence is indispensable for the survival and progress of the countries. Therefore, they stick to their power-intoxicated chairs and think in terms of life-long rulership to play with the fate of the sloth-crumpled nations. These autocrats are not answerable to anyone. Accountability is just eyewash or a strumpet’s lipstick and the accountability institutions are used as means to intimidate the political rivals of the power drunk men in the saddle. The dictators do not accommodate opposite views and consider their own blinkered opinions as gospel truth. Even several charges of sleaze and misappropriation could not turn a hair of these thick-skinned power lust tyrants.

Democracy can only thrive when it is established at the grassroots level. In Pakistan majority of the population dwell in the countryside where there are neglected primary and middle schools. The feudal lords deliberately keep their people backward by not permitting the opening of educational institutions. It is said that a feudal lord requested the Education Minister to open a school in his area. He assured him to provide place and fund to erect the building of the institution. The minister was shocked that heaven may not fall because a torpid landlord is talking about learning of the people of his locale. The survey team was taken aback to know the ulterior motive of the feudal lord when they visited the site of the school that was located near the village of his archrival. The clandestine intention of the dormant-minded big shot was to open an institution near the village of his adversary. He wanted to take revenge from his foe because he thought-out that the people of his rival’s area would start studying that would loosen his grip on them and ultimately he would be no more a feudal lord. This example reflects the true decrepit mentality of our potent proprietors.

In another paradigm one of the blood relatives of a feudal lord breathed his last. All the leading personalities visited him to offer a Political Fateha. Although, the landlord was a big gun in the government but the road leading towards his village was bumpy and broken that stunned the guests. Few days after performing bereavement rituals that are part and parcel of our custom stricken society, one of the friends of the big cheese who was a minister in the cabinet allocated funds and sent the raw material for the construction of a macadamized road to oblige his friend. But the feudal lord was infuriated instead of thanking him. He said to his friend angrily, “I held a higher post in the government in which you are minister. I have more authority and funds at disposal. After the construction of the road the people would frequently start visiting cities that is bound to breed education and awareness in them. After the natives become acquaintance to their rights who would cast me vote?” The minister passed a political smile and hugged him. The material for the construction of the road was transported somewhere else and the dream of the dwellers of the area to travel on a smooth road dashed to the ground. These examples reflect that feudal lords intentionally keep the people backward and ignorant to economically exploit, political subjugate and socially ridicule them.

Elections generate a gleam of anticipation and enthusiasm in the ignorant masses for a transformation but after the polls their dreams crumble to dust. The elected politicians visit their constituency once in a blue moon after winning the polls via hoodwinking the illiterate populace by propagating syrupy and hollow catchwords. They start feathering their own nests and throw the public welfare to the backburner. They plunder the public treasure to retrieve their cash that they splurge during the elections to purchase the loyalties of the voters through tin pot touts having deep penetration in the constituency who ensnare the poor dwellers. In our country majority of the politicians have feudal mentality. Therefore, they calculatingly remain indifferent to opening educational institutions in their constituency because learning brings change that is a mortal threat to feudalism.

Devolution plan is another deceptive way to establish democracy at the grassroots level. Instead of breaking the back the feudalism, it has further fortified it due to massive illiteracy. The polls under the Devolution Plan 2000 were held in 2001 and 2005.General elections were held in 2002 and now conducting the polls in 2008 are on the cards. The timings of the local body elections and the general elections are so maneuvered that the Nazims and Naib Nazims can help the MPAs and MNAs of the King’s Party in winning the general elections and the legislators in return can provide countenance to the Nazims and Naib Nazims to triumph the local body elections and the vicious cycle of exploiting the public can continue. Sarcastically, some MPAs and MNAs resigned to contest the polls of district and tehsil Nazims because of the presence of huge public funds in the local bodies’ budgets. As they generously gorge during the election campaigns, therefore, they deem it their right to embezzle and pillage the public treasure. They deviously flood their coffers with wads of notes for propaganda and campaigns of the upcoming elections, and for the comfortable life of their succeeding progenies.

The primary school education is obligatory to inculcate public know-how at the nitty-gritty level in order to lay the foundations of democracy on sound bedrock. Higher education is one more illusory way to improve the standards of education. It is futile to improve the crown without curing the deadly wounds of the foot. Primary education is the first rung on the ladder of learning but ironically barely literate teachers have been appointed to lay the basis of the nation builders. These frail roots can easily smash up along with the deceptive building. Our myopic policy makers want to erect the citadel of Higher Education without correcting and intensification the base. The top officials of the HEC have granted contracts for provision of equipments to their near and dear ones who have their own trouser to zip. They practice nepotism as the Roman Catholic Popes in the medieval times.

Public awareness, responsible freedoms of expression, economic self-reliance, independence of judiciary, strong and impartial election commission to conduct transparent elections are essentials of democracy that are scrawny in developing countries. Due to degradation of the educational and political institutions there is no tolerance to listen opposite views in these nations. Liberal extremists and religious extremists fill this political vacuum due to which budding countries are facing the dilemma of dual whammy of extremisms. The number of moderate people is continuously trimming down. The western countries also do not want democracy in these countries. They always pampered those despotic rulers and authoritarian regimes, which can safeguard their vested interests.

Education is lifeline of democracy. Therefore, it withers away in the presence of disgusting vibes of ignorance that is most suitable for nurturing rigorous feudalism and hardhearted despotism. Literacy rate is the gauging parameter of democracy. Democracy is thriving only in those countries in the constellation of nations where education is given the supreme priority and massive resources are pumped for it while it is breathing at a subsistence level in the states where education is thrown to the background and only bare funds are channelized for it. Therefore, the rulers and population of every country should hammer into their minds that democracy and ignorance are irreconcilable. Illiteracy is venomous for democracy while beams of education inject a vibrant blood in its veins. Those who want to establish public rule in an uneducated society through electioneering are living in a cloud cuckoo land.