This blog is the forum where I can put forward whatever I think about life and that is why I love it.
 I came home by flight a couple of days ago. This journey always makes me ponder about the reality of life. When we are in our home, we think that we will never forget it or be confuse about it, but when we go to some other place it becomes very difficult for us to imagine the moments that passed while we were at home. One may imagine them, but when imagined these places look like a dream. Sometimes when I am at some place I try to look at everything very carefully so that I can imagine everything as it is later on without any confusion, but I never succeed to visualize it as a reality and not as a dream. Sometimes I also feel bad about this feeling, but then I think that it is a gift from God Almighty. The reason for calling it a gift is that we cannot live our present without leaving our past. Forgetting leads one to learning something new.
Maybe some of you don't agree with me but this is what I could made out of my experience.

Conflict Management Styles Quiz 

Source: Reginald (Reg) Adkins, PhD, Elemental Truths 

http://elementaltruths.blogspot.com/2006/11/conflict-management-quiz.html 

We each have our own way of dealing with conflict. The techniques we use are based on many variables such as our basic underlying temperament, our personality, our environment and where we are in our professional career. However, by and large there are five major styles of conflict management techniques in our tool box. In order to address conflict we draw from a collaborating, competing, avoiding, harmonizing or compromising style of management. None of these strategies is superior in and of itself. How effective they are depends on
the context in which they are used.

Each statement below provides a strategy for dealing with a conflict. Rate each statement on a scale of 1 to 4
indicating how likely you are to use this strategy.
1 = Rarely 2 = Sometimes 3 = Often 4 = Always
Be sure to answer the questions indicating how you would behave rather than how you think you should
behave.
 1. I explore issues with others so as to find solutions that meet everyone’s needs. _______
 2. I try to negotiate and adopt a give-and-take approach to problem situations. _______
 3. I try to meet the expectations of others. _______
 4. I would argue my case and insist on the merits of my point of view. _______
 5. When there is a disagreement, I gather as much information as I can and keep the
 lines of communication open. _______
6. When I find myself in an argument, I usually say very little and try to leave as soon
as possible. _______
7. I try to see conflicts from both sides. What do I need? What does the other person
Need? What are the issues involved? _______
 8. I prefer to compromise when solving problems and just move on. _______
 9. I find conflicts challenging and exhilarating; I enjoy the battle of wits that usually follows. _______
10. Being at odds with other people makes me feel uncomfortable and anxious. _______
11. I try to accommodate the wishes of my friends and family. _______
12. I can figure out what needs to be done and I am usually right. _______
13. To break deadlocks, I would meet people halfway. _______
14. I may not get what I want but it’s a small price to pay for keeping the peace. _______
15. I avoid hard feelings by keeping my disagreements with others to myself. _______

How to score the Conflict Management Quiz: 
As stated, the 15 statements correspond to the five conflict resolution styles. To find your most preferred style,
total the points in the respective categories. The one with the highest score indicates your most commonly used
strategy. The one with the lowest score indicates your least preferred strategy. However, if you are a leader
who must deal with conflict on a regular basis, you may find your style to be a blend of styles.
Style Corresponding Statements: Total:
Collaborating: 1, 5, 7 _______
Competing: 4, 9, 12 _______
Avoiding: 6, 10, 15 _______
Harmonizing: 3, 11, 14 _______
Compromising: 2, 8, 13 _______
Brief Descriptions of the Five Conflict Management Styles 
Collaborating Style: Problems are solved in ways in which an optimum result is provided for all involved.
Both sides get what they want and negative feelings are minimized.
Pros: Creates mutual trust; maintains positive relationships; builds commitments.
Cons: Time consuming; energy consuming.
Competing Style: Authoritarian approach.
Pros: Goal oriented; quick.
Cons: May breed hostility.
Avoiding Style: The non-confrontational approach.
Pros: Does not escalate conflict; postpones difficulty.
Cons: Unaddressed problems; unresolved problems.
Harmonizing Style: Giving in to maintain relationships.
Pros: Minimizes injury when we are outmatched; relationships are maintained.
Cons: Breeds resentment; exploits the weak.
Compromising Style: The middle ground approach.
Pros: Useful in complex issues without simple solutions; all parties are equal in power.
Cons: No one is ever really satisfied; less than optimal solutions get implemented.

Here are a few places you should visit in Pakistan!

Quote of the day

Today I won't share anything academic, but I would like to share few lines which inspired me and made me think about them.
1. I heard one person saying, 'Desires bring fear along with them. If there are no desires, there would be no fear.'
  This is actually very true. Every fear of our life is associated with our desires. For example, the fear of failing is due the desire of success.
2. Another line that I heard was that ' Success brings many positive changes in the attitudes  of people, but sometimes we actually try to get success only to bring changes  in the attitudes  of people.'
 This is also very true as we sometimes strive for success solely for the purpose of proving  someone wrong and making him\her trust us. 

Rites of passage

 Definition:

“Ceremonies that mark important transitional periods in a person's life, that is birth, puberty, marriage, having children, and death. Rites of passage usually involve ritual activities and teachings designed to strip individuals of their original roles and prepare them for new roles.”

Phases:

Generally rites of passage are divided into three phases:

1.    Separation

2.    Transition

3.    Reincorporation

Examples:

Some examples of rites of passage are:

1.     Wedding

2.     Bar or Bat Mitzvah

3.     Baptism

4.     Confirmation

5.     Quinceañera

Here we will only be considering Quinceañera in detail.

Quinceañera

 Definition:

“Quinceañera, also called fiesta de quince años, fiesta de Quinceañera, quince años or simply quince, is the celebration of a girl's fifteenth birthday in parts of Latin America and elsewhere in communities of people from Latin America.”

Explanation:

The word Quinceañera derives from Spanish word quince, meaning “fifteen”, and años, meaning “years”. It may refer to the girl or the ceremony itself.  In Mexican American communities this ceremony symbolizes the change from adolescence to womanhood..

It is celebrated in many countries, such as United States, Argentina, Peru, Paraguay, Uruguay, Mexico, Ecuador, etc.

Phases of Quinceañera:

Usually Quinceañera is divided into two phases, that is religious and social, but we can divide it into three phases as follows:

1.    Separation

Prior to the celebration of Quinceañera, the young woman attends classes at the church on the importance of mass and the significance of the moment in life. These classes occur up to one year.

2.    Transition

This phase involves a church ceremony which calls upon the woman to renew her Baptism vows and call from the promise of support from a member of the family. The young woman enters the church with his father and mother, who are standing beside her. She sits in a single chair alone at the altar. Traditionally, she wears a white or pastor colored, floor-length dress and wears a crown of some sort. She also carries a doll with her. This offering shows that she is moving towards maturity.

3.    Reincorporation

In this phase, there is a great party or fiesta. These events usually take place in stage sets which are either made or rented. There are toast, Thank-you to the sponsors, and the response of the Quinceañera in which she expresses gratitude for her upbringing. There is usually a multi-tired cake embellished with statuary and fountains. A pillow is used to present the crown. This crown symbolizes the triumph in living a moral life. There are also periods of dancing in this party.

After this event, the Quinceañera enters the society as a woman.

Human Psychological facts

Nutritional Facts about potatoes

We mainly associate potato as a vegetable which promotes obesity but we are unfamiliar with what a potato is capable of.  Lets discuss the nutritional value of potato.

1. Potassium:

A potato has potassium more than that of banana. Potassium is the part of every body cell. It helps to maintain blood pressure. It is also important for transmitting nerve impulses and for muscle contraction.
2. Vitamin-C:

It aids in collagen production, helps in Iron absorbtion, helps in healing wounds and keeps our gums healthy.
3. Fiber:

Fibers cannot be digested or absorbed by human beings. Soluble fibers help lower cholesterol.
4. B6:

one potato covers 10% of the daily value of B6 absorbed. It helps in the formation of non-essential amino acid . It is involved in the synthesis of hemoglobin. It is also involved in carbohydrates and protein metabolism.
5. Iron:

It is the major component of hemoglobin. It facilitates the transport of oxygen, synthesis of enzymes, development of numeral system and controls the normal cell production.

Uses of potatoes

1. It is used for making medicines.
2. It is used by people who are having stomach disorders.
3. Potatoes are baked, fried or boiled and used on many recipes: mashed potatoes, potato pancakes, potato chips, potato salads etc.
4.Potatoes are used in pharmaceutical purposes, textile, wood and paper industries for as adhesive, filler, oil drilling, texture agent etc.
5. It is used as 100% biodegradable substitute for polystyrene and other plastics used, for example, disposable plates, dishes and knives.
6. Potatoes are also used for the production of fuel grade ethanol.

Benzimidazole

 Definition:

“Benzimidazole, a heterocyclic aromatic organic compound consisting of a fusion of benzene and imidazole, in an extension of the well-elaborated imidazole system, has been used as a carbon skeleton for N-heterocyclic carbenes, usually used as ligand for transition metal complexes.”

Molecular formula:

Its molecular formula is C₇H₆N₂.

Structural formula:Physical properties

1. Benzimidazoles have high melting points. The melting point is given as 170-172^oC.
2. The boiling point of benzimidazole is360 °C.
3. Benzimidazoles are usually soluble in polar solvents and sparingly soluble in non polar solvents.
4. Preparation of benzimidazole:Benzimidazoles are weakly basic, being somewhat less basic than imidazole.
5. Benzimidazoles are also sufficiently acidic to be generally soluble in aqueous alkali and form N-metallic compounds. The acidic properties of benzimidazoles, like those of imidazole, seem to be due to stabilization of the ion by resonance.
6. The molar mass of benzimidazole is 118.14 g mol⁻¹

Preparation: 

Benzimidazole is usually prepared by the reaction of o-Phenylenediamine (C₆H₄(NH₂)₂) with formic acid (HCO₂H).

Reactions of benzimidazole:

Benzimidazoles can undergo the following reactions:

1. Alkylation
2. Acylation
3. Halogenations
4. Nitration
5. Reaction with Grignard reagents
6. sulfuric acid or chloro sulfonic acid
7. Reactions of benzimidazoline 2- thione

Use of benzimidazole:

Benzimidazole is mainly used in the following ways:

1. It is used as a pesticide.
2. It is used as an antiviral and antibiotic.
3. Some veterinary benzimidazoles are also used as anthelmintics in human medicines. Anthelmintics are drugs that expel parasitic worms (helminthes) from the body, by either stunning or killing them.
4. It is also used in chemotherapy.
5. Most benzimidazole derivatives are only minimally soluble in water, so they may be applied as a paste or in a liquid suspension.

Benzimidazole Fungicides

Benzimidazole fungicides are low use, broad-spectrum fungicides, widely used in agriculture for pre-harvest and post-harvest treatment for control of a wide range of pathogens. Benzimidazole fungicides were the first fungicides to be used to control eyespot, an important fungal disease of wheat caused by the necrotrophic fungus, in Europe from around 1974. At the time of their introduction, they represented a ground-breaking class of fungicides with unique properties that included systemic and curative activity that allowed extended spray intervals. World-wide, benzimidazole fungicides are registered in many countries on more than 70 crops including cereals and grapes.

Examples:

 Few examples of benzimidazoles are as follows:

1. Albendazole
2. Benomyl
3. Carbendazim
4. Thiophanate-methyl

Resistance status:

Benzimidazoles represent the beginning of serious resistance problems in fungicides. A few years after commercialization, loss of disease control with benzimidazole fungicides was recorded in many crops, especially with pathogens having numerous cycles per year, such as Botrytis cinerea(a necrotrophic fungus).  For those funguses, such as Tapesia spp, that have 1-2 life cycles per year, the resistance developed after 10 years.

Environmental fate

Terrestrial fate:

Benzimidazole is expected to have high mobility in soil. Benzimidazole is not expected to volatilize from dry soil surfaces, based upon an estimated vapor pressure of 7.6X10^-5 mm Hg. The benzene based fungicides; Benlate and thiabendazole do not migrate any appreciable distance in soils. When applied to soil surfaces they did not move more than 25 mm into the soil. Benzimidazole does not support the growth of mixed cultures of microbes that could grow on benzimidazole-based fungicides. When repeatedly applied benzimidazole results in the increased degradation of these microbes.

Aquatic fate:

An estimated Koc value-a measure of a material's tendency to adsorb to soil particles-of 110, determined from an estimation method, indicates that benzimidazole is not expected to adsorb to suspended solids and sediment in water. At low pH (pK_a = 5.3(8)), it is expected to adsorb to suspended solids and sediments. Volatilization from water surfaces is not expected.  The potential for bioconcentration in aquatic organisms is low.

Atmospheric fate:

Benzimidazole, which has an estimated vapor pressure of 7.6X10^-5 mm Hg at 25⁰C, is expected to exist in the both the vapor and particulate phases in the atmosphere. Particulate-phase benzimidazole may be removed from the air by wet and dry deposition. Benzimidazole absorbs light at 245, 271 and 278 nm, so it has little potential for direct photolysis in the atmosphere.

Reference

http://www.ijnsonline.com/admin/images/20111213_Ramesh%20Dhani%20et%20al%20IJAPN.pdf

http://extoxnet.orst.edu/tibs/glossary.htm

http://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/summary/summary.cgi?cid=5798

http://www.chemspider.com/Chemical-Structure.5593.html

http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/search/r?dbs+hsdb:@term+@rn+@rel+51-17-2

http://news.agropages.com/WiKi/Detail---3319.htm

Allegiant

Allegiant
Allegiant is the third and last novel of divergent trilogy. It is written by Veronica Roth and published by Harper Collins in October 2013. The genres it is classified into are dystopia, science fiction and young-adult fiction.
The type of narration that the writer has used is of multiple narrators. There are two narrators in this book, Beatrice Prior (Tris) and Tobias Eaton (Four). Both are using first person narration.

About the author
Veronica Roth is an American novelist and short story writer. She is known for her debut New York best selling 'Divergent trilogy' which consists 'Divergent', 'Insurgent' and 'Allegiant'. She won Goodreads favourite book award in 2011,and Best Young Adult fiction and science fiction.
Veronica Roth was born in New York city on 19thAugust, 1998. Her parents divorced when she was five years old. Veronica attended Christian Bible study. She married Nelson Flitch, a photographer, in 2001.

Educational background
Veronica Roth completed her graduation at Barrington High School. She then studied in Carleton college for one year. She left this college and continued her studies in Transert North-western University.
Other books
Other than Divergent trilogy, Veronica has also written these books:
• The World of Divergent: The Path to Allegiant
• Four: A Divergent Story Collection
• Hearken, a short story
Summary
After the fall of Jeanine Mathews, the video of Edith Prior is revealed which informs the citizens about a world that exists outside the fence. Tobias’ mother, Evelyn Johnson, has taken over the government and she has abrogated the faction system. As she is establishing the faction less system, a group of people who call themselves as ‘Allegiant’ are arranging a rebellion with the motto that the faction system must be re-established and people must be given the choice to go to the outside world. Tobias and Tris join them and escape through the fence along with some of their friends. In the outside world they are welcomed by Zoe and Amar. They lead them to the Bureau of Genetic welfare. There they meet David who is the head of the compound. David tells them that their city was nothing but an experiment set by the Bureau. He also tells them that due to the experiments which were made to turn people to the perfect form, make them intelligent, peace makers, selfless, brave and honest, resulted with genetically damaged people. He tells them that this lead to civil war in the country and now they are trying to maintain the experiments in order to obtain genetically pure people which are called divergent in their old city. A scientist whose name is Matthews asks Tris and Tobias to undergo genetic tests. As a result of these tests, it is revealed that Tris is genetically pure while Tobias is genetically damaged. Being depressed of this new identity, Tobias joins Nita and other GD’s in order to cause some damage to the Bureau. Nita reveals to Tobias and Tris that the compound was delivering the serums used for the genocide of abnegation people. Tobias does not know what the other GD’s are planning but still helps them. He results in the responsibility of the death of Uriah. During the attack by the GD’s, Tris accidentally looks like she saved David. David asks her to join them and she agrees. Tris then formulates an alliance against the compound and they plan to release the truth serum on the members of the compound in order to reveal the bitter secrets that they are hiding. Tobias finds out through the monitoring room that his father , Marcus Eaton, has allied with the allegiant and there is going to be a great war in their city. Tris finds out that the Bureau is planning to erase the memories of the people of Chicago city. Tris then decides that they will use the memory serum to reset the scientists of the compound. Caleb volunteers to go to the weapons lab,pass through the death serum, and release the memory serum. They inoculate themselves with the anti serum. Tobias goes back to the city in order to stop the war. As they are running out of time, Tris forces Caleb, her brother, to let her complete the mission. Although she survives the death serum, she is shot by David who was already in the lab. Even dying, Tris tries and releases the memory serum. Tobias settles the fued between his mother and father. When he returns he is told that Tris died. It takes him a longtime to accept her death as he loved her very much, The Bureau's scientists are reset. After two and a half years, the situation is completely different. Tobias works as the assistant of Johanna Mason, the former Amity leader. Chicago is now a city in which people are not differentiated on the basis of their genetics and are free to move in or out of the city.
Main idea
The writer is trying to explain that the race of perfection and solving of the problems in the wrong manner leads to destruction, rebellion, and wars, but the wise decision, concern and sacrifice of even a few people results in the betterment of the whole society.

How the writer makes the story convincing?

The genetic damage that the writer has explained is convincing. The experiments they did resulted in the aggravation of one factor while the deprivation of the other, for example, the one who was highly intelligent lacked sympathy and emotions for others. I think that this is very convincing because whenever you try to alter the nature that God has made, it results in destruction.
Another concept that the writer gave is that selfless and brave are not that different. It takes one to be brave if he has to be selfless. A weak person can never be selfless. Like Veronica Roth mentioned in the motto of dauntless faction,
“We believe in ordinary acts of bravery, in the courage that drives one person to stand up for another.”
Another thing that I find convincing is a line that Tobias said about Tris after she died. He said,
“Isuppose that a fire that burns bright is not meant to last.”
If we go back to the history of mankind, great warriors like Muhammad bin Qasim, who was only seventeen when he invaded Sindh, and Alexander the Great, who invaded more than half of the world, died at a very young age. Hence, this is convincing to some extent.
The sacrifice that Tris made for her brother was also very convincing. She did not saw her brother as a traitor who tried to kill her, but instead she saw the love he once gave him. It is true that no matter how much we hate our family or any of its members, but we cannot see them die.
The ending of this novel focuses that Tobias goes on with his life. He also accepts the fact that people can be mended and they mend each other. This is very convincing because it is true that with the death of one person the world does not end. The world goes on and we also have to adjust with it. One is also brave if he goes on with his life while engulfing the pain of loss.

Film adaptation
Summit entertainment has announced that Allegiant will be divided into two films, Allegiant part 1 and Allegiant part 2. Part 1 will be released on 18th March, 2016 while part 2 will release on 24th March, 2017. The film is being directed by Neil Burger. Theo James will be playing the role of Tobias and Shailene Woodley will play the role of Beatrice Prior.

Quote of the Day

"WE LEARN FROM FAILURES NOT FROM SUCESS"

Is it a Parrot? are you sure, look closely

Quote of the day

"The true purpose of Education is to make minds not careers"