Sipra's Diary ;: Discussions on senior center.dated 10thhaugust.

Yesterday I  went to participate in discussion's group of senior center. The topic was  of my favourite subject :' language'.
 Q::The US Government has never declared an 'official' language.Should there be an official language?

The top three languages in the united states,are: English,Spanish and Chinese.There are more spanish speakers in the United states than in Spain.
When someone comes to this country,no matter the reason, shoud it be there 'number one priority' to learn English?
According to figures from the department of Homeland security,1.o2 million immigrants were granted permanent residence  in the US in 2014;In 2015  the number rose up to1.05.


            ** America,  a superpowerful democratic country in the world  has not yet declared   its own 'official Language' ?  It is hard to believe that the greatest land of diversity---  a multi-cultural, multi-lingual country  has no official language!
 A country means a Nation with its own Constitution ,  Parliament ,National flag ,  Central   bank,  own currency,  and legally approved 'official' language.

Most of the attendees have no clear idea what is meant by 'official'  language. I explained it because India went through long-time language -conflics as India is aso a multiligual country. In India, during the mughal reign 'pharsi' was established as court language ,replacing  the previous sanskrit -related language.During the British rule ,they introduced English  in place of 'pharsi. Now 'hindi'is designated as national language but English also remains parallaly because  Hindi  does not represent collective Indian culture. Hindi is like Greek for the people of south India.
Official  language is a language given a special 'legal status'  used within  government in particular country ,state or other jurisdiction .It is used within the judiciary,lagislature administration of  government  to maintain uniformity.
 But  regional languages ,tribal languages ,remained undisturbed  among people throughout  the time.

The top three languages in the United States ,are English(237.8 million);   Spanish  (40.5)  ,Chinese( including  Mandarin and  Cantonese)  3.4 million.
   .
In my opinion, English must be declared as  'national language' as it is evolved as de facto:maximum people speak in English; Otherwise it will become a hidrance to maintain  the uniformity of national standard  in education, administration, business,legal, judiciary etc.
 For example in our evertday life we can take road-map :if we need 2ft /4ft ft boards  to write only in english  for road direction , then for  four languages a huge board of 8ft /16ft boards are required to be used and   how many such boards are possible to set up every corner of the road? Moreover,besides the question of cost,  it will be very much confusing as well as disturbing  for DRIVING buses, cars, trucks through scanning of several languages. In airports stations or other public places spanish is already used  almost everywhere of US simultaneously with english.

 Russia, China, Japan France  follow their own national language, and not any second language in all public places though all these countries also have become global.
In India, state language and english both are painted on the board in all staions hospitals and public places.In north India many stations and public places are marked  by urdu language.
 In London Punjabis claimed to use their language in some  places for  their own convenience. Bangladesis use bengali script  (and no-english) for  the names of staions, shops, schools, clubs restaurents in some of their colonies  in London. It was so surprising for us to see native language in foreign land.
Since streams of immigrants are pouring in the basin of America continuously, political thinkers should take the issue seriously, before it causes tooth-ache. Like Spanish ,Mandarin, Russians and Urdu  all  languages  are flourishing in US.
 Each language is like gold mines and needs to keep alive But in a global society  like US how can it be conserved?
From the grass-root,  from the school.
    The school should start with three languages: english, spanish and state or native language as third language. I think it is a primary necessity to acknowledge 'English' as  official language.

Without  preliminary knowledge,nobody should get permission  to enter  US / Western countries. To avoid the future problem US can follow the steps of China or Russia in this matter. Lastly, English is   already recognised as an  International language. I am leaving the topic unfinished.   But  I wish to write more on this issue.
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Sipra's Diary: [Rep] Avocado-the -"Green-gold".

At the end of my everyday morning walk from two years back up to now, I used to enter Morton-William as finishing touch to pick up some bread or vegetable. I noticed avocado,  banana, and zucchini are very cheap compared to other items.3/4 and sometimes 5 avocados for $1.I did not like avocado until I tasted a sandwich with avocado spread with a pinch of salt and pepper in some Jewish Party.  It is popular as "butter fruit" in  Mexican locality It is also the backbone of the local economy known as "green-gold" in Mexico to fetch money by exporting in a foreign land, especially in the US. I learnt that it is good for health. Since then I used to buy it; good for breakfast, both as a spread on bread instead of butter or as smoothy.
I was surprised to notice the sudden rise in price: $3 for one avocado. I told my daughter, "see,  just as we started liking zucchini and avocado, their  price goes up."
I learnt avocados come mostly from Mexico and Colombia.  It had been cultivated in Mexico about 9000 years ago. Food magazines have made these items popular by propagating their food value so high that it became the fruit of global trade... As the demand goes up,price naturally rises...
But the story is something more. Avocados grow mainly in the volcanic rich soil of Michoacan state in Mexico. The high global demand for avocado has created a mafia group who plundered all avocados from the land of the farmers at night time. The farmers have to buy insurance to protect against the robberies which caused the prices to go up. Thus the mafia group now control the avocado business....
"Avocados are Nafta's(North American Free Trade Agreement) shining stars," said some economist.
... So the behavioural-psychology-cum-geo- economics etc. have been more complicated by the influence of the criminal bugs; high price is not due to a simple matter of the previously known theory of the demand-supply relationship of the see-saw.
  Every time I toss the idea whether should I buy or not as I  look at the price-tag of an avocado: a dark green, pear-shaped fruit, simple(but ugly and repulsive to look),  too, trails a  stained history!  though it is neither gold nor diamond nor drug, still.......
                      ' et too, avocado!'

You were fine so far,
In the lap of the volcanic father,
Throughout  more than a thousand years;
Sheltered  safely in shady leaves
And feeding the son of the soil.
Soon you will be invisible there,
As NAFTA blew your veil                                
In the open global market
To fill a global appetite.

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