University of Delhi goofed up on Thursday when it presented B.Com. Honours students of fifth semester with a question paper many had already seen and studied from. The Financial Management paper attempted by regular college students on Thursday was a copy of the paper attempted by students of School of Open Learning in May this year.
In other words, students preparing from an ordinary ’10 year’ (books made from past years’ question papers) would have found Thursday’s paper on the last 3 pages of the book.
The SOL question paper, uploaded to DU’s website in August, on the left and Thursday’s paper on the right.
DUTA and DUSU slammed the University for the gaffe. While DUTA blamed the ‘regular blunders’ on the semester system, DUSU demanded a re-examination saying that no student should enjoy an unfair advantage.
DU on Friday appointed a three-member committee to look into the matter. Its task will be to ‘examine the entire issue and accordingly fix responsibility in the matter and also suggest ways and means to ensure that a fair situation is created, if required, for the examinees who appeared at the said exam’. The committee will report back to the University in two weeks.
World Health Organization (WHO) marks World AIDS Day as one of the official global public health campaigns among seven others. World AIDS Day is celebrated worldwide every year on December 1 and the theme for year 2014 is “Focus, Partner, Achieve: An AIDS-Free Generation.”
World AIDS Day draws attention to the current status of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) epidemic worldwide.
What is HIV/AIDS?
HIV is a lot like other viruses, including those that cause the “flu”. HIV can hide for long periods in the cells of your body and that it attacks a key part of your immune system – your T-Cells or CD4 Cells. Your body has to have these cells to fight infections and disease, but HIV invades them, uses them to make more copies of itself, and then destroys them.
Over time, HIV can destroy so many of your CD4 cells that your body can’t fight infections and diseases anymore. When that happens, HIV infection can lead to AIDS. AIDS is the final stage of HIV infection, and not everyone who has HIV advances to this stage. People at this stage of HIV disease have badly damaged immune systems, which put them at risk for opportunistic infections.
Myths about HIV/AIDS
Picture by Newsound
Anjali Gopalan, founder of Naz Foundation clears the myths about the disease and provides contrary facts.
Naz Foundation (India) Trust is an NGO that works for HIV/AIDS and sexual health in the country. Naz provides a variety of services to those impacted by HIV/AIDS and uses a holistic rights-based approach to fight the disease, focusing on prevention and treatment.
DU Beat presents you the top seven myths and misconceptions about the disease of HIV AIDS.
1. You can catch the virus even if you just come in contact with an HIV positive person
This is the biggest myth related to HIV. Anjali Gopalan says, “HIV gets transmitted only through exchange of body fluids, unprotected penetration, unsafe blood, non sterilized syringes and breast feeding.”
It cannot be transmitted through physical contact unless you have an open wound which comes into contact with the body fluids (semen, vaginal fluids, breast milk, blood or pre-ejaculatory fluids) of an HIV-positive person.
Reasons behind HIV/AIDS (Photos by AIDS official website)
HIV cannot be transmitted through:
(i) toilet seats or door-knob handles. (ii) touching, hugging, holding hands, or cheek kissing with an HIV-infected person. (iii) Deep kissing (exchange of saliva) (iv) sharing eating utensils with an HIV-infected person. (v) mosquito bites. (vi) Sharing exercise equipment or playing sports. (vii) Contact with sweat or tears.
According to Anjali Gopalan, the virus cannot survive in insects, and hence HIV cannot be transmitted through mosquito bites.
When mosquitoes bite a person, they do not inject the blood of a previous victim into the person they bite next. Mosquitoes do, however, inject their saliva into their victims, which may carry diseases such as dengue fever, malaria or yellow fever and can infect a bitten person with these diseases. HIV is not transmitted in this manner.
3. The gay community is responsible for spreading HIV/ the disease is mostly rampant in the gay community
Due to lack of risk of pregnancy, gay people are more likely to engage in intercourse without condoms. This does not mean, though, that heterosexual people are risk-free: anyone can get AIDS from anyone through unprotected sex regardless of age, sex, ethnicity, or sexual orientation.
Anjali Gopalan says, “HIV affects immune system and the virus does not discriminate on basis of how you love. Everyone is at risk of getting HIV from blood-to-blood contact, sharing needles or unsafe sex. Worldwide, HIV is spread most often through heterosexual contact. In India too, 70% of the men are infected by contact with their female counterparts.”
4. HIV virus can’t spread through oral sex
According to Health Promotion Board, exchange of body fluids leads to infection by HIV. This exchange is possible during oral sex when there are open wounds. These include cuts, sores or abrasions in the mouth or gums, or infections in the throat or mouth that are inflamed. There may also be abrasions or sores on the penis or vagina.
Anjali Gopalan clearing this myth says, “The risk of contracting HIV through oral sex is not impossible, but it is lower than from penile-vaaginal intercourse. Oral sex can be harmful in certain cases and therefore, it is advised to use condoms.”
5. The virus can’t spread from an HIV positive person undergoing antiretroviral treatment
Antiretroviral therapy can reduce the amount of HIV in the body. However, HIV remains in the body and can be transmitted to others.
Anjali Gopalan pointed out, “. Antiretroviral drugs don’t keep you from passing the virus to others. Therapy can keep the viral load down to undetectable levels. It is still essential to practice safe sex so you won’t make someone else become HIV-positive.
6. If two people are already infected with the virus, it’s okay for them to have unprotected sex
Anjali Gopalan, says “If a couple having oral sex chooses not to use protection, they are exposed to have different strains of the disease, which means they can be subjected to subtypes of the virus.”
This therefore causes superinfection. This superinfection or strain may become more resistant to the current treatment taken, or cause the current treatment option to be ineffective. One might find the antiretroviral medicines useless by the time you get superinfected.
Myths regarding practice | Photo courtesy: 8list.php
7. HIV is a death sentence
HIV/AIDS has no cure, but it isn’t a ‘life-over’ scenario for the patient either. There has been tremendous progress in treatment for HIV over the years.
Anjali Gopalan remarks, “Medication is available and if the patient takes right medicines on proper time and regular intervals, he or she can live long and healthy life. However, HIV can not be cured. If someone is infected with HIV, he or she cannot get rid of the virus.”
Delhi University’s Kamla Nagar area, on 29 November witnessed a robbery of Rs. 1.5 crore at the broad daylight time of 11 AM. The amount was looted from Citi Bank ATM outside McDonald’s in the main market.
According to the police statement given to DU Beat, two men on a motorcycle gunned down a security guard and robbed Rs. 1.5 crore from a cash van parked next to the ATM booth. The security guard was shot twice in his head. The other occupants of the cash van, who were also armed, were inside the ATM while the guard was waiting outside.
[caption id="attachment_27817" align="aligncenter" width="540"] Crime spot right after the incident[/caption]
An eyewitness immediately informed the police about the crime. A PCR van arrived at the crime scene and rushed the security guard to a nearby hospital, where he was declared dead. The case of murder and robbery has been registered.
The area had CCTV cameras installed and the investigation process in going on.
[caption id="attachment_27816" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Police investigating the crime scene | Photo courtesy: ANI News[/caption]
An eye witness who was a student of Miranda House told DU Beat that,”The area was crowded but we don’t know how the robbers managed to get out. Delhi Police is at test now as there are a lot of such incidents happening in the city. Incidents like this in the campus, make this area unsafe for all the students.”
Recipients of the Rhodes Scholarships for India make an illustrious list with prominent personalities such as Olympian Ranjit Bhatia, playwright Girish Karnad, and economist Montek Singh Ahluwalia all having won the prestigious post graduate scholarship to study at University of Oxford.
Each year the committee selects five scholars from India with exceptional intellect, character, leadership, and commitment to service. This year the committee was led by Kumar Mangalam Birla and included the Warden of Rhodes House Mr. Charles Conn and notable Indian Rhodes Scholarship Alumni – Ms. Rukmini Banerji, Mr. Mahesh Rangarajan, Ms. Sagarika Ghose, Mr. Nandan Kamath and Mr. Prashant Sarin.
This year, the five scholars from India are from diverse backgrounds. Sanya Samtani a final year law student at the NALSAR University of Law, Bangalore, intends to read for a BCL degree at the University of Oxford while Sonali Chowdhry, an economics graduate from Miranda House and currently on a Young India Fellowship at Ashoka University, intends to study economics for development. Mayanka Mukherji is a final year sociology student at Lady Shri Ram College for Women and wishes to pursue an M.Phil in Visual, Material and Museum Anthropology. A final year law student at the National Law School of India University, Bangalore, Mansi Sood also wishes to pursue BCL at the University of Oxford. The sole male in the bunch, Carl Britto, a final year medical student at St. John’s Medical College Hospital, Bangalore intends to enroll in the D. Phil program in Primary Health.
The Rhodes Scholarships are postgraduate awards supporting outstanding all-round students and enable two to three years (depending on the academic route taken) of study at the University of Oxford, the oldest and amongst the most prestigious universities in the world. Since Independence of India, there have been 202 Rhodes Scholars from India.
Cries of change, demand for a leader to steer the nation, dissatisfaction with the previous ruling party, were amongst the few factors that led to Narendra Modi taking charge as India’s Prime Minister in a grand oath taking ceremony on the 26th of May 2014, after his party (Bharatiya Janata Party) emerged as the single largest party in the general elections of 2014. It’s been an interesting six months since.
There have been some obvious plusses. It’s good to see a Prime Minister so active and involved in the affairs of the country (almost makes for a refreshing change after the previous government). The Prime Minister has been busy, yes; he’s brought up issues that are often ignored-sanitation being the pet project here. The ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan’ is trying to bring in a sense of national conscientiousness about the lack of hygiene in the country. Bank accounts have been opened for the poor to assist them in managing their savings under the Jan Dhana Yojana.
The Budget went from big promises to actual deliverables this year. The economy is regaining shape slowly and steadily. Visits from various state heads, international visits and collaborations have also been a close part of the PM’s six months in office. Bureaucratic reshuffles and a new found discipline in bureaucracy has been credited to the change of leadership at the centre.
Obviously, the government has had its share of lows as well. Propagation of strong right wing ideologies without fear or fail by various leaders of the majority party often go unchecked (or ignored?) by senior leaders of the party. While Mr. Modi has been wise in his Cabinet choices, the appointment of Smriti Irani as HRD minister has been met with backlash. As HRD Minister, it seems that her actions may be guided by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangha, in an attempt to saffronize (and ruin) education, not to forget the sudden roll back of the Four Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUP) in Delhi University during her initial few weeks in office. The student wing of the BJP-Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, currently the controllers of power in Delhi University has been on a mission to ‘educate women about the ills of live-in relationships’.
Mr. Modi is not scared of taking risks for the sake of development, but the question that arises here is that is the rights of our women, children and minority communities being ignored a price we are willing to pay for growth?
It has been 3 years of our relationship, we make out decent number of times but we are just restricted to foreplay as I’m a sort of person to reserve my virginity for the right time. We are not sure of our togetherness but we both are sincerely in love with each other. At times it turns tough to restrict each other, especially him. Sometimes, I give him a hand job that serves the purpose but he asks me for oral sex, I tried a number of times while using flavored precautions as well but every time I failed. For me it’s the toughest of jobs which really spoils his mood and I end up thumbs down every time. Although he doesn’t force much but I feel sad on my part of not being a ‘sexually satisfying partner’. Please suggest something!
Aiyyooo!, this little idli here neither wants her guy to taste her water nor does she want to taste his. My distressed macchhi, there is nothing much to ponder upon in your case.
Listen up machhi, don’t do things that you don’t like to, that will neither please him nor will it give you satisfaction. You’ll have to make things clear to your appam about your dislike for oral sex, and who knows, he might not have a problem with this in the future.
Amma is pretty sure; your loving vada will try understanding you and won’t let you feel low. So, Amma advices you to sit down and talk to him, peacefully. You’ll eventually see things getting sorted.
Delhi University Students Union office bearers locked Dean of Students Welfare’s and Proctor’s offices from the inside as they protested against ‘general passiveness’ of DSW and the University’s lack of heed towards student problems.
ABVP leader Rohit Chahal said students have been requesting assistance on issues like disregard of attendance rules by colleges but to no avail. “Genuinely aggrieved students are suffering while University officials relax in air-conditioned offices. There’s lack of hearing of students’ problems. If this attitude continues, our next stop will be VC’s office,” he said.
Later, DSW wrote to Dean of Colleges asking for issuance of instructions to colleges regarding adherence of attendance ordinances.
In pictures: DUSU office bearers inside the locked enclosure and University officials.
As this semester comes to a close, you finally realise that you don’t really have the necessary notes you need to feel optimally prepared for the upcoming exams. You do what any person undergoing a shock would do – call up all your contacts to find an equally unprepared friend and find relief that you are not alone in this dilemma (and, fascinatingly, it works every damn time). Just to make matters worse, here is a list of new game releases that you will be missing out on for a really long time:
Far Cry 4
The Far Cry series has set a whole new benchmark in the genre of open world, sandbox games. While Far Cry 3 was set in the wild, humid tropics, the latest instalment of the series will have you explore the chilly mountain ranges of Kyrat. Don’t bother checking the map, Kyrat is a fictional setting nestled in the Himalayas. The players will set into the shoes of the new English speaking Nepalese protagonist – Ajay Ghale, who returns to his native hometown of Kyrat to spread his mother’s ashes. He is unwittingly caught in the tide of a civil war, where the rebels struggle to fight against the despotic regime of a psychotic King – Pagan Min. The cinematic trailers and gameplay snippets have shown just how much effort the developers are putting in, to push the next-gen systems to its limits. Apart from the promised graphic upgrade, the other new features include: wide choice of armaments, different variety of flora and fauna, new modes of transport like auto-rickshaws (don’t forget to set down the meter) and a freaking six tonne elephant! Oh and it also has a grappling gun to go “Na na na na na na Batman” with. The game is set to release on the 18th of November, 2014. While Ajay is out exploring the vast expanse of the Himalayas and trading bullets with the local colours, why don’t you open that book that has been gathering dust on top of the shelf?
Dragon Age Inquisition
After the disappointment that was Dragon Age 2, the latest instalment seeks to redeem itself. With the game already being reviewed and praised by critics worldwide, I was encouraged to raise my hopes up again for this new RPG game by Bioware softwares. Dragon Age Inquisition is, as the previous instalments of the series, a very story driven game with lots and lots of dialogue. The developers have promised greater story immersion, with plenty of decision making that will inadvertently affect how the story unfolds. Many of the previous characters are to make a cameo in the game bringing back fond memories and nostalgia. Dragon Age Inquisition does not linger on the past though, you, an ‘inquisitor’, are set into the path of saving the world from itself, as it threatens to implode. As an inquisitor you are responsible for the safety of your people and travel across vast, different territories, which are independent of each other and accessible only through the map. Looking at the many video reviews, it looks like the combat system has lost its awkward clumsiness and the graphics are just eye-popping. Maybe it is time to put Skyrim to pasture while we try out this bad boy as it released on the 18th of November on console and 21st of November for the PC. Oh, dang! We have exams, don’t we?!
Grand Theft Auto 5
Yes, yes. We all know that GTA 5 came out last year and everyone had the chance to play it. Well, everyone that owned a previous gen console that is. For months, console owners have laughed and mocked the PC and the next gen consoles for its inability to play this masterpiece developed by Rockstar Studios. Well, they aren’t laughing anymore. That’s right, folks. GTA 5 is now making an appearance in the next gen consoles boasting of better graphics, refined gameplay and some neat surprises. The re-mastered edition for the PS4 and X box One is due to release on November, the 18th. Unfortunately, PC owners, #gamingmasterrace, will have to wait till January for their edition, which doesn’t really matter as you wouldn’t have been able to touch the keyboard anyways. Imagine the world of Los Santos in ultra HD with new contents the next time you hit your books.
Shadows – Heretic Kingdom
The gaming market seems to be flooded with fast paced and cinematic FPS or the watered down arcade games to entertain the novices that only look to pass time rather than commit hours into gameplay. It has been a long time since any good old school RPG has hit the market since the release of Diablo 3 and Path of Exile. Then my eyes fell towards a lesser hyped Shadows – Heretic Kingdom, developed by GamesFarm. This point and click game shows promise of countless hours of level farming, loot collecting and character building that would make any RPG fans jump with glee. The early access to the game is available on steam which shows off two of the three heroes we can choose to play (the archer and the barbarian. Sorceress is unavailable in early access.). The story line follows the usual ‘world in dilemma’ thread, but your character is what makes the gameplay a little different than other games like Diablo. You are a devourer, a demon with the ability to consume souls and control the bodies of men. The game is divided into two worlds – the material world and the shadow world – and you can jump from these two worlds seamlessly by switching between your demon or the mortal body that you chose to posses. This may allow for a whole new angle of strategy in combat and exploration. The game is set out for a full release on the 20th of November. Yet another game to ponder upon while Karl Marx and calculus refuse to make sense.
Assassins Creed Unity
There has never been a dull moment in the Assassins Creed Universe…scaling impossible heights or jumping from atop the tallest towers all with the push of a single button. You always took care to plan your assassinations methodically, playing and replaying every mission just to discover the most efficient way of killing your target. Or, if all the sneaking around bored you, there was always the flamboyant sword fights you could get into, beautifully animated and orchestrated to give us some of the most smooth gameplay. With a franchise known for its historical depth and great sandbox features, its new instalment has been very much awaited for a long time. Assassins Creed Unity is set in the era of revolutionary France where both wine and bloodshed flowed aplenty. You play as a French Assassin named Arno Dorian. What makes the story a tad bit complicated is the Arno’s dad is a high ranking templar and Arno himself is in love with a templar named Elise De LaSerre. Who are the templars? Only the mortal enemy of the Assasins that have been locked in an eternal battle of brawns and wits. Assasins Creed Unity boasts of some of the most bold new changes which include better parkour mechanics, scene transition without loading screens, ability to render 8000 character models at a time without busting a sweat, re-invented stealth and cover system and hardened the combat system to encourage players to play an Assassin game the way it’s meant to be played – stealthily. The game released on the 11th of November but not without problems. Complaints ranged from random glitches, connectivity issues and the most notorious 30fps controversy. But you can be glad you don’t have to worry about such things as you have other things to think about right now…
These musicians undoubtedly changed the face of music in the world. The music that they have provided has had considerable influence on prospective musicians. In spite of facing issues and being part of frequent disbanding groups, they have managed to keep their heads high and perform exceptional music.
1. Sting
From “Giant steps are what you take, walking on the moon. Hoping that my leg don’t break walking on the moon” to “I’m not asking for the moon, is it really so implausible”, Sting has made a significant mark in the music industry. Arguably one of the most talented musicians in the planet, Sting rose to fame with the world renowned band named The Police who produced hits like ‘Walking on the Moon’, ‘Message in a Bottle’ and ‘Every Breath You Take’. After re-joining and leaving his band again in 2012, Sting managed to produce a highly critically acclaimed album which features songs like ‘A Practical Arrangement’.
2. Ronan Keating
After Boyzone, one of the most well-known boy bands in the world, disbanded, Ronan Keating took time out and five years later he started his solo career later 1999. He slowly rose to fame with hits after hits, especially ‘When You Say Nothing at All’. He has sold over 20 million CDs worldwide. His latest album, ‘Fires’, reached number five in the UK charts and sold over 30,000 copies. Lyrically and harmoniously, he has a unique talent. The title track of ‘Fires’ has over 5 million views on YouTube.
3. Rob Thomas
The current lead singer of Matchbox 20, Rob Thomas gained worldwide fame with exceptional hits on his solo music project. He recently joined Matchbox 20 after the band had disbanded years back. When he left his band, he started getting into pop-rock music and released hits like “Lonely No More”, which brought him to fame as a solo musician and “Smooth”, for which he collaborated with guitar legend Santana and won three Grammy awards for the same. Although his last album was released back in 2009, he still does regular shows.
4. Robbie Williams
Robbie Williams is currently a member of the pop group Take That which disbanded earlier yet reformed in 2009 and is still functional till date. While he had left Take That, he started working on his solo project. His first seven albums reached number 1 in the UK charts. Songs like ‘Bodies’, ‘Morning Sun’, ‘Candy’ and ‘Feel’ are still popular hits around the world. His latest album was launched in 2013, for which he collaborated with Olly Murs, Lilly Allen and many more artists.
5. Sir Paul McCartney
Sir Paul McCartney is probably one of the most respectable and successful musicians in the music industry. He was an ex-member of the most classic acts, The Beatles and after the band broke up, he worked on his solo career which earned him the recognition of one of the most successful composers of all times. He has sold over 100 million copies of his solo albums till date. Over 42 songs from the Billboard top 100 are compositions and collaborations of Paul McCartney. Last year, he played his farewell show at the stadium where The Beatles ended their legacy as well. He announced his retirement from music after that.
‘Does attendance matter?’
‘Do we have marks for attendance?’
‘What’s the minimum attendance for which I will be allowed to give the exams?’
The record in our teacher’s attendance register about the number of classes we managed to grace our physical presence in the class rooms drive the subject of this article. Is attendance necessary or not?
Well, no matter how much the students hate this concept and crib about its very existence in the first place, attendance in fact is important. Yes, it is important to attend the lectures in college for a better understanding of what the textbooks and guides cannot provide. It is important to indulge in classroom discourses to formulate ideas and it is important to be there and learn the things for which we will be awarded an undergraduate degree in the future.
All of it being of utmost importance in relation with being present in the classrooms, we come to the next part of the question – is it necessary?
Is it a necessity to be present in a class when we really don’t want to study, already know or do not consider very important a particular topic? Is it necessary to mark our physical presence for an hour for the sake of the record register when we won’t be paying attention to what is being taught in the class?
The difference between important and necessary can be absolutely subjective. If I, being a student, believe that an internship and work experience will be more beneficial for me than the attendance, my personal perspective of the two terms might completely differ from a student who thinks that attending every class will contribute to better academic understanding which will further be beneficial for his/her academic goals.
Being in college, I perceive, the students are capable enough to know their priorities. If these students are allowed to make choices of choosing their careers and are seen capable of making the right choice, the fact that they are not given liberty to not attend classes which they think are not of importance is a self-contradictory concept in itself. In addition to that, making a certain percentage of attendance a necessity still makes sense to some extent when the college authorities do have to maintain if students are actually attending classes or not but the practice of awarding additional marks for more attendance in some colleges doesn’t make sense.
Completely getting rid of the concept of attendance is perhaps not the solution either. Removing necessity of attendance will also give liberty to that part of the crowd which is ignorant of the fact that classrooms exist. But again coming to my previous point, if a student is not willing to attend classes, even if attendance is made compulsory, they won’t suddenly start attending all classes. Certainly not with the availability of fake medical certificates. What’s good in promoting such forgery?
It is as simple as this – if someone wants to attend classes, they will. And if someone doesn’t, they will not and find ways to compensate for attendance. Making attendance a necessity will only make a slight difference which will be that the student will start attending lectures right before the exams to compensate for the low attendance. Does this serve any good to the student or contribute in any sense to his academic ability? No, because we all know how much we feel like studying when we reluctantly come to attend classes in the conclusive days of the semester. He/she will be either sleeping in the last row or scribbling designs in the last page of his/her notebook.
As an alternate solution, the minimum threshold of attendance should be reduced to a limit where students don’t feel forced to attend classes. And then again, if they don’t, it should be their choice.
