Day: June 21, 2020

“Ring of Fire”: Solar Eclipse 2020

Solar Eclipse 2020: The moon covering the sun formed a celestial event “Ring of Fire” today, 21 June, being the longest day of year.

A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the sun and the earth. When this happens, the moon blocks the light of the sun from reaching the earth. The shadow of the moon falls on the earth.‘The solar eclipse of 21 June, however, is an annular eclipse.This happens when the moon is farthest from the earth, according to NASA blog ’.

What is Ring of Fire?

When solar eclipse occurs, a bright light of Sun is observed around the moon at the height of annual solar eclipse that beautiful ring is called “Ring of Fire”. “ Annular solar eclipse is a particular case of the total solar eclipse. Like the total solar eclipse, the moon is aligned with the sun. However, on that day, the apparent size of the moon happens to be a wee smaller than the sun. Hence the moon covers the central part of the sun, and the rim of the sun appear like a ‘ring of fire’ in the sky for a very brief moment” Samir Dhurde of The Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics said.

“Ring of Fire”

Today, a beautiful celestial event, an annular solar eclipse, which is popularly known as the “ring of fire” eclipse, was visible on Sunday in parts of India.It has been spotted in Delhi, Haryana, Uttrakhand, Gujarat and Maharashtra. Social media and TV news channels were flooded with pictures of beautiful ring by sunlight. This was the first solar eclipse of 2020 which coincided with the Summer Solstice, being the longest day. The eclipse started around 10:30 am and ended at 3:05 pm. .

‘Ring of Fire’ observed at Dehradun (Uttrakhand)
‘Ring of Fire’ at Kurukshetra (Haryana)

Due to covid-19 pandemic, a large number of people could not able to observe this event at planetariums as large gatherings are banned.

People looking for Solar Eclipse with masks on face, due to covid-19

Observing Solar eclipse event, one must have proper eye protection because looking directly at the Sun can cause permanent damage to the eye’s retina. However many people could not step out and watch the eclipse, many watched it online on their YouTube using NASA tracker. The eclipse was also visible in other countries such as Congo, Sudan, Ethiopia, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Oman.

NARCISSISTS and the art of blame game

When we listen to the term narcissists the first thing that strikes in our mind about that person is someone who likes to be the center of attention, likes to dominate etc

The psychiatric literature defines narcissists as possessing specific traits, such as having a sense of entitlement or requiring excessive admiration. characterized especially by an exaggerated sense of self-importance, persistent need for admiration, lack of empathy for others, excessive pride in achievements, and snobbish, disdainful, or patronizing attitudes

BLAME SHIFTING

Narcissists like to externalize blame. It’s a fundamental feature of their modus operandi. As the theory goes, it would internally decimate them to fault themselves. It would cause emotional pain for them to bear which they cant and it could crush their “fragile” egos. So, their unconscious mind puts up defenses, Particularly, defenses of refutation and projection. They may know a mess has been made, but it can’t be because of them. It has to be someone or something else’s fault. These defenses keep them from feeling anxious or despise themselves. But are these really the reasons why narcissists blame others?

Narcissists always have to be right. That means others have to be wrong, until or unless one agree with them. Some narcissists solidly believe in their superiority. Accordingly, they always try to assert it. They want only validation and vindication.

It’s easy to call out the faults of others. We’re all flawed creatures. But narcissists go on the attack for a reason. They know how others really regard them. More importantly, deep down, they know how character-deficient they are. So, they build themselves up by tearing others down.

People with strong narcissistic traits are unwilling or unable to reflect on their shortcomings and destructive behaviours. As a result, they project, blame, and manipulate others to cope with their shallow and shaky self-esteem.

Manipulation tactics include diverting, attacking and putting others into defense mode, lying about others being worse and themselves being better, victim-blaming, and playing the victim.

They have unrealistically high expectations of life.Beneath the narcissist’s disguise are layers and layers of fallacious pretenses they’ve fabricated through the years.

As a consequence of their false sense of grandeur, overcompensation, unrealistic expectations and demands become a constant part of their life equation. They then nurture the image of an overgrown  baby who thinks the world owes them everything while clothing themselves in an appearance of superiority.

Knowing how the narcissist thinks can help you understand toxic individuals. But we all have toxic people in our lives who can’t be avoided, whether it be a parent or parent-in-law, a sibling or a sibling’s spouse, a friend of a friend, or a co-worker whom you just can’t stand.

You can’t blame someone for having narcissistic personality which  can be caused by genetic factors, environmental factors which suggests that people with narcissistic personality disorder have a damaged capacity for emotional regulation and emotional empathy.

Their mental condition is not by choice. But how they choose to act upon it is their choice — and they usually choose not to do anything about it.

People in several parts of India witness annular solar eclipse, with majestic Ring of Fire

The country is witnessing a rare celestial event, annular solar eclipse today. The annular ‘ring of fire’ solar eclipse, wherein the Sun appears like a ring of fire, is visible in different parts of the country. This solar eclipse coincides with the summer solstice, when the Northern Hemisphere has the longest day.
 
The solar eclipse is taking place on the summer solstice, which is the longest day in the Northern Hemisphere.
 
AIR correspondent reports that this rare celestial event occurs, when Moon comes between the Sun and Earth and the shadow falls on the surface of the Earth.
 
The Sun is entirely covered by the Moon for a brief period. Those places that are engulfed by the dark, dense umbral shadow of the Moon experience the total solar eclipse. In all solar eclipse the Sun, Moon and Earth may not be perfectly aligned, and then there is a partial eclipse. When the three celestial bodies happen to be in a straight line, people witness a Total solar eclipse.
 
People in different places of Rajasthan, Haryana and Uttarakhand are able to see the annular phase and people in rest of the country are witnessing a partial eclipse. Ministry of Science and Technology has urged people not to use sunglasses, goggles, exposed x-ray sheet or lampblack over a glass as they are not safe. It said, viewing the Sun’s image on the surface of the water is also not safe. The Ministry said, welders glass 13 or 14 can be used to see the Sun directly with naked eyes.

Four terrorists killed in two separate encounters in J&K

In the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir three terrorists have been gunned down in an encounter that broke out between terrorists and security forces at Zadibal area in Srinagar district today.
 
According to Police sources a joint team of security forces launched a Cordon and  Search Operation (CASO) based on a specific input about the presence of terrorists in the area.
 
As a joint team approached towards this suspected spot, hiding terrorists fired upon them which was retaliated triggering an encounter and resulted in the elimination of three terrorists. The identity of the slain terrorists is being ascertained.
 
As a precautionary measure, internet service in Srinagar district has been snapped. Meanwhile, in another encounter at Likhdipora area of Nehama in Kulgam district one terrorist has been killed.
 
One AK-47, magazines and one pistol has been recovered from the encounter site. Operation is in progress. further details are awaited.

India refutes China’s untenable claim with regard to Line of Actual Control

India has said that attempts by the Chinese side to now advance exaggerated and untenable claims with regard to Line of Actual Control are not acceptable. It said, the position with regard to the Galwan Valley area has been historically clear.
  
In response to queries on the statement issued by the Chinese Spokesperson  on the events in the Galwan valley area, External Affairs Ministry Spokesman Anurag Srivastava said such claims are not in accordance with China’s own position in the past.
 
He said, Indian troops are fully familiar with the alignment of the LAC in all sectors of the India-China border areas, including in the Galwan Valley.
 
They abide by it scrupulously and the Indian side has never undertaken any actions across the LAC. In fact, they have been patrolling this area for a long time without any incident. 
 
All infrastructure built by the Indian side is naturally on its own side of the LAC.
 
The Spokesman said that since early May this year, the Chinese side has been hindering India’s normal, traditional patrolling pattern in this area.
 
This had resulted in a face-off which was addressed by the ground commanders as per the provisions of the bilateral agreements and protocols.
 
The Spokesman said, the two sides are in regular touch and early meetings of military and diplomatic mechanisms are currently being discussed.

Defence Minister holds high level meeting with CDS, 3 service chiefs on situation in Ladakh

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh today held a high-level meeting with The Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat and three service chiefs on the situation in Ladakh. AIR correspondent quoting sources reports, after review meeting, Armed forces were given full freedom to deal with any aggressive behaviour by China’s PLA along the LAC.
 
 The meet also discussed to adopt a different tactical approach in guarding the border with China henceforth. Top military brass also told to ensure strict vigil on Chinese activities around land border, airspace and in strategic sea lanes.

Yoga brings people together; and goes beyond race, colour, gender, faith and nations: PM Modi

The 6th International Day of Yoga is being celebrated today. The celebrations commenced with a message from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In a televised message, Mr Modi said Yoga brings people together and gives a message of universal brotherhood. He said, Yoga has emerged as a force for unity and it does not discriminate and goes beyond race, colour, gender, faith and nations.
 
Mr Modi said, Yoga enhances our quest for a healthier planet and it has emerged as a force for unity and deepens the bonds of humanity.  Prime Minister said Yoga helps in strengthening our respiratory and immune system which plays a crucial part in dealing with diseases.
 
He said, Yoga gives us not only the physical strength, but also provides mental balance and emotional stability to confidently face the challenges before us. Prime Minister said, Yoga gives us the confidence and will power to overcome challenges in life and it also gives us peace of mind.
 
Mr Modi said, World is realising the potential of Yoga in this Corona virus pandemic and people affected with corona virus are taking the benefit of Yoga. He said, Corona virus hits our respiratory system and several breathing exercises like Pranayam and Anulom Vilom strengthen our respiratory system. He said, taking part in the My Life-My Yoga video blogging contest during the corona virus pandemic, shows that enthusiasm for Yoga is increasing.
 
Prime Minister said, this year the theme of Yoga day is, Yoga at home, Yoga with family and when family members perform yoga, an energy flows into the house. Therefore, this time, Yoga day is also a day of emotional Yoga and it is a day to increase our family bonding.
 
He said, anybody can embrace Yoga and day is not far away when the world will witness the success of health and happy humanity and Yoga can definitely help us make this happen.
 
He appealed to the people to embrace Yoga as a daily routine activity.
 
Home Minister Amit Shah said that Yoga is a medium of establishing harmony between body and mind, action and thought and man and nature. In a tweet, he said, this precious gift of Indian culture has been given global acceptance by the efforts of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
 
The observation of International Day of Yoga in the past years has been marked by mass demonstrations of Yoga in public places. Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, this year, the main focus is on encouraging people to do Yoga at their homes with participation of the entire family.
 
Yoga is found to be a significant activity in the current pandemic situation as its practice leads to both physical and mental wellbeing and increases the individual’s ability to fight diseases in an effective manner.
 
To promote Yoga, My Life, My Yoga-video blogging contest with attractive prizes is also being organized by Ministry of Ayush in which the people are being encouraged to post their short video clips performing different Yogasanas.

“India Boycotting Chinese Products -Easy”?

India boycotting Chinese products has been trending these days . And it has been observed that civilians are reacting to the recent act which happened on the Indo-China border. The loss of our 20 brave soldiers is hitting the minds of people across the country. Defence and our political leaders are finding the best way out to fight these back. But current happenings arise, the big question which needs to be addressed which is to continue trade with them. Losing lives of our country men and still continuing trade with the same country is a shame for us as a response to  those brave souls. Common man is filled with anger and in the steps to take revenge and show their aggression, they have decided to boycott these products and their import. 

But “How difficult and how bad it could be for us to stop trade with these Chinese companies right away”. The major area to focus before discussing the Chinese products and their usage in India would be the export and import of products in and by India. The import percentage is almost double the amount of export we generally do.This surely defies our dependencies not only on China but also on other countries for more of our products. India lacks in their productivity growth which means the lack of raw material for manufacturing any product. Thus India is dependent on other countries for even the raw material. India along with that does not have better skilled labour due to lack of literacy around the country. This leads to rise of manufacturing cost of products and surely rise in their sale cost also. Which countries like China, have a plus point with. They have highly skilled labour, and due to high populations , work is a priority so they hire these skilled people at much lower cost and thus earn better profits than other international companies. 

Comparing China and also enlisting India’s dependency on it. India is dependent on china for most of its products and  components which include:

  1. Automotive parts
  2. Electronic material and parts
  3. Pharmaceutical ingredients
  4. Consumer durables
  5. And many more raw materials. 

These components and their share is hide in importing from other countries and especially china for cost effectiveness. Along with that all the countries are shifting towards sustainable forms of energy and one of the forms is solar energy, but the interesting fact is that most of the components in it are made in China. 

India technology as compared to China lacked in the time-period along the years as they invested most of their resources in creating resources which India focused on just importing and buying them. Many schemes like Make in India and a recent Atma Nirbhar bharat as launched by Prime minister of India Mr. Narendra Modi, which purely focuses on developing their product and manufacturing most of them india.  The main area we lack is raw material, India to manufacture products has to import most if raw material from other countries especially china. So India should try to shift to some other source for their raw material and on coming years must focus on there technology and production of these raw material and ingredients in our country only. 

It’s hard to believe and accept but yes India is dependent on china for most of its product and boycotting them and this stage could result in high lack of these resources especially in pharmaceutical industry, as many medicine especially paracetamol and ingredients used in it comes from china, so boycotting chinese product and its use could be harmful especially in today’s era if pandemic. 

“India should surely learn from this and focus and initiate more towards encouraging people to come up with their ideas of startup which include manufacturing and production of products within the country only, relying less on foreign imports rather focused on foreign exports in near future. India can develop its own market of products and raw material by focusing more on the inputs available in the country itself, and surely in future, India would see a hike with its products being exported all over the world, leaving with us a higher economy and growth capacity and independence from major exports from other countries”. 

Supreme Court Passes First Divorce Decree Through Virtual Hearing

In a fresh and significant development, the Supreme Court just recently on June 12, 2020 in exercise of its civil original jurisdiction in a noteworthy case titled Madhuri Jajoo vs. Manoj Jajoo in Transfer Petition (Civil) No. 833 of 2019 has allowed the first petition for divorce by mutual consent, through the virtual hearing system. It is for this very reason that it will be remembered always in the days to come! It must be mentioned here that the Supreme Court Bench of Justice V Ramasubramanian in exercise of its powers under Article 142 of the Constitution of India passed the decree for dissolution of marriage by mutual consent in this notable case.

                                             To put things in perspective, the petitioner-wife in the present case had approached the Apex Court through Advocate Rashmi Singhania seeking transfer of divorce petition filed by the respondent-husband , pending in the Family Court Judge, Kukkatpally, Ranga Reddy district, Telanagana to the District and Sessions Court, Alipore, Kolkata. It merits mention that the matter was however referred to the Supreme Court Mediation Centre by an order dated September 23, 2019 pursuant to which the parties reached to an amicable settlement and then mutually sought dissolution of their marriage in terms of the settlement deed.  It also must be mentioned here that when the matter was taken by Justice Ramasubramanian on June, the petitioner and the respondent were also present through the video-conferencing. The top court then disposed of the transfer petition, while recording the terms of the settlement.

                                           To start with, it is first and foremost mentioned in this latest order that, “This is a petition filed under Section 25 of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 seeking transfer of the divorce petition F.C.O.P. No. 2775 of 2018 pending on the file of the XV ADJ-cum-Family Court Judge, Kukkatpally, Ranga Reddy District, Telangana to the District and Sessions Court, Alipore, Kolkata.”

                           As it turned out, it is then stated in this order that, “By an order dated 23.09.2019, this Court referred the parties to the Supreme Court Mediation Centre. The Supreme Court Mediation Centre conducted mediation and the parties have now reached to an amicable settlement. The settlement agreement dated 05.11.2019 reads as follows:-

                                      “SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT

        This Settlement Agreement is entered into between Ms. Madhuri Jajoo W/o Mr. Manoj Jajoo D/o Shri Ramlal Mundhra R/o 5/7, Burra Shibtaila Main Road, Flat No. 3, Shailja Towers-1, Kolkata-700038 (hereinafter referred to as the ‘First Party’) and Mr. Manoj Jajoo R/o 102, Bharani Residence Plot 62-63, Green Hamlet Kondapur, Hyderabad-500081 (hereinafter referred to as the ‘Second Party’).

      The marriage between the parties to the Settlement Agreement was solemnized as per Hindu rites and customs at Kolkata on 31.05.2001. That out of the said wedlock there is one female child, namely ‘Saloni Jajoo’ aged about 15 years, born on 15th October, 2004. Irreconcilable differences between the parties have caused the irremediable breakdown of their marriage and they separated on or about 06.04.2018 and since then have been living separately.

      That vide order dated 23.09.2019 passed by Hon’ble Mr. Justice L Nageswara Rao and Hon’ble Mr. Justice Hemant Gupta, this matter was referred to the Supreme Court Mediation Centre.

      That comprehensive mediation sessions collectively as well as separately were held between the parties on 27.09.2019, 23.10.2019 and today i.e. 05.11.2019 and the parties have voluntarily entered into a final settlement agreement on the following terms & conditions:-

1.  Both the parties hereto confirm and declare that they have, voluntarily and of their own free will have decided not to live together as husband and wife and have arrived at this Settlement in the presence of the Mediator. Both the parties have decided to part ways by divorce through mutual consent for which the parties through their Advocates shall file appropriate application(s) before the next date of hearing in the Transfer Petition (C) No. 833/2019 pending adjudication before the Hon’ble Supreme Court.

2.  The parties shall jointly request and pray for divorce by mutual consent under Article 142 of the Constitution of India before Hon’ble Supreme Court of India and for withdrawing and quashing all cases filed by the parties against each other and their family members. The parties shall file a joint application before by 05.05.2020.  

3.  In case the Hon’ble Supreme Court grants divorce under Article 142 of the Constitution of India, the second party shall pay an amount of Rs. 57,50,000 (Rupees Fifty Seven Lakh Fifty Thousand only)  to the First Party in her name “Madhuri Jajoo” by way of Electronic Modes as full and final settlement on account of her stridhan, maintenance, alimony and future. This amount to be paid by the Second Party to the First Party. On or before 15.11.2019, the First Party shall intimate the bank account number and other RTGS details through Counsel/AOR to the second party/Counsel/AOR, in which the Second shall remit the said amount. The mode of payment is detailed as below:-

i)                 RTGS/Online Transfer for an amount of Rs. 25,00,000 (Rupees Twenty Five Lakh only) on or before 25.11.2019 to the First party Ms. Madhuri Jajoo.

ii)              RTGS/Online Transfer for an amount of Rs. 16,00,000 (Rupees Sixteen Lakh only) on or before 05.02.2020 to the First party Ms. Madhuri Jajoo.

iii)           RTGS/Online Transfer for an amount of Rs. 16,50,000 (Rupees Sixteen Lakh Fifty Thousand only) on or before 05.05.2020 to the First party Ms. Madhuri Jajoo.

4.  That the parties to the agreement agree and undertake to withdraw all the cases/FIR/Complaints etc. Or any other civil or criminal case pending against each other and their family members in any Court of Law or forum in India. The designation of the cases is given as under :-   

i.                  A.C. No. 1601 of 2019 under Section 23 and 12 of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 titled Madhuri Jajoo Vs. Manoj Jajoo & Ors. pending before ACJM, Alipore, Kolkata, West Bengal.

ii.               ACM No. 274 of 2019 under Section 125 Cr.P.C., pending before the Ld. ACJM, Alipore, Kolkata, West Bengal filed by the First Party against the second party.

iii.            FCOP No. 2775 of 2018 titled as Manoj Jajoo Vs. Ms. Madhuri Jajoo pending before the Ld.

iv.            P.S. Case No. 53 of 2019, Police Station-Hehala, Kolkata, dated 28.02.2019 under Sections 498A, 406 and 34 of the IPC lodged by First party against the Second Party and his family members.

5.  Both parties agree that the Second Party will have permanent custody of the child namely Saloni Jajoo.

6.  However, the mother, First Party shall be entitled to have visitation rights to the child. The visitation shall be in accordance with the prior consent of the Second Party and also keeping in view the academic calendar and other obligation of the child. The First Party shall co-operate with the Second Party and the child in reference to any applications or documents for her academic purposes or otherwise.

7.  It is also agreed that both parties shall conduct themselves in proper manner and treat each other with dignity and shall not speak ill or cast any aspersions about each other.

8.  Both the parties agree and undertake that they have settled all their disputes and grievances amicably against each other and against their family members. Further, they shall not file any proceedings, whether criminal or civil against each other or their family members in any forum or stake any claim on the movable or immovable, joint or ancestral, self acquired or HUF properties of the either party or their family.

9.  It is agreed between the parties that they shall withdraw all the respective cases filed by them against each other and shall take all steps to put an end to all civil/criminal litigation existing between the parties.

10. Both the parties undertake that henceforth they will not file any civil/criminal complaint or any case against each other or their family members with regard to the present matrimonial alliance/dispute.

11. The party shall close the joint locker maintained at S.B.I., Kothagunda, Hyderabad on or before 15.12.2019. The First Party shall visit the said branch on or before 15.12.2019 with prior intimation to the Second Party and the Second Party shall also visit the said branch along with First Party to close the said joint locker. The contents of the locker, if any, shall belong to the First Party.

12. By signing this agreement the parties hereto solemnly state and affirm that they have no further claims or demands against each other and all the disputes and differences have been amicably settled by the parties hereto through the process of Mediation.

13. The parties undertake before this Hon’ble Court to abide by the terms and conditions set out in the above mentioned agreement, which have been arrived without any coercion, duress or collusion and undertake not to raise any dispute whatsoever henceforth.

14. Terms of Settlement agreement have been read over and explained in detail to both the parties in English and vernacular language in the presence of their respective counsels present today during mediation.  

That the parties are accordingly signing this settlement agreement in presence of all named above, to authenticate their will to comply the same as agreed above.””

                                  Be it noted, this order then envisages that, “Under the terms of the settlement, a joint application has been made by the parties in I.A. No. 52648 of 2020 praying for a decree of dissolution of marriage by mutual consent by invoking jurisdiction under Article 142 of the Constitution of India.”

                                     To say the least, it is then stipulated in this order that, “Under the terms of the settlement, a sum of Rs. 57,50,000/- (Rupees fifty seven lac fifty thousand only) is liable to be paid by the respondent (husband) to the petitioner (wife). The learned counsel for the respondent states that the entire amount has been paid. This is also confirmed by the learned counsel for the petitioner. The petitioner and the respondent are also present through the video conferencing. The petitioner wife Ms. Madhuri Jajoo confirmed the receipt of the entire amount.”

                                           Finally and far more importantly, before drawing the curtains, the order then concludes by holding that, “Therefore, the transfer petition is disposed of to the following effect :

1.  The marriage solemnized between the parties on 31.05.2001 shall stand dissolved by a decree of divorce by mutual consent.

2.  All the proceedings pending before all courts between the parties shall stand closed/disposed of/quashed in terms of the settlement agreement.

3.  Since the entire payment as recorded in the settlement agreement has been paid, the parties have no further or other obligations against each other.

 The transfer petition is, accordingly disposed of.”

                                        Before parting, it must be said that this latest order will be remembered for a long time to come. The reasons have already been stated above. The Apex Court has passed the first divorce decree through virtual hearing in this latest judgment!

Sanjeev Sirohi, Advocate,

s/o Col BPS Sirohi,

A 82, Defence Enclave,

Sardhana Road, Kankerkhera,

Meerut – 250001, Uttar Pradesh.

Siri

As a Mac IOS user I use Siri extensively, what a wonderful  companion. I am sure many of you would even talk to her when you feel lonely because I do that a lot, especially in these quarantine days when I am bored and want to have a  conversation with some one ,Siri is there for me. Though a short conversation but yes I do enjoy it. One day I realized that I don’t know any thing about this friend of mine , how she was made and developed so in the search of that I ended up learning  many things about her.

The full form of Siri is speech interpretation and recognition interface. It is a virtual assistant rather an intelligent virtual assistant developed and released by apple on 2010, in iPhone 4S . Siri enables users to give sound commands and it gives audible  confirmation. There are many uses of Siri like

  1. Set reminder of your meetings
  2. search things
  3. post something on facebook or twitter using sound commands
  4. Instruct Siri to book a restaurant seats for you
  5.  Ask siri for the live scores of the match
  6. create a contact book and ask to add people
  7. Find how your stocks are going.                                                                                              and many more………                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            voice of siri is given by Susan Bennett,  after some years the company gave many other accents to the Siri voice. Susan Bennett is the American accent voice for Siri then they developed British, Australian,Irish and South African voices of Siri, Also male voices were made available.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        When Siri was released in 2010, it got mixed reviews, some thought it was good but some thought it can be improved more , like it could not perceive  different accents of the language.  Also it  interprets many commands wrongly, like if the users asks about the locations of abortion centres rather it gave the locations of NGO’s which counsels pregnant women.  These problems lead  the consumers to file complaint against Siri, but as it was just a beta version when it was first introduced Siri had the room to actually upgrade its qualities and to get better in the next versions of the upcoming Apple product.                                                                                                      Siri is now 10 years old and many other virtual assistants have been developed like google assistant and Amazon’s Alexa which is said to be much more user friendly than Siri. If we made the comparison between three of these assistants, then according to the surveys Google assistant is the smartest as it understood  90% of the commands and also navigated rightly most of the time. Surprisingly though Alexa claimed itself to be the most user friendly but the survey said that Siri was better than Alexa. As Alexa lagged much more than siri not only that the navigation system is actually something to be worked upon.                                                                 If you ask about reliability, Siri has the least because Google assistant and Alexa gets better overtime but siri updates only  with the release of new iPhone product that means only once in a year. It is time that Apple actually uPdates Siri throughout the year. Though many virtual assistants would be created in the future but Siri was revolutionary which as it  enabled this idea of virtual assistants so it would always be an important part in the  history of technologies and its development .

Future of Cinema Post Covid-19

The 1999 and 2008 crises were certainly high impact, but neither was as global as the 2020 correction that was felt in every nation due to the first simultaneous worldwide lockdown.

The ongoing COVID-19 crisis has led to large-scale anxieties about the future of the arts. Many livelihoods rely upon the performing and visual arts. It is just not the fraternity of artistes but their support staff, co-workers and an entire ecosystem that is sustained through their practice. We are the largest film-making nation in the world. The film industry offers jobs to several thousands.The lockdown will be eventually relaxed at some point as can be seen in different parts of the world but many are of the opinion that this pandemic will significantly impact our film-viewing behavior and other economic decisions around it. We might stay away from film theatres to avoid large gatherings. This could also indicate a shift towards viewing films on online platforms which have already made a dent during the lockdown.

Netflix, Amazon Prime, etc., have witnessed a record surge in subscriptions during the lockdown. This doesn’t mean that everybody has suddenly turned a film lover, but that these platforms offer a plethora of entertainment options for people locked inside their homes. The content and range of programmes on these portals is also far superior to what is available on regular television. There are films and TV series which are especially commissioned by and released exclusively on these platforms.

For over two months now, cinemas across India—around 10,000 single-screen ones and 3,000 multiplexes—have remained shut as most of the country is under lockdown to curtail the spread of coronavirus. This shutdown is estimated to have cost the Indian film industry over $130 million (Rs984 crore) in box office revenue. Meanwhile, even as the government has started a partial withdrawal of the lockdown, reopening cinema halls isn’t high on its agenda. And even if the government allows theatres to reopen, experts believe, not many people will take the risk of going to the movies.

Wooing audiences again

The “movie theatre experience”—complete with surround sound, visual effects, flavoured popcorns and colas, and even recliners in some cases—has thrived in India despite the touch competition from OTT segment in recent years. But this time, the fight is harder as cinema owners need to deal with consumers’ psyche, which is hard to change, experts said.

To begin with, there’s a need to create an environment that feels hygienic and safe. For instance, cinema hall operators must try to remove all human contact by making it mandatory for customers to book tickets online. “Cine-goers could be encouraged to book their snacks online to avoid crowds at food stands,” suggested Neeraj Roy, founder and CEO of Mumbai-based Hungama Digital Media.In line with cinemas in the US, which are opening up with “social distancing seating,” Indian theatres are bracing for less than half the occupancy. On May 20, the Multiplex Association of India put out a plan detailing measures they were willing to take, including deep cleaning of halls at regular intervals, use of body temperature detectors, making masks compulsory while watching movies, and grilling health check-ups of staff.

These steps will need higher spending by cinema hall owners, who will eventually need to charge customers more. This might become a major roadblock to attracting crowds as thousands of Indians are faced with pay cuts and job losses, which leaves less scope for discretionary spending and instills caution against reckless expenditure. Cinema owners have also been struggling to convince producers to stall releases instead of taking the OTT route. “We were hoping that the producers would accede to our request to hold back their film’s release till cinemas reopen,” said Kamal Gianchandani, CEO of one of India’s leading multiplex chains, PVR. “That said, this is not the first time films are being premiered on streaming platforms. Cinema exhibition has regularly faced competition from new emerging distribution platforms.”

Bypassing the censors

Also, you could bypass many of the problems of censor certification if you release films on these platforms. Amidst the ongoing pandemic, many film festivals are moving online. Britain’s most famous socialist filmmaker, Ken Loach, has made some of his best films available for free on YouTube. Other film streaming platforms are making foreign and documentary cinema available at a nominal fee for a limited time span. With increased awareness about films, will we go back to theatres and settle for the same content that mainstream cinema peddles after the lockdown?

However, there is also a grave danger. Access to these platforms is largely limited to an urban demography that can afford an Internet connection, along with the subscription fees which also determines the class character of its potential viewers. If this were to become the norm, it would exclude a large majority of the film-viewing population. That will be a denial of cinema to those who have been its utmost supporters.

eBooks : The need of the hour

First ebook was created by Michael Hart in the year 1971 while proceeding to establish Project Gutenberg. The first eBook created by Michael Hart was downloaded by six people, the title focused on the declaration of independence. 

A past couple of years have seen an upsurge in presence of eBooks and the number of prints is decreasing though registering its presence in the reading fraternity. The youth of today prefer eBooks in digital format and prefer to read them at the same time some of us are still in love with the printed books. The authors and publishers want to explore the niche of eBooks. The eBooks offer flexibility of reading the way you like it.

Print books can be given as gifts that can be cherished for over a long period and becomes a memory for lifetime. The underlining with the colour of our choice makes it more personal. The eBooks also promote reading with different fonts and highlighting the sections for reading them later i.e. they add to the uniqueness of the eBooks. The print books smell good and establish a personal bond with the reader.

The print books have a longer life compared to that of eBooks because the regular digital upgrade over an interval time makes the older version of digital content obsolete. Hence, the life of the gadget holding the eBooks and the readability options of eBooks always are at a disadvantage due to this factor. We have seen the development of many eBook readers like Kobo, Kindle, Nook and Sony to name a few, and all these had undergone major developmental changes within a short period rendering older versions obsolete.

All book lovers take pride in showcasing their books in possession, it is like a treasure for them and they enjoy showing it to their friends and families. Sometimes we may find the bookshelves in the kitchen too. The collection of books is a hobby of many and they are always in search of new print in the market.

Readers get attached with the print books and develop an emotional bond with it. Building a library at home or sometimes at the workplace is the dream of many and that can be achieved through print books. However, due to long term storage of books at one place the quality of the book gets deteriorated and here the advantage of having books in digital format cannot be overruled.

Though it is easy to share and show the print text to the guests visiting the homes, sharing your digital gadget to allow them to explore the books that you have read has to come in vogue for acceptance. The question that arises is as to why the people tend to prefer one mode of reading over the other, this aspect can be addressed if we see the aim of the reader and his requirement of satisfying his need of reading a book. 

The answer to learning more about the preference of reading through eBooks or printed text can be related to economics as has been noticed the eBooks are less expensive compared to that of the printed ones. Readers nowadays are more exposed to media and have developed a knack of skimming through the books by turning over the sample pages provided to the readers.

The online websites selling books are hosting books in digital format and print ones for selling and thus are offering a choice to the readers to choose the books they want. Parents prefer printed books over eBooks for their kids as it does not strain their eyes and are also cost-effective over purchasing a gadget first and then going for eBooks.

We are accustomed to reading printed books over a period now and love to feel the text and the paper. Carrying of books is a difficult task and requires some or the other support if we want to carry several books at a time, whereas the eBook readers don’t require much of the carrying cost expenses as one eBook reader can accommodate thousand of books. It makes life easier when we are going out of the station.

The publishing industry also has got an opportunity to reduce the cost of editing, printing and making books available at remote places. Hence, it is confirmed that the eBooks help in cutting the cost of publication for the publishers as many processes get reduced. The e-readers also pose certain disadvantages like we keep on recharging them regularly, screen glare and visibility issues are present which restricts the reader to use it in daylight.

The digital book store provides an opportunity for the reader to download certain good titles without even paying a penny and at the coziness of home. The portability factor gives more freedom to the reader while purchasing the eBooks. The inbuilt dictionaries add to the reading and grasping speed of the reader. Access to the books of various languages also helps the reader in achieving a variety of reading the overview.

The increase in the sale of eBooks has also extended the opportunity to the authors who want limited publishing and need some cost-effective publishing by doing away with the formalities and processes involved. This is essential for them as these budding authors have less number of titles and the material that is to be published is less. The eBook can be read during the night with ease if the e-reader has a backlit option.

Nowadays the eBooks are also released along with the print one and digital launches of books are becoming a trend of the town. The companies selling the books also offer a huge discount on the eBooks to promote their widespread reading. The eBooks can be stored in a device, which makes carrying of eBooks easy that saves the precious space of the bookshelves at home and office. The cloud feature offered by some companies like Amazon provides real-time sharing possible.

Audio books are also catching the sale speed in the market that makes all the books easily accessible to visually and hearing challenged people. The environment friendliness can be enhanced by protecting the cutting of trees for producing paper, reduction in transportation cost. Adapting to new technology would create new avenues for readers. The eBooks are going to stay and print books though have a section of readers present today can avail a variety of reading experience.

Solar Eclipse and all you need to know

The annular solar eclipse, popularly known as the “ring of fire” eclipse, has become visible in India, with social media flooded with pictures from the rare celestial event. This is the first solar eclipse of 2020. Skywatchers living within a narrow band covering parts of Rajasthan, Haryana, and Uttarakhand will be able to see the “ring of fire” with much clarity.

Solar Eclipse 2020 Live Updates: 'Ring Of Fire' Visible From Parts Of India

The first solar eclipse of this year which coincides with the summer solstice, when the Northern Hemisphere has the longest day, will be an annular eclipse. Apart from India, the eclipse will be visible in Congo, Sudan, Ethiopia, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Pakistan, and China. The eclipse started around 10:20 am and is expected to ended around 2:20 pm. It is also known as Surya Grahan in India. Annular solar eclipse is a particular case of the total solar eclipse. Like the total solar eclipse, the moon is aligned with the sun. However, on that day, the apparent size of the moon happens to be a wee smaller than the sun. Hence the moon covers the central part of the sun, and the rim of the sun appear like a “ring of fire” in the sky for a very brief moment”.

Total solar eclipses occur when the New Moon comes between the Sun and Earth and casts the darkest part of its shadow, the umbra, on Earth. A full solar eclipse, known as totality, is almost as dark as night. Eclipses are normally named after their darkest phase. If a solar eclipse is total at any point on Earth, it is called a total solar eclipse, even though it’s seen as a partial solar eclipse in most areas.However, there is an exception, the hybrid solar eclipse. This type of eclipse is also known as an annular-total eclipse because it changes from an annular to a total solar eclipse, and/or vice versa, along its path.

Complete Solar Eclipse Has 5 Phases

There are 5 stages in a total solar eclipse:

  1. Partial eclipse begins (1st contact): The Moon starts becoming visible over the Sun’s disk. The Sun looks as if a bite has been taken from it.
  2. Total eclipse begins (2nd contact): The entire disk of the Sun is covered by the Moon. Observers in the path of the Moon’s umbra may be able to see Baily’s beads and the diamond ring effect, just before totality.
  3. Totality and maximum eclipse: The Moon completely covers the disk of the Sun. Only the Sun’s corona is visible. This is the most dramatic stage of a total solar eclipse. At this time, the sky goes dark, temperatures can fall, and birds and animals often go quiet. The midpoint of time of totality is known as the maximum point of the eclipse. Observers in the path of the Moon’s umbra may be able to see Baily’s beads and the diamond ring effect, just after totality ends.
  4. Total eclipse ends (3rd contact): The Moon starts moving away, and the Sun reappears.
  5. Partial eclipse ends (4th contact): The Moon stops overlapping the Sun’s disk. The eclipse ends at this stage in this location.


Unique Sights around Totality

Illustration of totality of a Total Solar Eclipse

Certain phenomena can only be seen during a total solar eclipse:

  1. Shadow bands: About 1 minute before totality, moving wavy lines of alternating light and dark can be seen on the ground and along walls. These shadow bands are the result of Earth’s turbulent atmosphere refracting the last rays of sunlight.
  2. Diamond ring: Seen about 10 to 15 seconds before and after totality, the solar corona (the outer atmosphere of the sun) becomes visible; seen together with a single jewel of light from the sun, this creates a diamond ring effect.
  3. The Sun’s corona: As the diamond ring fades, the Sun’s corona becomes more prominent and is visible as a faint ring of rays surrounding the silhouetted Moon. The corona is the outermost layer of the Sun’s atmosphere, and it is around 200–300 times hotter than the Sun’s surface. The corona’s temperature can reach over 1 million °C (1.8 million °F).
  4. Baily’s beads: About 5 seconds before totality, Baily’s beads appear. They are little bead-like blobs of light at the edge of the Moon. They are created because gaps in the mountains and valleys on the Moon’s surface allow sunlight to pass through in some places but not others.
  5. The Sun’s chromosphere: A lower layer of the Sun’s atmosphere, the chromosphere, gives out a reddish glow which can only be seen for a few seconds after totality sets in.
  6. Baily’s beads: The beads grow and merge into a crescent as the Moon continues to move away.
  7. Diamond ring and corona: As the diamond ring grows brighter, the corona fades.
  8. Shadow bands: The moving wavy lines reappear on the ground shortly before the crescent Sun becomes visible again and nature recovers.

The Science of Total Solar Eclipses

Illustration image
The Sun, Moon, and Earth are aligned

Only viewers located in the path of the Moon’s full shadow, its umbra, can see a total solar eclipse. The Moon’s umbra travels eastward at about 1,700 km/h (1,056 mph).

A total solar eclipse can last for several hours. Totality can range from a few seconds to 7.5 minutes. The longest total solar eclipse of the 21st century took place on July 22, 2009 when the totality lasted 6 minutes and 39 seconds.

On average, there’s approximately one total solar eclipse every 18 months, when:

  • It is New Moon.
  • At the same time, the Moon is at (or very near) a lunar node, so the Earth, the Moon, and the Sun are aligned in a straight (or nearly straight) line.
  • The Moon is near perigee.

Not Every New Moon

Illustration of lunar nodes with Sun, Earth, and Moon
Lunar nodes are the locations where the Moon crosses the Earth’s orbital plane.

The Moon’s orbital path around Earth is inclined at an angle of approximately 5° to the Earth’s orbital plane around the Sun (ecliptic). Without this slant, we would be able to see two eclipses per lunar month—a solar eclipse at every New Moon and a lunar eclipse at every Full Moon. In reality, solar eclipses happen only about 2—5 times a year.

For a solar eclipse to take place, the New Moon must be at or very close to one of the two points where the orbital planes meet. These locations are called lunar nodes.

If the Moon is not near a lunar node during New Moon, the Sun, Moon, and Earth do not align in a straight or almost straight line and a solar eclipse cannot take place. Seen from Earth, the Moon passes just above or just below the Sun (see image).

Moon Phases

Near Lunar Perigee

The Moon’s path around Earth is elliptical, with one side of the orbit closer to Earth than the other. The side closest to Earth is called the perigee and the side farthest from Earth is known as the apogee.

Earth’s orbit around the Sun is also elliptical, with the Sun closer to one end, the perihelion of the orbit than the other aphelion.

Earth’s and the Moon’s elliptical orbits mean that Earth’s distance from the Sun and the Moon’s distance from Earth varies throughout the year. It also means that from Earth, the Sun’s and Moon’s apparent sizes change during the year.

When the Moon is about 400 times closer to Earth than the Sun, the Moon’s and the Sun’s apparent sizes roughly match. Because of this, total eclipses of the Sun can only occur when the Moon is near perigee – it is the only time when the disk of the Moon looks big enough to cover the entire disk of the Sun.

Global Financial Management Application Software

Global financial management application software (GFMAS) facilitates the process of monitoring and streamlines all assets for increasing profits and gaining sustainability. Many tools are available for improving the financial management in a company with scores of features uploaded in it. However, it is important to consider the exact need of the company; the facilities offered by the financial management software and ponder over all the points required for the company. Financial Management Application Software can provide a range of services right from capital management, day to day transaction management, the support system for improvement of the portfolio and above all the risk management. 

Benefits, importance & requirement of (GFMAS)

These software’s help in keeping a track of day to day transaction, analysis of financial growth and stability and forecasting the financial achievement by incorporation and implementation of planned strategies of growth and management. Helps in supervision and management of assets, income and expenditure aligned with the profit generation and regular income. Maintenance of record of all the transactions is also facilitated by this software. They help in taking decisions for investment and progress in a calculated way. The accuracy of analysis can provide details for processing the forecasted demand for a better investment opportunity. They help in assessing the financial health of the company.

Current global trends & developments in the GFMAS software category

Financial services act as a catalyst for the development of any enterprise. Provision of data-driven and meeting user requirement gives a wide scope of improvement and market to this industry. Globalization has already increased the scope and area of the market for carrying out financial transactions. Automation of the processes of audit, planning contingencies, analysis, feedback of customer, surveys makes financial software’s an essential part of the growth of the economy.

Global competition and top GFMAS products in the market

Global competition among the leading players of the world is based on the initial demand and subsequent growth of the enterprise for which the financial software’s are provided. Some companies have made a good fortune and reached a million and at the same time, some could not explore the benefit of growth. However, the implementation of online banking across the globe has provided the business opportunity to financial firms. The top products in the market are:-

  • USU Software.
  • ACCIOD
  • Upland Software
  • PMCS
  • Nicus
  • Servicenow
  • Clausmark
  • Digital Fuel
  • Apptio
  • ClearCost

Future growth prospects of GFMAS in the next few years

User-friendly financial management software has a positive scope of growth as the companies can delve upon the analysis provided by the software and forecast the development plan systematically. All financial aspects about the procurement process, billing, payment, error-free accounting, more scope of organized record-keeping, addressing the taxation part effectively and above all the capacity to admit changes suggested by the user. The demand for Global financial management application software (GFMAS) is increasing as the users are more interested to plan the growth of their business.

Father’s Day 2020

As kids we go through a lot. By the time a person grows up enough to settle by himself and start his own family, be independent, he or she has already been through tough times. Be it bullying in school, academics, relationships, etc we have all needed emotional and mental support in our lives. This support may come from friends, family, teachers etc. sometimes in our lives, getting support is difficult, your best friend might betray you, your love interest might leave you, but one thing you can always rely on in life is your family. Family is one thing which will stand with you in happiness or midst a war against you.

Especially fathers, fathers play an extremely important role in our lives, they are just as important as mothers. If mother serves you food, father teaches you how to earn it. If mother teaches you how to love and respect others, father teaches you how to earn respect.

In India people often complain about their fathers being strict or over protective, what we fail to see is how they see us. To our fathers we are everything to them, if we are hurt or sad or happy they feel it too. So usually fathers tend to go into overprotection mode where they do anything and everything they can to protect their child. These measures they take or decisions they make might seem way too overwhelming but we need to understand that all they ever want for us is health and prosperity. Sometimes while doing this they annoy their kids off, we think that he hates us, he has a problem with us, at times we even shout at them or answer rudely to them because of the generation gap and different mindsets. Even tho shouting or being rude to them is wrong, fathers always forgive and forget as they know from experience what might be going in our minds

Most fathers work everyday so their kids can go to school, eat well, be healthy and happy. Sometimes, even if they are going through some difficult times financially they still buy you stuff, pay for your tuition. Our happiness is everything to our fathers. They always try to provide for their child what they didn’t have growing up as a kid.thats every father’s dream.

Today, 21 of june marks Father’s day of 2020. It is usually celebrated on the 3rd sunday of june. We as children usually spend the most of our time on our phones or with our friends. But for this one day, I hope every child spends some time with their father and shows them some appreciation and gratitude for what they do for us everyday. Let’s all make them feel special and tell them we love them for everything. Because it’s not often that we go to our parents unless we need something, or go to them just to chat with them or appreciate them. Let’s all make this one day about the fathers because they deserve it.