CHEMICAL HEARTS

ABOUT THE MOVIE:

Richard Tanne’s “Chemical Hearts,” an adaptation of Krystal Sutherland’s YA novel Our Chemical Hearts. The genre is so thick in the film you can barely see through them, and yet, at the same time, “Chemical Hearts” believe in expressing. This makes the film a very unpredictable experience, and it is here that the movie really shines.”Chemical Hearts” suffers from a somnolescent tone, and its mood is often dull and slow, at odds with the high school romance. These things are all undeniable, and yet the thin emotions helps make “Chemical Hearts” a deeply felt teenage melodrama.

THE PLOT:

Henry Page has always wanted to be a writer. In narration, he shares his frustration that nothing has ever really happened to him, and therefore he has nothing to write about. Enter the new girl in school, Grace Town . Grace walks with a cane, reads Pablo Neruda for fun, and has a dark past. Henry wants to be a writer, but other than that he has almost no defining characteristics, except for his love of gluing together broken pieces of pottery. (Later in the film, Grace shouts at Henry, “I’m not one of your vases!” Just in case you didn’t get it.) Grace and Henry are chosen as co-editors of the school newspaper, and forced to work together closely.As Grace begins to let Henry into her life, she shows him an abandoned factory with a pool containing koi fish. He falls in love with her. He follows her one day and finds her at the grave of a man who, judging from the tombstone, died as a teenager. The dead man was Grace’s boyfriend was killed in a car accident and that Grace had been in the car when it happened, causing her disability.

On the anniversary of the car accident, Henry goes to her house and learns that she has been living in the room of her deceased boyfriend, with his mother and father. She finds Henry there and they argue as she is clearly still in love with a dead man. Henry cannot handle this information and they break up. As Henry’s and Grace’s senior year comes to an end, they avoid talking to one another at the school. Grace leaves the newspaper after taking some time off school.Their encounter is an emotional one and they hug, but then go their separate ways.

GRACE POINT OF VIEW:

Since “Chemical Hearts” is told from Henry’s point of view, we see Grace through his eyes, and she is a very intresting figure, so stays cold and distant towards him at first it’s not clear why he keeps pursuing her, and why she keeps allowing it. If she’s so  uninterested in him, then why exactly do they keep hanging out? A mini-montage is employed, showing the friendship blossoming, with Henry cracking jokes and Grace laughing hysterically. Nothing we have seen in Henry up until this point tells us he’s this funny, and what on earth could he be saying that would make glum Grace laugh so hard? Using a montage like this is a cheat, skipping steps that really need to be dealt with, or at least acknowledged.

There are tragedies in Grace’s past, of course, and her disabling injury is the least of it. She doesn’t share her story all at once, and Henry is often left confused and hurt, feeling she has been withholding information. . She is not there to help Henry learn, grow, change. This is part of “Chemical Hearts”‘ subversion. Any idea we may have that Henry is there to help her love again or trust again or heal is completely kicked to the curb once the true lay of the land is revealed. There’s a very messy movie here, kicking around within all the melancholy. “Chemical Hearts” is really about the chaos and confusion of teenage life, of going through experiences love, sex, heartbreak for the first time and the huge impact these experiences have on the body and the nervous system.

The movie really expresses how a person mourn for their loved ones. Even though Grace met a nice guy like Henry, she couldn’t help herself from grieving for her dead boyfriend. I thought that she should have at least tried to give herself a chance for being happy. But in the end she disappointed herself and Henry too.

History of World Baking Day

World Baking Day was created by the folks over at worldbakingday.com, who decided it was high time to spread the joy of baking all around the world, especially to those who perhaps don’t bake too often and are not particularly experienced at it. This day is meant to show people just how much fun it can be to make a cake or some cookies, and baking can be a great way to spend time with family and friends. Not to mention how much fun it is to eat what you’ve made once it’s done!

Baking has existed for over 14,000 years, proving that we simply can’t live without it! In fact, the first bakers in Jordan created flatbreads, which they then wrapped around meat – potentially the first-ever sandwich in existence. Roman times saw the birth of the artisan baker. Lovers of all things decadent, Romans prized the pastry chef, and those that brought new baked goods to the worlds were ever-popular at feasts and banquets. 

In the United Kingdom, by the Middle Ages, baking went commercial, with many trading regulations and rules governing how to bake and sell bread. But everyone’s got to eat, so anyone with an oven was baking bread to feed their families. The delicious, mouth-watering cakes we eat today started to emerge for the upper echelons of society from the middle ages onwards. 

Technology also helped upgrade the ovens to help bring better-baked goods to the masses, especially in the nineteenth century. Food was easier to preserve, too, so many people could order in meats and milk from across the country rather than relying on their backyard cows or chickens. Cans also cultivated a new innovation for baking, as meats and veg could be canned and exported from places like Australia. 

New baking innovations arrived during WWI and WWII. In America during the wars, baking thrived as people moved to the US, and rationing saw the need for increasingly crafty creations. In America, different flavors from across the world arrived, from Italian cannolis to Mexican Tres Leches. When people couldn’t find fat or eggs during the wars, Applesauce Cake was baked into existence, which is still made today and used as an alternative to eggs and fat in vegan baking.

The increase in prosperity after the war allowed baking to flourish into the foods we love today, all culminating in this event. Enjoy the chance to bake, eat, and be merry with friends and family during this day.

Do Fairy Tales Ruin Reality?

“Love doesn’t have to be perfect. It just needs to be true.”

These are the renowned line from the famous the “Beauty and the Beast”. Fairy tales and fables are the most essential part of an every children’s life which ultimately develops his or her imagination level. These stories and fables are something which we all have heard in our life. These fairy tales worlds seemed to be the most beautiful world in childhood for each child. Be it our childhood or adolescence these stories are admired by everyone. These tales tell us meaning of existence, behavior we should follow in life and moral norms which the society praises. Every girl wishes to be Cinderella and every little boy wish to be as smart and brave as Prince Charming was. All the beautiful castle and magic wards is the reason behind making our entire childhood fantastic.

After hearing all these stories and fables we all believe that identifying Prince Charming is very easy were the Prince Charming will always come in a white horse and the Beast will come wearing a black dress. But the reality is something opposite to it, where it is not mandatory that the prince will come on a white dress and the beast will come with black outfit. When we look at the situation of today’s generation we find that true love is pictured and looks adorable only is big screen and not in reality. Truth is money; power and position have successfully overpowered love. Childhood is the most innocent age where kids believe what they see but reality is very much different from it there is a huge difference between real life and reel life. Watching Cinderella with his Prince Charming might look adorable but the reality is if we turn the pages of the newspaper we may find that each day hundreds of Cinderella are burned and raped or is attempting suicide just because the one she thought her Prince Charming was actually a devil with the white horse. Another interpretation of it is since childhood we are taught that our prince will are come to rescue us whenever we are in a problem. This gives an exact mirror of our patriarchal society and out-dated thinking which is the male members always plays the role of a hero and he is the one who will always save his better half. This notion is put up in the minds of the kids since there childhood. Women are always considered inferior in front of society and needs a man or we can say her hero who will always come to save her life whatever the situation is.

I don’t think fairy tales ruin reality but it is the wrong person who projects to be the prince and at last we came to known that he is actually the devil in the getup of prince. What I feel is it is not mandatory to project only the boy as the hero of every story. Now days, girls are no less than man and a times are considered as better than mans. Also, every time a female is only demonstrated as the one who have negative characteristic. Summing up that, having male power is not necessary to be well-thought-out as hero. The one who knows how to tackle a situation and to know give back even more in return is the one considered as a hero.

EID AL-ADHA

Eid al-Adha is the latter of the two official holidays celebrated within Islam. It honors the willingness of Ibrahim (Abraham) to sacrifice his son Ishmael (in Judaism, Isaac) as an act of obedience to God’s command. Before Abraham could sacrifice his son, however, God provided a lamb to sacrifice instead. In commemoration of this intervention, animals are sacrificed ritually. One third of their meat is consumed by the family offering the sacrifice, while the rest is distributed to the poor and needy. Sweets and gifts are given, and extended family are typically visited and welcomed. The day is also sometimes called Big Eid or the Greater Eid.

In the Islamic lunar calendar, Eid al-Adha falls on the 10th day of Dhu al-Hijjah, and lasts for four days. In the international (Gregorian) calendar, the dates vary from year to year, shifting approximately 11 days earlier each year. Eid al-Adha is also pronounced Eid al-Azha and Eidul Azha.

The Arabic word عيد (ʿīd) means ‘festival’, ‘celebration’, ‘feast day’, or ‘holiday’. It itself is a triliteral root ‏عيد‎ with associated root meanings of “to go back, to rescind, to accrue, to be accustomed, habits, to repeat, to be experienced; appointed time or place, anniversary, feast day.” Arthur Jeffery contests this etymology, and believes the term to have been borrowed into Arabic from Syriac, or less likely Targumic Aramaic.

The words أضحى (adha) and قربان (qurban) are synonymous in meaning ‘sacrifice’ (animal sacrifice), ‘offering’ or ‘oblation’. The first word comes from the triliteral root ضحى (dahha) with associated meanings of “immolate ; offer up ; sacrifice ; victimize.” No occurrence of this root with a meaning related to sacrifice occurs in the Qur’an but in the Hadith literature. Arab Christians use the term to mean the Eucharistic host. The second word derives from the triliteral root ‏‏قرب‎‎ (qaraba) with associated meanings of “closeness, proximity… to moderate; kinship…; to hurry; …to seek, to seek water sources…; scabbard, sheath; small boat; sacrifice.” Arthur Jeffery recognizes the same Semitic root, but believes the sense of the term to have entered Arabic through Aramaic.

ORIGIN OF EID AL-ADHA

One of the main trials of Abraham’s life was to face the command of God by sacrificing his beloved son Isaac. According to the new narrative, Abraham kept having dreams that he was sacrificing his son Ishmael. Abraham knew that this was a command from God and he told his son, as stated in the Quran “Oh son, I keep dreaming that I am slaughtering you”, Ishmael replied “Father, do what you are ordered to do.” Abraham prepared to submit to the will of God and prepared to slaughter his son as an act of faith and obedience to God. During this preparation, Shaytaan tempted Abraham and his family by trying to dissuade them from carrying out God’s commandment, and Abraham drove Satan away by throwing pebbles at him. In commemoration of their rejection of Satan, stones are thrown at symbolic pillars Stoning of the Devil during Hajj rites.

Acknowledging that Abraham was willing to sacrifice what is dear to him, God the Almighty honoured both Abraham and Ishmael. Angel Jibreel (Gabriel) called Abraham “O’ Abraham, you have fulfilled the revelations.” and a lamb from heaven was offered by Angel Gabriel to prophet Abraham to slaughter instead of Ishmael. Muslims worldwide celebrate Eid al Adha to commemorate both the devotion of Abraham and the survival of Ishmael.

This story is known as the Akedah in Judaism (Binding of Isaac) and originates in the Torah, the first book of Moses (Genesis, Ch. 22).

SACRIFICE ON EID AL-ADHA

The tradition for Eid al-Adha involves slaughtering an animal and sharing the meat in three equal parts – for family, for relatives and friends, and for poor people. The goal is to make sure every Muslim gets to eat meat. The celebration has a clear message of devotion, kindness and equality.

In the Holy Tauret Book in the ‘Pedaish’, it is written that Allah created human beings in His image. The fruits which are have seeds in them, He ordered them to be eaten by humans, and animals are ordered to eat grass, and other vegetarian food. There is no order to eat meat. If there is any order to eat meat in the Qur’an, then it is not of Allah but is of the angel Jibril. Thus, God created the world in six days and sat on the throne on the seventh day.

However, the purpose of sacrifice in Eid al-Adha is not about shedding of blood just to satisfy Allah. It is about sacrificing something devotees love the most to advance the message of Eid al-Adha. In other words, the sacrifice can be something other than an animal such as money or time spent on community service. There are historical precedences of caliphs sacrificing items other than meat. After all, the animal sacrifice is only a sunnah, which is habitual rather than required. The Quran said that the meat will not reach Allah, nor will the blood, but what reaches him is the devotion of devotees.

Waris Dirie – the desert flower!

When I was a child I said ‘I do not want to be a woman’. Why, when it is so painful and so unhappy? But now that I am grown I am proud to be who I am. But for the sake of all of us, let us try and change what that means, to be a woman”.

The above said words was evinced by Waris Dirie, the Somalian modelist, actress, author and human activist. This blog neither narrates her life, nor discusses about her book. But about; how much daring she is to break the humiliating custom of Africa. Even now, there exists some traditional practice in Africa and in certain Middle East countries in the name of custom and relegion; the humiliating genital mutilation. And mostly female are affected by this. This ritual is taking place in Africa for the girls at their young age, before getting married in order to not to lose their virginity. Waris Dirie had also been through this painful thing. It required for her to stand in the limelight in order to reveal the truth to this world; but it’s defenitely not gonna be possible for all to become a public face to reveal the crime that’s happening against one’s life. Nearly 60 girl children’s had to undergo this harmful thing and 2 out of 4 girls face death due to this ritual. Their life would be filled with pain all throughout the life; especially whenever they consummate their marriage and during their pregnancy.

Waris Dirie, the flower from a cornered desert, was fated to bloom through that painful life and she didn’t even expected that she would become the founder of Desert foundation. It required for her to run 300 miles without even some food or water, and has faced more dangerous humans than animals. Life has offered her some good opportunities to uplift herself to the next level, only when she ran away from her existing place. When she had undergone an operation in her future, in order to cure the circumcision; she had reported that she could pass her urine without any pain. Such things makes me acknowledge how blessed I am right now. And it also makes me realise that life doesn’t offer the things that we desire for, that easily. We come across many suicidal cases and at times we are carried away by the sadness behind those news. Her life made me to realise that one should not give up at any point to end their life.

The greatest thing about her is, she had accepted whatever that is done against her but she didn’t let any instance to change her real self. She can also be termed as the iron lady who remained still at all the bad things that was imposed against her and she tried to grab each little opportunity without any expectations. Now she became the activist and found the Desert foundation. The foundation; along with the UK agencies and World Health Organization is involved in rescuing the victims for such mutilation. She, herself set as the example of how to live a life inspite of all the hardships. I wouldn’t like to convey how she made me feel; but it is definite that she would have made you to realise something that is really worth of your time.

CURRENT SITUATION IN SOUTH AFRICA

What is happening in South Africa ?

Many Indian has been killed recently in South Africa. After Jacob Zuma’s arrest, president of south Africa triggered looting and violence in the country

Why Jacob was arrested ?

Mr.  Jacob was president of South Africa from 2009 until 2018, for the corruption.

Jacob Zuma is first president to be sent to jail in South Africa.

 He was imprisoned for 10 years in 1963 for fighting the racist system of apartheid in South Africa. He also went into exile in 1975. He was also charged with raping a family friend.

 Now, He was charged with contempt of a court made up of South Africa’s most senior judges.

 Jacob said that it is as same as or worst than a death to keep him in jail in this pandemic.

At least 200 people have been killed during the widespread unrest that lasted nine days.

Why Indian being targeted in South Africa ?

The death count of South African Indians reaches almost 270 in South Africa.

Many markets and supermarket have been looted and burned of south African Indian by pro-Zuma rioters.

The issues between South Africa and Indians started with a Saharanpur-origin business family, “the Guptas”. Gupta’s were closed to Zuma and influenced other in allegation of corruption against the Zuma and fled to Dubai.

After this pro-Zuma started attacking Indians. They looted their home and shops. Indian women also receiving threats of rape.

The behavior against Indian and looting their market is criminal not racism between them.

Targeting the whole community due to someone is never be an option not Just.

Amid rising cases of Coronavirus, South Africa is facing humanitarian crises also.

National Human Rights Commission

National Human Rights Commission, a statutory body , was established in 1993 under a legislation enacted by the Parliament namely, the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993. The commission is the watchdog of Human Rights in the country, that is, the rights related to life, liberty, equality and dignity of the individual guaranteed by the constitution or embodied in the international covenants and enforceable by courts in India.

Composition of the Commission:

The commission is a multi-member body consisting of a chairperson and five members. The chairperson should be a retired Chief Justice of India or judge of the Supreme Court and the members should be a serving or retired judge of the Supreme Court, a serving or retired Chief Justice of a high court and three persons having knowledge of practical experience with respect to human rights.

 In addition to these full time members the commission also has 7 ex-officio members- the chairpersons of National Commission for minorities the National Commission for SCs,the National Commission for STs, the National Commission for Women, the National Commission for OBCs and the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights and Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities.

Functions of the Commission: 

To enquire into any violation of human rights or negligence in the prevention of such violation by a public servant, either suo motu or on a petition presented to it or on an order of a court.

To intervene in any proceeding involving allegations of violation of human rights pending before a court. 

To visit jails and detention places to study the living condition of inmates and make recommendations there on.

To review the constitutional and other legal safeguards for the protection of human rights and recommend measures for the effective implementation.

To review the factors including acts of terrorism that inhibit the enjoyment of human rights and recommend remedial measures.

To study treaties and other international instruments on human rights and make recommendations for their effective implementation.

To undertake and promote research in the field of human rights.

To spread Human Rights literacy among the people and promote research.

To encourage the efforts of NGO working in the field of human rights.

To undertake such other functions as it may be considered necessary for the promotion of human rights.

Performance of the Commission:

The various Human Rights issues taken up by the commission are as follows-:

Abolition of bonded labour.

Functioning of the mental hospitals at Ranchi, Agra and Gwalior .

Functioning of the government protective home (women), Agra.

Issues concerning the right to food.

Review of the child marriage restraint act 1929.

Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of Child.

Preventing employment of children by government servants:Amendment of service rules.

Abolition of child labour

Guidebook for the Media on sexual violence against Children.

Trafficking in women and children: Manual for Judiciary for Gender Sensitization.

Sensitisation programme on Prevention of Sex tourism and Trafficking.

Maternal anaemia and human rights and so on.

Saying “NO”

How often do people ask you to do something and you just reply, “Sure”. And as a result of that, you’re overwhelmed by how much extra work you have to do. We become frustrated even though we were the ones who said yes to help them in the first place. We agree to many requests not because we want to do the work, but because we don’t want to be seen as rude or arrogant.

It worries us that if we deny the someone’s request then they will end the friendship between us or it will lead to an awkward situation the next time we meet them. But this is not the case. The person who we say NO to will not be thinking about how rude you were. They will simply move on to the next person to ask for help. 

Economist Tim Harford said, “Every time we say yes to a request, we are also saying no to anything else we might accomplish with the time”. We compromise the valuable time that we have, to do work for others when we could be productive working to improve our life skills that will actually help us.  

A simple “no” is the perfect solution. We think that this one word will cause a lot of problems but in reality, it can be the most powerful tool. Saying no is an important skill to develop at any stage of your career because it retains the most important asset in life: your time. You need to say no to whatever isn’t leading you toward your goals. You need to say no to distractions. For instance, if you originally planned to do work but your friend calls you for a video game, you have to say NO to him so that you don’t cause trouble to your future self.

Of course, saying a simple NO will not always suffice. They will always ask a follow up question of “WHY?”. Therefore, we need to learn how to say NO without sounding rude.

Some of the kind ways to decline are, “Unfortunately, I’ll need to pass on this”, “I’m sorry, but I will not be able to”, “Sadly, I can’t”.

The examples of phrases to avoid are, “hmm, I don’t know”, “I’m not sure”, “It’s tough to say”, “Well, maybe I could do it. But…”.

Saying no saves you time in the future, whereas saying yes costs you time in the future. No is a form of time credit. You retain the ability to spend your future time however you want. Yes is a form of time debt. You have to pay back your commitment at some point. No is a decision. Yes is a responsibility.

CULTURAL AND POLITICAL FACTORS THAT LEAD TO MILTON’S EPIC POETRY

Renaissance is a religious movement and as such it relates not only to literary revival but it has grassroot connections with political and social movements also. Literature flourished during the period of Tudor Monarch. After the death of Henry VII, King Henry came to power who was a great lover of art, music and literature and love lyrics were composed. As such, Renaissance left a great influence on the social political and religious front. The unrest in England prevailed at large, the authority of king was questioned by Parliament. The existing system with regard to each and every spheres of life was being questioned. Even women intervened in the existing social and cultural status.

John Milton studied deeply the political and social order of his contemporary and wrote a lot about the pathetic state of affairs. He had drawn public opinion on all major or public issues. Milton’s epic ‘Paradise Lost’ is a common theme on Renaissance and reformative course on individual and state. The poetry during the Renaissance expanded into three main channels: the sonnet, heading the lyric and the satire. The literary forms of Milton’s period highlight religious issues and humanist thoughts.

Milton’s poems ‘L’ Allegro’ and ‘II Penseroso’ reveals the fact that the Milton has favoured ‘short lyric’. He also followed classical forms and themes. Thus, short lyric was the major elements in the poetry of Milton’s contemporary. Milton has justified his sense of religion when he writes in ‘Paradise Lost’ that his epic was the ways of God to man. This epic of Milton also has detailed narration of conflicts on the behaviour of the king and the rest of Parliamentarians Milton has also highlighted the issue of women and their individual status by means of his epic and other poetic form.

The use of epic form of poetry in English started with some failed attempts by poets like Patrick Hannay, D’Avenant and W. Chamberlyne. One of the main and important factors that led to the success of Milton’s epic poetry was he used the epic to represent the essence of the age, the contemporary struggle between religion and the state rather than simple reconstruction of the classical matrix.

Another issue which has raised for the Puritan Patriarchy. It not only promoted the issue of individualism but also questioned the women’s individuality and autonomy. Thus, engaging itself in the old age biblical argument of free will and predetermination. These issues are apparent in the conversation between Adam and Eve.

Passengers Trapped Inside Train Amid Severe Floods In China

Soldiers are leading the rescue in the city of more than 10 million people in Henan province, which has been hit by record rains which inundated the streets and the subway.


Beijing: 

Twelve people died after torrential rains flooded a subway in the central Chinese city of Zhengzhou, authorities said Wednesday, as shocking images showed passengers struggling against chest-high water inside a train carriage.

Soldiers are leading the rescue in the city of more than 10 million people in Henan province, which has been hit by record rains which inundated the streets and the subway.

The city has experienced “a series of rare and heavy rainstorms, causing water to accumulate in Zhengzhou metro”, city officials said in a Weibo post.

The post said 12 people died and five were injured, while hundreds were rescued from the subway.

Ola electric scooter receives record 1 lakh bookings in 24 hours

Ola Electric CEO Bhavish Aggarwal announced recently that the much-anticipated Ola e-scooter has achieved 1 lakh bookings in just 24 hours of opening of pre-launch bookings, making it the ‘most pre-booked scooter’ in the world.

Ola Electric had announced the opening of bookings on July 15th at a token amount of ₹499 on its official website.

“India’s EV revolution is off to an explosive start. Huge thanks to the 100,000+ revolutionaries who’ve joined us and reserved their scooter,” Bhavish Aggarwal said on Twitter.

“I am thrilled by the tremendous response from customers across India for our first electric vehicle. The unprecedented demand is a clear indicator of shifting consumer preferences to EVs,” Bhavish Aggarwal said in a statement.

The new Ola electric scooter is likely to go on sale in the country later this month.

Ola Electric has claimed that the scooter will get best-in-class boot space as well. Additionally, the new scooter will get an app-based key for a keyless experience.

Ola has claimed that electric scooter will come with ergonomic seating. The company also claims the scooter will come with “superior cornering” ability as well as “class-leading acceleration.”

Egypt takes centre stage in West asian affairs

Egypt

• Capital – Cairo.

• Borders with:
 Libya – west
 Sudan – south
 Israel – Northeast

• Strategic location – Hub for trade routes between Africa, Europe, and Asia.
 Enhanced with opening of the Suez Canal.

• Topography – dominated by the Nile River.

• Official language – Arabic

• 2013 – Overthrew its first democratically elected
government.

• $12 billion aid package from Saudi Arabia, the
United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Kuwait. • West Asian deposits – grants for the import of petroleum products.

West Asian politics

• Influenced by the active role played by Saudi
Arabia and the UAE.

• Role of Egypt – reluctant.
• Qatar Blockade – role of Egypt was not much intense.
 2017 – Arab transport blockade against Qatar in order to punish for its ties with radical Islamist groups.
 To pressure reducing its diplomatic and economic relations with Iran.

• Egypt regained influence – Good and abled
management of its economy – facilitated Egypt.
 Egyptian Economic reforms, 2015.
 Foreign exchange reserves of $40 billion by 2018.
 Growth rate of 5.6% in 2019.

Present Developments in West Asia

• Israel-Palestine conflict – negotiations by the
Egyptian diplomats and intelligence officers.

• Turkey – anxious to reopen its relations.

• Tripartite grouping
 Intent to broaden regional engagements.
 For Egypt – opportunity to move beyond its traditional dependence on Saudi Arabia
and to assert its leadership in the region.
 Coalition – near-bordering land mass and a considerable domestic agricultural and
industrial capacity.
 Extensive cooperation in energy connectivity
and reconstruction areas.

Challenges

• Ethiopia’s “Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam” on the Blue Nile
 Concern – source of around 95% of Egyptian fresh water.
 Fear – Restrict this access to fresh water – “existential threat”.

 Egypt tackling with
 Diplomatic engagements with Sudan, Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda and Kenya.
 Major dam and hydropower project in
Tanzania.
• Strained relations with Turkey – Libyan peace
process and the East Mediterranean.
 Delineated energy claims in the Mediterranean sea – in conflict with Turkey’s claims. • Present scenario of pandemic
 Unemployment on a rise.
 Economy – slowed down recovery.
 Percentage of workers without adequate income increased.
 Poverty rate – 2% higher than in 2015.
 Concern – might compel Egypt to seek assistance from the Gulf States.

Goretzka monitored by Man Utd, Real Madrid & Barca

The Bayern midfielder would be a top target if he refuses to sign a new deal.

Manchester United, Real Madrid and Barcelona are closely monitoring the situation of Leon Goretzka at Bayern Munich, according to Bild.

👀

He could be signed on a free transfer next year if his current deal runs out.

What is IPO and all about Zomato IPO

IPO stands for Initial Public Offering. It refers to when a company make its shares available for the public in a new stock issuance. It helps the company to raise capital from public investors to raise its business operations. Through this process a private company turns into a pubic company. It enables easy trading of existing holdings or future capital raising by becoming publicly traded. Companies must meet requirements by exchanges and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to hold an initial public offering (IPO). After the IPO, shares are traded freely in the open market at what is known as the free float. Companies hire investment banks to market, gauge demand, set the IPO price and date, and more.

In order to apply for IPO, a company should have a net worth o $1 billion or a unicorn status. IPO gives company a lower cost of capital for debt and equity. It also increases company’s image, prestige which ultimately leads to raise in sales and profit. Companies hire investment banks to market, gauge demand, set the IPO price and date, and more. If adequate research is carried out investment in IPO can turn out very successful.

Zomato

Zomato is one such unicorn company which is among the leading Food Service Delivery platforms. It has a strong network of 131,233 restaurants and 161,637 delivery partners. Zomato IPO is a main-board IPO of equity shares of the face value of ₹1 aggregating up to ₹9,375.00 Crores. The issue is priced at ₹72 to ₹76 per equity share. It was opened on July 14 and closed on July 16. A minimum of 1 lot consisting of about 195 shares and costing around 15000 rupees and a maximum of 13 lots consisting of 2535 shares and 192,660 worth of price can be taken.

You can apply in Zomato IPO online using either UPI or ASBA as payment method. The finalization of Basis of Allotment for Zomato IPO will be done on Jul 22, 2021, and the allotted shares will be credited to your demat account by Jul 26, 2021. The tentative date of Zomato IPO listing is Jul 27, 2021.

Upanishadic Concept of Atman and Brahman

Upanishads are one of the oldest scriptures of the world. The term Upanishad (‘upa’ near; ‘ni’ down; ‘sad’ to sit) means sitting down near; this implies the students sitting down near their Guru to learn the mysteries of life and its creation. Upanishads were written later than Vedas and are said to be derived from the different Vedas. Upanishads mainly focused on ‘spiritual enlightenment’.

The concept of Brahman and Atman is deeply explored in the Upanishads in the form of dialogues. The dialogues can be between husband and wife, student and teacher etc. The Upanishads are extensively divided into 13 book, each of which tackles different concepts.

In general, Upanishads attribute the quality of ‘Creator’ and ‘Supreme Being’ to Brahman. This Brahman is said to be unfathomable, thus it’s impossible for a mere human to come close to Brahman by using external measures.

Thus the Upanishads shifted their focus from Brahman to Atman. (Self). Atman is considered to be a part of Brahman and is present within every human being. All of us are born with a spark of Divinity (God) within us and therefore it is our ultimate goal to unite this Atman (self) with the Brahman (Supreme Being) from which it formerly came.

Thus, if we are a part of Brahman itself then there cannot lie a separation between God and human beings. Because God is dwelling within all of us and so we are inherently one with God. We do not need to look for God elsewhere. But we cannot achieve this oneness unless we realise this fact.

Therefore, Upanishads say that inorder to be one with Brahman ‘self-actualisation’ is required.

This concept is best expressed in the Chandogya Upanishad by the phrase Tat Tvam Asi – “Thou Art That” – one is already what one wants to become; one only has to realize it.


According to Upanishads (related to Karma, Dhama and Rebirth) :

Each individual was thought to have been placed on earth for a specific purpose which was their duty (dharma) which they needed to perform with the right action (karma) in order to achieve self-actualization. Evil was caused by ignorance of the good and the resulting failure to perform one’s dharma through the proper karma.

Karma, if not discharged correctly, resulted in suffering – whether in this life or one’s next – and so suffering was ultimately the individual’s own fault.

The transmigration of souls (reincarnation) was considered a given in that, if a person failed to perform their dharma in one life, their karma (past actions) would require them to return to try again.


The one thing which striked me when I read the above point was the optimistic view towards Rebirth. Instead of Rebirth being called a suffering or something that one needs to get rid of, it is looked upon as a second chance to fulfill the duties we failed to achieve in our past lives. 🙂

Therefore, it’s true that our old scriptures reveal a lot of truth that is needed in our daily life. From encouraging us to accept suffering as a natural part of life, to believing in giving ourselves second chances, Upanishads explore a lot of deep concepts that needs to be more generalised to be accessible to audience who are not Philosophy Students.