LOVE DOGS

 

Dogs, often hailed as humans’ best
friends, have been the topic of many scientific studies looking into how they
might boost our well-being. According to the American Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), an estimated 78 million dogs are
owned as pets in the United States. It is unclear when dogs were first
domesticated, but a study Trusted Source published last year claims that, at
least in Europe, dogs were tamed 20,000–40,000 years ago.

It is likely that humans and dogs have
shared a special bond of friendship and mutual support ever since at least the
Neolithic period — but why has this bond been so long-lasting? Of course, these
cousins of the wolves have historically been great at keeping us and our dwellings
safe, guarding our houses, our cattle, and our various material goods.
Throughout history, humans have also trained dogs to assist them with hunting,
or they have bred numerous quirky-looking species for their cuteness or
elegance.

Also, researchers at the University of
Harvard in Cambridge, MA, suggest that dog owners have a lower risk of heart
disease.

Why is that? It is difficult to establish
a causal relationship between owning a dog and enjoying better health. However,
the benefits may appear thanks to a series of factors related to lifestyle
adjustments that people tend to make after they decide to adopt a canine
friend. The most prominent such lifestyle factor is physical activity. There is
no way around it: if you own a dog, you have to commit to twice daily walks and
sometimes even more.

The Benefits of Having a Dog are Numerous

Firstly, dogs promote health. They help
people cope with anxiety and improve an overall mental health, not to mention a
number of other health benefits. In addition, dogs are widely used to help
people recover from very serious illnesses including cerebral palsy and insult.

Secondly, dogs provide social benefits as
they influence their owner’s well-being. The pets make people happier, provide
greater self-esteem and prevent depression. Dog owners are better socialized
and are closer to important people in their lives than those who have no dogs.

Thirdly, dogs prevent stress and decrease
it. These animals are considered masters at helping people feel calm and
relieve stress. Dogs are the best listeners and they do not care about human
actions and thoughts. When a person is upset or sad, a dog can give a stress
outlet helping to cheer up.

Fourthly, dogs improve mood. Stroking a
dog may reduce blood pressure and bring balance to our emotional state. The
eyes of a favourite dog help people who are in a bad mood.

Fifthly, dogs ensure home security and
safety. Dogs are extremely protective when a stranger comes to the door. In
addition, a barking dog may put off many potential burglars and intruders.

Sixthly, dogs have a favourable influence
on children. Children who own dogs perform better at school and are more
successful. Moreover, bringing up, feeding and regular walks create a sense of
responsibility.

 

ELECTIONS

India is one of the largest democracies in the world. Here the government is formed directly by the people, for the people and of the people. Every citizen of India who is above 18 years has the right to choose his/her leader and representative through voting, without discriminating on the basis of caste, class, religion and gender. 
All the politicians except the President and the Governor all are elected by citizens of the country. India has a proper pyramidal system of conducting elections. The central election Commission of India was established on 25th of January 1950, which conducts elections at central. 
Similarly each state has its own election Commission known as state election Commission for conducting elections at state and local elections within state. 
For electing Prime Minister, Members of Parliament, Chief Ministers and Members of Legislative Assembly, elections are conducted by the Election Commission of India (ECI). 
It monitors the indirect elections conducted for electing the President by the consent of both the houses of Parliament and Legislative Assemblies of States. 
ECI is responsible for all the head to toe management for conducting elections. It prepares voters list, provides voting booths, makes voter's ID cards, provides voting machines to each booth, manages election campaigns, monitors for preventing any type of scam in votes and voting machines. It is responsible for implementing model code of conduct 144 before 72 hours of elections. It is responsible for the delimitation of places according to population.
For both Central and State election commissions, commissioners are appointed as the heads of the commission. 
After the President, the second citizen of the country is the Prime Minister, he has the executive power for implementing and amending any law. He is elected by direct elections, by the citizens of India who are above 18 and has been listed in voters list. Places are divided into constituencies over 10 lakh population each. Each constituency has one representative known as Member of Parliament, of the same political party to which the candidate for the post of Prime Minister belongs to. Which means if a person is voting for a particular representative he is voting for the leader of that political party who has stood for the post of the Prime Minister.Same is with the Chief Ministers of the states. 
Municipalities and Nagar Nigam heads are elected directly by the people through voting. Same is with the case of Councillor and Sarpanch. 
All this process is what one can see from a bird's eye view, the reality is always beneath the surface. Entire process of elections seems to be truly democratic and constitutional. It is fixed that the party and the representative who will get the majority of votes will be the leader, but the votes which they get in majority are they real ones? 
Whenever we say politics or politicians, the first thought which comes to mind is of fraud and corruption. It's a fact that a politician is never an honest and dedicated man. He tries every means to come into power, because history is the evidence that everybody has greed for the throne, everybody wants to be superior and can rule among others. The hunger of that seat can turn every honest and responsible person into a dishonest and irresponsible one. 
In order to come into power the menadatory thing is securing a majority of the votes. Therefore leaders of political parties use their financial power. They spread their workers in their areas where they give money and bribe to the voters who are either poor or in need of money. This is called purchasing of votes by giving money. By giving money they assure their votes. Even when that candidate loses the elections, the person who has been given money is mentally harassed by them. 
Another way which they try out is malpractices in voting machines. They change or adjust machines in the manner that no matter to whom the vote is given it automatically goes into the account of one particular party who had changed it. Though ECI keeps an eye over such kind of malpractices but still this happens in the country. 
One more way which these politicians try out is changing the settings of counting machines where it miscounts the vote. 
When a candidate conducts election campaigns in order to get votes he tries to influence backward classes people by promising them various kinds of opportunities and privileges. Secondly, he tries to influence people of poor sections who don't have shelter and money. He promises them to provide groceries either for free or at cheap rates. Thirdly, he influences farmers by promising them to give maximum profit of their production. All the grains will be purchased by the government at a good rate. 
Poverty, corruption, slums, cleanliness, improper roads, security of women and unemployment are some of the common and huge problems almost every corner of India is facing. Hence politicians promise to eradicate all the problems. Once they win the elections they never look back at their promises and they misuse their power by every means they can and just fill their own pockets. 
There are many more things regarding elections. The list is never ending. The people choose their leaders with the hope that their problems will be listened to and can reach a solution. Leaders are those who shape the nation and are responsible for its growth as all the laws and schemes are launched by their government. He is the one who leads the nation who runs the nation. He has the responsibility to take the nation towards development and progress. A leader is someone who is never selfish and is always dedicated to the society and his work. The responsibility of administration and of being a head, a captain and a leader is not a matter of joke. If a captain  is not responsible, the ship will for sure drown. 
India has potential to be one of the most prestigious and developed nations of the world. It has the power to emerge as a well known nation. India has so many young talented people who can take the country to higher levels but it's lacking in opportunities and shaping, since the very early time India has always gone in wrong hands and hence this is the condition of the nation. For sure politics is never so honest in any country but the United States and Britain are developed because of their laws and administration of the country which is done by the leader who is leading it. 

Indian Civilization

India, a land with vast geography where every hundred kilometers, there is a change in the language and culture of the people residing in that area; it is safe to say that the land has been influenced by its major civilization and, of course, a long duration of invasions from the foreigners and adaption of their culture to the indigenous civilization. The name India is derived from the name of a nurturing river, Indus. I would like to share my views about one of the oldest civilizations, the Indian civilization.
As we know, the birth of a civilization conveniently starts from the riverbanks of a flourishing river.
Similarly, we can date back the dawn of the Indian civilization to the river Indus and two major cities, Mohenja Daro and Harappa, in the third millennium BC. These cities were exceptionally well-planned cities with urban establishments, well-built homes with separate cooking areas and toilets, roads, underground drainage systems, centers like ports near the riverside, and irrigation systems. In the second millennium BC, the Indus civilization collapsed with a much suspicion of fluctuations of the
nature of the Indus river, which gave rise to the Vedic civilization with the migration of the Indo-Aryans into the north-west of the Indian landmass.

As the name suggests, in this period, the concept of Vedas and Varna was introduced. This period contributes to the present-day religions of the
Indian peninsula such as Hinduism based on Dharma, Kama, Artha, and Moksha and also Buddhism and Jainism. There are also principal contributions to literature such as Vedas, Upanishads, Mahabharata, and Ramayana. There were also new cultural and social practices like the caste system, which eventually caused the emergence of various kingdoms and states and political foundations that initiated developments of industrialization and technology, arithmetic system, astronomy, medicine, and better use of natural resources, and metallurgy.
Sushruta, the father of Indian medicine, is one of the founders of surgery and plastic surgery who deveOne of the famous mathematician and astronomers is Aryabhata, who discovered the concept of zero decimal systems and also presented the theory of heliostat.
Due to the fact that the Aryans worshipped stars and comets, some of the first astronomical concepts and lunar calendars can be dated back to the Vedas. And such immense developments and technological advancements brought a lot of attention to the rich land, which paved the way to quite a few.

13th August: Left-Handers Day and 10 Interesting Facts about Lefties

Did you know there’s a day dedicated solely to left-handed people? There is, indeed! International Lefthanders Day is observed on August 13th. The purpose of the day is to emphasize the uniqueness of persons who accomplish daily tasks with their left hand. Many well-known people all across the world are left-handed. Former US President Barack Obama is at the top of the list, followed by renowned CEOs like Mark Zuckerberg, Ratan Tata, and Bill Gates. Lady Gaga, Julia Roberts, and Amitabh Bachchan, all well-known stars in the entertainment business, are left-handed. Left-handed people include Walt Disney, Charlie Chaplin, and Albert Einstein.

Photo by ANTHONY SHKRABA production on Pexels.com

Left-handed persons have long been considered and treated as misfits. Left-handed persons in the Middle Ages were afraid of being accused of witchcraft. Many schools in the United States compelled left-handed students to “retrain” their natural proclivities in order to become right-handed as recently as the early twentieth century. Left-handedness was once thought to be caused by slight brain injury during early development, according to scientists. Over time, these misconceptions have been dispelled, and some have even claimed that being left-handed is linked to superior IQ. While the claim is intriguing, medical research yields mixed findings.

Every year on August 13, the International Left-Handers’ Day 2021 is commemorated. It’s a way to honour those who were born left-handed, in contrast to the majority of the population. While we mark this day by calling up our lefty friends and family, let us look into some fun facts about lefties. Here’s a list of ten interesting facts about lefties that distinguish them in a variety of ways.

1. Left-handed people make up a significant portion of the population, accounting for almost 10% to 12% of the global population.

2. The right half of the brain is used more by left-handed people. The human brain is cross-wired, with the right half controlling the left side of the body and the left half controlling the right. As a result, persons who are left-handed use their right side of the brain more than people who are right-handed.

3. Some people are terrified of the left side or those who are left-handed. Sinistrophobia is a phobia that can occur as a result of this illness.

4. According to a study conducted at Queen’s University in Belfast, a foetus which prefers to suck its left hand while in the womb will grow up to be left-handed. Left-handedness is determined in part by genetics.

5. After a stroke, left-handed people recover faster. Our language function is controlled by the left side of the human brain, which is heavily employed by right-handed persons. As a result, strokes on the left side of the body tamper with a right-handed person’s language. Left-handed people, on the other hand, rely less on the left side of the brain. As a result, they can regain their language abilities more quickly after a stroke.

6. In several sports, left-handed people have an advantage. When it comes to sports, they are usually good in one-on-one situations. Left-handed players generally have an advantage over right-handed opponents in sports like baseball, boxing, fencing, and tennis since they are accustomed to competing with right-handed players.

7. Being a left-handed person is considered unnatural in many cultures and countries. Left-handedness is considered impolite in eastern nations such as India and the Middle East. Left-handed children were once required to use their right hands in the United Kingdom as well.

8. Left-handed people have an advantage when it comes to typing. They can type nearly 3,000 English words using only their left hand on a QWERTY keyboard. However, only about 300 words can be typed using just the right hand. The most frequently typed letters are found on the left side of the keyboard.

9. Tasks and memory are handled differently by right and left-handed people. Left-handed people are known for multitasking effectively since they consider the tasks as a whole.

10. While this is still debatable, studies have shown that the majority of artists, including painters, musicians, and even architects, are left-handed.

Thawing of the Permafrost

Permafrost is any earth material on or under the surface at or below 0 degrees Celsius for two or more consecutive years. The range of permafrost thickness can be from one meter to one mile and, in some cases, even beyond that. Permafrost can be found on land and even under the ocean floor. It is primarily found in places where temperatures rarely rise above freezing. Permafrost is often found in Arctic regions such as Greenland, the US state of Alaska, Russia, China, and Eastern Europe.

The top few inches (up to a few feet) of the permafrost is what’s known as the “active layer.” This topsoil does thaw with yearly seasonal changes and is home to a thriving ecosystem. If you go deep enough, you will arrive at a solid layer; the permafrost rising temperatures are chipping away at this layer. Every year, more permafrost grows closer to thawing and the “active layer” depth.

THAWING PERMAFROST IS ONE OF THE TIPPING POINTS FOR CLIMATE BREAKDOWN, AND IT’S HAPPENING BEFORE OUR VERY EYES THIS PREMATURE THAWING IS ANOTHER CLEAR SIGNAL THAT WE MUST DECARBONIZE OUR ECONOMIES AND IMMEDIATELY

JENNIFER MORGAN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF GREENPEACE INTERNATIONAL

Direct Effects: 

  1. Half the volume of permafrost may be frozen water. When this thaws, the water runs off and may head downhill, leaving a vacuum. The ground slumps and falls apart.
  2. For tens of thousands of years, permafrost has acted as a freezer, keeping 1,400 to 1,600 gigatons (billion tons) of plant matter carbon trapped in the soil.
  3. When plants growing in permafrost regions die, they don’t fully decompose because of the cold temperature, so some organic carbon is left behind. 

When the permafrost thaws, this starts to rot and decompose, releasing carbon dioxide and methane. The average temperature of the Earth is rising at nearly twice the rate it was 50 years ago.

This rapid warming trend cannot be explained by natural cycles alone. The only way to describe the pattern is to include the effect of greenhouse gases emitted by humans, which have accelerated the rate at which permafrost has been thawing due to rising temperatures.

  • Deforestation and Tree Clearing
  • Burning of Fossil Fuels 
  • Fluorinated Gases 
  • Livestock Farming 

These are indirect causes propagated through human activities that have led to a dramatic increase in global temperatures and fastened the permafrost’s thawing. 

Oil Drilling and Mining are some of the more direct causes.

The impact caused can create huge repercussions, such as :-

  1. Release of Mercury

According to a study conducted by the University of Colorado, we were able to find out that permafrost contains the biggest pool of mercury on the planet.

– If mercury leaches out of the soil into surrounding waterways, it could be transported across waterways and taken up by microorganisms and transformed into methylmercury

-Mercury is a powerful neurotoxin and can have negative impacts on the cognitive, visual and cardiovascular well being of children and adults

-More mercury winds up in the high northern latitudes than anywhere else It’s already known to build up there in birds, fish, seals, walrus, polar bears, and some whales, even in areas thousands of miles from pollution sources.

2. Release of Methane and Carbon Dioxide 

Permafrost in the Arctic alone, there are an estimated 1,400 gigatons of carbon are frozen in permafrost, making the Arctic one of the largest carbon sinks in the world. Thawing can also open pathways for methane to rise up from reservoirs deep in the Earth. Thawing permafrost will release large amounts of carbon dioxide and methane, which will lead to rising global temperatures, which will lead to further permafrost thawing, which will lead to rising global temperatures And that trend is projected to continue through the rest of the century

3. Risk of Ancient Disease & Zombie Pathogens 

Just as permafrost locks in carbon and other greenhouse gases, it can also trap – and preserve – ancient microbes. There maybe “a resurgence of anthrax, smallpox, and influenza” that have been frozen in permafrost for hundreds of years.

Diseases like the Spanish flu, smallpox, or the plague that have been wiped out might be frozen in the permafrost. As The Arctic warms, more activity, like mining for rare Earth or precious metals, could potentially put us in contact with them again.

4. Crumbling Infrastructure and Altered Landscapes 

  • Degradation of permafrost makes it difficult to build and maintain infrastructure, including roads, buildings, pipelines, and airports.
  • Thawing permafrost alters natural ecosystems in many ways as well.

Digital Detox in 10 Steps

Digital Detoxification is a practice to limit the use of technology.  Digital Detox helps us to enhance the quality of our lives. It is a way to stop the constant urge to use social media. 

Do we really need Digital detox?

Our lives are filled with technology. According to a study we give about 2.5 hours daily on social media. But some take it too further than this.

Here is the list to check if you need a Digital Detox.

Do you:

  • Use social media late night instead of sleeping;
  • Get stressed, anxious, and irritated without social media;
  • Think about social media even after using cell phone;
  • Check likes, shares, comments constantly.

If yes, then you need Digital Detox.

Benefits of Digital Detox 

1. Keep your life balanced. 

According to Ayurveda a balanced mind, body, and life is key to all round health. 

2. Sleep benefits

The health of a person can be judged by his sleeping pattern. If you have irregular sleep and insomnia then your body might have some underlying problems. Using digital detox helps you sleep peacefully.

3. Time for Family and friends

Time spent with family and friends boost your Psychological health. Digital detox helps you to focus on your life. This gives you emotional wellbeing.

4. Embracing reality

The contemporary world is virtually oriented. People spend time getting perfect selfies, try to maintain a hectic online presence, and feel insecure about themselves. Same cycle again and again. 

Digital detox will give you inspiration, boost your creativity, and give you true values of life.

5. Look younger

A study shows that people who spend more time on screen age faster than others. Looking at the screen gives your skin wrinkles and lines. Digital detox helps you look fresh and young.

Check out this infographics for quick ways to detox:

How to Digital Detox

Here are 10 useful tips that you can do to Detox digitally:

1. Keep away from your cell phone for a minimum of 5 hours. You can increase as you like.

2. Keep away from distractions such as Netflix, gaming, other digital products.

3. Read a book during disconnection. Write a journal about how you feel during this time. You will be amazed that in a month your health has progressed.

4. Go out. Embrace nature. Do some activity that connects you to nature such as gardening, walking on beaches, swimming, or cycling in the morning. 

5. Play with your pets. This is the best time to bond with your pets.

6. Do volunteering. Give your hand to a person in need. Everything that goes around comes around.

7. Spend time with your family. 

8. Declutter your house.

9. Use cell phones ONLY when necessary. If you really need your cell phone, you may use it. Make sure you don’t exceed your time limit.

10. Practice your hobby and master it. Remove negative self with Digital Detox. 

Do these 10 simple Digital Detox techniques every week. You will be surprised with the productivity and efficiency you see in your life and work.

Here are 5 famous motivational quotes to inspire you while you Digitally Detox.

The body achieves what the mind believes.

Be patient with yourself. Nothing in nature blooms all year.

Your life only gets better when you do. Work on yourself and the rest will follow.

Nurturing yourself is not selfish—it’s essential to your survival and your well–being.

It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.

Origin of Premier league

New season of English domestic football tournament Premier league( PL ) is starting 13th august (14th august according to IST). PL is considered as one of best top tier league in football world. 20 team contest with each other playing 38 games( 19 home and 19 away) in a 8 month long season from august to may. This league operates on system of promotion and relegation. Bottom three teams gets relegated to English football league( EFL ). PL was founded on 20th February 1992. Total 49 clubs have participated in PL, seven of them have won the title. Also the PL is the most watched sports league in the world with potential TV audience of 4.7 billion.

Build Up

Before PL, EFL was the top tier league in English football system, founded in 1888. Decline of English football in late 1980s and money were the main reasons behind PL’s foundation. Late 1980’s was a difficult period for English football as stadiums were crumbling, violence in stadiums was rising. In addition English clubs were banned from European competition for five years after Heysel stadium disaster in 1985. EFL was behind from other European leagues in attendance and revenues.

This made change in system necessary. During 1980’s major clubs of English football started transforming in business ventures to maximize revenues. Manchester united, Everton, Tottenham Hotspurs and Arsenal were among the top leaders in this transformation. To increase the power and revenue, top clubs threatened to break away from the league. They succeeded and begged 50% share of income. By the beginning of 1990’s, big clubs again considered breaking away for EFL. This time they also had fund for the upgradation of stadiums.

In 1990 managing director of London weekend television, Greg Dyke met with representatives of “BIG 5” for establishing Premier league, but they required backing of The football association (the governing body of English football). Luckily The FA didn’t have good relationship with football league so they agreed and released a report in June 1991 which supported the idea of Premier league.

Foundation

At the close of 1990-91 season, a proposal was tabled to create a new league that would bring more money into the English football. The idea was to make English clubs compete with teams across the Europe. The newly formed league was given commercial independence from The FA and EFL. Even though Dyke played a significant role in establishment of PL, he and his company lost out in the bidding for broadcast rights to Sky.

In 1992 resigned from football league and on 27th may of same year The FA Premier league was formed as a limited company. 22 clubs from football league joined the PL including big clubs like Arsenal, Manchester united, Liverpool, Leeds, Everton, Tottenham hotspurs etc.

It broke up the 104 years old football league that had operated till then with four divisions. Now PL would operate as top tier league and and football league with bottom three divisions. The competition format was not changed and the rules and regulations of promotion and regulations were adopted from football league as it is.

The first season was help in 1992-93 with 22 clubs. The first ever PL goal was scored by Brian Deane of Sheffield united. Sheffield united won the match by 2-1 against Manchester united.

So that was the brief history of Premier league. If you want watch the new season in India, tune in to star sports select.

FEMALE EDUCATION

Education is a critical aspect of one’s life. It boosts your self-confidence, acquires skills and knowledge, and shows your capabilities. Female education continues being a trending topic since many years. There is consistently a notion created that girls are born to do household chores, get married, and look after their families. Is this why women are born? Education is medium to take wise decisions and have great control in life and women have the ability to do so.

EQUAL RIGHTS TO QUALITY EDUACTION IS IMPORTANT.

Women encounter multiple barriers when they are on a journey of gaining education. The pressure of their families and society restrict them from doing so. 

When women have the ability to look after their families and perform household chores, aren’t they capable enough to educate themselves? Why is there discrimination between men and women in this field? As the Indian Constitution says ALL HAVE EQUAL RIGHTS TO QUALITY EDUCATION, why isn’t no one following it? Our nation is in a development phase in all the fields. No doubt we are gaining our motive, but once give a thought, if women involve in this movement what would the success rate be? Women should have the rights to contribute their ideas, articulate their thoughts to the world.

IMPORTANCE OF FEMALE EDUCATION

  • If females are provided with education, the poverty in our nation will gradually decrease.
  • According to UNESCO, if all females in developing countries completed primary education then child mortality would drop by a sixth, saving nearly one million lives annually. 
  • Girls are definitely the future of our nation. Girls who receive an education will undoubtedly make it a priority for their children.
  • By educating women, they can uplift their families, support them financially.
  • Educating females can reduce the chances of child marriage as this can deliver a negative impact on female education.

PROMOTION OF FEMALE EDUCATION

  •  The awareness of female education should start from rural areas. 
  • Schools should be constructed in villages so that women can feel safe to attend.
  • Security should be provided to women so that they don’t hesitate to come out of their house to attend schools.
  • Stern actions should be initiated for any crime against women.
  • Abortion of female feticide should be banned and if it is practiced, punishment should be given.
  • Beti Bachao Beti Padhao campaigns should frequently be conducted to bring awareness about the importance of education in a woman’s life.

Women shouldn’t hold themselves back assuming what people will think about them. They should do what their heart says. In today’s world, people do believe female education is important. Frequent encouragement is needed to completely stop this act. When women can look after her family, why can’t she look after her nation? Women can inevitably cause a change in society, if she is given a chance. She doesn’t expect much from her family and close ones. She merely wants them to support her decisions and help her achieve success.

 It is important for women to voice out their thoughts, ideas and decisions. They should reveal  to the world that they are capable enough to balance both their personal and professional life. That day is not too far when all the women in this world would be happily attending schools and colleges and gaining abundance of knowledge.

The bottom-most – Troposphere

We all know that we are surrounded by air, we feel it in the form of wind. But have you ever thought why it gets cold as we go up? Or how is it that our earth never heats up even when the sun supplies it with so much energy? Or how is the temperature at night maintained even when there is no sun? Or how is fog formed? And why is it formed mostly in winters (or in areas having low temperature)?

The troposphere is the bottom-most layer of the Earth’s atmosphere (contains 75% of the total mass of the planetary atmosphere, 99% of the total mass of water vapor and aerosols, source-Wikipedia). It is the densest layer of the atmosphere (owing to the highest gravitational force experienced in this layer). Most types of clouds are found here. All the weather and climate activity take place in this layer. The troposphere has the highest amount of water vapor and the temperature decreases as we go up.

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

The troposphere extends 10 km up above the sea level. The height of the top of the troposphere varies with latitudes, lowest at the poles and highest at the equator: the poles have low temperature and the equator has high temperature (low density) and by season, lower in winter and higher in summer, again a function of density. It is approximately 20 km near the equator, and about 7 km over the poles in winter. Air is warmest at the bottom of the troposphere near ground level, because of terrestrial radiation of earth. Air gets colder as one rises through the troposphere, as the molecule density decreases and inter-molecular space increases and so less radiation is absorbed. That’s why the peaks of mountains are many-a-times snow covered throughout the year. Air pressure and the density of the air also decrease with altitude, all a function of the number of molecules.

The layer immediately above the troposphere is called the stratosphere separated from the troposphere by tropopause. The tropopause is the area between the two atmospheric layers where the temperature is constant.

The sun emits short wavelength radiations that are absorbed by the earth’s surface (note, surface not atmosphere). The earth’s surface later emits long wavelength radiations that are absorbed by the molecules of air (the Green house gases) which is responsible for maintaining the earth’s temperature. The oceanic currents and the wind movements, due to change in pressures is what is responsible for distributing the earth’s heat so that heat is distributed and no region experiences any extreme. The radiations absorbed by the gas molecules are reflected back towards the earth as well as towards the space. This heat, thus, absorbed by the earth goes back to the atmosphere. The terrestrial radiation is what maintains the earth’s temperature when there is no sun.

Now, can you guess the formation of fog. It is formed in areas where cold and warm air or ocean currents meet. It is the condensation of water molecules, around nuclei (molecules to act as bases) near to the earth’s surface. Now you can guess why it happens in winters. The temperature difference increases making condensation easier. The phenomenon, where the temperature of earth increases with height is known as temperature inversion, like what happens when terrestrial radiation heats air upwards or when hot air rises due to convection. It is the condition of instability.

Impact of Social Media on Youth

In today’s society, we are all witnessing how social media is evolving on a daily basis. The majority of individuals on the planet use social media. This is very popular among the younger generation. Even if you look at statistics, you will find the same scenario. Every day, the popularity of social media grows. The effects of social media on youngsters are also seen in other aspects of our life.

Social Media Trivia: Brush Up Your Knowledge

Here are some statistics that were done on social media.

  • The average time spent by the people per day on the social network is 1.72 hours.
  • For the teenagers, the numbers are much higher which is up to 27 hours per week.
Impact of Social Networking Sites on the Youth | The Knowledge Review

In today’s society, social media has become an integral part of many young people’s lives. Many young people continue to engage in social media without stopping to consider the influence of social media on youth. The consequences might be beneficial or bad, but they are usually detrimental if they are not linked with a commercial or professional purpose.

It is a major issue for the majority of people in today’s society because what is more important?

Is it more essential to be concerned about “Facebook” friends than those with whom we meet face to face in our everyday lives? What is the long-term influence of social media on today’s youth?

There are many advantages to using sites such as Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Tumblr, Google +, Gaming sites, Instagram, and blogs, but there are also many disadvantages. If we want to make sound decisions, we must go deep within ourselves and conduct extensive study on the subject.

Positive Impact of Social Media on Youth

  • It keeps connected to their friends when they are not able to see each other always when they want to.
  • Social media keeps you updates about the important things that are going across the globe currently or maybe in your locality. It is a great benefit to know about everything just by the simple click of your finger.
  • The youths have the perfect place to express themselves in such a way in which they won’t be allowed to do in public. This is something which makes the youth feel better about them and they hold some position in society.
  • It helps you in developing social skills and the best part is that a number of friendships can begin from the social website. Youths generally like make new friends and know about others as much as they can. All of this is possible with the social media platform.
  • One more interesting impact of social media on youth is that it feels fun to interact with peers rather than talking to them face to face.

Negative Impact of Social Media on Youth

  • People in today’s age place such a high value on social media that it has become their top priority. They like being on social networking sites and neglect all of the things that should come first for them, such as family, sports, and school.
  • We can only see the virtual aspect of a person on social media sites. This implies that we can only see the aspect that they want us to see. Many people strive to present themselves to others as someone they are not.
  • Young people have a bad tendency of bullying their classmates, which is understandable to some extent. However, when it comes to cyberbullying, it has a significant impact on the other peer because it may appear on anyone’s newsfeed and quickly go viral. Such factors can sometimes lead to despair and suicide ideation.
  • Some young people are extremely susceptible to influence. They may feel the urge to modify their physical appearance and compare themselves to everyone they see on social media.
  • Social media provides a powerful temptation. It might become an addiction for the young and cause them to get distracted.

Positive Impact of Social Media on Youth in different Sectors

Educational Aspects

  • Social media allows teachers to quickly interact and connect with students and others.
  • Students have free and simple access to internet sites where they may obtain all of the information.
  • Grades have improved, and the rate of absentees has decreased.
  • According to a poll, around 59 percent of schools confess that their students use social media for instructional purposes. In addition, 50 percent of them utilise social media to discuss school tasks.

Political Aspects

  • The participation of the voters has increased. The users of the platform of Facebook have admitted that they get the inspiration to vote in an election when they see online their friends have voted too. A survey reported that those who visited Facebook more than two times in a single day were more likely to attend a political meeting or rally- 43% more people said that they are sure to vote.
  • Social media gives birth to the idea of change in politics. Social networking gives the social movement cheap as well as a quick method for distributing the information and make the people come together.

News/ Awareness

  • Around 30% of the people of America get their news from online. The information in the social networking sites spreads much faster than any other forms of media.
  • More than 50% of people in the world nowadays get the breaking news from a social media platform
  • The social networking sites provide the benefits academic research to the people along with the online access. This helps the people to get access to the resources that were unavailable before
  • The people who use the platforms of social media get empowered and informed to change their communities and themselves.

Social Aspects

  • With the help of social media, people can communicate with friends and this enhanced communication online strengthens the relationship between them. Survey says around 52% of the teens that remain online say social media have helped them with their friendships and around 88% of the people say that staying online has helped them stay in touch with the friends they don’t see regularly.
  • As said earlier, young people always have this tendency to make new friends. Around 57% of the teens that remain online say that they make new friends on social media.

Jobs for the Youth

  • Social media is one of the best ways for marketing products, connecting with people and find business opportunities.
  • It helps the employers to get the employees and those who are in search of new jobs. Around 87% of the job recruiters have found their employers through LinkedIn, around 30% through Facebook and 15% through Twitter.
  • The social media sites are the reasons for creating thousands of job opportunities for the people and they have brought new avenues of income.

Negative Impact of Social Media on Youth in different Sectors

Work/School

  • Social media helps the students to cheat on school assignments and for those who work can get some idea about their work.
  • If social media is used on a light scale, it will help the students to improve their grades. However, for those students who are heavy users, their grades tend to fall incredibly. A study shows that students who are using Facebook have an average GPA of 3.06 while those who don’t use Facebook have an average GPA of 3.82.
  • On average of 106 minutes in every 90 minutes that is spent on Facebook college students drop their grades to12.
  • The social media platform affects the productivity of the employees to .51%. These workers are generally between the age of 25-34 and check their social media during work.

Lacking Privacy

  • One thing that is seen common among the young people is they often get too open in the public and share their personal information. Most of the people don’t read the privacy policies and are unaware that their information that the information is read by the insurance companies, advertisers and the IRS.
  • They expose themselves to the governmental and corporate intrusions. The justice department of the US gather hundreds of pieces of information from the social networks and email every year.

Cyber Bullying

  • One of the very prime negative impact of social media on youth as some of the negative minded individuals use it for bullying someone.
  • People use it for sending intimidating messages to others that sometimes create trauma for the others as well.
  • Misinformation or false propaganda is another negative impact of social media on youth.

Cosmic Horror

The Sinking City

A zombie doesn’t scare me nearly as big sky country, where there’s nowhere to hide. Yikes! That’s why I connect with cosmic horror. Cosmic horror stories are a whole different kind of nightmare: the terrifyingly unknowable. These cosmic horror tales draw upon the power of the sublime to make us feel small, inconsequential, and totally helpless against something vast and natural. For instance, that featureless white landscape of a total whiteout snow storm. Or the panic you might feel if the electricity has gone out and you encounter a pitch black house.

Cosmic horror is about finding those moments where the unknown crashes up against the known. Maybe you’ve always avoided open water because it makes you feel powerless. A good cosmic horror story would play on that fear, driving you to a startling encounter with the ocean where you are forced to confront how little you can do to change vast cosmic forces that shape humanity. If you thought we have control over our natural world, cosmic horror will make you think twice.

Cosmic horror can also be intensely psychological. This genre of horror will often ask us to doubt our default psychological experience. What is “reality” if not a construct we take for granted? Psychology still has blind spots in understanding the brain. Cosmic horror delights in exploiting that endless unknown of the mind. Some of the best cosmic horror crosses over into psychological thriller.

Lovecraft’s Influence

The cosmic horror genre generally credits American writer Howard Phillips Lovecraft as its founder, and, indeed, “Lovecraftian horror” and “cosmic horror” are often used interchangeably. A prolific author, Lovecraft penned many stories and novels that are often grouped together in the Cthulhu Mythos. Some of his most widely known work include the novellas At the Mountains of Madness (1936), The Shadow over Innsmouth (1936),and The Shadow Out of Time (1936). A few acclaimed short stories are “The Rats in the Walls” (1924) and “The Call of Cthulhu” (1928).

Lovecraft’s fiction established the Cosmicism literary philosophical movement, of which cosmic horror is one example. At the Mountains of Madness, for instance, is written as a narrative by the leader of a failed Antarctic expedition. The crew encounter a lost prehistoric alien civilization. When this seemingly dormant community shows itself to be active, the men come face to face with an—unnamed and once unknowable—evil. In “The Rats in the Walls,” a man moves back to his ancestral home, a mansion where he hears rats crawl in the walls, a paranoia he cannot prove to be true. As buried family secrets are unearthed, the man’s quest for understanding leads him into the heart of sinister forces. But it’s the sound of the rats—invisible and unknowable—that begin to erode his mind.

The Imago Sequence and other stories by Laird Barron

Laird Barron is a leading author of cosmic horror known for high-concept terrors. In this collection, read some of his acclaimed short fiction like the titular novella, “The Imago Sequence,” which was nominated for a World Fantasy Award.

Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero

Love Netflix’s Stranger Things? You’ll devour Edgar Cantero’s Meddling Kids, an ode to the unique way that horror scares us when we are young. In this cosmic horror novel, a band of teen detectives have grown up after one divisive summer trying to unmask the Sleepy Lake monster in 1977. Fast forward to 1990 when they team up again to find the truth about their past.

The Shape of Water by Guillermo Del Toro

In this novelization of Guillermo del Toro’s Academy Award-winning film The Shape of Water, a mute woman takes pity on a sea creature being studied in secret by the U.S. government. She rescues the creature, only to fall in love with it. This exquisite study of a romantic connection between humans and the unknowable others is classic cosmic horror.

Cthulhu’s Daughters by Silvio Moreno Garcia

Inspired by Lovecraft, this collection of cosmic horror by female authors brings another perspective to the traditionally male-dominated genre. In 25 chilling tales, authors like Selena Chambers and Arinn Dembo give voices to the women characters in Lovecraft’s work. (Note: Cthulhu’s Daughters is the American edition of the anthology She Walks in Shadows).

Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer

Jeff VanderMeer’s Annihilation helped make new weird mainstream. The opening in the Southern Reach trilogy, this gripping thriller traces the escalating terror among an all-women scientific expedition to the mysterious classified Area X. The narrator, a biologist, is after more than plant observations: she’s trying to solve the mystery of her husband’s disappearance in Area X. Annihilation was made into a feature film starring Natalie Portman. The movie is an excellent adaptation of the novel. Personally, one of my favorite movies of all time.

Magic for Beginners by Kelly Link

Kelly Link’s debut short story collection, Magic for Beginners, almost defies words, winning comparisons to Alice Munro, George Saunders, J.K. Rowling, and others. What’s clear, though, is Link’s voice is distinct and wholly original. Blending magical realism, surrealism, and the absurd in stories featuring fairies, zombies, and rabbits, Link’s work celebrates the weird.

Made for Love by Alissa Nutting

Hazel has recently escaped a psychologically abusive marriage to a tech CEO. Seeking refuge with her father and his lifelike sex doll, Hazel settles into the trailer park for senior citizens. Meanwhile, a conman has a born-again moment after which he can only get aroused by dolphins. As their paths intersect, things get weird.

U.S.-China Trade War : Impact on India

The impact on India as a result of the trade war is a double edged sword, there is potential for India to capitalise on the fraught bilateral economic relationship between the US and China to extend its own gains but the long term implications can be severe. Experts have continually stated that India might not get negatively impacted as a result of the on-going trade war. But, this isn’t exactly correct. India can be impacted both negatively and positively.

“South-East Asia is considered one of the areas along with India that should benefit in the medium term for diversification out of the crosshairs of tariffs between the US and China, but this structural trend has to be supported by policies.”

Trinh Nguyen, Senior Economist, Emerging Asia, Natixis
  1. HARMS

The US is highly dependent on China for access to low cost component parts. Retaliatory tariffs by China have increased the cost of production, driving up consumer prices and leading to a “potential cascading inflationary impact” (Sasi, 2018).

This could propel the Federal Reserve to increase interest rates and limit spending to slow down inflation. This has serious repercussions for India as foreign investors would look for higher returns in the US and pull out capital from investments in India. Money outflow from market bonds and equities would destabilise Indian equity and debt markets and increase market volatility. Stressors can add on pressure on India’s banking system which has already been in the throes of a bad loans crisis.

  • BENEFITS

The benefits for India are categorised to be short term gains, presenting as an opportunity to be a significant trading ally and exporter.

  1. “There are multiple US exports such as flue-cured tobacco, fresh grape chemicals, etc. to China which align with India’s export.” (Niraj, 2019)

There is a chance for India to gain a substantive share in the Chinese market, considering high demand levels. But realising this opportunity requires significant government spending and investments to ramp up production and focus on technological and quality upgrades.

  • It is also crucial for India to solidify its “trade footprint”, especially in areas where tariffs have been imposed on China.

“India gained about $755 million in additional exports, mainly of chemicals (243 million USD), metals and ore (181 million USD), electrical machinery (83 million USD) to the US in the first half of 2019 due to the trade diversion effects of Washington’s tariff war with China. This was also in the form of increased exports in areas such as agri-food, furniture, office machinery, precision instruments, textiles and apparel and transport equipment.” (Nicita, 2019)

There is significant scope to extend these gains in the form of increased exports to the US and strengthen an existing trade relationship.

Vietnam- A country that benefitted from the U.S.-China Trade War

There are a few third-party economies which have gained from the trade war by becoming substitute and alternative sources for consumer products, industrial equipment, component parts and microchips.

Example Based Analysis:

Vietnam is considered to be one of the largest beneficiaries of the trade war between the US and China and according to a study conducted by the Nomura Bank of Japan, the biggest beneficiary of the diversion of imports (in the form of additional US imports).

“Vietnam has continued to expand its economy, growing the fastest in Southeast Asia in 2019, in part due to the US-China trade war.”

(Samuel, 2020)

Chinese companies lost significant market share to Vietnam, in the form of companies producing car tires, refrigerators and furniture. Vietnam has been particularly shrewd and capitalised on an opportunity to try and bypass China by boosting production, providing a stable environment for foreign investors and increasing exports to the US. 

Vietnam’s GDP in 2019 remained robust at 7%, the highest in Southeast Asia. It recorded the second strongest first-quarter growth in the past decade, surpassed only by 7.45% in 2018. And their exports to the US jumped by 34.8% year on year in the first nine months of 2019. (Vietnam Briefing, 2020)

(Vietnam has gained substantially as a result of China and US import substitutions)

Vietnam does face challenges when it comes to sustaining this economic advantage. Ramping up production depends on a focused labour supply. The Vietnamese culture doesn’t look favourably upon working overtime and skill cultivation is lacking.

Vietnam’s present supply chain network, on ground contacts and infrastructural capacity needs to be strengthened and its efficiency enhanced. Sudden, surging demand can put unnecessary pressure and lead to the collapse of an already weak system.

The Vietnamese government must put in concentrated effort to improve the business environment and keep the domestic economy competitive on a global and regional scale.

Conclusion:

While a trade war between two major economies can have a devastating global impact, South-East Asian markets (which were previously overshadowed by the sheer magnitude and the export-driven nature of the Chinese economy) have emerged as winners

The benefits of this trade war is massive for third party smaller economics and can provide a significant boost to their exports, making these countries much more competitive globally (relative to just American and Chinese firms dominating the market). While there is a rapid increase in the number of companies relocating from China, it is essential that policy-making on a government level is strengthened to extend these benefits.

These gains can slip away easily owing to the limited infrastructural capacities of smaller South-East Asian economies which have traditionally lacked the scale to transform into a “mini China”.

JELLYFISH

Life is a beautiful

magnificent things,

Even yo a jellyfish.

~ Charlie Chaplin

Jellyfish

Jellyfish are mainly free-swimming marine animals with umbrella-shaped bells and trailing tentacles. Jellyfish and sea jellies are the informal common names given to the medusa-phase.

Special about jellyfish

Jellyfish have tiny stinging cells in their tentacles of stun or paralyze their prey before they eat them. Inside their bell shaped body is an opening that is its mouth. Tentacles hang down from the smooth baglike body and sting their prey. Jellyfish stings can be painful to humans and sometimes very dangerous.

Where do jellyfish live

They are found in oceans all over the world : at the surface, deep beneath the sea, in warm water, in cold water, some species of hydrozoa , even live in fresh water.

Jellyfish made of

Lacking brains, blood or even hearts, jellyfish are pretty simple critters. They are composed of three layers; an outer layer, called the epidermis, a middle layer made of a thick, elastic, jellyfish-like substance called mesoglea, and an inner layer called the gastrodermis.

Jellyfish reproduction

Jellyfish reproduce both sexually and asexually.one generation (the medusa) reproduces sexually and the next generation (the polyp) reproduce asexually….For both species, fertilized eggs developed into a multi-cellular plan planula and then into polyps that live on the sea floor .

Jellyfish purpose

Researchers describe jellyfish as a ‘Gingerbread house ‘ for fish,providing both food and shelter. Scientists at Queen’s University ,belfast,have discovered that jellyfish are providing habitat and space for developing larval and juvenile fish.

Colors

Some jellyfish are clear, but others are in vibrant colors such as pink,yellow, blue, and purple and often are luminescent.

PAULA SCHER- GRAPHIC DESIGN

“Typography is painting with words” ~ PAULA SCHER

Abstract: The Art of Design, a Netflix Documentary Series featured Paula Scher,
one of the most influential graphic designers in the world.

STYLE
 She has the innate ability to create a distinctive body of work with just letters.
 Design needs to take human behavior into account.
 She gets her best ideas when her mind can freely observe and associate. She calls it ‘state of play’.
 Her work provides sensibility and spirit.
 Ideas can be triggered by working with a team.

WORK
Her work ethic is very strategic and intuitive. Strategic is when she observes exactly what the client wants. Because designing isn’t the hard part, persuading the people to consider it norm is the hard part. She is well knit with the team, very quick paced. She is a part of Pentagram- a large firm where everyone gets to act like an individual. It consists of the best designers in the world.

She’d been working with the Public theatre since 1994. Her work was always considered to be loud and proud. The
style that she used while designing a logo for Public was to use the same typeface to draw in the whole city, the same
typeface with different weight. Paula usually liked to relate with the very motive of the company that she is designing for.

For example, The logo she made for High Line, she made the H look like a railroad track. That itself made it seem industrial and neat. It totally changed the spirit. When she came up with attaching a picture of the same beach view from different streets. This helped orient people and emotionally connect the community and give the people identity and icon. 

HISTORY

She used to paint fonts by hand when she was younger. But when the world advanced with computers, that art form slowly faded away. The loss of touch and feel with her material was huge for her so she adapted painting maps. She loved indulging in things that took a long period to complete. 

She fell in love with typography after being influenced by contemporary culture comics, magazines, record covers. Her First job when she was a teenager was when she started doing record  labels for CBS. Her labels were on demand and she gained a lot of experience  from the same. 

She did exactly what her customer wanted to do most of the time. The more she worked on the covers, the more she realized she like to have control and  typography was meant for her.