Day: November 24, 2022

WORLD KINDNESS DAY

World Kindness Day is an international holiday recognized yearly on November 13 as part of the World Kindness Movement. It is observed in several nations, including the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia, and the United Arab Emirates. On this day, we can emphasise one of the most fundamental and unifying human traits. Try to spread the word about this crucial quality that unites people of all backgrounds on this day honouring the positive possibilities of both significant and minute acts of kindness.


HISTORY OF WORLD KINDNESS DAY

World Kindness Day was established as an awareness day by the World Kindness Movement. The organization was officially recognized as an NGO under Swiss legislation in 2019, but its origins date back to a convention held in Tokyo in 1997. A number of institutions and groups from countries including Australia, Thailand, the United States, and the United Kingdom met at this conference due to their dedication to fostering kindness in society.

The Society Kindness Movement was established as a result of this incident, and their written founding statement contained a commitment to “join together to build a kinder and more compassionate world.” To make this possible, they would allow the inaugural World Kindness Day to be established in 1998.

The mission of World Kindness Day is to “encourage acts of compassion in the community, focusing on the positive force and the common thread of kindness which binds us,” according to the World Kindness Movement. Since it was founded more than 20 years ago, the day has earned genuine global recognition; events related to the day have attracted participants from every continent with a population. These include events like dance parties, concerts, and the distribution of “kindness cards.”

The World Kindness Movement still aspires to receive official UN recognition even though the day is now observed on an unofficial basis. World Kindness Day would join the ranks of recognized holidays like the International Day of Peace, Human Rights Day, and World Health Day if the group is successful in its endeavors.

5 FACTS ABOUT KINDNESS

1. National Day of Unity

World Kindness Day is celebrated in over 28 countries, even though it is not linked with any religion or political movement.

2. Being kind pays off

People who are always kind create 23% less cortisol, the stress hormone; as a result of decreased stress levels, people who practice kindness age slower than the general population.

3. Generosity spreads.

According to Stanford Social Neuroscience Laboratory researchers, people are more likely to treat others kindly when they observe others behaving kindly.

4. Blood pressure is reduced.

When you experience emotional warmth, your body releases the hormone oxytocin, which dilates your blood vessels and lowers your blood pressure.

 

How to Blow Up a Pipeline

 There is no magic bullet or immediate remedy to tackle climate change.  Only the right kind of conversations and interventions are the key.  Through ‘How to Blow Up a Pipeline’ we are trying to provoke the right conversation on this burning issue, said Director of the movie Daniel Goldhaber.

While interacting with the media and festival delegates at the ‘Table Talk’ session by PIB on the side-lines of the 53rd International Film Festival of India in Goa, Daniel Goldhaber resolutely expressed that the film neither intends to support nor explore environment extremism. “We are trying to understand why some are being pushed to engage in environmental extremism. It also tries to be frank about the consequences of such extreme acts,” he added.  The film had its Asian Premiere at IFFI53.

 Asserting that conversations on climatic changes and tactics to face the same are very limited, Daniel added, “Such conversations are predominantly led by corporations and countries profiting from the impact of climate change.”

Emphasizing that climatic issue is an ocean we haven’t really explored, Daniel opined that the consequences of climatic change are not being felt immediately by those countries which cause the reason, but in other places in another place of the planet. “There is a massive responsibility on us to deal with that,” he added.

‘How to Blow Up a Pipeline’- A taut and timely thriller portrays the story of a crew of young environmental activists who with their radical resolve dares to execute a mission to sabotage an oil pipeline. They engage in the act as a reciprocation to the deeds meted out by the system resulting in climate crisis.

The movie is an adaptation of Andreas Malm’s 2021 book, How to Blow Up a Pipeline- Learning to fight in a world of fire’. According to Daniel, the book basically tries to advocate that every social justice movement in the global history in the last decades has had at least some component of property destruction and sabotage. “By making a movie on the book, we wanted to see what would happen if we dramatize the theme though it is fundamentally different from the book, he added.

Narrating the reason for making a movie on a subject, which is the defining issues of our times, Daniel Goldhaber said he had always been looking for a story on climate activism since he is so accustomed to the subject. “My parents are climate scientists. I have been brought up in an environment knowing climatic changes and the activisms associated with it.”

Sharing his joy over the screening of his movie in IFFI53, Daniel said the film is an American film, completely based on an American concept adapted from an European book, but it is always great to get the movie propagated at Asian as well as other countries since the issue is universal.

   

 

About the movie

Synopsis: A crew of young environmental activists execute a daring mission to sabotage an oil pipeline in this taut and timely thriller that is part high-stakes heist, part radical exploration of the climate crisis.

Daniel Goldhaber is a director, writer and producer based in Los Angeles and New York.He graduated from Harvard University where he studied Visual and Environmental Studies. Goldhaber’s first feature was ‘Cam’ (2018). Goldhaber was named as one of Filmmaker

‘How to Blow Up a Pipeline’ premiered in the Platform Section of Toronto International Film Festival.

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Relevance of cricket throughout the year

Gone are the days when we had the opportunity to watch our favourite national cricket team play a game or a series in a year. Now, we have cricket throughout the year. Teams visit different countries and play several series in a year. Now the series also have various duration. Some are very short and some are of very long duration. It appears as if cricket has lost its shine.

Now, players play throughout the year. If they are free, then they take part in some domestic tournaments all over the globe. IPL has been one of the biggest influencers in such a manner. It gives the players a platform to showcase their skills and also provides them with a chance to earn big amounts. They are also paid handsomely in such tournaments and sometimes. Even get recognition in their respective countries. 

But all of this is slowly creating problems. Now, the question arises that how can this round-the-clock behaviour be stopped. Is there any way that can ensure that cricket stays relevant for a longer duration? The new format of T20 is also taking the shine off the test matches.

With the exit of India, in T20 World Cup the talks are on several sections of society giving their opinion. The team reached the semi-final and then aced a 10- wicket defeat from the England cricket team.

https://unsplash.com/photos/oDs_AxeR5g4

After this defeat, questions are raised about the performance of the team. A blame game is also going on. Some blame the batsmen, some blame the bowlers, some blame the lack of experience and some even blame the coach.

But at the core, there is also some positive result in this year’s performance. The younger lot of the team has performed well to some extent. The team did reach the semi-final and this is a good sign. It can give some confidence to the team before they proceed to the ODI World Cup in 2023. 

For the preparation part, the Indian team which is playing in NZ currently, has some changes. For starters, Dravid has been replaced by Laxman as the new head coach of the Indian cricket team.

For the time being, the team has been able to win the T20 series against the NZ team. There were three matches, out of which the first one was washed out. The second one was won by the Indian team. Then the third match ended in a tie. So, this results in the Indian team winning the series. Now, it’s time for the ODI series. The series will better prepare the team for the next year’s ODI World Cup. 

After this series, there is also a series against the Bangladesh team in Bangladesh. It will also be helpful as the series will be played in friendly conditions. Another plus point is that as the next year’s World Cup will be played in India, so familiar conditions will give more exposure to the youngsters to play in the single-day format of the popular game.