Paradox…

A logically self contradicting statement is a paradox. Also known as antinomy. You can say it is a sentence that runs contrary to one’s expectations. Actually it’s just a smart mess. It does have valid reasoning but leads to a self contradictory or a logically unacceptable conclusion. It might seem absurd but is kind of the ultimate truth. That’s what makes it all the more interesting.

Let’s see some of the many interesting paradoxes that exist and try to understand them.

•Achilles and the tortoise 🐢🏃

One of the “greatest” there is. It was put forward by the Greek philosopher Zeno of Elea in the 5th century BC. It so happens that the great hero Achilles challenges a tortoise to a footrace. Being the hero that he is, he allows the tortoise a headstart of 500m. No doubt, when the race starts, Achilles is at a must faster speed than the tortoise such that by the time he has reached the 500m mark, the tortoise has only walked 50m further than him. When he has reached 555m mark, the tortoise has walked another 0.5m, then 0.25m, then 0.125 m and so on. It is a chain of such infinite small distances with the tortoise always moving forwards while Achilles always has to catch up. Now, logically, Achilles can never overtake the tortoise. Except, of course, intuitively he can overtake.

Don’t think of it in terms of distances and races but rather as an example of how finite value can always be divided an infinite number of times, no matter how small its divisions might become!

•Birthday paradox 🎉🎂

This is personal favourite. It is maths based by the way. Probability to be specific. You have already heard of this probably. It goes like this that in a group of 23 randomly selected people there is a 50% chance two of their birthdays match. Interesting? Wait. In a group of 367 random people there is a 100% possibility atleast two of their birthdays match. Sounds like such a small number. It counts as a paradox because we can’t handle such numbers.

•Crocodile paradox 🐊

A crocodile snatches a young boy from the riverbank. Pretty common situation right? Anyways, his mother pleads with the crocodile to return the boy. The crocodile being in a fun mood, wants the mother to guess if he will return the boy or not. Takes one guess to get the boy out safely. It looks simple – the mother guesses he will return the boy, if she is right she gets the boy, if she is wrong, the crocodile gets the boy. If she answers that the crocodile will not return him, however, we end up with a paradox!

If she is right and the crocodile never intended to return her child, then the crocodile has to return him but in doing so breaks his word and contradicts the mother’s answer. And if she is indeed wrong and the crocodile did intended to return the boy, the crocodile must then keep him even though he intended not to, thereby also breaking his word. It’s a brain twisting dilemma.

•Paradox of fiction 🎟️📕

Are you fixated with the harry potter characters? You ofcourse have a crush on the Marvel or DC comic characters. Oh or did you cry when Augustus died?

So here is the paradox. Point 1 People have emotional responses to characters, objects, events etc. which are fictitious. Point 2 In order to be emotionally moved, we must believe that these characters or events by no way exists in real. Point 3 No person who takes characters to be fictional at the same time believes that they are real. All three of these points one at a time can be true. If any two points are considered to be true then the third must be false or else produce a contradiction. There exist various proposed solutions to this paradox such as pretend theory or thought theory or illusion theory.

•The card paradox 🃏

This one is a little bit similar to the crocodile paradox. A little. So I say we have a card with us. On one side, the front side, “the sentence on the other side of this card is TRUE” written on it. You flip and “the sentence on the other side of this card is FALSE”. You take one as true and it leads to a paradox!

Thank you for reading. Have a nice day!🌼

Dean Jones, former Australia cricketer passes away due to severe cardiac arrest

Jones was in Mumbai as part of the commentary team at Star Sports for IPL 2020 when he passed away on Thursday, 24 September. Former Australia cricketer Dean Jones died of a heart attack on Thursday in Mumbai. He was 59. Dean Jones was in India to fulfil his commitments for the host broadcasters of the Indian Premier League. He suffered a massive heart attack at a hotel in Mumbai after 12 PM on Thursday.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends,” Star Sports India, the host broadcasters for IPL 2020, confirmed the news of Jones’s passing in a statement.

It is with great sadness that we share the news of the passing away of Mr. Dean Mervyn Jones AM. He died of a sudden cardiac arrest. We express our deep condolences to his family and stand ready to support them in this difficult time. We are in touch with the Australian High Commission to make the necessary arrangements.

Dean Jones played 52 Tests and 164 ODIs for Australia during an international career which spanned 8 years between 1984 and 1992. He scored 3631 runs in red-ball cricket at an average of 46.55 with 11 hundred and 14 half-centuries.

In one-day internationals he amassed 6068 runs at 44.61 with 7 hundred and 46 fifties.

His most memorable Test innings came in 1986, when in the heat and humidity of Chennai, he battled exhaustion and illness to make a heroic 210 in what would be only the second tied Test ever.

That was just his third Test, coming two years after his debut against West Indies in 1984. With plenty to prove, he came out at No.3, and stayed in the middle for 330 minutes, despite being sick on the field and finding himself in hospital at the end of the knock.

Jones went on to make 10 more hundreds, with a career-best 216 against West Indies in Adelaide in 1989. But it was in ODIs that he really made his name, gaining a reputation as an attacking batsman and a fast runner between the wickets – and, by his own admission, also the first player to wear sunglasses on the field. He attained a high of 918 ranking points on the ICC Men’s ODI Rankings for Batting in March 1991, putting him fifth on the all-time list.

“Winning the 1987 World Cup in front of about 100,000 in Kolkata will remain the biggest moment of my career,” he had said.

Dean Jones was one of the great ambassadors of the game associating himself with Cricket development across South Asia. He was passionate about discovering new talent and nurturing young Cricketers. He was a champion commentator whose presence and presentation of the game always brought joy to millions of fans. He will be sorely missed by everyone at Star and his millions of fans across the globe.

His compatriot and fellow commentator for the ongoing season of the Indian Premier League, Brett Lee, was with him, and they had breakfast together earlier. When he suffered the cardiac arrest in the lobby of the hotel, Lee tried to resuscitate Jones by giving him CPR, but was unable to save him.

We all will miss his extra ordinary commentary that used to create a aw in all the cricket fraterninties.

Feminist Movement across the times

The feminist movement (also known as the women’s movement, or simply
feminism) refers to a series of political campaigns for reforms on issues such as
reproductive rights, domestic violence, maternity leave, equal pay, women’s
suffrage, sexual harassment, and sexual violence, all of which fall under the label
of feminism and the feminist movement. The movement’s priorities vary among
nations and communities, and range from opposition to female genital mutilation
in one country, to opposition to the glass ceiling in another.

Feminism in parts of the Western world has gone through three waves. First-wave
feminism was oriented around the station of middle- or upper-class white women
and involved suffrage and political equality. Second-wave feminism attempted to
further combat social and cultural inequalities. Although the first wave of
feminism involved mainly middle class white women, the second wave brought in
women of colour and women from other developing nations that were seeking
solidarity. Third-wave feminism is continuing to address the financial, social and
cultural inequalities and includes renewed campaigning for greater influence of

women in politics and media. In reaction to political activism, feminists have also
had to maintain focus on women’s reproductive rights, such as the right to
abortion. Fourth-wave feminism examines the interlocking systems of power that
contribute to the stratification of traditionally marginalized groups.

Feminism in the United States, Canada and a number of countries in western
Europe has been divided into three waves by feminist scholars: first, second and
third-wave feminism. Recent (early 2010s) research suggests there may be a fourth
wave characterized, in part, by new media platforms.

The women’s movement became more popular in May 1968 when women began
to read again, more widely, the book The Second Sex, written in 1949 by a
defender of women’s rights, Simone de Beauvoir. De Beauvoir’s writing explained
why it was difficult for talented women to become successful. The obstacles de
Beauvoir enumerates include women’s inability to make as much money as men
do in the same profession, women’s domestic responsibilities, society’s lack of
support towards talented women, and women’s fear that success will lead to an
annoyed husband or prevent them from even finding a husband at all. De Beauvoir
also argues that women lack ambition because of how they are raised, noting that
girls are told to follow the duties of their mothers, whereas boys are told to exceed
the accomplishments of their fathers. Along with other influences, Simone de
Beauvoir’s work helped the feminist movement to erupt, causing the formation of
Le Mouvement de Libération des Femmes (The Women’s Liberation Movement).
Contributors to The Women’s Liberation Movement include Simone de Beauvoir,
Christiane Rochefort, Christine Delphy and Anne Tristan. Through this movement,
women gained equal rights such as a right to an education, a right to work, and a
right to vote. One of the most important issues that The Women’s Liberation
movement faced was the banning of abortion and contraception, which the group
saw as a violation of women’s rights. Thus, they made a declaration known as Le
Manifeste de 343 which held signatures from 343 women admitting to having had
an illegal abortion. The declaration was published in two French newspapers, Le
Nouvel Observateur and Le Monde, on 5 April 1971. The group gained support
upon the publication. Women received the right to abort with the passing of the
Veil Law in 1975.

The Women’s movement effected change in Western society, including women’s
suffrage, the right to initiate divorce proceedings and “no fault” divorce, the right
of women to make individual decisions regarding pregnancy (including access to
contraceptives and abortion), and the right to own property. It has also led to broad
employment for women at more equitable wages, and access to university
education.

In 1918 Crystal Eastman wrote an article published in the Birth Control Review,
she contended that birth control is a fundamental right for women and must be
available as an alternative if they are to participate fully in the modern world. “In
short, if feminism, conscious and bold and intelligent, leads the demand, it will be
supported by the secret eagerness of all women to control the size of their families,
and a suffrage state should make short work of repealing these old laws that stand
in the way of birth control.” She stated “I don’t believe there is one woman within
the confines of this state who does not believe in birth control!”

The United Nations Human Development Report 2004 estimated that when both
paid employment and unpaid household tasks are accounted for, on average
women work more than men. In rural areas of selected developing countries
women performed an average of 20% more work than men, or 120% of men’s total
work, an additional 102 minutes per day. In the OECD countries surveyed, on
average women performed 5% more work than men, or 105% of men’s total
work—an additional 20 minutes per day. However, men did up to 19 minutes more
work per day than women in five out of the eighteen OECD countries surveyed:
Canada, Denmark, Hungary, Israel, and The Netherlands. According to UN
Women, “Women perform 66 percent of the world’s work, produce 50 percent of
the food, but earn 10 percent of the income and own 1 percent of the property.”

The feminist movement’s agenda includes acting as a counter to the putatively
patriarchal strands in the dominant culture. While differing during the progression
of waves, it is a movement that has sought to challenge the political structure,
power holders, and cultural beliefs or practices.

Although antecedents to feminism may be found far back before the 18 th century,
the seeds of the modern feminist movement were planted during the late part of
that century. Christine de Pizan, a late medieval writer, was possibly the earliest
feminist in the western tradition. She is believed to be the first woman to make a
living out of writing. Feminist thought began to take a more substantial shape
during the Enlightenment with such thinkers as Lady Mary Wortley Montagu and
the Marquis de Condorcet championing women’s education. The first scientific
society for women was founded in Middelburg, a city in the south of the Dutch
republic, in 1785. Journals for women that focused on issues like science became
popular during this period as well.

The women who made the first efforts towards women’s suffrage came from more
stable and privileged backgrounds, and were able to dedicate time and energy into
making change. Initial developments for women, therefore, mainly benefited white
women in the middle and upper classes.

Brain Drain – A National Crisis

https://www.shutterstock.com/search/brain+drain

Many problems of an acute nature stare the development of developing countries in the face of modern times. One of them is brain drain. Although this pandemic has proven to be quite a beneficial solution to put a pause in the process. Not to forget this how this lockdown has also substantially caused to improve the environmental conditions. Except for the suffering humans, everything is getting benefitted. Thus nature is healing.

So, the concept of brain drain is defined as the substantial emigration or migration of individuals. Generally, such child prodigy’s most of whom are trained in different crafts in technologies & different science branches tend to show rising prosperity for better financial profit & prospect. Countless trained technicians, doctors, scientists & engineers leave their motherland in the greed of getting a good life. One reason for brain drain could be turmoil within a nation.

Such things severely affect countries that are on the verge of development. Training up these talented students with a great cost, who ultimately face a huge loss by the end, as these students mostly migrate to the USA or UK for higher education.

Further discussing there happen to be 3 different categories of brain-draining as mentioned below:

‌Geographical Brain Drain– This refers to the emigration of individuals of high-skills and high-brilliance to other nations. This also creates a negative impact on the home country’s economic development.

‌Organizational Brain Drain – This refers to the departure of individuals of skill, talent, and experience from one organization to another.

‌Industrial Brain Drain – This type involves the migration of skillful workers from one industry to another.

South Asia experiences a tremendous amount of emigration of talent. Furthermore, this trend is continuously rising with years passing by. Most noteworthy, there is a lot of demand for South Asian skilled, semi-skilled, and unskilled labor in the Gulf. Moreover, other favorite work locations for South Asians include Canada, United States, United Kingdom, and Australia.

Several reasons are responsible for the cause. Just for instance lack of suitable job opportunities. Besides these developing countries are hopelessly lacking in furnishing facilities for advanced research. On the contrary, the developed countries offer sufficient channels for research & well-objectified jobs with lucrative salaries. It is the need of the hour, for students need to develop a sense of gratitude & patriotism for their homeland that spends so much for their upbringing, training & education.

5 Budget-Friendly Islands To Visit

As everybody is eagerly waiting for some post-lockdown vacations, you too must be sighting for a cheap tropical vacation that offers golden sandy beaches, stunning outdoor destinations & the best sunny weather. So don’t you worry because here I’ve got you covered. Ranging from sunbathing on beaches to trekking amidst the tropical rainforest to experiencing a spiritual abode in temples. Here we have it all you want.

The following are the 5 best & budget-friendly destinations to travel nationally/internationally.

1] PORT BLAIR –Emerald, Blue & You.

Andaman & Nicobar islands, India

The capital city of the Andaman islands is home to thousands of species of aquatic life forms.

One can gaze at the serene azure blue water while basking under the sun at the breath-taking Corbyn Core Beach. Here you can find Jet ski’s, scuba diving, speed boat ride & even parasailing.

On the other hand, the iconic Cellular Jail homes the freedom fighter memorials. In the evening they hold the ‘light & sound show’ replicating days of hardships faced by the freedom fighters.

Samudrika Marine Museum is yet another getaway if you want to witness the history & anthropology of marine life. Nonetheless, it also showcases memoirs of 6 native tribes from Andaman.

Lastly, do not forget to visit the Munda Pahad, a trekking trail amidst the dense tropical forest. One can witness here, a spectacular view of the Indian Ocean & a beautiful sunset too.

Must Do’s:

‌South Asia’s only active Volcano – Barren‌
Enthralling pub – Alto Espirito
Foodophilic’s paradise & experience live music – Amaya

2] MALDIVES – The Coral reef Island

South Asia

A trip to the Maldives is never complete without a visit to its pristine beaches overlooking the turquoise lagoons & stay at exotic hotels. Escape to a barefoot venture here as you dine with champagne, lobster & squids at amazingly affordable prices.

So here I bring you Vadhoo Beach also known as “sea of stars”. At night, you can stargaze & tantalize your senses with the glowing blue waves. Planktons exhibit bioluminescence, causing heaven to descend on earth. Diving & kayaking can be enjoyed here.

Sail to the Sunset point in traditional Dhoni cruise & also visit the submerged Whale submarine.

Manta Point is a treat to your senses. The visitors can swim with the Manta rays & whale sharks here. This plankton-rich protected marine environment maintains stability in the ecosystem.

Must Do’s:

Dine at an underwater restaurant – H2O
Coral Rehabilitation center to adopt a coral.

3] BALI –Ultimate in Diversity

Lesser Sunda Islands, Indonesia.

Citing this as one of the topmost tourist holiday destinations in the world, it had to be one of my picks. Ever thought of a beach of pink color? For all the pinkoholics out there, this is your place. This exotic Pink Beach will surely blow your mind with its dreamy beauty. A secluded beach with pink-hued sand & rocky cliffs. Build your sandcastles & get some princess vibes.

For all nature lovers, who want a wild & raw taste of Bali, Sekumpal Waterfall is your way. A series of falls cascading like long misty veils over a lush green cliff. This incredible natural beauty mesmerizes the soul within.

For the shopping enthusiasts, Seminyak shopping alley is the way. Dear bargain seekers, here you can find stalls crammed with clothes, jewelry, sculptures & handicrafts.

Must Do’s:

Tirta Empul temple
Kecak Fire Dance – Ubud

4] MAURITIUS – The Dream you can Afford

Africa

Located along the southeast coast of Africa, in the Indian Ocean. Besides relaxing on the white soft sand beaches you can explore the colourful capital, hike waterfalls, do sunset yoga & munch some traditional street food while shopping in the busy market roads.

All the active window-shoppers out there, Le Caudan Waterfront is your escape. A shopping & entertainment complex with a wide array of shops, restaurants, craft markets & a marina. Here they also host regular live street performance.

Le Morne Brabant is the roughest & wildest mountains of the island. So if you are searching for some adventure, this is it! Hike to the summit lasts for 2-3hrs & on top, you can discover a breathtaking panoramic view & turquoise lagoons with a pinch of land.

The Chamarel Waterfall is a natural abode to the flora & fauna. Set against a scenic backdrop of tropical rainforest & mountains, it’s the highest waterfall in Mauritius.

Must Do’s:

Vibrant nightlife fun & extremely affordable beverages & meals –Banana Beach Club

5] HONOLULU –Paradise of the Pacific

Oahu, Hawaii.

Situated in the Pacific Ocean, Hawaii is the hub to some extravagant dining, nightlife & shopping. The spectacular beaches & lush green valleys offer endless outdoor activities like surfing, skydiving, zip-lining & paragliding.

Waikiki Bay is an artificial beach that encompasses some parks, lagoons & harbours. It offers sensational sights, charming, pocket- friendly accommodations & exquisite cuisine.

Diamond Head will surely amaze you. A volcanic tuff in Oahu takes about 1.1 km uphill hiking as you admire a scenic beauty passing by tunnels and climbing a fleet of stairs to the summit.

If you are a history buff, Tolani Palace is your place. A national historic landmark where one can absorb the opulence & grandeur of the Hawaiian royalty. So don’t forget to enjoy yourself in the ostentatious surrounding the palace.

Must Do’s:

‌Visit the Polynesian Cultural Center to watch some indigenous Hula dance.

Most destinations in the world can be explored within budget without sacrificing too much on comfort. So even if you are not a backpacker, you can take advantage of all these deals & save money. As it’s rightly said by someone “Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer.”

Now it’s your turn to choose your adventure & let the memories begin.

Anniversaries (as of 2019)

150th birth anniversary

•Mahatma Gandhi, the father of our nation is an inspiring person, who shaped world history. Gandhiji stands out among the great men of the world as a symbol of non violent resistance to political and social repression. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born on October 2nd, 1869 in Gujarat. He became the leader of a movement that attracted millions in the struggle for freedom. He was strong advocate of non-violence. India got freedom on August 15th, 1947. Gandhiji was assassinated on January 30th, 1948.

100th birth anniversary

• The year 2019 marks the 100th birth anniversary of Dr. Vikram Sarabhai, the father of the Indian space programme. He was born on 12th August, 1919. Dr. Sarabhai has put India on the international map in the field of space research. In 1962, he became chairman of the Indian National committee for space research. The establishment of the Indian space research organisation, also known as ISRO, was one of his greatest achievements. Dr. Sarabhai died on 30th December 1971.

500th death anniversary

• Leonardo da Vinci was perhaps the most widely talented person ever to have lived. He was a consummate painter and sculptor, a great inventor, military engineer, scientist, botanist and mathematician! He lived during the Renaissance in Italy and while working in Milan as an artist, he began writing texts for his students and apprentices. His notebooks covered more than 1000 pages of observations and illustrations. They remained unpublished for more than a century and were printed only after his death. He was born on April 15th 1452 and died on May 2nd 1519.

150th anniversary

• The period table gives us information about element symbols and atomic weights. It brings order to information about the chemical elements and helps chemists to understand why elements react as they do. The milestone in the development of the periodic table was set by the Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleev in 1869, who is acknowledged as the ‘father’ of periodic table though the title is also claimed by the German scientist Lothar Meyer. Today, the periodic table organizes the elements by order of increasing atomic number.

150th year of publication

• 2019 marks the 150th year of one of the greatest novels ever written – Leo Tolstoy’s ‘War and Peace’. This classic work from Russia was first published in the book form in 1869. Tolstoy took almost 7 years to finish this epic work and a Russian magazine named ‘Messenger’ serialised some portions of it during 1865-67. But the full novel came out as a book only in 1869. The story woven around Napoleon’s invasion of Russia covers a period of over 15 years. The unique literary style and the historical context make ‘War and Peace’ a monumental work.

125th year of publication

• Is there anyone who isn’t familiar with the famous character ‘Mowgli’? Hopefully none. The main character of the evergreen ‘Jungle Book’, a collection of stories written by Rudyard Kipling is a huge part of our childhood. ‘The Jungle Book’ was first published in 1894.

100th anniversary

• The Jallianwala Bagh massacre was a turning point in our freedom movement. The British troops under the command of Colonel Reginald Dyer, opened fire on unarmed Indians on 13th April 1919. This event took place in the heart of Amritsar. Hundreds were killed and thousands injured. This was followed by widespread protests across a grieving country. Many Indians became convienced that the British had to be paid back in their own coin that violence has to be met with violence. The 100th anniversary of that cruel incident fell last year.

300th year of publication

• Daniel Defoe’s ‘Robinson Crusoe’ has fascinated readers around the world for the last 300 years. Daniel Defoe was an English writer, famous for his novel Robinson Crusoe that was published in 1791. One reason for it’s popularity is that it us packed with excitement and adventure, with sailing ships, stormy seas and guns. Without doubt, Defoe’s ‘Robinson Crusoe’ established a realistic style of fiction and set the tone for modern novels.

Thank you for reading. Have a nice day!🌼

Data Scientist Evergreen Career – Demand for Data Scientist is growing around the World

Data consumption has already increased manifold during the global pandemic anyway. As much data is being generated, its consumption is also being done accordingly. Mobile phones, social media, apps, payment wallets are generating so much data that the need of experts is being felt to manage it.

According to a study, the demand for data scientists around the world is estimated to increase by about 28 per cent. At the same time, India is second after the US in terms of making the most appointments in the field of data science or analytics.

Actually, data scientists study data. By analyzing the data, they help companies or institutions plan for the future. Under this, they first collect data. Then store them and then sort them into different categories i.e. packaging of data. Finally, data delivery takes place. Simply to say that data scientists know how to visualize data better. Apart from all this, they also help in finding the lost data, removing the chaos and avoiding other flaws.

Important skills with academics

To become a data scientist, a candidate must have an M.Tech or MS degree in Maths, Statistics, Computer Science, Engineering, Applied Science. Under Data Science people have to study Maths, Algorithm Techniques, Statistics, Machine Learning and Programming languages like Python, Hive, SQL, R, etc. which requires a lot of hard work, time and patience. The data scientist should also have a good understanding of the business and strong communication skills. Also, it is good to gather complete information about any program or course before selecting it.

Course

Many top institutes in the country offer courses related to it. For example, the Post Graduate Diploma in Business Analytics (Data Science) program jointly run by IIM Calcutta, ISI Calcutta and IIT Kharagpur is quite popular. Apart from this, you can also do a course from IIIT Bengaluru. If you want to learn online, you can explore the platforms of Simplilearn, Jigsaw Academy, Edureka, Learnbay, etc. According to experts, the maths background is beneficial for making a career in data science.

The possibilities

By 2026, it is expected to be around 11 million new jobs coming in this sector. Talking about India, the demand for data scientists in 2018 was seen to increase by 4.17 per cent, which is likely to continue in the coming time. Youngsters aspiring to pursue a career in this field can work on the profiles of data engineers, data administrators, statisticians, data and analytics managers, etc. There will be good demand in sectors like agriculture, healthcare, aviation, cybersecurity etc.

Hiring will increase even after COVID 19

Data scientists play a key role in building business analytics, data products, and software platforms. Today, 2.5 quintillion bytes of data is being created in the world every day, which will require skilled professionals to manage. There will be tremendous opportunities for them. Especially in Big Data Analytics and IT industry, they will have special demand.

According to a global study, after COVID 19, millions of data science professionals will be needed in the US alone. Global companies will hire a large number of data scientists to manage their businesses.

A similar situation will prevail in India. For this, youth can enrol in postgraduate courses offered in different universities of the country or can also take online courses from Coursera, Metis, MIT (EDX), Harvard or Udemy. But doing a full course would be better. If you can work with machine learning in deep learning frameworks like Neural Networks, TensorFlow, Keras, PyTorch, and have working knowledge of Hadoop and Spark, then there can be golden opportunities to move forward in the industry. It is also important for the data scientist to have critical thinking.

Premier Institutes:

ASI Calcutta

http://www.isical.ac.in

IIM, Calcutta

https://www.iimcal.ac.in/

IIT Kharagpur

http://www.iitkgp.ac.in/

Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore

https://www.iimb.ac.in/

Great Lakes Institute of Management, Tamil Nadu

https://www.greatlakes.edu.in/

IIIT Bangalore

https://www.iiitb.ac.in/

Small yet distinct

The word ‘country’ makes one think of a large land mass. However, not every country is huge. There are some countries that are really small in size. They are so tiny, that some of them can even be covered by foot! Some of these countries can fit entirely within the city of another country. The smallest country in the world, the Vatican City, for example, can fit into the city of Rome, capital of Italy. Many of these countries are only small in size. With their wealth and natural resources, they can even compete with any of the larger countries. So, here’s a showcase of some of the small, yet distinct countries.

• Vatican City

Vatican City is the world’s smallest fully independent nation state. It is also the smallest by population. Situated on the western bank of the Tiber river, the Vatican City’s 3.2 kilometre border is landlocked by Italy. The Vatican City has served as the official home of the pope of the Catholic church since 1377. However, Vatican City was not declared an independent state until the Lateran treaty of 1929 which created the independent state of Vatican City for the Catholic church. Today nearly 75% of the Vatican’s citizens are members of the clergy. Along with the centuries old buildings and gardens the Vatican maintains its own banking and telephone systems post office pharmacy newspaper and radio and television stations. Its 600 citizens include the members of the Swiss guard a security detail charged with protecting the Pope since 1506. The most significant building in Vatican City is Saint Peter’s Basilica. It is the Italian language that is used by most of those located within the state however the official documents are written in Latin.

• South Korea

Compared to the giants of Asia like India and China, South Korea is much smaller in size. Its total area is 100,032 square kilometres. South Korea has one pf the most homogeneous populations in the world which are thought to be descended from several Mongol tribes that migrated from central Asia. Tourism is a fast growing industry in South Korea.

• Portugal

Portugal is a sovereign state in Western Europe. It comprises of the continental part of Portugal on the western coast of the Iberian Peninsula and the small archipelagos of Madeira and the Azores in the Atlantic Ocean.

• Hungary

The name “Hungary” may very well come from the medieval Latin word ‘Hungaria’ which translates as “Land of Huns”. Another source states that the name is derived from the Turkish words on ‘Ogur’ meaning ‘ten arrows’ or ‘ten people’

• UAE

The United Arab Emirates is a constitutional federation of seven Emirates; Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm al-Quwain, Ras al-Khaimah and Fujairah. The federation was formally established on 2nd December, 1971. The UAE’s oil reserves are the seventh largest in the world while its natural gas reserves are the worlds seventeen largest. The Dubai police fleet includes Lamborghini, a Ferrari and a Bentley. This is to allow them to catch speeders who can outrun other cars.

• Dominican republic

The island of Hispaniola, the second largest island of the Antilles in the Caribbean contains two separate countries, the Dominican republic and Haiti. The Dominican republic is the only country in the world to have an image of the Holy Bible on its national flag.

• Panama • Georgia • Ireland • Iceland • Sri Lanka • Costa Rica • Bhutan • Switzerland • Belgium • Israel • Fiji • Qatar • Jamaica • Singapore • Maldives …to name a few others.

Thank you for reading. Have a nice day!🌼

Cinema can be path breaker in ending Racism and colour discrimination

Over some articles in past few days, we have discussed about the problem cinema has across the country. We are learning though, but we are still taking baby steps towards this movement. Alternatively, cinema around the world has gone through same but they are gradually learning and are ending this at much faster rates then us. There have been some examples where this issue has been busted very well. Hollywood has become progressively aware of situations and social implications of movies. They have corrected themselves exponentially in addressing such issues in mean time.

Industry comparison

But that’s not limited to the Hollywood, but one part of India has shown same level of sense. Often, we quote them as south cinema, but they are actually the Malayali cinema that has implicated the breakthrough. This industry has literally shocked everyone and has emerged in terms of defining the beauty standards. It has actually worked on the qualification one need to be feature in a movie in spite of being just fair in skin tone. They have really changed the perception and glorified the cinema that makes all proudly utter that we are the consumer of such cinema.

We might not have seen much of this thing as they so generous that they don’t even feel to go Gaga over their achievement. This is the quality a real cinema is all about because we are doing good, but it is not a miracle to cheer upon it. On the other hand, our industry is still at making, because even if we get successful like this, we will definitely be preachy about this and loads of award will be showered like a god has done some special just for our country.

If you just compare the advertisement of both industry, you will find the controversies around fair and lovely brand that makes fairness creams and showcases the same old mentality while Malayali ad of same product will just mesmerize you with their vision and justification of cream and advertisement.

Contrary we are addicted to justify that you might be darker in tone but we still feel good for you where it should have been just that we feel good about you irrespective of colour. Not to make one feel about their complexion and then showing our great mentality.

Revolution

But the fresh breeze has come ultimately with people not just dismissing the concept of such thing, we actually are taking dig to it and continuously objecting such vision of faulty measures. Earlier this was the condition that anything with some glossy and grandeur setup will be accepted but this has completely changed by now.

Due to unending debate of outsiders vs insiders, audience has now started understanding the purpose of cinema and Importance of content including such great thoughts of modernisation that ends these racism and colour discrimination problems. Cinema has power of uniting the whole world on one stand just like music does. Movies and films have language, but cinema and content does not rely on the language only.

Instead, such cinema which is positively uniting and providing a real thought that might change the world is getting appreciated. You may take example of Money heist and Parasite for both yet separate scenario of good content and good ideology. The reach of good cinema has increased exponentially in lockdown as audience is realising the worth of cinema and how easily it can put a very debatable topics be it community, racism, Colour discrimination, Religion and human behaviour at most of everything.

Girl Online by Zoe Sugg

So I just got off reading this book & I can surely say, I’ve missed out a lot in my childhood, I guess. There’s this girl called Penny Porter, who I can much relate with. Quite of a private kind, 16-year-old schoolgirl, from Brighton, UK. A girl with fair skin, freckles on cheeks & frizzy auburn curls, which according to her were quite disliking features in her appearance. Her hobbies include photography & secretly crushing over the school’s heartthrob “Ollie”.

She’s kind of not-the-very-girly girl, has certain appearance insecurities, but on the contrary, prefers outfits of comfy & chill kinds. I would lie if I say I don’t love her. But most of all the part I could relate is she wrote blogs. Like a blog about herself, like a diary entry kinda stuff. Especially the kinds when she’s stuck in situations or facing a tough time to deal with. Gradually she had gained enough followers online, who she believed would help her cope with the situation.

One who believed herself to be a total walking disaster to perfect moments, and her fate or she, were no behind to prove it right. Her life in the very initial half was full of guilts and embarrassment. But one thing, that stayed constant was her fire brigade to all the wildfires in her life was her BFF “Elliot”.

Yet another lesson she learns in this journey is how to outgrow her childhood school best friend “Megan.” It’s sometimes okay to feel irritated & not the same way once you used to feel in the past. If smth or someone tends to hurt you, or cause you to disrupt your mental stability, or affects you in any way. It’s normal to leave that person. For, every one of us, is a subject to change in some or other phase of life & once or more. Each one of us is evolving in our best forms possible, to support ourselves for betterment. It may or may not bring out a positive effect on everyone out there. But, that’s ok sometimes. It doesn’t matter!

All of us make a circle of friends in this journey, of life. Some might dive thru you, even after all phases of changes you face & others might lose you in this ocean as you continuously hit a string of waves. Some might stay as per your expectations, others might leave out of the blue. I hope you just learn to stay contended with what & whom, you have beside you & cherish them moreover. Because life is too short my friend, don’t forget to appreciate all you are blessed with.

Back to the point now! And of course, at last, “Noah.” Penny’s ‘inciting incident’ right from New York, USA! Who happens to be a YouTube sensation too. A hopeless romantic & genuine guy, who leaves no stones unturned. Taking every opportunity he can, to make her feel special. And for very certain reasons, she has to look the best. All those dark-messy hair, chiseled cheekbones, fair, dark-eyed & all flattering ROCK-GOD-tastic features. A guy with a gloomy past, who finally finds his escape in her. And on the contrary, who makes Penny realize the concept of ‘self – love’ & most importantly makes her accept the way she is.

Moreover, who’s also in a relationship with “Leah Brown”, a chart-topper artist which she realizes later. This turns to call for a lot of turbulence in both their lives. But as we all know of romantic drama novels, will this will settle down too? Or will they break apart because of a couple of misunderstandings?

Another thing that grabbed my emotions was the part that, no matter what she always has her family’s back. Of course, the family is highly supportive unlike reality, like w most of us proly, but the thing is what really matters is how one reacts to a certain situation. And most definitely, I’m very impressed by the whole of her family. Not that I’m comparing, but I like the plot, whole of it.

This was yet another teenage romance novels, but TBH it was my first from a foreign author. Or moreover, I might say an English vlogger. For long I’ve been sticking to Indian authors only. Not that am a bookworm or so. But it’s just that I read very occasionally & of very cliché romantic kinds.

This might not be a perfect book review, but I just highlighted my moments of interest here. To me, books are a source of improving my vocab. & at times escape from the real world. But this particular novel, that I’ve been reading past a week now. The story happens to be so engrossing & mesmerizing, it happened to hover on my mind throughout the day. I absolutely loved it, except for the cliché ending. But that’s ok! What’s a romance novel without cliché terminations, right?

I could relate myself to the protagonist up to most extents.Another thing that I love about Penny, was her optimistic thoughts even when she was buried deep under troubles. Would like to highlight a certain part here. On her very last blog she says, ” Do smth that adds happiness to the world, & if you think it doesn’t, just quit performing it.” So my fellow mates, the next time you do something, I will be glad to know if you did this too & so will I. ‘Cause you never know what battles people are fighting through every day, adding pain to them & sins in your bucket does no good to either. So let’s focus on making this world a better place by sharing happiness.

So this was my blog about ‘Girl Online‘. If you did like this review & felt amused as much as I did while framing this review out, don’t forget to check out this spectacular novel ‘Girl Online‘ by Zoe Sugg in that case. I can guarantee you will be amazed by the twists & the hint of humour if you are bored this lockdown.

Isolation or ‘I Have Solution’

In order to prevent the infection of corona and prevent it to a certain level, all the countrymen are following the lock-down nowadays. Due to this type of lock-down, we are imprisoned in homes. All external activities have stopped in a way. This contrasting situation has affected our psychological aspect the most. If you talk to your neighbours, friends and distant relatives, you will find that they are all going through the same mental state – fear of boredom and survival.

When I say boredom, it simply means that we have nothing new to do. This is because we are not at home of our own free will, we have to stay for a long time without any plan and only when we have nothing new, we call our mood boredom in psychological language.

Let us understand the psychological reasons behind this. Most of us are accustomed to live life in a certain pattern. For example our daily behaviour, our jobs, our social responsibilities, shopping time and walking etc. In this way, our daily behaviour becomes the product of our fixed life pattern and whenever this pattern changes against our will, it has a direct effect on our behaviour and this is exactly the situation that we are facing right now. The second important thing is the possibility of a crisis in our existence at present. Today this apprehension has made a large population stressed. In this context, I would like to say that it seems that this virus has reached very close to our brain and the most contribution to this is the exaggerated news and analysis that we are seeing or hearing all the days and our mood accordingly is being made. We are forgetting why we are taking stress even when we are taking all precautions and are healthy. This is because we are creating this tension ourselves.

In this context, I recall a story by the Russian writer ‘Anton Chekhov’ – ‘The Bet’. The story is based on the condition of a lawyer and a banker. As the story opens, a banker misses the opportunity for a bet he made fifteen years ago. At the party they were hosting that day, all the guests got involved in the discussion of capital punishment. The banker saw it as more humane than life imprisonment, while a young lawyer disagreed, stating that he would choose life in prison rather than death. They agreed to a condition. If the lawyer can spend fifteen years in total isolation, the banker will pay him two million rubles. The lawyer has no direct contact with any other person, but he could communicate with the outside world and note down whatever he wishes.

Confined in a guest room on the banker’s property, the lawyer first experiences loneliness and depression but eventually begins to read and study in a wide range of subjects. As he takes advantage of the solitude to be educated and amuses himself in various ways over the years, the banker’s fortunes begin to wane. He realizes that if he loses, paying by stakes will go bankrupt. In the early hours of the day when the fifteen-year period is about to expire, the banker resolves to kill the lawyer, and one night goes to kill him but a note written by the lawyer on the table shows that he has chosen to relinquish the condition, knowing that material things are transitory and have the value of divine salvation more than money. The watchman then reports that the lawyer has gone out from the window and escaped with the property at stake. To prevent the spread of rumours, the banker locked the note in his vault.

Just today, this story can become an inspiration for us. First of all, for this time period, you need to move away from your fixed life pattern and make new work plans, such as spending personal time with parents and children. This will be a great experience for you. You can engage yourselves creatively by creating new projects for children. Every new task will fill you with a new kind of energy and yes, above all, it is time to make a harmony with nature, because at this time due to lack of human activities, nature is in its purest form, so the open air in the morning of your courtyard Go, see the beauty of the flowers of the garden. There was no time before in your fixed life pattern for this. Then your existence will never put you in crisis, but you will feel connected with your presence.

Stay Home, Stay Safe …..

Mysteries (II)

Part one was : http://eduindexnews.com/2020/09/14/bermuda-triangle-and-other-mysteries/

• Indian rope trick

India is a land of countless mysteries that have puzzled the rest of the world. Perhaps the most enduring of these mysteries is that of the ‘Indian rope trick’. In the classic version of Indian rope trick, a rope is thrown into the air where it remains rigid. A young boy then climbs the rope, only to disappear at the top. The performer quickly follows him only to disappear when he reaches the top of the vertical rope! Shortly after, pieces of the boy’s body fall from the sky and land on the ground at the bottom of the rope. A few seconds later, the performer is seen climbing down the rope with a blood stained knife in his hand. On reaching firm ground, the performer utters a magic word and the rope falls limp to the ground. He then gathers up the pieces of the boy’s body and bundles them under a sheet. Within seconds, the sheet is lifted and the boy appears completely whole and unharmed! Travellers to India have described this amazing trick for over 600 years, but there is considerable doubt as to whether the trick is fact or fantasy.

• Shroud of Turin

The shroud of Turin is reputedly the cloth in which Jesus Christ was wrapped and buried. The shroud is 4.34 meters long and it bears the image of a man with wounds similar to those suffered by Jesus Christ. The shroud is unquestionably old. Its history is known from the year 1357, when it surfaced in the tiny village of Lirey, France. Today, it is kept in a silver chest in the Cathedral of Saint John, the Baptist in Turin, Italy, where it has been since 1578.

Does the shroud really show the face of Jesus? No one really knows. Although, many scientists have expressed doubts about the accuracy of the image, millions believe it to be divine and it has been a religious relic since the middle ages.

• Loch Ness monster

As far back as the 17th century, people have reported seeing a monster in the Loch Ness in Scotland. Loch means lake in Scotland. This is the largest freshwater lake in the UK. But, rather than being known for its size, it is famous for the mysterious legend of the Loch Ness monster or Nessie.

For thousands of years, people have reported catching glimpse of a huge creature. This creature is said to have a small head, a long neck and an immense body with flippers. Some people have shared photos they claim to have taken of this huge creature. The legend is so great that even scientists have been intrigued and many have conducted experiments and come up with theories to try and explain what people could be witnessing.

One explanation is that the monster could be a prehistoric creature called plesiosaur, an animal that has been considered to be extinct. Maybe one of these creatures managed to survive in the Loch Ness Lake, who knows?

Thank you for reading. Have a nice day!🌼

Realism in the International System

Realism is a school of thought that explains international relation in terms of power. The exercise of power by States towards is called politics. Politics is the distinction between politics within a state and politics outside a state, because the state is assumed to have sovereignty, that is the government having structure, rule of law and a hierarchy. Realism can be understood as a body of theories and related arguments about how the world works.

One of the principles of how realism works on the aspect of international arena is groupism, where human beings need groups to survive because individuals are weak The most important human group are nation-states and nationalism are the source of ingroup cohesion. Secondly, egoism, people are self-interested as it is rooted in the human nature. Power centralism, politics is all about power and it is the fundamental feature. Realist assumes that international relation can be best explained by the choices of states operating as autonomous actors rationally pursuing their own interest in an international system of sovereign states without a central authority.

Another proposition is that a nation can only advance its interests against the interests of other nations;this implies that the international environment is inherently unstable.Whatever order may exists breaks down when nations compete for the same resources,for example, and war may follow. In such an environment,the realists argue, a nation has only itself to depend on.Structural realism or neorealism is a theory that deals with the importance of power in the stance of international relation, this was outlined by Kenneth waltz who was a believer of defensive realism described in his book that the world is in anarchy that there is no sovereign and basically every state is dependent on themselves called self-help.

Another important theoretical preposition about international relation is balance of power in which state will keep dangerous concentration of power by building up their own capabilities both internally and external balancing. Political realism works to find out how power is shared across the different countries and how the international system works.Its main focus is on power. It can be in domestic as well as international system. In domestic system it talks about politicians while in the international system it talks about nation states descriptive political realism commonly holds that the international community is characterized by anarchy, since there is no overriding world government that enforces a common code of rules realist tend to see military force as the most important element of national power. They believe that international system exists in a state of anarchy.

Alliance play a key role in the balance of power. Building up one’s own capabilities against rival is a form of power balancing but forming an alliance against a threatening state is more effective. During the cold war, the united states surrounded Soviet Union with military and political alliances to prevent soviet territorial expansion. Alliances can shift rapidly, with major effects on power relations. The world’s main alliance, including NATO face uncertain roles in the changing world order.In order to understand the foreign policy, the neoclassical realism plays an important role to understand the working of international system.

Dignity Of Labour

As it is truly said, ” Work is Worship.” Manual work is indeed a good physical exercise thus keeping them in shape & fit. It makes us more self-supporting & self-reliant. Also what needs to be learned is that all honest work is dignified and worthy of respect.

All great men of the labour of the world have admitted the importance of labour. By dignity of labour, one is implying for the dignity of manual labour. The society we live in cannot exist without labours. Whether intellectual or manual, it is the basis of life. So as it is rightly said, ‘An idle brain is a devil’s workshop’. When a person works with his hands his brain is also simultaneously concentrating at the work. No work can be accomplished unless both are under synchronization.

So for example, when a Mason builds a house, his intelligence rules & regulates his physical activity. Whilst if the farmer gives up tiling the land, vendors give up carrying commodities to market, sweepers refrain from sweeping, then the whole world will be at stake & human life will go on a standstill.

Another greatest example of slavery to quote can be by mentioning the slavery of ancient Egypt. There used to be three classes of labours i.e. chattel slavery, bonded labor, and forced labor. Now, firstly the Chattel slaves were mostly captives of war and were brought over to different cities and countries to be sold as slaves. Secondly, category, being bonded labour is the form of slavery in which people sold themselves including their children sometimes. And thirdly the forced labour. Now there used to be certain slaves contracted for the purpose to serve in like military expeditions, mining and quarrying, and construction projects. And then they were paid a wage, depending on their skill level and social status for their work. So both men & women represented the Egyptian labour culture & it was difficult to mention social status based on it. By far the most prominent example, in history.

Throughout human existence, the lower social class has involved a spectrum of variants, from slavery to caste or caste-like systems, to subtler forms of inequality. Comparably the working classes in Europe and America have pushed themselves up to a position of power, influence, and comparative comfort. Manual labour is recognized today, at least in theory, as being worthy of free citizens, and no stigma attaches to a man because he works with his hands rather than his head.

Curiosity (science)

• Why do we wake up from sleep?

Sleep is essential to give the brain and nerves some rest. While we sleep, our bodies too, get a chance to recover from the fatigue caused by daily activities. When we are well rested, both physically and mentally, we wake up. Sometimes, we wake up because we feel cold or hungry or because a bad dream has made us afraid.

To sum up, we all have an internal body clock that tells our brain to wake our bodies up after a certain amount of time. However, some things or situations such as noise, temperature in the room or sunshine interrupt our sleep and wake us up too.

• Why doesn’t glue stick to the insides of the bottle?

The regular white glue that we use is made up of a variety of chemicals that are either sticky or stretchy. White glue also contains water. Water acts as a solvent that keeps the glue liquid until you want it to stick. When you put glue on a piece of paper, the water in it is exposed to air. The water eventually evaporates and as it does so, the glue dries and hardens and holds the things that need to be glued, stuck together.

When the glue is inside the bottle, there’s not enough air inside the bottle to cause the water to evaporate to make the glue sticky. The bottle protects the glue from the air and keeps the glue runny. This is also why if you’ve ever left the top off a glue bottle for a while, the next time you try to use the glue, it would have dried up.

• Why do the lights of a distant town appear to twinkle?

When you are traveling at night, the lights of towns in the distance appear to twinkle. This is because of the constant movement of air above towns. The air above towns is warm, as a result of the heat given off from buildings. Warm air keeps moving up to be replaced by cold air which then gets heated and rises. This constant movement of air is known as turbulence.

When we are near a town or in it, we don’t notice the turbulence because it is quite small and the lights are nearly. However, when we are some distance away, the lights are far away too. They appear as only pinpricks. The warm and cold air that make up the turbulence above the town have different densities and light passing through the layers is bent at different angles because of this difference. As a result it appears as though the lights of the distant town are twinkling.

• Why do clouds have different shapes?

Clouds are made up of tiny droplets of water vapour or ice particles or both. The shape of the cloud depends on its height and temperature. Cumuliform clouds are shaped liked mushrooms and are formed when rising warm air cools as it goes up. Stratiform clouds come in flat, dull layers and are formed when air sinks in a high pressure area, creating a layer of cold air near the ground that doesn’t rise or rises only very slowly. Cirriform clouds are clouds that have risen on a front or tropical cyclone and frozen into ice crystals at very high altitude. They look like thin hair. The shape of cloud also depends on the time of the day.

Towards evening, clouds tend to be thinner and flatter than during daytime. Changes in wind patterns also change the shapes of cloud.

Thank you for reading. Have a nice day!🌼

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Industry comparison

Revolution

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