HORROR MOVIES MAKE SENSE?

Definitely, some may find horror movies as senseless but some may find it fascinating. It depends from person to person and the storyline of the movie. Watching horror movies with best friends may come up a bit funny. Unlikely watching them alone can be terrifying too. Some scenes make no sense. I mean what motivates you to go upstairs and investigate and follow the sound? https://youtu.be/X6pHNzqFy2E Asking who’s there, in an empty house. The spirit will answer back, totally unreasonable. I too crave horror movies, movies like The NUN with an interesting storyline can easily attract anyone. I mean this wasn’t terrifying but it had logic.

Health and Horror!

Taking a 30 min walk or watching a 90 min movie can burn equal calories. They actually boost heart rate, probably more pumping. One can come across premature aging on faces due to facial expressions. Adding frown lines can be a result of watching horror movies. The reason is while watching the horror scenes, we tend to change our expressions. According to Dr. Harry Singh, from beauty and wellness brand FOREO, by repeating this expression and stretching of Frontalis muscle we can formulate horizontal lines across the forehead. “What happens for most people is that you have an arousal of your sympathetic nervous system and an activation [to produce] adrenaline,” said AP Psychology teacher Heidi Mathers. Horror movies can cause side effects too. The most common among them is sleeplessness and anxiety.

Hollywood and Horror!

Hollywood movies have shown commercially great success in the Horror category. They are profitable because the movies have a low budget and are generally shot at a single location. The movie “The silence of the lambs” was very appreciated. People believed that “Prestige horror is back” after the movie Get out casting actor Jordan Peele won the best original screenplay in Oscar.

Oscar-winning Horror movies.

  • Misery(1990)– Kathy Bates won an Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role starring in Misery.
  • The silence of the Lambs(1991)– “Silence of the Lambs” has lasted as the most successful in its genre, with wins in the top four categories of best actor, actress, director, and screenplay. It was directed by Jonathan Demme.
  • The Exorcist(1974)– Oscar Winner for Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another MediumWilliam Peter Blatty and for Best Sound. Though it has also been in the nominee list for other major categories.
  • Jaws(1976)– This movie won an Oscar for Best Sound, Best Film Editing, Best Music, and was nominated for the best picture in the Oscars.
  • The Sixth Sense(2000)– This movie didn’t win an Oscar but was part of the nomination list for many categories such as Best Picture, Best Actor and Actress in a Supporting Role, Best Director, Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen, Best Film Editing.
  • Black Swan(2011)– The movie won an Oscar for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role. It was also nominated for Best Motion Picture of the Year, Best Achievement in (Directing, Cinematography, and in Film Editing) in Oscars.
  • Get Out(2017)– Oscar Winner for Best Original Screenplay. It was also nominated for Best Motion Picture of the Year, Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role, Best Achievement in Directing. 

Mis/Using Social Media during the Outbreak Times

What are we going through the most after the coronavirus attacked the world? The simple answer is social media. The use of social media has increased a lot to cut off boredom. But the real question whether the purpose of its use is good/bad or ethical/unethical. Many issues are going viral in social media platforms. The issues usually range from memes and fun challenges to fake news and troll. We all are both the victims and the abusers in different situations. People share stuffs intentionally and unintentionally to praise and hurt someone. Sometimes people do not apply any common sense before posting any news or post or comment. It is totally up to us how the situation will be managed. Let us see what all kind of issues became viral in social media platforms during the lockdown.

Recently the news to become viral is concerns about the ‘phishing attack alert’. The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team has issued a serious alert that the phishing attack campaign is expected to be carried out by cyber criminals through a suspicious email id— ncov2019@gov.in from 21 June, 2020. The cyber criminals claim to have over two million individuals’ mail ids. They have a plan of sending mails with the subject ‘Free COVID-19 Testing’ in cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai and Ahmedabad. The Government sends an alert that the attackers will imitate government organisations to confuse and that they can also steal sensitive personal data. It has also formed some guidelines to restrict the attackers.

Another hot topic is the attacks on celebrities, including the ‘star-kids’, after the sudden demise of the Bollywood heartthrob, Sushant Singh Rajput. Initially the Maharashtra Police department had reported that he had committed suicide due to depression. But after a day it has filed a case and started investigating the suicide theory. While the investigation is on people have started acting like investigators themselves and are pointing out various issues and events to prove that it was not suicide. So many information are getting viral in Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram and Twitter. Netizens are attacking celebrities like Karan Johar, Alia Bhatt, Sonam Kapoor, Salman Khan and many more on the ground of ‘nepotism’ in this Bollywood industry. Netizens are also unfollowing them on Twitter and Instagram and posting numerous hate comments on their accounts. Some celebrities have blocked the comment sections of their accounts and some have deleted their accounts to have mental peace. Some people are calling for boycotting the large production houses and swear that they would not watch the movies of these houses in theatres. The followers of Sushant’s account have increased phenomenally in these few days on his Instagram and Facebook accounts.

Things have come to such a pass that the Maharashtra police has been forced to alert netizens with a warning. After the death of the Bollywood actor suddenly two pictures of his dead body lying on his bed became viral. It is unethical to post and share such pictures on both digital and print media. It may invite punishment for posting pictures of a body without the blurred face as per Indian law book. But some people have become insensitive due to the overuse of social media. Sushant’s close friends and some celebrities had to urge their followers not to share such pictures. It was getting out of control. So the police department posted on its social media account a warning that whoever shares the pictures will face severe consequence. One popular news channel also faced a FIR for reporting insensitive headline about Sushant.

Fake news poses a grave challenge to procuring and presenting information. Even the most prominent organizations fall prey to it. Some time back the World Health Organization (WHO) had to post an emergency notice on its official website. It clarified that a fake news was being circulated on various social media. The fake news stated that WHO has released a four-step protocol and procedure for conducting lockdown in India. WHO denied issuing such advisory and has asked people to visit the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare of the Government of India and the official WHO website for verified information.

Last but definitely not the least the Press Information Bureau (PIB), Government of India, informed that the viral news on social media about the central government’s decision to resume lockdown from 18 June is fake. After the news went viral speculations and some panic started. Prior to this news, the PIB also refuted another fake news about the imposition of lockdown from 15 June by the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Social media platforms have much utility in our life. But at times they become quite dangerous for public. Fake news and fake posters can lead some people to take wrong decisions. Some official measures are being taken now. The Indian Government, for instance, has stipulated that in the case of forwarding a particular message WhatsApp authorities have to show the exact number of people forwarding it. We have our responsibility as well. Before forwarding or sharing any piece of information, news or pictures as users we must try to check whether it is true or fake. It is a difficult task indeed but the effort needs to be there.

Be Kind First, Be Right Later.

Why Facts Don’t Change Our Minds

 An economist once wrote, “Faced with a choice between changing one’s mind and proving there is no need to do so, almost everyone gets busy with the proof.”

Leo Tolstoy was even bolder: “The most difficult subjects can be explained to the most slow-witted man if he has not formed any idea of them already; but the simplest thing cannot be made clear to the most intelligent man if he is firmly persuaded that he knows already, without a shadow of doubt, what is laid before him.”

What’s going on here? Why don’t facts change our minds? And why would someone continue to believe a false or inaccurate idea anyway? How do such behaviors serve us?

The Logic of False Beliefs

Humans need a reasonably accurate view of the world in order to survive. If your model of reality is wildly different from the actual world, then you struggle to take effective actions each day. 

However, truth and accuracy are not the only things that matter to the human mind. Humans also seem to have a deep desire to belong.

Humans are herd animals. We want to fit in, to bond with others, and to earn the respect and approval of our peers. Such inclinations are essential to our survival. For most of our evolutionary history, our ancestors lived in tribes. Becoming separated from the tribe—or worse, being cast out—was a death sentence.

Understanding the truth of a situation is important, but so is remaining part of a tribe. While these two desires often work well together, they occasionally come into conflict.

In many circumstances, social connection is actually more helpful to your daily life than understanding the truth of a particular fact or idea. The

We don’t always believe things because they are correct. Sometimes we believe things because they make us look good to the people we care about.

False beliefs can be useful in a social sense even if they are not useful in a factual sense. For lack of a better phrase, we might call this approach “factually false, but socially accurate.”  When we have to choose between the two, people often select friends and family over facts.

This insight not only explains why we might hold our tongue at a dinner party or look the other way when our parents say something offensive, but also reveals a better way to change the minds of others.

Facts Don’t Change Our Minds. Friendship Does.

Convincing someone to change their mind is really the process of convincing them to change their tribe. If they abandon their beliefs, they run the risk of losing social ties. You can’t expect someone to change their mind if you take away their community too. You have to give them somewhere to go. Nobody wants their worldview torn apart if loneliness is the outcome.

The way to change people’s minds is to become friends with them, to integrate them into your tribe, to bring them into your circle. Now, they can change their beliefs without the risk of being abandoned socially.

Facts don’t change our minds. Friendship does.

The Spectrum of Beliefs.

If someone you know, like, and trust believes a radical idea, you are more likely to give it merit, weight, or consideration. You already agree with them in most areas of life. Maybe you should change your mind on this one too. But if someone wildly different than you proposes the same radical idea, well, it’s easy to dismiss them as a crackpot.

One way to visualize this distinction is by mapping beliefs on a spectrum. If you divide this spectrum into 10 units and you find yourself at Position 7, then there is little sense in trying to convince someone at Position 1. The gap is too wide. When you’re at Position 7, your time is better spent connecting with people who are at Positions 6 and 8, gradually pulling them in your direction.

The most heated arguments often occur between people on opposite ends of the spectrum, but the most frequent learning occurs from people who are nearby. The closer you are to someone, the more likely it becomes that the one or two beliefs you don’t share will bleed over into your own mind and shape your thinking. The further away an idea is from your current position, the more likely you are to reject it outright.

When it comes to changing people’s minds, it is very difficult to jump from one side to another. You can’t jump down the spectrum. You have to slide down it.

Any idea that is sufficiently different from your current worldview will feel threatening. And the best place to ponder a threatening idea is in a non-threatening environment. As a result, books are often a better vehicle for transforming beliefs than conversations or debates.

In conversation, people have to carefully consider their status and appearance. They want to save face and avoid looking stupid. When confronted with an uncomfortable set of facts, the tendency is often to double down on their current position rather than publicly admit to being wrong.

Books resolve this tension. With a book, the conversation takes place inside someone’s head and without the risk of being judged by others. It’s easier to be open-minded when you aren’t feeling defensive.

Arguments are like a full frontal attack on a person’s identity. Reading a book is like slipping the seed of an idea into a person’s brain and letting it grow on their own terms. There’s enough wrestling going on in someone’s head when they are overcoming a pre-existing belief. They don’t need to wrestle with you too.

Be Kind First, Be Right Later

A  brilliant writer once wrote, “Always remember that to argue, and win, is to break down the reality of the person you are arguing against. It is painful to lose your reality, so be kind, even if you are right.”

When we are in the moment, we can easily forget that the goal is to connect with the other side, collaborate with them, befriend them, and integrate them into our tribe. We are so caught up in winning that we forget about connecting. It’s easy to spend your energy labeling people rather than working with them.

The word “kind” originated from the word “kin.” When you are kind to someone it means you are treating them like family. This, I think, is a good method for actually changing someone’s mind. Develop a friendship. Share a meal. Gift a book.

Be kind first, be right later.

Spiritual Teachings of life: Bhagavad Gita

Bhagavad Gita is a Hindu scripture said by lord Krishna to Arjuna during mahabhart fight. It was said in sanskrit language. Lord Krishna gave this knowledge to arjuna when he was in dilemma due to the result of fight which would led to deaths of many people along with his relatives & many of his loved ones. At that time krishna acted like a counsellor and said Bhagavad Gita.

It is often said that whenever a person is in dilemma then he can find the solutions of his problems just by opening and reading any of the page of Bhagavad Gita. It is actually said by lord Krishna for the future world and one can feel and relate it with their life just by reading it. It has been translated in 75 languages till now including hindi and english. It teaches us a lot to live a happy and peaceful life in this world.

It teaches us that a person can become anything they want to, if they work hard towards their goal with full belief. Person is made with his believes, whatever he believes in, he becomes that. Person who focuses on his deed, instead of fruit he will get, can only become successful in his life.

It teaches us to live in present, it tells us that life is neither living it in the past nor in the future, it is the present moment which we should live. Person without fear, illness, hatred and addiction can get peaceful life in this world and in the paradise. If our mind is not calm, it is difficult to control it, but we can make it possible by practicing. Those who don’t have control on their mind, their minds act like a enemy for them. If we don’t have control over our senses and thoughts then our mind won’t be calm and those whose mind is not calm can’t get peace and without peace, happy life is not possible.

It tells whatever happened, happened for a good, whatever is happening, happening for a good, whatever will happen in future that will also be for good, what was yours, so you are crying? What had you brought that you missed, what had you made that is destroyed? Whatever you took, took from here only, whatever you gave, gave here only, what is yours today, was someone else’s yesterday and will be someone else’s tomorrow. Change is the law of universe. So, don’t become upset over things. We brought nothing to this world and won’t take anything along with us after dying.
History says yesterday was delightful , science says tomorrow will be delightful , but real dharma says if our mind and heart is good and truthful then it will be delightful everyday.

The day we forgets the difference between you and me, our and others, small and big, that day everyone becomes ours and we ourselves becomes of others.

Confidence Zooming : Massive Success Secrets !!!!!!!!!

I think my magic power is the ability to act confident even when I feel completely sick to my stomach. I seem to be really good at masking certain emotions and using confidence as a mask is something people may mistake as me actually being confident.

The deep hard truth is, I’m not as confident in myself as I may always seem! I love to give people advice about confidence as if I do the same thing, where as I’ve been trying that ‘fake it until you make it’ process since like year 8!

So I have had an interesting journey with confidence from thinking I was the sexiest beast in all the land in primary school to being CONSISTENTLY called ugly and that I looked like a boy in year’s 7 and 8, to being bullied on snapchat in year 11-12, not showing small things like my nose or ears in photos because of how self conscious I was,  all the way to body confidence issues and self harm.. Confidence is something I have always been chasing!

But over the years I think there are things I have taken from all these experiences and can apply to grow in confidence, so maybe we can do these things together?

Credit : Third Party Reference

I think my magic power is the ability to act confident even when I feel completely sick to my stomach. I seem to be really good at masking certain emotions and using confidence as a mask is something people may mistake as me actually being confident.

The deep hard truth is, I’m not as confident in myself as I may always seem! I love to give people advice about confidence as if I do the same thing, where as I’ve been trying that ‘fake it until you make it’ process since like year 8!

So I have had an interesting journey with confidence from thinking I was the sexiest beast in all the land in primary school to being CONSISTENTLY called ugly and that I looked like a boy in year’s 7 and 8, to being bullied on snapchat in year 11-12, not showing small things like my nose or ears in photos because of how self conscious I was,  all the way to body confidence issues and self harm.. Confidence is something I have always been chasing!

But over the years I think there are things I have taken from all these experiences and can apply to grow in confidence, so maybe we can do these things together? Focus on your achievements, not your failures – I no longer class the somewhat knocking events of the past as ‘failures’ because i can safely say, that although they brought me down to some of my lowest points, I’M STILL HERE TODAY. I LIVED THROUGH THAT! I’m not saying I’m glad it happened, but I can’t change the past, it has helped me to grow.  But this can be applied to any kind of achievement, that’s just my personal relevant anecdotal achievement.

The fake it till you make it technique does work to a degree, so slowly but surely maybe using that and incorporating that into your everyday would be helpful.

I found that throwing yourself in the deep end, and doing something completely out of your comfort zone is good for confidence building, something as simple as the move from home to uni has noticeably helped me to develop my confidence!

Focus on WHO you are! We all have friends, and they all love something about us, what do you love about yourself? only focus on what you love about yourself and soon enough you’ll love every inch of yourself !

Stop focussing on the future, and spend some time appreciating the here and now! We are on a rock floating around in space, it has been perfectly placed, if it were but 5cm either way human life wouldn’t be a thing!

Dance like no one is watching, who is to tell you who you are and what you can do, as i just said, we are miraculously on this God given earth, for all of ONE life. WHY should we care what anyone thinks of us at the end of the day! If you wanna do something and people aren’t supportive of it, or if you want to go and dance in the rain and the people around you are judging you rather than joining you… THEY’RE NOT YOUR PEOPLE.

Reference- https://divyanshspacetech.wordpress.com

#NoExamsInCovid trends on social media

Covid-19 : Due to the spike in corona cases, students and parents all across the country are demanding for the exams to cancel. A large group of parents filed a petition against conducting CBSE exams in July in pandemic situation in Supreme Court.

HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal conducted review meetings with CBSE, NTA, and the School Education and Literacy department of MHRD. CBSE, NEET and JEE all were supposed to be conducted in July, but corona cases rising rapidly becoming a risky time for students. Amid all these, #NoExamsInCovid are trending over Twitter. Memes are being shared for cancellation of exams.

https://twitter.com/NobleDoom/status/1275040331491209220?s=19

The student body, National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), has demanded the cancellation of ICAI CA and ICSI CS exams 2020 which are scheduled from July-end to mid-August.

CBSE had informed the Supreme Court that a decision would be made on the CBSE exams in July within June 23.HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank has been holding regular consultations on the issue, as well as demands for postponement or cancellation of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) and JEE (Joint Entrance Exam), entrance examinations for admission to medical and engineering courses.

Any further postponement in the CBSE’s school Board examinations will also lead to further delays in college admissions and the higher education schedule for the next academic year, said an official. If the examinations are cancelled internal assessment scores may be considered instead, along with the student’s performance in the examinations already completed.

However, students are sharing memes on social idea for expressing their views on exams. We can only wait for further announcements.

Global warming…

Global warming is the ongoing rise of the average temperature of the Earth’s climate system due to greenhouse gases released as people burn fossil fuels.

CAUSES OF GLOBAL WARMING

Global warming causes due to increasing concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere mainly from human activities such as burning fossil fuels, deforestation, and farming.

  1. Burning fossil fuels- When we burn fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas to create power for our cars and generate electricity, it will lead to CO2 production in the atmosphere.
  2. Deforestation and tree clearing- Plants and trees play a very important role in regulating climate as absorb CO2 from the atmosphere and give back O2. Forests act as carbon sinks and it keeps global warming to 1.5 degree Celsius. But human are consistently clearing the vegetation for farming, making infrastructure or to sell tree products such as timber. When these are removed or burnt which again release CO2 back into atmosphere which contribute into global warming.
  3. Agriculture & farming- Livestock like sheep and cattle produce methane, a greenhouse gas. Some fertilizers that farmer use also release nitrous oxide, which is also a greenhouse gas.

Global warming occurs when CO2 and other air pollutants and greenhouse gases, collect in the atmosphere and absorb sunlight and solar radiation that have bounced of the earth’s surface. Normally, these radiation would escape into space but these pollutants trap the heat which causes the planet to get hotter. These pollutant lasts for years to centuries in the atmosphere.

EFFECTS OF GLOBAL WARMING

  1. It leads to extreme weather events such as heat waves, droughts, cyclones, bizzards and rainstorms.
  2. It leads to flood as trees have the water holding capacity in the roots and we cut the trees then chances of flood increases.
  3. Prolonged periods of warmer temperature typically soil and underbrush to be drier for longer periods, increase the risk of wildfire.
  4. Global warming also effects on ocean. Ongoing effects include rising sea level due to thermal expansion and melting of glaciers and ice sheets and warming of ocean surface leading to increased temperature stratification.
  5. Warmer water cannot contain as much oxygen as cold water, so heating is expected to lead to less oxygen in the ocean which leads to oxygen depletion.

These are only some effects. There are many more effects, so it is necessary to do something to reduce global warming.

HOW CAN WE REDUCE GLOBAL WARMING

  1. Apply 3Rs in your life- Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Use reusable products instead of disposable products. Eg: reusable water bottle. Buy products with minimum packaging to reduce waste. Always recycle things like paper, plastic, newspaper, glass and aluminium foil.
  2. Use less heat or air conditioner. Adding insulation to your walls and attics and installing weather stripping and caulking around doors and windows can lower your heating cost more than 25% by reducing the amount of energy you need to heat and cool your home.
  3. Replace regular light bulbs with LED bulbs, they are even better than CFLs.
  4. Use cycle and walking instead of using cars. Try to check out options for carpooling. If you are driving make sure that your car is running efficiently.
  5. Use less hot water, set your water heater at 120 degrees to save energy. Buy low-flow showerheads to save hot water and about 350 pounds to CO2 yearly.
  6. Save electricity and reduce global warming by turning off the lights when you leave the room and use only as much light you need.
  7. Try to plant a tree once in a year. Trees will absorb CO2 and give off O2 which helps to reduce global warming.

Try to apply these small steps and save your earth from global warming. It is your earth and it is your responsibility to save earth.

Experimental Archaeology: Hides and Leather in Bronze Age

Introduction

The term experimental archaeology is a way of describing the collection of facts and theories that have been assembled through a careful reconstruction and function of ancient remains.
This topic attempts to provide a brief description of the example to show the advantages and disadvantages of various approaches to this varied subject. Let us take the example of hide and leather from the Bronze Age and interpret the application of experimental archaeology in it.
Paleolithic cave paintings depict figures wearing skins and furs, and excavations at these sites have revealed an active leather industry. Flint instruments, including knives, scrapers, and awls used for removing flesh, have been found in addition to wooden poles and beams used for beating and draping hides.

Later Neolithic and Bronze Age sites have yielded leather dagger sheaths, scabbards, shields, etc that indicates that leather manufacture was mastered early in human history. Those leather manufacturing underwent various step by step procedures, that has been mentioned and explained in the next section.

Hide and Leather- Methodology
The experiments on hide and leather have been made, as ancient methods of preparing and tanning hides appear to be well understood. Analysis of surviving materials has also contributed to this. A recent experiment on leather-working involved the production of a shield comparable in appearance to a surviving Irish specimen. The shield presented special problems, because it had to be ribbed, hardened and made waterproof. After a cold soak to soften the leather, it was scrubbed to remove any excess tannin, and then beaten into a wooden mould. The drying process took three days, with regular hammering to prevent shrinkage. After this the shield was functional, but would soften under damp conditions. In Ireland, and Scotland, it would without doubt be necessary to make some precaution against the damp, so that the shield would not collapse. Various methods of hardening and waterproofing were attempted, and the most practical were the use of boiling water either poured on to the shield or employed as a dip, and immersion of the shield in hot wax or beeswax could be used for approximately 30 seconds, to allow penetration of the wax through the leather.

Bronze Age Yetholm type copper alloy shield (c.1300-975BC)

Both methods were successful in producing stiffened shields capable of withstanding prolonged damp conditions, particularly the wax-impregnation method. The experiment continued with the production of a metal shield of comparable thinness and hardness to the Late Bronze Age shields from Aberdeenshire, Yetholm etc. This and one of the leather shields were selected for the final experiment to test their capabilities in standing up to blows and thrusts of sword and spear. The metal shield was cut and slashed to pieces by the first blows. The leather shield withstood repeated heavy blows of a copy of a Bronze Age sword specially sharpened for the occasion.

Bronze Age swords and shields.



Purpose

Actually the metal shields were not suitable for actual physical conflict, but the leather shields could have served a useful function in battle. It is the aim of archaeology to obtain more information and new sources of information to add to the foundations of knowledge upon which our culture is based.

Experimental archaeology, when employed scientifically and with an awareness of its limitations, can add materially to our sources of knowledge about the past, and may be considered as an important way in which archaeology can come to grips with the mental processes, plans and activities of prehistoric man.

Therefore, in a nutshell it can be said that the purpose of experimental archaeology in recreating hide and leather shields of the Bronze Age is to understand the ancient methods that underwent in making of those shields in the pre historic period, so that the essence of those ancient methods could be understood.

FOOD SPOILAGE

Food is considered contaminated when unwanted microorganisms are present. Most of the time, the contamination is natural, but sometimes it can be artificial too.
NATURAL CONTAMINATION occurs when microorganisms attach themselves to foods while the foods are in growing stages.
ARTIFICIAL CONTAMINATION occurs when the food is handled or processed such as when fecal bacteria enter food through improper handling procedures.
CAUSES OF FOOD SPOILAGE:

  1. Growth and Activity of microorganisms – Bacteria, yeasts and molds are microorganisms that cause food spoilage. They produce various enzymes that decompose various constituents of food.
  2. Enzyme activity – Action of enzymes start the decomposition of various food components after death of plants and animals.
  3. Chemical reactions – These are the reactions that are not catalyzed by any enzyme. E.g. Oxidation of fats
  4. Vermin – It includes weevils, ants, rats, mice, birds, larval stage of some insects. Vermin are important due to asthetic aspect of their presence, possible transmission of pathogenic agents and consumption of food.
  5. Physical changes – These include changes caused by freezing, burning, drying, pressure etc.
    SOURCES OF FOOD CONTAMINATION. PHYSICAL SPOILAGE is due to physical damage to food during harvesting, processing or distribution. The damage increases the chance of chemical or microbial spoilage and contamination because the protective outer layer of food is broken and microorganisms can enter through it. CHEMICAL SPOILAGE in food are responsible for changes in the color and flavor of foods during processing and storage. After harvesting, chemical changes begin automatically within foods and lead to deterioration. Every living organism uses specialized proteins called enzymes to drive the chemical reactions in its cell. After death, enzymes play an important role in the decomposition of living tissues in a process called as autolysis (self-destruction) or ENZYMATIC SPOILAGE. MICROBIAL SPOILAGE is due to bacteria, yeasts or molds. They produce various enzymes that decompose various constituents of food. • Besides natural microorganisms, foods can be contaminated with different types of microbes coming from outside sources such as air, soil, sewage water, humans, food ingredients, equipments, packages, insects, etc.

The primary sources of microorganisms in food may include –

  1. Soil and Water – Soil grows agricultural produce and raise animals and birds which might contain several microorganisms. Also, these microbes can multiply in soil and their numbers can be even very high as expected. Fecal materials may also contaminate soils which can act as a source of microorganisms. Sewage water can also contaminate crops with variety of microorganisms when sewage water is used as a fertilizer. So, Sewage must be always treated before using as a fertilizer.
  2. Plants and plant products – The inside tissue of food from plant sources are essentially sterile except for few porous vegetables such as radish, onion and cabbage. Also it has been observed that some plants produce natural metabolites that can limit the presence of microorganisms in those particular foods. Fruits and vegetables contain a variety of microorganisms on their surface and their presence and number depends on various factors such as disease of the plant, storage, etc.
  3. Food utensils – Many different microorganisms can contaminate food utensils from which they can transmit to human body and make them ill if pathogenic. Proper cleansing and sanitization of food utensils is required before serving food in them.
  4. Food handlers – Food handler is a person who touches or handles food. The microorganism may be transmitted from his hand to the food and may be harmful for the person consuming that particular food. The microbes can come from animals or from the environment.
  5. Animal hides and skins – Food animals and birds normally carry various indigenous microorganisms some of which are pathogens and are responsible for food-borne diseases in humans. The number of these microorganisms is less than10/g.
  6. Air and dust – Microorganisms may be present in dust and moisture droplets in the air. The microorganisms which are present in air may be transient or variable depending on the environment. Some pathogenic microorganisms may cause air-borne diseases.

Dealing With Anger Issues

Emotions are part of human life. An emotion is how we feel and we all feel certain things a certain way and it’s okay to express them. Happiness, sadness, anger,  anxiety, love etc are all emotions every human experiences in his life. While feeling every emotion at a point of time is completely fine, what matters is how you express them. Expressing an emotion a certain way, with love and care can build a lot of relationships and strengthen various bonds, but some ways of expressing emotions can also cause damage and become harmful to your surroundings. One of those very powerful as well as dangerous emotions is anger. Feeling angry is fine and is important at times, but there is a right way to express it and to deal with it. Throwing your anger out on a certain person might be disastrous to your relationship with them or their mental health in specific. Extreme anger can also cause mental issues like anxiety issues, panic attacks, depression, etc. But the positive side of this is that there are many ways to deal with it and control it.  Here are some ways you can control your anger so it does not prove to be detrimental to your relationships with people around you or at work-

  1. Music- Music is a great way to deal with anger issues as it relaxes the body as well as the mind. Music therapy is used all around the world to cure depression, anxiety, anger issues as well as other mental illnesses. A good soothing song can put you in a good mood and make you feel relaxed when you are feeling angry. So next time you feel angry and you feel like you are going to go over the edge ,sit down and listen to your favourite playlist. 
  2. Meditation- Meditation is a great way to gain control over your mind and cure anger issues and other mental health issues. Meditation is highly underrated but has some very unique and powerful long-term benefits. Meditating every day in the morning for 20 minutes can help you be more focused throughout your day and gain control over your anger so you don’t harm yourself and your ambience. 
  3. Exercise- Exercise is a great way to release tension in your body and mind and it can help you think straight. Exercising increases the circulation of blood in your body and makes your mind feel more in control. As we have all heard a healthy mind is the result of a healthy body. Exercising can release stress that is built up in your mind and help you take command. 
  4. Healthy Diet- It is a common misconception that food does not affect your mental health.  Like having a good diet with all the important vitamins and minerals can keep your Body in good shape, it can also keep your brain and mind in a healthy condition. Being hungry often increases stress and makes a person get irritated quicker. Eating well will not only make you feel good but also help you concentrate on your work better. 

So next time you feel angry. Try one of these and save yourself and the people around you. 

TELEVISION AS AN IDIOT BOX: A PERSPECTIVE

Television in the 20th century emerged as a potent medium of entertainment, information and education. It has a profound way of influencing our thought process, attitudes and beliefs and it all hinges on the amount of television we watch. When children are exposed to this device, initially the box attracts and eventually, it starts distracting. A child develops a fondness for programs and over a while, the tendency to watch for long hours increases. Ultimately a child ends us spending considerable time watching TV. It is a herculean task to strike a balance between physical activities, homework, house chores and leisure time, especially for school going kids. As they devote time to television, striking balance becomes ever tricky, and a child becomes a victim of hyperactivity. With eyes glued to the box, the idiot box holds a child’s attention entirely, cutting him/ her from the rest of the world.

We understand that the environment is a great teacher, and one must move out to learn and explore life. But now that this child is living inadvertently in isolation, alas there rises a threat to overall development. Yes, the world of TV provides numerous experiences; it offers knowledge that otherwise wouldn’t be available to us. Studies also reveal that learners learn faster and better from TV than classroom instruction and even retain information for a longer duration. There’s a catch though- Not all content is suitable to be viewed by children. There is a dramatic increase in violence, coarse language, murder, crime and emotional ‘atyachaar’. Children entering into adolescence and children already in it are quite vulnerable to such feeding. They are uncritical of the information they receive and may commit acts under its influence, which can bring nothing but bad name. In this day and age, there are complaints of poor conduct, antisocial behaviour and aggressive attitude displayed by children at home. Who’s the culprit? The Idiot Box is one of the many things which condition such behaviour in intense viewers.

Wasting time is an inherent shortcoming of TV. Viewer’s reading ability also suffers. There is no benefit to our academic skills and other skills. Children don’t view programs which their parents want either way. Activities like active play outside with friends, eating dinner together with family or reading are compromised. The Idiot box also takes away time, particularly from sports, music, art or other activities that require practise to become skilful.

There are so many points that go against the television:

  1. It increases the spending habit as people want to upgrade to HD connections and also to bigger LEDs. Children wish to game consoles which further adds to the family cost.
  2. It has detrimental effects on a child’s brain. A child, when growing up, may struggle to engage socially.
  3. Book writer Stephen King believes that watching television kills creativity. Many say it shuts down critical thinking. The noise emitted from screens is so mesmerising to kids that it captures their attention entirely separating them from people around.
  4. Interacting with other children and people is essential for personality development. The lesser a child engages with them; difficulty generates, and there are complaints of poor conduct and antisocial behaviour.
  5. There are some instances where overexposure to TV leads to poor grades at school and develops aggressive behaviour.
  6. Too much junk food on TV can mean too much desire for it.
  7. Some people watch it for pass time. What they don’t realise is that becoming a follower of a daily soap can be taxing their mind. All sorts of anxiety, frustration and depression can happen.
  8. TV appeals more to emotions than logic. People watch it more for fun than learning.
  9. TV addicts can feel that they have lost a friend if they prolong their TV viewing.

Even adults can’t escape the magnetic charm of the idiot box. Excessive TV viewing is contributing to sleep problem, behaviour problems, obesity, laziness, and leads to several health issues. A homemaker subject to too much daily soap viewing will not gain much, and even if she does, the chances are that more negativity will be taken than positivity. The Idiot box lastly provides only a monologue; there’s no scope for dialogue. And we humans must reciprocate to learn, to clear our doubts, to move forward in life and to take the right decision. The only idiot delivers one-way communication; therefore, TV is an Idiot box.

Don’t Let Them Underestimate You!

There are a variety of qualities to a person that make them very unique compared to their peers and others.

However, there are some certain qualities that stand out more than the others do and these qualities are the ones that define your genuine personality to the rest of the world.

There is always room to improve when it comes to shaping yourself in the image that you desire most. While you are progressing and growing up, try to keep these seven qualities in mind.

1. Only You Can Make You Happy

When it comes to finding happiness you know that there isn’t a single person alive who is going to come along and make you feel as happy as you could make yourself.

This doesn’t mean that you are a selfish person, but in fact it makes you a very resilient individual who knows exactly what they need in order for them to be happy.

Sure, having others fulfill your desires is also amazing, however, you decide not to depend on anyone else but yourself.

2. Viewed As A Fantastic Role Model

People are constantly turning to you for guidance when they are in need of help with perfecting their own lives.

You carry yourself in such a way that makes others inspired, enamored, and even overjoyed just to know that a person like you exists.

There is something about your personality that makes others want to walk in your footsteps.

3. Guided By Intuition

Your intuition is your constant guide through life, leading you to the next best thing that awaits you on your long journey of growing up.

There is a lot that can be said about you and your gut instincts when it comes to making tough decisions.

You don’t get scared easily because you know that your intuition will lead you somewhere just as amazing as the last adventure you had.

4. Never Codependent

There is never a time in your life where you feel as if you need to depend on someone else for anything at all.

You prefer to be your own person, even if you are in a relationship with someone else you still prefer to do things your own way.

Being dependent on someone else for trivial needs is something you try to avoid and will go great lengths to show others just how capable you are being on your own.

5. Filled With Kindness And Compassion

You love to demonstrate the meaning of compassion as well as kindness to others so that they can understand that spreading love is a necessary piece of your existence.

Showing others just how passionate are with the things that you love to do most as well as being with the people that you love most.

This is one of the best qualities to a personality that not everyone gets to witness.

6. Extremely Courageous

You are a person who exudes confidence and that confidence makes you extremely desirable to everyone else.

There is a certain glow about your personality that brings out the best in others that they look up to your courage with inspiration in their eye’s.

This goes hand in hand with you being one of the best role models is because of how courageous you really are. There isn’t a single challenge or adversity that you will not face down yourself.

7. You Always Love Yourself

Even with the bad times in life you still find a way to love yourself no matter what happens to you.

Of course you know that there will be times where you aren’t as perfect, ready, or experienced yet to do some of the things you’d really like to do, however, you still love every piece of you regardless.

There will always be room to improve and that means that you are going to work really hard for that success.

You are an extremely unique individual if you possess any of these qualities to your personality. Though there are many others, these ones stand out the most when others are looking for a genuine personality.

Moving on

someone can be madly in love with you and still not be ready. They can love you in a way that you have never been loved and still not join you on the bridge. And whatever their reasons you must leave. Because you never have to inspire anyone to meet you on the bridge . You never ever have to convince someone to do the work to be ready. There is more extraordinary love, more of love that you have never seen , out here in the wide and wild universe .And there is the love that will be ready for you . will have your back . If you are in a place where you think you or your significant other is not ready just pick up your shit and leave. Yes collecting everything and leaving is not easy but after a awhile , the hurt hurts less . You start to see reason , understand why they did what they did .Knowing that is takes two hands to clap. Learn that everyone you meet will not stay in you life forever. Sometimes , they are a passing character in the chapter of your book .There to teach you certain lesson, to help you experience different things in life – different emotions, to grow , and maybe to show you how to love yourself better. find your worth.

Some of these characters will be difficult to replace when their time has come to an end in a chapter of your life. But , it is important to learn and to see the necessity to let them go, even if you don’t want to.

At the beginning, it will hurt. Its the kind of hurt that will leave you crying till you fall asleep at 3 am, puffy eyes, nose blocked and swollen . The kinda that follows you everywhere – reminding you of the memories you had once shared at particular places you pass by. the hurt that leaves you thinking that if you ever meant anything to them . Heartbreak is inevitable,especially with the people you love . But if its one thing that i have learnt it would be : you cannot have expectations .

You cant expect them to love you back the same way that you love them , with the same amount of intensity, and that my friend is the sad truth. The way you love someone- that does not determine the way that person is going to love you back . You can have multiple connects with people , but that does not necessarily mean that they are meant for you, and darling , its the same with love . This applies to both friendship and relationships, as we hate to admit it.

The hardest part about losing someone you love is not the goodbye, rather than learning to live without them and learning to let’em go. And what fuels that hurt is how they are able to move on easily without you.But can you blame them? Honestly you can’t . My mum always said, “If you really love that person , you will want them to be happy.Even if that means that they are gonna be happy without you , you will respect that and let them go. Just because you want them to be happy ” But what if I don’t want to let them go ? would you rather be happy with someone who doesn’t feel the same kind of happiness with you? that bothered me, a lot honestly. the one thing that people crave is being love and valued. However when you look for love, to find that healing to fill that void they have left – i have found that it never really works out. Its not purely genuine? I feel its more of a forced connection because you want to fill that void. you crave that drug and rush called’ ” love” because its a beautiful feeling. However the best kind of love something that i find the purest, is unexpected love . Because you are not looking for something, you are not looking for healing . Sometimes through the people that we meet , we find healing . And the world doesn’t seem bitter after all.

They help you get back onto your feet , but you are much stronger now . Stronger than before, aware. Aware of how love can be so fragile and pure and strengthening yet it has the power to break, shatter and destroy. Wiser as to who you allow yourself to love.

Education Includes Learning?

Education is something that is done to you. Learning is something you do for yourself.

                 ~ Joi Ito

Rightly said, learning is for yourself, your life, your dreams, your experiences, your journey, while education is something we get from others. It gives us access to the knowledge that is already there and we just need to study and remember it. Do you remember how many years of your life you have spent on studying or how many years yet to give up on this? I calculated it today and it blew my mind! In my eighteen years of life, I have given almost my entire life to study till date. Still there is one question nudging me inside out, what would I call it; years of my education or years of my learning?

As a kid I was always encouraged to study and get good marks. Marks were always the deciding factor and they defined me as a good student or weak student. I never wanted to be in weak category so I gave my best to get those numbers and still I am giving my best. During my primary classes I was often rewarded by my parents based on my mark sheet. I didn’t understand the importance of education back then, but I know now and I feel it wasn’t a best way to encourage me or any other student. It was like parents using gifts as a bribe in exchange for good numbers by their kids. Are we just trying to get educated and have a mark sheet with us for rest of our lives? Studious is not always the best. I am not doubting the importance of education but there’s only one thing I wonder and that is “should we be focusing more on learning rather than this mark sheet stuff”.

From my personal experience, I spent most of my school life being a spod. I used to get good marks and lots of appreciations and trust me that’s not bad either but only educating and not learning is bad. When I developed my interest more in literature my loved ones supported me no matter what.  When it was “show time” 12th standard, I couldn’t achieve that much. It did hurt to see my low scores, my parents were affected more than ever and there was one more thing nudging us like a weed “clucking magpies”. Coming out all these things my family supported me. All my glorious mark sheets of previous classes with amazing numbers are now lying down nicely in my cupboard drawer while I am achieving my dream from learning.

However if you ask me today, I am applying zero percent of what I studied back then, in my day to day life. Instead what is helping is the learning and experience I had shared at every point of life. All those numbers are now forgotten, the only thing matters is my learning and experiences.

While I was studying some formula for trigonometry back in my school days, I often used to think who will teach us how to deal with life and its situations or it is meant to be learning in a hard way!

What we don’t know about Ocean?

Ocean cover 70 % of Earth’s surface and still we human know more about the surface of the mars than Earth’s oceans,but just about time scientist our making progress but there is still lot of work in targeting the fully-mapping of Earth’s Ocean.The Seabed 2030 Project launched in 2017 have made a progress , the scientist have successfully mapped 19 percent of the Earth’s ocean.The GEBCO_2019 Grid was the first global bathymetric grid released which remarkably collected depth data of 5.6 million squares for the seabed 2030 project.The project is a collaboration between the Nippon Foundation of Japan and GEBCO. This initiative has been assisted by 133 contributors,and partners.The seabed project 2030 target to generate the definite map of the earth oceans so that it can be available to all.

However ,the fulfillment of this project would improve the human understanding about the Earth’s ocean all together with tides and tsunami and even it help in underlying data cables evidently improving data access for everyone .

Let’s start exploring the facts about Earth’s oceans which might you don’t know.

Internet |Undersea Cable

Since most of you might not know that 99 % of International data is transferred by wires at the bottom of the ocean surface.Recently ,Google has announced about its third private undersea internet cable network which will run between Europe and Africa.

Gold in the Ocean

It might make you surprise that according to National Ocean Service, Earth’s oceans hold somewhat about 20 million pounds of gold,but you fortunate to take it since it so diluted that it’s measured in parts per trillion. For over a years scientist are trying to find a way to extract gold from sea water but everything has proven to be pointless.

Marine Life

Marine life is still unexplored by humans .We have only explored 10% of marine life.An estimated 50-80% of all life on earth is found under the Earth’s ocean surface .But there’s a progress ,on average 2000 species are found every year.

Tsunami

Tsunami is a series of wave produced by an underwater earthquake .In 2004 ,Tsunami takes way 230,000 lives in a matter of hours.This was the deadliest tsunami ever experienced .

Ocean helps us breathe

Over more than half of the oxygen come from Earth’s ocean .That’s right .Every time we breathe we should thank oxygen Since 70 percent of the oxygen in atmosphere come from arine photosynthesizers , like phytoplankton and seaweed.

Ocean is really very very deep than that we imagine

The average ocean depth is 2.3 miles.The deepest part of the ocean is known as Challenger Deep and is located below the western Pacific Ocean in the southern end of the Mariana Trench.Challenger Deep is approximately 36,200 feet deep.

In last i want to say save the ocean.Don’t forget it provide to oxygen to survive and they contain 97% of water and moreover it take carbon dioxide from atmosphere hence reduce risk of climate change .To live we need healthy oceans. We have to take precautionary measure from our side.Unfortunately people are becoming careless,over 50% of sea turtles found dead because they are eating lot of plastic .If we want to save marine life ,stop using plastic.Even your small steps will altogether help to make a big change .Encourage your friends and family to help in saving the oceans.

Please let me know your thoughts in the comment below and have a wonderful day.