Throne of Glass Novellas: The assassin’s blade

The first book in the 8-booked series of Throne of glass novellas, it is epic. Way beyond epic. It tells us a story of a mere 16-year old, yeah! you probably are thinking, “what a bore”. NOT. This 16- year old, believe it or not, is WAAYYY cooler than us, she’s an assassin. Well, you ask me what’s new? for there are one or two assassins in every fantasy book, I’ll tell ya what’s new, that girl is nothing like it. She is kind, generous, lovable, likable, and most of all gorgeous. Do you remember that 1 girl in school who had it all? good looks, good personality, good brains? yeah, she’s that. And much much more. She is a bibliophile, which shows the ability of Sarah to relate with all her readers as she knows we are massive bibliophiles if we chose to read such a long string of novels as entertainment.

It all starts, with Celeana Sardothien, That 16-year old have-it-all I told you about. Well, it seems she is NOT the have it all right now, for she trying to solve every problem happening in the Assasin’s guild, starting with beating Sam Cortland. Then the news of ben, and then the scene in skull’s bay. that’s where the actual story begins.

A LOT happens in this fairly thin book, but I am not giving you any spoilers, you have to read it yourself. Give it time, and it will be your paradise. Published in 2014, 2 years after the publish of Throne of Glass, the first book which gave its name to the series, It is phenomenal. You can’t get enough of it. ever.

The story is not of this world, not even of the FANTASY world. It is something you’ve never read before. Something you’re not familiar with, and still, somehow, you find a home in it.

Will Sergio Ramos make his debut for PSG in the upcoming clash against Saint-Etienne

The former Real Madrid star is edging closer to finally making his first appearance for his new club.

Paris Saint-Germain boss Mauricio Pochettino has said that Sergio Ramos is nearing his long-awaited debut for the club.

Ramos moved to Paris from Real Madrid this summer, making him one of several high-profile stars to join up with PSG this year.

However, due to injury issues, Ramos has yet to play for the club, but Pochettino says that the Spanish star’s debut should be coming in the near future.

What is Employment Screening and How to Do Employment Screening

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Employment screening enables you to verify the skills, experience and qualifications of a candidate to assist you in making your hiring and recruitment decisions. This provides you with all of the available information about a candidate to make the most accurate decision and safeguard your hiring process. Employment screening also helps to protect your company’s reputation and ensure that your financial and people risk is minimised.

Photo by Edmond Dantu00e8s on Pexels.com

Many employers will conduct pre-employment screenings before they send you a job offer. Potential employers will typically perform a screening sometime during the interview process to assist in their hiring decision. There are a variety of screenings potential employers can use to get a thorough understanding of your background. In this article, we will explain what pre-employment screening is and how you can prepare for it.

What is pre-employment screening?

Also sometimes called a “background check,” a pre-employment…

View original post 1,687 more words

What is Employment Screening and How to Do Employment Screening

Admin's avatarTrack2Training

Employment screening enables you to verify the skills, experience and qualifications of a candidate to assist you in making your hiring and recruitment decisions. This provides you with all of the available information about a candidate to make the most accurate decision and safeguard your hiring process. Employment screening also helps to protect your company’s reputation and ensure that your financial and people risk is minimised.

Photo by Edmond Dantu00e8s on Pexels.com

Many employers will conduct pre-employment screenings before they send you a job offer. Potential employers will typically perform a screening sometime during the interview process to assist in their hiring decision. There are a variety of screenings potential employers can use to get a thorough understanding of your background. In this article, we will explain what pre-employment screening is and how you can prepare for it.

What is pre-employment screening?

Also sometimes called a “background check,” a pre-employment…

View original post 1,687 more words

CHANDRAYAN-II

CHANDRAYAN-II is one of the successful satellite in CHANDRAYAN-II is the second lunar exploration mission developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), after Chandrayaan-1. It consists of a lunar orbiter, and also included the Vikram lander, and the Pragyan lunar rover, all of which were developed in India. CHANDRAYAN-II launched in 22 July 2019 in GSLV Mark III M1 rocket launched from Satish Dhawan Space Centre Second Launch Pad.

Isro chief K Sivan said that the spacecraft has completed 9,000 revolutions of the Moon during a workshop. Two years after its lander, rover combination crash-landed on the far side of the moon, the Chandrayaan-2 mission is still delivering critical observations to India as it completes 9,000 orbits around the Moon.06-Sept-2021.

Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter continues to orbit the Moon in an orbit of 96 km x 125 km and both the Orbiter and Lander are healthy. The first de-orbiting maneuver for Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft was performed successfully today (September 03, 2019) beginning at 0850 hrs IST as planned, using the onboard propulsion system.

Six Reasons Why You Should Start Using A To-Do List

In a world full of distractions, with beeps and pop-ups ruling  most parts of your day and dozens of thoughts floating in your head, staying focused is a herculean task. Amidst all the chaos, one thing that can help you stay sane is the good old productivity tool – To-Do List.

Having said that, you should also know that it is a double edged sword. This age-old technique has a reputation of hurting productivity. The key however is in knowing how to use it effectively. 

With a lot of speculation and confusion doing the rounds about this tool, it’s natural that you may end up being double minded about whether or not to use it. Listed below are 6 points which can aid you in your decision making process.

Frees up a hell lot of space in your brain

Whether it’s the list of items you need to buy, the ideas that popped up while you were doing laundry or the schedule of the meetings you need to attend, cramming your brain with a hundred thoughts is definitely not something it would appreciate. By doing so, you are not only overwhelming the brain but also using up the energy and space that could otherwise have been used for more productive stuff. So please do yourself and your brain a favour – get it all out of your head, put it on a list and thank me later !

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Throws the ‘Oops ! I Forgot’ excuse out of the window

As much as we all would like to remember every single detail about everything, let’s face it, not many of us have that extraordinary memory power. So if you don’t have it written down somewhere, it’s only natural that you may forget some of the things that you really wanted to remember. To-Do lists are visual reminders of all the tasks that you wanted the brain to remember and when you have it right in front of you, it’s impossible to miss any.

Helps you to organise and prioritise the tasks

Prioritising the tasks and focusing on the most important ones can be challenging when you have a lot going inside your head. Without that clarity, instead of sending out that important email to your client, you may end up decluttering your closet. When you have all the tasks listed out right in front of you, it becomes much easier to analyse and sort out what needs to be done right away and what can wait.

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Acts as a roadmap to your long term goals

Suppose you are travelling from Chennai to Kolkata.You know your starting point and also your destination. But without knowing how to proceed and which route to take do you think you’ll ever reach Kolkata ? In the same way your long term goals are the end results that you want to achieve and the tasks act as your milestones which give you an idea about the route that you need to take in order to reach your end goal. By breaking down the long term goals into tiny actionable steps and putting them on your list, you get a clear idea on the course of action you are supposed to take.

Helps calm your monkey mind

There may be times when your mind suddenly decides to remind you about the gift that you need to order for your friend’s birthday while you are trying hard to focus and complete the article due for the day. It now becomes the responsibility of the brain to remember this and in an attempt to do so it loses focus on the task at hand. Putting this newly popped up task on your list takes the weight off the brain and gives your restless mind an assurance that it will eventually be taken care of.

Checking off an item on your list gives you that daily dose of dopamine

When you finish a task and check it off your list, your brain feels a certain sense of success. And as a reaction to it, it releases a small amount of dopamine which in turn makes you feel happy and good about yourself. Crossing out an item from your list is something that can instantly make you feel good and motivates you to take action on the remaining tasks.

Bottom Line

Your To-Do List should be something that motivates you to get up each day and work hard to crush those goals that you have set for yourself.It is supposed to elevate your overall happiness and not pull you down. Instead, if you find your list giving you nightmares or panic attacks, chances are that you might not be using it the right way. Figure out strategies on how to effectively make and use a To-Do List and try incorporating them in your process and I’m sure with the right strategies and complete dedication to the process you will definitely see the results. Good luck !

Residential Fire Risk

Fire is the visible effect of the process of combustion – a special type of chemical reaction. It occurs between oxygen in the air and some sort of fuel. When a fire occurs, there is a very little time to escape for it engulfs everything in its ambit in less than 2 minutes. Contrary to popular belief, over 90% of fire related deaths are caused by smoke suffocation. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) statistics, more than 300,000 deaths are caused annually by fire induced burns and more than 90% of these deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries. These figures clearly shows that fire poses serious threat to both life and property. Fire hazards can be understood as any actions, materials or conditions that might increase the size or severity of a fire or that might cause a fire to start. Of all the natural disasters, fit is fire only that is both beneficial to man and his environment as well as destructive and deadly.

Sun and Lao (2014) assert that fire risk analysis of high-rise building is of crucial importance due to the reason that there still lacks efficient systematic fire extinguish method to ensure a safety evacuation process. They further elaborated that fire risk assessment is an organized and methodical review of a specific building, the activities carried that increase the likelihood of a fire to start and cause harm to the occupants and properties. The fire risk assessment involves five steps – hazard identification, scenario design fire, quantitative risk analysis, risk assessment comparing to acceptable criteria and risk management. They highlighted the point that fire scenario is a key parameter of the whole fire risk assessment process – which involves a combination of potential fire size, fire location, combustible characteristics, availability of fire system etc. They further emphasized through their study based on China that risk analysis is important to evaluate fire protection strategies for a particular application or for a class of facility or operation in fire safety engineering. Beside this, the risk assessment will assist the stakeholders and operator to manage the facilities in a right way.

A comparative study regarding the level of fire safety between Residential and Commercial Construction sites were carried out by Sivakumar, Malathy and Sivaprakash (2018). The study brought the point that residential building satisfies overall fire safety conditions better than commercial buildings. However, combustible materials are stored and maintained in a better manner in commercial buildings than residential buildings and tend to satisfy overall structural feature parameters when compared to residential buildings. Moreover, the study highlighted that fire emergency, signage and emergency planning in commercial buildings are better than in residential buildings. They asserted that, however, both the commercial and residential buildings need to focus more on reducing risk and on improving fire safety and fire risk assessment standards and compliances regarding the protection of people working in the construction sites.

Huang and Xin (2013) in their paper based on China presents fire risk analysis model-based scenario clusters and its application in fire risk management of buildings. The paper has described the quantitative analysis model for fire risk analysis. They bring out the point that fire risk analysis method allows a quick check of any safety deficiencies in residential buildings and any need to provide additional fire protection measures to minimize fire risk. However, they argue that the method does not include consideration of the logical development of fire events. Moreover, the quantification parameters of fire risk are based on statistical data (if available). Thus, they assert that more research is required to verify the methods of some parameters in international contexts. The paper also conformed to the idea that building fire risk analysis serves as a basis for fire risk management.

Masoumi, Genderen and Maleki (2019) attempted to carry a comprehensive fire risk assessment in the dense urban areas of Zanjan city using Information Fusion based on GIS modeling. The study has highlighted the increasing importance of information fusion technologies for the analysis of geospatial information. The use of different types of spatial and attribute data from different sources deploying GIS and geospatial analyses can act as powerful tools to aggregate information in order to assess disaster risk in urban and regional scales. The result of sensitivity analyses also indicated that the social training factor is the most effective causative factor in the fire risk.

Kodur, Kumar and Rafi (2019) in their paper, ‘Fire hazard in buildings: review, assessment and strategies for improving fire safety,’ presents a critical review of current fire protection measures and their applicability to address current challenges relating to fire hazards in buildings. Based on the review, an integrated framework for mitigation of fire hazards is proposed. The proposed framework involves enhancement of fire safety in four key areas: fire protection features in buildings, regulation and enforcement, consumer awareness and technology and resources advancement. Detailed strategies on improving fire safety in buildings in these four key areas are presented, and future research and training needs are identified. The study has brought forth the point that Current fire protection measures lead to an unquantified level of fire safety in buildings, provide minimal strategies to mitigate fire hazard and do not account for contemporary fire hazard issues. They highlighted that Implementing key measures that include reliable fire protection systems, proper regulation and enforcement of building code provisions, enhancement of public awareness and proper use of technology and resources is key to mitigating fire hazard in buildings. Major research and training required to improve fire safety in buildings include developing cost-effective fire suppression systems and rational fire design approaches, characterizing new materials and developing performance-based codes.

Groner (2015) in his paper describes a decision model for managing the movement of building occupants during fir emergencies. The study assert that sophisticated education and training would improve the responses of occupant movement managers. Accepting that it is unlikely for a great increase in resources being dedicated to it, the study forwards a ‘simple mental model’ – which should help occupant movement managers avoid mistakes in both planning for and responding to fire emergencies. The research assert that the model relies on the abilities of people to analyse and synthesize inputs and people are notably effective at this task given a mental model that is simple enough to easily recall.

Among different types of disasters, fire constitutes a significant threat to life and property in any type of settlement whether urban or rural possession. In India, the data on fire related deaths are provided by National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) under Accidental Deaths & Suicides in India (ADSI). According to study conducted by India Risk Survey in 2018, Fire outbreak is the third largest risk to be faced by the people in continuity of operations on the other hand the Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India report, 2019 states that residential buildings are most prone to fire outbreaks due to faulty behaviour of residents. According to ADSI reported 11,037 cases of fire accidents in the country during 2019 which rendered 10915 deaths and injuries to 441 persons. The cause-wise analysis of fire accidents revealed that 58.0% of total deaths were reported in residential/dwelling buildings during the mentioned year. The residential fire risks arise from both inappropriate structural attributes and faulty behavioural practices like using nonstandard electrical goods, no capacity building in case of disaster, congestion in residential localities and no maintenance of electrical equipment’s.

Cities across India are growing at exuberant rates. However, as we build new cities and expand old ones, we must not forget the necessary features that make up these urban spaces. Fire safety is crucial in urban and rural habitats, and there must be continued investments in equipment and infrastructure to guarantee the safety of the residents. It’s time our civic authorities, town planners and fire service officials pay more attention to fire safety in residential colonies and ensure that they have at least some rudimentary fire engines. It is also important to educate residents on dealing with a fire. Along with these, fire risk assessment should be duly done to ensure proper evacuation plan as well as the adoption of all possible best measure to prevent fires. This will go a long way in saving life.

In India, though there are several rules and laws, codes and standards associated with fire safety, these are rarely followed. Neglective behaviour in following fire safety measures caused several major fires in numerous occupancies and a few of them even resulted in catastrophes, however, there aren’t any provisions for fire safety legislation in India regarding the objectives, scope, methodology, and periodicity of the Fire Safety Audit.

Home is a place where you build memories and seeing it burning down to ashes can be the most terrifying event in one’s life. Though a scary thought, a lot can be done to prevent fire from happening. Fire Hazard in the residential buildings are the most common hazard especially because of the ignorance on the part of the residents. Even if we cannot control anything and everything, however, we can take some steps to help reduce the chances of fire from occurring as well to reduce the smoke damage.

REFERENCES

Groner, N. (2016). A Decision Model for Recommending which Building Occupants should Move where During Fire Emergencies. Fire Safety Journal, 20-29.

Kodur, V. K. (2019). Fire Hazards in Building: Review, Assessments and Strategies for Improving Fire Safety. PSU Research Review, 4(1), 1-23.

Mausoumi, Z. G. (2019). Fire Risk Assessment in Dense Urban Areas Using Information Fusion Techniques. International Journal of Geo-Information(8), 2-20.

Ministry of Home Affairs. (2020). Accidental Deaths and Suicide in India, 2019. New Delhi: National Crime Records Bureau.

Sivakumar, C. M. (2018). A Study on Fire Safety on Residential and Commercial        Construction Sites. Archives of Civil Engineering, LXIV(2), 161-174.

Sun, X. L. (2014). Fire Risk Assessment for Super High- Rise Buildings. Procedia Engineering, 492-501.

Xin, J. H. (2013). Fire Risk Analysis of Residential Buildings based on Scenario Clusters and its Application in Fire Risk Management. Fire Safety Journal, 72-78.

Image Credit: Google

Pollution

Stop It!

Whereas the growth of civilization with the aid of science has made man’s life easier, more comfortable, heal their and happy, it has been awfully noted in recent years that it has also brought the problem of pollution which has put before humanity the question of its survival.

Water and air – the two essentials of life have been mixed with so many undesirable pollutants, that fresh air and freshwater have become almost impossible to enjoy. This brings in turn the incurable diseases to the life and danger of decaying to the beautiful things made by a man on this earth. Pollution has two forms, viz; the pollution of water and the pollution of air. The pollution of water is mainly caused by surface water such as rivers, tanks, or lakes. The water is mixed up with many kinds of impurities due to the discharge of industries, hospitals, city sewage, the garage, and the leftover. All these make water poisonous which causes harm to the living beings, vegetation, and even to the non-living bodies.

Intellectuals and scientists should come ahead with preventive measures to eradicate the problem of pollution. Government should also take some ore concrete measures like cleaning rivers Ganga and Yamuna and making them free from pollutants. Most importantly we as educated and concerned beings should also take preventive measures and spread awareness around regarding pollution and consequences of it, after all, mother earth is one of our major responsibilities.

CRICKET IN INDIA

Cricket is the most popular sport in india.Every part of the country they will play cricket Indian National cricket team also known as men in blue represent in world tournament like Odi, T20,Test.The Indian cricket team is governed by BCCI(Board of control of cricket in india).

Indian team started cricket in 1721 long ago.There are 38 first class clubs and 10 ipl clubs from 2022.There are many form of cricket first class,ipl,clubs etc.

List of cricket:-

First Class Cricket:-

Ranji Trophy
Duleep Trophy
Irani Trophy

List A Cricket:-

Vijay Hazare Trophy
Deodhar Trophy

T20 Cricket:-

Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy

Club competitions:-

Indian premier league

International competitions:-

ICC World Test Championship
ICC Cricket World Cup
ICC World Twenty20
ICC Champions Trophy
Asia Cup
Women’s Cricket World Cup
ICC Women’s World Twenty20
Under 19 Cricket World Cup

In 2007 first time T20 started india gone with a young team under ms dhoni without any star players and they won T20 world cup.

In ODI world cup india 2 times won the championship First in 1983 against West Indies under kapil dev And second time won in 2011 against Sri Lanka under ms dhoni.India has provided many legends in cricket.From children to youngster all will play cricket in india.

Cyclone Risk Assessment – cas eof Andhra Pradesh

A disaster is a sudden, calamitous event that seriously disrupts the functioning of a community or society and causes human, material, and economic or environmental losses that exceed the community’s or society’s ability to cope using its own resources. Though often caused by nature, disasters can have human origins. The combination of hazards, vulnerability and inability to reduce the potential negative consequences of risk results in disaster.

The Disaster Management Act of India defines disaster as: “A catastrophe, mishap, calamity or grave occurrence in any area arising from natural or man-made causes or by accident or negligence, which results in substantial loss of life or human suffering or damage to and destruction of property or damage to, or degradation of environment and is of such a nature or magnitude as to be beyond the coping capacity of the community of the affected area.

Andhra Pradesh is the second most vulnerable state to cyclone after Odisha. The state risks being battered by cyclones of moderate to severe intensity every two to three years. In the past 40 years, there may not be a single year in which the state did not experience either a storm, a cyclone or heavy rains and floods. The deadliest cyclone in the past 40 years was the one that struck Andhra’s coast in November 1977, killing about 10,000 people. About 250,000 cattle heads perished, one million houses were damaged and crops on 1.35 million hectares (ha) were destroyed that year. According to the State Disaster Management Department, about 44 per cent of the state is vulnerable to tropical storms and related disasters. Vulnerability to storm surges is not uniform along the coast of Andhra. The stretch between Nizampatnam in Guntur district and Machilipatnam in Krishna district is the most prone to storm surges. East and West Godavari districts, with vast stretches of paddy fields and irrigation, drainage canals always bear the brunt of cyclones accompanied by strong winds and pounding rains. In the aftermath of cyclones, these areas get flooded, leading to huge crop losses besides other damage. More than one cyclone in the same season is not unusual for Andhra Pradesh. The vulnerability also increases manifold given its location and the demographic structure of the state. The decrease of alertness in disaster management that often occurs after a few years’ lull in occurrence of cyclones, known as the “fading memory syndrome,” also contributes to increases in loss of lives and property damage.

Proneness or to be prone means ‘likely to do’ or in this case, the districts most likely to be affected by cyclone. Out of 9 districts prone to cyclones, 4 districts i.e., Nellore, Guntur, East Godavari and Srikakulam fall in the category of very highly prone to cyclones. The remaining 5 districts i.e., Prakasam, Krishna, West Godavari, Vishakhapatnam and Vizianagaram fall in the category of highly prone to cyclones. It can be noticed that the coastal districts range from very highly to highly prone to cyclone without any in-between.  Apart from these, the non-coastal districts such as Chittoor and Cuddapah also at times experience the wrath of cyclones in the form of heavy and torrential rainfall or the landfall of cyclones.

All the coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh except one fall in the very highly vulnerable category, which is not a surprise given the density of population in the districts. The density map of Andhra Pradesh shows that out of 9 coastal districts, 4 districts i.e., Srikakulam, East Godavari, West Godavari and Krishna fall in the category of high density of population; 3 coastal districts i.e., Vizianagaram, Vishakhapatnam and Guntur fall in the category of moderate density of population. The reasons for low density districts such as Nellore and Prakasam still being highly vulnerable can be due to high rate of poverty, transport and infrastructure vulnerability.

The density map of Andhra Pradesh shows that out of 9 coastal districts, 4 districts i.e., Srikakulam, East Godavari, West Godavari and Krishna fall in the category of high density of population; 3 coastal districts i.e., Vizianagaram, Vishakhapatnam and Guntur fall in the category of moderate density of population. The reasons for low density districts such as Nellore and Prakasam still being highly vulnerable can be due to high rate of poverty, transport and infrastructure vulnerability.

Over last few decades, NGOs have become important players in the development process across the globe, engaged in wide ranging activities starting with community development to training, policy research, and advocacy. Their organisational flexibility, informal work style, and close engagement with grassroots communities enable them to deliver services to people at lower costs.  Their ability to mobilise people and understand people’s concerns enables them to better articulate problems encountered by people. Thus, they play a very important role in preparedness and mitigation process. For instance, Indian Red Cross Society – New Delhi and other charitable organisations were involved in helping people in Titli cyclone-affected areas. As per the article in The Hindu, IRCS has distributed relief materials, including 1594 kitchen sets, 800 saris, 700 dhotis, 440 buckets, 400 towels, 700 mosquito nets and 405 tarpaulins in selected villages, according to IRCS Srikakulam wing chairperson P. Jaganmohana Rao, Further, after studying the severe damage in 1,145 villages, IRCS-New Delhi, IRCS-A.P. and Telangana units sent relief material worth more than Rs. 62 lakhs. Given such an important role played by voluntary organisations, APSDMA is developing a database of interested volunteers from various governmental and non-governmental agencies and offer them training programs on interesting aspects under Disaster management, preparedness, mitigation and awareness building. This will provide the volunteers with an on-ground experience of the situation and also provide them with an opportunity to learn and teach others what they have observed.

It is equally important for risk assessment to take from time to time so that it comes to light where the improvement is needed the most, where are the loopholes as regular risk assessment will enable to support the development of effective cyclone mitigation policies and implementation of specific measures. Studies have suggested that new developments in the terms of embankments, cyclone shelters, and roadways should be in the places with high and very-high-risk zone. Though successful early warning system reduced the loss of life, false information and lack of awareness claimed many human lives. It has been recommended that Incorporating the spatial distribution of vulnerable people in warning messages may increase trust of people to the warning signals. One of the studies brought in the “fading memory syndrome” in which not being the target of cyclone and cyclonic storms for more than a couple of years makes people forget about the disastrous affect and a reduction has been observed. Thus, the government needs to focus on this aspect too and conduct mock drills among the coastal population at regular intervals, keep them aware about the impact and train the evacuation process. It is equally important to impart education to the population regarding the same. With the proper involvement of the civil bodies and local people, a vastly informed citizens can be placed.

References:

Ahameed, B. K. (2019). Coastal Social Vulnerability and Risk Analysis for Cyclone Hazard Along the Andhra Pradesh, East Coast of India. KN-Journal of Cartography and Geographic Information. doi:DOI: 10.1007/s42489-019-00029-9

GOI-UNDP. (n.d.). Severe Cyclone Storm Titli’s Impact on State of Andhra Pradesh .

Government of Andhra Pradesh. (Accessed 2021). Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority. Retrieved from Google: https://apsdma.ap.gov.in/

Raghavan, S. &. (2003). Trends in Tropical Cyclone Impact: A Study in Andhra Pradeh, India. American Meterological Society, 635-644. doi:10.1175/BAMS-84-5-635

Rao, A. D. (2005). Vulnerability from Storm Surges and Cyclone Wind Fields on the Coast of Andhra Pradesh, India. Nat Hazards, 515-529. doi:10.1007/s11069-006-9047-4

Image Credit: Google

5 Ways to Continuously Attract New Audiences on Instagram

Admin's avatarInternational Journal of Research (IJR)

Now, more people use Instagram than Facebook or Snapchat combined. People of a younger age are attracted to Instagram’s stories feature, while others like the ability to post long-form material that gives a clear picture of their identity and the goals they have for the future of the platform.

In this post, we will share 5 ways that you can use right now to continuously attract more users to follow your account on Instagram. Of course, you can buy Instagram followers if you want to quick growth. But if you are looking for organic ways, you can not miss out on the following content.

Posting Regularly and Consistently

Even if you just update once or twice a week, you should maintain a consistent posting schedule. Decide on a time when you’ll have lots of possibilities to interact with your listeners and share your thoughts. Make every effort to publish on…

View original post 984 more words

5 Ways to Continuously Attract New Audiences on Instagram

Admin's avatarInternational Journal of Research (IJR)

Now, more people use Instagram than Facebook or Snapchat combined. People of a younger age are attracted to Instagram’s stories feature, while others like the ability to post long-form material that gives a clear picture of their identity and the goals they have for the future of the platform.

In this post, we will share 5 ways that you can use right now to continuously attract more users to follow your account on Instagram. Of course, you can?buy Instagram followers?if you want to quick growth. But if you are looking for organic ways, you can not miss out on the following content.

Posting Regularly and Consistently

Even if you just update once or twice a week, you should maintain a consistent posting schedule. Decide on a time when you’ll have lots of possibilities to interact with your listeners and share your thoughts. Make every effort to publish on…

View original post 984 more words

Assertiveness – An Essential Life Skill Everyone Should Master

Have you ever wondered how some people have a natural ability to express their opinions and views confidently, politely turn down the things that they don’t want to do and still manage to maintain a good rapport with people ? Do you think it is some superpower that they are born with ? Well, this superpower that they possess is called Assertiveness. And the good news is that with the help of the right strategies and dedicated practice, you too can develop this superpower.

What is assertiveness ?

Assertiveness is a healthy behaviour that helps you  express your views, feelings, needs and desires  in a calm, clear and reasonable way without  disrespecting the other person.It is a crucial life skill that enables you to stand up for your rights without undermining those of others’. Assertiveness doesn’t come naturally to most people. Often, they tend to respond passively or end up responding aggressively. At times people may also choose to respond in a passive-aggressive manner, which can be considered as a combination of these two types.

Photo by Rebrand Cities on Pexels.com

Why do you need to be assertive ?

Passive people often end up doing things that they really don’t want to do in an attempt to please others and eventually it takes a toll on their self esteem and confidence. On the other hand, the aggressive ones, though most of the time manage to get their ways, often find their insecurities getting worse due to their behaviour and end up being lonely and dissatisfied in life. In the case of passive aggressive responses, it may work well initially, but in the long run, the guilt of not being open and honest with people starts weighing them down and affects their relationships with people adversely.

By being assertive, you are honest in your thoughts and words and express yourself clearly, while remaining empathetic and fair. An assertive person knows how to strike a balance between speaking up for himself and respecting the rights and beliefs of the other person. They are firm without being rude and also adept at handling their emotions. 

Well, it all sounds good in theory, but putting it into practice requires a lot of effort. Be prepared for the numerous sighs, eye rolls, I-Can’t-Believe-You-Said-No lectures, rants on how disrespectful and rude you are etc., that are bound to come your way during this journey of being assertive. But trust me once you have passed the initial phase of discomfort, you will find that it’s way less stressful and a lot easier to express yourself effectively.

How to be assertive ?

Have a clear idea about your core values and beliefs

Only if you have a clear understanding about yourself and your core values, will you be able to express yourself clearly and confidently. A good place to start is by assessing your behaviour, style and thought pattern. Identify those beliefs that prevent you from standing up for yourself. Look out for the triggers that blow your fuse. Dig deeper into your mind and identify your core values. Ask yourself  whether your actions and responses align with your core values. This understanding of yourself and your values is the foundation of self confidence which in turn is the cornerstone of assertiveness.

Speak up even if your voice shakes

Whenever you find yourself in a situation where you don’t particularly agree on the thing that the majority agrees with, instead of nodding along or yelling at them, try putting across your views honestly in a clear and composed tone. It might be difficult in the beginning and you might have a hard time controlling your emotions and tone. But with practice you’ll find your confidence and ability to articulate your thoughts gradually improving. Trust the process and keep practicing.

Accept both the bricks and bouquets gracefully

Whenever you are starting out on something new, you are bound to face criticisms and if you are lucky you might end up winning a few compliments as well. Accept both with an open mind. Graciously accept the compliments and train yourself to handle criticisms positively.

I.Wish.I.Could.But.I.Don’t.Want.To 

If you were to ask a people pleaser what scares him the most – dealing with Dracula or saying No – chances are high that his answer would be the latter. Well, saying No can be hard not just for people pleasers but for everyone. But it is one of the crucial skills to master on your journey of becoming an assertive person. Acknowledge the request and then give a short but clear and honest reply. Remember that neither do you owe anybody a justification nor an apology for your decision. In any relationship, people generally appreciate transparency and by being open and honest about your feelings you are doing yourself as well as the other person a favour.

Practice Active Listening

Active listening is a skill that helps you better understand the other person’s perspective. While being assertive, respecting and considering the other person’s opinions and views is as important as articulating your thoughts. So it is important that you pay attention to what the other person says. Don’t shy away from asking questions if you need further information or clarification. By giving the other person room to explain himself, you are laying the basis for a constructive discussion and by attentively listening to him you are giving yourself a chance to view things from his perspective.

Watch your tone and body language

To have the desired impact, it’s not enough that you express yourself respectfully and honestly but you also need to maintain an assertive body language and tone while you speak. A relaxed open posture, good eye contact and the perfect mix of firmness and composure in the tone play a vital role in projecting your confidence. And this applies both when you are speaking as well as listening. 

‘I’ vs ‘You’

While expressing yourself, one thing that you need to keep remaining yourself is that your focus should be on the issue and not on pulling the other person down. To get your points across firmly and respectfully, use phrases like ‘I feel’, ‘In my opinion’, ‘I would like’  etc . The impact the expression  ‘I feel that my choice would be better in this case’  makes is way different from the one  the expression ‘Your choice is terrible’ makes . The latter points fingers at the other person and ridicules his choice whereas the former gets your point across without engaging in the blame game. 

Take a moment to reflect on your progress

Every time, after you’ve faced a situation where you acted assertively or at least tried to do so,  take a moment to reflect on what went well and what did not. Remember not to be too hard on yourself. Taking time out to review your progress helps you in understanding how far you have come in this journey of being assertive. It also gives you an opportunity to identify your weak points and the areas you need to work on. Also, helps you in identifying your behavioural patterns and thought process better. Consistent practice, along with periodic reflection, makes sure that your ride ahead is safe and smooth

Final Thoughts

Assertiveness may be a natural trait for a lucky few, but for most people it is a skill that needs practice and time to develop. During this journey, if you find yourself slipping to aggressive or passive modes, at times, just keep in mind that even the person who has won the ‘The Most Assertive Person of the Year’ award may not respond assertively 100% of the time. Instead of beating yourself up for such occasional goof ups, focus your attention on learning from them and fine tuning your assertiveness skills. Good Luck !

Global Surge in Domestic Violence During Covid-19 Crisis!

“O Janneman”, she increased her pace on hearing a stranger calling. She reached the bus stop but could still feel eyes on her. It was dreadful. She wanted to reach home as soon as possible. She wanted to cover herself in the safety that only a home could provide.

About 95% of women feel unsafe in public places (UN Women, 2013) and about 50% of women face harassment during commutation (Pan India Study, 2015)[1]. Though women are considered most vulnerable while commuting, their entrapment during the lockdown tells a different story. While protecting themselves from the pandemic, women face another terminal problem. Though cases such as rape, catcalling, stalking and other forms of molestation have decreased due to restrictions on movement, a rise in the cases of domestic violence is seen, which is horrendous. Even before the lockdown, 243 million females of 15-49 years have faced physical abuse (UN Women reported). National Family Health Survey 2016 reveals that 30% of women of 15-49 years’ experience physical violence. About 31% of married women experience abuse by their spouses.

Given the already sheer violation of basic human rights, the world is now experiencing a surge in such crimes! Where are we moving to?

[i]France has reported a 30% increase in such case[2]. In UK, calls to the national abuse hotline went up by 65%[3]. Spain has registered calls to 144 gender violence hotline increase by 25%[4]. In Singapore, AWARE’s Women Helpline number has registered an increase in calls by 33%.[5] In Australia 40% of frontline workers reported increase in the calls to domestic violence helpline[6]. National Commission for Women registered over 587 complaints between March 27-April 16 2020[7].

Many countries/places have registered a drop in such calls, like the Delhi Commission for Women. This trend is more frightening since it indicates the inability of victims to reach for help. A lot of women might not be able to make phone calls due to the constant presence of the abuser. A lack of help increases the chance for their abusers to coerce them and inculcate greater fear in their relationships.

The lockdown has also compromised the care and support services provided by various NGOs and counseling centers- clinical management, mental health and psycho-social support to the survivors. To free oneself from the clutches of an abuser, women need to be financially independent but given the situation of a recession of the global economy, the solution is covered by clouds.

These statistics do not tell the whole story. A lot of cases are not even reported! Women belonging to poor households find it difficult to reach out for help due to lack of access to phones and the internet while many do not report marital rapes and domestic violence due to the fear of society. UN Women reported that only about 40% of women facing domestic violence call domestic abuse hotlines and only about 10% go to the police. In the current situation, it has become even more difficult for them to reach for help.

A lot of reasons can be put forward for such an abusive behavior of men but these can never be taken as excuses to set them free. With everything that is going on, this world requires a change in mindset which certainly cannot be achieved overnight. So, there is a need for proper counseling of men too to help them get through the situation without inflicting pain on others. During the lockdown, ways should be formulated to help NGOs to reach both the victims and the abusers. There is a need for the allocation of more resources to enable these centers to reach a wider section of the population. Also, every country should have stringent laws in place and practice. It has been reported that about 1 in 4 countries do not have any laws to serve justice to the victims of domestic violence.

For a dignified life, safety and security are basic human rights. The status of women in society determines their safety. Women being the target of violence and rapes in their own homes makes me question the very core of humanity, the very idea of ‘home’. It seems that humanity has gotten lost somewhere in space- unable to find its way back to earth. As rightly pointed by the UN chief, “peace is not just the absence of war”[8]. It is indeed necessary that we come together to fight the battle to keep women safe as we fight COVID-19. For a sustainable, inclusive and resilient society, every section must live a dignified life.

[1] Bhatt, A. Women’s Safety in Public Transport-A Pilot Initiative in Bhopal. 2015. Embarq India

 

[2] Domestic violence cases jump 30% during lockdown in France.23rd March, 2020. https://www.euronews.com/2020/03/28/domestic-violence-cases-jump-30-during-lockdown-in-france

[3] Megha Mohan. Coronavirus: I’m in lockdown with my abuser. 31st March, 2020. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-52063755

[4] During quarantine, calls to 144 for gender violence increased by 25%. 21st March, 2020. http://www.diario21.tv/notix2/movil2/?seccion=desarrollo_nota&id_nota=132124

[5] Commentary: Isolated with your abuser? Why family violence seems to be on the rise during COVID-19 outbreak. 26 March, 2020. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/commentary/coronavirus-covid-19-family-violence-abuse-women-self-isolation-12575026

 

[6] Domestic Violence Spikes During Coronavirus As Families Trapped At Home. 27 March, 2020. https://10daily.com.au/news/australia/a200326zyjkh/domestic-violence-spikes-during-coronavirus-as-families-trapped-at-home-20200327

 

[7] Coronavirus cases: No Lockdown for Domestic Violence. 26 April, 2020. https://www.deccanherald.com/specials/insight/coronavirus-crisis-no-lockdown-for-domestic-violence-829941.html

[8] UN Chief calls for Domestic Violence ‘Ceasefire’ amid ‘horrifying global surge’. 6th April, 2020. https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/04/1061052

[i] The data pertains to the month of April – June (when lockdown was in full force everywhere)

Image Credit: Google

HISTORY OF INDIAN FLAG

Gandhi first proposed a flag to the Indian National Congress in 1921. The Indian flag was designed by Pingali Venkayya.In the flag the deep saffron colour is for courage and sacrifice white colour is for honesty, peace, and purity dark green colour is for faith and chivalry and the chakra in the middle is for vigilance, perseverance, and justice.This flag was accepted in 1947.Bhikaji Rustom Cama, the fiery lady who unfurled the first version of the Indian national flag—a tricolour of green, saffron, and red stripes—at the International Socialist Congress held at Stuttgart

The Indian flag was designed as
A horizontal triband of India saffron, white, and India green; charged with a navy blue wheel with 24 spokes in the centre.The flag was proposed by Nehru at the Constituent Assembly on 22 July 1947 as a horizontal tricolour of deep saffron, white and dark green in equal proportions, with the Ashoka wheel in blue in the centre of the white band. From 26 January 2002, allowing private citizens to hoist the flag on any day of the year, subject to their safeguarding the dignity, honour and respect of the flag.