Tag: General Awareness

HOW TO DELIVER ORAL REPORT AND BUSINESS SPEECHES?

DELIVERING ORAL REPORT AND BUSINESS SPEECHES


MASTERING FORMAL SPEAKING

Oral communication becomes one of the most important skills in the corporate world. Even there is a much more demand for our writing skills where we write in blogs, E-mails, other special networking opportunities demand us even more where communication becomes basic there. According to some estimates, Speakers address audience an astonishing 33 million times each day, and business people give a presentation of about an average of 26 presentations a year.


REPORTING ORALLY

Oral Reports often have audience too, they may be a progress report to the clients or the informational reports to the community or Government groups. In this broadest sense, an oral report is any objective presentation of facts and their interpretation using the spoken word. Finding what audience expect from us is the important part – To speak without interruption for a certain amount of time and delivering useful and timely information as they spend their time to get a better information. So, winning them need a perfect delivery of communication.


ANYWHERE ANYTIME

THE FIVE CANONS OF ORAL COMMUNICATION

INVENTION

It refers to the process of generating ideas and content for the good situation. Before one is going to deliver a specch, he/she needs to collect iformation through varied sources. Gaining new information through research, ideas through brainstorming, analysing and synthesizing the applicable one are the important parts of invention. This requires creative and critical thinking skils where one needs to be clear to give a logical and comprehensive process.


ARRANGEMENT

It defines that any Knowledge is a Knowledge where it is structurally defined. The speech should not be in arguments alone but also the delivery of facts should be properly arranged so that the audeine can think of the particular value. The important divisions include The introduction, The partition, The narration, The confirmation , The refutation and finallly with the conclusion.


STYLE

The most difficult thing is how to attract the audience and make them consider our proposal when they have equally compelling reasons from our competitors. Our Language and sentence structure shouold be unique and out of style also formal with the absolute one. 


MEMORY

Today, when the power point presentations  have become a norm and a helping presuaders present their pitches easily and comprehensively to their target audience across the world, this is significant which is memory and cannot be undermined. Making mind maps always helps one to define the exact things what he/she is willing to say.


DELIVERY

Delivery refers to the form of speech. This content has to be presented in a good form and here the delivery skills such as body language, facial expressions, hand gestures, Eye contact, space management, voice modulation, clarity of expresssion and things should be made clear. We all know these cannot be ignored, but can be gained if we practise it regularly.


“SPEAK SO THAT I MAY KNOW”

World Humanitarian Day

 The 19th of August is marked as the World Humanitarian Day by the UN General Assembly. On this day, in 2003, a bomb attack in Iraq killed 22 Humanitarian aid workers. Each year, a theme of global concern is chosen for the Humanitarian Day. This international day aims to spread awareness around the issues important for survival, well-being, and dignity for the group of people affected by any sort of crisis. 

Theme for the Humanitarian Day

In 2020, the theme was about the Covid aid workers. Its objective was to show gratitude and respect for their tireless efforts in rendering service day and night. Theme for this year is “The Human Race”, with special focus on climate change. It highlights the human cost of climate change and aims to pressure world leaders to make meaningful decisions to help the most affected people. 

Its aim is to draw attention to the millions of people who are vulnerable to climate change, and have already lost lives, livelihood and home, due to the extreme climatic changes. UN plans to shed some light on these issues by using the #theHumanRace on social media and other platforms. “Climate Change emergency is a race we are losing, but it is a race we can win.” said the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres. 

 

Global Humanitarian Overview

Global Humanitarian Overview is an evidence based assessment of the humanitarian needs such as eradication of hunger, diseases, gender-based violence, etc. In the overview of 2020, Gender-Based violence and its response was a major priority. Particularly due to the pandemic’s impact in deepening the existing inequalities and vulnerabilities. 

According to the overview, nearly 235 million people will need protection and humanitarian assistance in 2021. The need for assistance has gone up from 1 in 45 people in 2020, to 1 in 33 people in 2021. According to the assessment, most people in need of assistance in 2021, are present in Afghanistan. The international organizations have planned to help 160 million people affected by hunger, conflict and climate related issues. 

To overcome the main issues around poverty and hunger require humanitarian assistance and aid. According to Nelson Mandela, a well known humanitarian leader, “Overcoming poverty is not a task of charity, it is an act of justice. Like slavery and apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is man-made and can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings. Sometimes it falls on a generation to be great. You can be that great generation. Let your greatness blossom.”

It is important to join hands and make a positive change for the betterment of humankind. Humanitarian activists and leaders, along with the common people can work together and eradicate all the ills faced by humanity. 


Preserving Tribal Culture

 There are about 300 million tribal people globally, and 150 of them are in Asia alone. The tribal and folk art forms have been an integral part of our culture. Tribal artforms have a unique sense of beauty and a different perspective of aesthetics. These are the traditions that are transmitted from generation to generation among the tribes. 

Institutions to preserve tribal culture

In India, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs looks after the preservation of tribal culture. Under the ministry, there are Research Institutes and Tribal Welfare Departments to find out ways and techniques to preserve the tribal heritage in the different parts of the country. 

There are a number of tribal groups in India, such as Mundas, Oraons, Santals, Gonds, Khonds, Mizos, Nagas, etc. There are also some schemes in India, such as Institutional support for development and marketing of Tribal products, Special Central Assistance to Tribal Sub-Scheme, and Marketing of minor forest produce.   

 The UN Human Rights council in 2006, recognized the rights of the indegenous people and emphasized that “indegenous knowledge, culture and traditional practices contributes to sustainable and equitable development and proper management of the environment.”

Need to preserve Tribal Heritage

The tribal culture has an extremely rich heritage, traditions, folk songs, folk dances and other artforms. For example, Warli painting is one of the famous tribal artforms, its origin can be traced back as early as the 10th century A.D. They have a unique set of cultural traditions and social customs.

 But with the rapid growth of industries, and hydroelectric projects, the forests are being cleared. These forests are the home to many tribal people. They get displaced from their original habitat due to clearing of forest areas, which threatens their identity and culture. 

As many of the tribal groups reside in or near forest areas, they play a key role in conserving the forest ecosystem. Forests play a crucial role in their daily lifestyle, therefore they efficiently conserve and manage the ecosystem. Many of the tribes believe in nature worship and revere the sacred groves and trees. They have immense knowledge about the edible plants and medicinal properties of them. 

The world is gradually turning towards organic farming, and other eco-friendly ways of farming. The tribal culture has great knowledge about surviving by solely depending on nature, without the use of any harmful chemicals or technology. Often the tribal culture is suppressed by the dominant culture of a country. The cultures with such deep knowledge should not be suppressed in the wake of development and modernity. 

It is important to strike a middle path, where development can take place without displacing and destroying the tribals and their cultural heritage.


Consumer Rights and Responsibilities

 In the highly competitive and profit-driven business world, Consumer Rights play a key role to protect them from any kind of unfair trade practices. It also protects the consumers from the unsafe or dangerous products that can harm their health and well-being. The Consumer Protection Act of 1986 aims to give consumers rights to fight any injustice. The Act has gone through some changes over the years, the latest change took place in 2019. 

The Consumer Protection act aims to provide easy compensation to those affected by any injustice, and encourages the consumers to speak up and take action against it. It covers all the goods and services by all the public, private and cooperatives, except some exempted by the government. The Act promotes settlement of consumer disputes. 

What are Consumer Rights ?

Right to safety: It provides the consumers safety against goods that are hazardous and have the potential to affect life and property. Consumers should emphasize on the quality and safety factors of the product before buying it. Quality marked products such as ISI, AGMARK, etc. should be prefered. 

Right to be Informed: It consists of the right of the consumers to be informed about the quality, purity, standard, and price of the goods properly. Before deciding to buy, the consumers must consider knowing all of this information related to the product. 

Right to Choose: This includes the rights to access the variety of goods and services at competitive prices, wherever it is possible. With the case of monopoly markets, it refers to the right to be assured of good quality at a fair price. 

Rights to Consumer Education: It includes the rights of the consumer to gain the knowledge and become an informed consumer. It is extremely important to be informed, because most of the exploitation takes place with the advantage of lack of awareness and ignorance among the consumers. 

Right to be Heard: This means that consumers have the right to raise or represent their concern and interests at various consumer forums to ensure their welfare. The consumer’s interests will be given due consideration under this right. 

Right to seek Redressal: It is one of the most important rights of a consumer to seek redressal against any unfair trade practice experienced by them. It can help them to have a fair settlement or get the required compensation. They can also take the help of the consumer organisations in the process of seeking redressal. 

In case of any trouble or injustice, the consumers can file a complaint within two years of buying the product. The details of the problem should be mentioned in the complaint along with relevant bills and receipts attached to it. The written complaint should be submitted to the consumer forum for further action. 

As a consumer, it is our duty to be aware about the rights and responsibilities before buying a product or service, in order to avoid any injustice or exploitation.


Google's new update to Protect Children Online

 Currently, the number of children involved in online activities are increasing by the day. With online classes and other activities, cyberspace is the new learning space for the kids. It is extremely important to provide a safe digital space for the children. Google is all set to launch a new set of updates to ensure online safety for children under the age of 18. 

What are the New Updates?

The new updates focus on protecting the minor users of Google. They are working on multiple fronts to keep the online space safe. The key points of the update includes giving more control over the digital footprints, changes in advertising and digital well-being tools. 

The new update aims to give more control to the minors over their digital footprints. It allows the children or their guardians to request removal of their images from Google search results. It will reduce the online exposure of the children below 18. 

The location history of all those below 18 be will be turned off by default and it cannot be turned on without the supervision of the parents or guardian. Google search will also have the ‘safe search’ feature by default. It will remove any explicit results while searching. The Google Assistant will also have ‘default protections’ for the minors. 

13 is the minimum age limit to create your own Google account. The Youtube videos uploaded by the people above the age of 13 and below 18 will be by default posted in the private mode. Google also said that it will remove the “overly commercial content” from Youtube Kids. Google will also prevent age sensitive advertisements from being displayed to children and teenagers. The personalized advertisements based on age, gender and interests will be blocked. However, advertisements based on the context, such as the person’s search request are still allowed. 

In order to ensure digital well-being the content can be filtered out . It allows people to block access to news, webpages, podcasts on devices, using the filters on the Family Link app. The Family Link app lets parents set rules in order to ensure safe online learning, playing or searching space for their children. 

After a lot of criticism of the tech companies alleging that they were not doing enough to protect children, there was pressure on these companies to take up steps to ensure protection. Previously, in 2019, Google had to pay a fine of 170 million dollars for violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) for collecting data from the minor users without parental consent. 

Google has emphasised that its objective is to work with “kids and teens, parents, governments, industry leaders, and experts in the field of privacy, child safety, wellbeing, and education to design better, safer products for the kids and teens.”

Disparities in Health Care

 The issues around health infrastructure and access to facilities have gained momentum in the Covid-19 pandemic. Health plays an integral part in human development. WHO defines health as “A state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”. 

Better health is important to human happiness and well-being. Everybody knows the importance of healthcare these days, given the pandemic situation. But an important question that needs to be addressed is that does everyone have access to healthcare facilities? 

Access to quality health services is imperative for prevention and treatment of diseases. The National Family Health Survey (NFHS) of 2005-2006 reveals that 58.2% women from the rural areas belonging to the age group of 15-49 are anaemic. Sanitation and hygiene are crucial to maintain good health. As per the survey of 2005, only 30-35% rural households have access to proper toilet facilities. 

Access to safe drinking water is another major problem in rural areas. In many areas, safe drinking water from tap, borewell, pipeline or pump is not available. The people of these areas travel for hours to access drinking water. Lack of water or exposure to unhealthy drinking water can affect the health of the people. 

The disparity between rural and urban health infrastructure was evident in the NFHS. Mortality of infants and children in the rural areas is about 50% more than that of the urban areas. People from the rural areas spend far less on healthcare facilities. According to a report by the National Commission on Macroeconomics and Health ( NCMH), 80% of the health infrastructure, medical manpower, and other health resources belong to the urban areas. The socio-economically weaker people from the rural areas are the most affected by the highly expensive healthcare and lack of infrastructure. 


The rate of malnutrition in rural areas is alarming. There is a glaring difference between rural and urban healthcare which is evident from the rate of  Anemia, disability, death rate, birth rate, infant mortality rate, maternal mortality rate, life expectancy, total fertility rate, communicable diseases, sanitation and hunger. The National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) was launched in 2005, with the aim to provide equitable, accessible and affordable quality healthcare to the rural population. It focuses especially upon the vulnerable groups. NRHM aims to improve the Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent health services. 

Poor health leads to lower productivity and deprivation among the people of rural areas. Poor health care is a constraint in the process of development. Effective implementation of the healthcare schemes is necessary to uplift the facilities and make healthcare accessible to the people residing in the rural areas. 

As the famous saying states “Health is Wealth”, health and development have a positive correlation. Therefore it is crucial to develop the health facilities in order to eradicate the rural-urban divide and develop rural India.


THE UNION GOVERNMENT

 THE UNION  GOVERNMENT

Know the powers and responsibilities of the Government, as one should know the system of governance both at the Union and state level.

The constitution of India provides for a parliamentary form of the Government under an elected President. it has three wings,

THE LEGISLATURE

THE EXECUTIVE

THE JUDICIARY

UNION LEGISLATURE

The parliament represents the union legislature which consists of the Upper houses called a council of states or Rajya Sabha and the lower house called  of people or Lok Sabha.

LOK SABHA

The Lok Sabha is the important house of the Inidan Parliament and contains elected representatives of the people. There are about 543 elected members out of which 530 are elected from the states and 13 members from the Union territories. The President generally nominates 2 members from the Union Territories. At total 545 members.

The Lok Sabha enjoys a term of five years from the date of its date session. Universal Adult Franchise is followed while electing the members of Lok Sabha. All Indian citizens above 18 years of age who are registered as voters will vote for their representatives. Money bills can be introduced only in Lok Sabha. It is processed over the speaker in case of absence of the speaker, the deputy speaker elected by the members of the house presides over the session.

RAJYA SABHA

The council of states or Rajya Sabha consists of 250 members out of which 238 represent states and the Union territories, elected by the method of indirect election. 12 members are chosen by the President by the special knowledge of the practical experiences in the field of literature, science, art or social science.

the members are elected for 6 years and one third of the members of Rajya Sabha are elected atleast for every two years. The Vice President of India is the EX- OFFICIO Chairperson of the Rajya Sabha. 

PRESIDENT OF INDIA

According to the Indian Constitution, the President of India is the head of the Indian Republic or the state. The President is also the Constitutional head of the Union Legislature and the Union Executive. According to the Article 53 of the constitution the executive power of the Union shall be exercised by him directly or through the officers subordinates to him in accordance with the Constitution.

VICE PRESIDENT OF INDIA

Article 63of the Constitution provides flr Vice Presidnt. This office has been created to maintai political continuty to the state. He exercises the executive power of the Union as of when the President is unable due to some reasons.

PRIME MINISTER OF INDIA

The post of Prime Minister first originated in England and borrowed from there by makers of our constitution. The Prime Minister allocates port folios to other ministers and monitors their functions. He/she is the chairperson of all highest central commisions like the Planning commission the finance commission and national Integration Council.

THE JUDICIARY

our Constituion provides for the establishment of an independent and integrated judiciary with the Supreme court as it is the highest court in the coutry. the Chief Justice is appointed by the President of India. Age limit is upto 65 years. To be a judege in Supreme cout he/she should have worked as a advocate of a high court for atleast 10 years. 

CONCLUSION

Even though all the three wings are independent organs, they cannot beyond ther wings of limit in the administration. The Constiution safegaurds each and evey citizen by the powers they have  and its our duty to know the powers of the Government.

AI IN POWER SYSTEMS

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN POWER SYSTEM

The term Artificial Intelligence was coined by John Mc Carthy in the year 1956. It is the art of science and engineering, which makes intelligent machines.



WHAT IS AI IN POWE SYSTEM?

  • High efficiency                                            
  •  Problem solving
  • Accuracy                                                      
  • Critical thinking
  •  Speed                                                          
  •  Applicable
  • Easy Adoption                                              
  • Especially for power systems where conventional methods                                          which experience difficulty
  • Precision
  • Vast  Data Management 
  • Memory


Three major families of AI,

  1. Expert system Techniques
  2. Artificial Neural Network
  3. Fuzzy Logic System

EXPERT SYSTEM


An expert system provides information about the specified domain from the human experts and convert into the machine implementable form. 
They are computer programs which have proficiency and competency in the particular field.
 They are also known as the Knowledge based system or ruled based system. They solve the problems which are very difficult to solve by human skill and intellectual. 
Any modifications can be easily done because they are just computer programs. Estimation of values can be done and efficiency is easily estimated.


ARTIFICIAL NEUTRAL NETWORKS

Artificial neural networks are biologically inspired system which converts a set of outputs by a network of neurons, where each neuron are able to produce output.
The understanding and working process and the pattern are interconnected with the computers by solving real world problems of classification of patterns and pattern recognition.
As ANNs operate in biological instincts and perform biological evaluation of real world problems in generations and transmission and distribution of electric cars can be fed to ANN so that suitable solution can be obtained.
Example: The value of inductance, capacitance and resistance in a transmission and distribution can be calculated by various factors.


FUZZY LOGIC SYSTEM

Fuzzy logic is the standardization system of any logical reasoning system.
They provide Data to produce information based on the human decision making which is accurate and reliable.
It is what exactly human brain works and they can perform exactly like machines.
They provide solutions such as high excessive date, capacity for modelling data with high generality.


EXPLANATION

Fuzzy diagram can be used for the fault diagnosis.

Expert and ANNs can be used in the performance of the line. Environmental sensors sense the environment and atmospheric conditions and they give input to the system. They provide output with the validation.

CONCLUSION

The main feature of the power system technique is reliability, conventional technique and they don’t fulfil the probabilistic essence of the power system, this provides the increased operations and maintenance costs. A lot of research is now being processed for the monitoring of the efficient electricity market as they are power system which is the renewable form in the operations.




World Peace

 Globalization and international organisations have deepened the connection between the countries worldwide. Today, a number of countries are nuclear equipped, hence it is extremely  important to maintain world peace and harmony and avoid any circumstance of war. With the growth of globalization and technological developments, the security threats are also becoming more and more complex. Therefore today, peace requires wider cooperation from the people.

Many famous personalities have contributed to the idea of world peace. Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela are two famous personalities who stood against inequality using peaceful resistance. Martin Luther King had emphasized the message of equality and brotherhood among everyone, in his popular speech “I have a Dream”. Mahatma Gandhi is revered as the non-violent and peaceful leader. 

After the end of the cold war era in the 1990s, the world has grown to be more harmonious and peaceful. War leads to loss of life and has a long lasting impact on the people of the country. It is important to maintain this peace and prevent any kind of conflict. Peace talks, mutual negotiation and discussion should be used as a measure of conflict resolution as far as possible to avoid the painful consequences of war. 

With the active participation of international organisations, cooperative relations have been built and wars are considered unacceptable. The United Nations (UN) found in 1945 had played a significant role in initiating peaceful measures to resolve conflicts between the countries.

World peace does not mean absence of violence. A mere absence of violence is negative peace. Positive peace includes people of different countries interacting in a cooperative way. It also includes socio-economic justice and equality along with development of tolerance, friendship and understanding between the nations. 

In order to avoid conflicts, it is important to give equal representation to different regions or countries in the international organisations. This can avoid the chances of one country being oppressed, so that the situation of war does not arise. The economically weaker countries should not be exploited and distribution of resources should be allocated in the proper manner. 

Peaceful relations between the countries can promote globalization in a beneficial way, people can interact freely, exchange their culture, and it also helps to boost tourism. With peaceful relations, the world can fight the unfair practices together and bring improvements in the issues related to human rights and climate change. 

As Mahatma Gandhi had said “An eye for an eye ends up making the whole world blind “. Hence it is important to avoid the situation of war as well as maintain a peaceful world community.


Digital Literacy

 In the times of increasing dependency on digital technology, digital literacy plays a vital role for learning or working in this virtual world. Digital literacy refers to the skills and knowledge to access and use the digital technology responsibly.It is also called the survival skill in this digital world. 

It does not only mean the knowledge to use digital platforms, it also includes other skills such as critical thinking, practical and functional skills, efficient communication, curating information, collaboration, creativity, E-safety, cultural and social understanding, required while operating a digital platform. Digital literacy is extremely important to overcome the obstacles while learning or working in the digital era. 

It does not refer to just a technical know-how or the ability to read content online. It includes the understanding of basic rules, social practices and ethics while using cyberspace. The digital world is filled with information on various topics. It becomes imperative to know how to access and consume credible information. Awareness about the fact that every piece of information received online may not be true is extremely important. 

Most of the content online is shareable. Therefore it is important to check the credibility of the information and know the impact that the shared information can have on others. The content is also searchable. So it is important to know how to search for relevant information. Not every information we see online may be the latest one, its relevance needs to be checked before consuming or sharing it further. 

The cyberspace is interconnected with each other, people can connect here easily. Digital communication is always two-way.  Most of the content has the option to receive feedback. So it is an important aspect of digital literacy to learn effective communication skills for the digital platform. Communication can be both formal or informal in cyberspace. Nowadays, a number of career options require online collaboration and digital communication skills. 

The online behaviour of users also plays an important role. Often people do not realise the consequence of their actions online and take their digital presence for granted. Digital literacy makes people aware to make a safe cyberspace and avoid cyber bullying, abuse and harassment. It is crucial to know about the basic internet safety measures like setting a strong password, maintaining password secrecy, privacy settings in social media, reporting fake accounts etc. 

Digital literacy is being promoted in educational institutions so that the students can find and consume accurate information. The students can access diverse learning content from the digital space, especially from the facilities like the digital library. 

In this constantly changing world of technology, Digital Literacy is a lifelong learning process. The basic knowledge of functioning digitally and constantly learning about the latest updates and features of cyberspace has become essential in today’s world. 

Internet: The Global Village

 Modern technology and the internet has connected us all globally. We can easily watch a music video or film from another country or get updates about the international news within seconds. Be it the Olympics being held in Tokyo or an update from the WHO Headquarters in Geneva, we have access to everything through the internet. It has made us a part of the “Global Village”

“Global Village” was a term coined in 1964 by a media and communication theorist, Marshall McLuhan. McLuhan believed that with the emergence of new electronic media and technological advances, the whole world would be a part of the “Global Village”. He believed that there would be total involvement by each and every person. He called it “one world interconnected by an electronic nervous system.” The electric age will be the age of inclusiveness and deep personal involvement. 

Internet as the global village

On the internet everyone is the producer as well as the consumer of content. People are involved extensively by getting updates, sharing opinions and creating content. The Internet is used for information, education and entertainment. 

The Internet as the Global Village connects us with the world. It leads to cultural intermingling by breaking the cultural barrier and knowing more about cultures of other continents. This cultural impact can be negative or positive. It can lead to the shrinking as well as expanding of world culture. 

It also promotes unity and togetherness among different communities across the world. People express their solidarity or support to other countries through social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook,  Instagram etc. In the black lives matter movement last year, people across the globe united against racism and many used social media to show their protest. 


It has made the flow of information easier. We can receive constant updates across the globe without much effort, just by using the internet. Gone are the days when we had to wait for days to receive a letter. The internet helps in the process of communication across different countries. It is so simple to connect with people worldwide by using social media, calling, texting, video meetings etc. Especially during the pandemic, the world was connected to each other using the internet. 

It has also opened up new job opportunities. People can work from home for a company situated in a different country using the internet or work as a freelancer and have clients from different parts of the world. With the popularization of online meeting apps like Zoom and Google Meet, it has become easy to work virtually, no matter where the company is located. It has also helped in building a new form of trade to different countries. E-commerce has made it easy to buy things from different areas through online payment. 

Internet has connected us with the rest of the world and has built a global community which is similar to what is popularly termed as a Global Village. 


The Noises of Modern World

 While everyone is concerned about environmental issues like air pollution and deforestation, there is another issue that has arised in our modern civilization- Noise Pollution. The sound of machines during construction and most importantly the honking in traffic are all contributors of noise pollution. These loud noises have become a part of our daily life. 

Noise pollution is an undesirable sound which generates discomfort to the ears and interferes with our peace of mind. The urban population is the most affected because vehicles contribute the most to noise pollution. WHO describes it as the most hazardous pollution after air and water, and has also listed some of its impacts on health. Not only humans, it also affects the wildlife of land as well as the water bodies. 


Impact on health

Noise pollution has many negative implications on our health. Exposure to noise pollution can cause psychiatric disorders,  anxiety, hypertension, stress, hormonal dysfunction, nausea, changes in mood and makes the person argumentative. Its effect on health also depends on the duration of exposure. 

Extremely disturbing sounds created by the machines disrupt the peace of mind of the person. It can also affect the ear and in adverse conditions may also lead to hearing impairment. In a few cases, exposure to noise can also lead to cardiovascular diseases. 

Sleep disturbance is a major problem associated with noise pollution. Chronic disturbance in sleep such as difficulty in sleeping, frequent awakening, waking up too early etc.can impact the overall well being of a person. 

Not only health, but also our social behaviour gets impacted by it. It can lead to negative social behaviour because noise builds stress and annoyance. It impacts and changes our everyday behavior and causes aggressiveness and unfriendly behaviour. 

Ways to reduce noise pollution

First step is to stop honking unnecessarily on the road. Most of the noise pollution is caused by honking in the traffic. Avoid playing Radio or Television at an extremely high volume as it can cause noise pollution inside the house as well as in the nearby areas. Try to use appliances with a low noise and turn it off when not in use. 

Planting trees can help to reduce noise because they act as a natural barrier to sound. Some trees have the quality of absorbing sound from the surrounding. A study by the US Department of Energy Study report states that trees can cut the noise levels by 50%. Not only noise, the trees can help to curb other forms of pollution also. 

In the wake of modernization, we have replaced the positive sound of birds and trees swaying in the breeze with a loud morning alarm and honking in the traffic. Some minor steps can help us to reduce the noise around us and restore peace of mind.


BIO GEO CHEMICAL CYCLE

 

 BIO GEO CHEMICAL CYCLE

We live in the environment where there are both biotic and abiotic components. Abiotic components are the air, water, light and temperature. Biotic is the living components which include human beings. This kind of ecological complex is called as the ecosystem. It deals with the relationships between the organisms and ecology. Thus, the interaction is both dependent on the ecology.


WATER CYCLE

Water is the important source of all living beings. Oceans are the biggest storehouses of water as they evaporate for the formation of clouds. The evaporation process is also due by rivers, lakes and ponds. Condensation is a process in which the watervapour converts to rain. Now the rain water flows and fills all the water resources. 

A huge amount of water is recycled directly without the involvement of biotic components. The sun’s heat and wind movement help to evaporate water from the exposed surface of the oceans. So, the rivers and lakes act as a reservoir here, which finally collects water to the oceans.


NITROGEN CYCLE

Living organism requires both proteins and nucleic acids for their survival. The atmosphere consists of 78 percent of ammonia and plants and animals can only use in the form of ammonia, nitrates or amino acids. This conversion is called the nitrogen cycle. 

The steps involve Nitrogen fixation, assimilation, Ammonification, Nitrification and Denitrification.

Nitrogen fixation is done by Nitrogen fixing bacteria and algae that converts ammonia into nitrates. Nitrogen Assimilation is done by Nitrates that are absorbed by plants are utilized for making organic matter such as proteins and nucleic acids. The process of urea, uric acid, which is released by amines and ammonia is released by the action of bacteria or fungi and it is called ammonification. Ammonia is then converted to nitrites, it is called as Nitrification and then denitrification occurs by reducing nitrate ions into gaseous nitrogen which returns to the atmosphere.


CARBON CYCLE

All living organisms are made up of carbon. The atmospheric carbon dioxide enters into the living world followed by photosynthesis and the carbon is passed. Carbon dioxide is returned back to the atmosphere through the decomposition of dead organic materials and volcanic activities.


OXYGEN CYCLE

Oxygen is important for respiration which contributes 20% of the air in the atmosphere. Enters into the living world through respiration and produces energy. 


Now-a-days we get climatic changes quickly due to the change in one of these cycles. Burning fossil fuels, using limestone for making concrete and more things. If any one of the cycle is disrupted it would be really difficult for the humans. It is purely our responsibility to save the nature!



Media and Democracy

 A democratic system is successful only when there is extensive participation by the masses, which is not possible without people getting informed about various issues. Therefore, the media plays a vital role in a healthy democracy.


Press Freedom 

Mahatma Gandhi had said “Freedom of press is a precious privilege that no country can forgo.” In India, freedom of press is implied from the freedom of speech and expression guaranteed under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution of India. Article 19(1)(a) says that all citizens shall have the right to freedom of speech and expression. But this right is subject to reasonable restrictions under Article 19(2).

Role of media in a Democracy

Ideally, the media is the voice of the citizens, it is said to be “voice of the voiceless”. A democracy cannot function properly without free press. It acts as a bridge between the government and the citizens. It is the fourth pillar of democracy. It exposes corruption, scandals, maladministration, policy failures and promotes government transparency, accountability, & public scrutiny. 

The Right to Information Act (2005) is vital for the press in India to promote transparency. Press uses RTI as a tool to strengthen democracy and to update the citizens about implementation of the government schemes/policies and expose its loopholes. 

A healthy functioning democracy is established when the voters make informed choices and this is based on the quality of information that they receive. The Press is the main source of news and information. Information disseminated by the Press impacts and shapes the public opinion.

Democracy cannot function without public participation. People have the freedom to express their ideas, opinions, suggestions, and criticism using various media platforms. Public feedback of any policy or law reaches the government through the media. Press acts as a catalyst for democracy and development, making public participation meaningful. Press also provides a platform for public debate.

Citizens can participate in a democracy only when they are fully aware of their rights and duties. Press plays a major role in spreading awareness among the masses about fundamental rights of the citizens ,government schemes, and campaigns . The press has played a significant role in educating the rural masses through newspapers in regional languages , radio, television etc.

Challenges faced by Media in a Democracy

Press Censorship is a major challenge to freedom of press. Press censorship by political authority is an attack on free speech. For example, During the Emergency(1975) Indian media was heavily censored and it was known as the “dark period of democracy.” The Indian Express and The Statesman protested against the censorship by leaving their editorial pages blank.

Paid news hinders unbiased reporting and leads to favouritism. It diverts the coverage of real issues and suppresses information. This produces uninformed or misinformed citizens in a democracy. Corporate and political influence can also stop a particular media organization from functioning freely.  

“A free press is one of the pillars of democracy” said Nelson Mandela. A free and independent press is integral to the process of democratisation and good governance.  Ideally, the purpose of the press in a democracy is to keep in the public spotlight every decision that the government makes.  Press plays its role by reporting/informing, spreading awareness, ensuring accountability of the government, and providing a platform for public debate.


HOW TO FACE CHALLENGES WITHOUT STRESS?

 

  RESILENCE  

                      (IKIGAI REVIEW)


HOW TO FACE LIFE’S CHALLENGES WITHOUT LETTING STRESS AND WORRY YOUR AGE?




The thing Ikigai says is to pursue your passion – how hard the life goes with hurdles. No matter of giving up. Resilience is the concept which has become influential among psychologists. It is the ability to setback, things without urgency, to pick ourselves and giving meaning to our lives. 

Some people know how to adapt, stay focused on certain objectives, concentrate on things they can’t control and they are called as the resilient people. At some point of life, we all need to face the hurdles, we can’t escape the situations, so proper training for mind and body is to be given. Resilience is essential to confront life’s ups and downs. 

FALL SEVEN TIMES, RISE EIGHT.


EMOTIONAL RESILENCE THROUGH BUDDHISM AND STOICISM

The goal is to control our emotions, pleasures and desires. Though the both of the philosophies are different, both aims is to get rid of ego and control negative emotions. Our pleasures and desires are not the problem, we can enjoy and control them as they don’t take control of us. Controlling emotions have been always watchful who are trying to control themselves.

Imagining negative things and not worrying about them. As a result, you will come to the mindset of what the worst thing would happen?


MEDITATING FOR HEALTHIER EMOTIONS 

Another central theme of Stoicism is Imagining and knowing what we can control and what we can’t? Through serenity prayer.

Most commonly used mantras in Buddhism for controlling negative emotions is OM MANI PADME HUM in which OM represents ego purification, MA purifies jealously, NI purifies passion and desire, PAD purifies bias, ME purifies greed and HUM is the wisdom that purifies hatred.


CONCLUSION

Both Buddhism and Stoicism convey the message that there is nothing about worrying, but we can control  our emotions. Go through and just appreciate things because it is just NOW. The temporary things which are the impermanent ones. Keep your mind the best one to see the flow.