RTI ACT- Every Citizen’s right!

Right to Information (RTI) is an act of the Parliament of India which sets out the rules and procedures regarding citizens’ right to information. This particular act was passed as an independent act by the Indian Parliament in the year 2005.

The RTI act has been useful in getting to know our personal grievances, making our politicians and elected representatives accountable.

The RTI act empowers common public in India by indirectly involving them in decision making and in other important public affairs. Every citizen in India through this act got the privilege of right to be informed.

RTI ACT: Controversial, yet beneficial.

Very recently, an RTI application was filed by a group of individuals seeking to know about source of a particular line in NCERT History textbook of grade 7th which said “Temples were rebuilt after they were destroyed by the Mughals”. The individuals wanted to know about the source of information regarding the text to which the response was “Source of information is unknown”.

In such a case, one may argue that RTI act doesn’t mandate an authorised body to respond “according to the query” (meaning, they just have to respond, it does not matter what the response is) that is, an authorised body doesn’t necessarily have to respond, they can just pass the query off by saying “no source of information available.”

But at the same time, RTI ACT as mentioned earlier is a powerful tool for citizens through which commoners in the country can keep an eye on the government and its activities. For example, in 2016, when Demonetisation was announced by the Government of India, Mr. Venkatesh Nayak filed an RTI application which revealed that RBI did not agree with Government of India’s justification that the decision would curb corruption in India.

Another example could be the Commonwealth Games Scam, in which an RTI application was filed by a non-profit organisation which revealed that Delhi Government had diverted Rs. 744 crores from funds which were kept only for Dalits to Commonwealth Games.

A very successful case was also found in Bangalore where a bundle of corruptions and dereliction of duties in allowing encroachment of government land of 12,000 square feet without the permission from the respective authorities by New Cambridge School Trust. The Assistant Executive Engineer who was supposed to actions against the encroachment of land which was worth Rs. 6 crores was found protecting the illegal encroachment of land. These irregularities came out when an RTI application was filed before the Executive Engineer Division in Bangalore.

Denouement:

RTI act from the beginning has been into controversies for being chaotic and problematic in many cases. But in my view, these instances of chaos are again because of the same loopholes we have in our democratic system and legal system we strive to fight against via the help of RTI act. Nonetheless, the act has enabled the citizens to become more aware and hold the government accountable when required. This is evident from the fact that India ranked 4th best in the world for RTI laws. The recent amendment of act in 2019 is however criticised as many feel, it would give Central Government more power.

The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries

The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is a intergovernmental organization comprising of oil-producing countries that work together on forming petroleum policies. They want to stabilize the oil prices while eliminating any fluctuations and provide a regular supply to all oil consuming countries. They also ensure a fair return to all those who invest in the petroleum industry.

OPEC was founded in September 1960 in Baghdad and the founding members were Iraq, Kuwait, Venezuela, Saudi Arabia and Iran. It was later registered with the United Nations in 1962. Today, the member nations also include the United Arab Emirates, Libya, Nigeria, Congo, Algeria and Angola. OPEC was first headquartered in Geneva but was later moved to Vienna, Austria in 1965 even though Austria is not a member nation. When OPEC was first formed their goal was to prevent large oil producers and refineries from lowering the price of oil. They wanted more control over the oil prices through coordinated production and export policies.

OPEC controls approximately 4/5th of the world’s petroleum reserves and produce 2/5th of the world’s oil. The member countries differ considerably in terms of size of reserves, economy and political interests. Countries like Saudi Arabia and Kuwait have very large per capita oil reserves and are relatively strong financially and thus have considerable flexibility in adjusting their production. Saudi Arabia has always played a dominant role in determining overall production and prices. However, Venezuela has the largest oil reserves and and only produces a small fraction of what Saudi Arabia produces.

Experts have said that OPEC is not a cartel and has very little influence over oil prices and its production. In fact, there has been an ongoing debate on whether OPEC can be a called a cartel or not. The influence of individual OPEC members on the organization and on the oil market usually depends on their production and the size of their reserves. Saudi Arabia, which controls a third of OPEC’s total oil reserves, has a leading role in the organization. Other important members are Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, and the UAE, whose combined reserves are much greater than that of Saudi Arabia. Iran and Iraq, both with growing and large populations, have generally produced at a higher level relative to reserves. Kuwait, which has a very small population, has shown a willingness to cut production relative to the size of its reserves. However, with all the wars and revolutions over time, some OPEC members cannot maintain their high production levels.

ELON MUSK

ELON MUSK, the famous and most successful person in the tech world, who played many roles and faced many struggles to become what he is today. Elon Musk was born and raised in South Africa.

We all know him as an entrepreneur, businessman, CEO of Tesla and spacex, but he is also a skilled investor, software developer, designer, inventor, rocket scientist, actor, film producer, one of the richest man in the world.

During his school days, he was a victim of severe bullying. At the age of 12, he created a video game(blaster) and sold it to a computer magazine. Elon Musk is the founder of X.com (later it became paypal), spacex, Tesla motors.

Recently Elon Musk turned 50, over the past decades Musk managed to become CEO of Tesla and spacex, founder of the boring company, co-founder of OpenAI, Neuralink. He also played a vital role in space rockets, electric cars, solar batteries.

“”Failure is a option here, if things are not failing then you are not innovative enough.””. – Elon Musk

“” I think it’s possible for ordinary people to choose to be extraordinary.”” –Elon Musk

FELLING OF BUXWAHA

Diamond mining in India dates back to ancient times. In the past, India was the only source of nearly all the world’s known diamonds, until the discovery of diamonds in South Africa in 1896. India has not been a major diamond-producing country since the 1900s, but diamond mining continues. But don’t we all know what is the price we have to pay for in order to make a mine?

Not recently have the forests of Buxwaha been in news for the wrong reasons. The diamond mine project, which is now with Aditya Birla Group’s Essel Mining & Industries Limited (EMIL), is once again facing dark clouds due to protests over ecological concerns, as it could result in the felling of over 2 lakh trees. Yes, this is the rate of a diamond mine currently!

The 55,000-crore rupees mining project spans over 300 hectares in Madhya Pradesh’s Chhatarpur district, in the drought-prone Bundelkhand region. The block is estimated to have 34 million carats of rough diamonds. The existing diamond mine, National Mineral Development Corporation’s (NMDC) is about 175 kilometres from Bunder.

The proposed Bunder diamond block in the Chhatarpur district of Madhya Pradesh has been in the news for the wrong reasons over the years. The forests of Buxwaha, located near the site, are home to tigers, leopards, Indian foxes, sloth bears and other wildlife. The area is also rich in minor forest produce such as Tendu leaves and Mahua. Over 200,000 trees are expected to be cut in the Buxwaha forest for the diamond project. Environmentalists fear that the mining project would result in loss of biodiversity as well as air and water pollution.

The Forest clearance report shows that the project would cost over 200,000 trees in the forest region and also use a lot of water. We are against the environmental destruction in our area, which is already a water distress area,” said Sankalp Jain, a local youth who is associated with one of the groups running social media campaigns such as ‘save Buxwaha forest’ and ‘India stands with Buxwaha forest’ last month.
Credits: Mongababy

It is to be noted that the project, once operational, has the potential to become one of the largest diamond mines in the Asian region. The company targets the execution of the mining lease by the end of the financial year 2022. But what potential be praiseworthy where Mother Nature gets compromised? In addition to trees and wildlife, the amount of water needed to build the mine will dry out the already water-scarce region of Buxwaha. A dam is to be constructed to divert a seasonal nallah.

Expectedly the project is facing strong opposition, including social media campaigns. Already, a Public Interest Litigation has been filed in the Supreme Court of India, seeking a stay on the project that had been secured by the Essel Mining & Industries Limited in 2019. In 2006, the Madhya Pradesh government had granted a prospecting licence to Rio Tinto Exploration India Private Limited, an Australian mining giant, to explore diamond mining in the Buxwaha region in the Chhatarpur district. Opposition was done even then.

Effects of Mine

2,00,000 trees are no joke. The ecosystem is no joke. Imagine the countless number of animal species residing in the woods, the amount of oxygen and water that is retained by these green guys.
The residents fear a massive loss of trees, including teak, ken, behda, banyan, jamun, tendu, arjuna and other medicinal trees as well as the devastation of the natural ecosystem if the project proceeds further.
“Despite the claims to provide jobs in mining, I feel the project will eat out the livelihood options in the area.” said a resident of Kasera village- closest village to mining site.
The villagers are dependent on minor forest produce and water for farming. The project involves the diversion of a nullah which is a lifeline for the area. It ensures groundwater level and water for wildlife.This project will lead to groundwater depletion as well.
Environmental activist Hari Krishna Dwivedi said the “whole Bundelkhand region is facing a water crisis and this forest is essential for the local ecology”.
The homes of people are going to be uprooted. What progress is this that uproots tribal people who have lived in the region for hundreds of years and generations, tending to the forests and taking only as much is their wont?

Naseerudin Shah Discharged From The Hospital

Actor Naseeruddin Shah was admitted to the hospital for the treatment of pneumonia and was discharged on Wednesday morning, his son Vivaan said. He was admitted to the same medical facility as his co-star Dilip Kumar, who passed away on Wednesday due to illness.

The 70 year-old actor was admitted to the P D Hinduja Hospital and Medical Research Centre, a non-COVID-19 facility, last Tuesday.

His son captioned ‘Back home’, with the picture of his father and mother, actor Ratna Pathak Shah on his Instagram Story. Naseerudin Shah can be seen sporting an orange tee and white pyjamas while Ratna Pathak Shah looks cute in a green traditional outfit. Last week, Ratna Pathak told that the actor had a small patch of pneumonia in his lungs and was undergoing treatment at the hospital. On 3^rd July source said that the actor was responding well to the treatment.

Naseeruddin Shah has given mind-blowing performances in films such as Sarfarosh, Iqbal, Mohra, The Dirty Picture, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Masoom and Monsoon Wedding. He has also worked in international films such as Such A Long journey, The Great New Wonderful and Mango Dreams.

The actor was last seen in the 2020 drama Mee Raqsam and before that in the acclaimed Amazon Prime Video’s web series Bandish Bandits.

He was also won three national film awards in his film career.

The REvil Ransomware Attack

On July 2nd 2021, the Russian ransomware-as-a-service group known as REvil launched an attack on the American software company Kaseya. The hackers targeted the Virtual Server Administrator (VSA) to distribute ransomware as the VSA is used to send out software updates to every computer on that server. 50 of Kaseya’s clients were affected and since they also sold IT services, more customers were prone to attack. This is known as a supply chain attack. It is reported that about 1500 businesses were hit. REvil is demanding $50 million to unlock their files.

The US government has been trying to put an end to cyber crimes like this for quite some time. It does not look like it has been disruptive but it still is being called the largest ransomware attack in history. The ransomware is so sophisticated that it avoids the systems that has the languages that came from the former USSR regions (Russian, Armenian, Romanian, Ukrainian etc.). It is known that criminal cyber groups are allowed to operate freely in Russia as long as they target The United States and other Western countries.

Joe Biden and his administration is actively trying to rally enough global support and pressure the Russian government to find and arrest cyber criminals like REvil. A month ago, at the Geneva summit with Vladimir Putin, Biden had talked to Putin about ransomware becoming a serious threat and that he will take action if Russia doesn’t stop allowing cyber criminals to operate without any consequences. White House officials are expected to deliberate over this problem and come up with a course of action. Biden will most likely tell Russia to live up to its obligations and prevent Russian land to be used for criminal acts like these. The least that they can do is hand over these criminals so they can stand trial for their actions. Russia has even signed an international agreement where it states that they will not allow criminal activity in their territory. The individuals behind this attack must be arrested and the files must be returned to all the businesses immediately.

Biden even said that if Russia continues to not bat an eye, the US would be forced to respond with an attack of their own. He added that the last thing Putin would want on his hands now is a new Cold War. This is not the first time an attack like this has occured. A Russian cyber group had previously attacked hospitals and food-processing plants. This is why the US has had enough and want swift justice.

Ambani – The Indian tycoon

Dhirajlal Hirachand Ambani, popularly known as Dhirubhai Ambani. He is the father of Mukesh Ambani and Anil Ambani

Dhirubhai Ambani was a successful Indian business tycoon who founded Reliance Industries.

Dhirubhai Ambani,Indian industrialist,the founder of Reliance Industries, a giant petrochemicals, communications, power, and textiles.

Reliance is the biggest exporter in India and the first privately owned Indian company.

Dhirubhai Ambani passed away in 2002, before his death itself in 1980’s he handover the reliance corporation to his sons Mukesh Ambani and Anil Ambani.

Reliance Power Limited (R-power), formerly known as Reliance Energy Generation Limited (REGL) is a part of the reliance Anil Ambani Group. It was established to develop, construct, operate and maintain power projects in the Indian and international markets.

Mukesh Ambani runs Reliance industries which has interests in petrochemicals, oil and gas, telecom and retail.

Reliance industries limited, diverse businesses include petrochemicals, natural gas,retail, telecommunications,mass media and textiles. Reliance is one of the most profitable companies in India.

Reliance’s Mukesh Ambani and Nita Ambani are the owners of the second most expensive home in the World, ANTILIA, Mumbai.

SAD DEMISE OF VETERAN ACTOR DILIP KUMAR (1922-2021) 7/7/21.

Born as Mohammed Yusuf Khan to a Hindko-speaking family in Qissa Khawani Bazaar, Kumar was one of the twelve children of his parents. Kumar was schooled at Barnes School, Nashik. He grew up in the same neighborhood as Raj Kapoor, his childhood friend, and later his colleague in the film industry.

Legend, Tragedy King, The First Khan, God of acting and many other monikers were given to Kumar in his illustrious career but how he acquired his screen name is a story unto itself. He was born Mohammed Yusuf Khan but Devika Rani, who was head of the Bombay Talkies where he joined as an actor, wasn’t too happy with the name. Dilip Kumar, she thought, would suit his “romantic image” which he was bound to acquire and would also have a “secular appeal”. And so Dilip Kumar it was.

He has been credited for bringing a distinct form of method acting technique to cinema. It is a range of training and rehearsal techniques, as formulated by a number of different theatre practitioners, that seeks to encourage sincere and expressive performances through identifying with, understanding, and experiencing a character’s inner motivation and emotions. Kumar holds the record for most wins for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor and was also the inaugural recipient of the award.

Dilip Kumar debuted with the film Jwar Bhata (1944) which could not become a success in box office. He got his breakthrough with 1949 film Andaz, directed by Mehboob Khan. He starred alonside Raj Kapoor and Nargis. Shabnam was yet another blockbuster. He worked in over 65 films. In 1960, he played the role of Prince Salim in a highest grossing epic historical film in Indian History Mughal-e-Azam. Mughal-e-Azam was the highest-grossing Indian film through to the early 2010s. The film was mostly shot in black and white, with only some scenes in the latter half of the film shot in colour. 44 years after its original release, it was fully colorised and re-released in 2004.

Kumar is best known for his roles in Andaz(romantic), Aan, Daag (social drama), Devdas (dramatic), Azaad (comical), Mughal-e-Azam, Ganga Jamuna (dacoit crime) and the comedy Ram Aur Shyam.

Kumar was a member of the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of India’s parliament, from 2000 to 2006. He was nominated by the INC to represent Maharashtra. Kumar utilized a significant portion of his MPLADS fund towards the construction and improvement of the Bandstand Promenade and the gardens at Bandra Fort at Lands End in Bandra.

In 1976, Kumar took a five-year break from film performances and returned with a character role in the star studded film Kranti (1981) and continued his career playing leading roles in films such as Shakti (1982), Mashaal (1984), Karma (1986) and Saudagar (1991). His last film was Quila (1998).

Kumar is widely considered one of the greatest actors in the history of Bollywood. He holds the Guinness World Record for winning the maximum number of awards by an Indian actor. Over his career, he received eight Filmfare Awards for Best Actor (with 19 total nominations) and a Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award (1993). He also received a Special Recognition Filmfare Award at the 50th Filmfare Awards for being one of the first recipients of Filmfare Awards along with Lata Mangeshkar (whom he considered his dear sister) and Naushad Ali. Many great actors including Shah Rukh Khan consider Kumar as their inspiration.Kumar was also known as “Tragedy King” because of the depressing but award-winning roles he took.

Dilip Kumar’s love life always remained in spotlight because of controversies it gained. He was attracted to Madhubala and both were in a relationship for almost seven years. However the relation ended with Kumar testifying against her in a case related to the film Naya Daur. Vijayanthimala, a south Indian actress was chosen in place of Madhubala. Vijayanthi was the most often starred against Kumar as the lead actress. According to reports, he even handpicked sarees for every scene for his Ganga Jamuna co-star. In 1966, Kumar married 22 year younger actress Saira Bano and lived in Bandra. They never had any child. According to his autobiography, Dilip Kumar: The Substance and the Shadow, Banu conceieved in 1972 however lost the baby to complications. They never again tried for babay.

He took his last breath at Hinduja Hospital, Mumbai, on 7th July 2021 at 7;30 am. He had been suffering from prostate cancer. With this demise India lost one more diamond of the industry.

Mourning his demise, Amitabh Bachchan had shared a picture from their special magazine shoot and wrote, “My idol Dilip Saheb .. lost .. never before never after .. “an epic era has drawn curtains .. never to happen again Peace and duas.”

Legendary Bollywood actor Dilip Kumar passed away

Legendary Bollywood actor Dilip Kumar passed away today. He was one of India’s earliest and most famous film actor. His age was 98 years and died in Mumbai. Dilip Kumar acted in more than 65 films over nearly five decades and is known for his iconic roles in movies like ‘Ganga Jamuna’ (1961), ‘Kranti’ (1981), ‘Karma'(1986), ‘Naya Daur'(1957), Mughal-e-Azam'(1960). He was last seen in ‘Quila’ in 1998.The actor had been recuperating from age-related health issues for the last few days and had been admitted to the hospital multiple times. He was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of Mumbai’s Hinduja Hospital on June 30 after he complained of breathlessness. He had been frequently ill for months. Kumar’s wife Saira Banu had been with throughout. His family friend Faisal Farooqui tweeted through the actor’s handle “With a heavy heart and profound grief, I announce the passing away of our beloved actor Dilip Saab, few minutes ago. We are from God and to Him we return”

Many Bollywood celebrities including filmmaker Vidya Balan, Sidharth Roy Kapoor, Shabana Azmi arrived at Dilip Kumar’s house to pay their last respects to the legendary actor Dilip Kumar.

Tributes have been pouring in on social media for the actor- politicians, Bollywood stars and even historians have tweeted.

FARMER’S PROTEST IN PRECISE

One of the recent controversies that has been part of 2020 was the recently passed farmers bill. Ever since the passing of the bill, many farmers have assembled in large number in Delhi to show their disagreement towards the passing of the bill. Farmers have been upfront with their protest showing solidarity together against the passing of the bill.

The following are the bills passed by the Government of India

The Farmers Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill 2020

This bill allows farmers to sell their produce to anyone another than the government. It gives farmers a choice on who sell their produce to, whether they want to sell to the government or third party. Earlier the government bought produce from the farmers under the Agricultural Product Market Committee (APMC).

The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill 2020

This bill talks about setting up a framework for contract farming. In this a farmer and a buyer can make a contract even before the farmer makes the produce. The goods can be trades outside the premises of the APMC (Agricultural Produce Market Committee)

The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill 2020

This act allows inter-state and intra-state trade of farmers produce by eliminating the government in between. A third party can involve in the business.

These were the three new bills passed by the government. They stand as controversial because the farmers feel that it would eliminate the concept of MSP.

Concept of MSP

MSP stands for minimum support price. This price is offered by the government to the farmers on buying the produce. Government for ages have taken produce from the farmers under MSP and subsidised it and sold it to the people. This made it easy for both the people as well as the farmers. With the assurance of the MSP the farmers could rely on the government even in the times of a bad crop or drought situation. They were sure of the MSP but now this is not the case as seen by many farmers. With the introduction of the bill the farmers are scared that the government has withdrawn the MSP and instead bought in Contract farming.

Problems with the Bill as perceived by the Farmers

Farmers are afraid that they will be cheated with the coming of this bill. They feel that the government has withdrawn the MSP and put them in danger. Farmers have been gathering in Delhi ever since the passing of the bill. They have assembled in huge numbers trying to give it all they got and asking the government to take back the bill. The government has responded with saying that they have no intentions of withdrawing the MSP and all they hoped for were the welfare of the farming community and the people.

Like the two sides of a coin, this bills also have their flip side, the farmers believe that they can be easily tricked into any kind of traps with the contract farming by legal clauses. These powerful companies can easily manipulate and exploit the farmers as they wish. But the government says otherwise, they believe that with the coming of contract farming in India there will be a huge profit as well as private investments.

This act also allows the trade of produce to other states without MSP, this has caused problems too because this will enlarge the gap between the rich and the poor farmers. It will create a gap which cannot be closed and will only widen with the passage of time.

Protests across India

Farmers have been protesting about these bills ever since it was passed and the government has initiated talks with the farmers where they were assured of the fact that the MSP won’t be cut off.

This protest has turned into a massive one where farmers had even blocked roads to Delhi. They also observed a strike on December 8 as part of their dissent all across India. The idea of protesting without the usage of violence enshrines as a part of our Right to Freedom but there have been insights of violence too. As many as 31 organisations are said to be taking their stand against the bill, most of them are protesting against the first bill in fear of the removal of MSP. There have almost been 5 rounds of talks which had failed. Home Minister Amit Shah had called for a restructuring of the bill but the farmers have said no, they wanted to the full bill to be rolled back. Farmers have threatened to expand the protests by closing the Delhi –Jaipur Highway, capturing Reliance malls and capturing toll plazas.

There have been a series of misunderstandings that needs to be understood and changed for both the government and the farmers to put an end to this issue, only then the true essence of a democracy will prevail.

Volcano Eruption

“We are, all of us, growing volcanoes that approach the hour of their eruption, but how near or distant that is, nobody knows- not even God.”
~ Friedrich Nietzsche

We always talk about , what it would be like to see volcano eruption in front of your eyes ?

How amazing it would be like to find out , how the volcano erupt ?

There are many things that we don’t know exist in our earth 🌍. Do you want to know about it . If yes , than read the editorial .

Introduction

A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface.

On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plates are diverging or converging, and most are found underwater.

The word volcano is derived from the name of Vulcano, a volcanic island in the Aeolian Islands of Italy whose name in turn comes from Vulcan, the god of fire in Roman mythology.

Many ancient accounts ascribe volcanic eruptions to supernatural causes, such as the actions of gods or demigods. To the ancient Greeks, volcanoes’ capricious power could only be explained as acts of the gods, while 16th/17th-century German astronomer Johannes Kepler believed they were ducts for the Earth’s tears.[87] One early idea counter to this was proposed by Jesuit Athanasius Kircher (1602–1680), who witnessed eruptions of Mount Etna and Stromboli, then visited the crater of Vesuvius and published his view of an Earth with a central fire connected to numerous others caused by the burning of sulfur, bitumen and coal.

Types of eruptions

Hydrothermal eruption. An eruption driven by the heat in a hydrothermal systems.
Phreatic eruption. An eruption driven by the heat from magma interacting with water.
Phreatomagmatic eruption.
Lava.
Strombolian and Hawaiian eruptions.
Vulcanian eruptions.
Subplinian and Plinian eruptions.

How do volcanoes erupt?

Deep within the Earth it is so hot that some rocks slowly melt and become a thick flowing substance called magma. Since it is lighter than the solid rock around it, magma rises and collects in magma chambers. Eventually, some of the magma pushes through vents and fissures to the Earth’s surface. Magma that has erupted is called lava.

The explosivity of an eruption depends on the composition of the magma. If magma is thin and runny, gases can escape easily from it.
Explosive volcanic eruptions can be dangerous and deadly.

Humans and volcanoes

Volcanic eruptions pose a significant threat to human civilization. However, volcanic activity has also provided humans with important resources.

Although volcanic eruptions pose considerable hazards to humans, past volcanic activity has created important economic resources.

Volcanic ash and weathered basalt produce some of the most fertile soil in the world, rich in nutrients such as iron, magnesium, potassium, calcium, and phosphorus.

Volcanic activity is responsible for emplacing valuable mineral resources, such as metal ores.

The paradox of volcanoes was that they were symbols of destruction but also life. Once the lava slows and cools, it solidifies and then breaks down over time to become soil – rich, fertile soil.
She wasn’t a black hole, she decided. She was a volcano. And like a volcano she couldn’t run away from herself. She’d have to stay there and tend to that wasteland.
She could plant a forest inside herself.
Matt Haig, The Midnight Library

Link

Dilip Kumar: A tribute to Acting Legend.

Today, July 7, will be a very sad day for Indian Cinema as it lost one of the most popular actors in its history, Dilip Kumar. The 98 year old actor took his last breath in Hinduja Hospital, Mumbai.

Mr. Dilip Kumar was born in Peshawar, Pakistan (at the time British India) and was one of the twelve children of his parents. Their family later shifted to Indian state of Maharashtra. Let us remember some of this memorable happenings from his life and pay a tribute to him for his extraordinary work for Indian Cinema.

1) Dilip Kumar and his Peshawar Home.

The ancestral home of Dilip Kumar in Peshawar.
(Photo Credits: Dilip Kumar/Twitter)

Dilip Kumar in his old interviews has revealed how his ancestral home in Peshawar was always special to him. On a visit to Pakistan, years after the India-Pakistan partition, Dilip Kumar reportedly fell to his feet and kissed the floor of this childhood home. He also remembered how he used to play and mingle with other friends and family at his home.

2) Joining Bollywood.

Dilip Kumar debuted in Hindi Cinema with the movie Jwar Bhata in 1944. After a string of failures in Indian Cinema, he gained popularity with his film Jugnu in 1947 alongside Noor Jehan which was also his first box office success. He became even popular with films like Shaheed and Mela in 1948.

3) Receiving the title “The Tragedy King”.

Dilip Kumar with Raj Kapoor and Nargis in Hindi film Andaaz in 1949.

1950s was completely a decade meant for Dilip Kumar in Hindi Cinema. His films such as Deedar, Hulchul, Naya Daur, Devdas, Paigham, Madhumati established his image as “Tragedy King” as these films has a tragic or mournful plot. Dilip Kumar also suffered from depression due to portraying many tragic roles and as a result his psychiatrist suggested him to take up light roles as well.

4) Honours and Recognitions

Dilip Kumar receiving Padma Vibhushan in 2015. (Photo Credits: Economic Times).

Dilip Kumar has received several awards and recognitions in his life. He received Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan, the third highest and second highest civilian honours of India in the years 1994 and 2015 respectively. He also received Nishan-e-Imtiaz, the highest civilian honour of Pakistan in 1998. He’s the one of the few actors with highest number of Filmfare awards with about 8 Filmfare awards. He also received Dada Saheb Phalke award in 1994.

Although Mr. Dilip Kumar passed away leaving all of us with a heavy heart, he’ll forever remain immortal in all hearts. Very few have been able to achieve what he has achieved in his life and that’s what we should be remembering always!

After 140 Years, Biologists Have ‘Resurrected’ The Genus of These Weird Yellow Cells

Deep in the tissues of sea anemones, corals, and jellyfish are strange yellow cells which are genetically distinct from the marine animals.

https://news.psu.edu/photo/662854/2021/07/01/yellow-cells

More than a century after these cells were first assigned a now forgotten genus, a new paper has resurrected the name and described six new species from around the world.https://7ebdf40ca650dbb49550c30c7626f99f.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html

“Because our team comprises scientists from seven countries, we were able to collect all of these samples, and some during the global pandemic,” said lead author of the study, biologist Todd LaJeunesse from Penn State University.

“This study highlights how the spirit of scientific discovery brings people together, even in times of hardship.”

First described in 1881, the yellow things were originally classified under the genus Zooxanthella by scientist Karl Brandt. Brandt also coined the term zooxanthellae, which is used colloquially to this day.

However, another scientist – a Scotsman called Patrick Geddes – was investigating these yellow cells at the same time. In 1882, without having seen Brandt’s work, Geddes discovered that not only were the cells separate from the animals they were within (something Brandt had also established), but that they were beneficial, acting as mutualistic symbiotes.

The genus Geddes established to categorize these cells was Philozoon, from the Greek words for ‘to love as a friend’ and ‘animal’. Unfortunately, Brandt came first, so the Philozoon genus was never used; Geddes switched to work in urban planning, and the newly named genus was largely forgotten.null

We are now well aware that these odd microorganisms Geddes and Brandt worked on back in the day are photosynthetic dinoflagellates – single-celled algae found in symbiosis with other marine life, such as corals – under the family Symbiodiniaceae.

In the new study, researchers took a closer look at these yellow cells, using genetic data, geographical data and morphology to analyze where exactly they should sit in the genetic tree.

And after determining that these creatures need to be put into a new genus, the team pulled the genus Philozoon out of retirement for two old species and six new ones.

“We emend the genus Philozoon Geddes and two of its species, P. medusarum and P. actiniarum, and describe six new species,” the team wrote in their paper.

“Each symbiont species exhibits high host fidelity for particular species of sea anemone, soft coral, stony coral and a rhizostome jellyfish.”

The team wrote that Philozoon are found in shallow, temperate marine habitats around the world, including the Mediterranean Sea, eastern Australia, New Zealand, and Chile.

“Since most of the algae in the family Symbiodiniaceae have been thought to be mostly tropical where they are critical to the formation of coral reefs, finding and describing these new species in cold waters highlights the capacity of these symbioses to evolve and live under a broad range of environmental conditions,” explains LaJeunesse.

“Life finds a way to persist and proliferate.”

The research has been published in the European Journal of Phycology.

Drugs : you choose , you loose .

Addiction is just a way of trying to get at something else. Something bigger. Call it transcendence if you want, but it’s a rat in a maze. We all want the same thing. We all have this hole. The thing you want offers relief, but it’s a trap.

“ DRUGS ” A five letter word that is destroying human race. A word that could get you to the cloud nine and than kick you from the top.

What do you think it is ?

Is it a pleasure or a pain ?

Some says ‘it gives you wings ‘, others says ‘it makes you insane ‘ . What would you do , if someone is taking drugs ? Well , I would fly (its a joke ).

Ok , Let’s just get over with the topic .

Introduction

All the suffering, stress, and addiction comes from not realizing you already are what you are looking for.
– Jon Kabat-Zinn

Drugs are substances that change a person’s mental or physical state. They can affect the way your brain works, how you feel and behave, your understanding and your senses. This makes them unpredictable and dangerous, especially for young people.

Drug addiction is a chronic brain disease. It causes a person to take drugs repeatedly, despite the harm they cause. Repeated drug use can change the brain and lead to addiction. That can destroy one’s life .

Signs that shows someone has a drug problem

Changing friends a lot .
Spending a lot of time alone.
Losing interest in favorite things.
Not taking care of themselves – for example, not taking showers, changing clothes, or brushing their teeth.
Being really tired and sad.
Eating more or eating less than usual.
Being very energetic, talking fast, or saying things that don’t make sense.
Being in a bad mood.
Quickly changing between feeling bad and feeling good.
Sleeping at strange hours.
Missing important appointments.
Having problems at work or at school.
Having problems in personal or family relationships.

If a person shows these signs than he / she is using drugs . But it’s not , it’s a probability . The person may or may not be using drugs . For the assurance you have to ask the person (well they can lie ) . Take them for the blood test . It will show if the person is taking drugs or not . It’s a simple procedure .

Why can’t people stop using drugs on their own?

Repeated drug use changes the brain, including parts of the brain that give a person self-control. These and other changes can be seen clearly in brain imaging studies of people with a drug addiction. These brain changes explain why quitting is so difficult, even when an addicted person feels ready.

Many people are compelled to enter treatment by the pressure of their family, friends, or a court system. People of all ages with substance use disorders live in fear of what will happen if their drugs are taken away.

Due to the addiction , they experience a variety of physical and emotional withdrawal symptoms, including depression, anxiety, and other mood disorders; restlessness, and sleeplessness . It may lead you to the death bed .

Treatment :

Counseling and other behavioral therapies are the most commonly used forms of treatment. Medications are often an important part of treatment, especially when combined with behavioral therapies. Treatment plans must be reviewed often and modified to fit the patient’s changing needs.

Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.
Detoxification.
Treatment with Medication.
12-Step Facilitation.

One of the hardest things was learning that I was worth recovery.

Link

Canada on fire!

“195 percent rise in sudden deaths within 5 days”, “toll tops 800”, “On Tuesday, June 29, 2021 Lytton recorded a blistering temperature of 121.1 degrees” “the hottest moment ever seen anywhere in Canada since record-keeping began”. … Well, these headings are spread across the news channels currently; akin to the heat wave that has spread it’s wings over Canada. Let’s spread more light about the basics of the Heat wave.

The town of Lytton has just a few hundred residents and is known for being one of the hottest locales in Canada because of its dry climate and low elevation. But during the epic heatwave that has swept western North America this month, Lytton’s previous high temperature records have been absolutely shattered by nearly ten degrees Fahrenheit.

Lytton and nearby Lillooet share the second highest temperature ever recorded in Canada. In July 1941, temperature reached a record of 44.4°C. On August 14, 2004, tempaerature again reached around 41°C. The minimum temperature the mercury touched was 31°C.

Causes of Temperature inflation

Picture source: Dhruv Rathee https://youtu.be/o-TMOeCDeus

Climate change is being said the root cause. In technical terms, the condition is called Heat Dome. The warm air generally rises up but the high pressure in atmosphere from above, pushes down towards land. The pushed down air becomes even hotter. Extreme weather conditions are escalated with climate change.

West Pacific area has seen significant rise in heat as compare to the East Pacific. The strong change in ocean temperature from west to east is believed to be the core reason of heat dome. Hot air is trapped by the high pressure fronts and as it is pushed to the ground it heats up even more. The condition also prevents formation of clouds thereby giving sun more space to radiate heat on the ground.

The condition of heat dome produces heat wave. Heat wave is a period of abnormally high temperatures which lasts more than 2 days.

Effects of heat dome

Temperature becomes unbelievably high leading to catastrophic deaths, crop damage, droughts. The rising temperature will demand high energy which will in turn increase the rate of electricity. Forest fires are no exceptions. In fact, the current situation is that half of the Lytton village is charred.

Fact

The temperature of Earth has already risen by 1° (totally a bad omen). The rise resultantly increases the chances of natural disasters exponentially. The studies show climate change can affect high-altitude regions at a faster rate. In the past 20 years, temperatures above 13,000 feet have warmed 75% faster than at altitudes below 2,000 metres (credits: Rutgers Today).

Possible Solutions

On an individual level, climate change cannot be solved anymore. Only government policy changes can prove most effective. Subsidies on fossil fuels should be removed, electric cars must be promoted, carbon tax to be imposed, more and more awareness to be raised on individual level.

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Effects of Mine

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Introduction

Humans and volcanoes

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Introduction

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Causes of Temperature inflation

Effects of heat dome

Fact

Possible Solutions

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