Coming together in COVID-19

Since the dawn of civilisation, epidemics and pandemics have continued to haunt mankind. From the outbreak of Spanish Flu to Yellow fever, history of these pandemics dates back to the time of plague in Athens (430 B.C).But perhaps; COVID-19 (spread by SARS-COV-2 virus) is greatest in the history of mankind. This particular virus has brought entire world to a halt, something that the modern world history hasnโ€™t witnessed before.

The virus, whose roots can be traced back to Hubei Province in China, has spread globally causing the infected number of cases rising over 92 lakh. From the Superpowers to third world countries, this virus has brought down healthcare sector, economies and the entire human race on its knees; India being no exception. Yes, various sectors such as healthcare, education, energy, and logistics have faced a serious crunch amidst lockdown. With the global economy shrinking to an all time low, economists predict a depression like situation in the near future. One might question whether we are heading towards an inevitable crisis? Or is the humanity doomed? Such negative thoughts do more harm to us than the virus itself.

Just like all other major turmoil and struggles, COVID-19 too comes with its own share of lessons and learning for the mankind. Lessons in humility, humanity and gratitude. These simple lessons which we had long forgotten in the rat race for materialistic pleasures.  While some countries initially played the โ€œblame gameโ€ but very soon they realized that the mightiest weapon in combating the virus lies in unity and mutual co-operation. Shunning the geo-political differences, the SAARC countries came together and contributed to the COVID-19 relief fund. Other stories include those of Hindu-Muslim harmony in Telangana where a group of Muslim men performed the last rituals of a Hindu woman in the middle of lockdown restrictions. This virus has brought out heart warming stories of real heroes to the forefront. From the generous acts of donating her education savings by 13 yr old Nethra of Madurai, few Jamatis voluntarily coming forward to donate plasma serve as a ray of hope in these turbulent times.

Despite the social distancing, humanity is coming closer than ever before with a mutual sense of compassion, empathy and concern towards fellow human beings.  While we stay hidden indoors amidst fear, the mother earth is breathing back to life. Those little sparrows playing in my balcony, which I hadnโ€™t seen in a long while, are a living testimony to that. The medical staff, sanitation workers and the COVID warriors whom we once took for granted are risking their lives to save ours. What else could be a nobler act than this!

The corona virus has indeed enabled us to look beyond economic differences. Becoming more sensitive and considerate towards our domestic helps. Weโ€™ve begun appreciating simple acts of kindness, engaging in deep conversations with our loved ones and clapping to say โ€œthank youโ€. Our generation is more enlightened than ever before with the realisation however evolved the human race might become but in the end weโ€™ll only remain a tiny speck in the universe. The forces of natural world are far mightier than we could possibly become. Humans may change the course of nature but canโ€™t defy it.

The Chinese symbol โ€œYin and Yangโ€ illustrates the philosophy of life beautifully. Life flows when energies complement rather than contradict each other. The mankind and nature must maintain balance for life to exist .The day we try to overpower the forces of natural world; it will only take a single microcosmic organism to perish the entire human race.

Yin and yang: business and IT | CIO

No, Iโ€™m not implying living in a utopian world and becoming ignorant of this deadly virus .True that our healthcare and education systems have failed required to meet necessary standards. But if it wasnโ€™t for COVID-19, these loopholes might have gone neglected. There is no better time to reshape the economy, healthcare, politics and culture than now for the dawn of new world post COVID-19.

But why did it take a virus for this realisation?

โ€œBecause sometimes we need to get sick in order to get betterโ€.

Letโ€™s change our outlook towards this pandemic. Instead of perceiving it as a threat we need to see it as opportunity and emerge stronger than ever before. We are a fortunate generation having the privilege to shape a better world than the one we left behind. All we need is to shed stigmas and embrace this change.

Concluding in the words of Yuval Noah Harrai (bestselling author of Sapiens)

โ€œThe storm will pass, humankind will survive, most of us will still be alive โ€“but we will inhabit a different world.โ€

ABC Analysis

ABC analysis is an approach that is mainly use in operations and supply chain for classifying inventory items based on the items’ consumption values. It is one of the most essential conceptย  It helps in classifying inventory items based on the items consumption value. The ABC tool is used to identify the vital few from the trivial many, according to a defined set of criteria. Consumption value is the total value of an item consumed over a specified time period, for example, a year. The approach is based on the Pareto principle to help manage what matters and is applied.

We classify items as โ€œAโ€ class:

  • Annual consumption value is the highest.
  • Small in number, but consumes a large number of resources.
  • Analysis and control of this class are relatively intense since there is greatest potential to reduce costs or losses.
  • Tight control and aggressively managed.
  • It is managed by top management.

We classify items as โ€œBโ€ class:

  • These are inter-class items
  • Consumption value is lower than โ€œAโ€ items but higher than โ€œCโ€ items.
  • The scope of this class and the inventory management policies are determined by the estimated cost-benefit of class cost reduction and loss control systems and processes.
  • Moderate control.
  • Less frequent re-orders.
  • Purchase based on rigid requirements.
  • Managed by middle-level management.

We classify items as โ€œCโ€ class:

  • Lowest consumption value.
  • It is not usually cost-effective to deploy tight inventory controls, as the value of the risk of significant loss is relatively low.
  • Large in number but consumes lesser resources.
  • Low inventory turnover.
  • Purchase based on usage estimates.

ABC analysis is mainly used in 3 major industries:

  • First is in factories with raw materials where objective is to control inventory and tool used is ABC analysis using consumption value.
  • Second is in retail outlet where the objective is profit maximization and tool is ABC analysis which is done using sales value.
  • Third is stock verification where objective is to verify the stock and tool is ABC using stock value.

Disadvantages of ABC Analysis

  • It needs to be completed in the moment for more accurate results.
  • There might be chances of biases on analysis of data.

 

What is a Surveillance society?

The surveillance society is a society that is structured and organized using surveillance-based techniques. To be under surveillance means having information about individualโ€™s movements and activities recorded by technologies, on behalf of the governments and organizations that structure our society. This information is sorted and categorized and then used as a basis for decisions which affect our life. Such decisions concern our entitlement, work, access to benefits, products, services, and criminal justice; our health, well-being, and our movement through private and public spaces.ย 

Everyday encounters with surveillance include:

โ€ข Video cameras which watch us every day everywhere we go โ€“ in buildings, shopping malls, streets, and residential areas. Automatic systems can now also recognize number plates (as well as faces).

โ€ข Electronic tags that keep a check on ones who are on probation do not break their release conditions, and people arrested by police have samples of their DNA taken and kept whether they are guilty or not.ย 

โ€ข We are constantly asked to prove our identity, for benefits like healthcare, and so on.

If surveillance is a normal aspect of the management and governance, then whatโ€™s wrong with it?

ย Using surveillance to achieve oneโ€™s aims, no matter how big or small bestows great power. Some interests will be served, while others will be marginalized. Some will receive entitlements and benefits, while others may not.

As data travel silently across international boundaries, national states, and within transnational corporations, the impact of surveillance becomes even harder to identify and regulate.

It focuses on correcting the negative also it gives a message to those who are watched that they are not trusted to behave appropriately.

The rise of technology is shattering even the illusion of privacy. Video cameras peer constantly from lamp poles, satellites and drones float through the skies, smartphones relay a dizzying barrage of information about their owners and what not.

The information of every traveler on every stop is noted and stored by Internet service providers like Google, Verizon, and Comcast. Retailers scan, remember, and analyze each purchase by every customer. Smart TVs know what weโ€™re watchingโ€”soon they will have eyes to watch us watching them.

The future is here. Nearly everything that happens from now on has the potential to be seen by someone and also stored indefinitely. Government and the private corporations working with them, collect and store billions of records every day and they’re hungry for more. Technology makes all secrets difficult to keep.

There has been evidence that shows mass surveillance erodes intellectual freedom and damages the social fabric of the affected societies. It opens door to flawed and illegal profiling of individuals. Mass surveillance has also not helped in preventing terrorist attacks.

Other evidence shows that even the possibility of being under surveillance changes the way people think and act, causing them to avoid talking or writing about sensitive or controversial subjects. This only showcases that mass monitoring of citizens achieves only one thing that is the development of mutual mistrust between individual and state.

Surveillance society instead of beneficial has given us more non-benefits. It affects the privacy of the individual. The mismanagement of CCTV, ID cards, mobile phone data, health, and social security databases, shop loyalty cards, and other data retention technologies has an enormous potential in causing public or personal catastrophe – from criminals and terrorists hacking into or sabotaging the health care database, down to personal data being stolen or accidentally destroyed.

However, if surveillance and personal data collection are to achieve its true value then it should be tightly regulated to avoid abuse and mismanagement by government, companies, and individuals. If we are living in a society that relies on surveillance to get things done are we committing slow social suicide?

Surveillance and personal data collection have the potential to be of benefit to society but only if maintained with due care, otherwise it only risks jeopardizing the public safety itโ€™s meant to protect.ย 

ย 

Parenting during the Lock-down

Parenting in the times of coronavirus lockdown.

I had a feeling that we are headed towards a strict lockdown in the second week of March. Playschool for my toddler was shut anyway and for the elder kid, we were mainly going out only for therapies and a little park time in evening. I ordered a toy car for my two year old to drive around the house if playing outdoors gets banned. But before the delivery could happen, India plunged headlong in its fight against corona virus; Uttar Pradesh reported a few cases and Noida became a red zone!

No couriers will be delivered, no parks will be open, no play dates can happen, schools will remain closed, and domestic helps barred entry in the society โ€“ welcome parenting in times of lockdown.

In โ€˜normalโ€™ times, a good 7-8 hours from morning till afternoon are taken care of by a fixed school schedule on weekdays and weekends are sorted with a few hours of outing or meeting friends and family. But now every day is a holiday for the kids while you have to work from home and for home!

The biggest challenge is to keep them โ€˜engagedโ€™! How do you do that from 7 am to 7 pm? Problem multiplies manifold when you have a child with special needs and a toddler under the same roof. The little one it seems has an unconquerable diet for play time while my nine year old autistic girl can spend an entire day asking for food! The kitchen is now forced to churn out 5 meals and 8 snacks a day!

Did anyone mention workouts during lockdown? Not possible when you have a toddler in the house! Do your pushups, he will lie under you, try the hip thrusts โ€“ he will sit on you, squats are incomplete without him riding on your shoulders and donโ€™t even aspire for walking lunges, there are toy dynamites on every inch of the floor!

However, what we have successfully managed to do is to keep our sleep cycle unchanged. We follow same school routine of waking up early and sleeping on time. One parent handles the digital class and therapy schedule of the older kid while the other takes care of the little ones play and food needs. Lockdown compulsions have also brought forth our own capacity of working as a team and managing with limited resources at hand. Half an hour of skating on house tiles is allowed, using crayons on walls is allowed, screen time has increased too but so has bonding time for all four of us. Many challenges of parenting in lockdown have thrown many positives too for families during this uncertain period.

As I write this piece, we are in the eighth week of lockdown and praying that things ease out a bit in the coming days. There are memes abound on social media that if this lockdown continues then a mother is sure to find some vaccine for the virus before scientists.

I had stolen some time for myself to write this bit but now I need to unlock the door before their (kids) banging breaks it.

It’s been more than a month, and I’ve been feeling more and more like the inventive father, Guido, in the 1997 film Life is Beautiful, as I try and shield my almost-eight-year-old a little from the unprecedented reality we are living through. I try and create games through the positive spins I put on everything, from rationed chocolates and ice creams to the short-masked cycling excursions I allow her for filtered mouthfuls of the freshest air that Gurgaon has experienced in the last 20 years.

Everyone across the world is living their own strange reality these days, but parents of under-10s are perhaps going through their most puzzling and challenging parenting phase yet. While kids these days are more aware of the impact of climate change, can navigate a Zoom class easily, and put together a complicated puzzle faster than our generation could, they are still emotionally fragile and processing this time as a very significant part of their childhood. It is what it is, we say, as we grapple with the bleak financial forecasts and the rising numbers of casualties across the world. Every parent has their own unique coping mechanism, but here’s what I feel has worked for me.

1) Tell them Age-Appropriate Truths:

If you have a curious one (and I think 99% of us do!), you will need to explain the impact of COVID-19 and what the foreseeable future holds for them in small easy-to-digest nuggets. By now, they are probably on auto-pilot as far as scrubbing their hands, slapping on masks, keeping an arm’s-length distance are concerned – but how do you tell kids that school as they knew it may not happen till July? September? Who knows? Or birthdays? Or playtime in the park? Or that the pool may not be open all summer? I try and stick to weekly silver linings…next week, we may be able to hit some tennis balls downstairs or let’s fill the splash pool so that you can enjoy a pretend swim. Let’s do a four-way video call with your pals so that we can simulate some school girlie chatter. We even did a video birthday cake-cutting where they sangย Happy Birthdayย for a friend. It’s my way of showing her that we will inch back to normal slowly when it’s safe to do so.ย 

2) Revel in Nature:

Since our kids are already little eco-warriors, this is the best part of the narrative to emphasise at this time. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if they remember this time as the phase when dolphins and flamingos returned to Mumbai’s waters, orย nilgaiย and peacocks roamed unfettered on Gurgaon’s streets, or the Ganga and Yamuna sparkled with clean waters and the snow-capped Himalayas were visible from Ludhiana? I make sure I show her all the WhatsApp forwards I receive that highlight these wonders from across the world so that she can feel good about the Earth rebooting itself and animals having their day.ย 

3) Family First:

This is the biggest and most obvious plus. How long has it been since Mom, Dad and in some cases,ย Nana-Nani/Dada-Dadi, have all been home all day, day after day? My daughter has discovered that Dad is a mean cook and has the patience to complete a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle over a week;ย Nanaย andย Naniย rock at Ludo and Snakes and Ladders, and Mamma can dust the whole house, tidy every cupboard and play word games with her. We’ve all cribbed about the lack of quality time and missing our children’s milestones, so now is the time to get the most of these trying days. Believe me, we will miss this the most when it’s over, so let’s create some family rituals that we can carry into life post-COVID.ย 

4) Less is More:

I’ve put together squared notebooks from empty pages of three older ones for her math homework, diluted paint in half-dried poster colour bottles so that she can paint watercolours, sharpened every colour pencil (we have far too many as a blister on my finger can testify!), taken out every single Lego set stashed away in drawers to. Suddenly, every toy bought over the last five years is that much more valuable as is every piece of clothing! She has enough summer clothes without me having had an opportunity to step out to replenish her wardrobe even though she’s grown more than a few inches over the last year! Involving her in making bagfuls of food, clothes and toys for charity also helps her empathise with what the world is going through.ย 

5) Touchy Feely Time:

My day starts with cuddles with the dog who is on Cloud Nine having all of us home 24-7, followed by at least 15 minutes of having my sleepy child draped all over me, hugging, just being, and sharing her night of dreams (both fantastic and fearful) and plans for the day. Such a far cry from the rushed school mornings we are all missing, right? All of us have stashes of handmade cards proclaiming her love for us with her ridiculous spellings and her adorable illustrations. Virtual goodnight kisses are shared with grandparents and lots of love, hugs and kisses are being dispensed on FaceTime, Zoom and every other possible medium.ย 

Kids are much more resilient than us, but as parents we are going through another learning phase through this lockdown!

Education without values makes a man clever devil

Education gives us knowledge and awareness. Knowledge gives us skills and makes us prepare for our career ,livelihood. Education has multiple role to play. Education is the process of imbibing external progressive idea, thoughts and belief into our internal thinking, which eventually gets reflected in our action. Role of education is immense towards a moral, ethical and just Society. The knowledge which are supposed to guide students to success may be abused or even misused for malicious acts. In order to prevent this, a set of values is necessary to guide the use of these knowledge. Values are principles or standards of behavior and it is someone’s judgement of what is important in life.

In the vedic period, in Ashram education, the guru (teacher) instruct his students to follow certain values throughout the life. In modern education system, value oriented education gets priority over others. It helps to develop scientific temper of mind, large heartedness, co-operation, respect for the culture of other groups ,etc. Value education can take place at home, as well as in schools , colleges, universities, jail and voluntary youth organization. Recently government of India promotes value education in its school. The ministry of human resource development has taken strong steps to introduce values among the school and teachers training centers.

Value based education is the only means which can give the young generation the right direction. In modern times people are extremely focused in the pursuit of their own success and self interest with killer instincts. They need success at any cost. In this process they do not remain human and become robots . Their activities become heartless and value free. Success may come to us but at the end we are not having a sense or feeling of fulfillment happens due to lack of values. Swami Vivekananda pinpointed value education as a total upliftment of society. Martin Luther King Jr said that the function of education is to teach one to think intensively and critically. Intelligence plus character is the goal of true education. All scam and episodes of corruption in the recent times in our country and the world are evidence to failure of human beings ,not because of lack of education, but of immoral character. Good character never allows one to perform under pressure or greed.

Osama Bin Laden, a dreed terrorist was a civil engineer, whose higher education could not help him to follow virtuous path. Education without values tends to make man clever devil. It is important to have an intelligent mind, but it is far more important to have a good heart . Nelson Mandela rightly said that a good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination.

If we analyse the activities of a solider and a terrorist, we can find that solider gives life for his people and his country, whereas a terrorist takes the lives of innocent people either in the name of religion or in the name of politics. A solider has both brain and heart but the terrorist has got only brain. Now a days many educated youth take the path of terrorism. This highlights that how education can be used to propagate ideas which are not only irrational but against peace, harmony and progress of human society. Value help us to differentiate between good and bad acts, while education only teach us about various acts.

The real education should come with moral values and character. Only the education with values can lead man to path of virtue. Thus ,our education system should adopt value based education at all levels. The value educational programs should not be led only during the school level, but should be carried on further up to the level of higher education too, as it is from that nation’s bureaucraft ,army personnel and future leaders would emerge.

  • Only the value -laden education can bring development in form of eradication of poverty, generation of employment, removal of social ills empowerment of women, problem solving skills, decision making power etc. With the value based education we can achieve a society, ” where the mind is without fear and head is held high, where knowledge is free”.

A teenager’s stress

In the cut-throat world of competition, it is natural to feel stressed about not keeping up with others. Stress up to a certain limit is normal and may motivate you to get ready for action. It is your bodyโ€™s response to challenges. But too much of it for a long period of time can cause distress and may even prove to be a hindrance in performing day-to-day activities.

This may hit a person as early as their teenage years. Being a teen can be stressful. You have a constant pressure from the society. It may look easy but there is a lot going on internally which can be a huge burden for such a young mind. As you grow older, you suddenly start becoming conscious of who you are and what is your identity in the society, feeling a pressure to prove yourself the best. Now there is nothing wrong in trying to become a better person but the continuous expectations from school and oneโ€™s own peers can build a tremendous amount of pressure.

Some of the causes of the rising stress levels of teens can be attributed to the following factors:

School work: ย School work and periodic assessments form an important part of evaluation of a studentโ€™s progress but sometimes it can be a lot for an individual to bear. Sometimes, students even start to avoid going to school as a result. Some may even end up developing a โ€œdonโ€™t care anymoreโ€ approach which doesnโ€™t benefit anyone in anyway.

Along with excelling at academics, extra-curricular activities also need to be taken seriously for an overall development. It is always nice to take part in activities beyond your academics but again, pressure tags along with it. Now, there is a need to balance your studies as well as the activities.

Lack of time and sleep: As there is a lot to accomplish in a limited time, teens often end up sacrificing a good sleep cycle. Social media also occupies a lot of time because of which, they may get distracted and end up wasting their precious hours.

Life challenges: They may often feel unprepared for the future challenges or situations. This can make them feel overwhelmed and result in anxiety issues.

Some common signs of stress in teens are:

  • Having trouble sleeping or even feeling sleepy after having the right amount of it.
  • They have trouble concentrating and may lose focus easily.
  • They are always tired, fatigued or overly-anxious.
  • They many not be eating well leading to health issues.

Even though it is very prevalent, there are certain measures that can be applied to deal with it.

Here, major responsibility may lie on the parents to be attentive of their teenโ€™s needs. If they are given a supportive environment to grow rather then a hostile one where they always feel criticized and undervalued, they may find it easier to open up about their problems.

Staying connected to family and friends, getting good enough sleep, eating healthy and exercising can be some of the ways to deal with stress.

Moreover, practicing helpful thinking patterns is important rather than unhelpful thinking, which constantly involves viewing yourself in a self-deprecating manner.

If the situation becomes way too serious, it is always ideal to get a professional involved. They will understand the situation better and help the child to deal with his stress as well as for their parents to know the causes behind of it so that they can create a stress-free environment for them.

Exploring Northeast India

Northeast is the collective name of the easternmost states of India. It comprises of 8 culturally and ecologically rich states. It comprises of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura. These states are also know as ‘The seven sisters’ and Sikkim being the only brother.

If you are a travel geek, visit to the Northeast must top your bucket list. Each state is very different from each other, yet so similar. Each state can mesmerise you with its beauty. This part of India is so raw and pure, in comparison to the rest of the country and this makes it even more special.


Introduction to each state

โ€ข Arunachal Pradesh
The land of rising sun, Arunachal Pradesh, is characterized by mountainous ranges and sub mountainous ranges along the northern part. This state is truly diverse in terms of its culture. Arunachal Pradesh has 26 major tribes and multiple sub-tribes. People of Arunachal Pradesh speak over 50 dialects. Arunachal Pradesh is a green gold. Because of the variation in altitude and climatic condition, it has tropical, subtropical and temperate forest.

โ€ข Assam
Assam is a northeastern state popular for its wildlife, archaeological site and tea plantation. Assam is also known for its temples, especially the Kamakhya Temple. The worldโ€™s largest river island, Majuli, and the smallest river island, Umananda, are both located in this state. The culture of Assam is a rich and exotic tapestry. Natives of this state are known as Asomiya (Assamese) and it is also the state language of Assam. Weaving is an important part of Assamese culture. Gamocha is one of most easily recognisable cultural symbol, besides many.

โ€ข Manipur
Manipur is situated in the eastern frontier of India. Physically Manipur comprises of two parts, hills and valleys. The valley is centred surrounded by hills on all sides. The state has a forest canopy ranging from thickly dense forest to moderately dense forest to open forest. The cultural expression and art form of this state is famous worldwide. Manipuri dance whether folk or classical, is distinct from any other form.

โ€ข Meghalaya
Meghalaya is a hilly state in northeast India. This area is geographically rich, with mountains, stretches of valley and Highland plateau. Mawsynram, Cherrapunji in Meghalaya is the wettest place of earth. Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya is known as the rock capital of India. The forest in Meghalaya are among the richest botanical habitat in Asia. Meghalaya’s forest host 660 species of birds.

โ€ข Mizoram
The state with highest literacy rate in Northeast is Mizoram. Among the northeastern states, it is the southern most landlocked state. Mizoram is the state of rolling hills, valleys, rivers and lakes. Traditional festivals in this region revolve around jhum cultivation. This state has several dance forms, including, Cheraw, Khuallam, Chheihlam, Chai.

โ€ข Nagaland
Nagaland is largely a mountainous state. It is 16th state of India on 1st December 1963. The state has a monsoon climate with high humidity levels. Nagaland, just like all other northeastern state, is high in flora and fauna. Mithun is the state animal and has also adopted as the official seal of the Government of Nagaland. Music and dance is an intrinsic part of Naga life. The Hornbill festival celebrated in Kohima, capital of Nagaland, is famous worldwide.

โ€ข Sikkim
Sikkim is the only northeastern state which is not a part of ‘seven sisters’. It host Kanchenjunga, the highest peak of India and third highest in the world. Sikkim climate ranges from sub tropical in the south to tundra in the north. Sikkim is one of the few states of India to receive snow fall. The state is situated in the ecological hotspot of the Lower Himalayas, one of the only three ecoregions of India.

โ€ข Tripura
Tripura is the third most smallest state in the country. The state is characterized by hill ranges, valleys and plains. Tripura has a typical savanna climate. Unakoti in Tripura is popular worldwide. Multiple folklore are famous about Unakoti.

If you are travel freak, a visit to the Northeast is a must. This place wonโ€™t disappoint you.

How to create a good resume?

For most job-seekers, aย good resumeย is what stands between a dream job and Choice D. Get your resume right, and youโ€™ll be getting replies from every other company you apply to.

If your resume game is weak, though, youโ€™ll end up sitting around for weeks, maybe even months, before you even get a single response.

So youโ€™re probably wondering how you can write a resume which leads to HR managers inviting you to interviews daily.



Are you ready to learn how to make a resume thatย lands you your dream job?

Step 1: Choose From 3 Formats

So you are staring at a blank page on your computer wondering, โ€œWhat is a resumeย and how do I start writing one?โ€ Hundreds ask this same question every day and the reason is most likely due to the fact that there is no standard rule for formatting a resume.

To get started, try organizing all your information with aย resume outline. This helps you see where your strengths and weaknesses are, and what aspects of your professional history you need to emphasize. Then, decide on what resume format is right for your application.

Your formatting decision comes down to 3 choices: Reverse-Chronological, Functional, and Combination. Each format has their own advantages and disadvantages. Below, you will find which one is best for you.

For more information, you can also check out our in-depthย resume formatย guide.

Format 1: Reverse-Chronological

This is the most traditional format, and what youโ€™re most likely to encounter in the real world (as an applicant or hiring manager).ย Chronological resumeย formats are generally more flexible, and can be used by applicants with any level of experience.




Details about the resume sections of this format:

Contact Informationย โ€“ The most consistent element across all three resume formats, contact details must be outlined near the top.

Resumeย Objectiveย โ€“ This type of resume introduction can be used by anyone, and allows job-seekers to tailor their resume to their employer.

Work Experienceย โ€“ For this format, you must have a consistent work history (or one that isnโ€™t too patchy).

Additional Skillsย โ€“ Your skills section can still be used to highlight personal attributes youโ€™re proud of.

Educationย โ€“ Your degrees (any) and certifications (if relevant) should be prominent.

Accomplishmentsย โ€“ Be sure to mention your most impressive awards and honors.

I should use if:

I want to show a vertical career progression.

I want to apply to a job in a similar field.

I want to promote my upward career mobility.

I shouldn’t use if:

I have major gaps in my employment history.

I am changing my career path.

I change jobs every few months.

Format 2: Functional

While chronological places emphasis on career progression, aย functional resumeย is for a skills-based resume. Since it heavily emphasizes the applicantโ€™s qualifications, functional format is more suitable for those with an expert level of experience.




Details about the sections on this format:

Contact Informationย โ€“ Regardless of your format, this will be always near or at the top of your resume.

Resume Introductionย โ€“ The functional resume uses a more robust introduction, such as a qualifications summary to highlight your strongest areas right off the bat.

Work Experienceย โ€“ Note how small this section is, and how time periods are omitted. This is to de-emphasize experience, and highlight other sections.

Relevant Skills Sectionย โ€“ Skills are the greatest selling point for someone who lacks a clear work history, so this section must be robust.

Educationย โ€“ Include your highest degree, and feel free to list a key (relevant) certification here too.

Accomplishmentsย โ€“ If you have any notable work-related awards, list the most significant.

I should use if:

I have gaps in my employment history.

I am changing my career industry.

I want to highlight a specific skill set.

I shouldn’t use if:

I want to highlight my upward career mobility.

I am an entry level candidate that lacks experience.

I lack transferable skills.

Format 3: Combination

As you can probably guess, theย combination resumeย format merges bits and pieces from both chronological and functional formats. Like the functional format, it focuses on specific qualifications, yet the body of the document contains professional experience similar to chronological format. This format is generally reserved for those with a great deal of experience in a particular industry.




Details about this formatโ€™s sections:

Contact Informationย โ€“ Similar to the other two formats, contact details are at the top.

Professional Profileย โ€“ Users of the combination format are often highly skilled, and the professional profile can highlight these skills in a concise way.

Work Experienceย โ€“ Experience is more fleshed out in a combination resume than it is in its functional counterpart.

Skills Sectionย โ€“ With your arsenal of work-related skills, you can divide them into two sections based on importance.

Educationย โ€“ For someone using a combination format, education is less crucial. However, itโ€™s still definitely worth placing on the resume.

I should use if:

I want to highlight a developed skill set within a specific career.

I want to change my career path.

I am a master of the subject I am applying to.

I shouldnโ€™t use if:

I want to highlight my education.

I lack experience.

I am an entry level candidate.

Step 2: Set Up Your Contact Information

Before delving into what information you should add,ย itโ€™s important to remember that the information you includeย willย largely depend on the format you choose.ย With that being said, below is a general guide to what information you should add and the order in which you should add it.

Nameย (largest font on page, middle initial is optional)

Mailing Address

Telephone Numberย (Check that you have an appropriate voicemail message)

Email Addressย (make sure itโ€™s appropriate.)

Link to online portfolioย (optional, ensure it is relevant to the position)



Beware of Student Loan Debt Forgiveness Offers

You may have seen ads for companies that promise student loan forgiveness or drastically lowered payments.
Do your homework before you click or call to learn more. Many third-party companies require a fee for their โ€œservices.โ€ Know that paying a fee will not help you qualify for any of the Federal programs or speed up the process. Avoid scams and identity theft.
You may be eligible for FREE student loan assistance services through theย Federal Student Loan Program, including loan consolidation, lower student loan payments, deferment or even loan forgiveness. You can also contact Herzing Universityโ€™s Alumni Support center atย alumnisupport@herzing.eduย or by calling 1 (866) 508-0748 ext. 01353.
Read the full article, โ€œBeware of Student Loan Debt Relief Offers and Credit Repair โ€˜Dealsโ€™,โ€ from the U.S. Department of Education to learn more.

The art of forgiving

I have grown up idealizing my grandma. I love her and love everything she does. For me she has always been my iron woman. I have never in my life seen her whine or cry over something even once. It’s as if she doesn’t care. As if this world is too juvenile for her attention and care. Trust me, she doesn’t give two hoots about anything on this planet. Her life has always revolved around her and it continues to be like that. I’m not saying she’s selfish, she’s just not as bothered about others as we are. If she ever receives a compliment from someone, she thanks them. If people ever talk I’ll about her she does something which most of us fail to do- she forgives them.

I don’t know how she does it. I asked her one day how she lets go of all her anger to which she said that people who make you angry have the sole purpose of annoying nad irritating you. They want to get inside your mind and poison it. They want you to constantly think of them and how they wronged you. When you get angry at someone you pledge that you would never talk to them or think of them and in order to hold up this pledge you have to constantly remind your mind to not think of them. This is counterproductive because in order to forcefully and deliberately forget people you in turn constantly remind yourself of their bad deeds. This spoils your mind and wastes your time. Holding a grudge against someone comes with a heavy cost which you have to pay with your peace of mind. Thus, in order to be happy, you have to prioritise who is more important to you- yourself or others and if the answer is the former, you must forgive others.

Forgiveness isn’t philanthropy. You are not doing it to release others from their crimes and deeds, you are doing that to release your own self from the negative emotions and thoughts which come with resentment.

Life is too short to live it for others. You must start living for yourself. Love more, hate less because this is going to benefit you. Prioritise yourself. You should be your first priority and your happiness should be above your ego. The day you start loving yourself and the moment you realise that you want to start living life for your soul is the moment you will learn the art of forgiving. Imagine living for a 100 years. When you were 5 years old you had a fight with a friend of yours and you decided you would never speak to that friend or ever think of him. Now, you spent the next 95 years of your life reminding yourself how that person hurt you and how you should never think of him. Thus, you kept living every moment of your life for that person and just wasted a glorious 100 years holding on to a grudge which was fatal for your mental peace and we’ll being.

Thus, the path to eternal happiness starts from forgiveness. Let go of the hatred you have towards other people and you’ll notice how improved your life is. Always remember that your self respect is greater than your ego. While your ego prefers holding on to something your self respect will always remind you to let go because that’s the only way you can actually honour yourself.

Om Shanti.

Credit Guarantee fund Scheme for Education Loans

Credit Guarantee Fund Scheme for Education Loan (CGFSEL) has been launched by the Government of India to provide a guarantee for education loans under the Model Education Loan Scheme of Indian Banks’ Association. All Education Loans up to INR 4 lakhs are collateral-free but under this scheme, a student can avail an education loan up toย INR 7.5 Lakhsย without any collateral and a third-party guarantee. However, if there is a requirement to revise the loan limit, the fund has the right to do so. Disbursal of an education loan under this scheme is comparatively simple.ย 

There will be a maximum of up to 2% interest rate over the base rate and if the interest rate is above that, then that education loan will fall outside the mandate of CGFSEL. However, this may change with respect to the prevalent interest rate scenario, base rates of Bank and RBIโ€™s Credit Policies.

Margin

  • Up to INR 4 Lakhs – Nil
  • Above INR 4 Lakhs- 5% for study in India and 15% for study abroad.

Eligibility

There is no specific restriction regarding the age of aย studentย in order to beย eligible for an education loan. Age of joint applicant / co-borrower / guarantor should be minimum 21 years at the time ofย loanย origination and maximum age at the time ofย loanย maturity can be 70 years.

Process

Academic records (10th, 12th, Graduation (if applicable), entrance exam result through which admission is obtained. Proof of admission: Admission letter or offer letter from theย educationalย institution.ย Loanย account statement of the previous 1 year, ifย loanย has been taken from another lender. Passport size photographs.

Which Education Loans are covered under this scheme?

The following Education loans will be considered eligible under this scheme:

  1. The loans that are given by the bank to an eligible borrower according to the scheme of IBA ( Indian Banks Association ) without any collateral security and third-party guarantee. They must be in an agreement with NCGTC  (National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company). The procedures prescribed by NCGTC must be followed and the guarantee cover in respect of education will be applied by the bank.
  2. Loans that are disbursed in a quarterly manner prior to the expiry of the following quarter are eligible for the application of guarantee cover in respect of education loan by the Banks like PNBAxis BankHDFC, etc. 
  3. โ€œMaterial Dateโ€ basically means the date on which the guarantee fee, which has been covered previously in respect of the eligible borrower, becomes payable by the Bank to the respective trust. On the material date, the following criteria should satisfy:
    •  Overdue in respect of the account to the banks should not be there and in the books of the bank, the loan should not be classified as an NPA (Non-Performing Asset). An asset is classified as a non-performing asset on the basis of the guidelines given by the RBI (Reserve Bank of India).
    • The purpose for which the loan has been granted to the borrower should not have been ceased.
    • Without obtaining any consent from the NCGTC, the credit facility should not be utilized for adjustments of any debts.
  4. There will be a list of educational institutes and their courses or the categories of educational institutes for which the guarantee cover will be available.

Which Education Loans are NOT covered under this scheme?

The following Education loans will not be considered eligible under this scheme:

  1. Any Education Loan which is inconsistent in any way and does not follow the provisions, laws, and instructions issued by the central government or the Reserve Bank of India.
  2. If an Education Loan is sanctioned by the bank with an interest rate of more than 2% over the base rate of the banks.
  3. A case where the risks are additionally covered by the Government or any external authority.

Thousands of students are applying for Education Loan nowadays. To ensure fast and efficient disbursal of Education Loans the government of India launched CGFSEL. This scheme has definitely been useful for many students and the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved the continuation of the CGFSEL with an aim to provide loans to around 10 Lakh students.

Unemployment Amid The Pandemic

India, undoubtedly, is grappling with the problem of unemployment amid the pandemic. It has led to a spike in the countryโ€™s unemployment rate to 27.11%. Unemployment is more prominent in urban areas than in rural areas. Unemployment or underemployment levels of women are higher than those of men. Reports say that the rate of unemployment is the highest in urban areas, which constitute the most number of red zones due to the increase in the number of corona virus cases. Ever since, the country was put under lock down on March 25 to curb the spread of the deadly virus, India has seen a major fall in the economy. Perhaps the biggest cause of concern is the higher rate of joblessness among the youth, especially in the age group of 20 to 24 years.
India is a developing economy. The nature of employment sharply varies from the one that prevails in industrially advanced countries like the United States of America. Unemployment is a sheer waste of manpower. The socio -economic repercussions of unemployment are dangerous.

โ€ข Specific individual consequences of unemployment are obvious. How do we buy food? Pay the rent? Buying even the basic necessities could be tough, much less buying the latest technology gadget. These consequences are real for the unemployed, and the accumulative effects are visible in the entire economy as individuals and businesses struggle to meet the challenges that unemployment creates.

โ€ข Social consequences of prolonged unemployment can be significant. Studies suggest that a high unemployment rate is directly related to increases in property-related crime. Unemployment can also affect the health of individuals and families. A study of people with a high risk of unemployment found that they decreased their consumption of fruit and vegetables. Such a diet change can affect workers’ as well as their children’s health in the long run. Inadequate nutrition of children, a particular risk in low-income families, can hinder their physical and mental development.

โ€ข The slow rate of economic growth leads to poverty. It leads to many problems in the society. It gives rise to child labour. Poverty also leads to illiteracy, crime, corruption etc. There are reports of farmers committing suicide for not being able to repay loans. For a better source of living, people migrate to towns and cities. In fact, people below the poverty line e create slum areas in the cities. Slums have very poor hygienic conditions. They are forced to dwell under impoverished living conditions.
Example โ€“ Asiaโ€™s Largest Slum, Dharavi has an area of just over 2.1 square kilometers (0.81 sq. mi; 520 acres) and a population of about 1,000,000. With a population density of over 277,136/km2 (717,780/sq. mi), Dharavi is one of the most densely populated areas in the world.

MEASURES TO REDUCE THE COST OF UNEMPLOYMENT
To mitigate the economic effects on society of the Coronavirus Outbreak, several measures have been taken. The measured are intended to provide greater security for those affected by the pandemic by limiting the spread of the deadly virus, combating the effects on businesses and jobs and providing financial security and transition opportunities for those who become unemployed.


Reducing The Spread Of The Virus
Everyone working in health care and infectious disease control must have the tools and resources needed to curb the spread of the virus. The local Government sector is therefore being given funding ,both targeted and general, to deal with the immediate additional costs resulting from the outbreak.

Tackling Rising Unemployment
Despite the extensive measures the Government has taken to support viable businesses, many people are going to lose their jobs. In view of the present economic situation several temporary changes have been made in unemployment insurance to make it easier to qualify for benefit and to ensure that this insurance provides greater financial security for people who become unemployed. In addition, more measures are proposed to provide good transition opportunities.

This is a global pandemic. Every county is caught in its own problems. No country is in a position to extend help for others. India, too, is alone in this. As citizens, we ought to abide by the stringent guidelines ,the Government has imposed to curb the spread of the deadly virus.

Explore Benefits of Online Learning for students


Online learning is affordable, accessible, and available.

These are the most favorable reasons behind the popularity of online education. Read on to find out what attracts students to prefer online learning.

Online Courses Are More Convenient:
This convenience comes in many forms. They donโ€™t need to visit the college/university campus or follow any fixed schedules. They can obtain education anytime, anywhere. They donโ€™t require to stick to a college/university routine, instead, they can master skills or learn new skills with their ongoing job, career, or other responsibilities.

Flexibility Creates Opportunity:
Flexibility is crucial to everyone in this hyper-connected 21st century. Learners will be able to study during their own time and pace. They can continue their ongoing jobs, other academic schedules, and accountabilities. This flexibility appeals to learners as it creates more opportunities to identify their potentials without putting any other thing on hold.

Reduced Costs:
As everything is virtual, there is no commuting cost associated with it. It is cost-effective compared to campus education because it is easy to attend and there is no application and other fees. Also, easy access to the online material is an added advantage, saving your hefty cost on books.

Meet People Across The Globe:
Geography is no longer an obstacle to learning and accessing the best educational material. When you enroll in any online classes, you may meet people from different backgrounds, cultures, and environments. This networking helps overcome challenges and establish a unique level of a bond between classmates and instructors.

Ideal for Everyone:
There is a wide range of subjects available for a different group of people. Whether you are a professional, high school graduate, college graduate, or simply want to enhance or learn skills, online education is ideal for everyone. From biology to space science and from technology to tools, there are online educational sources for every subject.

Technology has provided a lot of opportunities to educators also. More and more courses are being designed online and there are many benefits of it.

Here are some benefits of online education for teachers.

Online Learning: Benefits For Teachers
They can go ahead at an individual pace
They can save a lot of time by eliminating the commute to a physical place
They can track studentโ€™s progress online with the help of better tools
They can utilize the best resources available on the web to design the content
They can access a wide variety of modern teaching/learning platforms
Educators can incorporate interactive, immersive, and innovative technologies to make education effective and fun
Teachers are at the center of educational systems. While technology-driven education makes learning easier and fun, there are several challenges faced by educators in making a successful online program.

Challenges Faced By Educators: Area Of Concerns
No F2F Connection:
Due to the virtual classroom environment, there is no face-to-face communication. Sometimes, this trait is not effective enough to better connect with students.

Difficult To Track Practical Knowledge:
There are many tools and technologies to track the progress of students but educators wonโ€™t have real-life practical information about studentsโ€™ performance. What they have gained and how they are applying in the real world is difficult to observe.

Technical Difficulties:
It is important to ensure having the proper equipment to make remote teaching effective. Not just reliable internet but proper webcam, headphone, laptop/pc help them make most of the virtual teaching.

Different Time zones:
In remote education, students can belong to different parts of the world. While they have the flexibility to learn anytime, anywhere, it is quite difficult for the instructor to cop up due to different time zones. Sometimes students need an immediate solution to their queries and delay in that cause results in ineffective learning.

Practical Tips For Students And Teachers To Make Online Education Effective:
Tips For Educators:
Choose Effective Teaching Methodology:
How will you deliver the content? What suits your students most? Live class at a specific time or self-paced learning? Choosing the right blend of teaching methodologies help achieve great engagement and better outcomes for your students.

Use Of Technology:
An effective learning management system has best-designed courses, interactive sessions, simulations, and graphical information that help students stay engaged throughout the program. You can lock/unlock videos, materials as per progress, add gamification, and decide the length of sessions based on the complexities of the topic.

Constant Communication:
Communication is a critical factor in making a successful education program. While it is not possible to have face-to-face communication, make sure your students know how and when to contact you. Give them feedback and instructions whenever necessary. Give them plenty of chances so they can speak for their queries and troubles. Educators need to engage students as much as they can to make it fun and easy to attend without getting them bored.

Continuously Evolve:
Eventually, you will figure out what works best. Administrators can support teachers to deliver best and teachers can ensure students have the best resources that help them grasp faster and better.

Think Of Ways To Motivate Students:
Every student learns differently and at a different speed. Being a teacher, your goal is to motivate students to they can stick to the course from start to finish. Motivate them in different ways and involve them in every discussion and methods so that they can get the full benefit of online classes without physical presence.

Tips For Students:
Choose A Quiet, Distraction-Free Study Location:
This is very important. Stay-at-home environment locations are often full of distractions. With the right software and hardware setup, build a study atmosphere that encourages productive behavior.

Self-Discipline Is Must:
In any online study, self-discipline is the key to achieve success. Prioritize your tasks and give dedicated hours to online study in case of self-paced courses. In scheduled live sessions, stay away from distractions during that time so that you can take full advantage of this mode of learning.

Create Long-Term Plans:
A long-term plan with equal attention to the subjects and lessons help make this journey easier. Stay organized and self-monitor your progress with customized strategies that will work. Explore your subject, raise questions, and be regular to create a perfect classroom atmosphere. Communicate with the teacher and other students, more and more.

Building Enhanced Digital Education Systems Amid Corona Crisis:
There is much more that needs to be done.

Universities, colleges, students, and teachers โ€“ no one was prepared for this pandemic and emergency remote teaching. Universities must make quick decisions and adapt to this new normal of education. Many universities are offering their online courses along with regular offline schedules. And several universities havenโ€™t considered any online activities yet. Organizations that lack the necessary infrastructure, experience, and budget to explore remote mode are facing difficulties.

On the other side, online education platforms are observing a surge in new joiners and a range of topics to be explored.

At this time, preparing for the future is a strategic decision. Higher Ed institutes must embrace digital capabilities to achieve resilience.

E-Learning

Globe is revolving faster. If you need to survive, you have to adapt yourself. You have to make yourself equipped and make yourself the needed person in the industry. It has to be done in order to survive. Every time we cannot go out and learn, if you need to learn a bit more, you have to go through the e-learning platform.

SAVES YOUR TIME

It is because that if you learn in your house, it takes about a single minute to start learning. Think about a person, going half way across the city to learn. It saves lots of precious time and energy and it is also easier to do. Coz if you go learn in that place and return back, your 2-3 hours will be wasted in travelling and the expenses for travelling must also be considered. But if you stay in your house and learn, you will be saving all those money and you will learn fast.

ECONOMICAL

The amount that you invest in learning in a center is too high than if you learn in your e-learning. It is automatically good for everyone because if you learn in your gadget, you will only pay an amount which is too less than that of person paying for a center. So do engage yourself in the online platform and make yourself equipped.

LEARN AT YOUR OWN TIME

It is the important advantage of this learning. Because if you prefer the centers you have to go to the time they prefer, but in this platform, you take your own studying time. Adapt yourself to this and see the change.

CONCLUSION

“EVERYTHING CAN BE DONE, IF YOU HAVE A VISION, GO FOR IT AND ACHIEVE”.

Studying Abroad

Each and every second is precious, so don’t waste time and make it a memory. So don’t simply sit in your native and study the traditional subjects, come out from that and see that there is a huge world waiting for you outside. So don’t hesitate to go to other states and countries to learn. It is an awesome thing to learn in another place, it gives various knowledge about life and how to survive in life.

GIVES A DIFFERENT APPROACH TO LEARNING

Studying in an different university itself gives you a different kind of learning. Then just think about studying in another country. It is a different feeling that one have to go and experience it. Various things will be different and it gives various knowledge about things you don’t know. It is a hard thing that one have to change the way of learning, but in order to survive, you have to adapt yourself.

CHANCE FOR LEARNING OTHER LANGUAGE

It is a natural need to learn that language in order to survive in that place and country. Life is short, go speak with several people, make yourself a nice speaker. You will only achieve it if you go speak with various persons in that place. Don’t hesitate to go out. If you started then the fluency in that language will automatically grow.

MANAGE BILLS

It is a huge responsibility to go and learn in another country. Coz you have to maintain the accounts for the expenses and income. It is indeed an important thing to maintain this because if you leave that unattented then you may run out of money. It is important to manage your expenses and maintain a clean record of your expenses.

CONCLUSION

“LIFE IS SHORT, TAKE THAT OPPORTUNITY AND WIN IT COZ CHANCE WILL COME ONLY ONCE!!”

Labeling in Marketing

A yellow packet depicting โ€œ2-minute noodlesโ€ will lead to customer attention and brand recognition within seconds. I am sure you, as a reader must have guessed what I am talking about. Yes, it is the packaging through which a brand like Nestlรฉ has created its name so much so that people know about the product more than the brand. Today, we are talking about the importance of labeling in branding.

Labeling is used for packaging the product. In marketing, a marketer can also use a sticker inedible products to impart knowledge of the ingredients of the food items. This helps to spread awareness among the customers about the item they are consuming and labeling also helps to mention ingredients. It enables product identification.

Packaging is the process of enclosing the product in a way that is remains safe and secure for its distribution, sale, storage and use.

Types of Labeling

There are different types of labels:

  • Brand label: It is very essential when it comes to labeling as it gives information about the brand. It can be removable or non-removable.
  • Descriptive label: ย It specifies product usage.
  • Grade label: It describes the aspect and features of the product.

Functions ofย Labeling

The multiple functions of labeling are as follows:

  • Defines the product and its contents: A label is very informative in nature and is used to know about the details of the products, its specifications, usage and caution to be taken while using the product. Example, Green tea depicts various health benefits of consuming it.
  • Recognition of product: Labeling assists in the identification of the product. Example, we talked about Maggi in the beginning of the article.

  • Classification of products: It means classification or grading of products according to different categories in the market. Example, soaps are classified as child care, one for dry/oily skin etc.
  • Help in promoting the product and increase brand visibility.

Standard Requirements for Labelling

  • As per a Notification issued by the Ministry of Commerce on November 24, 2000, all pre-packaged commodities (intended for direct retail sale only) imported into India must carry the following declarations on the label:
  • All units of weight or measurements must be metric.
  • If the net quantity of the imported package is given in any other unit, its equivalent of standard units must be declared by the importer.
  • Month and year of packing in which the commodity is manufactured, packed or imported, and the maximum retail sales price (MRP) at which the commodity in packaged form may be sold to the end consumer.
  • The MRP includes all taxes, local or otherwise, freight, transport charges, commission payable to dealers and all charges towards advertising, delivery, packing, forwarding, and any other relevant charges.
  • Note: Pre-packaged food products meant for institutional use do not require the MRP, but a โ€˜Not for Retail Saleโ€™ declaration on the label is required.

Labeling is an important factor in the sale of a product. It helps businesses to get customer attention via the packaging. Attractive graphics are used to appeal to the masses to buy the product and similarly visuals are targeted.

 

 

Eating disorders

Eating disorder is a mental disorder that is characterized by irregular eating and severe body image issues. Eating disorders may include too little or too much food intake which affects the overall wellbeing of the person.
Eating disorder is extremely common in women. Especially modern urban women are at high risk, though men are catching up fast. Women aged 15-24 commonly report eating disorders. Reports also show that people as young as 7 may also develop symptoms of eating disorders.
There are three types of eating disorder, namely, anorexia nervosa, bulimia and binge eating.

โ€ข Anorexia nervosa
Anorexia nervosa is eating disorder and is characterized by irrational fear of weight gain. Individuals suffering from anorexia nervosa are obsessed with their weight. These individual tend to exercise and diet to such a point that their body weight is grossly below optimum. These individuals perceive themselves as over weight even if they are extremely under weight. They self starve to a point that it imposes serious threat to life and wellbeing.

โ€ข Bulimia
Bulimia is characterized by simultaneous episodes of over eating and purge through techniques of vomiting, laxative abuse, extreme dieting or exercising, drug or alcohol abuse. People suffering from this eating disorder usually are unhappy with their size and shape. The binge and purge cycle is typically done in secret and is usually associated with a feeling of shame and guilt. Bulimia affect 1-3 percent of women and an increasing number of men. Bulimic often suffer from physiological issues such as gastrointestinal problems, severe dehydration and heart diseases.

โ€ข Binge eating
Binge eating is characterized by uncontrollable eating. Individuals suffering from binge eating usually lose control over what and how much they eat. Unlike bulimia, binge episodes are not followed by compulsive behaviour like vomiting, laxative abuse and so on. The individuals suffering from this disorder are likely to be obese and may develop many cardiovascular diseases.

Causes of Eating Disorder

Eating disorders are complex in nature. Though the exact cause of eating disorder is not unknown, but it is caused because of the interplay of biological, psychological and environmental factors.
Biological factors include:
โ€ข Hormonal imbalance
โ€ข Genetic makeup
โ€ข Nutritional deficiencies
Psychological factors include:
โ€ข Poor self esteem
โ€ข Poor body image issues
Environmental factors include:
โ€ข Childhood trauma
โ€ข Peer pressure
โ€ข Poor family dynamics
โ€ข Professional requirements

Signs and symptoms of eating disorder

Some of the signs and symptoms of eating disorder are mentioned below. They are:
โ€ข Chronic dieting even when the person is underweight.
โ€ข Obsessed with fats and calories
โ€ข Constant weight fluctuations
โ€ข Following a pattern of eating, even when it is negatively impacting body
โ€ข Switching periods of overeating and fasting
โ€ข Depression
โ€ข Avoiding social functions

Treating eating disorders

Since eating disorder is a psychological disorder, so just like other disorder consulting a psychologist or psychiatrist is always prescribed. Taking steps without consulting the health professional can do more harm than good.
Some steps of treating eating disorder are :
โ€ข Medical care and monitoring: Treating of the health issues caused due to eating disorder is of primary importance. Thus medical care and monitoring is of utmost importance.
โ€ข Nutritional intake: It involves restoring normal weight and stabilizing the same. Proper and balanced diet is of prime importance in this stage.
โ€ข Therapy: Therapeutic help can help the individual to know about the underlying cause of eating disorder. It not only help individual to overcome the disorder, by also help develop self confidence and self esteem.
โ€ข Medication: Medication is helpful in dealing with anxiety and mood disorder that is usually associated with eating disorder. However medication should only be consumed when prescribed by a health professional.

The combination of the treatments can be extremely helpful in dealing with eating disorders.

Does Education ever stop?

There is no doubt that education is among the most significant factors that have rocketed mankind to where it is now. Today, detestable things such as slavery, honour killings, and many others have been eliminated and replaced with right to free speech, gender equality, and education for women, infrastructural development, technological breakthroughs, and many more. Looking back at how rituals were performed by our predecessors and many other controversial acts, we realize that we have admittedly come a long way from where we started.

Never, Ever Stop Learning โ€” Wilson Growth Partners

You immediately picture a conventional classroom, a stack of textbooks, and a strict teacher when you hear the word ‘education’. Yet is our education confined to a school’s threshold, or do we take it much further? Education can be understood as the practice that allows us to acquire knowledge, values, and competences. There’s no timeline or age limit for that cycle. There are two fronts where we can continue our education. It is to educate ourselves to improve professionally, and the other is to continue the education to ensure that we are individually continuously evolving.

Education is an endless continual journey. Education doesn’t just take place in the classroom. We must continue trying to educate professional practitioners and the general public. Educational opportunities have a long conventional tune in sociological research on inequalities and many sociologists have concluded that education is a central variable in today’s society when it comes to studying stratification. Over the last generations, modern societies have continued to evolve into knowledge-based economies where the role of education and the organization of academic institutions in all phases of the course has become significant. More than in the past, education today is a lifelong process where individuals acquire informal and non-formal learning skills and competencies throughout life. Most empirical education research is still based on observational studies, and does not analyse education as a process that is highly time-dependent, incremental, and quantifiable.

Education helps in Professional Development:

Weโ€™re engrossed in a mad rat race where there’s soaring competition and the only way to stay ahead is to learn and grow continually. Organizations and businesses today understand that employees need to procure knowledge and new skills. A survey showed that over 70 percent of adults believe they are lifelong learners, while almost 90 percent of millennials are open to the possibility of spending money in future training. There are several ways you can educate yourself and have a professional development.

Using Learning Applications:

The app world is starting to open up a whole new way to educate yourself. There’s plenty to discover, from simple language learning apps to apps specifically designed for a specific field.

Educational YouTube Channels:

YouTube is a terrific educational source. You will find channels dedicated to the knowledge-driven content production. You can find content according to your profession. It could be business or finance associated, or even something imaginative like graphic design.

Conclusion:

Does education ever stop or it continues throughout one’s entire life, to point out the obvious, education is a continuum thing, it basically has no end. Education needs to be something that will help you develop, whether professional or personal. In fact, the process shouldn’t be punishing but just the opposite. Learn things you think are interesting, everything you learn will prove beneficial for you. So keep learning, and continue to rise!

Studying Abroad

Usually, the term “studying abroad” refers to a program operated by an academic institution, such as a university, that allows a student to live in a foreign country while studying at a foreign place of learning. The periods of study may be as brief as a single semester, or as large as one year or more. As well as learning from their curriculum, the student often learns by soaking themselves in the local culture and environment which were initially foreign.

Study abroad overseas in Europe or Asia and save money on tuition ...

Education is an essential thing in everybody’s life. Hundreds and thousands of young adults leave their families every year to study in a foreign country like the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Australia. Lots of folks today are worried about going overseas to study. However, there appears to be a glamour element involved. Studying abroad has the main benefits of using advanced learning methods. The idea of studying abroad may seem like a magnificent opportunity, but there are also many potential downsides: practical, psychological, and financial. On the contrary, there are more advantages of studying abroad than just that.

Let’s look at the pros, first. Living in some other country means choosing to leave all the comforts of home behind, and having to do all by yourself. You could have better opportunities for learning abroad than you do at home. You will be doing activities you’ve probably never done in your home country. These include cooking, cleaning, shopping for food, washing clothes, figuring out transport services and exploring options for living. A lot of students go home proud of having become much more independent individuals. Another benefit of studying abroad is when traveling, you move to new places. Attaining all of this also increases self-esteem and develops character strength. You’ll grow more confident than ever before.

Studying abroad also means having to speak foreign languages even more than you are used to doing. If you are going to study at a place where they speak different languages to your native one, you may experience language problems. You’ll be subjected to the language everywhere you turn โ€“ on the sidewalks, in the retail outlets, on campus โ€“ you can’t get away from it. Besides writing and reading the language on campus, you will be required to interact with the local people there in English. The big positive here is that you’ll develop your English language skills by leaps and bounds. The best way to learn or improve upon a language is to use it daily.

Studying abroad has its inconveniences too. Don’t take steps toward foreign studies if you don’t have enough economic means. There’s a certain homesickness experienced by almost everyone. Youโ€™re probably going to miss your family, friends, food and all the familiar stuff. Besides that, there is a culture shock experienced by students going abroad for the first time. You’ll need to get used to change in attitudes and new ways of living.

The major drawback of studying abroad is the altering culture. By comparison, living in a different community makes you understand that there are different ways to do things. Which is also a contribution to improving cultural awareness for students. You’ll also discover weโ€™re all human with the same emotional reactions at the end of the day.

Conclusion:

To sum up, it all comes with pros and cons. Despite the inconvenience of going overseas to study, the overall result is positive. When studying abroad not many people can survive because of the disadvantages they may experience throughout their stay. However, what one can gain from this experience far outweighs the negative as there is no price for personal growth and fulfilment.

Women in Indian Society

Through mythology and religious texts

Patriarchy is a social system in which the role of male as the primary authority is central. It refers to a system where men have authority over women, children and property. As an institution of male rule and privilege, patriarchy is dependent on female subordination. Historically, it has manifested itself in the social, legal, political, and economic institutions of different cultures. Literally meaning โ€˜rule of fathersโ€™(Ferguson, 1048), the term ‘patriarchy’ was initially used to refer to autocratic rule by the male head of a family. However, in modem times, it more generally refers to social system in which power is primarily held by adult men. 

Majority of religions have contributed their bit to perpetuate patriarchal norms. With such beliefs instilled into cultural mindset, women scarcely stand a chance of gaining strength in this male-dominated world. Patriarchy is also manifest in family traditions and gets reinforced through practices such as women adopting the surname of their husbands and children too carrying their father’s last name. 

There is considerable ambiguity about the status of women in Indian society. Some sacred texts accord them an exalted status by stating that gods live where women are worshipped. In her various manifestations as Mother Goddess, namely Durga, Kali, Chandi, woman is believed to represent power or Shakti, and evoke both fear and reverence. She can protect and at the same time can also wreak vengeance. If pleased, she can fulfil every wish, but when annoyed, she can unleash unimaginable terror. Male gods at times find themselves helpless before her and cannot dare to intervene especially when she has decided to act as power incarnate. Most of her attributes are believed to be embedded in every woman. However, there is yet another profile of woman established by religious writings and folklore wherein she is believed to be fickle and fragile. She is represented as sensuous, tempting, given to falsehood, folly, greed, impurity, and also thoughtless action. She is also regarded as the root of all evil. It is because of her supposedly inconsistent character that she has to be kept under strict control. Being fragile, she needs protection at all stages of her life, for instance, in childhood by her father, in youth by her husband, and in old age, after the husband’s death, by her sons. As evident, these two images are contradictory. 

The patrilineal Hindu society expects a woman to have certain virtues, chastity being one of them. Before marriage, a woman is not allowed to think of any man in sexual terms. Secondly, she has to be a devout wifeโ€”the notion of Pati-Parmeshwar or โ€˜husband as Godโ€™ reigning supreme in the popular mindset. Women observe several fasts to ensure that they get the same husband life after life. Such fasts also include prayers for the long life of the husband, so that the wife does not have to undergo the โ€˜sufferingsโ€™ of widowhood. The infertility of a woman is considered a curse as in patrilineal groups she is expected to produce a son to continue the patriarchal lineage. 

Rammohan Roy stands out as the figure who took a firm stand against the practice of Sati. Sati was the custom through which a woman was condemned and pressurised by society to sacrifice her life by dying alongside her husband on his funeral pyre. Lata Mani in her book ‘Contentious Traditions- The Debate on Sati in Colonial India’, highlights that sati was not about whether the Vedic scriptures prescribed such self-immolation nor was it about the individual women’s wishes and desires. Rather, it was a part of the traditional behaviour that Indian women had internalised within themselves. Many of them saw it as an essential part of the ‘ยท’duty” expected from them as a good wife – to sacrifice her life in order that her husband could gain ultimate salvation. 

According to Hindu mythology, the Manusmriti is the word of Brahma, and it is classified as the most authoritative statement on Dharma. Manusmriti is considered as the divine code of conduct. Laws of Manu insist that since women by their very nature are disloyal they should be made dependent on men. The husband should be constantly worshipped as a God, which symbolized that man is a lord, master, owner, or provider and women were the subordinates. It legitimizes that a woman should never be made independent, as a daughter she should be under the surveillance of her father, as a wife of her husband and as a widow of her son (Chakravarti, 2006). While defending Manusmiriti, apologists often quote the verse: โ€œyatr naryasto pojyantay, ramantay tatr devtaโ€  that is โ€œwhere women are provided place of honor, gods are pleased and reside there in that householdโ€, but they deliberately forget the verses that are full of prejudice and hatred against women. 

These texts justify a womanโ€™s inferior status in society. Each of these verses shows how the Brahmanical ideology reduces the character of a woman to the number of sexual partners she has, and her purpose as child-bearers. The obsession with knowing the lineage of offspring, virginity and the narrow definition of character led to the imposition of restrictions on women and artificially stunted their status. And much of this continues till today.

We celebrate Dussehra to mark the victory of โ€˜Good over Evilโ€™, Navratri in the honour of nine Goddesses, Durgaโ€™s victory over the buffalo demon and worshiping Lakshmi on Diwali, we are decked up in festivities and celebrations. But do we really celebrate them? To find the answer to that question, you need to look no further than mythology and religious scriptures. Itโ€™s a clear indicator of what the fabric of society, its structure and norms would be like.  

The implementation of patriarchal norms and values depend to a great extent on the strength and weakness of control mechanisms. For instance, articulation of patriarchal values and the prescription of norms through religious texts command natural observance. At times, family honour is protected by wife-beating. It is all too visible in the lower classes, but also persists in upper strata of society. Even after six decades of independence, one frequently reads of bride burning and dowry deaths. Other forms of violence are: heaping indignities on the wife and her relations by the in-laws, making her do physical work beyond her capacity, failing to provide her adequate nutrition, and even torturing her mentally on several pretexts. Even highly educated and well-placed women are amenable to such maltreatment. 

BEING COGNIZANT

Cognizance or the commonly used word- self-awareness means being conscious of oneโ€™s own character, personality or individuality. It is basically an individualโ€™s conscious understanding of oneโ€™s own feelings, motives and desires. A person should be able to assess himself objectively and have a sound knowledge of his strengths and weaknesses, then only can he be truly called a self-aware person.

Though it may be considered near to impossible to maintain an objective view of oneself in totality, certain degree of self-awareness is attainable.

Two broad categories of self-awareness are considered: internal self-awareness and external self-awareness.

Internal awareness represents our feelings, emotions, our social behavior, our values, passion, ambitions along with the negative aspects such as anxiety, stress or depression.

External self-awareness means being aware of how others see us in terms of the internalized factors.

Being self-aware has a lot of benefits to it:

  • It can be a forward approach towards self-development. Knowing oneโ€™s positives can boost the morale and knowing the negatives can be an encouragement to put efforts on changing for the better.
  • It builds a new perception which leads to a better overall assessment.
  • It also improves decision making. If we work creatively as well as productively, it will eventually give a boost to our self-esteem. We can become better at our jobs, better team players, a good asset in a community, develop social skills and ultimately enhance our self-confidence.

There can be certain methods that can be practiced daily to cultivate self-awareness:

  • Create time and a safe space for yourself: Avoid distraction such as technology and try to connect with yourself.
  • Mindfulness and introspection, if done right can help us in better processing of ourselves. Being mindful means living in the present. Occasional daydreaming doesnโ€™t harm anyone but it is important to be aware of what is happening around you. You wouldnโ€™t want to miss on any moment of your life.
  • Meditation also creates a peaceful head space and increases our focus and concentration. It can lead to filtering of unwanted thoughts. Often times we fail to be self-aware because we are too busy thinking too much even about little issues. Meditation eases your brain and proves to be a good practice to remain calm.
  • Recognize your internal conflicts and try channelizing them in the form of writing. Journaling your thoughts can later serve to be a record of your inner state and eventually turn into a very productive hobby. With time, you can always go back and see how far you have come. A journal or a diary can fulfill this for you.
  • Practice listening: Try to pay attention to the speaker and his body language. Donโ€™t try to judge or evaluate anyone on unfounded bias. This will help you point the things you donโ€™t like about other people. Often the things that bothers us about other people can be synonymous with our own habits.
  • Lean on feedback from people you are close with: They will be the best ones to give you a feedback because these people would be rooting for your growth and not deliberately try to be a hindrance to it.

If you practice this daily, you will gradually see a clear image of your personality from scratch. You just need to pay attention to the different pieces of yourself, as in the different traits of you that make up your entire being. In the end, you will see yourself become the best version of yourself.

Programming languages in great demand in 2020


The programming language is a way to communicate with electronic devices in digital format. They enable us to develop online solutions such as- mobile applications, web applications, and games which people use in their daily life. Computer programming will remain in existence forever as it is one of the strongest tools for problem-solving and helping people get what they want.
Computer Programming โ€ฆ?
Computer Programming is the process of designing, writing, testing, debugging, and maintaining the source code or computer programs. It is written in any of the programming languages (such as C++, C#, etc.). Its purpose is to create a set of instructions that computers use to perform specific operations. The process of writing source code often requires expertise in many different subjects – knowledge of the application domain, specialized algorithms ( data structures), system software, and logical reasoning skills.
We are living in the digital era where the new advancements in technology are blooming non-stop and the use of electronic devices is growing exponentially worldwide. Hence, it is almost guaranteed that there are going to be endless lucrative jobs in the computer programming industry.
Here are a few programming languages recommended for coders who want to achieve bigger in 2020.

  1. Python โ€“ the most versatile programming language
    Python is an easy-to-learn and uses a programming language that offers simple and interactive coding, making it powerful enough to build versatile applications. It has a large developer community that makes application development easy even for a novice user. It is very productive. YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest are all built-in Python.
    For instance, Python gives powerful toolset for Statistics, and Computational Science with various open-source libraries like NumPy, Pandas, SciPy, Scikit-Learn. For back-end web development, the Django framework is used which is feature-rich. Other Python libraries such as TensorFlow, Keras, PyTorch, and OpenCV are used in data science, machine learning, etc. Itโ€™s also used to create neural networks for artificial intelligence.
    Drawbacks :
    It is not ideal for mobile app and game development due to the consumption of more memory and its slow processing speed.
    Python’s database access layer is primitive and underdeveloped in comparison to JDBC and ODBC technologies.
  2. Kotlin โ€“ The JAVA alternative
    Kotlin is an easy-to-learn and open-source language for Android app development, web development, and server-side development. It runs on JVM (Java virtual machine) and offers the developer productivity close to Pythonโ€™s. Due to this, it is now the main language for android app development.

It effortlessly combines object-oriented and functional programming features within it and completely interoperable with Java. For instance, brands like Coursera and Pinterest have already moved to Kotlin.
Some Java issues addressed in Kotlin
Null Safety – Kotlin through the type system eliminates NullPointerException and helps in boosting data consistency.
Data classes – App developers now can add data in front of the class, which will work as the model class. This model class without any getters and setters will be able to reach out to the members on its own.
Clean and compact syntax – To be more precise, Kotlin can get things done with fewer lines of code that make it more reliable with fewer errors, than Java.
It supports functions that can be extended and operator overloading too.
It offers Type inference for variable and property types and Declaration-site variance & Type projections.
Drawbacks:
Kotlin does not have checked exceptions, static members,non-private fields. Also, it provides no support to wildcard-types and Ternary operator ( a ? b: c).undefined

3.Java – โ€œWrite Once, Run anywhereโ€
Java is one of the most popular programming languages used for developing server-side applications. It is a practical choice for developing Android and iOS apps, web applications, etc.
This object-oriented programming language does not require a specific hardware infrastructure, is easily manageable, and has a good level of security. No wonder, most of the companies rely on Java for their desktop applications and backend development projects.
Drawbacks :
Java does not have Extension functions, Null-safety, and Data classes.
It does not offer Separate interfaces for read-only and mutable collections and Operator overloading support.

4.JavaScript/ NodeJS โ€“ Making websites interactive
JavaScript (also known as NodeJS) is a popular language for server-side and client-side programming (interactive front end apps โ€“ browser side). It is compatible with several other programming languages and is extremely versatile, allowing you to create feature-rich applications, etc.
Owing to its high speed, Netflix, Uber, etc use JavaScript to create dynamic web pages that are secure and fast.
JavaScript is omnipresent in todayโ€™s digital environment. Hence, learning this language makes complete sense.
Drawbacks:
The copy or equivalent method is absent. It allows only single inheritance.
Might be interpreted differently by different browsers.

5.TypeScript โ€“ โ€˜ Javascript that scalesโ€™
TypeScript, a superset of JavaScript is an object-oriented language. Further, it is well-structured and easy to learn. Its extended toolbox makes application development quick and is used for developing large applications with a strict syntax.
It is essentially JavaScript, but less complex. Also, it allows static types (for easier error identification) and provides improved functionality without reducing its effectiveness, making it a great choice for new programmers.

6.Go
Go is fairly a new system-level programming language that has a focused vocabulary and simple scoping rules. It blends the best aspects of functional programming and object-oriented styles. Go is the fastest-growing language on Github, meant to replace languages like Java and C++.
This speed advantage has made Go a critical component of cloud infrastructure.

7.Swift
Swift is a general-purpose compiled programming language developed by Apple that offers a simple syntax and is fast, secure, and easy-to-learn. Owing to its versatility, it replaces Objective-C the main language for Apple-related applications.
Swift is the premiere coding language that helps developers create iOS apps within a short time.
Summing Up
Knowing which languages are gaining popularity can ensure better career growth and help job seekers prioritize learning them first.
Now if a school, and college students learn to code as early as possible, it will greatly help them to create next big things like WhatsApp, Google, etc that can create greater impact and change the world.

New Normal: Virtual Teams

Keys to Overcoming Virtual Team Communication Challenges - Chanty

The current pandemic situation has driven everyone to their homes in order to protect themselves from the novel Coronavirus. Countries are in the phase of โ€˜unlockingโ€™ now as they canโ€™t afford the lockdown anymore but the virus is still prevalent. Social distancing measures must be taken up even when all activities resume and other necessary precautions like wearing a mask and maintaining hygiene must be taken as well. The work-from-home culture has been adopted worldwide and both a person who is working individually and people who are working in teams need to be managed.ย 

A virtual team is a group of individuals in remote locations that are working together towards a common goal and the mode of communication through which they coordinate their activities is electronic. Before the pandemic, virtual teams were formed when people from different countries were on board for a project. Such a team was advantageous because the organisation could save up on real estate costs and it was also favourable for the employees because their time wasnโ€™t spent on commuting, leading to more productivity. There are also disadvantages like technological issues and lack of that level of bonding associated with workplace teams. Managing a virtual team is obviously more difficult than workplace teams, especially when the communication between the team members isnโ€™t as effective.

Due to the prevailing circumstances, formation of virtual teams is inevitable but there are a few differences. The members of the team arenโ€™t necessarily in different locations and the was formed to ensure social distancing and prevent the transmission of virus, in turn. There is a chance that the members of the team know each other personally beforehand. Formation of a virtual team is also more complex because the people with qualities like effective communication and sense of individualism have to be handpicked and assigned role after due thought process for smooth working of the team.

The leader of a virtual team isnโ€™t very different from the workplace team and needs to have qualities like emotional intelligence and effective communication so that the members of the team are clearly aware of  division of work and goals of the team and shortcomings of face-to-face interaction can be prevented. There is a possibility that the members might hesitate to speak up their concerns in such a setting but the leader must encourage them to speak their hearts out whenever needed. 

Read about Emotional Intelligence here.

Now that there is a team with a leader, the members have to get to know each other personally in case they donโ€™t and the targets have to be made and communicated. Short term milestones should also be set in order to keep the members motivated for them to keep up with their efforts continually in order to reach them. The means of electronic communication should also be decided and they should be favorable with whatever project the team is taking up. There are an array of platforms like Zoom and Microsoft Teams available that facilitate the work-from-home culture. Video conferencing should be done regularly for both work and non-work related conversations to increase cohesiveness.

India suffering in providing basic teaching due to lockdown

The percentage of people who were able to use the internet connection (all over India) stood at 20.1% with rural at 13% and urban at 37.1%. Additionally, only 10.9% of people in India had used the internet in the last 30 days. It is important to note that these statistics vary among different states across the country. For instance, Bihar stands at the lowest (9.2%) for individuals who have used the internet in 30 days, while Delhi has the highest number (49.3%) of such individuals with bigger states like Maharashtra (25%), Rajasthan (15.4%), Andhra Pradesh (14.7%) etc. being in the middle.

Using the internet as a mode to impart education among the students, and highlight how a majority of the country would be left out of the quest to achieve basic education in the months to come.

Limited internet availability

The 75th report of the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) for 2017-18 highlights some of the major issues that this new model would have to address. All India percentage of households having internet facilities stands at 24.8% with rural availability at 14.7% and urban at 43%.

Increased responsibility of parents to educate their wards

Another important pillar of the new model is the increased role that parents play in educating their wards. Take, for example, the NCERT guidelines which โ€“ surprisingly has progressive methods of teaching to improve the analytical, quantitative, and logical reasoning abilities of the students โ€“ all key factors are the regular model of teaching and learning does not have. However, the guidelines presume that the parents will have the academic intellect to impart education to their students. But statistics highlight otherwise.

The same NSSO survey, quoted above, highlights that 26.1% of the population above 15 years of age is โ€˜not literateโ€™, while a further 18.8% have attended formal education up till primary school, 16.3% each have attended middle (Class V) and secondary (until Class VIII). This constitutes a whopping 77.5% of total Indiaโ€™s population โ€“ who may not have the adequate level of education needed to teach children in the house. The situation at the rural level is even more dire, with 69.7 % of the population being in the spectrum of โ€˜not-literateโ€™ to โ€˜middle schoolโ€™.

Loss of nutrition due to school closure 

While the above factors touched the modality of the education system, there is an even more basic issue at stake. The schools closure has serious implications on the daily nutrition of students as the mid-day meal schemes have temporarily been shut. As of March 30, 2019, close to 12-crore students across the country were provided with food under with mid-day meal schemes.

This is close to 65% of the total students enrolled throughout K-12 education (the actual percentage is likely to be more, as mid-day meal only caters to students till Class VIII). Variousย studiesย have pointed out that the mid-day meals are an important factor for increased enrollment (~30%) in the schools.

How technology can help in solving challenges faced by schools during this pandemic…

The COVID-19 pandemic is prompting many colleges and universities to abruptly and comprehensively adopt online learning, remote work, and other activities to help contain the spread of the virus. In the past decade, institutions have recognized the importance of advising, early alerts, degree planning, and other services to help students attain their academic goals affordably and efficiently. A wide range of applications and new technologies to support student success are now available. It may prove invaluable to help students adapt to fully remote learning. EDUCAUSE data reveal that all institutions, students, faculty, and staff are ready and able to use these technologies during the pandemic.1

This research summary is one of a series of reports outlining higher education’s readiness to adapt in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

How Many Institutions Are Using Technology to Support Student Success?

Core technologies that support student success include advising center management and an advising case management system that tracks student interactions (70% partial or institution-wide deployment).

Other data and analytics technologies and practices support managing, sharing, and decision-making related to student success.

Some types of institutions are more preparedโ€”or less preparedโ€”than others to use technology to support student success.  Bachelor’s institutions, which typically place the strongest emphasis on campus-based learning, are least ready to use data and technology to support student success, while associate’s institutions, which generally adopt learning and instructional technologies more rapidly, are the most prepared.

Are Faculty, Staff, and Students Able to Use Technology to Support Student Success?

Having technologies and analytics is one step. Providing students, faculty, and staff with the access and training to use these systems is a critical additional step. More than half of institutions take steps to facilitate the adoption and use of student success technologies by faculty, advisors, and other staff. Six in ten institutions provide applications that enable students to access data such as current academic standing and resources including tips for improvement. Students at institutions that don’t provide such access might struggle to track their progress during times when it’s difficult to get such feedback, and faculty, advisors, and other staff may lack sufficient training or even access to use tools to help students.

Do Institutions Have Technology to Help Students with Credential Planning?

Students need to develop, monitor, and adjust their academic plans to ensure they are on track to attain the credentials they seek as expeditiously as possible; sometimes that entails managing academic credits across multiple institutions. This need may be even more pressing given the current disruption and uncertainty brought on by the pandemic. Fortunately, most institutions have a core set of applications to help students plan their educational programs and manage credits, even across institutions. However, fewer than half of institutions have technologies that can recommend courses or degree programs for students based on their academic record or other factors. Most students who have used these technologies find them very or extremely useful

Women objectification in Indian Cinema & Advertisements

In a country like India where people worship goddesses like Parvati, Durga, and Sita, there the females who are considered mere objects. Such an irony in one go, but itโ€™s the true state of the nation. One of the major influences is through the Cinema and Advertisements that people come across in their day to day lives. Bollywood being the power source of entertainment has largely depicted the women in a sexualized roles. Objectifying women in the name of acting is not at all justified, and actresses playing the crass role of โ€˜glamorous dollsโ€™ are equally disgusting. Whereas in the case of advertisements, they have shown women in a stereotypical manner. Itโ€™s not just this if we look for things in the bigger context these issues have lead to the heinous crimes against women. โ€˜Item songsโ€™ are ubiquitous in almost all the Bollywood movies. If you see any film/song shot in a very cold place, the actor would wear a jacket and pants, and the actress would be dressed in skimpy attire or a translucent saree. Why is that so? Many advertisements /show women in a submissive manner, an object of interest, wives shown as doing all the household tasks, less educated/informed than her husband. Nonetheless, the woman deemed as an accessory to the man is an idea that holds a lot of significance to the nation at large.

Advertising

Advertising began as a tool to bring into the consumerโ€™s notice the existence of the product, why one should purchase it, what are its benefits but with time it has become a tool to express a particular set of thoughts such that they even define what society will come to accept as desirable and true. Most advertisements that promote sexual objectification of women are in plenty. A major influence that advertisements have for women across the nation is going to be the idea of the woman as the object of sexual pursuit. Taking examples of Axe and Wildstone. They have their entire advertising strategies built on the idea that the product being advertised will make the person โ€˜achieveโ€™ a woman. This woman is a bodily construct who has no humanity. Here, the idea of bodily display and sexual persuasion fall together and in a combinational way. In very effective research on how the identification of men and women is undergoing it was found out that those women are identified โ€˜locallyโ€™ whereas men are identified globally which is again a demeaning factor.

Objectification of women is not merely sexual bodily display, which is the most obvious form of objectification but also about customization. With the increasing obsession with physical beauty, a lot of products that are advertised to โ€˜customizeโ€™ or change bodily characteristics fall under this category. This includes beauty products promising to change the color of the skin. Fair & lovely, a fairness cream always had its advertising strategy that builds on a woman fulfilling her dreams with a customization of skin. When particular characteristics of humans are picked and analyzed and made to change, the humanness of the person is lost to a certain extent, and the person becomes a piece of object that can be changed according to attractiveness and desirability.

Indian Cinema

Two facets in which objectification of women is done in Indian Cinema

  • Bodily characterization

Out of the 18 films, 10 have some sort of an โ€˜item numberโ€™ in the film. In these item numbers, the dance techniques and dressing are sexually provocative in nature, with bodily display aided with sexual movements and expressions. Firstly, it is necessary to analyze why these dances cause the objectification of women. This happens when the woman in question (the โ€˜item girlโ€™) is dancing, the camera angles move across parts of the womanโ€™s body, focusing on the sexually stimulating body parts (breasts, legs, waist, and butt). The role of the women in that particular movie is then reduced to only the โ€˜gazeโ€™ of the male, hence, and there is no human-ness left in the woman at all. This happens the same in advertising when a womanโ€™s body is all the identity she has left. This viewing of the bodily structure is done by men, as well as women themselves. While watching an item number, a personโ€™s consciousness (whether male or female) will look for these bodily traits in every person around them, even if it is in the mirror.

  • The portrayal of sexual harassment in Indian cinema

In the movie โ€˜Wantedโ€™, starring Salman Khan and Ayesha Takia, the character Salman Khan lustily stares at a womanโ€™s yoga-pants. After a short while, says to one of friends that, โ€˜In jaisi ladkiyaan, ham Jaise ladko ke liye yeh sab karti hainโ€™ meaning โ€œThese kinds of girls behave this way for boys like us.โ€ There are several movies like Rascals (2011), Wanted (2009), Grand Masti (2013), Dabangg (2010), Rowdy Rathore (2012) that have male characters overtly pass derogatory remarks about womenโ€™s bodies. Not only that, there are several examples of the leading male characters physically โ€˜teasingโ€™ the woman (who is a stranger to them) who will eventually fall in love with them. For example, it is a very common storyline where the female leading character resists the attempts of the male character to romantically pursue her and eventually agrees. Movies like Singham, Dabangg, and Rowdy Rathore have three leading actors of these times in roles that are idealized and heroic. But when the portrayal of how they deal with women is concerned, the behavior is rude, demeaning and there is a downright refusal to attempt to understand the agency of a womanโ€™s body and consent.

Connection between the two

Drawing a connection between the Advertising and Indian Cinema the objectification of women is done to an extent that a certain understanding of women is been made. They are reduced to being sex objects, like this it is easy to view them as objects of ownership. This leads to an air of unsafety for the women. The woman now understands that others see her as a culmination of breasts, legs, and buttocks, making her believe that she is unsafe if she dresses a certain way that reveals her body parts. Since the identity of the woman is reduced to being available for sex, for men sexual harassment becomes the norm. But this does not end here only. Bodies of women themselves become an object. This plays into the larger picture of the society that if a woman dresses up, it is to fulfill the gaze of the male. The idea of ownership leads to โ€˜eve-teasingโ€™, sexual harassment, and also rape. Due to the influence of cinema, a personโ€™s manhood is defined by how heroically he can convince the girl by being ย manipulative and persuasive. The leading characters of the mainstream Indian films are stubborn and have suggestions to make to the leading women of the film, and since this is not objected to by these women, it is understood to be the norm and something that the woman-object deserves. Sexual objectification is very easy to go unnoticed, but it can only be with responsible viewership that the nation can be made safe for women. Sensitizing campaigns could represent, at least for women, a powerful tool to raise awareness against unrealistic beauty ideals and sexualized images that are regularly shown on television and to motivate individuals to engage in collective action aimed at improving how media portrays women. Unless there is a complete overhaul in the arena nothing can be changed.

 

Transgender, Trains and Taboos

Whatโ€™s the first image that comes to your mind upon hearing the word โ€œTransgenderโ€? Is it one of disapproval, disgust and social stigma? I donโ€™t blame you entirely because our societies since ages have developed many taboos around the transgender community. However, blaming the society for their miserable treatment doesnโ€™t come across as a nice defense as we are ourselves form a part of that very same society.

The word Transgender โ€œis an umbrella term that describes people whose gender identity or expression does not match the sex they were assigned at birth. For example, a transgender person may identify as a woman despite having been born with male genitalia.โ€ You would be amazed to know about the transgender themes occurring in the Indian mythology. From the Mohini avatar of lord Vishnu, Sikhandi in Mahabharata, Lord Agni (The consort of moon good) and Lord Aravan (the transgender god) ,all find mention in ancient Indian epics and puranas).

Yet why is it that we arenโ€™t inclusive of the transgender community?

This community has faced atrocities and discrimination to a point that it pushed the government to pass the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2019 in Parliament on November 26, 2019. This bill prohibits discrimination and grants rights to the transgender community of which they had been robbed of for long.

Has the bill really brought about a significant change in status quo of the Transgender community? Letโ€™s figure it out for ourselves

  • Kochi metro employs transgender people: Keralaโ€™s Kochi Metro Rail Ltd (KMRL) shattered all myths when it offered jobs to 23 transgender people in their staff in the year 2017 through Kudumbashree Mission .It was a laudable move by KMRL which not only aimed at making the community financially independent but also  bringing about social inclusion .

One of the transgender employees says โ€œThis also was our first secure job. It proved that we too can do jobs that any other person does. With increasing acceptability, getting accommodation too became easierโ€.

While the other transgender members were happy to receive wedding invites from their colleagues. The commuters too expressed a welcoming attitude towards them with no incidence of misbehaving.

  • However, this once promising move could not contribute significantly in bringing about a change in the real sense. At present, out of 23 transgender persons hired only 6 are working with the KMRL. Many quit jobs citing a poor pay. The members had hard time in finding accommodation in the city .With no hike in the salary, sustaining in the city became a nightmare. 

Faisu , a former employee with the KMRL says โ€œSince we were hired on contract, the salary was less. Our salary was `13,000, which reduced to `9,000 after all the deductions, including Provident Fund. It is difficult to meet our monthly expenses with the amount.โ€

  • Noida metro dedicates station for transgender Community: Following the Kochi metro model, the Noida metro dedicated Noida Sector 50 metro station for the transgender community. It is the first of its kind in North India. This praiseworthy initiative by the Yogi government aims at uplifting and providing employment to the transgender people. The station has been renamed โ€œShe manโ€ for the inclusion of community into the mainstream. But this name hasnโ€™t gone down well with certain people and human rights activists who called it as trans- phobic, derogatory and insulting. The committee has taken this criticism into consideration and invited suggestions on the same.These members will be offered mainly housekeeping, ticket collecting roles. This initiative comes as a ray of hope because as per Census 2011, there are 4.9 lakh transgenders in India out of which approximately 30,000 to 40,000 stay in the NCR.

Now here come the big questions

  • Who will make sure that the NOIDA metro model does not meet a similar fate as the Kochi metro?
  • Who will ensure that the transgender members get adequate salary?
  • Most importantly, who will ensure they receive fair treatment and inclusion that they deserve?

No, it is not the sole responsibility of the authorities. It is rather a collective effort. It is our combined responsibility to ensure that the transgender community receives the welcoming treatment they have long been denied. These schemes, initiatives are just a small step. In order to make them fruitful we have to work at grass root levels, spreading awareness and sensitivity about gender identity. It has to start with you and me. Itโ€™s time we bust the taboos and embrace the transgender community with open hearts.

PM launches employment scheme for migrant workers

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched an employment scheme for migrant workers, saying that during the coronavirus-induced lockdown the talent from cities returned to villages and it will now give a boost to development in rural areas.

Launching the ‘Garib Kalyan Rozgar Abhiyaan‘, Modi said there are some people who may not appreciate efforts of villagers in the fight against the novel coronavirus but he applauds them for their efforts. The way villages have fought coronavirus has taught a big lesson to the cities, he added.

Talent has returned from cities during the lockdown, those whose labour and skills were behind the rapid growth of cities will now boost development of villages with the help of this scheme, he said. Underlining that migrant workers were always in the Centre’s thoughts during the lockdown, the prime minister said it is an endeavour of his government that workers get jobs near their home and help in development of villages.

Talking about infrastructure development of villages with the help of this scheme, Modi said that for the first time the Internet was being used more in villages than in cities and now work to increase the speed of the Internet was being undertaken. This scheme will focus on durable rural infrastructure and providing modern facilities like Internet in the villages, he said.

The Garib Kalyan Rozgar Abhiyaan was launched by Modi via video conference in a village in Katihar district of Bihar in the presence of chief ministers of five states — Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand — and a minister from Odisha. The scheme with an outlay of Rs 50,000 crore will be implemented on mission mode in 125 days in 116 districts of the six states to which the maximum number of the migrant workers have returned.

The mission will be a convergent effort between 12 different ministries/ departments such as Rural Development, Panchayati Raj, Road Transport and Highways, Mines, Drinking Water and Sanitation, Environment, Railways, Petroleum and Natural Gas, New and Renewable Energy, Border Roads, Telecom, and Agriculture. It will help expedite implementation of 25 public infrastructure works and those related to augmentation of livelihood opportunities.

These 25 works are related to rural housing for the poor, plantations, provision of drinking water through Jal Jeevan Mission, and construction of panchayat bhavans, community toilets, rural mandis, rural roads, cattle sheds and anganwadi bhavans, according to the Ministry of Rural Development, which is the nodal ministry for the project. The basket of a wide variety of works will ensure that each migrant worker is able to get an opportunity of employment according to his skill in the coming 125 days, it said, adding that the programme will also prepare for expansion and development of livelihoods over a longer term. Before launching the scheme, Modi spoke to several migrants and enquired their current state of employment and also whether the various welfare schemes launched during the lockdown period were available to them.

Modi expressed satisfaction and said that earlier, money used to be given in the name of beneficiaries but it never reached them but now things have changed. In the beginning of his speech, Modi paid homage to the soldiers of the Bihar Regiment who lost their lives in a violent clash with Chinese troops at LAC in eastern Ladakh. Officials said Garib Kalyan Rozgyar Abhiyan is separate from the MGNREGS.

The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) ensures 100 days of employment per household in an year. MGNREGS is applicable across the country and a large number of works are allowed under the scheme even working on own farms by small Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe farmers is allowed and government pay wages to them. Whereas the Garib Kalyan Rozgar Yojana is a one-time scheme for providing employment to migrant workers who returned during the lockdown near their villages.

This scheme is only applicable to 116 districts with a selected list of works initially for 125 days. Later it could be extended, the officials said.

Source: PTI

What is fasting? Why we need to fast?

Why we eat everytime we go outside? Is it because of the desire which we are unable to control and eat unconsciously?.



Gandhi ji use to fast very often. By the habit of fasting he made India independent and we are unable to fast for 1 day. It is because our we do not have control over our urges which makes us unhealthy. Many people use to fast due to spiritual pursuits it is healthy to fast. Many scientists have confirmed fasting help in many ways

What exactly is fasting?

First we need to define what fasting means, and what time restricted eating means.ย Time Restricted Eating (TRE),ย means eating only in a specific time window, and not eating the rest of the day. For instance 18:6 means not eating for 18 hours straight, then eating over a 6-hour period. This can be 12:12, 16:8, 18:6 or even 22:2. They key is that you have an extended period of time each day when you are not consuming calories.

More extensive fasts, 24-72 hours or even longer, are really what we refer to when we say intermittent fasting. For this explanation, I will refer to extended fasts and TRE together as they have similar benefits. I will explore the differences and go into more scientific detail in a future post.

Here are the top 5 reasons we should all fast

1.ย ย ย  Fasting is the most efficient way to lose weight.

Forget the fat burning foods, forget the cleanses and detoxes. Not eating is the key toย losing weight. But do it intermittently. Thatโ€™s why itโ€™s called intermittent fasting. Chronic calorie restriction doesnโ€™t work long term since it forces our bodies toย reduce our resting metabolic rateย (RMR), thus stalling weight loss and increasing frustration. Intermittent calorie restriction, on the other hand, allows for weight loss without changing our RMR, the key to healthy and successful long-term weight loss.

2.ย ย ย  IF is a great way to lower insulin.

It just makes sense. If there is no food coming in, there is no need for insulin to rise.ย Insulinย will stay at its low steady basal rate, and there will be no elevations or spikes. That keeps the area under the curve low, right where we want it. Low insulin means we can mobilize our fat stores, and possibly more importantly, it protects us from the harmful long-term effects of hyperinsulinemia.

3.ย ย ย  Intermittent Fasting is the key to longevity.

The oneย consistent findingย inย longevity research, from single cell organisms up to primates, is that calorie restriction works. But as we have learned from chronic calorie restriction experiments in humans, itโ€™s not so clear cut. First, its miserable and most people would rather die younger that live longer with chronic calorie restriction. Agree?

Second, our bodiesย adapt to chronic calorie restrictionย and thus make it difficult to maintain the health benefits.ย Intermittentย calorie restriction, on the other hand, has the promise of all the longevity benefits without all the baggage that comes with it. The fountain of youth only helps if we like how it tastes.

4.ย ย ย  Itโ€™s easy!

Whatโ€™s easier than skipping breakfast? No planning, no shopping, no cooking, no cleaning. Simply walk out the door.ย  In our hectic everyday lives, we should welcome anything that takes less time and makes our lives a little easier. Fasting does exactly that. Just make sure you bring a water bottle with you wherever you go, and maybe some sea salt to put in your water. Stay well hydrated and enjoy the simplicity.

5.ย ย ย ย There are many ways to make fasting work for you.

ย There is more than one way to have a successful fast. As mentioned previously, 18:6 can work wonders for most people. For those who are more adventurous, a 72-hour water fast can have amazing results. And there is everything in between. Just follow the simple rules of staying hydrated, paying attention to how you feel, avoiding anything with calories, and even avoiding calorie-free sweeteners. The rest of the details can be individualized to fit your life and your goals.

The Top Reason Why You shouldnโ€™t fast

Fasting can work wonders for most people, but it can also be dangerous for others. If you take medications for diabetes, hypertension or other medical conditions and youโ€™re trying to fast on your own, donโ€™t do it! Fasting can cause significant harm in these circumstances if not done with proper precaution. That doesnโ€™t mean it canโ€™t be done. In fact, it can still be incredibly beneficial. Just make sure you are working with an experienced clinician who can help coach you through it safely.

The Expanding Role of the Advanced Practice Registered Nurse

Nurse practitionersย and physician assistants are increasingly becoming theย front line for patient careย by tackling many procedures formerly associated with physicians, according to recent research from USA Today.
The publication found that there was an increase in nurse practitioners providing psychotherapy, pelvic exams and other procedures. Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) also received a 16 percent increase in Medicare payments in 2013, while general practice physician payments dropped 7.6 percent.
These findings exemplify a larger trend in the health care industry โ€“ the growing need forย nursesย who have numerous specialties and excel at providing patient care.

The growing need for Advanced Practice Registered Nurse

Two forces are driving the healthcare industryโ€™s growing need for specialized non-physicians:
  • ย An aging population requires and increasing level of primary and acute care.
  • ย With a shortage of physicians also expected in the coming years, APRNs will increasingly become the provider of first choice.
As primary and acute care providers, APRNs have more opportunities than ever before to provide patients with comfortable and positive health care experiences.

Herzingโ€™s Advanced Practice Registered Nurse program

Herzing University offers two nursing masters programs online. The first is an APRN program:ย MSN โ€“ Family Nurse Practitionerย program as well as a second non-APRN program:ย MSN โ€“ Nurse Educator. These programs are designed so that nurses can engage in coursework on a flexible schedule.
We relish the opportunity to help lead the next generation of nurse educators and nurse practitioners into the workforce. All while continuing to address the demand for nurses in the healthcare industry.
Catherine Kotecki, RN, PhD, APN, is a practicing advanced practice nurse with a specialty as a clinical nurse specialist in adult health. She serves as the Department Chair of Online Nursing at Herzing University. With over 30 years of experience in higher education, Dr. Kotecki’s driving passion is helping people get the education they need to advance their careers. She is married and has two grown sons. ________________________________________

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

Emotional intelligence, also known as emotional quotient (EQ) or emotional intelligence quotient (EIQ) is the capability of individuals to realize and manage their emotions in a positive way. This relieves stress and facilitates effective communication with our own self as well as those around us. A high EQ gives us the ability to empathize with others, overcome challenges and make us adaptable to various circumstances.

We generally tend to down-play the importance of EQ in our lives and hold high IQ on a pedestal. There is no doubt that having a high IQ or high intellectual ability is always a good factor but it is not enough on its own to achieve success. IQ can get us high academic achievements but without EQ it can be hard to manage the stress that comes along with it.

Generally, four attributes are associated with EQ:

Self-management, self-awareness, social awareness and relationship management.

Self-management is basically keeping a check on your emotions such as your impulsive and negative feelings or behavior.

Self-awareness means having the ability to recognize your emotions and dealing with them accordingly. it helps us to analyze our weaknesses and strengths.

Social awareness helps you gain clear understanding of the people around you. By being socially aware, it becomes comparatively easier to empathize with others, pick on social clues and adapt in a social environment.

Relationship management enables you to maintain any kind of relationship build on effective communication. It can be a good asset when working in a team and also helps to resolve conflicts in the relationship.

In todayโ€™s fast-paced life, every other person you meet faces some kind of stress in life. It can be school related stress, workload of office or even some internal or personal conflicts. School going students are exposed to a new level of competition which deprives them of their childhood earlier than it should. There is a tremendous pressure to do well in every sector. Either you are the best or you are not good enough. People, even after achieving mainstream success find that they are not very happy with their lives. This is where it becomes important to focus on improving our EQ level.

High emotional intelligence can help you navigate the complexities that you may experience because of hectic schedule. It may also enable you to lead and motivate others, have a positive influence on the people around you in your work space, which may eventually lead to a great professional life. If you donโ€™t manage your emotions effectively, there is a high chance that it is going to affect your mental as well as physical health.

Uncontrolled stress can lead to high blood pressure, increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes and may even speed up the aging process. It can also disturb your head space making you prone to anxiety and depression. You can end up feeling lonely. This also disrupts your relationship with yourself as well as others. If you have an EQ, it becomes comparatively easier to deal with life obstacles. If you have an understanding of self, it will also become easier to communicate your feelings to others.

The best thing about EQ is that it can be improved. Start with self-reflection, recognize the aspects of your life which you can improve. Learn to observe those around you and how they feel. Also, always remain open to feedback. Constructive criticism can play a huge role in better development if it is given in a right way and taken in a right way.

In the end, practice is all that matters. Emotional intelligence can finally be achieved if we practice to stay patient and evaluate any circumstance. It doesnโ€™t come easily but it can definitely come eventually.

The dreams we dare to dream.

If we are talking about the present scenario everybody starting from a kid in high school to a working class adult to a pop sensation all of us are suffering from a thing what we call as a conflict of conscience. So in a manner we are asked to grow up when it’s required and at the same time we are also told not to talk while the so called adults are speaking. Therefore we all are in the same page of mental tussle and dilemma that what is right and what is wrong and what does the future beholds for us.

Well if you ask me we all inherit that so called thing called conscience which helps us to differentiate in things and acts which we call humane or inhumane,kind or cruel. If you are still wondering what am I talking about let’s talk about things like a boy can’t wear makeup or a girl should not wear shorts bikinis. Well why is that? Why is it always about you can’t do this you can’t do that what will the people think if you do something like that well what someone else is thinking of me it should not be my problem. As we should always live our lives in a manner that we can embrace everything we are and we can be. As that wise being said love yourself and your decisions and if because of some circumstances things doesn’t work out the way you planned rise up fight again as at least in that way you took your own decision that means that failure won’t be turned into an excuse and that is what makes life a precious thing to behold and beguile. To be frank this society needs some serious reformation as people thinking that a woman can’t do this because they are physical lesser capable or comments like someone is not man enough because of their orientation or developments at the cost of millions of trees who are the only beings keeping us alive from the extinction which is already in effect is not justified.

People will always say stuff like that your dreams are unrealistic,grow up,drinking is a sin, making love is bad and really weird stuff like that but at the end of the day the most important question which we all should ask is what do we want?As that’s all that matters. To do something you love to do is what enlightens our soul. Fight for your dreams and the cause you believe in and live your life in away that you won’t have any regrets and you love each second of your life. As after a storm there comes a light a light of hope justice and Love. Surround yourself with people who actually care for you because there will be a few for sure but don’t dabble with fake ones who are just their to pull you down. As it doesn’t matter if you are associated with one person or a hundred, as long as that one person really cares for you there is nothing to regret .

As at the end you will not need immortality and at that time one life will be enough to touch the stars and to make miracles as we pass to the great unknown together with people with whom we shared this place called home.

Sanjay Gandhi Niradhar Yojana – Pension Scheme

Government of Maharashtra implemented Sanjay Gandhi Niradhar Yojana to help women, orphan children and person suffering from a severe illness in the State. Sanjay Gandhi Niradhar Yojanaโ€™s key objective is to support the needy person financially.

Sanjay Gandhi Niradhar Yojana Beneficiaries

The main focus of this scheme is to help women and children. Below mentioned persons will get monthly Pension through Sanjay Gandhi Niradhar Yojana:

  • Dispute
  • Disabled person
  • Blind
  • Orphan children
  • A person suffering from a severe illness
  • Divorced women
  • Outraged women
  • Transgender
  • Abandoned women
  • Women freed from prostitution

Eligibility for Sanjay Gandhi Niradhar Pension

Beneficiaries mentioned above are eligible for this Pension. Other eligibility criteria to receive Sanjay Gandhi Niradhar Pension are listed below:

  • The person should be a resident of Maharashtra
  • A person with 40% and above disability is eligible for SGN Pension
  • A person who is affected by significant illness will be eligible only if the age is below 65 years
  • If the family income of a person is less than Rs. 21000, then he or she can apply for SGN Pension

Pension Amount

1. Family with only one beneficiary Rs. 600.

2. Family with more than one beneficiary Rs. 900.

Document Required to Apply SGNY

Essential documents to apply the Sanjay Gandhi Niradhar Scheme are below for reference:

  • Sanjay Gandhi Niradhar Scheme Application Form
  • Residence certificate of Maharashtra
  • Age proof document (Niradhar old age certificate)
  • Income certificate to prove family income is below Rs. 21000 (Salary slip can be provided)
  • Certificate of BPL (Below Poverty Line family).
  • Certificate of incapacity can be provided.
  • In the case of major illness, Medical certificate needs to be submitted. The medical certificate should be issued by the medical superintendent or the civil surgeon of Government hospitals.

Applying for Sanjay Gandhi Niradhar Scheme

Procedure to apply for Sanjay Gandhi Niradhar Pension scheme:

Step 1: Fill Sanjai Gandhi Niradhar Yojana Application form.

Step 2: After filling all details in the application form, visit Talathi of the village.

Step 3: You need to visit Tahsildar for further process.

Step 4: You have to contact the officer of District social welfare officer to complete the application procedure.

Step 5: The State Government will announce the beneficiaries list and Pension will be granted to such beneficiaries.

 Step 6: Pension amount will be distributed to all beneficiaries through Tahsildar.

Social Media and Well Being

In the last few years, the internet has grown from just being a non-existing market to becoming a part of our lives in such a way that it has changed how people used to communicate, shop, socialize, advertise, learn, do business and has become a great medium to spread knowledge. It has become one of the largest database which is flexible, accessible and ensures easy availability of information.

Nobody anticipated that people will be talking about the importance of mental health on a global scale. Thanks to social media that has given viewers can express themselves freely. The coin has both sides. On the one side it has provided a platform where people can share their opinions but the other end has left many to actually feel depressed about themselves due to multiple reasons.

The recent news about famous Bollywood actor, Sushant Singh Rajput ending his own life has triggered and shocked everyone. The infamous event has left people speechless yet has given some people to talk about nepotism, discrimination in the film industry, their past experiences with mental and physical trauma, pay gaps in the industry and many more topics. People have also started talking about banning main stream directors who focus on launching โ€œstar-kidsโ€ and millions of people have filed petition for the same.

Mental health must be predominant and must stand above all. Well-being is defined by the Oxford English dictionary as โ€˜the state of being comfortable, healthy, or happyโ€™, although it is a broader concept. It includes having goodย mental health, high life satisfaction, a sense of meaning or purpose, and ability to manage stress. Psychological well-being consists of positive relationships with others, personal mastery, autonomy, a feeling of purpose and meaning in life, and personal growth and development. Psychological well-being is attained by achieving a state of balance affected by both challenging and rewarding life events.

Some pointers to keep the sanity of social media platforms from oneโ€™s end:

  • If you feel that social media is taking a negative toll on you in any way, take a break. Free yourself from the social platforms for a time being and retrospect. It gives immense pleasure to let things go that are leading to even a slight mental disturbance.
  • Stop trolling. Be it making fun of someone or laughing with the person who is doing so. It is very essential to take our own stand and spread positivity.
  • Follow people and pages that actually impart good information and are trying their best to spread positivity. Be it doodles, art, comics, poetry, or any field that you want to be a part of or interested in.
  • Share good content. There are people who are trying their best to evolve themselves and making world a better place. It is crucial to share those content so that it reach out to the masses.
  • Substantially, give credits to people and artist. Sometimes, people just take a screenshot and due to which credits are not given to the actual person.
  • Don’t judge people on the basis of their profiles and posts. It like looking at the tip on an iceberg.
  • Unfollow friends, pages and posts that are likely to trigger a cell of your body and you donโ€™t feel good about it.

Primarily, our well-being directly affects our actions and emotions. And hence it is important to take care of oneself and prioritize accordingly because if we want to function successfully in the world we need to be well.

“Don’t let the outside world fool you

You are pretty awesome the way you are :)”

Why all of us should read!

From the title you must have guessed that the title is about the importance of reading. All of us grew up being told by our parents that we should reduce our TV time and instead go ahead and pick up a book.

I had never really understood and paid attention to the importance of reading until I entered high school. It was in high school that it struck me how important it is to expand your vistas and learn more, read more. In higher classes it is expected out of us that we should have a good and expansive vocabulary. I wasn’t much of a reader back then but my inclination towards books started at that time itself.

Over the years, reading has helped me in a lot many ways. Apart from the fact that I have more concrete opinions and ideas nowadays, I feel more confident. I feel intelligent and smart. It has boosted my self confidence. It is a good escape from the world. You can imagine, think, fantasie- it’s just you and your story, nothing else. It’s a beautiful world- the world of reading and I suggest you should try going there sometime. Trust me, you wouldn’t want to come back!

As they say, a book is man’s best friend and we’ll, it is true in everyway. A book doesn’t judge you or laugh at you. You can do whatever you want to, you can read any genre- there will be no opinion of the book! You are free, left to your own devices!

There is a piece of writing for every human emotion. You can feel a certain way and almost immediately ( in today’s internet driven world) find a book which suits and matches your feelings!

These days people resort to reading softcopies of various authors. It may suit their requirements but for me, the hard Bound book with it’s muddy sweet smell has a different feeling. It gives me a different high, trust me! I would suggest that for a beginner, the old school hardcopies of books are the best. They give you a feeling that you are actually reading something. It’s a different experience. Go ahead, enjoy yourselves.

Happy reading!

ETHICAL HACKING

he term โ€˜Hackerโ€™ was coined in the 1960s at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to describe experts who used their skills to re-develop mainframe systems, increasing their efficiency and allowing them to multi-task.

Nowadays, the term routinely describes skilled programmers who gain unauthorized access into computer systems by exploiting weaknesses or using bugs, motivated either by malice or mischief. For example, a hacker can create algorithms to crack passwords, penetrate networks, or even disrupt network services.

With the increased popularity of the Internet and E-Commerce, malicious hacking became the most commonly known form, an impression reinforced by its depiction in various forms of news media and entertainment. As a rule, the primary motive of malicious/unethical hacking involves stealing valuable information or financial gain.

That said, not all hacking is bad. This brings us to the second type of hacking: Ethical hacking. Ethical hackers are hired by organizations to look into the vulnerabilities of their systems and networks and develop solutions to prevent data breaches. Consider it a high-tech permutation of the old saying โ€œIt takes a thief to catch a thief.โ€

What is Ethical Hacking?

Ethical Hacking is an authorized practice of bypassing system security to identify potential data breaches and threats in a network. The company that owns the system or network allows Cyber Security experts to perform such activities in order to test the systemโ€™s defenses. Thus, unlike malicious hacking, this process is planned, approved, and more importantly, legal.

Ethical hackers aim to investigate the system or network for weak points that malicious hackers can exploit or destroy. They collect and analyze the information to figure out ways to strengthen the security of the system/network/applications. By doing so,  they can improve the security footprint so that it can better withstand attacks or divert them.

Ethical Hackers check for key vulnerabilities include but are not limited to:

  • Injection attacks
  • Changes in security settings
  • Exposure of sensitive data
  • Breach in authentication protocols
  • Components used in the system or network that may be used as access points

Types of Hackers

The practice of ethical hacking is called โ€œWhite Hatโ€ hacking, and those who perform it are called White Hat hackers. In contrast to Ethical Hacking, โ€œBlack Hatโ€ hacking describes practices involving security violations. The Black Hat hackers use illegal techniques to compromise the system or destroy information.

Unlike White Hat hackers, โ€œGrey Hatโ€ hackers donโ€™t ask for permission before getting into your system. But Grey Hats are also different from Black Hats because they donโ€™t perform hacking for any personal or third-party benefit. These hackers do not have any malicious intention and hack systems for fun or various other reasons, usually informing the owner about any threats they find. Grey Hat and Black Hat hacking are both illegal as they both constitute an unauthorized system breach, even though the intentions of both types of hackers differ.

White Hat vs Black Hat Hacker 

The best way to differentiate between White Hat and Black Hat hackers is by taking a look at their motives. Black Hat hackers are motivated by malicious intent, manifested by personal gains, profit, or harassment; whereas White Hat hackers seek out and remedy vulnerabilities, so as to prevent Black Hats from taking advantage.

The other ways to draw a distinction between White Hat and Black Hat hackers include:

  • Techniques used: White Hat hackers duplicate the techniques and methods followed by malicious hackers in order to find out the system discrepancies, replicating all the latterโ€™s steps to find out how a system attack occurred or may occur. If they find a weak point in the system or network, they report it immediately and fix the flaw.
  • Legality: Even though White Hat hacking follows the same techniques and methods as Black Hat hacking, only one is legally acceptable. Black Hat hackers break the law by penetrating systems without consent.
  • Ownership: White Hat hackers are employed by organizations to penetrate their systems and detect security issues. Black hat hackers neither own the system nor work for someone who owns it.

Roles and Responsibilities of an Ethical Hacker

Ethical Hackers must follow certain guidelines in order to perform hacking legally. A good hacker knows his or her responsibility and adheres to all of the ethical guidelines. Here are the most important rules of Ethical Hacking:

  • An ethical hacker must seek authorization from the organization that owns the system. Hackers should obtain complete approval before performing any security assessment on the system or network.
  • Determine the scope of their assessment and make known their plan to the organization.
  • Report any security breaches and vulnerabilities found in the system or network.
  • Keep their discoveries confidential. As their purpose is to secure the system or network, ethical hackers should agree to and respect their non-disclosure agreement.
  • Erase all traces of the hack after checking the system for any vulnerability. It prevents malicious hackers from entering the system through the identified loopholes.

Benefits of Ethical Hacking 

Learning ethical hacking involves studying the mindset and techniques of black hat hackers and testers to learn how to identify and correct vulnerabilities within networks. Studying ethical hacking can be applied by security pros across industries and in a multitude of sectors.  This sphere includes network defender, risk management, and quality assurance tester. 

However, the most obvious benefit of learning ethical hacking is its potential to inform and improve and defend corporate networks. The primary threat to any organization’s security is a hacker: learning, understanding, and implementing how hackers operate can help network defenders prioritize potential risks and learn how to remediate them best. Additionally, getting an ethical hacking training or certifications can benefit those who are seeking a new role in the security realm or those wanting to demonstrate skills and quality to their organization.

Skills Required to Become an Ethical Hacker

An ethical hacker should have in-depth knowledge about all the systems, networks, program codes, security measures, etc. to perform hacking efficiently. Some of these skills include:

  • Knowledge of programming – It is required for security professionals working in the field of application security and Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC).
  • Scripting knowledge – This is required for professionals dealing with network-based attacks and host-based attacks.
  • Networking skills – This skill is important because threats mostly originate from networks. You should know about all of the devices present in the network, how they are connected, and how to identify if they are compromised.
  • Understanding of databases – Attacks are mostly targeted at databases. Knowledge of database management systems such as SQL will help you to effectively inspect operations carried out in databases.
  • Knowledge of multiple platforms like Windows, Linux, Unix, etc.
  • The ability to work with different hacking tools available in the market.
  • Knowledge of search engines and servers.

What Next?

Ethical Hacking is a challenging area of study as it requires mastery of everything that makes up a system or network. This is why certifications have become popular among aspiring ethical hackers.  

With relevant Ethical Hacking certifications, you can advance your career in cybersecurity in the following ways:

  • Certified individuals know how to design, build, and maintain a secure business environment. If you can demonstrate your knowledge in these areas, you will be invaluable when it comes to analyzing threats and devising effective solutions.
  • Certified cybersecurity professionals have better salary prospects compared to their non-certified peers. According to Payscale, Certified Ethical Hackers earn an average salary of $90K in the U.S. ย 
  • Certification validates your skills in the field of IT security and makes you more noticeable while applying for challenging job roles.
  • With the growing incidents of security breaches, organizations are investing hugely in IT security and prefer certified candidates for their organization. ย 
  • Startups need highly skilled professionals experienced in repelling cyber threats. A certification can help you demonstrate your IT security skills to earn high-paying jobs at startups.

In todayโ€™s world, cybersecurity has become a trending topic of increasing interest among many businesses. With malicious hackers finding newer ways to breach the defenses of networks almost every day, the role of ethical hackers has become increasingly important across all sectors. It has created a plethora of opportunities for cybersecurity professionals and has inspired individuals to take up ethical hacking as their career

How Health care mobility is Enhancing Patient Health ?

In the era of COVID-19, everyone has understood the importance of healthcare software solutions and the worth to invest in it. The pandemic has grabbed the entire world in its fist. From the superpower to under-developed nations, everyone is struggling very hard to come out of it.

There is a horde of patients getting infected and admitted to the hospitals. And that causes worrisome situations for the entire medical fraternity. The sudden increase in the rate of positive patients caused a shortage in ventilators, ECGs, and other medical equipment.

Furthermore, it is highly contagious and can be spread with the droplets of an infected person. This indicates that social distancing should be maintained between patients and healthcare experts.

Therefore, healthcare mobility could turn out to be a boon in the current situation of COVID-19. It is not a new concept but could be more effective and relatable to the current situation.

What Is Healthcare Mobility?
In the modern world, everyone is dependent on mobile phones, smartphones, and tablets. Handy devices have made their lives easier and simpler. With just a few clicks, you would be able to purchase or avail of the goods and services, respectively.

Healthcare Mobility also aims to transform and replace obsolete/conventional medical methods to mobile devices. There are many benefits of implementing healthcare mobility, such as:

To reach the unapproachable areas where there is a lack of medical facility.
Telehealth & Telemedicine could better connect the patient and doctors.
Real-time tracking the patientโ€™s records could help professionals to make decisions.
Of course, it doesnโ€™t mean that there will be complete restrictions on going to dispensaries or hospitals, but the task that can be done through the use of mobile and technology will be executed with it.

Parties Benefitting With Healthcare Mobility:
Patients
Physicians
Consultants
Practitioners
Insurance Companies
Laboratories
Products To Be Built For Healthcare Mobility:
Mobile Applications (Android/iOS/Windows)
Tablets & PC web- apps
Scanners (RFID and Barcode)
Enterprise Mobility Platform
Hospital Systems
Apps or Management Solutions For Healthcare Mobility:
mHealth Apps
Patient Care Management Portal
Operation & Workforce Management
Chronic Care Management
Nurse Applications
Medication Management
Other Applications
Apart from the above mobility solutions, what stands out different and unique is mHealth. The use of mobile devices in healthcare could be a big relief to mankind. Letโ€™s understand the concept:

Contours Of mHealth
The use of mobile (portable) devices in healthcare is for the betterment of patient care. It tracks, collects, analysis, and delivers the information of the patient to healthcare experts for understanding and making agile decisions.

mHealth was first coined in 2003 by Prof. Robert Istepanian of Kingston University in London. Since the introduction, many developed and superpower nations have accepted it. But due to the mobile device penetration, the demand has sprouted up in the developing nations as well.

Due to an increase in demand for mobile apps, mHealth becomes an opportunity for entrepreneurs to invest and build robust applications that could cater to the demand for healthcare units.

What Technologies Can Be Used For Enhancing Patient Care?
Information Technology is a broad term that has emerged as on-time solutions to numerous industries. Similarly, healthcare mobility is one of the verticals that require an agile process and automated workflow.

Different technologies have proven to be nascent in offering proper medical facilities to the patients who are unapproachable to the hospitals.

Beacons
Hospitalization is a gruesome journey where patients have to wait in queue for booking appointments, routine checkups, treatments in severe cases, and many other stages. And that becomes a daunting task.

The slow procedure may divert the patients to the hospitals that are offering quick and timely responses, which may result in losing the customer.

Minimizing the Waiting Period:
The longer the waiting period, the negative it will impact the patientsโ€™ journey and experience. Here, installing beacons could reduce the waiting time for the patient and visitor.

Visitors could fill up the forms and clear the other formalities through their handy devices. Also, beacons could remind the patients and visitors of the document required for admission.

Setting up beacons at the reception area could guide the user and reduce their appointment time. It will positively impact the patientโ€™s journey, which will indirectly benefit the profitability of the hospitals.

Helpful to Frontline Warriors:
Beacons are a robust & smart technology that can become a helping hand for the medical experts. The physicians can analyze the medical history of the patient with the help of beacons attached to the patientโ€™s bedside.

It can allow them to understand what medical cure is required, what allergies are a patient suffering from, what type of blood he/she is having, and other vital pieces of information for making life-saving & quick decisions.

Wearables
It is no doubt that advancement in technology has led to modifying its shape and structure. From Super Computers that were larger to the wrist bands, the technology has shown us various shapes.

Wearable devices are one of the innovations that not only take care of the user but are also helpful for the healthcare industry. The industry can leverage it in the finest possible ways. It can monitor the patientsโ€™ on-time activity that could help in delivering care and diagnosis.

Wearables have multiple uses, i.e., tracking patients, managing & monitoring, weight control, collecting heart and pulse rate, and many more things. There are mainly two types of Wearables โ€“ Healthcare professionals & Patient Care.

Healthcare Experts could reap the advantages like tracking and gathering information on the footsteps of the patients, video recorders, and gyroscopes. On the other hand, the ones who are end-users (Patients) can use it for tracking their pulse rate, activities, calorie tracking, blood pressure, physical strains, etc.

Telehealth & Telemedicine
Telehealth is a collaboration of technology and health that focuses on reaching the unapproachable grounds to enhance patient care. Telehealth App Development has paved the way in delivering the cure to the patient and quickly progressing into the medical sphere.

It advocates changing the habits of patientโ€™s perspectives towards medical and hospitalization. With the use of mobile devices, the patient can connect to medical professionals via the use of it. The interference of Telehealth in healthcare has positively impacted the industry.

Also, if you see the current COVID-19 scenario, the statistical data shows a 50% hike in the use of Telehealth to connect with the experts. Undoubtedly, post COVID-19, a large number of the population would prefer Telehealth.

On the other hand, Telemedicine means connecting with patients using different modes such as call/text, video call using PCs, tablets, or mobile phones.

People are often confused between Telehealth & Telemedicine. Unveiling the major difference is Telemedicine is a subset of Telehealth, which means the former offers clinical support while the latter delivers non-clinical extension.

Nursing Applications
Nurse apps are one of the creative healthcare mobility solutions that could contribute in enhancing patient care. With numerous responsibilities, the nurses are accountable for each and every service that they have to deliver.

Mobile applications for nurses could ease their routines as well as medical tasks. From reminding them for the shifts to maintaining schedules for the patients, it will help with the day in and day out activities.

It enhances their productivity and allows them to focus and properly deliver care to the patients. The app is designed in such a way that it includes shift reminders, schedules for patients, updating medical records, reminders to give medicines to patients, etc.

Mobile Carts
The combination of mobile computing carts and electronic health records could better offer care to patients. The carts are internally connected with mobile devices of the medical team and patients, which will help them to coordinate and discuss.

As patients would expect to be constantly in touch with their physicians, these mobile carts could make it possible for them. Also, with the constant interactions, it will create loyalty and trust amongst them.

Personalized communication could be effective and improve the quality of care given to patients. The frontline warrior could access the lab tests, reports, scans, X-rays, and fetch the files from the internal medical system. Also, it can help in reviewing them at the patientโ€™s bedside.

Post-Care Treatment
Mobile Technology doesnโ€™t only focus on in-patient treatment and care but also emerges as delivering post-care treatment. The discharge may find a tedious task for the patient, and thatโ€™s where mobile devices and applications play a crucial role.

The entire paperwork and document at the time of discharge are successfully submitted to the patientโ€™s mobile device. The post-care treatment is equally important as in-patient care.

Mobile apps are certainly a big relief for the doctors as well as patients, and building effective apps using the latest technology could become a helping hand for the patients.

Internet Of Things
The Internet of Things (IoT) is the next big thing in the cognitive technological world. Its main function is to streamline and automate the process and deliver agile results.

Implementing IoT in the Healthcare Industry would be beneficial for the vertical. It will take the industry one step closer to the modern and technologically advanced version of the world.

Basically, IoT will help care providers the most by enabling them to access the data from the patients. There are many machines and tools attached to the patients at the time of hospitalization, and this will transmit the data to the doctorโ€™s mobile device.

Also, installing IoT at hospitals could allow help in stock keeping and understanding what medical types of equipment are required in the hospitals. This way, IoT will not only enhance patient care but also will help in managing medical stocks.

Wrapping Up
The Healthcare Industry has witnessed the effectiveness of mobile technologies, and thatโ€™s the reason it has started investing in it. The complex decision does not take a long time with the help of mobility in healthcare.

There are already numerous applications and mobile devices installed in hospitals and are also planning to invest more in mobile technologies. Still, if you are looking for someone to guide you through your journey of mobile app development, then connect with the application development company and reap the knowledge and benefits.

Risk of Student loans

Various young minds are getting graduation every year across the globe. But every student cannot afford the bill. And hence automatically the ones with a poor background has to depend upon the loan from the banks in order to finish their university studies. But there are various drawbacks in these loans and hence the affected ones are these young people. Lets see about them….

NO LOANS ARE GIVEN EASILY

In today’s world, if any student approaches for loan, the cheque will not be given immediately. We can get other loans easily, but education loan is a bit difficult. Because in this loan there is no investment and hence they will consider that it is a huge risk by giving these loans loans. But we have change this rule and make all students applicable for loan.

INTEREST RATE

Since its a loan, naturally one has to pay its interest also. But for these young minds, the job will not be acquired easily and hence it will take years to acquire jobs. Till then he should pay the loan. In that period the student will definitely have a tough period because without job he will definitely have no money to survive itself. But in those time also he has to pay that loan.

CONCLUSION

” LET US ALL TRY TO MAKE EDUCATION LOANS EASILY AVAILABLE AND MAKE YOUNG MINDS TO STUDY “

Balancing time for academics and co-curricular activities in College Time

College days are the one, in which the person lives the life to his fullest. And it is the place where the entire world gets some knowledge about their career. And it is also the place where everyone knows, how to be in a society. Many will be concentrating only in their academics part only and only by doing that, it will spoil the other fun in the days of the college. So let us see how to balance the time for other activities also…

FIRSTLY FINISH TOPICS TAUGHT TODAY

The first thing you have to do is that you need to have a strong observing skill. So that whatever topics taught in the college must be understood and learnt by you in that period itself. By doing this, a person will get a double benefit. Firstly he will finish learning in the college itself and secondly he will be having a plenty of time in his day.

INVOLVE IN SPORTS ACTIVITIES

It is a good thing that you finished academics. But in order to have healthy life, one must have to involve himself in sports. Select the sport you like and daily practice it. Only by doing it, your mind will be at peace and after you finished your studies you will play a good match.

MAKE YOURSELF INVOLVE IN CULTURAL CLUBS

Sports is just one of the activities. Your part of the day will come to an end only when you involve in other activities like making music and dancing etc. By performing all these things, your mind will automatically will have peace and when you achieve peace you will take correct decisions and also your mind will work faster.

CONCLUSION

“THE BARRIER IS NOT IN THE TIME, ITS IN YOUR MIND! SO GET UP MAKE YOUR COLLEGE LIFE, AN AWESOME ONE”

THE IMPORTANCE OF HUMAN RESOURCE PLANNING(HRP) IN ORGANIZATIONS

Everything you need to know about the importance of human resource planning. Human resource planning is very important as it helps in determining the future human resource needs of the organization.

The effectiveness of human resource planning process decides the adequacy of available manpower in the organization. An unsuccessful human resource planning leads to either shortage or surplus of workforce in the organization and brings serious disaster.

Importance of Human Resource Planning โ€“ Key to Managerial Functions, Efficient Utilization, Motivation, Better Industrial Relations and Higher Productivity

We are acquainted with the objectives, approaches, forecasting, and techniques of HR planning. Obviously the importance of HR planning is manifold. It serves as a key to managerial functions, efficient utilizaยญtion of men, identifying and motivating them, promoting industrial relations, and boosting productivity.

i. Key to Managerial Functions:

Planning, organizing, leading, directing, and controlling (POLDC) are the five managerial functions that need HR for their execution. Human resources help in the accomplishment of all these managerial activities effectively and efficiently. Therefore, staffing becomes a key to all managerial functions.

ii. Efficient Utilization:

With the emergence of the concept of the global village, handling HR efficiently has become an imporยญtant function in the industry. Large organizations need huge HR to execute their job effectively. As such, the staffing function has emerged as a critical organization process.

iii. Motivation:

Irrespective of their levels, organizational citizens need motivation. The staffing function, in addition to putting the right men on the right job, also comprises various motivational programmes. It is essential to launch financial and non-financial motivational schemes, including incentive plans. Therefore, all types of incentive plans become an integral part of staffing function to satisfy both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.

iv. Better Industrial Relations:

Stability, smooth running, and growth of a concern depend on the quality of interpersonal relations; especially on the relation between the management and unions. Members from the unions and assoยญciations form a collective bargaining forum. A strong relation between them helps taking decisions collectively. Furthermore, human relations can become even stronger through effective control, clear communication, and effective supervision and leadership.

v. Higher Productivity:

Productivity levels increase with the efficient utilization of resources in the best possible manner. Productivity is enhanced by minimizing wastage of time, money, efforts, and energies. Alternatively, cost reduction, value engineering, method study and work measurement, and other techniques help to enhance productivity. Human resource and its related activities/systems such as performance appraisal, / training and development, remuneration, further settle on productivity.

It is, therefore, suitable on the part of the organization to opt for HR Planning to prevent any unnecessary hurdles in its workforce needs. An HR Consulting Firm can provide the organization with a comprehensive HR assessment and planning to meet its future requirements in the most cost-effective and timely manner.


Role of Higher Education in Society

Higher education could offer numerous advantages, including job stability and economic freedom. Education plays an even bigger role in many facets of your life throughout the 21st century. Achieving a higher education will improve your chances and boost overall standard of living.

Higher education - Eduvoice | The Voice of Education Industry

Today, more Americans see a college educationโ€™s relevance and role in providing better employment opportunities and a luxurious retirement. Yes, about 84 percent of Americans say a higher education is very important (47 percent) or highly necessary (37 percent) to get ahead in the world. Among those American citizens, 66 percent of those who have not graduated from college say they wish they had, and 62 percent make it sound that going to college would have significantly improved their current standard of living.

Higher Education provides more opportunities:

Being a graduate of high school does not open new gates to many successful careers, as it has done in past centuries. Today, the U.S. has turned from a manufacturing-based economy to a knowledge-based economy, and today’s impact of higher education can be compared to what it provided 40 years ago with a high school education: more opportunities and better professional opportunities.

For many, if not for all, people the surest way to a successful life is to go to college and get an university education. After graduating from college, you may not know exactly what you want to do, but at least you know that you want a professional life that is more satisfying, pays well, and is something you feel safe and secure and contented with. These considerations are why a lot of people participate both with their money and time in college. You are trained in your chosen field by a higher education, but it also teaches you to comprehend complex subjects, think critically and express your ideas appropriately. You also learn many skills like organizational, self-discipline, and how to see a task from beginning to end. A higher education makes you become more qualified and provides you with other skills relevant to the job.

Because you are studying a wide variety of skills, you might end up in an area for which you didn’t originally prepare. It will open up fresh and exciting possibilities that you would not have had you not received a higher education. Today, career options in our economy are dwindling for those who have not continued their after high school education. Many high school grads who don’t go on to university end up working in the service field with low paying jobs offering hardly any opportunities for advancement. Naturally that’s not always the case. There are a lot of high school graduates who have become very successful.

Staying Competitive:

Higher education represents a strategic edge in the job market, also. We all know that finding employment isn’t certain in the difficult times we live in today. The number of unemployed persons is still fairly high, and the amount of new employment openings is not nearly enough to bring the people they are looking for into work. As a job seeker, you compete with a large number of experienced workers who have been out of the workforce for some time and who are also looking for work.

If you do have a higher education, however, it usually equips you for better job security. Generally speaking, employers tend to appreciate those who have finished university relative to those who have just completed high school and are more likely to replace those who have not attained higher education. In addition, some companies even go so far as to pay for your tuition because they consider a trained employee to be of value to their organization. A college degree is an opportunity that doesn’t only give you tremendous rewards. It benefits the hiring company too.

Conclusion:

Remember, higher education doesn’t necessarily imply you a great life and financial stability. But, there are substantial facts and figures, some of which we’ve discussed above, which suggest that when people go beyond high school, they continue to dramatically boost their work likelihood, increase their income potential and protect their lifestyle. It may also create opportunities for your kids too.

Risk of Student Loans

Student loans have an overwhelming advantage: if money is limited, student loans enable you to go to school and get the diploma you need to make your career progress. But risks also arise when a student loan is taken, some apparent, some less apparent. The most real threat is that you won’t finish the degree program you ‘re taking the credit line for, and then you decide to leave school without showing anything except some disconcertingly large debts. An even worse risk, entirely understandable, is that you take the loan, complete the degree program, but then have a degree that is not commercially successful, that doesn’t get you the type of work you want, and that doesn’t increase your remuneration enough to compensate the debt you now have to pay off.

The way of reducing both of these risks is to do your homework before participating in a degree program, ensuring that students attending the program have a good success rate in actually completing it, and also ensuring that students who complete it have better job prospects at the end. According to a recent study the tuition fees in certain universities can alone costย  anywhere around $51,000.Remember that lodging, food , transportation and other housing expenses are not included in those numbers. So your college loans might also have to cover living expenses if being a full-time student prevents you from grabbing the kind of job that would normally allow you to cover them.

Not Paying Your Student Loans? Consider The Risks - Self.

Consequently, if student loan debt may be an issue for you, choosing a school with low tuition costs is best and helps you to live in a neighbourhood where the cost of living is low. Even with taking a student loan comes less apparent risks. There’s an old proverb that says “the debtor is the lender’s slave.” Debt will transform you into a banks slave that loans your student loan. Many students taking out loans for education are inexperienced and have never had any major debts. Taking a student loan changes all that every month, removing a sizeable chunk from your pay check once you have to start paying off the loan.

The average student loan in the United States, across all age groups, is now (in 2014) around $25,000 and that number is increasing. The average student loan for the 2013 graduating American students is over $35,000 (ref). That’s not really a home mortgage, but it’s nevertheless a sizeable debt. The impressive sounding word “non-dischargeable” is another less obvious risk you face in taking out a college loan. Letโ€™s say you’re overwhelmed by debt. One way out of this is to claim personal insolvency, which nullifies the debts. But a non-dischargeable debt is one you will never ever get rid of, not by filing bankruptcy, not by doing anything but to pay it off or to drop dead (literally).

The fine print on student loans commits you to pay back the debts irrespective of the hardships that you face in life. Student loans are financially unsustainable. Users can’t rid themselves of those debts. They’ll follow you all the way through your life till the time you pay them off.

It is worth stepping back and asking why student loans have become such a major issue for students and a concern. Believe it or not, back in the 1960s, students were not unusual to work during the summer and earn enough to cover a large proportion of their school expenses during the year. Much of this shifted with the 1965 Higher Education Act (re-authorized many times since). By permitting students to take out massive loans, they encouraged schools to raise their tuition rates (after all, students could now pay for the increase). This led to a negative spiral in which schools continued to raise their prices and the government continued to raise the amount of money it would lend to the students.

Conclusion:

You want to consider taking out a student loan very meticulously. Please ensure the expected return on schooling, and the degree the loan is supposed to secure is large enough. Not only does it need to cover the debt but it also needs to improve your career and life considerably. You buy an education by taking out a student loan. Make sure that you do get a good deal.

Caste system and food- yes, it’s related.

I’m not a nutritionist but food has always attracted me towards itself and for good. I grew up in a very strict household where my mother made sure that I knew what was good for my body and what wasn’t. Junk food was a strict no-no! No aerated drinks, no chips, no pizza etc. I hated all the restrictions which were put on me but with time I understood that it was all a part of food education- yes, it exists and you actually have to educate your kiddos about food. This isn’t a common tradition in India but for my parents it was crucial that me and my brother knew everything there was to know about food and it’s benefits.

Fast forward to my 19 year old self, I thank my mother for all that gyaan! The compliments I receive for my physique today are a result of my upbringing.

Sometime back in college when things were hunky-dory a friend of mine walked up to me and asked if I was ‘on’ some diet.

‘I’m never ‘on’ a diet Ayesha, it’s a part of my life. I eat to survive. Diet is survival!’

‘Don’t lie, I know you are on Keto. I’ll also start from tomorrow’, and off she went, even before I could ask her what that diet was and what she was planning to do. I went home and Googled it and was not surprised to find out that like many other diets out there, this one also kicked carbohydrates out of the balcony! NO CARBS WHATSOEVER (it says little carbs but if I can’t I have my roti and chawal it’s equivalent to no carbs only.)

This diet is a disaster in making. I hope all of you know about the Vedic caste system. For those of you who don’t, let me explain it to you as simply as is possible. The Vedic or let’s say the Hindu caste system divides people into four castes or say, types- Brahmanas, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and the Shudras, with the Brahmanas being on the top of the hierarchy and the Shudras at the bottom rung. Now the caste system has another category- the Ati Shudras.

The Shudras and the Ati Shudras were despised by everyone. In a town which comprised of the other three castes, the Shudras weren’t allowed to enter. They lived on the periphery of the town and were subjected to the most inhuman treatment you can fathom. Worst was the scenario for the Ati Shudras who has sound a clapper before they set their foot in the town so that the people knew they were coming. The system was pathetic. It poisoned the body politic of India like nothing else and we are bearing the brunt of it even today.

Now to understand the relation between the caste system and food, replace carbs with the Shudras, Protein with Brahmanas and the story will become clear to you. Think over it, it may ring a bell somewhere in your brain.

I’ll elucidate on this tomorrow. Also, I do not mean to hurt anyone’s sentiments or feelings by this article. I’m only drawing a comparison. Please forgive me if at any point it hurt you even if in the most subtle way. Healing is my only intention. I mean no harm to anyone.

Om Shanti.

Susceptibility doesn’t attract pitfalls

The best aspect of being human is to be able to connect with other humans.ย We are hardwired for it.ย We live in clans and families, work in unions, love as mates and thrive in camaraderies.ย The urge to connect is in all of us whether we concede it or not.
We are witnessing more loneliness, despairs, broken relationships and disconnections.ย What is going on?
Susceptibility is the driving force of connection.ย It is intrepid and tender.ย It is difficult to connect without it.
However, we have turned it into a drawback.
We have made ourselves ‘strong’.ย We have toughened up, hardened up and preserved ourselves from being hurt.ย We have safeguarded ourselves fromย vulnerability and refused to surrender.ย Here is the problem.ย When we close down our vulnerability we are shieldedย from hurt,ย but we are also shieldedย from love, intimacy and connection.ย They come to us through the same door.ย When we close it to one, we close it to all.
Without vulnerability, relationships struggle.ย Vulnerability is, Here I am โ€“ my frayed edges, my secrets, my fears, my affection.ย Be careful โ€“ theyโ€™re precious.ย In return, it invites, I see you there.ย Itโ€™s okay, youโ€™re safe.ย It builds trust, proximity and a sense of belonging.ย Relationships wonโ€™t thrive without it.
Vulnerability is the openness to experiences, people and uncertainty.ย Itโ€™s terrifying at times, and brave enough always.ย 

Occasionally we get hurt. Relationship pain is an unavoidable part of being human. When it happens it can steal you. But we can see this for what it is โ€“ a mismatch of people, a redirection, learning, a happening โ€“ or we can take it as a warning and protect ourselves from the possibility of being hurt again. In this case, we make the decision to not be vulnerable.
We shut it down. By shutting down to the risks of being vulnerable, we also shut down to the possibilities โ€“ the possibility of joy, intimacy, closeness, gratitude and connection.

Listen to and move towards what you really want. Itโ€™s that voice that speaks from intuition, experience and things unsaid. Itโ€™s the signal, sometimes faint sometimes not, to love openly and honestly and receive it gratefully. And to walk away when itโ€™s gone. Move towards what you want and be vulnerable to the risk โ€“ itโ€™s the bravest thing youโ€™ll do. When you live with heart, youโ€™ll feel when thereโ€™s something missing, but it doesnโ€™t have to stay that way.

What would you do if you could act without fear of shame? Would you change jobs? Follow your passion? Tell someone you love them? Tell someone you miss them? Expect more for yourself? Get rid of relationships that hurt? Fight harder for the relationship youโ€™re in? You canโ€™t trust that there wonโ€™t be rejection and disappointment, but you can trust that youโ€™ll cope with it if it happens โ€“ which you will. Whatโ€™s harder to live with is teetering around the edges of something that feels important, wanting more but never dropping the guard enough โ€“ being vulnerable enough โ€“ to let it in.

Question your beliefs. Sometimes we believe things for so long they just settle in and stay. Challenge whether or not theyโ€™re still working for you. What could happen if you open up, take a chance, let yourself be vulnerable? Too often behaviour is driven by the need to avoid shame โ€“ the need to avoid receiving any proof that youโ€™re not worthy of love, connection and receiving what youโ€™ve asked for.  The more you think youโ€™re not worthy, the more youโ€™ll act as though itโ€™s true and the more you disconnect. What if you believed you were worth the connection? The risk of not being received is always there, but this is no reflection of any unworthiness in you.

As explained by Brene Brown, people with a strong sense of love and belonging believe that vulnerability is a necessity. They believe that within their vulnerabilities are the things that make them beautiful and theyโ€™re right. Vulnerability is the key to correlate because it is the courage to be open to another human. Itโ€™s saying the words that are clutching within. Itโ€™s opening yourself up to somebody getting closer. Itโ€™s letting them know. Itโ€™s giving without expectation or agenda and receiving with an open heart.

Increasingly we are living in a fixit world. We have little tolerance for uncertainty or discomfort and tend to move quickly toward resolution. We fix everything โ€“ problems, health, feelings, people. Sometimes though, uncertainty or discomfort is exactly where we need to be. Itโ€™s here that we often find clarity and insight and a readiness to move forward or pull back. Donโ€™t be too quick to move out of uncomfortable feelings. Sometimes theyโ€™re the richest source of growth and information about whatโ€™s right.

Vulnerability does not mean oversharing and offering every detail of your life up for consumption by anyone. It is about intention. There are those you hold close or want to, who are worth taking a risk for. You open up, you let them know, you offer some of yourself and hope it will be received. Then there are those who you know, but who may not have earned your vulnerability. 

Your vulnerability still has to be earned by others to some extent, but you have to be ready to see when someone deserves it from you.
Offering every detail of your life to the person behind you, can walk dangerously close to a lack of boundaries and can leave you overexposed.

Somewhere along the way, the need to protect ourselves from being vulnerable has trumped the need to connect. Few things hurt as deeply and completely as the heartache that comes from relationships. But heartache and uncertainty is part of being human and its avoidance is getting in our way.

In response to this, we have stopped allowing ourselves to be vulnerable. We have turned vulnerability into weakness and guardedness into a strength.

Of course, there are times to be guarded, but there are also times to be vulnerable. We are protected, but we are disconnected.

Life happens โ€“ really happens โ€“ in the midst of our vulnerability. Itโ€™s here, in strength and with the greatest of courage, that we ask for help, tell someone we miss them, ask where we stand, feel. When we shut down our vulnerability, we shut down the possibility.

There are no guarantees. There never have been. But what is certain is that we deserve more than to have our vulnerability โ€“ the greatest vehicle to connection โ€“ shut down by fear. We cannot guarantee the outcome, but we can have faith in our ability to cope with it. Living and loving with a vulnerable, open heart will bring its own rewards. There is no daring more honest and more courageous than that which comes with respecting our vulnerability, embracing it and acting from it.

Balancing Academics and Extra Curricular Activities

What does “research” mean about the implications of extracurricular activities on the academic performance of students? The U.S. Department of Education study says students who pursue extra-curricular activities get better grades than students who are not interested in extra-curricular activities. The same research also indicates that any individual could achieve better grades in his studies when he takes place in numerous co-curricular activities, independent of the backgrounds from which they come. Extra-curricular activities come in different forms, such as participation in athletics, music, painting, drama, and other school and college social events.

Importance of balancing sports and academics: Difficult but doable ...

In addition to better exam grades, the activities also have a good impact on the students’ personalities, shaping their behaviour and attitudes towards life. Extra-curricular activities normally take place in groups that allow the students to develop their competitive nature, encouraging them to conduct themselves better in a community. Extra-curricular activities are the only activities that improve the learner’s leadership skills. When he participates in such activities, the student would shine in a career, while retaining his usual interest in his study.

A student seeks a balance between extra-curricular activities and his academic interests, which will positively contribute to his learning development and future plans. Letโ€™s know some of the ways that will help to build a better balance between academics and extra-curricular activities.

Choosing Specific Extra Curricular Activities:

Can a student get better at any type of extracurricular activity? Surely in such activities he or she should develop participatory spirit. But allocating significant amount of time to the activities is important and choosing the best specific activities for participation. When the stress to bring better grades in the studies for various subjects continues to grow, it would not be possible to take up every available activity in the colleges and schools in extra-curricular programmes.

With this, it is crucial that the student chooses one or two activities, and he needs to have a fundamental interest in that specific activity. If the student is interested in engaging in debates and writing essays, choosing each of these interests and creating a plan to enhance these activities would become suitable for him. The student must devote a set time during a specific day to the practice of writing debates and essays at home or in the hostel.

Creating a Time Table to strike a balance:

Some students build their time-table to learn subjects such as physics, chemistry, mathematics, etc. But they neglect that maintaining a regular schedule for the practice of extracurricular activities in both things could create balance. As with regular reading of books for various topics, extracurricular activities require daily practice.

It keeps interest alive in activities such as devoting time to the students and finding ways to excel in these activities. For example, if a student is interested in playing Cricket, daily practice of the sport gives him the opportunity to play better and free from mental stress. The student could set a certain amount of time per day for daily practice and during this, he could refine his bowling, batting, or fielding skills, which are important parts of the game.

Leadership is Key:

Leadership is the first mandatory requirement in every sort of extracurricular activity. If the student displays leadership in these events, it demonstrates that his or her acts in academics and extracurricular stuff have been well balanced. Once again it shows that the student has the right level of investment in both the valuable aspects of his personality and career development overall. Extra-curricular activities give the opportunities to grow skills and the student could meet the desired goal for his career with leadership initiatives.

Research has shown us that extra-curricular activities build interest in the students and motivate them to engage more in academic research. Such exercises are only instrumental in keeping everything integrated for better accomplishment. An asset to the community is a well-balanced student between academics and extra-curricular activities.

Importance of Critical Thinking

Education had for some decades been more focused on pointless mechanical learning and only the ability to repeat and remember knowledge provided in the books. Problem-solving abilities were limited to mathematics and only a few experiments were carried out in the science labs. Today, however, as time is changing learning, more emphasis is given to improving essential skills and thinking that will prepare students for real-world navigation after school.

In past several years, rote memorization and the helps to sustain and repeat information have been the aim of education. Problem-solving was constrained to mathematics, and experimental research occurred in the scientific laboratory. Today, learning is progressing towards building skills that will prepare young people to experience in and beyond the real world.

Critical Thinking in ELT | ETp

Expert in critical thinking: G. Randy Kasten claims that lifelong learners can benefit from the opportunity to think critically. It is one skill that separates innovators and followers. The interpretation of critical thinking is not unanimously understood, but Kasten says It’s just the capacity to recognize why things are the way they are, and the possible repercussions of actions. Today’s students have been under a consistent onslaught of information , especially from sources on the internet, friends, parents, and mainstream press, and it quickly becomes clear that they need to learn how to analyse what they see and hear every day, so that they can recognise false ideas and look further than superficial appearances.

According to Lee Watanabe-Crockett on the Global Digital Citizen Foundation blog, critical thinking isn’t always about thinking clearly or coherently โ€” it’s about thinking independently. He says Critical thinking about something implies trying to formulate your own viewpoints and sketching your own inferences, irrespective of outside influence. It’s about analytical discipline, and seeing the links between concepts. For teachers a methodology recommended by Watanabe-Crockett is plainly to start with a question. The problem has to be one that promotes brainstorming and discussion. The solution would include analysis and problem-solving, all of which are closely related to critical thinking.

Knowing what additional data to discard and what to pursue involves mastering the correct use of information, or fluency in information. That is not enough to acquire knowledge. Students must evaluate it to help decide whether or not it is valid, and then apply the data to the question or issue. Another approach Watanabe-Crockett advocates is the use of peer groups. Colleagues can be a great source of knowledge and students can learn problem-solving strategies while working in conjunction. Role play is a technique that can be used by students to practice analytical thinking. Watanabe-Crockett says, Pair students and make them investigate a historical controversy. Ideally, it will include an encounter between two prominent historical figures, and then direct them to determine which character they will want to play. In this dispute, they should each have opposing viewpoints. Their hardest task will be to each propose a solution. Having to study carefully to consider the point of view of both their adversary and their own helps them understand and justify their decisions.

Getting students to think critically particularly considering them set goals. Dividing the process into three parts can be helpful: planning a task, monitoring and reviewing the task, and doing a post-task assessment and reflection.

GLOBAL WARMING – THE BURNING ISSUE

The term โ€œGlobal Warmingโ€ refers to the gradual increase in the average temperature of the Earthโ€™s atmosphere and its oceans, a change that is believed to be permanently changing the Earthโ€™s climate. The release of green house gases in the atmosphere causes the temperature to increase. There is a vivid rise in the level of carbon dioxide and other gases released by burning of fuels, agriculture and other activities. Greenhouse gases trap heat and keep it close to the Earthโ€™s surface making it livable for humans and animals. However, the over emission of these gases and fossil fuels deteriorate the ozone layer protecting the surface of Earth.

SIGNS OF CLIMATE CHANGE
โ€ข ARCTIC SEA ICE โ€“ Arctic sea ice is declining at an alarming rate โ€“ 11.5% per decade. Arctic ice reaches its minimum every September.
โ€ข CARBON DIOXIDE (CO2) โ€“ It is a prevalent heat-trapping (greenhouse) gas released due to human activities like burning of fossils, pollutants from the factories and small scale industries. Scientists claim carbon dioxide level in the atmosphere is the highest now.
โ€ข GLOBAL TEMPERATURE โ€“ The year 2016 was recorded the warmest for the top 10 warmest year since 1880.
โ€ข SEA LEVEL โ€“ The rise in the sea level is a major cause of concern today. It is due to the melting of glaciers , and the expansion of sea water as it warms up.


CONSEQUENCES
With the onset of the industrial revolution in the 1700โ€™s ,humans began emitting more fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas) to run cars, trucks and factories add up to climate change.
Warming has observable effects on the environment. Glaciers are shrinking, ice on rivers and lakes drying up. It also poses a great threat to the flora and fauna. The plant and animal life is affected too. They have shifted grounds and trees are flowering sooner.
Heat waves caused by global warming pose a greater risk of heat-related illness and death in human beings.
It puts coral reefs in danger as the ocean warms resulting in incidents of bleaching.
As humanity strives to achieve better living standards for all, thereโ€™s an hunger for development. As a result of which, development possesses a threat to mankind.

We can help prevent global warming in numerous ways. Efficient use of energy, afforestation, Car pool, adopting a clean approach for the environment are the different ways to help prevent global warming. Every individual should be aware of the importance of protecting the environment. With effective co -operation from citizens and government officials only, we may be able to slow down the effects of global warming.

Depression – A two sided view

Many people across the globe are mainly dying everyday due to depression. It is because that various people are doing this in a wrong manner and they are worried about their actions after that. It is a very hard to say that but it is the truth, many young people are mostly affected by this and are severely affected and many are taking serious decision such as suicide.

CRYING FOR THEIR MISTAKES

Mostly all those who are affected by these disease are mainly due to the memories of the wrong actions they had done. It is natural that one will make a mistake and there is no person without a wrong done. And even one memory of their wrong attitude will make them hurt themselves. And one small suggestion for those people, Don’t be in a such a state always, engage yourself with people and try to forget or else its gonna be a difficult thing in your life.

CRYING FOR OTHERS MISTAKES

It is also a great pain that your close person affects you with their words. It is a horrible one, but you can out of that easily by speaking with friends and by talking with a counsellor can also improve your state of mind. It is normal that a person makes mistake and it also takes few seconds to forgive them. Let others make fun out of you, be strong and rise higher.

CONCLUSION

“FORGIVE AND FORGET, THEN LOOK THIS GLOBE IN A NEW WAY, IT WILL BE AWESOME”

Food and Nutrition – To Lead a Healthy Life

The good management of food intake and nutrition are both key to good health. Smart nutrition and food choices can help prevent diseases. ย Understanding good nutrition and paying attention can help you maintain or improve your health.

What Is Good Nutrition?

Food and nutrition are the way that we get fuel, providing energy to our bodies. We need to replace nutrients in our bodies with a new supply everyday. Water is an important component of nutrition. Fats, proteins, and carbohydrates are all required. Maintaining key vitamins and minerals are also important to maintaining the good health. For pregnant women and people over 50, vitamins such as vitamin D and minerals such as calcium and iron are important to consider when choosing the foods to eat, as well as dietary supplements.

A healthy diet includes a lot of natural foods. A sizeable portion of a healthy diet should consist of fruits and vegetables, especially ones that are red, orange, or dark green in color. Whole grains, such as whole wheat and brown rice, should also plays a part in your diet. For adults, the dairy products should be non-fat or low-fat. Protein can consist of a lean meat and poultry, seafood, eggs, beans, legumes, and soy products such as tofu, as well as unsalted seeds and nuts.

Good nutrition also involves avoiding the certain kinds of foods. Sodium is used heavily in processed foods and is dangerous for people with high blood pressure. The USDA advises adults to consume less than 300 milligrams (mg) per day of cholesterol (found in meat and full-fat dairy products among others). Fried food, solid fats, and trans fats found in margarine and processed foods can be harmful to heart health. Refined grains (white flour, white rice) and refined sugar (table sugar, high fructose corn syrup) are also bad for long-term health, especially for people with diabetes. Alcohol can be dangerous to health in amounts more than one serving per day for a woman and two per day for a man.

There are many high-quality, free guidelines available for healthy eating plans that give more details on portion size, total calorie consumption, what to eat more of, and what to eat less of to get healthy and stay that way.

Nutritional Deficiencies

Even if you are getting enough to eat, if you are not eating a balanced diet, you may still be at risk for certain nutritional deficiencies. Also, you may have nutritional deficiencies due to certain health or life conditions, such as pregnancy, or certain medications you may be taking, such as high blood pressure medications. People who have had intestinal diseases or had sections of intestines removed due to disease or weight loss surgery also may be at risk for vitamin deficiencies. Alcoholics are also at high risk of having nutritional deficiencies.

One of the most common nutritional deficiencies is iron deficiency anemia. Your blood cells need iron in order to supply your body with oxygen, and if you donโ€™t have enough iron, your blood will not function properly. Other nutritional deficiencies that can affect your blood cells include low levels of vitamin B12, folate, or vitamin C.

Vitamin D deficiency may affect the health of your bones, making it difficult for you to absorb and use calcium (another mineral that you may not be getting enough of). Although you can get vitamin D by going out in the sun, many people with concerns about skin cancer may end up with low levels of vitamin D by not getting enough sun.

Other nutritional deficiencies include:

  • beriberi: low levels of vitamin B1 (found in cereal husks)
  • ariboflavinosis: low levels of vitamin B2
  • pellagra: low levels of vitamin B3
  • paraesthesia: low levels of vitamin B5 leading to a โ€œpins and needlesโ€ feeling
  • biotin deficiency: low levels of vitamin B7, which can be common in pregnancy
  • hypocobalaminemia: low levels of B12
  • night blindness: low levels of Vitamin A
  • scurvy: low levels of vitamin C
  • rickets: severe vitamin D and/or calcium deficiency
  • vitamin K deficiency
  • magnesium deficiency: occurs with certain medications and medical problems
  • potassium deficiency: occurs with certain medications and medical problems

Eating a balanced diet can help prevent these conditions. Vitamin supplements may be necessary for certain people, such as pregnant or nursing mothers and people with intestinal conditions.

Diseases and Conditions Influenced by Nutrition

Many health conditions are caused and/or affected by food and nutrition. Some are directly caused by food, such as โ€œfood poisoningโ€ or bacterial infections from contaminated food. Some people can have severe allergies to foods like peanuts, shellfish, or wheat (celiac disease). Gastrointestinal ailmentsโ€”such as irritable bowel syndrome, ulcerative colitis, and gastro esophageal reflux disease (GERD)โ€”are also directly affected by the consumption of food.

For other diseases and conditions, the type or quantity of food can influence the progress of the disease. Diabetes mellitus, for example, which results in the inability of the body to regulate blood sugar, is drastically affected by the types and quantities of food eaten. Carbohydrate intake has to be carefully monitored if you suffer from diabetes, or blood sugar can rise to dangerous levels. Other conditions affected by food and nutrition include:

  • Hypertension: Salt intake affects blood pressure.
  • Heart disease/high cholesterol: Fatty foods and partial hydrogenated oils can create plaque in arteries.
  • Osteoporosis: Low calcium, low vitamin D and excess fat can result in fragile bones.
  • Certain cancers: A poor diet and obesity are associated with increased risk of breast, colon, endometrial, esophageal, and kidney cancers.

Your food choices and nutritional status can influence your overall health over the entire course of your life.

Significance of Communication Skills in Business.

Developing communication skills can help many aspects of your life, from your professional career, to social gatherings, to your family life.In today’s hectic world, we are heavily dependent on sharing information, resulting in greater stress being placed on having good communication skills. Good  oral and written communication skills are essential in order to deliver and understand information quickly and accurately. Being able to communicate effectively is an essential life skill and should not be overlooked. On the contrary, poor communication skills can have a negative impact – a poorly delivered message may result in misunderstanding, frustration and in some cases disaster. Communication can be explained as the process of understanding and sharing meaning. To communicate well is to comprehend, and be understood. This can be accomplished in the following ways:

  • Verbally – your voice
  • Visually – e.g. images, graphs, maps, infographics
  • Non-verbally – e.g. body language, eye contact, gestures
  • Written โ€“ e.g. books, websites, emails

Listening is an important part of communication

Being able to actively listen is a salient communication skill. Itโ€™s easily neglected, as people tend to focus more on what they want to say, rather than listening to what the other person is saying. Knowing when to pause to allow the other person to talk is another salient skill. It conveys respect and a willingness to hear the other personโ€™s viewpoint. Paying attention to what the person in front of you is saying will help you and your colleagues have more open and useful exchanges, where each contributorโ€™s point of view is expressed and heard. This should give rise to a more positive working environment.

Importance of communication skills

1. Valued in the workplace

If you are seeking a new job or looking for a promotion with your current employer, you will almost certainly need to demonstrate good communication skills. Communication skills are needed to speak appropriately with a wide range of people whilst maintaining good eye contact, demonstrate a varied vocabulary and tailor your language to your audience, listen effectively, present your ideas appropriately, write clearly and briefly, and work well in a group. Most of these are essential business skills that employers seek.

2. In demand by businesses

Oral and written communication proficiencies are constantly ranked in the top ten desirable skills by employer surveys year after year. Employees are often motivated to take online courses and in-person training to enhance their presentation and communication skills.

3. Helps your career progression

You will have to request information, discuss problems, give instructions, work in teams, interact with colleagues and clients. If you are to achieve co-ordination and effective teamwork, good human relations skills are essential. Also, as the workplace is also becoming more global, there are various factors to consider if you are to communicate well in such a diverse environment. Being able to deliver messages clearly and comprehend what the other person means, work can be completed more effectively and to the benefit of the company as a whole. Employers need staff who can think for themselves, use initiative and solve problems, staff who are interested in the long-term success of the company. 

4. Builds better rapport with customers

Customers desire nothing more than being understood by a company and they wish to feel like they are being heard and listened to. This is a particularly a key point if your business involves a large amount of contact with customers, either face-to-face or over the phone.

5. Enhances your professional image

You want to make an exceptional first impression on your friends and family, instructors, and employer. All of them will want you to convey a positive image, as it reflects on them. In your career, you will represent your business or company in vocal and written form. Your professionalism and attention to detail will show positively on you and set you up for success.

Conclusion

The capability to communicate effectively with clients, colleagues and managers is essential, whatever sector you work in. Good communication enhances teams, inspires high performance and enhances the workplace culture. Always keep in mind, communication is a two-way process, so take notice of other people’s verbal and nonverbal signals as well as your own. By teaching yourself how to communicate more efficiently, youโ€™ll interact in a more constructive and productive manner, making the workplace a positive and thriving environment.

Productivity during this Quarantine

Currently the world is suffering a great loss during this corona pandemic. Every country suffers a great economic downfall and due to this various people across the globe are affected. People are restricted to go outside and hence automatically mostly over 60 percent people are affected because they are suffering by poverty. So i am gonna express some of the ways to use your time productively to earn some money.

APPLY WORK FROM HOME INTERN

Since you are in house , mostly you will be free for about 14 hours and if you apply for any short term intern like content writing , it becomes a way to earn and it also helps to develop your brain. So don’t sit and watch netflix, get up , take your mobile and apply for intern. If the result is positive then you will pass your time in a nice way.

NETWORK MARKETING

The term network marketing gives a easy meaning that anyone can earn money by making others buy products and making them to follow. It is indeed a good idea and it is also done by various people in order to earn an amount easily without putting effective work. Here there is no huge workload. You need to have a nice communicative skill here. Coz if you have a nice skill, your work pretty much easier here.

UPLOAD VIDEOS IN SOCIAL MEDIA

Many will have plenty of time. So don’t waste it, take your camera and start capture your skill and upload it in social medias like You tube. It will give a satisfaction of utilizing your time in an useful manner. Don’t think that it is a waste of time, your skill may get you various chances in that field . If you need to develop, you have to expose your skill. These are some methods only, you got various methods also, so dont stay useless during this period.

LEARN A COURSE

Since you’ve got a whole quarter year, it is a valuable time for you learn a new course. And if you learn now, you have no deadlines and no distractions, so you will be able to learn that course in a deep manner and hence that knowledge in that subject will definitely improve your skill . So forget about having fun and use this precious time.

CONCLUSION

“TIME IS PLENTY, BUT IT WILL RUN FAST, INVOLVE IN A NICE AND PROPER WAY”

Remedies for Emotional Exhaustion

โ–ท Emotional health and wellbeing - Everything you need to know | Adia

Detection is important and once you know what is wrong with you, you can seek ways to treat and help yourself. First and foremost, it is important to accept that you are not in your best condition to work and go on with your life. Physical ailments are easier to detect but thatโ€™s not the case with mental ailments like emotional exhaustion. Emotional exhaustion is the state of complete hopelessness and emotional detachment. It is not something that can be overlooked and needs to be treated for an individual to continue to be efficient in whatever he does. 

Read: 9 Signs of Emotional Exhaustion

A person can get emotionally exhausted due to an array of reasons, some of which are relationship troubles, demise of a loved one, job related and financial problems. In the current pandemic situation, everyone – from front-line healthcare workers to people who are working from home – must have felt a wave of exhaustion due to the uncertainty and new working conditions at some point. Some people must have rebounded without any efforts and the good news for those who didnโ€™t is, the condition can be reversed with some efforts.

Here is a list of things that you can do for mental and emotional replenishment:ย 

  1. Exercise and eat healthy

A healthy being can overcome anything. Exercising not only distracts you but the physical stress leads to release of happy hormones that elevate your mood. The pandemic might not allow you to hit the gym but you can still workout at home.

Read: 5 Ways to Stay Fit During Quarantine

Indigestion is a sign of emotional exhaustion and even if you feel like eating a lot or eating nothing at all, try and stick to a healthy, nutritious diet as it will not only energise you and make your gut happy but also help with your sleeping schedule and workout routine. Staying hydrated is also a must for a healthy body.

  1. Indulge in calming activities

Meditation and Yoga are a few activities that lead to peace of mind. They are also effective in helping with the blood pressure and heart rate which are associated with stress. There are a lot of breathing exercises in Yoga Asanas that can help the erratic breathing associated with panic attacks and just hyperventilation, 

A diary can become an outlet for everything that you are feeling and going through and you wonโ€™t have to worry about what it would think about you. 

  1. Distract yourself

Everything and everyone comes after your own well being. Take a break and do what makes you happy. If you think, nothing makes you happy, think again! Do something different, learn something new. Hang out with your friends and talk to them about their life. Knowing that other people have it rough too and what they do to fix their situation can not only make you feel that you are not the only one but also give you ideas. Maybe, what you need is a solo trip. Try out everything that can help openly.

  1. Actively seek help

Talk to someone – be it a therapist or a close friend. Sometimes you just want to feel validated and empathised with. The person may not advise you anything but having someone to talk to about and someone who would listen to your pain and agony will definitely help you feel better.

Qualitative Education

Qualitative education is a form of education which majorly lays emphasis on the need for children to learn practical knowledge along with theoretical. It focuses on skill building, creativity and innovative learning so as to provide an overall development for the children.

Currently, the education system is exam-centric and focuses more on quantitative and rote learning. This prevents an effective learning approach and also decreases active learning participation of students as well as of teachers.

The start of education should begin with ensuring that everyone can or is able to reach it. In any learning environment, be it school or any university, there should be no bias towards anyone on any basis.

After establishing the medium for education, it becomes necessary to keep a check on whether the given teaching methods are beneficial to the students. Children should be receptive to the style of learning and teaching, otherwise the education system needs to modify its provisions.

In a classroom of children, there are going to be many minds which think differently, process differently or maybe at different speeds and even communicate differently. It can be difficult to come to a conclusive method to meet everyoneโ€™s needs so what can be applied to cater to everyoneโ€™s needs?

There is no right and the only answer for it. There are many things involved in the process of learning and its success canโ€™t be attributed to any one method independently.

Firstly, students should be provided with an environment where they can approach their teachers and voice their difficulties and pose questions. Questions should be valued over answers so that they learn to be curious. It is okay to be incorrect about certain things but they should be able to grasp the concepts. The knowledge imparted should not be limited to text-books only. Students should be encouraged to search beyond it. They may end up finding many valuable sources, including educational videos. Classroom learning also can facilitate the development of a connected community. Children learn to co-exist in the same environment as many others. This leads to a better social development.

Assessment of what the student has learned is important to keep a track of the progress of the child but more often than not, these assessments turn out to be threatening and burdensome for the students so much that they dread coming to school. One thing should be accompanied with grading of the assessments is feedback. If they are not provided with feedback, they are never going to realize their mistakes and even end up repeating them. Also, labelling students on the basis of their grades should be avoided. This only instigates a feeling of envy and lack of self-confidence in the individuals. Moreover, the meaning of success should not rely solely on assessments. There should always be room for growth and development. Errors can be rectified if shaped by good guidance. In the end, all we are looking for is inculcating curiosity, creativity, persistence, confidence, priority and collaboration.

Personalized learning is likely the future, but for now, the responsibility for guiding students is almost entirely on the shoulders of the classroom teacher. This makes personalization a challenge. One response is to personalize learning by a variety of criteriaโ€”not just assessment results or reading level, but interest, readiness-for-content, and others as well.

If you put all of these things together after studying them from various different angles, there finally can be a good learning model designed to be effective for the learners according to their needs.

Inequality

When you have equal opportunity competition remains healthy but when some people are privileged and some are not it creates greed, jealousy, anger and many emotions among people. Inequation of society create inequality thus exploitation occur and misuse of power occur. To many people world doesn’t seem to be fair. Some people thing they are privileged to power and make other people suffer.


It act as barrier to the affected person it affects them thus show the injustice of humanity of the world and they have to live by the bubble.

Often people say rich gets richer and poor gets poorer it is because we do not spend our money in education. Right to education is a primary factor everybody should be educated and be able think about himself without being influenced the position of the person to get expoliated or able to protect from fishy scams.

Areas of social inequality include access to voting rights, freedom of speech and assembly, the extent of property rights and access to education, health care, quality housing, traveling, transportation, vacationing and other social goods and services.

Apart from that it can also be seen in the quality of family and neighbourhood life, occupation, job satisfaction, and access to credit.

If these economic divisions harden, they can lead to social inequality.The reasons for social inequality can vary, but are often broad and far reaching.

Social inequality can emerge through a society’s understanding of appropriate gender roles, or through the prevalence of social stereotyping.

Social inequality can also be established through discriminatory legislation.

Social inequalities exist between ethnic or religious groups, classes and countries making the concept of social inequality a global phenomenon.

Social inequality is different from economic inequality, though the two are linked.

Social inequality refers to disparities in the distribution of economic assets and income as well as between the overall quality and luxury of each person’s existence within a society, while economic inequality is caused by the unequal accumulation of wealth; social inequality exists because the lack of wealth in certain areas prohibits these people from obtaining the same housing, health care, etc. as the wealthy, in societies where access to these social goods depends on wealth.

Social inequality is linked to racial inequality, gender inequality, and wealth inequality.

The way people behave socially, through racist or sexist practices and other forms of discrimination, tends to trickle down and affect the opportunities and wealth individuals can generate for themselves.

What can a common man can do to prevent inequality?
One can point the finger out at the person when he sees injustice. Small differences create impact. Spread a word and make aware people about things

Dragonโ€™s Dislikeโ€ฆ

So is anybody else wondering why is China so mean towards us and why is it so non supportive selfish arrogant ignorant when it comes to India when at the same time India and china could make changes in the world economy by making the next super power to be situated in Asia as well as made by Asians. So whatโ€™s going down why is china behaving like India is her ex something like that huh? Itโ€™s because India is the only country in Asia which has the direct militant and soldier capacity in terms of man power may not be arsenals and weaponry(for now) at this point of time who can make some trouble for sovereign super power which China is aiming to achieve by the year 2050. So as we all know China knows the fact that as Indian government is in no mood to do something as to be loyal to Chinese govt so that’s why India is remaining as a country of threat to China. If anybody is wondering about those cease fire violations happening around the line of actual control around the Indo-China border is all an implication of this tussle with the Indian subcontinent. And at the same time India poses as a grave danger to China’s economy as China and India share the recognition of world’s first and second most populous countries respectively comprising of a quarter of the world’s population so the more India opens it’s markets to foreign investment and companies of other countries by avoiding Chinese goods and applications it will be causing lots of problems to China’s stance to be a super power which they are trying so hard to achieve in the near future by insisting on total inland production and avoiding any kind of export which may cause any problem to their local industries but as we all know if there is a wind for the sail there must be a hindrance by the waves so the boat may fall and may succeed it’s all in the hand of destiny.

Going further deep into the subject of China’s motive behind attacking India is not to showcase their power it’s to create unrest and chaos which affects India as it is actively trying to avoid any worsening of the border situation but if provoked the peacock will rise and we all know it will result in the most catastrophic war mankind has ever seen as there will be war of the worlds and this time with no mercy towards the use of nuclear weaponry. China’s another cause of displeasure towards Indian stability and presence is the India’s stand on the Belt and Road initiative(2013) which would have made China a a superpower in a very less amount of time but due to India’s denial to be part of this program has decreased China’s hold on the Asian diaspora and it’s grapple on the world’s largest democracy and international market as as a result of which Doklam Crisis came in to existence in 2017 and many more cease fire violations through out Indian and Chinese border also has happened let’s say are happening due to the result of India’s stand on Chinese motives. The same trend of an act of aggression was created in the United Nation Security Council’s meeting which was supposed to ban Jaish-e-mohammed terrorist organisation which caused the suicide bombing which happened in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir which killed around forty Indian para military forces on 14 February 2019 as in a manner China created many road blocks to not allow the banning of Jaish-e-mohammed terrorist organisation as by show casing support for it’s all weather ally Pakistan. Due to that same reason there is the cease fire violation happening again in the the Galwan valley which resulted in casualty of military personnel on both side. So in a manner China should understand this that neither their Country is going anywhere nor is India and as proud historical country with really strong military and pride a war is only going to result in the death of millions so a peaceful solution is needed to remove the increasing tensions on the line of actual control across the India China border and if not and the situation escalates as so demanded by China by these hostilities then we know what’s coming and then only thing we can chant will be god save us all.

IMPORTANCE OF PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL

1. Performance Feedback

Most employees are very interested in knowing how well they are doing at present and how they can do better in a future. They want this information to improve their performance in order to get promotions and merit pay. Proper performance feedback can improve the employee’s future performance. It also gives him satisfaction and motivation.

2. Employee Training and Development Decisions

Performance Appraisal information is used to find out whether an employee requires additional training and development. Deficiencies in performance may be due to inadequate knowledge or skills. For e.g. A professor may improve his efficiency by attending workshops or seminars about his subject. Performance appraisal helps a manager to find out whether he needs additional training for improving his current job performance. Similarly, if the performance appraisal results show that he can perform well in a higher position, then he is given training for the higher level position.

3. Validation of Selection Process

Performance appraisal is a means of validating both internal (promotions and transfers) and external (hiring new employees from outside) sources. Organisations spend a lot of time and money for recruiting and selecting employees. Various tools used in the selection process are application blanks, interviews, psychological tests, etc. These tools are used to predict (guess) the candidate’s performance on the job. A proper performance appraisal finds out the validity of the various selection tools and so the company can follow suitable steps for selecting employees in future.

4. Promotions

Performance appraisal is a way of finding out which employee should be given a promotion. Past appraisals, together with other background data, will enable management to select proper persons for promotion.

5. Transfers

Performance appraisal is also useful for taking transfer decisions. Transfers often involve changes in job responsibilities, and it is important to find out the employees who can take these responsibilities. Such identification of employees who can be transferred is possible through the performance appraisal.

6. Layoff Decisions

Performance appraisal is a good way of taking layoff decisions. Employees may be asked to lay off, if the need arises. The weakest performers are the first to be laid off. If there is no performance appraisal, then there are chances that the best men in the department may be laid off.

7. Compensation Decisions

Performance appraisal can be used to compensate the employees by increasing their pay and other incentives. This is truer in the case of managerial jobs and also in the case of employees in non-unionized organisations. The better performances are rewarded with merit pay.

8. Human Resource Planning (HRP)

The appraisal process helps in human resource planning(HRP). Accurate and current appraisal data regarding certain employees helps the management in talking decisions for future employment. Without the knowledge of who is capable of being promoted, demoted, transferred, laid off or terminated, management cannot make employment plans for the future.

9. Career Development

Performance appraisal also enables managers to coach and counsel employees in their career development.

THE IMPORTANCE OF HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT(HRM) IN ORGANIZATIONS

The Importance of HRM must be viewed through of overall strategic goals for the organization instead of a standalone tint that takes a unit based or a micro approach. The idea here is to adopt a holistic perspective towards HRM that ensures that there are no piecemeal strategies and the HRM policy enmeshes itself fully with those of the organizational goals.HRM becomes significant for business organization due to the following reasons.

Importance  of HRM are:

  1. Objective :-

HRM helps a company to achieve its objective from time to time by creating a positive attitude among workers. Reducing wastage and making maximum use of resources etc.

  1. Facilitates professional growth :-

Due to proper HR policies employees are trained well and this makes them ready for future promotions. Their talent can be utilized not only in the company in which they are currently working but also in other companies which the employees may join in the future.

  1. Better relations between union and management :-

Healthy HRM practices can help the organization to maintain co-ordinal relationship with the unions. Union members start realizing that the company is also interested in the workers and will not go against them therefore chances of going on strike are greatly reduced.

  1. Helps an individual to work in a team/group :-

Effective HR practices teach individuals team work and adjustment. The individuals are now very comfortable while working in team thus team work improves.

  1. Identifies person for the future :-

Since employees are constantly trained, they are ready to meet the job requirements. The company is also able to identify potential employees who can be promoted in the future for the top level jobs. Thus one of the advantages of HRM is preparing people for the future.

  1. Allocating the jobs to the right person :-

If proper recruitment and selection methods are followed, the company will be able to select the right people for the right job. When this happens the number of people leaving the job will reduce as the will be satisfied with their job leading to decrease in labor turnover.

  1. Improves the economy :

Effective HR practices lead to higher profits and better performance by companies due to this the company achieves a chance to enter into new business and start new ventured thus industrial development increases and the economy improves.

Social Support Network

Social support is a key component of psychological well-being. Family and close friend who turn up when you need them are a blessing to have. Social support improves the quality of life and give us a buffer against adverse life events.
Whether dealing with a critical situation in life or need some kind of assistance in life or be with people who love and admire you, these relationships play an important role. When in a stressful situation, social support gives us the courage to deal with it and perform better in life.

Social support however is not a one way street. If we are relying on others for emotional support, it is also our responsibility to provide them with the same level of support and comfort when they are in need.

Types of social support

Social support can take up different forms. Each of them are important in some way or other. The three types of social support are mentioned below,
โ€ข Emotional support: Some people in our life give us emotional support. They back us when we are in need. They motivate us and boast our confidence. They provide us with a shoulder to lean on when we are in need. This type of social support is extremely necessary when one is stressed or lonely.
โ€ข Instrumental support: Some people provide us with financial support when we need it most. They take care of our physical needs and provide us with helping hand when we are in extreme need.
โ€ข Informational support: People who provide us with guidance, information, advice and mentoring, are informational supporters. This kind of supports are very important when someone is taking a major life decision. Information from a valid source such as a close friend, a mentor or a guide help us reduce our anxiety level.
People in our social support network can take up one specific role like a teacher who provide us with informational support, or all the three roles like our parents .

Benefits of Social Support

Psychologist and mental health experts have always pointed out the importance of having a social support network. Having supportive family and friends satisfies an individual’s need for love and care. They motivate an individual to strive towards their goal.

Social support whether from an individual or a group can help an individual to reduce the psychological and physiological effects of stress. Social support provides a sense of belonging and security. Human beings are social creature, and it is our primitive instinct to crave for love and sense of belonging. Having a social support network satisfies that need.
Individuals who lack social support tend to be sad and lonely. They tend to be more vulnerable to mental disorders such as depression, anxiety, alcohol abuse, suicidal tendencies and so on. Researches have shown women with a close friend are less likely to be depressed in comparison to one who lacks a close friend.

Social support network have been literal life saver. People who get support from family, friends, peers are more likely to have less vulnerability to poor health and premature death. They are more likely to have immunity than one who lacks such support.

There is a direct relationship with social support network and wellbeing. People who have a good support network are more likely to deal with stressful stimulus, be it loss of job, bereavement, harassment, illness.

Conclusion

Having a close social support network is a blessing and needs to be nurtured. It is a two way process, give and take should go on simultaneously. Social support network helps you deal with your insecurities and make you an emotionally and physically secure individual.

Lockdown Productivity

It feels like an eternity that we are undergoing through this pandemic. While lockdown and social distancing is important, it has bought a major toll on peopleโ€™s mental health. We are all locked in our houses for more than three months now. We have to physically isolate ourselves from friends, school, college and so on.

Lockdown can be a difficult time , and for most it is. No one is used to isolation. However, dealing with this time productively is of utmost importance. If we set schedule and organise our time properly, we can make the most of this lockdown.
Due to this lockdown we are stuck in our houses. We have two options open to us, whether to crib about this lockdown while scrolling through social media or to use this time to learn something new and to revisit the old hobbies.

If latter is your choice, then here are some ways we can make the most of this lockdown and be the better versions of ourselves.

Things to do during this lockdown

โ€ข Set goals: The first step of being productive is setting goals. Not only term goals, but focus on one day at a time. Productivity is a process. Though we have free time, but that doesnโ€™t mean we have to keep working all 24 hours. Productivity is the goal, over exhausting isnโ€™t. Depending on your goal, set to do list for the day.
โ€ข Learning something new: Learning something new is always good, not only we learn a new skill, but we also become more confident. You can learn a new language or a new skill. You can get enrolled in some online training course like digital marketing, graphic designing, language and so on.
โ€ข Schedule me time: Due to our daily hustle of fast moving life we do not get enough opportunity to spend some time with ourselves. This lockdown can help us to be more close to our true selves. It has given us ample amount of time to introspect ourselves, our wants, our needs. Thus having ‘me time’ during this lockdown is a must.
โ€ข Developing new hobbies and revisiting old ones: Dance, sing, draw, write, do whatever you enjoy. Explore your creative talent this lockdown. Nothing can be more fulfilling then doing what you truly enjoy. Use this lockdown to connect this those lost hobbies.
โ€ข Invest on yourself: Reading a good book, exercising, meditating, eating healthy are some ways we can invest on ourselves. Attaining physical and psychological well-being should be our aim in this lockdown.
โ€ข Clean your room: Doing this will not only make your room look organised, but you will also make your mother happy. Cleaning your room has other perks like you might find your lost childhood album or dairies and so much more.

Toxic Productivity

One of the most important thing to keep in mind while striving for productivity during this lockdown is not to over exhaust ourselves. It is worth remembering that we are dealing with a pandemic, being productive 24ร—7 is not possible. Setting unrealistic goals will just disappoint you and nothing more. Toxic productivity does little for quality of work and life.
Toxic productivity is our unhealthy obsession with productivity. A toxic productive person thinks their work are never ending and never enough. It is the obsession with work where quantity matter more than quality.

Signs of toxic productivity are as follows:
โ€ข You are so overloaded with work that it impacts your personal relationships
โ€ข Having unrealistic expectations from work
โ€ข Being restless and never satisfied with work

Deal with toxic productivity

Dealing with toxic productivity is very important for us, to be a satisfied and secured individuals. Some important key to deal with toxic productivity are as follows:
โ€ข Set realistic goals
โ€ข Take breaks
โ€ข Meditate
โ€ข Connect with family and friends
โ€ข Get some accountability

Conclusion

Thus, our goal in this lockdown is to use this time efficiently. To be productive but not over exhaust ourselves. Focusing on daily productivity and not comparing your progress with that of others. Everyone is having a tough time and everyone is dealing with it differently. Having unproductive days are nothing bad, rather taking break is necessary. Lastly work of being ‘ Better versions of yourselves’.

Superstition is the religion of feeble minds

The word “Superstition ” is generally referred to a such belief which are beyond reasons and cannot be explained with scientific point of view .

Since times immemorial superstitions have been prevailed on this earth and millions of people believe in them, while many who believe on science also laugh on superstition facts and ignore them.

It is important to understand various reasons for the birth of superstitions . Illiteracy, lack of knowledge and incapacity to reason out are the basis which generate superstitions. Something which is mysterious, unknown and unexplainable may arouse feeling of fear and anxiety. The fear in its turn gives rise to blind faith, complexes and superstitions. The sense of some insecurity, fear of I’ll luck and the dread of unknown forces in the universe are ingrained in human nature.

All the people in the world share some common superstitions. Believing in spirits, ghosts, and witches, the cries of owl and ravens and mewing of cats (black one) ,are superstitions followed all over the globe, even walking under a ladder is believed to bring bad luck in some countries ,while sneezing is also considered as a bad omen by many people. The people in the western countries still regards number ’13’ as an unlucky number.

Looking towards a country like India, it is a country of diverse culture and traditions, as well as lot of superstitions. We see them all around every day.

A cat crossing One’s path, a sneeze or when someone interrupts or calls while one is going out are considered as bad signs. Similar, there are auspicious and inauspicious days. People consult astrologers and priests to know the auspicious hours and days to start their work, project, etc. The time and date of marriage, inauguration are fixed according to the advice of astrologers and the position of the planets and stars.

Apart from this the worst form of superstitions followed in India is human sacrifice. Small children are sacrificed in the name of offerings to God and to become wealthy. Even animals are sacrificed for the same purpose in some Hindu religion. Thus, it is not wrong to say that superstitions have made human being more or less inhuman. They poison the mind fatally and suppress the basic instinct to think and use reason. They implant an ideology of slavish servility and paralyse the will and mind. They stifle self – reliance and deter people from living creatively and productively.

Now the question is arise that even after vast scientific developments, what is the place of superstition in the society? The Indian constitution talks about eradication of superstition through the fundamental duty in Article 51A.

  • It states to develop scientific temper, humanism and spirit of inquiry and reform. To completely eradicate superstition from the society it is important to change the mindset of the people.
  • Apart from this spiritual leaders ,cutting across religions ,should be the helmsman in creating awareness among the public about various I’ll effects of superstitions.
  • In today’s scientific world, it is necessary that we do not blindly follow all the superstitions passed on by our ancestors. We are modern ,both in our outlook and the age we are in. It is important for us to have a judicious look for some logical reason behind every superstition before accepting it.
  • We would then be able to give up those superstitions which have no rationality and applications in today’s life. It is only in this way that we can lead a normal life as knowledge grows superstitions die.

10 Ways to Prep for a Great New Semester

You might be thinking about the start of the new semester and asking yourself, โ€œWait. Didnโ€™t the last semesterย just end?โ€
Letโ€™s face it; school isnโ€™t easy. It takes time, dedication and grit. And you might be finding yourself running short on all three.
Donโ€™t let new semester dread tangle you in its web. With a little reflection and organization, youโ€™ll find yourself prepped for the new challenges ahead and one (big) step closer to graduation day.
1. Hit โ€œrefreshโ€ on your focus
Remind yourself of why came here in the first place. Maybe you were you looking for a better career or a better life for your family.ย Chances are those reasons still as important as they were the day you decided to enroll.ย 
2. Lean on your friends
You shouldnโ€™t keep any worries about a new semester to yourself. Talk to your support circle. Sometimes all we need is to hear ourselves talk about our fears out loud and realize that they werenโ€™t that scary after all.
3. Beat the clock
Donโ€™t give into procrastination. Set your alarm to get to campus or log into class 15 minutes earlier than you normally would. Youโ€™ll leave yourself some buffer time in case you run into any minor setbacks. If you have extra time on your hands, great! Introduce yourself to new classmates or brush up on the syllabus.
4. Clear the clutter
Take some time to clean up. Delete old files, recycle old notebooks and let go of that giant 5-ring binder that you might use one of these semesters.ย Click hereย for more tips on cleaning up your study space.
5. Set SMART goals
Have you heard of theย  S.M.A.R.T method? Itโ€™s one of the most practical tools for creating realistic and achievable goals. The idea is only to set goals that are smart, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely. Avoid vague goals like, โ€œIโ€™m going to get better grades this semester.โ€ Instead, try something along the lines of, โ€œIโ€™m going to finish the outline for my final paper by the Monday before midterms.โ€ย  ย 
6. Review your best work
Itโ€™s easy to hang onto failures and even easier to forget about the great work weโ€™ve already accomplished. Pull out that awesome paper you wrote last semester and remind yourself that YOU ROCK.
7. Read success stories
You might still be looking for that extra boost of motivation. Check out success stories of graduates who already did what youโ€™re doing today. Check out some of ourย graduate stories.
8. Log In
ย Take some time to catch up on your emails, reread your syllabus, make sure you submitted any pre-course assignments, and even get a head start on readings for week one. Youโ€™ll thank yourself later!
9. Stock your shelves
Take a trip to the grocery store and stock up on healthy snacks like fruits, veggies, nuts and even dark chocolate. Pack a snack in advance for that long class or study session. Youโ€™ll feel nourished and better able to concentrate. ย 
10. Set a schedule
Is your old planner battered and bruised? Maybe itโ€™s time to buy a new one. Or you can check out free online tools likeย Todoistย orย Google Calendar. Whichever tool you choose, be sure to set aside some time each day for studying and participating in class.
We hope these tips will help you kick-start the semester with a renewed sense of focus and ambition. If youโ€™re still feeling that new semester dread, reach out to your student services advisor. Weโ€™re here to help. Always remember that each new challenge brings you one step closer to the end goal – walking across that stage!
Kristen Brady, M.S. Guidance and Counseling, is the Associate Director of Student Services for Herzing University โ€“ Online. Her favorite part of her job is helping students build a better life for themselves and their families. Other than helping students achieve their own, Kristenโ€™s goals include visiting each national park throughout her lifetime.ย