The Most Shocking Modern Technology Inventions The Majority Of People Still Aren't Aware Of

It is not surprising that modern technology has significantly revolutionized human lives. It has eased the burden of the slave but simultaneously made us its slave. Our reliance on modern equipment has increased excessively in the past decades. Through this piece of writing, we explore some of such appalling inventions of modern time.  

An intelligent umbrella which not only lets you know when it's raining but can also notify you if you've accidentally wandered off without it. This umbrella also can share data with other smart umbrellas for cloud sourcing data to ensure it's accurate.

A Skill-Building Robot- it is designed to help boost the social and emotional skills of 5- to 10-year-old. Such robot is for children to find a compassionate pal who encourages reading/ drawing and sends them on missions meant to spur engagement with adults, siblings, and peers, such as better communication and talking about feelings. 

Brain-Box AI- Built for the Climate, the AI system uses data like weather forecasts to predict a building’s thermal conditions, then adjusts its cooling/ heating output accordingly. The technology now controls temperatures for more than 40 million sq. ft. of building space. It can help in reduce carbon footprints by as much as 20% to 40%.

The P&P Waste Paper Processor is a device that recycles paper into pencils by rolling and compressing paper around a piece of pencil lead with a small amount of adhesive. That’s incredible …isn’t it?

Bluetooth Masks is an N95 mask wired for sound. The past year has compelled us all to cover our faces. Users can use its Bluetooth function to make calls, request a song from their music library, or issue commands to voice assistants like Alexa. 

These were a few interesting items that we found fascinating. The list of such inventions and upcoming technology seems endless. Some of these would have looked utterly alien in the past but now they seem completely practical. 

Alas, I would like to highlight on the need to incorporate environment friendly technology. We as humans should strive to create a world with more compassion, cooperation and commitment towards saving earth and humanity. 

From Homeschooling to Successful Careers; An Overview With Relevant Examples

Growing technological advancement along with the global coronavirus pandemic have disrupted the functioning of schools. About a billion children all over the world are forced to do homeschooling, schools closing and reopening became the new normal in the past two years. After the second wave subsided children went back to schools with masks and shorter duration classes, but the rising omicron cases have locked them into homes once again. 

Though the concept of homeschooling isn't entirely new, there have been famous people who were homeschooled due to some reasons but these non-conventional students experienced extraordinary success in their lives.  For Example, we all know Thomas Edison the American inventor we all know him by his invention of the light bulb apart from that he also contributed to the modern age of electricity, phonograph, carbon button transmitter, and so on. At an early age, he developed hearing problems along with his imaginative and inquisitive wit he was considered unfit for school. Thus, his mother who was a teacher took him out and taught him at home. He took various jobs like selling newspapers, operating telegraphs, etc., and eventually experimenting in his home-based Edison laboratory gifted the world with remarkable innovations. 

Not only Edison but many famous presidents of the US like Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, Franklin D. Roosevelt, etc. were homeschooled. Famous writer Agatha Christie was homeschooled till the age of 11.

There are numerous examples in today's world too, those who are not ready for that rote, rigorous formal education system opts the home education where they can learn according to their own talents and capabilities and can focus on better on Co scholastic areas. As 21st century needs skills which I feel is lagging in students especially in the overall education system be it at the school level or higher education. Even if there is a growing trend that students preparing for competitive exams after 12th grade don't attend school classes and take coaching and tuitions. This is more or less homeschooling.  Thus, it's a wake-up call for our curriculum officials to make the formal education system more accommodative of 21st century needs. 

E-Learning As A Revolutionizing Agent In The Current Educational System

The sudden Covid-19 outbreak poses a threat to humanity. The pandemic has disrupted the normal life of people globally. It has not only brought changes in economic, political activities but also a massive change can be seen in the education system. Due to the outbreak of the pandemic, governments all over the world have announced nationwide lockdown in their respective countries to control the spreading of the virus.

In such a situation our advanced technology has been solving the problem of teaching and the learning process. The recent development in Technology has made e-learning possible. What is E-learning? “E-learning also referred to as online learning, is the acquisition of knowledge which takes place through electronic technologies and media” (Abernathy, 2020).

A big thanks to the recent technology for it provided the students and teachers a new way of academic continuation through online-classes. E-learning has the potential to revolutionise the learning and teaching process. It has altered the communication process between academicians. There is no doubt that e-learning has brought tremendous alteration in the educational system but the consequences of such a learning can be viewed from two different perspective regarding its pros and cons and whether or not it has really revolutionized the education system.

FOR (in favor of e-learning)

E-learning has totally brought a break from the traditional way of academic learning. The entire world has now adapted to this new dimension of learning due to its advantageous changes. E-learning has provided for new opportunities to personalised-learnings. Students and teachers need not be physically present for classes or any academic meeting. The platforms like Google meet and Zoom are main tools where such academic interaction occurs.

The traditional mode of learning demands high costs input not just for universities but also for the students and teachers who have to travel from far off places to their respective colleges and universities. That is not the case in E-learning, where individuals can save time and money because of work from home and even universities put lesser input as compared to the physical mode of classroom learning. E-learning has also introduced us to an eco-friendly way of learning. Lack of traffic and lack of physical learning has resulted into less paper production as most of the materials are provided in a pdf or a word document format. On the other hand, students in physical mode of learning consumes high rate of paper and high transportation which contributed to more waste and increased air pollution.

Another change brought by E-learning is that it provided a better support for the differently abled students who could not give their 100% in the Traditional classroom learning. Such an opportunity is the result of three modes of learning styles under E-learning – Auditory learning, visual learning and kinesthetic learning.  

This system of education favored ‘Online Based Examination’ (OBE) which is much better than the physical mode of examination because students can sit for exams in the comfort of their own houses. E-learning enable re-scheduling the time of person’s task whereas in a physical mode of learning there is a strict routine and time schedule for classes as well as for meetings. The objective of providing a quality education (which is also the Sustainable Development 4^th goal) during this pandemic is fulfilled by the E-learning process.

Various technicians, thinkers and advocates earlier vision a digital learning society which seems to be turning into reality today. Even before the Covid-19 pandemic, people could hardly imagine a life where the entire world could be engaged into a lifestyle where digital learning would dominate and become a primary mode of learning. So, a massive change can be seen in our education system through the e-learning which truly is a revolutionizing agent in the current education system.

 

AGAINST

Opponents of the e-learning process claim that the changes resulting out of such a process has more of negative consequences and is therefore not suitable for the current educational system. Many oppose the statement that online learning provides quality education to all sections of population. E-learning process has resulted in inequality through digital provide. It hasn’t solved the problem of the poor in getting more educational accessibility. Instead, E-learning has resulted into widening the gap between the rich and the poor due to the limited access to internet. In such cases the only option left for the students is to use public Wifi.

There is also limited interaction in an online-teaching whereas in the physical mode of classroom learning students interact face to face with the teachers and are more active. This is the reason why many students speak out how the urge to study is lost. OBE mode is another reason why cheating among the students is increasing as there are no teachers to monitor and messaging platforms like WhatsApp became the main application for notes sharing.

Trying to bring the college/school life at home is not that easy when it comes to time management. Household chores and other home activities might be a hindrance or disturbances for students while studying and attending online classes.  Apart from this there are other negative sides of e-learning and is not suitable for providing quality education.

Also, E-learning cannot be called a revolutionizing agent because even though there are changes taking place in our education system, the changes are minor and cannot be called as a revolutionary change because even before the pandemic digital learning existed and even when the pandemic gets over it is more likely that many countries will go back to the traditional method of teaching and learning process. The changes are minor changes and hence temporary.

Keeping in view both the perspective, the pros and cons of e-learning are both equally important for bettering our education system. Even the society we live is highly dynamic and so is our education sector. Some may welcome the changes in the system while others may find it difficulty in accepting the changes.

However, looking at the current situation e-learning seems to be the only way of taking forward our academic learnings. The fact that e-learning has given our education a new dimension cannot be denied. Whether the changes are revolutionary changes or not are still a highly discussed topic in today’s time. The answer to which lies in the time when the world gets back to normalcy.

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Abernathy, Donna J. 2020. “Online learning is not the next big thing; it is the now big thing”.

Boulton, H. “Managing e-learning: what are the real implications for schools?” The Electronic Journal of e-learning Volume 6 Issue 1, pp. 11-18, www.ejel.org

 

 

The Great Barrier & The Reef

According to the internet, we have lost over half the population of the Great Barrier Reef. It has suffered five mass bleaching events that are caused by rise in ocean temperatures. As the name suggests, there has been a great barrier hindering the survival of the reefs. What is the barrier? It is believed that the greatest barrier to its existence is climate change. However, a group of self-proclaimed scientists have done a joint research and concluded that human beings are to blame. The results showed that a variety of illnesses possessed by a number of human beings is the cause. However, we shall only discuss two common ones. The list of the diseases can be found in Research Window.

The first illness is Blamegame Syndrome; this is quite prevalent among policy makers, although ordinary citizens have been reported to show signs too. The major symptoms involve failure to provide solutions and blaming others for mistakes that have occurred. One study has showed that fossil fuel industries have been diagnosed with The Blamegame Syndrome, at this rate things are proving difficult as we know they do contribute a great share to its destruction.

The other most prevalent disease is the Renege Syndrome, the major symptom is failure to do something that you have promised. Studies have shown that decision makers are more likely to set good policies but very unlikely to follow them. With the rate at which decision makers are spitting sweet policies and promises at various conventions we are very much likely to get cavities. What’s even sad is that they have written humongous books only for it to be kept on shelves to accumulate dust.

It has been concluded that for as long as man continues to have those diseases, then we shall witness the death of the Great Barrier Reef and eventually our own extinction if we continue destroying life on planet.

Scientists have provided two major solutions to the illnesses one is taking drugs and the other is exile of the infected to Mars. On the bright side none of the illnesses is contagious and if you’re diagnosed it is recommended you take SRAS otherwise known as  Scientific Research Articles two times a day till the symptoms disappear or do some serious reflections (it is recommended to be taken simultaneously with SRAS) . To avoid generic ones, it is advised to shop them from your local library or university. 

Exile of the infected to Mars has caused a heated discussion and we recently received communications from The Undertaker, the President of Mars, he/she stated, “It’s rather preposterous that human being know more about Mars than they do their home. We wish to convey that we have forgone the invasion of the Earth as it’s almost a dead planet and of no benefit to us. We will appreciate if human stay out of our planet and learn to fix their problems.”

Researchers are hoping that man can learn a thing or two from the speech by The Undertaker. Researchers have also proved that Unicorns and Fairies exists on Mars but have failed to save the Great Barrier Reef.

Sustainability in Action: Seafood Industry

Oceans all over the world have acted as the primary source of livelihood for over three billion people. In fact, fish continues to be one of the most traded food commodities worldwide. However, “Is the fishing industry really as sustainable as they portray themselves to be?”

Did you know that 70.8% of the earth’s surface is covered by water? With four major oceans, holding about 96.5% of all the earth's water. These marine biomes encompass a wide variety of marine species, not to mention, they also diversified into different zones giving the necessary support required for the proliferation of marine life. Moreover, oceans play a leading role in global systems, making Earth habitable for humankind. 

For the past decades, oceans all over the world have acted as the primary source of livelihood for over three billion people. In fact, fish continues to be one of the most globally traded food products. However, as fishing industries partake in the cycle of production and consumption, many continue to question, “Is the fishing industry really as sustainable as they portray themselves to be?” 

The global fish production may have been able to supply 156 million tons of seafood for human consumption, but at what cost. At the current time, demand for seafood and advances in technology have led to fishing practices that caused marine populations around the world to decline at a rate that may soon result in a collapse of the world’s fisheries. It is undeniable that aside from the skyrocketing consumption, a continuous deterioration of coastal waters owing to pollution, overfishing, and climate change are the other challenges faced by the fishing industry. Due to this realization, many have switched to more sustainable methods of fishing but with it comes new economic challenges. 

To begin, seafood production comprises two methods, specifically, wild fish catch and aquaculture. Wild fish catch, as its name pertains to, is the harvesting of already existing populations of fish, shellfish, and other aquatic animals. On the other hand, aquaculture is the purposeful cultivation and subsequent harvesting of both freshwater and marine animals. Although both types of methods have its benefits, it does not come without downsides of its own.

First, fishes caught in the wild are less likely to contract diseases because they live in their natural environment. Secondly, less treatment and monitoring are performed in their habitat, leaving them free to thrive. Third, since fishes continue to hunt for their next meal, they have a more diverse diet. Unfortunately, wild-caught fishes have their disadvantages. 

First, there are several species of wild fish that are depleting in number and even close to extinction due to overfishing. Secondly, there are a number of fishing sectors that utilize destructive fishing methods which allow ships to make a big catch in such a short period of time. Examples of these harmful fishing techniques include dynamite fishing and bottom trawling which is extremely destructive as it alters the seafloor, destroying entire habitats as the ship tows the trawl. Every year bottom trawling destroys an average of 81.5 tons of deep-sea corals and sponge ecosystems that may take as long as a millennium to develop. 

On the other hand, farm-raised fishes are raised in a controlled environment. Their homes are man-made tanks above the ground or pens that are placed in large bodies of water. The first advantage of fish farming is that it allows for cheaper access to fish. Secondly, aquacultures have proven to be capable of meeting the rising demands of the population. 

However, the emergence of aquacultures can also serve as breeding grounds for unsustainable practices which will eventually bring about adverse impacts on the state of the marine environment. First, it is more probable for farm-raised fish to have higher contamination which in turn, can harm consumers. Secondly, farmed fishes are more prone to diseases due to unhygienic farming conditions. Third, high antibiotic use in farm-raised fish is common, which, unfortunately, are passed along to consumers. Fourth, fish farms can pose a threat to the condition of natural habitats of native fishes through the pollution of local waters.

In conclusion, both farm-raised and wild-caught fishes have their gains and losses. The nutrition quality of seafood largely depends on what the fish eats. Wild-caught fishes have a varied diet; thus, offering a wider variety of nutrients. In contrast, farm-raised fishes may eat the same diet, day after day. However, it all depends on the fish farm as the diet could consist of the farms’ fortified feed resulting in higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids. 

Moreover, aquaculture seafood is not immediately guaranteed to be sustainable since some practices include the overfishing of wild fish to feed to the farmed fish. That is why choosing whether to support farm-raised fishes or wild-caught fishes, will still mainly depend on the fishing practices and methods of the fishery in raising and catching seafood.

In relation to the Sustainable Development Goals, responsible fishing practices are a key feature to building a sustainable ocean economy. Marine biodiversity is truly critical to the health of the people and our planet; thus, marine protected areas need to be effectively managed and well-resourced with stringent quality control procedures. 

Supplementary environmental legislations must also be implemented since in an absence of adequate regulations and laws, environment conservation cannot be fully realized. This will not only help reduce overfishing and marine pollution, both of which threaten the contribution of the sector but also encourage the fisheries to adhere to sustainable practices when raising and harvesting their fish. Doing so will ensure a food secure future and a stable source of livelihood for all.

Bibliography:

Destructive Fishing. Accessed June 25, 2021. https://marine conservation.org/media/shining_sea/theme_fishing.htm.

“FAO.org.” Fishery commodities classification | Coordinating Working Party on Fishery Statistics (CWP) | Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed June 25, 2021. http://www.fao.org/cwp-on-fishery-statistics/handbook/socio-economic-data/fishery-commodities-classification/en/.

 Fisheries, NOAA. “Global Aquaculture.” NOAA, June 8, 2021. https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/aquaculture/global-aquaculture.

 Manyi-Loh, Christy, Sampson Mamphweli, Edson Meyer, and Anthony Okoh. “Antibiotic Use in Agriculture and Its Consequential Resistance in Environmental Sources: Potential Public Health Implications.” Molecules (Basel, Switzerland). MDPI, March 30, 2018. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6017557/.

“Take Action for the Sustainable Development Goals – United Nations Sustainable Development.” United Nations. United Nations. Accessed June 25, 2021. https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/.

The distribution of water on, in, and above the Earth. Accessed June 25, 2021. https://www.usgs.gov/media/images/distribution-water-and-above-earth#:~:text=About%2071%20percent%20of%20the,in%20you%20and%20your%20dog.

“The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2020.” www.fao.org. Accessed June 25, 2021. http://www.fao.org/state-of-fisheries-aquaculture.

“Wild Caught vs. Farm-Raised Fish: Which Is Better?: Eco Caters.” Best Catering in San Diego, Los Angeles, & DC | Eco Caters, July 31, 2019. https://www.ecocaters.com/blog/wild-caught-vs-farm-raised-fish-which-is-better/.

Small Island Developing States (SIDS) & Marine Security Problems

 The Small Island Developing States or SIDS is a distinct group comprising of 38 UN member states and 20 non-UN Members of the United Nations regional commissions. These regions are currently at risk in terms of social, economic and environmental domains. 

The SIDS are located in the Caribbean, the Pacific and the Atlantic, Indian Ocean and the South China Sea. The regions are rich sources for wildlife and flora diversity but at the same time face adverse aftereffects due to constant degradation in the environment. Keeping in view their environment and development, the United Nations in 1992 recognized their special case at the Conference held in Rio de Janeiro.

Having proximity and easy access to the massive water bodies around them works both ways - in and against their favor. Although there is a large scale production and investment in marine resources, the states are steadily losing their sole source of economic advantage due to climate change-induced biodiversity loss and hence exposure to global environmental challenges. The trading channels facilitating import-export between these states and the rest of the world turn out to be highly expensive and cost-ineffective. Mainly because of their remoteness and seclusion from the thriving international markets, the states ought to suffer huge economic losses especially during times of natural calamities when their sole breadwinner, that is, the produce from the ocean is at stake. The ocean covers up at least 28 times the landmass in these regions giving them a tag of Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ).

But with technological augmentation and deeper marine exploration for natural resources, the already fragile oceans’ ecosystem has been deteriorating over time. Hurricanes and storms following worsening climate change have threatened residents' livelihood - “Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Maria, and Nate turned the 2017 tropical cyclone season into one of the deadliest and most devastating of all time, destroying communications, energy and transport infrastructure, homes, health facilities and schools.” Biodiversity holds utmost importance in the economical and spiritual lives of the communities residing on the landlocked islands as a rich source of revenue and food, but their heavy dependence on the marine resources and international traffic, a high growth rate of population, less resilience to calamities and lack of strong communication networks are pushing these regions to a declining phase of economic sustainability.

These biodiversity hotspots being disconnected from the mainstream media and the world are also susceptible to illegal activities and threats ranging from ‘traditional armed conflict to transnational crime and piracy, illicit exploitation of natural resources, climate change and climate-related natural disasters, and uneven development.’

These regions, unfortunately, act as a budding spot for illegal trafficking of drugs, weapons and even people that creates unwanted hindrances for the residents as well. The oceans become a breeding spot for possible transnational crime including robbery, terrorism etc and piracy with limited power status and capabilities of the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs). The area also caters to illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) exploitation of the marine ecosystem raising a genuine concern for livelihood and economy. With an increase in the levels of greenhouse gases, effects of global warming are rampant in almost all the nations, but SIDS being in close proximity to oceans face the threat of impending disasters due to the melting of icebergs eventually leading to a rise in the sea level.

The regions may have been given unique status but there is a lack of international exposure and networking, limited resources and geographical boundaries and lack of financial independence. Despite the enforcement of counter-terrorism measures or non-proliferation obligations, their limited resources continue to drain evasively.

Ṭherefore, there is an ample number of threats to the peace and security of the residents and with the rise in illegal marine exploration the abundant natural resources are also on the verge of being endangered. Being small nations with limited capabilities and power dynamics, the SIDS truly require the attention of the multilateral institutions to emancipate them from financial and political restrictions and instead work in harmony to safeguard the international interests as well as the well-being of residents paving the way to termination of terrorism and other illicit operations that threaten the very sustenance of the landlocked islands and flourish as independent, futuristic flagbearers of maritime imports and exports.

 

References

1. July 2015 monthly forecast about ‘Security Challenges for Small Island Developing States.’
2. About SIDS-UN-OHRLLS (unohrlls.org)
3.  Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States. (https://www.un.org/ohrlls/content/about-small-island-developing-states)
4. United Nation’s resolutions on SIDS (http://www.unesco.org/new/en/natural-sciences/priority-areas/sids/about-unesco-sids/resolutions-on-sids/)

 

 

Humankind, Technology Augmentation and Everything In Between

“While the future is unknowable, the winds always blow in the direction of human progress.”     - Barack Obama

Today if you ask a layman about the first time when technology was introduced to humankind, they certainly won’t be able to put a finger on the exact date. But as soon as you hit the search engines online, an immediate response flashes, “Two million years ago- the stone age”.

It is fascinating to see that humanity has evolved so much, right from the pre-historic stone age to today’s highly advanced AI. In terms of agility, spontaneity and adaptability, our creations have also come a long way. 

Technology, a viable and crucial source in today’s era, has exceeded humane expectations and capabilities. Automation has completely taken over ancient human efforts, paving the way to a highly progressive state of affairs. In recent years, technological advancement has created a permanent place that has now turned into more of a ‘need’ to function in day-to-day lives.

The basic aim of the technology innovation was to reduce humane efforts through the use of science and create a superficial humane aid that carries out all the hardcore & strenuous jobs. Now, while the trepidation about this whole scenario was just among the workforce, its introduction and special abilities excited the capitalists. Right from the first water-powered machine to be ever made in the 4th century, to speculations regarding the term ‘supercomputers’ in the 1920s leading to the US creation of the world’s first supercomputer (CDC 6600) in 1964, it is safe to say the endless efforts were worthwhile.

Since then, humanity has never looked back. Every day we come across new inventions in the science and technology field, another tech or an AI is introduced to further lessen the human efforts. Technology and its rapid upgradation in all the sectors of the economy have undoubtedly made working more efficient and less burdensome. We are surrounded by unwaveringly surrounded by technology and artificial intelligence. The device you are reading this on? A highly advanced tech- The refrigerator to store all your perishables? Constantly evolving electronic device-a tech, the Fitbit showing your heartbeat and stamina level? A newly formed AI.  In 1937, the American sociologist Read Bain wrote that "technology includes all tools, machines, utensils, weapons, instruments, housing, clothing, communicating and transporting devices and the skills by which we produce and use them." Amazing, isn’t it? If one would have travelled back in time to convey humanity’s advancement in future, the early men might have considered them lunatic!

There’s so much more to the technological sphere than that meets our eyes. In the current fast-paced world where the clock is ticking too fast, having an AI by your side saves a huge proportion of your time. All your requirements are one click away. With the introduction of AI like Alexa and Siri, one can easily operate and surf the internet just through voice modulation. Needless to say, technology helps us communicate better with more mobility options. The entire world evolved from sending handwritten letters to sending direct messages via social media platforms. Thanks to the ever-engaging innovations by technology enthusiasts, our society is slowly heading towards a cashless and purely online based system. Technology has positively impacted millions across the globe and helped them in specializing in their domains, learning through lived experiences, getting insights into new skills and research programs. More or less, it has enabled the masses to look beyond the realms of reality and build something totally new. Technology has given wings to innovations and new hope for the sustainable survival of humankind.

Recently, the British Navy was seen testing newly formed jetpacks in the sea of their operation which confirms the fact that the future technology will encompass all human limitations and evolve to an entirely new level.

 “Technology is a useful servant but a dangerous master.”-Christian Lous Lange, Historian

The advantages of technology augmentation may be incomparable to its cons but even a child knows that too much of something is dangerous. All the significant technological developments to date have left humankind awestruck with a hope for further explorations. This greed of ‘wanting more’ over the generations have had a bad influence on the young, developing minds. The feeling of achieving greater heights and exploring the unexplored has taken a serious toll on health and has made every need insatiable. Taking an instance of - “MARS Mission’. 

It has recently popped up in news articles that NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) is planning to send a crew to Mars exploration mission by the year 2030. At first, the mere possibility of humankind travelling beyond light years seems unreal but as we come to terms with the sheer advanced mechanized era we exist in, the question of expanding humane boundaries comes into play. Even with extremely augmented AI and robotics, nations worldwide have failed to discover the depths of our oceans. According to the National Ocean Service, it’s a shockingly small percentage. Just 5 per cent of Earth’s oceans have been explored and charted – especially the ocean below the surface. The rest remains mostly undiscovered and unseen by humans. At this point, humankind has explored more portion of space than the big blue bodies back at home.^[1]

Another great disadvantage of technology is certainly the sense of dependency it creates. Artificial Intelligence created personal assistants like aforementioned Alexa and Siri might be playing you the best of music tracks but their use in front of children encourages the notion of ‘silver spoon’ wherein the kids learn from a very young age that calling out to Alexa will get them a faster response than their parents. With an upcoming generation of spoon-fed individuals, technology surely puts their potentiality at grave risk. Students no longer put in hours of hard work to complete an assignment but rather are flag-bearers of the “Google generation”-with hours of screen time damaging their eye muscles and making them less productive. The level of dependency on these technological gadgets is very unbelievable and highlights a darker side to the advancement.

Apart from this, another major issue in the technology industry is very often data breaches, that is, stealing of high-security information through hacking with mal intentions. Hackers don’t belong to a particular nation, they are omnipresent, just like our data. The cases of leaked credentials, sensitive and personal information through big companies have formed the news lately. The latest one being the Facebook data breach, leaking out the personal data of around 553 million users! Mere imagination of your phone numbers, addresses reaching people with bad intentions or ending up on the dark web sends chills to the core. Although there have been several innovations to curb the breaches and strengthen the competency of software programs, the technology remains ever uncertain. 

In this contemporary world where most of the jobs have been replaced with highly competent and dynamic AI, the value of human efforts is somewhat looked down upon. A machine may be faster than an average human but it can never supersede the core values and ethics. Moreover, it lacks emotions and the ability to feel, which differentiates it from a living, breathing soul.

Therefore, technology may bring you the utmost convenience and comfort but one must not forget the devastating effects it carries along with itself. To ensure a safe and sustainable future for humankind where humanity works alongside the growing modernization is what every leader should envision. After all, as said by Clive James- “It is only when they go wrong that machines remind you how powerful they are.”, it is in the benefactor of humankind to eradicate complete dependency upon the technology and instead evolve in terms of skills and become an irreplaceable resource. 

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^[1] An extract from “How much of the Oceans have we explored?”

  Link- https://www.worldwideboat.com/news/miscellaneous/ocean-vs-space

Moral Science Classes Should be Made Compulsory In Schools

Through our scientific and technological genius, we've made of this world a neighborhood. And now through our moral and ethical commitment we must make of it a brotherhood. We must all learn to live together as brothers — or we will all perish together as fools

FOR THE MOTION

In today’s rat race values are eroding fast. There is a total decadence in social and moral values. Children go to school daily thinking how to scale heights they will reach; how rich education can make them. In today’s cut throat competition even the parents instruct their wards that they should top in the class.

Childhood is a very impressionable age. The mind is like soft wax, so whatever one is taught at a tender age it leaves a deep impression. Therefore, moral science must be made a compulsory subject in school curriculum. It is also a science of human soul, it’s a mirror of one’s involved mind, one’s ethics. Moral science inculcate values in mankind and value education is very vital from childhood.

Moreover, children spend so much of their precious time in schools. Therefore, schools should shoulder the responsibility of imparting moral values to them. In order to make them self-reliant, confident and responsible citizens, they need to be imparted with value-based education, which only Moral Science can do. After all today’s child is tomorrow’s citizen.

Moral science is not a religion-based subject. Rather it eliminates fanaticism, supervision and violence. It preaches “Love all Serve all.” this value is lacking in today’s generation. It helps a child to pay heed to his home science and not to be laid away by worldly show. However, theoretical knowledge is not enough. Teachers should make their life exemplary to their students. The lives of great patriots and spiritual leaders must be brought to the forefront. Only moral science can stem the tide of rapid value erosion and motivate the students towards a healthy life. As a child is then trained emotionally, mentally and physically how to be a responsible citizen or a good son or a daughter. They can resist wrong peer pressure, intolerance and through right conduct lead forward their Nation. 

Furthermore, moral science helps a person to become a better human being. One becomes more understanding, patient, pious, decent and wise. One learns to do things without any selfish motives. Pleasure is derived in doing things for others as one feel that he or she is doing it for good. The end result is that the world can become better and happier place to live in. Peace and containment can be found.

Therefore, there can be no doubt about the fact that no other subject taught in school is as important as moral science. Let the light of spirituality shine through the eyes of the little ones.

AGAINST THE MOTION

I would rather emphasize the point that knowledge is big power and this power comes through learning not nearly moral science but all other subjects even more seriously and intensively like Geography would unfold the mysteries of different regions on the globe. The study of applied science like Math, Chemistry, Physics, Biology will unravel the past potentialities that can enrich our lives and resolve many mysteries about the atom and element, land and sky, stars and planets. Where is not much effort is required to learn ethics and morality, much mental labour is involved in learning subjects dealing with different branches of learning. Moral science teaches us about moral good and bad which can be learnt spontaneously and instinctively by watching the behavior of the elders we come across daily.

The great advancement in technology in conquering time and space has been possible because much more emphasis is being laid on the study of science. Now environmental study is being given more importance and it is made compulsory subject at all levels of school education. The global warming is threateningly increasing, poising unimaginable danger to our hard gained advancement in civilization more and more stress is being laid on protecting the environment and saving the fast-depleting resources for our coming generation.

Men’s march to higher and higher ladder of civilization will remain unhampered only if he gives himself a breast with the changing scenario and cokes with it on the strength of knowledge which and powers him to fight against any eventuality.

The harmonious development of a student’s personality can be possible with equal emphasis on the study of all subjects and not just becoming an island in to himself by simply meditating on God, life and death. Let such things be special subjects of religion and metaphysics to be taken up only by those exclusively interested in this particular branch. The more we learn about other subjects, the richer will be our knowledge. 

Indigenous Population & Infrastructure Enhancement In Africa (Preferably Central - East Africa)

Indigenous people are distinct cultural societies and communities.  Most of the inhabitants of Africa are indigenous in the sense that they existed before colonization. Their identity and lifestyle are unique. These indigenous people face a lot of problems like lack of recognition, land alienation (resulting in conflict between them and the government) and marginalization. They lack access to education and health opportunities and are extremely poor. The indigenous population in Africa are mostly unemployed.

Most of the counties in Central-East Africa are still in their early stages of life. They are yet to transition from traditional agrarian to modern lifestyle. Most of these people are engaged in agriculture which indicates the low infrastructural advancement in the areas.  The internal regional conflict tensions in the Central and East Africa also posed difficulty in successfully implementing infrastructural development projects. East Africa is getting foreign direct investments currently.

National governments are willing to achieve an advancement in large scale infrastructural development to increase economic growth, increase employment opportunities and reduce resilience to foreign aid. Also, Africa receives loans and technical support from the African Development Bank as well as from the World Bank and interest from China. Such investments are mostly implemented in the rural areas that have remained aloof from the outside world.

National and International laws aren't followed or given any importance by the people living in such regions. Any kind of developmental work and entrance of outsiders can have a great impact on the indigenous population. These are historically rooted tensions in such areas which is the main reason for the developmental project failures. Unwelcoming and negative attitudes of the local population can make the investors change their ideas of investing in such areas to avoid any dangers.

With changing times, the importance of infrastructure grew unanimously. Enhancing infrastructure can support the indigenous growing population with the basic essential facilities, structures and services. The changing social, environment and economic systems demands the inclusiveness of indigenous population in gaining information with their insights for achieving resilience and sustainability. There should be a proper collaboration between various projects and indigenous communities in planning and designing of infrastructure. 

Governments and development banks unveiled ambitious plans for enhancing infrastructure. Seeing this many investors have started investing in infrastructure. This is also the case in Africa where mega- infrastructure projects have started to dominate the national and global development policy agendas. The National policy on science, technology and innovation holds a key to Rwanda's sustainable development in terms of economic and demographic growth. STI is also implicit in the priority given in the document to ICT’s energy and green innovation and in the proposal to create a climate change and environment Innovation Centre. There are five priorities given,  these are:

 

1. Investment in hard as well as soft infrastructure to meet the demand of energy in the private sector.
2. Increase in accessing public goods and resources by building international airports and also working on plans of establishing railway connections. Focus should also be given on exports and re-exports to Burundi and Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and major investment to be given on both hard and soft infrastructure to accelerate the growth in the tourism and community sectors. Expansion on the export works in manufacturing and agro- processing will also take place.
3. To strengthen the investment process by targeting large foreign investors in priority economic sectors, increasing the long-term services and strengthening the private sector by reforming taxation.
4. To facilitate and manage proper urbanization by promoting affordable housing facilities.
5.  To pursue a “green economy” and bring economic transformation prioritizing given urbanization and green innovation in public and private industry. A pilot green city is being launched by 2018 to test and promote a new approach to urbanization employing various technologies to create sustainable cities. 

Regional integration among the Central and East-African countries can favor infrastructural development. There is also the construction of the Ethiopia Grand Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile illustrating the significance of intraregional dialogue. After its completion, it will be the largest hydroelectric power plant in Africa and the eight largest in the world. In terms of transport infrastructure, Africa lacks behind it too. It will be a major challenge to develop railway and road linkages to ports for creating a better connection with other countries with one another and contributing to the global economy. Fortunately, there are potential areas for investment in oil and mineral exploration in Chad, Ethiopia, Sudan and Uganda. Large Infrastructure projects have also started in Rwanda. 

Conclusion

Africa is facing a monumental task in prioritizing, accelerating and scaling up quality infrastructure enhancement. It can take several years or decades for an infrastructure project to go from idea to operation. Infrastructure in Africa (especially in Central and east Africa) is lagging behind. The reason is both financial as well as technical constraints. African must aim in solving internal conflicts and poverty reduction for overall human and infrastructural development. The marginalized section of the population must be made involved while planning for infrastructural development projects. Development that takes place without benefiting the indigenous population cannot be called a development.

 

The Art of Cancel Culture

 Celebrities are controversial, and the world is dark. Is cancel culture the correct way to deal with this?

#Thiscelebrityisoverparty or #cancelcultureisoverparty

Which one would you join?

Everyday, some of the other celebrities are cancelled on the internet. #Thiscelebrityisoverparty trends constantly on Twitter, with one or the other personality being cancelled each day.

This new culture of cancelling people has become a source of debate, with people on each end feeling strongly about the subject.

What is cancel culture?

^[1]The practice or tendency of engaging in mass canceling as a way of expressing disapproval and exerting social pressure is called cancel culture.

This usually happens with celebrities, or people of power, with the view of coming out with a crime that was committed by this person and seeking justice from this situation. It takes the help of social media, a powerful and influential tool, to pressurize this person into being evaluated.

What cancel culture started as -

It started as a reform movement. Its end goal was to break the power structures and achieve justice in a society, where it didn’t often happen.

What it has become now -

A name and shame game. It has become a way of harassing people in the public domain, often resulting in a wave of bullying and death threats.

To understand this better, let’s observe this phenomenon from two points of view.

'Cancel Culture' is the new Social Justice

There exist power structures in an economy, which are very rigid and hard to break. It’s very difficult to call out a person of power and influence and expect them to go through the same trial and justice that regular people like you and me do. The intermediaries existing between regular people and these powerful people, never really let us call out these people for their actions and wrongdoings. This is where this culture comes into the scene.

For many, cancel culture is the new social justice. Holding someone accountable for their actions in front of the whole world, pressurizes that person to come out and accept their mistakes. This person will either be defending themselves and filing in the court or accepting their mistakes and apologizing for them. Either way, they’ll do it to save their reputation and career, which takes a solid hit, owing to the amount of power the audience has in a profession such as that of an actor, or a singer. When the public is displeased with you, it results in a lesser audience engaging with your art, which can be the death of one’s career.

When talking about social justice, cancel culture has been able to achieve considerable success. Take, for example, the incident of Louis C.K, a famous comedian who lost his job after being accused of sexual misconduct. ‘Call Me By Your Name’ actor Armie Hammer was shunned by the industry, replaced in movies, and cancelled by his sponsored brands when women raised their voices against his sexual and cannibalistic conduct.  Another fairly famous comedian called Chris D’Elia was called out for possession of child pornography and sexual misconduct by women when they were minors. Kevin Spacey was found guilty of sexual assault by an actor who was a minor at that time. Countless celebrities have been called out for their racist and homophobic statements.

What all these incidents resulted in was a wave of taking accountability followed by reforms to fix their mistakes. This not only made the perpetrators reflect but also gave so much power to the victims of these crimes. It is incredibly difficult to raise one’s voice against a powerful figure, but social media and the people on it have given the strength to these victims to come out and raise their voices.

This culture has become a new movement for justice. It is breaking the barriers of power structures in society by bringing the most influential of people on the stand of a public trial.

However, is this justice permanent or fleeting?

'Cancel Culture' is not the solution to a problem. It is a problem.

Cancel culture is used to call out bad behavior. The irony is, it was itself born out of a misogynistic reference. In the film New Jack City, the character of Nino Brown played by Wesley Snipes referred to his ex-girlfriend saying “Cancel that. I’ll buy another one” 

Cancel culture is very toxic in nature. It started from the value of breaking power structures and bringing justice to people around the world, but it has transformed into something completely else. People are now cancelled over the most minuscule of things. 

Let’s first talk about the public trials this cancel culture holds. This public trial is held by the public, with little to no knowledge of law or the incident itself. This public often jumps to a conclusion and directly labels the accused as ‘bad’ before even getting the gist of the incident. This jump to conclusion is detrimental to the life of the accused. 

This cancel culture has then turned into bullying, instead of actually holding this person accountable. Why bullying? The accused is then harassed, assaulted, stalked, shamed, and sent death threats, even before the court has actually deemed them a perpetrator. People bully this person to an extent where their mental health is permanently damaged, and harm is caused to their whole family. This burden of justice shouldn’t fall into the hands of the public but rather the court itself. This is what the downside of a public trial looks like.

Let us now talk about communication. When a person is cancelled, all communication is shut off. Cancelling a person is often more a monologue than a dialogue, where this person is shut off and “cancelled” even before they have got a chance to defend themselves. This cuts the dialogue aspect of the trial, that every accused deserves to have. To bully this person into submission without getting a chance to stand up for themselves is plain horror.

In the end, is justice really served? The end goal of this culture should be correcting wrong behavior. Instead, it has become a name and shame game of pulling your favorite celebrity down to ashes.

So what should be done?

First of all, this cancel culture should be named, accountability culture. The word cancel in itself is very toxic. The end goal of this movement should be for this person to come out, accept their mistakes and take accountability for their actions. To prove this by reforming their actions from that point in time, and not by bullying and harassing them into submission.

Accept your mistakes.

Take accountability and issue an apology.

Take corrective measures to reform your mistakes.

This is the ideal path of what this accountability culture should look like. We should also pay attention to the mental health of the accused. Instead of jumping to conclusions, let’s wait for the court to hold a trial or for the necessary investigation to take place and then form our opinions with all the facts and figures in place. The victim should be given power and protection. There shouldn’t exist victim-blaming of any sorts and people should feel comfortable in coming out.

Let’s all remember that we are humans. We make mistakes. To make a mistake is not as wrong as not taking accountability for it. What we need is a better society where justice is given to all, equally. Where justice is born out of facts and figures and not bullying and harassing people.

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^[1] Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, s.v. “cancel culture,” accessed June 25, 2021, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cancel%20culture.

Not Sluts, Not Saints, Just Women (Feminism Is Not Anti-Male)

Is Feminism Pro-Women? Or is it Anti-Men? Is Feminism against Men having any rights? Is Feminism only about Women wanting to become better than Men?

True feminism is bringing women up, it’s not about putting men down! True feminism cares about both men and women equally and asks society to treat them the same.

Feminism simply asks society to give women the same rights, respect and privileges which men have always had.

John Legend & Sharen

Feminism has nothing to do with trash-talking Men or claiming Women are better than Men, there are plenty of men out there who proudly wear the badge of being a Feminist (John Legend, Harry Styles and Chris Martin being some famous examples!). 

Chris Martin

Yet, there exists a huge movement which has always been critical of Feminism, historically those opposed to Feminism were quite scared of Women voting or stepping out of their houses to work (or Women having more freedom in general!) but in the 21st century skeptics of feminism aren’t just concerned about women moving away from their traditional roles but many argue feminism would alienate men and deny men the respect they deserve.

Many argue that women have already been given rights and privileges and there isn’t any need for feminism anymore. A contrary and diametrically opposite movement has arisen which demands for men to be given more rights and respect instead of their female counterparts. Many Anti-Feminist Movements have caught on asking for women to ‘obey’ men and start becoming more ‘feminine’ (Yes, I’m talking about the 21st century here!)

 Let’s now ask a few simple questions and try to understand why Feminism isn’t Anti-Men:

 Can Women vote?

 A feminist would say yes, women should be able to vote, if men can be given the right to choose their leaders then why not women? A feminist however wouldn’t say men should be denied the right to vote and women alone should get the right to suffrage!

 Should women be paid the same wage as men for the same work?

 A feminist would say yes, simply because both men and women would have put equal effort into their work and they deserved to be paid the same, a feminist however wouldn’t say men should be paid lesser than women to reverse a historical wrong!

 Should Women have the same freedom as men?

A feminist would say yes, women should have the freedom to do what they choose to do– what they wear, where they go and so forth. A feminist however, wouldn’t say men shouldn’t have freedom and women alone should be free to choose what they want.

Should women be allowed to have careers?

A feminist would say yes to this. Women too have the ability to develop skills and should be allowed to put these to use, a Feminist however wouldn’t say men shouldn’t be allowed to work and women alone should be allowed to work or that Women work better than men and therefore women should work while men stay at home!

Should Women alone do all the housework?

A feminist would say no to this, men and women should be free to share the household work, a feminist however wouldn’t say men should do all the housework and men alone should be responsible for cleaning, washing, cooking and so on.

To sum the above five questions we raised, it’s quite clear that feminism stands for equality and empowering women to spread their wings, it’s a far cry from the meaning many of us have envisioned. Feminism doesn’t try clipping the wings of men nor is it a systematic campaign against men.

.................

I often get asked the question “Why are you a feminist, you’re a guy aren’t you?” While answering this I always try tp highlight the atrocities Women have faced over the years at the hands of society (many of these still happen unfortunately) and I can’t help mention that while these atrocities were going on, what if a few more Men stood up and raised their voices, wouldn’t society have woken up a little earlier? 

In the 21st century a time where casual sexism is on a high, it has become very important for me to always mention that I’m a feminist. I do this in solidarity with the millions of little girls who see their brothers go to school while they learn how to cook, I do this in solidarity with the thousands of Women who face discrimination at workplaces, I do this in solidarity with the women who aren’t given any respect, I do this in solidarity with the beautiful girl baby who was born happy, but she didn’t realize her birth was frowned upon. 

There has always been a trend over the years (which has caught fire in recent times) where any issue concerning Women is always rebutted by an issue faced by a man. Don’t get me wrong here, men do face a large platter of issues including sexual assaults which require urgent attention as well, however, to say that simply because men face issues as well, the issues women face isn’t serious enough is quite wrong. Let’s be honest here, if someone is trying to bring out these issues only when we discuss about women and feminism, they don’t really care about men and the issues they face, they care more about putting an end to feminism. One cannot override issues women face by using the phrase ‘what about’. If someone genuinely cared about men’s issues, these issues would have been raised by them at all forums and at all times, not particularly only when issues faced by women are being discussed.

It’s about time we all stood up for gender equality, it’s about time we make workplaces safe for women. But most of all it’s about time we raised our sons and our daughters to be proud feminists, because feminism has never been nor will it ever be 'Anti-Men.'

This post has been written in honour of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, a Nigerian feminist and author.

 Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Her writings have deeply influenced my idea of feminism. She has taught me to become a fighter for women and the issues they face and has made me realize it’s not just women who have to be feminists. I will end this post with a small quote of hers:

“We teach girls shame. “Close your legs. Cover yourself.” We make them feel as though being born female they’re already guilty of something. And so, girls grow up to be Women who cannot say they have desire. They grow up to be Women who silence themselves. They grow up to be Women who cannot say what they truly think. And they grow up — and this is the worst thing we do to girls — they grow up to be Women who have turned pretense into an art form.”