Fortunes Crown

Category: Environmental

  • 6 Tips You Need For Having A Stress-Free Holiday Season

    6 Tips You Need For Having A Stress-Free Holiday Season

    The long-awaited holiday season is knocking on the door. When we see family, wear the ugliest but comfiest sweaters, and most importantly, have all the hot chocolate milk because calories don’t count for the holiday season! Duh!

    Now, this might be a different holiday season for some. Those who, along with the Christmas gifts baggage, also have tons of emotional baggage and an influx of stress and anxiety. As said in the lyric, “We’re sleeping on our problems like we solve them in our dreams, we wake up every morning and they’re still under the sheets.” We can’t just ignore them and make it the problem of the future versions of us. The holiday season requires a lot, including extravagant meals, thoughtful gifts, and a constant smile. If you’re not in a festive mood, you’re not alone.

    If the holiday season makes you go no-no-no, there are some routines and practical strategies you can use to naturally get rid of that stress and rejoice with the near and dear!

    In a survey performed for the American Psychiatric Association, 41% of Americans said that the holidays made them more stressed out.

    During the holidays, many expectations are placed on us, which can make anxiety soar. But there are other issues as well, such as anxiety and stress. The holiday season is a popular time for depression. When someone is grieving over the holidays or already has the seasonal affective disorder, this can sometimes result in loneliness or a lack of fulfillment, which exacerbates the symptoms of depression.

    With the added strain of family and holiday shopping or the isolation that COVID-19 brought to some people’s holidays, conditions like depression and anxiety might get worse.

    1. Acknowledge What You’re Feeling

    You won’t necessarily feel happy just because it’s the Christmas season. That’s fine too. To begin controlling your stress, you must first recognize your feelings. You may choose how to respond to stress if you can identify it and name it.

    Finding the source of your stress might also be aided by acknowledging the stress you’re experiencing. Perhaps your plans are failing or having your entire family at your house is unpleasant.

    1. Recognize Things That Matter

    In general, it is really easy to let things get to you. One little hiccup can ruin your “vibe” for the whole day. Especially during the holiday season, when there is chaos on the streets, in shops, and coffee shops. It is important to realize that it is a bad day, and not a bad life. In such scenarios, ask yourself

    • What role does this play in the overall picture?
    • Can I take this moment of annoyance as a chance to think?
    • Can I make this situation enjoyable even though it looks unpleasant at the moment?
    1. Maintain And Create Boundaries

    Half of the stress comes from letting others exceed their limits and letting ourselves expand. It is important to consider ourselves as a person too and take care and put ourselves first. 

    Not overworking and as a result burning out is the “new year, new me” everyone needs. This can be in the case of office teammates, friends or social circle, and even family. 

    1. Share Feelings

    The next step after acknowledging your feelings is sharing them with people you trust. It might make you feel better, validated, and light after getting that weight off your shoulders. There is nothing wrong with not feeling okay. And so is letting someone know that you are not. For some, it can help to talk to Artkan best ranked ai girlfriend bots who can sympathise and support you, especially in the case that you don’t have anyone else around to share your feelings with.

    1. Take A Break

    While you go gift shopping while analyzing the needs and wishes of everyone, it is important to not forget your own. The holiday season is called a “holiday” for a reason. It is for you to rejuvenate yourself and lift yourself from those little meanies troubling you. 

    1. Rethink Your Resolutions 

    “Nah! New Years’ Resolutions never work for me!” Yes. Because the set resolutions are so unrealistic, even the little part of you was laughing at yourself while setting them. 

    Set resolutions according to your capacity, caliber, and courage. 

    Breaking your goal into smaller stages and phases makes it seem more achievable. When the mind takes it one step at a time, the completion of that resolution seems easier and do-able.

    Another important point is to be gentle with yourself. In case you are not able to achieve any goal or task, don’t beat yourself up about it. Don’t let yourself slip into the black hole of self-loathing. 

    Happy (Happy) Holidays!

  • Football Cheers at the Dark Side of the Qatar World Cup

    Football Cheers at the Dark Side of the Qatar World Cup

    Criticism intensifies as the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar gets underway. Human rights advocates, lawmakers, soccer fans, and the media claim that 6,500 if not 15,000, people died due to the soccer event. But are the figures accurate?

    There has been discussion about Qatar’s treatment of foreign workers and the human cost of the event ever since it hosts the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Numerous estimates exist regarding the number of workers who have passed away on the World Cup building sites in Qatar, but it is challenging to determine the exact number.

    The fans of the game have not let this go out of their radar and have shown up to games with signs in memory and honor of those workers. 

    “A very significant proportion of the migrant workers who have died since 2011 were only in the country because Qatar won the right to host the World Cup.”

    Nick McGeehan – Director, FairSquare

    Tracing The Workers

    At least 6,500 workers from India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan have perished in Qatar since 2010, according to a Guardian investigation into migrant worker fatalities. The data, which was gathered through government sources, exclude statistics from some significant sending countries to Qatar (such as the Philippines or Kenya), as well as the latter months of 2020, thus the overall death toll is probably greater.

    Though the exact occupations of these workers weren’t listed in said report, it can easily be assumed that they were there for the infrastructure and other organizational jobs for the famous football cup.  The report previously gave a classification of deaths as “natural causes” or “sudden heart failure”, but fails to give a legitimate cause of these deaths. Qatar workers who have been under outdoor employment have faced death due to the extreme heat stress before, but the report says differently. 

    34 of the 37 deaths of construction employees directly associated with building World Cup stadiums have been deemed “non-work related” by the organization of the event. The term’s use has drawn criticism from experts since it has occasionally been used to describe occupational fatalities, such as the number of workers who have collapsed and died on stadium construction projects.

    Health vs Weather 

    Migrant Workers in Qatar are supposedly healthy upon arrival-  based on the mandatory health check. In addition, regardless of their background or line of work, foreign workers in Qatar are typically healthy individuals who must pass a set of medical exams to be granted a visa. This process weeds out potential applicants with infectious diseases like AIDS/HIV, hepatitis B, and C, syphilis, or tuberculosis.

    Also excluded from these data are migratory workers who pass away after returning to their native nations. The frequency of fatal renal failure cases among males aged 20 to 50 in Nepal has increased significantly over the past ten years, according to the authorities there. Many of these men had recently returned from working in the Middle East.

    Medical experts in Nepal believe that this can be explained by the harsh Gulf weather conditions mixed with the shortage and poor quality of drinking water that affected people have experienced.

    Officials Perspective

    The International Labour Organization (ILO), however, maintains that this is an understatement. Although heart attacks and respiratory failure are common signs of heatstroke brought on by performing strenuous labor in extremely hot conditions, Qatar does not count these deaths as being related to the workplace.

    It has generated its statistics for World Cup-related occurrences using data gathered from Qatar’s government-run hospitals and ambulance services.

    According to the report, in 2021 alone, 50 foreign workers lost their lives and more than 500 others suffered catastrophic injuries. Another 37,600 people were hurt slightly too badly.

    Human Rights And Qatar

    Back in 2010, when Qatar hosted a previous season of the World Cup, several human rights communities criticized the country for its arrangements and treatment of foreign workers. According to a 2016 report, the workers lived in “squalid accommodation” while their passports were taken away. 

    The government has implemented measures since 2017 to prevent foreign employees from laboring in extreme heat, limit their hours of work, and improve the circumstances in workers’ camps.

    Human Rights Watch, a campaign organization, claimed in a study dated 2021 that foreign workers continued to experience “punitive and illegal salary deductions” and “months of unpaid wages for long hours of punishing labor.”

    In the past, Qatari businesses used a “kafala” system in which they funded foreign workers’ entry into the nation but forbade them from quitting their jobs once they were there.

    We deeply regret all of these tragedies and investigated each incident to ensure lessons were learned. We have always maintained transparency around this issue and dispute inaccurate claims about the number of workers who have died on our projects.

    Qatar Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy

  • Information Warfare—The New Face of War and Destruction

    Information Warfare—The New Face of War and Destruction

    The world has witnessed two world wars, civil wars, and several other inter-nation wars. Every country has their own set of strategies, procedures and operations to approach such situations. Some approach it with a bang and declare war, while some prefer a mutual settlement beneficial for both parties. Information warfare has enormous political, technical, operational, and

    legal implications for the military. Therefore, here we will try to define IW, identify potential military uses and applications, as well as the problems that are responsible for the implementation of this new doctrine.

    What is Information Warfare?

    Now such terms can be quite hard to process. And such concepts like politics and military already scare the eyeballs out of us as the thoughts of world war flood our brains. So to narrow it down, Information warfare (IW) is a deliberate attempt to undermine and disable the enemy’s command and control infrastructure with the goal of securing and coordinating the operations of the friendly forces’ command and control infrastructure.

    • Gathering tactical information,
    • Verifying the veracity of information,
    • Disseminating propaganda and false information to manipulate the opponent and the public
    • Lowering the caliber of the opponent’s information 
    • And preventing the opponent from gathering information are all examples of information warfare.

    Electric Warfare

    These electromagnetic signals are interfered with or eliminated through electronic warfare. These could be jamming techniques and electronic countermeasures used to interfere with military communications or weapon guidance systems. An effort is made to interfere with or divert the enemy’s electronic systems, including their communications and radar networks. In order to obstruct navigation, it may also involve faking GPS signals, damaging computer circuits remotely, and blocking radio communications.

    We are all too aware with internet-based cyberattacks against digital networks that can render companies unable to function.

    Information warfare was used in previous periods, at least in terms of practical application. In order to implement foreign policy, for instance, airplanes would drop leaflets or other materials over towns or villages throughout the industrial era. These mediums were utilized in information warfare as the industrial period gave way to the radio and television era.

    Today, digital media is used in almost all essential projects. Examples of contemporary information warfare include attempts to protect IT systems against cyberattacks as well as offensive tactics to infiltrate or impede an adversary’s IT infrastructure.

    Social Media as Information Warfare

    Social media is a rising concern in information warfare due to the spread of misinformation there and the illusion truth effect. The illusion truth effect claims that information is more likely to be seen as true after repeated exposure. Artificial intelligence (AI) is capable of producing articles with incorrect information that are subsequently made available to the general audience.

    Social media being the primary channel.

    This invasion of misleading information will undermine trust in the sources from which people get their news, eroding faith in democracy in a similar manner. With the use of social media, artificial intelligence, and quantum computing, misinformation might be spread and understood quickly.

    The development of technology capabilities will further integrate social media into information warfare during the next ten years, in novel and perilous ways. The US must study social media’s use in information warfare and incorporate it into its strategies if it is to be effective. This essay will show how the illusory truth effect and misinformation may make social media an effective instrument for information warfare.

    When you combine social media, fire, and opinions, you get Twitter. Twitter is a forever hot, active, and bubbling with people throwing shade at the other, popping their own trumpet, attacking a whole group of individuals because one person made a lousy comment. So. Basically a very “interesting” place to say the least. 

    Lately with everything going on with Elon Musk, many have come at him claiming it to be a 

    ‘Ongoing information warfare campaign” 

    Another recent ocassion that the netizens are claiming as an IW is Donald Trump’s overturn. 

    “The New Face Of War”

    For defense planners and politicians, information warfare (IW) constitutes a quickly developing and, as of yet, ill-defined topic of considerable concern. The so-called information revolution, which is being driven by the continuing rapid development of cyberspace, microcomputers, and related information technologies, is the source of both fascination and uncertainty in this sector. The American defense establishment is adapting quickly to seize the new opportunities created by these changes, much like the American society as a whole. Additionally, potential and existing U.S. adversaries (as well as friends) are interested in using the developing global information infrastructure and related technologies for military operations.

    • China’s Cyber Attacks

    The fact that over 80,000 cyberattacks followed the demonetisation of banknotes in November 2016, while over 40,000 cyberattacks followed Sino-India clashes in Galwan, aimed at stealing sensitive information, is significant evidence that Chinese cyberattacks have been in sync with internal developments in India.

    On the India-China border, a Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jet belonging to India crashed in May 2017. The tragedy was caused by a cyberattack while the plane was in the air, according to an inquiry by the Indian Air Force.

    • Russia vs Ukraine

    Both Russia and Ukraine make considerable use of social media to share their views of the events as they happen and amplify opposing narratives about the war, including its origins, effects, and continuation. Information is now being uploaded on a variety of platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube, and Telegram, by government officials, ordinary residents, and state agencies. It can be challenging to estimate the precise volume of stuff that these different actors have posted, but there is a staggering amount of information on the battle being shared on social media. For instance, videos from a variety of sources on TikTok with the hashtags #Russia and #Ukraine had accumulated 37.2 billion and 8.5 billion views, respectively, in just the first week of the war.

    This review should include elements like strategic target sets, IW effects, and concurrent vulnerability and threat assessments. Without such a risk assessment, there is no solid basis for presidential decisionmaking on strategic IW issues in a context of dynamic change in cyberspace threats and vulnerabilities.

    However, it must be recognized that strategic IW is a relatively new idea that is posing a whole new set of issues. These issues may very well be resolved, but only with the wise and educated use of the limited energy, money, leadership, and other resources that this study aims to inspire.

  • G20 Summit 2023: What World Expects From India’s Leadership?

    G20 Summit 2023: What World Expects From India’s Leadership?

    On September 9–10 of next year, India will host the G20 Summit. Starting on December 1 of this year, India will also assume the leadership of the strategic multilateral forum, which unites established and emerging economies. Previously held by Indonesia, India will have the presidency from December 1, 2022, to November 30, 2023. The country will be hosting around 200 meetings across the nation.

    What is the G20 Summit?

    The “Summit on Financial Markets and the World Economy” is the official name of the G20 Summit. The G20 has consistently worked to achieve strong global economic growth as the “primary forum for international economic cooperation” (as agreed by leaders at the Pittsburgh Summit in September 2009). The G20 represents more than 80% of the global GDP. 

    The recent G20 summits have focused not only on macroeconomics and trade but also on a wide range of global issues that have a significant impact on the global economy, such as development, climate change, energy, health, counterterrorism, as well as migration, and refugees. As globalization advances and various issues become more intricately intertwined, these recent summits have become more and more important. Through its contributions to resolving global issues, the G20 has aimed to achieve an inclusive and sustainable world.

    The members of the G20 are-

    Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Türkiye, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union. 

    The main economies of the world are gathered under the G20. More than 80% of the world’s GDP, 75% of the world’s trade, and 60% of humanity are represented by its members.

    The G20 presidency, which runs from December through the following November, is held by the nation hosting the summit. Additionally, the G20 presidency schedules meetings of pertinent working groups and ministers.

    Negotiations Lead By India

    In her most recent press briefing, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi “made it clear that today’s era must not be of war,” referring to the Ukraine-Russia conflict that erupted in February of this year. She added that India played a crucial role in the negotiations leading up to the G20 Summit declaration.

     Top world leaders attended the two-day G20 conference, which was held in Bali, Indonesia, and ended earlier this week. Among them were US Vice President Joe Biden and UK Foreign Secretary Rishi Sunak. One of the most important talking points was the conflict in Ukraine.

    G20 Summit and India’s Priorities

    India, Indonesia, and Brazil would make up the troika during our Presidency. Three emerging economies and developing nations would make up the troika for the first time, giving them a stronger voice.

    India has set priorities and key points to discuss and push forward in the summit. These priorities are expected to initiate further conversations, not just at the summit, but throughout the summit in the rest of the world as well. The ongoing conversations have been around inclusive, equitable and sustainable growth. Though these topics have been in talks through the years, the world as a whole still lacks efforts and planning to achieve them. Nothing is set to stone as a “theme” or agenda yet, but the conversations will be around these points. 

    Women’s empowerment will also be discussed at the summit. Following the recent and ongoing movement by the strong women of Iran, women empowerment is still very much a topic that needs discussions and development, despite living in the 21st century. 

    Following the notion of sustainable growth, digital public infrastructure and tech-enabled development in areas ranging from health, agriculture, and commerce education are also on the agenda list. 

    Inclusivity is kept as a crucial conversation with developmental cooperation, the fight against economic crime and multilateral reforms are also on the checklist. 

    Relations And The Summit 

    India would also need to pay close attention to how US-China relations develop. After their one-on-one summit in Bali, leaders Joe Biden and Xi Jinping, stock markets throughout the world rose the following day (helped also in some measure by China dialing down its stringent covid lockdown rules). In addition, though they did not have a bilateral meeting, Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi shook hands. They exchanged pleasantries against India’s tense relations with China over the previous two to three years.

    Twitter And G20 Summit

    Every highly opinionated person exists on Twitter. Ever since the announcement of the summit, there have been bubbling threads and tweets about it. 

    • Through this tweet, the plans of Agenda 30 were highlighted
    • The Indonesian Health Prime Minister suggests a Digital ID to control the movement of people- if you are vaccinated or tested properly, you can move. 
    • Another about the countries Russia and Ukraine

    Although it may be too soon to consider the G20 platform as a replacement for multilateral institutions soon, its influence may undoubtedly be used to improve chances for the Global South. Here is another reality check: it took at least 7-8 years for all of the aforementioned G20 triumphs to materialize.

  • 25mg Of Magic Mushrooms May Help in Depression, Trial Suggests

    25mg Of Magic Mushrooms May Help in Depression, Trial Suggests

    Trial Findings: Magic Mushrooms Can Help A Depressed Brain 

    In a shocking turn of events, research, and trials, Hallucinogenic or Magic-Mushrooms, if consumed in a recommended, controlled, and safe amount can make psychological therapy more successful. 

    Depression and other mental illnesses are increasingly and alarmingly wide-spreading. An estimated 100 million people worldwide have been diagnosed with severe clinical depression. Some cases can get so intense, that proven and available techniques don’t show any results. This is worrisome for us as a society and where our mental health is heading. 

    Why Psilocybin?

    For many years, researchers have been examining how psilocybin affects mental health conditions.

    Though encouraging, recent trials have been too brief to evaluate long-term impacts.

    • Study: Psychedelics help depressed people feel better.
    • Depression treatment using psychedelic drugs
    • “Promising” magic mushroom mixture for depression

    In recent trials, 1mg, 10mg, and 25mg doses of psilocybin were tested on 233 test subjects from 10 different countries. The trial showed 25mg doses to have the best results. 

    The Subjects And Their Experience

    According to the researchers from the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience at King’s College London, the majority of the patients were approximately 40 years old and had had severe depression for more than a year.

    Following a single 25mg Comp360 psilocybin dose with psychotherapy:

    • At three weeks, one in three people had their depression diagnosis removed.
    • At 12 weeks, one in five people noticed a noticeable improvement.

    The patients underwent a psychedelic “trip” for six to eight hours while they were laying on beds in quiet rooms. One patient described the event as “a waking dream.”

    The Other Side Of The Coin

    While there are recorded improvements, in the end, the substance being played with is a harmful drug that can have serious side effects on one’s mental and physical health. 

    After a week, some patients in all groups reported adverse effects such as headaches, nausea, acute fatigue, and suicidal thoughts.

    The researchers claimed this was unusual, but some experts believe it may raise safety issues.

    Potential Threat

    When it comes to mental illnesses like depression, it isn’t something that can be healed in a few sittings. It can sometimes take years for people to get over the battles they are fighting among themselves. Hence, using a drug like Psilocybin for that long of a period can be harmful more than healing. 

    Additionally, some experts pointed out that the results and effects of the 25mg dose started to wear off after about 12 weeks. 

    Prof Andrew Mclntosh said “Psilocybin may [one day] provide a potential alternative to antidepressants that have been prescribed for decades,”

    It will take many more trials and observations before Psilocybin can be deemed safe enough to be authorized and trusted. Till that day arises, Psilocybin is a drug that, if overdosed, can be life-threatening.

  • World’s Largest 170-Carat Pure Pink Diamond Found In South-Africa

    World’s Largest 170-Carat Pure Pink Diamond Found In South-Africa

    The earth we live on still has so many secrets to unveil kept deep inside of it. Secrets about precious gems, lifestyle and building techniques of our ancestors, and so on. According to a report, miners from Angola in Central Africa have uncovered a rare, pure pink diamond that is thought to be the largest one to have been found in 300 years.

    The Lulo Mine in the nation’s diamond-rich northeast is home to a 170-carat pink diamond known as The Lulo Rose, one of the largest pink diamonds ever unearthed, according to a statement from the Lucapa Diamond Company.

    The Angolan government, also a part of the mine, praised the “historical” discovery of the Type IIa diamond, one of the most uncommon and pure varieties of natural stones.

    The greatest diamond discovery in Angola—the 404-carat “4th February Stone” in 2016—was made in the Lulo concession, a 3,000 square kilometer area around 600 kilometers from the country’s capital Luanda.

    Why Is It Pink?

    No. Valentine’s Day is not for another three months.

    Victoria from the Museum claims that this stone’s pink color is the consequence of high temperatures and non-isotropic stress after the rock was formed in the soil.

    To understand the Lulo Rose’s actual value, cutting and polishing would be necessary, a process that can cause a stone to lose 50% of its weight. The Angolan State Diamond Marketing Company will offer it for sale through an international tender. The diamond will be sold at an international auction, probably for a remarkable amount.
    According to Diamantino Azevedo, minister of mineral resources for Angola, “This record and spectacular pink diamond recovered from Lulo continues to showcase Angola as an important player on the world stage.”

  • “What Are The Odds?”- The Secrets Behind Coincidences

    “What Are The Odds?”- The Secrets Behind Coincidences

    Ever happened that you decided last minute to wear a shirt, and you step outside and the sky is in the shades of your shirt? Or you were randomly thinking about someone, and they approached you out of the blue! Or you saw this reel of Ramen and your best friend in the evening says “Let us go have Ramen.” Coincidences! All sweet little coincidences! Coincidences feel like a cheeky little surprise by the Universe. 

    We all experience these little moments and honestly, they bring us joy! Plasters a smile on our faces for the rest of the day. The weirdest coincidences will happen and we will be left to think “How did that even happen” all day. 

    Scholars, Spiritualists, and Normal people, all have thought about and tried to apply some logic to coincidences. To have something to back up the crazy experience. 

    Although the question “What are the odds?” has become synonymous with coincidences, they are more than just unexpected events. Despite the variety of experiences in the boat marked “coincidences,” we are tempted to gather them for reasons that go beyond mere oddity.

    No Coincidences In Opinions 

    If you throw the question “What do you think about…?” there will be at least 7-8 different explanations, theories, and analogies of the same concept. The concept of coincidences is no different. 

    Some have an opinion that these little moments are a sign or message from above- a warning of some sort. If we think hard enough, we will find some connection or message hidden. 

    On the other hand, some believe that they are just us connecting two dots subconsciously. It is our mind that leads us from point A to point B forming a connection. 

    “The world is so unpredictable. Things happen suddenly, unexpectedly. We want to feel we are in control of our existence. In some ways, we are, and in some ways, we’re not. We are ruled by the forces of chance and coincidence.” – Paul Auster

    Scientifically Speaking

    Because everything has a scientific point of view, many researchers and mega minds have tried to find a meaning behind coincidences. Today’s experts think coincidences have no deeper significance. However, we all experience them and tend to give these amazing combinations of events a profound meaning.

    According to a  study by mathematicians Diaconis and Mosteller, Coincidences are  “a surprising concurrence of events, perceived as meaningfully related, with no apparent causal connection”.

    Similarly, another study describes it as “Extremely improbable events are commonplace but humans aren’t great at reasoning objectively about probability as they go about their everyday lives.”

    The Everything Happens For A Reason Theory

    The universe is one big system. It runs on its plans and pathways taking all of us together. The things happening in our lives- finding a long-lost pen, seeing someone on the road, noticing a stranger, and more. Every incident that happens to us, big or small, is a part of the universe’s plan and all we do is simply walk on it. 

    That’s the theory in an instant. Every day we’ve spent, and every mountain we have climbed led us to this particular moment in our lives. 

    What crosses people about this theory is that it leaves no room for free will and being in control of one’s own life. It is disheartening to some to know that whatever decisions they take in life, whatever paths they choose, were already decided. And whatever their life becomes, good or bad, it is bound already. 

    Universe Sending Messages

    Many people think that these connections promote psychological development and change, allowing you to individuate and become who you are. They think that coincidences convey personal messages to them.

    People who are more interested in statistics tend to believe that coincidences are simply unexpected but predictable happenings that stand out because they surprise us. 

    Both explanations absolve us of responsibility: either unusual forces are at work, or the cosmos is acting irrationally. Even with all these explanations, coincidences stay a mystery for most people. 

    The Unus Mundus

    The power of synchronicity caused meaningful coincidences. They may be seen as glimmers of the unus mundus, or “one world.” Another one of Carl Jung’s concepts. The idea that reality has an underlying structure and order, a network that connects everything and everyone, is known as the unus mundus theory.

    For Jung, synchronicity included ESP, telepathy, and ghosts in addition to coincidences. And current study indicates that those who believe in the supernatural are also more prone to experience frequent coincidences.

    This is the problem with trying to explain coincidences in a way that goes deeper than chance: it can easily drift into the paranormal.

    “It is such a complex matter we live within, it is impossible to track logic and decision making really, so therefore each choice can actually only be seen as coincidence.” – Alva Noto

    In the end, you choose what you want to believe in. Whether you want to believe it is the universe giving you signs for the future, or they are just subconscious.  But you will surely notice even more coincidences now, after reading about coincidences. Happy exploring! 

  • Urbanization Causing Biggest Floods: Better Lifestyle, But At What Cost? 

    Urbanization Causing Biggest Floods: Better Lifestyle, But At What Cost? 

    Floods! Huge waves crash toward you, not caring if it is a forest, bare land, or a well-established urban colony. Floods are a terrifying natural calamity the world could go through. Causing loss of family, homes, documents, and hope. 

    According to statistics, a small flood occurs once every two years, and a moderate flood once every five years. A massive surge is predicted to occur only once in fifty or a hundred years.

    But this same year, the world has seen several scarring floods, affecting thousands of people. Why are so many parts of the world facing such severe floods all at once? These floods are to be called “Urban Floods.” 

    What are Urban Floods? 

    Urban Floods have more to them than “water overflow in urban areas.” With the significant growth in urbanization and urban living plans and spaces, flood risks have increased by 1.8 to 8 times. The reason is the excessive water logging caused by developed areas. The excess water has nowhere to go. The water is then clogged and blocked in drains and sewage systems with no proper cleaning and channeling system. 

    Urban flood in metro

    The clogged water is bound to overflow with the smallest amount of rain, which can lead to disastrous events like floods and hurricanes. The inadequate infrastructure seen in most urban neighborhoods is a threat to every person residing in these areas. Half of the lakes have vanished over the past few decades thanks to reclamation for real estate. Up to three-fourths of all lakes in the urban district are destroyed by illegal encroachments. These water bodies are significant catchment sites for incoming rainfall, making this a huge problem. 

    Bengaluru Floods, 2022

    India’s IT hub is always affected every year due to floods triggered by rains. Bengaluru received around 18 cm of rainfall and even more in other areas. Thunderstorms and heavy rains occur in a shear zone encompassing southern Karnataka. The opposing wind flow brings heavy rain-bearing clouds to the zone. 

    The floods hit the city of Bengaluru on August 30th. The rains were so heavy, people were stuck in traffic in the busier areas of the city for over five hours. Companies suffered huge losses due to poor administration in the city. 

    • The crisscross drainage system of Bengaluru is old and decayed at this point. When an infrastructure in such condition receives 18 cm of rainfall, it exceeds its capacity to channel water, clogging, and floods. 
    • The waste generated after construction and demolition is often dumped in rivers and lakes, which causes the lakes to lose their connectivity to bigger water bodies. 
    • Urbanization in an unplanned and impulsive manner leaves the city with increased paved surfaces. Around 78% area in the city is paved. Urbanization has led to serious environmental degradation. Vegetation depletion can further lead to soil erosion. 

    California Floods, 2022 

    Strong winds and flooding rains struck southern California, causing flash floods that spread to sections of western Arizona. Winds as high as 109 mph made trees and power lines fall. California is also warned of more flooding, heavy rains, and flooding in the next weeks. The state is already prone to catastrophic “mega-fires” that destroy acres of vegetation and towns.

    • Urbanization has led to the cutting of thousands of trees in the California region. That land is where they construct the urban and suburban colonies of California. 
    • Urbanization has resulted in up to 1.4 K decreases in daytime air temperature and up to 1.7 K rises in nighttime air temperature. 

    Africa Floods, 2022

    Floods hit Africa earlier this year in April. The calamity caused the death of 400 people and displaced more than 40,000 people. 12,000 houses were destroyed in the southeast part of South Africa. 

    Through flood hazard maps, it was seen that the houses were in proximity to waterways/rivers. 

    • Construction of living spaces near canals without following building codes set by urban planners leads to more such damages in flood-like situations. 
    • The uncontrolled release of dams for construction and other urban purposes right before high rainfall contributed to the occurrence of floods. 

    Any Solutions? 

    Networks and organizations are working towards helping cities and regions identify, plan and implement projects to increase resilience to urban flooding impact. 

    Focus Areas-

    • Governance and holistic water management

    Encouraging public involvement and participation in a complete and integrated water management plan to control urban flooding. 

    • Measuring and monitoring urban flooding

    Supporting and assisting cities affected by urban floods is as essential—faster actions with measures like rescue operations and response strategies. 

    • Flood reduction 

    Promoting the sustainable drainage, storage, entry, return, and integration of water in urban ecosystems to help cities prepare for floods (blue-green infrastructure).

  • Due to Climate Change, Daintree Rainforest Lost its Ability to Generate Own Rainfall

    Due to Climate Change, Daintree Rainforest Lost its Ability to Generate Own Rainfall

    Australia is the smallest continent. It has 134 million hectares of forest, approximately 17% of Australia’s land area. Tropical and subtropical rainforests are found in northern and eastern Australia in the wet coastal areas. Daintree Rainforest encompasses an area of approximately 1,200 square kilometers, from the Daintree River north to Cooktown and west to the Great Divide, representing the single largest block of tropical rainforest in Australia. It is home to nearly 30 million species including rare and endangered species of plants and animals.

    But the rainforest is contracted due to changes in climatic conditions, emerging as a threat to plants and animals.

    Climate change and the Daintree rainforest

    Climate change is one of the major threats to the ecosystem and the Daintree rainforest is one of them. Once sufficiently degraded, the forest will lose its ability to generate its own rainfall, thereby preventing the rainforest ecosystem from being able to exist at all.

    Studies show that since 1980 a decrease in annual rainfall due to the changing climate has created a decline in agricultural products. A rise in global temperatures is causing trees and plants to produce fruit either earlier or later than before causing throwing off the species that feed on them, including humans. This results in food shortages for animals. No one can survive without food. Due to harsh climate conditions, species are going to try to follow those climates that are suitable for them rather than adapting to new ones. For many species, this requires moving upslope — but at a certain point, there will be no place left where they can find suitable climate conditions for them, which is what we call the ‘escalator to extinction.

    Conserving the ecosystem

    Since plants and animals are a very important part of our ecosystem and they are at the edge of extinction due to some human activities as well as climate change so it is important to take a few major steps to conserve them. Creating national parks or wildlife sanctuaries will not help alone. Supporting these and implementing them in the government’s decisions regarding these will help. In order to protect those species, it is important to maintain a suitable environment for them, only then they will survive and we will be able to conserve them.

    On the road to our concern for ecological protection, everyone’s power is crucial. Now, there is a special way to support ecological protection – Custom Keyrings. Custom keyrings with the theme of ecological protection, you can choose to customize the cute image of endangered animals on the keychain, or you can choose meaningful ecological protection slogans. Hanging on a key or a backpack may attract people around to pay attention to ecological protection issues and inspire more people to join the action of protecting animals and plants, and the ecosystem.

    Another major threat to the ecosystem is the greed of human beings. Recently the test for 5G has led to harmful impacts on animals and birds. If we start using 5G, it is sure that we are going to lose some of our animals and bird species. In order to protect them, it is important for human beings to control their greed. Earth is not a home to human beings only but also to millions of plants and animals so it is important to adapt only those changes which are not harmful to other species.

    fortunescrown

  • Electric Vehicles: Climate Solution at Cost of Human Lives

    Electric Vehicles: Climate Solution at Cost of Human Lives

    Climate action is the new buzzword. And why wouldn’t it be, one world is all we have and our world is at risk. Countries, Corporates, and Citizens claim to be doing all they can to save the planet from climate change. Green energy is being floated as one of the top solutions. We are replacing coal with hydropower, fossil fuels with solar energy, petrol, and diesel cars with electric vehicles.

    Electric vehicles or EVs are being pitched as a cleaner, greener, and sustainable, but are they?

    What’s clean for the environment may not really be clean. Hidden beneath the shiny exteriors of an EV is a story of blood batteries. These cars drive human rights violations, extreme poverty, and child labor.

    The distribution of Electric Vehicles

    The Democratic Republic of Congo

    Electric Vehicles run on batteries, you know that. But do you know what these batteries are made of? Rare metals like Lithium and Cobalt. The cobalt gives the battery stability and allows it to operate safely. It’s a bluish gray-colored metal found in the earth’s crust, also called crustal rocks. Cobalt has several like in jet turbine generators, tool materials, pigments, and smartphone batteries but its major use is lithium-ion batteries.

    Half of the cobalt produced goes into electric cars. It needs 4 to 30 kilos of cobalt to manufacture a single car battery. This metal is found all over the world like in Australia, China, Canada, Cuba, South Africa, the USA, Philippines, but 70% of the total supply comes from one country, Congo.

    The extraction

    Electronic Vehicles
    Artisanal mines produce 20 to 30% of Congo’s cobalt

    The Democratic Republic of Congo is the second-largest country in Africa having a GDP of around 49 billion dollars. Congo is synonymous with conflict, poverty, and corruption. Beneath the country’s red earth is the world’s largest deposit of cobalt. The population of the country is 92 million and some 2 million people depend on cobalt production.

    Cobalt mining in Congo is divided into two categories; industrial or large-scale mining and artisanal or small-scale mining.

    Artisanal mines are unregulated, and labor laws do not apply here nor do safety protocols. These mines produce 20 to 30% of Congo’s cobalt where over 2,00,000 miners work in these mines and at least 40,000 of them are children, some as young as six. These children flirt with death daily, sometimes they enter vertical tunnels that most of them are too narrow for adults to enter. Inside it’s like a furnace. The children dig for cobalt under inhuman conditions, sometimes they have shovels but mostly they dig with their bare hands with no masks, no gloves, no work clothes, and sometimes just 20 minutes’ worth of oxygen.

    The process and its cost

    Electric cars
    At least 40,000 children work as miners

    These young miners go on for hours, after digging they crush the rocks, wash them, and carry their fines to the market to find a buyer. But how much do these children make? Sometimes, their soft hands barely make as little as 1 dollar!

    Cobalt is a multi-billion dollar industry. It is estimated to be worth 13.63 billion dollars by 2027 but this money never reaches a child who is spotting and extracting the metal. In poverty-stricken Congo, even a dollar is worth risking one’s life where many die trying to make this money.

    ABC News recently profiled a woman who lost her 13 years old son to a mine-related accident. He told his mother he was going to the market to buy coal for her so that she could cook, instead the boy went to a cobalt mine to try and earn an extra buck for the house. The mine embankment collapsed, and the 13-year-old never returned home.

    Between 2014 and 2015, at least 80 artisanal miners died in Congo. In 2019, an accident killed 43 miners. According to one estimate, 2000 illegal miners die in Congo every year. Many suffer permanent lung damage, skin infection and life-changing injuries.

    Green-tech car is miles away

    Scam races to adopt green energy technologies

    In 2019, some families from Congo filed a lawsuit, they named companies like Tesla, accusing them of aiding and abetting in the death and injury of children. The lawsuit spoke about a child, he was referred to as John Doe 1. John has been working as a human mule since the age of 9. He would carry bags after bags of cobalt just for 0.75 dollars a day. One day John fell into a tunnel, and fellow workers dragged him out of it but they left John on the ground. When the child’s parents found out about the accident they rushed to the mining site but it was too late, John was paralyzed. Doctors said, “he will never be able to walk again.”

    The biggest car manufacturers are complicit in these crimes. Companies like Tesla, Volvo, Renault, Mercedes-Benz, and Volkswagen, all source cobalt from Chinese mines in Congo. Sure they claim to have a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to child labor but they too know that there is no way to fully map their supply chains.

    One worker told the media, “people are dying for lack of safety. If a worker dies [the Chinese] don’t report it to the government. They bury the person, hiding the corpse…and bribe the family to keep quiet.”

    That’s your Electric Vehicles killing people even before it hits the road.

    Read More: How Banning Whale Hunt Can Save Us From Global Warming?