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Euthanasia is the act or practice of killing or permitting the death of hopelessly sick or injured individuals (such as people or domestic animals) in a relatively painless way for reasons of mercy. Euthanasia was practiced in Ancient Greece and Time. For example, hemlock was employed as a means of hastening death on the island of Kea; a technique also employed in Marseilles. Euthanasia, in the sense of the deliberate hastening of a person's death, was supported by Socrates, Plato and Seneca the Elder in the ancient world. However many philosophists found it objectionable. In the modern day, it has become a popular topic of debate. While some feel it’s against the law of nature or the will of the Lord, the others argue that if a human has the right to live peacefully, he should be allowed to die peacefully as well. Just like the two sides  of a coin, the arguments of both the sides have their own share of pros and cons. Efforts to change government policies on the euthanasia

Those unreal movie plots of faked death seemed so real to the Texas couple that they used it not to hoodwink some villain but the insurance company .! Oh my god, it’s working!, thought Molly and Clay as the family members identified  items from the burned car as having belonged to Clay and the insurance company was convinced that Clay had indeed died in the car accident. However, two huge blunders completely shattered their dreams of earning the $110000 they had worked so hard for! Before knowing of the mistake let’s take a look at the ‘perfect death plan’ staged by Molly and Clay.    Molly, an office receptionist and Clay, an unemployed mechanic, robbed the grave of a person, placed it along with Clays belongings, pushed the vehicle off the road and set it on fire on June 18 2004. After all were convinced of his death Clay hid from the public while Molly used her new status as a widow with 2 children to coax help from the sympathetic community members. However they always intende

The root of this dilemma is how we view mental health in this country. Whether the illness affects your heart,leg or brain, its still an illness and there should be no distinction". Walking down a road filled with people, we can see them laughing and conversing. But the thing that pricks us is not knowing what one feels underneath. People wearing a mask everyday covering their sad lonely face and revealing them only at night. Its impossible to know what one feels whether the person is your brother or your father. Today this world has become a place inhabitable for human beings due to its cruel nature. And this is why mental illness is becoming the most dangerous and fatal problem. Mental pain is less dramatic than physical pain but it is harder to carry and bear. It is easy to say " i have a pain in my tooth" but difficult to say that i have a broken heart. Our brain is complicated. Even more than a computer. Good Mental health is not just absense of any mental il

It is said that you should always be ready for  changes  and adapt to them in order  to survive but the kind of change which is happening right now is some thing which we cannot adapt to at all as that would mean the end of this world .The change we are talking about is climate change . The most recent impact of climate change is the burning of Amazon forest. Its not the just the forest which burns but also the lives of people living around the forest as the smoke exacerbates patients with asthma or bronchitis and have potential cancer risk, generally affecting the youth and elderly the most. In Kerala too it looks like climate-change-induced floods are becoming an annual affair. The after effects of the floods are far more devastating .A few days after receiving one of the highest rainfalls in a century, Kerala was caught under the threat of severe drought. Climate change is an issue which is still not being addressed to the extent to which it should be. Thus as responsible b

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF SIGN LANGUAGE The ISLD is celebrated on the 23rd of September. The choice of 23 September commemorates the date the WFD was established in 1951.  IDSL takes place on the last full week of September as part of the International Week of the Deaf. The theme for this year is “Sign Language, Rights for all!” Just as Socrates says: "If we hadn't a voice or a tongue, and wanted to express things to one another, wouldn't we try to make signs by moving our hands, head, and the rest of our body, just as dumb people do at present?" Thus, Sign languages are languages that use the visual-manual modality to convey meaning. Sign languages are expressed through manual articulations in combination with non-manual elements. Sign languages are full-fledged natural languages with their own grammar and lexicon. Sign languages have been studied by linguists all over the world and have been considered as a language on its own. Although different regions in the

The 11th season of Kaun Banega Crorepati just started and needless to say the loved quiz show is getting all the attention it deserves because of 2 players winning the coveted 1 crore prize money in the first month itself. But have you ever imagined somebody would ever win this thing on the basis of anything but their knowledge? It did happen and the story is as interesting as you think it will be. In the year 2001 a real life hero appeared on the British version of ‘Who wants to be a millionaire?'  Major Charles Ingram said all the right things and had the whole nation backing him up when he came on the stage of the quiz show,  the military façade coupled with the pitiable story of his wife winning £32,000 on the show a few months ago made him a fan favourite even before he started answering questions, but what happened next would become the biggest scandal in game show history ever. Charles Ingram's appearance on the show started pretty badly. By the time he had stum

Insecurity. You must've heard people talking a lot these days about feminism, equality, politics, mental health, LBTQ etc. But I guess we've never had anyone talk about our insecurities and how they affect our lives. And to your surprise, it's something that you've already experienced at some point or the other without even realizing it! So let's refresh your memory and talk it out. What is insecurity? Yes, the feeling of self doubt we get on seeing others prosper. The timidity we feel on being rejected in front of a bunch of people, the self confidence we lose while watching others overtake us on the ladders of success. And it's completely alright to feel all of this, it's human nature! In fact, sometimes it is our insecurities that push us to come out of our comfort zone and put our best foot forward. But it works only if we turn around our insecurities and take them in sportingly. Sulking and crying are the side effects you need to avoid. Just

90% of the Earth's population is exposed to polluted air i.e. 9 out of 10 people breathe unhealthy air. The implications are absolutely clear. Urban areas, especially metropolises, are the worst affected.  ◾ Life in a Gas Chamber “I'm getting out of here one of these days,” said a resident of Mexico City. “The ecologists are right. We live in a gas chamber.” For several years, Mexico city topped the list of the most polluted capitals, thus prompting writer Carlod Fuentes to nickname the city as “Makesicko City.” Mexico's problems are an indication of a general dilemma around the globe.  ◾ Rajdhaani becomes Badshah The city of New Delhi has now replaced Mexico City as the most polluted capital in the world. Air pollution is the fifth largest killer in India, estimated to kill 1.5 million people annually. Air quality in Delhi has been the worst since 1999. The main reasons behind this soaring pollution: 1. Traffic Menace: The Central Pollution Control

Augmented reality (AR) is a type of interactive, reality-based display environment that takes the capabilities of computer generated display, sound, text and effects to enhance the user's real-world experience. Augmented reality combines real and computer-based scenes and images to deliver a unified but enhanced view of the world. Also It's easy to confuse augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR). The easy way to think of AR is as an overlay on top of what's actually happening. It's not a pretend world or a total escape - it's an enhanced version of real life. Human beings are visual creatures. Studies conducted by 3M have found that humans process visuals 60,000 times faster than text. This makes users engage with visual data more than any other form of data, including textual data.This is what is helping AR become so huge so fast. A few years ago Pokémon Go took the entire world by storm that's the most well-known application of Augmented realit

Technological advances have affected all aspects of modern day life and continue to offer exceptional benefits that were once considered unrealistic. Clinical chemistry is the latest sphere of this technological revolution that introduced us to the world of biochips .A biochip is a miniscule electronic device, no bigger than a grain of rice, which is inserted by means of an injection or surgically implanted in the body. Biochips are essentially miniaturized laboratories that can perform hundreds or thousands of simultaneous biochemical reactions. Biochips enable researchers to quickly screen large numbers of biological analytes for a variety of purposes, from disease diagnosis to detection of bioterrorism agents.The chip technology is already used for the identification of dogs and cats and it has been widely accepted for this purpose. Biochip technologies can be applied to numerous fields including genomic, proteomic, and glycomic research, as well as pharmacology and toxicology

Surviving climate change “We must regain the conviction that we need one and another, that we have the responsibility for one and the others and the world, and that being good and decent are worth it” –Pope Francis. Recently, there has been an increase in the levels of carbon dioxide emissions by human activities. This greenhouse gas is going to lead to the ever increasing global warming; there will be tipping points, rise in sea levels, extinctions and ocean acidification. We will not have clean drinking water in India by the year 2038, is what has been predicted by the scientists. Cities like Chennai and Hyderabad are already facing acute water crisis. Don’t like it? Well, it’s our future!  Adaptation, sustenance and survival seems to be the new motto of this generation but no one seems to care about preservation. We tend to forget that preservation of the environment is a way for survival of the humanity. All the schools, colleges and workshops are busy teaching us the p

Internet of Things The internet is no longer a web that we connect to. Instead, it’s a computerized, networked, and interconnected world that we live in. This is the future, and what we’re calling the Internet of Things An 'internet of things' describes a world embedded with so many digital devices that the space between them consists not of dark circuitry but rather the space of the city itself. The computer has escaped the box, and ordinary objects in space are carriers of digital signals , says Keller Easterling This definition could be a little hard to understand because of the terminologies used, but in layman's terms this definition states that the internet of things is everything we've imagined the future to be and more. The Internet of Things (IoT) is the convergence of Information technology (IT) and Operations Technology (OT) developed to securely connect production data with business data and information.  The event that sparked the IoT re

Stephen hawking once said , “ AI is likely to be either the best or the worst thing to happen to humanity “ Man is to technology what the bee is to the flower. It’s man’s intervention that allows technology to expand and evolve itself and in return, technology offers man convenience, wealth and the lessening burden of physical labor via its automated systems. Artificial intelligence (AI) is the simulation of human intelligence processes by machines, especially computer systems. The humanoid robots today are prime examples of what artificial intelligence can achieve. So what exactly is a humanoid robot ? A Humanoid may be defined as something that resembles or looks like a human but having characteristics like opposable thumb, ability to walk in upright position, etc Sophia the robot , one of the most successful yet controversial humanoid might not have a heart or brain, but it does have a Saudi Arabian citizenship . Sophia was developed by Hanson Robotics, led by AI developer Dav

Drop By Drop Today when we talk about polio, we think of a disease which can be prevented by taking polio drops up to the age of 5 years. That is the last interaction that most of the current generation has had with polio. Almost no one we know has been diagnosed with polio- the paralytic infection. India has not had a polio infection since 2011. One of the main reasons that we are able live polio free lives is the Rotary International which started its immunization plan 1979. In 1916 alone over 8000 people were lost to polio. The Salk’s Vaccine wasn’t discovered till 1955 and the oral vaccine a few years later.  In 1988 along with the World Health Organization, it launched the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. Along with other partners, Rotary has helped immunize more than 2.5 billion children against polio in 122 countries. They have reduced polio cases by 99.9 percent worldwide. They have worked to eradicate polio drop by drop. It is high time that we too join them b

World Rotaract Week  Being in Rotaract is not a bed of roses, we have our ups and downs just like any other adventure in life, but it most definitely has been a very fulfilling ride. There is no greater joy than to be able to give back to the society whether it’s by giving your time or donations. To be able to give joy to the people most in need of smiles has given me happiness unlike any other. Like I said it’s not easy to be in Rotaract especially when it comes to planning and preparing for events, and if you come from a small club like mine, you’ll know what I’m talking about. However, once it’s all done, the experience has always been so eye-opening and humbling. There’s no doubt about that. Have you ever heard of the term, “The more you give, the more get”? To be in Rotaract is to be a part of a family, where though you speak languages or have different train of thoughts, you’ll never once feel left out being in this immensely big family. From getting to know my club members

World Rotaract Week A Rotaractor is not one who finds a way to balance studies, friends, family and Rotaract. He is one who finds a new family in Rotaract. I joined the movement 2 years ago and I would be lying if I said that I enjoyed it completely. However, I am ready to do it all again. In these two years, I have made around a hundred friends and a thousand memories. I have grown in these two years to become a better developed person and have gained a better understanding of how things work and how you have to make do with what you have. I overcame my weaknesses and started to confront my fears. My year could have been smoother but glass does not polish. Sandpaper does. -Rtr. Deval Savla Editor  I see a massive difference in the person who  I was at the beginning of my Rotaract journey and the person who I am today, I would like to thank RCNM for the same. My journey from being a Member to a Professional Development Director wasn't easy, but it has only helped m

Pressure Or perfection? Every hour, one student commits suicide in India! Arjun Bharadwaj, a sixteen-year-old, 12th standard student, committed suicide by jumping out of a 19th-floor hotel room in Mumbai. Media reporting suggested he had been depressed about facing failure in exams. Students in India are killing themselves at a fast rate, with 26 suicides reported every 24 hours. 9,474 students committed suicide in 2016 — at a rate of more than one every hour. Over the past three years, more than 26,000 students have committed suicide across India. A majority of student suicides are caused by underlying psychiatric factors such as stress, depression and anxiety. It could result from difficulty in coping with academics, unrealistic expectations and pressure from parents and lack of support from peers. It is very important to identify the illness at an early stage and consult a mental health professional. It is really unfortunate to see the cascading effect of the pressures of

Banned Bandit Queen The film Bandit Queen released in 1994 is based on the biography of Phoolan Devi ,'a dakku' in the inhabitated forests of Chambal by 'Mala Sen' a London based Indian author.  The film story revolves around the struggle, exploitation and injustice faced by Phoolan Devi throughout her life .The story depicts the harsh and cruel face of the Indian society with beating around the bush ;it refers to the devastation due to caste system in Hinduism,sexual abuses, child marriages,blind faith leading to ill customary practices. These include indulgence in monetary greed,sexual assaults, domestic violence,male dominance in society etc ...so this was ought to be banned .The story shows us how an innocent mind was converted into a ruthless bandit .Phoolan in her early childhood was married to an elderly man, who abused and tortured her. After cursing her destiny young Phoolan figured out that she should just flee from there, but again she was rap