The Weekly Focus Edition 16
Protests
You've seen it in the news, you've heard it on TV but you still wonder, how does it help? We've seen some of the largest protests in the past few years, ranging from the worldwide climate protests to Black Lives Matter protests, to Hong Kong democracy protests. The latest addition to the list is the nationwide protests against the ruling monarchy in Thailand. But ranting slogans outside a government building won't change the president’s mind, will it? Here are 3 protests which have worked and their correlation.
The Salt March
Mahatma Gandhi led a peaceful 23-day march against British ruler and the taxation of salt in India, and although many people were arrested and brutally beaten, it eventually bore fruit when India acquired independence from the British in 1947.
March on Washington
200,000 people promoting racial equality gathered in Washington DC peacefully. Martin Luther King Jr. attended the event and gave his ‘I have a dream’ speech. Since then, racial rights have improved dramatically although there is still some mistreatment.
Berlin Wall Protests
After the Berlin Wall separated Germany for 28 years, only after 2 months of peaceful protests from both sides the wall was broken down and Germany was reunited once again.
All of these protests have been peaceful, and have had a huge impact on not just nations, but the entire world. Violent mobs will only be met with violence, but peaceful denial is proven to be a more effective, and safer way of making things right.
COVID- Blessing in Disguise
All of us know about the COVID-19 Pandemic, and for us humans it is a deadly virus, but is it a saviour for the world?. Even though many lives have been lost and tons of humans still suffering, it could be the best thing that happened to our planet.
We might not be scientific geniuses, but we can easily see the sky is bluer, the sea is cleaner and the mountains are greener. Without many cars travelling day and night, the toxic emissions have decreased leading to a clearer sky.
After the lockdown was implemented in Italy, the Venice Canals are now a cleaner majestic blue. Locals are noticing the improvement and now even fishes can be seen in the then murky waters. The water traffic in the Venice Canal has drastically reduced, which has allowed the sediments in the canal to settle.
Furthermore, in the Indian capital New Delhi, there has been an astonishing decline of NO2 emissions reducing the air pollution. According to experts, NO2, or nitrogen oxide is one of the six major air pollutant gases has significantly reduced amidst the pandemic. Human activity is almost completely responsible for the NO2 emissions, but thanks to the lockdown air pollution are going to get locked out.
To conclude, Covid-19 sure is a deadly virus, but if it was the only way to save our planet, we have to accept it because after all, everything has its pros and cons.
By Arhaan Zaveri
Farmers Agri Bill
The Lok and Rajya Sabha passed the Farmers Agri Bill with incredible ease earlier this week. The bill aims to reduce the role of the middle man while selling a farmer's produce. A total of 3 bills were passed. The bills aim to create a system where farmers can trade their produce outside 'Mandis', which has fixed costs. Now corporates can directly buy from farmers. The government also reduced intra-state transport costs to encourage intra-state trade. Most farmers are pleased with the decision, but some farmers in Punjab have protested and Rail rokos because they are not satisfied with the decision. They fear the corporates will control the prices even more than the Mandis did.
News in Short
~ Nasa introduced a new rover with an X-ray vision and a better navigation system.
~ An 18-year-old UK activist staged a Climate protest on a floating iceberg in the Arctic Ocean.
~ The first major election since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic is taking place in Bihar. It will take place in 3 phases.
~ Singer SP Balasubrahmanyam passed away in Chennai aged 74.
~ Donald Trump offered to mediate in the India-China border issue.
~ Two Police officers were shot and wounded during Black Lives Matter protests in the US.
To see our IPL analysis and updates video, Click Here.
~ Cricketer turned commentator Dean Jones passes away at 59 in Mumbai due to a Cardiac arrest.
~ Barcelona star Luis Suárez transferred to Atletico Madrid.
~ Mitchell Marsh gets injured and is replaced by Jason Holder.
The Duns
It was as if a spirit had taken control of my body. I was lifted into the air, my arms widespread, my head automatically tilted back. There was a bright, eye-blinding light surrounding me. I could hear the voice now. It said my name. And then, it stopped.
Oh no. No, no, no! It was true. It is true.
And the voice, as if it had been reading my mind, announced to the impatient audience:
"Peter O'Connor. Exceptional fighting skills; Sharp hearing; No need to breathe; Element: Fire."
On turning seventeen, Peter O’Connor, forced by his step-father, swears his loyalty to Oi Alloi, a secret society for men with powers and in the span of a single second is forced to admit that there lays a sleeping dragon hidden behind this already shocking community- a dragon who’s silent slumber has lasted a year too long. To add on to it, an old enmity suddenly surfaces, a girl supposedly filled with love turns out to be filled with secrets, and of course, there’s the loyal friend, who’s not so loyal anymore.
Cursed or not, these powers can either break him, or make him- save him, or destroy him- and the choice is only his to make…
Review
The Duns (@Wattpad)
By magicmonster1000
★★★★★
Genre: Fantasy/romance
Age rating: 12+ (Depending on the readers level)
Written by just a 14-year-old who goes by the name magicmonster1000, The Duns is a thrilling book with a few unexpected twists and turns along with some heart-rending romance that will definitely stir your emotions. Based upon the protagonist Peter, who is part of a mysterious secret society known as Oi Alloi, the book is a rollercoaster ride that will keep you hooked on, looking for the answers to your questions. Just starting off with her writing career, magicmonster1000 has put up her book on Wattpad- a platform for blooming writers- and has already begun writing a sequel to the book. The sequel, The Home, is set to release on 18th October 2020, so do read the book fast!
You can catch The Duns here:
https://www.wattpad.com/948436282-the-duns
Review By Sanaa Dharamshi
The Tech Hub
Microsoft Teams have been getting some exciting new features. The new features were announced at Microsoft's Ignite 2020 developer event. The most interesting feature added was the together mode in which you can transpose your webcam footage into an image of a real environment like a coffee shop meeting room. You can also customize your meeting layout. Meetings can be broken into sub-groups or breakout rooms like zoom. From the breakout rooms, you can call back to the main session. There is something called Meeting Recap in which you can see the chat transcript and recording of the meeting. Teams will soon be able to support 1,000 to 20,000 users in one meeting. For comparison purposes, Zoom can only have 500 or when you buy the "Large Meeting" add-on you can have 1,000 users. Google meets only allows up to 250 people but the live stream can have up to 100,000 users. There are also 3rd party app integrations that were announced earlier this year. The first 20 apps that Microsoft has approved will go live in October and add more functionality to meetings.
By Krishnav Bubna
~ On 20th September 1973, Billie Jean King (29) beat Bobby Riggs (55) in tennis. Bobby Riggs, a former no. 1 ranked men's player, believed that women were inferior and he could beat any female.
~ On 21st September 1938, a category 3 hurricane devastated Long Island and southern New England causing 600 deaths and destroying coastal areas.
~ On 22nd September 1862, Abraham Lincoln, the president of the USA, issued a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation that freed more than 3 million slaves and reestablished the Civil War as a fight against slavery.
~ On 23rd September 1846, Neptune was discovered from the Berlin observatory by a German astronomer, Johann Gottfried Galle.
~ On 24th September 1180, the Byzantine Empire went into decline after the death of their last emperor Manuel I Komnenos.
~ On 25th September 1906, Leonardo Torres Quevedo successfully created the Telekino which was a device that laid the foundations of the concept of remote controlling things.
~ On 26th September 1580, Frances Drake completed a circumnavigation of the world in one expedition.
The fact of the Week
Nasa's Internet Speed is 91 GB per second! You could download a two-hour-long movie in full HD in a few milliseconds!
Joke of the Week
What social media platform is Thanos addicted to?
Snapchat!
Leisure
Credits: Dilbert Comics Official
Credits: Garfield Comics Official
Written by Vivaan Dharamshi
Edited by Nirvaan Zaveri