Vesuvius Day Commemoration - 24th August

While browsing the internet, I learned about a special day celebrated by Romans as Vesuvius Day. It is celebrated every year on 24th August in remembrance of the deadly eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE.

The eruption destroyed the Roman cities of Pompeii, Herculaneum, Stabiae, Torre Annunziata, and other nearby communities. The eruption was so powerful that it released 100,000 times the thermal energy of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Here is a link to the details of the eruption and the damage faced by Italy at that time.

Vesuvius Day.

The Right to Disconnect Law in Australia

 A new law has been passed by Australia empowering its working population with a "Right to Disconnect" from official disturbances from their Employers.

It is a unique freedom granted to the working staff to be free from their office atmosphere during out-of-office hours. They can disconnect calls from the office and ignore messages from their bosses.

I appreciate and welcome this move. Particularly because I had to work day and night during my service on many occasions which developed tensions in my family life.

But, there are some ifs and buts in this freedom granted. When it is an emergency, your boss can call you and you are obligated to attend to his calls and instructions.

Here is a link to the detailed version of the law as per this TOI article.

India Should Focus on Population Control- Infosys Co-Founder Narayana Murthy

Infosys Co-Founder NR Narayana Murthy mentioned that Indians did not pay attention to population control since the Emergency period.

He made this remark while addressing a Convocation ceremony of the Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology in Prayagraj as the Chief Guest on Sunday, 18th August 2024.

He is worried that uncontrolled population growth is a great hindrance to India's growth. This will lead to insufficient per capita availability of land and healthcare facilities.

I think that the late Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, was a great visionary regarding population issues and other developmental programs. She tried to saddle the unchecked population growth by implementing Birth Control programs. But, people didn't heed her advice and tagged her as a dictator.

Here is the link to a report on Narayan Murthy's address at the convocation ceremony.

https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/infosys-co-founder-narayana-murthy-india-population-control-emergency-2584686-2024-08-19 

Is "Ketamine Queen" Jasveen Sangha Connected to the Death of "Friends" Actor Mathew Perry

 A recent report published in The Times of India dated 17th August states that the US Justice Department has conducted raids on Celebrity Drug Dealer Jasveen Sangha's high-end residence and seized 80 ketamine vials and thousands of drug pills. 

She has been accused of supplying the drugs that led to Mathew Perry's mysterious death in a bathtub on October 28, 2023. She has been evading law enforcement while continuing her luxurious lifestyle of traveling to exotic destinations like Italy, Dubai, and Mexico, indulging in parties and shopping, etc.

The report published by TOI is at this link:

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/ketamine-queen-jasveen-sanghas-luxe-life-exposed-from-celebrity-dealer-to-alleged-matthews-perry-killer/articleshow/112580364.cms

Definitions of Poetry That I Came Across While Reading Some Articles on Websites

I came across some wonderful definitions of Poetry while reading an article on HubPages. I enjoyed reading them and thought of sharing some of those quotes with you. I am including one of my definitions also as pointed out by that author.

"Poetry is a gentle river flowing through a rocky and mountainous landscape of prose."

—Jodah aka John Hansen

"Poetry is movement; words shifting around within the writer's soul, coming together in harmonious messages, which move into the reader's soul." —Janshares

"Poetry can tell us what human beings are. It can tell us why we stumble and fall and how, miraculously, we can stand up." —Maya Angelou

"Poetry is the universal language the heart holds with nature and itself." ---William Hazlitt

"Poetry is indeed something divine." —Percy Bysshe Shelley

"Poetry is the mind, body, and soul coming together to say what the heart feels." —JThomp42

"Poetry... is the flow of innate feelings through some tuned syllables." —Venkatachari M

"If you listen, the Universe sings with majesty to its own rhapsodies." —Manatita44

"Poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings; it takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquility." —William Wordsworth

70th National Film Awards Winners

 The 70th National Film Awards were out on Friday as per a Times of India newspaper article.

Feature & non-feature films certified by the National Film Board during the calendar year 2022 were taken into account.

Malayalee feature film "Aattam" bagged the Best Film award. It also bagged the Best Editing and Best Screenplay awards.

The Best Actor award was given to Rishab Shetty for his performance in Kannada Folk Thriller "Kantara".

The Best Actress award was shared between Nitya Menen (Thiruchitrambalam, Tamil movie) and Manasi Parekh (Gujarati Film, Kutch Express).

Regional Film Awards:

Best Telugu Film: Kartikeya- 2

Best Tamil Film: Ponniyin Selvan- 1

Best Punjabi Film: Baaghi Di Dhee

Best Malayalam Film: Saudi Velakka 

Best Kannada Film: KGF Chapter 2

Best Hindi Film: Gulmohar

For a complete list, I am sharing this link (an article from Hindu).

https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/movies/70th-national-film-awards-full-list-of-winners/article68531760.ece

Paris Olympics 2024 Medals Tally and Incentives

I shared the Paris Olympics 2024 Final Medals Tally on the website hubpages.com and it attracted many interesting comments/replies from many fellow writers (both the US and Australian writers). 

As the comments are both intelligent and informative, I thought of sharing some of their comments here.

"Gold is the norm...if you are Chinese.
If American, the total number of medals is what really counts.
If Australia, they have about 2 medals per million people, while America has only about 1 per 3 million. Medals per capita is how to choose the best country." - By Wilderness

"Countries usually use the stats that best suit their achievements. Mostly they are ranked in the number of gold achieved, but the USA often chooses total medal count, and Australia both the number of gold and total medals per capita." - By John Hansen

 Yes, the US uses total tallies.  The US does have more people and athletes, but also a strong sports culture, and four seasons across a broad geography that support training – especially, in summer.  Yet ironically, per capita, we also have the least amount of people who could ever qualify for the Olympics. I’ve always preferred the Winter Games (figure skating/ice dancing are my favs), and I have to say it was a pleasure to see the US figure skating team members in Paris last week finally receive the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics Gold Medals in exchange for the Silver after waiting for more than two years.

- By Genna East

Facts and Figures on Mental Health Issues at Medical Colleges

 National Medical Commission conducted a survey of Medicos and reported many alarming factors regarding the mental health of Medical students. This survey is conducted to find the causes of multiple suicidal attempts by medical students in the recent past.

The survey states that 28% of UG students and 15% of PG students are facing mental disorders like anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts. It found that 16% of UG students and 31% of PG students thought about suicide, being unable to face their mental problems.

Here is the link to a news report of the Survey:

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/mental-health-issues-in-28-of-ug-medicos/

I advocate for similar surveys conducted at all educational institutions and the establishment of mental guidance centers at all high schools and colleges.

A Comment on My Article "Bhagavad Gita - The Celestial Book"

I published a summary of the Bhagavad Gita highlighting the main points from each one of the 18 Chapters on the website HubPages.Com  some months back.

One of my American friends, Brenda Arledge, appreciated my work and provided this detailed feedback on the article, in the comments thread. I was touched by her interest in the post, and taking so much time to provide such a detailed discussion over the topic.

I am sharing this discussion with you all so that you can appreciate their interest in our Hindu scriptures.

The entire feedback from Brenda Arledge is provided below: 

Venkatachari,

Your article,
"Bhagavad Gita - The Celestial Book" is something I've never heard about before, but it seems to be a story about God and how to attain our place beside him.

I find it interesting that this was originally a discussion that took place on a battlefield.

At least Prince Arjuna had compassion & didn't want friends and family fighting one another.
He asked & received guidance from Krishna. (an incarnation of the divine).

This book consists of 18 chapters which deal with both ethical and moral standards.  It gives others the guidance they need during their journey through life.

The entire composition is in the form of dialogue between Arjuna & Krishna.

This book explains that the battle is not against people but between good and bad and we should fight for righteousness.

I must say, I commend your efforts to explain the chapters included in this book which represents the divine.

I didn't realize that Yoga was so spiritual.  I simply thought it was a form of exercise.

There are so many different things in this piece of work.  Meditation is something I am trying to learn, but according to this book, it is one thing we should all do.

It seems like there are answers to help us be one with the divine and enter his kingdom when our soul departs.

This is explained as the body passes through different stages ~ childhood, youth, old age, and death.

I'm not sure how you could improve on this one article, but my suggestion is to break down this book into sections.

For instance, one complete article that only covers one chapter at a time, or maybe a couple at a time.

After telling the story of that chapter...then break it down with easy-to-understand words.  Show us exactly what the chapter means in our everyday life today.

You could even make this a series. 
Posting a chapter each week.

Then perhaps, you could let people ask questions & answer them in your next post.

But for now, I've already posted a link in the word prompt article.

Great job. It seems like this is another great book, like the Bible.

P.S.If you are interested, you can view the article and the comments from readers at this link:

 

https://hubpages.com/literature/forum/360837/bhagavad-gita--the-celestial-book-by-venkatachari-m

Paris Olympics 2024 Final Medal Tally

The Summer Olympics 2024 concluded and the Closing Ceremony will start in a few hours on today, 11th August 2024 at 12:30 AM IST (12th August).

China is number one with 39 gold medals and, overall, 90 medals. The US is number two with 38 gold medals, and overall, 123.

One Silver medal is won by Neeraj Chopra for India in the Javelin throw. Overall, India got 1 silver and 5 bronze medals.

Here is a link to the total medal tally as of 11/08/2024 at the Paris Olympics 2024.

https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/medals

False and Hate-Filled Propaganda by Russian Media of Paris Olympics 2024

 As Russians were banned from participating in the 2024 Olympic Events, their media resorted to tarnishing the image of the Paris Olympic Organization and the International Olympic Committee.

Russian country was banned from participation due to its indulgence in war with Ukraine despite repeated appeals by Western Countries and the UNO. So, their media tried to cool their hearts by indulging in these heinous acts of false propaganda by showing small issues as mountains.

When you are organizing a major event, there could be many issues and lapses that need to be fixed through mutual understanding and cooperation between the participating nations.

See how their media has ousted poison from their heads at this below-linked report of CNBC.

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/08/07/what-does-russia-think-about-the-2024-olympic-games.html#:~:text=After%20Russia's%20invasion%20of%20Ukraine,Games%20in%20France%20this%20year.