Stopopedia

History shows that alcohol has always been consumed by people all over the world. Even though alcohol has an important role in many cultures and it has its own transcendental effects, alcohol has detrimental effects on human life. Consumption of alcohol can lead to liver damage, fatty liver, eye problems, vomiting, etc. Additionally, alcohol can cause impairment in judgement, anxiety, depression and a shorter memory span. All of these are just the effects of alcohol on an individual. It also has adverse effects on the social life of a person. When under the influence of alcohol, people are known to have committed crime- stolen, killed or abused family members. Alcohol is, in fact, the reason behind many failed marriages and even more cases of poverty and unemployment. When one looks at these adverse effects of alcohol, it is only logical to deduce that alcohol sale must be prohibited. Prohibition seems to be the answer to all of our problems. However, prohibition is not a very feasible

‘... Liberty of thoughts, expression, belief, faith and worship...’ These lines from the Preamble of The Constitution of India state its intention of providing the citizens with the right to express themselves freely. This ideal of the Preamble is reflected in Article 19(A) of the Constitution, which gives Indian citizens their fundamental rights. The right to speech is a basic human right. In India, this right allows the citizens to speak up and share their opinion publically without any fear. However, in recent times, it has been noted that this right has been condemned for many. Recently, in the USA, Donald Trump proposed to put some restrictions on what people could post on social media. While this appears to be a power move attempting to curtail people's tendencies to spread unverified information, aka rumours, it takes away their liberty to say what they want and what they feel. Obviously, Trump then had to face lots of protests, but that's a story for another day! Th

Technology is an area which undergoes monumental changes to create more amenities for us. A recent brainchild of software engineers is Artificial Intelligence or AI. AI, as the name suggests, is artificially simulated intelligence that helps in altering some algorithms to match the demands of the user. Like everything ever created, AI has its pros and cons. We are surrounded by AI and we have used it indirectly, if not directly. In fact, popular assistants on our phones like Siri, Alexa and Google Assistant are, in fact, the gifts of AI. Nowadays industries have manufacturing robots that speed up the manufacturing process and make it efficient. Similarly, robotic surgery is a new invention in the medical world. By doing complex surgeries through robots, people can benefit from the deft movements of the robotic ‘hand’.   Hospitals have reaped a lot of benefits from AI. Banking and finance are other sectors that have profited from AI. There are virtual financial advisors and other help

In 1991, the New Industrial Policy was created to make the industrial sector more profitable by giving it additional ease and introducing it to new arenas. Liberalization, Privatization and Globalization were the three major aspects of this policy. Basically, Globalization means connecting the economy of a country with the economy of the world. Like there are two sides of every coin, Globalization also has its pros and cons. By implementing the Globalization rule, the Indian market has expanded all over the world. The Indian products which were normally sold only in India are now sold worldwide. Through this, foreign money enters our economy which helps in increasing the nation’s income. The citizens also gain access to goods from all over the world. Formerly, the kiwis from New Zealand were not available in India, but are now easily available. Indian farmers get to sell their produce in the global market. Globalization policy also made import-export easier by relaxing some stringent

Have you heard of Andrew O'Hagan? Have you read his piece 'In Praise of Technology'? Well, for those of you who haven't, 'In Praise of Technology' is a fascinating take on an issue which is talked about the most these days. If you find somebody writing about whether technology is a boon or a bane, you would undoubtedly expect the writer's rant on how technology has ruined our life and how pleasant and romantic things were before technology became ingrained into our lives. However, there is a change of perspective here. You won't find any of his complaints in the said article. The writer has fully embraced the fact that no matter how much we deny it, technology is a boon and in some ways, we cannot work without it.  When I read the thing, I found myself fully agreeing to whatever he said. It is true, I would never like to travel miles together just to get a music album. I love Spotify.  Just like he has pointed out, I too believe that my phone i

As a combat measure to the global virus, our nation announced the 21-day lockdown at first. At that time, I had mixed feelings about the whole thing, because the at-home days had started a bit earlier for my schoolmates and I. When it started, I was indeed very thrilled. As a student bored of going to and from school every day, what more could I ask! But I was also a bit disappointed at the fact that I couldn’t get out to enjoy this vacation-like mood. So I did what every teenager does. I begged my mother to get me Netflix. Thankfully, she agreed and I got to enjoy my days in the joy of having a Netflix account and doing everything that comes with it! Sadly, I am not one of those people who have the capacity to binge-watch numerous episodes in a single day and so, I eventually got bored with that as well. One fine day, I came across this line and that hit me like a brick.  ‘If you don’t come out of this lockdown with at least one new skill, you never lacked time, you on