Misinformation!

Misinformation can always cause trouble, but is especially dangerous when alleged experts either in person or via social media deliver this as 'facts'.

Recently, an acquaintance mentioned that a gynaecologist had performed a C-section on her 25 year old sister-in-law. A 25 year old with a normal pregnancy and not much complications, being advised to have a C-section in itself is pretty shocking but we can't possibly be a judge of this as a doctor might know better. Granted. But where alarm bells sounded in my head was when she mentioned that the doctor had said it was due to her 'age'!!! 25 years? Is old according to this doctor? Now this advice is given to a family with a cultural & religious background that is already quite conservative. Imagine the repercussions......the elder members of this family will now start insisting that their daughters and daughters-in-law marry very young and have kids in their late teens to early twenties. This message will get shared, with doctor's stamp of approval, throughout their community. It was extremely irresponsible of the doctor to give such misinformation. C-sections are clearly very advantageous for doctors in terms of scheduling convenient appointments ahead of time and there are much less complications or surprises. Nevertheless it is a surgery and should only be performed when there is a medical reason to. 

General knowledge, which only needed some reading up from trustable sources, would indeed give a much better picture to this woman and her family, but they chose to put all their faith in a doctor who said 25 years of age was late for a pregnancy and delivery! Let's not even get into the topic of vested interests of hospitals and insurance companies. 

In this day and age of social media, spread of misinformation has reached new alarming heights. Easily affected are the vulnerable, like kids or the elderly, and anyone else who blindly trusts something or someone without enough research. Too many pseudo-experts and vested interest parties exists in social media, so never fully believe everything you read, see or hear. Extensive research is required before believing, or adapting anything. Social media is now an extremely useful tool to spread mass hysteria, violence, hate and conflict. So beware, be aware and look to more authentic sources of information. 

© Sunitha Shyam 2021

#misinformation #righttoinformation #info #information #socialmedia #truth #hysteria #conflict #hate #doctors #culture #religion #conservative #community #society

World Tourism Day 2021

On World Tourism Day, commit to responsible & sustainable travel!

#WorldTourismDay #travelphotography #travel #travelblogger #instatravel #instatravelling #instatraveling #instatrip #traveladdict #travelawesome #traveltheworld #travellife #travelpics #travelphoto #travelbug #travelling #tourist #sustainability #sustainable #conservation #environment #business #ocean #tourism #india #veritadyne

Happy Daughters' Day 2021

Happy Daughters’ Day to all the daughters of this world. You make this world beautiful and this life so precious!

May the daughters of the next generation
• Be fully empowered
• Never know the existence of gender pay gap
• Have access to equal opportunity as a basic right
• Never know sexism!

Tall dreams indeed, but what will we not do for our daughters?!!
To the treasured two darlings who made me a mother – Thank you 
I strive every day to be more worthy of you and your infinite love.

When I need to derive strength, all I have to do is remember whose daughter I am. I hope that will be true for you too one day 

#DaughtersDay2021 #daughter #love #empowerment #equality #genderequality #motherhood #beautiful #preciouslife #kids #girls #women

Natural eating – local produce

We know eating fruit and vegetables is good for health. But how much attention do we pay to choosing those fruit and veggies? This article is dedicated to benefits of choosing local produce.

Buying locally produced food is good for the environment, economy, society, and health. Let’s explore each in a little more detail.

How does our choice to eat local benefit the environment? Well, imagine buying tomatillos from Mexico in Asia. They have to be stored in optimal conditions and transported all the way by flight contributing to enormous pollution and carbon footprint. In addition, huge amounts of packing materials, including plastics add to pollution. Locally sourced food, even if not from immediate farmers markets, is still more responsible and use of reusable bags will do away with most of the pollution caused by single use plastic bags. In addition to this aspect, locally grown plants that are indigenous to an area will by nature support biodiversity there. Seasonal fruit and vegetables are produced by nature in specific seasons for a reason. The weather and climatic conditions are most suitable, and this is in turn related to other plants, various animals, birds, and insects in the region. By supporting their cultivation, we help farming of these native plants which do a world of good to that region.

By buying locally, we support the local farmers, small stores, and hence the economy in the region. Local businesses provide employment to residents and they in turn spend their income in other local stores, circulating money in the local economy, thus strengthening communities.

Shopping locally means you might actually know your farmer! You might be able to see your fruit and veggies growing on the trees or plants. This increases interest in the food (maybe leading to a small home garden!), farming practices and is an opportunity to know local communities and their businesses.

Locally produced food is more fresh and hence more packed with nutrients. It tastes better and if organic, will boast of even further benefits. They don’t have to be stored for long or processed more in order to keep in optimal shape for longer.

While tasting exotic foods or food from far away lands is fun and a good thing, it should not become a common and accepted practice. Homogeneous availability of produce across the world has led to many species of plants becoming extinct. In our focus for food security, we have done away with so many resilient species that had naturally evolved to survive very difficult conditions. Respect of history, diversity and eating in a more harmonious way with nature may just about save this Earth, although many fear it is too late already!

One should be mindful of many factors that goes into putting produce in the shops and be responsible in choices. Let us enjoy all the local bounties more and consume lesser mass produced produce from far away lands. Eat healthy and enjoy!

#nature #produce #farmers #gardening #community #communities #society #health #environment #economy #farming #society #diversity #mindfulness #healthylifestyle #healthyfood #healthyliving #healthiswealth #local #localbusiness #pollution #ClimateCrisis #climatechange #singleuseplastic #food #market #supplychain #smallbusiness #smallbusinessowner #kirana #vegetable #fruit #natural #organic #organicfarming #healthy

STEM education

Quality STEM education and learning is the key to unlocking innovation, driving the development of high-value businesses, products, and services, building a sustainable economy, and securing a responsible future for humankind – in harmony with the natural environment.

Watch below video for a more detailed discussion on foundational digital learning.

(3) STEM in the Digital Domain - YouTube

#education #STEM #science #technology #engineering #mathematics #biology #learning #teaching #success #entrepreneurship #startup #tech #stemeducation #future #career #workforce #motivation #school #university #student #teacher #learn #knowledge #research #quality #innovation #development #economy #sustainability