Work-life balance is a lot of work too

Work-life balance is a lot of work too

14.03.2021 

When it comes to work-life balance, so much has been said about how to achieve it, the gender dynamics at play and what employers can do to make this goal a reality. What many of these perspectives share is the positioning of work-life balance as a goal to achieve or a finish line we have to cross to be successful adults.

Yet, the way in which we think about work-life balance may be part of the reason it seems so elusive, argues a BBC article. We tell ourselves: “’I’m going to put in eight hours’ worth of work, and then I’m going to put in eight hours’ worth of me time, which will include my family, my hobbies, my workout, my everything,” Anat Lechner, clinical associate professor of management at New York University told BBC. “I don’t think it’s such a simple formula.”

Now, researchers are encouraging us to rethink the concept. Researchers Ioana Lupu of ESSEC Business School in France, and Mayra Ruiz-Castro of the University of Roehampton in the UK argue that it is “a cycle, not an achievement”. This means, instead of thinking about work-life balance as an achievement that we either hit or miss, we should instead think of it as a continuous process that will require tweaks and self-awareness to actively maintain.

The researchers interviewed 80 employees at two London-based firms working in middle or senior management roles. All the participants were between the ages of 30 and 50 and had at least one dependent child.

Of them, 30% of the men and 50% of the women reported resisting working long hours. The others did not resist this, since they believe that’s just what successful professionals do. Those who rejected long hours, the researchers found, had similar ways of maintaining their work-life balance. They were more reflexive — open to examining their own beliefs and judgments — and took regular steps to adjust the factors standing in the way of work-life balance.

“Claiming this mental space to gain clarity of what they want for themselves is the first step toward identifying and implementing alternative ways of working and living,” Ruiz-Castro told BBC.

Ruiz-Castro and Lupu identified the five steps that employees with better work-life balance used. First, they questioned the belief that they have to work long hours to be a “professional” and asked themselves what is causing them stress. Second, they identified the emotions that stress is causing, whether that’s anger or sadness. Third, they would ask themselves if working longer hours is worth cutting back on family time. Then, they considered the alternatives — is there anything that can be changed at their workplace to accommodate their priorities. Finally, they took actionable steps to make that happen, for instance, asking for greater flexibility or not taking on that project.

“Awareness of your emotional state is essential in order to determine the changes you want to make in your work and in your life,” says Lupu.

For more: BBC

TWO BOATS: Jacqueline Fernandez says she tries to juggle the personal and professional

Why some people are still buying VHS tapes

Why some people are still buying VHS tapes

Hannah Selinger

14.03.2021 

The last VCR, according to Dave Rodriguez, 33, a digital-repository librarian at Florida State University was produced in 2016 by Funai Electric in Osaka, Japan. But the VHS tape itself may be immortal. Today, a robust marketplace exists, both virtually and in real life, for this ephemera.

On Instagram, sellers tout videos for sale, like the 2003 Jerry Bruckheimer film ‘Kangaroo Jack,’ a comedy involving a beauty salon owner — played by Jerry O’Connell — and a kangaroo. Asking price, $190 (Rs 13,800).

If $190 feels outrageous for a film about a kangaroo accidentally coming into money, consider the price of a limited-edition copy of the 1989 Disney film ‘The Little Mermaid,’ which is listed on Etsy for $45,000 (Rs 32 lakh). The cover art for this hard-to-find copy is said to contain a male anatomical part drawn into a sea castle.

There is, it turns out, much demand for these old VHS tapes, price tags notwithstanding, and despite post-2006 advancements in technology. Driving the passionate collection of this form of media is the belief that VHS offers something that other types of media cannot.

“The general perception that people can essentially order whatever movie they want from home is flat-out wrong,” said Matthew Booth, 47, the owner of Videodrome in Atlanta, which sells VHS tapes in addition to its Blu-ray and DVD rental business. Streaming, Booth said, was “promised as a giant video store on the internet, where a customer was only one click away from the exact film they were looking for.”

But the reality, he said, is that new releases are prohibitively expensive, content is “fractured” between subscription services, and movies operate in cycles, often disappearing before people have the chance to watch them. In that sense, the VHS tape offers something the current market cannot: a vast library of moving images that are unavailable anywhere else.

“Anything that you can think of is on VHS tape, because, you’ve got to think, it was a revolutionary piece of the media,” said Josh Schafer, 35, of Raleigh, North Carolina, a founder and the editor-in-chief of Lunchmeat Magazine and LunchmeatVHS.com, which are dedicated to the appreciation and preservation of VHS. There is, Schafer said, “just so much culture packed into VHS,” from reels depicting family gatherings to movies that just never made the jump to DVD. Schafer owns a few thousand tapes himself.

Michael Myerz, 29, an experimental hip-hop artist in Atlanta who has a modest collection of VHS tapes, finds the medium inspirational. Some of what Myerz seeks in his work, he said, is to replicate the sounds from “some weird, obscure movie on VHS I would have seen at my friend’s house late at night, after his parents were asleep.” He described his work as “mid-lo-fi.” “The quality feels raw but warm and full of flavour,” he said of VHS.

For collectors like April Bleakney, 35, the owner and artist of Ape Made, a fine art and screen-printing company in Cleveland, nostalgia plays a significant role in collecting. Bleakney, who has between 2,400 to 2,500 VHS tapes, views them as a byway connecting her with the past. She inherited some of them from her grandmother, a children’s librarian with a vast collection.

“I think that people are nostalgic for the aura of the VHS era,” said Thomas Allen Harris, 58, a creator of the television series ‘Family Pictures USA’ and a senior lecturer in African American studies and film and media studies at Yale University.

“So many cultural touch points are rooted there,” Harris said of the 1980s. It was, he believes, “a time when, in some ways, Americans knew who we were.”

Some who are rooted in the world of VHS hope that what is currently an underground culture will become mainstream again. Record players, Schafer pointed out, have enjoyed a surge in popularity.

But whether or not the VCR makes a complete comeback, VHS enthusiasts agree that these tapes occupy an irreplaceable place in culture.“It’s like a time capsule,” Myerz said. “The medium is like no other.” NYT NEWS SERVICE

NOSTALGIA FACTOR: Some people still collect VHS tapes because it reminds them of a simpler time

Is there an age limit for organ donation?

Is there an age limit for organ donation?

14.03.2021` 

No, there isn’t. The decision about whether some or all organs or tissue are suitable for transplant is made by medical specialists at the time of donation, taking into account your medical, travel and social history.

Parents and guardians can register their children, and in some countries, children can register themselves provided they are above a minimum age, or — as is mandatory in India — they have a parent or guardian agreement for the donation to take place.

There is another myth surrounding organ donations too: That you can’t donate if you have a tattoo. Again, not true. Having a tattoo doesn’t prevent one from donating their organs.

— DAILY MIRROR

Maths, physics optional for engg: AICTE sticks to its decision

Maths, physics optional for engg: AICTE sticks to its decision

‘Council Initiative Would Enhance Accessibility Of Technical Edu’

Ragu.Raman@timesgroup.com

Chennai:14.03.2021 

After receiving widespread criticism for its move of making maths, physics optional for engineering admissions, the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) stands by its decision of making maths, physics optional for engineering admissions from 2021-22. The council which removed the approval process handbook (APH) on Friday due to “certain typographical errors in the text and table” uploaded it on Saturday after corrections. However, APH for 2021-22 did not change the eligibility criteria for BE, BTech admissions.

As per the new eligibility criteria it is not mandatory for students to study maths and physics to join engineering and technology programmes.

They can pursue engineering by studying any three of the 14 subjects -- physics, mathematics, chemistry, computer science, electronics, information technology, biology, informatics practices, biotechnology, technical vocational subject, agriculture, engineering graphics, business studies and entrepreneurship.

“This initiative of AICTE will enhance accessibility of technical education to students coming from diverse background and also it shall seek to reduce the pressure on students to pursue such portions which are not relevant in pursuance of higher technical education. This is totally in line with the philosophy of National Education Policy 2020 in terms of flexibility and multi-disciplinary courses, innovation etc.,” the council said in its clarification.

It further said it received representations from students and industry to give option to pursue technical courses such as agriculture, biotechnology, information technology, electronics to students who did not have prior electives of maths and physics at Class XII level. The council further said that it is an option given by the council which is not binding on the states or universities and for various entrance exams such as JEE and CET among others.

“They may continue to hold the entrance exams in physics, chemistry and mathematics as is being done now and gradually decide to conduct exam in other subjects after discussing and taking decisions in the university senates and academic councils and state level committees. In future, when NEP shall be implemented in totality then this option can be implemented in its letter and spirit,” AICTE said.

Under the new pattern of 5+3+3+4 in school education, the disciplinary boundaries have been removed to promote overall development of students in different disciplines.

“Hard Boundaries (physics, chemistry, mathematics) imposed for entry into all branches of engineering education (which are 367 in Diploma and 261 in UG) since long time was affecting access to higher technical education for those who had not taken these subjects,” the council said while citing example of making chemistry optional for circuit branches including computer science.

E Balagurusamy, former vicechancellor of Anna University said AICTE should identify the engineering courses which do not need maths or physics and exempt it. “But, they cannot generalise for all courses as students cannot even understand the engineering concepts without understanding maths,” he said.

He further said such a big move has been brought in without any discussions. “There was no deliberation even among the academicians before taking such a decision.” he said adding that it would further deteriorate the quality of engineers in our country. Bridge courses will not be much help as colleges and universities may end of teaching maths for more than two years.

“Maths is a unifying subject in this emerging paradigm of interdisciplinary engineering education and hence important as a subject of study in Class XII. Also, JEE has a maths paper because its considered important for engineering admissions,” said S Vaidhyasubramaniam, vice-chancellor of SASTRA university.

The council said it received representations from students and industry to give option to pursue technical courses such as agriculture, biotechnology, information technology, electronics to students who did not have prior electives of maths and physics at Class XII level

No entry for passengers sans masks at airports, says DGCA

No entry for passengers sans masks at airports, says DGCA

Directs To Deboard Flyers For Not Wearing Mask Properly

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:14.03.2021 

India’s aviation regulator on Saturday directed security agencies not to allow airport entry to passengers without masks. Passengers refusing to wear masks properly before takeoff will now be deboarded before departure, and those not masking properly as per norms on flights despite repeated warnings will now be treated as “unruly passengers”. Once classified as unruly, a person can be barred from flying for anywhere up to a lifetime, depending on the gravity of the violation of safety norms.

“In case, any passenger is not following Covid-19 protocol, they should be handed over to security agencies after proper warnings. If required, they may be dealt as per law,” the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Saturday said in an order to all airlines, airport operators and security agencies to ensure “strict compliance of Covid-19 protocol during air travel.”

The order came after a high court judge observed blatant violation of Covid-19 norms by passengers on a domestic flight recently, and directed DGCA to issue orders for the strict compliance of pandemic-time rules by all travellers.

The regulator said some flyers aren’t adhering to Covid-19 protocols, which essentially involves masking properly — not below the nose and during all times of the journey from entering the airport for departure to exiting the airport after arrival. “…some passengers after entering the airport do not wear mask properly or maintain social distance within the premises. Similarly, some passengers have been noticed not wearing their masks properly while on-board the aircraft,” the order stated.

The DGCA order directed airlines, airport operators and CISF to ensure that passengers wear masks and maintain social distancing norms at all times during air travel. “The mask shall not be moved below the nose except under exceptional circumstances. CISF or other police personnel deployed at the airport entrance shall ensure that none is allowed to enter the airport without a mask,” the order stated.

COVID-19 PROTOCOL: The DGCA order directed airlines, airport operators and CISF to ensure that passengers wear masks and maintain social distancing norms at all times during air travel

Apex court slams Himachal HC for its ‘incomprehensible’ judgment

Apex court slams Himachal HC for its ‘incomprehensible’ judgment

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Shimla:14.03.2021 

A Supreme Court bench comprising Justices D Y Chandrachud and M R Shah expressed displeasure on Friday at the incomprehensible manner of writing of a Himachal Pradesh high court judgment. It was hearing a special leave petition arising out of an order passed by a division bench of that high court.

The apex court bench said it was constrained to observe that the language in the judgment of the high court was incomprehensible. It added that such orders of the high court as in the present case do a disservice to the cause of ensuring accessible and understandable justice to citizens.

The Supreme Court bench said judgments are intended to convey the reasoning and process of thought that lead to the final conclusion of the adjudicating forum. It said the purpose of writing a judgment is to communicate the basis of the decision not only to members of the bar, who appear in the case, and to others to whom it serves as a precedent, but, above all, to provide meaning to citizens who approach courts to pursue their remedies under the law.

It said that since the HC has affirmed the award of the Central Government Industrial Tribunal (CGIT), it has been able to arrive at an understanding of the basic facts from the order that was challenged before the HC.

“From the record of the court, more particularly the award of the CGIT, it emerges that though a serious charge of misconduct was held to be established against the respondent, it has been interfered with and the high court has dismissed the petition under Article 226,” it added.

The apex court observed in the order that the reasons set out in the judgment of the division bench of the HC dismissing the petition filed under Article 226 of the Constitution fill 18 pages but are incomprehensible.

Full report on www.toi.in

The purpose of writing a judgment is, above all, to provide meaning to citizens who approach courts to pursue their remedies under the law, the SC bench said

Fresh case against tainted govt official

Fresh case against tainted govt official

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Thanjavur:14.03.2021 

The directorate of vigilance and anti-corruption (DVAC), Thanjavur is working on registering a fresh case against tainted assistant director of town planning department in Thanjavur, R Nageswaran, 52, for amassing disproportionate assets worth several crores.

Deputy superintendent of police (DSP), DVAC, Thanjavur G Manikandan and his team searched the three lockers of Nageswaran at the Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) branches at Thiruverumbur and Thiruvanaikovil in Trichy on Friday.

The search unearthed unaccounted cash of ₹2.26 crore from the three lockers. “He has no accounts to prove the source of the cash. So, we have seized them. The process is on to register a fresh case against him,” Manikandan told TOI on Saturday.

DVAC also verified one of his savings accounts in the bank and found ₹1.12 crore deposited in it. “We have frozen the account,” he said. Nageswaran was arrested for accepting a bribe of ₹25,000 from a resident of Nanjikottai for granting permission for the construction of a commercial building on February 25. He was released on bail following which the police searched the lockers on Friday.