The Concept of Contract Marriages in the Modern World

A collection of hearts and a blank sheet on a vibrant red background, symbolizing themes of love and relationships.

Hello everyone and welcome to another presentation of IN THE WHITE. I know it has been an exceptionally long time since I have published any piece of art in recent times.

As the year begins and the first month almost ending, I thought of drawing your attention to something interesting and a topic which I have never touched upon in all these years. And this subject is “Marriage.”

Two golden wedding rings symbolising the institution of marriage.

If truth be told, I have never been in favor of marriages. Especially in the more modern world where divorce, separation, disputes over alimony and property are lot more common than ever before.

The role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) cannot be overlooked with multiple apps being developed to help individuals overcome victims of stress and depression. But the key question to ask here is, do these apps really do what they are designed to or has it become a problem with human- human interaction being reduced and little value for emotions.

This raises an interesting and debatable question that if partnerships are breaking at a much higher rate, then why Marriage as an institution still exist? And do we have a counter measure for the constant break- ups between couples in this modern era?

If I had the option to answer either of the questions. I would skip question one for now and may have an answer to question two, in the form of a “Marriage Agreement.”

A couple signing a marriage contract, symbolizing the modern approach to partnerships.

While this can have severe consequences on both parties involved and the society. The Concept has the capacity to function as safety net and provides at least level of socio-economic and psychological stability which is vital for the survival of this generation.

A key question that comes to mind at this point is that, are we going further into this phase, given that men and women alike are seeking socio- economic stability and independence. At the same time, both sides are unwilling to compromise on certain fronts.

When I first thought of this concept, my view was that it may have never happened but just an internet search proved otherwise.

The system had been in place since 1800s B.C, mostly enforced during imperialism, with royal families keen to maintain their hegemony and keep their bloodline active. In the process, introducing the concept of surrogate mother’s- for females who could not conceive. This is something that may not have been considered in today’s world but could be taken into consideration for those who wish to have children but are medically unable to give birth.

If the stipulation of the agreement is to be touched upon, this shall vary from person to person, based on their experiences as well as the level of depth and understanding to shape the agreement.

I understand that this concept of marriage agreement challenges the conventional idea of love and arranged marriages among families and society norms. But there could be a better approach to take for those who are on the verge or are thinking of going into a live-in relationship. This provides a sense of socio-economic and emotional safety for a partner who would be more invested than the other.

Acknowledging that the practicality of the ideology can be challenging, it is worth a trial.

Why Russia over Ukraine?

Hello everyone. Welcome to another presentation on IN THE WHITE. I hope you all are in good health.

As in the past few days most of us must have seen, read or heard about attempted Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Today, I will be highlighting why I support Russia in its effort to invade Ukraine.

***Russian and Ukrainian flag pair on a desk***

Now at this point, many would think I am not concerned about the numerous Ukrainian live that will be lost or loss of Ukrainian independence.

Frankly speaking, it is always the case that if a war breaks out, the loss of lives especially innocent lives will be lost.

Anyways, coming back to the topic, I back Russian invasion for a number of reasons.

Firstly, we must understand the historical background of the two countries. It is important to keep in mind that Ukraine was once part of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR) and when it collapsed in 1991, countries like Ukraine gained independence. So, this separation still seems to be fresh in the minds of the Russian President Vladimir Putin.

I see this as a natural state of nature of the Russian leader. Its historical attachment looks to be a dear to Russia.

Another crucial reason for the Russian invasion of Ukraine is Putin’s insecurity of Ukraine joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). If this happens, NATO countries would be extremely close to Russia. This is why the Russians do not want Ukraine to be a member of NATO, despite it being an independent state, which gives Ukraine full right to join international institutions. It is this insecurity that has kept Russia anxous.

Just to give a mini overview of why NATO was formed? It was established in 1949 by the United States, Canada and other western European states to provide collective security against the USSR.

It is no doubt that this little piece of information is at the back of Putin’s mind.

Similarly, Russia’s distrust on the United States could said to be another factor in the Ukraine issue. Given that the United States has a bigger Say when it comes to NATO’s decision making. The difference in ideologies could well escalate the lack of trust, knowing one is a communist and the other a democrat.

Having this disbelief on the U.S is likely for a country such as Russia, given the incident of 2003 in Iraq, where Saddam Hussein, the state’s President was accused of keeping weapons of mass destruction, but in truth he did not have any.

Before ending this write-up, I wish say that I am indeed moved by the brave leadership of the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. His refusal to flee the country indicates his willingness to defend his nation together with the Ukrainian people.

Well, will Ukraine be successful in defending its land or the Russians will prevail, that only time will tell, but the question that comes to mind is, if Russia had not invaded and Ukraine had formally Joined NATO, how could one guarantee Russia’s sovereignty would not come under threat?

That follows another question of those countries today condemning Russia for invading Ukraine, would they have supported Russia if they were in trouble because of U.S and it’s NATO Allies?

While the battle between two states continues, the least we can do is hope and pray for things to normalize and the war comes to a halt with minimum fatalities and damage.

Global Inequalities & Poverty

Hello everyone! Welcome back to another presentation on IN THE WHITE. I hope you all are good and coping well in this time of the Pandemic.

We continue with the Human Rights Series with the second part, in which I will be focusing on Poverty & Global Inequalities.

I know, we have been talking about poverty and inequalities for a long time and undoubtedly the COVID-19 Pandemic has stretched this gap between the rich and the poor even further.

According to the 2022 World Inequality Report, wealth inequality remains at an extreme level in all regions.

The report suggests that Middle East & North African nations such as Iran, Iraq, Israel, Algeria, Egypt, to name a few have been listed as the world’s most unequal region.

Just by looking at the names of these countries, I am not surprised at all to see them makeup the list, given their economic and political situation.

For many of these nations, natural resources like oil exportation plays a major role in the growth of the country’s economy.

While the World Bank forecasts a growth of up to 4.2%, in GDP for MENA countries compared to 2.8 % in 2021. However, this is subject to the Pandemic situation. A poor handling of the crisis could deplete the economy, while a controlled condition would see MENA states reaching its projected target.

POVERTY

Poverty is another major challenge faced by many people around the globe.

In 2018, four out of five people below the international poverty line lived in rural areas.

Half of the poor are children. Women represent a majority of the poor in most regions and among some age groups. About 70 percent of the global poor aged 15 and older have no schooling or only some basic education.

Almost half of poor people in Sub-Saharan Africa live in just five countries: Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, Ethiopia, and Madagascar.

More than 40 percent of the global poor live in economies affected by fragility, conflict and violence, and that number is expected to rise to 67 percent in the next decade. Those economies have just 10 percent of the world’s population.

Just as things seemed to be slightly improving, the Coronavirus made matters worse by pushing about 100 million more individual into poverty, as a cause of lockdown and unemployment.

This raises a very important question of what do we do now? How do we at least try and reduce poverty?

Well, I believe one thing good about this Pandemic is that, it has enabled every individual to look for potentials within themselves and discover new abilities.

So I feel, one way we can overcome poverty is to encourage people to explore themselves and identify skills such as cooking, mechanical work or do artworks like paintings and drawings.

I have been a fan of good artworks for a long time, and I am sure the world does not have a shortage of good artists either.

All in all, recognizing the talent within oneself, together with a competitive job market can help uplift a country’s economy and reduce poverty rates.

Stronger laws and law monitoring systems are needed in highly politically unstable states to overcome social and political crisis in war like scenarios.

With that being said, I wish to conclude this write-up and hope you found it interesting and informative.

Thank you for reading and enjoy the following video.

A simple explanation on global inequality & Povery

Sleep Paralysis- A Frequent or Rare Scare

Hello everyone! Welcome back to another presentation on IN THE WHITE. I hope you all are well and doing everything possible to keep safe from the deadly Pandemic.

Today’s write-up is on a very different topic then the usual subjects. For the purpose of this article, I wish to focus on the topic of Sleep paralysis. I will begin by defining what sleep paralysis is, what causes this phenomenon, how it can be treated, the demonic view behind sleep paralysis and conclude by sharing my own experience of sleep paralysis.

***A person encounters sleep paralysis***

Sleep paralysis definition & how it occurs

The term sleep paralysis is when a person or feeling being is conscious but is not able to move for a few seconds or even up to a few minutes. Some may feel pressure or a sense of choking.

Sleep paralysis can occur at one of two times. This is when falling asleep or while waking up. The process by which one becomes aware that they cannot move when falling asleep is called Hypnagogic Sleep Paralysis- in the process of falling asleep, a person is not usually aware that their body stars relaxing, but if they do realize the change occurring they might note that they are not able to move or speak in that moment.

The other form of sleep paralysis is called Hypnopompic Sleep Paralysis. This is to do with Rapid Eye Movement (REM, a cycle that occurs during sleep and lasts approximately up to 90 minutes), this is also the process where dreams occur and if an individual becomes aware before the REM cycle is complete, they may notice that body movement may not take place or their ability to speak might be halted for a few seconds or minutes.

Causes of Sleep Paralysis

Since we now know the definition of this phenomenon and understand how it occurs, let us shift our focus to the causes and see why it eventually happens in the first place. There are numerous explanations as to why sleep paralysis happens. Some of these reasons are; lack of sleep, change in sleep schedule, mental stress or bipolar disorder, sleeping on back, substance abuse or other sleeping disorders alongside the use of certain medicines.

Diagnosis & Treatment of sleep paralysis

***Table showing mimic of sleep paralysis with its different diagnosis***

It is said if a person is not able to move or speak when falling asleep or in the process of waking up, he or she is likely to have isolated recurrent sleep paralysis.

Mostly there’s no treatment for sleep paralysis. However, if preexisting sleep disorder is diagnosed in an individual, then improving sleep habits, using prescribed antidepressant medicines to regulate sleep cycle and treating any mental health issue causing sleep paralysis can help overcome this phenomenon.

Click link for more: https://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/sleep-paralysis

The Horror of Sleep Paralysis

A lot of people associate ghosts with sleep paralysis. I do not know to what extent this is true but some claim to have seen the souls of their relative or a demon. It is believed that you are likely to encounter them while sleeping on your back.

A point to note is that different people describe the demons in different ways, this depends how they see it for themselves.

The question of how real the demon maybe when seen during the paralysis period is debatable, but its existence is something that cannot be denied, regardless of the fact that it can be a person’s imagination.

Click link for more: https://www.healthline.com/health/sleep/sleep-paralysis-demon#are-they-real

Personal Experience of Sleep Paralysis

To be honest I don’t encounter sleep paralysis very often, in fact I do not remember the last time I faced this situation. But what I do recall is that, it happened while I was waking up. I could see a lady who did looked somewhat like a ghost asking for help, I was surprised to see a woman whose eyes were red, scattered black hair with red clothes on coming towards me, I knew something was wrong and tried to escape but I could not move. I opened my eyes to avoid seeing the woman, in which I succeeded but found myself paralyzed for few moments.

So that’s all I have for you, hope you enjoyed reading it. Till we meet again, bye and take good care of yourselves.

The Incredible Albatross

Hello everyone! It’s time for the release of another blog and in this session I will be talking about one of the most fascinating creature’s on the planet, known as the Wandering Albatross. I will be sharing some interesting facts about this animal. So be sure to read it till the end.

Residing in the Southern Ocean including the Antarctic, sub-Antarctic and subtropical waters, this seabirds have a life expectancy rate of up to 50 years, a rare gift from god.

Commonly called Albatrosses belong to the Diomedeidae family with the same scientific name and labelled as Flock according to their grouping.

This bird can fly 16 miles per hour but if there’s more and strong wind it will work in the species favor as it will give them more push in the air, increasing their flying speed.

Learn more here

What caught my attention and motivated me to write about this bird is its ability to fly non-stop without flapping its wings.

Once in full flight, the Albatross returns to land after 5-7 or in some cases more years. I find this piece of information interesting because normally birds fly and return to land and flap their wings while flying but this creature are incredible in nature.

Its wingspan are 6.5- 11 feet.

The albatross have an average weight of up to 22 pounds.

Learn more here

If we talk about their diet, then Albatross are carnivores meaning animals that eat other animals for survival. Some of the animals these birds feed on are fish, cephalopods, jellyfish and crustaceans.

Now, if you are wondering why this creatures come to land after a massive lapse of years?

Well, the answer is breeding. Just like humans and other living organisms, this species also desire to have children and uplift their dynasty.

Once on land, they form large colonies on remote islands. The mating pairs lay a single egg and take turns carrying for it.

A young Albatross may fly within 3-10 months, depending on the bird but once it leaves land behind, they are on a journey until they reach a sexually matured age.

Interestingly, some of them stay on land and mate for life. (Wow! Party on all day every day. Just joking).

Presentation summary

That’s it for now. Hope you enjoyed reading it. Many thanks. Bye for now.

Info source: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/group/albatrosses/

3 Endangered Species in the World

Hi there everyone! Wishing you a Happy & fruitful 2021. I know 2020 was the worst year ever but this is a new set of 365 days so let’s hope for the best and try to make it the best.

So for the first blog of 2021, I thought to share some light on a few endangered animals in the world. I feel we do not talk about them probably because we don’t have any idea they exist. Honestly speaking, even I have heard about these animals for the first time and if we want our future generations to know about all these endangered living organisms then, it is critical that they are preserved.

Now, the first animal that I wish to draw your attention to is Amur Leopards. Located in the Far East of Russia, these species are the rarest big cats in the world.

One of the unique feature of this animal is its ability to run at a speed of 37 miles per hour. It can also leap up to 19 feet horizontally and 10 feet vertically.

Amar leopards have spots like fingerprints enabling one to identify them individually.

Its hair in summer are 2.5cm long but are replaced by 7cm long ones in winter, enabling it survive in both climates.

This is a night cat which is why photographers use infrared cameras to take pictures.

This species are highly protected in Russia, anyone found hunting the animal is likely to face fine up to 1,100,000 Rubles and jailed for 2 years. Storing, transporting or selling their parts carries a fine of up to 1 million Rubles and 2 year imprisonment. If a group is guilty of such crime, it can be fined close to 2,000,000 Rubles with a jail term of approximately 5-7 years Info source: https://www.wwf.org.uk/learn/fascinating-facts/amur-leopards

At number 2 is the Black Rhino. These species roamed many places throughout Europe, Asia and Africa and were well-known to the early Europeans, who depicted it in their cave paintings.

Today, around 27,000 rhinos remain in the wild compared to 500,000 at the beginning of the 20^th century. The decline is due to massive hunting and loss of habitat over decades, as a result very few survive outside national parks and reserved areas.

Three species of rhino including black, Java and Sumatran have been classified as critically endangered.

The feature that makes this creature unique is its pointed upper lips which allows them to pluck leaves and fruits from the branches.

The black rhino has a maximum speed of 55 km per hour with life expectancy rate between 35-50 years. It also has a gestation period of 15-16 months.

Source of info: https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/rhino & https://www.google.com/

Bornean orangutan is in at number 3. The animal population has declined by more than 50% in the past 60 years, with its habitat been depleting by at least 55% over the last 20 years.

The Bornean orangutan differs in appearance from Sumatran orangutan, with a broader face and shorter beard with a slightly darker skin color.

The Northwest Bornean orangutan are the most threatened subspecies compared to the Northeast and central ones, as its habitat has been greatly affected by logging, leaving barely 1,500 individuals aside.

This species weigh between 66 -220 pounds and are 3.3 to 4.6 feet in height.

Source of info: https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/bornean-orangutan

To conclude, it is pretty evident that over harvesting of such species and destruction of its natural habitats have been the cause of its verge of extinction.

Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed this short presentation.

Once again Happy 2021 to one and all.