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Especially for you, Artist Brinda Miller, known for her manifold talents as a creator talks about introspection as a potent tool in these unprecedented times. Ep.1 of this mini web series 'Dhara' Let's together harness the power of positivity.

I'm an admirer of Caitlin Flanagan's skills as a writer of prose, and I like that she likes to take on topics that others shy away from. But it's always bothered me that the Atlantic lets her write articles that, under guise of book reviewing or some such, make sweeping statements of social trends without any kind of empirical backing or even recognition of the possibility that assertions can be verified or not through data. Fortunately, for the first time ever this blog has an intern, Ryan McNeely, currently pursuing an MA at Princeton and conversant with research methods and facts in a way that Flanagan isn't. I asked him to poke around at her latest article which posits that very young teen girls are spearheading a cultural counterrevolution against a burgeoning hookup revolution. Not surprisingly, there seem to be some problems.

David Graeber currently holds the position of Reader in Social Anthropology at Goldsmiths University London. Prior to this he was an associate professor of anthropology at Yale University. He is the author of 'Debt: The First 5,000 Years' which is available from Amazon. Interview conducted by Philip Pilkington, a journalist and writer based in Dublin, Ireland.

In what may feel like a flashback to the porn wars of the '60s, a new study investigates the link between a country's relative gender equality and the degree of female "empowerment" in the X-rated entertainment it consumes. Researchers at the University of Hawaii focused on three countries in particular: Norway, the United States and Japan, which are respectively ranked 1st, 15th and (yikes) 54th on the United Nations' Gender Empowerment Measure (GEM). To simplify their analysis, their library of smut was limited to explicit photographs of women "from mainstream pornographic magazines and Internet websites, as well as from the portfolios of the most popular porn stars from each nation." Then they set out to evaluate each image on both a disempowerment and an empowerment scale, using respective measures like whether the woman is "bound and dominated" by "leashes, collars, gags, or handcuffs" or "whether she has a natural looking body." Their hypothesis was that societies with greater gender equity will consume pornography that has more representations of "empowered women" and less of "disempowered women." It turned out the former was true, but, contradictory as it may sound, the latter was not. "While Norwegian pornography offers a wider variety of body types -- conforming less to a societal ideal that is disempowering to the average woman -- there are still many images that do not promote a healthy respect for women," the researchers explain. In other words, Norwegian porn showed more signs of female empowerment, but X-rated images in all three countries equally depicted women in demeaning positions and scenarios. This, the researchers surmise, "suggests that empowerment and disempowerment within pornography are potentially different constructs." So, gender equality is accompanied by sexual interest in a broader range of beauty types but not a decrease in porn's infantilization of females, use of dominating fetish gear on women or any of the other characteristics th

It's hard to think of another time when there has been such a gulf between intellectuals and activists; between theorists of revolution and its practitioners. Writers who for years have been publishing essays that sound like position papers for vast social movements that do not in fact exist seem seized with confusion or worse, dismissive contempt, now that real ones are everywhere emerging. It's particularly scandalous in the case of what's still, for no particularly good reason, referred to as the 'anti-globalization' movement, one that has in a mere two or three years managed to transform completely the sense of historical possibilities for millions across the planet. This may be the result of sheer ignorance, or of relying on what might be gleaned from such overtly hostile sources as the New York Times; then again, most of what's written even in progressive outlets seems largely to miss the point-or at least, rarely focuses on what participants in the movement really think is most important about it. As an anthropologist and active participant-particularly in the more radical, direct-action end of the movement-I may be able to clear up some common points of misunderstanding; but the news may not be gratefully received. Much of the hesitation, I suspect, lies in the reluctance of those who have long fancied themselves radicals of some sort to come to terms with the fact that they are really liberals: interested in expanding individual freedoms and pursuing social justice, but not in ways that would seriously challenge the existence of reigning institutions like capital or state. And even many of those who would like to see revolutionary change might not feel entirely happy about having to accept that most of the creative energy for radical politics is now coming from anarchism-a tradition that they have hitherto mostly dismissed-and that taking this movement seriously will necessarily also mean a respectful engagement with it. I am writing

Conceptualized and designed by architect and designer, Emmanuelle Moureaux, the Shinjuen Nursing Home near Tokyo, has been turned into a warm and friendly centre that not only welcomes the ailing into a positive ambience, but also nurtures feelings of joy and wellbeing. Read here and leave us your views...

Moesgaard Museum Denmark wins Civic Trust Award 2015 for demonstrating excellence in architecture and making a positive social, cultural, environmental and economic impact on the local community. Check it out here...

Infuse positivity and calm through colour in decor. Check out what pinks and mauves can do for you...

Sri Viswanatha Saraswathi - The famous astrologer in Hyderabad provides free daily horoscope of all the signs with a deep analysis of the positions and its influence. Get accurate free daily horoscope and check out what ahead in a day.

Sri Viswanatha Saraswathi is a famous astrologer in Hyderabad with extensive expertise and experience in medical astrology, career development, financial astrology. He has proficiency in all life-defining branches that could help anyone lead a positive happy life.

Excited to unveil the research collated via the #KyaBola campaign that has touched tangential aspects of the problem of indiscriminate honking. We look forward to your comments/ suggestions to mark this campaign as the beginning of a positive social change.

This ongoing exhibition traces the remarkable early journey of India's first accomplished female visual artist - Amrita Sher-Gil, a fact that places her in a uniquely important historical position. Check out the review here…https://goo.gl/op9BC1

Chief Designer, Tata Elxsi, Mr. Narendra Ghate deliberates on how re-evaluation of our lifestyles is going to be an inherent outcome of the Covid-19 phase. He prods us to look within…

President, Association of Designers of India, Hemant Suthar, shares various tips to turn the lockdown challenge into an opportunity. This is the time, he stresses, to transit from textbook proverbs to real life implementation…

Artist Ajay De says staying focussed is key. He advices us to put our best foot forward to tide over these uncertain times