SLR cameras today are very sophisticated and offer a wide variety in terms of exposure control. They offer several metering systems and a variety of exposure modes. Due to stiff competition in the camera market, cameras are coming out with an endless variety of metering systems.

The center-weighted meter concentrates on 60% of the viewfinder’s central area and gives the reading based on that area. For a very long time this variety dominated the scene and even today no camera comes without it. It works well for a wide variety of situations. Camera manufactures also provide an exposure lock which allows photographers to point the camera at a spot outside the scene, lock the exposure and point it back at the shooting scene.

A multi-segment meter on the other hand is a more intelligent system because it reads the whole scene and after computer calculations gives the suitable reading for the scene as a whole. Center-weighted readings ignore marginal segments but a multi-segment meter is more considerate to the whole scene. For example, if the upper left one-third portion is dominated by the sun, the centre-weighted meter would underexpose rest of the scene.

 The spot meter is a very specialized method in which only a tiny little portion (5%) of the scene is read. It does not take into account the rest of the scene. A spot meter becomes very handy in specialized situations where the reading of a very small part is extremely crucial. For example, the face of a tiger in a dense forest would be critical, especially if the tiger is sitting in the sun and the forest is in deep shade. A spot meter would do the job ideally in a tricky situation like this, where center-weighted metering would grossly overexpose the scene.

In reflected readings, the meter reads the exposure is of the overall light and reading is taken from the subject, pointing the meter towards the camera. In spot reading one can select the angle of spot reading needed, depending upon the criticality of the area of the scene. In flash meter reading, readings are made by fixing flashguns and the aperture stops are given indicating suitable aperture for the strength of the flashgun being used. This is used by professional photographers mainly in situations requiring the use of several flashguns.

The first mutated version of the TB bacterium was discovered during the 1990s. It was termed MDR TB (Multi-drug resistant TB). MDR TB patients develop resistance with all the first line drugs ((Isoniazid, Rifampicin, Ethambutol, Pyrazinamide, and Streptomycin) used for the treatment of TB. Therefore, they should undergo treatment using the more toxic second line drugs (A total of 7 drugs in six classes: Ofloxacin, Moxifloxacin, Kanamycin, Amikacin, Capreomycin, Para – Aminosalicylic acid, and Ethionamide).  But when the patient develops resistance even to these second line drugs, the condition becomes almost impossible to treat. If the resistance is developed for one or more of the second line drugs, then the condition is called XDR TB (XDR TB was first described in the year 2006). If the resistance is developed for all the six classes, then the condition becomes TDR TB (TDR TB was first described in the year 2009).

There is no effective treatment regimen available to TDR patients. All they can do is to eat nutritious food and engage themselves in activities such as medication. The main reason for the spread of TDR TB is the erratic treatment offered to MDR and XDR TB patients by less qualified doctors. The misuse of second line drugs mutates the TB bacteria and as a result, it attains resistance to all the first line and second line drugs.

A stunning example of TDR TB epidemic resulting from misuse of second line drugs is the 2011 Dharavi TDR TB epidemic. A total of 4 patients were diagnosed with TDR TB in the slum area of Dharavi (Mumbai, India). All of them developed drug resistance as a result of misuse of drugs, and their condition worsened from normal TB to MDR TB and then to XDR TB, contracting TDR TB in the end. Of the 4 patients, 3 were female (ages: 20, 31 and 37) and one was male (57 years old). The fact that all of them first depended on private doctors (most probably quacks) for treatment says something about the lack of availability of quality healthcare in the area.

Right now, the TDR TB is confined to a handful of cases and isolated in a few pockets. But the possibility cannot be ruled out for an all out epidemic, especially since the TB bacterium is highly contagious. Therefore, medical research should be encouraged and carried forward, and we should find at least one single drug which can effectively treat TDR TB.

The USSR was able to maintain its superiority as a result of its homogeneous population (more than 85% of the population was White Slav, and they dominated the political sphere) and a strong military (the population was comparatively younger, compared to many Western nations, and this helped in securing the draftees). But the current Russian Federation is neither homogeneous (migrants from the Caucasus and Central Asia are dominant in today’s Russia) nor united (relations between CIS nations like Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Moldovia are not that warm). The military has declined from one of the world’s strongest to one of the weakest (Remember the 1969 Sino-Soviet border conflict in which the Soviet military complately smashed the Chinese army in only a few days time), which is getting defeated in even small scale conflicts like those in Chechenya and Ossetia.

The Soviet Union was able to survive, despite losing more than 60 million of its citizens during the WW2 and genocides by Stalin. But the economic disaster which succeeded the breakup of the USSR affected the post-Soviet nations so badly (especially Russia and Ukraine), that they are still struggling to recover even after two decades.

The combined population of Slavs living in the FSU (former Soviet Union) declined by close to 20 million in just two decades. And remember, this time most of them died as a result of alcoholism and addiction to heroin. Villages in Central Russia and Eastern Ukraine are witnessing death rates in excess of 30 per 1,000. These sort of mortality has never occurred in any part of the world, at least during the time of peace. The population of Ukraine, which stood at 52 million in 1989, stands at 45 million as of 2011. At the same time, the number of Muslims and other non-Slavs living in RF and Ukraine are raising, as a result of higher birth rates and immigration. In short, the well educated and technologically advanced population is declining, while the less educated population is increasing.

With it’s population declining at a very steep rate and as it’s military weakens, Russia will witness much unrest and economic collapse within the next few decades time. The share of the dominant group (ethnic Russians) in the population is also declining. This can result in the fragmentation of the nation along ethnic lines.

The people living in North East India (with the exception of Assam) are mostly Mongoloid in their appearances, and differ from the mostly Indo-Aryan and Indo-Dravidian mainland population. There are a total of 8 states in North East India. But one of them, Tripura is not always considered so, due to its majority migrant population (in Tripura mainland migrants account for more than two-thirds of the population). The indigenous people living in the North East are either Hindu (with varying degrees of Animistic beliefs) or Christian. Some are Buddhist. But during the last 30 or 40 years, religious demography has undergone sharp changes in this region, resulting in gain for Christianity and decline for all the other religions except Islam.

Sikkim is one of the smallest states in India. Ethnic Nepalese are a majority here and almost all of them are Hindu. The main tribal groups are Bhutia and Lepcha, who are mostly Buddhist (with an insignificant Hindu population ranging from 5% to 6%). More than 10% of the Lepcha are Christian now. During the last 20 years, the percentage of Christians have risen by more than two times. In Tripura, where tribals are just one-third of the population, more than 80% of them are Hindu. However Christians have risen during the last two decades and now constitute 10% of the population. The remaining are mostly Buddhist. Among the major tribes, Chakma are 96% Buddhist and 3% Hindu, Garo are 60% Christian and 39% Hindu, Halam are 67% Hindu and 32% Christian, Jamatia are 92% Hindu, Kuki are 78% Christian and 20% Hindu, Magh are 94% Buddhist and 5% Hindu, and Riang are 82% Hindu and 17% Christian. The major tribe, Tripuri is 95% Hindu. During the 1991-2001 period, the number of Hindus declined from 80% to 67% among the Halam and from 92% to 82% among the Riang.

Arunachal Pradesh is experiencing even sharper changes. Christians were just 0.79% of the population in 1961, and they were 18.7% in 2001. The largest tribe there, Nyishi is mostly Christian now. Naga tribes like Nocte, Wancho, and Tangsa, who were having a Hindu majority earlier is also Christian now. The increased role of Christianity is also leading to an ethnic polarization in the state with Christianized tribes like Nyishi, Dafla, Nishang and Wancho on one side and the non-Christian tribes like Galo (Animist/Hindu), Mishmi (Hindu) and Monpa (Buddhist) on the other side. Christian militants from Nagaland are adding fuel to fire, by burning down temples in Tirap and Changlang districts.

Almost all the tribals in Manipur and Nagaland are Christian, so there is no large scale change in demography during the last few decades. In Nagland, 98.5% of the tribals are Christian, while only 0.97% is Hindu. Among the ethnic Naga, 99% is Christian, 0.50% is Hindu and remaining is Animist. Only the Zeliang tribe is having a non-Christian population of more than 5%. In Manipur, although the general population is Hindu majority, 97% of the tribals are Christian, 1% is Hindu and 1.6% is Animist. Out of the 7,314 Hindus recorded during the 2001 Census, majority were among minor tribes (Kabui - 1,675, Lushai - 1,263, Paite – 743, Tangkhul – 769, Thadou – 952, and Monsang - 351). Animists numbered 11,827 (Kabui - 9,480, Maring – 346, and Thadou - 579). Like wise Mizoram is also Christian dominated.  More than 90% of the tribals are Christian and 8% is Buddhist. The Buddhists are mostly Chakma. There were 5,114 Hindus (Lushai - 2,616, and Kuki- 1,666)

Assam is the largest state in NE India. Out of the 3.3 million tribals living there, 90.73% are Hindu and 8.78% Christian. Major Hindu tribes are Boro (90.31%), Dimasa (98.54%), Hajong (95.31%), Mikir (84.64%), Naga (37.62%), Barman (98.99%), Deori (99.59%), Hojai (99.95%), Kachari (99.37%), Lalung (99.70%), Meche (98.18%), Miri (98.83%), and Rabha (96.58%). Christian majority tribes are Garo, Hmar (99%), Khasi, Kuki, Mizo, Naga, and Synteng. During the 1991-2001 period, the percentage of Hindus dropped from 92% to 90.7% among the tribals of Assam. The largest changes were observed among the Chakma (-14.96%), Khasi (-5.38%), Kuki (-4.41%), Man Tai (-54.77%), Mizo (-6.49%), Mikir (-3.61%), and Naga (-8.98%).

Meghalaya is one of the few states in the NE which doesn’t share a border with Myanmar. Christians are nearing 80% mark there. Among the major tribes, Garo is almost 90% Christian, and Khasi is close to 80% Christian. These two tribes account for more than 90% of the total tribal population. Hindus are mostly Hajong (30,512), Rabha (26,634), and Koch (21,067). There are only 26,770 Hindus among the Garo-Khasi population. In 2011, there were major religious riots between Hindus and Baptist Christians. Hindu Rabha and Garo homes were burnt down and villages destroyed and many tens of thousands fled to Assam. Illegal immigrants from Bangladesh also took part in the riot, siding with the Baptists. Garo areas were almost all-Christian after the 2011 riots. However, the Khasi areas were witnessing a reawakening of the Niamtre religion (indigenous religion).

Right now, Christians are a majority in three of the eight states in the North East India. The growth of Christianity in the other five states is causing unease among the Hindu and Buddhist population there. A number of clashes, like the Dimasa-Mikir clash of 2005, Dimasa-Hmar clash of 2008, Rabha-Garo clash of 2011 and Rongmei-Hmar clash of 2011 have been culminated as a result of the growing religious polarization. It will be interesting to see the response from the indigenous religions as Christianity continues to encroach in to their spheres of influence.

The trouble in Karabakh was started by the Soviet shortsightedness, which awarded the Christian Armenian region of Nagorno Karabakh to the Muslim majority Azerbaijan. During the Soviet regions, Karabakh enjoyed a great deal of autonomy and the ethnic tensions were quite low. However, during the breakup of the Soviet Union, the Azeri government suspended the autonomy and special powers of the minority region and started resettlement of the Muslim majority there. Tensions flared up and resulted in riots and massacres. Pogroms were directed at the Armenian population living in Baku and other Muslim majority areas, which were immediately followed by retaliations in the Christian majority areas. Ethnic kin from Armenia joined the rebels in Karabakh. Likewise, mercenaries from Chechenya, Afghanistan and Turkey fought on the Azeri side. The Azeri side was the better armed and the more numerous side. On the other hand, the Armenians were highly skilled and experienced. By 1994, the Azeris were completely defeated and they lost 14% of their total area to the Karabakh Defence Forces. 30,000 Azeris and 5,000 Armenians died in the battle. Karabakh and the neighboring regions which once belonged to Azerbaijan now remains under the control of NKR (Nagorno Karabakh Republic).

So far, the peace talks haven’t yielded any concrete results and this has increased the magnitude of Azerbaijan’s frustration. Azeri leaders are constantly saying that they are better armed and more prepared than they were during the 1990s and they can successfully defeat the less numerous Nagorno Karabakh Defence Army. Azerbaijan recently bought a lot of foreign weaponry with the excess oil revenue (which is decreasing, as of 2011). The Nagorno Karabakh Armenians, who depend on the assistance from Armenia and the greater Armenian Diaspora across the world, are no less aggressive. This time they are saying that they are going to conquer Baku (the capital of Azerbaijan). Although the total population of NKR is only about 140,000, they maintain a very strong and experienced army of 20,000. It needs to be seen whether they will be able to defeat Azerbaijan (having a population of 9 million) for a second time.

During the German colonial period, human rights abuses were committed against the native Herero and Namaqua people (1904-1908 period). Many of the tribesmen still want those events to be classified as genocide. The German Federal Republic has apologized to the tribesmen for the harsh treatment meted out to them. Surprisingly, unlike South Africa, Namibia hasn’t reported any major attacks against the ethnic Germans who are living in Namibia. The state run Namibian Broadcasting Corporation frequently operates German language programs, and there are many German schools in places like Swakopmund. Even during 1984, there were a total of 1,423 large scale and small scale farms operated by ethnic Germans in Namibia. Currently the number of farms is experiencing a slight decline because of emigration and indigenization, but still the Germans represent one of the backbones of the Namibian farming community.

The absolute number of ethnic Germans show a constant  decline since the 1960s. The 1960 census reported 16,533 Germans out of a total White population of 73,464. In 1970, it declined to 15,858 and 89,389 respectively. The 1981 census reported a total of 12,741 Germans out of a white population of 76,430. Most of the decline was a result of the continuous emigration of young ethnic Germans to Europe and Australia. The natural growth of the population was not big enough to offset the migratory decrease. The 2001 census of Namibia showed that only 1.1% of all households in Namibia used German as a home language (this includes a few non-whites as well). Right now the community is in no danger of disappearing altogether from the Namibian cultural scene. But if the disturbances which are happening in white-owned farms in South Africa spreads to Namibia, then this unique community might be lost for ever. A lot depends on the attitude of the Namibian government (currently SWAPO is the ruling party). If the government refrains from forcibly acquiring white owned farms and  making Black Economic Empowerment (BEE, as known in South Africa) mandatory, then the German community in Namibia will continue to flourish, bringing a lot of economic advantages for ordinary indigenous Namibians as well.

Stabilizing Appetite

Sleep regulates the normal functioning of the digestive tract. Production quantity of some digestive substances is neutralized in slumber. These include digestion regulators with significant roles. It can liberate one from intense burning calories requirement. Here are the benefits of sufficient sleep:

Reduction of leptin. This is one of the properties acquired from fat cells. It triggers the inhibition of appetite. Hence, increase of which can lead to loss of the drive for food. The individual then can be prone to eating disorders. One simple form is sugar craving that can lead to obesity and diabetes.

Reduction of gastric acid whenever in slumber. The digestive system is expected to slow down upon slumber. Digestion is minimized since ingestion does not likely occur. Thus, gastric acid must be produced at a minimal level. If not, it can harm intestinal walls that can lead to ulcers. This condition is contrary to those suffering from ulcers, they tend to produce generous amount even at sleep.

Physical Equilibrium

Moreover, sleep regulates many different physiological hormones. The body needs sufficient supply of hormones to support internal functions. In turn, these trigger physiological growth and development. Here are some benefits of sufficient sleep:

Production of insulin. This hormone is produced by the pancreas. It is critical to keep balance in the amount of sugar in the blood. It sustains normal metabolism that include burning calories. The supply must be enough to encourage normal glucose synthesis. Insufficiency on which can lead to an initial diabetic condition.

Production of antibodies. This substance is important to fight against viral and bacterial infections. It is a proven shield from common colds, cough, flu, etc. It is then crucial to boost the immune system safeguarding health.

Production of growth and maturity hormones.  Growth hormones are released during sleep. It is relevant in the puberty stage when growth is at its peak. Also, prolactin is discharged in sleep which is a hormone significant in reproduction, growth, and water-salt balance.

Body repairs and recovery. The various activities involved while awake cause tension. The body then needs a slow down to repair and recover. Metabolism decelerates along the sleeping process. And, energy is further stored for the next day ahead.

Psychological Homeostasis

Sleep also gives rise to psychological triggers. It yields to the production of significant hormones that triggers mental and emotional stability. Here are few benefits of sufficient sleep:

Reduction in cortisol.  This is a hormone that triggers stress. It must be controlled to avoid some harmful physiological implications. These include increase in heartbeat rate and blood pressure. There are some other complications that can even be fatal.

Memory Improvement. As a rule of thumb, everything that the mind cannot recall is unimportant. During sleep, the brain sorts out the memory storage of an individual. It deletes those which are irrelevant and retain only those which are relevant. It is a highly significant mechanism for mental fitness.

Have a comforting holistic workout with eight hours of sleep!

It was said that Belle Gunness had a very tragic experience while in Norway when a man kicked her in the stomach while she was pregnant and it killed the baby in her womb. A few months later, that man died. It was never confirmed whether he died because of poisoning but it was stated that he died because of stomach cancer. A strange coincidence considering that Belle Gunness had murdered her children and first husband with poison but was never prosecuted because she was very convincing.

Belle Gunness discovered that insurance money was easy to get as she gets insurance from burning down houses and later on killing her children then her first husband. She then married Mr. Gunness, a butcher, which she later on killed brutally. She became a very wealthy willow but suspicion grew about the death of her two husbands and children. But she found a way to get even more money without going for the insurance claims. She posted a personal ad in a newspaper seeking for a man suitor and it got her numerous men who traveled all the way to La Porte, Indiana, to her farm, with their life savings. There, she would lure them until they are able to deposit their money to her account and she would then murder them with poison. She would then slice their bodies and bury them in her farm or even feed them to the pigs.

When suspicion grew, she found a way to fake her own death. It is believed that the death of her children and a woman in her burned out farm was staged and that they were dead before the fire. The body of the supposed to be Belle Gunness had no head and it was much too small compared to a 5 foot 8 inches tall woman that was Belle. Her story was a mystery and she was able to escape with thousands of dollars and over 40 murders.

Christianity was established in Ethiopia long before it was even introduced in Europe. The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church is still revered by Orthodox Christians around the world. Until the 1990s, Orthodox Christians constituted for more than 50% of Ethiopia’s population. However a comparatively low birth rate and loss of adherents to the aggressive protestant churches (among them, Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus) weakened the position of the Orthodox church in Ethiopia. The Orthodox share of the population declined from 50.6% in 1994 to 43.5% in 2007. The loss of Eritrea was another blow to the Orthodox Church. The local Orthodox denomination is now a fully Autocephalous and Autonomous Church of the Oriental Orthodoxy (Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church). Adding fuel to fire, there is another splinter group (The Ethiopian Orthodox Tehadeso Church), which is also weaning away the members.

Islam is growing in Ethiopia, mostly as a result of higher birth rates. Most of the Muslims are Oromo, but the major Islamic strongholds are in the ethnic Afar and Somali regions. More than 98% of the population in the Somali region and more than 95% in the Afar region are Muslims. The Oromo Muslims are moderate to a big extent. But the same can’t be said about those residing in the Afar and Somali regions. For the past two decades the ethnic Somalis are fighting for independence from the Christian dominated Ethiopian government, with support pouring in from across the border in Somalia. The Ogaden National Liberation Front has frequently attacked oil fields and engineering projects in the region resulting in the deaths of hundreds of soldiers and civilians. This was the main reason for the Ethiopian invasion of Somalia in 2006. So far around 3,000 Ethiopian soldiers have lost their lives in Somalia, with no quick solution insight.

Demographically speaking, the Ethiopian Christians face no major threat in the near future. But at the same time, the sparsely populated but Muslim-majority Eastern Ethiopian regions will remain a headache for the government in Addis Ababa. If the ruling elite succeed in separating the ongoing Somalian civil war from their own Somali majority areas, then it would be considered as a huge success in the future.

During the post-WW2 period, ethnic Germans were heavily persecuted. Their villages were destroyed and most of them were deported to gulags in Central Asia and Siberia. Hundreds of thousands of ethnic Germans perished as a result of over-work and starvation. Only after the death of Joseph Stalin in 1953, the deportation order was lifted and the Germans allowed to return to their former homes. A few of them obtained German passports and migrated to FRG. But most of them remained in their adopted homeland (Northern Kazakhstan, Chui Oblast in Kyrgyzstan and Omsk-Altay-Novosibirsk region of Asiatic Russia). Some of the Soviet leaders, during the 1970s tried to lessen the  hardships of the German community. They tried to integrate the Germans in to the Soviet multiculturalist society. There were even talks about forming a German Autonomous Republic with capital at Ermentau (current Ereymentau in Kazakhstan). But violent protest by the Muslim Kazakhs against the proposal made the Soviet authorities to rescind their decision. But still, the Germans were relatively tolerated during the 1970s and 1980s.

However, after Kazakhstan got independence, the situation suddenly worsened. A large part of the non-Muslim population (including most of the Germans) emigrated. The Soviet tolerance vanished in thin air. Villages which were previously having a German majority were aggressively targeted by the Kazakh government for resettlement of the Oralman (Muslim immigrants from Uzbekistan, China and Mongolia). Many of their churches and schools were closed down, along with cultural organizations. Those who could speak the German language fluently immediately obtained a German passport and migrated to Germany. But a large part of the rural population among them spoke divergent dialects of German, which were mutually unintelligible for the standard German speaking population. During the early 2000s, the Russian government set up two Autonomous Districts for ethnic Germans. They were Deutsche Nationalkreis Halbstadt in Altay Krai and Deutsche Nationalkreis Asowo in Omsk Oblast. Many of those Germans who couldn’t immigrate to Germany moved into these districts.

In Russia, the situation was no better. The financial meltdown in 1999 forced many of the ethnic Germans to emigrate to Western Europe. Just 600,000 ethnic Germans were reported during the 2002 census and 360,000 were reported during the 2010 census. Inter-marriage is also more common in Russia compared to Kazakhstan. However in Germany, the economy improved quite a lot due to the addition of 3,500,000 hard-working Aussiedler (number includes their non-German relatives as well). The German communities currently residing in Russia and Kazakhstan are only a shadow of their former self.  As the process of emigration and assimilation continuing unchanged, the future seems to be very pessimistic as far as the ethnic Germans are concerned.