Monday, April 27, 2020

Quick notes: L-strain | Groundwater levels...

  • L-strain and S-strain: Wuhan’s L-strain may be behind Gujarat’s high death rate.. The less virulent S-strain from the Middle East has been dominant in Kerala. . . Scientists believe that the virus has mutated into two strains: the "S-type" appears to be milder and less infectious, while the "L-type" spreads quickly.


  • C-virus detected on particles of air pollution: Could make it even more contagious than previosuly believed.. Two other research groups have suggested air pollution particles could help coronavirus travel further in the air.


  • Bengaluru: Groundwater levels rise as coronavirus lockdown cuts commercial usage.. Micro-monitoring system essential to understand the water regime.


  • WSJ: Amazon uses data from sellers to launch competing products. Such info can help Amazon decide how to price an item, which features to copy or whether to enter a product segment based on its earning potential.


  • Last Breath: You're not going to die.



  • What is Halal meat? Only Muslims allowed from slaughter to labelling, else meat becomes ‘non-Halal’


  • $500 ventilator blueprint: Teams building it in the US, England, Switzerland, Ukraine, Guatemala, Pakistan, New Zealand and elsewhere . . Indians busy fighting Twitter battles?


  • Intra-venous drug Sepsivac: A medicinally useful microbe discovered by an Indian biologist half-a-century ago has made a comeback in India’s fight against coronavirus as the CISR is set to start three clinical trials with a medicine containing an inactivated form of the bacteria.



Wednesday, April 22, 2020

Quick notes: Reliance Jio | Clear waters...

  • Zucka virus: Facebook to take 10% stake in Reliance Jio.. WeChat-style “super-app” to target online retail.. “Bringing JioMart, WhatsApp together for a seamless mobile shopping experience.” . . Can we trust FB?


  • Tech platforms: Australia will compel Facebook and Google to pay media outlets for news content. . . India should learn.


  • So, the Kirana store format is preferred now? Experts say it may be time for grocery stores to ban customers from coming inside. . Prevents contamination by careless customers.
    https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2020/04/19/business/grocery-stores-coronavirus-pickup-delivery/index.html


  • Clear waters: Ganga waters at Rishikesh and Haridwar now fit for drinking. Absence of industrial effluent, sewage from hotels and lodges.


  • Sunlight destroys virus quickly: Risk of transmission from surfaces outdoors is lower during daylight and under higher temperature and humidity conditions.


  • China rattles sabres: Exploiting pandemic to pursue expansion in South China Sea.


  • China won't write off Belt and Road debts: African countries have called for $100 billion in bailouts and debt relief caused by the Wuhan pandemic.


  • First find peace within:



Sunday, April 19, 2020

Lives vs. Livelihoods: Dilemmas in the time of the Wuhan Coronavirus

Lives vs. livelihoods: Dilemmas in the time of the Wuhan Coronavirus

Rajeev Srinivasan

On April 14th, the prime minister told us that the Wuhan CoronaVirus-related lockdown will continue till May 3rd, subject to certain loosening of restrictions to be announced by April 20th on a case by case basis.
The PM has a very difficult set of choices, and needs to juggle many issues. There are three important considerations, in order:
  • Lives
  • Food
  • Economy or livelihood
It’s an incredibly tough call. If you are lucky, all three can be managed. If not, the failures will be catastrophic. It’s likely that it is only possible to optimize any two; you cannot optimize all three simultaneously. But this is what resilience is all about: how can we manage the entire problem?

So far, we have concentrated on saving lives. That is not true of other countries, say the US, which arguably favored the economy over lives, figuring that there would be a certain number of casualties, as in the 50,000 deaths per year from the common flu. There the argument (which has taken on a Trump-centric culture war flavor) is over whether to dilute the lockdown. 

Friday, April 17, 2020

Quick notes: Colleges disrupted | Gambling apps...

  • Tectonic shift in Higher education: Many western universities are witnessing erosion of their revenue sources -- tuition, research grants, clinical revenue.. Whatever emerges in the world of higher education, it won't look the same as it did at the start of last academic year.


  • Setback to Macaulayists: HC axes Andhra Pradesh English medium plan.

  • Gambling addiction and Chinese investors: What can go wrong? Tencent, Alibaba investing hundreds of millions of dollars in Indian apps that use loopholes in anti-gambling laws.


  • Debt Trap Diplomacy: Belt and Road debts to China skyrocket after c-virus.. Developing countries’ hidden debts to China estimated at $380 billion and many BRI partner countries face significant debt distress.


  • Associated Press: China knew of pandemic danger in Wuhan even as officials downplayed it. Without the six-day delay, infections could have been cut by two-thirds.


  • The Rules of Capitalism: The rules of capitalism are different when CEOs are looking for a bailout


  • Illness and Self-Discovery ~ Mooji:



  • How UV light may protect us: Ultraviolet light can penetrate the cells of pathogens and damage the DNA or RNA that contain their genetic code. “Sunlight is wonderful, but it takes a long time.”

    UV LEDs can decontaminate surfaces: "UV-C light in the 260 - 285 nanometre wavelength range most relevant for current disinfection technologies is also harmful to human skin, so for now it is mostly used in applications where no one is present at the time of disinfection".


  • Fool me twice: Chinese PPE kits fail India safety test.


Wednesday, April 15, 2020

Quick notes: Social capital | SEBI wakes up...

  • Capitalism on the way up, socialism on way down: Modern-day capitalism is all about reducing the risk for speculators.

  • Leave it to a Brown guy to tell it like it is

  • China-led stock transactions will be watched: SEBI will be closely monitoring share transactions by Chinese companies and banks, especially in times when stock valuations are beaten down. The Finance Ministry was ruffled as regulators had not raised flags when People’s Bank of China was buying shares over the past few weeks. PBC now holds 1.74 crore HDFC shares.


  • "China Will Find Out": Trump hints at consequences for c-virus misinformation


  • Planet healing: People in India can see the Himalayas for the first time in 'decades,' as the lockdown eases air pollution


  • Importing rubbish: Over 1,21,000 mt of plastic waste being slyly imported into India in the form of flakes and lumps. Meanwhile, tons of plastic waste generated every day remain untreated and dumped into landfills and oceans.


  • When your mind is quiet:


  • ExIt-aly? Italians burn EU flag. "We save ourselves".


Monday, April 13, 2020

Quick notes: Distressed assets | Solar tarp...

  • Distressed assets: Germany beefs up law to block foreign takeovers. Govt to protect key industries from Chinese takeover.

    Vultures welcome in India: People’s Bank of China picks up 1.75 crore shares in HDFC as shares fall 32% from 52-week high.




  • What China learnt. But India didn't: China grasped how the United States produces knowledge in its universities, businesses, and centers of technology.  Western businesses have worked hand-in-glove with Chinese for a generation and have allowed China to siphon off knowledge and practices that greatly contributed to China’s rise. Western universities have cooperated with Chinese colleagues in pursuit of knowledge but also directly and indirectly to the benefit of the CCP and PLA.  Western laboratories and departments of mathematics and natural sciences depend on Chinese researchers and graduate students. 


  • CCP narrative: Beijing tightens grip over c-virus research. "Academic papers about tracing the origin of the virus must be strictly managed."  


  • Retractable solar cover to recharge EVs: The cover contains nine ASCA solar modules, covering 4 square meters of total surface area.



  • No tension, simply attention:


Friday, April 10, 2020

Quick notes: Blue skies | Milk output...

  • Blue sky thinking: “For once this city looks like the city of my childhood – quiet, pure air and amazingly clear skies. I know it’s a high price to pay for enjoying clean air, the virus is deadly”.
    https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/31/asia/coronavirus-lockdown-impact-pollution-india-intl-hnk/index.html
    India has the world's highest number of tuberculosis cases.


  • Cow vigilantism raised milk output: Normally, adult females are sold away for slaughter, after their fourth or fifth lactation at salvage value. But due to cow vigilantism after 2014, these animals have been reared for more number of lactations resulting in growth of milk production.


  • Secular govts buying PPE kits from Hindu non-profit: These disciples of Satya Sai Baba are doing it at absolutely no profits as they view it as a public service in troubled times, charging Rs 475, while other traders charge Rs 1,500 and more.


  • Back to glory? Doordarshan highest-watched channel in India during week ended April 3


  • All Is Self: When mind is quiet, all is Self.


  • Stay Safe: Mahina Khanum



  • Terror haven, psecular haven: Before his arrest, Bangabandhu's killer Abdul Majed was hiding in Kolkata for 22 years.  


  • Shift Production Out of China: Japan has earmarked $2.2 billion of its economic stimulus package to help its manufacturers shift production out of China as c-virus disrupts supply. 


  • WHO: U.S. Spent $452 Million on WHO in 2019. China? $42 Million


  • Dramatic drop in India pollution: In New Delhi, the average concentration of PM 2.5 plunged by 71% a week after the lockdown began.


  • Students for a Free Tibet: SFT is a chapter-based network of young people and activists around the world. Through education, grassroots organizing, and nonviolent direct action, we campaign for Tibetans’ fundamental right to freedom.


Wednesday, April 08, 2020

Quick notes: "Edible" insects | TB vaccine...

  • More pandemics: The EU will soon permit the sale of locusts, crickets, grasshoppers, and mealworms as food across the continent.


  • TB Vaccine: Countries with universal BCG vaccine programmes have much lower mortality rates from Covid-19. "We have known for decades that BCG has non-specific beneficial effects, in that it protects against diseases other than the one for which it was created". . . 'Use BCG vaccine immediately'.


  • Beggar-thy-neighbor: Aussie hospitals grapple with shortages after Chinese-owned companies there emptied vital medical supplies and exported them to China.


  • Leftist media parroting CCP propaganda:


  • CCP Propaganda: China floods Facebook with ads blaming Trump for c-virus. State news outlets have bought numerous ads extolling China's response to the pandemic and attacking the mistakes of the US


  • In the Vedic church none is religiously great or small: Yajurveda 26-2 clearly enjoins all learned persons to preach the Vedic truths to all, the  Brahmanas, the Kshatriyas, the Vaishyas, the Shudras, the Chandalas, the degraded and the forlorn. Dwijas, the twice-born alone are not entitled  to study the Vedas. The shudras and even women are equally entitled to read the Vedas. Persons like Kavish Aylush a Shudra by birth, vide Aitareya Brahmana 11-19 and women like Lopa Mudra were the seers of the meanings of Vedic texts and their names are from times immemorial attached to the Vedic verses. In the  eyes of God all men, high or low, are equally entitled to God's gifts and  bounties, say air, water, sunshine and His Knowledge. 


  • Wikipedia or Trashpedia? Since Vedic wisdom and Yoga are much the fashion across the world these days, racists and Eurocentrists must show that these were brought from Europe by migrants who then occupied India..  We need an online encyclopedia where the edits are by real people. India needs to have a strategic vision on internet technologies. An Indian version of the Wikipedia which is edited responsibly should be part of that vision.


  • Solar tiles in driveway: Solar driveways could power entire households.
    https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1127720_put-the-ev-in-the-garage-solar-driveways-could-power-entire-households


Monday, April 06, 2020

Quick notes: Damages | Kerala myth...

  • Make them pay: China could be sued under 10 possible legal avenues, including the International Health Regulations. Had China provided accurate information at an early juncture, "the infection would not have left China." . . . Lack of free speech in China is now a global health issue.


  • Jackpot: China says it has sold nearly four billion masks abroad.


  • Kerala myth: For those who knew better, it was always apparent that Kerala govt’s propaganda on healthcare was a sham. People actually leave Kerala and seek healthcare in other, better-managed states. .


  • India should learn: Hungary taxes MNCs, banks to fund health worker bonuses


  • UV disinfection: Nahru Khan, a 62-year-man from Mandsaur has developed an automatic sanitization machine and donated it to the District Hospital. 


  • C-virus: Tiger at New York's Bronx Zoo tests positive for coronavirus


  • Nepal's Mighty Gurkhas: What it takes to become a Gurkha.



  • Let it go:

  • Just stay quiet:


Sunday, April 05, 2020

Trump Asks India for Supplies of Hydroxychloroquine

US President Donald Trump asked Indian PM Narendra Modi for help in providing supplies of hydrochloroquine, the anti-malaria drug which has been effective against COVID-19:


The issue is whether we can make enough of the drug to supply both US and ourselves, since we don't want to fall prey to the virus after giving our supplies to someone else. We should pour resources into both medically validating and maximizing production of this drug - because spending large sums to cure people of the virus is a lot cheaper than shutting down the entire economy of the country and the world. Supplies for the elderly and the very young should be prioritized, since they're the most vulnerable. Those who are not in high-risk groups can be left to tough it out, at least until better supplies are available.

By scaling up production at low cost to supply the rest of the world during this time of need, India can turn this crisis into a showcase for Make-in-India.


Saturday, April 04, 2020

Quick notes: Reparations | Mapping investments...

  • Reparations: China's c-virus liability - what would a reasonable settlement look like?


  • America's options: When a T-bill or bond is redeemed at maturity, the Treasury gives the money to the holder. That means that the Treasury has complete control over $1.08 trillion in Chinese money. 


  • Land-grab Down Under: Australia should 'take back the land' from China as damages


  • Comment on a British forum on reparations: Careful now, if we start down that route, Britain might end having to pay for all the famines, wars and other forms of death and destruction that we've wrought on other peoples over the centuries. I suspect that we would end up a net debtor.


  • Mapping Chinese investments in India: Chinese companies have escaped the kind of scrutiny in India that their investments have attracted in the West, despite several high-profile investments and acquisitions. Besides the current emphasis on investments, another likely reason is the assumption that investments from the Chinese private sector are entirely different from state-led investments. But the separation between the Chinese state and private business is blurry.

    Within China, the Chinese private sector, and particularly tech firms, work closely with the govt and the Communist Party in pursuing many of its goals at home. This is especially true of the technology sector, which is widely seen as playing a key role in the party’s enforcement of digital authoritarianism at home, from surveillance to censorship.

    As of September 2019, the U.S., Australia, and Japan were among countries that have blocked Huawei from their 5G plans, while India has not taken a final call, although allowing the Chinese company to participate in initial 5G trials. Huawei has already supplied equipment to build India’s 3G and 4G networks, but the security implications of 5G have given the Indian government some pause for thought.
    https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/China-Inc%E2%80%99s-growing-stake-in-India-China-relations_F.pdf


  • Sign the petition: Make China pay reparations for c-virus.. . . Islamists force women to cover up. Chinese force everyone to cover their faces.


  • C-virus: China’s first confirmed Covid-19 case traced back to November 17, 2019


  • Han abuses: Uyghur health workers forced to treat virus patients


  • National security naivete: Pakistan's best friend will build ships for Indian navy


is this china's time to shine?

bruce macaes is being provocative in claiming china will take over. but it sure looks suspicious that it's working out so well for them. 

https://www.nationalreview.com/2020/04/coronavirus-pandemic-china-seeks-increase-geopolitical-power/



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sent from xiaomi redmi note 5, so please excuse brevity and typos

Friday, April 03, 2020

singapore goes into wuhan coronavirus lockdown

though they don't quite call it 'lockdown', but some weasel words. 

i think they got hit with the aftereffects of 16,000 people congregating in malaysia. 

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sent from xiaomi redmi note 5, so please excuse brevity and typos

US plans to evacuate citizens (they will get a bill too)

i am told that the US plans flights this weekend MUM-ATL and DEL-SFO on commercial aircraft, and the evacuees will be fully charged (i think later, not up front). 

this business of india doing free evacuations has to stop. it's moral hazard. i've been screaming about evacuation insurance for years.
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sent from xiaomi redmi note 5, so please excuse brevity and typos

Thursday, April 02, 2020

boy astrologer and his predictions re #wuhancoronavirus

so far, he's said mar 31, apr 1 would be grim. 

i think he earlier predicted lots of bad stuff would happen.

kerala astrologer shri kanippayyoor in his vishu 2019 forecast said there would be global sickness.

i don't dismiss astrology, neither am i a big believer. in fact, my attention wandered when i had the boy astrologer on youtube, so i didn't listen very carefully. 

putting it out there for your benefit. caveat emptor.


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sent from xiaomi redmi note 5, so please excuse brevity and typos