Quick notes: Emperor Xi | Ground 'drones'...

• Trump’s Pursuit of a Partnership With China Raises Concerns in India: Rubio has a gargantuan task during his visit to Delhi: defuse tensions over Trump’s anti-India aggression and overtures to China. Trump found time to lavish praise on Xi Jinping calling him “a great leader” and “a friend.” The two men, Mr. Trump said, would “have a fantastic future together.”
  
  Trump's comment that he would revisit arms sales to Taiwan has stirred anxiety across Asia and prompted questions about U.S. security commitments. Indian leaders are among those with concerns.
  
  Trump-Xi Bonhomie: Should India Be Uneasy?: A former Indian foreign secretary, a leading China hawk until recently, has advised the Modi govt that a reassessment of Quad is overdue. But it is easier said than done, given the mindset of the Indian elite.



• Xi Is Truly Done Falling For The Great American Bluff: China kept the upper hand during Trump's visit by, amongst other things, Xi Jinping retaining his poise and distance while Trump tried to ingratiate himself with flattery and body language.
  
  At the opening of the formal delegation-level talks, the lining up of the top-most American corporate leaders behind Trump suggested a homage being paid to Xi's China, reminiscent of the kowtowing to the Chinese emperor in the past. Trump was messaging a willingness to explore possibilities of renewed economic interdependence with China.
  
  Addressing Trump at the formal talks, Xi was sententious and demanding. He called on the US to be "partners, not rivals" with China. . . . amusing to see Trump kissing Xi's ass.

India’s compliance, China’s defiance: As New Delhi petitions Washington to renew the sanctions waiver expiring today so it can keep importing Russian oil, Trump says he is considering lifting U.S. sanctions on Chinese refiners buying Iranian crude. China defies American sanctions…

— Dr. Brahma Chellaney (@Chellaney) May 16, 2026




• Christian nationalist push: Trump administration pushes narrative of Christian founding at Rally. . One Nation under Yeshu.



• Trump Is Setting His Sights on Restricting Legal Immigration: A new approach is emerging on legal immigration, one that makes it harder for those abroad to enter the United States, and for those already here on a temporary basis to stay.



• Ground drones taking on dangerous missions: The "Ground Drones" rescuing Ukraine's wounded from the Front Lines



• China Boosts Indian Ocean Ambitions: China despatches thousands of fishing boats to the region for illegal fishing, thus depleting the fish stock of the region.
  
  During Operation Sindoor, hundreds of such boats appeared, possibly to harass the Indian Navy.
  
  Such 'grey zone' activities are conducted to indicate China's intention to enter the region, gather intelligence, create civil-military confusion, exploit lack of preparedness by adversaries or treated as a stop-gap arrangement before full-fledged naval deployments.
  
  Even though China had commissioned the Djibouti naval base in 2017, initially as a logistical support facility at the chokepoint of the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, it is now being expanded to include submarine docking facilities.
  
  China also initiated a number of dual-use ports or maritime facilities -- estimated to be more than a hundred across 46 countries in the region. These are considered to be a counter to the US-led maritime world order as well as to marginalise India in the region.

What Chinese Distant Water Fishing Vessels are doing inside the Exclusive Economic Zones of Argentina, Peru, Ecuador, Chile, Panama and other South American nations, is surely not industrial fishing. This is a well organised plunder of marine resources, funded and facilitated by… pic.twitter.com/TZR5IRUzzc

— Isabella Anderson (@IsabellaAn67) February 11, 2026




• Supreme Court of India: 'If Parents Are IAS Officers, Why Reservation For Their Children?'



• Beyond just assembling phones: Lava's ₹1,100 Cr bet is to build what's inside. Aims to shift from mere assembly to producing key components domestically. . . a lot can be done even before domestic fabs go live.



• Three Charts:

India Oil Consumption: 2013 to 2024: 5.621M bbl/d for 2024


USD to Indian Rupee - 2013 to 2026:


Brent Crude Price - 2010 to 2026:




• Uber-ize gold: For national necessity & personal prosperity. How a National Gold Library could transform household jewellery into productive capital, strengthen the rupee, and cut imports.



• Ustad Rashid Khan: Raag Shyam Kalyan

AI 171 Crash Probe

AI 171 Crash Probe: Friction, unease and mistrust have marked the ongoing probe into the Air India Flight 171 crash, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Tension between the US' NTSB and Indian investigators at one point reached so high that the US side even threatened to withdraw support for the probe.

Temporary link: When two American black-box specialists landed in New Delhi in late June, urgent messages arrived on their phones.

Don’t go with the Indians, their colleagues told them.

Earlier that day, Indian authorities had told their American counterparts of a new plan to unlock the mysteries behind the first deadly crash involving a Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

They wanted the U.S. technical experts to take a late-night flight on a military plane and then drive to a remote area. At an aerospace company’s lab there, the experts were supposed to analyze flight-data and cockpit voice recorders pulled from the wreckage of the Air India jet that crashed nearly two weeks prior.

But that plan for the recorders—commonly called the black boxes—worried Jennifer Homendy, a top U.S. transportation official. She and other American officials were concerned about the safety of U.S. personnel and equipment being taken to a remote location amid State Department security warnings about terrorism and military conflicts in the region.

The National Transportation Safety Board chairwoman made a flurry of calls, including to Sean Duffy, President Trump’s transportation secretary, as well as the chief executives of Boeing and engine-maker GE Aerospace.

At her request, the State Department sent embassy officials to intercept the NTSB recorder specialists at the airport, and the Americans stayed in Delhi.

The previously unreported episode marked a high point of tension between Indian government officials, who are leading the probe into the June 12 crash, and the American experts assisting them. The investigation has been marked by points of tension, suspicion and poor communication between senior officials of the two nations.

In June, in the crucial early days of the investigation, Homendy complained about delays in downloading data from the Air India flight and insisted Indian officials extract information from the Air India black boxes at their facility in Delhi or at the NTSB’s lab in Washington, according to the draft of an unsent letter from Homendy to India’s minister of civil aviation.

The friction has been fed by each country’s high stakes in the investigation, which is continuing and could take a year or more.

• The race to build GPS alternatives: GPS spoofing.. GPS outages from Delhi to the Black Sea… 430,000 spoofing attacks in just one year… Flights going off-route, drones crashing, networks glitching.
  
  The world has realised something alarming: We’ve built everything on one fragile system - GPS.





• Temu & Shein Just Got Destroyed By France: Ambanis have tied-up with Shein, so they cannot be touched in India

Quick notes: Anti-India hate | AfPak tensions...

• Anti-Hindu hate spirals: Vivek Ramaswamy, Kash Patel, Tusli Gabbard and Dinesh D'Souza all at the receiving end of White Christian bigotry.




• ‘Worship of false gods’: MAGA spreads hate on Diwali as Trump lights diyas at White House



• Brown MAGAs shocked that MAGA is racist: Indians on the right are realizing what black folks already knew. . . . Vivek is done — The racist base turned on him.




• India loses airbase in Tajikistan: The Ayni Airbase in Tajikistan, once India’s only real overseas military footing has been quietly vacated after pressure from Russia and China.



• South Asia’s most geopolitically charged shoreline: Pakistan’s Pasni port pitch to Washington can reshape regional rivalries with China and India



• Water scarcity - Pakistan's Arabia wish coming true: Afghanistan has announced plans to construct a dam on the Kunar River, a key tributary of the Kabul River, aiming to restrict water flow to Pakistan after deadly clashes along the Durand Line.



• Why Afghanistan and Pakistan are fighting: Afghanistan’s rulers say their border with Pakistan doesn’t exist.




• I like this map of Pakistan: Sindh may need more time :)




• Why Taliban trusts India but hates Pakistan: After 2001, India quietly supported Afghanistan with schools, roads, and Deobandi education. Meanwhile, Pakistan trained the old Taliban with violent Wahabi ideas. Pakistan also mistreated Afghan refugees and tried to control them. Today, the new Taliban trusts India and rejects Pakistan’s influence.




• Indians moving away from GOP: Blowback to MAGA racism

Shift towards Democrats in Virginia

Whites: 6
Black: 11
Hispanic: 20
Asian: 42

Keep demonizing immigrants, that'll take you far. pic.twitter.com/v6Mqisc4IP

— Richard Hanania (@RichardHanania) November 7, 2025

Quick notes: GM corn | Whites-only...

• Arm-twisted: US trade talks may be cracking India’s opposition to GM crops. Concessions offered by the Indian trade team already included the possible easing of some restrictions on the import of GM corn. “GM is a life and death issue for Indian farmers.”... are we Trump's dumpyard?



• ‘It could feed the world’: Amaranth, a health trend 8,000 years old that survived colonization.. The Spanish believed that amaranth was a satanic food of natives. 1521: Spanish conquistadors ban amaranth cultivation under penalty of having hands severed, destroying temples where 200,000 people annually consumed tzoalli (amaranth-honey statues) during ceremonies. . . Rajgira could be game-changer for Indian farmer.




• White Right-wingers Only: Trump considers overhaul of refugee system that would favor white people. Importing white South Africans and European Nazis.



• Trump immigration plan may wipe out 15M jobs by 2035: Fewer workers in the labor force could have dramatic effects on the U.S. economy, from lower economic growth to reductions in the nation's goods and services produced.



• Soft on Beijing: Trump has purged the National Security Council of many advisers who advocated a tougher line toward China and diminished the role of the council. China hawks grow queasy over Trump’s push for deals with Beijing.



• 'DOGE was all about collecting data for Musk's Grok': Tariffs are way up. Interest on debt tops $1 Trillion. And DOGE didn’t do much.



• Japanese Monster: Shohei Ohtani’s historic performance sends LA back to World Series.




• How China Built Tech Prowess: Chemistry Classes and Research Labs. Unlike India's history debate clubs



• GOP's true colors: Leaked messages expose Young Republicans’ racist chat. “Im going to create some of the greatest physiological torture methods known to man. We only want true believers”. ‘I love Hitler’



• Trump Organization Expands in India: Where Many of Its Partners Face Accusations

Quick notes: China threat | MAGA backlash...

• Conjoined enemies: "So far we used to say that look China would assist Pakistan during operations, during a conflict, etc. But I think this time it came out loud and clear that it is more like they are conjoined". Lessons From Op Sindoor.
  
  
• Beware Of China Threat In North East: China is extremely proactive in politics in Shan state (and indeed in many other parts of Myanmar). By ensuring Myanmar remains dependent on Chinese economic and military assistance, Beijing indirectly exerts pressure on India's North Eastern states
  
  
• India-China trade: Deficit widens to $99.2 bn. "India is an iron ore seller but not a high-quality steel exporter".
  
  
• Will BRICS boom under Trump's watch? "The dollar would stay "dominant for years, but parallel settlement systems in yuan, rupee and ruble will grow. This won't dethrone the dollar but will steadily chip away at its monopoly."



• Why the thriving Indian diaspora in the US is not an asset anymore: The excessive publicity about Indian success stories and their high income and wealth levels has begun to breed envy and resentment in non-elite sections of the American populace.
  
  There might be a campaign against H1B visas and even a gradual expulsion of persons stuck in a limbo with pending green cards and pending citizenship.
  
  The ground beneath our feet is shifting. And for the time being, the best strategy might be to stop crowing about us becoming a large economy (we are nowhere there in per capita terms anyway) or becoming a big power. We can lie low till our time comes.
  
  
• 'Is it time to pause H1-B visas?': Debate intensifies over Indian tech hires



• AI wrecking careers: There is now clearer evidence AI is wrecking young Americans’ job prospects.
  
  AI is eating entry-level coding and customer service roles, according to a new Stanford study — junior job listings drop 13% in three years in fields vulnerable to AI



• Raag MARU BIHAG: Shehnai - Pandit S. Ballesh & Krishna Ballesh




• "Brahmins Profiteering...": Top Trump Aide On India's Russian Oil Trade. . . . . USA unhinged.. vinAshakAlE viparIta buddhi.
  
  
• We should target Meta, X and Netflix instead: From Pepsi To McDonald's, US Giants Face Swadeshi Heat Amid Trump Tariffs
  
  
• Trump faces MAGA backlash: Trump has opened the doors of American universities to six lakh Chinese students, even as his administration continues its crackdown on International students. "We're going to allow their students to come in. It's very important, 600,000 students. It's very important. But we're going to get along with China".
  
  
• Flip-flopping approach: How Trump Reversed Course on Chinese Students
  
  
• Imperialist: Meta's Zuckerberg pressed Trump on digital taxes before tariff threat. . . . Trump vows export curbs, tariffs in digital tax reprisal
  
  
• Era of US industrial policy: Investors worry Trump's Intel deal kicks off era of US industrial policy.. Intel did not need the money. SoftBank poured $2 billion into the chipmaker three days before the Trump announcement.



• Delhi pollution cutting life expectancy by 8 years: Delhi remains the most polluted city in the world, with average fine particulate matter (PM2.5) levels exceeding the WHO guideline by more than 20 times.
  
  
• Integrated Air Defence Weapon System (IADWS): Chinese expert hails India's new laser-based weapon
  
  

'Cutting India down to size'

Is there something deeper in the US' muted response to Munir's remarks that signals strategic indifference to stability in South Asia?

I think they are actually encouraging the Pakistanis to do this because they think that the Indians have got too big for their boots.

The current American establishment thinks that we need to cut the Indians down to size, and they will pull out all stops to do that.

People think this is just about some trade deal, but why should India take GM seeds from the Americans? Why should we go into bondage with the Americans on something as basic as seeds?

Can one infer that the US is using Munir's threats against India to get even with the Modi government for not succumbing to tariff threats?
I won't say the US president is firing from Munir's shoulders, but he doesn't object if somebody is doing this. What he is probably trying to do is use Pakistan as a tool against India -- partly to negotiate, partly to cut India to size.

That's the old American game, or at least that's what has been the feeling in India -- that it's the Americans who ensure that things never settle down in this region. I would add the Brits to that, but they don't exercise the same power as they did. They just have a great ability to sabotage things and disturb things. - Sushant Sareen, Senior Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation

---

'Trump Tilting Towards Pakistan' - Max Abrahms: "What we had not heard before is this sort of nuclear threat from American soil. And if this was the only incident, I would find it rather unremarkable. But what we are currently witnessing is a trend where it appears that this second Trump administration is tilting towards Pakistan and away from India. We've actually seen it throughout this whole summer."

"I will say, however, that even if some of the tariffs are lifted, I still think that the US-India relationship may not fully recover for quite some time under this administration".

"Because the message to India is that the United States isn't reliable, and that is happening at the same time that the US is inviting the army chief of Pakistan for high-level meetings, including with the President in the United States".

---

Trump's tariffs spark calls to boycott American goods

From McDonald's and Coca-Cola to Amazon and Apple, U.S.-based multinationals are facing calls for a boycott in India to protest against U.S. tariffs.

India, the world's most populous nation, is a key market for American brands that have rapidly expanded to target a growing base of affluent consumers, many of whom remain infatuated with international labels.

India, for example, is the biggest market by users for Meta's WhatsApp and Domino's has more restaurants than any other brand in the country. Beverages like Pepsi and Coca-Cola often dominate store shelves, and people still queue up when a new Apple store opens or a Starbucks cafe doles out discounts.

Rahm Shastry, CEO of India's DriveU, which provides a car driver on call service, wrote on LinkedIn: "India should have its own home-grown Twitter/Google/YouTube/WhatsApp/FB — like China has."

I am discussing USA & China collaborating to break up India and share different pieces. They will also divide the Muslim parts of South Asia to keep them from uniting into a massive Islamic power. China will want the northern parts and maybe some Marxist belts, along with access…

— Rajiv Malhotra (@RajivMessage) August 13, 2025

Pakistan, US seal trade deal

"Massive" Oil Partnership With Pak: The US struck a trade deal with Pakistan, hours after announcing 25% tariffs on imports from India.

---

Fourth-largest oil and gas reserves in the world: This could be a potential game-changer in the region’s energy flows... Fictitious reserves?

---

"India can take its dead economy down for all I care"

---

China spared, India sanctioned: 6 Indian Companies Sanctioned By US Over Iran Petroleum Purchases

---

Why Trump doesn't want Google, Microsoft to hire Indians: He wants a new "spirit of patriotism and national loyalty".

---

From the archives: 'Abki Baar, Trump Sarkar': PM Modi gives tacit support for Trump's re-election in 2020

---

Are we being hoodwinked?

Is this the deal? India, Vietnam and China all get to pay the same 20%.

President Trump announced that a trade agreement with China has been signed and claimed the deal would begin to “open up” China. The strange part? We haven’t heard any details—except that it supposedly addresses rare earth disputes. On the Chinese side, it’s total radio silence.… pic.twitter.com/6xvfYXVqKC

— Lei's Real Talk (@LeisRealTalk) July 3, 2025

---

What's the point of Quad if Trump equates India-Pakistan? If the only superpower, which calls India an ally, sees the region through an India-Pakistan prism, it is unacceptable. Rather than endorse India's sphere of influence, this undermines it.

---

Trump Baffles With Sudden U-Turn on China Buying Iranian Oil: President Trump appeared to undermine years of US sanctions on Iran, giving its biggest customer China the green light to carry on buying its oil. . . . . India restricted from buying Iranian oil while China is free?

---

Elon: America is going bankrupt quickly, but everyone is whistling past the graveyard.

---

Old pal of Elon Musk has ominous warning for Trump: “I’ve had my share of blowouts with Elon over the years,” neuroscientist Philip Low told Politico. “Knowing Elon the way I know him, I do think he’s going to do everything to damage the president.”

NEW: Poll finds that 40% of voters say they are likely to support Elon Musk's "America Party" if he decides to launch it, according to Quantus Insights.

The poll comes as Musk has threatened to launch his own political party over recent disagreements with the Republican Party.… pic.twitter.com/bsdraGwpGq

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) July 2, 2025

---

India caught in the middle: Rare earth curbs to hit EV, RE, defence sectors

---

Time for Swadeshi platforms: Congressional staff members were informed that WhatsApp can no longer be used on their government-issued smartphones or other devices.

---

Will Modi sarkar cave in?

After chickening out to China, Trump wants to "open up" India: The White House’s demands to “open up India” as it seeks a major trade victory — have made it that much harder for Modi’s govt to sell the deal to a domestic audience.

“Nothing riles Indians more than the idea that their govt was bullied by a foreign leader”

#WATCH | "...We just signed (trade deal) with China. We're not going to make deals with everybody... But we're having some great deals. We have one coming up, maybe with India, a very big one. We're going to open up India. In the China deal, we're starting to open up China.… pic.twitter.com/fJwmz1wK44

— ANI (@ANI) June 26, 2025

---

India gets no favours from Trump: Efforts to strike a trade “mini-deal” are dragging on. The Trump administration is asking India to lower its trade barriers, while only offering to give up some of its newly-imposed tariffs, in return.

“Whatever the government [in India] does, it will be seen as they basically capitulated to Trump’s demand. So they are in a no-win situation.”

The president has complicated matters by repeatedly taking credit for brokering peace between India and Pakistan this spring.

“The more he repeats his claim, the more a prospective U.S.-India trade agreement smells like coercion, not cooperation.”

---

Threat of more tariffs hangs over trade partners: These governments have been hesitant to strike a deal with the Trump administration, worried that they only will be hit by more levies down the road. For some foreign governments, these national security tariffs are potentially more concerning than the reciprocal tariffs Trump is threatening to apply to all their US exports.

---

Maybe India can learn from EU: EU to accept Trump's universal tariff but seeks key exemptions. Everyone knows Trump will eventually break his own deals, so keep it small.

---

GMO junk: Trade deal hits hurdle over US demand of low duties on agricultural, genetically modified food

---

Trump looking at deporting Musk

Every member of Congress who campaigned on reducing government spending and then immediately voted for the biggest debt increase in history should hang their head in shame!

And they will lose their primary next year if it is the last thing I do on this Earth.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 30, 2025

Trump Threatens BRICS Nations With 100% Tariffs

Donald Trump threatens BRICS countries—including Russia, India—with 100% tariffs if they act to undermine US dollar

“We require a commitment from these countries that they will neither create a new BRICS currency, nor back any other currency to replace the mighty U.S. Dollar or, they will face 100% Tariffs, and should expect to say goodbye to selling into the wonderful U.S. Economy.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the U.S. of “weaponizing” the dollar and described it as a “big mistake.”

Russia has specifically pushed for the creation of a new payment system that would offer an alternative to the global bank messaging network, SWIFT.

Trump threatens 100% tariff on the BRIC bloc of nations if they act to undermine US dollar

Quick notes: Terrorism export | Fourth dose...

• Pakistan's terrorism export: The Taliban uses modern drones with bombs, it is obvious that drones arrived today with Pakstan special forces.

#BREAKING🔴
Pakistani drones starts bombarding #Panjshir
Panjshir being bombed by Pakistan Air Force drones using smart bombs.

In the recent battle of Panjshir, Pakistani special forces familiar with Panjshir lands,&have a map of the area,attacked the strongholds from the air.

— NATIONAL RESISTANCE FRONT🛡️ (@NRFmojahed) September 5, 2021




• Biden told Ghani to lie: Biden called President Ashraf Ghani to help him "project a different picture" and to stop the narrative from looking bad for his presidency.




• Taliban to rely on Chinese funds: “There are rich copper mines in the country, which, thanks to the Chinese, can be put back into operation and modernised. In addition, China is our pass to markets all over the world.”



• The Mystery of Narayana Murthy's Retail Biz: So prolific has been the growth of Cloudtail's dominance on the Amazon platform that it faces accusations of unfair trade practices, and of crowding out small retailers



• N+1: Israel’s virus czar calls to get ready for eventual 4th vaccine dose
  
  80% immunity lost in 6 months after Pfizer shot



• Why You Should Stop Using Antibacterial Soap: A 2008 survey found triclosan in the urine of 75% of people tested. Antibacterial soaps acts as endocrine disruptors and have the potential to create antibiotic-resistant bacteria.



• Bury the cables: India’s renewable energy plants ‘Not Bird-Friendly’



• "Americans have lost the prestige of a global leader": A power vacuum that Russia and China are already filling

Quick notes: Atmanirbhar America | Krishna Ella...

• Atmanirbhar America: U.S. Senate mulls $30 billion in funding to boost chipmaking sector.. The semiconductor industry has been pushing for an investment tax credit for spending on semiconductor tools.



• Coolies get lectured: U.S. Defence Secretary raises human rights concerns with Jaishankar. . . . . . . Don't grovel before USA.

  China treats US as dogs.
  
  US treats India as dogs. Because “English Advantage”—this is how one treats ones coolies.
  
  There is a global hierarchy. https://t.co/nd2ZrgFrUi

  — Sankrant Sanu सानु संक्रान्त ਸੰਕ੍ਰਾਂਤ ਸਾਨੁ (@sankrant) March 20, 2021




• Covaxin more effective against variants: Some experts suspect Covaxin could be more effective against variants since it combats the whole body of a virus instead of the "spike-protein" tip.
  
  'Rarely does one see such commitment.': Bharat Biotech's Krishna Ella wins Covaxin fight. . 'He came back from the US only to work for his country.'. . 'He has invested his fortunes to build this company and is married to his work.'
  
  AstraZeneca: German team discovers thrombosis trigger.



• 'Brick on Wheels' - A machine that can produce 12 thousand bricks in one hour




• 1,100 megawatts: Pakistan's China-built nuclear reactor starts operation



• BIG-IP: Hackers are exploiting a server vulnerability with a severity of 9.8 out of 10. As if the mass-exploitation of Microsoft Exchange servers wasn't enough, the vulnerability this time is in BIG-IP, a line of server appliances sold by F5 Networks



• The Mahavakyas: That the Reality is remote is a misconception. It is removed by the instruction that it is within one’s own self.

Quick notes: Punitive action | NPA nightmare...

• You can't win against Walmart (or Amazon): U.S. considers withdrawal of zero tariffs for India -- strongest punitive action since Trump took office. The trigger was India’s new e-commerce rules that restrict Amazon.com Inc and Walmart-backed Flipkart. Also a factor is India's data localization drive against MNCs such as Mastercard and Visa. 



• Sharia too? Kaangress says it will scrap triple talaq law if voted to power

Does the Bareilly “Nikah-Halala” not shock your conscience? https://t.co/VJsPsZAQk4

— Arun Jaitley (@arunjaitley) February 8, 2019




• The NPA nightmare: Indian banks may have an over Rs30,00,00,00,00,000 bad loan storm coming



• Magnetic north just changed: Why is magnetic north changing so fast?



• The miracle mineral the world needs: Compost can do something that mineral fertiliser cannot. It doesn't just provide phosphorus and other vital nutrients – it can also restore the soil structure by adding organic matter.



• Ultracapacitor: Tesla's clever acquisition of Maxwell. One way that ultracaps can be recharged in a vehicle is through regenerative braking, wherein the kinetic energy of braking is captured and used to generate electricity that is then stored in the ultracap. This is something that Lamborghini is doing with Maxwell technology. Another use of an ultracapacitor in a vehicle is to take care of peak transient load requirements. When the battery system alone just can't get it done, then the ultracap can kick in to handle the electrical demand.



• Physics suggests that the future has already happened: Our intuition tells us that the future can be changed, but Einstein's theory of relativity suggests that there is no real difference between the future and the past.  The future, present and past may actually not be as different as we think.



• Nuns 'sex slaves' scandal: Fresh blow to Catholic church. It is the first time that the pope has publicly admitted this abuse is taking place



• Better than UPA II:

Shekhar Gupta talking about Modi Government achievements is significant!!!

don’t forget he is NDTV expert , a strong Modi critic 👇👇

Part1 pic.twitter.com/Hp1y4LfT4B

— nyra (@nyra122333) February 7, 2019

Quick notes: Expanding evangelism, Fourth Turning...

• A nod to evangelical Christian supporters: Trump pledges to end political limits on churches.
  
  The Christian right sees Saudi Arabia and India in the same light:

I predicted during US elections that Trump's support base will demand expanding evangelism in India. | https://t.co/tbnZ9S7wfX

— Rajiv Malhotra (@RajivMessage) February 2, 2017




• A symbol of imperial conquest: How the British stole the Kohinoor from a child



• Jaswant Singh Rawat: The hero who prevented the Chinese from invading Assam



• The Fourth Turning: The history of a people moves in 80-to-100 year cycles called "saecula."



• Ford's CEO: "The future of cities has almost nothing to do with cars".



• Pedestrian-only streets: Seoul’s version of the High Line -- turning an old overpass into an elevated urban park



• Silent Valley: A forest that survived 'development'



• H-1B? Snake Hunters From Tamil Nadu Recruited By US To Catch Pythons



• Expected to cost $62 billion?? India’s govt to bring free Wi-Fi to 1,050 villages

Quick notes: Toxic air, Kerala crops...

• Swachh Bharat: Bangalore second among Indian cities with highest air pollution levels (I am experiencing this first-hand these days). The Garden City has 14% of school-going children suffering because of air pollution. While New Delhi is at the first position at 21%, Mumbai is in the third place at 13% and Kolkata is in the fourth place with 9% of school-going children suffering due to air pollution.



• Agriculture in communist Kerala is at the brink of collapse: In 1960-61, Kerala contributed to nearly 70% of the country’s coconut production. In 2011-12, it was at 42%. It dropped further by 2.3% points the next year. In 1960-61 Kerala produced more than 10 lakh tons of rice. By 2012-13 rice production was down to 5.08 lakh tons. By 2012-13, in just a single year, area under rice cultivation had declined by 5.2%, and the production itself dropped by 10.2%.



• BHAVINI: India's first fast breeder reactor to generate power 2015-16



• Obama, Nobel Laureate: US arms Pakistan with combat aircraft, trainer jets



• Fear-mongering by foreign insurance cos?

What's with insurance obsession? India's social systems have been support unlike atomized societies. https://t.co/PiLtvfFnNs @sgurumurthy

— Sankrant Sanu सानु (@sankrant) May 8, 2015

Quick notes: US manufacturing, Oil pulling...

• U.S. manufacturing: U.S. production costs catching up with China



• Is coconut oil the new Listerine? Oil pulling has antibacterial benefits, U of T prof says



• Eat less, preach less:  People in EU eat way more protein than necessary, nitrogen pollution can be brought down if they halved their meat and dairy consumption



• Unusual Concerts - Episode 1: Shyam Benegal's delightful documentary on Pt Mallikarjun Mansur



• Episode 2

Quick notes: Green sipahi, US spying proves costly...

• Green sipahi to growth juggler: “Main Dilli mein aapka sipahi hoon (I am your soldier in Delhi),” Rahul had told tribal residents in March 2008 when he visited the Niyamgiri hills where tribals were protesting against a bauxite mining project. His comments today were a far cry from the “sipahi” clarion call he had given in Odisha.



• Brazil Snubs U.S.-Based Boeing In Retaliation For NSA Spying: Documents leaked by Edward Snowden ended up enraging Rousseff and completely changing her plans. Boeing was out, and the Rafale was by far the most expensive of the three jets. That left the Saab Gripen. Many defense analysts said that, independent of the politics, it was a solid choice.



• Alert On Multitasking: "People who multitask all the time can't filter out irrelevancy. They can't manage a working memory. They're chronically distracted. They're basically terrible at all sorts of cognitive tasks" Nass said. He also warned that the mental strain of taking in an ever-increasing load of information through electronic media hasn't been fully realized. "So when they're writing a paper, they're also Facebooking, listening to music, texting, Twittering, et cetera. And that's something that just couldn't happen in previous generations even if we wanted it to."

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Quick notes: Tech town, village of warriors...

• Last year, India imported electronic goods worth $32 billion. To shave off electronics imports and cut the trade gap, a township housing Japanese electronics companies is under consideration.



• This could potentially save India billions in hydro-carbon imports each year. GoSun stove reinvents solar cooking.



• 45 percent of US jobs will be automated within the next 20 years



• This village of warriors has sacrificed its brave men to protect the country.

Quick notes: Temple gold, No-growth economy...

• Kaangress should use temple gold to build a psecular India, expert suggests:
  The Tirupati Trust Foundation has 1,700 tonnes of gold, which is about five per cent of all the gold held in India. This comes to between $1.5 trillion and 1.7 trillion - that's right, trillion.  These, by the way, are assets - it is money we Indians own. And, given that they are foreign currency assets, it is hard to understand why we have a foreign exchange problem.  The finance minister and the governor should offer the Tirupati trustees annual earnings of, say, Rs 3,000 crore (two per cent interest on 500 tonnes of gold) plus savings of the cost of storage of the gold.



• India has become the "least favourable market", and it now makes business sense to exit and export from China, Finnish major Nokia has told the government. Nokia cautioned that the political risk of operating in India may impact future investment decisions.



• Constable alerts rapist: Qasim, after having committed the crime along with four of his friends, was watching TV at his hutment in Agripada when a constable named Mujawar called him on his mobile phone. "The policeman asked him where he was and said he wanted to make some inquiries," Qasim's mother, Chand Bibi, told ToI. Qasim immediately changed his shirt, borrowed Rs 50 from his mother and left. He has been untraceable since. 



• Silicon Valley can’t save America’s no-growth economy. High-tech solutions cannot and will not prevent America’s economic growth’s collapsing



Every Conquerer who moved from West to East was Suffixed 'The Great' as in 'Alexander The Great' and East to West became 'The Barbarian' !
— InterNet Hindoo ! (@DrShobha) August 21, 2013

Quick notes: Immigration bill, Parel eatery..

• Tighter immigration rules could sap as much as $8 billion from India’s economy, JPMorgan Chase & Co. estimates. 


• Terrorism does have a religion, European Parliament discovers.


• Europe bleats, afraid to act against the Hans: Criminal underbelly of China-EU trade


• Height of intolerance: Kaangress cannot digest bill bite