Quick notes: Erdogan's terror, E-commerce norms...

• Erdogan's Turkey is Islamic State: Syria’s Kurds, betrayed by the U.S., ask Assad for protection. . . U.S. commanders recommend letting Kurdish fighters in Syria keep weapons. The recommendation “is a rejection of Trump’s policy to withdraw from Syria”.



• Paedophilic Paki: Most pedophiles in UK are of Paki descent says British home secretary Sajid Javid.



• Govt tightens e-commerce norms: Forces e-commerce companies to become ‘genuine marketplaces’. . Amazon may have to sell Cloudtail, Appario stakes. . "FDI rules do not allow inventory based model of e-commerce"... Move may end Amazon, Flipkart flash sales and discounts.

E-commerce firms and traders hail new norms but small vendors fret over 25% limithttps://t.co/K8sqGvH90y

— moneycontrol (@moneycontrolcom) December 27, 2018




• The War on Cars Is Real: It's being led by congested cities. Congestion pricing is just one way cities are actively engaged in reducing the number of cars and the amount of driving.



• Jobless growth: Manufacturing may not generate jobs at the expected rate. 'The policies were put in the hope that growth of the manufacturing sector will lead to increased employment'.



• David Godman on his spiritual journey:




• The Extraordinary Life of Maurice Frydman: Virtually nothing is known about this most extraordinary man. He was in all the right places in all the right times to get the maximum benefit of interaction with some of the greats of Indian spirituality -- Sri Ramana Maharshi, Nisargadatta Maharaj, Mahatma Gandhi and J. Krishnamurti… He was a Gandhian, he worked for the uplift of the poor in India, he worked with Tibetan refugees, he edited extraordinary books [like] “I am That,” probably one of the all time spiritual classics. Ramana Maharshi said of Frydman “He belongs only here to India. Somehow he was born abroad, but has come again here”.
  
  “We ripen when we refuse to drift, when striving ceaselessly become a way of life, when dispassion born of insight becomes spontaneous. When the search ‘Who Am I?’ becomes the only thing that matters, when we become a mere torch and the flame all important, it will mean that we are ripening fast. We cannot accelerate that ripening, but we can remove the obstacles of fear and greed, indolence and fancy, prejudice and pride.” Maurice Frydman, April 1976 The Mountain Path

Quick notes: Kurds abandoned, Colonial loot...

• Trump throws Kurds under the bus: Almost immediately after the decision to pullout American troops from Syria, Turkey masses troops near Kurdish-held town in northern Syria. Without U.S. soldiers as a buffer, the Kurds are now stuck between Turkey, Assad and ISIS



• Staggering loot: Britain drained a total of nearly $45 trillion from India during the period 1765 to 1938. For perspective, $45 trillion is 17 times the total annual GDP of the UK today.



• EV rentals in Pune: Zoomcar will offer 500 Tata Tigor EV for rent.



• Shiva Tandava Stotram – Chong Chiu Sen aka Sai Madana Mohana Kumar:



• जटाटवीगलज्जलप्रवाहपावितस्थले
  गलेवलम्ब्य लम्बितां भुजङ्गतुङ्गमालिकाम् ।
  डमड्डमड्डमड्डमन्निनादवड्डमर्वयं
  चकार चण्डताण्डवं तनोतु नः शिवः शिवम् ॥ 1 ॥
  
  जटाकटाहसम्भ्रमभ्रमन्निलिम्पनिर्झरी-
  -विलोलवीचिवल्लरीविराजमानमूर्धनि ।
  धगद्धगद्धगज्ज्वलल्ललाटपट्टपावके
  किशोरचन्द्रशेखरे रतिः प्रतिक्षणं मम ॥ 2 ॥
  



• On A2 milk: Indian native breeds of cows and buffaloes are of A2 milk type and hence are a source for safe milk. The frequency of A2 allele was 100% in the five high-yielding milk breeds — Red Sindhi, Gir, Rathi, Shahiwal and Tharparkar, meaning that these breeds do not have A1 allele or A1A1/A1A2 genotype. In the remaining breeds, the availability of A2 allele was 94 per cent.



• Christians Groups oppose Meditation, Yoga In Schools: The groups claim children in public schools across the U.S. are being “indoctrinated” by “Buddhist-based mindfulness methods in an “outright unconstitutional” practice.. Missouri megachurch pastor John Lindell similarly blasted yoga for its “demonic” Hindu roots in November. He added the “spiritually dangerous” practice was “ “diametrically opposed to Christianity.”



• Draft EV Policy: Delhi "would like to" achieve 25% Electric Car penetration by 2023



• Chinese colony: Uganda is adding compulsory Chinese lessons to its high school curriculum

British Regulator Fines Russian News Channel

A British regulatory body has fined news channel Russia Today for not providing balanced opinions on various matters:

https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-46633082


Well, well - if they can do that, then why shouldn't we do this to BBC about a hundred times harder? The way BBC puts out such a sharp slant in favour of Islamists while vilifying anything Hindu, should warrant a far more severe warning from India. From our standpoint, it looks like our 2 former colonizers are conniving together. Maybe we should tell Theresa May to go seek a trade agreement with Pakistan instead of with us.

Quick notes: Racial bias, Politicized loans...

• Harvard Racial Bias: According to school policy, Asian-American males living in rural states need to score a 1370 on the PSAT to get a letter. White males, however, only need a 1310. "That's race discrimination plain and simple".



• Yet, rich Indians continue to support them:

Did you know that India's Mukesh Ambani family has "generously donated to the Clinton Foundation"? India's super-rich donate millions to U.S. institutions that are already flush with funds, while ignoring needy institutions in their home country. https://t.co/uE8QcEe8nM

— Brahma Chellaney (@Chellaney) December 11, 2018




• Only 10% of farmers gain from loan waivers: Some farmers know when elections are due. Before that, they take loans. They then ask their farmer unions for loan waivers and the political party who shouts first about a loan waiver (gets the votes).



• Farm-loan waivers - waste of time and money: “The percentage of farmers availing bank loans is not even 50%. So, you are spending lakhs and crores of rupees and not even half of the farmers are benefiting. In some of the states, not even 25% of farmers avail institutional credit”.



• Bruhi Mukundethi : IndianRaga Chicago Advanced Labs:




• Shared Mobility Is Cheaper: The car you just bought might be the last one you’ll own. Folks living in urban and suburban centers are already shifting away from buying a second car in order to get around. 



• MIPS Goes Open Source: Allows users to access “the most recent versions of the 32-bit and 64-bit MIPS ISA free of charge — with no licensing or royalty fees.”



• Do not let Huawei anywhere near India's 5G:

What should India do about #huawei? My piece in @Openthemag suggests a) they are a major threat in 5G b) India must step up its electronics game c) trump is bullying China using its own tactics and they don't know how to respond 😁. This is a watershed https://t.co/padpbedMwH

— राजीवः श्रीनिवासः (@RajeevSrinivasa) December 17, 2018




• Plants don’t like being touched: A plant can’t flee threats, unlike mobile organisms. Instead, they have a highly sensitive threat-response system—like a plant’s version of an immune system 

The Fable of the Dragon-Tyrant

What does this story remind you of?

Stephen Cohen Warns Against Atlanticist Cold War Agenda

Foreign policy expert Stephen Cohen warns against a conspiracy by an American Cold War lobby intent on fomenting hostility toward Russia:





Here's another commentary by Cohen from the previous week:

Quick notes: Tulsi 2020, Loan mela...

• Tulsi Gabbard For President?: ‘I Am Seriously Considering It’



• Loan Mela: The new governments will have to spend more than Rs 220 billion in Rajasthan, more than Rs 160 billion in MP, and nearly Rs 30 billion in Chhattisgarh to keep the promise.

The *political cost* of keeping BJP away from power by promising 'impossible' dreams and creating 'unsustainable' coalitions should soon play out, whether in Karnataka or Madhya Pradesh, one needs to have patience to wait out for it

— Dr Praveen Patil (@5Forty3) December 12, 2018

Modi seen forgiving farm loans as he seeks to win back rural voters.



• Land of the pure: The TRS will hike reservation for minorities from the current 7% to 12% in education and jobs.



• Vikas Gando Thayo Che:

We saw industry after industry violating every pollution control norm - this sort of growth they said, nobody wants, when locals cannot get clean air or clean water. Every river we crossed was a dry bed and often the river bed was being drained of water by mafia https://t.co/YmOxXCVdma

— viva kermani (@vivakermani) December 11, 2018




• Mobility: Mahindra Electric is betting big on e-rickshaws



• “Ancient Modalities”: Meditation is the fastest growing wellness activity in the US



• David Godman on Papaji, Ramana & Nisargadatta: At the very moment that each thought rises, if one vigilantly enquires ‘To whom did this appear?’ it will be known ‘To me’. If one then enquires ‘Who am I?’ the mind will turn back to its source and the thought that had arisen will also subside. By repeatedly practising in this way, the mind will increasingly acquire the power to abide at its source.




• Tao Te Ching: “Clay is made into vessels; but it is on their empty hollowness that use depends. The door and windows are cut out to form a house; but it is on empty space, that its use depends. Doors and windows are chisel out to make a room. It is the empty space in the room that gives its function. Everything is shaped by nothing”.



• Kill switches and data snooping: China could exploit Huawei’s gear to wreak havoc in a crisis.



• Tax evasion: People who owe $15,000 in taxes won’t be able to leave China



• Climate action: India's CO2 emissions grew 6% a year over 16 years, faster than China's 3.2% and the world's average 1.3%

Quick notes: Church planting, Spider friends...

• Church planting: All Nations, the group that backed a missionary’s trip to Andaman, claims that every year, its representatives train around 3,500 missionaries in 35 cities to learn “church planting,” so that “churches rapidly multiply through people groups” across the world.



• File criminal charges:

Why haven't Indian authorities filed criminal charges as yet against the U.S.-based All Nations missionary agency that broke Indian laws in sending evangelist John Allen Chau to his death? His exploits may have imperiled a highly endangered tribe's future. https://t.co/o4GMU4wSBa

— Brahma Chellaney (@Chellaney) November 28, 2018




• S Gurumurthy shaking up RBI: "Shift the West-centric narrative into a world-centric and Asia-inclusive one".



• Remembering UPA: The Praful Patel Guide to destroying Air India



• OK to have spiders at home: Spiders regularly capture nuisance pests and even disease-carrying insects. If you truly can’t stand that spider, instead of smashing it, try to capture it and release it outside.



• Dr Dolittle and his orphanage for wild animals:

"I feel very lucky to have these animals in my life"

Meet India's Dr Dolittle who runs an orphanage for wild animals.
pic.twitter.com/ltXebuCW2y

— Nature is Amazing ☘️ (@AMAZlNGNATURE) November 25, 2018




• Multiple worlds: Where Our Views of Reality Go Wrong



• Reality isn't real:




• Huawei: NZ bars Chinese firm on national security fears

Afghan Dam Construction May Hit Pakistan

Dam construction in Afghanistan could be the next big peril for Pakistan:

https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/11/13/afghanistans-rivers-could-be-indias-next-weapon-against-pakistan-water-wars-hydropower-hydrodiplomacy/

Gee, I guess Indus Waters Treaty doesn't cover this stuff.

Quick notes: Western diet, Ionic wind...

• Western diet triggers microbial extinctions: Burgers and fries have nearly killed our ancestral microbiome.



• Ionic Wind: First ever plane with no moving parts takes flight. How the world’s first solid-state aircraft used ‘ionic wind’ to fly




• Secular BJP: Bawakhaleshwar temple, Navi Mumbai

Navi Mumbai: Bawakhaleshwar temple being demolished. A big Hindu temple being brought down using brutel force citing land legality reason.

How many "intolerant" Hindus created ruckus across India? pic.twitter.com/mrpKAzZTKN

— Kiran Kumar S (@KiranKS) November 21, 2018




• Murder??? Wait, what?! Christian Colonizers Demand Justice for Christian Who Attempted to Colonize an Indigenous Tribe



• Leave the Sentinelese alone: The quality of life among the Sentinelese and others is not “primitive” and is very refined. When a tribal Jarawa gives a gift to anothers, something like a bow and arrow or a shell-necklace or some food, the gift-giver presents the gift with great reverence. The other man does not take it straightaway. He takes his own time. Are we like this? Social mores are such that an individual knows that when he commits a wrong, he has to punish himself. There is no tribal chief, council or panchayat to enforce anything. Such an individual isolates himself. The community indicates its disapproval by not looking at him, not talking to him. If food is in short supply, they will share. Nobody starves. If there is plenty, they will feast. Those who bring a hunted turtle, wild boar or honey, do not advertise their claims over it. Selfishness is unknown. The clans follow monogamy. There are no free-for-all sexual orgies. Close relatives do not marry each other. The absence of attire does not mean anything to them. They believe that the body is nature’s gift and should be treated with respect. 



• Insight into the Sentinel Island:

There's been a lot of talk about the missionary killed by the natives of North Sentinel Island. They're probably so aggressive because of this weirdo, Maurice Vidal Portman. So here's a big thread about this creep and some facts from my decade-long obsession with the island. pic.twitter.com/rfOVjfU2ZY

— Respectable Lawyer (@RespectableLaw) November 23, 2018




• Devotion with Sri Mooji:

Sentinelese demonstrate survival skills

A selection of comments from WaPo and other sources on Missionary intruder killed by Sentinelese tribe:

So the Sentinelese kill a missionary the moment he lands. No wonder this tribe has successfully survived 60,000 years on their own. They know trouble when they see it.

Someone forgot to tell this guy that historically if you’re going to bring Jesus to a new people you’re supposed to bring an army, and lots of blades and guns to help convince the new people how much Jesus loves them, in case they can’t see clearly on their own or have any silly attachments to any other gods they may have been worshiping for a few thousand years or so

By spreading the word, Christian missionaries think they're saving "primitive" tribes from going to Hell. What kind of God would send people who have never even heard of Chistianity to Hell?

Not only did he break the law, but this man was holding out a hope that he could single handedly convert an entire island to Christianity. However unlikely that would have been, he basically dreamed of carrying out a cultural genocide and erasing beliefs these people may have held

Reading that the Indian govt had created a "buffer zone" to protect these last few indigenous tribes from outside influences gives me a lot of respect for the Indian govt. The Indian govt also gave Dalai Lama and the Tibetan people a santuary in their country in 1959. Deeds are stronger than words indeed!

A willful intruder into the sanctity of the home of other people for thousands of years.

Misguided Christian colonization attempt ignores tribe's collective, resounding "Not Interested."

You're freedom of religion should never effect My freedom from your religion

Christianity depends heavily on dividing humans into the saved and the damned, with the saved free to do pretty much whatever they want to the damned. Scapegoating is built in.

Arrogant evangelical risks killing an entire Neolithic people with diseases to which they have no immunity. The Sentinelese clearly don't want your civilization or your gospel. Unless invited, stay the f off indigenous territory. #AbolishProselytism https://t.co/5cYzyUQg1J pic.twitter.com/M9jISUq9IE

— The Decolonial Atlas (@decolonialatlas) November 21, 2018

Prof Harari on lies and the Bible:

He's a missionary, not a tourist.

And the first time they met a colonizer, the British kidnapped six Sentinelese, two elders and four children.

The entire group of abductees fell ill. The elders died and the sick children were abandoned with "gifts". https://t.co/vfv1Lg9KeA

— Andrew Parsons (@adrparsons) November 21, 2018

Gunmen Attack China's Consulate in Karachi

Gunmen have attacked China's consulate in Karachi:

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-pakistan-blast/gunmen-attack-chinese-consulate-in-pakistans-karachi-sources-idUSKCN1NS0AM

Quick notes: Rafale configuration, Rice straw...

• Courting trouble on the Rafale: The detailed configuration of weapon systems on the Rafale needs to be a closely guarded secret. Giving out the details of pricing will surely help our adversaries to guess the configuration and take countermeasures......... A small piece of advice to the legal fraternity. Now that you have entered the dangerous terrain of security policy making, educate yourself by at least reading these two books -- Arms and Influence and Strategy of Conflict.



• A market for straw: Ikea wants to turn rice straw into household wares in a move that could end up reducing a major source of pollution in India.



• Dieselgate: NGT directs Volkswagen's India unit to deposit Rs 1 bn in emission case



• Inaction by BJP is deplorable:

Inaction by BJP is deplorable. https://t.co/aN9wTemacY

— राजीवः श्रीनिवासः (@RajeevSrinivasa) November 19, 2018




• Education:
  Prashanth and Anuradha Palakurthi: Indian couple from US donate $1 Million To BITS-Pilani.
  
  Serving the master race: Infosys begins construction on its $35M U.S. Education Center in Indianapolis
  
  How many IIT students devote energy for research, asks Pranab Mukherjee.



• O Ranga Sayee: Master Anantharaman and other child prodigies.

Who Gave Him the Sign?

Twitter CEO has posed with sign saying "smash Brahminical patriarchy"

https://www.opindia.com/2018/11/jack-dorsey-poses-with-a-placard-that-declares-smash-brahminical-patriarchy-netizens-furious/

Trump Says Pakistan Does Nothing for US

Trump again doubled down on his criticism of Pakistan, saying he ended aid for them because they do nothing for the US:

https://www.dnaindia.com/world/report-pakistan-knew-about-laden-s-hideout-ended-aid-as-they-don-t-do-anything-for-us-trump-2687118

GSAT-29 Raised into Final Orbit

GSAT-29 has been raised into its final orbit, enabling it to provide high-speed laser communication links to both J&K and the Northeast. It's also equipped with a special "geo-eye" camera, which allows continuous visual surveillance of the region from high in geo-stationary orbit (basically able to monitor large objects like foreign naval ships in the area):

https://www.deccanherald.com/national/gsat-29-placed-final-703583.html

Quick notes: Kaangress manifesto, J-20 payload...

• Kaangress manifesto for MP: From Sanskrit to cow shelters, Congress manifesto for MP reeks of soft Hindutva



• Kaangress manifesto for Telangana: Govt land for churches, subsidy for Christian pilgrims, taxpayer funded salaries for Padres.. Yay, Bible Raj!!




• China's stealth fighters show off missile payload: "J-20 breaks the monopoly in arming stealth fighter jets."




• Growing the future: High-tech farmers are using LED lights in ways that seem to border on science fiction



• Delhi's air toxic: But these 5 Indian cities are even worse



• Paris plans to build the world’s largest fleet of electric bicycles: European countries and cities are promoting bikes as a commuting option.



• Salil Parulekar: Former Tesla employee indicted in $9.3M embezzlement scheme 



• Yuval Noah Harari discussing Vipassana:




• Pico Iyer: How Can We Find More Time To Be Still?

GSLV MkIII Launches GSAT-29 Successfully

GSLV-MkIII D2 flight has been  carried out successfully:

The GSAT-29 satellite will be able to provide various new capabilities, including fast-throughput connectivity using laser communications.

With the successful completion of this 2nd developmental flight of the GSLV-MkIII, this rocket is now operationalized and a full working member of ISRO's launch vehicle family, allowing ISRO to undertake bigger things.

India's fully indigenous micro processor Shakti RIMO from IIT Madras

Quick notes: Placebo effect, Wind damage...

• What if the Placebo Effect Isn’t a Trick? New research is zeroing in on a biochemical basis for the placebo effect — possibly opening a Pandora’s box for Western medicine.






• Ecological imbalance from Wind Farms: In the Western Ghats, wind farms have reduced the abundance and hunting activity of predatory birds like raptors. As a result, wind turbines are creating a “predation-free environment” that is changing the behavior and even the form of creatures lower down the food chain.



• China Telecom's Internet Traffic Misdirection: The improper routing caused some US domestic Internet communications to be diverted to mainland China before reaching their intended destination.



• Democrats will back Trump on Trade war: “Even though Democrats and Republicans disagree on many issues, they hold exactly the same negative opinion of China.” 



• Widebody jet: China, Russia unveil life-size model of planned widebody jet.... Question: Why is China the only country that seems to be challenging the USA for global dominance?  




• 10 Indian workers die in Gulf every day: At least 24,570 Indian workers have died in six Gulf countries, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and UAE since 2012 till mid-2018



• KK Mohammed ex Regional Director, ASI: Temple existed

I was the only muslim during excavation of Ayodhya. I wrote there was a temple, shd be handed over to Hindus. Left historians made hue and cry. I was suspended.. 😬
KK Mohammed ex Regional Director, ASI pic.twitter.com/FNG8Tbr7U0

— SahaJio (@oldhandhyd) November 6, 2018




• Rafale deal: 36 Rafales cost 40% more than Dassault’s earlier offer





• World University Rankings 2019: IISc, IIT Indore top Indian institutes for physical sciences. NO Indian institution finds spot in top 200 globally



• Sai Nikhil Reddy Mettupally: Indian student’s algorithm helps in leading driver directly to empty parking spot 



• 'Chiplets', the future of processor fabrication: Instead of printing a whole circuit on a single chip, a number of chiplets can be put together in various configurations allowing multi-die processors tailored for specific tasks such as machine learning or cloud computing.

Quick notes: RuPay, Vanishing Aravalli...

• Mastercard lodged U.S. protest over Modi's promotion of RuPay: Mastercard told the U.S Govt that Modi was using nationalism to promote the use of RuPay, which levied half the transaction fee charged by Mastercard and Visa... Modi in June said foreign card companies take their transaction fees abroad and as “everyone cannot go to the border to protect the country, we can use RuPay card to serve the nation”. This year, U.S. tech companies have protested against an Indian law that would require them to store more data locally.

Well, in light of this, @mastercardindia, I'm going to stop using your card & shift to @RuPay_npci. You can't make money off my country & abuse it. https://t.co/PaL1uwvHnz

— Sandeep Balakrishna (@dharmadispatch) November 2, 2018




• Greed-driven economics: Toxic air killed over 1 lakh children in India in 2016.



• Vanishing Aravalli hills affecting air quality in Delhi: 31 out of 128 Aravalli hills in Rajasthan have disappeared due to illegal mining activities.... What Delhi can learn from Beijing.



• Political ego: Statue of Unity could have paid for 2 IITs, 5 IIMs and many agri projects

#India owes its existence to Sardar Patel but the Iron Man of India would have strongly disapproved this flamboyant show of strength when millions still struggle to earn enough for a square meal a day. Where are we heading to as county? #StatueOfUnity #StatuePolitics pic.twitter.com/A7D8bWeQdA

— Sweta Raghavan (@raghavansweta) November 3, 2018




• India's art of simple living -Michel Danino:

  Strabo, the Greek geographer and historian of the first century BCE noted, “All Indians live a simple life,” which surely requires some qualification: as we know from Kautilya and others, or from the artha-kama-dharma-moksha quadruple objective of life, wealth was not looked down upon; it was however to be used in a dharmic way, not merely for oneself but for the good of the society around. Thousands of inscriptions from all periods of Indian history testify to rulers, merchants, ordinary men and women, donating temples, icons, wells, ponds and other irrigation works, or endowments for centres of learning. Artistic depictions of village life point to comfortable but simple lifestyles. Barring the very wealthy, “Be happy with little” seems to have been the dominant line.
  
  Today, we have perfected the art of being unhappy with much—or too much. Out of selfish greed rather than higher values, in search of petty pleasures rather than worthwhile accomplishments, we have critically jeopardised the planet’s lifecycles and caused species to fall extinct at a frantic pace. We must return to ancient India’s philosophy of simple living, else the collapse of our artificial system may one day force us to it. Our small everyday choices are blind and mechanical; let us make them enlightened and we can yet change tack.
  
  “Greed is good” has been de facto the motto and prime mover of the world economy, especially of the US kind: let greed drive your growth; instil the same greed in others so as to boost consumption. The consumer is not a human being with free will, but a cog in the wheel whose choices can and will be oriented. Nobody needs processed or exotic foods, ten pairs of shoes, torn jeans, piles of electronic gadgets or diamonds—never mind, the obedient consumers will buy all those and more, even if they cannot afford them.
  

  

  German economist Ernst Schumacher realised that this greed-driven economy could not last. He pioneered the concepts of appropriate technologies and unsustainable exploitable of resources, and authored the best-seller Small Is Beautiful in which he advocated a radically different philosophy: why not place the human being at the centre of the economy, rather than the consumer? “In Buddhist economics since consumption is merely a means to human well-being, the aim should be to obtain the maximum of well-being with the minimum of consumption. Modern economics, on the other hand, considers consumption to be the sole end and purpose of all economic activity.”

• Cardiac risk increased with increase in wealth: Heart disease now kills twice the number of Indians it did in 1990



• How to make cities more walkable: Walking costs the city very little, unlike cars and even public transit. Cities with high walk scores also have high property values.



• Dark day for Android flagship phones: “Entry-level” iPhone XR is far more powerful than even the most expensive 2018 Android flagship phones. 



• No Notifications!



👋 Bye, pings, pop-ups, and interruptions🎯 Hello, focus & productivity! We've disabled our notifications, along with @collinmathilde @alexisohanian @eladgil @andrewchen. It's liberating. Join us in the #NoNotification challenge? https://t.co/x20pY6NCza https://t.co/fV36gcOEN5

— Front (@FrontApp) October 15, 2018

India's Only Active Volcano Erupts Again

India's only active volcano, on a small island in the Andaman & Nicobars, is once again erupting:

Twitter India Policy Head Deletes Tweet Showing Her Bias

Twitter's India policy chief Mahima Kaul deleted a tweet of hers which showed her anti-Modi bias:

https://www.opindia.com/2018/10/twitter-indias-policy-head-deletes-tweets-after-people-find-out-her-political-bias/

Angela Merkel Steps Down As Party Chief, Won't Run in 2021

Angela Merkel announced that she was stepping down as the head of her Christian Democratic Union party, and will serve out the remainder of her term as Chancellor until 2021, when she will leave political office.

Quick notes: Digital tax, Train-18...

• Britain’s new “digital services tax”: The new tax is expected to raise an additional £400m a year by targeting tech giants such as Facebook, Google, and Amazon... India was the first country to implement such a tax.



• Facebook, Google Face Billions in New Taxes Across Asia, Latin America: Inspired by EU proposals to impose a tax based on revenue of tech companies rather than their profit, South Korea, India and at least seven other Asian-Pacific countries are exploring new taxes. Mexico, Chile and other Latin American countries too are contemplating new taxes aimed at boosting receipts from foreign tech firms. Such taxes are separate from corporate income taxes many companies already pay.



• India's 1st Engine-Less Train Said To Be Faster Than Shatabdi: Driven by a self-propulsion module sans a separate locomotive, Train 18 will cut travel time by 15% compared to the Shatabdi.



• Aircraft-like pressurised coaches for world's highest track in Leh:  The 465-km strategically significant line to be built at a cost of Rs 83,360 crore, will see railways' first pressurised coaches which are currently used only in the Quinghay-Tibet Railway Line.



• HAL: Outright purchase of Rafales without local manufacture would end up in an enormous life cycle cost which may drain out the exchequer.



• Letting Sunlight Indoors Kills Disease-Causing Bacteria:  Lit rooms had about half the viable bacteria (those that are able to grow), compared with dark rooms. Rooms that were exposed only to UV light had just slightly less viable bacteria than ones exposed to daylight.



• Paper Airplane Designs: A database of paper airplanes with easy to follow folding instructions.



• e-scooter: Ford is the next company to join the electric scooter craze.

1/ @Ford is entering the e-scooter rental business, through a subsidiary called "Jelly". Their website is in pre-launch mode as of now: https://t.co/viYOgryshd Their iOS app is not live on the app store yet, but the website lists they are active on @LifeAtPurdue campus.

— Sameer K (@thesameerk) October 23, 2018

Pak to Send Astronaut to Space in 2022

Following India's announcement of its human spaceflight program, Pakistan has now announced that it will send up astronaut(s) to space in 2022 with China's assistance:

https://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/space-mission-2022-india-pakistan-plan-to-send-astronauts-to-space-118102501130_1.html

Note:
"CMSA" is China Manned Space Agency 
"SUPARCO" is Pakistan's Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission




https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/world-news/first-pakistani-astronaut-will-go-into-space-in-2022-information-minister/articleshow/66364609.cms

https://tribune.com.pk/story/1833756/1-first-pakistani-will-go-space-2022-information-minister/

https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/385381-first-pakistani-space-mission-in-2022


Since Pak PM Imran Khan will be visiting China from November 3-5, perhaps this joint space mission was one of the deals that get arranged in advance of such visits, so that these things can be announced at the time of the visit itself.

A recent Spacedaily article talked about China's increasing international cooperation on space:

http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Chinas_space_programs_open_up_to_world_999.html

China announced in May that it would welcome all member states of the United Nations to cooperate in and jointly utilize its future space station, which is expected to be built around 2022. 

"The China Space Station (CSS) belongs not only to China, but also to the world," said Shi Zhongjun, China's Ambassador to UN and other international organizations in Vienna. 

"Through the vehicle of the CSS, we would like to build a model of sincere mutual beneficial cooperation among countries in the peaceful exploration and use of outer space." 

Guided by the idea of a shared future for mankind, the CSS will be a home that is inclusive and open, a home of peace and good will, and a home of cooperation for mutual benefit, he said.

I'm wondering if this 2022 China-facilitated spaceflight for Pak astronaut(s) could involve a a mission to visit China's upcoming space station, which is expected to be in operation by that time. Given that our maiden spaceflight won't involve a grand space station, perhaps China and Pak have found a way to upstage us.

Quick notes: Best CEOs, Data localization...

• The Best-Performing CEOs, 2018: For the second year in a row, the best-performing CEOs in the world were more likely to have an engineering degree than an MBA. Yet another reason to consider urging your kids to go into engineering.



• US wants to "prohibit" data localization: Major American IT companies are up in arms against the latest Indian directive.



• Sabarimala: Deities & Judges




• Early Time Restricted Feeding (eTRF): Merely restricting the number of hours you ate and moving to an earlier eating schedule, produced huge benefits even in the same person eating the same meals. Mean insulin levels dropped significantly, and insulin resistance dropped as well. Even more remarkable was that even after the washout period of seven weeks, the eTRF group maintained lower insulin levels at baseline. The benefits were maintained even after stopping the time restriction. Blood pressure dropped as well.



• Slaughter-free "clean" meat: "We make meat just out of meat. You just don't need to kill the animal,"



• Forgoing booze: We're taught from an early age that drinking is cool and glamorous. We have to learn for ourselves that it's not.



• Native American Prayer:
  
  Great Spirit,
  Give us hearts to understand
  Never to take from creation's beauty more than we give,
  Never to destroy want only for the furtherance of greed,
  Never to deny to give our hands for the building of earth's beauty,
  Never to take from her what we cannot use.
  
  Give us hearts to understand
  That to destroy earth's music is to create confusion,
  That to wreck her appearance is to blind us to beauty,
  That to callously pollute her fragrance is to make a house of stench,
  That as we care for her she will care for us.
  
  Give us hearts to understand
  We have forgotten who we are.
  We have sought only our own security.
  We have exploited simply for our own ends.
  We have distorted our knowledge.
  We have abused our power.
  
  Great Spirit,
  Whose dry lands thirst,
  Help us to find the way to refresh your lands.
  
  Great Spirit, Whose waters are choked with debris and pollution,
  Help us to find the way to cleanse your waters.
  
  Great Spirit,
  Whose beautiful earth grows ugly with misuse,
  Help us to find the way to restore beauty to your handiwork.
  
  Great Spirit,
  Whose creatures are being destroyed,
  Help us to find a way to replenish them
  
  Great Spirit, whose gifts to us are being lost in selfishness and corruption,
  Help us to find the way to restore our humanity.

Fictional Movie Dramatization of Mangalyaan Mission

Johnnie Walker, the whisky company, has sponsored a purely fictional dramatization of the Mangalyaan Mars mission:

ISRO to Build Visitors Complex at Sriharikota

Plans are underway for a large Visitors Complex to be built adjacent to the Sriharikota High Altitude Range as part of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre.

https://www.isro.gov.in/sites/default/files/tenders/pt16-01-9501.pdf

1. INTRODUCTION

SDSC SHAR, the Space Port of India provides the world class launch base infrastructure for integration and launching of Indian Satellites and Foreign customer Satellites. In an endeavour to facilitate the General Public to witness the launches and also to generate greater awareness about its space programmes which are beneficial to all sections of the society it is proposed to establish a Visitors’ Complex at Sriharikota.

2. The Broad Vision for Visitors’ Complex is:

a) To accommodate maximum number of visitors without affecting the launch campaign activities.
b) Showcasing the activities of ISRO and SDSC SHAR in a concise manner.
c) Preserving and renovating the heritage structures of SDSC SHAR during the transformation from an Island to Space Port of India. This will also enable memories of great contributions during the early stages of Space Programme of India.
d) This complex shall be aimed to ignite the young minds towards the scientific oriented research activities by live demos of Solar system, Universe, significant achievements of Indian and International Space Programme and applications of space technology etc.
e) The facilities of visitor’s complex shall be sufficient to accommodate two million visitors per annum.

3. About Visitor’s Complex:

The proposed Visitor Complex is configured to receive 1.5 million visitor per annum. That would be approximately 5000 visitor per day and on the launch day it will offer 10,000 public to witness the launch. Considering the above targeted visitors, the facilities inside the Visitor Complex are configured with sufficient parking space and other essential amenities such as restrooms, space shops, restaurants, ATMs, medical & first aid facilities.

The Visitor Complex will tell the story of ISRO and Indian Space Programme by hosting the many world class facilities and experiences. It maintains the large collection of historic launch vehicles and satellites. The museum features many exhibition galleries, displaying hundreds of artefacts including ISRO central, engines, rockets, on board components, hall of fame, future of human spacewalk, early space exploration, International space arena, etc.

Since, the exhibits and attractions will be added/improved time to time, the Visitor Complex master plan and facilities are configured to easy expandable type. Forecasting these needs and requirement an area of 450m x 550m (approx.) is proposed for the Visitor Complex.

All the vehicles shall be parked outside the theme park, no vehicles shall be allowed inside the Visitor Complex. The proposed theme and operations of the Visitor Complex is divided into three zones. Zone-1 focuses on the launch vehicle garden, exhibitions halls, simulations, theme concepts, launch view gallery, hall of fame, space theatre, future of human, etc., which will be open for all the days. Zone-2, is a bus tour, which will focus on the heritage of Indian Space Programme involving the guided tour of visitors to SLV, ASLV and SRC complex. The Zone-3 is also a bus tour to visit operational launch pads. Zone-2 and Zone-3 are guided tours and no personal vehicle is allowed inside the Visitor Complex. Hop-off services are provide at ASLV, SLV  & Sounding Rocket Complex. There is no drop off and/or pickup from launch complex, these facilities shall be shown from bus itself.

The present scope of the architectural consultancy is limited to Zone-1 only, which includes the following.

The major facilities at Zone–1 are:

a) Information Centre & Entrance Security Screening: Visitors will be guided to the main entrance, where they will follow the security procedures and safety regulations. Entrance plaza will consist of ticketing booth, security screening, cafeteria, souvenir shops, food courts, and information center. At the main entrance there will also be a resting lounge and restrooms for people who wish to refresh or stay back and wait for their group(s) to return.

b) Launch view gallery: The Space Port of India, naturally attracts the visitors to witness the launch activities and cheer for the pride of our Nation. At present, there are no appropriate facilities for accommodating more number of visitors to view the launch at Sriharikota. Hence, launch view gallery to accommodate 10,000 visitors is proposed in a semicircular frustum shape, which would enable the visitors to have the clear view of the Launchpad area. The Auditorium will be equipped with large display and speakers to showcase all the ongoing activities and news. During the non-launch period –lectures, interactive sessions and children space activities will be organized.

c) Rocket Garden: All the 1:1 ratio of beautiful ISRO launch vehicles –Sounding Rocket, SLV, ASLV, PSLV, GSLV, Mk-III will be realised with a provision to go inside. Lawns will be developed along with photo points. Fountain will be realised at the middle of the rocket garden.

d) Space Museum: Space Museum provides a tell-tale account of the Indian Space Programme from its infancy. The story of the Indian Space Programme is unfurled in six sections, comprising of history, education, technology, applications, global and the future.

The museum will be divided into the following subjective areas: The history of Indian Space programme development and accumulated numerous achievements shall be showcased. The past, present and future of ISRO will be depicted with space transportation systems and satellite programme. Future of Indian Space programme, Mission planning, Rocket engines and its working principles, Human spaceflight, various ISRO Centre activities on Space science & solar system exploration and development fundamental space research & development will be displayed.

The space transportation system gives an overview of ISRO’s launch vehicles showcasing the actual engines used for flight qualification testing and scaled working models and other major components of launch vehicle such as casings, heat shield, onboard computers/electronics, etc.

As part of this pavilion, application of satellite technology for communications, disaster management and earth observation will be highlighted. Further, an overview of the GTO mission and its achievement of communication satellite and positioning satellites including the test model of the NAVIC will be realised. In similar lines, an overview of the SSO mission and its achievement of earth observation satellites including a test model of IRS will be realised.

In order to bring the awareness in the cutting edge R&D in space, space science and solar system exploration pavilion will be realised which highlight the space science, Lunar missions, Mars mission, Astrosat mission and Aditya mission including a test model.

As part of fundamental research and development Physics laboratory, new challenges of space utilisation will be brought out by displaying the real equipment used for spacecraft. Rocket technology with virtual experience of launch vehicle travel and Human space flight  with virtual experience will be realised in this section. The journey to Mars –virtual experience along with long range space observatory will be available. Hall of Fame –Posters & Exhibits of International Space, Future of Human –extra vehicular activities, InterPlanetary missions, Galaxy, etc will be shown thematically.

e) Children Activity: Virtual Interview with eminent personalities/experts like Chairman, ISRO and Centre Directors based on the selected topic. Working models and virtual themes explaining, orbiting the earth, exploring the universe, built your own rocket, built your own satellites and in space satellite operations.

f) The Space Theatre: Visitors will have the chance to see the universe from close quarters. The experience will be much more than merely seeing the stars in the sky in a planetarium. This will be an ultra-modern hemispherical domed Space Theatre which promises an amazing voyage of discoveries in universe to the visitors. Experience the launch in a real world scenario with a simulation of vibration and sound. It will also show a 15 Mins film of Rocket launch from Sriharikota with physical effects and visuals from the satellite camera clearing the Earth atmosphere and entering space. The film starts from the MCC launch countdown showing all the delegates and scientists witnessing the launch and ends at MCC after a successful launch. Planned capacity of the Space Theatre will be 2x250 persons. Apart from this scientific fiction documentaries will be screened.

4. FEATURES OF VISITOR COMPLEX

The Visitor Complex will be visited by huge public and will become the scientific destination in future. Keeping this into consideration, the following features will be considered while building planning and design. 

Green building concept, capable of being remodeled to suit new exhibits or special events like National seminars/festivals. Restaurants and Shops will be modular type and will be provided at all the facilities. Sufficient rest rooms, waiting halls and seating arrangement will be provided. Special feature shall be for children activity. Personnel movement & shows will be addressed in such a way that no stagnation of crowd inside the complex. Limited accommodation will be provided at the entrance plaza of the Complex.

The facilities of the proposed Visitor Complex is capable to handle 5000 visitors per day. Ample parking space will be provided for car parking area. No personnel vehicles shall be allowed inside the Visitor Complex. The following security & safety arrangements are considered.

The entire area from Gate-I to Visitor Complex and to Heritage zone shall be covered with CCTV and Intrusion detection system.
- Airport type security arrangements will be adopted at the entrance plaza.
- Reception help desk/Information cell.
- Baggage drop point -Other than hand baggage no baggage is allowed inside the Visitor Complex.
- Check for proper identity at the entry followed by Baggage scanning & frisking.
- Enter into the main lobby area for ticketing.
- First Aid Centres/Emergency medical services shall be provided.
- Emergency exits, meeting point, FDA and Firefighting systems shall be part of building design & plan as per the standard codes of practice

So to summarize, this large Visitors Complex will consist of 3 major zones:

Zone-1 will be the area shown in the illustration above. It will have a "rocket garden" featuring life size models of major ISRO launch vehicles. There will also be a space museum featuring the past, present and future of ISRO activities. There will also be a space theatre, which will double as a planetarium and also show space-related movie content. There will also be restaurants, shops, and some accommodations. The most amazing thing there will be the huge launch view gallery, which will permit thousands of people to directly watch the actual rocket launches live.
Zone-2 will be ISRO's old defunct heritage launch site for the old SLV & ASLV launchers, which will be accessible by tour bus, for people to get off and walk around.
Zone-3 refers to ISRO's currently active launch facilities, which tour buses will travel through without stopping or letting people out.

It seems this Visitors Complex will likely be completed before or by the 2022 target date for the first Human Spaceflight launch.

I'll tell you what - let's all meet up there in person to watch that first manned launch together. ☺