Quick notes: Sabotage specialists | Harvard slavery...

• UK sent sabotage specialists to Ukraine: They are among the most highly qualified specialists in the world in organizing coups d’etat, mass protest rallies, contract killings of political figures, recruiting agents, including those in the highest echelons of power, preparing terrorist attacks. . . . British dirty tricks honed over centuries.



• TB2: Jack-of-all-trades: Turkish-made attack drones likely had a role in the sinking of Russia's Moskva missile cruiser. The ship's defenses were diverted to a Bayraktar TB2 drone in the sky when the Ukrainian side opened fire using anti-ship missiles. Analysts also suggested that the TB2 drones could have been used to spot the exact location of the cruiser in the Black Sea, enabling precision strikes.
  
  The sinking of the Moskva is the single-largest blow the Russians have suffered at the hands of the Ukrainians. It marks one of the largest ships to fall in combat since the end of World War II.
  
  "The TB2 is "a jack-of-all-trades" weapon. Turkish forces have proved the TB2's effectiveness as a strike platform in Libya and Syria, as did their Azerbaijani allies in Nagorno-Karabakh. Less well known -- because less apt for video display -- is the TB2's role as a communications relay, spotter, jammer, sensor, target designator and decoy. These capabilities have been honed especially in Syria and northern Iraq operations. The Ukrainians have taken this to a new level with maritime ops, as a force multiplier, evidenced by the sinking of the Moskva."
  
  Cmdre Venugopal Menon (retd): Mystery behind the sinking of Moskva



• Profit from Slavery: New report says Harvard university profited from slavery during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries through its financial connection to donors. Harvard leaders and staff enslaved more than 70 people. These are not an entirely new revelation.



• Han Debt Trap: "China wants to take advantage of Sri Lanka's inability to repay loans in time. Beijing is waiting for a good time to enter into a debt-to-equity swap and acquire land in Sri Lanka".



• China moves in after Shell's exit from Russia: China's biggest state-owned energy companies are reportedly negotiating the opportunity to buy a stake in a major Russian gas export project from Shell after the British oil and gas corporation exited Russia over the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. China's automotive industry is also eyeing opportunities in Russia. One of the Chinese auto manufacturers may buy Renault's stake in Russian carmaker Avtovaz



• Mohe Panghat Pe Nandlal: Ustad Vilayat Khan, Ustad Bismillah Khan singing Krisha Bhajan... Precious!



• Bhairavee, Thumree: Ustad Vilayat Khan and Ustad Bismillah Khan




• France: 60% support banning Islamic veil in public.

Musk Acquires Twitter for $44B, Will Take it Private

Musk has successfully bought over Twitter, and flunky sepoy Parag Aggarwal will now be thrown to the curb:

(That last lesson should also be instructive to Indians fighting Left-wing censorship.)

Quick notes: Woke fail | Bhramari...

• Wokes versus Parents: 68 percent of Americans less likely to do business with Disney over sexualized content. The survey comes after an executive producer admitted to advancing a “not-at-all-secret gay agenda” to insert queerness into children’s animation during a Disney staff meeting on Florida’s Parental Rights in Education legislation last month. Parents to support “family-friendly alternatives” to Disney.



• Bhramari pranayama and nitric oxide: During Bhramari Pranayama, studies have shown that there is a staggering 1500% increase in nitric oxide. In 1998, three scientists got the Nobel Peace prize for their discoveries concerning nitric oxide. They found it was a signaling molecule in the cardiovascular system. It a colourless gas that relaxes the inner muscles of the blood vessels. The vasodilation causes blood vessels to widen and increase circulation. Bhramari pranayama helps lower elevated blood pressure, improve the tone of the blood vessels, and keep the respiratory system healthy.
  
  Nitric oxide is also anti-inflammatory. It helps fight bacterial, viral, fungal, and parasitic infections in the body. A number of studies that are underway to look at the role of nitric oxide in fighting c-virus.
  
  Bhramari Pranayama as an aid to meditation: The humming of the sound “n,” “m,” or “ng” known as varna prakalpana, with breath control, is said to produce resonance. This can happen when the sound produced at the throat matches with the natural frequency of the body. This is the most important aspect of Bhramari Pranayama.



• Standing poses to improve balance:




• India's gig economy: Workers escape unemployment but face job insecurity, rapidly falling earnings and poor working conditions.



• Subscriber exodus: Netflix loses subscribers for first time in over 10 years. India is an exception. . . Macaulay putras are eternal revenue stream for the English world.



• Made in Hollywood, censored by China: How the film industry is abiding by Beijing's laws



• BikAss:

लाखों की वन सम्पदा जल कर खाक हो रही है , जाने कैसे लोग हैं जिन्हें परहवाह नही किसी की भी, आग घरों के पास तक आई है , ये आग श्रीकोट श्रीनगर के पीछे के जंगल मे लगी है , pic.twitter.com/6WGN0EHRrS

— पहाड़ी दीदी (रेखा देवशाली) (@pahadinaari) April 17, 2022




• Tons of garbage: The toxicity of the air near landfills poses serious health risks for people living there. "Continuous informal burning of plastics and compostable waste leads to a number of health concerns"



• Meghalaya's Living Root-Bridges: Villagers devote much time to pruning, repairing and manipulating the growth to keep the bridges strong. Technically a root-bridge can last for hundreds of years and some are believed to be more than 500 years old.

does india's resistance to toeing the US line get any attention, or is deepstate doubling down?

https://rajeevsrinivasan.substack.com/p/ep-65-the-indian-response-to-us-pressure for the podcast

foreign affairs magazine on indo US trade: not much that is actionable

foreignaffairs.com/articles/india/2022-04-14/its-time-america-and-india-talk-trade?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=www-foreignaffairs-com.cdn.ampproject.org&utm_campaign=amp_kickers&_gl=1*46go0a*_ga*aE5FdGkzWkJUcUxvMTRQOXJLWHl2elJlM2RjRXZwNEt5Mms5cW5SdVV2OGVLUFhrVkhDcEo1NnM1allMUnFlSg..p

Fwd: On Tech: Elon Musk is a digital Citizen Kane

this writer, shira ovide, is amazingly inane. she must have pictures of NYT honchos in compromising positions so that her drivel is given such importance. 

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: The New York Times <nytdirect@nytimes.com>
Date: Fri, Apr 15, 2022 at 2:15 AM
Subject: On Tech: Elon Musk is a digital Citizen Kane
To:

What would Twitter look like with Musk as its sole proprietor?

All newsletters Read online For subscribers April 14, 2022 NEWSLETTER PREVIEW This is a preview of the On Tech With Shira Ovide newsletter, which is normally reserved for Times subscribers. On Tech With Shira Ovide is your guide to how technology is changing the world in wonderful and not-so-wonderful ways with topics like technology for the masses, changing habits, and our increasingly technological future. Subscribe to The New York Times to keep getting this newsletter every week. You will also get access to all of our subscriber-only newsletters and to all Times journalism online and in the app. Elon Musk is a digital Citizen Kane Illustration by Nick Sheeran; Photographs by Maja Hitij/Getty Images, Pool photo by Hannibal Hanschke and Bettman, via Getty Images By Shira Ovide What if one of the world's important tools for information was owned by a mercurial billionaire who could do whatever he wanted with it? Yes, I am talking about Elon Musk's proposal to purchase Twitter for himself, which he disclosed on Thursday. His offer works out to more than $43 billion, which is a lot of money, even for Musk, the chief executive of Tesla and the owner of SpaceX. (Musk's letter offering to buy Twitter said that his purchase would be conditioned on finding help in paying for the acquisition. It didn't say where the money might come from.) Will Musk actually have the cash and attention span to follow through on his proposed acquisition, and will Twitter say yes? Who knows? The word "unpredictable" doesn't do justice to this moment. We're already in Week 2 of Musk and Twitter's very public and rocky romance, and there may be more weirdness to come. ...

UK Sees Surge in People Joining Community Energy Schemes

elon musk makes a hostile bid for twitter. this is good for free speech

https://rajeevsrinivasan.substack.com/p/ep-64-the-kerfuffle-over-elon-musk?r=66qfh&s=w&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

Shanghai Residents Cry Out From Windows Amid COVID Lockdown

Penn Law Professor Amy Wax Calls India "Shithole", Attacks Immigrant "Brahmin Elites" in US

Penn Law professor Amy Wax tells Tucker Carlson that "Blacks" and other "non-western" groups harbor "resentment, shame, and envy" against western people for their "outsized achievements and contributions." pic.twitter.com/jpQmOU554C

— nikki mccann ramírez (@NikkiMcR) April 11, 2022

 

Quick notes: Power grid | Digesting yoga...

• Chinese hackers collect intelligence from India’s power grid: The hackers focused on at least seven load dispatch centers in northern India that are responsible for carrying out real-time operations for grid control and electricity dispersal. “We believe this is intended to enable information-gathering surrounding critical infrastructure and/or pre-positioning for future activity.”
  
  Union Power Minister: China attempted hacking Power Grid systems in Ladakh thrice but failed.



• Steal for Yesu's sake: Hatha yoga poses shamelessly appropriated as "Isometric Exercises".
  
  New nomenclature: Bhastrika, Kapabhati repackaged as 'Inspiratory Muscle Strength Training'... "Vigorous breaths boost heart, brain".



• Whitewashing Nazis: The same Western media that once documented and decried Ukraine’s far right is now playing it down and even rehabilitating its leaders — including actual Nazis.



• India studying how Ukraine neutralised Russian tanks: Lessons would be incorporated into the design of the futuristic main battle tanks... Indian Army has been one of the biggest users of Russian arms and armaments
  
  Russia’s failure to take down Kyiv was a defeat for the ages: Bungled basic military functions like planning and executing movement of supplies.



• Manjiri Asanare Kelkar: Raga Jait Kalyan




• What Big Pharma Corruption Means in the COVID Era: The FDA asked for permission to wait 75 years before releasing information pertaining to Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, including safety data, effectiveness data, and adverse reaction reports. That means no one would see this information until the year 2096 — conveniently, after many of us have departed this crazy world. To recap: the FDA only needed 10 weeks to review the 329,000 pages worth of data before approving the EUA for the vaccine — but apparently, they need three-quarters of a century to publicize it.

Ukraine's President Zelensky Speaks to Arnab Goswami About Russia's Invasion

Absolutely stunning that Arnab got an interview with this guy.

(Also rather cheesy that Arnab can't resist promoting his channel during the interview)

Russia Praises India's Neutrality on Ukraine; US Sepoy Overswings

Sepoy Daleep Singh should have been bluntly told that America can't expect NATO to bail them out in the event of serious Sino-US confrontation in Asia. After all, NATO didn't stay the course during America's war in Afghanistan, and even America itself later had withdraw in defeat. If NATO can't stand its ground against Taliban, how would they be expected to hold the line against PLA?

Imran Dissolves Govt On Grounds of "US Interference"

Facing a No-Confidence vote, Imran Khan has instead dissolved the parliament and called for fresh elections, claiming that a former Pak official in Washington had relayed US govt demands for that No-Confidence to oust Imran.

history repeats, once as tragedy then as farce: "Z"

https://rajeevsrinivasan.substack.com/p/ep-63-z-the-world-after-the-ukraine?r=66qfh&s=w&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

podcast there: please listen to it.

Quick notes: Decoupling | Drone industry...

• Decouple from western hegemony: Russia offers SWIFT alternative to India for rouble payments. Russia also wants India to link its UPI with their MIR payments system for seamless use of cards after Visa Inc. and Mastercard Inc. suspended operations
  
  Russia built parallel payments system that escaped Western sanctions: Crimea sanctions spurred Russia to build its own Mir payments network, taking the sting out of Visa, Mastercard exits



• Indian drone industry: In rapid succession, India unveiled new tax incentives and subsidies for drone manufacturing and sales, banned imports of completed drones, and PM Modi presided over the dispatch of 100 locally made pesticides-spraying drones to different parts of the country. "More than 200 drone startups are currently working in the country and soon their numbers will increase to 1,000".



• Chinese Chip Talent Poachers: Coordinated raids across several major Taiwanese cities to thwart "China's efforts to weaken Taiwan's core economic competitiveness."



• China Demos First Domestic GPU: Chinese startup develops full featured GPU, with a multitude of modern supporting features and technologies



• Manchurian candidate: Biden eliminates U.S. Tariffs on more than 350 China-made products



• Rudra Veena: Ustad Bahauddin Dagar | Raag Kausi Kanada




• Ahead of India in EVs? Vietnamese automaker Vinfast plans to build EVs in North Carolina starting in 2024



• Digital Markets Act: Europe will soon attempt to tame the anti-competitive power of tech companies like Amazon, Google, and Facebook, which the act labels as “gatekeepers.”



• Microplastics Detected in Human Blood in New Study: “It is certainly reasonable to be concerned. The particles are there and are transported throughout the body.” Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), commonly used in disposable water bottles, and polystyrene (PS), used in food packaging and polystyrene foam, are the most common plastic polymers.



• Weedkiller and Parkinson's Disease: Studies suggest toxic weedkiller Paraquat could be a factor in the onset of Parkinson's Disease.



• Fast Fashion’s Long-term Impact: How cheap textiles are compromising the health of our planet. It might seem dramatic, but microfibers can and will infiltrate each corner of our planet. They’re in our air, in our water, and our soil.

S Jaishankar's Plain-Speak Over Europe's Double Standard on Import of Russian Oil

That being said, I worry that Jaishankar has taken a slightly less marketable line to the world, that India will pursue its national interests foremost. Firm prioritization of Indian national interest is what Indian govt should tout to Indian audiences. But when addressing foreign international audiences, Indian officials should package India's goals in more moralistic terms, since foreign international audiences don't revolve around India's national interests.

We could have also talked about India's focus on the wider Indo-Pacific region, looking out for its interests too, rather than only framing everything in terms of India's national interest alone.