Quick notes: Ghar wapsi | Securing the Northeast..

• "His job is to protect his Godhood": Amazing talk by Mary Suresh Iyer, ex-Christian ... welcome home, Mary!

. . If possible, watch at 1.5 speed on Youtube . .


• Trying to escape justice: Catholic church attempts to stop one of its own priests from suing it for child abuse



• Ahom warriors defeated the Mughals 17 times: Support the brave Assamese. They are our best bet to secure the Northeast. Bad idea to make them a minority in their own land. At the least, make sure Bengalis learn Assamese and assimilate.

What Sharjeel Imam revealed is a 120 year old Islamist project

In 1906 Nawab Salimullah (founding member of Muslim League) exhorted Muslims to migrate to Assam enmasse declaring- "that land which our ancestors could not win by sword would be conquered by us without sword" https://t.co/TlmgA5BP4v

— True Indology (@TIinExile) January 26, 2020




• The Nambi Narayanan Story: The motive for the fake spy scandal against him and the five others remains a mystery. Was it a conspiracy by rivals to scuttle India's development of cryogenic tech? Did it have to do with rivals nervous about India's entry into commercial satellite launch market? Or was it purely a product of corruption with India itself?



• Chinese espionage: Harvard professor charged with hiding China ties. Officials have repeatedly warned about China's ambitious Thousand Talents program. “No country poses a greater threat to our national security and economic prosperity than China. Their goal is to replace the U.S. as  world superpower, and they are breaking the law to get there”. 



• BSL-4 biolab in Wuhan: How possible is it that the Wuhan coronavirus originated from Wuhan's maximum-security biolab? . . . . . Does China have a clandestine offensive biological weapons (BW) program? . . . . False rumors circulating on the Chinese internet claim the virus is part of a U.S. conspiracy to spread germ weapons.



• Rolls-Royce plans mini nuclear reactors: One 16th of the size of a major power station



• Prodigy: 18 year-old Harshita Arora's app ‘Crypto Price Tracker’ helps prevent crypto scams. It also helps manage the portfolio and track crypto prices live. Previously, she has developed a ‘Food AI’ app that can identify food through pictures. Another one of her apps, called ‘CellCount,’ helps count the number of cells in microscopic pictures.



• Religion of Peace: How Sikhs saved their women from Muslim mobs during Partition of 1947




• Victimhood is a Mohammedan Birth-Right: How can a Hindu or a Sikh or a Buddhist be a victim? That will make Allah angry (which he is very good at, BTW).

I wish that even a fraction of the concern & solidarity media liberals are showering on Shaheenbagh protestors had been shown towards those who fled religious persecution from Pak/ B’desh. Those unfortunate Mathuas, Namasudras & Chakmas were far away from Delhi & hence forgotten

— Swapan Dasgupta (@swapan55) January 26, 2020

Quick Notes: Gopuram institure | Japan bound...

• Gopuram Institute of Vedic Culture: Vojko Kercan from Ljubljana, Slovenia




• Walking the talk: "Learning Japanese grammar was easy as it is pretty similar to Tamil grammar". Graying Japan, with its declining birth rates, has signalled its intention to let in over 5 lakh skilled foreign workers by 2025, and Indians are lining up



• How India Can Defeat China in Conflict: “By attempting to defend the entire border, India will effectively defend none of the border.” India options include more investment in offensive cyberwarfare, long-range precision weapons, hypersonic anti-ship missiles, maritime surveillance and anti-satellite technology. Rather than expensive surface ships like aircraft carriers, India should focus on submarines.



• World-beating skills: Reliance is India's answer to Exxon, AT&T, Amazon, all rolled into one. "What has impressed most is the strategic vision and execution ability of Reliance management to enter and 'win' in areas outside of core business."



• India's Chip Manufacturing Dilemma: India is spending more money on import of electronic chips than on oil. The first semiconductor  manufacturing unit can cost $14.7 Billion (100 Billion INR). No Indian company can take this risk. And foreign companies are unwilling to invest due to poor infrastructure and skills. 



• Sexual-grooming Jihad: Wahid used to befriend several high school and Plus Two girls on ShareChat, where he also met the victim. 



• Mohan Bhagwat has a point: Intervention is required to slow population growth. Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao programme can go a long way to reduce the number of children a woman bears.



• Vikas gone wrong: U.S. drinking water widely contaminated with 'forever chemicals'.



• Pursuit of Profits: People still want plastic bottles, says Coca-Cola

Quick notes: Soybean oil | Tonbo Imaging...

• Soybean oil causes genetic changes in the brain: Sold in grocery stores as Vegetable Oil, America's most widely consumed oil impaired the ability of around 100 genes in the brain’s hypothalamus region in mice. Consumption of soybean oil was earlier found to cause obesity, insulin resistance, and diabetes in mice.



• Fortifying military bases: An Indian startup’s “sharp-eye” technology can prevent Uri-like militant attacks.
  
  Founded in 2008 by Arvind Lakshmikumar along with his colleagues, Tonbo makes advanced imaging and sensor systems. “Nature shows us that multiple eyes are better than one eye. It is why we’ve all been endowed with two. The question we asked ourselves as we started the company was, could we borrow from biology to build better cameras for the military?”
  
  Remarkable entry of an Indian startup into the largely murky, insular world of Indian defense, which normally is ill-disposed to startups.



• Vikass not working for everyone: India's richest 1% hold four times more wealth than 70% of poor. "Our broken economies are lining the pockets of billionaires and big business at the expense of ordinary men and women". 



• Trade-distorting subsidies: US, EU and Japan take aim at China with proposed WTO rules targeting state subsidies



• Did China Steal Iron Dome From Israel? Chinese hackers have stolen technical data for the Iron Dome rocket-defense system from Israeli computers.



• Patna Riverfront: Namami Gange




• While India talks, China takes action: Single-use plastic: China to ban bags and other items. . . . . . Malaysia returned 150 containers of trash to the rich countries that sent them.



• China embraces Battery-Swapping for EVs: A battery-swapping system would not only potentially save time for drivers, it could also lower the upfront prices of buying electric vehicles. That’s because consumers would be able to purchase the car and the batteries separately, or possibly just lease the batteries. 



• Facebook is banned in China: Facebook Apologizes for Mistranslation of Xi Jinping’s Name

Quick notes: Love jihad | Diabetes drug...

• Love Jihad in Kerala: Church says 'Love Jihad is real', claims Christian women being lured into IS trap



• Israeli team develops 'anti-diabetes drug': Zygosid-50 almost completely reduces insulin resistance.  “If you take care of the insulin resistance, you take care of the symptoms”.



• Taking on Islamists: India plans cuts to imports from Malaysia, Turkey over remarks on Kashmir. "Our government has not taken kindly the comments of Malaysia and Turkey and we will restrict trade from both the countries". India, the world’s biggest buyer of edible oils, last week changed rules that traders say effectively ban imports of refined palm oil from Malaysia. 



• Turkey is Islamic State: Turkey bombs Sinjar villages in Iraq where genocide survivors live.



• The enemy nextdoor: China makes fresh bid to raise Kashmir at UNSC, fails. . . . . Delhi asks Beijing to draw lesson as US, others foil China's J&K bid. . . . . . . China has been stonewalling India's efforts to become permanent member of the powerful UN



• Chinese threat: US may subsidize Huawei alternatives with proposed $1.25 billion fund 



• Amazon not doing India a favour by investing: "How can a marketplace make such a big loss unless they are indulging in predatory pricing or some unfair trade practices".



• Weapon of the future: Israel unveils breakthrough laser to intercept missiles, aerial threats. Every interception will only cost a few dollars, as opposed to interceptor missiles that can run into the thousands.



• Weapon of the future: Israel unveils breakthrough laser to intercept missiles, aerial threats. Every interception will only cost a few dollars, as opposed to interceptor missiles that can run into the thousands.



• Chennai Childrens Choir: Muddugaare Yashoda

Quick notes: Arrested landing | China R&D...

• Triumph of indigenous technologies: Landing on an aircraft carrier deck is the ultimate and most daunting challenge for a fighter pilot. With this Tejas landing, India enters a select group of nations with the capability. ADA says it is targeting the first flight of Tejas Mark-2 by 2025-26 and induction into service by 2031




• How China reached pole-position in 5G tech: Companies from China own 36% of all 5G standard-essential patents. U.S. firms, by contrast, including Qualcomm Inc. and Intel Corp. , hold just 14% of critical 5G patents. And telecom companies around the world—including those operating in places where Huawei gear might be off-limits—will have to pay royalties to Huawei to license that technology when it comes time to put 5G networks on the ground. “It means guaranteed revenue”.
  
  Huawei’s prowess in next-generation technology stems partly from the fact that it now regularly outspends its rivals in research and development, a fact that has alarmed some policy makers in Washington. In 2017, the company spent $13 billion on R&D, more than its chief rivals, Ericsson and Nokia combined.
  
  Some of Huawei’s proposals are now fundamental building blocks of 5G. They include one highly prized technique called “polar coding,” a method for correcting errors in data transmission. Huawei poured resources into developing it, and polar coding became a rallying cry for Huawei and its Chinese peers at standards meetings.



• Radiation from phones: Xiaomi, OnePlus phones emit maximum radiation, Samsung phones emit the least.. . . . .  The inconvenient truth about cancer and mobile phones.



• Bezos faces protests from Indian traders: Traders have waged a battle against online retailers Amazon and Flipkart, accusing them of deep discounts and flouting India’s foreign investment rules.



• 70% of Amaravati prone to floods: IIT-Madras. The cost of construction in the capital area would be very high due to the pile foundation required to be laid. The raft foundation with basement was not advisable due to the groundwater level at 2.50 metres to 5 metres below the ground level. 



• #DeleteFacebook:

So disappointed that #MarkZuckerberg values profit more than truthfulness that I've decided to delete my @Facebook account. I know this is a big "Who Cares?" for the world at large, but I'll sleep better at night. #PatriotismOverProfits 🇲🇾>💰 https://t.co/seb2eJMTo6

— Mark Hamill (@HamillHimself) January 12, 2020





Every time there's a new Facebook scandal, #DeleteFacebook starts trending. Here's how to do it. For good. pic.twitter.com/5bbx9bYDBL

— Lifehacker (@lifehacker) January 9, 2020

Quick notes: Facebook lies | Binge watching...

• Pursuit of profit: Facebook says it’s cool with lies in political ads



• Addicted generation: Sleep deprivation from bingeing on Netflix, Amazon Prime causing health decline in India.



• China roundup:
  - Peaceful rise: China tried to threaten Taiwan by weaponizing tourism.
  - Han espionage: Chinese “tourist” accused of espionage in the US.
  - See no evil: Pope keeps silent on persecution of Uighurs.
  - Corporate espionage: 5G is where China and the west finally diverge.
  - EUV tech: US pressed Dutch hard to cancel China chip-equipment sale



• Nasima Akter, fearless surfer: They tried to force her into prostitution. Instead, she hit the waves.




• ‘Green measles’ problem: Fragmentation of India's forested zones with no corridors connecting them. Many of these reserves, like Panna, had no tigers left in them. 



• Confessions of a slaughterhouse worker: "When I was a child I dreamed of becoming a vet. Instead, I ended up working in a slaughterhouse. Cows being brought in would get scared and panic, which was pretty terrifying for all of us too. There were countless occasions when, despite following all of the procedures for stunning, slaughterers would get kicked by a massive, spasming cow as they hoisted it up to the machine for slaughter.". 

  Snuggling with cows should convince everyone out there that cows deserve love, compassion, and consideration. Not confinement, harm, and to end up on someone's dinner plate. 🧡 [@julianasfarm Sanctuary] pic.twitter.com/EYph2zPUyi

  — John Oberg (@JohnOberg) January 5, 2020

  
  

Quick notes: e-yuan | Young scientists...

• The world's first govt backed crypto currency: China aims to make the remninbi international reserve currency to rival the US Dollar. “e-yuan” will be distributed via commercial banks, Tencent, and Alibaba-backed Ant Financial, national giants of online payments. Digital Renminbi will give Chinese authorities unprecedented ability to track and monitor online spending flows to check fraud, tax evasion and money laundering.




• DRDO Young Scientists Laboratories: DRDO moves into emerging tech: AI, Quantum computing, Cognitive technologies, Asymmetric technologies and Smart materials.



• We lack hardworking, devoted scientists: “The youngsters want money and all sorts of things but would do only a little bit of science”: C N R Rao, eminent scientist and Bharat Ratna . . . . . . Average Indian spends over 1800 hours a year on their smartphone . . . . get a life, Indians



• Vikass: Forest land divesion by Modi sarkar in the last three years amounts to 588.20 sq km--larger than the union territory of Puducherry



• York to ban cars from city centre: Private cars are to be banned from York's medieval city centre by 2023.



• Slave to votebank politics: Prime Minister Indira Gandhi watched helplessly the unfair treatment of Pandits and Buddhists in J&K

@sgurumurthy pic.twitter.com/38PJToUHlh

— Dr Krishna Hande (@krishna_hande) December 29, 2019




• Ya Devi Sarvabhutheshu: Deepti Varsha - 'Vande Guru Paramparaam'




• ‘Ghar Wapsi’ First Conceived in Udupi in 1969: “The name was different but the spirit was the same,” according to Pejawar Mutt Swamiji