Quick notes...: February 2022

Sunday, February 27, 2022

White man killing white man?: No way! He should kill only colored people. “It’s very emotional for me because I see European people with blonde hair and blue eyes being killed every day with Putin’s missiles and his helicopters and his rockets”. The BBC presenter responded: “I understand and of course respect the emotion.”

Sandhya Jain on 'dog does not eat dog': Hitler's unforgivable sin was that he breached the tacit accord of the White Colonial People (that dog does not eat dog) and practiced imperialism upon the White Christian peoples, bringing France, Austria, Poland, and virtually all of Europe under his heel. His invocation of a mythical non-Christian, Aryan ancestry for the German people must have enraged the epoch's dominant colonial power, Great Britain, which took pride in its Anglo-Saxon origins.

Turkish drones: Ukrainian employs Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2 drone to pummel Russian forces in Kherson region

Han hug: Sri Lanka on the brink of bankruptcy: Consumers hit hard by soaring inflation, food shortages

Dry January was more popular than ever: 35% of legal-aged US adults skipped alcohol for the entire month — a trend that's growing in popularity as drinkers look to reset their bodies in the New Year.

America and 'NATO expanders' revived the cold war: Not many paid attention to the expansion of NATO in the late 1990s and early 2000s to countries in Eastern and Central Europe. “At that time, we were working closely with Russia and they were beginning to get used to the idea that NATO could be a friend rather than an enemy … but they were very uncomfortable about having NATO right up on their border and they made a strong appeal for us not to go ahead with that. I think it is the beginning of a new cold war. There was no reason for this whatsoever.”

“Don’t people understand? Our differences in the Cold War were with the Soviet Communist regime. And now we are turning our backs on the very people who mounted the greatest bloodless revolution in history to remove that Soviet regime. And Russia’s democracy is as far advanced, if not farther, as any of these countries we’ve just signed up to defend from Russia.”

Semiconductor pitfalls: The fact that the world’s third-largest, GlobalFoundries Inc., can barely string together a few quarters of profit highlights the pitfalls even for those with years of experience.

Sunlight for COVID patients: Oxidative Stress... "Vitamin-D isn't everything. It is just a marker of sunlight exposure".

Needless suffering: Animal welfare fight reaches McDonald's boardroom. With Carl Icahn teaming up with the Humane Society, McDonald’s Corp. is facing the most high-profile attack on its animal-welfare policies to date.

Toxic modesty of hijab: French bill banning hijabs in sports events moves to National Assembly.

Used Carpets, Mattresses: Sri Lanka returns 3,000 tonnes of garbage to UK. . . . . when will India learn?

Digital rupee needs more thought and less haste: A digital rupee may well be a boon. Rushing the implementation of what should ideally be a multiyear project may be fraught with unnecessary risks. Even with China, there is no national rollout date yet.

Made in China: Hyderabad's 'Statue of Equality' was made in China. Casting works were carried out in China and the statue was brought here in 1,600 pieces.

China encroaching along Nepal border: It is the first time there have been official claims from Nepal of Chinese interference in its territory.

Dairy-tech startup: Bangalore-based Stellapps has created a step counter for cows. Healthier cows produce more milk, and by tracking and better managing their animals, farmers can increase yields.

The Garhwal mountain range is most fragile ecosystem: "We should not construct dams and hydropower projects or any other construction very close to these ecosystems. We have to be extremely careful that these are far below fragile glaciers and steep slopes".

Woke factories: 40.1% of Indian students pursue humanities while 19% of students pursue technical courses.

Wall Street in bed with China: Wall Street titan launched a $100 million plan to create a global education scholarship program in China to rival the Rhodes Scholarships.

Pakistan’s ‘good Taliban-bad Taliban’ strategy backfires: Pakistan’s “long game” strategy of having a weak, Islamist power in Kabul is likely to implode with forbidding consequences for regional security.

European Chips Act: The EU looks to boost its chip industry and cut its dependence on US and Asian supply.

Learning from nature: Scandinavian-style forest schools are booming in Europe and the US – and spreading in Asia, too.

Privacy hits Zuck's pocket: Apple iOS privacy change will decrease Facebook’s sales this year by about $10 billion.

‘Sold by Amazon’ program shut down: Amazon shuts down ‘Sold by Amazon’ program in the US following antitrust investigation. Amazon engages in unlawful price-fixing and restrained competition in order to maximize its profits.

TVS acquires 75 percent stake in Swiss e-Mobility Group: TVS’ is focusing on building a portfolio of premium and tech-driven brands, including Norton Motorcycles and eGO Movement.

Can Erdogan mediate a deal between Russia and Ukraine? Moscow is angered by Turkey providing Ukraine with combat drones.

Drone Superpower: How Turkey became a drone superpower.

Only Hindus can be "communal": Why is secular France doubling funding for Christian schools in the Middle East?

Han dirty tricks: Fake Tibetan group sponsors event featuring Olympics promo with exclusively Han Chinese cultural elements. “That’s not even our logo. Looks like a fake group”.

Eco-friendly alternative to fertilizer: You can swap your fertilizer for black-eyed peas