Quick notes: AI colonialism | Pickleball...

• India feels the heat: Country reels from unusually early heatwave.... Heat wave scorches India’s wheat crop and hinders export plans
  



• AI Colonialism: AI is impoverishing the communities and countries that don’t have a say in its development—the same communities and countries already impoverished by former colonial empires. The AI industry does not seek to capture land, but the same desire for profit drives it to expand its reach.



• Micromobility: Over the past decade, the number of multinational research and development centers in Tel Aviv has tripled. With this growth has come a flood of highly educated, environmentally conscious young people who are increasingly opting for e-scooters and bicycles over cars. Tel Aviv intends to more than double its bike paths to cover 350 km by 2025.




• Combination of racket and paddle sports: Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in America with nearly 5 million Americans already playing the game. “The greatest thing I have found about pickleball is the socialization. Pickleball players seem to be... just really nice people. You meet the nicest people playing pickleball.”



• Muddling history, language: Sheldon Pollock, a scholar of Sanskrit, noted that India was “well on its way to losing its memory”, thanks to perverted language politics and an education system that fails to value scholars. “If classical scholars in India or elsewhere cede control of memory, it will be left to the delusions and ravings of the anti-historians.”
  
  "The problem is that unlike in Tamil Nadu, many politicians in Karnataka do not recognise the links between language, culture and identity. As a result, we do not see much work beyond sloganeering. At present, we don’t have much to show as achievement".



• Funding the war: Germany paid Russia €9 Billion for energy since invasion. The largest importers in order were Germany (€9.1 billion), Italy (€6.9 billion), China (€6.7 billion), Netherlands (€5.6 billion), Turkey (€4.1 billion) and France (€3.8 billion).



• Mo ko kahaan dhoondhe re bande: Ustad Shujaat Hussain Khan




• Danish Kaneria: Pakistan team was unfair to this cricketer because he was a Hindu. . . who knew!!



• "Tibet has never been part of China": "India's position is that India has to abide by the one China policy, then China also has to abide by one India policy regarding Kashmir" -- Penpa Tsering, president of the Tibetan govt in exile.

Quick notes: Burqa ban | Sabotage specialists...

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



• Harvard U Profited 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. The university’s ties to slavery are not an entirely new revelation.



• 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



• 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!



• Jugalbandi: Ustad Vilayat Khan and Ustad Bismillah Khan

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 produces 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.

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".



• 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.



• 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.



• Manjiri Asanare: 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.