Quick notes: Racist pit | Phoren degree...

• Is Ukraine the most racist among nations?
  
  - November 2015: Ukraine to play home game behind closed doors as part of a UEFA punishment for racist behaviour by fans at European Championship qualifier against Spain.
  
  - November 2019: Brazilian player sent off in Ukraine for reaction to racism. Ukraine has a history of far-right involvement in its fan base.
  
  - March 2022: Indian and African students fleeing Ukraine say they face segregation, racism at border.
  
  - 'Open the door or we die': Africans report racism and hostility trying to flee Ukraine... He and his friends were quickly kicked off the train, with officials telling them “Ukrainians only.” “I said: ‘You say Ukrainians only, but I don’t see you checking passports. I see you picking white people only.’ The train was not filled before they left, but they never picked us.”



• 90% Indians who study MBBS abroad fail to clear qualifiers: Only 10% of them clear the FMGE qualifiers exams in India to pass the license to practice Medicine in india.
  
  - Why Indians Study Medicine In Ukraine: Modi's statement without promise of appropriate reforms is of no value for stemming student migration to other countries.



• This is where India and China differ: The Thousand Talents Plan is part of China’s long quest to become the global scientific leader.
  
  - PLA partners: Bill Gates developed nuclear reactors that help China overtake the U.S. Military.
  
  - Microsoft created research lab to work on AI for Chinese Military



• The purge: Russia blocks Facebook, passes 'fake news' law



• Indian company transforming palm leaves into tableware: Valued at $65 million, with funding from investors including industrialist Ratan Tata, Bollant Industries operates seven manufacturing plants, producing hundreds of tons of products each month, ranging from tableware to packaging.



• Bio-Salt: Making of Bio-Salt using Okra Slime

Quick notes: Inflaming conflict | Next gen weapons...

• What happened to Russia's Air Force? Military experts have seen evidence of a lack of Russian air force coordination with ground troop formations, with multiple Russian columns of troops sent forward beyond the reach of their own air defense cover. That leaves Russian soldiers vulnerable to attack from Ukrainian forces, including those newly equipped with Turkish drones and U.S. and British anti-tank missiles.
  
  Biden supplied city-destroying weapons: Biden supplied powerful city-destroying heavy weapons to the ill-disciplined and Nazi-infected Ukrainian army. The temptation to start using them was irresistible and Kiev’s armed forces foolishly attempted to advance into and occupy Donbass.
  
  Inspired by Pakistan: NATO countries pour weapons into Ukraine, inflaming conflict. “On NATO territory, we should be the Pakistan,” he said, supplying the Ukrainians as Pakistan supplied the Taliban in Afghanistan.



• The weapons that are making a difference: Ukrainian troops have destroyed dozens of columns of Russian vehicles with anti-armor Javelin missiles and simpler Next Generation Light anti-tank weapons (NLAW). The Javelin and NLAW anti-tank weapons have become critical in a war that has seen fighting in both urban and rural areas.
  
  Bayraktar TB2: Turkish drones playing key role in Ukraine.
  
  India's national interest takes backseat to divisive politics and near-constant elections:

India MUST draft a clear policy to retain its top engineering & research talent

Give them the funding, top notch infra, gated living, grants, everything they need to succeed here

This decade has become way too crucial for (nation &) capacity building to absorb future shocks

— TheSignOfFive (@TheSignOfFive) February 28, 2022




• NATO’s dangerous expansion: In hints, in pleas, in public speeches and private approaches, Russia has begged us for years to show it the most basic respect. Our response has been to react with mistrust and abuse, and with blatant attempts to worsen the situation in Ukraine and Georgia, two incredibly dangerous flashpoints where real war might all too easily begin.
  
  As George Kennan put it, Nato expansion was an insult to Russian democrats. 'We are turning our backs on the very people who mounted the greatest bloodless revolution in history to remove that Soviet regime.' He asked why East-West relations should 'become centred on the question of who would be allied with whom – and by implication against whom – in some fanciful, totally unforeseeable and most improbable future military conflict'.




• China was right: China's distrust of western Big Tech is justified.

Big tech is proud to actively bias its digital platform. Sometimes I think China is justified in kicking all of them out, and other countries should also follow suit. pic.twitter.com/G01EMbCsWr

— Amit Thadhani (@amitsurg) March 1, 2022

China prepared for this. They kept most US-based software tech out. They have their own social media, own search engines, own payment systems. Cannot even login to Facebook from China. https://t.co/kry5m9FWU6

— Sankrant Sanu सानु संक्रान्त ਸੰਕ੍ਰਾਂਤ ਸਾਨੁ (@sankrant) March 2, 2022




• Wildlife has first right of way:

On roads around forest, wildlife has first right of way. Please drive carefully !! pic.twitter.com/LXUm8eJNrm

— Parveen Kaswan, IFS (@ParveenKaswan) February 27, 2022

Quick notes: War coverage | Rupee trade...

• 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.



• India mulls rupee trade accounts with Russia: To soften the blow of western sanctions on Russia.. India also used it with Iran after it came under Western sanctions for its nuclear weapons program.
  

  India will need its own SWIFT, Youtube, Facebook etc
  
  Everything can be weaponized overnight and it doesn't have to be a major war. An increasingly woke west can choose its justifications on a whim. A protest of 100 people in Bhubaneshwar can be called "exactly like 1930s"

  — Opinion Bakery (@IndiaSpeaksPR) February 27, 2022




• 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.



• Anjaneyasana: Low lunge pose

Quick notes: NATO expanders | Semiconductor pitfalls...

• 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?

Quick notes: Digital rupee | Space travel...

• 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.



• India Is Doing Space Travel, on a Budget:




• 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.

Quick notes: Forest schools | Light therapy...

• 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.



• Chenab Rail Bridge: Highest railway bridge in the world




• 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”.



• Mindfulness: The 10-minute hack that is as ‘good as 40 minutes extra sleep’



• Light Therapy and Melatonin: Optimize Health and Immunity with Sunlight.
  1. View early morning sunlight.
  2. Get more light throughout the day. Preferably sunlight.
  3. Minimize bright light (screen time) after sunset.
  4. There is more to sunlight than Vitamin-D
  5. Oral melatonin is not a substitute
  6. Oral Vitamin-D is not a substitute
  7. LED bulbs bad - no Near-Infrared-Radiation. Incandescent bulbs better.




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