मैं क्या Hornbill Festival attend किए बिना ही मर जाऊँगा?
Sigh...
Sigh...
Half my life is spent worrying about losing my hair ties, or finding them when they are lost.
I fully support the government of India's decision to clamp down on cryptocurrency.
It is the government's job to regulate highly speculative investments that could lead to major losses for retail investors. With no underlying value or purpose, cryptocurrencies cannot even be called an investment. Their only meaningful purpose seems to be in hiding cross border transactions - something that the government must regulate.
Just because I disagree with the government currently in power, I cannot undermine the very purpose of government - to protect citizens from speculators and cross border criminals. A mechanism to carry out domestic transactions in an anonymous manner already exists - cash. Currency under circulation has doubled under the NDA regime, in spite of all the noise they make about digital economy.
But the most glaring aspect of crypto is the sheer wastage of energy and the mountains of e-waste generated by this pointless activity.
It is the government's job to regulate highly speculative investments that could lead to major losses for retail investors. With no underlying value or purpose, cryptocurrencies cannot even be called an investment. Their only meaningful purpose seems to be in hiding cross border transactions - something that the government must regulate.
Just because I disagree with the government currently in power, I cannot undermine the very purpose of government - to protect citizens from speculators and cross border criminals. A mechanism to carry out domestic transactions in an anonymous manner already exists - cash. Currency under circulation has doubled under the NDA regime, in spite of all the noise they make about digital economy.
But the most glaring aspect of crypto is the sheer wastage of energy and the mountains of e-waste generated by this pointless activity.
Everything is cooler in Goa. Especially the elections.
(In fancy academic speak this is called endogamy. Everyone is in bed with everyone else. There is an unhealthy give and take. Meanwhile people are telling me that the BJP and Shiv Sena are right wing, the Congress is Liberal, and the AAP and TMC are our saviours. But they're all the same people, honey.)
(In fancy academic speak this is called endogamy. Everyone is in bed with everyone else. There is an unhealthy give and take. Meanwhile people are telling me that the BJP and Shiv Sena are right wing, the Congress is Liberal, and the AAP and TMC are our saviours. But they're all the same people, honey.)
Me, emailing a Youtube link to friends in Nov 2005: "Discovered a new site for sharing videos. Pretty neat." YouTube had launched in Feb 2005.
[I was introduced to Google in the winter of 1998, weeks after it had launched, by Mashood Kandy in the Civil DCF. At that time the site ran off of a single box PC/server.]
[I was introduced to Google in the winter of 1998, weeks after it had launched, by Mashood Kandy in the Civil DCF. At that time the site ran off of a single box PC/server.]
The deposition of Dr. Ambedkar in front of the Simon Commission in 1928 makes for some good weekend reading.
https://velivada.com/2019/09/03/dr-babsaheb-ambedkar-and-simon-commission/
95 years have passed, but the social boycott of those who exceed the bounds of their social status continues. Most workers who enter my household take off their footwear without being asked to. And they do not take a seat unless asked to. They are not doing this out of respect. They are keeping the peace. How long must they continue to keep the peace at the expense of their self respect?
I quote a section of Dr. Ambedkar's statement before the commission:
Chairman: You are particularly anxious to get appointments in the public service?
Dr. Ambedkar : Yes, decidedly.
Commission: Why is that so?
Dr. Ambedkar : On that point I should like to say this, that our experience so far as the administration of the law is concerned is very bitter. I wish to say most emphatically that in many cases the law is administered to the disadvantage of the depressed class man. I would like to give a concrete case of what actually happened in one of the districts, without, of course, mentioning names. The Bombay Government annually lets out its forest lands for cultivation to the villages on certain stated terms. Now we discovered that in the allotment of those forest lands the depressed class man, who was often a landless labourer or with very little land, and who was clamouring for some sort of economic stability, never came in for a share. The Mamlatdars, who were really in charge of distributing the lands, showed absolute favouritism to the caste Hindu as against the depressed class man. Last year in one district we organised and sent a deputation to the Assistant Deputy Collector of that district, placing before him our grievances with respect to these forest lands. He issued a circular to the Mamlatdars saying that the applications from the depressed classes should be considered. Now, some of the Mamlatdars, to show they were acting up to the circular, did give some lands to the depressed classes. But we found that they rather fooled us, if I may say so. What they did was, on paper they allotted a very large amount of land to the depressed classes and a very small amount of land to the caste Hindus, but when we came to see actually what was allotted to us we found that the land allotted to the depressed classes was all rocky and unfit for cultivation and the depressed class people would not take it for anything, and the land allotted to the caste Hindus though small, was all rich and fertile. Now I think that is a most fragrant abuse of the administrative power which is entrusted to the officials, and I personally attach far more importance to good administration of law than to more efficient administration of law.
Chairman: You are using it as an argument to support your view that the depressed classes should have a full representation?
Dr. Ambedkar : In the services.
Chairman: That is your point?
Dr. Ambedkar: That is my point. I will give some instances of what happens in judicial courts actually in this Presidency. I happened to defend a depressed class man in one of the courts, and, to my great surprise, I found that the man had to stand outside the court behind a little window, outside the wall, and he would not come in simply because, he said, ” It is all right so far as you are concerned, but after you have left there will. be terrible social ostracism if I enter the court.”
Chairman: It was the client who did not want to come in?
Dr. Ambedkar : Who dare not come in.
Chairman: What sort of social ostracism had he in mind?
Dr. Ambedkar : The social ostracism would be that if he went back to the village there would be the boycott of the shop-keepers; nobody would sell him grain. The villagers would stop his dues as a village servant. He would not be allowed to come into the village. The depressed class people always live on the border of the village, not in the centre or in the midst.
Chairman: Your point would be that he was timid about coming into court on this occasion because he thought that afterwards the other people of the village, not his own lot but the others, the caste people, would regard him as having pushed himself in where he should not go?
Dr. Ambedkar : Certainly—having exceeded the bounds of his social status.
https://velivada.com/2019/09/03/dr-babsaheb-ambedkar-and-simon-commission/
95 years have passed, but the social boycott of those who exceed the bounds of their social status continues. Most workers who enter my household take off their footwear without being asked to. And they do not take a seat unless asked to. They are not doing this out of respect. They are keeping the peace. How long must they continue to keep the peace at the expense of their self respect?
I quote a section of Dr. Ambedkar's statement before the commission:
Chairman: You are particularly anxious to get appointments in the public service?
Dr. Ambedkar : Yes, decidedly.
Commission: Why is that so?
Dr. Ambedkar : On that point I should like to say this, that our experience so far as the administration of the law is concerned is very bitter. I wish to say most emphatically that in many cases the law is administered to the disadvantage of the depressed class man. I would like to give a concrete case of what actually happened in one of the districts, without, of course, mentioning names. The Bombay Government annually lets out its forest lands for cultivation to the villages on certain stated terms. Now we discovered that in the allotment of those forest lands the depressed class man, who was often a landless labourer or with very little land, and who was clamouring for some sort of economic stability, never came in for a share. The Mamlatdars, who were really in charge of distributing the lands, showed absolute favouritism to the caste Hindu as against the depressed class man. Last year in one district we organised and sent a deputation to the Assistant Deputy Collector of that district, placing before him our grievances with respect to these forest lands. He issued a circular to the Mamlatdars saying that the applications from the depressed classes should be considered. Now, some of the Mamlatdars, to show they were acting up to the circular, did give some lands to the depressed classes. But we found that they rather fooled us, if I may say so. What they did was, on paper they allotted a very large amount of land to the depressed classes and a very small amount of land to the caste Hindus, but when we came to see actually what was allotted to us we found that the land allotted to the depressed classes was all rocky and unfit for cultivation and the depressed class people would not take it for anything, and the land allotted to the caste Hindus though small, was all rich and fertile. Now I think that is a most fragrant abuse of the administrative power which is entrusted to the officials, and I personally attach far more importance to good administration of law than to more efficient administration of law.
Chairman: You are using it as an argument to support your view that the depressed classes should have a full representation?
Dr. Ambedkar : In the services.
Chairman: That is your point?
Dr. Ambedkar: That is my point. I will give some instances of what happens in judicial courts actually in this Presidency. I happened to defend a depressed class man in one of the courts, and, to my great surprise, I found that the man had to stand outside the court behind a little window, outside the wall, and he would not come in simply because, he said, ” It is all right so far as you are concerned, but after you have left there will. be terrible social ostracism if I enter the court.”
Chairman: It was the client who did not want to come in?
Dr. Ambedkar : Who dare not come in.
Chairman: What sort of social ostracism had he in mind?
Dr. Ambedkar : The social ostracism would be that if he went back to the village there would be the boycott of the shop-keepers; nobody would sell him grain. The villagers would stop his dues as a village servant. He would not be allowed to come into the village. The depressed class people always live on the border of the village, not in the centre or in the midst.
Chairman: Your point would be that he was timid about coming into court on this occasion because he thought that afterwards the other people of the village, not his own lot but the others, the caste people, would regard him as having pushed himself in where he should not go?
Dr. Ambedkar : Certainly—having exceeded the bounds of his social status.
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100014805481436
This man Gopal Sharma has 14 FB friends in common with me. He reached out to me over FB messenger on my birthday and asked for financial help.
When I wrote to some of our common friends, I found out that over the last few years, he had asked each one of them for money. Some of them had lent him money, and then he never returned it to them. None of these people know him personally.
He has 1.6K FB friends. If you are friends with him, that lends him the credibility he does not deserve. Please block and report him.
This man Gopal Sharma has 14 FB friends in common with me. He reached out to me over FB messenger on my birthday and asked for financial help.
When I wrote to some of our common friends, I found out that over the last few years, he had asked each one of them for money. Some of them had lent him money, and then he never returned it to them. None of these people know him personally.
He has 1.6K FB friends. If you are friends with him, that lends him the credibility he does not deserve. Please block and report him.
So she doesn't just climb onto vehicles. She also climbs onto stages without invitation. Do you see that absolutely nobody is giving her any importance. No one even seems to know that she is there. She is like a tourist in front of the Qutub Minar.
Bahut krantikari!
Bahut krantikari!
As I was saying yesterday... liberals have perfected the art of appropriating credit for other people's hard won battles. Liberals, leftists, Savarna activists.
Solidarity is when you give. Not when you snatch.
Solidarity is when you give. Not when you snatch.
The unique thing about our strong leadership is that everything is done by surprise. Surprise, new rules. Surprise! Rules gone.
So I am taking a leaf out of our leader's playbook. In future, I will practice surprise parenting.
Me: Surprise, I got you guys ten pairs of orange underwear.
M1: Why ten?
M2: Why orange?
M1: Why underwear?
Me: Why so many questions? I love you guys. This is in your best interest.
M2: You know we are growing, right? We need new sizes frequently. Did you get ten of the same size?
Me: Umm, I do not have information about the underwear sizes.
M1: You did order them yourself, right?
Me: Look, they're orange. That way you'll draw attention to yourself. Road safety!
M2: Dad, that's not how underwear work. They are not supposed to attract attention.
Me: Why so negative? So much criticism. Can't a man get some work done around here.
M1: Dad, you're a fixed income kind of guy. If you're buying us ten undies now, you're going to cut on some other expense later.
Later that week...
Me: Surprise. I returned all of those underwear. Problem solved.
M1: Dad, they're underwear. They're not returnable. What did you do with them?
M2: All ten? We could have used, like, two.
Me: That's it. You're terrorists, both of you. You don't get to wear underwear any more.
M1 to M2: Can he really stop us from wearing underwear?
M2 to M1: Nope. I don't think he can. But you don't wanna tell him that and piss him off right now.
M1 to me: Dad, we are going to vote on this. You can't just decide for us.
Me: Yeah, voting is in ten days. But I have more votes than you guys, so I've already announced my decision.
Them: 🤷🏽♂️
Me: If you'd respected my authority, instead of arguing and wanting to participate in the decision-making, you'd have had an abundance of clothes. Now you're naked and it's your fault.
(Wrote it this afternoon because I was bored writing a technical document all morning)
So I am taking a leaf out of our leader's playbook. In future, I will practice surprise parenting.
Me: Surprise, I got you guys ten pairs of orange underwear.
M1: Why ten?
M2: Why orange?
M1: Why underwear?
Me: Why so many questions? I love you guys. This is in your best interest.
M2: You know we are growing, right? We need new sizes frequently. Did you get ten of the same size?
Me: Umm, I do not have information about the underwear sizes.
M1: You did order them yourself, right?
Me: Look, they're orange. That way you'll draw attention to yourself. Road safety!
M2: Dad, that's not how underwear work. They are not supposed to attract attention.
Me: Why so negative? So much criticism. Can't a man get some work done around here.
M1: Dad, you're a fixed income kind of guy. If you're buying us ten undies now, you're going to cut on some other expense later.
Later that week...
Me: Surprise. I returned all of those underwear. Problem solved.
M1: Dad, they're underwear. They're not returnable. What did you do with them?
M2: All ten? We could have used, like, two.
Me: That's it. You're terrorists, both of you. You don't get to wear underwear any more.
M1 to M2: Can he really stop us from wearing underwear?
M2 to M1: Nope. I don't think he can. But you don't wanna tell him that and piss him off right now.
M1 to me: Dad, we are going to vote on this. You can't just decide for us.
Me: Yeah, voting is in ten days. But I have more votes than you guys, so I've already announced my decision.
Them: 🤷🏽♂️
Me: If you'd respected my authority, instead of arguing and wanting to participate in the decision-making, you'd have had an abundance of clothes. Now you're naked and it's your fault.
(Wrote it this afternoon because I was bored writing a technical document all morning)
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/why-is-air-cargo-suddenly-more-affordable-compared-to-ocean-shipping
Air cargo prices have jumped 2x since the pandemic started. But ocean shipping has jumped 10x in some cases.
I can confirm with our own experience that shipping prices - both international and domestic - have been zooming.
The global supply chain is going to shit because of this. More than nationalism, this is what is going to drive initiatives like Make in India. Nobody wants their cost of goods dominated by, of all people, shipping companies.
However, if all Make in India entails is assembly in India, like what is happening with the iPhone, then shipping costs will continue to be the same. In fact (and again, speaking from our own experience) shipping electronics components costs more than shipping finished goods.
I suppose that logic doesn't apply to high weight/volume low value items such as white goods and automotive parts.
There is an opportunity here, but I don't know if our policy makers are aware of it. The longer this crisis goes on, the more sense it makes for folks to be manufacturing closer to their customers. In fact it is already making sense to manufacture at multiple locations in India, which is what we have begun doing.
Air cargo prices have jumped 2x since the pandemic started. But ocean shipping has jumped 10x in some cases.
I can confirm with our own experience that shipping prices - both international and domestic - have been zooming.
The global supply chain is going to shit because of this. More than nationalism, this is what is going to drive initiatives like Make in India. Nobody wants their cost of goods dominated by, of all people, shipping companies.
However, if all Make in India entails is assembly in India, like what is happening with the iPhone, then shipping costs will continue to be the same. In fact (and again, speaking from our own experience) shipping electronics components costs more than shipping finished goods.
I suppose that logic doesn't apply to high weight/volume low value items such as white goods and automotive parts.
There is an opportunity here, but I don't know if our policy makers are aware of it. The longer this crisis goes on, the more sense it makes for folks to be manufacturing closer to their customers. In fact it is already making sense to manufacture at multiple locations in India, which is what we have begun doing.
Here. Have a panic attack. You're welcome.
What is the use of having DMK in power if we can't fix this shit?
Yesterday we visited IKEA.
Kandivili-cab-Navi Mumbai
auto-train-train-train-auto-Kandivili
Today, I visited Toyota to check on a repair.
Kandivili-cab-cab-Panvel
auto-train-train-auto-Kandivili
Up and down the stairs at each interchange. And all the fat in my body shaken up while in motion between these interchanges.
Mumbai is not a city. It is a weight loss and fitness regime masquerading as a metropolis. Along with your weight, you also lose the desire to live.
यही दुनिया है तो फिर ऐसी ये दुनिया क्यों है ?
यही होता हैं तो आखिर यही होता क्यों है ?
~ कैफ़ी आज़मी
(This type of feelings and all I am getting)
Kandivili-cab-Navi Mumbai
auto-train-train-train-auto-Kandivili
Today, I visited Toyota to check on a repair.
Kandivili-cab-cab-Panvel
auto-train-train-auto-Kandivili
Up and down the stairs at each interchange. And all the fat in my body shaken up while in motion between these interchanges.
Mumbai is not a city. It is a weight loss and fitness regime masquerading as a metropolis. Along with your weight, you also lose the desire to live.
यही दुनिया है तो फिर ऐसी ये दुनिया क्यों है ?
यही होता हैं तो आखिर यही होता क्यों है ?
~ कैफ़ी आज़मी
(This type of feelings and all I am getting)
Go to Mumbai, they said. Walk along Marine Drive, they said.
The entire coastline along Mumbai's two bays has been destroyed, turned into an eyesore by the coastal road project. What an abomination. Will it solve traffic woes? For a few days, perhaps, and then it'll be back to more of the same. They took one of the most beautiful and large public spaces in India and nuked them.
More public transport. Less cars. I didn't spend a third of my life working on Mumbai suburban transport ticketing with the Indian Railways, to see this shit.
The entire coastline along Mumbai's two bays has been destroyed, turned into an eyesore by the coastal road project. What an abomination. Will it solve traffic woes? For a few days, perhaps, and then it'll be back to more of the same. They took one of the most beautiful and large public spaces in India and nuked them.
More public transport. Less cars. I didn't spend a third of my life working on Mumbai suburban transport ticketing with the Indian Railways, to see this shit.
https://www.pfizer.com/news/press-release/press-release-detail/pfizers-novel-covid-19-oral-antiviral-treatment-candidate
Humanity defeats Covid!
This antiviral drug has been entirely developed by a private company, so unlike Covishield, there will be no free licensing of this drug. I hope the Indian government isn't sleeping yet again, and working with Pfizer to pre-book and secure supplies. India has had product patenting in drugs since 2005 (the chemical formulation of the drug molecule is patentable, not just the chemical process that creates it), and compulsory licensing can only be done after three years. If Indian drug companies can invent a new process and a new molecule that has similar efficacy, then we have a win, but that would take years. Our best bet is to just pay Pfizer their pound of flesh and buy this stuff.
Humanity defeats Covid!
This antiviral drug has been entirely developed by a private company, so unlike Covishield, there will be no free licensing of this drug. I hope the Indian government isn't sleeping yet again, and working with Pfizer to pre-book and secure supplies. India has had product patenting in drugs since 2005 (the chemical formulation of the drug molecule is patentable, not just the chemical process that creates it), and compulsory licensing can only be done after three years. If Indian drug companies can invent a new process and a new molecule that has similar efficacy, then we have a win, but that would take years. Our best bet is to just pay Pfizer their pound of flesh and buy this stuff.
Babasaheb: In politics, hero-worship is a path to degradation and eventual dictatorship.
Meanwhile Ambedkarites at Chaityabhoomi, bowing and touching Babasaheb's samadhi with their foreheads.
(मतलब ठीक है, हर समय आलोचना भी बुरी आदत है)
Meanwhile Ambedkarites at Chaityabhoomi, bowing and touching Babasaheb's samadhi with their foreheads.
(मतलब ठीक है, हर समय आलोचना भी बुरी आदत है)
Have you heard of the term dog whistle?
Sometimes what makes a movie special is that it has dog whistles. Little things, a scene that goes away in a few seconds and most people don't even notice it. But in a certain set of the audience, it triggers a flood of emotion and connection.
The closing scene in Jai Bhim is just that.
Like any other good movie that deals with the evil of Caste, Jai Bhim has a string of small incidents that convey caste heirarchy. If you've lived in Indian society, you pick up the cues. If you haven't, you may not even understand what just happened. The caste of each character isn't spoken out. The way they conduct themselves, and the way others expect them to conduct, is how we know who is what caste.
And then, in the end, the little girl learns to assert herself. Or rather, she inherently knew how to respect herself and assert her identity, but Chandru simply encourages her to be herself.
It is the little things that make a movie a classic. What Rajni could not achieve in Kaala with all his histrionics and superlative action, Suriya achieves with a simple nod and smile.
Sometimes what makes a movie special is that it has dog whistles. Little things, a scene that goes away in a few seconds and most people don't even notice it. But in a certain set of the audience, it triggers a flood of emotion and connection.
The closing scene in Jai Bhim is just that.
Like any other good movie that deals with the evil of Caste, Jai Bhim has a string of small incidents that convey caste heirarchy. If you've lived in Indian society, you pick up the cues. If you haven't, you may not even understand what just happened. The caste of each character isn't spoken out. The way they conduct themselves, and the way others expect them to conduct, is how we know who is what caste.
And then, in the end, the little girl learns to assert herself. Or rather, she inherently knew how to respect herself and assert her identity, but Chandru simply encourages her to be herself.
It is the little things that make a movie a classic. What Rajni could not achieve in Kaala with all his histrionics and superlative action, Suriya achieves with a simple nod and smile.
There is no joy like the joy of watching North Indian thinkers fanboy over Tamil leadership.
Catching up with friends in Maximum City.
नौवें माले से मुंबई का नज़ारा ही कुछ और...
नौवें माले से मुंबई का नज़ारा ही कुछ और...
गोवा के हर नुक्कड़ पर आज नरकासुर विराजमान। और ज़बरदस्त electronic music.
I've been doing it wrong all these years
NCB seems to be bothering with 5 gram drugs here, 3,000 kg there. Meanwhile the अस्त्रालय is right here - though I'm not sure if the thought process is driven by drugs or cowpiss.
Guy can't seem to decide. Is Australia a मरुस्थल because there was an अस्त्रालय there. Or was the अस्त्र merely imagined to be there. So if someone merely imagined a nuclear bomb blast, then how do scientists find evidence of a nuclear bomb blast in Australia.
Although I don't understand why these godmen must drag scientists into everything. Do any of his followers have the guts to ask him which scientist has conjectured ancient nuclear bomb blasts in the wastelands of Australia.
Guy can't seem to decide. Is Australia a मरुस्थल because there was an अस्त्रालय there. Or was the अस्त्र merely imagined to be there. So if someone merely imagined a nuclear bomb blast, then how do scientists find evidence of a nuclear bomb blast in Australia.
Although I don't understand why these godmen must drag scientists into everything. Do any of his followers have the guts to ask him which scientist has conjectured ancient nuclear bomb blasts in the wastelands of Australia.
This is how we roll in Tamil Nadu 😎
Kavin: "I went outside. A frog jumped onto me. A mantis is doing a dance on our doormat. It's a dance. It isn't praying. It's dancing."
(A couple of days ago he had said, "Is there such a thing as too much nature?")
(A couple of days ago he had said, "Is there such a thing as too much nature?")
I heard they put speeding cameras on MG Road now. Do we got jaywalking laws in India yet? I'd loooove to try this out in my next visit.
This
Factory made houses are beginning to be a big deal, in India and the US.
In the US, companies like https://buildcover.com/ let you design your house online, then factory build the house and bring and assemble it on your land. They also take care of building permits etc.
In India, https://www.loomcraftsprefab.com/ does pretty much the same thing, except you don't need permissions in most places because a prefab house is still considered kaccha construction, not a pakka house.
Both these companies use LGSF, Light Gauge Steel Framing. Google for the term and you will see dozens of large vendors in India, doing rapid construction of everything from factories to low cost housing.
The death of RCC and deep foundations (piles) in low rise housing, couldn't arrive any sooner.
In the US, companies like https://buildcover.com/ let you design your house online, then factory build the house and bring and assemble it on your land. They also take care of building permits etc.
In India, https://www.loomcraftsprefab.com/ does pretty much the same thing, except you don't need permissions in most places because a prefab house is still considered kaccha construction, not a pakka house.
Both these companies use LGSF, Light Gauge Steel Framing. Google for the term and you will see dozens of large vendors in India, doing rapid construction of everything from factories to low cost housing.
The death of RCC and deep foundations (piles) in low rise housing, couldn't arrive any sooner.
Planning on visiting Mumbai from the 4th to the 8th of November, with the kids.
Mumbai friends... would be nice to catch up!
Mumbai friends... would be nice to catch up!
Indian Cricket is a worse drama than even Big Boss and WWE. I don't know why people even care for this नौटंकी.
The BSP had the third highest national vote share in both the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections, behind only the BJP and the Congress. The media downplays the party, but can anyone genuinely interested in the future of India really ignore it?
Delhi Airport, Terminal 2, security check. There are an equal number of booths for the frisking of men and women. However, male passengers outnumbered women 10 to 1 (why the imbalance, even I was surprised) today. The female security personnel sit idle most of the time, but do not frisk men; they are for women passengers only. The cozy little enclosed booths for women lie empty. The queues for men have more than ten passengers each; no covid distancing. Women passengers, frisked quickly, wait for over 15 minutes for the men they are traveling with to cross this labyrinth. As they wait, they are forced to look at men like me lift our T shirts and expose our pot bellies to them, while we put our belts back on. Nobody bothered to make cozy booths for us, you see.
Equality. Not equity.
95% of India's domestic air travelers belong to the 5% elite urban savarna class. In such elite places like airports, the Indian establishment throws a bone of equality at elite women. Equal number of toilets. Equal number of queues. We are prepared for you to reach equity, is the messaging.
And then, the moment you step out of these elite spaces, the inequity between women and men is starkly visible. But most of that inequity exists for the oppressed classes. There are no public toilets, for example, in India. Indian men pee wherever. Elite Indian women walk into restaurants and malls and use their toilets. But where do the poor Indian women go?
Most elite Indian women are kept busy in fighting for equal access to toilets in their own elite spaces (offices, malls, universities). And silenced by giving them what they want, occasionally. Voices that could have spoken for the vast majority of India that is poor and opposed, are silenced like this. By throwing a bone.
[Flying off now. Can't see your criticism till the morning, thank you. Probably won't look at it then too 😁]
Equality. Not equity.
95% of India's domestic air travelers belong to the 5% elite urban savarna class. In such elite places like airports, the Indian establishment throws a bone of equality at elite women. Equal number of toilets. Equal number of queues. We are prepared for you to reach equity, is the messaging.
And then, the moment you step out of these elite spaces, the inequity between women and men is starkly visible. But most of that inequity exists for the oppressed classes. There are no public toilets, for example, in India. Indian men pee wherever. Elite Indian women walk into restaurants and malls and use their toilets. But where do the poor Indian women go?
Most elite Indian women are kept busy in fighting for equal access to toilets in their own elite spaces (offices, malls, universities). And silenced by giving them what they want, occasionally. Voices that could have spoken for the vast majority of India that is poor and opposed, are silenced like this. By throwing a bone.
[Flying off now. Can't see your criticism till the morning, thank you. Probably won't look at it then too 😁]
I was waiting by the road side for my ride to arrive. A car pulled up in front of me. I looked down to see the lady driving it staring at me. I didn't know her.
Since our eyes had met, I smiled, nodded my head, and greeted her with a "have a nice day". She was initially startled, then indignant, and drove off in a huff.
That's when I remembered that I'm in Gurgaon today, not Goa.
Since our eyes had met, I smiled, nodded my head, and greeted her with a "have a nice day". She was initially startled, then indignant, and drove off in a huff.
That's when I remembered that I'm in Gurgaon today, not Goa.
October. When the weather is just right, all over India. The month to travel without care.
Except, right now, it's raining like crazy all over. Sigh. Climate change ho gaya hai.
Except, right now, it's raining like crazy all over. Sigh. Climate change ho gaya hai.
"U.S. surgeons successfully test pig kidney transplant in human patient"
"The recipient was a brain-dead patient with signs of kidney dysfunction whose family consented to the experiment before she was due to be taken off of life support. For three days, the new kidney was attached to her blood vessels and maintained outside her body, giving researchers access to it."
"The kidney made the amount of urine that you would expect from a transplanted human kidney"
How cool no - to participate in a society-changing medical experiment even after you have gone brain dead.
"The recipient was a brain-dead patient with signs of kidney dysfunction whose family consented to the experiment before she was due to be taken off of life support. For three days, the new kidney was attached to her blood vessels and maintained outside her body, giving researchers access to it."
"The kidney made the amount of urine that you would expect from a transplanted human kidney"
How cool no - to participate in a society-changing medical experiment even after you have gone brain dead.
"Since 2016 the volume of homeopathic products sold (in Germany) has fallen 12%"
Ha hah. Someone is finally fighting the scourge of homeopathy.
"Homeopaths typically spend a lot of time with patients, asking not just about symptoms but also about emotions, work, and relationships. This is all meant to find the root cause of a patient's suffering and is part of its appeal."
"offering treatments that contain a fragment of the Berlin Wall to cure feelings of exclusion and loneliness or a powder exposed to cellphone signals as protection from radiation emitted by mobile handsets"
Even though homeopath quacks spend a lot of time talking to patients and making them feel good, that is really the only healing they can offer - because they have no medicines, no cures beyond talk. Patients who live with diseases like spondylitis, arthritis or exostosis - chronic diseases that are debilitating and painful but have no known cure as yet - are easy prey for homeopaths. The homeopath fills in for a therapist, who would help the patient overcome the emotional trauma of living with a disease that can only be managed and not cured.
It would be fine if the homeopath restricted themselves to just listening to the problems of a patient and offering trauma therapy. However, not only do they insist on dispensing useless white pills containing nothing but water, they also specifically ask their patients to not consume modern medicine once they start consuming these pills. This keeps chronic patients away from drugs like DMARDs, which may not cure, but can very effectively manage inflammation and a wonky immune system.
Remember how scary AIDS used to be when we were growing up in the 80s and 90s? HIV infection is still terrible and definitely should be avoided. But HAART therapy, if started early and continued diligently, can very effectively prevent HIV from progressing to AIDS. Or TB - the terror of the 70s. DOTS therapy, even when administered through our miserable public health system, is able to cure TB for the poor. But what happens if, heavens forbid, an HIV or TB patient ends up with a homeopath or a reiki practioner because they ran out of patience with their slow acting but effective modern medicine therapy.
What Germany and the UK are finally doing, is slowly legislating away homeopathy, so that such quacks can no longer target unsuspecting and ignorant patients. Of course there is the "freedom of choice" lobby in both countries, insisting that they be allowed to wallow in ignorance and pseudo-science. Their arguments are very similar to the anti-mask and anti-vaxxer lobbies - that we do not want to be injected with artificial substances, and much prefer pills made of naturally occuring substances like artichokes and dandelions. They forget that an overwhelming majority of toxins and poisons that we are at risk of consuming are naturally occuring and not artificially made. Belladonna and Heloderma are just two homeopathic "medicines" - rather popular "medicines" that even I have consumed as a child - that are made from a toxic plant and a venom respectively.
This is my morning rant. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed blustering it out.
Ha hah. Someone is finally fighting the scourge of homeopathy.
"Homeopaths typically spend a lot of time with patients, asking not just about symptoms but also about emotions, work, and relationships. This is all meant to find the root cause of a patient's suffering and is part of its appeal."
"offering treatments that contain a fragment of the Berlin Wall to cure feelings of exclusion and loneliness or a powder exposed to cellphone signals as protection from radiation emitted by mobile handsets"
Even though homeopath quacks spend a lot of time talking to patients and making them feel good, that is really the only healing they can offer - because they have no medicines, no cures beyond talk. Patients who live with diseases like spondylitis, arthritis or exostosis - chronic diseases that are debilitating and painful but have no known cure as yet - are easy prey for homeopaths. The homeopath fills in for a therapist, who would help the patient overcome the emotional trauma of living with a disease that can only be managed and not cured.
It would be fine if the homeopath restricted themselves to just listening to the problems of a patient and offering trauma therapy. However, not only do they insist on dispensing useless white pills containing nothing but water, they also specifically ask their patients to not consume modern medicine once they start consuming these pills. This keeps chronic patients away from drugs like DMARDs, which may not cure, but can very effectively manage inflammation and a wonky immune system.
Remember how scary AIDS used to be when we were growing up in the 80s and 90s? HIV infection is still terrible and definitely should be avoided. But HAART therapy, if started early and continued diligently, can very effectively prevent HIV from progressing to AIDS. Or TB - the terror of the 70s. DOTS therapy, even when administered through our miserable public health system, is able to cure TB for the poor. But what happens if, heavens forbid, an HIV or TB patient ends up with a homeopath or a reiki practioner because they ran out of patience with their slow acting but effective modern medicine therapy.
What Germany and the UK are finally doing, is slowly legislating away homeopathy, so that such quacks can no longer target unsuspecting and ignorant patients. Of course there is the "freedom of choice" lobby in both countries, insisting that they be allowed to wallow in ignorance and pseudo-science. Their arguments are very similar to the anti-mask and anti-vaxxer lobbies - that we do not want to be injected with artificial substances, and much prefer pills made of naturally occuring substances like artichokes and dandelions. They forget that an overwhelming majority of toxins and poisons that we are at risk of consuming are naturally occuring and not artificially made. Belladonna and Heloderma are just two homeopathic "medicines" - rather popular "medicines" that even I have consumed as a child - that are made from a toxic plant and a venom respectively.
This is my morning rant. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed blustering it out.
Why do (fluorescent) tubelights flicker when turned on
(don't Google it)
(don't Google it)
Did you know that Madan Mohan Malaviya, founder of BHU and four time INC President, also founded the Hindu Mahasabha. This casteist Bharat Ratna recipient was editor of the Hindustan Times for many decades. While the Congress was running the Quit India and other movements, the Mahasabha was indifferent to them. It aligned instead with the ideology of Moonje and Savarkar and contested elections in alliance with the Muslim League.
Consider this. In the 1920s and 30s, Malaviya was simultaneously (a) president of the INC fighting the British, (b) involved with the Hindu Mahasabha in promoting caste superiority and religious hatred while appeasing the British, and (c) editor of the Hindustan Times reporting on all of this.
( Meanwhile the cofounder of the Hindu Mahasabha, Annie Besant, was indulging in "Occult Chemistry". She used clairvoyance to look inside atoms and describe their structures. Really puts the current generation of hippies to shame. )
Consider this. In the 1920s and 30s, Malaviya was simultaneously (a) president of the INC fighting the British, (b) involved with the Hindu Mahasabha in promoting caste superiority and religious hatred while appeasing the British, and (c) editor of the Hindustan Times reporting on all of this.
( Meanwhile the cofounder of the Hindu Mahasabha, Annie Besant, was indulging in "Occult Chemistry". She used clairvoyance to look inside atoms and describe their structures. Really puts the current generation of hippies to shame. )
Book recommendation post...
Un ami: And how did you get them interested in science and maths? Was it through some conscious efforts, or it just came naturally to them?
Moi: They were naturally interested. All kids are interested in the material world and how it works. If you honestly answer their questions on science, they'll get very interested. They'll realise that there are layers to the question "why is the sky blue". Then you should buy them books.
The Aha Guide to Atoms https://www.amazon.in/dp/8192704416/
The Aha Guide to Newton's Laws https://www.amazon.in/dp/8192704408/
What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions https://www.amazon.in/dp/1848549563/
Thing Explainer: Complicated Stuff in Simple Words https://www.amazon.in/dp/1473637317/
We Have No Idea: A Guide to the Unknown Universe https://www.amazon.in/We-Have-No-Idea-Universe/dp/0735211515
How To: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems from Randall Munroe of xkcd https://www.amazon.in/dp/1473680344/
The Cartoon Guide to Physics https://www.amazon.in/dp/0062731009/
The Cartoon Guide to Chemistry https://www.amazon.in/dp/0060936770/
Cartoon Guide to the Environment https://www.amazon.in/dp/0062732749
The Cartoon Guide to Biology https://www.amazon.in/dp/0062398652/
https://arvindguptatoys.com/ this guy is a genius and my kids are huge fans. All his books are on his website, free. Kids love making useful things out of trash. Its an obsession.
[ Thank you @[1214257652:2048:Meera] and @[1095357210:2048:Rajeev] for introducing me to Larry Gonick. And @[564198067:2048:Balaji] for writing AHA books. Will you keep writing, now that AhaGuru is growing? ]
Un ami: And how did you get them interested in science and maths? Was it through some conscious efforts, or it just came naturally to them?
Moi: They were naturally interested. All kids are interested in the material world and how it works. If you honestly answer their questions on science, they'll get very interested. They'll realise that there are layers to the question "why is the sky blue". Then you should buy them books.
The Aha Guide to Atoms https://www.amazon.in/dp/8192704416/
The Aha Guide to Newton's Laws https://www.amazon.in/dp/8192704408/
What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions https://www.amazon.in/dp/1848549563/
Thing Explainer: Complicated Stuff in Simple Words https://www.amazon.in/dp/1473637317/
We Have No Idea: A Guide to the Unknown Universe https://www.amazon.in/We-Have-No-Idea-Universe/dp/0735211515
How To: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems from Randall Munroe of xkcd https://www.amazon.in/dp/1473680344/
The Cartoon Guide to Physics https://www.amazon.in/dp/0062731009/
The Cartoon Guide to Chemistry https://www.amazon.in/dp/0060936770/
Cartoon Guide to the Environment https://www.amazon.in/dp/0062732749
The Cartoon Guide to Biology https://www.amazon.in/dp/0062398652/
https://arvindguptatoys.com/ this guy is a genius and my kids are huge fans. All his books are on his website, free. Kids love making useful things out of trash. Its an obsession.
[ Thank you @[1214257652:2048:Meera] and @[1095357210:2048:Rajeev] for introducing me to Larry Gonick. And @[564198067:2048:Balaji] for writing AHA books. Will you keep writing, now that AhaGuru is growing? ]
On October 14, 1956 - Dhamma Chakra Pravartan Din - Dr. Ambedkar converted to Buddhism at Deekshabhoomi in Nagpur. (It is said that more than half a million followers converted along with him, effectively reviving Buddhism in India. 87% of Buddhists in India are Ambedkarite Buddhists.)
I've always struggled with why Babasaheb chose to convert his religion, rather than give up on religion completely. It is understandable that he left Hinduism, a religion that gave him so much pain and suffering throughout his life. But why choose Buddha's eightfold path?
I look at the world from the lens of atheism - all religion is bad. Babasaheb, on the other hand, said that people are unable to live without religion. The solution is a good religion, not an abolition of religion.
It is, to a very large extent, true. My vegetarian diet, for example, is dictated by the religion I was born into. I may have become an atheist, but can I change my diet? Never. Disgust for meat is baked into my bones. So you never truly leave a religion, because it's practices have already become your way of life by the time you are aware enough to leave.
On 15 October 2021 comes the news of Nihang Sikhs brutally murdering a man suspected of having the intent of committing sacrilege. Already, I hear murmurings of how all religions are violent. Is Buddhism completely non violent? One only has to look at Sri Lanka or Bhutan to know that it is not.
Yet, Buddhism as practiced in India in contemporary times is closer to pure non violence than any religion anywhere in India. There is not one loony Buddhist preacher that I've heard of; not one mainstream or fringe monk demanding violence.
Babasaheb chose wisely.
I've always struggled with why Babasaheb chose to convert his religion, rather than give up on religion completely. It is understandable that he left Hinduism, a religion that gave him so much pain and suffering throughout his life. But why choose Buddha's eightfold path?
I look at the world from the lens of atheism - all religion is bad. Babasaheb, on the other hand, said that people are unable to live without religion. The solution is a good religion, not an abolition of religion.
It is, to a very large extent, true. My vegetarian diet, for example, is dictated by the religion I was born into. I may have become an atheist, but can I change my diet? Never. Disgust for meat is baked into my bones. So you never truly leave a religion, because it's practices have already become your way of life by the time you are aware enough to leave.
On 15 October 2021 comes the news of Nihang Sikhs brutally murdering a man suspected of having the intent of committing sacrilege. Already, I hear murmurings of how all religions are violent. Is Buddhism completely non violent? One only has to look at Sri Lanka or Bhutan to know that it is not.
Yet, Buddhism as practiced in India in contemporary times is closer to pure non violence than any religion anywhere in India. There is not one loony Buddhist preacher that I've heard of; not one mainstream or fringe monk demanding violence.
Babasaheb chose wisely.
'Twas a good day to be out surfing
Literally, this. The other day my kids asked me if I use Rhombuses in my life.
Me, who does engineering drawing, three dimensional design, and graphics for a living. And photography, woodworking, art for a hobby.
"No, I've never used a rhombus in my life."
Sigh. You can either tell kids the truth about their syllabus, or motivate them to study all of it with zeal. It can't be both.
Me, who does engineering drawing, three dimensional design, and graphics for a living. And photography, woodworking, art for a hobby.
"No, I've never used a rhombus in my life."
Sigh. You can either tell kids the truth about their syllabus, or motivate them to study all of it with zeal. It can't be both.
Have you ever figured why the North East of India is called the "North" East. Why North? It's just the Eastern part of India. Why not just call it Eastern India?
Is it because the Bongs insist that they are East India? If we really named our regions like the Americans, then Bengal would be the midwest of India, right?
So if the East is really North East India, then what is South East India? The Andaman and Nicobar islands?
The center of India, as clearly marked by the GIF circle, is Chattisgarh, Jharkhand and Odisha. That's our heart. The Bongs are almost at the center, not to the East. Maybe they were East when we were one huge country with Pakistan and even Afghanistan inside our boundary.
Anyway. This post isn't about Bengal. It's about the North East. Which is just the East.
(I'm still on medication. As you can see.)
Is it because the Bongs insist that they are East India? If we really named our regions like the Americans, then Bengal would be the midwest of India, right?
So if the East is really North East India, then what is South East India? The Andaman and Nicobar islands?
The center of India, as clearly marked by the GIF circle, is Chattisgarh, Jharkhand and Odisha. That's our heart. The Bongs are almost at the center, not to the East. Maybe they were East when we were one huge country with Pakistan and even Afghanistan inside our boundary.
Anyway. This post isn't about Bengal. It's about the North East. Which is just the East.
(I'm still on medication. As you can see.)
Are you feeling very high on self esteem?
Would you like your sanity tested?
Want to know what your breaking point is?
Wait no more. Simply call ICICI, and try to get a simple request serviced. Your ego and esteem will come crashing to the ground.
Disclaimer: Also works with other banks like SBI. But they won't attend your phone calls - you'll need to visit them in person to get a reality check on your औकात (or rather the lack of it).
Would you like your sanity tested?
Want to know what your breaking point is?
Wait no more. Simply call ICICI, and try to get a simple request serviced. Your ego and esteem will come crashing to the ground.
Disclaimer: Also works with other banks like SBI. But they won't attend your phone calls - you'll need to visit them in person to get a reality check on your औकात (or rather the lack of it).
Went for a morning walk after many weeks. The sky was rather dramatic. And I met this interesting guy, Subodh Kerkar, who lives in Saligao and runs the Museum of Goa. He was seriously interviewing a ragpicker who was busy making a living out of cleaning up trash. He then proceeded to ask me probing questions about my work. Almost gave me the impostor syndrome - do I really do anything of value?
Do you do anything of value?
Do you do anything of value?
Under the able guidance of our honourable farmer Shri Vijay Sharma Ji, Nilay has dug up his vegetable patch using a newly purchased pickaxe.
The boy has already acquired lifelong respect for the hard work farmers do. And blisters in his hand that I hope will heal soon.
The boy has already acquired lifelong respect for the hard work farmers do. And blisters in his hand that I hope will heal soon.
@[773224539:2048:Sherebanu Frosh], while you're at it, can you also will me a cottage in the forest.
@[100072288734719:2048:WarriorMoms.IN]
@[100072288734719:2048:WarriorMoms.IN]
Nilay using visiting friends as free labour on his upcoming vegetable patch.
Since he can't boss over Kavin any more, he is bossing over Kavin's classmates. I'm getting serious Tom Sawyer vibes.
Since he can't boss over Kavin any more, he is bossing over Kavin's classmates. I'm getting serious Tom Sawyer vibes.
So, it looks like the kids and I had Covid over the last couple of weeks. Here is the whole story... because y'all are jobless and like reading stories on FB.
Two Sundays ago (26 Sep) we were "galivanting about Goa" (as Tarun likes to put it). We assumed that swimming in a warm river on a warm day gave us a cold. The kids were mildly sick through the week. I got more than mildly sick by Thursday (30 Sep), got a two minute online consultation with my doc back in Gurgaon, and was prescribed antibiotics for my chest infection.
Saturday night (2 Oct) we learnt that our cook is hospitalised with Covid. Being decent folk, first thing on Sunday morning we went to Asilo† to get tested. Kavin and I tested negative but Nilay, bada bing bada boom, positive. This was quite unexpected. We were asked to meet the casualty duty doctor. She was a very nice lady, and gave us all the medicines Nilay needed. She also had a long and calm chat with Nilay about all the care he needed to take.
He wasn't feeling too sick, but we had to quarantine Nilay in a room and bore him to death anyway. On Tuesday (4 Oct) Kavin and I went back to Asilo for another round of RAT and RTPCR tests. Negative again. This time the nurses made us meet the OPD doctor. Now, I can't recall the conversation with the doctor verbatim, but this is broadly how it went:
"So you're saying that all of you had a cold last week. But it was not Covid, just a cold, even though you did not get tested. Then on Tuesday your cook traveled from Hubli and Wednesday and Thursday she came to work and then she fell sick on Thursday and now she has Covid. You suspect she got Covid from Hubli and gave it to your son. Maybe all of you had Covid all the while and gave it to her - these things are not easy to say. And now you are saying that your elder son is positive but you both, who live in the same house with him, don't have Covid, just because you tested negative twice. Sir we have to use our mind, we cannot just go by test reports. We three are all in this room. Is it possible that one of us has Covid and the other two do not? It is not possible - you know this disease well. So I will treat you both for Covid. Anyway you are fully vaccinated with CoviShield, so the effect of the disease will be very mild for you. You have already had antibiotics. I will prescribe them to Kevin also here. And all of you get blood tests please."
Kavin was quite surprised that everything at the hospital - rapid antigen test, RTPCR, doctor's consultation, expensive blood tests like Ferritin and D-Dimer, medicines - everything was free, and we didn't even have to wait too long (3-4 folks ahead of us in each queue). I told him it isn't free - he pays for it every time he buys a packet of Parle G.
Anyway. Public health in Goa gets a 4-star rating from me. Government hospital doctors have their ears to the pulse (see Yashodhara, I can mix metaphors whenever and wherever) of the wider public, and know much more about pandemics than expensive private doctors who are only catering to the "echelons" of society. Which is why I did not spend another ₹1,000 on a follow up consultation with my family doctor on the 3rd of October - she hadn't prescribed me blood tests or a Covid test, even though I'd had a prolonged "cold".
It looks to me like Covid has replaced the common cold and influenza as the most prevalent coronavirus. The doctor at Asilo felt that the Sars-Cov-2 virus will become endemic pretty soon.
I had full scale panic on the night of the 3rd. I assumed a replay of my sickness from an year ago, when I ended up in the ICU struggling to breathe. I was back in that room, sweating, being told by the ward girls to soldier on for the sake of my kids. Worried, I hammered out a document with useful information for my friends and relatives in case I end up hospitalised. (And I'm not even embarassed I did it 😂 )
† North Goa District Hospital, Mapusa. Higher than PHCs, SHCs in the public healthcare foodchain. The word asilo literally means asylum or hospice in Portuguese.
Two Sundays ago (26 Sep) we were "galivanting about Goa" (as Tarun likes to put it). We assumed that swimming in a warm river on a warm day gave us a cold. The kids were mildly sick through the week. I got more than mildly sick by Thursday (30 Sep), got a two minute online consultation with my doc back in Gurgaon, and was prescribed antibiotics for my chest infection.
Saturday night (2 Oct) we learnt that our cook is hospitalised with Covid. Being decent folk, first thing on Sunday morning we went to Asilo† to get tested. Kavin and I tested negative but Nilay, bada bing bada boom, positive. This was quite unexpected. We were asked to meet the casualty duty doctor. She was a very nice lady, and gave us all the medicines Nilay needed. She also had a long and calm chat with Nilay about all the care he needed to take.
He wasn't feeling too sick, but we had to quarantine Nilay in a room and bore him to death anyway. On Tuesday (4 Oct) Kavin and I went back to Asilo for another round of RAT and RTPCR tests. Negative again. This time the nurses made us meet the OPD doctor. Now, I can't recall the conversation with the doctor verbatim, but this is broadly how it went:
"So you're saying that all of you had a cold last week. But it was not Covid, just a cold, even though you did not get tested. Then on Tuesday your cook traveled from Hubli and Wednesday and Thursday she came to work and then she fell sick on Thursday and now she has Covid. You suspect she got Covid from Hubli and gave it to your son. Maybe all of you had Covid all the while and gave it to her - these things are not easy to say. And now you are saying that your elder son is positive but you both, who live in the same house with him, don't have Covid, just because you tested negative twice. Sir we have to use our mind, we cannot just go by test reports. We three are all in this room. Is it possible that one of us has Covid and the other two do not? It is not possible - you know this disease well. So I will treat you both for Covid. Anyway you are fully vaccinated with CoviShield, so the effect of the disease will be very mild for you. You have already had antibiotics. I will prescribe them to Kevin also here. And all of you get blood tests please."
Kavin was quite surprised that everything at the hospital - rapid antigen test, RTPCR, doctor's consultation, expensive blood tests like Ferritin and D-Dimer, medicines - everything was free, and we didn't even have to wait too long (3-4 folks ahead of us in each queue). I told him it isn't free - he pays for it every time he buys a packet of Parle G.
Anyway. Public health in Goa gets a 4-star rating from me. Government hospital doctors have their ears to the pulse (see Yashodhara, I can mix metaphors whenever and wherever) of the wider public, and know much more about pandemics than expensive private doctors who are only catering to the "echelons" of society. Which is why I did not spend another ₹1,000 on a follow up consultation with my family doctor on the 3rd of October - she hadn't prescribed me blood tests or a Covid test, even though I'd had a prolonged "cold".
It looks to me like Covid has replaced the common cold and influenza as the most prevalent coronavirus. The doctor at Asilo felt that the Sars-Cov-2 virus will become endemic pretty soon.
I had full scale panic on the night of the 3rd. I assumed a replay of my sickness from an year ago, when I ended up in the ICU struggling to breathe. I was back in that room, sweating, being told by the ward girls to soldier on for the sake of my kids. Worried, I hammered out a document with useful information for my friends and relatives in case I end up hospitalised. (And I'm not even embarassed I did it 😂 )
† North Goa District Hospital, Mapusa. Higher than PHCs, SHCs in the public healthcare foodchain. The word asilo literally means asylum or hospice in Portuguese.
@[100001934831980:2048:Rupam Das] finds such gems I tell you
This is how the "positive" news that right wing supporters crave for is being manufactured.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_3T-Af57Pg
I have no sympathy for Aryan Khan.
These star kids inherit fame and wealth. In the (social) media driven world they are able to immediately transform their inherited fame into personal wealth. All the while setting the most terrible example for kids - that life is all about splurging money, not about studying or working hard or honing your talents.
Now I'm supposed to feel bad for a 23 year old man who most likely had illegal quantities of dangerous drugs. No thank you. These are the kinds of morons that my kids will be pressured into idolising, as and when they get onto social media. Let this person who I don't know or care about, and who has so far achieved nothing in life, be made an example of. Drug enforcement is all about setting examples.
Liberals wasting acres of newsprint whining about Aryan when younger men than him are laying down their lives in protests.
These star kids inherit fame and wealth. In the (social) media driven world they are able to immediately transform their inherited fame into personal wealth. All the while setting the most terrible example for kids - that life is all about splurging money, not about studying or working hard or honing your talents.
Now I'm supposed to feel bad for a 23 year old man who most likely had illegal quantities of dangerous drugs. No thank you. These are the kinds of morons that my kids will be pressured into idolising, as and when they get onto social media. Let this person who I don't know or care about, and who has so far achieved nothing in life, be made an example of. Drug enforcement is all about setting examples.
Liberals wasting acres of newsprint whining about Aryan when younger men than him are laying down their lives in protests.
If you studied science in high school, you'd have learnt of the Carnot cycle. This "law" governs the efficiency of our airconditioners. Unfortunately, airconditioner capacity is still measured using archane units - tonnage or British Thermal Units - making it hard for ordinary folk to understand how large or efficient their AC is.
A 1.5 ton AC delivers 5.2kW of cooling. The efficiency of ACs sold in India is pasted on top of the AC by the BEE. An 5 star rated AC has an ISEER of 4.5, which means it consumes 5.2kW÷4.5 = 1.16kW of electricity when cooling your room at the rate of 5.2kW. That's just 1.16 units of electricity per hour.
Now compare this to heating. When you run a 1kW heater, it consumes 1kW of electricity (1 unit of electricity consumed per hour) and gives you 1kW of heat. If, instead, you had purchased an AC that both heats and cools (what is then called a heat pump, not an airconditioner), then the same 1kW of electricity would get you 4.5kW of heat†. So what you are now doing is - instead of using the joule heating properties of the metal coil in your heater, you are using the gas laws and the Carnot cycle to tremendously improve the efficienty of your heater.
Countries like Australia and the US are doubling down on replacing inductive or natural gas based space and water heaters with heat pumps. And countries like Taiwan are doubling down on manufacturing this kind of equipment: https://www.taiwantrade.com/product/hp-100-1766979.html
But honestly, making something like this is not hard. It is, after all, an airconditioner running backwards.
† Of course, nobody can handle that much heat blowing into a room, which is why you also need variable speed ACs - where the compressor doesn't just turn on and off at full speed, but instead reduces its speed to provide the optimal level of cooling. Vendors often call such products inverter ACs.
A 1.5 ton AC delivers 5.2kW of cooling. The efficiency of ACs sold in India is pasted on top of the AC by the BEE. An 5 star rated AC has an ISEER of 4.5, which means it consumes 5.2kW÷4.5 = 1.16kW of electricity when cooling your room at the rate of 5.2kW. That's just 1.16 units of electricity per hour.
Now compare this to heating. When you run a 1kW heater, it consumes 1kW of electricity (1 unit of electricity consumed per hour) and gives you 1kW of heat. If, instead, you had purchased an AC that both heats and cools (what is then called a heat pump, not an airconditioner), then the same 1kW of electricity would get you 4.5kW of heat†. So what you are now doing is - instead of using the joule heating properties of the metal coil in your heater, you are using the gas laws and the Carnot cycle to tremendously improve the efficienty of your heater.
Countries like Australia and the US are doubling down on replacing inductive or natural gas based space and water heaters with heat pumps. And countries like Taiwan are doubling down on manufacturing this kind of equipment: https://www.taiwantrade.com/product/hp-100-1766979.html
But honestly, making something like this is not hard. It is, after all, an airconditioner running backwards.
† Of course, nobody can handle that much heat blowing into a room, which is why you also need variable speed ACs - where the compressor doesn't just turn on and off at full speed, but instead reduces its speed to provide the optimal level of cooling. Vendors often call such products inverter ACs.
https://www.taiwantrade.com/product/ts-118-dc12v-24v-solar-refrigerator-1790503.html
Something that I always wanted to build - direct DC solar powered appliances. Companies in Taiwan are forging ahead in the solar space. Eventually Indian households also have to do away with inverters and migrate to direct 24V DC appliances - BLDC fans, LED lighting, refrigerators, USB chargers, etc.
Something that I always wanted to build - direct DC solar powered appliances. Companies in Taiwan are forging ahead in the solar space. Eventually Indian households also have to do away with inverters and migrate to direct 24V DC appliances - BLDC fans, LED lighting, refrigerators, USB chargers, etc.
This video reminded me of the puppet maker.
Does anyone else here, who studied at MIS, remember the puppet maker? Or did I imagine him up? He used to live on the first floor, in one of those run down dwellings in the ashram. Somewhere near the carpentry workshop. He had a white flowing beard, and his room was full of puppets. He was a foreigner. White Caucasian.
That's all that I seem to remember of me. I don't recall if he was good natured or grumpy. Fat, slim, or average. How tall. Or why I used to visit him.
Does anyone else here, who studied at MIS, remember the puppet maker? Or did I imagine him up? He used to live on the first floor, in one of those run down dwellings in the ashram. Somewhere near the carpentry workshop. He had a white flowing beard, and his room was full of puppets. He was a foreigner. White Caucasian.
That's all that I seem to remember of me. I don't recall if he was good natured or grumpy. Fat, slim, or average. How tall. Or why I used to visit him.
यह सीधी सी बात moralising liberals को समझ क्यों नहीं आती?
THIS IS THE NEWS OF THE CENTURY
https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/10/meet-molnupiravir-mercks-thor-inspired-pill-that-hammers-covid/
https://www.statnews.com/2021/10/01/mercks-antiviral-pill-reduces-hospitalization-of-covid-patients-a-possible-game-changer-for-treatment/
Do you know why this is the biggest news of my lifetime? Because this drug works against _most_ cold viruses, not just Covid. It works against all (known) forms of SARS and MERS.
The drug, named after Thor's hammer, actively kills the virus by fouling up the RNA replication process. The details are in the articles I've linked.
There are other great things about the current situation. The USFDA sets a very high bar for antiviral drugs, which allegedly has hampered a cure for the common cold (Drug companies say that technology has progressed by the FDA has not). Anyway, a cure for Covid will push the FDA in a corner and this drug will be approved for human use and then... hurray? Who knows, but hey, I've been miserable with a cold for a week now and would loved to have taken an antiviral drug on day one of the disease.
Meanwhile in India, because the patent law provides an exception for generic drugs (manufacture, sale, and even exportation), we won't have to wait on Pfizer to decide the price on human life and productivity.
Can you just imagine the boost to human well being and productivity. We won't be sick with a cold every time we take a dip in the river on a warm September Sunday, or leave the airconditioner on at 26 degree Centigrade through the night. A man can dream, can't he?
https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/10/meet-molnupiravir-mercks-thor-inspired-pill-that-hammers-covid/
https://www.statnews.com/2021/10/01/mercks-antiviral-pill-reduces-hospitalization-of-covid-patients-a-possible-game-changer-for-treatment/
Do you know why this is the biggest news of my lifetime? Because this drug works against _most_ cold viruses, not just Covid. It works against all (known) forms of SARS and MERS.
The drug, named after Thor's hammer, actively kills the virus by fouling up the RNA replication process. The details are in the articles I've linked.
There are other great things about the current situation. The USFDA sets a very high bar for antiviral drugs, which allegedly has hampered a cure for the common cold (Drug companies say that technology has progressed by the FDA has not). Anyway, a cure for Covid will push the FDA in a corner and this drug will be approved for human use and then... hurray? Who knows, but hey, I've been miserable with a cold for a week now and would loved to have taken an antiviral drug on day one of the disease.
Meanwhile in India, because the patent law provides an exception for generic drugs (manufacture, sale, and even exportation), we won't have to wait on Pfizer to decide the price on human life and productivity.
Can you just imagine the boost to human well being and productivity. We won't be sick with a cold every time we take a dip in the river on a warm September Sunday, or leave the airconditioner on at 26 degree Centigrade through the night. A man can dream, can't he?
Thank you, RBI, for screwing up my day+weekend when I'm already so sick.
Linode, AWS, Adwords, Airtel, Google One, Zoho, Amazon.in and heaven only knows who else needs to be spoon fed money now, otherwise our website will go offline and phones will stop ringing.
Instead of having a mandate form for each transaction/biller, why can't you just whitelist certain cards to be kept on file. I'd be happy to sign a form that says "Dear RBI. We are a group of responsible adults running a company. Please permit unrestricted usage of our abovementioned card for recurring payments, treat us as adults, and stay off our goddamn lawn."
Care reacts if you don't understand what I'm talking about. Angry reacts if the RBI also ruined your day/week. S'il vous plaît.
Linode, AWS, Adwords, Airtel, Google One, Zoho, Amazon.in and heaven only knows who else needs to be spoon fed money now, otherwise our website will go offline and phones will stop ringing.
Instead of having a mandate form for each transaction/biller, why can't you just whitelist certain cards to be kept on file. I'd be happy to sign a form that says "Dear RBI. We are a group of responsible adults running a company. Please permit unrestricted usage of our abovementioned card for recurring payments, treat us as adults, and stay off our goddamn lawn."
Care reacts if you don't understand what I'm talking about. Angry reacts if the RBI also ruined your day/week. S'il vous plaît.
Why should Trump have all the fun calling migrant workers criminals, murderers and an eyesore.
Just read the wording of each quote and see if that riles you up.
Just read the wording of each quote and see if that riles you up.