v Bid to take over HRT 'too late' for 2013 entry - Ecclestone By en.espnf1.com Published On :: Wed, 30 Jan 2013 09:13:35 GMT A new bid to take over HRT and rebrand it Scorpion Racing is not likely to get the go-ahead to compete in this year's championship, according to Bernie Ecclestone Full Article
v My rise as a refugee girl: Why I’m giving back to girls in South Sudan By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Wed, 19 Jun 2019 16:15:05 +0000 Being born and growing up in Ibuga refugee camp in Western Uganda, I had never felt the sweetness of my home country nor even what it looked like. As a young girl, I thought the camp was my country, only to learn that it was not. Rather, when I was 8 years old, I learned… Full Article
v Can Sudan’s military be convinced to support democracy? By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Tue, 25 Jun 2019 22:40:25 +0000 Full Article
v Africa in the news: SACU-UK trade agreement, Nigeria’s border closures, and Sudan’s transitional government By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Sat, 14 Sep 2019 12:45:13 +0000 Southern African Customs Union and Mozambique sign post-Brexit trade agreement with the United Kingdom On Tuesday, the United Kingdom signed an economic partnership agreement with six African countries, including the five-country Southern African Customs Union (SACU) and Mozambique, that would take effect after the U.K.’s official exit from the European Union. SACU includes Botswana, eSwatini,… Full Article
v Africa in the news: Nagy visits Africa, locust outbreak threatens East Africa, and Burundi update By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Sat, 01 Feb 2020 12:30:12 +0000 Security and youth top agenda during US Assistant Secretary of State Nagy’s visit to Africa On January 15, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Tibor Nagy headed to Africa for a six-nation tour that included stops in the Central African Republic, Ethiopia, Kenya, South Sudan, Sudan, and Somalia. Security was on the top of the agenda… Full Article
v Who said what after day one of the Young Driver Test By en.espnf1.com Published On :: Tue, 15 Nov 2011 17:20:38 GMT Read what the drivers and teams had to say after day one of the Young Driver Test in Abu Dhabi Full Article
v Who said what after day two of the Young Driver Test By en.espnf1.com Published On :: Wed, 16 Nov 2011 15:40:45 GMT Read what the drivers and teams had to say after day two of the Young Driver Test in Abu Dhabi Full Article
v Vergne still on top after second day of Young Driver Test By en.espnf1.com Published On :: Wed, 16 Nov 2011 15:35:07 GMT Jean-Eric Vergne impressed for Red Bull as he set the fastest time on the opening day of the Young Driver Test in Abu Dhabi Full Article
v Who said what after the final day of the Young Driver Test By en.espnf1.com Published On :: Thu, 17 Nov 2011 15:13:40 GMT Read what the drivers and teams had to say after the final day of the Young Driver Test in Abu Dhabi Full Article
v Webber quickest in competitive session By en.espnf1.com Published On :: Fri, 25 Nov 2011 14:52:33 GMT Mark Webber was quickest of a very competitive first practice session for the Brazilian Grand Prix Full Article
v Vettel edges out Button in FP3 By en.espnf1.com Published On :: Sat, 26 Nov 2011 14:13:37 GMT Sebastian Vettel set the fastest time of final practice for the Brazilian Grand Prix as the weather stayed dry ahead of qualifying Full Article
v Vettel takes record-breaking pole in Brazil By en.espnf1.com Published On :: Sat, 26 Nov 2011 17:20:57 GMT Sebastian Vettel took his 15th pole position of the season at the Brazilian Grand Prix, breaking Nigel Mansell's record for the most in a season from 1992 and lining up on the front row alongside Red Bull team-mate Mark Webber Full Article
v Is activism against Deepavali firecrackers a one-day campaign against Hinduism? By www.thenewsminute.com Published On :: Fri, 20 Oct 2017 05:40:22 +0000 Air pollution Why are activists opposing an ‘old tradition’, and why not complain against other festivals? An environmentalist answers.Nityanand JayaramanPTIThe run-up to Deepavali this year saw a fierce debate on religion and tradition versus the environment and pollution. This after the Supreme Court imposed a ban on the sale of firecrackers in New Delhi and NCR in an attempt to curb pollution. With public opinion polarised on the issue, environmentalist Nityanand Jayaraman, working with the Vettiver Collective in Chennai, answers some fundamental questions raised in the debate. There are four questions which I am going to address here. The first is - It is just a few days of celebration. How much harm can it cause? Second - What about the air pollution during the rest of the year? Third – This is a tradition that we have followed for millennia. This was never a problem when we were growing up. Why is it a problem now? Fourth – What about the pollution caused by other festivals? Here's my response. 1. It is just a few days of celebration. How much harm can it cause? The intensity of the celebration (bursting firecrackers) depends on the number of people bursting, the duration of the celebration and the quantity and type of firecrackers they burst. This can be ameliorated or worsened by weather conditions, and whether you live in a congested area or an open neighbourhood. The unfettered bursting of firecrackers can send air quality plummeting as it did yesterday (Wednesday), when air quality index (AQI) was 15 times worse than satisfactory levels. As I have written, it is a scientific fact that AQI above 400 will harm even healthy people, and may send children and other vulnerable populations to the emergency ward. Even brief exposures to such high levels can cause extreme distress to such people. Our tradition does not teach us to harm others, and I'm sure people who are bursting firecrackers are not doing that to harm others or send children and the elderly to the hospital. They are doing that because they don't know, and are not told that there are healthier ways to celebrate. At such high levels, there is no escape from the killer dust, which will go deep into your bodies and harm you over a long term. The damage due to short exposures to intense pollution can be significant and prolonged. This is particularly so, when the remaining 365 days are also spent in unhealthy conditions, and you allude to that. This brings me to your second challenge. Read: Chennai chokes on Deepavali, air pollution at hazardous levels 2. Why is enough not being done about air pollution during the rest of the year? Why do people cry and shout only during Diwali? You are right that enough is not being done about air pollution during the rest of the year. I work in a collective that lends support to communities in Ennore, a port near Chennai, where coal-fired thermal power plants and heavy vehicle movement has rendered air quality unhealthy throughout the year. No matter how loudly we shout, we are unable to make ourselves heard. We also talk about pollution of the Ennore Creek with oily wastes from the Manali petrochemical refinery. Every day, the refinery and the industrial estate discharges tonnes of toxic, noxious oily wastes into the Ennore Creek and the Bay of Bengal. Fisherfolk have been shouting about it since 1990s. But they are not being heard. It is not because the fisherfolk are not loud enough. Rather it is because we are deaf or unwilling to listen. It was ironic then that when the oil tanker collision sent oily wastes into the Bay of Bengal, all of Chennai was self-righteously indignant. You are right that after Deepavali the air (pollution) clears. When we think that air has returned to normal, air quality levels will still be high enough to harm us. What that should tell us is not that Deepavali pollution should be condoned, but that the pollution during the rest of the year needs to be curbed by tackling its causes – private vehicles, air pollution intensive electricity generation, poor construction practices and inadequate vegetative cover within the city. Also, it is not only during Diwali that we shout. You will notice a similar spike in concern over air pollution in January around Bhogi, when the burning of old things (including tyres) and unfavourable meteorological conditions intensify air pollution. In September, when the Velankanni Church celebrates the Feast of Our Lady, the beach in Chennai and all roads leading to Besant Nagar are just trashed by earnest devotees. Clearly the problem is not restricted to any one religion, and all religions and all rituals need to be re-evaluated in light of growing evidence that human lifestyles are harming the environment and humans who need air, water, and food to survive. Also read: Air quality plummets in Hyderabad on Diwali day 3. This is a tradition that we have followed for millennia. This was never a problem when we were growing up. Why are we making it a problem now? This is incorrect. Deepavali is a festival of lights, not a festival of noise and smoke. You are right that bursting firecrackers was a part of the Deepavali ritual when we were growing up. But it was not always that way. Lighting lamps which was an important part of Deepavali is hardly done nowadays, and bursting firecrackers has become more common place. The difference between when we were growing up and now is two-fold: a) There were a lot fewer people. In 1970, India's population was 550 million less than half of what it is now. Chennai had a population of 3 million as against a population of 5 million today – two million additional people live in the same land area. b) Overall, there were fewer people, and disposable incomes were small. Today, the middle class has expanded and the disposable income has increased. Hence, more people bursting more crackers. The same thing that we did a few decades ago with little impact has now become deadly. Traditions are not unchanging. Neither are the changes uniformly bad or good. Complaining about Deepavali's pollution is not an attack on Hindu tradition. It is a plea to change that tradition so that Deepavali can actually become a happy one. But Deepavalis of this loud and smoky kind are not happy for many, and particularly traumatic for animals. We would not permit our children to entertain themselves by stoning a kitten or a puppy; rather, we may teach them to enjoy themselves by petting it or feeding it. Similarly, why can't we kindle the spirit of celebration by engaging in compassionate but equally fun engagements? Why can't Deepavali be a festival of lights – a gentle festival, where we invite friends, sing songs, eat good food? 4. What about pollution caused by festivals of other religions? All our places of worship, and our rituals – irrespective of religion – have become anti-life. Christmas is a vulgar occasion of shopping and gifting things we never knew we needed to people who have no need for any more things. Increasingly, Christmas is less and less about Christ and more and more about shopping. So, you're right that we should be questioning and challenging any practices that make one person's celebration into another person's pain. I can appreciate your angst at the use of loudspeakers for religious purposes. This is done by “followers” of all religions, and there is a prohibition on this beyond 10 p.m. We could do better. Happy Smokeless, Noiseless Deepavali! Full Article
v With Dr TK Kesavan Nayar’s death, Kerala has lost a great visionary and altruist By www.thenewsminute.com Published On :: Thu, 15 Mar 2018 09:24:26 +0000 In MemoryThe centenarian worked tirelessly for the welfare of society and he laid the foundation for several institutions that help those in need.By Ahsam KR “I’m close to 100 years in age. This tree was there when I first came here, so it must be more than 100 years old,” Dr Kesavan Nayar told me when I asked him about the Muthassi Maram in the grounds of Government Victoria College, his alma mater. Dr TK Kesavan Nayar – he always wrote ‘Nayar’ and not ‘Nair’ as how it is usually put – passed away on 14 March, 2018, after his health deteriorated in the last few months. He was 100 and, till his end, he held his stethoscope close. He was an optimist and an optimal person. When asked about his longevity and health, he had talked about eating optimally – his mantra was, “leave some space in your stomach after every meal, do not fill it to the maximum”. His optimism was so visible in the way he laid the foundation for so many institutions and organizations in a town like Palakkad, where you are sure to be met with dissent when a new idea is proposed. His capability and sincerity could have taken him places; he remained in his hometown and served his fellow people, initially without a choice and later out of his own choice. He was an honorary doctor at the Palghat District Hospital for 21 long years, and he refused to receive any payment for the same. Read: Young at 96: Meet the nonagenarian doctor who still continues his practice He placed the first brick in place for the IMA chapter of Palakkad, the Lions Club of Palghat, the Palghat Lions School, the Bhavans Vidya Mandir at Chithali, the Community Health Centre at Puduppariyaram and many more, some of which didn’t take shape fully. During his final years, he was very much involved in his own practice at Sreedevi Clinic, Koppam, and the Palakkad Cultural and Educational Council. His loyal clientele never left him for another doctor; his treatment was always non-invasive and with so much consideration for the patient as a person and not just another case. Sometimes, he could just diagnose the ailments by simply looking at the condition of the patients and the external symptoms displayed. Through the Palakkad Cultural and Educational Council, he made available scholarships and financial assistance to deserving students across the district, and thus aided, in his own way, to improving the educational scenario of his town. Dr TK Kesavan Nayar was born to Thelakkat Kalathilthodiyl Sridevi Amma and Koduvayur Vadakkeppat Thenju Nayar in 1918, at Kunduvampadam, Peringode Amsomin Kongad Panchayath of Palakkad Taluk. He studied at the Koduvayur High School and joined for Intermediate at Government Victoria College in 1935. He graduated in Medicine from Madras Medical College in 1944. After working as House Surgeon for one year at General Hospital and six months at Government RSRM Lying In Hospital, Royapuram, he started his independent practice in February, 1946, at Palakkad. He also joined the Taluk Hospital as Honorary Medical Officer. He was a doyen in the field of medicine as well as social service, and for me, personally, his demise is a great loss. His words still ring in my ears, “The rich are the guardians of the poor.” The author is a faculty member at Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology, Bangalore, and has made a documentary about Dr TK Kesavan Nayar. Full Article
v I travelled to Meghalaya as a woman and understood what male privilege feels like By www.thenewsminute.com Published On :: Tue, 03 Jul 2018 11:32:57 +0000 BlogNo matter how early we set out or how dark it was by the time we got back to our base, we had this overwhelming feeling of safety.Antara TelangAntara TelangAs a woman, walking down a street in most of India means certain things. Chances are, no matter what you’re wearing, what time of the day it is, or where you are, you’re going to get stared at, commented on, sung at, touched, photographed, or a beautiful combination of all of the above. Being a woman who likes to backpack across different places in the country, I’ve seen that this has been a universal experience – though perhaps in varying degrees of intensity – no matter where I’ve travelled, whether it’s been in Maharashtra, Delhi, Punjab, Kerala, Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, Goa, or Assam. But, a couple of months ago, on a trip to Meghalaya, I was filled with a sense of wonder. Sure, the views were jaw-dropping levels of gorgeous, and I was filling my tummy with delicious pork and beef specialties that I’d never get in my home city of Mumbai, but the best part was truly the feeling of walking around and feeling “like a man”. Nah, I didn’t ingest an exotic substance that made me gain a couple of inches (I meant of height, what were you thinking?) or grow a moustache. My voice didn’t get a whole lot deeper and I didn’t develop a sudden disdain for my flowery night shorts. It’s just that I was given a teensy, temporary insight into male privilege. Image courtesy: Aamna Khan I was travelling with a woman friend, Aamna Khan, and given that the two of us were on a budget, we often had to walk or wait for public transport from place to place. It didn’t help that it got pitch dark by six every evening and that public transport was usually restricted to a share taxi of some sort. But no matter how early we set out or how dark it was by the time we got back to our base, we had this overwhelming feeling of safety. It wasn’t just that we weren’t getting felt up (or worse); we felt it in the smallest things. Though we looked very much like tourists with our backpacks and cameras, nobody forced conversation with us. When they did speak to us, everyone was exactly the right level of friendly – curious about where we came from and where we’d be travelling without being overly specific, without questions of how much money we were spending or whether our families were okay with us travelling alone (which are real questions we’d both been asked multiple times while travelling in other places). Image courtesy: Batista The kids who stared at us were only excited about waving at us and yelling out “hellooooo!” from their school buses. Women weren’t judgmental about what we wore or how loudly we spoke. Men smiled at us and wished us luck on our travels. They didn’t stare at us hoping to develop X-ray vision to see through our clothes the way a lot of men in the rest of our country do. When squeezed next to us in share cabs – despite the fact that there were usually five other people in the back seat of an Alto – they took care to ensure that we were comfortable. They avoided ‘innocuous’ brushes of their hands against our bodies, and some of them even asked us if we minded that they were playing Khasi music in the car. We stood out like sore thumbs (for one, we were nowhere close to as well-dressed or attractive as the local women), but nobody took photos of us without our consent. Image courtesy: Antara Telang We even spent one night at a campsite run by five men in the middle of nowhere, where we were the only two women, without the slightest discomfort (excluding the bugs that we’d inevitably find in the folds of our clothes). Because I am a disabled woman, I am used to even greater scrutiny and questions than nondisabled women are, but even that didn’t really make much of a difference to people in Meghalaya. If you’re a man reading this, you’re probably thinking, “What’s the big deal?” But like I mentioned earlier, living each day like this for nine whole days at a stretch without exception was a shocker for my friend and me. Every evening when we’d come back, we’d look at each other with incredulity that yet another day had passed without lecherous vultures swooping down on us in one way or another. While one cannot deny the privilege my friend and I carry – of being well-dressed, English speaking, upper caste, urban women – the fact remains that we have never felt so safe from daily gender violence as we did on that trip to Meghalaya. I think a large part of this can be attributed to Meghalaya’s largely matrilineal culture. Though not a matriarchal society, women enjoy a far better position there than in most other parts of India, and indeed the world. It is common to see businesses completely run by women, and for women to be roaming freely on the streets. Whatever the root cause may be, I’ve never felt that way in my adult life, no matter which part of India or the world I’ve travelled in. And it’s for that reason (okay, yes, maybe the pork curry is another major reason) that I’m sure I’ll visit again. (Views expressed are author's own) Full Article
v Abhijit Iyer-Mitra's arrested for 'derogatory' remarks: Many condemn Odisha govt's move By www.thenewsminute.com Published On :: Thu, 25 Oct 2018 07:22:37 +0000 ArrestAbhijit Iyer-Mitra was arrested for his alleged derogatory remarks against the Sun Temple and Odisha culture. TNM StaffSecurity analyst and columnist Abhijit Iyer-Mitra was arrested on Tuesday for his alleged derogatory remarks against the Sun Temple and Odisha culture. The Commissionerate Police arrested Abhijit after hours of interrogation at an undisclosed location in Bhubaneswar. Police Commissioner Satyajit Mohanty said Abhijit was arrested in connection with a criminal case registered against him at Saheed Nagar Police Station on September 20. He has been booked under IP63C Sections 294, 295A, 153A, 500, 506 and Section 67 of the Information Technology Act. He also appeared before a House Committee of Odisha Assembly on Tuesday and tendered an unconditional apology for his derogatory remarks on legislators. The House panel, headed by leader of opposition Narasingh Mishra, asked Abhijit to re-appear on November 2 and submit an affidavit. "Abhijit Iyer-Mitra admitted to the charges levelled against him and offered an unconditional apology for his 'stupidity'. He has been directed to depose before the Committee and submit an affidavit in this regard," said Mishra. "After examining his affidavit, the panel will decide whether to accept his apology or not. Accordingly, the Committee will then recommend to the House to take action against him, if necessary," he said. Abhijit was questioned about the alleged breach of privilege. Many have condemned his arrest, terming it "a zone where freedom is in danger, and an "Orwellian nightmare". Dear Prime Minister @narendramodi, quite admirable that you are active on social media. So I am sure you are aware that in India one can get arrested, like my friend @Iyervval, for a tweet on the origin of Rasagola. That's the democracy & freedom we Indians enjoy under your govt. https://t.co/Hg9kd3pAAe — Aarti Tikoo Singh (@AartiTikoo) October 24, 2018 We're slipping into a zone where #freedom is in danger. It's outrageous that Abhijit Iyer-Mitra @Iyervval has been arrested by #Odisha Police on risible charges and denied bail. Please read and circulate my protest and appeal. Fight for your, his and everybody's liberty. #India pic.twitter.com/gbuHebzI8g — Kanchan Gupta (@KanchanGupta) October 24, 2018 Absurd, vindictive, to jail @iyervval for 14 days over a rosogolla-origin tweet. He's a shock-jock, but trawling through his year-old tweets to fuel specious outrage charges is an illustration of how much is wrong with India's FoE laws.https://t.co/TQZTh05PDW — Nilanjana Roy (@nilanjanaroy) October 24, 2018 .@Iyervval has been arrested by Odisha over a tweet about rasgolas. Read that again. Yes. Does this country have a reset button?https://t.co/wfBXqi5JgH — Kabir Taneja (@KabirTaneja) October 24, 2018 #AbhijitIyerMitra (@Iyervval) got arrested in Odisha for a conversation he had a year ago on SM about the origin of Rasogola! Yes, it's 2018 and you read it right, Rasagola. This is beyond bizarre!!https://t.co/ZGzeuI2fEy — Viju Cherian (@vijucherian) October 24, 2018 This is absurd, we are descending into some Orwellian nightmare. The man is known for his viciousness on social media but he can’t be targeted like this. https://t.co/nAkJqnwSpY — Rammanohar Reddy (@ramreddy) October 23, 2018 We are a banana republic. So much for India being a secular democracy . Shame ! #istandwithabhijit https://t.co/yhN95j5T4K — Naveen Suresh (@NavSuresh) October 24, 2018 This nonsense with @Iyervval has got to stop. His comments are often bigoted and silly and he knows it but mouthing off shouldn't be cause for arrest. Fighting over the origins of rasagola? How about over the success or otherwise of #MakeInIndia instead?https://t.co/EP4kxnYxmE — Jabin T Jacob 鄭嘉賓 (@jabinjacobt) October 25, 2018 He had earlier been summoned to appear before the panel on October 11, which he had skipped. He was summoned again to appear on October 23. Odisha Assembly Speaker Pradip Amat had on September 20 constituted a House Committee to probe the journalist's alleged derogatory remarks against the state and its lawmakers. Abhijit had on September 16 posted a video on Twitter criticising the Konark temple. Later, he went on to make the alleged derogatory remarks against Odisha and its culture. Two FIRs were registered against him at Konark and Saheed Nagar police stations for his remarks. Last month, the Odisha Police arrested the columnist in New Delhi for his anti-Odisha comments. However, he was given conditional bail by a local court in Delhi. Later, the Supreme Court rejected his bail plea saying his comments 'incited religious sentiments'. With IANS inputs Full Article
v Dealing with coronavirus: A not-so-serious take on surviving the lockdown By www.thenewsminute.com Published On :: Thu, 26 Mar 2020 08:09:07 +0000 CoronavirusDo all the things you always wished you had the time to do, like working on a script that will be picked up by Leonardo DiCaprio or perfecting the pincha mayurasana.Anuja ChandramouliPixabayCorona or not, it sucks to be cooped up like chickens with our loved ones without the comfortable distance required to make the heart grow fonder. In a bid to do my part to save the world from this crippling pandemic without actually moving my backside for fear of stepping over the Lakshman Rekha, I decided to draw up a survival guide of Dos and Don’ts to weather the tsunami of trouble stirred up by this nasty critter. Trust me, preliminary studies conducted by the reputed folks at WhatsApp University have confirmed their efficacy beyond a shadow of doubt. The first step is to make soap and water your most intimate acquaintances. They have proven themselves good friends to humanity long before diamonds and dogs usurped their rightful spot and will continue to prove their worth long after corona has shrunk back into the bowels of hell from which it has erupted like a particularly foul effluent. It would also help if one were to make personal hygiene a priority and public hygiene an even bigger one if only as a preventive measure against the spread of communicable diseases and related hazards that could prove to have epic stakes in the survival game. Roughly translated, that means not ever dumping your trash outside the sparkling interiors of your home into the streets, using the great outdoors as a spittoon or latrine, defacing public property by scratching your lover’s name, throwing up pornographic sketches on every available surface or blowing your nose and allowing the discharge to fly every which way. Steer clear of social media if you value your sanity or at least use it in moderation especially if you lack the balancing power of a monkey on stilts to take the better while leaving out the bitter, barf – inducing garbage out there. Ever since some wiseacre got word out that democracy works best when your voice is heard out loud, people have been screaming themselves hoarse to make sure that their endless torrent of nonsense is amplified to the furthest reaches of the internet, bolstered by twitchy fingers compulsively hitting like and share in the desperate hope that they will be rewarded in kind. Therefore we have internet idiots and savants with interchangeable attributes raving and ranting fit to burst. The insufferably self-righteous and superior types tend to drip scorn for everyone and everything from the admitted showmanship of the supreme leader and inadequacy of the ruling party to the extreme foolishness of the folks who tentatively stepped out of their homes to find a bite to eat or medicine for an ailing grandmother only to be sneakily photographed or recorded so that they may be viciously trolled, endlessly abused and publicly shamed for putting millions at risk. Then there are the fanatical religious nuts who swear that India need not be subjected to a lockdown because Indians practise the downward facing dog regularly on their balconies with their rear ends strategically raised towards the benign sun which unleashes the Kundalini Shakti with all its serpentine strength which is more than sufficient to slay corona, sharona and whatever else have you or something equally ludicrous about the virus killing power of pots and pans banged in unison. Relatively innocuous Instagram must also be avoided at all costs too. According to the illustrious professors of WhatsApp University, those pretty pictures have great envy-inducing powers which can corrupt the best and brightest till they are reduced to gibbering, glass-eyed cyber stalkers who can spend years staring at pics and videos of Janhvi Kapoor sexily pretending to eat a slice of pizza, giving her puppy a bath or showing you the correct technique for applying lipstick to the exclusion of all things useful or worthy. Avoid fake news like the plague. Fear and panic cause a lot more damage than pandemics. Be sure to verify the credentials and reliability of all purveyors of information and check the facts. Even if you can’t be bothered, be sure to think thrice before you join hands with the mob to tear apart the hapless medical personnel getting off a gruelling nightshift because they are suspected to be carriers of COVID-16 (or is it COVID-17?). And believing self-proclaimed experts who have declared that the only country in the world that is currently corona free is Kailasa and you are considering applying for permanent citizenship under the benevolent rule of HDH Nithyananda even if you run a far higher risk of contracting HIV, do yourself a favour and check yourself into the nearest hospital for a lobotomy. While many endorse vegetating in front of Netflix, it is advisable to take time out to work out, read a book, cook a meal, take the dog for a walk, play with the kids or teach them something useful that does not involve staring at a screen, converse with the spouse about something other than whose turn it is to do the dishes or swab the floors and do whatever it takes to tough things out as long as it is legal and non-fattening. Do all the things you always wished you had the time to do, even if it is something impracticable like working on a script that will be picked up by Leonardo DiCaprio at an exorbitant price or perfecting the pincha mayurasana in the hopes that a video of you executing the same or at least the blooper version will go viral on the internet. If you are inclined to feel that this survival guide is lacking in scientific detail, didn’t once mention social distancing, testing, gaumutra, masks, sanitiser and is somewhat on the rambling side not unlike the supreme leader’s impassioned addresses to the nation, allow me to stress that if the buzz on WhatsApp is to be believed I am a shoo-in for the Noble Prize thanks to this priceless contribution towards the greater good, entirely free of cost. If that doesn’t convince you to take every word put down here as the gospel truth which deserves to be liked and shared till it has spread to the furthest corners of civilized society like a contagion, I don’t know what will. Body 2: Full Article
v Of sunrise service and eating vivika: Memories of a south Indian Easter By www.thenewsminute.com Published On :: Sat, 11 Apr 2020 05:26:06 +0000 EasterEaster breakfast was special - it was the first meal with non-vegetarian food in a while. Navin SigamanyEaster - the Christian festival that celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ - is this Sunday. This year, thousands of Christians will be observing it from their homes, following their church’s online services on their phones or computers. When I was a boy in Coimbatore, many many moons ago, Easter meant being rousted out of bed at the unholy hour of 4 AM to get ready to go to church for the sunrise service. For my brother and me, getting to the 8 AM service every Sunday was in itself quite an achievement. But, growing up in a south Indian Christian household, we didn’t really have a choice. So, on Easter day, we were woken up, bathed, dressed in new clothes and turned out shiny and clean so we could fall asleep in the pews of the church that had been moved outdoors while the service happened. As we grew older, we learnt to experience the novelty of participating in a service outdoors, instead of within the confines of the ancient stone church. The pews faced East and the service began before sunrise. There would be a nip in the air when the service began. As the service progressed, the sun would rise from behind the altar, bathing the whole setting in a golden glow. Of course, the golden glow turned hot quite quickly - we said our prayers a bit quicker, and sang the hymns a bit faster, so that we ended the service and retreated to the relative cool in the shade of the church gardens. There we would have coffee and biscuits and Easter conversations. We greeted each other with the words, “Christ is Risen” and responded with the words, “Risen indeed.” It was great fun for us - once a year we got to go to church out in the open, and then we got to go around greeting everyone there, rather like spies in the novels we read! After the service, we would head as a family to the nearest bakery, where we would buy Easter Eggs. The size of your palm, these were made of hard white cast sugar with fondant icing. The outside would be decorated with flowers and bows in icing, and when we broke into them, there would be a treasure of chocolates to be discovered. Needless to say, the eggs were often bones of contention between my brother and me - one of us would finish his quicker, and would then have to watch the other savour his egg and chocolates with deliberate slowness. Clearly, we did not get the message of the season, which was that Jesus had died and risen again to save us from our sins, and maybe we could treat each other slightly better because of that. Easter comes at the end of the Holy Week. The Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday, when we would all hold palm leaves and circumambulate (walk around) the church singing hymns to commemorate Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem on a donkey. Maundy Thursday commemorates the Last Supper, where Jesus predicts his betrayal and death. This is particularly important, as it also is where the sacred sacrament of communion originates. In short, the practice of consuming bread and wine as ‘communion’ in the Christian faith has its origin in the Last Supper. The Good Friday service was a long one commemorating the actual crucifixion. It was in the early evening and was a sombre affair that often ran into hours. The one thing I remember vividly about Good Friday was buying hot cross buns from the bakery and munching on them on the way home. There wasn’t much different about them - they were regular buns with a cross made of dough tacked on to them, but just the fact that they were called hot cross buns made them special! Easter also signaled the end of Lent, the 40 days of self-denial practised by Christians. For us, Lent was a time during which we gave up eating non-vegetarian food. This was a real sacrifice as our usual diet included a significant amount of chicken, meat and fish. Easter breakfast was special - it was the first meal with non-vegetarian food in a while. At our place, it was usually a sweet idli called vivika made of rice flour, bananas, raisins and sweet spices, accompanied by a savoury mutton curry. At the end of 40 days of no chicken, meat or fish - this was a sweet, sweet return to our normal, predominantly carnivorous culinary lifestyle. This year, it’s going to be different. I cannot think of a single year when my parents have missed going to church for Easter. One of the fundamentals of Christian worship is fellowship - worshiping with your fellow believers, and that is brought alive especially on festival days. This year, the service will be in an empty church, streamed live. The worshipers, my parents among them, will be attending from home. Happy Easter! Navin Sigamany is a Hyderabad-based photographer and heritage enthusiast who writes on food and culture. Body 2: Full Article
v The Value of Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Sequestration By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Mar 4, 2020 Mar 4, 2020Growing concern around climate change has ignited recent interest in carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technologies and generated a series of studies on its global market potential. Full Article
v The Politics of Climate Change: A Conversation with Joseph Aldy By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Mar 9, 2020 Mar 9, 2020Robert Stavins, director of the Harvard Environmental Economics Program, speaks with Joseph Aldy, professor of the practice of public policy at Harvard Kennedy School. The discussion covers Aldy's experience in government service, and the prospects for meaningful and effective climate change policy in the United States. Full Article
v COVID-19's Painful Lesson About Strategy and Power By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Mar 26, 2020 Mar 26, 2020Joseph Nye writes that while trade wars have set back economic globalization, the environmental globalization represented by pandemics and climate change is unstoppable. Borders are becoming more porous to everything from drugs to infectious diseases to cyber terrorism, and the United States must use its soft power of attraction to develop networks and institutions that address these new threats. Full Article
v Urban Waste to Energy Recovery Assessment Simulations for Developing Countries By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Mar 26, 2020 Mar 26, 2020In this paper, a quantitative Waste to Energy Recovery Assessment (WERA) framework is used to stochastically analyze the feasibility of waste-to-energy systems in selected cities in Asia. Full Article
v Greener Stimulus? Economic Recovery and Climate Policy By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Mar 26, 2020 Mar 26, 2020In this edition of Columbia Energy Exchange, host Jason Bordoff and Professor Joseph Aldy explore the role of climate-change and broader environmental policy in the U.S. federal government’s emergency economic stimulus funding package. Full Article
v Confronting COVID-19: A Conversation with Columbia University Professor Scott Barrett By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Mar 27, 2020 Mar 27, 2020Columbia University Professor Scott Barrett assessed the massive global efforts underway to address COVID-19 and the potential impacts of the pandemic on our lives in the future in a special episode of “Environmental Insights: Discussions on Policy and Practice from the Harvard Environmental Economics Program. Full Article
v Columbia University Professor Scott Barrett Compares Global Responses to COVID-19 and Climate Change in Special Edition of "Environmental Insights" By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Mar 27, 2020 Mar 27, 2020Columbia University Professor Scott Barrett assessed the massive global efforts underway to address COVID-19 and the potential impacts of the pandemic on our lives in the future in a special episode of “Environmental Insights: Discussions on Policy and Practice from the Harvard Environmental Economics Program,” a podcast produced by the Harvard Environmental Economics Program. Listen to the interview here. Full Article
v What Economics Can Say about an Effective Response to the Coronavirus By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Apr 2, 2020 Apr 2, 2020In a recent podcast interview, Robert Stavins and Scott Barrett discussed lessons from historic pandemics, how economists can help with policymaking surrounding the coronavirus, and what the “post-pandemic economic equilibrium” might look like. Resources Magazine has published an abridged version of their conversation. Full Article
v Cost Effectiveness Analysis and Finding the Best Policies to Fight COVID-19 By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Apr 3, 2020 Apr 3, 2020Robert Stavins: Cost Effectiveness Analysis and Finding the Best Policies to Fight COVID-19 Full Article
v Organizational Responses to COVID-19 and Climate Change: A Conversation with Rebecca Henderson By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Apr 8, 2020 Apr 8, 2020Rebecca Henderson, the John and Natty McArthur University Professor at Harvard University, shared her perspectives on how large organizations are changing in response to the coronavirus pandemic and climate change in the newest episode of “Environmental Insights: Discussions on Policy and Practice from the Harvard Environmental Economics Program.” Full Article
v Harvard Business School Professor Rebecca Henderson Outlines Ways Organizations are Changing in Response to the Coronavirus Pandemic and Climate Change in New Edition of "Environmental Insights" By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Apr 8, 2020 Apr 8, 2020Rebecca Henderson, the John and Natty McArthur University Professor at Harvard University, shared her perspectives on how large organizations are changing in response to the coronavirus pandemic and climate change in the newest episode of "Environmental Insights: Discussions on Policy and Practice from the Harvard Environmental Economics Program," a podcast produced by the Harvard Environmental Economics Program. Listen to the interview here. Listen to the interview here. Full Article
v New Committee to Advise Bacow on Sustainability Goals By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Apr 20, 2020 Apr 20, 2020Harvard University has created a Presidential Committee on Sustainability (PCS) to advise President Larry Bacow and the University's leadership on sustainability vision, goals, strategy, and partnerships. The Harvard Gazette spoke with committee chairs Rebecca Henderson, the John and Natty McArthur University Professor; John Holdren, the Teresa and John Heinz Professor of Environmental Policy at Harvard Kennedy School; and Katie Lapp, executive vice president, about why it is so important to act now; the role of the PCS in developing collaborative and innovative projects; and how the campus community can get involved. Full Article
v How COVID-19 is Testing American Leadership By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Apr 26, 2020 Apr 26, 2020Joseph Nye suggests that a new U.S. administration might take a leaf from the success of the post-1945 American presidents that are described in Do Morals Matter? Presidents and Foreign Policy from FDR to Trump. The United States could launch a massive COVID-19 aid program like the Marshall Plan. Full Article
v Next Moves on Climate Policy: A Conversation with Sue Biniaz By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: May 8, 2020 May 8, 2020Sue Biniaz, former lead climate negotiator for the United States, shared her thoughts on the postponement of COP-26, and on the possible re-engagement of the U.S. in the international effort to address climate change in the newest episode of “Environmental Insights: Discussions on Policy and Practice from the Harvard Environmental Economics Program,” a podcast produced by the Harvard Environmental Economics Program. Full Article
v Organizational Responses to COVID-19 and Climate Change: A Conversation with Rebecca Henderson By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Apr 8, 2020 Apr 8, 2020Rebecca Henderson, the John and Natty McArthur University Professor at Harvard University, shared her perspectives on how large organizations are changing in response to the coronavirus pandemic and climate change in the newest episode of “Environmental Insights: Discussions on Policy and Practice from the Harvard Environmental Economics Program.” Full Article
v No, the Coronavirus Will Not Change the Global Order By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Apr 16, 2020 Apr 16, 2020Joseph Nye advises skepticism toward claims that the pandemic changes everything. China won't benefit, and the United States will remain preeminent. Full Article
v Getting Smart on Pandemics: Intelligence in the Wake of COVID-19 By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Apr 17, 2020 Apr 17, 2020This episode of Horns of a Dilemma touches on whether the failure to properly anticipate and warn about the novel coronavirus constitutes an intelligence failure, what changes might be required in the intelligence community in the wake of the pandemic, and what type of investigation or inquiry might be appropriate in order to learn lessons and incorporate changes for both the intelligence community and the whole of government moving forward. Full Article
v Bruce Schneier on Cybersecurity in the Age of Coronavirus By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Apr 20, 2020 Apr 20, 2020Is Zoom secure? What about your home computer? Cyber expert Bruce Schneier says that we all need to be aware of the things cyber criminals thrive on during the confusion caused by coronavirus. Full Article
v The Global Pandemic Has Spawned New Forms of Activism — and They're Flourishing By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Apr 20, 2020 Apr 20, 2020The authors have identified nearly 100 distinct methods of nonviolent action that include physical, virtual and hybrid actions. Full Article
v This Virus Is Tough, but History Provides Perspective: The 1968 Pandemic and the Vietnam War By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Apr 24, 2020 Apr 24, 2020Nathaniel L. Moir recounts the events of 1968: The war in Vietnam and extensive civil unrest in the United States — and yet another big problem that made life harder. In 1968, the H3N2 pandemic killed more individuals in the United States than the combined total number of American fatalities during both the Vietnam and Korean Wars. Full Article
v How COVID-19 is Testing American Leadership By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Apr 26, 2020 Apr 26, 2020Joseph Nye suggests that a new U.S. administration might take a leaf from the success of the post-1945 American presidents that are described in Do Morals Matter? Presidents and Foreign Policy from FDR to Trump. The United States could launch a massive COVID-19 aid program like the Marshall Plan. Full Article
v Next Moves on Climate Policy: A Conversation with Sue Biniaz By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: May 8, 2020 May 8, 2020Sue Biniaz, former lead climate negotiator for the United States, shared her thoughts on the postponement of COP-26, and on the possible re-engagement of the U.S. in the international effort to address climate change in the newest episode of “Environmental Insights: Discussions on Policy and Practice from the Harvard Environmental Economics Program,” a podcast produced by the Harvard Environmental Economics Program. Full Article
v Webinar: The impact of COVID-19 on prisons By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Fri, 01 May 2020 13:46:55 +0000 Across America, incarcerated people are being hit hard by COVID-19. The infection rate in Washington, D.C., jails is 14 times higher than the general population of the city. In one Michigan correctional facility, more than 600 incarcerated people have tested positive — almost 50% of the prison's total population. In Arkansas, about 40% of the… Full Article
v Destroying trust in the media, science, and government has left America vulnerable to disaster By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Fri, 01 May 2020 15:34:28 +0000 For America to minimize the damage from the current pandemic, the media must inform, science must innovate, and our government must administer like never before. Yet decades of politically-motivated attacks discrediting all three institutions, taken to a new level by President Trump, leave the American public in a vulnerable position. Trump has consistently vilified the… Full Article
v Leaving all to younger hands: Why the history of the women’s suffragist movement matters By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Thu, 07 May 2020 11:30:00 +0000 The campaign to win passage of the 19th Amendment guaranteeing women the right to vote stands as one of the most significant and wide-ranging moments of political mobilization in all of American history. Among other outcomes, it produced the largest one-time increase in voters ever. As important as the goal of suffrage was, the struggle… Full Article
v Get rid of the White House Coronavirus Task Force before it kills again By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Thu, 07 May 2020 14:21:30 +0000 As news began to leak out that the White House was thinking about winding down the coronavirus task force, it was greeted with some consternation. After all, we are still in the midst of a pandemic—we need the president’s leadership, don’t we? And then, in an abrupt turnaround, President Trump reversed himself and stated that… Full Article
v How instability and high turnover on the Trump staff hindered the response to COVID-19 By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Thu, 07 May 2020 18:04:06 +0000 On Jan. 14, 2017, the Obama White House hosted 30 incoming staff members of the Trump team for a role-playing scenario. A readout of the event said, “The exercise provided a high-level perspective on a series of challenges that the next administration may face and introduced the key authorities, policies, capabilities, and structures that are… Full Article
v The battle of 'resistance' vs 'revolution' in the Middle East By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Jan 15, 2020 Jan 15, 2020The events surrounding the US assassination of Iranian Quds Force leader Major General Qassem Soleimani brought to the surface the two main ideological forces that now battle each other across the Middle East - the anti-imperial "resistance" of Iran and its Arab allies, and the freedom "revolution" of domestic protesters in the same lands. Full Article
v Rami Khouri's interview on Aljazeera TV discussing the appointment of the new Lebanese government. By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Jan 22, 2020 Jan 22, 2020Rami Khouri's interview on Aljazeera TV discussing the appointment of the new Lebanese government amidst continuing protests and clashes with police. Full Article
v Lebanon has formed a controversial new government in a polarised, charged atmosphere, and protesters are not going to be easily pacified by its promises, explains Rami Khoury. By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Jan 22, 2020 Jan 22, 2020The fourth consecutive month of Lebanon's unprecedented political and economic crisis kicked off this week with three dramatic developments that will interplay in the coming months to define the country's direction for years to come: Escalating protests on the streets, heightened security measures by an increasingly militarising state, and now, a new cabinet of controversial so-called "independent technocrats" led by Prime Minister-designate Hassan Diab. Seeking to increase pressure on the political elite to act responsibly amid inaction vis-a-vis the slow collapse of the economy, the protesters had launched the fourth month of their protest movement, which had begun on 17 October last year, with a 'Week of Anger', stepping up their tactics and targeting banks and government institutions. Full Article
v Rami Khouri on Euronews TV discussing the Trump-Netanyahu Middle East initiative. By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Jan 29, 2020 Jan 29, 2020Rami Khouri's on Euronews TV discussing the Trump-Netanyahu Middle East initiative. Full Article
v Hong Kong, a Democratic Voice in China By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Feb 2, 2020 Feb 2, 2020Hong Kong is unique. While the writer Han Suyin’s description—“a borrowed place, on borrowed time” —seemed redundant upon the return of the territory to China on July 1, 1997, the former British colony appears to be perpetually exposed to uncertainty over its future. Despite long months of sociopolitical crisis and violence, Hong Kong has once again shown that it has lost none of its personality. Amidst the climate of upheaval and faced with a Chinese regime determined to obstruct any hopes of democracy, the people of Hong Kong have managed to attract international and media attention, marking them out from any other Chinese territory—including those that enjoy special status: Tibet, Inner Mongolia, Macao, and even Xinjiang, where nearly a million people from the minority Uyghur ethnic group are confined to “re-education” camps. No other Chinese region has been able to attract such attention. Full Article
