Miscellaneous Facebook posts & comments in Oct. 2019
When author of post or comment is not mentioned, it should be assumed that it is me (Ravi S. Iyer).
To save time, I am usually not providing my FB post links but only contents. I am also not hyperlinking links. So readers will have to copy-paste links from this post onto a browser link box and then browse to that link.
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Video is around 13 minutes.
Just say NO to drugs!
I had seen parts of this video earlier (about the girl Anja who broke the habit. relapsed and then broke it again, and whose boyfriend died of an overdose ...) as parts of some other video.
[Shared FB video: https://www.facebook.com/scmp/videos/2154101224897094/ ]
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Delightful farewell to UK Speaker John Bercow. I think Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn may be right when he said, "... you've (Bercow) stood up for Parliament when it has to be stood up for, and I think we thank you for that. Because you've also carried that message internationally as well, in the role of parliamentary democracy and parliaments holding government to account." As a student of democracy, I, who am a citizen and resident of India which has parliamentary democracy, certainly have gained significantly from following some parts of John Bercow's handling of UK parliament this year.
John Bercow tears up as MPs pay tribute at his final PMQs, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cF8pby9T6U, 10 min. 30 secs.
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U.K. PM Boris Johnson wins approval for Dec. 12 election, https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/uk-pm-boris-johnson-wins-approval-for-december-12-election/article29827430.ece
So it is Dec. 12th. The bill has to get approved by the House of Lords but that seems to be a mere formality. It was approved by the House of Commons by 438 to 20! So it is a near unanimous decision by the House of Commons. That's very good.
The Dec. 12th UK election results will be announced on Dec. 13th.
There is no guarantee that the election results will solve the Brexit deadlock. If any one party gets a majority then the probability of the Brexit deadlock being solved is high. If not and a coalition government begins ruling then there may be more Brexit deadlock. However, I think the coalition government formation itself may be based on how closely aligned their stands are on Brexit and which may result in such a government breaking the Brexit deadlock.
The possibility of a scenario where even such a coalition govt. (with closely aligned stands on Brexit) is not possible, cannot be ruled out. That would lead to an unpredictable situation.
Hmm. Democracy watchers the world over may be viewing this UK election and later government formation closely. I think this is a great test for democracy itself! Referendums on such matters of great importance impacting the future of at least one generation if not more, being decided by a simple majority, seems to be a recipe for possible disaster. Perhaps a referendum that gives a choice to change the status quo on such vital matters should have a fairly clear idea of how the status quo will be changed and a condition of 2/3rds majority for the status quo to be changed. The Brexit referendum did not give a clear idea of what Brexit means, which is why the UK Parliament got into this deadlock with a majority supporting Brexit in general, but no particular form of Brexit was able to secure a majority. If I recall correctly, the last Brexit bill which won a vote in the initial stage has been paused - so that vote may not mean much unless the same bill gets 'unpaused' and eventually made into law, if such a thing is possible, by a Boris Johnson led majority Conservative government after the Dec. 12th election.
And, of course, the Brexit referendum (in June 2016) got decided by a wafer-thin (less than 4%) simple majority - 51.89% Leave votes vs. 48.11% Remain votes, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_United_Kingdom_European_Union_membership_referendum.
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UK's Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn says: "We always said we wanted an election - we do want an election. But we wanted no deal be taken off the table. We now have confirmation from all 28 EU member states that no deal is off the table. So we are going to go out there with the biggest campaign this party has ever mounted ...."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kHyng5o2-4, 2 min. 11 secs.
Good to see Jeremy Corbyn stick to his words. So it will be December elections in the UK. Which particular date - 9th or 12th or some other day - we should get to know in the course of the next few days.
I think this is a sensible step forward. As a student of democracy, I look forward to, over the Internet, seeing the campaigns including the campaign manifestos of the various parties - Conservative, Labour, LibDems, Brexit, SNP, DUP etc. It will also be interesting to see if the Conservative Party rebels like Philip Hammond will contest as an Independent and if so, what their campaigns will be like.
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More details emerge about tragic suicide of student in Bangalore Amrita college allegedly caused by rash expulsion of student by Indian academics who then allegedly destroyed evidence of suicide
Amrita college principal, 9 lecturers booked for abetting suicide, https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/bangalore/amrita-college-principal-9-lecturers-booked-for-abetting-suicide/article29816660.ece, 29th Oct. 2019.
The article states, "Harsha, a student of Electronics and Communication, jumped off the seventh floor of the college building days after a disciplinary committee of the college reportedly expelled him for protesting over water shortage in his hostel."
The article further states that the police view is that the accused Indian academics "misguided the father of the deceased and did not allow him inside the college premises when he visited around the time his son died".
The police claimed that the accused washed off the blood stains with chemicals and tampered with the CCTV camera footage!
The principal and 9 other Indian academics of the college have been charged with "abetment to suicide and destruction of evidence."
Ravi: On the one hand, it is extremely sad to know of this avoidable suicide of a young engineering college student and the agony it has caused to his parent(s).
But, on the the other hand, there is some silver light in the police action taken so far against the foolish Indian academics who seem to have driven this young student to suicide by expelling him for protesting about water shortage in the hostel! And then these Indian academics tried to cover up the matter by tampering with the evidence!
I **know** that in some Indian academic institutions right from the vice-chancellor downwards to Registrar, Director of campus/Principal, Head of Department etc. there are crimes of record tampering (a criminal offence under the Indian Penal Code) and abuse of power to maliciously harm careers of those that they do not like for some reason or the other. Sometimes some of these Indian academics indulge in sexual harassment of junior academics and students, which also is a criminal offence under the Indian Penal Code. And when challenged on these matters, they shamelessly attempt cover-up of their crimes or crimes of their fellow academics quoting some weird UGC rule or the other, hiding behind non-transparent academic investigation committees. It is only the Indian court of law and the police, and political leaders, that they are scared of. With the police & courts they may not try any tricks of lying and conspiracy as otherwise they will most probably get jailed and their academic career will be utterly destroyed.
So it is good that in this case the police have booked cases against these Indian academics including the principal. This hopefully will send a message loud and clear to other Indian academics that university campuses are not areas where they are kings and queens who can do whatever they want. University/educational institution campuses, irrespective of what some weird UGC or other academic regulatory body rules may say, come under the law of the land, and if Indian academics commit crimes under Indian Penal Code like record tampering, sexual harassment and abetment of suicide on their university/institution campuses, they will be tried in an Indian court of law, and if found guilty, will be sent to jail!
I do hope and pray to God that the student Harsha who committed suicide and his family are given the justice they deserve by the Indian police and courts of law. Of course, the accused Indian academics should be given a fair trial. But if it is established that they committed the crime of abetment of suicide and/or destruction of evidence, then they should be punished by the court of law with appropriate jail sentences and not allowed to go scot free just because they are "teachers" or "Professors".
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I think the EU has done the sensible thing by granting an extension - a flextension - going up to 31st Jan. 2020, with possible early exit dates like 31st Dec. 2019.
EU agrees Brexit extension to 31 January- BBC News, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10Kr4AJNTN0, 3 min. 31 secs.
So now I think UK will have, in all probability, an election in December this year. No-Deal will be off the table formally when the matter is formally communicated by EU to UK, and then Labour's pre-condition for calling an election will be met.
And I think that the December election with safety till 31st Jan. 2020 from a No-Deal exit, will be the best way forward for the people of the UK (Britain + Northern Ireland) to have a say about how (and even whether) they want to Brexit.
P.S. I had got friendly with a guy (software techie) from Belfast, Northern Ireland during my stint in Brussels, Belgium in 1985-86. I had asked him about all the media reports about the violence and tension in Belfast then and he was insistent that Belfast was a great place, and implied that I should not give too much importance to the media reports! I do wish the Northern Ireland people get a good deal with Brexit, and in a way that preserves the peace in Northern Ireland.
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Hmm. Ian Chappell saying this is really mind-blowing for me. A straight and sometimes rough talker, Chappell, will not indulge in great praise just to please. He has been brutal some decades ago about Indian cricketers when the Indian cricket team was not faring so well.
[Shared link: India cricket team’s attitude towards achieving excellence should be copied, says Ian Chappell, https://scroll.in/field/941833/india-cricket-teams-attitude-towards-achieving-excellence-should-be-copied-says-ian-chappell ]
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Horsing around on the moon could be life-threatening. The video is from Apollo 16 mission to the moon in 1972. The audio voice-over in the latter part of the video is a (later) narration by one of the astronauts in the video - Charlie Duke.
Lunar Olympics - Astronauts jumping in 1/6 earth gravity, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16D0hmLt-S0, 1 min. 35 secs.
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Fascinating and very thought-provoking interview: The World's Shrinking Population, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYZPTaV-RcQ, 32 min. 33 secs, published by "The Agenda with Steve Paikin" on 13th Feb. 2019.
The description of the youtube video states, 'Dire predictions about an impending overpopulation crisis have loomed large in the human imagination for centuries. Darrel Bricker and John Ibbitson co-authors of, "Empty Planet: The Shock of Global Population Decline," say these predictions have been greatly exaggerated. In fact, the global population is on the decline. They join The Agenda to discuss a shrinking planet and the myriad challenges it poses.'
Some of key arguments/points from the interview that I noted are:
* Urbanization - if I recall correctly, they say that for the first time in history more than 50% of the world's population lives in urban areas - has led to women choosing to have fewer babies.
* Urbanization brings in more education, more access to media, lesser influence of religion and lesser clan/family pressure as compared to rural life, and that leads women to have more control over their body and wanting to have fewer babies.
* Sterilization (among women typically) is common in China and India (after women have one/two babies).
* 2.1 is the fertility rate that keeps a population stable
* Depopulation is a major problem for countries that have low fertility rate and do not want to bring in enough immigrants to keep the population size stable
* The world's population will stabilize and not grow after a few decades. China and India's population too will stabilize and not grow after a few decades.
* This view is the opposite of the view of the 1960s where population explosion was predicted to create horrific problems for human society in the future.
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Former UK Chancellor Philip Hammond speaks well, and seems to make sense: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rikdwbJ0vPQ, 12 min. 17 secs.
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The Revengers (1972) - Interesting Western movie set in years just after USA civil war
Watched this movie in parts over the past few days and finished the last part today: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjS6Xwe1nvk, 1 hr. 48 mins.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Revengers_(film)
I found the movie to be quite interesting from a perspective of life in rough and somewhat lawless lands, and how revenge for murder of one's family was part of that culture. The hero is a civil war (1861-65, USA civil war) hero who has become a rancher, and whose horses are stolen and whose family is murdered by a Comanche Indian group led by a white man. The plot has many twists and turns, and seems very fantastic at times. But still I think it gives some idea about life in certain parts of the USA and neighbouring parts of Mexico in the period after the civil war.
There are some scenes of Comanche Indians on horseback fighting pitched battles with USA army and others. I found that to be quite interesting given what I have been reading about Genghiz Khan in the recent past. The Mongols were a powerful attack force partly because of how good they were as bow & arrow fighters mounted on horseback. The Mongols were superb horsemen who could fire from their bows while riding their horses at high speeds. They were very sturdy survivors on grasslands when they were with their horses.
This movie has scenes of gun wielding US army men along with other fighters (the hero and his six member team) fighting off a much larger Comanche Indian braves attack, with the Comanche Indians on horseback with guns. The Comanche Indian group has a few white guys on their side.
The movie has a bias against the Comanche Indians and in favour of the white settlers of the USA. So we don't get to see positive aspects of the Comanche Indians.
Horses and guns are an important part of the movie. I think in the Wild West in the USA in the second half of the nineteenth century, horses and guns were perhaps as important for survival, as horses and other weapons like bow & arrow & sword were to Mongols in the 12th and 13th century.
The movie, rather strangely, has an ending where the hero who is armed is face-to-face with the man who led the group that killed his family who now is a prisoner. The hero has gone to kill him but at that moment when he is ready to fire and kill that man, the hero backs off. His thirst for revenge is gone! He walks away, perhaps knowing that the man who killed his family will face justice from USA authorities as he is a prisoner with a US army group. That sort of scene is just too fantastic to be viewed as realistic, given the huge effort the hero has made to get to this killer.
In the movie, there are scenes of celebration or salute by men on horseback firing their weapon in their air! I think these seem to be apt for those times. The powerful man of the Wild West announces himself by firing a gun while on horseback! The movie's final scene is the hero riding out alone and then sort-of saluting his team of five men (one died), by firing his gun in the air. His men fire back in the air!
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A pouch to fake "network not reachable" kind of message, for calls which a person does not want to take
I was wondering whether there are devices/things with which one can fake "network not reachable" kind of messages.
It seems that there are pouches of this kind. Here's one of them on sale on amazon.in for around Rs.1000 : https://www.amazon.in/Housesczar-Signal-Blocker-Anti-Radiation-Shield/dp/B07W6V5258/.
In its description it states, "When you do not want to answer phone call, put in the bag and there will be no phone calls;"
So if somebody wants to avoid taking phone calls from somebody else without either cutting the call or simply not taking the call, which will let the caller know that the call may be getting deliberately avoided, putting the phone in the pouch will do a neat trick - the caller will get a message of can't connect/network not reachable etc! The caller may then think that the called person is really out of network range or something like that!
What a world we live in! Great technology but along with some trick-technology as well.
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UK PM Johnson wants an election on 12th Dec. But he needs support from the opposition to make that happen!
Meanwhile the EU has yet to say whether it is going to grant an extension to Brexit or not. French President Macron seems to have some issues with granting the extension (3 months extension is the typical case). I think that all EU leaders (barring UK in this case, I guess) have to agree - it has to be unanimous. If Macron holds out, will UK come out of EU with No-deal on 31st Oct.? Or will Macron make it a different kind of extension of just a few days or something like that?
31st Oct. is less than a week from now! What uncertainty! Unbelievable!
I think the sensible thing would be for the EU to grant an extension for 3 months thereby ruling out No-deal exit in the near future/31st Oct. This can then be followed by a UK general election (Jeremy Corbyn is ready for election once No-deal is ruled in the near future/31st Oct). A new Parliament elected by the British people can then decide in the second half of December how to Brexit (or perhaps even on cancelling Brexit).
Boris Johnson launches attempt to hold December election | Brexit, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bh602oHQJ-Q, around 16 mins.
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An oldie goldie song - Hum to tere aashiq hai - From Farz (1967)
This song was very popular in late 70s and 80s. I don't think I had seen the video of the song till now. Mukesh and Lata Mangeshkar are the singers. Interesting to hear Mukesh sing this romantic song. If I recall correctly, he was superlative in philosophical and sad songs, with Kishore & Rafi getting great fame for romantic songs.
The lyrics are by Anand Bakshi and the music directors are Laxmikant Pyarelal. The on-screen stars are Jeetandra and Babita.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIsleLQJ2N4, around 6 mins.
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I am all for more interactions between Indians and Brazilians as Brazil is a very important country in South America. So this is good news.
[Shared article: Brazil says it will no longer require visas from Indian citizens, https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/brazil-says-it-will-no-longer-require-visas-from-indian-citizens/articleshow/71750770.cms ]
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Indian academics must know that they will be held accountable for their actions. The days of them being unaccountable to the public is not going to continue for long in these times.
How foolish it is that academics were investigating the students to find out who committed the vandalism! Are they trained in police investigation? Of course not! They have knowledge in their particular field like Mechanical Engg. or Computer Science.
I think this comes from policies where police are kept away from academic campuses, unless specifically invited by the academic administrators. Maybe such things worked half a century ago. Now I think it is absolutely foolish to have committees of academics to do police investigation work on campus. They are not trained for it and typically end up making a mockery of justice.
In this case, the academics attempt at investigation and delivering justice for vandalism, seems to have led a young man (student) to commit suicide. Terribly tragic!
"Vijay Bhaskar filed a complaint at the Parapana Agrahara police station against 10 officials of the college, and a case was registered against them subsequently for abetment of suicide and tampering with evidence."
I think that is good. Now the message will go out to Indian academics who try to act as police investigators and judges for matters like vandalism (as against academic matters like copying at exams) that they too will have to face justice not from other academics but under the Indian Penal Code and in an Indian court of law.
My prayers to God for the soul of Harsha, and to give courage and strength to his family and friends to bear this loss.
[Shared article: ‘Amrita College Responsible for My Son’s Death’: Harsha’s Father, https://www.thequint.com/news/india/amrita-college-responsible-for-my-sons-death-sri-harshas-father]
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Mark Zuckerberg is getting really grilled in US Congress by both major parties in the USA. Here is a young Democratic Congresswoman grilling him: https://twitter.com/Reuters/status/1187179399386288135, 24th Oct. 2019. The tweet has a 2 min. 45 secs video of the grilling.
Democracy puts awesome power in the hands of those who get elected to legislatures, to question big shots involved in sensitive/controversial matters. How they use that power is up to them, and, of course, they need to be worried about consequences like funding issues.
But I have to say that this is quite a sight! Zuckerberg (born 1984 and so in his 30s, but now super billionaire - 74 Billion USD net worth and so fifth richest in the world, https://www.businessinsider.in/personal-finance/heres-how-facebook-ceo-mark-zuckerberg-and-wife-priscilla-chan-spend-their-74-billion-fortune/articleshow/61164533.cms) being grilled by a young lady (Ms. Cortez born 1989, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexandria_Ocasio-Cortez) from the Bronx, New York City who now is a Congresswoman!
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Update on 3rd Nov. 2019: The victims seem to be Vietnamese NOT Chinese. I have modified the post accordingly
Essex lorry deaths: People found dead were all Vietnamese, https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-essex-50268939
My prayers to God for the souls of these 39 persons who died, and for strength & courage to the friends & relatives of the victims as they come to know of the tragic fate of these people.
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Pardesia yeh such hai piya: superhit Hindi film song from Mr. Natwarlal (1979)
I vividly recall seeing this film in a theatre perhaps in 1979/80. The movie was quite a blockbuster.
The song is sung by Lata Mangeshkar and Kishore Kumar. It is written by Anand Bakshi and music is composed by Rajesh Roshan. The on screen stars are Amitabh Bachchan and Rekha (Bhanurekha Ganesan, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rekha).
Pardesia - Mr. Natwarlal, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oq-AX2yWXdo. The song ends around 4 min. 30 seconds into the video which is 6 min. 53 secs. long.
P.S. A friend of my late elder brother, living in Dadar (in Mumbai) near the Railway quarters there, was a musician with Rajesh Roshan, and I have some faint recollections of going to their house in Dadar in the early 1970s when I was a kid and our family was living in Railway quarters, Dadar.
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Good to see some sort of justice being given in Bangladesh to the young girl who was killed as she refused to withdraw a sexual harassment complaint against a religious teacher.
[Shared article: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/16-sentenced-to-death-after-bangladesh-teen-burnt-alive/articleshow/71735937.cms ]
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Around 4 mins. 30 secs. I found it to be very interesting and easy to understand. [About why plane tires don't explode on landing.]
[Shared link: https://www.facebook.com/techinsider/videos/421201415437711/]
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Hmm. One step forward and then pause! Brexit situ is still hazy.
Brexit Bill paused after Commons rejects timetable - BBC News, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aTaYAXpuiY, 12 min. 44 secs.
In principle, the Brexit bill of PM Johnson passed the UK House of Commons. But the proposed quick schedule of 2/3 days failed. So PM Johnson has hit pause on the Brexit bill.
What will the EU do? It may grant an extension to prevent UK getting out of EU without a deal on 31st Oct.
When will the Brexit bill be re-started by PM Johnson? He wants to call an election but that needs support of opposition parties.
How things will work out from now are hazy.
A text (with video links) report on the matter: Brexit bill 'in limbo' as MPs reject timetable, https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-50146182.
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Lata Mangeshkar singing live in 1979 in UK. The song - Ehsaan tera hoga mujhpar from movie Junglee (1961): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UNYuJSau4Q, 3 min. 39 secs.
KIshore Kumar live - Khilte hain gul yan from Sharmilee (1971)
[Shared link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LyOBYGScdQ&feature=share ]
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UK's Brexit Party chief Nigel Farage at the EU: "... but I have a feeling we will be back in November": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WAPhlYK1Gk, 1 min. 29 secs.
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Article by Deepak Nayyar, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deepak_Nayyar, Emeritus Professor of Economics at Jawaharlal Nehru University and former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Delhi, that appeared in the print edition of The Hindu today: Asia’s remarkable economic transformation, https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/asias-remarkable-economic-transformation/article29760745.ece.
It concludes, "Yet, it is plausible to suggest that in circa 2050, a century after the end of colonial rule, Asia will account for more than a half of world income and will be home to more than half the people on earth. It will thus have an economic and political significance in the world that would have been difficult to imagine 50 years ago, even if it was the reality in 1820."
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Brexit deal vote ruled out by Speaker John Bercow - BBC News, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5N2cJctVBGo, 7 min. 19 secs.
Hmm. The UK speaker put his foot down and wants parliamentary procedure to be followed properly. To be fair to the speaker, many MPs (of Opposition mostly, if not all) raised issue with him on the manner in which the govt. proposed debate on the withdraw from EU bill today.
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An interesting tense exchange between an MP who seems to be on the govt. side and the speaker on the speaker allegedly favouring the opposition: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5N2cJctVBGo, 7 mins.
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UK former home secretary, Amber Rudd, speaks well and seems to make sense. Looks like UK PM Johnson's deal has the required support to make it through the House of Commons this week. Brexit fatigue seems to be a significant factor for some MPs who want to vote for the deal and "get Brexit done". In other words, if the same deal was presented six months ago, it might have failed to get a majority vote.
Amber Rudd: May's deal was better than PM's, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcpHxoe1lhI, 10 min. 21 secs.
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Sophie Ridge asks the tough questions of Nigel Farage, and Farage gives his answers. Interesting interview to get different viewpoints about good & bad of the new deal between UK and EU: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fw9xu4AFLUk, 8 min. 6 secs.
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David Davis: There's a 'chance' Brexit won't happen on October 31, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNlTJ9X7AyI, 11 min. 30 secs.
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A reality bite from Mexico about the power of drug cartels
Remarkable escape of El Chapo's son: 'It's like a bad Netflix show', https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/el-chapo-son-escape-sinaloa-cartel-lopez-obrador-mexico-a9162596.html
A small extract from the article: "The armed forces managed to detain him (El Chapo's son), but they were forced to let him go after eight of their members were taken by force and held hostage, the government said. Surrounded by enemies, with no clear plan for backup on ground or in the air, and no clear exit strategy, the soldiers relented and gave Mr Guzman back."
I guess the brutal reality in these matters is that power comes from the barrel of a gun! The drug cartel was able to outgun the Mexican government forces.
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So now we know how UK PM Johnson had planned to handle the letter to EU business.
Brexit: PM sends letter to Brussels seeking further delay, https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-50112924
PM Johnson sent an unsigned letter to the EU that seemed to follow the law of UK, asking for a Brexit extension (of 3 months). I say 'seemed to follow' as the question is whether UK law requires PM Johnson to send a signed letter instead.
But along with that letter he sent a signed letter of his own saying that the above letter was a request mandated by Parliament (and so Parliament's letter, in a sense), but that he himself (as PM) did not want an extension and "that a further extension would damage the interests of the UK and our EU partners, and the relationship between us".
He also said that it is the European Council's decision whether to accept the Parliament request or not.
Hmm. Quite a neat legal escape route, perhaps. Will UK opposition take UK PM to court and force him to send a signed letter to EU requesting for an extension? Will the court choose to intervene or say that's a matter for PM and Parliament to sort out?
And what will the EU do now? Will it give a clear signal as to how it views these two letters, and if so, how quickly will it give that signal?
Or are we going to see the matter drag on in suspense till close to or on 31st October?
And will UK Opposition now table a motion of no-confidence and seek to force PM Johnson to step down? But then who will become PM in the short period of less than two weeks till 31st Oct.?
What uncertainty! And this is being played out on the world stage via the media including media Internet channels. I am quite sure there will be many Ph.D. theses (dissertations) in the academic field of Political Science on these developments in UK, for decades to come, and that these developments will be part of Political Science academic study material for decades to come.
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Lots of confusion about UK PM Johnson's new deal; Leave lead campaigner Nigel Farage is severely critical of it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeermO1kjfs, 7 min. 20 secs.
Perhaps more time to examine the deal and know its possible impact seems to be the sensible thing to do, rather than push it through quickly just because everybody is sick of the indecision and wants to just get it over and done with. I mean, this will be something UK may have to live with for decades.
I think it is good that the vote has got postponed, as now the MPs who will vote on it, will get the time to read the deal document which runs into hundreds of pages, and get the time to listen to views on the deal (like Nigel Farage's) and then come to an understanding of what the deal may or may not do for their constituents, for their political party and for the UK.
Perhaps an extension (3 months) and a general election as soon as the extension is granted may be the best democratic way forward now. Mr. Farage and his Brexit party will be able to compete in the election, and if they win significant number of seats, then he and his party will have a say on how Brexit is done. On the other hand, if his party does not win many seats then he will have no voice and no-decision-making-say, but also will not be able to complain about it.
The impression I have is that when Brexit referendum happened in 2016, most of the voters may have had a clear idea of the overall question of Leave or Remain in the EU but may not have known that Leave involves so many complexities and issues. Now the complexities of Leave would be known to interested members of the electorate.
Given what they know now of Leave, and the manner in which Leave is being considered, do they want to Leave that way or do something else (like Leave another way or Remain) - these become the key questions. If there is a general election before Brexit goes through then political parties will explain their stand on these key questions to the electorate (and declare it in their manifestos). People can then vote as per what stand they are most comfortable with. That I think becomes a safe democratic way of handling the matter.
But yes, there is a big downside possibility of the election leading to a hung parliament with a fractured mandate. That will not help solve the problem and may make it worse.
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Super Saturday: MPs back Brexit deal delay, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBd6v4YMtK8, 24 min. 11 secs.
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Earlier on, this mini-speech of former UK PM Theresa May was interesting: 'I know how you feel!' Boris jokes with Theresa May, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7lj9oQEkLw, 5 min. 6 secs.
Great to see former PM May have a few humourous moments in her speech where current PM Johnson and others joined in.
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MPs back Brexit deal delay - BBC News, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDlM5wDt1E8, 4 min. 14 secs.
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Nigel Farage is dead against the new deal between UK PM Johnson and the EU! Hmm.
Farage is an important guy in all this as he was one of the big figures of the Leave movement at the time of the referendum in 2016. However, as of now he has some voice in EU (his party is the largest party in the EU) but no power, and no voice and no power in the British parliament.
If the vote is won tomorrow by UK PM Johnson then I think Nigel Farage can do nothing to stop the deal and UK will be out of EU on the ***legal (international law)*** basis of that deal, on or before October 31st.
Farage would love to have an election right now and compete for MP seats in UK House of Commons, with the Brexit party he heads. But the decision of when to have an election is not in his hands!
Quite an extraordinary and, as of now, rather tragic situation for Nigel Farage, one of the top leaders of the Leave campaign!
Nigel Farage Would Prefer a General Election Over Boris Johnson's Deal | Good Morning Britain, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFsFzuuUtXw, 8 min. 30 secs.
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Good coverage of the current situ in Brexit, IMHO. Boris Johnson’s new Brexit deal explained - but will it get through parliament?, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aN90gg2koQM, around 27 mins published by Channel 4 News on 18th Oct. 2019.
As a beneficiary, lover and open supporter of democracy, I find this process to be quite fascinating, even if it has caused a lot of anguish not only in UK but also in the EU.
Western Europe has been a great force for democracy. While I have not studied this matter in-depth, it seems to me that India benefited from UK's democratic model which they instituted in part in India prior to Indian independence, and which got adopted with some modifications, after independence in India (India's new constitution of its own became effective on 26th January 1950, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_of_India; Independence was won in 1947). And I being born in 1962, benefited greatly from this democracy in independent India.
Brexit has brought to the fore, the democratic processes not only in UK but also in Europe. Leaders of UK, Europe and the EU top officials have argued, got into disputes, looked for common ground, explained their stand to the people through media interactions etc. but never ever got into any threat of violence! That is a wonderful achievement in this Brexit process so far. I think UK & EU have to be congratulated on this. They are showing to the world, the civilized democratic way of dealing with contentious matters, IMHO. Note that the biggest wars of 20th century - World War I and II with a total civilian and military death count of around 100 million worldwide, started out in Europe! That makes this ***non-violent & peaceful*** democratic Brexit process in Europe even more laudable.
Unfortunately, even today in many other parts of the world, such matters result in outbreaks of violence. That is the brutal reality. Just look at the Middle East now - fighting between armed forces and terrible human suffering for civilians in areas that are affected by this fighting. Sad state of affairs.
But Brexit is not sealed and done. As of now, it is not sure whether PM Johnson has the votes to push the deal through the UK House of Commons. That action will be tomorrow 19th Oct. 2019.
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Donald Tusk refuses to rule out granting further Brexit extension, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tf_HwIe-wLQ, 1 min 7 secs.
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Sounds like good news! Hopefully this will put an end to the current battles between Turkey and Kurdish forces in Northern Syria.
[Shared link: US Hails Turkish Ceasefire Requiring Kurds To Vacate Border Area, https://www.thequint.com/news/world/turkey-agrees-for-ceasefire-in-syria-announces-united-states]
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Nigel Farage slams Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPIvbY1S_pU, around 2 mins.
As expected again, Nigel Farage is against the new Johnson EU deal.
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BREAKING NEWS: Jeremy Corbyn casts doubt on PM's Brexit deal, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExSG4g_AQ8s, 2 min. 22 secs.
As expected UK Labour party does not seem to be in favour of UK PM Johnson's EU deal.
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Brexit: Juncker rules out Brexit extension - BBC News, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrih0lqXVRQ, 2 min. 38 secs.
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What happens in our times when armed forces of a powerful country leave a territory which was under their and an armed group ally's control, and which multiple groups/countries want to possess, can be seen by the happenings in Northern Syria now.
To protect land and infrastructure, having an army that is powerful enough to defend it is vital. Otherwise it may just be grabbed by some other country or militant group! I don't think preaching Ahimsa will work in such situations. Ahimsa is great for civilian situations with effective police control. But if hostilities break out between countries, Ahimsa is of no use, IMHO.
Turkey's Syria offensive: Russia steps into void left by US | DW News, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpoabnN-OXw, around 5 mins, published by DW News on 16th Oct. 2019.
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UK PM Boris Johnson and Michel Barnier of EU say they have got a deal. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWl1xl-7uJw, 12 min. 14 secs.
But now the deal has to go through the UK and the EU parliament.
Question is whether Johnson will have enough votes to push this deal through the UK House of Commons. The DUP may vote against it, as per current signs.
To save time, I am usually not providing my FB post links but only contents. I am also not hyperlinking links. So readers will have to copy-paste links from this post onto a browser link box and then browse to that link.
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Video is around 13 minutes.
Just say NO to drugs!
I had seen parts of this video earlier (about the girl Anja who broke the habit. relapsed and then broke it again, and whose boyfriend died of an overdose ...) as parts of some other video.
[Shared FB video: https://www.facebook.com/scmp/videos/2154101224897094/ ]
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Delightful farewell to UK Speaker John Bercow. I think Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn may be right when he said, "... you've (Bercow) stood up for Parliament when it has to be stood up for, and I think we thank you for that. Because you've also carried that message internationally as well, in the role of parliamentary democracy and parliaments holding government to account." As a student of democracy, I, who am a citizen and resident of India which has parliamentary democracy, certainly have gained significantly from following some parts of John Bercow's handling of UK parliament this year.
John Bercow tears up as MPs pay tribute at his final PMQs, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cF8pby9T6U, 10 min. 30 secs.
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U.K. PM Boris Johnson wins approval for Dec. 12 election, https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/uk-pm-boris-johnson-wins-approval-for-december-12-election/article29827430.ece
So it is Dec. 12th. The bill has to get approved by the House of Lords but that seems to be a mere formality. It was approved by the House of Commons by 438 to 20! So it is a near unanimous decision by the House of Commons. That's very good.
The Dec. 12th UK election results will be announced on Dec. 13th.
There is no guarantee that the election results will solve the Brexit deadlock. If any one party gets a majority then the probability of the Brexit deadlock being solved is high. If not and a coalition government begins ruling then there may be more Brexit deadlock. However, I think the coalition government formation itself may be based on how closely aligned their stands are on Brexit and which may result in such a government breaking the Brexit deadlock.
The possibility of a scenario where even such a coalition govt. (with closely aligned stands on Brexit) is not possible, cannot be ruled out. That would lead to an unpredictable situation.
Hmm. Democracy watchers the world over may be viewing this UK election and later government formation closely. I think this is a great test for democracy itself! Referendums on such matters of great importance impacting the future of at least one generation if not more, being decided by a simple majority, seems to be a recipe for possible disaster. Perhaps a referendum that gives a choice to change the status quo on such vital matters should have a fairly clear idea of how the status quo will be changed and a condition of 2/3rds majority for the status quo to be changed. The Brexit referendum did not give a clear idea of what Brexit means, which is why the UK Parliament got into this deadlock with a majority supporting Brexit in general, but no particular form of Brexit was able to secure a majority. If I recall correctly, the last Brexit bill which won a vote in the initial stage has been paused - so that vote may not mean much unless the same bill gets 'unpaused' and eventually made into law, if such a thing is possible, by a Boris Johnson led majority Conservative government after the Dec. 12th election.
And, of course, the Brexit referendum (in June 2016) got decided by a wafer-thin (less than 4%) simple majority - 51.89% Leave votes vs. 48.11% Remain votes, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_United_Kingdom_European_Union_membership_referendum.
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UK's Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn says: "We always said we wanted an election - we do want an election. But we wanted no deal be taken off the table. We now have confirmation from all 28 EU member states that no deal is off the table. So we are going to go out there with the biggest campaign this party has ever mounted ...."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kHyng5o2-4, 2 min. 11 secs.
Good to see Jeremy Corbyn stick to his words. So it will be December elections in the UK. Which particular date - 9th or 12th or some other day - we should get to know in the course of the next few days.
I think this is a sensible step forward. As a student of democracy, I look forward to, over the Internet, seeing the campaigns including the campaign manifestos of the various parties - Conservative, Labour, LibDems, Brexit, SNP, DUP etc. It will also be interesting to see if the Conservative Party rebels like Philip Hammond will contest as an Independent and if so, what their campaigns will be like.
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More details emerge about tragic suicide of student in Bangalore Amrita college allegedly caused by rash expulsion of student by Indian academics who then allegedly destroyed evidence of suicide
Amrita college principal, 9 lecturers booked for abetting suicide, https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/bangalore/amrita-college-principal-9-lecturers-booked-for-abetting-suicide/article29816660.ece, 29th Oct. 2019.
The article states, "Harsha, a student of Electronics and Communication, jumped off the seventh floor of the college building days after a disciplinary committee of the college reportedly expelled him for protesting over water shortage in his hostel."
The article further states that the police view is that the accused Indian academics "misguided the father of the deceased and did not allow him inside the college premises when he visited around the time his son died".
The police claimed that the accused washed off the blood stains with chemicals and tampered with the CCTV camera footage!
The principal and 9 other Indian academics of the college have been charged with "abetment to suicide and destruction of evidence."
Ravi: On the one hand, it is extremely sad to know of this avoidable suicide of a young engineering college student and the agony it has caused to his parent(s).
But, on the the other hand, there is some silver light in the police action taken so far against the foolish Indian academics who seem to have driven this young student to suicide by expelling him for protesting about water shortage in the hostel! And then these Indian academics tried to cover up the matter by tampering with the evidence!
I **know** that in some Indian academic institutions right from the vice-chancellor downwards to Registrar, Director of campus/Principal, Head of Department etc. there are crimes of record tampering (a criminal offence under the Indian Penal Code) and abuse of power to maliciously harm careers of those that they do not like for some reason or the other. Sometimes some of these Indian academics indulge in sexual harassment of junior academics and students, which also is a criminal offence under the Indian Penal Code. And when challenged on these matters, they shamelessly attempt cover-up of their crimes or crimes of their fellow academics quoting some weird UGC rule or the other, hiding behind non-transparent academic investigation committees. It is only the Indian court of law and the police, and political leaders, that they are scared of. With the police & courts they may not try any tricks of lying and conspiracy as otherwise they will most probably get jailed and their academic career will be utterly destroyed.
So it is good that in this case the police have booked cases against these Indian academics including the principal. This hopefully will send a message loud and clear to other Indian academics that university campuses are not areas where they are kings and queens who can do whatever they want. University/educational institution campuses, irrespective of what some weird UGC or other academic regulatory body rules may say, come under the law of the land, and if Indian academics commit crimes under Indian Penal Code like record tampering, sexual harassment and abetment of suicide on their university/institution campuses, they will be tried in an Indian court of law, and if found guilty, will be sent to jail!
I do hope and pray to God that the student Harsha who committed suicide and his family are given the justice they deserve by the Indian police and courts of law. Of course, the accused Indian academics should be given a fair trial. But if it is established that they committed the crime of abetment of suicide and/or destruction of evidence, then they should be punished by the court of law with appropriate jail sentences and not allowed to go scot free just because they are "teachers" or "Professors".
==================
I think the EU has done the sensible thing by granting an extension - a flextension - going up to 31st Jan. 2020, with possible early exit dates like 31st Dec. 2019.
EU agrees Brexit extension to 31 January- BBC News, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10Kr4AJNTN0, 3 min. 31 secs.
So now I think UK will have, in all probability, an election in December this year. No-Deal will be off the table formally when the matter is formally communicated by EU to UK, and then Labour's pre-condition for calling an election will be met.
And I think that the December election with safety till 31st Jan. 2020 from a No-Deal exit, will be the best way forward for the people of the UK (Britain + Northern Ireland) to have a say about how (and even whether) they want to Brexit.
P.S. I had got friendly with a guy (software techie) from Belfast, Northern Ireland during my stint in Brussels, Belgium in 1985-86. I had asked him about all the media reports about the violence and tension in Belfast then and he was insistent that Belfast was a great place, and implied that I should not give too much importance to the media reports! I do wish the Northern Ireland people get a good deal with Brexit, and in a way that preserves the peace in Northern Ireland.
====================
Hmm. Ian Chappell saying this is really mind-blowing for me. A straight and sometimes rough talker, Chappell, will not indulge in great praise just to please. He has been brutal some decades ago about Indian cricketers when the Indian cricket team was not faring so well.
[Shared link: India cricket team’s attitude towards achieving excellence should be copied, says Ian Chappell, https://scroll.in/field/941833/india-cricket-teams-attitude-towards-achieving-excellence-should-be-copied-says-ian-chappell ]
======================
Horsing around on the moon could be life-threatening. The video is from Apollo 16 mission to the moon in 1972. The audio voice-over in the latter part of the video is a (later) narration by one of the astronauts in the video - Charlie Duke.
Lunar Olympics - Astronauts jumping in 1/6 earth gravity, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16D0hmLt-S0, 1 min. 35 secs.
=========================
Fascinating and very thought-provoking interview: The World's Shrinking Population, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYZPTaV-RcQ, 32 min. 33 secs, published by "The Agenda with Steve Paikin" on 13th Feb. 2019.
The description of the youtube video states, 'Dire predictions about an impending overpopulation crisis have loomed large in the human imagination for centuries. Darrel Bricker and John Ibbitson co-authors of, "Empty Planet: The Shock of Global Population Decline," say these predictions have been greatly exaggerated. In fact, the global population is on the decline. They join The Agenda to discuss a shrinking planet and the myriad challenges it poses.'
Some of key arguments/points from the interview that I noted are:
* Urbanization - if I recall correctly, they say that for the first time in history more than 50% of the world's population lives in urban areas - has led to women choosing to have fewer babies.
* Urbanization brings in more education, more access to media, lesser influence of religion and lesser clan/family pressure as compared to rural life, and that leads women to have more control over their body and wanting to have fewer babies.
* Sterilization (among women typically) is common in China and India (after women have one/two babies).
* 2.1 is the fertility rate that keeps a population stable
* Depopulation is a major problem for countries that have low fertility rate and do not want to bring in enough immigrants to keep the population size stable
* The world's population will stabilize and not grow after a few decades. China and India's population too will stabilize and not grow after a few decades.
* This view is the opposite of the view of the 1960s where population explosion was predicted to create horrific problems for human society in the future.
=====================
Former UK Chancellor Philip Hammond speaks well, and seems to make sense: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rikdwbJ0vPQ, 12 min. 17 secs.
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The Revengers (1972) - Interesting Western movie set in years just after USA civil war
Watched this movie in parts over the past few days and finished the last part today: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjS6Xwe1nvk, 1 hr. 48 mins.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Revengers_(film)
I found the movie to be quite interesting from a perspective of life in rough and somewhat lawless lands, and how revenge for murder of one's family was part of that culture. The hero is a civil war (1861-65, USA civil war) hero who has become a rancher, and whose horses are stolen and whose family is murdered by a Comanche Indian group led by a white man. The plot has many twists and turns, and seems very fantastic at times. But still I think it gives some idea about life in certain parts of the USA and neighbouring parts of Mexico in the period after the civil war.
There are some scenes of Comanche Indians on horseback fighting pitched battles with USA army and others. I found that to be quite interesting given what I have been reading about Genghiz Khan in the recent past. The Mongols were a powerful attack force partly because of how good they were as bow & arrow fighters mounted on horseback. The Mongols were superb horsemen who could fire from their bows while riding their horses at high speeds. They were very sturdy survivors on grasslands when they were with their horses.
This movie has scenes of gun wielding US army men along with other fighters (the hero and his six member team) fighting off a much larger Comanche Indian braves attack, with the Comanche Indians on horseback with guns. The Comanche Indian group has a few white guys on their side.
The movie has a bias against the Comanche Indians and in favour of the white settlers of the USA. So we don't get to see positive aspects of the Comanche Indians.
Horses and guns are an important part of the movie. I think in the Wild West in the USA in the second half of the nineteenth century, horses and guns were perhaps as important for survival, as horses and other weapons like bow & arrow & sword were to Mongols in the 12th and 13th century.
The movie, rather strangely, has an ending where the hero who is armed is face-to-face with the man who led the group that killed his family who now is a prisoner. The hero has gone to kill him but at that moment when he is ready to fire and kill that man, the hero backs off. His thirst for revenge is gone! He walks away, perhaps knowing that the man who killed his family will face justice from USA authorities as he is a prisoner with a US army group. That sort of scene is just too fantastic to be viewed as realistic, given the huge effort the hero has made to get to this killer.
In the movie, there are scenes of celebration or salute by men on horseback firing their weapon in their air! I think these seem to be apt for those times. The powerful man of the Wild West announces himself by firing a gun while on horseback! The movie's final scene is the hero riding out alone and then sort-of saluting his team of five men (one died), by firing his gun in the air. His men fire back in the air!
==========================
A pouch to fake "network not reachable" kind of message, for calls which a person does not want to take
I was wondering whether there are devices/things with which one can fake "network not reachable" kind of messages.
It seems that there are pouches of this kind. Here's one of them on sale on amazon.in for around Rs.1000 : https://www.amazon.in/Housesczar-Signal-Blocker-Anti-Radiation-Shield/dp/B07W6V5258/.
In its description it states, "When you do not want to answer phone call, put in the bag and there will be no phone calls;"
So if somebody wants to avoid taking phone calls from somebody else without either cutting the call or simply not taking the call, which will let the caller know that the call may be getting deliberately avoided, putting the phone in the pouch will do a neat trick - the caller will get a message of can't connect/network not reachable etc! The caller may then think that the called person is really out of network range or something like that!
What a world we live in! Great technology but along with some trick-technology as well.
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UK PM Johnson wants an election on 12th Dec. But he needs support from the opposition to make that happen!
Meanwhile the EU has yet to say whether it is going to grant an extension to Brexit or not. French President Macron seems to have some issues with granting the extension (3 months extension is the typical case). I think that all EU leaders (barring UK in this case, I guess) have to agree - it has to be unanimous. If Macron holds out, will UK come out of EU with No-deal on 31st Oct.? Or will Macron make it a different kind of extension of just a few days or something like that?
31st Oct. is less than a week from now! What uncertainty! Unbelievable!
I think the sensible thing would be for the EU to grant an extension for 3 months thereby ruling out No-deal exit in the near future/31st Oct. This can then be followed by a UK general election (Jeremy Corbyn is ready for election once No-deal is ruled in the near future/31st Oct). A new Parliament elected by the British people can then decide in the second half of December how to Brexit (or perhaps even on cancelling Brexit).
Boris Johnson launches attempt to hold December election | Brexit, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bh602oHQJ-Q, around 16 mins.
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An oldie goldie song - Hum to tere aashiq hai - From Farz (1967)
This song was very popular in late 70s and 80s. I don't think I had seen the video of the song till now. Mukesh and Lata Mangeshkar are the singers. Interesting to hear Mukesh sing this romantic song. If I recall correctly, he was superlative in philosophical and sad songs, with Kishore & Rafi getting great fame for romantic songs.
The lyrics are by Anand Bakshi and the music directors are Laxmikant Pyarelal. The on-screen stars are Jeetandra and Babita.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIsleLQJ2N4, around 6 mins.
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I am all for more interactions between Indians and Brazilians as Brazil is a very important country in South America. So this is good news.
[Shared article: Brazil says it will no longer require visas from Indian citizens, https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/brazil-says-it-will-no-longer-require-visas-from-indian-citizens/articleshow/71750770.cms ]
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Indian academics must know that they will be held accountable for their actions. The days of them being unaccountable to the public is not going to continue for long in these times.
How foolish it is that academics were investigating the students to find out who committed the vandalism! Are they trained in police investigation? Of course not! They have knowledge in their particular field like Mechanical Engg. or Computer Science.
I think this comes from policies where police are kept away from academic campuses, unless specifically invited by the academic administrators. Maybe such things worked half a century ago. Now I think it is absolutely foolish to have committees of academics to do police investigation work on campus. They are not trained for it and typically end up making a mockery of justice.
In this case, the academics attempt at investigation and delivering justice for vandalism, seems to have led a young man (student) to commit suicide. Terribly tragic!
"Vijay Bhaskar filed a complaint at the Parapana Agrahara police station against 10 officials of the college, and a case was registered against them subsequently for abetment of suicide and tampering with evidence."
I think that is good. Now the message will go out to Indian academics who try to act as police investigators and judges for matters like vandalism (as against academic matters like copying at exams) that they too will have to face justice not from other academics but under the Indian Penal Code and in an Indian court of law.
My prayers to God for the soul of Harsha, and to give courage and strength to his family and friends to bear this loss.
[Shared article: ‘Amrita College Responsible for My Son’s Death’: Harsha’s Father, https://www.thequint.com/news/india/amrita-college-responsible-for-my-sons-death-sri-harshas-father]
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Mark Zuckerberg is getting really grilled in US Congress by both major parties in the USA. Here is a young Democratic Congresswoman grilling him: https://twitter.com/Reuters/status/1187179399386288135, 24th Oct. 2019. The tweet has a 2 min. 45 secs video of the grilling.
Democracy puts awesome power in the hands of those who get elected to legislatures, to question big shots involved in sensitive/controversial matters. How they use that power is up to them, and, of course, they need to be worried about consequences like funding issues.
But I have to say that this is quite a sight! Zuckerberg (born 1984 and so in his 30s, but now super billionaire - 74 Billion USD net worth and so fifth richest in the world, https://www.businessinsider.in/personal-finance/heres-how-facebook-ceo-mark-zuckerberg-and-wife-priscilla-chan-spend-their-74-billion-fortune/articleshow/61164533.cms) being grilled by a young lady (Ms. Cortez born 1989, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexandria_Ocasio-Cortez) from the Bronx, New York City who now is a Congresswoman!
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Update on 3rd Nov. 2019: The victims seem to be Vietnamese NOT Chinese. I have modified the post accordingly
Essex lorry deaths: People found dead were all Vietnamese, https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-essex-50268939
My prayers to God for the souls of these 39 persons who died, and for strength & courage to the friends & relatives of the victims as they come to know of the tragic fate of these people.
==============================
Pardesia yeh such hai piya: superhit Hindi film song from Mr. Natwarlal (1979)
I vividly recall seeing this film in a theatre perhaps in 1979/80. The movie was quite a blockbuster.
The song is sung by Lata Mangeshkar and Kishore Kumar. It is written by Anand Bakshi and music is composed by Rajesh Roshan. The on screen stars are Amitabh Bachchan and Rekha (Bhanurekha Ganesan, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rekha).
Pardesia - Mr. Natwarlal, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oq-AX2yWXdo. The song ends around 4 min. 30 seconds into the video which is 6 min. 53 secs. long.
P.S. A friend of my late elder brother, living in Dadar (in Mumbai) near the Railway quarters there, was a musician with Rajesh Roshan, and I have some faint recollections of going to their house in Dadar in the early 1970s when I was a kid and our family was living in Railway quarters, Dadar.
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Good to see some sort of justice being given in Bangladesh to the young girl who was killed as she refused to withdraw a sexual harassment complaint against a religious teacher.
[Shared article: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/16-sentenced-to-death-after-bangladesh-teen-burnt-alive/articleshow/71735937.cms ]
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Around 4 mins. 30 secs. I found it to be very interesting and easy to understand. [About why plane tires don't explode on landing.]
[Shared link: https://www.facebook.com/techinsider/videos/421201415437711/]
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Hmm. One step forward and then pause! Brexit situ is still hazy.
Brexit Bill paused after Commons rejects timetable - BBC News, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aTaYAXpuiY, 12 min. 44 secs.
In principle, the Brexit bill of PM Johnson passed the UK House of Commons. But the proposed quick schedule of 2/3 days failed. So PM Johnson has hit pause on the Brexit bill.
What will the EU do? It may grant an extension to prevent UK getting out of EU without a deal on 31st Oct.
When will the Brexit bill be re-started by PM Johnson? He wants to call an election but that needs support of opposition parties.
How things will work out from now are hazy.
A text (with video links) report on the matter: Brexit bill 'in limbo' as MPs reject timetable, https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-50146182.
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Lata Mangeshkar singing live in 1979 in UK. The song - Ehsaan tera hoga mujhpar from movie Junglee (1961): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UNYuJSau4Q, 3 min. 39 secs.
KIshore Kumar live - Khilte hain gul yan from Sharmilee (1971)
[Shared link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LyOBYGScdQ&feature=share ]
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UK's Brexit Party chief Nigel Farage at the EU: "... but I have a feeling we will be back in November": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WAPhlYK1Gk, 1 min. 29 secs.
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Article by Deepak Nayyar, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deepak_Nayyar, Emeritus Professor of Economics at Jawaharlal Nehru University and former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Delhi, that appeared in the print edition of The Hindu today: Asia’s remarkable economic transformation, https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/asias-remarkable-economic-transformation/article29760745.ece.
It concludes, "Yet, it is plausible to suggest that in circa 2050, a century after the end of colonial rule, Asia will account for more than a half of world income and will be home to more than half the people on earth. It will thus have an economic and political significance in the world that would have been difficult to imagine 50 years ago, even if it was the reality in 1820."
==============================
Brexit deal vote ruled out by Speaker John Bercow - BBC News, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5N2cJctVBGo, 7 min. 19 secs.
Hmm. The UK speaker put his foot down and wants parliamentary procedure to be followed properly. To be fair to the speaker, many MPs (of Opposition mostly, if not all) raised issue with him on the manner in which the govt. proposed debate on the withdraw from EU bill today.
...
An interesting tense exchange between an MP who seems to be on the govt. side and the speaker on the speaker allegedly favouring the opposition: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5N2cJctVBGo, 7 mins.
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UK former home secretary, Amber Rudd, speaks well and seems to make sense. Looks like UK PM Johnson's deal has the required support to make it through the House of Commons this week. Brexit fatigue seems to be a significant factor for some MPs who want to vote for the deal and "get Brexit done". In other words, if the same deal was presented six months ago, it might have failed to get a majority vote.
Amber Rudd: May's deal was better than PM's, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcpHxoe1lhI, 10 min. 21 secs.
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Sophie Ridge asks the tough questions of Nigel Farage, and Farage gives his answers. Interesting interview to get different viewpoints about good & bad of the new deal between UK and EU: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fw9xu4AFLUk, 8 min. 6 secs.
--------------
David Davis: There's a 'chance' Brexit won't happen on October 31, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNlTJ9X7AyI, 11 min. 30 secs.
------------------
A reality bite from Mexico about the power of drug cartels
Remarkable escape of El Chapo's son: 'It's like a bad Netflix show', https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/el-chapo-son-escape-sinaloa-cartel-lopez-obrador-mexico-a9162596.html
A small extract from the article: "The armed forces managed to detain him (El Chapo's son), but they were forced to let him go after eight of their members were taken by force and held hostage, the government said. Surrounded by enemies, with no clear plan for backup on ground or in the air, and no clear exit strategy, the soldiers relented and gave Mr Guzman back."
I guess the brutal reality in these matters is that power comes from the barrel of a gun! The drug cartel was able to outgun the Mexican government forces.
---------------
So now we know how UK PM Johnson had planned to handle the letter to EU business.
Brexit: PM sends letter to Brussels seeking further delay, https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-50112924
PM Johnson sent an unsigned letter to the EU that seemed to follow the law of UK, asking for a Brexit extension (of 3 months). I say 'seemed to follow' as the question is whether UK law requires PM Johnson to send a signed letter instead.
But along with that letter he sent a signed letter of his own saying that the above letter was a request mandated by Parliament (and so Parliament's letter, in a sense), but that he himself (as PM) did not want an extension and "that a further extension would damage the interests of the UK and our EU partners, and the relationship between us".
He also said that it is the European Council's decision whether to accept the Parliament request or not.
Hmm. Quite a neat legal escape route, perhaps. Will UK opposition take UK PM to court and force him to send a signed letter to EU requesting for an extension? Will the court choose to intervene or say that's a matter for PM and Parliament to sort out?
And what will the EU do now? Will it give a clear signal as to how it views these two letters, and if so, how quickly will it give that signal?
Or are we going to see the matter drag on in suspense till close to or on 31st October?
And will UK Opposition now table a motion of no-confidence and seek to force PM Johnson to step down? But then who will become PM in the short period of less than two weeks till 31st Oct.?
What uncertainty! And this is being played out on the world stage via the media including media Internet channels. I am quite sure there will be many Ph.D. theses (dissertations) in the academic field of Political Science on these developments in UK, for decades to come, and that these developments will be part of Political Science academic study material for decades to come.
-------------
Lots of confusion about UK PM Johnson's new deal; Leave lead campaigner Nigel Farage is severely critical of it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeermO1kjfs, 7 min. 20 secs.
Perhaps more time to examine the deal and know its possible impact seems to be the sensible thing to do, rather than push it through quickly just because everybody is sick of the indecision and wants to just get it over and done with. I mean, this will be something UK may have to live with for decades.
I think it is good that the vote has got postponed, as now the MPs who will vote on it, will get the time to read the deal document which runs into hundreds of pages, and get the time to listen to views on the deal (like Nigel Farage's) and then come to an understanding of what the deal may or may not do for their constituents, for their political party and for the UK.
Perhaps an extension (3 months) and a general election as soon as the extension is granted may be the best democratic way forward now. Mr. Farage and his Brexit party will be able to compete in the election, and if they win significant number of seats, then he and his party will have a say on how Brexit is done. On the other hand, if his party does not win many seats then he will have no voice and no-decision-making-say, but also will not be able to complain about it.
The impression I have is that when Brexit referendum happened in 2016, most of the voters may have had a clear idea of the overall question of Leave or Remain in the EU but may not have known that Leave involves so many complexities and issues. Now the complexities of Leave would be known to interested members of the electorate.
Given what they know now of Leave, and the manner in which Leave is being considered, do they want to Leave that way or do something else (like Leave another way or Remain) - these become the key questions. If there is a general election before Brexit goes through then political parties will explain their stand on these key questions to the electorate (and declare it in their manifestos). People can then vote as per what stand they are most comfortable with. That I think becomes a safe democratic way of handling the matter.
But yes, there is a big downside possibility of the election leading to a hung parliament with a fractured mandate. That will not help solve the problem and may make it worse.
-----------------
Super Saturday: MPs back Brexit deal delay, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBd6v4YMtK8, 24 min. 11 secs.
------------
Earlier on, this mini-speech of former UK PM Theresa May was interesting: 'I know how you feel!' Boris jokes with Theresa May, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7lj9oQEkLw, 5 min. 6 secs.
Great to see former PM May have a few humourous moments in her speech where current PM Johnson and others joined in.
-------
MPs back Brexit deal delay - BBC News, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDlM5wDt1E8, 4 min. 14 secs.
----------
Nigel Farage is dead against the new deal between UK PM Johnson and the EU! Hmm.
Farage is an important guy in all this as he was one of the big figures of the Leave movement at the time of the referendum in 2016. However, as of now he has some voice in EU (his party is the largest party in the EU) but no power, and no voice and no power in the British parliament.
If the vote is won tomorrow by UK PM Johnson then I think Nigel Farage can do nothing to stop the deal and UK will be out of EU on the ***legal (international law)*** basis of that deal, on or before October 31st.
Farage would love to have an election right now and compete for MP seats in UK House of Commons, with the Brexit party he heads. But the decision of when to have an election is not in his hands!
Quite an extraordinary and, as of now, rather tragic situation for Nigel Farage, one of the top leaders of the Leave campaign!
Nigel Farage Would Prefer a General Election Over Boris Johnson's Deal | Good Morning Britain, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFsFzuuUtXw, 8 min. 30 secs.
------------
Good coverage of the current situ in Brexit, IMHO. Boris Johnson’s new Brexit deal explained - but will it get through parliament?, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aN90gg2koQM, around 27 mins published by Channel 4 News on 18th Oct. 2019.
As a beneficiary, lover and open supporter of democracy, I find this process to be quite fascinating, even if it has caused a lot of anguish not only in UK but also in the EU.
Western Europe has been a great force for democracy. While I have not studied this matter in-depth, it seems to me that India benefited from UK's democratic model which they instituted in part in India prior to Indian independence, and which got adopted with some modifications, after independence in India (India's new constitution of its own became effective on 26th January 1950, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_of_India; Independence was won in 1947). And I being born in 1962, benefited greatly from this democracy in independent India.
Brexit has brought to the fore, the democratic processes not only in UK but also in Europe. Leaders of UK, Europe and the EU top officials have argued, got into disputes, looked for common ground, explained their stand to the people through media interactions etc. but never ever got into any threat of violence! That is a wonderful achievement in this Brexit process so far. I think UK & EU have to be congratulated on this. They are showing to the world, the civilized democratic way of dealing with contentious matters, IMHO. Note that the biggest wars of 20th century - World War I and II with a total civilian and military death count of around 100 million worldwide, started out in Europe! That makes this ***non-violent & peaceful*** democratic Brexit process in Europe even more laudable.
Unfortunately, even today in many other parts of the world, such matters result in outbreaks of violence. That is the brutal reality. Just look at the Middle East now - fighting between armed forces and terrible human suffering for civilians in areas that are affected by this fighting. Sad state of affairs.
But Brexit is not sealed and done. As of now, it is not sure whether PM Johnson has the votes to push the deal through the UK House of Commons. That action will be tomorrow 19th Oct. 2019.
----------
Donald Tusk refuses to rule out granting further Brexit extension, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tf_HwIe-wLQ, 1 min 7 secs.
------------
Sounds like good news! Hopefully this will put an end to the current battles between Turkey and Kurdish forces in Northern Syria.
[Shared link: US Hails Turkish Ceasefire Requiring Kurds To Vacate Border Area, https://www.thequint.com/news/world/turkey-agrees-for-ceasefire-in-syria-announces-united-states]
--------------
Nigel Farage slams Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPIvbY1S_pU, around 2 mins.
As expected again, Nigel Farage is against the new Johnson EU deal.
-------------
BREAKING NEWS: Jeremy Corbyn casts doubt on PM's Brexit deal, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExSG4g_AQ8s, 2 min. 22 secs.
As expected UK Labour party does not seem to be in favour of UK PM Johnson's EU deal.
----------
Brexit: Juncker rules out Brexit extension - BBC News, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrih0lqXVRQ, 2 min. 38 secs.
-------------
What happens in our times when armed forces of a powerful country leave a territory which was under their and an armed group ally's control, and which multiple groups/countries want to possess, can be seen by the happenings in Northern Syria now.
To protect land and infrastructure, having an army that is powerful enough to defend it is vital. Otherwise it may just be grabbed by some other country or militant group! I don't think preaching Ahimsa will work in such situations. Ahimsa is great for civilian situations with effective police control. But if hostilities break out between countries, Ahimsa is of no use, IMHO.
Turkey's Syria offensive: Russia steps into void left by US | DW News, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpoabnN-OXw, around 5 mins, published by DW News on 16th Oct. 2019.
------------------
UK PM Boris Johnson and Michel Barnier of EU say they have got a deal. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWl1xl-7uJw, 12 min. 14 secs.
But now the deal has to go through the UK and the EU parliament.
Question is whether Johnson will have enough votes to push this deal through the UK House of Commons. The DUP may vote against it, as per current signs.
-----------
Very interesting! Good to see some optimism! Let's hope and pray things work out well for the UK and the EU in the coming days.
Boris Johnson 'on brink of Brexit deal' after border concessions,
[Shared link: Boris Johnson 'on brink of Brexit deal' after border concessions, https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/oct/15/boris-johnson-close-to-brexit-deal-after-border-concessions ]
-------------
Around 2 mins. Interesting! The Dutch (and the Portuguese) were in India before the English! Dutch India, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_India, lasted from 1605 to 1825. So it is interesting to see the King of Netherlands (Dutch country) take a ceremonial salute from a group of Indian army men of independent India in the presence of the President and Prime Minister of India.
Overall, I think it is a very happy thing that India today has good relations with European countries (UK (England), France, Dutch and Portugal mainly) that had colonies in India in the past centuries. And I think that's good both for India and the European countries.
[Shared link: https://www.facebook.com/PresidentOfIndia/videos/419272548775826/]
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In India today, sexual harassment allegations by girls & women against a man can be devastating. The media coverage is the scary part. The court of law may decide that the man is not guilty but by that time the media coverage part would have already done great damage to the man's reputation.
So men need to be really careful in India nowadays in dealing with girls and women.
...
In response to a comment, I wrote:
I think I can understand your predicament then and your decision to be safe rather than sorry. If there were other people around it could have been different.
-----
In response to a comment, I wrote:
Oh! I would say that you should be cautious. Better safe than sorry. .... If you know the girls/women well then I think it may be OK to have free interactions with them. But if you don't know much about them, far better to be safe (cautious) than sorry later.
-----
In response to a comment, I wrote:
Yes, you may be branded as a coward, a prude and perhaps even as a misogynist (person who dislikes women). I repeat that if one knows some women well and have confidence that they will not misuse one's friendship then it is different. That's a judgement call. ... But if a woman is relatively unknown then far better to keep some distance and be labelled a prude, a boring fellow or even a misogynist than take the risk of a ***criminal*** complaint of sexual harassment with media splashing the alleged perpetrator's photos all over the place (and making huge money in the process).
-------
Hmm. I had no idea about this discrimination which sometimes became even persecution, of Southern Italian immigrants in 19th century USA.
[Shared link: How Italians Became ‘White’, https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/10/12/opinion/columbus-day-italian-american-racism.html ]
------------
Corbyn: We're ready for an election at any time, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ww7RA7WyvQw, 20 min 27 secs. published by Sky News on 13th Oct. 2019.
I am struck again by how Mr. Corbyn is very articulate and a superb communicator. His spoken English language is not flowery or ornamental, and so he may not be a darling of connoisseurs of the English language and oratory. But he conveys his views very well and in language that the (English literate) common man should be able to understand easily.
He also can dodge the tricky question well, which I think is an important skill for any top political leader in a democracy.
------------
Jacob Rees-Mogg: We will see if I have to eat my words or not, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTy7c5wRE98, 11 min. 35 secs, published by Sky News on 13th Oct. 2019.
-------------
Nigel Farage's view of current situ in Brexit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XehqfGypZ8, 1 min. 10 secs.
----------
Good to hear about some hope for a Brexit deal with the EU: Boris Johnson and Leo Varadkar say Brexit deal is possible - BBC News, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6P3k5E4plo, 3 min. 39 secs.
...
In response to a comment I wrote:
Is Leo Varadkar right-wing? He is the guy who is giving a more positive and hopeful view of things as compared to a few days ago.
----------
Tragic and deeply disturbing antisemitic attack in Germany
Synagogue attacker hoped to inspire further anti-Semitic attacks, German authorities say, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/after-deadly-attack-outside-halle-synagogue-jewish-community-worries-about-safety-in-germany/2019/10/10/434b2ce8-eae5-11e9-a329-7378fbfa1b63_story.html
The report says that 2 people were killed.
"Government officials, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, said the death toll in what authorities have characterized as a terrorist attack would have been higher had the assailant’s apparently improvised weapons and explosives not malfunctioned."
The report also says that a locked door in the synagogue prevented the attacker from getting inside. Some of the worshippers inside the synagogue came to know of the threat through a surveillance screen and started barricading the front door.
The madman was live streaming his insane act like what another madman had done in New Zealand in March 2019.
It is great to know that the synagogue had sturdy and locked doors and a surveillance system, which seems to have made a big difference in stopping the killer from getting inside the synagogue.
It is so sad to see this horrific antisemitism raise its ugly head in Europe now. And it is very scary that this mad act happened in Germany, given Germany's horrible 20th century history of genocidal antisemitism under the Nazis and Hitler.
---------------
Around 3 mins. Is this for real? If so, then it is really amazing that people live and raise families in such difficult 'travel' conditions/situations.
[Shared video: Difficult life on high mountains, https://www.facebook.com/philippinepieofficial/videos/1866578523486583/ ]
=================
I just love this 2016 orchestra rendition of Tum agar saath dene ka vada karo from 1967 Humraaz film: Tum agar saath dene ka vada karo by Vaibhav Vashishtha live music concert-Hemantkumar Musical Group, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUNroXE39d4, 5 mins.
---------
Tere Jaisa Yaar Kahan | Kishore Kumar | Yaarana 1981 Songs | Amitabh Bachchan, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dcBy2uXL7E, slightly over 3 mins.
...
Interesting: Hrithik Singing 'tere jaisa yaar kaha', https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCulM3wPkJM
...
Nice 2017 rendition: TERE JAISA YAAR KAHAN FAIZAL RIAZ Live KISHORE KUMAR NIGHT 2017 HD, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CczHmrGQhkI
=============
Time-pass song from Sholay (1975): Yeh Dosti Hum Nahi Todenge, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1T8G_d5o5Gs, 6 min. 17 secs.
...
R.D. Burman and another singer singing it live - I thoroughly enjoyed this rendition: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4abXECoJgQ
===============
I have had many a ride in these Premier Padmini taxis in Bombay/Mumbai.
[Shared link: End of Premier Padmini taxis' journey: It is time to say goodbye to Mumbai's once most loved car, https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/end-of-premier-padmini-taxis-journey-it-is-time-to-say-goodbye-to-mumbais-once-most-loved-car/end-of-the-road/slideshow/71474215.cms ]
------------
Loved it. Close to 5 mins.
Amitabh Bachchan was a Hindi film superstar, and continues to be a superstar on TV shows now.
[Shared link: https://www.facebook.com/aly.zafar/videos/493069368107683/ ]
...
The Anthony Gonsalves song from the 1977 movie Amar Akbar Anthony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrCnhwtVujQ
...
A nice rendition of it perhaps in 2018: My Name is Anthony Gonsalves By Navtej, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3vkobXxYhY
...
Interesting rendition of it in Oct. 2018: My Name Is Anthony Gonsalves - Sudesh Bhosle - MUQADDAR KA SIKANDAR, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YS9c9HtL0Ag, 4 min. 51 secs.
...
Another interesting rendition in 2017: My Name Is Anthony Gonsalves - Rajessh Iyer - JHILMIL SITARON KA AANGAN, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zV7sckwtXBU
...
Lovely rendition of the song by a kid perhaps in 2019: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MB3qcT-I7Bc
...
Enjoyed this song & dance rendition of it in 2019: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjlHuynBTwQ
=================
Brexit deal is now ‘essentially impossible’, says Downing Street source, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ben1XdGg40, 27 min. 37 secs., published by Channel 4 News on 8th Oct. 2019.
------------
Donald Tusk, EU president, sent a powerful (public) tweet to UK PM Boris Johnson
".@BorisJohnson, what’s at stake is not winning some stupid blame game. At stake is the future of Europe and the UK as well as the security and interests of our people. You don’t want a deal, you don’t want an extension, you don’t want to revoke, quo vadis?", https://twitter.com/eucopresident/status/1181519363783974912, 8th Oct. 2019
Quo Vadis?, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quo_vadis%3F, is a Latin phrase meaning, "Where are you marching?"
Hmm. I think this is one of the most powerful tweets I have ever seen.
Prayers and best wishes for a harmonious and well thought-out resolution to the Brexit crisis impacting not only UK but the rest of Europe as well.
============
A brutal reality I learned in my international software industry career from 1984 to 2002, is that money problems can sink even large companies. Wang Labs., https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wang_Laboratories, was such a big company based in Lowell, Massachusetts, USA when I started my career initial years of which were solely on Wang computers. Its wiki page states, "At its peak in the 1980s, Wang Laboratories had annual revenues of $3 billion and employed over 33,000 people. It was one of the leading companies during the time of the Massachusetts Miracle."
In 1992 Wang Labs. filed for bankruptcy and later somehow struggled to exist as a brand till 2008, going through multiple owners, before the brand also vanished in 2008.
I struggled to come to terms with Wang's decline and fall but eventually I moved on to other software & hardware platforms (Microsoft Windows & PC, as well as X-Windows and Unix mainly on PC) in 1990. However, the lesson of Wang's decline & fall was engraved deep into my memory and psyche.
US President Trump is no fan of the United Nations, and has raised issues about large contribution to UN made by USA. It is worrying to know that the UN has such a large deficit. Hope that gets sorted out quickly. The world badly needs the UN now as there is lot of uncertainty in the world now.
[Shared link is not found (Times of India). But the intro. info was: "The United Nations is running a deficit of $230 million, Secretary General Antonio Guterres has said, and may run out of money by the end of October." https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/2615904018626159 ]
---------------
https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/2614837795399448
Just could not resist saying that the phrase, "my great and unmatched wisdom", being used in public in our times by a key world leader (please don't ask who), has absolutely stunned me! I mean, those phrases seem to be appropriate for monarchies of the medieval age and earlier. Hmm. It will take me some time to come to terms with such words being used by a key world leader in public.
I need to add that the particular leader has used very unusual words in public in the past. But still, I did not expect to see a tweet of his with this "my great and unmatched wisdom" phrase.
-----
In response to a comment I wrote (edited):
I have great respect for the power of the position of President of United States of America. He is commander-in-chief of the most powerful armed forces in the history of humanity and whose nuclear arsenal firepower along with associated delivery systems are absolutely terrifying in their destructive power (and so are Russia's nuclear arsenal firepower and associated delivery systems).
Now it is Mr. Trump who has been duly elected by the election system of the USA as President. I respect that election process which made him, for a term of 4 years, the most powerful man on the planet.
I am simply trying to deal with the reality that this most powerful man on the planet now says publicly that his wisdom is great and unmatched.
Mr. Wolff's book that you referred to, is I believe, harshly critical of President Trump. But that does not change the reality on the ground that Mr. Donald Trump continues to be President of USA and so is the commander-in-chief of the most powerful military force in the history of mankind.
==================
Great to see him being saved like this. This is where materially advanced countries like USA can be just awesome.
[Shared post intro text "A security camera captured the moment when lightning hit a Texas man as he was walking his dogs. He’s expected to make a full recovery.", U.S. NEWS SEE IT: Texas man loses socks and shoes after being struck by lightning while walking dogs, https://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/ny-texas-man-strike-lightning-socks-shoes-walking-dogs-20191006-7jawd2uidfhndb4x7mmb6kiuze-story.html ]
================
Fascinating set of pics between 100 to 150 years ago telling us a lot about life then in this part of the USA: 48 Vintage Photos Of Life In The Wild West, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Hd2oi0M8pU, 8 min. 18 secs.
---------------
Boris Johnson confirms plans for customs checks in Northern Ireland - BBC News, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veccta_nqF8, 10 min. 45 secs.
--------------
Continuing optimism and energy on Brexit from UK PM Johnson
Boris Johnson to unveil final masterplan for Brexit deal, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yh4lUi-5ccA, around 3 mins.
------------
Reality bites from the Saudi Crown Prince about how the world's energy needs got threatened when Saudi Arabia's oil industry plants were hit by cruise missiles and drones. The Crown Prince said, "It (the attack) disrupted 5.5 % of the world's energy needs"! I think that is simply the plain truth. ... And India is heavily dependent on imported oil for meeting its energy needs!
On 60 Minutes: Never-before-seen video of oil strikes, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8x4uw-BQLjU, around 2 mins.
Note that Iran strongly denies any involvement in these attacks on Saudi Arabia's oil industry plants.
----------------
So men need to be really careful in India nowadays in dealing with girls and women.
...
In response to a comment, I wrote:
I think I can understand your predicament then and your decision to be safe rather than sorry. If there were other people around it could have been different.
-----
In response to a comment, I wrote:
Oh! I would say that you should be cautious. Better safe than sorry. .... If you know the girls/women well then I think it may be OK to have free interactions with them. But if you don't know much about them, far better to be safe (cautious) than sorry later.
-----
In response to a comment, I wrote:
Yes, you may be branded as a coward, a prude and perhaps even as a misogynist (person who dislikes women). I repeat that if one knows some women well and have confidence that they will not misuse one's friendship then it is different. That's a judgement call. ... But if a woman is relatively unknown then far better to keep some distance and be labelled a prude, a boring fellow or even a misogynist than take the risk of a ***criminal*** complaint of sexual harassment with media splashing the alleged perpetrator's photos all over the place (and making huge money in the process).
-------
Hmm. I had no idea about this discrimination which sometimes became even persecution, of Southern Italian immigrants in 19th century USA.
[Shared link: How Italians Became ‘White’, https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/10/12/opinion/columbus-day-italian-american-racism.html ]
------------
Corbyn: We're ready for an election at any time, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ww7RA7WyvQw, 20 min 27 secs. published by Sky News on 13th Oct. 2019.
I am struck again by how Mr. Corbyn is very articulate and a superb communicator. His spoken English language is not flowery or ornamental, and so he may not be a darling of connoisseurs of the English language and oratory. But he conveys his views very well and in language that the (English literate) common man should be able to understand easily.
He also can dodge the tricky question well, which I think is an important skill for any top political leader in a democracy.
------------
Jacob Rees-Mogg: We will see if I have to eat my words or not, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTy7c5wRE98, 11 min. 35 secs, published by Sky News on 13th Oct. 2019.
-------------
Nigel Farage's view of current situ in Brexit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XehqfGypZ8, 1 min. 10 secs.
----------
Good to hear about some hope for a Brexit deal with the EU: Boris Johnson and Leo Varadkar say Brexit deal is possible - BBC News, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6P3k5E4plo, 3 min. 39 secs.
...
In response to a comment I wrote:
Is Leo Varadkar right-wing? He is the guy who is giving a more positive and hopeful view of things as compared to a few days ago.
----------
Tragic and deeply disturbing antisemitic attack in Germany
Synagogue attacker hoped to inspire further anti-Semitic attacks, German authorities say, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/after-deadly-attack-outside-halle-synagogue-jewish-community-worries-about-safety-in-germany/2019/10/10/434b2ce8-eae5-11e9-a329-7378fbfa1b63_story.html
The report says that 2 people were killed.
"Government officials, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, said the death toll in what authorities have characterized as a terrorist attack would have been higher had the assailant’s apparently improvised weapons and explosives not malfunctioned."
The report also says that a locked door in the synagogue prevented the attacker from getting inside. Some of the worshippers inside the synagogue came to know of the threat through a surveillance screen and started barricading the front door.
The madman was live streaming his insane act like what another madman had done in New Zealand in March 2019.
It is great to know that the synagogue had sturdy and locked doors and a surveillance system, which seems to have made a big difference in stopping the killer from getting inside the synagogue.
It is so sad to see this horrific antisemitism raise its ugly head in Europe now. And it is very scary that this mad act happened in Germany, given Germany's horrible 20th century history of genocidal antisemitism under the Nazis and Hitler.
---------------
Around 3 mins. Is this for real? If so, then it is really amazing that people live and raise families in such difficult 'travel' conditions/situations.
[Shared video: Difficult life on high mountains, https://www.facebook.com/philippinepieofficial/videos/1866578523486583/ ]
=================
I just love this 2016 orchestra rendition of Tum agar saath dene ka vada karo from 1967 Humraaz film: Tum agar saath dene ka vada karo by Vaibhav Vashishtha live music concert-Hemantkumar Musical Group, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUNroXE39d4, 5 mins.
---------
Tere Jaisa Yaar Kahan | Kishore Kumar | Yaarana 1981 Songs | Amitabh Bachchan, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dcBy2uXL7E, slightly over 3 mins.
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Interesting: Hrithik Singing 'tere jaisa yaar kaha', https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCulM3wPkJM
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Nice 2017 rendition: TERE JAISA YAAR KAHAN FAIZAL RIAZ Live KISHORE KUMAR NIGHT 2017 HD, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CczHmrGQhkI
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Time-pass song from Sholay (1975): Yeh Dosti Hum Nahi Todenge, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1T8G_d5o5Gs, 6 min. 17 secs.
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R.D. Burman and another singer singing it live - I thoroughly enjoyed this rendition: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4abXECoJgQ
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I have had many a ride in these Premier Padmini taxis in Bombay/Mumbai.
[Shared link: End of Premier Padmini taxis' journey: It is time to say goodbye to Mumbai's once most loved car, https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/end-of-premier-padmini-taxis-journey-it-is-time-to-say-goodbye-to-mumbais-once-most-loved-car/end-of-the-road/slideshow/71474215.cms ]
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Loved it. Close to 5 mins.
Amitabh Bachchan was a Hindi film superstar, and continues to be a superstar on TV shows now.
[Shared link: https://www.facebook.com/aly.zafar/videos/493069368107683/ ]
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The Anthony Gonsalves song from the 1977 movie Amar Akbar Anthony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrCnhwtVujQ
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A nice rendition of it perhaps in 2018: My Name is Anthony Gonsalves By Navtej, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3vkobXxYhY
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Interesting rendition of it in Oct. 2018: My Name Is Anthony Gonsalves - Sudesh Bhosle - MUQADDAR KA SIKANDAR, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YS9c9HtL0Ag, 4 min. 51 secs.
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Another interesting rendition in 2017: My Name Is Anthony Gonsalves - Rajessh Iyer - JHILMIL SITARON KA AANGAN, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zV7sckwtXBU
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Lovely rendition of the song by a kid perhaps in 2019: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MB3qcT-I7Bc
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Enjoyed this song & dance rendition of it in 2019: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjlHuynBTwQ
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Brexit deal is now ‘essentially impossible’, says Downing Street source, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ben1XdGg40, 27 min. 37 secs., published by Channel 4 News on 8th Oct. 2019.
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Donald Tusk, EU president, sent a powerful (public) tweet to UK PM Boris Johnson
".@BorisJohnson, what’s at stake is not winning some stupid blame game. At stake is the future of Europe and the UK as well as the security and interests of our people. You don’t want a deal, you don’t want an extension, you don’t want to revoke, quo vadis?", https://twitter.com/eucopresident/status/1181519363783974912, 8th Oct. 2019
Quo Vadis?, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quo_vadis%3F, is a Latin phrase meaning, "Where are you marching?"
Hmm. I think this is one of the most powerful tweets I have ever seen.
Prayers and best wishes for a harmonious and well thought-out resolution to the Brexit crisis impacting not only UK but the rest of Europe as well.
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A brutal reality I learned in my international software industry career from 1984 to 2002, is that money problems can sink even large companies. Wang Labs., https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wang_Laboratories, was such a big company based in Lowell, Massachusetts, USA when I started my career initial years of which were solely on Wang computers. Its wiki page states, "At its peak in the 1980s, Wang Laboratories had annual revenues of $3 billion and employed over 33,000 people. It was one of the leading companies during the time of the Massachusetts Miracle."
In 1992 Wang Labs. filed for bankruptcy and later somehow struggled to exist as a brand till 2008, going through multiple owners, before the brand also vanished in 2008.
I struggled to come to terms with Wang's decline and fall but eventually I moved on to other software & hardware platforms (Microsoft Windows & PC, as well as X-Windows and Unix mainly on PC) in 1990. However, the lesson of Wang's decline & fall was engraved deep into my memory and psyche.
US President Trump is no fan of the United Nations, and has raised issues about large contribution to UN made by USA. It is worrying to know that the UN has such a large deficit. Hope that gets sorted out quickly. The world badly needs the UN now as there is lot of uncertainty in the world now.
[Shared link is not found (Times of India). But the intro. info was: "The United Nations is running a deficit of $230 million, Secretary General Antonio Guterres has said, and may run out of money by the end of October." https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/2615904018626159 ]
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https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/2614837795399448
Just could not resist saying that the phrase, "my great and unmatched wisdom", being used in public in our times by a key world leader (please don't ask who), has absolutely stunned me! I mean, those phrases seem to be appropriate for monarchies of the medieval age and earlier. Hmm. It will take me some time to come to terms with such words being used by a key world leader in public.
I need to add that the particular leader has used very unusual words in public in the past. But still, I did not expect to see a tweet of his with this "my great and unmatched wisdom" phrase.
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In response to a comment I wrote (edited):
I have great respect for the power of the position of President of United States of America. He is commander-in-chief of the most powerful armed forces in the history of humanity and whose nuclear arsenal firepower along with associated delivery systems are absolutely terrifying in their destructive power (and so are Russia's nuclear arsenal firepower and associated delivery systems).
Now it is Mr. Trump who has been duly elected by the election system of the USA as President. I respect that election process which made him, for a term of 4 years, the most powerful man on the planet.
I am simply trying to deal with the reality that this most powerful man on the planet now says publicly that his wisdom is great and unmatched.
Mr. Wolff's book that you referred to, is I believe, harshly critical of President Trump. But that does not change the reality on the ground that Mr. Donald Trump continues to be President of USA and so is the commander-in-chief of the most powerful military force in the history of mankind.
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Great to see him being saved like this. This is where materially advanced countries like USA can be just awesome.
[Shared post intro text "A security camera captured the moment when lightning hit a Texas man as he was walking his dogs. He’s expected to make a full recovery.", U.S. NEWS SEE IT: Texas man loses socks and shoes after being struck by lightning while walking dogs, https://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/ny-texas-man-strike-lightning-socks-shoes-walking-dogs-20191006-7jawd2uidfhndb4x7mmb6kiuze-story.html ]
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Fascinating set of pics between 100 to 150 years ago telling us a lot about life then in this part of the USA: 48 Vintage Photos Of Life In The Wild West, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Hd2oi0M8pU, 8 min. 18 secs.
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Boris Johnson confirms plans for customs checks in Northern Ireland - BBC News, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veccta_nqF8, 10 min. 45 secs.
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Continuing optimism and energy on Brexit from UK PM Johnson
Boris Johnson to unveil final masterplan for Brexit deal, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yh4lUi-5ccA, around 3 mins.
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Reality bites from the Saudi Crown Prince about how the world's energy needs got threatened when Saudi Arabia's oil industry plants were hit by cruise missiles and drones. The Crown Prince said, "It (the attack) disrupted 5.5 % of the world's energy needs"! I think that is simply the plain truth. ... And India is heavily dependent on imported oil for meeting its energy needs!
On 60 Minutes: Never-before-seen video of oil strikes, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8x4uw-BQLjU, around 2 mins.
Note that Iran strongly denies any involvement in these attacks on Saudi Arabia's oil industry plants.
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