Miscellaneous Facebook posts & comments in September 2020
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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Just finished watching first USA presidential debate (in steps)
First 2020 Presidential Debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wW1lY5jFNcQ
The actual debate starts around 27 mins. 50 secs and goes on till around 2 hrs. 3 mins.
Please note that I have a PUBLICLY (POLITICALLY) NEUTRAL informal-student-observer role in these posts that I put up about USA politics. Of course, as I am an Indian citizen living in India, there is no question of me having voted in USA elections. I am a well-wisher of the people of the USA.
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Lata Mangeshkar on S.P. Balasubrahmanyam in context of Hindi film songs that SPB sang, some of them with Lata.
https://www.rediff.com/movies/special/sp-balasubrahmanyam-when-he-sang-the-world-stood-still-and-listened/20200925.htm, 25th Sept. 2020.
Lata Mangeshkar's words quoted in the article: "Balaji belongs among the great co-singers I had the opportunity to sing with, like Mukesh, Mohammed Rafi, Kishore Kumar and Manna Dey. He always brought something special to our songs together." ... "Though he was born in Andhra Pradesh, he was equally proficient in Telugu and Hindi. I consider Balaji a true artiste. When he sang, the world stood still and listened."
Ravi: That is great tribute to SPB from Lata ji. Mukesh, Mohammed Rafi, Kishore Kumar and Manna Dey are very, very big male singer names for guys like me who were heavily into listening to Hindi film songs in the 70s and 80s.
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I had not known that S.P. Balasubrahmanyam was born in Nellore (in a Telugu family) and that he had enrolled in JNTU Anantapur for engineering (but dropped out due to typhoid and later became a member of Institute of Engineers in Chennai)!
Perhaps some readers may not know that and so here are the relevant wiki extracts from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S._P._Balasubrahmanyam :
S. P. Balasubrahmanyam was born in Nellore, Madras Presidency (present-day Andhra Pradesh) into a Telugu family ... His father, S. P. Sambamurthy, was a Harikatha artist who had also acted in plays.
...
Balasubrahmanyam developed an interest in music at an early age, studied musical notations, and learned music. He enrolled at JNTU College of Engineering Anantapur with the intention of becoming an engineer. He discontinued his studies early due to typhoid and joined as an associate member the Institution of Engineers, Chennai.
--- end extracts ---
SPB was born in 1946 and started his singing career in Chennai (Madras) in 1964. So his short stint in JNTU Anantapur as an engineering student may have been in early 1960s.
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China denies the claims made in the Australian think tank report mentioned in the Times of India article. But it is difficult to accept China's denial unless China allows visitors from other countries to freely travel in these areas and confirm for themselves.
As a person who writes on spirituality & religion (besides other topics), I find these reports of thousands of places of worship (mosques) being destroyed in past three years in Uighur areas in China, to be very disturbing.
I mean, China could have allowed these mosques to operate under their oversight to prevent violent extremism being spread from these mosques. But why destroy the mosques? That is unacceptable in our early 21st century times.
[Shared article: China demolished thousands of mosques in Xinjiang in recent years: Report, https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/china/thousands-of-mosques-in-xinjiang-demolished-in-recent-years-report/articleshow/78312956.cms ]
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Shir SPBs Last Live Interview | In the Memory of Shri SPB | #RIPSPB | Tokyo Tamil Sangam, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRmT8padzzc, 7 min 19 secs, published on 25th Sep. 2020.
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Now we have to watch this with a mixture of sadness at his passing away and happiness at his great singing (though I did not follow all the Tamil song words), and his remarks after that (I followed most of his Tamil in the remarks).
Very moving! His words were so graceful. Great man! I have had limited exposure to this aspect of him (remarks of his).
SPB- pleasant surprise to the fans during Corona கொரோனா காலத்தில் இன்ப அதிர்ச்சி கொடுத்த எஸ்பிபி, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPCGPUic-tQ, 9 min. 39 secs, published on 27th Aug. 2020.
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SPB with Lata Mangeshkar live: Lataji and SPB - Didi tera dewar deewana, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6TE9iNbDEQ, around 9 mins. SPB's part comes around 6 min. 30 secs into the song.
The song is from the 1994 movie, Hum Aapke Hain Koun starring Madhuri Dixit and Salman Khan. Quite fascinating that SPB sang some songs starring Salman Khan!
Salman Khan tweeted today (2 hours back), "Heartbroken to hear about #SPBalasubrahmanyam sir... you will forever live on in your undisputed legacy of music! condolence to the family #RIP", https://twitter.com/BeingSalmanKhan/status/1309423411664355329
The original movie song clip - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEKi6vnPApI .
This was just a super hit when the movie was released and remained a hit for quite long.
The song has a wikipedia page of its own, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Didi_Tera_Devar_Deewana! Just goes to show how popular this song had become. Perhaps this will be one of SPB's most memorable Hindi film songs, if not the most memorable one.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6TE9iNbDEQ
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For me who turned 18 in Mumbai in 1980, this was the first song sung by S.P. Balasubrahmanyam that really caught my attention. It is from the Hindi film Ek Duje Ke Liye released in 1981, and became a great hit.
This video has the audio of the song with the video part being a still pic of SPB: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00bWGU1Jw5o, 4 min. 39 secs.
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[S.P. Balasubramanyam] SPB Celestial Hits at Stoke-on-Trent UK | Ragaswara - Dil Deewana Song, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqRSthdhDRQ, 5 min. 43 secs. published in 2019.
The original version in the 1989 movie Maine Pyar Kiya starring Salman Khan as the male hero: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUY9JhrHaZ4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqRSthdhDRQ
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On 26th May 2019 in Mumbai, S. P. Balasubrahmanyam sings Bahut Pyar Karte Hain - बहुत प्यार करते हैं from Saajan (1991), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PynLnVnO71g, 3 min. 46 secs
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A tough read but I think it is worthwhile for those who can handle some harsh realities on the ground today in a world fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.
https://www.gatesfoundation.org/goalkeepers/report/2020-report/ dated September 2020 by Bill & Melinda Gates.
I have given below the initial paragraphs of the report (essay):
AS WE WRITE, COVID-19 has killed more than 850,000 people. It has plunged the world into a recession that is likely to get worse. And many countries are bracing for another surge in cases.
In past editions of the Goalkeepers Report—almost every time we have opened our mouths or put pen to paper, in fact—we have celebrated decades of historic progress in fighting poverty and disease.
But we have to confront the current reality with candor: This progress has now stopped. In this report, we track 18 indicators included in the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In recent years, the world has improved on every single one. This year, on the vast majority, we’ve regressed.
And so this essay has two goals. First, we analyze the damage the pandemic has done and is still doing—to health, to economies, and to virtually everything else. Second, we argue for a collaborative response. There is no such thing as a national solution to a global crisis. All countries must work together to end the pandemic and begin rebuilding economies. The longer it takes us to realize that, the longer it will take (and the more it will cost) to get back on our feet.
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Article has reactions of top Indian cricketers and commentators on the sad and shocking passing away of Dean Jones (in Mumbai). As a cricket commentator, he had become well known in India, I think.
[Shared article: Former Australian Cricketer Dean Jones Dies Of Heart Attack, https://sports.ndtv.com/cricket/former-australian-cricketer-dean-jones-dies-of-heart-attack-2300471]
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I came across this recent tweet: https://twitter.com/drkamnakakkar/status/1308842398336856065 which referenced this tweet with a video clip of exchange between USA Senator Rand Paul and Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the USA National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases - https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1308793235805007874
I responded to the first tweet mentioned above in a set of tweets spread over few hours of today, starting with this tweet - https://twitter.com/RaviSaiIyer/status/1308887352140533762. I have given below the text of those tweets (slightly edited):
Interesting! Thanks for sharing. Senator Paul is an ophthalmologist. But Dr. Fauci seems to have cornered him on the herd immunity in NYC remark!
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Small additional info: Sen. Paul mentioned New York City in his herd immunity remark. Dr. Fauci in his response referred to New York. Not clear if Dr. Fauci referred to NY state or NYC.
Related Aug. NYT article What if ‘Herd Immunity’ Is Closer Than Scientists Thought?, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/17/health/coronavirus-herd-immunity.html
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Fauci finally loses his patience with Rand Paul, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/09/23/fauci-finally-loses-his-patience-with-rand-paul/ covers the exchange in depth.
A short extract from above WaPo article
"He [USA CDC Director Robert Redfield] added that the highest rate of total infection over the course of the outbreak in any state was 24 percent. There are divergent views about just how many infections are needed before herd immunity is achieved, but estimates have generally trended upward, given the coronavirus’s transmissibility, to as much as 65 to 70 percent."
Another small extract:
“While there are a few reports of cross-reactivity of T-cells (common cold coronaviruses and covid-19),” said Eric Topol, the director and founder of the Scripps Research Translational Institute, “there aren’t neutralizing antibodies (the main defense) or any evidence that this cross-reactivity is playing an important protective role and helping us get to a herd immunity of 70 percent or greater of the population protected.”
I think that strongly disputes Sen. Paul's view of cross-reactivity (having been infected by similar virus) bringing up (infection rate?) of (New York City, as per Sen. Paul, I think) to 2/3rds (67%).
--- end text of my tweets ---
This video has a fuller capture of their exchange (and some more), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yk2p2oyXxTc, around 14 mins, published on 23rd Sept. 2020 (with the exchange seemingly happening on the same day).
Senator Rand Paul seems to be essentially questioning the advice of lockdown and restrictions due to the recession that it has caused. His initial statements seem to argue that lockdown helped only to prevent hospitals getting overwhelmed (by flattening the curve) but that the area under the curve - total deaths due to the virus - would be the same. That is: "the same amount of people would likely die with or without the lockdown".
Hmm. Is that really the case? I doubt it based on my readings of the matter. But then Sen. Paul is an ophthalmologist (medical eye doctor). I think I will need to dig up views of experts on this matter to know whether Senator Paul's above views have some validity (or are even fully valid).
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Shocking and very sad!
[Shared article: Former cricketer Dean Jones, 59, passes away after cardiac arrest, https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/news/dean-jones-59-passes-away-due-to-cardiac-arrest/articleshow/78294226.cms ]
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Sugar Colt (1966) a "solid timepass" movie!
Sugar Colt (1966): Very interesting 1966 Western Spaghetti movie that has a James Bond type intelligence agent mixed with immediate post USA Civil War period (around 1866; the civil war was from 1861 to 1865) in a Wild West town in New Mexico. Using my Mumbai days (1960s to 2000s) jargon, I would say it is "solid timepass" :-). Hindi films which had lot of entertainment stuff with a mix of comedy, romance, fights, songs, devilish villain etc. (with good eventually triumphing over evil), but the story generally being hard to believe from a real world perspective, would be given that label. In other words, one knew the movie plot was just too far from reality but one just went along with the movie for the fun of it. It was a great escape from routine of daily life for a few hours :-), and so great timepass!
Sugar Colt meets all the above criteria of a "solid timepass" movie, except that it does not have songs (it has background songs but that's different). [Hindi movie songs would have (and I guess that would be the case even now) the actors act out the singing and sometimes dancing and it would not be just background audio.]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar_Colt gives a very limited description of the film. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061040/plotsummary gives fair level of details of the plot but there are many inaccuracies!
When I searched for the movie script, I could not easily find it on the Internet.
Snake Valley is a rough-and-tough town with strangers being unwelcome. Here's one dialogue about that aspect from the movie. The lady owner of the saloon where the hero (Dr. Tom Cooper but really Sugar Colt, a famous intelligence agent and super gunslinger) is staying, advises the hero to get out of town saying, (around 32:37 in the video) "If you want my advice and it won't cost you a cent - get out of here. In this town a stranger is generally buried before he has a chance to catch his breath"!
Of course, the hero just gives a sardonic smile and stays on. Remember it is a "timepass" movie :-).
Sugar Colt | BEST SPAGHETTI WESTERN | Full Length Movie | Wild West | Cowboy Film, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDGbDlPyaV4, 1 hr. 39 mins. published on 18th Sept. 2020.
As an aside, it was interesting to see that timepass has made it to wikipedia! From https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/timepass: "timepass (uncountable)
(India) Aimless or unproductive activity; killing time.
[Example] Why are you doing timepass with your friends? You should be studying!"
Ha! Ha! Fascinating that timepass has made it to wikipedia!
There is a similar entry here: https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=timepass
However, I do have to say that when I use the term "timepass movie" I do not mean that it is a waste of time. The movie certainly has entertainment value and relaxes the mind. Further, while the plot may be too unrealistic, such movies can also have good messages that stay with the viewer, and also powerful scenes that also stay with the viewer.
In Sugar Colt, the messages that strike me are:
1) How an entire town (Snake Valley) becomes a dark place to live in as it is controlled by an evil man who is a (ex) Colonel.
2) Good eventually triumphing over evil as the hero frees the captive Union army men, and the evil Colonel is killed by the saloon owner lady who seems to have had an association with him in the past.
One scene that I found to be powerful in the movie, is how the hero who is on a horse, after having disarmed the villain and made his horse run away, drives the villain to Snake Valley town (from well outside the town) by firing from his rifle near the feet of the villain. In the town the freed Union army men who had suffered horrific abuse from the villain and his men, corner the villain. Justice is being served to the villain through all this. Eventually the villain runs to saloon and begs help from the lady saloon owner (who was his associate in the past, but whom he treated very badly once he came to know that she was helping the hero). The lady saloon owner kills him with a rifle! So the evil Colonel is delivered justice.
If the hero had just killed the Colonel after having disarmed him and made his horse run away, then it would have been an easy and quick death for the villain. But this scene shows how the Colonel is made to frantically run to save his life but eventually meets his end.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDGbDlPyaV4
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Another tribute video to Kishore Kumar with the audio being the song mentioned below.
Pyar Manga Hai Tumhee Se Naa Inkar | College Girl | Kishore Kumar | Bappi Lahiri | Shiv Kumar Saroj, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1gykw4y798, around 5 mins.
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Tu tu hai wahi | Kishore Kumar, Asha Bhosle | Yeh Vaada Raha | Rahul Dev Burman | Gulshan Bawra, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2w61ntYUMo, 6 min. 46 secs.
The video has pics of the Great Kishore Kumar over the years, and seems to be a tribute to him. The audio is the above song.
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Fascinating! I did not know that there were some (very few) people with that ability (sometimes burdensome trait).
People who remember every second of their life | 60 Minutes Australia, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpTCZ-hO6iI, 13 min. 42 secs, published on 21st Sept. 2018
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Winning Over Covid-19: My Personal Experience, written by Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, a well known Indian pharma sector leader, https://kiranshaw.blog/2020/09/01/winning-over-covid-19-my-personal-experience/ , 1st Sept. 2020
I wrote the following comment on her post which is now under moderation (and so will not be seen until it is approved): Thank you so much for sharing this experience. Your knowledge of the tests and the treatment gave you powerful insights into what you were going through. Others like me do not have the level of knowledge you have on tests and treatment, and so what you have shared is very helpful for me, and I am quite sure, many others like me. Your post is a great contribution in this fight against COVID 19 pandemic. Thanks again.
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My blogs too face this problem as I have blogspot.in links in some of my posts to my other posts. They don't work now. If the user/reader knows about Google not owning blogspot.in now, he/she may guess that they have to simply change the .in to .com and then the link will work. But how many readers/users will know that?
Google does not seem to have even informed bloggers from India about the problem, let alone propose an automated solution.
Google loses ownership over blogspot.in, users face issues accessing their blogs, https://www.indiatoday.in/technology/news/story/google-loses-ownership-over-blogspot-in-users-face-issues-accessing-their-blogs-1698430-2020-07-08, 8th July 2020.
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PM Modi: "Since many have asked, what is it that I want for my birthday, here is what I seek right now: Keep wearing a mask and wear it properly. Follow social distancing. Remember ‘Do Gaj Ki Doori.’ Avoid crowded spaces. Improve your immunity. Let us make our planet healthy.",
https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/1306671426930225152
[Do Gaj Ki Doori is Hindi for distance of two yards (1 yard is 3 feet)]
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czes%C5%82awa_Kwoka tells us that the child was a girl (and so she not he). But otherwise the info. in the post seems to match with wiki page.
Never forget the horrors that the Nazis who thought of themselves as the master race, did to fellow Europeans. Their atrocities were not limited to Jews. The Polish people including Poles who were not Jews, suffered terribly.
Any ethnic group that considers themselves to be a master race with others as being inferior to them and so meant to serve them, must be shunned.
White supremacists must be shunned.
Religious extremists who want to dominate people of other religions and atheists/agnostics must be shunned.
https://www.facebook.com/sheila.winter.351/posts/3357065037707558
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Forget vitamins: Fauci says the 3 best things 'to keep your immune system working optimally' cost nothing, https://www.businessinsider.in/.../articleshow/78178136.cms, 18th Sept. 2020
Some quotes of and info. related to Dr. Anthony Fauci from the article:
Dr. Fauci takes Vitamin C and D tablets.
He recommends three most potent ways of keeping immune system strong: 1) Getting enough sleep 2) healthy diet 3) avoiding or alleviating stress
He says, "That is much more healthy living than giving yourself supplements of anything".
Additional quotes of his from the article:
"There is good evidence that if you have a low vitamin D level, that you have more of a propensity to get infected when there are infections around".
"Sometimes people when they don't get out in the sun a lot, they're deficient in vitamin D — so my vitamin D level was generally low".. "I started taking vitamin D supplements, and now my vitamin D level is normal."
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Seems like sugarcane that the elephant could just not resist and enjoyed a few (a trunkful? 🙂 ).😂😂😂
[Shared video: https://www.facebook.com/NTDTelevision/posts/4641289039246503 ]
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Interesting tweet video birthday wishes to PM Modi from Amul. Amul is based in Gujarat, PM Modi's home state
https://twitter.com/Amul_Coop/status/1306300468516200448 (tweet video is around 1 minute with PM Modi's voice - reading verses of a Hindi poem - in the background; the video part has mostly English and Hindi text messages on pics).
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In my cricket fan days, there were many batting greats including India's Sunil Gavaskar but, in my view, there was only one king of cricket and that was King Viv Richards. This awesome knock of 189 not out in a 1984 ODI against England, when all the other West Indies front line batsmen scored only in single digits, shows how this man could just dominate bowlers like a cricket king.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xj2PCictIL8, around 15 mins.
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Jaane Kahan Gaye Woh Din [(I wonder) where have those days gone?] - An unforgettable Hindi film song sung by Mukesh, composed by Shaily Shailendra (and Shailendra), from the movie Mera Naam Joker (1970). [Shaily Shaildendra is son of famous lyricist Shailendra, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shailendra_(lyricist) and Shailendra's wiki page states that Shaily finished the composition of the song which was initiated by Shailendra.]
I have heard the song umpteen number of times in my childhood and young adult days. Haunting, somewhat sad but philosophical about life - Mukesh would just excel at singing these types of songs.
Lines towards the end of the song - Jeena yahan marna yahan iske siva jaana kahan (Live here die here, besides this (place), where else to go).
Jaane Kahan Gaye Woh Din (HD) | Mera Naam Joker | Raj Kapoor | | Bollywood Classic Songs | Mukesh, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9ULWBTokzw, close to 7 mins.
In the comments, as and when I get time, I will add good orchestra renditions of this awesome song, if I find them quickly on youtube.
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Great rendition by Mukhtar Shah; Seems to be 2015 orchestra rendition - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FVWYUIzH5M
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Jane Kahan Gaye Woh Din with lyrics | जाने कहाँ गए वह दिन के बोल | Mukesh, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-X6GE-Kqoo
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Awesome rendition by a lady in 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uPqO3iqYoA
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[Please ignore title of shared youtube video]
I think Dr. Fauci's words in this video are very valuable. Note that these are his projections based on data and science, and that projections can sometimes be wrong.
His words seem very logical. And so USA may not be seeing "normal" life of pre-COVID pandemic times till end 2021. Getting a great vaccine in end 2020/early 2021 will not mean that suddenly the whole USA population will be protected from COVID, as vaccinating hundreds of millions of people will take significant time due to logistics issues.
I think India would also be facing similar issues with the big difference that India's population (1350 million) is over 4 times USA population (327 million).
So I guess the projection for the time when India would have moved to "normal" pre-COVID pandemic life would also be at least end 2021. Hard to digest these words but I think that's what the data and science seem to project.
The video has some references to USA politics by the TV show host, Wolf Blitzer of CNN, which Dr. Fauci avoids getting involved in. I am publicly neutral in USA politics. I am sharing this video only to share Dr. Fauci's very valuable views. My sharing this video should not be viewed as my supporting the USA politics views of the TV show host, Wolf Blitzer of CNN.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEmTT1gu2Mc, 8 min. 44 secs, published on 11th Sept. 2020
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"Massing Of Chinese Troops" A Strong Concern, India Tells China: Sources, https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/provocative-behaviour-of-chinese-troops-along-lac-showed-disregard-for-bilateral-agreements-india-tells-china-sources-2293648, 11th Sep. 2020
Ravi: China seems to be flexing its military power not only in terms of arms & equipment but in terms of the masses of Chinese troops it can deploy on the border.
Well, as a resident and citizen of India, my considered view is that India must not give in to such intimidation by China when it comes to protecting Indian territory from Chinese land-grab. This is simply bullying tactics. If you give the bully even an inch, the bully will keep grabbing more and more over time. That's the way bullies operate.
Early 21st century India should not allow itself to get bullied by anybody, including China, when it comes to vital matters like protecting Indian territory from land-grab by other countries.
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India-China border situation seems to have become very tense with lots of armed forces build-up on both sides.
Prayers for well being and success of Indian armed forces in protecting Indian territory from Chinese land-grab.
[Shared article: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/dont-allow-transgressions-maintain-utter-discipline-army-instructs-ground-commanders/articleshow/78023170.cms ]
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Good development, I think, as it will help farmers of Anantapur district to more easily sell their produce in North India.
[Shared post: https://www.facebook.com/discoveratp/posts/172838060998633 (on Kisan Express running from Anantapur railway station to New Delhi) ]
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Nice message from Novak Djokovic after he was defaulted (removed) from US Open for unintentionally but aggressively hitting a tennis ball, probably in frustration, that hit a line judge on the throat and caused her visible pain and discomfort.
I think the message shows that Djokovic has accepted his mistake and hopes to learn from it.
Initial part of text in his Instagram post: "This whole situation has left me really sad and empty. I checked on the lines person and the tournament told me that thank God she is feeling ok. I‘m extremely sorry to have caused her such stress. So unintended. So wrong."
Of course, one hopes that the line judge will recover quickly and well.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CE0AzAOH2cp/?utm_source=ig_embed
Video of the unfortunate incident: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MF46cTBL8s, 1 min. 36 secs.
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Just Say No to drugs (narcotics)!
In my Mumbai days (till 2002), it was common knowledge that charas and ganja could be obtained on the streets. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charas - "Charas (Hindustani) is the name given to a hashish form of cannabis which is handmade in the Indian subcontinent and Jamaica." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ganja - "Ganja is a Hindi name for hemp, derived from the word ganjha, from the Sanskrit gañjā, referring to a "powerful preparation from cannabis sativa"."]
Sad to know that, in all likelihood, Sushant Singh Rajput (a Hindi movie star based in Mumbai who died recently with some ongoing debate and police investigation on whether his death was suicide or homicide) used to take charas and ganja.
Some of my readers are based in Mumbai metropolitan region. I have a message for the young readers among them, and young readers elsewhere too. This is a message that I used to hear and see in my young adult days, which kept me away from narcotics. That message is: "Just say No to drugs (narcotics)".
[From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Just_Say_No - ""Just Say No" was an advertising campaign prevalent during the 1980s and early 1990s as a part of the U.S. "War on Drugs", aiming to discourage children from engaging in illegal recreational drug use by offering various ways of saying no. The slogan was created and championed by First Lady Nancy Reagan during her husband's presidency." Ravi: I was not aware that the slogan was created and championed by Nancy Reagan. Great work done by her!]
"Saw Him Smoke Ganja," Says Sushant Singh Rajput's Cook To Investigators, https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/sushant-singh-rajput-case-marijuana-saw-him-smoke-ganja-since-i-joined-says-sushant-rajputs-cook-2291271, 6th Sept. 2020
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My comment on US Embassy post shared below:
Wow! I really enjoyed seeing Dr. Radhakrishnan's (as president) pics with JFK (as president). Thanks a ton for sharing. And you folks picked a great day - Teacher's day - to share it.👍🙏
[Shared FB post: https://www.facebook.com/India.usembassy/posts/3509349889181015 ]
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Good to see PM Modi express gratitude to teachers (including non-researcher teachers). I am grateful to my formal & informal teachers/mentors in family, school, college, software industry, life in general and spiritual & religious teachers & community for their great positive contribution to my life.
[Shared Tweet: https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/1302072402428358656 ]
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When the ocean comes inland!
I came across this video a few days ago on Facebook but the post did not specify which event this was associated with.
Some searching on youtube led me to this video entry whose initial parts are the same as the video I mentioned above, with this entry clearly stating that it is a Japan 2011 tsunami related video.
I think this is perhaps the most powerful, in a destructive sense, video I have seen of what the ocean can do if it gets inland. [Yes, I have seen quite a few 2004 Indonesia epicentre tsunami videos and they were very destructive too but they did not seem to have such a rush of water in such a short period of time.]
The water just keeps coming in and inundating stuff. But I think the water level may not have risen to the level of the rooftop of the building where folks were gathered including the recorder(s) of the video.
I think there perhaps is nothing as destructive in nature as big tsunamis.
River flooding I think is slower though (river) dams releasing huge amount of water may create a tsunami like effect in areas downstream from the dam. But dams releasing water is not a natural event. Tsunami is a natural event.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8Oe3umsqt8, 4 min 21 secs, published in 2019.
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[USA] Dr. Fauci weighs in about a possible vaccine in October, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjbgzFa9nCI, around 11 mins, published by CNN on 3rd Sept. 2020.
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Great to see Russia continuing its decades long support for India even in the face of Chinese land-grab military aggression against India
China Defence Minister seeks Rajnath meet, Jaishankar says talks only option, https://indianexpress.com/article/india/china-india-rajnath-singh-wei-fenghe-jaishankar-6582267/, 4th Sept. 2020
Ravi: My considered view is that China will respect India ***only if*** India shows that it is capable of fighting off Chinese armed forces aggression. As a resident and citizen of India who has lived most of his close to sixty years of life in India, I think that is simply the brutal reality on the ground. I was born in the year that China committed its big act of armed aggression against India and grabbed significant sized chunks of Indian territory - 1962. At that time, India was not able to defend its territory and so China got away with the land grab. I think it was as simple as that. Major powers at that time seem to have made a lot of noise about Chinese aggression but ultimately it was just that - noise which got ignored by China under Mao Tse Tung. India's then leader Nehru suffered a great loss of prestige as a world leader. I mean, if you are not able to defend your country's territory against an aggressor then it is hard for other countries' leaders to respect you.
So I am very happy to note the following small extract from this news article:
In Moscow, Rajnath Singh met Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and conveyed appreciation for the “steadfast support” provided by Russia “consistent with the defence and security needs of India”.
--- end extract ---
https://twitter.com/DefenceMinIndia/status/1301542879060344833 which is from Indian Defence Ministry office states, "RM conveyed appreciation for the steadfast support provided by Russia consistent with the defence and security needs of India, and in this context, particularly noted the timely manner in which the Russian had responded to requests for procurement of particular weapon systems"
In above tweet text RM stands for Raksha Mantri (in Hindi) which means Defence Minister (Rajnath Singh).
What I have observed over the decades is that Russia has been a time-tested friend of India, over all the period of my adult life (since I started reading and noting such matters).
It is great to see that Russia continues its friendship with India even as India has to face a powerful China using its armed forces for land grab in India in 2020!
As a resident and citizen of India, I would like to publicly state my appreciation for this very helpful support from Russia to India over many decades.
Long Live Russia-India friendship!
This tweet has a short video of India's Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his counterpart in Russia - General Sergey Shoigu - walking with their teams towards perhaps a meeting room - https://twitter.com/DefenceMinIndia/status/1301747575465238528
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Very interesting to know about Marlon Brando's efforts for better treatment of African-Americans and Native Americans
I hadn't known much or perhaps anything about the young Marlon Brando hero and his real-life efforts for better treatment of African-Americans and Native Americans in Hollywood industry and USA in general. Prior to me watching the videos I have linked below, for me, Marlon Brando was the actor who did a super job of the Don Vito Corleone role in The Godfather movie.
It was quite fascinating for me to know about the young Marlon Brando.
I first saw this 1961 movie and liked the acting and role played by the young Marlon Brando:
MARLON BRANDO: One Eyed Jacks (1961), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ph0FDAKKE54, 2 hrs 21 mins.
Movie script: https://subslikescript.com/movie/One-Eyed_Jacks-55257
Later I came across these great interviews of Marlon Brando where Brando speaks very well about need for better treatment of African-Americans (1968 interview) and Native Americans (1973 interview) in USA.
1968 Marlon Brando interview with Johnny Carson where Brando speaks about supporting African Americans, especially in the context of the assassination of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. earlier in the same year. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNWxtr3is6k, 15 min. 46 secs.
1973 interview - Marlon Brando on Rejecting His Oscar for 'The Godfather' | The Dick Cavett Show, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcCKczj4aK4, close to 8 mins. In this interview he urges better treatment of Native Americans in the USA.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ph0FDAKKE54
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Good to see former MLA of Puttaparthi and former minister, Dr. Palle Raghunath Reddy recover from COVID (Corona).
Please note that I have a PUBLICLY POLITICALLY NEUTRAL role in my social media posts about Andhra Pradesh and its political leaders. I am not a member or even a supporter of any particular political party in Andhra Pradesh, though I am respectful of these political parties for the vital role they play in democracy. Please note that I have been living in Andhra Pradesh since Oct. 2002, and so am a voter in Andhra Pradesh. I should also say that I am a beneficiary, a lover and an open supporter of democracy in Andhra Pradesh, and in India in general.
[Shared FB video: https://www.facebook.com/raja.chowdary.180/posts/1694640967352124 ]
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