Gandhi and his homespun loincloth

In these eventless corona quarantine days, I am reading Naipaul's "A wounded continent" about India. In merciless phrases, he deconstructs the Mahatma (Big Soul) Gandhi and Bhava, his saintly successor. Hinduism seeks spiritual perfection and disdains this world, and accepts defeat, misery and dirt, believing that they refine the soul.  Naipaul hates Hindu philosophy and would clearly prefer the racial policy of the British Raj instead of the Hindu caste system. But the Brits got exhausted after 300 years of dealing with fakirs and retired to their misty island. 

The Unmentionable Secret of the Africans

 

A mysterious "ghost population" of now-extinct ancient human-like creatures interbred with early humans living in West Africa, scientists say. The DNA from this group makes up between 2% and 19% of modern West Africans' genetic ancestry. The fruitful interbreeding took place 43000 years ago. 

The ghost may not be so mysterious. No scientist will win a Nobel Prize for discovering the ghost, in fact, no one dares to touch this subject. The accepted theory is that humans are one race, all equal. Of course we are one species. But let's carry out a mental operation of listing the features that differentiates the phenotype of the Asian-European people (Lets call them AE) and the Africans (call it Afr). Make the substraction AE - Afr = what do you get? Don't you see it? Source. 

No Bourse Crash in View

 As more activity moves online, business will become more dominated by firms with the most advanced intellectual property and the biggest repositories of data; this year’s boom in technology stocks gives a sense of what is coming, as does the digital surge in the banking industry. And low real interest rates will keep asset prices high even if economies remain weak. (The Economist).

Pic.:Krach de la Bourse de Vienne le 9 mai 1873. Dessin publié dans le Illustrierte Zeitung du 21 juin 1873

Accelerated Destruction of war materiel

Azerbaijan social media accounts now claim to have destroyed up to 250 tanks and armored vehicles of the Armenians. They also claim to have destroyed another 150 military vehicles, such as jeeps or supply trucks, and to have neutralized 270 artillery pieces and multiple rocket launchers. Baku also asserts it has hit more than 60 air defense systems, including the claims it struck an S-300 system – and to have smashed eight armories and 11 command and control centers.

As for the Armenians, they also claim to have destroyed whole divisions’ worth of Azeri material. Some 127 drones have been shot-down, as well as 16 helicopters, 17 planes and four larger Smerch rocket launchers being hit, the Armenian side says. They also claim to have destroyed 416 Azerbaijan military vehicles.

The side that achieves air supremacy will start to advance and take territory. The question is if Turkey or Russia will make good the ongoing losses. This destruction cannot continue for more than another week. 

Ex Minister Avigdor Liberman said that Israel’s official line is t try to stay publicly as far away from that mix as it can. But Liberman said that while Jerusalem should say little, it is very much in Israel’s interest for its position to be made clear. “Azerbaijan is our friend, and friendship is tested in times of crisis,” he said. “I recommend very strongly that we preserve our friendship with Azerbaijan.” 

Optimists We Are

Which is the most optimist people in the world? Of course, the Jews. Having no idea how big the baby boy's member will be when grown up, we shorten it.

The Devil Let Loose on Earth

The idea is to rewild the world. Pic. The carnivorous Tasmanian Devil.

Stirling Motor Explained