#South India travel 2023

[soloyatra]

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[srbachchan]

DAY 5525

Jalsa, Mumbai                  Apr 2,  2023                Sun 11:49 PM

Birthday Ef 

🪔 .. April 03 .. birthday wishes to Ef Haarsha Balraj from South Africa .. Ef Krishna urf Kris Dwivedi from Bilaspur CG .. and Ef Divyansh Rawat from Lucknow .. love and happiness .. ❤️❤️❤️🌿 and all the good wishes from the family Ef .. and the Sunday meetings at the Gate be in preference of course .. hence here 

And the very revealing aspect for the coming day be that on April 3, for the first time an adventure took place .. the first plane to fly over the Everest  .. in the year 1934 , apparently ..

Justification :

📌 .. and on this day .. April 3, 1933 .. conquering the impossible .. happened the first fly ever over Everest 🏔️ .. by two British aircraft  of type Westland Wallace bi-planes .. crewed by Squadron Leader Douglas-Hamilton and Colonel LVS Blacker in one and Flight Lieutenant MacIntyre and Mr SR Bonnet in the other .. they took off from Lalbalu aerodrome, near Purnea, India .. the flight lasted for around three hours, covered a return distance of 320 miles reaching nearly 30,000 feet clearing the mountain by a reported 100 feet .. close range photographs of Mt Everest proved the achievement which previously was not possible to any airplane .. 

further justification  -

the peak , the highest point on Earth .. the mountain , the Himalayas and the feat that seems to this generation to be no big deal, because they are unaware of the conditions and circumstances that prevailed then ..

Everest .. named by the British when they ruled over India ..

In the nineteenth century, the mountain was named after George Everest, a former Surveyor General of India. The Tibetan name is Chomolungma, which means “Mother Goddess of the World.” The Nepali name is Sagarmatha, which has various meanings.

Sagarmatha .. ‘sagar’ , the Ocean .. ‘matha’ churning .. and the Indian mythology that the Oceans were churned by the mountain to produce the ‘amrit’ ..

my interpretation .. though the knowledge from the records says this :

Sagarmatha is a Sanskrit word, from sagar = "sky" (not to be confused with "sea/ocean") and matha = "forehead" or "head", and is the modern Nepali name for Mount Everest.

the Goddess of the Sky .. in Tibet it is addressed as 

Therefore, the historic, local Tibetan name for Mount Everest is Chomolungma, also spelled Qomolangma, meaning "Goddess Mother of the World." Chomolungma is pronounced "CHOH-moh-LUHNG-m?." The Nepali name for Mount Everest is Sagarmatha, meaning "Godess of the Sky." Some refer to the entire massif of peaks as ...

and the many adventure stories on the Sagarmatha prevail .. 

And the great thrill at the time of a shooting in Nepal, when I went on a plane that flew us right next to the Everest and the experience almost unreal ..

Such be the moments of remembrance ..

It was a touristy matter and many such flights I do believe operate from Kathmandu, Nepal for the pleasure of tourists .. even now .. 

Its majesty has never reduced despite the conquering of it by several now ..  and the very sight of which evokes so much wonder .. the wonder of the Gods .. the makers that introduced us to us all .. and the reason of its formation .. that the entire subcontinent now known as India was a part of the continent of Africa, at Egypt .. and many millions of years ago the entire subcontinent broke away from the mother board and shifted travelled over the Indian Ocean, to the Eastern sub continent and attached itself there .. the impact of the joining of the land mass being so great , it formed the realm, now known as the Himalayas  !!

I do not have authenticity on this , but it does seem to be believed , historically and geographically .

and the day in recuperation and the meeting at the Gate , of the ever present well wisher ..

Amitabh Bachchan

and the signature above out of place , because the icon that opens the Desktop to search the sign is JUST not appearing ..  

and this has been on several times before too ..

this model of the updated Mac, the Ventura is absurd and has created many problems .. 

deliberately done to attract more when the changed model is brought out ?? marketing and manufacturing often does that  .. the deliberation to access the mode of investing in the latest and doing away with the present .. 

[coimbrabertone]

Suzuka in April Feels Wrong

So, this weekend F1 will race at Suzuka. Suzuka is an amazing circuit, the esses at the beginning of the lap, trying to take Degner 1 as fast as possible but knowing the gravel trap is right there at the edge of the circuit, and then hard on the brakes for Degner 2, under the bridge, and up and to the right into the hairpin where Kamui Kobayashi seemed to overtake just about everyone in 2012. Spoon curve, the infamous 130R, and the Casio triangle at the end of the lap, Suzuka really is something special.

The only problem is, Raikkonen's 2005 charge (admittedly I was too young to properly enjoy that but it's literally the back to front challenge meme in real life), Kamui's 2012 podium as a Japanese driver, even Vettel's heartbreaking sparkplug failure in 2017, not to mention the historic Prost and Senna collisions...all of those happened at the end of the season, or close enough to it anyway. This year, Suzuka is in April, the fourth round of the 2024 Formula One season.

Now of course, there's a reason for this - the geography of an increasingly bloated F1 calendar - but first, let's just establish why the Japanese Grand Prix being at the end of the season is so important.

The first Japanese Grand Prix, held in 1976 and 1977, marked the first time a world championship race was held in Asia, and it was the finale too, the place where the championship would be decided. The 1976 race in particular, covered in the excellent 2013 movie Rush, saw Niki Lauda pull into the pits in dangerously wet conditions - this was the same year as his Nürburgring crash - which allowed James Hunt to charge up the field and seal his only world title.

The first Fuji trip would only last two years, but in 1987, F1 would find its home in Suzuka. It was the penultimate race - Adelaide, Australia was now the finale - but nevertheless, Suzuka was still the place where titles were decided. In 1988, Senna came from behind in the wet to beat Prost, in 1989 Prost would close the door on a charging Senna in the Casio triangle on lap 47, taking Prost out. Senna cut the chicane rejoining the track, got disqualified, and handed the title to Prost. In 1990, Prost now in a Ferrari, got a better start than Senna's polesitting McLaren, but Senna's wouldn't give an inch, and they didn't even make it past the first corner this time. Senna would seal the 1990 title. And it continued, Senna over Mansell in 1991, Hill over Villeneuve in 1996, Hakkinen over Schumacher in 1998...it was the track where history was made.

That being said, it's position in the calendar started to change as F1 expanded its Asia-Pacific presence from just Suzuka. From 1987-1995, it was paired with the Australian Grand Prix at Adelaide, in 1999 and 2000, it was paired with Malaysia, and from 2004-2008, it was paired with China. After that, the calendar more or less formed two flyaway blocks, with Australia-Malaysia-China-Bahrain at the beginning of the season, and a Singapore and Suzuka towards the end, paired with an everchanging host of flyaway races that included Abu Dhabi, Brazil, South Korea, and India. In 2009, Suzuka was the third to last race, come 2011, it was fifth to last.

The real blow to Suzuka as an end of season race, however, was the emergence of an American block of races late in the season. It started with Austin in 2012, and by 2015, we had Austin and Mexico back-to-back followed by Brazil, making for three western hemisphere races in a row. Las Vegas in 2023 made a fourth, with Abu Dhabi having long ago bought the season finale slot. All of this means that, in 2023, there were a whole two months of racing after Suzuka.

Thus, figuring that history is dead, F1 has decided to move Suzuka to April, so that, much like 2004-2008, it's back-to-back with the Chinese Grand Prix. Which means F1 will now have Baku and Singapore as a doubleheader in 2024...yeah.

For something meant to cut down on F1's travel related CO2 emissions, they really did just decide to make the entire circus fly over the entirety of the Asian continent in a week. Good job.

What the race does succeed in, however, is reminding us of the last time F1 raced in Japan in April, the 1994 and 1995 Pacific Grand Prix. A rare moment of two races in the same country for F1, when in addition to the end of season trip to Suzuka, there was an early season trip to the T1 Circuit in Okayama. It's a pretty neat track, I've raced it on Ride 4, probably better for bikes than cars though.

So yeah, not much for the environment, but it does remind us of an obscure race nobody has ever heard of, so there is that.

[mariacallous]

KATHMANDU, Nepal—When Kumar Paudel turned on the TV in August 2016 and saw former Prime Minister Kirti Nidhi Bista giving an interview from his home, it wasn’t the content of the conversation that caught his attention. It was the massive tiger pelt hanging on Bista’s wall.

At the time, Paudel, a conservationist based in Kathmandu, was traveling around Nepal’s prisons to conduct interviews with incarcerated individuals as part of his research into why people commit wildlife crime. Although there are few official statistics on wildlife crime in Nepal, researchers believe that the country is a key hub in the region for wildlife trafficking, one that serves as an important transit route between India and China.

Nepal has some of the strictest wildlife crime laws in the world, but they are unevenly enforced: While the country’s poor languish in prison for their involvement in the trade, the rich and powerful illegally flaunt exotic skins as showpieces.

Paudel is deeply aware of this disparity. Between 2016 and 2017, he interviewed 116 prisoners convicted for wildlife crime, mostly in the rhinoceros trade. Some had been part of international wildlife trafficking syndicates; many others were driven by economic desperation or were not sure why they had been arrested. More than half of them lived below the poverty line, and 75 percent came from Indigenous communities.

“Prosecution is mainly targeted at poor and vulnerable communities in the global south who are not often at the helm of driving international illegal wildlife trade,” Paudel said when I met him in December at a small forested patch amid Kathmandu’s urban sprawl. The 33-year-old conservationist had a scientist’s curiosity, his attention ensnared by every insect and plant, and his wardrobe was unselfconscious outdoor nerd: trekking shoes, baggy pants, safari jacket.

After Bista’s interview aired, Paudel decided to take matters into his own hands. Bista hadn’t been prime minister since 1979, but he was emblematic of Nepal’s elite. Paudel sought legal action to rectify Nepal’s double standard in enforcing wildlife crime. Finally, in May 2023, Nepal’s Supreme Court ruled that the government must enforce its conservation laws and seize illegal wildlife parts. The verdict marks a significant victory for conservation, but Nepal’s entrenched power structures and deep-seated inequality mean that this is only a first step in supporting both vulnerable communities and conservation efforts in the country.

Trophy hunting in Nepal dates back at least to the reign of Jung Bahadur Rana in the 19th century. British visitors embarked on trips to the region to hunt and collect exotic wildlife, including rhinos, tigers, and elephants. These expeditions weren’t mere hunting outings or camping adventures; they were elaborate demonstrations of wealth, authority, and diplomacy.

Nepali monarchs orchestrated extensive hunting expeditions to curry favor with the British. These encounters provided fertile ground for negotiating political interests and strengthening cultural ties, all while showcasing the monarchy’s authority over its natural riches.

These “hunting diplomacy” expeditions were enormous. Photographic records of the hunts are perhaps the best evidence we have that they drove megafauna across the subcontinent to endangered status and near extinction, from the Bengal tiger to the one-horned rhinoceros and the Indian elephant.

Nepal has come a long way since then. The country completely banned hunting in 1972. The following year, it enacted the National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act, which provides a comprehensive legal framework for the management of Nepal’s natural resources and biodiversity. The act authorizes the government to designate national parks, wildlife reserves, and conservation areas, as well as zones where hunting is allowed under strict regulation. (Today, hunting is only allowed in the Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve. All other hunting, even for bushmeat, is illegal, though subsistence hunting is still relatively common.)

The act also makes it illegal to use, sell, or distribute wildlife without permission, and it states that any individual in possession of wildlife parts must get a permit after acquiring them by disclosing their source. (This also applies to parts acquired before 1973.)

Despite these efforts, the country’s hunting legacy left its mark, and threats to wildlife continue to grow—including climate change, rapidly expanding human populations, the illegal wildlife trade, and a resurgence in poaching. In addition, the 1973 act isn’t always enforced; for instance, according to the director general of Nepal’s Department of National Park and Wildlife Conservation, no one has ever sought to obtain a permit for any wildlife parts.

The illegal wildlife trade is rampant in Southeast Asia, where the gap between rich and poor creates both poachers and markets. In Nepal, the illegal wildlife trade largely operates covertly, and some of the product is used for manufacturing traditional medicines. But a portion of the trade meets the demand for extravagant decor. Some pelts have been exhibited in public spaces such as banks, markets, and even government offices.

Many Nepalis have been imprisoned for their involvement in the trade. (Despite poor data, researchers have found that from 2011 to 2015, there were 830 wildlife-related arrest cases reported in the country.) They fall into the trap of trafficking to support their families and spend decades paying the price.

“We are expendable and poor and desperate for money,” said Bir Bahadur Tamang, who served 15 years in prison for smuggling wildlife parts. “There are many like us.”

Tamang was born and raised in the village of Kalika on the rim of Chitwan, Nepal’s first national park. Tigers, rhinos, leopards, spotted deer, and wild buffalo roam there, along with elephants that come to graze when the plains are dry. Several Indigenous communities have been living beside these dense forests for centuries.

I first met Tamang last December outside his home in Kalika. With a hint of guilt, Tamang recalled supplying bags to masked ringleaders—whom he called “big people”—in the trade network that were full of rhino horns and pangolin scales (both of which are classic ingredients in traditional Chinese medicine), as well as tiger skin.

One morning, Tamang and six of his friends were arrested for conspiring to smuggle wildlife parts. None of them could afford to post bail, he said, and there was never a trial. Some died in prison due to physical ailments and inadequate medical treatment.

Tamang was released from prison in 2016, but as a former felon, he faces a world of poverty, hazards, and guilt. He struggles to make a living, often existing hand-to-mouth without a stable income or basic necessities. Tamang said that finding work has been challenging due to his criminal record and a spinal injury from poor confinement conditions. He is often psychologically distressed, haunted by nightmares of his time in prison, and fearful of entering the jungles that surround his home. “I’m taking it one day at a time,” he said.

As Paudel put it, when a poor person illegally kills a tiger, the full weight of the law is applied. But when a prime minister illegally owns a dead tiger, it is permitted.

Yet showcasing wildlife is harmful, too: It normalizes the trade and adds to its appeal as a status symbol. This is why, starting in 2016, Paudel lobbied for government action. First, he reported instances of illegal wildlife parts displayed in Kathmandu to different government bodies. But authorities warned him to keep quiet, and he said that some even threatened to end his career by withholding approval for his conservation and research permits.

After running in vain from one department to another for two years, Paudel made little progress. So in May 2018, Paudel filed a petition to Nepal’s Supreme Court with the help of environmental lawyer Padam Bahadur Shrestha. The petition demanded that the government urgently conduct investigations into the private possession of wildlife parts, seize illegal parts and prosecute those who own them, and maintain records on legally held wildlife parts. This includes parts used in medicines, trophies, and displays.

After five years of deferrals, the Supreme Court ruled in Paudel’s favor. It also mandated that the government implement additional measures to combat wildlife crime, including better educating the public on the wildlife possession laws and confiscating wildlife parts for educational and research purposes.

The verdict means anyone displaying trophies without the right permits is in trouble. Penalties  can include fines of roughly $7,400 and up to 15 years in prison. Courts may confiscate wildlife parts for evidence, research, or destruction, and offenders can also face penalties such as asset forfeiture and bans on further wildlife-related activities. This applies to all offenders, regardless of their socioeconomic status. “Ensuring justice isn’t about favoring one group over another,” Paudel said. “It’s about equitable treatment and holding everyone accountable under the law.”

Bista, who died in 2017, did not live to see the ruling in the case, which was spurred in part by his own decor.

For now, it’s unclear whether the government will have the desire—or ability—to enforce the law. Part of this comes down to Nepal’s history. For most of the 20th century, Nepal was ruled by a monarch who held all executive power and enjoyed absolute immunity. After the 1973 act, all wildlife trophies seized by the authorities were handed over to the Royal Palace and were often displayed in public as a symbol of royal splendor, according to Sindhu Prasad Dhungana, director general of the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation. The monarchy was abolished in 2008, but wildlife parts are still displayed and used in some private households of Nepal’s elite, often without any consequences.

“The lingering effects of royal impunity still resonate in the present,” Dhungana said.

According to Shrestha, the attorney who helped Paudel with his petition, powerful Nepalis often manipulate the investigation process to evade punishment. “The inconsistent application of laws within Nepal points to a glaring deficiency in our legal system: It fails to dissuade criminals, resulting in rampant impunity,” he explained.

The new rules are expected to go into effect later this year, but it will take time for officials to establish a process for investigating and certifying wildlife trophies. Although the Ministry of Forests and Environment will be responsible for this initiative, the specific details will only be determined after the full text of the verdict is released in the coming months.

Dhungana believes it will be challenging to implement the new law. “Many possessions are displayed flouting the law, but it is nearly impossible to enter every house and investigate,” he said. “One cannot presume people who have wildlife on their walls are criminals and the same ones participating in the current wildlife trade.”

Paudel, for his part, has found relief in the ruling, which marks the end of a long journey for him. He believes the decision will go far in safeguarding Nepal’s biodiversity by addressing the problem at its source: “True justice will prevail only when governments and their law enforcement agencies hold accountable those who drive the demand for illegal wildlife trade.”

Still, Paudel knows that many challenges lie ahead. “Dealing with the past is complex,” he said. “But we must find ways to make the law equitable in the future and adhere to the court’s order.”

[andmaybegayer]

Last Monday of the Week 2023-10-16

Another year older. Stealing the Untitled Wednesday Library Series format from Morrak for an open Reading section and then we'll get to the normal post.

Reading:

Untitled Monday Wednesday Library Entry No. 0

Do you like a recipe book? Do you like an unbearably comprehensive and frequently incorrect recipe book? Well boy do I have an item for you:

It's Indian Delights, the de facto standard book of South African Indian cooking. Assembled in the 60's by the Durban Women's Cultural Group and in print ever since then.

The How

A birthday gift from my parents, who sent it from South Africa.

There are apparently places that carry this book outside of South Africa but I do not know what those are.

The Text

Dubious, but useful despite this. It was written in the 60's by a bunch of people who had never and would never again write a recipe book. You may note from the frontmatter that while it has had sixteen impressions since its first publication in 1961, there has only ever been a single revision of the book. There are numerous errors, omissions, and flaws. Recipes may list ingredients that are not used, call for ingredients in the method not given before, begin preparing components and never use them, or outright lie about the quantities of ingredients you need. A challenging exercise.

Any given individual's copy of this book is full of little pen notes, slips of paper, and scratched out experiments. I have a blank canvas.

It is absolutely stuffed to the brim with recipes from the then-almost-century of South African development on South Asian cuisine. It is intended as a one-stop-shop for cooking from a diaspora of extremely wide origins.

South African Indians arrived in South Africa as indentured labour for British sugar farms and could just as easily be from the relatively cold and mountainous North Indian regions or the low, rainy, hot coastal areas of South India. As a result you've had almost a hundred years of adapting to the locally available ingredients, intermarriages across wide geographic origins, and failing memories. There are frequently many duplicates of any given recipe, each with some unique variation of note.

It is also extremely dated. It still lives in an era where "adding an elachi (cardamom) pod to your rice" is a luxurious choice that requires financial considerations, and where meat was still expensive. It also has a delightful section on mass cooking, such as the above "Biryani for 100 people" which has an additional note on the ingredients for a "Biryani for 800 people" on the opposite leaf. These things come up sometimes, although the largest biryani I've ever been involved in was for about 60 people.

It is not really for beginners but it does have a lot of introductory matter, in part because it has to contend with the mishmash of languages and loanwords that exist. You don't know if the reader uses the hindi word for cumin, or the tamil word for cumin, or makes a formal distinction between roti and chapati. As a result, there are extensive opening tables of translations.

The Object

Big, blocky hardcover recipe book. Cheap but hardwearing coated pages. I have seen these in every imaginable state of disrepair, unfortunately I do not have a photo on hand of my mother's which is completely beat to hell.

I mentioned that there have not been many updates, and this continues to the outside. Not a single impression has, for example, corrected the misalignment of the spine and the cover that means it stands out on any book storage system.

Some damage to the cover from the rigours of air travel. It'll recover, or rather, it'll get beat up in ways that make that negligible.

The photography is antiquated, having been taken by a photographer who was certainly good but was operating a) with 1961 camera technology, b) 1961 photographic sensibilities, and c) no real experience in food photography. As a result the images can look somewhat alien if you're familiar with more modern food photograpy. Colours are not accurate, framing is flat, and composition is often packed.

In addition to the colour glamour plates, there are black and white instructional photos, which are much more timeless.

The Why, Though?

Indian Delights is a very important cultural reference for the South African Indian population, and it's a pretty standard leaving home/getting married/leaving home and getting married gift. I've bought a copy for many friends and now this one is mine.

Will I actually use this much? Certainly not that often. My mother and her sisters learned to cook from this book, so it is the root of my personal culinary tradition. That means I already know a lot of what can be distilled from this for day-to-day recipes. Where it is handy is for more technical dishes, which require some guidance, or as an ingredient reference for something new you want to try.

In particular Diwali is coming up and while both my mother and I are staunch atheists, we will also take any excuse to make a ton of sweets for friends. If you are in Prague in the week of the 12th of November you can probably hit me up for something.

Listening: Acheney is a shockingly talented synth designer for the niche softsynth tracker sunvox, available now on windows, mac, linux, windows CE, android, and iOS. I was tooling around with their Guitar synths and decided to check out their music, which is a couple albums of very high concept EDM inspired ambient and/or noise stuff. Here's Euler Characteristic Zero

Watching: @humansbgone is an animated sci-fi series about intelligent giant arthropods and their attempts to deal with invasions of pesky little humans

Big spec-bio focus with a lot of end notes on the arthropods in question.

Playing: Played the Trans Siberian Railway Simulator demo, which I recorded and put up here, with crap audio because it's authentic to what I had lying around after I forgot my headphones at work.

Also: the digital version of the D&D themed agent placement game Lord of Waterdeep with my family, which works quite well. It's weird to have the game handling the admin of moving points around and automatically deducting resources, but it does make the game go very quickly, even if your parents are still figuring out the interface.

Making: Big cooking experiment with a slow roast lamb shank. Came out very well. Lamb shank definitely one of the more animal parts of an animal you can cook. Smells intensely of lanolin and other hair smells. Real greasy. Big honkin' bone. Smooth and fine but sturdy musculature. This thing used to be a very specific part of something alive and that thing lived the kind of life that develops the very particular smells of the insides of a sheep that are very close to the outside of a sheep. You will find some wool fibers in your pan from where the follicles reach down close to the bone and sinew.

Tools and Equipment: Easyeffects is the successor to PulseEffects and is a very complete set of audio tuning and manipulation tools for Linux. You can use it to process incoming and outgoing audio with basically any plugin you care to imagine.

[allthebrazilianpolitics]

Assessing Brazil’s Potential to Act as a Peace Enabler in the Russo-Ukrainian Conflict

The result of the 2022 presidential elections in Brazil was celebrated domestically and overseas by those who were looking forward to Brazil’s return to the international stage after the country’s isolation under the presidency of Jair Bolsonaro. The narrow victory of the Workers’ Party candidate, Luis Inácio Lula da Silva, and his January 2023 inauguration, coincided with a particularly auspicious moment for Brazil’s international engagement: the country was occupying a non-permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council (it left the Council at the end of December 2023) and the country was also due to occupy the presidency of the G-20 (for 2024) and serve as the host of the 30th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC COP 30), to be held in the Amazonian city of Belém in 2025.

Brazil’s return to the global stage, its participation in groups such as the G-20, the G-77, IBSA (India Brazil, South Africa Dialogue), and BRICS, combined with the characteristic of being one of the few countries in the world with diplomatic relations with all United Nations member states also meant that Brazil could play a role regarding the Russo-Ukrainian conflict. For Brazil, the challenges in playing a more active role regarding the conflict include both domestic and international dimensions. At the domestic level, one of the biggest challenges is achieving economic development and reducing social inequalities in a country that, according to the World Inequality Lab, is one of the most socially unequal countries in the world. Given the magnitude of this challenge, Lula has been criticised for giving too much priority to presidential diplomacy in his first year in government and travelling abroad several times.

Internationally, the competing issues that hold back Brazil in developing a more active role in the Russo-Ukrainian conflict are related to the need to address issues close to home. These include: 1) the rivalry between Venezuela and Guyana on the Brazilian border, as Brazilian mediation credentials could be more useful regarding neighboring countries, and 2) the need to balance the bilateral relationship with Argentina, as right-wing President Jair Milei has explicitly criticised President Lula and expressed an interest in obtaining global partner status with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). In addition, President Lula is working to persuade Nicaragua’s President Daniel Ortega, a historical ally of the Workers’ Party, to ease the repressive measures against the opposition. Meanwhile, the ongoing security challenge in Haiti, where Brazil held the command of the military component of the UN mission (MINUSTAH) for 14 years (2004-2017), also highlights regional demands for Brazil’s engagement.

Additionally, recent international events have also captured the attention of Brazilian authorities, with a potential for domestic repercussions. Brazil’s condemnation of Israel’s military actions in Gaza may become a focal point in domestic political debate, potentially undermining Lula, as Bolsonaro and other right-wing politicians in Brazil remain close allies of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Looking ahead to the 2024 and 2025 domestic elections, conservative religious groups, particularly among the fast-growing neo-pentecostal communities, have explicitly endorsed Israeli policies, further complicating the situation.

Brazil may also face conflicting issues related to the Russo-Ukrainian conflict. For instance, as the host of the G-20, Brazil may welcome Russian President Vladimir Putin to the high-level summit in Rio de Janeiro in November 2024. However, since Brazil is a party to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, representatives of the Ukrainian-Brazilian community have urged Brazil’s Minister of Justice to arrest Putin if he enters the country. According to the media, Brazilian officials prepared a document which legally sustains the justification for not arresting Putin in his visit for the G-20 summit, based largely on the fact that Russia withdrew its signature from the Rome Statute in 2016.

Continue reading.

[demi-shoggoth]

2023 Reading Log, pt. 15

I am behind on my writeups: the last book here I read the week of Thanksgiving!

71. The Body Fantastic by Frank Gonzalez-Crussi. This book made for a surprisingly relevant pivot from Cult of the Dead, as it starts with talking about how Christianity has made a long history from denying and denigrating the flesh. This book is a miscellany of odd medical trivia and historical beliefs about the human body, from wandering wombs to the curative power of saliva. As someone who’s read a lot of medical history books, this one didn’t stand out so much to me, but it would probably be a good starting point for someone looking to learn some of the odder highways and byways of how people have thought about bodies. The author’s sensibilities are philosophical, leaning mystical, and his personality shines through. This is particularly true in matters of food and drink—he feels disgust over eating competitions having gone hungry in his youth, for example.

72. Eight Bears by Gloria Dickie. As the name suggests, this book covers all of the extant bear species, although more from a cultural and conservation perspective than evolution or ecology. The author travels around the world in an attempt to see all of the bears in the wild, or at least in local captivity (such as going to a panda preserve in China). I think the book’s strongest chapters are the ones in South Asia, where she sees how in India, humans and sloth bears are being pressed into conflict through land use, and the waning in visibility but still strong market in bear bile in Vietnam. I was also pretty surprised about the chapter closest to home—how the black bears in Yosemite National Park were outright fed by park management for decades as a tourist attraction before the realization that, wait, getting large strong omnivores used to associating humans with food is a bad decision.

73. The Delusions of Crowds by William J. Bernstein. This is an odd one. It poses itself essentially as a sequel to Charles Mackay’s Memoirs of Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds, a book about mass hysteria and fads from the 1840s. It narrows down Mackay’s wide scope to two major domains—economic bubbles and millenialist religion, and then progresses in a roughly chronological order. The problems are two fold. One, the narrative never really draws much linkage between these two types of “delusions of crowds”, leaving the book feeling disjointed. Second, the author assumes a lot about the reader’s background in economics (possibly because he’s an economist himself), so the explanations of the exact financial chicanery involved in the various bubbles are not always fully comprehensible. I wanted to like this book a lot more than I actually did.

74. Spirit Beings in European Folklore 2 by Benjamin Adamah. The second of four volumes, this covers primarily north-central and north-east Europe. Germany, Finland and the Netherlands get the most attention. The monsters contained within include a lot of house and field spirits, as well as many variations of alps and other sleep paralysis monsters. Again, what monsters the author decides fall into his category of “spirit beings” and which ones don’t is somewhat arbitrary. Tatzelwurms and stollenwurms, for example, are listed, even when more traditional dragons are not. I also think that the author needs to be more careful with their word choice, and/or spend more time studying folklore as a whole. For example, the book talks about the spoukhoas, a ghostly hare from the Netherlands. It talks about the spoukhoas as being a “were-hare”, despite the only lycanthrope-like trait in the entry being its vulnerability to silver… which is not universal to werewolves, and only became inexorably linked to werewolves due to Hollywood. No references to being a person at all!

75. Saurian: A Field Guide to Hell Creek by Tom Parker, Chris Mansa and RJ Palmer. This is an art book, tied into the Saurian video game in which you play as a dinosaur. As such, the book takes an in depth look at the habitat represented by the game, and discusses the flora and fauna of the late Maastrichian South Dakota. The book is, of course, gorgeous. Both in terms of the dinosaur reconstructions and the landscapes, this makes a wonderful coffee table book. This might sound like an odd complain for a coffee table book based on a video game, but I do wish it had a bibliography. The book talks a lot about specific diets and habitat preferences of the animals within, and I want to have some sort of a guide to sorting out what’s supported by evidence, and what’s creative license.

[beardedmrbean]

India has unveiled four Air Force pilots who have been shortlisted to travel on the country's maiden space flight scheduled for next year.

The Gaganyaan mission aims to send three astronauts to an orbit of 400km and bring them back after three days.

India's space agency Isro has been carrying out a number of tests to prepare for the flight.

In October, a key test demonstrated that the crew could safely escape the rocket in case it malfunctioned.

After its success, Isro said a test flight would take a robot into space in 2024, before astronauts are sent into space in 2025.

At a function at the Isro centre in the southern city of Thiruvananthapuram (formerly Trivandrum) on Tuesday, the four astronaut-designates were described as "dreamers, adventurers and valiant men preparing to go into space".

The officers, chosen from the Indian Air Force, were introduced as Group Captain Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair, Group Captain Ajit Krishnan, Group Captain Angad Pratap and Wing Commander Shubhanshu Shukla.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Isro chief S Somanath pinned badges with golden wings onto their shirts and Mr Modi described them as "India's pride".

"These are not just four names or four people. They are four powers who will carry the aspirations of 1.4 billion Indians to space. I congratulate and wish them all the best," he said.

Officials said the men were selected from a pool of Air Force pilots and had undergone extensive physical and psychological tests before being shortlisted.

They have undergone rigorous training for 13 months in Russia and are now carrying on with their gruelling schedule back home. A video screened at the event showed them working out in the gym, swimming and doing yoga.

On Tuesday, Isro also showed a glimpse of Vyommitra - Sanskrit word for "space friend" - the female humanoid that will be sent into space later this year.

The Gaganyaan Mission is India's first human space flight programme for which extensive preparations are underway at various Isro centres.

Named after the Sanskrit word for craft or vehicle to the sky, the Gaganyaan project has been developed at the cost of 90bn rupees ($1bn; £897m).

If it succeeds, India will become only the fourth country to send a human into space after the Soviet Union, the US and China.

Gaganyaan has generated a lot of interest in India, although it's coming decades after Soviet Union and the US started making trips to the low Earth orbit. Both have been in space since 1961. China became the third country to reach space in October 2003 when a Chinese mission spent 21 hours and orbited Earth 14 times. And the US and China have fully operational space stations in low Earth orbit.

An Indian astronaut also went to space as early as in 1984 when Rakesh Sharma spent nearly eight days on a Russian spacecraft.

How important are India's Moon mission findings?

What has India's rover been up to on the Moon?

Last year, India made major forays into space. The country made history by becoming the first to land near the Moon's south pole in August 2023.

Just weeks later, scientists launched Aditya-L1, India's first observation mission to the Sun which is now in orbit, keeping an eye on our solar system's most important and volatile star.

India has also announced ambitious new plans for space, saying it would aim to set up a space station by 2035 and send an astronaut to the Moon by 2040.

[lotusindiaholidays]

The Best Travel Agent in Delhi: Lotus India Holidays Guide to the Best Time to Visit India in 2023-24

Lotus India Holidays is a travel agency based in Delhi, India, known for its expertise in creating memorable travel experiences for its clients. If you're considering the best time to visit India in 2023-24, here's a general guide to help you plan your trip: North and Central India (October to March, South India (October to March), Himalayan Region (April to June and September to October), Goa and Western India (November to March), Andaman and Nicobar Islands (November to April), Rajasthan (October to March), Varanasi (October to March), Ladakh (June to September), Kerala (September to March).

[newstfionline]

Sunday, September 24, 2023

As the world’s problems grow more challenging, the head of the United Nations gets bleaker (AP) At the annual meeting of world leaders last year, the U.N. chief sounded a global alarm about the survival of humanity and the planet. This year, the alarm rang louder and more ominously, and the message was even more pressing: Wake up and take action—right now. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ assessment, delivered in his no-nonsense style, aimed to shock. We are becoming “unhinged,” he said. We are inching closer to “a great fracture.” Conflicts, coups and chaos are surging. The climate crisis is growing. Divides are deepening between military and economic powers, the richer North and poorer South, East and West. “A new Rubicon” has been crossed in artificial intelligence. Guterres has spoken often on all these issues. But this year, which he called “a time of chaotic transition,” his address to leaders was tougher and even more urgent. His message to the presidents and prime ministers, monarchs and ministers gathered in the vast General Assembly hall was unambiguous and stark. “We seem incapable,” Guterres said, “of coming together to respond.”

Surveillance of Indian diplomats in Canada led to allegations around Sikh killing, official says (AP) The allegation of India’s involvement in the killing of a Sikh Canadian is based on surveillance of Indian diplomats in Canada, including intelligence provided by a major ally, a Canadian official told The Associated Press on Thursday. The official said the communications involved Indian officials and Indian diplomats in Canada and that some of the intelligence was provided by a member of the “Five Eyes” intelligence-sharing alliance, which includes the U.S., Britain, Australia and New Zealand, in addition to Canada. The official did not say which ally provided intelligence or give details of what was contained in the communications or how they were obtained. The revelation came as India stopped issuing visas to Canadian citizens and told Canada to reduce its diplomatic staff as the rift widened over allegations by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of suspected Indian involvement in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a 45-year-old Sikh separatist.

White House preparing for government shutdown as House Republicans lack a viable endgame for funding (AP) The White House on Friday directed federal agencies to get ready for a shutdown after House Republicans left town for the weekend with no viable plan to keep the government funded and avert politically and economically costly disruption of federal services. A federal shutdown after Sept. 30 seems all but certain unless Speaker Kevin McCarthy can persuade his rebellious hard-right flank of Republicans to allow Congress to approve a temporary funding measure to prevent closures as talks continue. Instead, he’s launched a much more ambitious plan to try to start passing multiple funding bills once the House returns Tuesday, with just five days to resolve the standoff. McCarthy signaled his preference for avoiding a closure, but a hard-right flank of his House majority has effectively seized control. The standoff with House Republicans over government funding puts at risk a range of activities—including pay for the military and law enforcement personnel, food safety and food aid programs, air travel and passport processing—and could wreak havoc with the U.S. economy.

Election emotions (Yahoo News) What’s the No. 1 feeling that comes to mind for Americans when thinking about the upcoming presidential election? “Dread,” according to a new Yahoo News/YouGov poll. The survey of 1,636 U.S. adults, which was conducted from Sept. 14 to 18, offered respondents seven emotions—three positive, three negative, one neutral—and asked them to select any and all that reflect their attitude toward the 2024 campaign. Dread, the most negative option, topped the list (41%), followed by exhaustion (34%), optimism (25%), depression (21%), indifference (17%), excitement (15%) and delight (5%). In total, a majority of Americans (56%) chose at least one of the three negative feelings (dread, exhaustion or depression), while less than a third (32%) picked at least one of the three positive feelings (optimism, excitement or delight).

Mexico Feels Pressure of Relentless Migration From South America (NYT) At a Mexico City shelter, the nun in charge made another difficult announcement to the mothers and children arriving Wednesday: There was no more space. Five hundred migrants were already crammed into a facility built for 100. Near Mexico’s southern border with Guatemala, frustrated people stormed a refugee aid office on Monday after waiting weeks for appointments to receive the necessary documents that allow them to travel farther north. And in Tijuana, nearly all of the city’s 32 shelters were at full capacity this week, as people from nearly 70 countries waited for a U.S. asylum appointment or a chance to sneak across the border. Similar scenes are playing out across the country as Mexico’s immigration system strains under a tide of people desperately trying to go north. The relentless surge has led to a hodgepodge response in Mexico ranging from shutting down railways heading north to the busing of people to areas with fewer migrants. American officials are also contending with a new wave of unlawful border crossings that is straining government resources and leaving local officials scrambling as thousands of migrants are released from federal custody. On Wednesday, thousands of people crossed into Eagle Pass, Texas, leading the mayor to declare a state of emergency and a deployment of 800 active-duty military personnel to help process the arrivals.

Costa Rica’s homicide rate rises in deadliest year ever (Reuters) More than 656 people have been killed so far in Costa Rica’s deadliest year on record, official homicide data showed on Friday, though the government expects this figure to soar past 900 by the end of this year. Costa Rica, which has for decades been recognized as the safest Central American country, saw more homicides in six of its seven provinces, with the capital San Jose seeing the highest increase—double those in the same period last year. Authorities have reported crimes such as torture, gang murders and assassinations carried out by highly-trained hitmen, similar to crimes committed by Mexican cartels. They attribute two-thirds of such killings to turf war gangs for control over drug trafficking operations in the country, a strategic location between producers in Colombia and consumers in the United States and Europe.

U.S. will send Ukraine long-range missiles, after delay (Washington Post) The Biden administration plans to provide Ukraine with a version of ATACMS long-range missiles armed with cluster bomblets rather than a single warhead, according to several people familiar with the ongoing deliberations. The cluster-armed ATACMS, with a range of up to 190 miles, depending on the version, could allow Ukraine to strike command posts, ammunition stores and logistics routes far behind Russian front lines and dug-in defenses. Biden moved during the summer from a firm and long-standing “no” to saying the issue was “still in play.” Although the administration backed away from initial concerns that Kyiv, which has asked for hundreds of the long-range weapons, would use them to strike inside Russian territory, the Pentagon still worried that drawing down enough ATACMS from relatively small military stockpiles to make a difference on the Ukraine battlefield would undercut the readiness of U.S. forces for other possible conflicts.

For South Korea’s Senior Subway Riders, the Joy Is in the Journey (NYT) The subway rumbled toward its final stop north of Seoul. Along the way, hordes disembarked, with the determined, brisk gait of those with somewhere to be. By the end of the line, many who remained on board were noticeably older—nodding off, gazing out the window, stretching their shoulders. Lee Jin-ho had taken two subway lines for more than an hour from his home to the last stop, Soyosan, on a steamy August day. He ambled about a hundred yards beyond the station, rested briefly in the shade—and then got right back on the train heading south. An 85-year-old retired interior designer, Mr. Lee is one of Seoul’s throngs of subway-riding seniors, who take advantage of the country’s longstanding policy of free fares for people older than 65 and spend their days riding the trains to the end of the line, or to nowhere in particular, and sometimes back again. On long summer days—with Seoul’s temperatures averaging highs of more than 87 degrees in August—the air-conditioning is robust, the people-watching is engrossing and the 200 miles of subway tracks in the city are almost limitless in their possibilities for urban wanderings. Older adults who ride free of charge make up about 15 percent of Seoul’s annual ridership. The riders have become such an established part of the city’s fabric that they have a nickname—“Jigong Geosa,” derived from the phrase “free subway”—and the lines and stations frequented by them are well known.

[usafphantom2]

RAF Typhoons intercept Vladimir Putin's "done'sday" aircraft while flying near the NATO border

Fernando Valduga By Fernando Valduga 06/07/2023 - 23:39 in Interceptions, Military

The British Royal Air Force (RAF) sent its Typhoon jets to escort a group of Russian aircraft flying over the Baltic Sea, near the border of NATO states. Among the aircraft was the Tu-214 nicknamed the "Done's Day" plane.

The British Typhoons followed the 'Domsday' nuclear command plane and the Su-30M escort fighters near the region of the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad in the Baltic Sea.

The RAF's Typhoon jets took off from their detached base in Estonia, where they are stationed as part of NATO's Air Policing mission in the Baltic.

The Tupolev Tu-214 was built by the Kremlin to give Vladimir Putin a base to launch nuclear missiles in the event of a third world war.

The RAF said on Twitter: “The RAF Typhoons in Estonia struggled today to intercept a Russian Air Force Tu-214 flying in international airspace under the control of NATO allies as it transited south and then north again with 2x Su-30M Flanker Hs between mainland Russia and Kaliningrad Oblast.”

The RAF jets escorted the Russian plane and the two Su-30 jets that accompanied it through international airspace as it flew in and out of the Kaliningrad region.

NATO added that there has been an increase in the number of planes carrying VIPs to and from Kaliningrad.

It is not clear who was on board the Doomsday jet, although it is thought that only "important people" are allowed on the plane.

The incident occurs as NATO chiefs prepare to travel to Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, for a summit next week.

Tags: Military AviationEurofighter TyphoonInterceptionsNATO Baltic Air Policing MissionRAF - Royal Air Force/Royal Air ForceRussiaTu-214

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Fernando Valduga

Fernando Valduga

Aviation photographer and pilot since 1992, has participated in several events and air operations, such as Cruzex, AirVenture, Daytona Airshow and FIDAE. He has works published in specialized aviation magazines in Brazil and abroad. Uses Canon equipment during his photographic work around the world of aviation.

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[kolajmag]

NEW PUBLICATION

Collage Saves The World

The collage of KVSS Varshini from Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India portrays a young Tamil girl (Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam being the other South Indian communities) who represents the childhood and youth of these South Indian women.

PURCHASE THE BOOK

Collage Saves the World is the second book from Kolaj Institute's Politics in Collage Project, a series of residencies, publications, discussions, and exhibitions examining complex socio-political issues that contemporary society is contending with, in order to spark meaningful dialogue and inspire deeper engagement. Made as part of Kolaj Institute's Politics in Collage Residency in 2023, collages reflect on various forms of racism, colorism, ableism, and sexism; the war in Ukraine; climate change and the importance of permaculture; beauty standards and women’s autonomy. Their work makes its way into the world in this book and as a traveling exhibition.

[libertariantaoist]

News Roundup 6/26/2023 | The Libertarian Institute

Here is your daily roundup of today's news:

News Roundup 6/26/2023

by Kyle Anzalone

US News

On Thursday, a group of Republicans introduced a bill in the House and Senate that would reaffirm NATO’s Article 5 does not override congressional war powers. The effort was led by Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) and Reps. Chip Roy (R-TX) and Warren Davidson (R-OH). AWC

Cuba

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) on Thursday told the House Armed Services Committee that he wants to give President Biden the authority to intervene militarily in Cuba to “take out” Chinese assets that are allegedly on the island. AWC

Russia

Russia’s Wagner Group has called off its march on Moscow and agreed to stand down after launching a two-day mutiny and seizing a military base in the city of Rostov-on-Don. AWC

The House Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday passed a resolution to pressure President Biden to escalate US involvement in the Ukraine war by supplying Kyiv with longer-range missiles. AWC

President Biden warned Monday that the threat of Russian President Vladimir Putin using tactical nuclear weapons is “real.” AWC

The Pentagon on Tuesday claimed that an “accounting error” has freed up an additional $6.2 billion to spend on military aid for Ukraine. AWC

Ukrainian officials are still pushing for a commitment on Kyiv’s potential NATO membership at the alliance’s upcoming July summit in Vilnius, Lithuania. AWC

The US weapons maker Lockheed Martin says it is “standing by” to help Ukrainians fly and maintain F-16 fighter jets once NATO countries finalize their plans to provide Kyiv with the aircraft. AWC

Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said Tuesday that the Russian military has information that shows Ukraine is plotting to attack Crimea with US-provided HIMARS rocket systems and British-provided Storm Shadow cruise missiles. AWC

A group of Belarusian exiles is receiving training in Poland to prepare for a day when they return to Belarus to take on the government of President Alexander Lukashenko, The Times reported on Sunday. AWC

The New York Times reported Monday that the US and its Western allies have shipped weapons to Ukraine that were broken and needed repair or were only useful for spare parts. AWC

A Pentagon official has told Congress that controversial cluster munitions Ukraine has been seeking from the US would be “useful” to Ukrainian forces on the battlefield. AWC

National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan will travel to Denmark this weekend for a meeting organized by Ukraine that is expected to be attended by officials from several countries that have remained neutral on the war, including India, China, South Africa, and Brazil. AWC

Russian officials said Thursday that a bridge in northern Crimea that connects to Russian-controlled areas of Ukraine’s Kherson Oblast was damaged by a Ukrainian missile strike. AWC

Western officials told CNN that Ukraine’s bloody counteroffensive is “not meeting expectations on any front” as Ukrainian forces are struggling to break through Russia’s defenses. AWC

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Ukraine’s counteroffensive is going “slower than desired” as Ukrainian forces have made little progress and are taking heavy losses. AWC

Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced $1.3 billion in new economic aid for Kyiv at a meeting on Ukraine’s reconstruction held in London, known as the Ukraine Recovery Conference. AWC

Two US B-1B Lancer bombers arrived in Sweden this week as Stockholm is awaiting entry into NATO. According to the US military, it marks the first time US bombers landed in the Nordic nation. AWC

Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said Saturday that training for Ukrainian pilots on US-made F-16 fighter jets should begin next month. AWC

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a bill last week banning the import of books produced in Russia or printed in the Russian language. The new law is Kiev’s latest escalation in its extensive effort to eliminate Russian culture in Ukraine. The Insitute

Ukraine’s long-awaited counteroffensive has been underway for over two weeks, and Kiev has little to show for the loss of life and military equipment expended the in the operations. The Institute

Several US media outlets have reported that US intelligence was aware Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin was planning to take military action against Russia’s defense establishment before his short-lived uprising began on Friday. AWC

Secretary of State Antony Blinken suggested on Sunday that the US was expecting more unrest in Russia following Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin’s two-day uprising. AWC

China

President Biden on Tuesday called Chinese President Xi Jinping a “dictator” just one day after Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with the Chinese leader in Beijing. AWC

The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that Beijing and Havana are negotiating to establish a joint military training facility in Cuba, something the report acknowledged China would be exploring as a response to further US military entrenchment in Taiwan. AWC

 Taiwanese military experts will join US and Japanese analysts in conducting war game simulations for a potential conflict with China in the Taiwan Strait, The South China Morning Post reported Monday. AWC

The Taiwanese Defense Ministry said that eight Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) warplanes came close to Taiwan’s contiguous zone, which extends 24 nautical miles off the island’s coast. AWC

The Chinese government summoned the US ambassador in Beijing to lodge a formal complaint over President Biden calling Chinese President Xi Jinping a “dictator,” The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday. AWC

The commanding officer of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz said Chinese vessels and planes that he encountered during a seven-month deployment in the western Pacific were “very polite and very professional.” AWC

A US Coast Guard cutter made a rare solo transit through the Taiwan Strait on June 20, which came a day after Secretary of State Antony Blinken concluded his two-day visit to Beijing. AWC

Two US B-52 bombers arrived in Indonesia on Monday, marking the first time the nuclear-capable aircraft landed in the Southeast Asian nation as the US is looking to beef up its military presence in the region to prepare for a future war with China. AWC

The Taiwanese Defense Ministry said that eight Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) warplanes came close to Taiwan’s contiguous zone, which extends 24 nautical miles off the island’s coast. AWC

The aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan docked in Da Nang, Vietnam, on Sunday for a six-day visit to the country amid rising tensions between the US and China in the region. AWC

Korea

The arrival of a large US nuclear-powered submarine in South Korea was a “dress rehearsal” for the docking of a nuclear-armed submarine, Nikkei Asia reported Monday. AWC

Saudi

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan met with his Iranian counterpart in Tehran on Saturday and signaled Riyadh is open to a naval alliance with Tehran, an idea recently put forward by Iran’s navy chief. AWC

Read More

[caliseller]

The Booming World of K-Beauty

The Captivating Magic of K-Beauty

Ever wondered why your skin glows after using that new Korean sheet mask? The secret lies in the innovative and unique ingredients of K-Beauty products! These aren’t just skincare routines; they’re a lifestyle that’s taking the world by storm!

Global Market Overview

Imagine a market as vast as the ocean, valued at approximately USD 91.99 billion in 2022! The K-Beauty market is expected to grow with an impressive CAGR of over 9.50% from 2023 to 2030. It’s more than just a beauty regimen; it’s a way of life!

Influential Marketing: From Instagram influencers to K-drama stars, everyone’s buzzing about K-Beauty!

Rising Disposable Income: As people earn more, they want to spend it on looking fabulous. Who can blame them?

The E-Commerce Effect

Gone are the days of hunting for that elusive jar of snail cream in obscure stores! Thanks to the booming e-commerce industry, your favorite K-Beauty products are just a click away.

In South Korea, online sales of cosmetics totaled USD 9.6 billion in 2021. While there was a slight dip of 1.6% from the previous year, the market is still shining bright with new potential!

Challenges: The Cost Factor

But, it's not all glitz and glam; even the K-Beauty industry has its kryptonite—the high cost of its products can be a significant barrier.

Regional Dominance and Trends

Asia-Pacific: The Home Turf

Asia-Pacific remains the reigning champion in the K-Beauty world. Countries like China, Japan, and India have become major players.

In China, younger consumers are all about those multi-step skincare routines!

Japan shows a strong love for unique K-Beauty formulations.

In India, there’s a rising preference for natural and holistic skincare options.

North America: The Rising Star

The K-Beauty trend isn’t confined to Asia! The United States, a significant market in North America, has seen a surge in demand. From major retail collaborations to expansive online availability, K-Beauty is here to stay in the West!

Strategic Moves by Market Players

The beauty industry is like a battlefield, and major players are gearing up with strategic collaborations and product expansions.

Recent Developments:

In July 2022, Saturday Skin partnered with Nykaa to penetrate the Indian market. Now, you don’t have to travel halfway around the world for premium skincare—it’s right at your fingertips!

In November 2022, L’Oreal introduced a new line—C-Beauty, K-Beauty, and J-Beauty, in partnership with Shihyo. Imagine 24 herbal ingredients infused with fermented rice—it’s like a spa in a bottle!

What Lies Ahead?

Opportunities and Forecast

Despite occasional hiccups like high costs or minor market declines, the future of K-Beauty is as bright as your new dewy skin!

Micro-Markets: Keep an eye on developing countries with a burgeoning interest in personal care and natural beauty products.

Innovations: Unique formulations will continue to captivate consumers across the globe.

Key Segments

By Product: Skincare, Haircare

By End-User: Men, Women

By Distribution Channel: Supermarkets and Hypermarkets, Specialty Stores, Online, Pharmacies

Geographical Spread

By Region: North America (U.S., Canada), Europe (UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, ROE), Asia Pacific (China, India, Japan, Australia, South Korea, RoAPAC), Latin America (Brazil, Mexico), Middle East & Africa (Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Rest of MEA)

Conclusion

The K-Beauty market is not just surviving but thriving and evolving. With an intricate blend of innovative products, aggressive marketing, and a continuously growing e-commerce presence, K-Beauty remains a significant player in the global beauty industry.

Though challenges exist, the continuous drive for better, more effective skincare ensures a promising future. If you’re keen on more insights, explore what other intriguing trends and partnerships might be shaping the market.

View the original article: View the original article

[amrutatbrc1]

Motorcycle Lead Acid Battery Market 2024-2033 : Demand, Trend, Segmentation, Forecast, Overview And Top Companies 

Overview and Scope A motorcycle lead acid battery is a rechargeable battery used in motorcycles to provide the electrical power needed for starting the engine and running the vehicle's electrical systems. These batteries are known for their reliability and cost-effectiveness. They come in various sizes and capacities to match different motorcycle models and requirements.

Sizing and Forecast The motorcycle lead acid battery market size has grown strongly in recent years. It will grow from $5.06 billion in 2023 to $5.39 billion in 2024 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.3%. The growth in the historic period can be attributed to growing urbanization, increasing consumer awareness and education, growth of ride-sharing and delivery services, increasing electrification of motorcycle fleets for public, and growth in the charging infrastructure.

The motorcycle lead acid battery market size is expected to see strong growth in the next few years. It will grow to $6.91 billion in 2028 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.4%. The growth in the forecast period can be attributed to increasing focus on improving the energy density and power density, introduction of battery leasing programs for consumers, use of lead acid batteries in conjunction with renewable energy sources, high replacement rates for lead acid batteries in motorcycles, and establishment of battery swapping stations. Major trends in the forecast period include innovations in sealing technologies, adoption of greener manufacturing processes, development of safety features, nanotechnology applications, and advanced thermal management systems.

Order your report now for swift delivery, visit the link: https://www.thebusinessresearchcompany.com/report/motorcycle-lead-acid-battery-global-market-report

Segmentation & Regional Insights The motorcycle lead acid battery market covered in this report is segmented –

1) By Product Type: Valve Regulated Lead Acid Battery (VRLA) Battery, Flooded Lead-Acid (FLA), Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM), Vented Battery, Other Product Types 2) By Technology: Internal Combustion Engine (ICE), Hybrid, Electric 3) By Sales Channel: Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), Aftermarket

North America was the largest region in the motorcycle lead acid battery market in 2023, and is expected to be the fastest-growing region in the forecast period. The regions covered in the motorcycle lead acid battery market report are Asia-Pacific, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East, Africa.

Intrigued to explore the contents? Secure your hands-on a free sample copy of the report: https://www.thebusinessresearchcompany.com/sample.aspx?id=16744&type=smp

Major Driver Impacting Market Growth The increasing demand for two-wheeled EV motor vehicles is expected to propel the growth of the motorcycle lead acid battery market going forward. A two-wheeled motor vehicle, also known as a motorcycle or motorbike, is a motorized vehicle designed to travel on two wheels. The increasing demand for two-wheelers is rising due to affordability, fuel efficiency, ease of navigation in urban congestion, and flexibility in urban and rural settings. Lead-acid batteries benefit two-wheeled electric vehicles by offering a cost-effective, durable, and reliable energy storage solution. For instance, according to the Society Of Manufacturers Of Electric Vehicles, an India-based association representing Indian manufacturers of electric vehicles (EV), in 2021-2022, the number of electric two-wheeler sales was 2,52,641, which rose to 7,28,054 in 2022-2023. Therefore, the increasing demand for two-wheeled motor vehicles drives the motorcycle lead acid battery market growth.

Key Industry Players Major companies operating in the motorcycle lead acid battery market are Panasonic Holdings Corporation, Johnson Controls International plc, Clarios International Inc., Chaowei Power Holdings Limited, GS Yuasa Corporation, EnerSys, East Penn Manufacturing Co., Exide Industries Limited, Leoch Leoch International Technology Limited, The Amara Raja Group (Amaron), Shuangdeng Group Co Ltd , Coslight Technology International Group Ltd., Trojan Battery Company LLC, Power Sonic Corporation, HBL Power Systems Limited, Mutlu Battery and Materials Industry Inc., Hawker Powersource Inc., FIAMM Energy Technology S.p.A., MK Battery International, CSB Energy Technology Co. Ltd., EverExceed Industrial Co. Ltd., Thai Energy Storage Technology PLC, C&D Technologies Inc., Deltran USA LLC, HAZE Power Company Ltd.

The motorcycle lead acid battery market report table of contents includes:

1. Executive Summary

2. Motorcycle Lead Acid Battery Market Characteristics

3. Motorcycle Lead Acid Battery Market Trends And Strategies

4. Motorcycle Lead Acid Battery Market - Macro Economic Scenario

5. Global Motorcycle Lead Acid Battery Market Size and Growth ..........

32. Global Motorcycle Lead Acid Battery Market Competitive Benchmarking

33. Global Motorcycle Lead Acid Battery Market Competitive Dashboard

34. Key Mergers And Acquisitions In The Motorcycle Lead Acid Battery Market

35. Motorcycle Lead Acid Battery Market Future Outlook and Potential Analysis

36. Appendix

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