#news 18 punjab

[rightnewshindi]

एनपीए की मांग कर रहे डॉक्टरों की स्वास्थ्य निदेशालय ने भेजे नोटिस, जानें क्या बताया कारण

एनपीए की मांग कर रहे डॉक्टरों की स्वास्थ्य निदेशालय ने भेजे नोटिस, जानें क्या बताया कारण

Himachal News: नॉन प्रेक्टिस अलाउंस (एनपीए) की मांग पर हड़ताल करने वाले डाक्टरों को स्वास्थ्य निदेशालय ने नोटिस जारी कर दिए हैं। करीब 60 डाक्टरों से अचानक छुट्टी पर चले जाने का कारण इस नोटिस में पूछा गया है। स्वास्थ्य निदेशालय ने एक सप्ताह में नोटिस का जवाब मांगा है। जवाब मिलने के बाद स्वास्थ्य निदेशालय बड़ी कार्रवाई कर सकता है। गौरतलब है कि एनपीए की मांग पर अड़ी मेडिकल आफिसर एसोसिएशन ने पहले…

[bakamoonyasf]

My God Tier fave doctor who episodes

TOP 5:

Heaven Sent & Hell Bent (S9E11-12)

The Power of the Doctor (S13E9)

The Day of the Doctor (S7E15)

Doomsday (S2E13)

The Parting of Ways (S1E13)

NINE:

The Parting of Ways (S1E13)

Bad Wolf (S1E12)

The Empty Child & The Doctor Dances (S1E9-10)

Dalek (S1E6)

TEN:

Doomsday (S2E13)

Human Nature & Family of Blood (S3E8-9)

Turn Left (S4E11)

The Sound of Drums & Last of the Time Lords (S3E12-13)

Silence in the Library & Forest of the Dead (S4E8-9)

The Stolen Earth & Journeys End (S4E12-13)

Blink (S3E10)

The Waters of Mars (S4E14)

The End of Time (S4E17-18)

Midnight (S4E10)

New Earth (S2E1)

The Idiots Lantern (S2E7)

Partners in Crime (S4E1)

School Reunion (S2E3)

The Doctors Daughter (S4E6)

Daleks in Manhattan (S3E4)

ELEVEN

The Day of the Doctor (S7E15)

The Time of the Doctor (S7E16)

Vincent and the Doctor (S5E10)

The Name of the Doctor (S7E14)

The Wedding of River Song (S6E13)

The Time of Angels & Flesh and Stone (S5E4-5)

The Rings of Akhaten (S7E8)

Asylum of the Daleks (S7E1)

A Town Called Mercy (S7E3)

Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS (S7E11)

A Good Man Goes to War (S6E7)

Let's Kill Hitler (S6E8)

The Pandorica Opens & Big Bang (S5E12-13)

The Girl Who Waited (S6E10)

Amy's Choice (S5E7)

Nightmare in Silver (S7E13)

The Snowmen (S7E6)

The Doctors Wife (S6E4)

TWELVE:

Heaven Sent & Hell Bent (S9E11-12)

World Enough and Time & The Doctor Falls (S10E11-12)

The Zygon Invasion & The Zygon Inversion (S9E7-8)

Flatline (S8E9)

Dark Water & Death in Heaven (S8E11-12)

The Girl Who Died & The Woman Who Lived (S9E5)

Twice Upon a Time (S10E13)

The Lie of the Land (S10E8)

The Witch's Familiar (S9E2)

Time Heist (S8E5)

THIRTEEN:

The Power of the Doctor (S13E9)

Ascension of the Cyberman & The Timeless Children (S12E9-10)

Demons of the Punjab (S11E6)

Revolution of the Daleks (S12E11)

Skyfall, Part 1 & Spyfall, Part 2 (S12E1-2)

Rosa (S11E3)

Kerblam! (S11E7)

Chapter Four: Village of the Angels (S13E4)

The Haunting of Villa Diodati (S12E8)

Praxeus (S12E6)

Nikola Tesla's Night of Terror (S12E4)

Fugitive of the Judoon (S12E5)

[aelloposchrysopterus]

HEY DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE ASSASSINATION OF A PROMINENT SIKH LEADER IN CANADA AND WHY THIS MATTERS?

I generally don't like to write current events-y stuff here, but since I'm not seeing any people talking about this in my corner of this hellsite, I figured I might as well.

DISCLAIMER: For the record, I'm part Punjabi, raised culturally Sikh in the United States, I don't actively practice Sikhism, and I'm writing this assuming a non-Sikh, non-Desi audience that knows little to nothing about Indian politics. I am trying to be as factually accurate as possible but if certain information is incorrect, I will correct this post because a) this is an ongoing issue so the information I have right now may not turn out to be correct and b) my memory is fallible and while I did try to fact-check the background information I remembered, many of these historical events have accounts that differ drastically from each other, so it is difficult to establish a definite truth. This post was written and last updated 25 September 2023.

So, the basic facts of what happened:

Hardeep Singh Nijjar was killed on 18 June 2023. He was a proponent of the Khalistan movement. In the past week or so, Canadian government officials have accused India of orchestrating his assassination.

Khalistan? What's That and Why Does It Matter?

Like quite a few things in Desi politics, the idea of Khalistan can be traced back to the Partition. At the heart of the Partition, the idea was that Pakistan is for the Muslims and India is for the Hindus.

However, India is not exclusively populated by Hindus, no matter how hard Modi and the BJP* try to make it a Hindu-only nation through their Hindu nationalist policies. Among other religious minority groups, many Sikhs had to made the new India their home, because of the religious persecution they would face in Pakistan. The Radcliffe Line (the line of partition) runs right through Punjab, the ancestral homeland of, among others, most Sikhs. In Punjab, during the Partition, Hindus, Sikhs, and Muslims carried out sectarian violence against each other.

What this means is that a lot of Sikhs were displace from their homeland and subjected to discrimination and violence based on their religion in both Pakistan and India. As a result, some members of the Sikh community started calling for a new nation to be carved out of the Punjab regions in Pakistan and India. This new nation was to be a Sikh nation, much like Pakistan for the Muslims and India for the Hindus, and it was to be called Khalistan.

(Little bit of anecdotal trivia: apparently identifying as Punjabi first and Indian second when describing ethnic background is more common among Punjabi Sikhs, due to Sikh efforts to show their connection to Punjabi in an attempt to make Khalistan a Sikh nation in the Punjabi region.)

Needless to say, the Indian government did not and does not like the idea of a Sikh nation and sees the idea of it as a terrorist threat.

*Bharatiya Janata Party, the Hindu nationalist party currently ruling over most of India.

Operation Blue Star and Indira Gandhi

As part of this rising call for a Sikh nation, Sikh militant groups sprung up. Indira Gandhi's government wanted to arrest one of the most prominent leaders of a Sikh militant movement. However, he and his supporters were holed up in the holiest site in Sikhism, the Golden Temple in Amritsar.

On one of the holiest days in Sikhism, the martyrdom day of Guru Arjan Dev, the Indian military began their attack on the Golden Temple, known as Operation Blue Star. Long story short, Sikh pilgrims were killed during both the fighting and in extrajudicial killings by the military afterwards.

In anger at how Gandhi's government had carried out Operation Blue Star, two of her Sikh bodyguards assassinated her. Anti-Sikh pogroms then occurred, with independent estimates of the number of Sikhs killed ranging from 8,000 to 17,000.

This only made tensions between the Sikh community and the Indian government worse; I see this as a defining moment in how the government of India responds to the Khalistan movement and both Sikh extremist violence and peaceful support.

Oh and did I mention yet that the Indian government has outlawed the Khalistan movement?

The law that does this dates back to 1967, by the way.

Hardeep Singh Nijjar

And so now we come to the story of the recently-assassinated Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

Due to Khalistani activism being outlawed in India, many Khalistani activists have settled abroad. This includes Nijjar, who became a Canadian citizen in 2007 and had first come to Canada to apply for asylum after having been arrested by the Indian police in connection with his pro-Khalistan stance. He continued his Sikh and Khalistani activism in Canada until he was killed in the parking lot of the gurdwara he belonged to by two masked gunmen.

The Canadian government recently alleged that the Indian government war involved in the killing of Nijjar, but has not yet provided firm evidence.

Why Does This Matter?

Obviously, as a culturally Sikh person, it matters to me because this assassination is part of a legacy of violence targeting my community due to perceived associations with terrorism. (Yes, there are some Sikh extremists and terrorists, but the overwhelming majority of Sikhs are neither extremists nor terrorists.)

But this has ramifications that everyone should care about.

Canada and India have recently done tit-for-tat diplomatic expulsions due to the Canadian government's allegations

The US may also get dragged into this because Canada alleged that American intelligence gave them some information necessary to prove the involvement of the India government

The UK may also get dragged into this because they, too, have a sizeable Punjabi Sikh community that includes multiple MPs and the government has historically had strong relationships with both Canada and India

Despite the BJP's involvement in anti-Muslim violence, Modi and his government still enjoy a cozy relationship with many Western nations; this may start to change, although change is unlikely as Western governments see being allied with India as key to countering Chinese influence

If India is proven to be behind the assassination, this could be bad for other Khalistani activists in the Sikh diaspora because it means the Indian government could potentially target and kill them, too

This is important. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere, and this isn't an isolated incident. I know I probably didn't do a great job explaining this, but it's hard to summarize about 550 years of oppression and violence and politics and culture and how that has manifested over the past 80 years, leading to the murder of a prominent leader in the Sikh diaspora.

For further reading on this, I'd suggest this BBC article, which includes information on some other Khalistani activists recently killed.

Anyhow, I'll keep trying to follow the news on this and update this post as needed, likely through reblogs.

[fatehbaz]

Mid-2022 gharial news round-up.

The gharial (Gavialis gangeticus, the large, conspicuous, and extremely unique fish-hunting crocodilian of the Indus, Ganges, and Brahmaputra river systems) is extinct in Bhutan, Myanmar, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. The crocodilian now only survives in small populations in India and Nepal, with perhaps only 200 breeding-capable wild adults surviving.

But now Pakistani land managers are formally requesting that Nepal provide gharials for reintroduction in the Indus river system in Pakistan, where they’ve been extinct for nearly 40 years. [Source: Abhaya Raj Joshi. “Return of the king? Pakistan moves to bring gharials from Nepal to its rivers.” Mongabay. 2 July 2022.]

---

For the first time in nearly 20 years, new wild-born gharial hatchlings have been spotted in critical gharial habitat in Nepal’s Karnali River. [Source: Abhaya Raj Joshi. “First gharial hatchlings spotted in nearly two decades in Nepal’s Karnali River.” Mongabay. 20 June 2022.]

---

In 2016, it was discovered for the first time that gharials had been successfully nesting in the Gandak river system. After the release of another 148 gharials, as of 2022, it has been determined that the Gandak river is now home to the second-largest population of gharials in India. [Source: Patna News. “‘Gandak now second largest gharial population in country.’“ As published at The Hindustan Times. 3 July 2022.]

---

More discussion of wild gharial hatchlings in Nepal. [Source: Abhaya Raj Joshi. “New gharial hatchlings in Nepal a hopeful sign for the critically endangered reptile.” Mongabay India. 28 June 2022.]

---

Reintroduced gharials are expected to begin successfully breeding in the wild in the Punjab. [Source: Vikas Vasudeva. “Reintroduced gharials thriving in Beas reserve: experts.” The Hindu. 18 December 2021.]

---

For context.

Historical distribution range of the gharial:

And current distribution range.

Gharials are now extinct in Pakistan, Bhutan, Myanmar, and Bangladesh:

[crypticfandomtrash]

Theoretical Alphabet Apprentices Part 2

K's real name is Karekin Darchinyan. He is Armenian and was born in the capital city. He speaks Armenian, English, Georgian, Russian, and Arabic. He is also studying Ancient Greek and Latin. His birthday is October 18, 1986.

He is 5'11 and three quarters. He has pale skin, brown hair, and blue eyes. He is fairly slim, but he can fight well.

His parents died in a bombing when he was 14. He took shelter in a church for a few weeks before being found by Wammy, who was visiting Armenia at the time. He loves history and weaponry and researches old battles. He is decent at almost every subject.

He remains in the Successor Program, but he knows he isn't likely to be chosen as L's main apprentice. He wants to become a historian or a history teacher. As of pre-timeskip Death Note, he is 17-18.

O's real name is Odette Lacroix. She is French and was born in Marseilles. She speaks French, English, and Italian. She is also learning Japanese. Her birthday is April 11, 1990.

She is 5'6 in height. She has blonde hair and blue eyes. Her favorite clothes are cute dresses and she loves accessories.

Her parents died in a car crash when she was 2. She survived and was raised by an aunt until she was 12. She was placed in foster care to get her away from her aunt's new husband, who didn't want her around. Wammy heard of her plight from a contact and had her flown to England. She is energetic and cheerful. She makes friends easily and often gives other kids advice.

She is very compassionate and empathetic. She is Catholic and prays for the wellbeing of others. Since she doesn't remember much about her parents, she isn't as negatively affected by their deaths as she could have been. As of pre-timeskip Death Note, she is 13-14.

P's real name is Ploumisti Chloros. She is Greek and was born in a seaside town. She speaks Greek and English. She is studying French. Her birthday is June 25, 1988.

She is 5'10 in height. She has brown hair with a goldish tint and amber eyes. She is athletic and doesn't let people mess with her.

Her parents gave up custody because they were extremely poor. No other relatives could take her. She was brought to Wammy's when she was 5. Her name means "ornament" and she is considered a great beauty. She is able to get almost whatever what she wants because she is very charming. She quit the program because she wants to be a model or a fashion designer.

She encourages others to feel beautiful and positive about themselves. While she can be manipulative, she does not like to hurt others or their feelings. As of pre-timeskip Death Note, she is 15-16.

Q's real name is Qiaoluan Feng. She is Chinese and was born in Shanghai. She speaks Chinese, Japanese, and English. Her birthday is January 7, 1988.

She is 5'5. She has sleek black hair and dark brown eyes. She is slender and pretty, though she doesn't brag.

Her parents were protesters who were executed by the government when she was 11. A contact of Wammy's saw her in state care and notified him. She was secretly taken to England. She is sly and quick witted. She is skilled at making disguises and hacking computers and is often found hanging out with Matt. She also enjoys tea ceremonials and other traditional things.

She hasn't quit the program and hopes that her skills will be useful to L and whoever becomes his main apprentice. She hopes to become either a white hat hacker or a software developer. As of pre-timeskip Death Note, she is 15-16.

R's real name is Reshmi Kaur. She is Indian and was born in the Punjab region. She speaks Hindi, Punjabi, and English. Her birthday is March 12, 1987.

She is 5'2 and a half in height. She has very long black hair and brown eyes. She does not cut her hair because she is a Sikh and they don't do that unless there is an emergency.

Her parents died from the same illness when she was 9 and her relatives refused to take her in. After two foster homes, she was flown to Wammy's when she was 13. She is friendly and has a good sense of humor. She quit the Successor Program to study medicine. She wants to be a doctor and is extremely diligent.

She often tends to her friends' scraps and bruises. Whenever she finds an injured animal, she will try to nurse it back to health. She enjoys dancing. As of pre-timeskip Death Note, she is 16-17.

[beardedmrbean]

India has urged its citizens travelling to or living in Canada to "exercise utmost caution".

The advisory comes a day after tensions escalated between the countries with each expelling a diplomat from the other side.

Canada said it was investigating "credible allegations" linking the Indian state with the killing of a Sikh separatist leader.

India strongly denied this, calling the allegations "absurd".

Analysts say relations between the countries, which have been strained for months, are now at an all-time low.

How India-Canada ties descended into a public feud

Why Western nations fear India-Canada row

On Wednesday, India's foreign ministry said it issued the advisory "in view of growing anti-India activities and politically-condoned hate crimes and criminal violence in Canada".

The Indian government has often reacted sharply to demands by Sikh separatists in Western countries for Khalistan, or a separate Sikh homeland.

The Khalistan movement peaked in India in the 1980s with a violent insurgency centred in Sikh-majority Punjab state.

It was quelled by force and has little resonance in India now, but is still popular among some in the Sikh diaspora in countries such as Canada, Australia and the UK.

Canada has the highest number of Sikhs outside Punjab and has seen several pro-Khalistan protests and demonstrations. In June, reports said India had raised a "formal complaint" with Canada about the safety of its diplomats there.

In Wednesday's statement, Delhi said that some recent threats were directed at its diplomats and some Indians "who oppose the anti-India agenda".

"Indian nationals are, therefore, advised to avoid travelling to regions and potential venues in Canada that have seen such incidents," it said.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Monday that intelligence agencies were investigating whether "agents of the government of India" were involved in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian citizen - India had designated him a terrorist in 2020.

Nijjar was shot dead in his vehicle by two masked gunmen outside a Sikh temple on 18 June in British Columbia.

"Any involvement of a foreign government in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty," Mr Trudeau told the Canadian parliament on Monday.

India reacted strongly, saying that Canada was trying to "shift the focus from Khalistani terrorists and extremists" who had been given shelter there.

Some Indian media reports claimed the statement from Delhi followed a similar Canadian advisory for its citizens travelling to India. Canada's government confirmed its travel advice for India had been updated on Monday but said it had been "as part of pre-scheduled and routine maintenance in the section on travel health information".

"No new risk information has been added to the India TAA [Travel Advice and Advisories] page," a spokesperson told the BBC. Ottawa's advisory asks its citizens to "exercise a high degree of caution" because of the "risk of terrorist attacks throughout" India.

[drwhosoundtrackshowdown]

Tournament 1: Doctor Who Theme

As mentioned in the intro post, the first tournament will of course be about the theme song itself! I��ve compiled a list of theme song versions as listed in the wiki.

Round 1 match-ups:

Classic Who & Big Finish themes

Seasons 1-4 vs Seasons 4-17

Seasons 18-22 vs Season 23

Seasons 24-26 vs TV Movie

Scream of the Shalka vs Dimensions in Time

Unbound A vs Unbound B vs Unbound C vs Unbound Universe (Bernice Summerfield)

Damaged Goods + Original Sin vs The War Doctor

8th Doctor Theme (2001) vs 8th Doctor Theme (2011)

The Rapture vs Horror of Glam Rock vs Doctor Who and The Pirates vs The Maltese Penguin

(mostly) New Who themes

Series 1-3 vs Series 4 + Specials

Doctor Who Confidential 2005-09 vs Doctor Who Confidential 2010-11

Series 5-7a vs Series 7b

Series 8-10 vs Before the Flood

Series 11 vs Series 12

Demons of the Punjab vs Village of the Angels

Edge of Time (Unused) vs The Lonely Assassins + Edge of Reality

The Five Doctors vs The Light At The End vs The Day of the Doctor

[yaworldchallenge]

Review - Alif the Unseen (UAE*)

(image source: Wikimedia Commons)

YA World Challenge book for: 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates (*inspired)

Alif the Unseen

Author: G. Willow Wilson

I read this book earlier in the year, before I came up with the World Challenge, so it has the distinction of being the only title on my list I had already read.

The book is set in current times (well, in 2012 when it was published) in a fictional autocratic emirate on the Arabian Peninsula. Seeing that the UAE has a human rights score of 17 out of 100 at freedomhouse.org and has a large population of non-citizen workers, the fictional location seems to match well enough.

It is more in the “new adult” range or upper YA due to the language and mature themes. Alif’s age is not stated, but my guess is 18-early 20s.

Review

The book follows Alif, alias for an Arab-Indian young hacker who spends time offering anonymity services to porn sites and terrorists alike without discrimination, and evading the Hand of God - the state’s new surveillance mechanism that has been cracking down on freedoms online. When one day he receives a mysterious old book from an ex-girlfriend, it turns his life upside-down, makes him an enemy of the state and draws him and childhood friend Dina into a world of djinn they never knew existed - the unseen world.

The story keeps up a quick pace - Alif is on the run from state authorities and there is danger at every turn as he tries to crack the mystery of the book, aided by Dina, and his newfound not-so-human friend Vikram the Vampire (also, not a vampire) whose crude manners conceal his many layers.

While the action is gripping, the djinn world intriguing, and our hero is fallible and likeable, the story has a tendency to bring up theology and philosophical musings as often as it can. Sometimes these are very interesting insights into Islam or human nature, and sometimes they leave you scratching your head - like how does an ancient book create a new way of coding that can melt a laptop and make its user near-transcend? Answer: it’s fantasy.

The character of the convert... I can’t tell if she’s uncomfortable because she’s an author insert or if she is supposed to make Westerners feel uncomfortable? By not naming her is the author playing on the old stereotyped trope of giving the “exotic” character no real name (ex. Punjab from Annie, the Persian from Phantom of the Opera)? I don’t think she would have been half as troubling if she would just have had a name.

On the other hand, I enjoyed Dina, who keeps things grounded, ever-practical, and refreshingly unwavering in her faith despite other’s opposition.

Overall, if you can gloss over the philosophizing and just take it at face value, you get an enjoyable fantasy thriller that mixes mythical djinn, Islamic theology, and modern authoritarian states and the people who resist them.

Pros:

Fast-paced mix of tech thriller and urban fantasy, as well as social commentary on freedoms in the Middle East

Smart, kickass secondary female character who wears a full veil, by her own choice

Nuanced, intelligent, positive representation of faith and religion

Cons:

Gets into some abstractness that can seem a little silly

Lots of philosophizing here and there about Islam and other concepts that might not be relevant to non-Muslims, tries to make broad statements on Western culture vs Eastern culture that again, maybe I just don’t get it

★ ★ ★ ★ 4 stars

Bookshop.org link  ||  Kobo ebook

Genres: #fantasy, contemporary #thriller #faith #revolution #mythology

Other reps: #muslim #straight #hijabi

See content warnings on Storygraph

[lindsaywesker]

Good morning! I hope you slept well and feel rested? Currently sitting at my desk, in my study, attired only in my blue towelling robe, enjoying my first cuppa of the day. Welcome to Too Much Information Tuesday!

In 1950, the population of Cancún, Mexico was five.

Coca-Cola never patented their secret formula because doing so would require them to publicly disclose the ingredients.

The average three-hour baseball game only has about 18 minutes of game action.

To replace energy after a workout, most sports supplements are no more effective than a burger.

Your lips touch when you say the word "separate" but don't touch when you say the word "together".

Netflix picked up 'Stranger Things' after it was rejected by 15 networks.

There are more bacteria in your armpit than there are people in the world.

There is one divorce in the US every 36 seconds.

The Hawaiian Pizza was invented by a Greek in Canada.

Newspapers correct fewer than 2% of their mistakes.

When Czechoslovakia split, the Czech Republic and Slovakia split their national anthem as well. Each country got one verse.

Uncle Phil's law firm on ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’ is called Firth, Wynn and Meyer, inspired by the band Earth, Wind & Fire.

At its peak, Pablo Escobar's cartel earned about $420 million a week and controlled 80% of the worldwide cocaine market.

In the Marvel Universe, Wakanda is the most advanced civilization on Earth.

Pakistan is an acronym that stands for Punjab, Afghania, Kashmir, and Indus-Sind. The ‘stan’ suffix means ‘land’.

There's one character owned by both Marvel and DC Comics named Access. His sole purpose is to keep their universes separate.

You're more likely to catch a cold by holding hands with someone than by kissing them.

French pubic lice are known as ‘papillons d'amour’, butterflies of love.

The most borrowed book from the Houses of Parliament library is called 'How Parliament Works'.

The word ‘nothing’ was Elizabethan slang for ‘vagina’. The title of Shakespeare's play ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ is actually a double entendre.

Sandwiches "taste better" when they're made by someone else. When you make your own, you anticipate its taste and become less hungry for it.

In 1939, the New York Times predicted that the television would fail because the average American family would not have enough time to sit around and watch it.

Some American jails now dress inmates in black and white jumpsuits because the TV show ‘Orange Is The New Black’ has made orange ones too cool.

‘Il y a une couille dans le potage’ (there is a testicle in the soup) is French slang for 'there is a major problem'.

Stanford researchers estimate that if you haven’t tried sushi by the time you’re 39 years old, there’s a 95% chance you never will.

In ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’, there is a wall carving of R2D2 and C3P0 behind the ark.

Almost half of American adults think dinosaurs and humans co-existed.

“Eton, a sort of Hogwarts for wankers.” (Jonathan Pie, September 19, 2022)

In New York City, women can legally go topless wherever men can legally go topless.

John Lennon and George Harrison once took a multi-bus trip across Liverpool to visit a stranger who could teach them the chord B7.

A 2019 survey found that 30% of millennials feel they have a better shot at landing a date with an A-list celebrity than ever owning a home.

When a male llama tries to make a move on a female llama, she'll spit on him if she's not feeling it.

Before electricity, theatres would use heated calcium oxide (commonly known as ‘quicklime’) to illuminate their stages. This is where the phrase "in the limelight" comes from.

In 1800, the average age of an American was 16, today it is 38.

60% of millennials earning more than $100,000 say they're living “paycheck to paycheck”.

The Ryungyong Hotel in Pyongyang, North Korea is 105 floors tall; making it the tallest unoccupied building in the world.

The average American spends about $70,000 on takeout and delivery in their lifetime.

Pixar accidentally deleted ‘Toy Story 2’ halfway through making it.

In Texas, it's illegal for a person to own or use more than six dildos.

During an orgasm, the brain releases so much dopamine that a brain scan resembles that of someone on heroin.

In a survey of 68,000 women from 180 countries, 88.9% said that kindness is the most important trait when it comes to choosing a partner.

Want to feel old? Ethan Nwaneri was born in ‘the queue’.

Okay, that’s enough information for one day. Have a tremendous and tumultuous Tuesday! I love you all.

[ya-world-challenge]

Book Review - Alif the Unseen (🇦🇪 UAE*)

(image source: Wikimedia Commons)

YA World Challenge book for: 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates (*inspired)

Alif the Unseen

Author: G. Willow Wilson

I read this book earlier in the year, before I came up with the World Challenge, so it has the distinction of being the only title on my list I had already read.

The book is set in current times (well, in 2012 when it was published) in a fictional autocratic emirate on the Arabian Peninsula. Seeing that the UAE has a human rights score of 17 out of 100 at freedomhouse.org and has a large population of non-citizen workers, the fictional location seems to match well enough.

It is more in the “new adult” range or upper YA due to the language and mature themes. Alif’s age is not stated, but my guess is 18-early 20s.

Review

The book follows Alif, alias for an Arab-Indian young hacker who spends time offering anonymity services to porn sites and terrorists alike without discrimination, and evading the Hand of God - the state’s new surveillance mechanism that has been cracking down on freedoms online. When one day he receives a mysterious old book from an ex-girlfriend, it turns his life upside-down, makes him an enemy of the state and draws him and childhood friend Dina into a world of djinn they never knew existed - the unseen world.

The story keeps up a quick pace - Alif is on the run from state authorities and there is danger at every turn as he tries to crack the mystery of the book, aided by Dina, and his newfound not-so-human friend Vikram the Vampire (also, not a vampire) whose crude manners conceal his many layers.

While the action is gripping, the djinn world intriguing, and our hero is fallible and likeable, the story has a tendency to bring up theology and philosophical musings as often as it can. Sometimes these are very interesting insights into Islam or human nature, and sometimes they leave you scratching your head - like how does an ancient book create a new way of coding that can melt a laptop and make its user near-transcend? Answer: it’s fantasy.

The character of the convert... I can’t tell if she’s uncomfortable because she’s an author insert or if she is supposed to make Westerners feel uncomfortable? By not naming her is the author playing on the old stereotyped trope of giving the “exotic” character no real name (ex. Punjab from Annie, the Persian from Phantom of the Opera)? I don’t think she would have been half as troubling if she would just have had a name.

On the other hand, I enjoyed Dina, who keeps things grounded, ever-practical, and refreshingly unwavering in her faith despite other’s opposition.

Overall, if you can gloss over the philosophizing and just take it at face value, you get an enjoyable fantasy thriller that mixes mythical djinn, Islamic theology, and modern authoritarian states and the people who resist them.

Pros:

Fast-paced mix of tech thriller and urban fantasy, as well as social commentary on freedoms in the Middle East

Smart secondary female character who wears a full veil, by her own choice

Nuanced, intelligent, positive representation of faith and religion

Cons:

Gets into some abstractness that can seem a little silly

Lots of philosophizing here and there about Islam and other concepts that might not be relevant to non-Muslims, tries to make broad statements on Western culture vs Eastern culture that again, maybe I just don’t get it

Recommended for: Those looking for an urban fantasy in a non-Western world; those looking for interesting fiction that puts Islam at the center

★ ★ ★ ★ 4 stars

Bookshop.org link  ||  Kobo ebook

Genres: #fantasy, contemporary #thriller #faith #political #mythology

Other reps: #muslim #straight #hijabi

See content warnings on Storygraph

[nijjhar]

Ikk number dae MORAKH Jat; JAATRRA SAE KATRRA; APNA HI GHAR Ikk number dae MOORAKH Jatt; JAATRRA SAE KATRRA; APNA HI GHAR GHALLAE SAE - STUPID JAT KILL EACH OTHER https://youtu.be/ncdMYwjTMWw Milkh's Tragedy; Partition caused by the "Saltless" British and Indian shopkeepers to the brave village soldiers. https://youtu.be/gb_Qjwneoxg Let us support our New Chaudhry Chhotu Ram Ohliyan Pillar Chaudhry Satya Pal Malik Ji. Banners of our Jatt Unity:- www.gnosticgospel.co.uk/JattBanner.jpeg www.gnosticgospel.co.uk/JattIslam.htm www.gnosticgospel.co.uk/JattSikhism.htm Milkha died on Friday, 18 June 2021 and his tragic Partition story. HOW THE DIRTY-HEARTED BRITISH IGNITED THE SECTARIAN CIVIL WAR IN INDIA? The British left India in 1947 but with a very dirty conscience. We Indians of the farming marshal tribes Jatt, Gujjar, Pathan, Arian, Saini, etc., the once-born simpletons served the British faithfully and made them win the two world wars but they colluded with the twice-born shrewd people of business tribes and hypocritically divided our Jatt tribal homeland, the Punjab plunging us into the sectarian civil war that could have been avoided. This is how they ignited this civil war:- 1.      They knew that the people kill each other frantically in the name of religion as Catholics and Protestants did in Britain so, they supported the heads of religious parties financially and paid them money secretly under the table. 2.      There used to be elections held for the Parliament but no such election was held to hand over the Government into the hands of responsible political leaders in 1947. 3.      They just colluded with the heads of religious Parties; all clever shopkeepers - Lala M.K. Gandhi, a Baniya, Lala Tara Singh Malhotra, a Khatri and Lala Mohd. Ali Jinnah, a Babla Bhatia. These Lalas least served in the British Army. 4.      We Jatts of the Punjab served the British Army the best but we were divided into India and Pakistan like the deserted Christmas Puppy. 5. Our governments were told that when you fight with each other, we will sell you weapons of mass destruction to kill each other. What a business idea out of misery? Politics is a dirty game of the psychic hypocrites whom Jesus condemned the most and he was killed by them. Look what the USA, the U.K. and other European collaborators are doing in the world today? End times are not far away – Matt. 13v24-30 and the TRIBULATIONS have already started from 14/05/2018 when the child-like USA President Donald Trump pressed the TRIBULATIONS BUTTON by declaring Jerusalem to be the Capital of Israel. These worldwide TRIBULATIONS will last for FIVE YEARS to ATOMIC WAR EXPECTED SOON AFTER 14/05/2023. So, let us join hands together to expose these hypocrites with the Gospel Truth of our Supernatural Father. In Jesus, we are Labourers working in the Royal Vineyard of our Father that has a Narrow Gate for the Solitary of discerning intellect called “holy spirit”, common sense or Surtti. Earn your Salvation by Preaching the Gospel Truth from rooftops. Holy spirit, “common sense”, shatters the fetters of the dead Letters, the Holy Books and their Laws that have been corrupted. Remember that Law and Prophets were till John, the Baptist – Luke 16v16. In “Agape”, our Father God blesses everyone alike and please do not miss your great opportunity to earn salvation by Preaching the Gospel from the Rooftops. https://youtu.be/yTSYd_FujE4 CHURCH OF ENGLAND IS AKIN TO SATAN WHILST SALVATION ARMY TO GOD TRIBULATIONS that would last for FIVE years (the Five Husbands of the Samaritan Woman at well John 4) to ATOMIC WAR SOON. Video on this topic:- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoCX5E8m-rQ CHURCH OF ENGLAND IS AKIN TO SATAN WHILST SALVATION ARMY TO GOD. TO ERROR IS HUMAN In Jesus, we have One Fold called the Church of God headed by One Shepherd Christ Jesus. Jesus came to deliver us Gospel, the language of communication withthe  Father, and praise our Father Elohim, ParBrahm, Allah, etc., Who lives in His Temple, our physical body, made not by human hands but by the demiurge god of nature called Yahweh, Brahma, Khudah, etc. And we worship our Father in truth and in spirit. That is why St. Peter killed two liars Ananias and Saphira who were not built on the solid rock of truth but over sand that fell down. The  Temple of God is always built on the solid rock of truth for the person who stands in public to proclaim the Gospel in the holy spirit, “common sense” whilst the Temple of Satan is built on the lies of the hypocrisies of Mammon. That is why St. Peter used to deliver the First Sermon establishing the rock followed by the Apostles who then advised them how to Preach the Gospel to glorify our Father in honour of our Anointed Elder Brother Christ Jesus. www.gnosticgospel.co.uk/Rest.htm ONE GOD ONE FAITH:- www.gnosticgospel.co.uk/bookfin.htm and in Punjabi KAKHH OHLAE LAKHH:-  www.gnosticgospel.co.uk/pbook.htm  - Font DRChatrik John's baptism:- www.gnosticgospel.co.uk/johnsig.pdf Trinity:- www.gnosticgospel.co.uk/trinity.pdf GHALLAE SAE ...

[5gdiginews]

Brutal heat scorches northwest India, Najafgarh in Delhi warmest in country at 47.4 degrees Celsius - ET HealthWorld

New Delhi: Severe heat wave is going on North West India On Friday, the maximum temperature in Najafgarh in southwest Delhi reached 47.4 degrees Celsius, making it the hottest place in the country. The mercury crossed 45 degrees Celsius at 19 places in Rajasthan, 18 in Haryana, eight in Delhi and two places in Punjab. The extreme heat wave is likely to continue over the northwest Indian plains…

[onlinesikhstore]

Punjabi Reading Kids Story Book Doll's Two Shoes ਗੁੱਡੀ ਦੇ ਦੋ ਬੂਟ Gudi de do boot

Punjabi Reading Kids Story Book Two Shoes of Doll  ਗੁੱਡੀ ਦੇ ਦੋ ਬੂਟ Gudi de do boot

Pages: 18

Weight approx. 90g

Paperback binding  - Premium Quality Paper and Printing

A must have book for all kids who started learning/reading Punjabi. This book is recommended by Department of Education Punjab for all schools.

We have Punjabi Literature books of famous Punjabi writers in stock, please message for more information.

We have many other Punjabi books (Punjabi Alphabets, Punjabi Mini Stories, Punjabi word Sounds, Punjabi Pronunciation, Grand mother's Punjabi Stories with Morals etc.) listed in our eBay shop to learn Punjabi and will personally recommend you all.

Should you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact us.

We are UK based supplier SikhArtefacts. Items can be collected from our shop in Rochester, Kent, UK. 

We have 100% positive feedback. Please bid with confidence and check our other fantastic listings. If you are not happy with your purchase we will give you 100% refund on return of item. No hard and fast rules for refunds and returns. 

Free Royal Mail Economy Postage in UK. 

Postage discounts will be given to International buyers for multi-buys. 

Any questions please do not hesitate to contact us.

Follow us on Instagram, Twitter & Facebook: #OnlineSikhStore #SikhArtefacts

P.S. Colour of item may slightly vary due to camera flash and light conditions. Please note cover of paper may vary as publishers keep on changing front of books each time they publish new edition.

Please buy with confidence. 

Product Type: Textbook Foundation Stage: Key Stage 1 (1-2 School years) Publisher: TarkBharti Format: Paperback Subject: Punjabi - Gurmukhi (Indian Punjabi) Place of Publication: Punjab Author: Kamaljit Country/Region of Manufacture: India Publication Year: 2018 Language: Punjabi Special Attributes: Mini Educational Level: Comprehensive School,Nursery School,Primary School,Secondary School,Sixth Form College ISBN: Does not apply

[beardedmrbean]

Canadian national security agencies are investigating "credible allegations" that “agents of the government of India” were involved in the death of a Canadian Sikh leader in June, Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Monday.

Trudeau said that steps are being taken to hold the people accountable behind the death of prominent Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia.MORE: Hunter Biden sues IRS over whistleblowers who criticized DOJ probe

"Canada is a rule of law country, the protection of our citizens in [defense] of our sovereignty are fundamental," Trudeau said in a statement addressing the House of Commons. "Our top priorities have therefore been one, that our law enforcement and security agencies ensure the continued safety of all Canadians."

Melany Joly, Canada's foreign affairs minister, announced the country will oust a "key Indian diplomat" and anticipated India to "fully collaborate" with Canada to get answers, according to CTV News.

Nijjar was killed on June 18 near a Sikh cultural center in Surrey, British Columbia, according to The Associated Press.

He advocated for the creation of Khalistan, an independent Sikh homeland in India's Punjab region, according to CTV News.MORE: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau slams Facebook for blocking Canada wildfire news

Sikhs in Canada protested over Nijjar's death, accusing the Indian government of being behind the slaying, according to CTV News.

Early Tuesday morning from New Dehli, the Indian government released a statement saying they “reject” the statement from Trudeau.

“Allegations of Government of India's involvement in any act of violence in Canada are absurd and motivated,” the statement read. “Similar allegations were made by the Canadian Prime Minister to our Prime Minister, and were completely rejected. We are a democratic polity with a strong commitment to rule of law.”

As their statement continued, India asked Canada to take action.

“We urge the Government of Canada to take prompt and effective legal action against all anti-India elements operating from their soil,” their statement concluded.

Trudeau told the House of Commons he brought his concerns directly to India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi at last week's G-20 summit in New Delhi.

"Any involvement of a foreign government in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty," Trudeau said.

Canadian Trade Minister Mary Ng said Friday she's postponing a trade mission to India that was scheduled for October, after tensions between the two countries escalated after Modi reprimanded Trudeau during the G-20 summit, according to Reuters.

[drwhosoundtrackshowdown]

Doctor Who Theme Masterpost

Classic Who

Seasons 1-4

Seasons 4-17

Seasons 18-22

Season 23

Seasons 24-26

TV Movie

New Who

Series 1-3

Series 4/Specials

Series 5-7a

Series 7b

The Day of the Doctor

Series 8-10

Before the Flood

Series 11

Demons of the Punjab

Series 12

Village of the Angels

Big Finish

Eighth Doctor Audio Adventures

8DAs v2

Unbound A

Unbound B

Unbound C

Unbound Universe

The War Doctor

The Light At The End

The Rapture

Damaged Goods/Original Sin

The Maltese Penguin

Doctor Who and The Pirates

Horror of Glam Rock

Other

The Lonely Assassins/Edge of Reality

Edge of Time (Unused)

Doctor Who Confidential 2005-09

Doctor Who Confidential 2010-11

Dimensions in Time

Scream of the Shalka

[oneturfnews]

Most Wickets In IPL History - OneTurf News

The Indian Premier League 2024 season has reached the business end, and the biggest talking point this year has been the dominance of the bat over the ball, with batting-friendly pitches, record-breaking totals, shocking strike rates, and sixes galore being the norm of the season. While Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders have taken the cricketing world by storm, others like the Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bengaluru have been poor with the ball and are languishing at the bottom of the table. There is a saying that batters win you matches, but it is the bowlers who win you tournaments. There’s constant pressure on bowlers to give their best, as even a tiny mistake can end the team’s campaign. Having said that, world-class bowlers have performed well, showcasing their experience and taking wickets at crucial junctures. While some of the experienced bowlers have gone for runs in the IPL 2024 season so far, let’s take a look at the list of bowlers who have taken the most wickets in IPL history to date.

Top 3 bowlers with the most wickets in IPL history

Yuzvendra Chahal — 200 Wickets Breaching new milestones in his entertaining T20 career, Indian wrist spinner Yuzvendra Chahal entered his name into the history books by taking his 200th IPL wicket in match 38 of the IPL 2024 season between Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians on Monday. The spin wizard dismissed MI’s Mohammad Nabi to become the first player in the history of IPL to take 200 wickets. The wily wrist spinner has been part of three teams IPL sides, Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Rajasthan Royals. However, Chahal came into the limelight when he consistently took wickets for RCB, especially at their batting-friendly home ground, M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. Despite his record performance, RCB did not retain Chahal. The 33-year-old leg spinner ended up winning the Purple Cap playing for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL 2022 season, taking 27 wickets. He is currently in the sixth position for most wickets in IPL 2024. While talking about Chahal’s overall IPL stats, he has an impressive economy of 7.8 and a bowling average of 22.12.

Dwayne Bravo — 183 Wickets Former Chennai Super Kings’ pace bowling all-rounder Dwayne Bravo is right at the top in the 2nd spot when it comes to the bowlers with the most wickets in IPL history, having taken as many as 183 wickets from 161 games at an economy of 8.39. The West Indies superstar holds the joint first position on the list of highest wicket-takers in IPL in a single season alongside Harshal Patel. The star all-rounder took 32 wickets in 18 games during the IPL 2013 season. His impressive bowling performance helped the Chennai Super Kings qualify for the finals. While talking about his entire IPL playoffs career, Bravo has taken 28 wickets, with a strike rate of 13.8 and an economy rate of 8.21 in 19 matches.

Piyush Chawla — 183 Wickets Former India leg-spinner Piyush Chawla is the third-highest wicket-taker in the Indian Premier League history. Talking about his overall IPL stats, Chawla has taken 183 wickets from 188 games at a fantastic economy rate of 7.97. In the IPL 2023 season, the 34-year-old wrist-spinner picked 22 wickets from 16 matches at an economy of 8.11 for the Mumbai Indians. Chawla has played for the Punjab Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders, Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians in his IPL career so far.

The OneTurf News website is one such platform which provides all the latest cricket news, IPL 2024 news and all the updates relating to the sporting world.

Source: Medium.com