February 2014: Interesting Articles & Links

* India-Japan: Circumstances and self-interest (TP Sreenivasan, IE)-- http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/not-so-natural-allies

* Algae in agriculture -- http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-andhrapradesh/heres-double-bonanza-for-paddy-farmers/article5691849.ece

* WatsApp sold at $19b - more than the GDP of many countries, including Nepal -- http://www.therichest.com/rich-list/poorest-list/5-countries-that-are-poorer-than-whatsapp/

* Alcohol advt - Bells - http://www.mobiledia.com/news/188048.html

* I am Ukranian -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hvds2AIiWLA&feature=c4-overview&list=UUFvb4bxBb132d6kcZrm5ghQ

* What is going on in Venezuela in a nutshell -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFS6cP9auDc

* The world of seven billion (NG, Ineractive Graphics) -- http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/03/age-of-man/map-interactive#b02g21f20b14

* Indian Headshake mystery solved -- http://www.scoopwhoop.com/story.aspx?menuid=2&contentid=341#sthash.MGshAt15.dpbs

* Inventions from India -- http://www.storypick.com/20-clever-inventions-probably-didnt-know-made-indians/

* TED - Coming out of closets - http://www.ted.com/talks/ash_beckham_we_re_all_hiding_something_let_s_find_the_courage_to_open_up.html

* 51 Million Dollar Question -- Dharmakriti Joshi (IE, 20Feb14) -  http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/51-million-dollar-question/

* The Honey Hunter -- http://www.thehindu.com/books/books-authors/when-the-story-get-dressed-up/article5699181.ece

* Shamnad Basheer (IE, 20Feb14): PATENT ERROR -- http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/patent-error/

- US’s efforts to coerce India to amend its national IP regime to suit the former’s business interests

- US Intl Trade Commission (ITC) initiated and enquiry into India’s alleged IP regime flaws

- IP Act 2005 amendment, Section 3(d) blocks evergreening -- eg. - Novartis’s anti-cancer drug Glivec; compulsary licence granted to Bayers’ overpriced anticancer drug - price came down from Rs.2.8L/month to Rs. 8800/m after entry of generics

- US Chamber of Commerce’s Global IP Centre (GIPC) - authored by members of thinktank (Pugatch Consilium) which has BigPharma clients - curious ranking of 25 assorted countries units

- Almost every country had minimalist IP protection at the start of its technological tragictory and moved to maximalist IP position when its indigenous units had built sufficient capacity.

- American historian Doron Ben Atar reminds us that US was once a “pirate” economy, with thhe American enterprises being encouraged to “borrow” freely from European technology.

* Traveller - 44 days, 38,000 miles -- http://www.mobiledia.com/news/187933.html

* Indologist - Wend Doniger - ‘for’ the ban - http://www.firstpost.com/india/why-the-wendy-doniger-episode-is-not-a-free-speech-issue-1388751.html

- Rajiv Malhotra (Sulekha) - http://creative.sulekha.com/risa-lila-1-wendy-s-child-syndrome_103338_blog

- http://blogs.economictimes.indiatimes.com/VantageView/entry/the-case-of-the-hindus-freedom-comes-with-responsibility

- Tunku Varadarajan (Daily Beast) - http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/02/12/india-s-shameful-failure-to-defend-historian-of-hinduism.html

- Rajiv Malhotra (compilation) - http://beingdifferentforum.blogspot.in/2014/02/hitchhikers-guide-to-invading-sacred.html?m=1

* Anu on Reuters -- http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/04/jpmorgan-retail-banker-idUSL2N0KY21220140204

- also later in Mint - http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/9HDVwSeDKkGw5dw3E916uM/When-diversity-is-seen-as-discrimination.html

* UPA & Reliance - http://www.business-standard.com/article/opinion/one-more-113062801072_1.html (TNNinan, Jul 2013)

* Madurai Girl in the Valley -- http://yourstory.com/2014/02/madurai-girl-valley/

* Indologist - David Dean Shulman - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Dean_Shulman

- Guha’s tweet - A Jew spoke in memory of a Muslim at a Christian college, using medieval texts composed by Hindus. A very Indian experience

* GIFs to Trignometry - http://www.businessinsider.com/7-gifs-trigonometry-sine-cosine-2013-5?IR=T

* How Gandhi Made it to the Police HQ -- http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2014/02/13/how-gandhi-made-it-to-delhi-polices-headquarters/

* Kenichi Ebina Performs an Epic Matrix- Style Martial Arts Dance - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cn-NsWRtaSY&feature=youtu.be

* Gupta, Amit (2014): BIG PHARMA’S PROFITEERING PROTESTS - http://www.business-standard.com/article/opinion/amit-gupta-big-pharma-s-profiteering-protests-114021101470_1.html

* What is wrong with Indian regulators? - http://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/what-indian-regulators-are-getting-wrong-114021001452_1.html

- the regulator hardly possessed any data, guidelines or norms for monitoring such trials. Till date, there is no mechanism to audit human trials going on in different parts of the country. Moreover, the two regulators - DCGI and NPPA - are under two separate ministries: health, and chemicals and fertilisers, respectively.

* UP - trapped in the politics of fear -- http://www.telegraphindia.com/1140208/jsp/opinion/story_17894998.jsp#.UvXeafmSxqV

* Bayer makes drugs for Western patients who can afford it -- http://www.msfaccess.org/content/msf-response-bayer-ceo-statement-medicines-developed-only-western-patients

* Indians driving change in USA - http://gulfnews.com/opinions/columnists/nadella-as-microsoft-ceo-isn-t-great-news-for-indians1.1287465#.UvUWNYAphYk.facebook

* HOW TO START LEARNING HOW TO CODE - http://www.propublica.org/nerds/item/how-to-start-learning-how-to-program

- Get started with GIT - http://alistapart.com/article/get-started-with-git

* Orhan Pauk’s Istanbul -- http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/02/travel/orhan-pamuks-istanbul.html?_r=0

* India-US Spat on Patents - http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-warns-US-of-consequences-on-visa-reform/articleshow/29938966.cms

- prominent lawmaker, Senator Orrin Hatch, recently called India "the biggest battlefield" for intellectual property rights and accused the country of "rampant piracy and counterfeiting" to benefit its own industries...US Chamber of Commerce, which released a report that ranked India at the bottom of 25 countries in protection of intellectual property.

- Jaishankar said he was "very surprised" by Hatch's remarks and charged that the pharmaceutical industry was driving criticism of India, with few complaints about intellectual property rights in other sectors.

* Zakaria, Fareed (2014) - Is India a Real Country? -- http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/asia-pacific/the_rediscovery_of_india?cid=other-eml-nsl-mip-mck-oth-1312

* Kesavan, Mukul (2014): WHY AAP STILL MATTERS - http://www.telegraphindia.com/1140206/jsp/opinion/story_17902104.jsp#.UvMPXfmSxqB

* Animal Whisperer - http://www.superstarmagazine.com/animal-whisperer-calms-an-angry-panther-life-changing-for-both-cat-and-man/