Monkeypox and White Racist Media.

First, What is Monkeypox (MPXV)?

"Monkeypox virus (MPXV) is a zoonotic virus that circulates in a yet unidentified animal reservoir in Africa with humans and primates being considered incidental hosts. The virus belongs to the same genus as the variola virus, which causes smallpox, and presents with a similar presentation of a febrile prodrome and a characteristic rash. A case fatality rate of up to 10% in children has been reported, but is much lower in adults.
Although MPXV is usually constrained to small outbreaks in remote parts of Central and West African countries, with cases elsewhere mostly linked to Africa travel, several cases of monkeypox virus are recently and increasingly being detected around the world (United Kingdom, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Italy, Canada, Belgium, Australia, France, Germany, and the USA). This raises concerns about increased human-to-human transmission and necessitates urgent investigation into the underlying causes."

Simplified Version Please? In Simple Words...

Well, Monkeypox is a virus that transmitted between some unknown animal to Monkeys and Humans in Africa (Previous outbreaks were in Central Africa as in Congo, CAR and also in West Africa like in Nigeria). Like most Pox viruses its deadlier for the children, some strains even had 10% deaths among children. 

This time however, outbreak didn't start in Africa but in Europe and no Monkey or other primate has been infected. 

So its transmitting from human to human. 

How does it Transmit ?

Through Body fluids, lesion part or fluid contamination.. so it can easily travel in Mass transit and Dining area, if they are too crowded. 

Like all forms of Pox , very painful , causes high fever and severe bodyache..

BUT THERE ARE GOOD NEWS..

This strain in circulation in Western Europe  is not the deadliest strain  of Central Africa, but closely linked with British strain on 2018 ( OH, yes, Outbreaks happened before the Pandemic) which was a strain linked to 2017 Nigerian outbreak. 

This Phylogenetic tree I cut and pasted from a scientific paper published in Virologicalwebsite

 As this study of the first Belgian case shows, he travelled to Portugal and picked up the virus and it's very contagious as his partner, who didn't travel to Portugal but caught Monkeypox.

Racism in Media 

Check any picture on any News channel or App or Website.  Do they show the photograph of any European patient ..

NO Sir, skin lesion photos are always always of African Kids.

Western Media did this for SARS-COV2 with photos of Oriental people.  For AIDS also, they relentlessly blamed in Africans, as if Africans went to the Western world and spread that virus sexually. 

As they say in Baseball, 3 strikes and YOU ARE OUT.

Thank IMF, Not Modi for fuel price cut.

 Oh! Indian Media , for heavens sake, Follow International News.

On 18th May, IMF chief Kristalina Ivanova Georgieva-Kinova announced major policy decision calling all member states to provide subsidy in "Food, Energy and Fertiliser" (See https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2022/05/17/pr22158-statement-md-on-joint-plan-to-address-food-insecurity )

 She also went on BBC and various other notable networks saying that Government must cut tax and provide subsidy, if needed with fresh IMF loans. And I quote her directly, 

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has precipitated serious economic and social consequences around the globe. Among them, many countries are now facing dangerous food shortages and sharply higher prices for food, energy, and fertilizers. These pressures occur at a time when countries’ public finances are already stretched from the pandemic and public debt burdens are high. With inflation reaching the highest levels seen in decades, vulnerable households in low- and middle-income countries are most at risk of acute food insecurity. And history has shown that hunger often triggers social unrest and violence.

“If we have learned one lesson from the 2007-08 food crisis, it is that the international community needs to take fast and well-coordinated actions to effectively tackle a food crisis, by maintaining open trade, supporting vulnerable households, ensuring sufficient agricultural supply, and addressing financing pressures. I am honored to have been able to work together with the heads of other International Financial Institutions to propose concrete actions. Coordination between us will be critical for the plan to have maximum impact in quickly alleviating food insecurity, especially for the most vulnerable households in the most vulnerable countries.

 

So it was International Monetary Fund that allowed Indian Government to cut excise duty on Petrol and Diesel and also provide Rs. 200 subsidy on Ujjawala LPG. 

Another Piece Of News , Godi Media won't tell.

This very week, Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) told central minister that If Taxes and duties are not reduced, they can't bear the under recoveries. They also pointed out that these excise tax hikes started under Low Crude Price in Modi-Jaitley regime. 

Some Godi Media are too cute.

They are running the news in conjunction with RBI's payment to Government as if that pays for Fuel Price Cut. No darlings, RBI has been coughing up dough every year this time, ever since this RBI Governor took charge. 

So Pressure on Government worked, but for how long ?

 The pressure on Government has worked, Pressure from Common Man, Pressure from Opposition Parties,  Pressure from OMCs and finally from "Masters of the Universe", IMF. And Today's Election loss of Modi's dear friend, Scott Morrison in Australia has put the some chill down Adani and Modi's spine.

But Modi has only completed one out of 3 price cuts, Just Petrol and Diesel (Interesting how greenish CNG has been left out) and LPG subsidy is not for all, only poor families will get that.

 Now that Food prices are contaminated with high transportation cost, remember even after excise duty cut they hover at Rs. 100 per litre mark. This is not low price by any stretch of Imagination . 

 Modi must provide ,  Food & Fertiliser subsidy. But will he? As for Petrol, Diesel price cut, OMCs will resume 80 paisa price hike per day very soon. And in 10-12 days, prices will jump back again. That's their plan, I fear.

Great Glacial Lake flood of Gangotri Due

Gangotri Glacier and glacial lake running Northwest of the glacier (then river turns westward towards Gangotri town)

 ANY DAY Now, Gangotri Glacier's Lake is due to burst. 

High temperatures in North India and Wildfires up the Himalayas has created higher melting in Gangotri glacier and created a huge glacial lake this summer and every afternoon local precipitation adds to the water in the valley. 

One of these days, the western edge of lake which is basically rocks and glacial debri will give way and the lake's water will come cascading down to Gangotri town and its surroundings areas. 

The deluge will threaten all the to Tehri Dam and then either the dam will fail or open its gates to flood even UP. All Terrible, Terrible Scenarios..

This river, Ganges comes from Valley glaciers and not someone's hair locks, educated Indians seems to have forgotten that.

Early morning drone surveillance of the glacier will help rather than prayers and worshipping of river.

If these glaciers go away, rivers will follow too.. where will you wash your sins, then?

Oh Mummy- Stock Market Crashed

 "Oh Mummy! Stock Market crashed" 

That was the reaction of India's Intellectuals and market Gurus today. These "Gol maal" (Troubles) are due to "Gol Baal" (Global) cues, India can't stay immune to that - that's their formidable defense. "East or West, Temples are the best ", they add. 

Meanwhile "Cooking Gas" or Liquefied Petroleum Gas prices are hiked again, hitting the pockets of poor and middle class. But those who would block traffic and bring cities to a standstill before 2014 would blame Nehru for inflation during Korean war of 1950s. "East or West, Temples and Modi-ji are the best".

So Dear Mummy, Stock Market collapse from super inflated 61,000 points to 53,000 points can be blamed on your Onion Paratha, Chhole Matar and Chicken curry cooking.. not the "I'll bite the press, if they dare ask me a question" Finance Minister,  not the "I'm so short that I can't read the files on the table" RBI governor and definitely not the Prime minister Modi ji. 

Last time, Indian Press asked a serious question to those in power, was in Jurassic era, that too by a stegosaurus.  Since then some different species has evolved , namely Stenosaurus. They just take note of Dictator's speech and vomit that on TV, Online and to be made into Paperbag quality Newspapers .

 

 

Check up with Rayalseema for Cyclone Impact

 "Ullu ke patthe, Indian Media" check the South Andhra Coast.

As they were misled by Stupid, Stupid, Most stupid IMD, Indian Media continues to ignore the Real Landfall of Cyclone Asani. This morning when Ongole And Guntur in Andhra faced heavy rain, Indian Media was present in Orissa Border and Vizag , hundreds of Miles away.

Heaviest rains and winds were faced by Rayalseema coast, but I haven't seen any reporting from "Globally Broadcast" Indian Media channels.  Saw enough of faulty reporting from West Bengal and Orissa and even Vizag.

Trouble with Indian Media is they can buy fancy cameras but not buy a handheld digital barometer,  basically they don't even know that checking atmospheric pressure gives the clue if they have seen the center of cyclone. "We are Liberal Arts students, Sir ... Don't try to teach us Science, we won't convert " they seem to say. I even saw a report that Ranchi in Jharkhand saw some rain and a reporter saying "cyclone might come there" as it changed track.

How stupid can they get, I can guess they went to schools and colleges only to learn Mythology, Right wing Politics and Useless brand of Patriotism.  Things that matter in real life like reading Isobar maps or wind shear patterns or even checking a live Radar. 

After hitting Rayalseema coast , it crossed in Krishna and Godavari basin and gone inland and any rational meteorology student will tell you, it caused heavy rain there. 

One expected so called "National Media" to report from Landfall zone; After all, they were the ones who scared Orissa and Bengal with "Cyclone Is Coming" chant for last 5 days. No doubt, the plight of people there is more important than BJP's rename Politics. 

If Media can't report a cyclone landfall ...

 How can you tell them to check Glacial Lakes in erstwhile Gangotri glacier at 4000 metres of altitude, where there are no roads and whole lot of trekking and climbing will be involved.  Those lakes are ripe for creating catastrophic floods in mountain gorges of Himalayas, any day.

But Indian Media has lost it's way in 17th century somehow and keeps questioning "Mughal Emperors"; News People no longer believes in reporting "New" things,  perhaps you should call them "Olds" . Disgraceful.

Cyclone Predictions .. Ha ha ha

 Cyclone Asani

Lots of people has been asking from Kolkata, did Cyclone Asani hit them today morning or will it hit them later.

I'm shocked that even after getting hit by cyclone for two successive summer, they still don't know the difference between a spell of rain and a cyclone. 

I've been noticing crap International Channels like BBC and others has been predicting such a track, but the in-swinging, back-spinning and then out-swinging track is both impractical and unscientific for a "Category 1 cyclone" .. for that the system will need to be at least a category 3 storm.

In fact, it is causing rain in Chennai and Rayalseema coast, which are far and far away from Bengal. Yes, luckily it will loose its intensity after coming close to Andhra coast's Delta. But it will rain heavily there and fizzle out.

DON'T LISTEN TO BAD FORECASTS.  Next Bay of Bengal cyclone will be more interesting and must be watched. This one is almost over.

Prashant Kishore's Trouble with Maths

 OMG! What did I hear on NDTV 

No not only a Press Conference in Hindi in supposedly English News Channel, they live telecasted Prashant Kishore's press conference.  It started with Data Analyst Experts claiming that he has identified 18,000 great thinkers with whom he will have personal contact in 3-4 months. 

Now I have no problem with believing he has such a database , after all, cambridge analytica was a real thing. But meeting 18000 thinkers in 3-4 months, that's 150-200 meetings per day. A college professor teaches less number of students in a day.

Let's say the thinkers all come to him and if he talks 5 minutes to each, that will be 150*5= 750 minutes. That my dear will be 12 and half hours .  And that's if he takes no break. That's a tall ask. 

I hope his new movement will not be Xenophobic, Islamophobic and Ultra Right Wing like his past associates.  Rest is how much Ambani and Adani funds him then.

Rest, Bihar is ready for a change.. So Good Luck with new venture. BTW Tejawshi is also promising change and is quite good in active politics. 

As for this 3000 kilometre travel, I doubt Nitish Kumar will allow that, my guess is he will be arrested Very early, "PK aaya" is a crime in Bihar. Just kidding!

Howdy Fed : Stock Bubble got bigger

 Blame It On The Bot Traders 

Yesterday US Federal Reserve increased Interest Rates to combat hyperinflation, as they were expected to do. But markets are driven by Bots which trade in accordance with market expectations.  So stock market trading bots started buying risky shares and assets with borrowed money.

Actually when interest rates go up, banks have to pay more for such trades, human traders with natural intelligence know that. But the bots have AI, the abnormal pretence of intelligence, their parameters for "Market Expectations" on Interest rates matched , so they bought and are still buying "a hell of a lot" shares.

Let's look at the Fundamentals, shall we, has anything changed?

1. Ukraine War - still Ongoing. 

2. Russian Oil Embargo & Market sanctions- still exist. 

3. Pandemic- still raging in places where stringent testing is ongoing. 

4. China- still under Covid Lockdown and without a trade deal with US or its European proxies. 

5. Crude Oil Price- still over $100.

6. Media - still dumb, under all those layers of makeup . 

No, nothing has changed. Cost of borrowing dollar has increased and Federal Reserve wants you to exercise caution,  that's what "Interest Rate Hike" means. 

If you go with the flow, your hands will be burned , if you are a human that is. Bots have no hands and can't even be burnt. 

So take care humans, this exuberant trade has no legs and don't sit on Bubbles mistaking it for a couch. Corrections will be coming in 24 hours or in 24 days. 

US is heading for recession and perhaps towards end of "Dollar Standard".