Secular Café Archive

If I was so fond of mint-smelling breath, I would chew a mint bubblegum.

As of now, 68% voting by 5 pm, a record, but many people are still voting because the rule is that all those people who joined the que till 5 pm are allowed to vote. So this percentage is going to be higher when we get the final figures. The results come only on Dec. 18, after the second phase of vo...

Trust in Narendra Modi sways Gujarat voters towards BJP, makes Congress' campaign mere sound and fury

http://www.firstpost.com/politics/gujar ... 49207.html

Gujarat (Mahatma Gandhi's state, officially a dry state), is where Narendra Modi was the Chief Minister for 13 years (2001-2014) before he became the Prime Minister. It is a tough, contentious election which will have its affect in the 2019 national elections. It is being fought tooth and nail by th...

"It has been learnt that the Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Gandhinagar, Thomas Macwan, had last week issued a letter in which he urged the members of the community to save the country from so-called “nationalist forces”. According to him, the sense of insecurity among minorities was increasi...

And now we have Punjab Municipal elections, three Mayors (Jalndhar, Patiala and Aritsar) and some 32 small-city municipalities. Dec. 17. Results on the same day. The interesting thing is, if anyone is interested, that BJP will be going through it alone and not with the defamed Akali Dal with whom th...

I read somewhere that they had found a particular bacteria to cause it.

Recently had municipal/Mayoral elections in our largest state, Uttar Pradesh (pop. 220 million): Large City Mayors (Municipality Chair) 16: BJP 14, BSP 2 * Smaller City Municipalities 198: BJP 47, SP 29, BSP 18, INC 5 * Even Smaller city Municipalities 438: BJP 81, SP 67, BSP 34, INC 15 Corporation ...

No. My mother is 95, though she does not need much help at the moment. My wife is very efficient that way, but she too has crossed 70 and finds it difficult to take care of many responsibilities. Even if she is not able to take care of my mother, we (my brother and myself) will make other arrangemen...

It was, but nothing compared to present-day missiles. The best V1 was accurate within a 7-mile radius.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V-1_flyin ... nce_system

"With a strike range of 30 km, altitude up to 18,000 ft., the 5.8-metre-long missile has a launch weight of 720 kg and can carry a warhead of 50 kg. The supersonic missile is crucial to India's air defence programme as it will be used to counter ballistic and cruise missiles, enemy aircraft and...

Planes are costly. Missiles are much cheaper.

India strongly backs net neutrality.
http://www.livemint.com/Industry/ZtZIbi ... today.html

They have cleared an eight mile area around Agung.

Yeah, brown and black people are expendable.

Yes, Mrs. Sohy, we have this problem in India too. The current government has made banning cow-slaughter a fetish (it is a Hindu party), and some people have taken in hand to punish people who they think are involved in cow smuggling across state borders (different states have different rules) or ac...

There was 'Rama' but no 'Ramans' except the hologram, and he wrote a book on that! And the book brought him royalty so that he could live on in Sri Lanka. Nice.

Thank God, it did not find anything of interest on earth. 'Scout', 'messenger' you said? What about other messengers?

Nice, lpetrich. Many animals have similar ways.

305 killed, 120 injured.
So, what is new?

Don't forget the most important part of a cruise missile: locking on to target, moving or stationary.

Cop, I studied 'Ashtadhyayi' when I was 40. It took me about 3 or 4 months. What I remember of Sanskrit is from that time. But what I did not do (though my teacher had asked me to do so) is to talk in Sanskrit. I should have ignored my initial hesitation.

Back to the village: Solar Chimney, Yakhchal, Badgirs, Qanat. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c5/Zion_Visitors_Center_Cool_Tower.PNG/368px-Zion_Visitors_Center_Cool_Tower.PNG https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cc/Yakhchal_of_Yazd_province.jpg/375px-Yakhchal...

Subs too: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BrahMos#Submarine-launched_variant "The submarine-launched variant of Brahmos was test fired successfully for the first time from a submerged pontoon near Visakhapatnam at the coast of Bay of Bengal on 20 March 2013. This was the first vertical launch of ...

:) Our National election will be spread over two months (Last National election also was held during the period 7 April 2014 to 12 May 2014). New Government will take charge on May 13. We are very regular with our elections. Not much character assassination. Modi has devoted himself to the service o...