Why do the western countries need the subject of Linguistics

When did linguistics as a subject became a major project for the western countries.

[url="http://www.newkerala.com/news/fullnews-19412.html"]link[/url]



Chidamabaram's perestroika irking babus? (Capital Buzz)

New Delhi, Dec 27 : Winds of change are steadily sweeping through the home ministry ever since P. Chidambaram took over last December. First he introduced the biometric attendance system in North Block to ensure punctuality. Then he began revamping the Intelligence Bureau by setting up the Multi-Agency Centre to analyse intelligence inputs on a real time basis.

This thread is to watch developments in South East Asia that could have geo-political bearings on India.



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[url="http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Russia_Vietnam_ink_submarine_arms_deal_999.html"]Russia, Vietnam ink (Kilo)submarine , (Sukhoi SU-30MK2) arms deal[/url]



by Staff Writers

Moscow (UPI) Dec 21, 2009

Russia and Vietnam have signed a string of arms deals, including Hanoi's purchase of submarines and jet fighters from Moscow.



The deals elevate Vietnam to one of the top clients of the Russian arms industry and revive ties between Moscow and the former Soviet-era ally.



The agreements were signed during a recent visit to Moscow by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and in the presence of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.



"Vietnam signed contracts for the purchases of submarines, planes and military equipment with the corresponding cooperation of the Russian side," the Vietnamese prime minister told reporters after inking the deals.



No details of the agreements were afforded by officials on either side.



Still, Russian news agency Interfax quoted unnamed sources as saying that Russia would sell Vietnam six diesel electric Project 636 Varshvyanka submarines for a total price tag of $2 billion.



The submarines are known within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization by the nickname Kilos.



The submarines are set to be built for the Vietnamese navy at a rate of one per year, Interfax reported.



The agency also cited unidentified Russian officials in claiming that Vietnam would purchase 12 more Sukhoi Su-30MK2 fighter jets for $600 million.



Hanoi has already ordered and is awaiting delivery of eight similar aircraft from Russia in 2010.



The Russian exporter will be Rosoboronexport.



The arms deals also included an agreement for the construction of Vietnam's first atomic power plant, a lucrative -- and controversial -- project that has drawn the keen attention of the West and potential foreign partners.



Despite the global economic slowdown, trade between Vietnam and Moscow has flourished by an estimated $1.16 billion in the first nine-month period of 2009.



Concern, however, has primarily spawned from the latest arms deals between Russia and Vietnam.



The weapons purchases, in fact, have come at a time of increasing tension in the South China Sea, which Hanoi calls the East Sea.



The dispute focuses on the sovereignty of the oil and gas-rich Spratly and Paracel island chains for which Vietnam and China have competing claims.



Several other Asian countries also claim part or all of the Spratlys.



A regional defense analyst told the BBC that the rising tension in the South China Sea was "clearly a source of concern" to Hanoi.



The submarine acquisition would "increase Vietnam's negotiating power in the maritime disputes," the BBC reported quoting Professor Carlyle Thayer of the Australian Defense Force Academy as saying.



Earlier this year Vietnam demanded China investigate allegations that armed Chinese personnel beat and robbed Vietnamese fishermen who sought shelter on the Parcels during a typhoon.

Age of the Indian Renaissance - Kevat Shah



"Renaissance" was a word used to describe the scientific, artistic and cultural revolution which changed Europe from 14th to 17th centuries. Similar changes have been seen in numerous civilizations before and after. The most striking of these other Renaissances were the Age of Renaissance in Athens during the time of Socrates and Plato, as well as the Age of the American Renaissance, which began in the 17th century and still seems to be continuing today.



During these Renaissances, many new ideologies were introduced. These ideologies changed the way people thought and acted. For example, after the death of Socrates, people of Athens became less afraid to think independently, as evident from the writings of Plato. Likewise, in 14th century Europe, thinkers like Leonardo Da Vinci and Michealangelo challenged the popular belief system through novel innovations and artistic ideas. This allowed men like Gallileo, Newton and Copernicus to believe in what they thought was true. The same can be said about the Founding Fathers of America, the men who lead the American Renaissance. Benjamin Franklin refused to believe the widely accepted "facts" about lightning, allowing him to understand electricity. Therefore, we can safely assume that "thinking outside the box" and believing in your own ideas are an integral part of being a "Renaissance Man".



Another interesting fact to note is that all the Ages of Renaissance were preceded by a long dark age. In ancient Athens, a long war with Sparta preceded the coming of Socrates. The European Renaissance was also preceded by the "Dark Ages" full of war, famine and the black plague (10th - 13th centuries). The American Renassiance was preceded by 200 years of colonization of a wild land, as well as wars with the England, Spain and France and Native Americans. While the years preceding the Renaissance seem to be full of misery and seem to lack of stability, the years at the beginning of each Renaissance seem to be peaceful when compared to the years preceding them. In Athens, war against Sparta had come to a standstill and a period of peace had begun. In 14th century Europe, nations had begun unifying themselves as feudalism came to an end, ushering in an era of relative peace. In 17th century America, Americans had finally organized themselves into a nation allowing them to fight all other forces against them, which again, led to an era of relative peace.



Therefore, it follows that there are 2 things neccesary for an Age of Renaissance to begin. First, there need to independent thinkers not afraid to speak their mind. Second, and Age of Renaissance is almost always an era of peace preceded by an age of darkness.



For the last 1000 years, India has been torn by war. Of these, the last 400 years under Mughal and British Empires have been the darkest days India has seen. However, since gaining independence, India has become a relatively safer and more peaceful place. There is a movement in India towards education. Having a good education is considered the most important thing needed for success. As more and more Indians become educated, there will be more Indians, such as myself, who are not afraid to think of novel ideas or to speak their mind.



An age of darkness followed by an age of enlightement, along with the presence of independent fearless thinkers is what defines a Renaissance. According to that definition, a new age is just beginning in the history of India: The Age of the Indian Renaissance.



- Kevat Shah

This may offend many people out there, specially those who regard Gandhi as an idol. However, it is important to understand the truth and events leading to our independence to correctly guide ourselves in the future.



Doesn't the proximity of World War 2 and our independence make anyone wonder if the two were related? WW2 ended at the end of 1944. Indian independence was announced on August 26,1945 (Republic Day), less than a year later. The truth about our Independence is that it wasn't Gandhi, but Hitler that won us our independence. Now, I'm not saying that Gandhi wasn't a good man, or that Hitler was a good man. Gandhi definately played a role in unifying us as a nation, helping draft the constitution, etc. At the same time Hitler murdered millions of people. But the truth we need to realize is that it wasnt non-violence, but violence which effectively ended British rule on India. It was when Hitler's army pounded the British army that they became weak and realized they could not maintain their hold over India. As great as the story of non-violence winning us independence sounds, its is simply not true. If it was non-violence that worked, then why did it not work before? Gandhi has led non-violent protests for over 20 years before we won independence. Then why did out independence come right after WW2 and not before???



Non-violence works like this: You dont fight back and the "good" people on the other side will realize what an inhuman act it is that their side is commiting and stop. For some reason, I fail to understand why the people who let Jalianwala Baug happen would suddenly feel bad for us and give us independence because of our non violent ways. If they had their way, they would have ended up killing us all in response to our "non-violence".



The idea of non-violence doesnt make any sense. Before blindly following it, we need to THINK about why it would work and whether it even works!!!! WAKE UP AND OPEN YOUR EYES! It is military strength (of Germany) which won our independence, and not the non-violent ways of Gandhi. If there was a war tommorow, it would be OUR military strength which will protect us then, not some far-fetched idea of non-violence.



- Kevat Shah

There were many great hindu and buddhist kings throughout the history of India.But who was the greatest Indian king in terms of military

successes and contributions to the community.I have made a list of several Indian kings who could fulfill the conditions.





Chandragupta

He founded the Maurya Empire in 321 BC and defeated Seleceus.











Ashoka

He unified almost whole India under the Maurya Empire in 3th Century BC.He sponsored the construction of thousands of roads and canals.











Kharavela

The king of Kalinga conquered almost whole North and Central India in 200 BC.













Samudragupta

He is considered to be one of the greatest military geniuses in Indian history as he expanded the Gupta Empire at its zenith in 4.Century











Harsha Vardhana

He was able to unify whole North India after the collapse of the Gupta Empire in 7.Century.He was a great patron of Buddhism and literature and he built several stupas.











Bappa Rawal

He defeated the arabs in 738 AD in the famous battle of Rajasthan and protected whole India









Devapala:

He was the greatest ruler of the Pala Dynasty as he ruled whole North and Central India in 9.Century. He built the biggest Buddhist Vihara of India.













Raja Bhoja

He defeated Salar Masud and protected whole India in 11.Century.Additionally he was a great philosopher king and wrote 84 books.













Rajendra Chola

He was the greatest king of the Chola Empire in 11.Century.He unified South India and conquered Sri Lanka.And he built several

hindu temples during his reign.













Vikramaditya VI

He was the greatest king of the Chalukya Empire in 12.Century.He was famous for his patronage of art and literature and his military

successes against several kingdoms.











Prithviraj Chauhan

He is commonly known as the last hindu king of Delhi in 12.Century.Even though he lost the second battle of Tarain against Ghori.He was still able

to defeat him in the first battle and he was famous for his victories against several Indian kings.











Veera Ballala

He was perhaps the greatest monarch of the Hoysala Dynasty in 13.Century.He was famous for his patronage of hindu literature and

temple constructions.









Narasimhadeva

The Eastern Ganga Dynasty flourished and reached its zenith in 13.Century under his rule.He built several hindu

temples like the famous sun temple of Konark.







Singhana the Second

The greatest ruler of the Yadava dynasty expanded his dynasty until it reached its peak in 13.Century.During his reign he

established the college of astronomy and patronized several important poets.













Rana Kumbha

The ruler of Mewar never lost a battle against the muslim invaders in 15.Century during his reign and protected his kingdom.













Sri Krishnadevaraya

The Vijayanagara Empire expanded and reached its zenith in 16.Century under his rule.Its said that he never lost a battle during his reign.















Maharana Pratap

The immortal hero of the Rajputs fought against the Mughals in 16.Century and was able to protect his kingdom.















Shivaji Chatrapati

The founder of the Maratha Empire won several battles against the Mughals and conquered almost half of India in 17.Century.













Peshwa Baji Rao

The Maratha Empire was at its zenith during his rule in 18.Century







Tukojirao Holkar

He defeated the British in the first Anglo-Maratha War in 18.Century

[url="http://www.domain-b.com/defence/air_space/iaf/20091128_tejas_lca_oneView.html"]India-made nuclear sub Arihant to ride the waves in two years news[/url]

Quote:03 December 2009

Navy chief Admiral Nirmal Verma

India's first indigenous nuclear submarine, INS Arihant (annihilator of enemies), will be inducted into the Indioan Navy fleet in two years or so, Navy chief Admiral Nirmal Verma told reporters in New Delhi ahead of the Navy Day on Friday.



Arihant, the first submarine to be built under the advanced technology vessel (ATV) programme, was launched for sea trials on 26 July this year at the naval yard in Visakhapatnam by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's wife Gurcharan Kaur in the presence of the prime minister. (See: India launches indigenous nuke sub INS Arihant)



"Arihant demonstrates a quantum leap in the shipbuilding capabilities of the country. It is a nuclear-powered submarine which is indigenously designed and constructed," Admiral Verma said.



As India pursues the capacity to fire nuclear missiles from land, sea or air, the Navy now wants a well-balanced underwater strategic arm. This will include three SSBNs (nuclear-powered submarines with long-range strategic missiles) and six SSNs (nuclear-powered attack submarines) in the long-term.



The over 6,000-tonne INS Arihant will be more of `a technology demonstrator', rather than a fully-operational SSBN, for the subsequent follow-on nuclear submarines to follow.



But a fact glossed over in many reports is that the over 6,000-tonne INS Arihant will not be a fully-operational SSBN – it will be more of `a technology demonstrator' for the nuclear submarines to follow.



From Russia with love

A Russian Project 885 Severodvinsk class submarine –likely design base for the Indian ATV project

The navy will go nuclear much before this, however. After several glitches, India will finally get the 12,000-tonne `K-152 Nerpa' Akula-II class submarine from Russia on a 10-year lease. It will be renamed 'INS Chakra' before being inducted into the Indian Navy.



Nerpa will not come armed with long-range missiles due to international treaties like the Missile Technology Control Regime. But apart from being a potent hunter of enemy submarines, Nerpa will also help train Indian sailors in the complex art of operating, maintaining and deploying nuclear submarines like INS Arihant and its already-approved two follow-on vessels.



Admiral Verma himself was tight-lipped about Russia leasing out the 'Nerpa'. "I have no response for that," he said to queries on when Nerpa would join the Indian Navy.



However, reports from Moscow last month said that in spite of the delay in acceptance trials due to stormy sea conditions, the Russian navy is going ahead to commission the Akula-II class nuclear submarine by the year end.



"The Nerpa, built by the Amur Shipyard, will be delivered on time in December this year," governor of Khabarovsk Territory Vyacheslav Shport announced in mid-November. The deal is worth $650 million (a little over Rs3,000 crore).



The submarine is due to be handed over to India by March next year on lease. After its commissioning, the Russian Navy will train Indian Navy personnel on making the submarine operational. It would join the Indian Navy fleet after undergoing user trials.



Originally Russia was to deliver the Nerpa, said to be similar to the Arihant, by 2008, but delivery was deferred due to financial woes of the shipyard.



The mishap in Sea of Japan on 8 November 2008 led to further delay, as its trials were aborted following the death of 20 technical staff and crew due to the release of toxic freon gas from the fire suppression system in the sleeping quarters. A crew-member was arrested for tampering with a temperature gauge, which lead to the release of the toxic inert gas.



Long way to go

Without elaborating, Admiral Verma said that the "tremendous amount of capability'' gained in the ATV (advanced technology vessel) project under which INS Arihant was built would not be allowed to wither away.



The government has sanctioned well over Rs30,000 crore for the ATV project to construct three submarines, with the third being of a much larger size.



The 26 July `launch' of the 111-metre INS Arihant by flooding the dry dock at Visakhapatnam in the presence of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh marked India's entry into the select group of five nations – the US, the UK, Russia, France and China - capable of building nuclear submarines.



But there is still a long way to go. It's only after its miniature 83 mw pressurised light-water reactor is `fired' sometime next year will INS Arihant begin its extensive sea-acceptance trials.



Only after that will the testing of 700-km range K-15 SLBMs (submarine-launched ballistic missiles) developed by the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) to arm the submarine come into play.



K-15 falls way short of the over 5,000-km range missiles of the US, Russia and China. The last, for instance, has a huge fleet of 62 submarines, with at least 10 of them nuclear-powered, and is also ready with its new JL-2 SLBM, which has a strike range of over 7,200 km.



The Navy has also started looking for a suitable place to start a second assembly line for constructing six additional submarines in addition to half-a-dozen Scorpene subs currently under construction in Mazgaon dock in Mumbai with French collaboration.



''A high-level team headed by a department of defence production official is in the process of identifying the shipyard where the second line will come up,'' the Navy chief said.



The Navy has issued a request for information to procure fighters for the proposed second indigenous aircraft carrier. The first IAC will have MiG-29 K and LCA naval version that can enter the compatibility trial phase in 2013. A request for proposal has been issued to procure six medium range maritime surveillance aircraft.



Admiral Verma denied that the Navy's blue water objectives had been diluted because of the additional brown water responsibilities closer to the shore in the wake of the terrorist attacks in Mumbai last year.



After the terror strike, the Navy has been entrusted with the responsibility of overall maritime security through proper coordination involving many central and state agencies including Coast Guard, Customs, Marine Police, Central Industrial Security Force and fisherfolk.



A national maritime domain awareness document will be brought out in a few months to inform various government departments how to distinguish between the friend and foe on the high seas, Admiral Verma said.

This thread is to discuss Indian Civil and Military Space discussion



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[url="http://www.domain-b.com/aero/space/spacemissions/20091127_isro.html"]ISRO to up mission rate; developing semi-cryogenic technology news[/url]

Quote:27 November 2009



Bangalore: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will step up the frequency of missions, even as it sets larger objectives for itself in areas of national development and space science. The organisation will also seek to create synergy between space, defence, aeronautics and atomic energy sectors, according to the newly installed chairman, K Radhakrishnan.



Geo-synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle

''The Indian Space Research Organisation will aim at launching between six and eight missions every year to meet its objectives in the areas of national development and space science,'' ISRO chairman, K Radhakrishnan said here Thursday.



''We must look to create synergy between the space industry and the aircraft, defence and atomic energy sectors,'' he said in his address to the 23rd National Convention of Aerospace Scientists here. ''The Indian space industry is robust, comprising 500 firms and employing a total of 15,000 people.''



India's first launch vehicle with an indigenous cryogenic engine, the GSLV-D3 (Geo-synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle) was in the final stages of preparation, he said. The launch is scheduled for December 2009, though Radhakrishnan did not reveal the launch date.



Radhakrishnan also revealed that Indian space scientists were developing semi-cryogenic propulsion technology, which will use kerosene and allow Indian launcher rockets to carry payloads of upto six-tonnes, nearly three times more than their current capability.



While cryogenic technology uses liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen, semi-cryogenic technology will use pure kerosene (aviation-grade) instead of liquid hydrogen.

Purpose of this thread is to discuss development that affect Indian Military Aviation (I.e. Not only IAF but IN, IN and other R&D/production organizations)



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[url="http://www.domain-b.com/defence/air_space/iaf/20091209_fighter_tests_oneView.html"]Russian 5th Gen stealth fighter tests commence 2010 news[/url]

Quote:09 December 2009



Nizhny Novgorod: Russia will begin testing its fifth-generation PAK-FA fighter in 2010, Russian deputy prime minister, Sergei Ivanov, said Tuesday. "The trials will begin in 2010," Ivanov said.



This is a change over earlier announcements that tests would commence before the end of this year. The prototype under development is the T-50.



The aircraft is intended to match the qualities of the US stealth F-22 Raptor and the JSF-35 Lightning II fighter aircraft. Currently the F-22 Raptor is the world's only fifth generation fighter.



The PAK-FA T-50 is scheduled to enter service with the Russian Air Force in 2015. The T-50's maiden test flight has been repeatedly postponed since early 2007. In August 2009, Russian Air Force chief Alexander Zelin had indicated that there were problems with the engines and research was ongoing.



Sukhoi PAK-FA and the HAL FGFA



In 2007, Russia and India agreed to jointly develop what the Indians dubbed as a Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) programme. At that time, Sukhoi director, Mikhail Pogosyan, was quoted as saying, "We [India and Russia] will share the funding, engineering and intellectual property in a 50-50 proportion."



The Indian version would be different from the Russian version in that it would be twin-seat configuration based on its operational doctrine which calls for greater radius of combat operations. The Russian version is a single-seater.



Given the specific needs of a two-seater aircraft, the wings and control surfaces of the Indian variant need to be redesigned.



The Russian side is optimistic that a test prototype of the two-seater version will be ready for its initial flight-testing by 2012, and eventual induction into service by 2015.



The PAK-FA will be stealthy, will have the ability to supercruise, will carry the next generation of air-to-air, air-to-surface, and air-to-ship missiles and carry an [color="#000080"]AESA radar with a 1,500-element array[/color].



It will initially carry two Saturn 117S engines (about 14.5 ton thrust each), which is an advanced version of the AL-31F.



Later versions of the PAK FA will use a completely new engine (17.5 ton thrust each), developed by NPO Saturn or FGUP MMPP Salyut.

Biggest Hoax of our generation - Global Warming.

<b>Global warming, corruption, and unethical scientists</b><!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Why would they want to continue the myth?

1) To continue to receive funding from various government and environmental lobby sources. They even sent out emails telling everyone when funding was coming in and where from so that they could line up at the trough. It’s all about the money, and the money right now is for making Global Warming real, even though it most clearly isn’t.

2) To continue to back up the IPCC’s false claims of Global Warming in order to pass such Global Treaties as the Copenhagen treaty. Fortunately for the people of the world, it will absolutely fail this December. It was marked for failure before these emails were made public. Now it’s just that much more certain.

3) Numerous governments across Europe have enacted Cap and Trade schemes that have cost billions in lost GDP to nations like France and Great Britain. The scope of what has been quite literally robbed from the people of those nations is staggering – in the range of hundreds of billions of dollars. The economy of Great Britain is in shambles, and the people of those nations are suffering, their cost of living has gone up so fast that the poverty level has risen past the ability of their governments to write the welfare checks.

Their governments told them this was the best for climate, when in reality they were following pied pipers from the UN the IPCC and the East Anglica University and others who were all quite literally lying through their scientific degrees. All to justify a system of taxation that is nearly as bad as anything instituted during the middle ages – taking money from the people to fund the government class.

4) The entire point of the Copenhagen treaty was to use global cap and trade schemes to take money from 1st and 2nd world countries and give it to 3rd world nations as some sort of recompense for using Carbon, a naturally occurring element, as well as the single most common element on earth.
The single most amazing thing about this whole hoax is the numbers of people that actually bought into it. The amount of money that has been poured into this black hole of corruption is nothing short of astounding. Many people have known this and upon speaking out have been derided as nuts, deniers, ect. Well today is the day for all those who have been telling the truth to stand tall and bask in the glow of “I told you so.” The Global Warming Deniers were right all along. The IPCC data was not only wrong, but deliberately wrong.

The UN, the IPCC and all those who have been pushing this farce are borderline criminals bent upon robbing the American people along with the people of the world, all while lining their own pockets richly. Yes, that means you Al Gore and George Soros, both of whom have made hundreds of millions and an Academy Award off the scheme.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->