Business in Africa

Only a few years ago people were queuing up to invest in Africa. People were excited at the prospect of investing in Africa, whose population is roughly 1.2 billion.
Africa is a resource rich continent. It is the biggest supplier of diamonds, gold an many other resources. Yet the continent has not progressed as it should have because of corruption, bribery, unemployment and civil wars which have devastated the lives of the people.

Yet, Africa is much more democratic than it was before. In the 1980s, only 1 sub-Saharan government was peacefully voted out of office. Now nearly all face regular election, which are harder to rig thanks to social media.

The continent's future is in the balance. Whether it bounces back from this commodity slump or slips back into stagnation, war and autocracy will depend whether enough of its leaders keep moving forward . Two goals stand out. The first is to recognise the new reality. Given the decline in its terms of trade, Africa's buying power has gone down. Second, African governments need to keep up the hard slog of improving the basics. Bad roads,grasping officials and tariff barriers still hobble trade between African countries, which is only 11% of total African exports and imports.

Russia and it's Foreign Policy

Vladimir Putin won a famous victory this week in Syria, he is taking credit for a ceasefire and the start of peace talks.

However, when we look closer, we realize that Russia's victory is hollow. The Islamic State(IS) still remains and the peace is fragile. The average salary a month in January 2014 was $850, now a year later it is $450. In 2011-12, many citizens took to the streets to demand that their country become a modern state where elections are contested. 

Mr Putin has responded by annexing Crimea and vowing to restore Russian greatness after the Soviet collapse. With action in Ukraine and Syria he makes it look as if Russia is the equal of US. This message is very popular with ordinary Russian's. What he wants is that the democratic revolutions in Ukraine and Syria must fail or he fears that Russia itself will one day have a revolution of its own.

So far his plan has worked, fooled by pro-Kremlin broadcast media, ordinary Russians have been willing to trade material comfort for national pride. Mr Putin's popularity ratings remain above 80%, far higher than most Western leaders. However, since last October, the share of voters has fallen from 61% to 51%.

The biggest test however, will be Ukraine. If Ukraine can become a successful European state, it will show Russians that they have a path of liberal democracy. But, if Ukraine fails, it will strengthen Putin's argument that Russia belongs to its own "orthodox" culture and that liberal democracy has nothing to do with it


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Indian Education System

The Indian Education System has many pros and cons. I am going to discuss some of them.

The Indian Education System is centered around studies and co-curricular activities are given little or no importance. Though the CBSE board has made it compulsory to have at least 3-4 different co-curricular activities it has not been very effective. The portions are usually vast for the exams and excess homework is given in the Indian System, the downside of this is that children learn by rote learning, without actually understanding the topic. They also spend more and more of their time doing homework leaving less time for co-curricular and sports activities.

But, the Indian System does have it's advantages, firstly, as the system is more studies oriented the dropout rate is lower as compared to the West. Secondly, the homework which is given, although extra, do help the students in studies. Thirdly, since a lot of practice is given to students helps them get good marks in their exams. This also teaches them to work hard and prepares them for the long race ahead.

Therefore, to conclude, I would say that the Indian Education System is one of the best education systems in the world when it comes to studies,but it should give more importance to co-curricular and sports activities.                                   

Free Basics. Is it really free?

Free Basics by Facebook provides people with access to useful services on their mobile phones in markets where internet access may be less affordable. The websites are available for free without data charges, and include content on things like news, employment, health, education and local information.But, many IIT, IISc professors are arguing that Free Basics is "misleading and flawed". They are saying that, “Allowing a private entity to define for Indian Internet users what is ‘basic’, to control what content costs how much, and to have access to the personal content created and used by millions of Indians, is a lethal combination which will lead to total lack of freedom on how Indians can use their own public utility, the Internet. 

Free Basics contradicts the basic principle of net neutrality by giving free access only to fixed number of sites. Net neutrality means that people have access to any site in the internet and no restrictions can be placed  on which sites they can visit and which sites they can't. 

IIT, IISc professors are critical of 'Free Basics' and have said that the word "free" has been used as a marketing tactic .We all know that when we buy a hair oil bottle and we get a comb free, the price of a comb is added somewhere else. In the same way internet service providers will charge the non-free sites more, otherwise every site would have been free.

To conclude they are saying that allowing a private,multi-national entity such as facebook to decide what is 'basic' is a lethal combination and will spell the end of digital freedom in India. 

Thermal Protection System (Part 1)

The Thermal Protection System(TPS) is of utmost importance in a rocket as it protects the inner layers of the rocket from extreme heat.

Thermal Protection System (TPS)

The TPS consists of various material applied the outer surface of the orbiter to protect the orbiter from the extreme temperatures especially while re-entry into the atmosphere.

During re-entry , the TPS materials perform in temperature ranges from minus 250 F in the cold soak of space to entry temperatures that reach nearly 3,000 F. Because the thermal protection system is installed on the outside of the orbiter skin, it establishes the aerodynamics over the vehicle in addition to acting as the heat shield.

There are many types of different tiles used in the TPS system.Some of them are:

1. Reinforced carbon-carbon  (RCC) is used on the wing leading edges; the nose cap, including an area near the nose cap on the lower surface, and an area around the forward orbiter/external tank structural attachment. RCC protects areas where temperatures exceed 2,300 F during entry.

2. Black High-Temperature Reusable Surface Insulation (HRSI) tiles are used all over the orbiter; there are nearly 20,000 of these tiles on the orbiter.  They do not encounter the most extreme temperatures but must withstand some heat.  The HRSI tiles protect areas where temperatures are below 2,300 F.

3. Black tiles called Fibrous Refractory Composite Insulation (FRCI) were developed later in the thermal protection system program. FRCI tiles replace some of the HRSI tiles in selected areas of the orbiter.  There are nearly 3,000 FRCI tiles on the shuttle, primarily in areas of high heat.  FRCI tiles are mostly used on the base of the shuttle; this is where the highest heat is encountered.

4. Low-Temperature Reusable Surface Insulation (LRSI) white tiles are used in selected areas of the orbiter; such as the vertical tail and upper wing. These tiles protect areas where temperatures are below 1,200 F. The tiles are white since while in orbit the shuttle encounters extremely low temperatures and the white surface provides better thermal characteristics when the temperature is below 0 F.

5. Advanced Flexible Reusable Surface Insulation (AFRSI) blankets were developed after the orbiter Columbia was built. AFRSI blankets consist of sewn compositequilted fabric insulation that is sandwiched between two layers of white fabric that are sewn together to essentially form a quilted blanket. AFRSI blankets were used on Discovery and Atlantis and replaced the vast majority of the LRSI tiles. Columbia had the AFRSI blankets added after its seventh flight.  Each orbiter has about 1,900 square feet of AFRSI blankets.  The advantages to the AFRSI blankets to LRSI tiles are that they are more durable, less fabrication, less installation time and costs, and a weight reduction.  These blankets are used in areas where the temperature does not exceed 1,200 F.

6. White blankets made of coated Nomex Felt Reusable Surface Insulation(FRSI) are used on the upper payload bay doors, and portions of the upper wing surface. These blankets are used in areas where the temperature does not exceed 700 F.

Stay tuned for the next part............

Book Review of the 'The Lost Symbol' by Dan Brown

I recently read the book 'The Lost Symbol' by Dan Brown. It was really interesting and had me riveted till the last page. It was another gripping Robert Langdon story. In this story Robert is forced to help a mysterious man solve an ancient riddle or watch his friend and prominent Mason Peter Solomon die. The story starts with Robert being tricked into going to the Capitol Building,Washington D.C. The story unearths many of America's most guarded secrets. 
Though the story is dragged a little in the end it is overall a really good book. The author is well versed in American history and Masonic customs. The grammar used is really good and the plot is outstanding . I'll give the book four-and-a-half stars out of five. Dan Brown once again showed us why he is the No.1 bestselling author in the U.S. I surely recommend this book to all readers. Read the book to find out what happens to Peter and Robert. 

Rappeling at Banathimaribetta

At about 3pm, my family and myself were doing rappeling with BMC (Bangalore Mountaineering Club). There were about 30 people in a group. 12 to 15 people had gone the rock. I was feeling very scared as the rock was about 90 ft. high. My brother Shubham had started crying. I had made my mind not to do rappeling and trek down the mountain the other way. Since many people had done rappeling made it look easy, I decided to give it a try. So I wore the equipments necessary for rappeling and I started rappeling down. But when I was half way through, I slipped on the rock and got some bruises. I used the support of the rope and got up. I then reached the bottom of the rock slowly. When my brother saw me do it, he too did it though he fell a couple of times. I was amazed to see a 8-year old do rappeling. Then came my father and mother who did it comfortably.