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I have broadly observed that many tend to believe that ActivityPub-based Fediverse is associated with liberal or left-liberal political discourse. This perception may be due to user demographics and community norms or guidelines.
It is not fair to carry such a discernment in one's mind. The design and architecture of ActivityPub based Fediverse are politically neutral. However, the way it is implemented and used by different platforms and communities can reflect varying political ideologies. The Fediverse is a collection of interconnected social networking platforms that use ActivityPub, and these platforms can cater to diverse communities with different political beliefs and values.
It is important to re-emphasize that the Fediverse is a disparate ecosystem with a wide range of users and viewpoints. While there may be a prevalent perception of a liberal or left-liberal discourse, it does not mean that all users or instances within the Fediverse adhere to those ideologies.
#ActivityPub #Fediverse #Politics #PoliticalIdeology #PoliticalDiscourse #PoliticalThoughts -
Rest of World has recently published that
Indian kirana stores are struggling to compete with quick-commerce (typically 10 minute delivery) apps like Zepto and Blinkit on discounts and delivery.
Here are my two cents with respect to Bengaluru, India.
Around 200,000 kirana stores have closed in the past year, mostly in big cities.
1. Most gated communities and large apartments complexes have their own mom-and-pop stores. Some even have eateries and barber shops. These stores and outlets have captive customers and are apparently doing okay.
2. The mom-and-pop stores that have closed used to be located almost near these apartment complexes and gated communities but not within a short walking distance.
3. Indian kirana stores (e.g. vegetable and fruit stalls, mini-restaurants and other outlets) in older localities with independent houses or smaller apartment complexes are still surviving and some are doing well.
4. Typically 10 minute delivery service providers like Blinkit, Zepto, Bigbasket Now, Swiggy Instamart etc. also stop operations in a locality almost without any notice. I am convinced thatthese quick-commerce businesses are burning cash to establish a monopoly in the market.
5. Due to very heavy traffic in Bengaluru during normal working hours, independently reaching these local stores is a challenge. Sometimes even parking a two wheeler can be a headache.
6. Some of the closed mom-and-pop stores could have survived by providing better customer interface and experience.
7. The article does not mention about the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) which is a government initiative aimed at empowering small retailers, particularly kirana stores, to compete with e-commerce giants.
* ONDC provides a platform for kirana stores to compete with e-commerce giants.
* Kirana stores face challenges in adopting ONDC, including payment delays and lack of process discipline.
* ONDC offers advantages such as discoverability and competition with dark stores.
#MastodonIndians #MastIndia #India #QuickCommerce #ONDC #MomAndPopStores -
Rest of World has recently published [1] that
Indian kirana stores are struggling to compete with quick-commerce (typically 10 minute delivery) apps like Zepto and Blinkit on discounts and delivery.
Here are my two cents with respect to Bengaluru, India [2].
Around 200,000 kirana stores have closed in the past year, mostly in big cities.
1. Most gated communities and large apartments complexes have their own mom-and-pop stores. Some even have eateries and barber shops. These stores and outlets have captive customers and are apparently doing okay.
2. The mom-and-pop stores that have closed used to be located almost near these apartment complexes and gated communities but not within a short walking distance.
3. Indian kirana stores (e.g. vegetable and fruit stalls, mini-restaurants and other outlets) in older localities with independent houses or smaller apartment complexes are still surviving and some are doing well.
4. Typically 10 minute delivery service providers like Blinkit, Zepto, Bigbasket Now, Swiggy Instamart etc. also stop operations in a locality almost without any notice. I am convinced thatthese quick-commerce businesses are burning cash to establish a monopoly in the market.
5. Due to very heavy traffic in Bengaluru during normal working hours, independently reaching these local stores is a challenge. Sometimes even parking a two wheeler can be a headache.
6. Some of the closed mom-and-pop stores could have survived by providing better customer interface and experience.
7. The article [3] does not mention about the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) [4] which is a government initiative aimed at empowering small retailers, particularly kirana stores, to compete with e-commerce giants.
* ONDC provides a platform for kirana stores to compete with e-commerce giants.
* Kirana stores face challenges in adopting ONDC, including payment delays and lack of process discipline.
* ONDC offers advantages such as discoverability and competition with dark stores.
1. https://restofworld.org/2024/india-rapid-delivery-zepto-blinkit/
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangalore
3. https://restofworld.org/2024/india-rapid-delivery-zepto-blinkit/
4. https://www.businessoffood.in/the-ondc-revolution-transforming-indias-kirana-stores-in-the-digital-era/
#MastodonIndians #MastIndia #India #QuickCommerce #ONDC #MomAndPopStores -
Rest of World has recently published [1] that
Indian kirana stores are struggling to compete with quick-commerce (typically 10 minute delivery) apps like Zepto and Blinkit on discounts and delivery.
Here are my two cents with respect to Bengaluru, India [2].
Around 200,000 kirana stores have closed in the past year, mostly in big cities.
1. Most gated communities and large apartments complexes have their own mom-and-pop stores. Some even have eateries and barber shops. These stores and outlets have captive customers and are apparently doing okay.
2. The mom-and-pop stores that have closed used to be located almost near these apartment complexes and gated communities but not within a short walking distance.
3. Indian kirana stores (e.g. vegetable and fruit stalls, mini-restaurants and other outlets) in older localities with independent houses or smaller apartment complexes are still surviving and some are doing well.
4. Typically 10 minute delivery service providers like Blinkit, Zepto, Bigbasket Now, Swiggy Instamart etc. also stop operations in a locality almost without any notice. I am convinced thatthese quick-commerce businesses are burning cash to establish a monopoly in the market.
5. Due to very heavy traffic in Bengaluru during normal working hours, independently reaching these local stores is a challenge. Sometimes even parking a two wheeler can be a headache.
6. Some of the closed mom-and-pop stores could have survived by providing better customer interface and experience.
7. The article [3] does not mention about the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) [4] which is a government initiative aimed at empowering small retailers, particularly kirana stores, to compete with e-commerce giants.
* ONDC provides a platform for kirana stores to compete with e-commerce giants.
* Kirana stores face challenges in adopting ONDC, including payment delays and lack of process discipline.
* ONDC offers advantages such as discoverability and competition with dark stores.
1. https://restofworld.org/2024/india-rapid-delivery-zepto-blinkit/
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangalore
3. https://restofworld.org/2024/india-rapid-delivery-zepto-blinkit/
4. https://www.businessoffood.in/the-ondc-revolution-transforming-indias-kirana-stores-in-the-digital-era/
#MastodonIndians #MastIndia #India #QuickCommerce #ONDC #MomAndPopStores -
Rest of World has recently published that
Indian kirana stores are struggling to compete with quick-commerce (typically 10 minute delivery) apps like Zepto and Blinkit on discounts and delivery.
Here are my two cents with respect to Bengaluru, India.
Around 200,000 kirana stores have closed in the past year, mostly in big cities.
1. Most gated communities and large apartments complexes have their own mom-and-pop stores. Some even have eateries and barber shops. These stores and outlets have captive customers and are apparently doing okay.
2. The mom-and-pop stores that have closed used to be located almost near these apartment complexes and gated communities but not within a short walking distance.
3. Indian kirana stores (e.g. vegetable and fruit stalls, mini-restaurants and other outlets) in older localities with independent houses or smaller apartment complexes are still surviving and some are doing well.
4. Typically 10 minute delivery service providers like Blinkit, Zepto, Bigbasket Now, Swiggy Instamart etc. also stop operations in a locality almost without any notice. I am convinced thatthese quick-commerce businesses are burning cash to establish a monopoly in the market.
5. Due to very heavy traffic in Bengaluru during normal working hours, independently reaching these local stores is a challenge. Sometimes even parking a two wheeler can be a headache.
6. Some of the closed mom-and-pop stores could have survived by providing better customer interface and experience.
7. The article does not mention about the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) which is a government initiative aimed at empowering small retailers, particularly kirana stores, to compete with e-commerce giants.
* ONDC provides a platform for kirana stores to compete with e-commerce giants.
* Kirana stores face challenges in adopting ONDC, including payment delays and lack of process discipline.
* ONDC offers advantages such as discoverability and competition with dark stores.
#MastodonIndians #MastIndia #India #QuickCommerce #ONDC #MomAndPopStores -
Rest of World has recently published that
Indian kirana stores are struggling to compete with quick-commerce (typically 10 minute delivery) apps like Zepto and Blinkit on discounts and delivery.
Here are my two cents with respect to Bengaluru, India.
Around 200,000 kirana stores have closed in the past year, mostly in big cities.
1. Most gated communities and large apartments complexes have their own mom-and-pop stores. Some even have eateries and barber shops. These stores and outlets have captive customers and are apparently doing okay.
2. The mom-and-pop stores that have closed used to be located almost near these apartment complexes and gated communities but not within a short walking distance.
3. Indian kirana stores (e.g. vegetable and fruit stalls, mini-restaurants and other outlets) in older localities with independent houses or smaller apartment complexes are still surviving and some are doing well.
4. Typically 10 minute delivery service providers like Blinkit, Zepto, Bigbasket Now, Swiggy Instamart etc. also stop operations in a locality almost without any notice. I am convinced thatthese quick-commerce businesses are burning cash to establish a monopoly in the market.
5. Due to very heavy traffic in Bengaluru during normal working hours, independently reaching these local stores is a challenge. Sometimes even parking a two wheeler can be a headache.
6. Some of the closed mom-and-pop stores could have survived by providing better customer interface and experience.
7. The article does not mention about the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) which is a government initiative aimed at empowering small retailers, particularly kirana stores, to compete with e-commerce giants.
* ONDC provides a platform for kirana stores to compete with e-commerce giants.
* Kirana stores face challenges in adopting ONDC, including payment delays and lack of process discipline.
* ONDC offers advantages such as discoverability and competition with dark stores.
#MastodonIndians #MastIndia #India #QuickCommerce #ONDC #MomAndPopStores -
@[email protected]
Thank you posting an interesting aspect.
Let me share my two cents with respect to Bengaluru, India.
1. Most gated communities and large apartments complexes have their own mom-and-pop stores. Some even have eateries and barber shops. These stores and outlets have captive customers and are apparently doing okay.
2. The mom-and-pop stores that have closed used to be located almost near these apartment complexes and gated communities but not within a short walking distance.
3. Indian kirana stores (e.g. vegetable and fruit stalls, mini-restaurants and other outlets) in older localities with independent houses or smaller apartment complexes are still surviving and some are doing well.
4. Typically 10 minute delivery service providers like Blinkit, Zepto, Bigbasket Now, Swiggy Instamart etc. also stop operations in a locality almost without any notice. I am convinced thatthese quick-commerce businesses are burning cash to establish a monopoly in the market.
5. Due to very heavy traffic in Bengaluru during normal working hours, independently reaching these local stores is a challenge. Sometimes even parking a two wheeler can be a headache.
6. The article does not mention about the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) which is a government initiative aimed at empowering small retailers, particularly kirana stores, to compete with e-commerce giants.
* ONDC provides a platform for kirana stores to compete with e-commerce giants.
* Kirana stores face challenges in adopting ONDC, including payment delays and lack of process discipline.
* ONDC offers advantages such as discoverability and competition with dark stores.
#MastodonIndians #MastIndia #India #QuickCommerce #ONDC #MomAndPopStores -
@[email protected]
Thank you posting an interesting aspect.
Let me share my two cents with respect to Bengaluru, India.
1. Most gated communities and large apartments complexes have their own mom-and-pop stores. Some even have eateries and barber shops. These stores and outlets have captive customers and are apparently doing okay.
2. The mom-and-pop stores that have closed used to be located almost near these apartment complexes and gated communities but not within a short walking distance.
3. Indian kirana stores (e.g. vegetable and fruit stalls, mini-restaurants and other outlets) in older localities with independent houses or smaller apartment complexes are still surviving and some are doing well.
4. Typically 10 minute delivery service providers like Blinkit, Zepto, Bigbasket Now, Swiggy Instamart etc. also stop operations in a locality almost without any notice. I am convinced thatthese quick-commerce businesses are burning cash to establish a monopoly in the market.
5. Due to very heavy traffic in Bengaluru during normal working hours, independently reaching these local stores is a challenge. Sometimes even parking a two wheeler can be a headache.
6. The article does not mention about the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) which is a government initiative aimed at empowering small retailers, particularly kirana stores, to compete with e-commerce giants.
* ONDC provides a platform for kirana stores to compete with e-commerce giants.
* Kirana stores face challenges in adopting ONDC, including payment delays and lack of process discipline.
* ONDC offers advantages such as discoverability and competition with dark stores.
#MastodonIndians #MastIndia #India #QuickCommerce #ONDC #MomAndPopStores -
@[email protected]
Thank you posting an interesting aspect.
Let me share my two cents with respect to Bengaluru, India.
1. Most gated communities and large apartments complexes have their own mom-and-pop stores. Some even have eateries and barber shops. These stores and outlets have captive customers and are apparently doing okay.
2. The mom-and-pop stores that have closed used to be located almost near these apartment complexes and gated communities but not within a short walking distance.
3. Indian kirana stores (e.g. vegetable and fruit stalls, mini-restaurants and other outlets) in older localities with independent houses or smaller apartment complexes are still surviving and some are doing well.
4. Typically 10 minute delivery service providers like Blinkit, Zepto, Bigbasket Now, Swiggy Instamart etc. also stop operations in a locality almost without any notice. I am convinced thatthese quick-commerce businesses are burning cash to establish a monopoly in the market.
5. Due to very heavy traffic in Bengaluru during normal working hours, independently reaching these local stores is a challenge. Sometimes even parking a two wheeler can be a headache.
6. The article does not mention about the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) which is a government initiative aimed at empowering small retailers, particularly kirana stores, to compete with e-commerce giants.
* ONDC provides a platform for kirana stores to compete with e-commerce giants.
* Kirana stores face challenges in adopting ONDC, including payment delays and lack of process discipline.
* ONDC offers advantages such as discoverability and competition with dark stores.
#MastodonIndians #MastIndia #India #QuickCommerce #ONDC #MomAndPopStores -
Why this discrimination by selling less healthy products in low-income countries like India?
Products sold by companies, including Nestle, PepsiCo, and Unilever, in India and other low-income countries were assessed as part of a global index and found to be less healthy than those in high-income countries, as per a Reuters report.
The companies, among the biggest food and beverage MNCs, were assessed to, on average, sell less healthy products in poorer countries, according to the global index published by the non-profit group Access to Nutrition Initiative (ATNI).
The index was first released in 2021, but this year is the first time it split the assessment into low and high-income countries.
Reference: Food companies sell products that are less healthy in poorer countries, says report
#HealthAndSafety #PublicHealth #Human #HumanLife #MastodonIndians #MastIndia #India -
Family life is frequently fraught with deep sorrows, tragedies and pains that are difficult to articulate coherently to others. Others may consider these feelings ridiculous or irrational. It frequently feels as if there is no other option except to live with this pain, swallowing it whole for the rest of one's life.
#Human #HumanLife #FamilyLife #PersonalChallenge #MentalHealth -
Where the voice of justice weeps in silent despair (Post 2/2)
While the protests by junior doctors received excellent response from the citizens of West Bengal, rest of India India, what caught ny eager attention was the movement that got initiated after Rimjhim Sinha’s call for “Reclaim the Night” on social media. Her Facebook post, on 10th August 2024, inviting people to join her near a bus stand in Jadavpur, attracted a larger-than-expected crowd. The protests transcended local boundaries, with thousands of women and common citizens taking to the streets across West Bengal, demanding justice for the raped and murdered junior doctor. It also spread in other Indian states and even in the USA. A large number of the participants included first time protestors and senior citizens. The “Reclaim the Night” campaign, which happened twice during August and September 2024, was described by Rimjhim Sinha as a new freedom struggle for women, symbolized by a viral poster of a red hand holding a crescent moon. This imagery conveyed a sense of defiance and reclaiming public spaces, traditionally perceived as unsafe for women. In a Facebook post (on 4th October 2024) she, while always supporting the movement and protests of the Junior Doctors, re-emphasized the following priorities for state level reforms.
1. Punishment shall be ensured to all the culprits involved in the rape and murder incident at RG Kar Medical College, Kolkata.
2. All workplaces, including medical centres, require secure rest rooms and crèches for women.
3. Public transport shall be made available in Kolkata and capital cities at night.
4. School curricula should include gender-equality education, sexuality education and legal education.
5. Victim blaming shall be brought under the law.
6. Impartial and transparent Internal Complaint Committee or Local Complaint Committee shall exist in all workplaces and related areas.
7. All work related areas shall have toilets for women and people of marginalized gender-sexuality.
8. Shelter and alternative income shall be arranged at the district level for women victims of domestic violence.
The above mentioned issues are all applicable to every state of India. Though these movements attracted massive mindshare and fervour, I am not sure how much it helped to meet expectations. I also failed to understand whether the process of investigation and delivering justice actually got accelerated to a desirable extent. The movement obviously did not spread in other states of India at a larger scale. As on today, we are still awaiting justice for the doctor whose death again shook our conscience. Was there enough reporting by media in English and regional languages except Bengali? The next steps of the movements are not yet clear.
I borrow words from William Radice’s English translation of Rabindranath Tagore’s poem "Prosno" (Question) to conclude my post.And meanwhile I see secretive hatred murdering the helpless
[Post 2/2]
Under cover of night;
And Justice weeping silently and furtively at power misused
No hope of redress.
#Humanity #Human #RGKar #WomenSafety #WeWantJustice #ViolenceAgainstWomen #MastodonIndians #MastIndia #India -
Where the voice of justice weeps in silent despair (Post 2/2)
While the protests by junior doctors received excellent response from the citizens of West Bengal, rest of India India, what caught ny eager attention was the movement that got initiated after Rimjhim Sinha’s call for “Reclaim the Night” on social media. Her Facebook post, on 10th August 2024, inviting people to join her near a bus stand in Jadavpur, attracted a larger-than-expected crowd. The protests transcended local boundaries, with thousands of women and common citizens taking to the streets across West Bengal, demanding justice for the raped and murdered junior doctor. It also spread in other Indian states and even in the USA. A large number of the participants included first time protestors and senior citizens. The “Reclaim the Night” campaign, which happened twice during August and September 2024, was described by Rimjhim Sinha as a new freedom struggle for women, symbolized by a viral poster of a red hand holding a crescent moon. This imagery conveyed a sense of defiance and reclaiming public spaces, traditionally perceived as unsafe for women. In a Facebook post (on 4th October 2024) she, while always supporting the movement and protests of the Junior Doctors, re-emphasized the following priorities for state level reforms.
1. Punishment shall be ensured to all the culprits involved in the rape and murder incident at RG Kar Medical College, Kolkata.
2. All workplaces, including medical centres, require secure rest rooms and crèches for women.
3. Public transport shall be made available in Kolkata and capital cities at night.
4. School curricula should include gender-equality education, sexuality education and legal education.
5. Victim blaming shall be brought under the law.
6. Impartial and transparent Internal Complaint Committee or Local Complaint Committee shall exist in all workplaces and related areas.
7. All work related areas shall have toilets for women and people of marginalized gender-sexuality.
8. Shelter and alternative income shall be arranged at the district level for women victims of domestic violence.
The above mentioned issues are all applicable to every state of India. Though these movements attracted massive mindshare and fervour, I am not sure how much it helped to meet expectations. I also failed to understand whether the process of investigation and delivering justice actually got accelerated to a desirable extent. The movement obviously did not spread in other states of India at a larger scale. As on today, we are still awaiting justice for the doctor whose death again shook our conscience. Was there enough reporting by media in English and regional languages except Bengali? The next steps of the movements are not yet clear.
I borrow words from William Radice’s English translation of Rabindranath Tagore’s poem "Prosno" (Question) to conclude my post.And meanwhile I see secretive hatred murdering the helpless
[Post 2/2]
Under cover of night;
And Justice weeping silently and furtively at power misused
No hope of redress.
#Humanity #Human #RGKar #WomenSafety #WeWantJustice #ViolenceAgainstWomen #MastodonIndians #MastIndia #India -
Where the voice of justice weeps in silent despair (Post 2/2)
While the protests by junior doctors received excellent response from the citizens of West Bengal, rest of India India, what caught ny eager attention was the movement that got initiated after Rimjhim Sinha’s call for “Reclaim the Night” on social media. Her Facebook post, on 10th August 2024, inviting people to join her near a bus stand in Jadavpur, attracted a larger-than-expected crowd. The protests transcended local boundaries, with thousands of women and common citizens taking to the streets across West Bengal, demanding justice for the raped and murdered junior doctor. It also spread in other Indian states and even in the USA. A large number of the participants included first time protestors and senior citizens. The “Reclaim the Night” campaign, which happened twice during August and September 2024, was described by Rimjhim Sinha as a new freedom struggle for women, symbolized by a viral poster of a red hand holding a crescent moon. This imagery conveyed a sense of defiance and reclaiming public spaces, traditionally perceived as unsafe for women. In a Facebook post (on 4th October 2024) she, while always supporting the movement and protests of the Junior Doctors, re-emphasized the following priorities for state level reforms.
1. Punishment shall be ensured to all the culprits involved in the rape and murder incident at RG Kar Medical College, Kolkata.
2. All workplaces, including medical centres, require secure rest rooms and crèches for women.
3. Public transport shall be made available in Kolkata and capital cities at night.
4. School curricula should include gender-equality education, sexuality education and legal education.
5. Victim blaming shall be brought under the law.
6. Impartial and transparent Internal Complaint Committee or Local Complaint Committee shall exist in all workplaces and related areas.
7. All work related areas shall have toilets for women and people of marginalized gender-sexuality.
8. Shelter and alternative income shall be arranged at the district level for women victims of domestic violence.
The above mentioned issues are all applicable to every state of India. Though these movements attracted massive mindshare and fervour, I am not sure how much it helped to meet expectations. I also failed to understand whether the process of investigation and delivering justice actually got accelerated to a desirable extent. The movement obviously did not spread in other states of India at a larger scale. As on today, we are still awaiting justice for the doctor whose death again shook our conscience. Was there enough reporting by media in English and regional languages except Bengali? The next steps of the movements are not yet clear.
I borrow words from William Radice’s English translation of Rabindranath Tagore’s poem "Prosno" (Question) to conclude my post.And meanwhile I see secretive hatred murdering the helpless
[Post 2/2]
Under cover of night;
And Justice weeping silently and furtively at power misused
No hope of redress.
#Humanity #Human #RGKar #WomenSafety #WeWantJustice #ViolenceAgainstWomen #MastodonIndians #MastIndia #India -
Where the voice of justice weeps in silent despair (Post 2/2)
While the protests by junior doctors received excellent response from the citizens of West Bengal, rest of India India, what caught ny eager attention was the movement that got initiated after Rimjhim Sinha’s call for “Reclaim the Night” on social media. Her Facebook post, on 10th August 2024, inviting people to join her near a bus stand in Jadavpur, attracted a larger-than-expected crowd. The protests transcended local boundaries, with thousands of women and common citizens taking to the streets across West Bengal, demanding justice for the raped and murdered junior doctor. It also spread in other Indian states and even in the USA. A large number of the participants included first time protestors and senior citizens. The “Reclaim the Night” campaign, which happened twice during August and September 2024, was described by Rimjhim Sinha as a new freedom struggle for women, symbolized by a viral poster of a red hand holding a crescent moon. This imagery conveyed a sense of defiance and reclaiming public spaces, traditionally perceived as unsafe for women. In a Facebook post (on 4th October 2024) she, while always supporting the movement and protests of the Junior Doctors, re-emphasized the following priorities for state level reforms.
1. Punishment shall be ensured to all the culprits involved in the rape and murder incident at RG Kar Medical College, Kolkata.
2. All workplaces, including medical centres, require secure rest rooms and crèches for women.
3. Public transport shall be made available in Kolkata and capital cities at night.
4. School curricula should include gender-equality education, sexuality education and legal education.
5. Victim blaming shall be brought under the law.
6. Impartial and transparent Internal Complaint Committee or Local Complaint Committee shall exist in all workplaces and related areas.
7. All work related areas shall have toilets for women and people of marginalized gender-sexuality.
8. Shelter and alternative income shall be arranged at the district level for women victims of domestic violence.
The above mentioned issues are all applicable to every state of India. Though these movements attracted massive mindshare and fervour, I am not sure how much it helped to meet expectations. I also failed to understand whether the process of investigation and delivering justice actually got accelerated to a desirable extent. The movement obviously did not spread in other states of India at a larger scale. As on today, we are still awaiting justice for the doctor whose death again shook our conscience. Was there enough reporting by media in English and regional languages except Bengali? The next steps of the movements are not yet clear.
I borrow words from William Radice’s English translation of Rabindranath Tagore’s poem "Prosno" (Question) to conclude my post.And meanwhile I see secretive hatred murdering the helpless
[Post 2/2]
Under cover of night;
And Justice weeping silently and furtively at power misused
No hope of redress.
#Humanity #Human #RGKar #WomenSafety #WeWantJustice #ViolenceAgainstWomen #MastodonIndians #MastIndia #India -
Where the voice of justice weeps in silent despair (Post 1/2)
The 2024 Kolkata rape and murder incident wreaked havoc in my mind.On 9 August 2024, a 31-year-old female postgraduate trainee doctor at R. G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, West Bengal, India, was raped and murdered in a college building.
This immediately sparked widespread outrage and protests among medical professionals of India, opposition political parties in the state of West Bengal, and the common citizens of West Bengal, India and rest of World. Protests and solidarity marches were organized in over 25 countries, including Japan, Australia, Taiwan, Singapore, and several European nations, with thousands of Indian expatriates and supporters participating. Several celebrities of sports and cinema world sincerely voiced their strong opinion against this horrendous incident and called for justice for the victim. The duration of protests by the common citizens and doctors from outside West Bengal was mostly confined during the month of August 2024. I will keep the protests by political parties outside the scope of this post.
The intensity of protests by the junior doctors of West Bengal continued during the subsequent months. It was well coordinated by The West Bengal Junior Doctors' Front (WBJDF) and gained significant momentum leading to hunger strikes, mass resignations and fast-unto-death agitations. They not only demanded justice for the deceased junior doctor but also workplace security and a much improved hospital management ecosystem.
[Post 1/2]
#Humanity #Human #RGKar #WomenSafety #WeWantJustice #ViolenceAgainstWomen #MastodonIndians #MastIndia #India -
Where the voice of justice weeps in silent despair (Post 1/2)
The 2024 Kolkata rape and murder incident wreaked havoc in my mind.On 9 August 2024, a 31-year-old female postgraduate trainee doctor at R. G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, West Bengal, India, was raped and murdered in a college building.
This immediately sparked widespread outrage and protests among medical professionals of India, opposition political parties in the state of West Bengal, and the common citizens of West Bengal, India and rest of World. Protests and solidarity marches were organized in over 25 countries, including Japan, Australia, Taiwan, Singapore, and several European nations, with thousands of Indian expatriates and supporters participating. Several celebrities of sports and cinema world sincerely voiced their strong opinion against this horrendous incident and called for justice for the victim. The duration of protests by the common citizens and doctors from outside West Bengal was mostly confined during the month of August 2024. I will keep the protests by political parties outside the scope of this post.
The intensity of protests by the junior doctors of West Bengal continued during the subsequent months. It was well coordinated by The West Bengal Junior Doctors' Front (WBJDF) and gained significant momentum leading to hunger strikes, mass resignations and fast-unto-death agitations. They not only demanded justice for the deceased junior doctor but also workplace security and a much improved hospital management ecosystem.
[Post 1/2]
#Humanity #Human #RGKar #WomenSafety #WeWantJustice #ViolenceAgainstWomen #MastodonIndians #MastIndia #India -
Where the voice of justice weeps in silent despair (Post 1/2)
The 2024 Kolkata rape and murder incident wreaked havoc in my mind.On 9 August 2024, a 31-year-old female postgraduate trainee doctor at R. G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, West Bengal, India, was raped and murdered in a college building.
This immediately sparked widespread outrage and protests among medical professionals of India, opposition political parties in the state of West Bengal, and the common citizens of West Bengal, India and rest of World. Protests and solidarity marches were organized in over 25 countries, including Japan, Australia, Taiwan, Singapore, and several European nations, with thousands of Indian expatriates and supporters participating. Several celebrities of sports and cinema world sincerely voiced their strong opinion against this horrendous incident and called for justice for the victim. The duration of protests by the common citizens and doctors from outside West Bengal was mostly confined during the month of August 2024. I will keep the protests by political parties outside the scope of this post.
The intensity of protests by the junior doctors of West Bengal continued during the subsequent months. It was well coordinated by The West Bengal Junior Doctors' Front (WBJDF) and gained significant momentum leading to hunger strikes, mass resignations and fast-unto-death agitations. They not only demanded justice for the deceased junior doctor but also workplace security and a much improved hospital management ecosystem.
[Post 1/2]
#Humanity #Human #RGKar #WomenSafety #WeWantJustice #ViolenceAgainstWomen #MastodonIndians #MastIndia #India -
Where the voice of justice weeps in silent despair (Post 1/2)
The 2024 Kolkata rape and murder incident wreaked havoc in my mind.On 9 August 2024, a 31-year-old female postgraduate trainee doctor at R. G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, West Bengal, India, was raped and murdered in a college building.
This immediately sparked widespread outrage and protests among medical professionals of India, opposition political parties in the state of West Bengal, and the common citizens of West Bengal, India and rest of World. Protests and solidarity marches were organized in over 25 countries, including Japan, Australia, Taiwan, Singapore, and several European nations, with thousands of Indian expatriates and supporters participating. Several celebrities of sports and cinema world sincerely voiced their strong opinion against this horrendous incident and called for justice for the victim. The duration of protests by the common citizens and doctors from outside West Bengal was mostly confined during the month of August 2024. I will keep the protests by political parties outside the scope of this post.
The intensity of protests by the junior doctors of West Bengal continued during the subsequent months. It was well coordinated by The West Bengal Junior Doctors' Front (WBJDF) and gained significant momentum leading to hunger strikes, mass resignations and fast-unto-death agitations. They not only demanded justice for the deceased junior doctor but also workplace security and a much improved hospital management ecosystem.
[Post 1/2]
#Humanity #Human #RGKar #WomenSafety #WeWantJustice #ViolenceAgainstWomen #MastodonIndians #MastIndia #India -
AI Assisted Automated Systems will permeate our daily lives in addition to deep fakes and misinformation
The term “AI” is often used interchangeably with “Generative AI” or “GenAI”. But AI is not synonymous with Generative AI. AI is a broader term that encompasses various technologies and techniques, including Machine Learning, NLP, Computer Vision, Expert Systems, Robotics, Rule-Based Systems, and Hybrid Intelligence etc.
Generative AI is a specific subset of Machine Learning focused on generating new content. In the article "How to Picture A.I.", author Jaron Lanier saysIf you want to understand where generative A.I. will bring the most value, ask yourself: Which human activities have been done many times before but not in exactly the same way? In those areas, generative A.I. can probably make the situation better.
Whether we appreciate the above or not, AI (including Generative AI) will impact our day to day lives, legal and political aspects. The unfortunate aspect is that though current AI technologies have no reasoning power, it will continue to baffle us with the illusion of intelligence. In the article "How AI will change democracy" Bruce Schneier portrays a realistic science fiction with respect to potential changes over four dimensions: Speed, scale, scope and sophistication. He elaborates these dimensions by elaborating five different areas where AI will affect democracy by assisting politicians, legislators, bureaucrats, lawyers, judges and eventually citizens. In the context of an AI assisted legal system, Bruce Schneier provides an interesting example of watching all of the traffic cameras and issuing citations.AI changes our relationship with the law. Everyone commits driving violations all the time. If we had a system of automatic enforcement, the way we all drive would change — significantly.
This is happening in Bengaluru, India, where [traffic cameras are already being used now in Bengaluru-Mysuru highway and related service roads](https://www.deccanherald.com/india/karnataka/bengaluru/cameras-installed-on-bengaluru-mysuru-highway-to-detect-sectional-overspeeding-3024426#:~:text=Sixty%20cameras%2C%20installed%20on%20the,speeding%20violations%20on%20the%20stretch.) to detect sectional over-speeding, seatbelt violations, mobile phone usage, lane violations, and unauthorised access of non-motorized vehicles, two- and three-wheelers on the highway. Within the Bengaluru city, the traffic police is keeping an eye on errant motorists through AI, and has decided to expand the AI-based enforcement system to detect 13 different violations, up from the existing seven.Joint commissioner of police (Bengaluru city traffic) MN Anucheth told Moneycontrol: “At present, we use AI-based cameras to enforce seven violations: over speeding, using mobile phones while driving, not wearing seat belts, not wearing helmets, triple riding on two-wheelers, red light violations, and stop line violations.”
He said they will soon use AI to enable the booking of up to 13 violations at a time, focusing on six additional violations, including wrong-side driving, the use of illegal number plates, goods vehicles carrying materials protruding beyond the body frame, broken or folded door mirrors, and illegal parking.
Irrespective of preferences and biases of Bengalureans, these AI assisted Automated Systems will act as law enforcement. If a breathalyser, in Bengaluru, detects a driver as drunk, it is not easy to challenge and avoid punishment. Similarly, it is next to imposable to challenge the software of these AI enabled traffic management systems of Bengaluru city.
#AI #GenerativeAI #GenAI TrafficViolation #AICamera -
The Political Exploitation of Dead Bodies
Rajat Mitra provides a detailed explanation about rape being a heinous crime that is closely related to the predator-prey interactions from which we originated. The rapist can acquire complete control over the victim and bypass all of the safeguards that keep a modern society secure. That is civil society gets mobilised and want rapists to face the death penalty.
The recent despicable crime committed in RG Kar Medical College, Kolkata, is no exception. It is generating huge protests across India and also globally. The most relevant was the call for an apolitical movement Reclaim the Night on 14th August. The core objective was to seek justice for the departed soul and better social security of women without any political affiliation.
It is true that the social media platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp played a vital role towards ensuring that large number of common citizens participated in the protests. The rest i.e. the Facebook bloggers, YouTubers, politicians and their corresponding political parties, reporters, news media etc. are relentlessly striving, through the same social media platforms, to achieve their respective financial and/or political goals through a mix of half truths, misinformation and disinformation. Those with genuine initiatives, to portray the right perspectives, will be lost in the quagmire of fake information leaving the common citizens baffled and confused. The opposition parties will not loose any opportunity to create pressure on the ruling party. The politicisation of dead bodies due to rape, rail accidents, riots etc. can potentially provide significant mileages to parties and individuals with vested interests.
Political parties use dead bodies as active symbols that have the power to reshape collective memory, impact contemporary political debate, and dominate society narratives, rather than only as historical artefacts. They can exploit to mobilize voter base, create political narratives, divert attention, calls for legislative actions as a showcase of their commitment to reform, exploit racial or cultural dimensions to deepen societal divides, engage in victimization politics where they portray themselves as defenders of victims' rights while simultaneously using the victims' stories to further their political agendas.
Pratap Bhanu Mehta further elaborates some of the above mentioned aspects in his article where he discusses how on the top of the alleged cover-up or incompetence, politicisation is added to a political pantomime.The brutal rape and murder of a trainee doctor in RG Kar Medical College, Kolkata, has sparked widespread protests. The Supreme Court has taken suo motu cognisance of the case. But despite the demands for justice, the politicisation of the case threatens to inflict a double indignity on the victim. There is always a danger that justice might not be done, or the full facts do not come to light. But there is a nauseating indignity we have heaped on the victim by already instrumentalising the case. Even in death, she has become an instrument of political agendas, ideological world views, ulterior purposes and partisan bickering. The individual’s dignity has been once again extinguished.
In the same article, Pratap Bhanu Mehta makes us aware of the following limitations of mass protests.
1. Protest against rapes are entangled with significant fault lines of class, caste and location. Metro cities will have obvious privileges.
2. Protests need focal point for action. Most of the times it is demand for a new law. A movement to enact new legislation is simple. Creating persistent political pressure to alter the judiciary or police so that they can deliver justice is nearly impossible. On this question, not a single vote is cast.
3. The obdurate reality of a distinct sort of politicisation, where women's bodies are merely political instruments even in death, confronts even serious protest movements. Rape, whether it is being used to elude justice or to advocate for it, always serves as a political tool. The odour of a culture that instrumentalises human dignity, even in the wake of a horrific crime, will endure even if, by chance, legal justice is served.
#Politics #Humanity #Rape #Politicisation #PoliticalInstrument #DeadBody #PoliticalParties #Crime #MastodonIndians #MastIndia #India
cc: @[email protected] -
@[email protected]
Violation of Human Rights, in any country and at any scale, should be condemned by all irrespective of caste, creed, religion, financial and social status, and political orientation. There is no valid reason not to care about human rights. We must stand up and raise our voice when anyone’s human rights are denied or everyone's rights are undermined.
Whenever and wherever human rights are violated, I agree with the corresponding global and local protests while respecting the local laws.
Let us understand better from the preamble of Universal Declaration of Human Rights.Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world,
Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people,
Whereas it is essential, if man is not to be compelled to have recourse, as a last resort, to rebellion against tyranny and oppression, that human rights should be protected by the rule of law,
Whereas it is essential to promote the development of friendly relations between nations,
Whereas the peoples of the United Nations have in the Charter reaffirmed their faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person and in the equal rights of men and women and have determined to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom,
Whereas Member States have pledged themselves to achieve, in co-operation with the United Nations, the promotion of universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms
#HumanRights #HumanRight, #StandUp4HumanRights #UniversalDeclarationofHumanRights #HumanrightsforAll, #Humanity
cc: @[email protected] -
Navneet Alang, a writer and cultural critic based in Toronto, coherently exposes the risk of AI falling prey to hype. The article will take time to read. It may be worth being patient. It covers almost all the current known trends of AI. I am highlighting a few that appeals to me.
What we call AI at the moment is mostly concerned with LLMs (large Language Models), or big language models. The models learn how tokens connect to one another and, over time, learn context, such as where a word might appear, in what order, and so on. Because LLMs are essentially looking into vast quantities of data patterns and determining how they connect to one another, they can frequently provide quite reasonable-sounding claims that are incorrect, incoherent, or simply bizarre.
The author then discusses the socio-political factors that influence technology implementation. This is the most interesting aspect to me. AI and machine learning's ability to evaluate millions of parameters at once may and extract patterns from data far trump humans' ability to parse specific types of altruistic use cases which can be reduced to data. It is not appropriate to believe that every problem can be solved or alleviated through technological interventions, often without considering the underlying social, political, or economic complexities. This is called techno-solutionism. If and when change occurs, it will be largely driven by political will, resources, and a battle of competing ideologies and interests that go beyond emergent technologies like AI and Machine Learning. The majority of the world's issues are not the result of a lack of intelligence or processing capability. Some of the answers to these challenges appear to be straightforward. However, the improvements are difficult to apply due to social and political pressures, rather than a lack of insight, thinking, originality, or technology.
Technology is primarily a tool. If one has a task to complete, technology can assist to do it. However, there are some key technologies, such as shelter, the printing press, the nuclear bomb or rocket and the internet, that almost redefined the world, changing our perception of both ourselves and reality. As mentioned before, the promise of AI resides in dealing with data sets on a scale that humans cannot handle. Pattern recognition machines used in biology or physics are likely to produce exciting and helpful results. Otherwise, as per author, AI applications are mostly quotidian. AI will not create a huge new universe, but rather, depending on our perspective, make what is already there slightly more efficient or deepen and consolidate the structure of the present. Yes, some aspects of our job may be easier, but it appears that those automated duties will eventually become part of more work.
#AI #OpenAI #ChatGPT #ZeroTrustInformation #LargeLanguageModels #LLM #GPTAI #TechSolutionism -
Navneet Alang, a writer and cultural critic based in Toronto, coherently exposes the risk of AI falling prey to hype. The article will take time to read. It may be worth being patient. It covers almost all the current known trends of AI. I am highlighting a few that appeals to me.
What we call AI at the moment is mostly concerned with LLMs (large Language Models), or big language models. The models learn how tokens connect to one another and, over time, learn context, such as where a word might appear, in what order, and so on. Because LLMs are essentially looking into vast quantities of data patterns and determining how they connect to one another, they can frequently provide quite reasonable-sounding claims that are incorrect, incoherent, or simply bizarre.
The author then discusses the socio-political factors that influence technology implementation. This is the most interesting aspect to me. AI and machine learning's ability to evaluate millions of parameters at once may and extract patterns from data far trump humans' ability to parse specific types of altruistic use cases which can be reduced to data. It is not appropriate to believe that every problem can be solved or alleviated through technological interventions, often without considering the underlying social, political, or economic complexities. This is called techno-solutionism. If and when change occurs, it will be largely driven by political will, resources, and a battle of competing ideologies and interests that go beyond emergent technologies like AI and Machine Learning. The majority of the world's issues are not the result of a lack of intelligence or processing capability. Some of the answers to these challenges appear to be straightforward. However, the improvements are difficult to apply due to social and political pressures, rather than a lack of insight, thinking, originality, or technology.
Technology is primarily a tool. If one has a task to complete, technology can assist to do it. However, there are some key technologies, such as shelter, the printing press, the nuclear bomb or rocket and the internet, that almost redefined the world, changing our perception of both ourselves and reality. As mentioned before, the promise of AI resides in dealing with data sets on a scale that humans cannot handle. Pattern recognition machines used in biology or physics are likely to produce exciting and helpful results. Otherwise, as per author, AI applications are mostly quotidian. AI will not create a huge new universe, but rather, depending on our perspective, make what is already there slightly more efficient or deepen and consolidate the structure of the present. Yes, some aspects of our job may be easier, but it appears that those automated duties will eventually become part of more work.
#AI #OpenAI #ChatGPT #ZeroTrustInformation #LargeLanguageModels #LLM #GPTAI #TechSolutionism -
Navneet Alang, a writer and cultural critic based in Toronto, coherently exposes the risk of AI falling prey to hype. The article will take time to read. It may be worth being patient. It covers almost all the current known trends of AI. I am highlighting a few that appeals to me.
What we call AI at the moment is mostly concerned with LLMs (large Language Models), or big language models. The models learn how tokens connect to one another and, over time, learn context, such as where a word might appear, in what order, and so on. Because LLMs are essentially looking into vast quantities of data patterns and determining how they connect to one another, they can frequently provide quite reasonable-sounding claims that are incorrect, incoherent, or simply bizarre.
The author then discusses the socio-political factors that influence technology implementation. This is the most interesting aspect to me. AI and machine learning's ability to evaluate millions of parameters at once may and extract patterns from data far trump humans' ability to parse specific types of altruistic use cases which can be reduced to data. It is not appropriate to believe that every problem can be solved or alleviated through technological interventions, often without considering the underlying social, political, or economic complexities. This is called techno-solutionism. If and when change occurs, it will be largely driven by political will, resources, and a battle of competing ideologies and interests that go beyond emergent technologies like AI and Machine Learning. The majority of the world's issues are not the result of a lack of intelligence or processing capability. Some of the answers to these challenges appear to be straightforward. However, the improvements are difficult to apply due to social and political pressures, rather than a lack of insight, thinking, originality, or technology.
Technology is primarily a tool. If one has a task to complete, technology can assist to do it. However, there are some key technologies, such as shelter, the printing press, the nuclear bomb or rocket and the internet, that almost redefined the world, changing our perception of both ourselves and reality. As mentioned before, the promise of AI resides in dealing with data sets on a scale that humans cannot handle. Pattern recognition machines used in biology or physics are likely to produce exciting and helpful results. Otherwise, as per author, AI applications are mostly quotidian. AI will not create a huge new universe, but rather, depending on our perspective, make what is already there slightly more efficient or deepen and consolidate the structure of the present. Yes, some aspects of our job may be easier, but it appears that those automated duties will eventually become part of more work.
#AI #OpenAI #ChatGPT #ZeroTrustInformation #LargeLanguageModels #LLM #GPTAI #TechSolutionism -
Navneet Alang, a writer and cultural critic based in Toronto, coherently exposes the risk of AI falling prey to hype. The article will take time to read. It may be worth being patient. It covers almost all the current known trends of AI. I am highlighting a few that appeals to me.
What we call AI at the moment is mostly concerned with LLMs (large Language Models), or big language models. The models learn how tokens connect to one another and, over time, learn context, such as where a word might appear, in what order, and so on. Because LLMs are essentially looking into vast quantities of data patterns and determining how they connect to one another, they can frequently provide quite reasonable-sounding claims that are incorrect, incoherent, or simply bizarre.
The author then discusses the socio-political factors that influence technology implementation. This is the most interesting aspect to me. AI and machine learning's ability to evaluate millions of parameters at once may and extract patterns from data far trump humans' ability to parse specific types of altruistic use cases which can be reduced to data. It is not appropriate to believe that every problem can be solved or alleviated through technological interventions, often without considering the underlying social, political, or economic complexities. This is called techno-solutionism. If and when change occurs, it will be largely driven by political will, resources, and a battle of competing ideologies and interests that go beyond emergent technologies like AI and Machine Learning. The majority of the world's issues are not the result of a lack of intelligence or processing capability. Some of the answers to these challenges appear to be straightforward. However, the improvements are difficult to apply due to social and political pressures, rather than a lack of insight, thinking, originality, or technology.
Technology is primarily a tool. If one has a task to complete, technology can assist to do it. However, there are some key technologies, such as shelter, the printing press, the nuclear bomb or rocket and the internet, that almost redefined the world, changing our perception of both ourselves and reality. As mentioned before, the promise of AI resides in dealing with data sets on a scale that humans cannot handle. Pattern recognition machines used in biology or physics are likely to produce exciting and helpful results. Otherwise, as per author, AI applications are mostly quotidian. AI will not create a huge new universe, but rather, depending on our perspective, make what is already there slightly more efficient or deepen and consolidate the structure of the present. Yes, some aspects of our job may be easier, but it appears that those automated duties will eventually become part of more work.
#AI #OpenAI #ChatGPT #ZeroTrustInformation #LargeLanguageModels #LLM #GPTAI #TechSolutionism -
Navneet Alang, a writer and cultural critic based in Toronto, coherently exposes the risk of AI falling prey to hype. The article will take time to read. It may be worth being patient. It covers almost all the current known trends of AI. I am highlighting a few that appeals to me.
What we call AI at the moment is mostly concerned with LLMs (large Language Models), or big language models. The models learn how tokens connect to one another and, over time, learn context, such as where a word might appear, in what order, and so on. Because LLMs are essentially looking into vast quantities of data patterns and determining how they connect to one another, they can frequently provide quite reasonable-sounding claims that are incorrect, incoherent, or simply bizarre.
The author then discusses the socio-political factors that influence technology implementation. This is the most interesting aspect to me. AI and machine learning's ability to evaluate millions of parameters at once may and extract patterns from data far trump humans' ability to parse specific types of altruistic use cases which can be reduced to data. It is not appropriate to believe that every problem can be solved or alleviated through technological interventions, often without considering the underlying social, political, or economic complexities. This is called techno-solutionism. If and when change occurs, it will be largely driven by political will, resources, and a battle of competing ideologies and interests that go beyond emergent technologies like AI and Machine Learning. The majority of the world's issues are not the result of a lack of intelligence or processing capability. Some of the answers to these challenges appear to be straightforward. However, the improvements are difficult to apply due to social and political pressures, rather than a lack of insight, thinking, originality, or technology.
Technology is primarily a tool. If one has a task to complete, technology can assist to do it. However, there are some key technologies, such as shelter, the printing press, the nuclear bomb or rocket and the internet, that almost redefined the world, changing our perception of both ourselves and reality. As mentioned before, the promise of AI resides in dealing with data sets on a scale that humans cannot handle. Pattern recognition machines used in biology or physics are likely to produce exciting and helpful results. Otherwise, as per author, AI applications are mostly quotidian. AI will not create a huge new universe, but rather, depending on our perspective, make what is already there slightly more efficient or deepen and consolidate the structure of the present. Yes, some aspects of our job may be easier, but it appears that those automated duties will eventually become part of more work.
#AI #OpenAI #ChatGPT #ZeroTrustInformation #LargeLanguageModels #LLM #GPTAI #TechSolutionism -
Amidst escalating prices and cost of living, human life still seems to be the cheapest.
#HumanLife #Human #HumanSociety #Humanity -
Amidst escalating prices and cost of living, human life still seems to be the cheapest.
#HumanLife #Human #HumanSociety #Humanity -
Amidst escalating prices and cost of living, human life still seems to be the cheapest.
#HumanLife #Human #HumanSociety #Humanity