AYN RANDISM IN SPACE

SpaceX briefly puts together largest rocket in history at Texas base


SpaceX CEO Elon Musk shared photos Friday of the company's Starship spacecraft stacked atop its Super Heavy Booster 4 on the Launch Mount at Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, in preparation for the company's first orbital Starship launch. Photo via Elon Musk/SpaceX/UPI | License Photo

Aug. 6 (UPI) -- SpaceX briefly constructed the largest rocket ever made Friday, attaching the U.S. aerospace company's Starship spacecraft to the Super Heavy booster at its facility in Texas.

The combined height of the structure was 400 feet, nearly 40 feet taller than the next largest Saturn V rocket built by NASA.

The SpaceX rocket, though, will have about twice as much thrust as Saturn V, 70 meganewtons compared to 25 meganewtons.

SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk tweeted photos of the feat, saying it was "an honor to work with such a great team."

The two segments were connected at the Starbase R&D facility in Boca Chica, Texas, for about an hour Friday before workers took them apart again. The company used a large crane to put the two pieces together.

Pending Federal Aviation Administration approval, SpaceX plans to send the Starship into space aboard the Super Heavy for a single orbit around Earth in the coming months. Both segments will be ditched into the ocean, but the company plans to have controlled landings on land or aboard a sea platform so they can be reused, similar to its Falcon 9 rocket.

In May, SpaceX conducted its first successful launch and landing of the Starship, which will serve as a vehicle for moon and Mars landings. All previous tests ended in fiery explosions.

NASA selected the Starship to land astronauts on the moon as part of the planned Artemis missions. SpaceX also has sold a private flight around the moon using Starship to Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa, scheduled for early 2023.

Paul Brinkmann contributed to this report

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk shared photos on Friday of the company's Starship spacecraft stacked atop its Super Heavy Booster 4 on the launch mount at Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, in preparation for the company's first orbital Starship launch. Photo courtesy Elon Musk/SpaceX | License Photo

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk shared photos of the company's Starship spacecraft stacked atop its Super Heavy Booster 4. Photo courtesy Elon Musk/SpaceX | License Photo

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk shared photos of the company's Starship spacecraft stacked atop its Super Heavy Booster 4. Photo courtesy Elon Musk/SpaceX

The SpaceX Super Heavy Booster 4 is seen at the company's Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas. Photo by SpaceX/UPI | License Photo

Elon Musk shows off fully stacked SpaceX Starship and Super Heavy rocket

It's a "dream come true" for the SpaceX founder who has his sights set on Mars.


Amanda Kooser
Aug. 6, 2021 

The SpaceX Starship meant for an orbital test flight is stacked on a Super Heavy rocket in Texas. Elon Musk

With three words, "Starship fully stacked," SpaceX founder Elon Musk is seeing his vision of the future become reality. On Friday, Musk shared photos of a prototype Starship spacecraft and Super Heavy rocket together on a launchpad with the business end down and the pointy end up.

Musk had previously posted views of the Super Heavy rocket -- a 29-engine behemoth that's meant to escort Starship on a test flight into orbit for the first time -- on the pad at SpaceX's development facility in Boca Chica, Texas.

Musk's photo collection shows the Starship spacecraft being lifted to the top of the Super Heavy rocket and put into place. The pair reach nearly 400 feet (122 meters) in height.

When asked how it feels to see the space combo fully stacked, Musk replied on Twitter with "Dream come true." The SpaceX founder estimated it could take two weeks to work through a to-do list, including the installation of more heat shield tiles on Starship.

SpaceX has been conducting a series of short test flights in Texas with Starship prototypes, some of which survived the process and some of which exploded. The orbital Starship will be the most ambitious test yet and the first with the massive Super Heavy rocket needed to boost it to space.

A launch date for the test flight has not been set yet, and will depend on many factors, including finishing up the work on Starship and Super Heavy and getting approval from the Federal Aviation Administration. Sending Starship to orbit will be a big step toward Musk's even bigger dreams: carrying humans to the moon and Mars.

Elon Musk shares epic views of Super Heavy rocket moving to launch pad

The SpaceX beast is packed with rocket engines and raring to boost the Starship spacecraft into space.

Amanda Kooser
Aug. 5, 2021 

The SpaceX Super Heavy rocket on its way to the launch pad in Texas. 

Elon Musk

There's something about seeing a rocket on Earth that stirs the imagination. It promises power and potential. On Wednesday, SpaceX founder Elon Musk shared a trio of stirring images of the rocket that's meant to escort a Starship prototype spacecraft into orbit.

"Moving rocket to orbital launch pad," Musk tweeted along with the photos showing the massive Super Heavy rocket dangling in the air from a crane.

Moving rocket to orbital launch pad pic.twitter.com/zZLiXIPD6M— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 4, 2021

Musk and SpaceX had recently shared some views of the 29 Raptor engines installed on the rocket, which will launch from the company's Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas. All that power is needed to boost Starship -- a spacecraft meant to eventually reach the moon and Mars -- for its first orbital test flight.

Engine fans will also enjoy a Musk tweet from Tuesday with a look at the business side of the first orbital Starship and the six engines mounted there.

All 6 engines mounted to first orbital Starship pic.twitter.com/l5QnQRSg3D— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 4, 2021

So far, SpaceX has "hopped" a series of Starship prototypes, some of which landed cleanly and some of which exploded. Getting into orbit would be a huge step toward Musk's more ambitious space exploration plans. SpaceX is planning to carry a group of artists around the moon, develop a lunar lander for NASA and one day take humans all the way to Mars.

While the Starship and Super Heavy rocket combo are making progress, there's no launch date set yet.


SpaceX shows off fully loaded Super Heavy ahead of next Starship launch

Elon Musk's Mars rocket is almost ready to fly, but the official green light is nowhere to be seen.


Eric Mack
Aug. 2, 2021 

A view of the undercarriage of the latest Starship prototype. SpaceX

SpaceX and Elon Musk are eager to show the world that the first so-called "full stack" Starship prototype is nearing completion in Texas.

"29 Raptor engines and 4 grid fins have been installed on Super Heavy ahead of first orbital flight," the company tweeted Monday along with photos.

29 Raptor engines and 4 grid fins have been installed on Super Heavy ahead of first orbital flight pic.twitter.com/XHkCZ9VYK4— SpaceX (@SpaceX) August 3, 2021

Super Heavy is the massive booster created to launch Starship beyond Earth. So far, we've just seen Starship prototypes lift off on their own from the SpaceX Starbase development center at Boca Chica, Texas. To actually make it to orbit, Super Heavy has to enter the equation.

For those keeping track, 29 engines is two more than SpaceX uses for Falcon Heavy launches. The Heavy utilizes three Falcon 9 rockets, each containing nine Merlin engines. Raptors are also designed to deliver more than twice the thrust of each Merlin, so it's quite the power upgrade in Musk's next-generation launch system. You need that kind of power if you're trying to land on the moon for NASA and eventually on Mars.

Raptors on Super Heavy pic.twitter.com/jJy1vftHNB— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 2, 2021

SpaceX is planning to conduct its first orbital flight test for Starship using Super Heavy by launching the system from Starbase, making a quick trip to orbit and then attempting a soft splashdown landing of Starship in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Hawaii.

After launch, Super Heavy will separate and attempt to land off shore of Starbase in the Gulf of Mexico on a landing platform created from a modified oil drilling rig.

Originally, comments from Musk, SpaceX officials and company filings suggested this test could happen as soon as July, but it soon became apparent this was a very optimistic target.

Now, even as Super Heavy and Starship appear fully stacked, it's unclear how soon SpaceX can complete the necessary testing and get all the required approvals from the Federal Aviation Administration for launch.

Federal law requires the completion of an environmental review before the first orbital flight from Starbase, a process which can take several months or even longer.

"SpaceX must meet all licensing requirements before Starship/Super Heavy can launch," an FAA spokesperson said via email in May. "There will be opportunities for public comment through the environmental review process."

Musk has sparred with the FAA on social media about its licensing process in the past and even launched an early Starship prototype without the proper license in place last year. The move led to some stern words from the agency and an internal review that delayed the following Starship test, but ultimately SpaceX received little more than the proverbial slap on the wrist for the violation.

Even without the green light to launch anywhere on the horizon, Musk and SpaceX are all too happy to show off Starship's progress. Whether or not it will do anything to speed up the bureaucracy remains to be seen.

Japanese prime minister apologizes for skipping THE IMPORTANT parts of Hiroshima speech

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga apologized at a press conference Friday after skipping parts of a prepared statement on the 76th anniversary of the Hiroshima atomic bombing. File Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI | License Photo

Aug. 6 (UPI) -- Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga apologized after skipping about a page of his speech during a ceremony marking the 76th anniversary of the Hiroshima atomic bombing on Friday.

Suga, 72, skipped a significant portion of his prepared statement after saying Japan "adheres to the three non-nuclear principles and has no nuclear weapons," the Mainichi Shimbun reported.

Suga may have unintentionally omitted paragraphs that said Japan was the only country to have suffered atomic bombings and that his country seeks to rid the world of nuclear weapons.

The prime minister later apologized at a press conference, according to Kyodo News.

Japan is not a signatory of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons because it is under the U.S. nuclear umbrella.

But Suga said Friday that Japan could serve as a bridge between countries on nuclear disarmament. Tokyo also is to work with atomic bomb survivors to best cope with the aftermath of radiation exposure, the prime minister said.

Politicians in Japan are divided on the issue of ratifying the United Natons treaty.

Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui has said Tokyo should sign the accord immediately.

"Nuclear weapons are the ultimate human violence. If civil society decides to live without them, the door to a nuclear-weapon-free world will open wide," Matsui said, according to Kyodo.

Mika Tanaka, 45, a descendant of an atomic bomb survivor, said that the citizens of Hiroshima must "link future generations to the unfiltered voices" of victims.

As Japanese citizens observed the Hiroshima anniversary, athletes at the Tokyo Olympics have not been asked to observe the day after International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach visited Hiroshima on July 16, the report said.

On Aug. 6, 1945, the U.S. B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay dropped a uranium bomb codenamed "Little Boy" on Hiroshima, killing 140,000 people.

THE PENTAGON, THE WEAPONS INDUSTRY AND THE RIGHT WING WANT JAPAN TO REARM WHILE IT'S AMERICAN ORIGINATED CONSTITUTION DECLARES IT A NON VIOLENT NON NUCLEAR POWER 

THEIR CONSTITUTION WAS WRITTEN BY A REPUBLICAN WAR MONGER GENERAL NAMED MACARTHUR.

LA REVUE GAUCHE - Left Comment: Not MacArthurs Republican Party 

#ABOLISHMONARCHY NO DILEMMA

Japan's constitutional dilemma: Only men allowed on Chrysanthemum throne

By Ella Tennant, Keele University


Japan's Emperor Naruhito officially declares the opening of the 204th Ordinary Diet session at the National Diet in Tokyo on January 18. File Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI
| License Photo


Aug. 6 (UPI) -- The question of who will succeed to the Chrysanthemum Throne -- the Japanese monarchy -- when there is a shortage of male heirs is in play again after the panel set up to look into the succession recently ruled out allowing a woman to ascend the throne.

While the emperor has no political role in Japan's constitution, the symbolic and cultural significance links to a mythological past in which the emperor is a direct descendent of the sun goddess Amaterasu.

The abdication of Emperor Akihito on April 30, 2019, and the enthronement of his eldest son, Naruhito, the following day as the 126th emperor of Japan reopened the public debate over the existing imperial system, which specifies that only a man can succeed to the throne.

Ancient Japan was a matriarchal society, with women as leaders until the end of the seventh century when the Taika reform imported a new Tang Dynasty-style social system from China at the end of the reign of Empress Kōgyoku. But the panel has announced that the current male line of succession must remain unchanged.

Approval for allowing women to ascend the throne appears to be growing among the public, but support for retaining the male line of succession remains strong among conservatives.

Even with 13 of the 18 imperial family members being women, some politicians are determined to keep the male succession system and are even advocating bringing in men from distant branches of the family -- virtually any relative that might be male.

One of the main arguments against having a woman ascend the throne is dilution of the imperial lineage, in that a reigning empress might marry a commoner and have their children. But there have been eight women on the Chrysanthemum Throne (nine if you include Empress Jingu, who reigned from AD201 to AD269), none of whom are recorded to have been married during their reign. They were all followed by men, therefore maintaining the male line.

RELATED Olympics: Tattoos on display in Tokyo despite cultural stigma

In the case of Empress Jingu, even though she was removed from the list during the Meiji period and replaced by her son, her "tomb" continues to be revered. She holds the honor of being the first woman to be featured on a Japanese banknote.

Japan's women leaders

The myths surrounding Japan's imperial origins are firmly rooted in matriarchal influences. Shinto and the traditions of the emperor cult center on belief in the sun goddess, Amaterasu, widely considered the first ancestor of the Japanese Imperial family. The fact that Japanese cosmogonic myth revolves around a female deity -- and that belief and worship of the goddess continues to this day in popular religious practice -- would seem to be at odds with a determination to maintain a rigid patriarchal system.

The most notable among early women rulers of Japan was Queen Himiko, who unified part of the country into a powerful kingdom, ruling over more than 30 states during the latter part of the "Yayoi period" from about AD175 to AD248.

Himiko, unmarried, led a secluded life, spending her time in magic and sorcery, and was helped in affairs of the state by her brother. Discussion continues among historians as to her real identity, but the fact remains that she was a powerful woman who ruled Japan for six decades.

The first known woman to achieve the title of empress in Japan was Suiko, who ruled from AD554 to AD628. Suiko followed in Himiko's footsteps by appointing a man, Prince Shotoku, as her regent. Like Himiko, Suiko was in power at a time of social, cultural and political change, and was considered "divinely possessed." Empress Jingu followed.

Empress Kogyoku (594-661), held the seat of power twice -- the second time known as Empress Saimei, after the Taika Reform, a series of radical political innovation, in 655. The last female on the throne was Empress Go-Sakuramachi, who ruled from 1762 to 1770 after the death of her father and abdication of her brother, Emperor Momozono.

Women as spiritual leaders

This precedent, the delegation to a man -- usually a relative -- of administration and organization of their movement has continued with subsequent women spiritual leaders. Many of the new religions that emerged in Japan in the 19th and 20th centuries, such as Omotokyo, Tenrikyo and Tensho kotai jingukyo, were founded by women. But the teachings and worldviews reflected established precedents and did not confront the issue of gender or female and male power relationships. Rather, spiritual awakening, for most of these women leaders, involved taking on what were seen as male qualities in order to communicate their message.

Deguchi Nao, (founder of Omoto-kyo, a new religion originated from Shinto), for example, spoke in a masculine voice, and used male language forms when possessed. Kitamura Sayo (founder of Tensho kotai jingu-kyo, which also derived from Shinto and was known as "the dancing religion," as followers practice a dance) wore men's clothes, perhaps demonstrating that spiritual authority requires maleness.

By conforming to the cultural norm of male-centered authority, the women were guaranteed a more attentive audience, who took their words seriously.

If to be male is seen as a cultural norm, what does the future hold for the imperial household? And -- as one politician, Japanese defense minister, Taro Kono, has commented -- what happens when there are no longer any male heirs left?


Ella Tennant is a lecturer on language and culture at Keele University.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.

HARLAN ELLISON PROVED THIS RULE

Smaller volcanoes can cause bigger disruption, study finds


Ash rises into the sky after a volcano eruption on a small island of Stromboli, Italy, in 2019. A new report says volcanoes in this part of the world and other "pinch points" could be particularly disruptive. File Photo by Mario Calabresi/Twitter/EPA-EFE

Aug. 6 (UPI) -- Eruptions from relatively minor volcanoes could incapacitate vital infrastructure, upend global trade routes and cost the economy billions, a new study has found.

While catastrophes posed by larger volcanoes have the attention of scientists and the public, a study published Friday in Nature Communications shows that eruptions from their smaller counterparts have the potential for more destruction.

Globalization has clustered critical infrastructure near lower-magnitude volcanoes, researchers at the University of Cambridge's Center for the Study of Existential Risk found in the study.

That clustering, according to the study, has created "pinch points" in Taiwan, the Mediterranean, the South China Sea, the Strait of Malacca near Singapore, the Chinese-North Korean border, the North Atlantic and the northwestern United States. These pinch points have vital roles in manufacturing, shipping and airspace.

RELATED Volcanic ash poses various, and possibly unseen, dangers

"Even a minor eruption in one of the areas we identify could erupt enough ash or generate large enough tremors to disrupt networks that are central to global supply chains and financial systems," Lara Mani, lead author of the report, said in a press release.

"At the moment, calculations are too skewed toward giant explosions or nightmare scenarios, when the more likely risks come from moderate events that disable major international communications, trade networks or transport hubs."

Smaller eruptions ranking up to 6 on the "volcanic explosivity index," rather than the 7s and 8s, could produce ash clouds, mudflows and landslides, Mani said. That could ruin crops, cause food shortages, damage undersea cables, cause financial market shutdowns and lead to political turmoil.

Researchers pointed to the 2010 eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland. While it was a magnitude 4 eruption, it was close to the major pinch point of mainland Europe. Plumes of ash caused European airspace to close, costing the global economy $5 billion.

By contrast, when Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines erupted in 1991, a magnitude 6 eruption some 100 times greater in scale than Eyjafjallajökull, it was far less disruptive because of its distance from important infrastructure.

The report argued that it's time to reconsider volcano risk assessments.

SHOW TRIAL TO SMEAR ANTI IMPERIALIST PROTESTERS

Report: Anti-weapons activists in South dealt with North Korea for years


South Korean authorities have identified four suspects in a North Korea espionage case and charged them with following orders from Pyongyang. File Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI | License Photo

Aug. 6 (UPI) -- The South Korean defendants charged with following orders from the North Korean government to prevent Seoul's acquisition of U.S. weapons were found to have received dozens of directives from Pyongyang, according to a South Korean press report.

South Korean investigators identified four suspects in connection to the case. Earlier this week, local reports said three out of the four suspects were placed in police custody. The fourth suspect was deemed a low-flight risk.

Kukmin Ilbo reported Friday that one of the defendants had a flash drive that contained more than 80 messages from North Korea that were encrypted using steganography, a technique of hiding confidential information within a regular text file.

The defendant had received the directives from Pyongyang's Cultural Exchange Bureau over the past four years. The flash drive was uncovered during a house search by authorities May 27, the report said.

North Korea's Cultural Exchange Bureau operates under the ruling Workers' Party. According to South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo, the aim of the North Korean agency is to send spies to infiltrate the South, build an underground party and plan for an armed uprising in the event of an emergency.

The flash drive was elaborately hidden in other material. The evidence was wrapped in aluminum foil, which had been sealed inside a plastic bag, an envelope, a paper bag, then stuffed inside a blanket at the suspect's residence, according to Kukmin Ilbo.

Documents on the flash drive included a report on the activities of a minor South Korean political party, and a list of potential new South Korean recruits to the North Korean operation. About 60 South Korean individuals were being targeted for recruitment, the report said.

Defendants continued to deny wrongdoing, said the charges were "inflated" and that they have been framed as criminals.

South Korean authorities have said the defendants held demonstrations and condemned the acquisition of U.S. F-35 fighter jets in public spaces, according to KBS.

SCOTLAND
Holyrood must give more support to North Sea oil workers in order to deliver a just green transition, unions and politicians say

The Oil platform Stena Spey is moved with tug boats amongst other rigs which have been left in the Cromarty Firth near Invergordon in the Highlands of Scotland

UNIONS and politicians have said that the support for North Sea oil and gas workers must be greater from the Scottish government if targets for a just transition and net-zero emissions are to be met.

Scotland’s transport and net zero secretary Michael Matheson announced multimillion-pound funding yesterday for projects to reduce emissions in the North Sea oil sector, with money being matched by the oil and gas industries.

Mr Matheson confirmed £16.5 million for seven energy schemes being led by the Net Zero Technology Centre.

The SNP MSP, unveiling the funding alongside business leaders, said that the government is wholly committed to a just transition to net zero, which ensures no-one is left behind.

Energy workers’ representatives have said that any move away from oil and gas cannot put existing staff out of pocket, pointing to suggestions of a training passport, adding that unions must be a part of this planning.

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: “This is a key part of the just transition mechanism for offshore oil and gas workers which is in danger of being neglected and we cannot allow that to happen.

“Public funding for autonomous technologies also needs to be handled with caution, otherwise jobs and skills will be lost and the security of energy supplies in Scotland and the rest of the UK risk being compromised.”

MSPs in the north-east of Scotland also warned that any move towards greener energy production in the sector must be worker-led, backing a training passport.

Socialist MSP Mercedes Villalba said: “This is another example of the SNP government throwing money at a problem with little democratic involvement of the people it will affect.

“If the SNP are serious about a just transition, it must be worker-led.”

STUC general secretary Roz Foyer said: “Whilst much of this investment is welcome, it does not go far enough to tackle the grave challenges that we are facing.

“What we need is large scale public intervention that will ensure that the move to Net Zero will benefit workers.

"All public money given should come with conditions attached: decent wages, local employment, and recognition of unions, while far greater levels of public ownership is required in areas such as energy and public transport.”

MORNINGSTAR

Dominican Republic captures bronze in Tokyo

THE FEEDER NATION TO MLB IN NORTH AMERICA

On the diamond, the Dominican baseball team — including former Toronto Blue Jays José Bautista, Melky Cabrera, Juan Francisco, and Emilio Bonifácio

Nick Aguilera

@ByNickAguilera

The Dominican Republic is your bronze medal winner at the Tokyo Olympics. 

The Dominicans defeated South Korea, 10-6, in a wild game to take home the third-place prize, winning their first Olympic medal in baseball.

The Dominicans jumped out to an early 4-0 lead in the first inning, knocking South Korea's starter Min Woo Kim out of the game after just one out. Emilio Bonifácio led off with a double to right field, then MLB’s No. 3 prospect Julio Rodríguez smacked a two-run homer. Juan Francisco followed suit, launching a solo homer in a back-to-back effort. Charlie Valerio then added another run on a sacrifice fly off of reliever Woo Chan Cha. The D.R. later added a fifth run in the fifth inning after Melky Cabrera drove in Johan Mieses on an RBI single.

The South Koreans didn't let their early struggles faze them, though. Former Orioles outfielder Hyun Soo Kim helped his team get back in the game, as he hit a double and later scored on Kun Woo Park’s single in the second inning. Kim also clubbed a solo homer in the fourth inning. South Korea then staged a rally of its own in the fifth inning, as it scored four runs to take the lead, 6-5.

In the eighth inning, the Dominicans took a hold of the game again and didn’t look back, scoring five times. Francisco continued his big game, driving in two runs on a long double to the left-center gap. Mieses then launched a two-run homer to knock former Cardinals closer Seunghwan Oh out of the game.

Cristopher Mercedes was terrific out of the bullpen for the Dominican Republic, allowing zero earned runs across 3 1/3 innings to earn the win. Mercedes came in at the tail end of the fifth inning and allowed an inherited runner to score, but quickly settled down to give the D.R. some much needed stability on the mound.

After Mercedes allowed two hits to start the ninth, the Dominican Republic turned to Jumbo Diaz for the save. Diaz set down the next three batters in order to propel the D.R. to victory and the bronze.

Caste, ethnicity, religion – United colours of Indian hockey prove the game thrives in inclusivity

It's impossible to field an Indian hockey team that doesn’t reflect the diversity, the united colours, better than any other. Shows that a sport, or a nation, will prosper with growing inclusivity.

SHEKHAR GUPTA 

7 August, 2021 
Graphic by Soham Sen | ThePrint

On the day the Indian women’s hockey team lost the Tokyo Olympics semi-final to Argentina, two men hit the headlines for creating a shameful nuisance of a ‘celebration’ around the home of Vandana Katariya, among the deadliest strikers on display at the Olympics. She also scored the first ever Olympic hat-trick for Indian women’s hockey, in the crucial league match against South Africa that took India to semi-finals.

Why the ugly ‘celebration’ then? Because the men were supposedly upper caste and Vandana comes from a Dalit family. There was also buzz coming out of local media reports that this ugliness was owing to the fact that the women’s hockey team had too many Dalits etc.

It is easy and safe to call this a national embarrassment, ask for strict action against the vandals — although Vandana’s brother has been quoted as saying that officers at the police station were not paying attention to his complaints.

I am, however, seeking inspiration from this to venture into hazardous territory and ask: What is it about hockey, more than most other sports, especially cricket, that represents India’s diversity so much better? Diversity of not just caste, but ethnicity, geography, and also religion.

Why do I call it hazardous territory? One, because we, the upper castes, make most of our debating and social media universe hate to talk about ‘caste’ type ‘regressive’ issues that take India ‘backwards’. See the outrage when someone talks of the traditionally upper caste makeup of our cricket teams.

So sharp is the reaction, that most of us are chicken even to state a simple fact: That India’s cricket has risen as the game has become more inclusive. Or ask a question: If India’s cricket revolution is built around the rise of enormous pace bowling talent so India can field four pacers in a Test while having more than a couple on the bench, where has it come from? I am sorry, people, if someone lets this hurt their savarna pride quite unnecessarily, but Indian cricket has become more talented, aggressive, energetic and successful as it has become more inclusive. It is to the credit of the team and the BCCI leadership that a true meritocracy has been built here.

There is something about hockey, on the other hand, that it has always been the game of the underdog: Minorities, tribals, subordinate classes and castes. We can’t talk sociology, but we can surely cite history and facts. Muslims, Sikhs, in the past, Anglo-Indians, tribals from the most impoverished east-central plains, Manipuris, Kodavas, have for decades chosen hockey as the stage to display their talent. We know that Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and others were criticised for reminding the country that eight of the men India put on that bronze podium were from his state. He didn’t say Sikhs, but we need no reminder.

Facts and history, we promised we will rely on. We go back, therefore, to Indian hockey’s first appearance at the Olympics, 1928, Amsterdam. Dhyan Chand was in the team, but the captain was a man who in official records goes merely as Jaipal Singh. His full name, however: Jaipal Singh Munda. Remember the legend of Birsa Munda? India’s first Olympic gold came under the captaincy of a child of a deeply impoverished tribal family in Jharkhand. Not sure any other major sport in India can make that claim.

That was only the beginning of a rich tradition where east-central tribal India has consistently produced hockey talent. And again, for some reason we can’t explain, a line of doughty defenders. In the current teams, Deep Grace Ekka and Salima Tete for women. And Birendra Lakra and Amit Rohidas for men. Except Salima (striker, outside-right), the rest are defenders. Three current defenders do not make a trend? Remember some of the most pugnacious defenders in the more recent decades, Michael Kindo and Dilip Tirkey.

The tradition was institutionalised by wonderful academies in the tribal heartlands, Khunti in Jharkhand, and Sundargarh and around in Odisha. Leading India to its first Olympic gold out of the way, Jaipal Singh Munda went on to other, more important things. In his early childhood, a British pastor’s family had taken him under its wings. He was sent to study at Oxford, where he excelled, but preferred to play and work for India and not spend his life in the ICS either.

He was in our Constituent Assembly as a representative of the tribals and generations of Indians should thank him every time we sip our single malt or favoured spirit legally. He saved us from the imminent danger of compulsory, nationwide prohibition. That was the mood in the Assembly in that Gandhian environment. But he dug his heels in: Drinking is a tradition with us tribals. Who are you to ban it?

Coming back to hockey, that first team had eight Anglo-Indians, among them goalkeeper Richard Allen, born in Nagpur and educated at Oak Grove, Mussoorie, and St. Joseph’s, Nainital. He didn’t concede a single goal in the entire tournament. If I am digressing here and there, that is also to underline the fact that all sport has colourful history, folklore and its characters, not just cricket.

Of the rest, three were Muslim, one Sikh, young Dhyan Chand, and, of course, a Jharkhand tribal as captain. By the following Olympics, the numbers of Muslims and Sikhs were rising. This is why Partition delivered such a blow to Indian hockey. A lot of the talent went away to Pakistan, and it became the first to deny India the Olympic gold in Rome, 1960.

Because Partition was fresh on our minds, Pakistan was our main new rival, and there were wars with it, until the early 1970s, not many Muslims featured in the Indian national team. There is also the infamous case of the brilliant Bhopal striker Inam-ur Rahman who was taken with the team to Mexico (1968) but not really trusted. Definitely not against Pakistan.

Subsequently, a star cast of Muslim hockey stars had risen, Mohammed Shahid and Zafar Iqbal captained India, among others. The trend-setter was, of course, defender Aslam Sher Khan. Check out the 1975 World Cup in Kuala Lumpur, the only time India were champions. In the semi-final against Malaysia, India were a goal down with minutes to go for the hooter. They were winning many penalty corners, but Surjit Singh and Michael Kindo, even with their heavy sticks, were failing to convert.

A penalty corner in the 65th minute (game was for 70 minutes then), was the last hope. And coach Balbir Singh Sr (triple Olympic gold medalist, 1948, ‘52 and ‘56) called in Aslam from the bench to take this life-and-death shot. If you can find that footage, watch young Aslam walk on to the burning deck, kiss his amulet, and slam the equaliser in. It took the match into extra time and striker Harcharan Singh scored to settle the issue. Aslam later joined politics as we know, and became an MP. Post-Partition, he opened the door to Indian hockey for its Muslims.

I leave it to you to google the squads of all national hockey teams for the decades since that 1975 World Cup win and you will find this pattern get even stronger. Every Indian team, men or women’s, reflects India’s diversity in its fullest glory. Manipur’s Meiteis are a tiny community of just over a million. In Tokyo, they had Nilakanta Sharma in the men’s team, and Sushila Chanu in the women’s. You want to check the recent past, remember Thoiba Singh, Kothajit, Chinglensana and Nilkamal Singh. Seen somebody from the northeast break into the national cricket team yet?

What is it that has made hockey the sport of the underdog for a hundred years, don’t ask me. I can only state this reality and remind you that Indian cricket’s rise has coincided with its growing inclusivity. It should settle the pointless debate over caste and merit. I know the rabble I am rousing, but this isn’t against the upper castes. They have talent, but a nation will prosper when it reaches out to seek talent in whichever social stratum it exists.

Also Read: Dhoni should know cricket is just a sport, not war

With Tokyo Olympics, Indian hockey has gone back to the ‘bronze age’ with golden era in sight

India, hold the hockey high. With Tokyo bronze, national sport has just got its pride back.

REVATHI KRISHNAN 

7 August, 2021 9:29 am IST

Indian players celebrate after their win against Germany during the men's field hockey bronze medal match, at the 2020 Summer Olympics, in Tokyo, on 5 August 2021 | Twitter/@AmitShah

The image of P.R. Sreejesh perched at the top left of the crossbar, after India won the bronze medal in men’s hockey at Tokyo Olympics is one that won’t fade away soon from the memory of Indians. It took 21 years of the Ernakulam-born goalkeeper’s career before he could literally ‘save’ a podium finish for India at the Olympics. With that ‘save’, India got its pride back after four decades. The bronze after defeating the mighty Germans is no short of redemption, rather a rebirth, as Sreejesh himself put it.

And that is why, Indian hockey is ThePrint’s Newsmaker of the Week.

“Yeah ….. it tastes salty, Yeah …. I remember, it’s my sweat from the last 21 years,” said Sreejesh, the former captain and the senior most member of the squad whose career may now be in its twilight but 

The Indian women’s team’s close finish in Tokyo cannot be a coincidence. It is characteristic of a change that was underway for some time now, away from the glare of a cricket-hungry media to serve a cricket-hungry janta. The players’ performance is a reciprocation, and a necessary one at that. A sport’s success and popular support have a symbiotic relationship. The journey of cricket between 1983 and now is a prime example.

To continue persevering the national sport all these years despite inadequate attention in a country of cricket is a result of the grit shown by both the men and women’s hockey teams this Olympics.

Also read: Indian hockey teams’ Olympic wins are a sign that a deeper, positive nationalism exists

The fall before the rise

Today’s national celebration was the norm in yesteryears when it comes to Indian hockey. We were at the top of the world for nearly four decades before the four-decade-long drought hit the sport. Despite this domination at one point, hockey never really picked up, like cricket did—in the gullies, in the parks, on the streets, on the terrace; 22-yard or not, the game somehow trickled in, space created. Also, the popular narrative of cricket being the enemy of hockey, in both India and Pakistan, is a simplistic argument. There are many other factors that contributed to the game’s decline.

Hockey is a completely different ballgame. Good ol’ hockey requires its designated space, which perhaps eluded many people from picking it up in the same way as gully cricket or street squash.

The game has undergone many changes and has had a direct bearing on India’s decline as a hockey superpower. A quicker pace with the turf changing from natural grass to AstroTurf, two halves turning into a 4-quarter game, dribbling replaced with a drag-flick, fewer whistles and the off-side rule being abolished.

All this has made the game quicker, many say, a departure from the subcontinental style of hockey when India and Pakistan dominated the game. However, the drag-flick has also led to the rise of Gurjit Kaur, the designated drag-flicker of the Indian women’s hockey team, whose skills would make the magician of hockey, Dhyan Chand, known for his dribbling, proud.

Also read: ‘Indians first’, says Twitter after Amarinder post on ‘Punjab players’ in Olympic hockey team

The moments that define

The India-Australia women’s match, one could argue, was a script better than Chak De! It is often a match, a shot, a move, or a session of play that becomes the defining moment for a game and its followers. And this is exactly what this match has done for the game in India.

The 1-0 scoreline doesn’t measure the margin of difference between the way the two teams played. A flick from Vandana Katariya that got deflected from Rani Rampal’s stick nearly hit the goalpost. And when the drag-flick by Gurjit finally went in, Salima Tete’s hug to Laremsiami captured the journey of the Indian women’s hockey team that had only qualified for the first time in 36 years last Olympics, and raised the bar this time, just short of a medal, losing the bronze match to Great Britain.

The journey for both the teams (women and men), however, was not easy. Skipper of the men’s team Manpreet Singh had earlier told ThePrint that the postponement of the Olympics did impact the team’s preparation. To up the morale again was a big challenge. The women’s team has stories of players fighting the odds. 19-year-old Lalremisiami had shown up for a match that had to decide India’s qualification for the Tokyo games — barely a couple of days after losing her father.

From a superpower to a contender

From Dhyan Chand’s dribbling to Balbir Singh’s centre-forward game, Mohammad Shahid and Zafar Iqbal’s deadly partnership and Dhanraj Pillay’s ability to pick the perfect pass, India always stood out. The decline began from the 1968 Olympics when the team failed to win a gold medal and had to settle for the bronze.

Many have attributed this to the changing nature of the game, which supposedly favours European players who have stronger legs and are better-equipped for a counter-attack and longer passes, and are stout compared to India’s offensive game. But it is the politics in Indian hockey, mismanagement and perhaps a neglect of the sport that equally contributed to it being sidelined.

Now, with coaches like Sjoerd Marijne and Graham Reid, a more professional approach to the sport is being adopted. A podium finish for the men and a near podium-finish for the women’s team is the push India needed to show that it is so much more than a one-sport nation. It gives the national sport its due.

A cartoon showed Major Dhyan Chand showing his hockey stick (the highest form of respect) to the men and women’s players. While former Indian skipper Dhanraj Pillay said: “Words fail me as I try to compose my emotions.”

From here on, one can only hope that more youngsters will say I want to be like Manpreet Singh, Rani Rampal, Vandana Katariya, Lalremsiami, Sreejesh in the same breath as they take the names of Virat Kohli, K.L. Rahul, Yuvraj Singh and others.

Views are personal.

(Edited by Anurag Chaubey)

Resistance in Palestine, Yemen Hails Hezbollah’s Retaliatory Strike in Shebaa Farms

August 6, 2021

Resistance movements in Palestine and Yemen hailed on Friday the retaliatory strike carried out by Hezbollah in occupied Shebaa Farms in retaliation to repeated Israeli aggression against Lebanon.

In statements released on Friday, Hamas Palestinian Resistance movement congratulated Hezbollah over the operation in Shebaa Farms, voicing full support to the Lebanese Resistance.

“Resisting the occupation is a legitimate right of people,” the Palestinian movement said hailing Hezbollah for breaking equations imposed by the Israeli enemy.

“Hamas stresses that the battle with this enemy has to be open on all fronts until its elimination and the liberation of occupied Muslim and Arab territories.”

In an interview with Al-Manar also on Friday, Hamas official Osmaa Hamdan hailed the Lebanese Resistance movement noting that the Israeli enemy is in a deadlock as it is not capable to carry out a decisive retaliation in fear of escalation with the Resistance.

For its part, Islamic Jihad Resistance movement hailed the retaliatory strike carried out by Hezbollah.

“We hail the rocketry strike on areas occupied by the Israeli enemy,” a statement issued by the Islamic Jihad read.

Palestinian Mujahideen Movement also hailed Hezbollah’s strike, stressing that the Lebanese Resistance has foiled the Israeli enemy’s attempt to impose new rules of engagement.

“We hail the rocketry strike which surprised the enemy and disturb its plans. We back any effort of resistance that targets the Zionist enemy,” a statement released by the Palestinian movement read.

Elsewhere in Yemen, Ansarullah revolutionary group hailed Hezbollah’s strike as heroic and legitimate.

Ansarullah congratulated the fifteenth anniversary of victory in the 2006 July War.

The Yemeni group said that the Israeli enemy was firmly defeated in 2006, noting that the latest round of tensions between Lebanon and the Zionist entity “proves that the 2006 defeat is still deterring the Israeli enemy.”

Source: Al-Manar English Website

Footage Confirms Islamic Resistance Positioned Rocket-Launcher in Woodlands, Not Residential Areas, to Strike Israeli Enemy

August 6, 2021

Al-Manar TV Channel broadcast a footage which shows how the Islamic Resistance positioned the rocket-launcher, it used to strike the Israeli-held Shebaa Farms, in woodlands away from the residential areas.

Hezbollah had earlier stressed that the rockets which hit occupied Shebaa Farms in retaliation to repeated Israeli aggression were fired from woodlands which are far from residential areas.

In a statement, Hezbollah War Media Center said a vehicle belong to the Resistance was intercepted by a group of citizens in Hasbayya’s town of Shwayya.

The Islamic Resistance voiced keenness to preserve safety of the Lebanese citizens.

“At 11:15 a.m. on Friday, the Islamic Resistance responded to the Israeli aggression by targeting vicinity of Israeli enemy posts in Shebaa Farms with dozens of rockets fired from woodlands that are far from residential areas,” the statement read.

It added, however, that Resistance fighters as they were returning from their mission their vehicle was intercepted by several citizens in Shwayya in Hasbayya province.

“The Resistance has been and will stay keen to ensure the safety of its people,” the statement added.

Source: Al-Manar English Website

FEAR IS REACTIONARY

Chinese man helping flood victims in tears after lynch mob claims he spread coronavirus

AUGUST 06, 2021

By ALICE YAN SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST

Ye Jungang, (left) was viciously trolled online after travelling to offer help during Henan province’s recent floods.

A Guangzhou volunteer who drove 1,400km to Zhengzhou to help repair cars damaged by the Henan floods has become the latest victim of online bullying with internet users accusing him of taking the coronavirus back to his home city.

Zhengzhou had reported 112 coronavirus cases by Thursday afternoon, following the deadly thunderstorms which left 292 people dead, 47 missing and hundreds of vehicles submerged in floodwaters .More from AsiaOneRead the condensed version of this story, and other top stories with NewsLite.

Ye Jungang, a 35-year-old car mechanic in Guangzhou, and a colleague drove to Zhengzhou on July 25 after seeing a video of mechanics in Zhengzhou appealing for help as they struggled to cope with the number of cars hit by the floods, news portal shobserver.com reported.

Ye, with 16 years experience in the industry, said going to the site to repair cars was the: “most practical way he could support Zhengzhou”.

Before he left Zhengzhou on July 30, Ye had helped fix 400 cars.

Upon his return to Guangzhou, he started being quarantined in a hotel as required by the government since his car had passed through pandemic-affected areas in Zhengzhou. Ye tested negative for the coronavirus.

Ye Jungang helped fix more than 400 cars while in Zhengzhou.
PHOTO: Handout

Since then, his social media account has been flooded with abusive messages and criticisms.

“Why are you so silly to go to Zhengzhou and come back? You want to bring the virus to us?” one of the comments read.

“You returned to Huadu District [of Guangzhou] to spread the virus?” asked another person.

Following the deluge of online abuse, Ye released a short video on Tuesday asking for understanding from internet users.

Ye said that before he headed to Zhengzhou, he hadn’t imagined that the city would be hit by coronavirus. On the day he left, no cases had been reported yet.

“I went to Zhengzhou to be a volunteer to fix their cars. I want to help the people there,” said Ye, weeping, in front of the camera. “I have never thought of bringing the virus to Huadu.”

“I wish the public would give me more encouragement, rather than curse and attack,” he said in the video.

Ye’s appeal has won the heart of the public. Some people offered to pay for his quarantine costs but Ye did not accept the offers. The local government of Huadu has promised to reduce his hotel fees, the report said.

Online bullying is a serious problem on the mainland, where anonymous trolls or “keyboard warriors” as they are called in China, spread rumours and attack others with impunity.


Read Also

Olympics: Chinese athlete abused online after disappointing finish at Tokyo 2020


Wang Luyao, a Chinese air-rifle athlete at the Tokyo Olympics who did not make the final as expected by the public, had been abused online before the authorities intervened and suspended 33 Weibo accounts involved.

Three years ago, a doctor in Deyang, Sichuan, committed suicide after receiving online abuse triggered by an edited video clip showing her husband, a public servant, beating a teenage boy. The husband beat the boy in retaliation after the latter hit his wife in a swimming pool, refused to apologise, and spat towards them. But the tampered video didn’t show the audience that the boy’s family not only then beat the doctor in the changing room of the swimming centre but also made a scene at the workplaces of the doctor and her husband the next day.

After the doctor died, the public’s ire shifted dramatically, targeting the boy’s family instead.

Zheng Ning, a law professor from the Communication University of China in Beijing, said China does not have specific laws targeting online bullying but has sporadic regulations that are insufficient for tackling the increasing level of abuse on the internet, the Legal Daily reported.

“People are anonymous on the internet. people online have a low responsibility. It’s hard to hold those responsible accountable. Therefore, online violence has become more and more rampant,” she was quoted as saying.