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Long-thread: A Sunday morning well-spent exploring Lahore’s Orange-line Light-rail metro train with @gulraizkhan.

One thing I can tell about the experience is that it was in nowhere any less than the best Metros in the developed West.

 This project will remain divisive, and in no way I intend on converting anyone. Skip.

Neither will its utility increase nor decrease by this Twitter cost-benefits blabbering.

What I am truly happy about is that Orangeline is owned and being used by those who need it the most.
The cars we use have a Heater & AC. The new ones also have a cabin filter against pollution. They harm everyone outside but user is safe inside. Then cars also cause congestion and accidents.

We don’t realise it while driving, but navigating spaces is important for everyone. https://t.co/cslnCL00zv
We know that cars, which serve less than 20% of all trips, are bad for our cities. Yet they have been getting disproportionately higher share in budgets in the form of allocations for Road in Transport spending.

A mass transit project flips this equation.
There is also very real loss that construction works of the project caused, which, we, as bystanders, cannot fully understand.

We need to move to inclusive infrastructural planning, rather cold-hearted bureaucratic logic which dictates that who loses.

https://t.co/XjHSUsKpjR
But, now, there’s also this upper class outrage, which seemingly bangs head on a wall and comes up with new financial figures every time OLMT is mentioned, or how many Mehrans could be bought.

There’s reason for it. They won’t be using it. So, it’s unnecessary; too costly. https://t.co/qrlWjSZXNr
I am going to quote the IGC study on Lahore’s Greenline BRT (Metrobus), which is one study that compared baseline v. impact.

Find here: https://t.co/2sxFaJe6mc

So, back to my previous point: the Educated upper-class did not use Public transport, because they had alternatives.
The BRT (Metrobus), however, managed to make a dent on this attitude.

The fact that a clean, safe, respectable mode of transport was available meant that even White-collar labour started using it.

Just imagine the improvement relative to blue-collar and working classes.
On the side, an unnoticed labour market transformation happened.

*Lahore* Metrobus actually serves 2 more districts, bringing in Labour through Shahdarah & Gajjumata, among them those who travel > 30 mins by vehicle to reach.

Arrive, work, go back home. No need to rent in city.
Here’s a byproduct.

For similar journeys to the Center of the city (i.e. Kalma Chowk), both
• travel fares declined to less than Rs. 50 (more so around Rs. 25)
• travel times reduced by 25-30 mins

This realignment due to the corridor benefits those who don’t even use BRT.
Besides labour market, human capital, accessibility benefits, here’s the most obvious.

A (assumed) change of 35,000 people to Metrobus from private transport is estimated to offset 6,000 tonnes of CO2/y.

This is equivalent to a mature 30 year old plantation of 40,000 trees/y.
These outcomes came from a Single BRT. The OLMT and Metrobus are a part of a 6 line synergetic network, which will create a feedback loop of linear increase in ridership and revenue.

Riders willingly pay more for good service.
There’s much to be said about what can be done, in terms of design, service, ticketing, revenue.

That’s what Govt is for. It can either do what the rest of the world does, or claim that we are failing.

Now this has to follow to other cities. Don’t ruin cities with more cars. https://t.co/OtPbCfff5A
The KCR revival will cost $2.2bn. In any case, Karachi needs it.

Questioning the utility of such public transport projects is like prolonging your illness by delaying an important surgery.

Questioning how we do these projects deserves focus, more than what for.
Side note: When we got here, the place seemed like we’d seen the architecture somewhere. @gulraizkhan remembered it seemed like Berlin’s Hauptbahnhof (2nd pic) train platforms, but I think it’s closer to Alexanderplatz, Berin (3rd pic).
Last, but not the least, the jewel of OLMT, the Anarkali station.

Hardly says anything on the outside; can easily be understood to be Anarkali’s resting place. But as long as the “Thanks LDA” posters torn at the bottom is infront of it, I think people can find it.
Replug: For all the routes envisioned to be under “#LahoreMetro” (all in all 200-300 km), refer to this map designed by @mahmooyo.

This only includes the 4 main routes. Secondary extensions and feeder routes (many of which are already active) are not included. https://t.co/DcO9hYTscZ

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Today is “Korean American Day”.

#OTD in 1903, the first large group of Korean immigrants arrived in US-conquered territory. [Thread]


102 Korean men, women, and children arrived in Honolulu aboard the SS Gaelic to work in Hawaii’s sugar plantations. By 1905, Koreans comprised 11% of Hawaii’s plantation workforce—around 7000 people.


This first wave of Korean immigrants arrived amid sharpening imperialist rivalry in the Pacific. Korea had slowly been losing its independence for decades, and by 1903 was just two years away from becoming a protectorate of Japan.

At the same time, the US was consolidating its position in the Pacific, annexing Hawaii, Guam, and the Philippines in 1898, and partitioning Samoa in 1899.

(Pictured: US troops in the Philippines)


US missionaries colluded with the Hawaiian Sugar Planters Association to secure a new, cheap labor force for Hawaii’s sugar fields. Many of the Koreans who arrived in Hawaii from 1903-1905 were Methodists.
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Fidato
Fidato
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BJP is planning to undertake 'Rath Yatra' in Delhi's riot-affected areas to seek donations for Ram Temple on Feb 1. In 1990, L.K. Advani had launched Rath Yatra from Somnath to Ayodhya.

This thread covers the large scale killing which took place during the Yatra and it's impact.

Between April 1989 and April 1990, 262 people died in Gujarat, mostly were Muslims. In October 1990, days after Advani’s yatra began, 41 were killed in Ahmedabad. The same month, 52 were killed in Jaipur, 20 in Jodhpur, 33 in Lucknow, over 100 in Delhi, 37 in Assam,

[1]


18 in Patna and 165 in Hyderabad. Also in October, a pogrom against Muslims in Bhagalpur, Bihar, saw 960 killed in which 900 were Muslims. In November, 31 were killed in Agra, again mostly Muslim and 13 in Indore. In Dec, 60 were killed in Karnataka and 134 in Hyderabad.

[2]

Many parts of India remained tense for long periods of time. Between April and May 1990, three riots in Kanpur killed 30; between May and November 1991 more than 50 were killed in Varanasi. In May 1991, 26 including 24 Muslims were killed in Vadodara.

[3]

In October 1992, 44 were killed in Sitamarhi. On 6 December 1992, immediately after the Babri Masjid was destroyed, pogroms against Muslims broke out in Surat where 200 died, of whom some 95 per cent were Muslims. In Bhopal in December, 143 were killed.

[4]
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Defense News Nigeria
Defense News Nigeria
@DefenseNigeria
Can anyone fathom out how weapons like this make their way into the hands of terrorists in Nigeria?


These weapons are in boxes marked with serial numbers. Where there are serial numbers there are invoices or receipts. Which means it was imported. This is worrisome and raise questions about where the terror groups are sourcing their heavy weapons.

Weapons proliferation was once linked to the fall of Gadaffi. Libya was at one point the main source of arms to terror groups on the continent. For those unaware of the dynamics ill give a brief explanation:

When NATO bombed the crap out of the Gadaffi regime in 2011, Libya lost control of a large part of the stockpile it had amassed in over 40 years. The CIA made several calls for ground troops to be deployed to secure Gadaffi's amoury from falling into the hand of rebel groups.

The French kicked against sending ground troops, saying it will give the impression Libya was under a NATO occupation, Its just not worth the political capital to do so. The CIA made this call TWICE and TWICE it was shut down. The logic was securing those sites
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Ikenna Ronald Nzimora
Ikenna Ronald Nzimora
@ronaldnzimora
Ladies and Gentlemen, it's time! https://t.co/xPMGL36VGy


So today, I am going to quickly talk about 4 or 5 countries where you can get residence visas.

Why residence visas?

For starters, they are cheaper, FAR CHEAPER than passports, and offer almost all the benefits, not not, but a large swathe of them.

Second, residencies can be...

a pathway to citizenship.

In one or two of the countries I will talk about tonight, if you renew your residencies long enough, and fulfill all requirements, according to their law, which differs from country to country, you become eligible to apply for full citizenship.

So...

you can see why they are good enough?

Cool. Alright, let's begin.

The first country is

1. Barbados

Yes, @Rihanna's country.

The first thing I love about it is it's fully black, majority descendants of ex-slaves of Igbo extraction.

That's why they refer to their country...

Barbados last year officially launched its 12-month Barbados Welcome Stamp, a new visa that allows remote workers to live and work from the Caribbean country for up to a year.

Applicants must electronically submit documents, such as a copy of their international passport and...
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Zarina Zabrisky
Zarina Zabrisky
@ZarinaZabrisky
🧵 ⚡️ #Navalny, in handcuffs, expects his second verdict in one day NOW, about to be ready any minute now. He’s joking about cucumbers he pickles in his cell. I will translate his SECOND last address in one day but here is the previous trial coverage


Extracts from #Navalny last address #2 today: “Putin’s party is akin a swine devouring oil and gas dollars from a trough, & when poked & reminded that $ are for everyone, growls, “What about the WWII? What about veterans?!” The verdict is due any minute now. #FreeNavalny 👇🏼☝🏼

The judge is back and reads the verdict now.

“The politician criticized the participants in the [RT] video in support of the amendments to the Constitution, calling the presenters "corrupt lackeys", "traitors" and "people without conscience."

The judge says Navalny pleaded not guilty and called the persecution politicized.
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2/ Starting from the first replicating molecule which co-operated with an outer layer to form first proto-cell, evolutionary and cultural history is full of examples where two entities come together to survive and progress a lot more than they would have done individually.

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Srikanteshwara Temple,
#Nanjangud  #Karnatakatemples 🚩

Srikanteshwara Temple or
Nanjundeshwara Temple is a famous Shiva Temple located in Karnataka at the bank of river  Kapila. Temple is also called Varanasi of South. Nanjunda means one who has consumed poison.


Story is  related to the Samudra Mathanam when Paramashiva had to consume halahala.

Parashurama worshipped Mahadeva here to relieve himself from the curse of Mathru Hatya. While clearing the place to do poojas Parashurama's  axe hit the Shivalingam and it began bleeding, that


mark is still visible even today. Thus
it is also believed that Parashurama did Shiva Prathishta here

Sthala Puranam says that, once there was a demon named Keshi who disturbed the people in the area, after  getting blessing from Brahma Deva  and Mahavishnu. Mahadeva appeared


here and killed demon Keshi and blessed this place as Papa Vinashini. Whoever praying to Srikanteshwara or Nanjundeshwara, after bathing in the  Kabini River will be relieved from all sins.

Nanjundeshwaraya Namah
🙏🕉🙏
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