Welcome students to today's presentation on hypothesis testing, and it's, as you understand, one of the most important parts of statistical research and quantitative research. And we have some idea about how to perform these quantitative tests. So this is a kind of repetition of what we've done already. So let's begin this presentation with talking about the research basics first. And these are things that we already know about these nine points of research, which begins from a topic selection. Basically, we decide what is the topic that I want to work on. And then we do a systematic literature review of that and have a conceptual theoretical framework. And finally, decide on either the research questions or a hypothesis clarification. And that leads to research design, data collection, analysis, conclusions and results. So as we understand that hypothesis clarification or research questions are a central part of our research basics. So it's important that we have a fair idea about how to do hypothesis testing in our quantitative tests. We also have some idea about what are independent variables and what are dependent variables. Dependent variables are the ones from which we get data. And independent variables are the ones which are thought to play a causative role in a cause-effect relationship. So they are either manipulated or different kinds of independent variables or different elements of independent variable are changed to see the effect on the dependent variable. So that is why often we use the term predictor variable and outcome variable in place of dependent and independent variable. Of course, the influence of moderating variables, the mediating variables and the control variables must also be known. This is just for reference. And once we have those data with us, we have to find out about the normality or abnormality of the distributions. So this is just to repeat what we already know. One of these is a normal distribution, the well-known bell curve and the frequency of the scores right at the middle is the highest. It basically clusters around the mean. So when we have a normal distribution, the majority of the observations would be spread around the mean. And in today's discussion on hypothesis testing, I will just talk about how far they are distributed so on and so forth. When it's a skewed distribution, it could be left skewed or it could be high skewed. Higher scores would have greater frequency or lower scores have less frequency. So that is how we get a skewed population. In many of the parametric tests that we will talk about today and in many of the hypothesis assumptions that we'll make, normal distribution is a very important requirement in statistics. And we'll talk about those requirements of parametric statistics in today's discussion as well. So this is a very, very important distribution, the normal distribution and we must know the very basics of this normal distribution before we get ahead. And this is just the standardized scores and when we talk of standardized scores, we subtract the observation from the mean and divided by the standard deviation. So this is the probability density function of this normal distribution. So there are two or three very, very important things that we have to understand here. And that is why these normal distributions are important and that is why we can make inferences from statistical distributions. We can make inferences from these observations. So I will give you some live examples also, but before that let's just talk about what this means. So if I can just zoom it a little further to explain it even better. So if you see that the z score here is zero because we have subtracted the observed values from the mean. So this is where it is centering around. So it could be any other score as well. Important thing to note here are these two points, minus 1.96 and plus 1.96. So if you have a mean and if you have this distribution, then 95% of your population or 95% of your observations will be between minus 1.96 and plus 1.96 standard deviations on either side of the mean. So if I subtract minus 1.96 times the standard deviation and if I add 1.96 or we can even round it off to 2. So between minus 2 standard deviation and plus 2 standard deviation, 95% of my observations will lie. Or the probability of all the observations lying between minus 2 and plus 2 is 95% or 0.95 if I can say that. So that is why this is such an important function as you can understand the probability of the small thing right at the end. It's just 0.025 and 0.025 on the either end. And in today's discussion I will explain that as well to make assumptions or to draw inferences about our hypothesis. So when we have a normal curve, two very important things to know. First of all, it will be spread around the mean and then this minus 1.96 and plus 1.96 standard deviation is an important function because these are the boundaries for 95% of the observations to lie. So this could be for example, you know, the height of people. So if I say the average height is 5 feet 10 inches of minute being all then if you just from 5 feet 10 inches. If you subtract, say for example, the standard deviation is 2 inches. For example, I'm just giving a hypothetical figure. So if 5.10 inches is the mean, then, you know, majority of the people will be around the mean and two standard deviation would be 5 feet 10 inches minus 4 inches. That would be 5 feet 6 inches. And, you know, two on the other side will be 6 feet 2 inches. Between 5 feet 6 inches and 6 feet 2 inches will be the 95% of the population. The outliers people who are below 5 feet 6 or above 6.6 feet 2 will be much less. So this is just from an everyday example. So when we talk of these normal distributions and when we talk of these probabilities, these are related to everyday life. These are not things which are unreal or these are not abstract concepts. These are very real concepts and we must be very clear about these concepts. And to take this rule further, this is known as the 6895 and 99.7 rule. So if I take one standard deviation away from the mean and one standard deviation further from the mean, then 68% of the population will be between minus 1 and plus 1 standard deviation. Keep on referring to these terms, mean and standard deviation. In another class, I've already explained what is mean and standard deviation. So I'm not going to get into the details of that. But these are two parameters which are so very important for any kind of a distribution. And if we know these parameters, we can have these parametric tests or the hypothesis testing that I'm going to talk about today. So 68% of the population will be between minus 1 and plus 1 of the mean. So if I have to talk about the earlier example I just gave you that the mean height is 5 feet 10 inches and the standard deviation is 2 inches, that means that between 5 feet 8 inches and 6 feet will be 68% of the population. Similarly, if I have to take the 95% of the population, that will be between minus 2 standard deviation and plus 2 standard deviation. If I have to talk about the 99.7% of the population, that will be between minus 3 standard deviation and plus 3 standard deviation. So as you can understand, this is such an important thing to know about these normal distributions. So this is not just about the shape of the curve and all that, but it gives us such an important input that if I know the mean and if I know the standard deviation and if I know that it's a normal curve, then with certainty I can say that 99.7% of the observations will be between this and this value. So this is such an important inference to draw from just two or three parameters as I just spoke of. I have spoken earlier just to give you an illustration of what standard error means, although in hypothesis testing we are not going to talk about a lot about standard error. Standard error basically means that if we have a population, say for example which has a mean of 3, and if I draw samples out of that, all these samples will have different means. So it's not possible that when I draw from a sample, so if it doesn't say for example a sample of people in Hadov, for example, and if I take samples of different kinds, then the mean of those samples will be different. And at times it will be very similar to the population mean. At times it will be different from the population mean. So the population mean is 3, at times the sample mean. So just try and understand the difference between the population and the sample. So if the population mean is 3 and the sample mean is 3, means they are similar. But at times they might be less or more. At times when I draw samples from the population, their means might be less than the population mean, or it can be higher than the population mean. But if I draw them on a curve or if I just plot them, then I will get a normal distribution. And the standard deviation of these sample means, the standard deviation of the sample means is known as the standard error. So that basically tells us how much the, how much is the range in the population. So we are looking for standard, smaller standard error. So error does not mean the literal meaning of there being some systematic error in that. It's just a definition of standard deviation of the sample means. So this is what I've just explained. So when we talk of these hypothesis testing, we are assuming them to be parametric basically. And parametric tests assume statistical distributions. And they also assume three or four other conditions which I'm going to talk about. So when you have a fairly large population whose parameters are known, and they satisfy the conditions which I'm just going to talk about, then we will do the parametric test which I will talk in a moment. Non-parametric tests like the chi-square test I did some time back, they do not rely on an indistribution and they can work even on smaller samples. So even if the conditions of validity are not met, we can do those non-parametric tests. There are these four assumptions for parametric tests. First of all, they are independent. So independent means that every observation or every item has an equal probability of being chosen. So they are independent, normal. I've just spoken of those normal distributions. Homogeneity of variance means the variance in the population or the variance in the observations is homogeneous across the sample. It is not kind of clustered at one end and it's not thinner at the other end. And most importantly, the measurement has to be an interval scale. We know about the three or four different kind of measurements. We know that there are nominal scales where we just talk of categories. It could be categories of states or categories of people or it could even be binary categories like male-female or those kind of categories. We have the nominal scale. We have the ordinal scale where we talk in terms of ranks, second highest, third highest, fourth highest or whatever. And then we talk of these continuous scales where they are basically numbers. So the numbers can be interval or ratio. In ratio, we are looking for an absolute zero, but we don't have to get into that. The first part is that it should be independent, normal. There must be homogeneity of variance and the scale must be interval. So it should not be a nominal scale. It should not be ordinal scale. It must be about numbers. So it could be about your salary, your age, your marks, how much you can jump or your IQ or even the Likert scales are regarded as numerical interval scales. So these are the assumptions that we make in parametric tests. Hypothesis, we have to distinguish between what is my statistical hypothesis and what is my research hypothesis. So one example which I love giving these days is about, my hypothesis could be that the time you spend on online classes has some impact on the marks you get. So if you spend better time on online classes, you get better marks. Or if you spend higher time on online classes, you might get higher marks. So that could be one of my research hypothesis. So this is a premise or a claim that we want to test. Or it's a prediction that we want to test. And we are suggesting that, okay, if a student spends more time on online classes, he or she will get more marks in their examination. So this is my research hypothesis and this is what I want to prove. So that is the research hypothesis. In statistics, we have to start with a different thing. In statistics, we have to start with the null hypothesis because that is something that can be proved or disproved. So very, very important to understand the difference between my research hypothesis, which is a prediction or a claim or a premise that I want to test. And the statistical hypothesis where we are beginning with a null hypothesis. Because null hypothesis is something that can be proved or disproved. So very, very important to understand the distinction between two hypotheses. It's very different from the research hypothesis that we will talk about or which we generally talk about. So what is a null hypothesis? Null hypothesis assumes that there is no effect or it starts with the assumption that there is no effect. So it will assume that doing online classes or not doing online classes has no effect on your marks. But even if you do a lot of online classes, it has no effect on the marks you get or you do very little online classes, it does not have any effect on the marks you get. So this is what we start off with. Null hypothesis is an important tool because that is something that can be proved. That is something we can prove as we go along. Or with the mathematical examples that I just spoke of using a normal curve or whatever, these are the things that can be proved. So we can begin with or we have to begin with null hypothesis during our statistical tests. So we begin with the hypothesis that there is no effect or whatever that I'm going to prove in my research hypothesis, we have to begin with the contention that there is no effect. So it could be about anything. It could be about whether exercise has any impact on your weight loss. So you start with a null hypothesis that exercise has no impact on losing weight or it could be about watching too much of television does not make me dumber. So there is no effect of watching too much of television. So eating 500 grams of chocolates has no effect on my health or on my dental structure or whatever. So we always start off with null hypothesis because that is something which can be proved with the data we have. So we have to have data and based on that data we can prove or disprove the null hypothesis. So we always, always, always begin with null hypothesis because that is something that can be proved with the observations. You can just have those independent and dependent variables and the observations and based on that after performing some very simple statistical tests using Microsoft Excel or SPSS or manually you can prove or disprove your null hypothesis. So I again want to emphasize that research hypothesis is very different from statistical hypothesis. In statistical hypothesis, we begin with null hypothesis. So basically what we do in null hypothesis is that basically what we do in statistical hypothesis testing is that first of all we formulate a null hypothesis. Null hypothesis suggests that there is no impact. That there is absolutely no impact between there is no impact of the research that we are trying to study. Then we formulate an alternative hypothesis and the alternative hypothesis is what my research hypothesis is. So if I want to suggest that there is no impact of online classes on marks the alternative hypothesis will be that there is an impact of online classes on marks. Whether it is positive or negative we'll just see in one-tailed and two-tailed tests in a moment's time. But important to understand that this is the alternative hypothesis is strengthened or my conviction in alternative hypothesis is strengthened when the null hypothesis can be proved to be wrong. So I'm looking to prove the null hypothesis wrong. So that is what my idea is, proving the null hypothesis wrong. And for that we have to start off with a test statistic. So it could be t-test, I will talk about that. And we have to find out whether our value that we are getting is higher or lower than that critical value. And then we'll have to specify an alpha level. I will just talk about those alpha levels, the p-values in a moment's time. And then the assumptions that we make and we have to calculate those test statistics. And then finally we reach the conclusion. So it's important that we know about these three things that are happening. So if I have to just put it very simply. So first of all we have to have a null hypothesis and the alternative hypothesis. Then we have to have the alpha level and test statistics. I will just talk in a moment's time about what is alpha level and what is p-value. And it's very important for students of quantitative methods to know these things. And finally we have to calculate those test statistics and we have to draw inferences from there. So these are the basic three things that we are doing in the null hypothesis significance testing. So we have to now understand the most important part of hypothesis testing which is about p-values or the probability values. And we have to give some time to understand all this. So let's just talk about the probability. So as I said we have to prove or disprove the null hypothesis. What is the null hypothesis? Null hypothesis means that there is no effect. There is no effect of online classes. There is no effect of exercise. There is no effect of eating chocolate. There is no effect of watching television. So we are trying to prove that the null hypothesis is wrong. And to prove null hypothesis wrong we have to find out a probability value. Probability means how probable that is. So we generally want to put that probability to very less. And generally that value is taken as 5%. So please try and remember that these are about probability of the null hypothesis being true. The probability that there is no effect of these variables. So we are beginning with this p-value which is the value for the probability of the null hypothesis being true. And we keep that at maybe 5% or at times we keep at 1%. So the usual criterion is 5% would mean 0.05 or it would also mean 0.01 at times. So if the probability is very small, if the probability of the null hypothesis is very small, then we reject the null hypothesis. If the probability of the null hypothesis is very small, very small means less than 5% or 1% whatever value you keep. So what I am trying to emphasize is that this value is decided by us, by the researcher. That it could be 5% or it could be 1%. So if the probability is very small, then we reject the null hypothesis. And if we reject the null hypothesis, we gain confidence in the alternate hypothesis. But as you can understand that we are keeping that value point as 5% or 1%. So that means that there will be some error. There are times when the null hypothesis will be true but we will be rejecting it. Because we have put in a value, we can never be certain in statistics. It can never be absolutely certain. There will be some value however small of the probability of certain other thing being true. So there will be errors. Why? Because we have put that value. So if we put that value at 5%, the error will be more as you can understand. If I put that at 1%, then the error will be less. Or if I put that at 0.01%, then it will be much lesser. So it depends on the kind of test you are doing. In the case of clinical examinations, that has to be very less. The error has to be kept much, much less. Because type 1 error means false positive. What does false positive mean? It means that I am rejecting the null hypothesis. When in case the null hypothesis is true. So I am sure that it should not confuse you. Because researchers do often get confused between type 1 and type 2 errors. But we must be very, very clear about what these means right at the outset. That type 1 error means false positive. Means we are rejecting the null hypothesis when the null hypothesis is true. So that depends on your value that you have decided beforehand. As I said, it depends on the discipline. In social science, we often take it as 5% or 1%. In behavioral science and psychology etc. as well. And then there is the type 2 error of a false negative. That we are accepting the null hypothesis when actually the null hypothesis is false. So these errors have their own repercussions. And we will talk about those repercussions in a moment's time. So important to note that the p-value that I am deciding, whether it is 5% or 1%, this is going to decide how important or this is going to decide what my errors will be. But that value, if I get my probability less than these values, then I will reject the null hypothesis. So that is why this null hypothesis significance testing is dependent on these p-values. But there are problems which we will see in a moment's time. So this is just again what I have just discussed right now that when the null hypothesis is not true and we reject null hypothesis, then that is what we are doing correctly. But when the null hypothesis is true, that means there is no relation. But even then we reject the null hypothesis, that is the type 1 error. And type 2 error when the null hypothesis is false actually, but we accept null hypothesis. So that is a false negative. So very important to understand what is type 1 error and what is type 2 error, because that has some impact on a lot of the other tests we do. Important to understand that the distinction between one-tailed and two-tailed test. So I will just give you an example of these one-tailed and two-tailed tests. So this one-tailed test means we are just talking in one particular direction. We are talking about the mean being greater or lesser than the null hypothesis. So that is the alternate hypothesis. And the other, so this is one-tailed. One-tailed means it is saying that it is greater. If you can see right at the top it is saying greater. If we just say it is different than the mean, then it will be two-tailed. And we will talk about that in a moment's time. But if we are saying that the mean of the sample is greater than the population mean, then we are talking of this one-tailed test. What is the other hypothesis? This one is again a one-tailed test. So this is suggesting that the mean of my sample is less than the population mean. So one-tailed test is directional. It is telling you either this is greater or it is lesser than the sample mean or a particular value. So if I want to suggest that more time spent on online classes causes an increase in marks, this is one-tailed because this is telling you that the marks will increase. Or the other way that if I spend more time on entertainment on these online channels, then it will lead to decrease in marks. So that could be one-tailed. So very important to understand what is one-tailed and two-tailed. If you see this, this is two-tailed. This is just suggesting if you see right at the top that my sample mean is not equal to the population mean. So not equal means it can be either less or more. So there is a very important difference between these one-tailed and two-tailed tests. In one-tailed tests, we are saying either it is less than or greater than the mean. And in the two-tailed test, we are saying that it is just different. So why are we interested in one-tailed and two-tailed tests? Very, very important to understand. Because one thing which is related to the p-value is also the critical value. So they are basically the same. When we are disproving the null hypothesis, we have to either suggest that the p-value that we are getting is less than a particular value or the critical value. It could be a p-value or your f-value or your z-value. The critical value in the present sample is more than that critical value. So if I'm having these one thing, the critical value for this is 1.65. So if I'm getting a critical value, more than 1.645, I will reject the null hypothesis. So as you can see this very importantly, that when I'm having these two-tailed tests and one-tailed tests, so these one-tailed tests are more stringent than these two-tailed tests. We have to be very clear about three or four things as we go along. One of it is known as the statistical power. So just p-value is not enough because there are lots and lots of problems with p-value. So the ability to find an effect in my sample is known as the statistical power. So very important to know what is statistical power. And statistical power is basically 1 minus beta. Beta is the type two error that I have just spoken about. So it's important to reject the null. So statistical power is the effect to reject null hypothesis when it is false. So that's a very, very important thing. So we also have to provide confidence intervals and effect sizes. And it's important that there are times when there might be some kind of correlation between two variables, but the effect size could be very small. And we have seen correlation and we know that the correlation coefficient could be very small. So there could be an effect size which is present, but it could be very, very small. So just p-value, just p-value significance testing is not very enough most of the times. And one of the tests we do in the statistical test is to do the t-test, which is a very good example of one kind of hypothesis testing. And what we actually do there is we try and find out whether there is a difference in mean between two groups. So is there a difference between marks of male students and female students? So my null hypothesis will be that there is no difference. And if I get that there is no difference in marks between male students and female students. But if I get my p-value as less than 0.05, then I will reject the null hypothesis and I will say that there is a difference in marks between male students and female students. So when I'm comparing means between two groups, I'm doing that kind of a t-test. So that again is a very, very simple way of doing hypothesis testing. So hypothesis testing is a very important kind of testing where we have to understand the limitations of the p-value and also know the impact of these normal curves and how much of it is more or less or whatever. So these are very, very important things to understand and remember. So that's all. Let me finish this right here.


Hey everyone, Trent here from Movie Nerds. I've just come off a massive binge watch of season one of The Punisher. Is it amazing like we're expecting full of gun-toting action or did Marvel and Netflix come out using Mercy Bullets like in the 80s? Stay tuned to find out. If this is your first time here and you want to know a little bit more about movies, make sure you hit that subscribe button and hit the bell notification so you don't miss anything here at Movie Nerds. So for those of you who are unaware, Frank Castle aka The Punisher was introduced in Daredevil season 2 where he was on a vendetta to find the people that killed his family. Flash forward to season one of The Punisher and we get Frank who's finished his vendetta and he's trying to live peacefully. Naturally, this doesn't happen when he encounters micro and learns of a government conspiracy that linked to the crime families and the murder of his family. So, isn't it any good? Yes and no. Die Hard Punisher fans, I have a feeling you are gonna really dislike this show. I'm apprehensive about it. It's good in some elements, but it's I think it misses the mark overall in what The Punisher represents. This kind of feels like a step back from Daredevil season 2 where we got the full fledged Punisher where he's just on a killing spree and really grotesque and violent. This show strips him down to a more human element, which is welcome, but I just think that there's too much time and too much pacing issues that really hold the show back. This this show is much more about the psychological nature of Frank and how he's trying to fit into the world after his vendetta is finished, but also learning about this new conspiracy. That's not to say that psychological elements are a bad thing. It's a brilliant look into the psyche of the veterans. There's a lot of military components in this season and they really, really explore what it's like to be a veteran from the Afghani War, to come back to America and try and live their lives. A lot of people can't escape that war, so it's really quite a relevant social commentary. We get some really good references to key Punisher stories. I'm going to just name drop a few.  You've got pretty much all of Garth, Ennis and Steve Dillon's run and there's a good callback to the battle van being introduced in the 80s with Micro. So there are some really good elements, but overall I think that the pacing of the season it spends too long on the quieter moments. Whilst there is action and I'm not saying that action is required at all times, it feels like it's not Punisher. It feels like a PG version of the Punisher. Yes, we've got some grotesque violence and all Frank going absolutely crazy, but I just don't think enough time was spent with him punishing. I mean, he's called the Punisher. He shouldn't be apprehensive about doing his job and his code is much more black and white than this series makes it feel. And I think that they've just missed the mark on that. And they've spent far too much time building on the micro and Frank dynamic. And as you watch the season, you'll see why they do this, but I think it just got pushed through too long. And a lot of the Marvel Netflix series have a mid-season lull. When I first started watching the season, I thought that mid-season lull had been moved to the front. And I was really looking forward to going full throttle from episode five to 13. Unfortunately, it kind of goes full throttle from about episode eight or nine. And even then they really pulled their foot off the throttle. And it just it is just a lot slower than I think what a lot of people were expecting. And that's not to say it's a bad thing. It's just different. And I think it might grow on people upon rewatching. It's definitely not an iron fist in terms of bombing. But it's just not what everyone's expecting or the Punisher series that was needed after such a strong development in Daredevil season two. Additionally, the supporting cast is kind of weak. Micro, he's good, but there's too much of him. He's the comedic relief, and he's also Frank's accomplice. But he just he's acting chops. He looks worried and he looks like he's doing the same face over and over and over. You can't tell if he's showing happiness, sadness or anything. And that also extends to Agent Madonna. She is the most plastic looking actress I've ever seen. And that's not to say she's had Botox and stuff. She's just the same face over and over. She looks like this all the time and speaks with the exact same tone of voice. You can't tell if she's showing excitement, sadness, anything, the way I'm looking right now. This is how she is talking and acting the entire time. I know it's annoying and frustrating. However, John Bernthal, he's absolutely amazing as Frank. It's a great return to the role. He goes from really somber and quiet. And you can see all the little ticks that a veteran would have. He displays them really, really naturally in his movements.  And when he does unleash, it is absolutely fantastic to watch. And there are some brutal, brutal moments, particularly later on in the season as things start to get good. Unfortunately, the series ultimately goes for too long. Eight episodes could have cut out some of the subplots that were unnecessary and weak, Karen Page's subclot, Deborah and Wool. That was necessary to an extent, but could have been condensed into one episode or two episodes. Especially as that relationship with Frank had been built in dead or... And yeah, it could have gone the way defenders and gone eight episodes. We could have had a lot more interactions and punisher killings. But ultimately we got 13 episodes and it felt far too long. It's not to say it's not good. I just don't think it's going to be well received. And I just, yeah, it's not what I was expecting. So I'm really taken back by it. However, if this had come before Daredevil season two, it'd be completely different. It'd be a good origin and good establishment of the character. His time in Iraq is absolutely phenomenal. There's a callback to Punisher Born where he just is alone in an Afghani terror camp, essentially, and he just destroys every single member in there. And all of that insight into his history and how things went with his family would have been fantastic if this came before Daredevil season two. Ultimately, this season is a step back. But I am looking forward to hopefully a Punisher season two. Now that all of this conspiracy stuff is out of the way, I think they can be a lot more open to explore and take the safety cap off, if you will, and just have Punisher going full on nuts as he does in the comics. Anyway, let me know what you think of the Punisher when it's released on November 17th in Australia on Netflix. So make sure you subscribe to Movie Nerds and let us know what you think in the comments below. I'm Trent, until next time.


and welcome to Books, Books, Books. I'm your host, Mihaila Stoops, and today we're talking about banned and challenged books. My guest is Deb Stolling. She is an activist and advocate for gender equality, LGBTQ rights, and racial justice. Deb has over 35 years of experience in nonprofit management, leadership, development, and fundraising. And last but not least, with her partner, Charnafe, Deb has established Pono Coaching and Consulting, a company that helps individuals and organizations grow and lead and make a difference. Deb, thank you so much for joining me today. Thanks for inviting me, Mihaila. I'm delighted to be here. Well, so let's get into it. More than 800 titles alone have been banned in US last year. And this seems to be a growing trend. It started with parents and advocacy groups, and it's been reinforced or strengthened by state policy or state legislature. So what's going on? Why is there such a trend? Well, you know, happily, Mihaila, I don't personally know anyone who's involved in challenging and banning books, so I haven't had a heart with any of these folks. And if you ask them, lots of times what you hear from politicians or parents who support these kinds of exclusions, they'll say that we believe it's up to the parents to teach this. I think when you ask, you know, why this is going on, it's important to look at the timeline. The American Library Association's Office of Intellectual Freedom just released a couple of months ago its report, its 2022 report on demands to censor books, and the news was really stunning. The demands to censor books nearly doubled between 2021 and 2022. And so there were actually in 2022, 1,269 demands to censor over 2,500 titles. And when we... More than, if I'm correct, more than 30% of these books either have authors that are LGBTQ or they have content or stories or characters that are LGBTQ related. Absolutely, yeah, about 33% of them. And there's a special focus right now on excluding any... Any book that writes on the topic of transgender characters and topics. So that's especially, that's especially present right now. But if you look at this, you know, the number of challenges this year, it's the highest that it's ever been. The ALA has been following and reporting on these numbers for more than 20 years. And if you look back the first time they reported in 2012, or it's 2003 actually, there were 305 banned titles or challenges to banned titles. In 2012, there were 339. In 2020, there were 223. And in 2021, it went up to 1,858. So when you think about why this is happening, if you look at other things that happened during that time, we saw that the President Trump was not re-elected. We saw the insurrection of January 6th. And what many people suppose or what many people hypothesize is that when these folks were not... It's really in the aftermath of that 2020 election loss that extremist groups really shifted their tactics to organizing locally and pursuing their agendas in venues where it was really easier to gain power. And so since book banning is done at the state and local level, that's why I believe we're seeing this explosion of book bans. So for a book to be banned, I should mention that it actually starts with the fact that that book is recommended by educators and teachers and librarians to become part of either the inventory of a library or to be on the curriculum. And then there's another group of people, usually parents and a lot of mothers sometimes, that decide that those books are not appropriate for their children. And it's kind of interesting, it's a complex question. It's a complex question. If parents should be involved in deciding what books should be available to their children or not. And it's also interesting. I think there was a study that says that majority of the proponents of book bans have not taken the time to read the books. They're just adverse to a topic. Yeah, yeah. I mean, it's true. If you look at, you know, Mihaila, there's a list of books that, you know, I feel confident that you have read literary classics like A Mice and Men and Fahrenheit 451 is banned in one county because it violates religious beliefs. So, you know, these lawmakers are actually and administrators who are making these decisions are banning access to books that don't conform with what they deem as religious beliefs. And I mean, Fahrenheit 451 is an example. The Bible was actually banned in that book. You know, it doesn't, and so that alone constitutes violating religious beliefs for those folks. The other thing I think is important is that those same folks who say it should really be up to the parents to teach these things, you know, it just can't go without saying that these are the same lawmakers who in Florida have made it illegal for parents to choose gender-affirming healthcare, medically necessary healthcare for their children. So, it feels like in some instances they're very pro-parent rights. And in other instances, they don't trust parents to make medical decisions for their children. And luckily, that horrendous law was overturned today by a federal judge. But yeah, so it's really, you know, when we talk about the motivation, it's hard to not recognize that some folks are talking out of both sides of their mouth. Well, and as a parent myself, I know there are topics that I need to get educated first. And how am I supposed to decide what's good for my child when I don't know enough about those topics? And I feel like I need to be the one to go read some of these books first because they probably are educational and then decide for myself what I want to do. Right. And some of them wouldn't take very long behind a little because more than 20% of the books that are banned are actually picture books for children, but very simple, loving, affirming messages. So, you know, it wouldn't be like getting through war and peace. Right, so it's not just authors, but it's illustrators as well that are affected by these bookbans. And, you know, I wonder in this day and age, if these bookbans are, what are they accomplishing? Are they, I guess, those groups that advocate for the bookbans, do they really believe that they're protecting young minds? Well, I don't think so. Actually, I don't know really what they are hoping to accomplish, but these kinds of things do solidify a base, a conservative, active, hyper-conservative base. If you can get someone to speak out at a school board meeting, you're more likely to get them to vote as well and to be in someone who would volunteer for a conservative campaign. So I'm not really sure what they're hoping to accomplish, but I do know the effects of these kinds of bands are just absolutely chilling. And I grew up in a rural Title I school and I know that for me, there was absolutely no positive representation at all of what an LGBTQ person could be or could accomplish in life or that it was okay to be who I am. And when we look at rates of completed and attempted suicide in young people, Kim Jennings, who is now as the president of Lambda Legal, but was the assistant education secretary, really talks about how this exclusion and discrimination is just causing horrible mental health and wellness outcomes for kids. And so the people who are engaged in the fight against these bad actors, I feel like they understand that they're saving lives. And not only does it mean so much to see someone for these students, to see someone with their identity or with whom they identify represented in a healthy way. It also, when we ban these books, we're not teaching non-gay kids or we're not teaching people about people of difference. So I think it's a big leap to say that if someone reads one of these books, they're going to become gay. I think we all know that's not how that happens now. But it is a real cultural loss and it demeans empathy and understanding as a human race to not share stories of difference. Yeah, just like if somebody read a story where all the characters are Asian, they're not going to become Asian, same thing.  I remember one discussion here in the local community about banning books by Dr. Seuss because one of the books illustrated, misillustrated an Asian character. And I thought that was taken too far. But obviously these are very, very complex issues. And I myself, coming from Romania, I had to deal with censorship and also books that were banned, the translations were slaughtered and there was really a black market for books. And that were not, that the translations were more accurate or that people were just exchanging. So I'm kind of thrilled to see, for instance, walking into one of the bookstores here in Maui that not only they have a section for banned books, there's even a book listing all the banned books through the years. And it gives me some hope. Yeah, absolutely. And while the American Library Association also fits out the top 10 banned books list every year, and this year there were so many that actually became a top 13 list. And most of those books are books that are about LGBTQ people. But overall, as we said, only about 33% of those books are about queer folks. But 41% of the books in this index are fiction and nonfiction books with protagonists of color. And so, you know, there actually is a big movement to banned books like I Know Why the Cage Bird Sings and, you know, books that I consider like literary masterpieces. You know, recently Florida banned the poem that was read at President Biden's inauguration by Amanda Gorman. Florida banned that. And now, luckily, the ALA is suing them. But books that depict slavery, racism, those are also being banned at even higher rates than books. I think there are more of those books. And so they represent a larger percentage of banned books, the 41%. But, you know, the motivations are pretty clear, I think, in most cases. So banning a book obviously reduces its availability in libraries and schools and possibly in stores. And I'm very grateful for these other entities that are supporting these authors that may be banned and their books that may be banned. I know you have an extensive experience with non-profits. Do you wanna speak specifically about one of them that has been active in this area supporting LGBTQ authors maybe? Well, there are several. The American Library Association is a terrific resource for people who want to know more about this subject. They have the freedom to read. No, sorry, they have United Against Book Bans. And they have just an amazing resource center for people and also Penn America, which is pen.org and the American Library Association is ala.org. Both of those websites have a lot of information, how you can be involved, tip sheets, how you can report a book fan. You can see what's happening, you know, state by state and where where new challenges are happening. So both Penn America and the American Library Association are fantastic resources. There's another group called Red Wine in Blue, which is a group of suburban moms who are very staunch advocates, very staunchly defending their right to read, the freedom to read. And so they have fantastic resources. They operate a banned bookmobile where they buy banned books and they take them around to places where people advertise that they can come and access one of these books. They also will send you books that you can help distribute in places. So those are just organizations I'm very supportive of. I guess the one that's nearest and dearest to my heart is an organization called Hope in a Box. And I think in some ways that name says it all. As I said to him when he grew up in a rural title one school, I have so much appreciation for Cope in a Box because they curate LGBT inclusive books and create curriculum that teachers can use to create and educators, teachers and educators can use to create inclusive classrooms. And we are... Do they send in a box to the school or how does it work? So what happens is a teacher requests a book or a box or a box and we put together multiple copies of the books. We create curriculum so the teachers understand best practices on how to teach the curriculum that accompanies the book. And then we also have a nationwide network of resources and one-on-one support that teachers give each other. We've seen these bookbans in the past two years create more uncertainty. Librarians are being attacked.  I guess they've always had like a certain mental image of a librarian and now to realize that librarians are like on the front lines of a civil rights issue and they're standing really strong to ensure that we all have the freedom to read. And so these people request the books. We don't, you know, we don't send them anywhere that we're not invited. So the teachers request the books and we send them along with the curriculums and then connect them to other teachers who are facing some of the same issues. And, you know, we are seeing teachers even in places that aren't facing bookbans really stepping up and working to create, to support teachers who are in areas where the big bands are happening. So... If there were an entity, like an organization like this that may need help of growing and making a difference, they should reach out to you because you may be able to help. Am I right? Absolutely, absolutely. Right now it's Give Out Month, which is a nationwide LGBTQ month of giving that will culminate at the end of the month on Pride weekend. And we are hoping to raise at least $40,000 to continue this work. We see that just sending the books is not enough now. We really have to provide other resources because teachers would be in danger of losing their jobs and even physical threats in their own communities by trying to just create an inclusive classroom where all their kids can flourish. And it just makes, you know, I think it's just so sad that teachers who do so much to support our kids that they're now facing this kind of really retaliatory action. So anything we can do to support those teachers out there, the educators, the administrators who are making good decisions with the kids' best interests at heart, we want to do that. And that is what Hope in a Box is about. Well, that's fantastic. And again, I'm so fortunate that we live in Hawaii. And I think these issues are not as dire here in Hawaii. I think we are a lot more welcoming to all these topics. And maybe some of the other states to learn a little more aloha spirit, Mihaila. Well, and I was thinking as I was walking into that bookstore and I know there are a lot of tourists and it got me thinking, how many of them are they possibly from maybe Florida or Texas or Missouri or North Carolina where they do have books that are banned, numerous books that are banned. And maybe they come across it and they pick it up and they read it while they're here back with them.  Yeah, it's a, you know, it's a parts and minds game. You know, one of the names that I really appreciate is one that says, be careful who you hate because it might be someone you love. And I just think that, you know, families that have LGBTQ people and then, you know, some of them have learned this lesson the hard way and learned that, you know, supporting their kids, supporting their family members is so important. And boy, once you love someone, you know, who is impacted by things like this, it makes that acceptance a whole lot easier. So, yeah, I just, this is something that I feel really passionate about. You know, I moved to Maui from California, but I grew up as a young person, I grew up in Tennessee. And, you know, I'm devastated that that state is really with Florida and Texas, they're really leading the charge on these kinds of hateful actions. And I just think to myself, well, you know, from your own daughter, how hard it is to be a kid and do we really need someone's like, politically motivated actions to just make it that much harder for our kids? Well, so I do wanna mention that the most banned book, the book that has been banned 15 times or by 15 different entities is Gender Queer, A Memoir by Maya Kobabe. And I, as I was preparing for the show, I've started to look into all these books. I haven't read this one yet, but I started Lawn Boy by Jonathan Everson. And, you know, I definitely feel like I need to cover, to read all these banned books. So Deb, thank you so much for joining me on the show today. And last question for you. Any recommendation for books? Oh, absolutely. Well, I do love Lawn Boy. It's a great one. I love that book. I love anything by Sherman Alexi. And, you know, the idea that Maya Angelou's books are on these banned book lists just like blows my mind. I think she is just such a gift. She was such a gifted writer and such a stellar human being. So anything by Maya Angelou as well. You can pretty much, but anything by Toni Morrison is banned. So those are also great, great books to read. And I can't wait to get home to Maui and lay on the beach and read one. That's a good plan. So again, thank you. And to our viewers, you got to go pick up one banned book today and read it and make up your own mind. Don't let other people tell you what to think. Thank you so much for watching Think Tech Hawaii. If you like what we do, please like us and click the subscribe button on YouTube and the follow button on Vimeo. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn and donate to us at thinktecawaii.com. Mahalo.


It's time for Country Style USA starring Farron Young. Still all night, stillin' longer. Dance all night, dancin' longer. Full on the cold road in the corner. Don't see why I don't feel longer. Hi there friends, my name is Charlie Applewhite and welcome to Country Style USA. Brought to you by your local Army recruiter in cooperation with this television station. Country Style USA features the very best in country and western music. And of course your favorite stars will be here for your viewing and listening pleasure. And now here's our star, Farron Young. To make a love to you.  Yeah, you'll find me here. Right here, that's where I'll be. So honey, stop. And I think of me. I've got it too late. Here's a new sweet little star. Here's what I'm missin'. I don't know how you look round now. When you're on some lovin', I can be found, found, found. Yeah, you'll find me here. Right here, that's where I'll be. So honey, stop. When you're on some lovin', I can be found, found, found. Yeah, you'll find me here. Right here, that's where I'll be. So honey, stop. So honey, stop. You got through it all right boys. You might be wondering who these fellas back here behind me are. They're called the Southland, Southlanders, what we call them. Southlanders, Fort Pitt. Real fine group of boys, they make records, and they sing with me on my personal appearances, and they will thank. We're glad to have them here on Country Style USA. You fellas get over by that other microphone over there, and we're gonna sing another song. We sure are happy to be back. That's one thing I want to tell all you folks, and we hope that wherever you're at, that you're having a good time right now. Whether we're in your living room, or your kitchen, or wherever you might have this television set, we're glad to be in your home with you. So ladies, and what have you, this one's called Vacation Zope. It's over. It's over. It's over. So ends our lives. Try to tell me. Not to care. It's over. I'll never be the same. I'll never be the same. Or how can I? With a heart full of pain. With a heart full of pain. With a heart full of pain. With a heart full of pain. Shared kisses so tender and more. That's the Army. I'll guarantee you. And you know, on Country Style USA, we keep telling all the young men out there about the many fabulous careers that can be yours in your United States Army. And we don't get to mention the girls and those. So right now we'd like to get Charlie Applewhite to tell you girls how you can keep up with the boys in the Army by choosing a career for your future too. I'd sure like to do that, Farron. Young ladies, if you'd like to travel to interesting places, just watch this. This is the Champs-Elysees. The loveliest street in Paris. And here's the loveliest thing on the Champs-Elysees. Sally Brown American. A world traveler at 22 and a very important person to her country. During business hours she's Corporal Sally Brown, Women's Army Corps, Expert Army Photographer, Assignment Europe. But life wasn't always this interesting. And neither was Sally. Not long ago this was Sally Brown grinding away at a rather routine job feeling rather routine herself. The Women's Army Corps changed all that. Her Army recruiter helped her plan her career. She chose from 26 exciting courses in photography, medicine, radio, many more. Now she serves her country herself as a wax. If you want to be like Sally, see your Army recruiter now. Learn how you too can enjoy life in the Women's Army Corps. She's in Paris. You can travel almost anywhere in the world in the Women's Army Corps. Get choice. Right you are, Charlie Applewhite. And remember girls, now more than ever before you get the choice, not chance in the United States Army. And right now we're real happy too to have a real pretty girl. We're talking about girls, we've got one on our show and we're just tickle-pink to have her with us. She's not only known for a real fine duet records, but also as the Davis sisters own her duet records, but now she's cutting records single and doing a real great job. So fellas, let's all make welcome our real pretty guest on Country Style USA, Miss Skeeter Davis. Get to sing one of the old-time songs that you out there like it. With the help of the Southlanders, here's one called How Long Has It Been.  So let's get our special guest right back, Miss Skeeter Davis. Come here, hon. It's been a real pleasure having you. Thank you, Farron. I enjoyed it. Thank you.  Charlotte, we had a great time but it's about time for us to sing our theme. Will y'all have a cheer or something? Let me get us a chord here.


That's what we call press-con-invent. And I'm here to ask you to move. I'm here to take out the bill. By the time we live, let's get right at it. Last fall, I invited Paul to bring a group of conservative leaders to the White House to get their advice on several specific matters before final policy decisions were made. And I found that advice useful. I hope you saw it reflected in some of my decisions. And I believe we can find further common ground today. By mutual agreement, today's discussion will be limited to three areas. Our policy in Chile, SDI, and the freedom fighters, and Paul, we run on to lead off the discussion. Thank you, Mr. President. We appreciate this opportunity. And I'd like to let most of the participants here do the talking. The first is Bill Kling, who I'm sure you remember, used to be a political reporter for the Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times, and now works on a foreign policy project involving, among other things, Chile. So, Bill. Thank you, Paul. Mr. President, what? I'm about to dictate what the United States does on this issue just because it is an election year. The sanctions that are already in place have not worked. They are hurting the very people they are designed to help. And that is essentially the Black South Africans. And if I may, if you do a mention. I'm more concerning them. Small assembly. I don't know why that's got to do with Chile, but... With respect to Chile... Good to see you again. Mr. President, you did a tremendous job for us this morning. Thank you very much. I'm glad. The dinner. I hope it raises lots of money for Linda. We're working nine yards, Mr. President. So, Paul, thanks. You'll be happy to know that I adamantly oppose any tax increases. You want to sit down over here so they can look... They can get a picture of us looking like we're worthy. Okay. That sounds like a good to me. I've been told I've got to look real serious now. But I adamantly oppose a tax increase, and I'm going to fight like a tiger for my senior citizens to protect Social Security. But I'm really concerned about the door crime, on which, of course, you've been so involved in you and Mrs. Reagan. And I've been thinking lately, maybe the military ought to be involved to protect their borders. Last year, there were 16,000 flight operas of the Air Force. There were 2,600 saline duty. I know there were some people, but, of course, there was a shooting down. There's no way of knowing whether that's a threat. Absolutely, yes, Mr. President. Well, I agree with you, too, about moving some of that pork out of the budget. Yes, it's a matter of fact, I do want to discourage you from doing so. But, of course, most of it, is going to be a drug thing. And the kind of risk up there, in majority, is a way from a better culture, which has interfered. It's not a hundred-second visit. Yes, Mr. President. I know the Secretary of Transportation came and visited the Fifth District and mentioned that, and that concerns me a whole lot. But we're working very hard, and I know how you loved and respected Congressman Dandana, as I did. And I thank you for the opportunity to serve in your administration, because I hope that will give me the opportunity to solve the problems of the fine citizens of the Fifth District. I think we have to move on now. Thank you, Mr. President. Mr. President, when you were telling Linda about that bad conversation there, why didn't you point at me? I was just getting there. In November, him and the State Department were wonderful here.  Linda's going to help us change that. Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you so much. Mr. President, please say Jameson from the NSC and permit me to introduce Mr. Michael Killigrew, who is the managing director of the direct management group. Wonderful to meet you and thank you for taking the time to meet with us and to give these American student leaders a send-off to their Soviet-American conference in Helsinki. So, may I introduce you to Heather Islev from Baltimore, Harlem, Maryland. Hi, how are you? It's so good to see you. We'd like to present you with a videotape about our program. The students who are behind me represent Direct Connection, which is a communication organization. Started in California. That's right there. It's all in the tape and you'll love it. I encourage you to watch Snowing 12 Minutes Long. All right. Mr. President, that's a joint from Boston, Massachusetts. We decided to give you a movie because we heard you like those. So, thank you so much, Mr. President. Mr. President, how are you? I'm so good. I'm looking forward to the summit and the good things that are coming between you and Court Judges. Thank you. Thank you. Jonathan Renner from Nevada City, California. Hi. I'd like to thank you for including youth for your summary of the summit with General Secretary Govachev. Listen, you're the most important thing we're working for. Thank you. Thor Erexson from Newcastle, Maine. Let's keep the door open. Very sweet. I'm from San Antonio, California. Thank you very just for it and allowing us to make this different. Well, appreciate it. So, Miko Hong from Montezuma, New Mexico. Thank you. What's our Jones from Washington, D.C.? Joe Dieter from Ega, Illinois. It's great honor to have you. Dr. John Thompson, director of the California Association of Strategic Counselors. I am honored to have you all here. Mr. President, we're going to do a group photo here. We'll have half of you to the left and half to the right of the press. Thank you. Well, I just have a question for you, sir. That's right. What you're doing, I know that this organization has a few short years of history, but I have often said that all the young people of the world could get acquainted with each other. They'd never been in a war. That's what motivates us. Thank you. I can't control your hand out. You can't visit here. I'm afraid I'll start with the ladies. Thank you. Incidentally, can I talk a little bit about what you do with the tie of our hers? That's great. Thank you so much. I have a letter for you. And he called my attention to something. In his letter, he said, you know, you can move to France, live there, but you can't become a Frenchman. You can go to Turkey and live there. You can't become a Turk. You can go to Greece, Germany, whatever. But is it anyone from any corner of the world can come to this country and become an American? Because you need all the world. But there's something else you might find. You've probably thought of all these things. I'm going to tell you. But you know that we are unique. There's such a great difference. And the principle difference can be found in the every country's got a constitution. And you go through them and you'll find all of them. Oh yes, the people can do this too. The difference in our constitution is summed up in three words. We, the people. All those other constitutions are documents in which the government tells the people what it will let them do. Ours says we the people will allow the government to do the following things and they can't do anything that isn't in that document. I've said about that. The difference between ours and all those others. One night at a state dinner my dinner partner was one of the crown princes of Japan. And I can't quite say it that way anymore. There are now two of us because since World War II the Japanese government has changed their constitution to where it says we the people. First but I'm very proud of that. But I wish you well all of these most important that I am looking forward to a report that I know is already scheduled when you come home. You're going to come in here and tell me about what you did. That's wonderful. We hope that will be possible. Yes, I think it's on the schedule. Yes, looking at this clock. Yes. Well, goodbye and good luck on this. Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you. Say hello to your wife. Good luck on this one. Thank you. Yes. Presidential Academic Fitness Award. Thank you. Thank you for everything. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Well, you're sending the right signal to come. See you. See you. Appreciate it. I love you. You must be in class 12. Yes. I want to let the three students come back. Students, sir. First. Thank you. Congratulations. And you. I do not get anywhere. I know it's a tough time. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.  It's going to be correct. Ok. Somebody mis-behave in me. So present this but it is being taken care of. There will be a replacement for that. Thank you very much. That's the G. photo of that. Why don't we have you step to the left of the present on your side. We'll be over here. That's fine, that balances it out. Five of us are all academically fit. I certify. I'm glad you included me. Thank you very much. Well thank you. Thank you very much. If I give just a little bit of scottily work here for a second. There's one thing while you're in here. That seal of the government. Notice up there, the eagle is looking toward the direction of the claw holding the olive branch, which means peace. The other claw is holding the arrows, which means war. Well on that old desk there, which was sent to us by Queen Victoria, clear back in her day after we rescued a ship of theirs, this hand-carved desk, the eagle is facing toward the arrows. And it was after World War II that Harry Truman decided to reverse how the eagle looked the other way. So you can always tell the difference in how old or young the seal is, which way the eagle is looking. Nice history lesson. Thank you, sir. Thank you. Thank you, sir. You're all proud parents and I think there's going to be more time. We appreciate you. You're doing so well. Well, thank you.


Financial News Network. Update. Hi folks, Basel Chapman of this two o'clock Tiger Financial News Network Market Update. Thousand and three hundred and seven and thirty thousand five sixty seven. It's finally gone underneath the fourteen period moving average but the nine is still over the fourteen so that says either we're going to take a while to roll over for the nine to cross negative or it's going to hold well and we're going to have some news reports from one of the big cap tech stocks that just moves it'll have to be Microsoft or Apple because they're in the Dow. We'll see what happens in the meantime. Negative action S&P is much worse S&P is down not just point nine one percent is down one point three two percent taken out the first left side low of importance the nine period moving average is now getting closer to and it's got a way to go to cross negative but that's the reason why we've been talking about it taking up it's a process this turnaround that I said it's going to make an arch formation images draw this in right here if you check out my opening call you'll see that we're talking about all these different things and trying to trade them so we're looking at the weekly chart still very good but the S&P is turning down very sharply Mac these per it says that we went to the four thousand and eighty eight to four thousand eighty two support that I spoke about for the last few days as key support the next level will be the forty fifties we're going to be watching that we get to QQQ it's got a deeper correction going on because it's taken out the left side low of importance is now in the three leavens I said in the three under 309 now you start to look at something more serious so this is exactly where it's really important to start finding some support IWM to be very negative very negative down almost four we're looking at gold it's just so fascinating gold is holding very nicely it's up 10 2009 it's in within this rectangle the dollar just cannot really get legs yes it is up a little bit it's up point five three and one at one point ninety but until the dollar actually trades in the one or two thirty to one or two seventy area this is just a mere bounce we're looking at crude oil it was up earlier now it's down it's down dollar fifty stuck under the children's period moving average and this is going to be interesting because bonds are rallying sharply so yields are coming down but it's still stuck within the range so hold on tight the great program coming up I'll be back with time a little later in the three o'clock hour stay tuned take out my opening call my daily newsletter and I will be back of course tomorrow at Tampa also be at back with Thomas D 15 this afternoon have a great rest of the day see you soon the reality is that


Condolences have continued to pour in for David Doe and Chio Malva, the loss of their three-year-old Ifain, who drowned in a swimming pool in his father's Banana Island home. The presidential candidates of Labour Party, PTOB, PDP, Artiqua BuBaca and that of the APC Borla Tinumbu have all expressed sympathy for the singer and his family. They all prayed that God grant them healing and comfort during this period. Hello, hope you enjoyed the news. Please do subscribe to our YouTube channel and don't forget to hit the notification button so you get notified about fresh news updates.


Birdie here. Sometimes I think it's too bad. It isn't too bad to be uneducated among things. It can be frustrating when you educate yourself what's going on and then you see the discussion and narratives that get spread. There's a saying that says ignorance is bliss, right? But here's a kicker with ignorance. You can become canon fodder and many people have become canon fodder, not just in war, but what centralized power does to you. So I would never give up what I know, choose to be ignorant, to not bear the burden and the responsibility for knowing what's going on in the world. Because knowing what's going on in the world, I've been able to protect myself and my family from what centralized power has planned for us, right? For example, cheering people to go invade Iraq. And a lot of people did. They signed up.  So, oh, this is a number 15. This is number 15. This is book number 10. I lost the sticky on it. This is book number 10. Oh, my books are out of order. This is book number 10. Number 11 is there. Here's number 12. Okay. So it's important. And of course, what has taken place in the last three years, if we weren't informed, maybe you would have got injection if you hadn't, right?


Welcome to NewsClick, amidst all the pomp and show of the 71st Republic Day Parade where Indian military displayed its firepower and its arsenal, what stuck out or rather what what disturbed one was the fact that more than 70% of the weapons on display were of foreign make. So 71 years since we became a republic we are still grappling with a major issue that we might appear to be a leading or a major military power but actually it may not be a true depiction of the reality because our dependence on foreign manufacturers, our dependence on foreign technology or dependence on foreign capital makes our position as a leading power or something of a suspect. But there are many issues related to it and once again as we come close to the annual budget it is time for us to take a quick look at some of the major developments that have taken place. We have with us Dira Gunandan, member of Delhi Science Forum and a defense analyst to take us once again through the zig-zags of our military acquisition procurement policies. Welcome to NewsClick, Raghu. Let me start. It struck me as rather once again that most of the weapons that we were being shown on the Republic Day were of foreign make. Now that itself should not be a surprise except we have in the last six years been trying for what is called make in India policy and thought that in the last six years maybe there have been some developments, something to show that we are gradually moving away from our dependence on foreign technology. Raghu, just as an overall impression of yours, what do you think? How do you react to this? See, we have gone through several years of modification a decade or more of the defense procurement policy and recently a new category has been introduced which is of indigenous design development and made, manufacture, which is supposed to be given top priority. That is, once you identify a piece of equipment then if you go down the priority list, indigenous designed and manufactured weapons should come first and then you go lower down transfer of technology, license production, outright import, etc. However in practice, I think on the political side there is a very clear preference for dealing with foreign OEMs with partnerships of foreign OEMs with domestic private sector manufacturers coming next in priority. Unfortunately, a fairly substantial section of the armed forces also goes along with this and as you know, this section of the armed forces has never had faith in indigenously made equipment. They think it takes too long for indigenous development to take place and that in any case it will end up being inferior to what you can buy from the West. So, that strand is also continuing to function. However, I am increasingly seeing some straws in the wind where it looks as if some sections of the military and some sections of this wider strategic community are beginning to realize the perils of over dependence on foreign OEMs. Particularly because as I am sure we will discuss domestic manufacture in collaboration between Indian private sector and foreign OEMs is also a path which is totally dependent on the foreign OEMs. What I find surprising and a welcome shift is precisely in the kind of language that we are hearing for the first time. After hearing how HAL, the public sector, Hindustan aeronautics limited or the ordinance factories were damned, maligned, I thought, run down for all kind of reasons where the question their capability and etc. You seem to be hearing from now the new lot of armed forces commanders a different language. For instance, the Indian Air Force chief came out and said that he believed in indigenous and now the Air Force, for instance, for the advanced multi role combat aircraft, they have said that they are going to add a clause which insists that the engine which is put on the AMCA would be of local origin. So, the first two squadrons will use an advanced version of GE-414 engine of American make. Hopefully, the rest of them would be local manufacturers. But the surprising thing is the senior officers of Indian Air Force believe that there are some European companies or countries which would be willing to share engine technology. So, Rabu, my first question to you is how realistic is this? I mean, I welcome this move for insisting on indigenous, local manufactured engine, but how realistic is this? There are two aspects to this. One is dealing with volumes. If you are going to manufacture engines, it can only be done if there is a substantial number of aircraft that you also manufacture. If you take the 36 Rafales that India has ordered, not only does it not make economical sense to manufacture the aircraft, it makes even less economical sense to manufacture engines in such small numbers. So, that's one aspect that needs to be taken into account. The second aspect is if you get collaborators from foreign engine manufacturers who are prepared to collaborate with you in manufacture. India has been doing that for years. In HAL, we have been manufacturing British-made Orpheus engines. We have been manufacturing helicopter engines from Turbomeka and Snecma and so on. We could continue doing that. The point really is for India to be able to develop its own design development capability for aircraft engines. That's a steep mountain to climb and it would be welcome if there is a foreign consultant or manufacturers who are prepared to help you develop that capability through hand-holding during from the design process on till manufacture. I would hold my breath. Yeah, why would they do it? Why would they do it? Precisely. Engine technology, as I've discussed with you before, is the most difficult aspect of aeronautics. Even China, which has advanced rapidly in terms of airframe development in fighter aircraft as well as in civilian passenger aircraft, is still struggling to develop engines, which just goes to show that it's a tough ask and it will require persistence and considerable funding. And unfortunately, the government of India has still now not shown its stamina and courage to deal with long gestation research and development projects, which necessarily will be costly, but which will show its returns over several decades. But it remains to be seen if that can happen. It's welcome that the Air Force has expressed its preference, but if we look at the near to medium term, it is likely to lead to collaboration in manufacture, whether it will lead to collaboration in design development capability remains to be seen. In fact, it's interesting. The recently negotiations took place between India and Russia for purchase of 200 Kamov helicopters, so price negotiations took place for variety of items that would go into making of it. One of the interesting features of the Kamov helicopter, Ragu perfectly well, is that it uses saffron engine. It's a French saffron engine. That's right. Now, which in fact goes to prove the point that you're making. But what is equally interesting is that a consultant appointed by Ministry of Defense recently came out with a statement saying that India should not be purchasing any foreign helicopters because, and particularly with reference to Navy, because he said, you get the Dhruv helicopter, advanced Dhruv helicopter, light helicopter that HAL has manufactured, is quite capable of being used for naval purposes. And instead of buying something foreign, we have something domestic and that should be. Absolutely. I mean, on this there, I have written about this extensively earlier as well. You have an existing platform based on which you can design or in fact, just adapt the naval utility helicopters to make them ship-borne. Particularly, you need to have a foldable rotors because you can imagine in a small constricted space of a ship, if you have helicopters with rotors extending becomes difficult. So, you have foldable rotors and also a foldable tail so that they occupy less space. And HAL is confident that it can develop this from its Dhruv ALH in a matter of two to three years, which even if you contract with a foreign OEM, they are going to take three years to start delivering in any case. But I will add, going back to the Rafale example I was citing, part of the offsets deal there is an investment by Safran of about 7000 crores in assisting with the final stage of development of the indigenous Kaveri engine, which is intended for the AMC for the advanced. So, it remains to be seen how far that gets implemented, whether it goes the distance that India wants because if India plays its cards well, works out a proper deal with Safran, then that could form a platform for future development of other aero engines because if you develop one engine, it gives you the capability of developing a family of engines around that design. So, 7000 crores is not a very large amount, but it's not too small an amount either and something can be done depending on the base from which you are starting. It's interesting what you said initially in your opening comments that you made. You do attention to the fact that strategic partnership where a domestic private manufacturer ties up with a foreign OEM and manufactures goods in India is something seems to be the part that the government is still relying on pushing. That seems to be happening now it seems with the Rs. 45 crores still submarine production, where they have shortlisted two companies. One is Mazagon talks limited and the other is L&D. Now, the interesting thing there Ragu, we talked about it last time also in our program was that Adani defense had suddenly entered the scene and complicated the matters and there was confusion as to how they could enter the picture anyway. Mercifully the Ministry of Defense has sorted that out and have narrowed it down to Mazagon talks limited and L&D. Now, what is your assessment? Do you think Mazagon talks limited which is a public sector unit, would they be preferred over L&D or with the government of India you think in the name of pushing its make in India program and strategic partnership? There are two aspects to this. First is that while L&D is yet to develop or yet to demonstrate its capability of complete submarine manufacture systems integration etc. L&D has considerable expertise in the submarine area and has played a big role in the manufacture of India's indigenous Arihant nuclear powered submarine. Secondly, Mazagon talks has got all the capability but there are doubts about whether it is not overloaded with prior orders. Personally, if you ask me there are several areas of defense equipment manufacture in this country which in which the private sector can play a role either in manufacture of large components, large sub assemblies or even full scale equipment manufacture precisely because HAL has got its orders books fairly full at least now and is relatively up to capacity provided it gets the LCA orders and provided the naval helicopters. In fact, the naval helicopters would come in very handy because HAL is already setting up the come off factory a separate facility for that and it would not be too difficult to add the manufacturing assembly lines for the naval helicopter to that. But there are capacity constraints in the public sector. So, I would not dismiss the idea of involving the private sector to expand capacity provided they have the capability and that is where I think there are in the Indian private sector very very few manufacturers who one can rely on to manufacture whole systems be it land based or ship based. So, it remains to be seen whether that feasibility is there. I would like to add however that till now the major docks in India the ship building yards which are incidentally managed by naval officers have shown extraordinary ability to be able to design and manufacture our own vessels. So, even if we undertake this in collaboration with the foreign manufacturer it would only help in further augmenting this capability. Do you get a feeling I mean as the last question I like to post to you is given this back and forth that has been happening do you get a feeling that we there seems to be a realization that somehow we have to get back to focusing on indigenization. Do you get a feeling that we are headed that way? I am not too sure and the reason why I say that is there is a mistaken assumption that domestic manufacture is equivalent to domestic technological capability. We have been doing domestic manufacture under license for the past 50 to 60 years, but developing indigenous design and development capability is another cup of tea altogether. So, I would go along with the suggestion that you are making provided I see the commitment to developing design development capability and that will involve substantial dedicated long term commitment on the part of the government to defense R and D funding and that has still now not been forthcoming. If you look at even the LCA project while much has been said about the delays etcetera by DRDO the fact also remains that they have been doing this on a shoestring budget and if money comes in driblets to you that is no way to design expensive and high tech military hardware. So, I would reach a conclusion of the kind that you are suggesting only when I seek commitment to defense R and D funding on the part of the government. But it also involves that you create capabilities so that you own and control the technology. That is precisely what I am that is precisely why I am emphasizing the defense R and D expenditure. Because if you enter into license manufacture which goes under the name of technology transfer which it is not. There is really no technology transfer they will always sell you the important hardware which they do not want to part with the technology and then you can assemble the rest of it and make secondary hardware for that. The real test is whether you are able to get the technological capability. I have always believed this is not something you will get through foreign collaboration because why should the collaborator pass on technology to you and cut his own feet because tomorrow they are stopping you from ordering from him. So, this is something you have to do on your own as we have shown in nuclear or in space no collaboration you had provided you with that know how. This is something you had to learn the hard way and we will have to do the same here.


Sweaty girls! I have made a video for you. Today's video, I'm going to be going over my favorite foundations for the hot, hot summer. If you are going out just spending some time out in the sun, you're gonna be sweaty. These are the foundations slash skin tints that I would recommend to you. I am a sweaty girl, okay? Fortunately my body isn't really that sweaty except for like my armpits. But anyways, my face though is the first thing to sweat on my body. I go to what it is. Even if I'm not that hot but there's a little bit of, you know, warmth in the air, my upper lip just produces so much perspiration and then along my forehead line because I have a lot of hair. Yeah, my face, super sweaty. Whenever I work out, it's like I'm a little embarrassed by how hot red and wet I am. The drips, I got it all. Happens to me in the summer especially now that I am living in southern Florida. I'm a sweaty Betty. So these are my picks. I've been wearing them a lot recently because it's gotten a lot warmer in Miami. I know my friends up on the east coast in Maryland, it's been hot up there too this past week. I've been watching and a lot of these foundations I love for different reasons, for different purposes. At the end of the day, I chose these because these products work well with sweat. They wear well with sweat and you're not going to see this is the thing. You know when you have on makeup and you sweat and you know your forehead's sweaty, the sweat literally makes makeup come off?  So let's get into it. We're going to start off with the lighter coverage products. So this is the lightest coverage product but I love wearing this when I am just running out for errands. I want a pretty moisturized glow to my skin with a little bit of evening. All of these are like luxury products. I don't know how it worked out that way. I feel like luxury complexion products, they work better. It's just how the cookie crumbled was not intentional. But this is the Shantikai Just Skin Tinted Moisturizer. This gives very, very light coverage. So if you have a lot to cover up, this isn't going to be for you. I would not have worn this last year because I was struggling with acne last year. Fortunately, my skin has gotten a lot better. So I've definitely been reaching for this more. This is very, very moisturizing. It has SPF 15, which of course in the summer, please, please, please be applying your actual face sunscreen. This, while it's nice to know that it's in here, the SPF isn't going to do that much. It's better than nothing. Don't get me wrong, but not a replacement for sunscreen. But I'm happy that it's in here. But anyways, you'll see in the demo here how it doesn't give much coverage but it definitely evened things out and just made my skin look really hydrated. You can't go wrong with this product no matter how much you sweat. It's still going to look good. Your skin is going to look super juicy and nice. So for quick going out or really light coverage, this is the one that I recommend. Also from Shantikai, their gel foundation is also phenomenal. I find the two products to be very similar. This just has, I feel like, a little bit more of a moisturizer feel to the skin. I do have dry skin, so that is why I do enjoy this. It's probably my least favorite of the group, but I find that with it getting hotter, I just don't want to feel the coverage on my skin. So I've been enjoying, you know, being sweaty with a lighter coverage product. So this has been really, really great. It's beautiful on the skin and it's pricey. I know Shantikai can be very pricey, but it's very, very nice. Now the next product, I'm going to amp up the coverage a little bit. It's what I'm wearing on my skin today and it looks like I almost have full coverage on and I'll talk about that because this isn't a full coverage product, but this is one of my all-time favorite summer foundations. This is the Estee Lauder Futurist Hydra Rescue Moisturizing Makeup. If you have dry skin, you're going to be all over this. It also has SPF 45 in there, so we're bumping it up a little bit. I'm obsessed with this. I feel like this makes my skin look super smooth. It's super hydrating. It gives about a medium coverage a little bit on the lighter side of medium, but this is my probably most worn foundation in the summer because I just talked about really light coverage, but I'm a makeup girl. I love a glam. I love eyeshadow. I need a little bit of coverage to pair with that. I'm a makeup lover, okay? I want some coverage. So this is that great, happy medium. If it feeling really moisturizing on the skin, but also giving you coverage, it works with the sweat very well. You know, the sweat is not going to destroy what it's got going on here. To note though, about the wear of this foundation, just a little warning. If you do sweat, try not to touch your face. Take a paper towel and dab and don't wipe because it will come off. Also, if you wear sunglasses, especially right here, it will come off. So it's not a bulletproof foundation. I just want to get that through to you, but when you do sweat, nothing really breaks up unless you like wipe it like that, then it will look bad. And how I got more coverage, even though this isn't full coverage, it's concealer. Concealer will be the magic trick.  This has that tinted moisturizer feel with a little bit of added coverage. I highly recommend this and I just think it makes the skin look super soft and even and blurred. Phenomenal product all year round, honestly, but my favorite time to bring it out is during the warmer months. Okay, this one is kind of in between the Shantikai and the Estee Lauder in terms of coverage. I tend to bring this on summer vacations. This is the YSL Tushy Clot all in one go. They say it's fresh, dewy makeup, and that's exactly how I feel about this. So the reason that I'm choosing these tinted moisturizer type of products is because when you sweat, the sweat doesn't break these up. Okay, they're really hydrating. They go very well with wet. They are expected to be worn in the summer. This has been around for such a long time and I think it is so, so beautiful. Like I said, it's more coverage than Shantikai, but less coverage than the Estee Lauder that I spoke about, but it really does even the skin. You'll see this is my summer shade. I tend to bring this out in the hottest months and it gives a really fresh, dewy look. You don't need powder with this, but you can use it because it is quite dewy. Normally how I wear this is I just throw it on and put on a little bit of concealer and a touch of translucent powder and my skin looks really nice and healthy. And again, it wears beautifully with my sweatiness. So this is a really nice one for the summer. It's not going to feel too heavy on your skin as well. Are you ready to move up in coverage? Now, these are products that I specifically chose for sweaty girls who like coverage. Okay. I'm there with you. So, oh my gosh. This is like a quick fix for me in the summer. This is the Tom Ford Traceless Foundation Stick, phenomenal. So this is one of the most skin like appearances on the skin. So why I love this in the summer is if you just need some coverage, you put this right on where you need that coverage and blend it out. And you can't even tell that you have makeup on your skin. Like I said, in the summer, I'm normally going for lighter coverage. This is perfect. So typically in the summer, I'm not painting this all over my face. I'm just putting it on those areas that need it, which for me is normally like the cheeks. I get a lot of acne around my jawline. So I'll put some down here. My forehead never really needs too much coverage. So I'll just like do like the tiniest bit, which is awesome because that's where my sweat mostly is. So it doesn't disrupt the foundation or anything. So this will give you the exact coverage that you need. It blends in seamlessly to the skin because of that traceless finish that it has. I see why they named it the Traceless Foundation Stick. And it's super quick and easy. I feel like in the summer, we're always on the go. We just want to look a little better for wherever we're going. So this is perfect to even put on in the car.  Definitely a summer go to for me. It's not going to break in your purse. It's perfect. Now this one is going to fight the sweat. The previous products that I just talked about, those are ones that are going to kind of work with your sweat, all of that. This one is for, you know, you have an event. You want that full coverage and you want it to last. You don't want it to budge. That is the tried and true, ever so classic. This is not a hot take. Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay In Place Makeup. This thing is bulletproof. If you are sweaty or oily, this should be a foundation that you have in your rotation. It gives a ton of coverage. I would say it definitely gives almost a full coverage and it does not budge. So if you're hot and you're sweaty, this is the way to fight it. Of course, the sweat's going to be there, but the makeup is going to fight through that and stay on your face. So again, I'm not a big fan of in hot weather to just know I have a heavy layer of foundation on my skin. So this isn't something that I'm wearing unless I want my skin to look flawless. But yeah, I had to put in something more on the full coverage side for you. That's it. It's the best summer foundation for that purpose. And lastly, one thing I want you to consider getting into if you're more sweaty or oily or just in general in the summertime is powder foundation. I put out the Makeup Forever Matte Velvet Skin Foundation. There's something about the way a powder foundation sits on the skin in a more humid or hot environment. So it looks really blurred on my skin. I want you to notice that in the demo. Now, one thing you also might notice the demo or at least I did is it did look dry around my nose areas. If you are dry and you use a powder foundation, there's a high chance that it is going to emphasize the dryness. But here's the catch. When you go out, when your oils start to come through, when you get a little bit sweaty, the powder kind of soaks it up and then it will instantly look like just a normal foundation. It won't look so powdery anymore.  And that's why sometimes it's just best to skip the liquid and cream products and use a powder foundation to just soak all of that up. I find that whenever I wear a powder foundation in the heat, it does a really great job holding up. And even if it doesn't, there's not a lot of heaviness to the face. It feels really lightweight and it's not going to wear off ugly like a layer of a liquid product would. So even if the coverage does come off, it's not going to be streaky and gross and not cute. As particularly with this foundation, this is one of my all-time favorite powder foundations. I actually got into this because a few years ago, my cousin used to live in Hawaii and Hawaii is very, very humid as well. And she told me that this was the only foundation that worked for her in that humid climate. And I can see what she's talking about. Now that I'm in a humid climate, powder foundations do wonders. So maybe consider getting into that. Fenty Beauty also has a great powder foundation. And there we have it. Those are all of my recommendations in terms of complexion products during the summer. If you're a little sweater girl like me, it's funny. I did do like full coverage makeup even with like this lighter coverage product because I was gonna go for a summer look. But then I looked at this lethal cosmetics palette that I've been testing. I remembered I only tested like the neutral tones. So I wanted to play with the blues in the greens. So I was like, let me go full coverage concealer. Let me make this look not summery at all, but just to update on this palette. So if you saw, now I'm just chatting. If you're done with me, I'll see you later. That's fine. This is just updating you all. So if you saw my most recent full face of like testing new products, I tested this for the first time from lethal cosmetics.  The one thing I noticed is particularly the mattes, they're not as vibrant in the pan as they look in the eye. They're definitely more sheer and like this shade right here, I feel like looks a lot more dull on the eye than it does in the pan. And that's a pattern that I'm noticing with the mattes. But the trade off is these mattes are really easy to work out. So if you're a beginner and you're intimidated by colors, this could be really great. While I did want this to be a little bit more bold and pigmented, I know that that's not everybody's style. So that's just how the formula works. The shimmers though are really, really stunning. The look was really simple, if you're curious. This was the crease color, outer corner color, lid color, that's all I did. So anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this video and found it helpful. Let me know your skin type and your favorite foundations for the summer down below. Let's help each other out. And thank you guys so much for liking this video and being subscribed to my channel and I'll catch you guys in the next one. Bye guys, have a good one.