Wednesday, 29 February 2012

Technology of UAVs - From Global to Euro Hawk

UAVs are "unmanned aerial vehicles". They include aircraft such as the Northrop Grumman Global Hawk. A variant of Global Hawk equipped with German sensors has been dubbed EuroHawk. It operates at an altitude of 20,000 meters, well above the normal altitude flown by civil aircraft. (747s fly up to 40k feet or 12k meters).

Gulab Chikki and other Sweeties

Gulab chikki consists of square bars of almonds, cashews and pistachios wrapped with dried rose petals on a base of sugar and jaggery, a type of unrefined cane sugar. Its colour is golden brown or dark brown. Of the Indian states, Maharashtra is the largest producer and consumer of jaggery.

Thursday, 16 February 2012

What, or rather WHO, is IOSCO?

IOSCO is the International Organization of Securities Regulators. They publish reports, for example, on the trading of OTC derivatives.

Saturday, 11 February 2012

Purpose of IEA Fully Explained

The IEA (INTERNATIONAL Energy Agency) is a creature of the 1970s.

Specifically it was founded in 1974 with a DUAL MANDATE: 1) to promote energy SECURITY amongst its members (29 member COUNTRIES) via COLLECTIVE RESPONSE to physical disruptions in oil supply and to ADVISE member countries on energy POLICY.

Members have to hold emergency oil stocks amounting to 90 days of net imports.

The IEA produces interesting research reports, including country-specific ones on topics such as India's downstream petroleum sector (role of oil marketing companies (OMCs), explanation of under-recoveries and so forth).

OECD (The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) membership is NECESSARY BUT NOT SUFFICIENT for IEA membership. The OECD has its roots in the 1948 creation of the OECC to run the US-financed Marshall Plan.