Lessons from Coalgate and Naveen Jindal: It’s crucial to save capitalism from capitalists

Jindal was the biggest beneficiary of the captive coal block allotments, having been given nine blocks in all.

A research report brought out by Kotak Institutional Equities suggests that it costs Rs 600-800 per tonne to produce captive coal. In comparison, it costs Rs 3,500 per tonne to import coal. Hence, imported coal is four to five times more expensive than captive coal.

It needs to be pointed out here that only 40 out of 218 coal blocks are currently operational. Companies, given that they had got blocks for free, seemed to be in no hurry to start production. That wouldn't have been the case, had they paid for it in the first place.

http://firstbiz.firstpost.com/economy/lessons-from-coalgate-and-naveen-jindal-its-crucial-to-save-capitalism-from-capitalists-102181.html

The Biology Of Altruism: Good Deeds May Be Rooted In The Brain

A part of the brain called the amygdala is an almond-shaped cluster of nerves that is important in processing emotion.

Researchers found that the amygdala was significantly larger in the altruists compared to those who had never donated an organ. Additionally, the amygdala in the altruists was extremely sensitive to the pictures of people displaying fear or distress. Psychopaths have significantly smaller, less active amygdalas. More evidence that the amygdala may be the brain's emotional compass, super-sensitive in altruists and blunted in psychopaths, who seem unresponsive to someone else's distress or fear.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2014/09/22/349639464/the-biology-of-altruism-good-deeds-may-be-rooted-in-the-brain?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=science

People and Government ensure safety for Amur Falcons in Nagaland

https://in.lifestyle.yahoo.com/photos/in-nagaland-foes-turn-friends-for-endangered-amur-falcons-slideshow/

An Example of Secularism and Responsibility in Educational Institutes

One school in Bangalore is subsidized by a mosque, employs Hindu and Muslim teachers, is headed by a Christian principal, and is eagerly honoring its Right to Education responsibilities. A school that shows there is no need to look for legal loopholes or social shortcuts if education is really your priority.

https://in.news.yahoo.com/a-minority-dream-of-common-sense-064124881.html

When Scientists Give Up due to Lack of Research Funding

Glomski's problem was that he could only get funding to do very predictable, unexciting research. When money gets tight, often only the most risk-averse ideas get funded, he and others say. "You're focusing basically on one idea you already have and making it as presentable as possible," he says. "You're not spending time making new ideas. And it's making new ideas, for me personally, that I found rewarding. That's what my passion was about." Historically, payoffs in science come from out of the blue — oddball ideas or unexpected byways. 

Instead of helping society improve its defenses against deadly anthrax, he's starting a liquor distillery, Vitae Spirits.

"The country has invested, in me alone, $5 million or $6 million, easily," Patterson says, thinking back on the funding he received for his education and his research. And he's just one of many feeling the brunt of the funding crunch. "We're taking all this money as a country we've invested ... and we're saying we don't care about it," Patterson says.

There are no national statistics about how many people are giving up on academic science, but an NPR analysis of NIH data found that 3,400 scientists lost their sustaining grants between 2012 and 2013. Some will eventually get new funding, others will retire; but others, like Glomski and Patterson, will just give up.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2014/09/09/345289127/when-scientists-give-up?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=science&refresh=true