Tag Archives: hongkong

INTERESTING FACTS FIGURES & QUOTES–51: THE FIRST OPIUM WAR

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    The First Opium War was fought over illegal opium trade. In the late 18th century, the British East India Company or EIC, contravening Chinese laws, began smuggling Indian opium to China through various means, and became the leading suppliers by 1773. By 1787, the Company was illegally sending 4,000 chests of opium to China a year, each chest weighing 170 lbs or 77 kilos.

    The Chinese Jiaqing Emperor passed many decrees making opium trade illegal in 1729, 1799, 1814 and 1831, but smuggling still continued as the British paid smugglers kept taking opium to China, causing the population to become more and more addicted. This in turn let tons of opium into China’s markets.  Some Americans too entered the trade by smuggling opium from Turkey into China. Some of the individual American opium smugglers included the grandfather of President Franklin D Roosevelt and ancestors of Secretary of State John Forbes Kerry. By 1833, the number of chests of opium trafficked into China soared to some 30,000. According to United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the East India Company sent the opium to their warehouses in the free trade region of Canton (also known as Guangzhou), from where Chinese smugglers would take the opium deeper into China. In 1834, the East India Company monopoly ceased. But the illegal trade, however, continued. In 1839, after Chinese scholar Lin Tsehsu wrote a letter to the British monarch Queen Victoria, pleading for a halt of opium contraband, ignored until now, the Chinese Emperor issued a proclamation ordering the seizure of all the opium in Canton, including that held by foreign governments and placed matters in the hands of the scholar, Lin Tse-hsu. The smugglers lost 20,000 chests (1,300 metric tons) of opium without compensation.

    China initially attempted to get foreign companies to forfeit their opium stores in exchange for tea, but this ultimately failed. Then China resorted to using force in the western merchants’ enclave. Forces confiscated all supplies and ordered a blockade of foreign ships to get them to surrender their illegal opium supply.

    The British trade commissioner in Canton, Captain Charles Elliot, wrote to London advising the use of military force against the Chinese. Almost a year passed before the British government decided, in May 1840, to send troops to impose reparations for the economic losses of the British illegal traders in Canton including financial compensation, and to guarantee future security for smugglers. However, the first hostilities had occurred some months earlier with a skirmish between British and Chinese vessels in the Kowloon Estuary on 4 September 1839. On 21 June 1840 a British naval force arrived off Macao then moving to bombard the port of Ting-ha. In the ensuing conflict, the Royal Navy used its naval and gunnery power to inflict a series of decisive defeats on the Chinese Empire, a tactic later referred to as gunboat diplomacy.

    The war was concluded by the Treaty of Nanking (or Nanjing) in 1842. It was the first of the treaties between China and foreign and illegal drug trading imperialist powers. The treaty forced China to cede the Hongkong Island with surrounding smaller islands, to the United Kingdom in perpetuity, and it established five treaty ports at Shanghai, Canton, Ningbo, Fuzhou, and Amoy (Xiamen). The treaty also demanded a twenty-one million dollar payment to Great Britain, with six million paid immediately and the rest through specified instalments thereafter. Another treaty the following year gave most favoured nation status to the British Empire and added provisions for British extraterritoriality. France secured concessions on the same terms as the British, in treaties of 1843 and 1844. Well the opium war did not stop there. It was followed by a second opium war.

By Kamlesh Tripathi

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https://kamleshsujata.wordpress.com

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Shravan Charity Mission is an NGO that works for poor children suffering from life threatening diseases especially cancer. Our posts are meant for our readers that includes both children and adults and it has a huge variety in terms of content. We also accept donations for our mission. Should you wish to donate for the cause. The bank details are given below:

NAME OF ACCOUNT: SHRAVAN CHARITY MISSION

Account no: 680510110004635 (BANK OF INDIA)

IFSC code: BKID0006805

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Our publications

GLOOM BEHIND THE SMILE

(The book is about a young cancer patient. Now archived in 7 prestigious libraries of the US, including, Harvard University and Library of Congress. It can also be accessed in MIT through Worldcat.org. Besides, it is also available for reading in Libraries and archives of Canada and Cancer Aid and Research Foundation Mumbai)  

ONE TO TANGO … RIA’S ODYSSEY

(Is a book on ‘singlehood’ about a Delhi girl now archived in Connemara Library, Chennai and Delhi Public Library, GOI, Ministry of Culture, Delhi)

AADAB LUCKNOW … FOND MEMORIES

(Is a fiction written around the great city of Nawabs—Lucknow. It describes Lucknow in great detail and also talks about its Hindu-Muslim amity. That happens to be its undying characteristic. The book was launched in Lucknow International Literary Festival of 2014)

REFRACTIONS … FROM THE PRISM OF GOD

(Co-published by Cankids–Kidscan, a pan India NGO and Shravan Charity Mission, that works for Child cancer in India. The book is endorsed by Ms Preetha Reddy, MD Apollo Hospitals Group. It was launched in Lucknow International Literary Festival 2016)

TYPICAL TALE OF AN INDIAN SALESMAN

(Is a story of an Indian salesman who is, humbly qualified. Yet he fights his ways through unceasing uncertainties to reach the top. A good read not only for salesmen. The book was launched on 10th February, 2018 in Gorakhpur Lit-Fest. Now available in Amazon, Flipkart and Onlinegatha)

RHYTHM … in poems

(Published in January 2019. The book contains 50 poems. The poems describe our day to day life. The book is available in Amazon, Flipkart and Onlinegatha)

(ALL THE ABOVE TITLES ARE AVAILABLE FOR SALE IN AMAZON, FLIPKART AND OTHER ONLINE STORES OR YOU COULD EVEN WRITE TO US FOR A COPY)

*****

INTERESTING FACTS FIGURES AND QUOTES-39

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  1. WHO INVENTED CONTAINERIZATION?

    American businessman Malcolm McLean started out as a truck driver hauling farm goods during the Depression, but he ultimately developed a system that revolutionized world trade and that is containerization. McLean recognised that unloading trucks and ships crate by crate was slow and inefficient. He visualised that cargo could be packed and shipped more easily if goods were packed into separate, detachable freight containers that could be hauled by trucks or trains without being emptied.

    Containerization soon broke down transport barriers and created vast networks comprising merchant ships, rail, and road links. With standardized units shipping costs fall as their payload increases. Containers have greatly reduced time and costs in shipping. Today, a shipment from Hong Kong to New York that took 50 days in 1970 now takes just 17 days.

    2. WHAT IS RAIN?     Rain is one of the stages in the planet’s hydrologic cycle (also called the water cycle), the constant circulation of moisture through levels in earth and its atmosphere. Evaporation transports water vapour from land and ocean to the atmosphere. Water returns to earth in the form of precipitation. On land water constantly seeks lower ground and ultimately flows into the ocean.

   3. According to Buddha , rather than controlling others or trying to change external reality, we must focus on mastering ourselves—“If one man conquers in battle a thousand times a thousand men, and if another conquers himself, he is the greatest of conquerors.” So friends conquering yourself is the biggest victory.

    4. No Indian University has featured in the top 300 in the latest Times Higher Education World University Rankings. IISc Bangalore has fallen from the 251-300 bracket to the 301—350 category. Although, the total number of Indian entries went up from 49 to 56 this year, in the overall 1,300-university list, only six universities made it to the 300 to 500 rankings.

            In contrast, China has seven of its universities in the top 200 and it’s Tsinghua University—ranked 23rd—is the highest ranked Asian university. This is the result of China’s focused and sustained investment in education. Interestingly, despite being a communist regime, China realised the importance of quality education vital for their nation and moved to implement best global practices for their universities.

    5. I am convinced that life is 10 percent what happens to me and 90 percent how I react to it. And so it is with you … we are in charge of our attitudes—says Charles Swindoll, evangelical Christian pastor, author, educator, and radio preacher.

By Kamlesh Tripathi

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https://kamleshsujata.wordpress.com

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Share it if you like it

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Shravan Charity Mission is an NGO that works for poor children suffering from life threatening diseases especially cancer. Our posts are meant for our readers that includes both children and adults and it has a huge variety in terms of content. We also accept donations for our mission. Should you wish to donate for the cause. The bank details are given below:

NAME OF ACCOUNT: SHRAVAN CHARITY MISSION

Account no: 680510110004635 (BANK OF INDIA)

IFSC code: BKID0006805

*

Our publications

GLOOM BEHIND THE SMILE

(The book is about a young cancer patient. Now archived in 7 prestigious libraries of the US, including, Harvard University and Library of Congress. It can also be accessed in MIT through Worldcat.org. Besides, it is also available for reading in Libraries and archives of Canada and Cancer Aid and Research Foundation Mumbai)  

ONE TO TANGO … RIA’S ODYSSEY

(Is a book on ‘singlehood’ about a Delhi girl now archived in Connemara Library, Chennai and Delhi Public Library, GOI, Ministry of Culture, Delhi)

AADAB LUCKNOW … FOND MEMORIES

(Is a fiction written around the great city of Nawabs—Lucknow. It describes Lucknow in great detail and also talks about its Hindu-Muslim amity. That happens to be its undying characteristic. The book was launched in Lucknow International Literary Festival of 2014)

REFRACTIONS … FROM THE PRISM OF GOD

(Co-published by Cankids–Kidscan, a pan India NGO and Shravan Charity Mission, that works for Child cancer in India. The book is endorsed by Ms Preetha Reddy, MD Apollo Hospitals Group. It was launched in Lucknow International Literary Festival 2016)

TYPICAL TALE OF AN INDIAN SALESMAN

(Is a story of an Indian salesman who is, humbly qualified. Yet he fights his ways through unceasing uncertainties to reach the top. A good read not only for salesmen. The book was launched on 10th February, 2018 in Gorakhpur Lit-Fest. Now available in Amazon, Flipkart and Onlinegatha)

RHYTHM … in poems

(Published in January 2019. The book contains 50 poems. The poems describe our day to day life. The book is available in Amazon, Flipkart and Onlinegatha)

(ALL THE ABOVE TITLES ARE AVAILABLE FOR SALE IN AMAZON, FLIPKART AND OTHER ONLINE STORES OR YOU COULD EVEN WRITE TO US FOR A COPY)

*****

 

 

 

INTERESTING FACTS FIGURES & QUOTES-34

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A tiger economy is the economy of a country which undergoes rapid economic growth, usually accompanied by an increase in the standard of living. The term was originally used for the Four Asian Tigers (South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore).

 Of the nearly 50 major political  parties in India, just about seven are not dynasty driven.

Fly on the wall means: One would like to hear what will be said, or see what will happen, while not being noticed: For eg, ‘I’d love to be a fly on the wall when those two get home.’

Only 5% of Indian marriages are inter-caste.

India has around a little over 1,000 diplomats which is far fewer than Britain that has over 6,000 and China that has around 7,500 diplomats.

Prosperity of India currently depends on its urban centers which already contributes a little over two-thirds of the Indian GDP.

If the bee disappeared off the face of the earth, man would only have four years to live—Maurice Maeterlinck–Belgian playwright, poet, and essayist.

The contribution of nuclear energy in electricity generation in India is not more than 3.5%.

World’s military expenditure is estimated to have been $1.74 trillion in 2013 or 2.4% of the global GDP.

Discipline is the soul of an army. it makes small numbers formidable—George Washington

Religion is like a knife: you can either use it to cut bread, or stick it in someone’s back—Desmond Titu

Compound interest is considered one of the greatest miracles of all human history and economics. Albert Einstein described it as the most powerful force in our society. When you let money accumulate at compound interest over a long period of time, it increases more than you can ever imagine.

Law of Accelerating Acceleration: The faster you move towards financial freedom, the faster financial freedom moves towards you. The first corollary of the law of Accelerating Acceleration says: 80% of your success will come in the last 20% of the time you invest.

The three keys to real estate selection are location, location and location. You make your money when you buy your property but you realize it only when you sell it.

Indian Railways is the second biggest procurement agency after defence, spending almost Rs 1 lakh crore a year. It is also the largest buyer of diesel in India.

National Optic Fibre Network (NOFN) aims to link India’s 2.5 lakh Gram Panchayats through 70,000 km of high speed optic fibre in the next three years- thereby enabling 600 million Indians to harness the benefits of modern communication.

The first modern Caesarean section was performed by German Gynecologist Ferdinand Adolf Kehrer in 1881.

Restaurants abroad that pass of as Indian are often run by Bangladeshis and Pakistanis, rather than persons of Indian origin.

Our urban population is 377 million or 31% of the total population. By 2031 it is projected to rise to 600 million.

According to an Indian readership survey 2017, just 28 million Indians read an English newspaper. Though reliable statistics are hard to come by, the website Statista estimates, that only about 7.8 million of India’s 1.3 billion people use twitter.

Nobel laureate Milton Firedman once said, we can eat imports but not exports. Once slipped out exports are no longer available to us.

Buddha once told a king that if he believed that sacrificing an animal will take him to heaven then sacrificing a human being will perhaps help him better. Thus Buddha urged the king to spare the animals and accept him as a sacrifice

 Einstein once gave an exam and 15 minutes into the exam, one of his students stood and asked. ‘aren’t the questions in this year’s exam the same as last year’s exam?’ Einstein replied, ‘don’t worry, the answers are different this year.’ The joke reflects how Einstein thought about things. He saw no problems in different answers for the same question.

There’s so much pollution in the air now that if it weren’t for our lungs there’d be no place to put it all-ROBERT ORBEN, US COMEDIAN

By Kamlesh Tripathi

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https://kamleshsujata.wordpress.com

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Share it if you like it

*

Shravan Charity Mission is an NGO that works for poor children suffering from life threatening diseases especially cancer. Our posts are meant for our readers that includes both children and adults and it has a huge variety in terms of content. We also accept donations for our mission. Should you wish to donate for the cause. The bank details are given below:

NAME OF ACCOUNT: SHRAVAN CHARITY MISSION

Account no: 680510110004635 (BANK OF INDIA)

IFSC code: BKID0006805

*

Our publications

GLOOM BEHIND THE SMILE

(The book is about a young cancer patient. Now archived in 7 prestigious libraries of the US, including, Harvard University and Library of Congress. It can also be accessed in MIT through Worldcat.org. Besides, it is also available for reading in Libraries and archives of Canada and Cancer Aid and Research Foundation Mumbai)  

ONE TO TANGO … RIA’S ODYSSEY

(Is a book on ‘singlehood’ about a Delhi girl now archived in Connemara Library, Chennai and Delhi Public Library, GOI, Ministry of Culture, Delhi)

AADAB LUCKNOW … FOND MEMORIES

(Is a fiction written around the great city of Nawabs—Lucknow. It describes Lucknow in great detail and also talks about its Hindu-Muslim amity. That happens to be its undying characteristic. The book was launched in Lucknow International Literary Festival of 2014)

REFRACTIONS … FROM THE PRISM OF GOD

(Co-published by Cankids–Kidscan, a pan India NGO and Shravan Charity Mission, that works for Child cancer in India. The book is endorsed by Ms Preetha Reddy, MD Apollo Hospitals Group. It was launched in Lucknow International Literary Festival 2016)

TYPICAL TALE OF AN INDIAN SALESMAN

(Is a story of an Indian salesman who is, humbly qualified. Yet he fights his ways through unceasing uncertainties to reach the top. A good read not only for salesmen. The book was launched on 10th February, 2018 in Gorakhpur Lit-Fest. Now available in Amazon, Flipkart and Onlinegatha)

RHYTHM … in poems

(Published in January 2019. The book contains 50 poems. The poems describe our day to day life. The book is available in Amazon, Flipkart and Onlinegatha)

(ALL THE ABOVE TITLES ARE AVAILABLE FOR SALE IN AMAZON, FLIPKART AND OTHER ONLINE STORES OR YOU COULD EVEN WRITE TO US FOR A COPY)

*****

 

 

 

INTERESTING FACTS & QUOTES EPISODE-23

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Copyright@shravancharitymission

Eric Arthur Blair, better known by his pen name George Orwell, was a famous English novelist, essayist, journalist and critic. He was born in Motihari, Bihar, India on 25th June 1903 of all the places.

Very few are lucky to be a Mozart the world famous composer of classical era who found passion for music at the age of three. The way to tell you’ve found a passionate work is when it doesn’t feel like work.

 Around 30% Americans get less than seven hours of sleep per night, and among single mothers, this rises up to 47%.

 India is one of the world’s most flood prone countries with 113 million (11 crore) people exposed to floods. According to a UN report India’s average annual economic loss due to disasters is estimated to be around $9.8 billion, out of which more than $7billion loss is due to floods.

 Talisman is an object, typically, an inscribed ring or stone, that is thought to have magic powers, and brings good luck.

 In a country with a median age of below 30, where, a million people enter the work force every month, sudden demonetizing can be devastating.

 Even after a full scale up, a fully, financially, digitized economy, like Sweden, still conducts, about 20% of its money transaction in cash.

England: Running a palace is becoming tougher and tougher. It seems that London’s Buckingham Palace is in urgent need of essential repairs, mainly in the plumbing department.     However, a number of British taxpayers—over 85,000 of them, who have signed a petition to that effect- are reluctant to foot  the bill for the job.

 Drawbridge—is a bridge that can be lifted so that ships can pass.

 For far too long, emerging economies such as India have been at the mercy of a supplier’s cartel. It’s therefore time now to change the rules of the game—this is especially in the context of oil.

 China and India are the second and third largest oil importers respectively. When they negotiate together their combined influence in the oil market will help them get a good deal. But will it ever happen?

 The global market of merchandise exports today is approximately $15 trillion. Share of India in these exports is only 1.6% compared to that of 12% of China.

 References to Bihar regions like Magadha, Mithila and Vaishali can be found in ancient texts and epics. The world’s first known republic was established in Vaishali in 6th century BC.

The ‘Umbrella Movement’ was a political movement that emerged during the Hong Kong democracy protests of 2014. Its name arose from the use of umbrellas as a tool for passive resistance to the Hong Kong Police’s use of pepper spray to disperse the crowd during a 79-day occupation of the city demanding more transparent elections, which was sparked by the decision of the Standing Committee of National People’s Congress (NPCSC) on 31 August, 2014 that prescribed a selective pre-screening of candidates for the 2017 election of Hong Kong’s chief executive.

 Soil and water are not commodities, but life-making material.

The element composition of the human body is 72% water and 12% earth.

 Since most of our rivers are forest fed, the best way to resuscitate them is with more vegetation. But the organic content of soil has fallen drastically and the rapid pace of desertification is alarming.

 Soil depletion in this country is so acute that nearly 25% of the Indian agricultural land will not be cultivable in the next 3-5 years.

 In 40 years time, it is estimated that over 60% of our land will be uncultivable.

 The only way to increase organic content of our soil is through tree cultivation and animal waste. If we destroy that our capability to generate food, will be heading towards a disaster.

 Due to lack of vegetation and indiscriminate urban expansion, we are witnessing alarming cycles of food and drought. In the last 12 years, nearly three lakh farmers have committed suicide.

  There are many reforms that India could carry out to become more competitive in manufacturing. These would involve changing its cumbersome labour laws, cutting corporate taxes to levels seen in East Asian countries and improving the transportation networks.

 Bullet train in India is likely to cost $17 billion which is a third of India’s annual defence budget.

India was famous for having many sick industries but no sick industrialist. But I guess the trend is changing now with Mallaya and Nirav Modi in spotlight in the U.K.

 Bengaluru, once a city of 2,500 lakes, boasted of an efficient storm water drainage system of interconnected lakes. If one lake overflowed water would automatically flow into another lake. But with increasing encroachment and solid wastes blocking the channels, floodwater cannot flow to the next water body. Drawing similarities are Hyderabad that has reported extinction of 375 lakes, and Delhi where 274 of 611 water bodies have dried up due to neglect and exploitation.

Not a single Indian city has drainage system that can promptly evacuate intense monsoon rainfalls that occur over short time periods.

 A large part of BMC (Bombay Muncipal Corporation) revenue amounting to Rs 61,000 crore is locked up in fixed deposits and are not being deployed for civic amenities.

 Almost all Indian cities are water-scarce in dry seasons and prone to severe flooding during monsoons. Cities like Delhi, that witness floods every monsoon, are also, some of the most water-stressed cities of the world.

Singapore, a monsoon country, has for the most part, solved urban drainage and water scarcity problems by installing a proper functional drainage system and collection of rainwater harvest.

 When a poor man gets government money, it’s called subsidy, when a rich man gets it, it’s called incentive.

 GST replaced 17 state and central taxes to make India one common market.

 Vidur the royal counsellor in Mahabharat, tells the king that he should sacrifice a person for the sake of a village and a village for the sake of a nation.

 The National Mental Health Survey 2016 published by NIMHANS recently showed that 13.7% of Indians are likely to have some mental illness during their lifetime.

INTERESTING QUOTES & LINES.

 The worst form of democracy is a million times better than an ideal form of dictatorship.

 Muslims are Islam’s biggest enemy—says Hasan Suroor, London based journalist.

 All labour is precious but some are more precious than others: “Believe me, the man who earns his bread by the sweat of his brow, eats oftener a sweetener morsel, however coarse, than he who procures it by the labour of his brains—Washington Irving, American author.

 Buddha said that the past is—already gone and the future is not yet here; there is only one moment when you can be fully alive, and that is the present moment.

 If one’s mind is agitated, one’s breathing will not be calm.

By Kamlesh Tripathi

*

https://kamleshsujata.wordpress.com

*

Share it if you like it

*

Shravan Charity Mission is an NGO that works for poor children suffering from life threatening diseases especially cancer. Our posts are meant for our readers that includes both children and adults and it has a huge variety in terms of content. We also accept donations for our mission. Should you wish to donate for the cause. The bank details are given below:

NAME OF ACCOUNT: SHRAVAN CHARITY MISSION

Account no: 680510110004635 (BANK OF INDIA)

IFSC code: BKID0006805

*

Our publications

GLOOM BEHIND THE SMILE

(The book is about a young cancer patient. Now archived in 7 prestigious libraries of the US, including, Harvard University and Library of Congress. It can also be accessed in MIT through Worldcat.org. Besides, it is also available for reading in Libraries and archives of Canada and Cancer Aid and Research Foundation Mumbai)  

ONE TO TANGO … RIA’S ODYSSEY

(Is a book on ‘singlehood’ about a Delhi girl now archived in Connemara Library, Chennai and Delhi Public Library, GOI, Ministry of Culture, Delhi)

AADAB LUCKNOW … FOND MEMORIES

(Is a fiction written around the great city of Nawabs—Lucknow. It describes Lucknow in great detail and also talks about its Hindu-Muslim amity. That happens to be its undying characteristic. The book was launched in Lucknow International Literary Festival of 2014)

REFRACTIONS … FROM THE PRISM OF GOD

(Co-published by Cankids–Kidscan, a pan India NGO and Shravan Charity Mission, that works for Child cancer in India. The book is endorsed by Ms Preetha Reddy, MD Apollo Hospitals Group. It was launched in Lucknow International Literary Festival 2016)

TYPICAL TALE OF AN INDIAN SALESMAN

(Is a story of an Indian salesman who is, humbly qualified. Yet he fights his ways through unceasing uncertainties to reach the top. A good read not only for salesmen. The book was launched on 10th February, 2018 in Gorakhpur Lit-Fest. Now available in Amazon, Flipkart and Onlinegatha)

RHYTHM … in poems

(Published in January 2019. The book contains 50 poems. The poems describe our day to day life. The book is available in Amazon, Flipkart and Onlinegatha)

(ALL THE ABOVE TITLES ARE AVAILABLE FOR SALE IN AMAZON, FLIPKART AND OTHER ONLINE STORES OR YOU COULD EVEN WRITE TO US FOR A COPY)

*****