India's purchase of anti-missile system to counteract China's DF missiles ?

India's test fire of anti-missile interception

India, the regular customer in the world arms market, now plans to spend three billion US dollars to buy anti-missile systems.According to reports from US media, the Pentagon's report on the Peoples' Liberation Army (PLA) deploys DF-21 medium-range ballistic missiles in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Therefore, India holds the opinion that the slow development of its home-made anti-missile systems cannot fulfill strategic needs and it thus seeks to purchase the most advantaged anti-missile systems globally to strengthen its defense capability. More after the break...

Reports say US Patriotic-3 and Israel's Iron Dome and David's Sling missile defense systems are all in India's favour. The contract of Patriotic-3 is likely to be announced before US President Barack Obama visits India in November. Meanwhile, India and Israel both show their willingness to make such a deal for anti-missile systems. However, India must first gain US permission before its purchase of Israel's anti-missile systems, because the development of these weapons relies on the funds and technology of US.

US Patriotic-3 missile system

Israel's Iron Dome missile defense systems

Israel's David's Sling missile defense systems

Analysis points out India's urgent purchase of anti-missile systems results from the pressure of Chinese missiles. Indian defense officials state China targets its hundreds of nuclear missiles at India.According to reports, US's recent report of Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China points out in order to enhance military deterrence, PLA deploys more advanced solid fueled CSS-5 (DF-21) nuclear missiles with better anti-destruction performance in the area nearer to the China-India border.  India worries that its home-made anti-missile systems are still under development and cannot be put into real battles in a short time. Therefore, it's necessary to bring in the west's more advanced weapons.

China's DF missiles

Indian military experts have stressed many times that China has geological advantages over India when a battle breaks out between China and India. The China-India border is about 5,000 kilometers away from Beijing, while it's only more than 900 kilometers away from New Delhi, which means PLA could launch attack on India's main military targets in the north of India within more than ten seconds by deploying DF-11/15 strategic ballistic missiles. Furthermore, the more powerful DF-21 medium-range missiles have bigger military deterrence to India's military. Therefore, India urgently seeks to purchase advanced and reliable anti-missile systems.

According to Indian media, India's indigenous anti-missile weapons include Advanced Air Defence (AAD) missiles and surface-to-surface "Prithvi" missiles. It's reported that totally five test fires gained good results. An Indian defense expert states the Advanced Air Defence (AAD) missile has better performance than Patriotic-3. He also says India is expected to become the fourth state capable of intercepting missiles with a range of 5,000 kilometers after US, Russia and Israel.

However, an Indian missile expert points out the fatal weakness of India's missile defense is the poor foundation of the national industry. Even though there are foreign technologies, some key parts related with interception missiles cannot be produced at home but can only rely on exports.

Does India's global purchase of anti-missile systems aim to counteract China's DF missiles?

The world's shortest living man

Edward Nino Hernández is in many ways a typical 24-year-old Colombian man. He loves to dance reggaeton, dreams of owning a car – preferably a Mercedes-Benz – and wants to see the world. What sets him apart is his size. He is slightly taller than a piece of carry-on luggage and weighs just 10kg (22lbs). Nino Hernández has just been officially certified as the world's shortest living man by Guinness World Records, measuring 70cm (27in). "He hasn't grown since he was two years old," his mother, Noemi Hernández, said of the oldest of her five children. More images after the break...

The previous titleholder was He Pingping of China, who was 4cm taller and died on 13 March.They say Nino Hernández 's reign is not likely to last long, however. Khagendra Thapa Magar of Nepal is expected to take over after he turns 18 on 14 October. He measures about 56 cm and is currently recognised by Guinness as the shortest living teenager. Doctors never could explain why Ninõ is so small, his parents say.

"They never gave us a diagnosis," says his mother, during an interview in the family's sparely furnished apartment in Bosa, a district of southern Bogotá.

Hernández, 43, said her son weighed 1.5kg at birth and was 38cm long.

She said doctors at the National University studied him until he was three, then lost interest. She and her husband, a security guard, lost a daughter who was similarly small in 1992 when she was nearly a year old.

The couple's youngest child, 11-year-old Miguel Angel, stands 93cm tall and has facial features similar to his older silbling. The other three boys are of average height and appearance.

"I feel happy because I'm unique," Nino Hernández said in an interview.

He does, however, have his problems: cataracts in both of his eyes that blur his vision and, says his mother, require urgent surgery that the family can't afford.

Other than his eyes, he has no medical complaints.

Nino Hernández has earned some cash dancing at department stores and is now acting in a film in which he plays a drug dealer.

He adds that he's got used to all the picture-taking. But being the world's smallest man does have its drawbacks.

"It bothers me that people are [always] touching me and picking me up," he said. Via Link 1 2

Obelisk Out of Hundreds of Bicycles

California artists Mark Grieve and Ilana Spector recently constructed this incredible towering obelisk made entirely out of bikes on a street corner in Santa Rosa. Dubbed Cyclisk, the monument is an ode to bike culture constructed from 340 bicycles and one tricycle. More images after the break...

The 10,000 pound, 65 foot-tall behemoth was, strangely enough, built with help from Nissan. Apparently, Santa Rosa’s “1% for art” law requires major construction projects to donate money to public art projects. Nissan is building a dealership in the city, so it chose to contribute cash to the $37,000 piece of artwork.

Regardless of the project’s background, we’re happy to see old bike parts being put to good use. As Spector noted in a statement, “Collecting unusable parts from the debris piles of nonprofit community bike projects has proven to be a win-win; community bike DIY places are thrilled unusable parts are not becoming land fill and the City is psyched the sculpture will solidify Santa Rosa as bike-friendly.”

Cascamorras — Festival Celebrated in Spain

According to legend, the origin of “La Fiesta del Cascamorras” can be traced back to 1490, when Don Luis de Acuña Herrera decided to built the Church of Mercy in the town of Baza, where a Moazarabic mosque had previously been erected. While chiseling a block of plaster, Juan Pedernal, a worker from the nearby town of Guadix, heard a soft, soothing voice coming from inside a cavern, which said “Have mercy!”. Upon examining the cavity he stumbled upon a statue of the Virgin Mary, that came to be known as “Our Lady of Mercy”. More images and video after the break...

You would think finding a miraculous statue was a joyful event for everyone, but in reality, its discovery caused turmoil between the towns of Baza and Guadix. After the two towns argued about the ownership of Our Lady of Mercy, courts of the time decided the statue would remain in Baza, while rights to host celebrations on every September 8th be given to the people of Guadix. It was also agreed that if ever a commissioner from Guadix would enter the town of Baza and reach the Church of Mercy without getting stained by locals, he would be allowed to take the holystatue to his home town.

And that takes us to the modern Festival of Cascamorras. The first Cascamorras was builder Juan Pedernal, and every year since his first attempt to recover thestatue he discovered, his place has been taken by other locals from Guadix. Every September 8th, the people of Guadix journey to Baza to hold the religious festivities that were awarded to them, 500 years ago. Every time, their chosen Cascamorras tries to reach Baza church unstained, but as all the young people of Baza await him covered in black paint, it’s no wonder in five centuries time no Cascamorras has ever reached his goal.

As soon as the Guadix pilgrims approach Guadix, their Cascamorras is assaulted by hundreds of youngsters covered in black paint, and gets smeared with the oily substance. What’s even worse, the Cascamorras gets the same kind treatment from his own people, upon returning to Guadix. As punishment for not being able to retrieve Our Lady of Mercy, the Cascamorras cover him in different kinds of paint. Via Link

Portraits By Marco Calcinaro

The amazing Portraits By Marco Calcinaro, more images after the break...

Lovely and Unrelated

{love the shimmer of  a sequins dress and the hazy soft appeal of this inspiration board...}

{good morning everyone, today is a special day for me, here is hoping is will be different, and for you, inspiring and wonderful.}

(Source, 1) Artessen; 2) Danske's Flickr (love her photographs!))