Death Wish Coffee is sending what is hailed as the world’s strongest coffee to astronauts at the ISS. The blend contains 200 percent more caffeine than standard coffee. ( Death Wish Coffee )
The world’s strongest coffee is headed to the International Space Station. It will launch into space on June 28 aboard SpaceX CRS-15.
Contains 200 Percent More Caffeine Than Regular Coffee
Death Wish Coffee is billed by its producer as the strongest coffee in the world for its high caffeine content and intense flavor.
The coffee company said that the blend contains 200 percent more caffeine compared with standard coffee, which could give astronauts the added punch that they need while working at the space station.
“Death Wish Coffee is the world’s strongest coffee with the highest-caffeine content available, resulting in a buzz that blows other coffees out of the water,” Death Wish Coffee described the product.
“And because we’ve taken the time to source fair-trade, USDA-certified organic coffee beans and refined our roasting techniques, we’ve created a high-caffeine coffee with low acidity that tastes good, too.”
Specially Packaged Death Wish Coffee For Astronauts Aboard The Space Station
The company is sending crew members of Expedition 56 a special freeze-dried version of the coffee packaged in the same foil packets used by astronauts for other beverages including normal-strength coffee.
Death Wish coffee is normally sold in 1-pound bags of whole and ground beans as well as in K-Cups, but the space-bound coffee is specially packaged by NASA in astronaut drink pouches.
Death Wish said that the coffee is designed to caffeinate astronauts aboard the ISS sans sacrificing the texture, flavor, and potency of the coffee.
Mike Brown, the founder of Death Wish Coffee, revealed about the plan to provide the world’s strongest coffee to astronauts aboard the orbiting laboratory in a statement dated June 6.
“We couldn’t think of a better way to showcase the smoothness and strength of our coffee than by providing the crew aboard the International Space Station with an easy-to-make blend that will keep them on their feet,” Brown said in a statement.
Coffee And Coffee Machine For Astronauts Working In Microgravity
Coffee is a staple aboard the ISS as early as 2000, the year the first batch of crews arrived at the orbiting lab.
Astronauts and cosmonauts can choose from caffeinated or decaf instant coffee. Kona blend with just sugar or powdered cream or both already mixed in are also available.
The space station received its first coffee machine in May 2015 with the arrival of the Lavazza and Argotec ISSpresso.
source: http://www.techtimes.com / Tech Times / Home> Science> Space / by Allan Adamson Tech Times / June 27th, 2018
The Cauvery River Gallery, which was proposed to be established in the city, five years back, may finally be a reality with Chairman of the Karnataka Knowledge Commission and former chairman of ISRO K Kasturirangan announcing that he has spoken about the project with Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, in Bengaluru, recently.
The formation of the Cauvery Tourism Development Authority was mooted in March 2015 and the idea of the Cauvery River Gallery was discussed in the first meeting of the authority, chaired by then Tourism minister R V Deshpande, in June 2015. Neither of them materialised so far, even though the previous chief minister was a native of Mysuru district, the nucleus of the Cauvery River basin.
According to the annual report (April 2016 – March 2017) of the National Academy of Sciences of India (NASI), River Cauvery is among the most sacred rivers in the southern region of India and is thought to be the Dakshina Ganga, on account of its diverse characteristics and attributes.
“Originating from the Brahmagiri Hill in the Western Ghats and flowing towards the Bay of Bengal, the river travels along Karnataka and Tamil Nadu in the southeastern direction. River Cauvery is well inscribed in Tamil and Kannada literature because of its sacredness. Bathing in waters of Cauvery is a traditional belief. The striking Shivanasamudram falls of Cauvery River is the second biggest waterfalls in the country.
At the request of Minister for Higher Education and Tourism, Government of Karnataka, K Kasturirangan, Chairman of Karnataka Knowledge Commission, requested Manju Sharma, former president of NASI, to establish a Cauvery Gallery on the lines of Ganga Gallery and Brahmaputra Gallery.
Manju Sharma, with the consent of the NASI Council, sent a preliminary intent proposal to establish a high-quality gallery that captures the etymological, ecological, cultural, heritage and social characters of River Cauvery,” the report states.
The Cauvery Gallery can be established with the help of the National Council of Science Museums (NCSM), Kolkata, and the financial support of the department of Tourism, Government of Karnataka. Interactive multimedia with diorama, animation, graphics and the 3-D display will be used to make the gallery interactive and interesting for visitors, the report states. At present, there is a gallery for River Brahmaputra in Guwahati, in Assam, and a gallery for River Ganga at Allahabad, in Uttar Pradesh .
The gallery is expected to showcase the life, culture and biodiversity along the Cauvery River from its birth in Talacauvery of Kodagu district till it reaches the Bay of Bengal at Poompuhar (now Pombuhar) in Nagapattinam district of Tamil Nadu. It splits into two, twice, and forms the islands of Srirangapatna and Sivanasamudra in Karnataka.
Kasturirangan has said that he held talks with Chief Minister Kumaraswamy on setting up of the gallery on the Karnataka Exhibition Authority Grounds (Dasara Exhibition Grounds) in Mysuru and a detailed project report would be prepared soon.
In 2016 itself, Karnataka’s Tourism department and the NASI had signed a memorandum of understanding to set up the gallery at Mysuru. Then, the Tourism department officials and NASI experts had decided to establish the gallery on the premises of the Karnataka Exhibition Authority (KEA) complex. The project was scheduled to be completed in six to nine months and was expected to be a major tourist attraction in the city. The KEA complex is also yet to be constructed.
For Indian hockey team the opening encounter in the Champions Trophy is vital as it will set the tone for …
For Indian hockey team the opening encounter in the Champions Trophy is vital as it will set the tone for the rest of the tournament, believes Indian veteran SV Sunil, speaking to NNIS exclusively in Breda, ahead of the big clash against Pakistan.
Sunil speaks on arch-rival Pakistan and whether it is an advantage for Pakistan Coach Roelant Oltmans, a former India coach of knowing the boys in and out.
A 26-episode TV programme titled “Do it with me,” written and directed by Bharathanatyam exponent and teacher Yamini Muthanna and picturised at her studio Yogastala in Indiranagar, Bengaluru, is being telecast by Doordarshan (DD) Chandana Channel.
The TV series, which has sequences of Yoga Asana patterns for therapeutic benefits, aims to inculcate a habit of practicing Yoga on a daily basis.
The show is being telecast on DD Chandana every Saturday and Sunday from 7 am to 7.30 am and repeat telecast on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7 am to 7.30 am.
The show will soon be telecast in the National Network and also in the Regional Channels as the translation work is under progress.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / June 24th, 2018
Majority of those who attended stakeholders’ meeting sceptical of the concept
The stakeholders’ meeting on the State’s attempt to permit private sanctuaries adjoining national parks and tiger reserves, held in Bengaluru on Monday, elicited conflicting opinions. This only served to underline the division between the conservationists and officials on the initiative.
It also brings to the fore the imperatives of a thorough discussion on the subject given the sensitivity of the issue and the environmental and social ramifications.
Vandita Sharma, Additional Chief Secretary, Forests, Ecology and Environment, who chaired the meeting, said she has been flooded with views on why the private conservancy rules should or should not be introduced. Hence this calls for a comprehensive discussion on wide-ranging aspects before taking the initiative forward.
Some of the speakers cautioned that the concept of private conservancy was non-existent in the Indian laws or the Wildlife Protection Act. Hence the very legality of framing a policy on private conservancies in Karnataka has to be examined because the Wildlife Protection Act, being a Central Act, overrides the State laws if it is at variance or conflict with the former.
There were also views that one had to study the pros and cons that prevail in other countries where such a model is in place and wondered whether such a law should be proposed at all in the first place.
Sanjay Gubbi, wildlife biologist, said one should consider ecological and social aspects, the economic incentives local communities derive etc., and then go ahead with the experimentation.
“I am not sure how many promoters would be willing to invest as the area has to be first notified as a Private Forest under the existing legal provisions. Once it is declared as a Private Forest, then the laws governing the Forest Conservation Act, Supreme Court order of WP 202/1995, etc. will all become applicable,” he said.
Col. C.P. Muthanna ((retd) of Coorg Wildlife Society was sceptical of the concept reducing the conflict situation by merely augmenting the sanctuary boundary with private conservancy.
He feared it would only bring animals closer to human habitation and escalate human-animal conflict, besides increasing local communities’ hostility against the Forest Department and wildlife.
However, Sudheer, of Voice for Wildlife, opined that the proposal provided a legal framework for genuinely interested people keen to promote conservation and forests.
Allaying fears of commercial exploitation, he argued that the draft rules make it clear that only 5% of the private conservancy area can be utilised for tourism and no change of land use would be permitted for the remaining 95%. This itself was a disincentive to keep investors who are not conservation-minded, out of the picture, he added.
D. Rajkumar of Wildlife Conservation Foundation, said there was no rationale to suggest that by merely declaring a portion of land outside forest boundary as “private sanctuary” it would mitigate conflict situations. The general drift of the argument against the concept was that it cannot be pushed merely to promote tourism and one had to look at the ecological and social aspects as well.
P. Sridhar, head of Forest Force; Jayaram, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF); former Forest Department officials; wildlife conservationists; NGOs; and representatives of the hospitality sector were among those present.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / June 26th, 2018
Image credit: World Coffee Events, SCA and Jeff Hann.
Agnieszka Rojewska of Poland has won the 2018 World Barista Championship (WBC). Agnieszka, a veteran of multiple coffee competitions across the globe, triumphed over 55 other baristas to become the first woman ever to win the title.
Lex Wenneker of The Netherlands was runner up, Mathieu Theis of Switzerland was third place, Michalis Katsiavos of Greece was fourth, Cole Torode of Canada was fifth place, John Gordon of New Zealand was sixth place, and Craig Simon of Australia finished in seventh place.
“I never thought I’d be in the final so the fact I [was] is the best experience,” Rojewska said post-performance. “This is like the craziest day of my life.”
Rojewska of Full Pro Coffee has been making coffee for more than 10 years. She started working in a coffee chain before starting her own cafe. Agnieszka now works mostly as a coffee trainer, but has spent the past four years competing in various coffee competitions, tackling almost every category of competition there is to win.
Rojewska is a three-time Polish Barista Champion and four-time Polish Latte Art Champion with a career high ranking of third in the world in 2017. Rojewska will compete in Poland’s Brewers Cup Championship on Sunday 1 July, and will attempt another world title when she competes in the World Latte Art Championship in Brazil from 7 to 9 November.
Last year, Rojewska placed Runner-Up in the Polish Brewers Cup competition and New York Coffee Masters, but this year has been one of first places, winning the London Coffee Masters competition in April, and now the WBC in Amsterdam.
For her 15-minute routine, Rojewska used a coffee sourced from Project Origin Coffee’s CM Selections lot in Mesina, Ethiopia, a new coffee growing area. Because of the fresh soil and young 10-year-old trees planted at 2300 metres above sea level, Agnieszka said the result in the cup would have “more intense yellow fruit characteristics” and “extraordinary sweetness”.
The Heirloom cultivar underwent washed carbonic masceration processing, a concept Ona Coffee Founder Sasa Sestic first presented to the WBC in 2015, the same year he won the event. With this process, the coffee is depulped, put into tanks and pressurised with carbon dioxide to remove all oxygen and encourage lactic bacteria. The coffee was roasted by 2017 Brewers Cup Runner Up Sam Corra of Ona Coffee.
Rojewska says she chose to use Ethiopian coffee because of how expressive it is, with flavours of yellow and red fruit that are easy to recognise. “It was the first coffee I have fallen in love with,” Rojewska told the judges.
To make her milk beverage exude strawberry notes, Rojewska prepared a more intense espresso using 23 grams in the basket and 36 grams out via the Victoria Arduino Black Eagle machine. She added three-and-a-half ounces of milk to help achieve notes of milk chocolate and warm strawberry jam. The full cream milk had a high fat content for a creamy texture and combined with a lower temperature, reminded Rojewska of slow-melted chocolate ice cream.
Despite her accomplished latte art skills, Rojewska poured a simple small heart in the centre of each cup to help stretch the milk, give more aromatics, and more intense strawberry flavours.
For her signature beverage, Rojewska used Ona Coffee’s O.C.D and Stem devices to produce her shots and made a passionfruit infusion. This was made adding 100 grams of passionfruit to 30 grams of coconut sugar, 50 millilitres of water, and cooked for three hours at 60°C for more natural tropical fruit notes. To replicate the same lactic acid bacteria used in washed carbonic masceration, Rojewska used 100 grams of warm milk and seven grams of citric acid in the form of lime juice, which she then let sit and separate for three hours before straining three times. The end result was 20 grams of ‘washed milk’ and a creamy mouthfeel in her signature beverage. She added 4 grams of this liquid to 100 grams of water infused for 20 hours at 120°C, and blended it together with her espresso shots at 20 grams in the basket, 35 grams out.
Lastly, Rojewska prepared her espressos using the same Ethiopian coffee. Despite her coach Sasa Sestic pointing out that she was 20 seconds behind in his Livestream commentary, Rojewska pushed on, using 20 grams in the basket and 45 grams out to achieve medium sweetness, medium bitterness, and flavours of orange, plum, and low intensity of peach. She used visual aids to describe the body and texture of the body and concluded with a simple message.
“It’s my greatest pleasure to bring this world stage coffee to you as my customers, and most importantly, my friends,” Rojewska said with one seconds remaining on the clock.
In the past week, thousands of coffee professionals gathered in Amsterdam for World of Coffee (WOC), one of Europe’s largest coffee trade show, and the host of the 2018 WBC. Just under 11,000 professionals from across Europe and around the globe registered to attend, breaking records for the event.
Next year, WOC heads to the German capital of Berlin from 6 to 8 June, 2019 at the Messe Convention Center.
source: http://www.gcrmag.com / Global Coffee Report / June 25th, 2018
In a freewheeling conversation with City Express, Harshika Poonacha, who awaits the release of Chitte, looks back at her decade-long career and gives us the low-down on her choice of films
As the release of Chitte draws close, actor Harshika Poonacha’s anxiety is on the rise. And naturally so. But as she awaits the release and reaction from fans and fraternity to know how the film will fare at the box office, the actor has been hopping from bus stands to metro stations and railway stations, and has even been frequenting malls. During interactions with the public, she is posing like a chitte (butterfly) and even challenging her fans to. Ahead of the release of the film directed by ML Prasanna with Yashas and Harshika in lead roles, the actor, who started her career at the age of 15, tells City Express about how her early days when she played support roles which has given her the confidence that she will one day play lead roles with top stars. Excerpts.
Still from Chitte
How different is Chitte from your other films
So far, my roles have mostly been those of school girls or college-goers. Otherwise, it’s been love stories with a happily-ever-after ending. In Chitte I play the role of a married woman, who is bubbly. What we’re trying to say is, ‘Who said a married woman cannot be bubbly?’ And this is the first time that I’m going to be scaring viewers. It’s something to watch out for. (laughs). Playing the kind of role like I do in Chitte was a totally new experience. The challenging bit was bringing out the horror element. Having grown up watching actors like late Soundarya Ma’am in Apthamitra, I thought helped me pull off the role. Of course, that’s not to say that I’m anywhere close. But she has been my inspiration to play a role like this. Horror films in Sandalwood are taking shape, and audience are also showing interest in such films.
You made your debut at a time when many others did. Would you call yourself the dark horse?
I entered the industry at the age of 15, and this is my 10th year in the cinema industry. I remember how many people were making their debut at the same time I was. It was a year when there was a wave created in Sandalwood with fresh faces. Having said that, nobody has stuck on this long. I have seen heroines who have done two-three films and then disappeared. During these 10 years, I have not taken a break. This journey has given me my identity. I’m known by my real name than just that as a film’s heroine. I have come to a stage where people whistle when I enter and cheer for me. At the end of the day, this is what every actor looks for, and I feel content. I wouldn’t have been happy if I was sitting in a cubicle as an engineer. It can’t match the satisfaction when I face the camera, get my make up and hair done, and rehearse dialogues. The feeling is soulful.
Do you regret taking up some films in the early stages of your career?
There was a time when I regretted taking up wrong projects in the early stages of my career. But now I have decided that I live my life without regrets. Tell me any hero or heroine who has not done wrong films in his/her career. Every actor has gone through it or will go through it. Those so-called wrong projects have been a learning for me. Those were the films that had kept me busy, and ultimately helped me pick the right films. I have done close to 23 projects. I am happy to have a solid number.
What is your next course of action?
I started off playing the role of a sister to top stars in Sandalwood, but now I’m confident that I will get to star opposite them. I was young and most filmmakers considered me for the sisterly kind of roles. I’m at an advantage compared to many other heroines who make their debut at 25. I, on the other hand, already have ten years experience on my side.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Entertainment> Kannada / June 27th, 2018
Thathanda Gowramma Muthamma (Thamane Balianda), wife of late Thathanda Muthanna, passed away this morning at her residence in Rajivnagar 1st stage in city. She was 94.
She leaves behind three sons, two daughters and a host of relatives and friends.
Cremation was held at the foot of Chamundi Hill at 1.30 pm today, according to family sources.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Obituary / June 14th, 2018
With a large majority of coffee plantations having turned old and unproductive, coffee sector is seeking a Colombian-model re-plantation support from the government.
Abysmally low yield, lower price realisation and high levels of debt have been restraining the sector from taking up re-plantation on its own.
Re-plantation is long overdue for 65-70 per cent of India’s coffee farms. About 65 per cent of plants are more than 40 years old and for those varieties, the maximum yielding age of the plants is 35-40 years. Some of the better-yielding newer varieties have a shorter life of around 25 years and a good number of these newer varieties are also due for re-plantation, said AL RN Nagappan, coffee committee chairman of UPASI.
By retaining the older plants, both production and yield has been coming down. Coffee production, especially arabica production has been falling year-after-year in the past five years. From 120,000 tonnes, it has dropped below 90,000 tonnes.
The yield too is abysmally low. “We cannot even compare our yield with that of Brazil or Colombia. If an acre of coffee plantation provides 1.5 tonnes of coffee in Brazil, it would hardly produce 300 kg in India,’ said Nagappan. Inability to mechanise the plantations due to the hilly and rocky terrain also has been affecting the yield. According to Ramesh Rajah, president of the Coffee Exporters Association, coffee growers in the India are not in a position to take up the task of such large-scale re-plantation as most of the growers are incurring losses due to lesser price realisation and higher input cost.
“If the input cost on an acre is around Rs 70,000, the income would be around Rs 40,000 to Rs 45,000. The grower is incurring a loss of around Rs 30,000 on an acre of coffee plantation,” said Boje Gowda, chairman, Coffee Board of India.
The growers have been relying on the pepper vines to make up for the losses. “But the pepper prices too are down this year,’ added Nagappan.
According Gowda, almost 80 per cent of the growers have defaulted on their loans and the non-performing assets of the coffee plantation have become a burden for the banks.
In such a scenario, the sector is looking forward for support from the part of the central and state governments. “The government should take a leaf out of the re-plantation scheme being provided for growers in Columbia. The government has been providing financial support for the past few years and now the country has been able to enhance its production significantly,” said Rajah.
Since 2009, Colombia has been replanting around 85,000 hectares of coffee plantations every year. The government has been providing subsidy for the every replanted coffee.
“We have been requesting both central and state government to provide subsidies on the inputs like fertilizer electricity and machines,’ said Gowda.
As the grower has to forego the income during re-plantation, he also wants financial support during that critical period. “We are also expecting an interest waiver for the loans so that the growers can pay back at least the principal,” said Nagappan.
source: http://www.mydigitalfc.com / mydigitalfc.com / Home> Miscellany / by Sangeetha G
Karnataka Textbook Society writes to DDPIs to furnish details about number of students available to study Kodava language
Bengaluru:
The Karnataka Textbook Society that comes under Department of Public Instructions, Government of Karnataka, has written to Deputy Directors of Public Instructions (DDPIs) on the inclusion of Kodava language from First Standard to 10th Standard as a third language in the State Syllabus and Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).
The Society is responsible for printing and distribution of textbooks based on the State syllabi for lakhs of children of Classes 1 to 10 in Government, Aided and Unaided Schools of Karnataka.
The letter (copy of which is available with Star of Mysore) was initially sent from the office of Principal Secretary (Primary and Secondary Education) on 13.06.2016 and 10.04.2018 asking the DDPIs and Deputy Director (Administration), Department of Public Instructions, to furnish details about the number of students who will be available to study Kodava language if it is introduced as the third language.
Though the letter was sent in 2016 and another reminder sent in April this year, no action has been taken either by Deputy Director (Administration), Department of Public Instructions, or by DDPIs across the State. Taking objection to this, the Patya Pustaka Sangha has again (04.05.2018) written to the DDPIs and DD Administration to furnish the details. The latest letter has been sent by Narasimaiah, Managing Director.
‘Move beneficial for language’
Though language scholars say that the move to include Kodava language as a third language will ultimately benefit the language and culture of Kodagu, having Kodava language as a medium of instruction is financially unviable.
According to research scholars, who have conducted extensive research in Kodagu, its language and culture, a majority of Kodavas consider Kodava as a language of culture rather than education. They feel that Kodava language is not adequate enough to be a medium of education even at the primary level.
Many Kodavas prefer English as the medium of education and those who can afford it send their children to English medium schools. Even people with a positive attitude towards Kodava language also do not advocate for Kodava medium as they feel that it will not be economically viable. Financial resources, textbooks, availability of the teachers, etc., are the major problems, they say.
However, linguists are of the opinion that learning through a language other than the mother tongue creates interpretative thinking while education through the mother tongue develops creative thinking. Mother tongue also helps preservation of minority language and culture. As such, education through Kodava medium at least in primary education will benefit the language and culture, say linguists.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / June 28th, 2018
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