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This is a great question (not stupid at all!) -- and (un)fortunately one with which I have first-hand real-world experience. To-wit:In the mid-1990s, my small company had become the provider of a centerpiece application in a major automation/technology delivery project for a major East Coast city's corrections/prison department. Ours was a comprehensive suite of corrections management applications, backed by a large, fairly complex and well-designed (through careful thought, backed by practical experience to-date) relational database, all being deployed in that customer site on some major dedicated "iron" (big, redundant and over-spec'd servers). Not to be coy about it, the servers were then-state-of-the-art DEC AlphaServers, with "giant resources" (multiple processors, RAM, multiple IO disk channels, big disk farm with ample disk space, network bandwidth to spare, etc.), VMS (OpenVMS) operating system with full VMS Clustering support, Oracle Rdb (relational database) and... of course... our own applications and middleware systems software.Just to give you a rough sense of business scale, the initial project delivery was valued in the low tens-of-millions-of-dollars, including hardware, software, licenses, customizations, PM services, external interfaces, training, deployment, documentation and other related services, and the overall system would handle the data records of over a hundred thousand inmates, of which several thousand would be incarcerated at any point in time, and with over a thousand interactive users (line corrections officers, security personnel, staff specialists and management) interacting with live data 24x7.We (my small company) had deployed smaller-scale versions of this entire solution several times before, and in particular, our database schema (design, inter-relationship and deployment) of the several hundred tables which comprised the corrections relational database was considered to be a "practically normalized by-hand design" which we had proven for performance, reliability and maintainability over and over by that point. It was a "mature" design, and had been "tested and tempered in the real-world." Note that our relational database design was very far from "everything in one big table"... but it was also equally far from the "everything in its own small table... lots of tables" approach. That design encompassed around 60 or so physical tables, and probably at least 30 or more views. Table indexes were well defined, based on actual query metrics and experience, and primary-foreign key relationships and other constraints were meticulously designed.As mentioned, our product, including company and personnel, was the "application centerpiece" -- we were the reason that the whole delivery project existed. Unfortunately, that did not mean that we were in technical or business control of the overall project itself (probably fortunate, as it was a highly politically-charged project, not just a technology big-deal), so although we had a large say in technical deployment decisions, ours was not the final word. That "final say" usually went to the primary contractor, and its Project Manager (PM), members of a project delivery team from Digital Equipment Corporation, and pandering to keep this major government customer happy.Clearly, with this much money and politics riding on the project, there was a long period of software customization, delivery tasks, documentation, training and testing to get through before we ever got to the big "Go Live" day and event. Unfortunately, this pre-delivery period afforded just enough opportunity for some technological mischief.A couple of months before the "Go Live" day, the prime contractor's team was augmented to include a couple of DEC-internal technology "big shots", two guys with well-respected though inflated reputations for "helping" and "troubleshooting" high profile deliveries around the nation and even internationally. Of course, one of their first tasks on this project was the opportunity to "review everything" and to "make recommendations" based on their supposed expertise to "improve stuff."So, they duly took a shot at our application's relational database... and immediately pronounced it lacking. "It's not canonically normalized," one of them determined sagely. "It's pretty good, but it'd be much better if every logical data grouping was stored in its own data table, especially in 'these specific areas' where you guys" [meaning us hick-rubes who designed and built it] "have mixed in some data redundancies.""Yes," agreed the other expert, with a smile on his face: "But we can fix it." [Insert long, drawn-out and bloody politico-technical battles here... Not unsurprisingly, we lost.] Over the next few weeks, our "experts" cranked out a pile of Perl scripts which effectively rewrote our entire database schema, breaking up our roughly 60 physical tables into "canonical" relational atoms of well over 400 tables, each being assigned to and stored in its own physical database area. This was destined to become "the Production Database."Of course, the two experts were well-pleased with themselves, and the PM and the rest of the prime contractor staff took it as a given that their experts knew best and couldn't be wrong. Light continuity testing showed them that "everything still worked", and therefore all would be well. We, on the other hand, waited for the boot to drop.As you can probably guess from the story so far, all was seemingly fine, to both primary contractor and to expectant customer (and over our "dead bodies")... But you'll never guess (or will you?) what happened on "Go Live" day!... After months of prep-work, and enormous political expectations by city officials and users, "Go Live" was actually scheduled for an evening shift, which seemed prudent as we'd "ease into" our typical daily workload over the graveyard shift, rather than just jumping in on a busy morning.So, after "turning it all on" for that evening's users, things seemed to operate okay, at least for the first few hours... Actually, at first not much real work was being done at first, and most folks were simply admiring their shiny new application screens. For us, up to that point it had already been a long day, so we retired to hotel rooms for a night's sleep.Only to be awoken at 2:30am by frantic and irrationally demanding phone calls from the PM: "Everything's frozen! The whole application's down! The sys-admin says all VMS resources are used up, and the operating system itself is dying on both servers! What did you guys do??!!! Why is it broken... You've got to fix this instantly!!!" Yes, PMs really do shout and scream like this.Long-story short. After days of egg-on-face delivery team excuses, and lots of hard work from us "rubes" (btw, the "experts" had already moved on to go "help" another project), we were able to demonstrate and prove that the "canonical normalization" of our originally-working-just-fine database schema into lots-and-lots-of-little-tables was dragging these twin-redundant, huge and over-built AlphaServer/VMS systems to their virtual knees.Because those two arrogant "experts" would not take the time to look at actual application-data query, insert and update patterns and metrics, insisting instead that the academic "canonical" design approach was a one-size-suits-all guarantee, they conveniently overlooked all possible and practical operational relational database implementation issues like:Global buffers and other system-wide resources and parameters, all of which directly affect user access performance mechanismsArea, table and row locking mechanismsIndex interactions, including locking and updatesPrimary and foreign key constraints (and others)Performance distinctions between b-tree and hashed indicesData caching mechanismsQuiet-point locks, especially for live database backupsData access (select, insert, update, delete) metrics which are application-specificPer-process (user) resources and quotas which directly affect both database access and overall system tunability...and much, much moreIn short, going live with their "canonically normalized" schema had simply swamped and consumed nearly all available multi-user and system resources nearly exponentially, including RAM/memory, buffers, CPU consumption, disk IO, paging/swapping, and more. This "help from experts" conclusively demonstrated the stupidity of the "hey, let's normalize everything into cute and tiny little tables" approach to relational-db design... (and, just for comparison, with a real-world application of this practical size, any attempt to design it all as "just one big logical table" would wreck on the shores of needless complexity and/or impossibility).Needless to say, over the next few weeks, our combined team managed to save the day, fixing and patching system performance characteristics as much as possible to permit the overall system to meet performance expectations and requirements. Over the course of the project (months and years to come), our small company (mostly two of us principal partners) would do the work necessary to undo the "improvements" of the two high-falutin' experts, ultimately re-migrating the database schema back to what had originally been designed as "reasonable and optimal table layouts." It took a couple of years, but we did ultimately restore our application and database to "normal operation," all without the acknowledgement or help of the original prime contractor staff or PM.Moral of this tale? Relational database design is never a simple-minded choice between these "normalize-everything" or "normalize-nothing" extremes -- Real-world database designs have to serve real-world application queries (etc.), and the balance between "normalize or not" has to be based on actual knowledge of how the system's queries will work and inter-related. Don't know what these relationships are? Go build working prototypes, measure and characterize them.It ain't easy -- and there's no cookbook approach -- but it's how usable real-world systems are built.

Reproduced by my blog ‘Thinking Aloud..’ on 14th Nov 2017Foggy thoughts in critical timesIt was the last week of Oct 2017. Winter was supposed to have set in, in theory, and so the hot and stuffy day may have been an aberration. I was revising the chapter on Global Warming in my son’s physics text book (no idea why was it there in the physics text book). Having taken it upon myself to tutor my son (not withstanding his belligerent protestations), I was trying to achieve conceptual clarity, in case the fellow asked me any tricky questions.There was a particular line in the chapter that made me sit up. It said something to the effect that the average temperature of the earth would rise 2°C and 6°C by the end of the 21st century. We are talking averages, which means that the temperatures could actually be far higher. This would imply that Mumbai could transform into Rajasthan (or perhaps Venice? assuming floods from the melting glaciers), while Rajasthan could become Jwalasthan. The good news is that I wouldn’t be around to witness the mess, the bad news is that my grandchildren would be (assuming that my kids plan to have kids someday or maybe not); clothed in thermal attire and N10000 masks (current norm is N95), they certainly wouldn’t be showering encomiums on me.Celebrated British physicist Stephen Hawking has predicted that the earth would turn into a sizzling fireball in less than 600 years. No need to worry then, eh! But what if the theory of re-incarnation is actually true? Then we are in really deep shit.The shit has come a little too soon with the vivid images of the Delhi smog. Those in other cities exhaling sighs of relief (not our problem, somebody else’s), don’t worry; we are all in queue, jostling each other to get to the front. Click on the link http://aqicn.org/city/india to check out the real time air quality index in your city).I tried cribbing about the general scheme of things to all those who lent me an ear (and then took it back promptly). I soon realized that the statistical correlation between my cribbing and the general improvement of the environment is a big fat zero. Hence, the need to write down some ideas: practical, impractical, childish, idealistic, and so on. To cite a quote from a famous Delhi cop, “ Koi baat nahi”.Ideas for the administration/ governmentPlastic packetsIf you thought that Clint Eastwood was the fastest draw in the west, think again! Clinty would have been no match for our humble vegetable/ fruit vendor who can whip up multiple ultrathin polythenes before you can even open your mouth to scream “No”. Unfortunately, “No” does not mean “No” in this context. One has to forcibly return the polythene to the vendor and thereafter console him, lest his feelings are not hurt.News flash for those who love fish: Record breaking sailor Ellen MacArthur warns that there will be more plastic than fish in the sea by 2050. Hopefully, we can evolve our culinary preferences for new dishes like plastica jhol, goan plasticular curry, etc., by 2050.A simple solution would be to cut the tree that produces the poisonous fruit. If we can put a complete ban on manufacturing and distribution of plastic packets, that would be a major battle won. And no special treatment for specific sizes. There is no such thing as good Taliban or bad Taliban. Same logic applies to plastic packets.I have no doubt in my mind that we will equal if not supersede USA’s economic might very soon. And maybe one day, we can hope to catch up with countries like Bangladesh, Rwanda, Morocco and now Kenya.(Note: Plastic bags tend to disrupt the environment in a serious way. They get into soil and slowly release toxic chemicals. They eventually break down into the soil, with the unfortunate consequence being that animals eat them and often choke and die. Only 1% of all plastic bags are recycled, with most heading for landfill, or worse, our oceans. Over 100,000 animals are suspected of coming to this unfortunate end throughout the world every single year, on both land and in our oceans.Paper bags are not an alternative either; they are actually really energy intensive and unless they are made from recycled paper products, they are cutting down trees as well. In all honesty they are really not much better than plastic bags. Only real option is to go with a reusable ‘eco’ bag.Good news that we have started taking baby steps in that direction. Click on link belowPanvel traders shell out Rs 66 lakh penalty in no-plastic drive2.Crop waste burningAllegedly the biggest culprit behind the Delhi smog. Why am I using the word ‘allegedly’? Ok, let us apply the famed why- why Japanese technique.Why 1: Why is there a smog in Delhi?Because of crop stubble burning by farmers (assume other factors as insignificant).Why 2: Why are farmers burning crop stubble?A)Because the labor cost to cut the residue is approx. Rs 2000/- per kilogram, it is too expensive. Better to burn than cut. B) There is no commercial value for crop residue.Why 3: Why do the farmers have to spend Rs 2000/kg for cutting the residue?Actually, they don’t . The solution is already available in Maharashtra, thanks to the efforts of farmer Chandrashekar Bhadsavle. Different departments of Maharashtra government have been using Bhadsavle's expertise to boost farmers' income and also stop forest fires. Bhadsavle's method — SRT farming — is very simple. Under the SRT (Saguna Rice Technique) technique, tillage is completely avoided and the residue of the earlier crop (in this case paddy stubble) is disintegrated into soil by using weedicides and microbial cultures.“We should instead simply increase organic carbon content of soil which increases its fertility. This can happen if you let the plant residue of earlier crop decompose in soil, it will then bring in earthworms, which will help crops," explains Bhadsavle.Why 4: Why is there no commercial value for the crop residue?Crop residue may not have direct commercial value but they can be used in the making of natural fertilizers, which are free of cost. Click on the link below on how to make 100% natural fertilizers ( Shivansh Fertilizers).http://billionsinchange.in/en/solutions/agriculture/#!/instructionsWhy 5: Why are the farmers growing such crops which require residue to be cut/ uprooted/ burnt every year?They are perhaps not aware of alternate crops, with similar or higher profitability.You get the idea, don’t you ?The root causes and possible solutions start becoming apparent as we delve deeper and deeper.Now can someone explain this logic to me?According to fertilizer ministry data, the amount of foodgrain produced per kg of fertilizer applied declined from around 13kg in the 1970s to less than 4kg by 2010. In short, the more chemical fertilizers we use, more the impotency (soil and maybe us too), lesser the produce.Or this logic?Taxes on bio/ natural fertilizers range from 12 to 18%.Or how about this?We are burning crop stubble, when we can actually use it to produce natural fertilizers, at zero cost to the farmer? Wealth and health is before us, yet we choose to burn it and transform it into smog. Duh?At the cost of repetition, sharing the link for making Shivansh 100% natural fertilizers.http://billionsinchange.in/en/solutions/agriculture/#!/instructionsThis fertilizer method was funded by Indian-born billionaire, entrepreneur, and philanthropist Manoj Bhargava through Hans Foundation. Integrating this fertilizer into a field brings dead soil back to life within just one planting season, reduces the need for urea by over 50%, reduces water requirement and increases crop yield significantly.After so much yakking, do I have any idea for the government or not?Yes. My suggestion here is that the government could boot out the pesticide/ fertilizer lobby, raise taxes on such products sky high and provide subsidy on 100% natural fertilizers. At the very least, it could promote the making of the 100% natural fertilizers to every nook and corner of the country.Fun fact: Soft drinks make great fertilizers. “Thoda peeyo, thoda fertilize karo!”Not so fun fact: Chemical fertilizers can cause cancer. The toxic chemicals found in fertilizers can be absorbed into the plants and enter the food chain via vegetables and cereals. However, the largest health risk is when the chemicals flow into ground water, which is then extracted for drinking.3. BeachesNow you see them, now you don’t and then you see them again.Check out the before, after and after ‘after’ pics of Juhu beach. The show must go on.Juhu Beach (Before), source:Indian ExpressJuhu Beach ( After) . source: tripadvisorJuhu Beach (Soon after After). Source: HTWanted: Applicants for outdoor office job (deemed paid social service) with less pay but with life time employment. This is not a 9 to 5 job. Benefits include physical activity, morning walks and fresh sea breeze. Occasional treasure hunting games on the beach as recreational activity. Finders keepers.Job location: IndiaAm not sure if such a job exists in countries like Sri Lanka, Brazil, Thailand, where the beaches seem to be spotlessly clean round the year.My suggestions are as follows1.Employ trained beach marshals for monitoring the beaches. They could take pics of those guilty of littering and then proceed to levy a stiff fine. It is important that the marshals levy all fines (digitally) with courtesy & a smile on their faces (akin to Mumbai traffic police). In one shot, not only will the beaches be cleaner, but we will also minimize the problem of unemployment and generate some additional funds for a perpetual revenue deficit administration.2.Hawkers to be confined to designated spots only. Onus on them (and not tourists) to ensure that their surrounding areas are clean.3.Festivals: This is the tricky part. Logic doesn’t hold a candle to religious emotion. Also, there is a belief that larger the size of the deity, more the devotion, higher the contributions, and greater the blessings from the deity. There are no easy answers here. For a start, Clay statues to be manufactured by government certified agencies/ artisans only, ensuring 100% recyclable and ecofriendly materials, which can easily dissolve in the sea, without endangering sea life. In fact the entire chain of raw material supply to be government certified. Certified in theory as well in reality.(Ungodly status post Visarjan)4. Road pollutionSuggested ideas are1.Implementation of PUC: Reality check--When was the last time one heard of someone being fined because of noncompliance with PUC regulations? Ok, another check—do you know the fine for noncompliance? A paltry Rs 1000/-. Increase this to atleast Rs 10,000/- and then wait for the magic to unravel.2. Visualize this scenario. You are sitting in an auto, waiting for the traffic signal to turn green. All of a sudden, an LCV stands right next to you, waiting for a clear road so that it break the signal and dart away. Before you realize it, the LCV has farted pure carbon monoxide all over your face. You open your mouth to register your protest with the LCV driver; the LCV lets out a larger fart this time, the entire load entering your mouth, lungs and nose. The good news is that one doesn’t need hair or hair color anymore.To eliminate this menace, confiscate polluting diesel vehicles seen on roads without mercy. If public smoking has been banned, then so should polluting vehicles. Anyone should be able is to send a pic of the polluting vehicle with number plate to concerned authorities using Watsapp and thereafter receive the status of the complaint. Names to be kept confidential.3.Mandate flexi office time to avoid road choke –up. Win-win for all (except maybe HR), hockey stick increase in employee satisfaction.4.Mandatory fitment of engine stop start mechanism during idling (eg. at a Traffic signal or near a pothole) for all vehicles.5.In light of better technologies and increasing mileage, vehicle engines to be replaced every 10 years (unless it is a cng/ electric). Vehicles to be necessarily scrapped after 15 years with each and every part getting recycled. The Auto companies should be pleased.6.Increase number of train coaches (if possible), incentivize off peak usage.7.Replace diesel engines of all buses, trucks and taxis with cng.8.No ordering of new public transport vehicles with diesel engines. New public transport vehicles should necessarily be electric or cng.9.Increase taxes on traditional fuel vehicles and subsidize electric vehicles. Create Charging infrastructure on BOOT basis.10.Potholes: In line with government’s motto of ‘minimal government, maximum governance’, make the Municipal corporations independent bodies, free from political membership or interference and empower the officials.OrWe could allocate roads of a particular area to a reputed civil contractor for repair & maintenance, on tender basis. Fixed annual reimbursement based on public credit rating/ satisfaction.OrWe can compose new rap songs every year and hope that the thick skinned hippos join the dance party (Tula Bharosa Nahi ka...).5. Environmental pollution1. Seize licenses of all polluting factories/ plants. Licenses should be only for those plants maintaining Zero liquid/effluent discharge plants. Don’t just wave the rule book, implement it also2. Treesa. Creating an association with each and every tree by Labelling/ adopting it – Name of adopter, name of the planter, name of the tree, age of the tree and its special features, etc.b.Plantation of at least 100 trees and nurturing it for at least 5 years for becoming eligible for a private or government job. Not sure of how to make this idea more practical/ implementable.6.Miscellaneous1. Mandatory rain water harvesting for societies with carrot and stick approach. X litres per sq feet.2. Mandatory for every society to generate x% of their electricity using solar roof panels, else higher property tax.3. Increase wages and state benefits for sewage workers. And definitely state of the art safety and work equipment.4. Make segregation of waste compulsory for all societies. No clearing off the garbage otherwise.5. Implement welfare scheme for rag pickers with basic dignity of living.6. Waste Management Plants on BOOT basis, funds from Swach Bharat Abhiyaan cess , using best of expertise. One assumes that all the toilets would have been built by now.7.Family planning – There are many reasons that couples have 2 kids or more: back up insurance, boredom, weakness in math, faulty protection mechanisms, religious reasons, etc. However we ignore the compounding power of 2, we may soon achieve the distinction (dubious) of having the highest number of people per square feet in the world (flights to Mars may not commence anytime soon and even if they do, they may have to implement Tatkal, considering the likely rush).Nonetheless, great news for footwear manufacturers!Click on this link to understand the power of compounding http://www.moneyjumps.com/2012/06/story-of-king-and-sage-power-of.htmlTime to move to 1 family, 1 child. If one wants more children, one should try to adopt.Actions (not ideas) for Self/ at individual level – Immediate1.Say a big NO to Plastic packets: Refer the previous section on plastic packets.Carry at least 2 empty bags from home whenever you go out. Do not accept plastic packets from anyone, especially vendors. Lead by example and become the family weirdo. Koi baat nahi.After having practised it successfully for 2 months, now convince your immediate near and dear ones to shun plastic, irrespective of ridicule. This is a crucial stage; avoid being convinced back by your well-wishers to go back to the old system. Their strongest arguments? “Don’t be impractical. How will one or two persons ever make a difference?” Koi baat nahi. The world needs more impractical people.If anyone still is a proponent of plastic packets, kindly spend some time cleaning the beaches in Mumbai (before the cleaners) or savor the adventure of the annual Mumbai floods.2.Say a big NO to litter.Keeping our surroundings clean is each one’s responsibility, not the neighbor’s, not the local government’s. If we don’t dare litter in public spaces of other countries, why do we litter in our own? Parents need to lead by example.3.Public transport instead of privateAsk yourself the following questions the next time you are planning to take out your car-Is the headache of getting stuck in incessant traffic jams and breaking my head with other drivers, worth the trouble?-With the money I am spending on using my car instead of using public transport, could I have treated myself to a nice plate of idli dosa with steaming filter coffee at an Udipi restaurant?-Is the headache of finding a parking worth the trouble?-When was the last time I got some real exercise?If you still want to take out that car, chances are that you might be working as a chauffeur. No further comment.4.Car PoolingThe Niti Aayog had suggested that taxi aggregators should be allowed to rope in private cars to increase the availability of vehicles for passengers. The suggestion was so good and radical that it was promptly shot down by the transport ministry stating protection of the interests of 5 million taxi owners. Nice! 5 million taxi owners saved, 1 billion common population screwed!Shooting down an idea is the easiest thing in the world, finding a solution is the tough part. Is there no via media for the larger good?5.Say a big NO to crackersA famous intellectual (meant genuinely) recently stated that Diwali pollution of 1 day constitutes only 0.27% of the yearly pollution. Brilliant.Applying similar logic, let us assume that a prolific murderer kills one person every day, for 365 days. However please don’t point fingers at the man the one day during Diwali, as his crime on that particular day is only 0.27% of his annual crimes. Solve the other crimes first before touching this one. Didn’t like the analogy? Ok, how about this?Let us assume that you drink at least 4 litres of water a day or 1460 litres of water in a year. So your daily consumption is 0.27% of annual. So far so good. Now if someone suddenly forces you to consume 30 litres of water in 1 day, what is going to happen?Let me complicate this a little more. What if you can’t take a leak?The particulate matter (PM) levels shoots up two to three times post Diwali, which can be fatal to those with respiratory issues.Note: There is also a major problem in the assumption i.e we burst crackers only on Diwali.Then there are some who say that crackers are a part of our tradition and will not allow tradition to be tampered with. To such people, I ask, “What did we do before invention of gun powder? Throw rocks from the top of a mountain?” What is the sense in an activity that is pleasurable to one and harmful to the rest?If one still wants to burst crackers, I have a suggestion. He should get hold of Bullet bike, turn on the ignition and put his ear to the exhaust pipe. Once he goes deaf in one ear, he can apply his second ear. After achieving 100% deafness, he can shove his nose up the exhaust and inhale the medley of fumes. Happy Diwali!6. 100% natural fertilizersEven if one is not a farmer, if he knows at least one farmer, he should try out to convince him/her to use natural fertilizers only, using whatever means necessary (dharna, boycott, bribery, threat, sweet talk, logic, etc.).7. Miscellaneous (A little digression but important nonetheless)a) For those with lots of surplus food, get in touch with one of these 8 services to reach the needyhttps://www.thebetterindia.com/46855/where-to-donate-excess-food-to-after-party/b) For those with lots of spare clothes, reach out to Goonj centreshttp://goonj.orgTo wrap it all up and conclude, I have started teaching Maths to my son, far less depressing (although my son doesn’t agree).(Note: The conclusion does not make sense, but neither do most of our current actions towards our planet)Sources of information1.https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/GlobalWarming/page5.php2.http://www.livemint.com/Politics/KQOY1h7dQrkOdbQKrMAI2M/GST-rate-Fertilizers-to-come-12-tax-slab-prices-likely-to.html3.http://www.livemint.com/Science/qA0MCpmUs45acLyteaSaSP/Earth-will-turn-into-fireball-by-2600-Stephen-Hawking.html4.https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/jan/19/more-plastic-than-fish-in-the-sea-by-2050-warns-ellen-macarthur5.https://greenerideal.com/news/environment/0613-how-do-plastic-bags-affect-our-environment/6.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phase-out_of_lightweight_plastic_bags7.https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/despite-fines-and-subsidies-haryana-farmers-continue-burning-crop-stubble-17612388.https://lettucegroup4.weebly.com/effects-on-human-health.html9.http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Delhi/Post-Diwali-pollution-spike-worst-in-5-years/article16087531.ece10.https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/this-farmers-agri-technology-can-help-solve-indias-pollution-woes/articleshow/61600114.cms11.https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/transportation/shipping-/-transport/transport-ministry-opposes-niti-aayogs-plan-to-let-taxi-aggregators-rope-in-private-cars/articleshow/59623930.cms12.Emoticons, animated Images – Pinsdaddy, Pinterest, EmojiBase, www.wasm.org, "Oh, Dakuwaqa!" - The Shark comics and cartoons, cartoonstock, depositphotos,

Since the day of its foundation in 1980, PETA has done a lot for animal rights.1980 : PETA is formed and organizes the first World Day for Laboratory Animals protest in the U.S. and the first demonstration against chicken slaughter at Arrow Live Poultry, which was subsequently closed, in Washington, D.C.1981 : PETA conducts an undercover investigation exposing the suffering of the Silver Spring monkeys in a Maryland research facility, resulting in the first-ever police raid on a laboratory.1981 : A PETA undercover investigation results in the first conviction of an experimenter for animal abuse and the first withdrawal of federal research funds because of cruelty to animals.1982 : PETA makes legal history by filing the first-ever lawsuit to become the guardian of animals used in experiments.1983 : PETA gets a U.S. Department of Defense underground “wound lab” shut down and achieves a permanent ban on shooting dogs and cats in military wound laboratories.1984 : PETA closes down a Texas slaughterhouse operation in which 30,000 horses were trucked in and left to starve in frozen fields without shelter.1985 : After PETA publicizes the gross mistreatment of animals at City of Hope in California, the government suspends more than $1 million of the laboratory’s federal funding.1986 : As a result of PETA’s campaign, the SEMA research laboratory in Maryland stops confining chimpanzees to isolation chambers.1987 : PETA stops a plan by Cedars-Sinai, California’s largest hospital, to ship stray dogs from Mexico to California for experiments.1988 : For the first time, PETA conducts a year-long undercover investigation at Biosearch, a cosmetics and household product testing laboratory, uncovering more than 100 violations of federal and state anti-cruelty laws.1989 : PETA persuades Avon, Benetton, Mary Kay, Amway, Kenner, Mattel, and Hasbro to stop testing on animals. Note: Many of these companies have started testing on animals again in order to sell their products in China.1990 : After PETA exposes the backstage beating of orangutans by Las Vegas entertainer Bobby Berosini, his wildlife permit is suspended and his show closes.1991 : PETA’s “Silver Spring monkeys” case marks the first animal experimentation case ever heard by the U.S. Supreme Court.The court gives a unanimous, positive ruling.1992 : PETA’s undercover investigation into foie gras production prompts the first-ever police raid on a factory farm. PETA convinces many restaurants to stop selling the vile product.1993 : All car-crash tests on animals stop worldwide following PETA’s hard-hitting campaign against General Motors’ use of live pigs and ferrets in crash tests.1994 : A California furrier is charged with cruelty to animals after a PETA investigator films him electrocuting chinchillas by clipping wires to the animals’ genitals. In another undercover exposé, PETA catches a fur rancher on videotape causing minks to die in agony by injecting them with a weedkiller. Both fur farms agree to stop these cruel killing methods.1994 : Less than a month after PETA supporters occupy Calvin Klein‘s office in New York—an action that leads to a meeting between the designer and a PETA representative—Klein announces that he will no longer design with fur, the first major fashion designer to do so.1995 : PETA persuades Mobil, Texaco, Pennzoil, Shell, and other oil companies to cover their exhaust stacks after showing how millions of birds and bats have become trapped in them and been burned to death.1995 : PETA’s efforts lead to the first-ever cruelty charges filed against a factory farmer for cruelty to chickens for allowing tens of thousands of chickens to starve to death. The president of the company ultimately pleads guilty.1996 : Following PETA’s campaign, NASA pulls out of Bion—a joint U.S., French, and Russian experiment in which monkeys wearing straitjackets were to have electrodes implanted in their bodies and be launched into space.1996 : PETA convinces Gillette to observe a moratorium on animal testing after a colorful years-long campaign, including the presentation of shareholder resolutions at Gillette’s annual meetings and support from compassionate celebrities Paul McCartney, Lily Tomlin, Hugh Grant, and Elizabeth Hurley.1997 : A PETA investigation that documented the anal electrocution of foxes leads to the first-ever guilty plea by a fur rancher to cruelty-to-animals charges.1998 : PETA succeeds in getting Taiwan to pass its first-ever law against cruelty to animals after the group rescues countless dogs from being beaten, starved, electrocuted, and drowned in Taiwan’s pounds.1999 : Undercover investigations into pig-breeding factory farms in North Carolina and Oklahoma reveal horrific conditions and daily abuse of pigs, including the fact that one pig was skinned alive, leading to the first-ever felony indictments of farm workers.1999 : PETA conducts an undercover investigation into the Nielsen Farms puppy mill in Kansas, which reveals extremely small enclosures and rampant sickness, abuse, and death. Our investigation leads to the closure of the facility and a $20,000 fine from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The Nielsens are also “permanently disqualified from being licensed” by the USDA.2000 : Following the group’s investigation, PETA convinces Gap Inc., J.Crew, Liz Claiborne, Clarks, and Florsheim to boycott leather from India and China, countries in which leather production causes immense animal suffering.2000 : After a campaign that lasts 11 months and includes more than 400 demonstrations at McDonald’s restaurants in more than 23 countries, as well as advertising and celebrity involvement, McDonald’s becomes the first fast-food company to agree to make basic animal-welfare improvements for farmed animals.2001 : PETA persuades Burger King to adopt sweeping animal-welfare improvements, including conducting unannounced slaughterhouse inspections and giving hens more cage space.2001 : Shortly thereafter, following a vigorous PETA campaign, Wendy’sfollows suit, announcing plans to change some of its rules regarding the handling and slaughter of the animals used for its food.2002 : PETA’s efforts lead to the confiscation of six undernourished polar bears from a tropical circus, in which they were underfed, whipped, and forced to perform in sweltering temperatures.2003 : Evidence submitted by PETA leads to the mandatory relinquishment of all 16 elephants used by the Hawthorn Corporation, an elephant-rental company.2004 : PETA persuades chemical companies and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to drop plans for numerous painful chemical tests, sparing tens of thousands of animals.2005 : Following PETA’s campaign, Honda, PUMA, Keds, and other companies pull their commercials featuring great apes. Several corporations pledge never to use great apes in advertising in the future.2005 : Thanks to PETA’s lengthy campaign to push PETCO to take more responsibility for the animals in its stores, the company agrees tostop selling large birds and to make provisions for the millions of rats and mice in its care.2006 : PETA convinces Polo Ralph Lauren to stop selling fur. The furs were pulled from store shelves and donated to those in need in Mongolia.2007 : After uncovering cruel experiments funded by major beverage manufacturers, PETA convinces POM Wonderful, PepsiCo, and Coca-Cola to end all animal tests.2008 : PETA elicits agreements to make major improvements in farmed-animal welfare from Safeway, Harris Teeter, and the company that controls the purchase of chickens for KFCs in Canada, which also start offering faux-chicken menu items.2008 : The Ad Council signs PETA’s Great Ape Humane Pledge. In 2012, it extends its pledge to include a ban on all wild animals in advertising.2008 : PETA’s investigation into Aviagen Turkeys, Inc., part of the self-proclaimed “world’s leading poultry breeding company,” reveals that workers tortured, mutilated, and maliciously killed turkeys. Three former employees are indicted on felony cruelty-to-animals charges—the first felony charges for abusing factory-farmed poultry in U.S. history—and two become the first factory farmers to be convicted of abusing turkeys. One man is sentenced to one year in jail—the strongest penalty levied for abusing a factory-farmed animal in U.S. history—and all three are barred from owning or living with animals for five years.2008 : PETA investigates a pig-breeding factory farm in Iowa and uncovers horrific treatment of sows, boars, and piglets. The manager of the farm is fired, and the evidence results in 22 criminal charges against six workers, all of whom admit guilt and are sentenced to serve up to two years’ probation.2009 : PETA’s investigation into animal dealer U.S. Global Exotics prompts the largest animal seizure in history—more than 26,000 animals. The owner flees the country to evade federal charges.2009 : After receiving the video of PETA’s exposé of extreme suffering in the trade in exotic-animal skins, Stockholm-based international retailer H&M becomes the first retailer to adopt a policy banning products made from exotic skins in all of its 1,800 stores worldwide.2009 : After nearly a month of intense PETA campaigning against horrific combat training exercises conducted by the Bolivian military—in which live dogs are shown in a video tied down, repeatedly stabbed, and screaming in agony—the Bolivian Ministry of Defense ends the killing by issuing the military’s first-ever animal protection regulation, which “prohibit[s] all acts of violence, exploitation, [and] mistreatment that provokes the death of animals.”2010 : A petition co-filed by PETA leads a court to determine thatUniversity of Wisconsin–Madison staff members may face prosecution for violating state law by killing sheep in decompression experiments.2010 : Following a year of vigorous campaigning, NASA cancels plans fora $1.75 million study in which dozens of squirrel monkeys would have been exposed to a harmful dose of radiation.2010 : After discussions with PETA, Japan’s ITO EN, Ltd.—the world’s largest green-tea manufacturer—institutes a new policyprohibiting all animal testing. Also after discussions with PETA,Lipton tea soon follows suit.2010 : Just one week after PETA releases the results of its shocking undercover investigation into Professional Laboratory and Research Services and files a complaint with the USDA, the North Carolina–based contract animal testing facility surrenders nearly 200 dogs and more than 50 cats and closes its doors. This is only the second time in U.S. history that a laboratory has been forced to surrender animals and shut down.2010 : Less than six months after PETA releases its undercover investigation into laboratories at the University of Utah, Utahlegislators vote overwhelmingly to amend an archaic state law so that government-run animal shelters will no longer be forced to sell dogs and cats to laboratories on demand.2011 : The USDA fines Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus $270,000—the largest fine ever paid by an animal exhibitor—for violations of the Animal Welfare Act after PETA presents the agency with unequivocal evidence of animal abuse, including beatings, the negligent death of a lion, lame elephants forced to perform despite chronic pain, and a baby elephant who died during a training routine.2011 : PETA blows the lid off Ringling Bros.‘ violent training methods when a whistleblower shares photographic evidence from Ringling’s training compound revealing how baby elephants are torn away from their mothers and subjected to violent training sessions so that they will learn how to perform tricks.2011 : PETA releases video footage from an investigation showing howelephants used by Ringling Bros. are whipped, beaten, and yanked by heavy, sharp steel-tipped bullhooks behind the scenes prior to performing.2011 : In the first case of its kind, PETA, three marine-mammal experts, and two former orca trainers file a lawsuit asking a federal court to declare that five wild-caught orcas forced to perform at SeaWorld are being held as slaves in violation of the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The filing—the first ever seeking to apply the 13th Amendment to nonhuman animals—names the five orcas as plaintiffs and seeks their release into their natural habitats or seaside sanctuaries.2011 : After intensive campaigning by PETA, the U.S. military ends the use of monkeys in the Army’s cruel chemical-attack training course.2012 : All the top 10 advertising agencies in the United States—McCann Erickson, BBDO, Y&R, DDB, Ogilvy & Mather, TBWA, Draftfcb, Grey, JWT, and Campbell Ewald – sign PETA’s Great Ape Humane Pledge, banning the use of great apes in their advertising.2012 : After meeting with PETA, apparel and accessories companyHaband removes all down-filled items from among its offerings and becomes the first company to implement an official policy banning the sale of down feathers.2012 : After PETA donates simulators to Egypt, the country ends all use of animals for medical trauma training.2012 : PETA exposes disturbing video footage taken by a whistleblower during a trauma training session conducted by military contractor Tier 1 Group for members of the U.S. Coast Guard, which shows thestabbing, shooting, and dismemberment of live goats. Following an official complaint from PETA, the USDA cites Tier 1 Group for violating the federal Animal Welfare Act for failing to provide the goats with adequate anesthesia before they were mutilated.2012 : After two years of PETA campaigns and a lengthy lawsuit brought by PETA and local residents, the Supreme Court of Puerto Riconixes a plan by the Bioculture corporation to set up a monkey-breeding facility and sell monkeys to U.S. laboratories.2012 : By funding scientists to train Chinese government officials in the use of non-animal testing methods, PETA launches an effort to stop China from requiring tests on animals for cosmetics and household products. As part of its effort, PETA convinces cosmetics company Urban Decay to reverse its decision to sell its products in China, and John Paul Mitchell Systems pulls out of the Chinese market rather than having its products tested on animals.2012 : PETA’s exposé documenting that cosmetics companies were secretly paying for tests on animals in China and our funding of scientists to train officials there lead to that nation’s acceptance, by the end of 2012, of its first non-animal tests for cosmetics ingredients.2012 : The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission bans the use of furosemide, or Lasix, a commonly used drug that can mask other drugs and lead to horse breakdowns.2012 : The horse-racing industry implements its first-ever industry-supported retirement plan for thoroughbreds.2012 : After decades of conducting cruel experiments and just six months after PETA purchases stock in the company in order to introduce a shareholder resolution on animal testing, BIOQUAL announces that it will end its use of chimpanzees. Formerly known as SEMA, BIOQUAL was first exposed in 1986, when PETA released footage of chimpanzees locked inside tiny isolation chambers at the facility.2012 : After two horses die on the set of the HBO horse-racing series Luck, PETA goes public with information obtained by whistleblowers as well as necropsy reports from the racing board revealing that older, arthritic horses had been used in dangerous and deadly racing sequences and that the horses appeared not to have been provided with adequate protection. After a third horse dies on the set, HBO announces the cancellation of Luck and ceases all production on the series.2012 : After a long and hard-fought battle by PETA, the Animal Legal Defense Fund, and concerned citizens, Ben the bear is rescued from abhorrent conditions at a North Carolina roadside zoo. FedEx transports Ben free of charge (dubbing the mission “Bear Force One”) to the Performing Animal Welfare Society’s beautiful accredited wildlife sanctuary in northern California. There, Ben will live out the rest of his days splashing in his own pool, basking in the sun, and rolling in the grass in a 2-acre habitat designed especially for him.2012 : After a two-month PETA undercover investigation documenting that thousands of animals were being neglected and dying and many more are being cruelly killed, law-enforcement officials raid Global Captive Breeders—a company in Lake Elsinore, California, that bred and sold reptiles and rats for the “pet” trade. This results in the largest rescue of neglected rats in U.S. history and the largest seizure of animals, including more than 600 reptiles and 18,000 rats, ever in California. Local authorities charge the owner and manager with a total of 223 felony cruelty-to-animals and related charges.2012 : PETA prevails in a lawsuit against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for illegally issuing captive-bred wildlife permits. This victory allows PETA to keep a closer eye on animals bred in captivity, weigh in on permit applications, and bring legal challenges against permits that are improperly issued to Ringling Bros., SeaWorld, Have Trunk Will Travel, and other animal abusers.2013 : PETA—along with the Animal Legal Defense Fund, investigative journalists, a political journalist, a university history professor, and animal rights advocate Amy Meyer, who had recently been arrested for filming a downed cow at a Utah slaughterhouse—files a groundbreaking lawsuit challenging Utah’s “ag-gag” law, which prohibits the documenting of animal abuse at agricultural operations. The plaintiffs contend that this agribusiness law amounts to an unconstitutional attack on investigators’ First Amendment rights.2013 : After years of imprisonment in concrete pits at Chief Saunooke Bear Park in Cherokee, North Carolina, 11 bears were finally freed following a years-long campaign and PETA undercover investigation that forced the roadside zoo to pay a fine and surrender its exhibitor’s license to settle more than a dozen charges for violations of the Animal Welfare Act. After a private benefactor generously offered to purchase the bears, they were quickly transferred to their new home at the International Exotic Animal Sanctuary in Dallas, where they can now walk through tall grass, dig in the dirt, climb trees, take a dip in a pond, and just live as bears are supposed to live.2013 : Following decades of campaigning by PETA, the U.S. Army announces that it will reduce its use of animals for deadly trauma training exercises and restrict training for many military personnel to exclusively modern non-animal methods.2013 : After hearing from PETA that many sheep used for their wool endure a painful procedure called “mulesing,” in which huge chunks of skin and flesh are cut from their backsides without any painkillers, more than 50 national and international clothing retailers, including Abercrombie & Fitch, Liz Claiborne, H&M, Kenneth Cole, Perry Ellis International, and Express, state that they will use wool that comes only from nonmulesed sheep, as the industry begins to phase out the cruel practice.2013 : In 2013, the Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously to support a bullhook ban showing PETA’s undercover footage of baby elephant training during the hearing. The ban, which goes into effect in 2017, is the first to pass in a major city where Ringling Bros. travels.2013 : Following PETA’s efforts to end dehorning in the dairy industry, in which calves have their horn buds burned off with no pain relief, companies such as Chipotle, Peet’s Coffee & Tea, and Amy’s Kitchen begin to pressure their suppliers to stop this cruel mutilation. Aurora Organic Dairy, the leading producer of private-brand organic milk and butter, is now breeding exclusively with bulls who carry the hornless gene.2013 : PETA’s 2013 exposé of Taiwan’s pigeon racing industry resulted in a national sweep of pigeon racing clubs. Police confiscated cash and equipment and froze over $4.5 million of apparent illegal gambling proceeds in two clubs’ bank accounts.2013 : Following PETA’s groundbreaking investigation from 2010, three pigeon racing organizers pleaded no contest to charges of commercial gambling—the first time in history that anyone has been held responsible for illegal conduct associated with cruel pigeon races.2014 : In the wake of the 2013 release of the film Blackfish and PETA’s relentless campaign against marine animal abusement park SeaWorld reached a fever-pitch. As a result, public condemnation of SeaWorld led to a tanking stock price, and the company’s attendance, revenue, and profits continued to plummet.2014 : The first ever undercover investigation into the angora wool industry showed screaming rabbits being tied down and their fur ripped from their bodies, leading to a ban on its sale by more than 70 companies from around the world including H&M, Calvin Klein, and Tommy Hilfiger.2014 : I, Chicken, the first-ever empathy-building virtual-reality experience—which allows people to view life from a chicken’s perspective before being sent to slaughter—travels to more than 150 universities across the US, including Harvard, Stanford, Brown, Dartmouth, the University of Pennsylvania, and Princeton.2014 : The scientific and regulatory expertise of PETA and its affiliates are consolidated to form the PETA International Science Consortium Ltd. Accepted as an accredited stakeholder with the agency that oversees the largest chemical testing program in the world, the Science Consortium works with industry, private research facilities and governments to promote non-animal tests around the world.2014 : In a first of its kind, international exposé of the wool industry in both Australia and the US, PETA released shocking footage of sheep-shearers punching, stomping, and cutting gentle sheep—some of whom died and were kicked and dragged aside like garbage.2014 : After intensive efforts led by PETA India and with scientific support from PETA US and the PETA International Science Consortium Ltd., India officially bans animal-tested cosmetics from being imported into the country. PETA India rallied support from scientists, ethical companies, celebrities, and powerful Indian government leaders.