Anandbir Bains

The Bottomline - A deep dive into the world of good books, essays and ideas to better understand the world and our place in it.

[Anandbir Bains @Bir_Bains]

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[Special Ops Magazine @specialopsmag]

The now-famous photograph of an SAS operator on January 15, 2019. A single member of the UK’s 22 SAS Regiment moving to respond to a terrorist attack on the DusitD2 Hotel complex in Nairobi, Kenya.

He was in the country teaching foreign internal defense to Kenyan special forces when al-Shabaab attackers hit the complex, grenades first, then a suicide vest, then gunfire on the guests inside. There was no time to form a proper team and nothing more than the kit he was already wearing.

He entered the compound alone, balaclava on, a shield badge identifying him as law enforcement to those he passed. He joined Dan Prastalo, a Slovenian with the diplomatic protective services, and the two of them started clearing the office block and car-park buildings floor by floor while the attack was still underway.

The siege lasted more than 12 hours before Kenyan forces declared the site secure. 21 civilians died. For what he did that day he later received the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross, Britain’s second highest award for gallantry in action. Unusually for a serving SAS soldier, his name eventually became public: Christian Craighead.

One man, on his own, in another country, with no order sending him in and every reason to stay out. He went in anyway.

"Who Dares Wins"

[Harsh Gupta Madhusudan @harshmadhusudan]

IIT Mandi researching “reincarnation” in the name of IKS (so-called Indian Knowledge Systems)

https://t.co/Cu9liChd6A
https://t.co/G2AZ9xriHI

Two IIT Kanpur professors studying “afterlife communication” and “out of body experiences”. One is currently director at IIT Mandi. Plan is to talk to kids about “previous life memories”.

To ask the child about past life relatives, likes and dislikes. Then there will be a past life kundali matching. In true “decoloniality” fashion, three varna-less foreigners have been used for “credibility.”

Big “Soviet physics” vibes..

[John Spencer @SpencerGuard]

The silence is deafening. Civilian men, women, and children are being slaughtered in Sudan.

Estimates of over 150,000 killed & 14 million displaced since April 2023. Considered the world’s largest humanitarian crisis.

No mass protests. No daily political statements/demands. No college campus encampments.

[Nirmal Purja MBE @nimsdai]

What began as a peaceful protest in our beloved Nepal, where the youth were genuinely asking for action against corruption, was valuable and needed. However, what isn’t acceptable is when individuals with their own personal agendas exploit the situation, setting fires to our country’s most important assets. We cannot allow this to happen; we must protect our beautiful country, the birthplace of Lord Buddha.

I want to remind you that many foreign tourists are here with us, and they are genuinely worried about the current situation. But it’s not just them—our innocent citizens are also feeling anxious and insecure. The fear and uncertainty are palpable, and we must remember that we are all in this together.

We have a saying: “Atithi Devo Bhava,” meaning ‘the guest is God.’ Let’s embody this spirit and show our hospitality, even in these challenging times.

We must remain calm and strategic. The damage done in anger can never be undone. This is a crucial moment for us to unite and resist those who seek to divide us. Together, we can build a brighter future for our nation.

Let’s stand together in peace and show the world the strength and resilience of the Nepali spirit. We are capable of overcoming this challenge. Stay safe, and let’s work towards a peaceful resolution!

Jai Nepal 🇳🇵

[Nirmal Purja MBE @nimsdai]

50x 8000m Summits. A New World Record.

On 3rd July, I reached the summit of Nanga Parbat without using supplemental Oxygen, one of the most dangerous expeditions I’ve ever faced. That moment marked my 50th successful summit above 8000m the most ever achieved in human history.

No one has done this before. Fastest. First.
22 of those summits were without oxygen. But numbers aside, I feel deeply humbled to still be standing here, alive and able to celebrate this journey.

This year, the weather was brutal. 65+ km winds. Blue ice that wouldn’t hold a crampon. Rockfall was constant and unpredictable, one wrong step could have ended it all. It tested everything: skill, patience, endurance, and trust.

I’ve worn many hats over the years: climber, soldier, leader, guide. But the one I carry with the most pride is helping others reach their new possible. That’s what this journey has always been about.

To everyone who has supported me, believed in me, or been part of the rope team of life, thank you.

We all have our own mountains. But if this milestone shows you anything, let it be this:
With purpose, the impossible becomes possible.

Proud to wear @nimsdaistore

By strength and Guile 🐸

#50x8000ers #14PeaksNoO2 #NangaParbat #BeyondPossible #AchieveYourNewPossible #EliteExped #MountaineeringHistory #Nimsdai #NothingIsImpossible #Motivation

[Anandbir Bains @Bir_Bains]

@fasc1nate Could’ve at least given credit to the youtube channel ‘The dictionary of obscure sorrows’ from where you’ve picked these terms. John Koenig is the man who’s behind the compendium of these invented words. @ObscureSorrows

[Wokal Distance @wokal_distance]

Remember when @jk_rowling wrote the defining book series for an entire generation of sensitive and inquisitive children, and then those kids grew up and stabbed her in the back because trans-activists told them she was evil for not wanting men in women's change-rooms?

[Lex Fridman @lexfridman]

I hope to interview both Zelenskyy and Putin, likely in January.

For this, I will travel to both Kyiv and Moscow.

My hope is to do my small part to understand their perspectives & to find the path to peace.

I understand the risks.

PS: I speak fluent Russian & some Ukrainian

[Shashi Tharoor @ShashiTharoor]

Had an extraordinary experience today. While i was sitting in the garden, reading my morning newspapers, a monkey wandered in, headed straight for me and parked himself on my lap. He hungrily ate a couple of bananas we offered him, hugged me and proceeded to rest his head on my chest and dozed off. I gently began to get up, he leapt off and loped away. 🙏

[Physics In History @PhysInHistory]

There probably is no heaven and no afterlife either. We have this one life to appreciate the grand design of the universe and for that, I am extremely grateful.

-- Stephen Hawking (1942 - 2018)

[Parveen Kaswan, IFS @ParveenKaswan]

That elephant is stressed. It is not sign of dancing but stress.

[Lex Fridman @lexfridman]

@historyinmemes I'm hoping to interview him one day

[GeniusThinking @GeniusGTX]

This man solved one of the hardest puzzles of the century.

Rejected his $1 million award and vanished into Russia.

Everyone called him crazy.

Here's the forgotten story of Grigori Perelman—the craziest genius mathematician everyone should know: 🧵

[Physics In History @PhysInHistory]

Carl Sagan on books

"What an astonishing thing a book is. It’s a flat object made from a tree with flexible parts on which are imprinted lots of funny dark squiggles. But one glance at it and you’re inside the mind of another person, maybe somebody dead for thousands of years."

[J.K. Rowling @jk_rowling]

9¾

[Elon Musk @elonmusk]

Europa has the highest chance of life in our solar system, because of the thick, protective shell of ice that covers its ocean

[anand mahindra @anandmahindra]

It was a privilege of my generation to have worked in industry alongside RNT

One of my most enjoyable memories of him?

At the Auto Expo in Delhi, almost 20 years ago.

I was at our company pavilion.

We heard a buzz at the entry & saw RNT come in with his colleagues—unplanned, unexpected.

When I went up to welcome him, he chuckled and said:

“I just came in to check out the competition!”

I will miss him greatly.

[🍂 @Lovandfear]

— Franz Kafka

[Chris Hadfield @Cmdr_Hadfield]

India is:
- launching astronauts to their own space station
- sending a probe to Venus
- building reusable rockets
- landing astronauts on the Moon
details: https://t.co/NuZfAvuapQ @isro

[Ryan Reynolds @VancityReynolds]

Stunt work doesn’t have a category at The Oscars and I hope that’ll change someday. So many films have smashed it this year. Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd and Chaplin were stunt performers as well as filmmakers. Telling stories with their entire bodies.

This D&W stunt team over-delivered. A lot of them are friends I’ve worked with for years and I’ll spend the rest of my days doodling their names in my Heidi Stationary, dotting all the “i’s” with little hearts.

I’ve worked with Alex Kyshkovych since the very first @deadpoolmovie. He not only doubles me — he’s the Fight Coordinator. I’d take a sledgehammer to the face for Alex. Or rather, I’d ask Alex to take a sledgehammer to the face for Alex.

Second Unit Director/Supervising Stunt Coordinator, George Cottle is a HUGE GET. You’ve seen his genius in Spider-Man NWH along with a ton of other gems. His skill is world class and he made the entire film better. I’d let Alex to take a rusty fork to the eye for George.

It’s mind boggling how much @RealHughJackman does himself. But Daniel Stevens steps in for the truly dangerous stuff. He’s been “Wolverining” a long time. As we know, Wolverining is HARD. I’d ask Alex to eat the crab salad I left on the dashboard for three straight days for Dan.

Huge shoutout to Andy Lister for bringing a new and insane Wolvie gear to the Deadpool Corps fight as well.

If you’d like to see @TheAcademy recognize the amazing work of stunt teams ACROSS THE ENTIRE INDUSTRY, let them know! ❤️💛❤️💛