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The Elephant in the Hospital Room Charge

By pediatrics.aappublications.org
Published On :: 2020-05-04T00:05:41-07:00


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Karnataka Cop Buries Man Killed By Elephant As Family Refuses Body

By www.ndtv.com
Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 13:28:37 +0530

Three policemen in Karnataka, in an unusual gesture, performed the last rites of a mentally challenged man earlier this week after his family members refused to carry out the last rites fearing...


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The Elephant in the Room: Mixed-Signal Models

By feedproxy.google.com
Published On :: Wed, 05 Nov 2014 11:45:00 GMT

Key Findings:  Nearly 100% of SoCs are mixed-signal to some extent.  Every one of these could benefit from the use of a metrics-driven unified verification methodology for mixed-signal (MD-UVM-MS), but the modeling step is the biggest hurdle to overcome.  Without the magical models, the process breaks down for lack of performance, or holes in the chip verification.

In the last installment of The Low Road, we were at the mixed-signal verification party. While no one talked about it, we all saw it: The party was raging and everyone was having a great time, but they were all dancing around that big elephant right in the middle of the room. For mixed-signal verification, that elephant is named Modeling.

To get to a fully verified SoC, the analog portions of the design have to run orders of magnitude faster than the speediest SPICE engine available. That means an abstraction of the behavior must be created. It puts a lot of people off when you tell them they have to do something extra to get done with something sooner. Guess what, it couldn’t be more true. If you want to keep dancing around like the elephant isn’t there, then enjoy your day. If you want to see about clearing the pachyderm from the dance floor, you’ll want to read on a little more….

Figure 1: The elephant in the room: who’s going to create the model?

 Whose job is it?

Modeling analog/mixed-signal behavior for use in SoC verification seems like the ultimate hot potato.  The analog team that creates the IP blocks says it doesn't have the expertise in digital verification to create a high-performance model. The digital designers say they don’t understand anything but ones and zeroes. The verification team, usually digitally-centric by background, are stuck in the middle (and have historically said “I just use the collateral from the design teams to do my job; I don’t create it”).

If there is an SoC verification team, then ensuring that the entire chip is verified ultimately rests upon their shoulders, whether or not they get all of the models they need from the various design teams for the project. That means that if a chip does not work because of a modeling error, it ought to point back to the verification team. If not, is it just a “systemic error” not accounted for in the methodology? That seems like a bad answer.

That all makes the most valuable guy in the room the engineer, whose knowledge spans the three worlds of analog, digital, and verification. There are a growing number of “mixed-signal verification engineers” found on SoC verification teams. Having a specialist appears to be the best approach to getting the job done, and done right.

So, my vote is for the verification team to step up and incorporate the expertise required to do a complete job of SoC verification, analog included. (I know my popularity probably did not soar with the attendees of DVCON with that statement, but the job has to get done).

It’s a game of trade-offs

The difference in computations required for continuous time versus discrete time behavior is orders of magnitude (as seen in Figure 2 below). The essential detail versus runtime tradeoff is a key enabler of verification techniques like software-driven testbenches. Abstraction is a lossy process, so care must be taken to fully understand the loss and test those elements in the appropriate domain (continuous time, frequency, etc.).

Figure 2: Modeling is required for performance

 

AFE for instance

The traditional separation of baseband and analog front-end (AFE) chips has shifted for the past several years. Advances in process technology, analog-to-digital converters, and the desire for cost reduction have driven both a re-architecting and re-partitioning of the long-standing baseband/AFE solution. By moving more digital processing to the AFE, lower cost architectures can be created, as well as reducing those 130 or so PCB traces between the chips.

There is lots of good scholarly work from a few years back on this subject, such as Digital Compensation of Dynamic Acquisition Errors at the Front-End of ADCS and Digital Compensation for Analog Front-Ends: A New Approach to Wireless Transceiver Design.


Figure 3: AFE evolution from first reference (Parastoo)

The digital calibration and compensation can be achieved by the introduction of a programmable solution. This is in fact the most popular approach amongst the mobile crowd today. By using a microcontroller, the software algorithms become adaptable to process-related issues and modifications to protocol standards.

However, for the SoC verification team, their job just got a whole lot harder. To determine if the interplay of the digital control and the analog function is working correctly, the software algorithms must be simulated on the combination of the two. That is, here is a classic case of inseparable mixed-signal verification.

So, what needs to be in the model is the big question. And the answer is, a lot. For this example, the main sources of dynamic error at the front-end of ADCs are critical for the non-linear digital filtering that is highly frequency dependent. The correction scheme must be verified to show that the nonlinearities are cancelled across the entire bandwidth of the ADC. 

This all means lots of simulation. It means that the right level of detail must be retained to ensure the integrity of the verification process. This means that domain experience must be added to the list of expertise of that mixed-signal verification engineer.

Back to the pachyderm

There is a lot more to say on this subject, and lots will be said in future posts. The important starting point is the recognition that the potential flaw in the system needs to be examined. It needs to be examined by a specialist.  Maybe a second opinion from the application domain is needed too.

So, put that cute little elephant on your desk as a reminder that the beast can be tamed.

 

 

Steve Carlson

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- It’s Late, But the Party is Just Getting Started


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Coronavirus: Indian cops bury man killed by elephant, after family refuses to touch body, due to COVID-19 fears

By article.wn.com
Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 14:10 GMT

Afraid of contracting the COVID-19, a family in the Indian state of Karnataka, abandoned their mentally-challenged, dead relative's body last week. This is when, three policemen took the job upon themselves to give the deceased a dignified burial. Tweeps are saluting them for their "thoughtful" gesture. The 44-year-old deceased man, was killed earlier this week when...


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Mummified skin suggests duck-billed dinosaurs were grey like elephants

By www.newscientist.com
Published On :: Sat, 11 Jan 2020 08:00:04 +0000

The mummified remains of a duck-billed dinosaur contain a grey pigment, suggesting it was grey, although other pigments may have been lost during fossilisation


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Researchers Are Learning How Asian Elephants Think—in Order to Save Them

By www.smithsonianmag.com
Published On :: Thu, 19 Mar 2020 12:00:00 +0000

As the pachyderms increasingly clash with farmers and villagers over disappearing land, scientists study the way the animals' minds work


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Chester Zoo to host pool party for elephants in series of live virtual tours

By www.standard.co.uk
Published On :: 2020-04-24T10:59:02Z

Elephants at Chester Zoo will be treated to a pool party in this week's virtual tour of the attraction which is currently closed to the public during the coronavirus lockdown.


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Thai elephants, out of work due to coronavirus, trudge home

By www.ctvnews.ca
Published On :: Thu, 7 May 2020 13:59:48 -0400

The millions of unemployed in Thailand due to the coronavirus include elephants dependent on tourists to feed their voracious appetites. With scant numbers of foreign visitors, commercial elephant camps and sanctuaries lack funds for their upkeep and have sent more than 100 of the animals trudging back to their natural habitats.


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Thai elephants return to villages due to fall in tourist numbers

By www.itv.com
Published On :: Thu, 07 May 2020 04:08:11 +0100

The pandemic has meant more than 100 of the animals are walking as far as 95 miles to their homes.


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Viral story of 'drunk elephants' in China is adorable ... and false. Here's what really happened.

By www.livescience.com
Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 18:56:53 +0000

Photos of allegedly "drunken elephants" quickly went viral on Twitter. But the elephants weren't drunk, they were just resting, officials said.


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Florida Businessman Pleads Guilty to Illegal Trade in Elephant Ivory

By www.justice.gov
Published On :: Thu, 28 Oct 2010 15:16:42 EDT

Joseph Barringer, 55, the owner of a Florida pool cue company, pleaded guilty today in federal court in Orlando to violating the Endangered Species Act in connection with the illegal export of African elephant ivory through an online auction site.


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Circus President and Former Employee Plead Guilty to Violating Endangered Species Act for Unlawful Purchase and Sale of Asian Elephants

By www.justice.gov
Published On :: Wed, 23 Feb 2011 17:58:08 EST

John Pugh, Wilbur Davenport, and Cole Brothers Circus Inc., entered plea agreements yesterday in U.S. District Court in Beaumont, Texas to resolve Endangered Species Act (ESA) violations related to the purchase and sale of two Asian elephants named “Tina” and “Jewel.”


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  • OPA Press Releases
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Why net energy metering results in a subsidy: The elephant in the room

By webfeeds.brookings.edu
Published On :: Mon, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

In a critique of a recent Brookings paper by Mark Muro and Devashree Saha, Lisa Wood argues that net energy metering is in fact a tariff that creates a subsidy for NEM customers and a cost-shift onto non-NEM customers.

      
 
 


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Why net energy metering results in a subsidy: The elephant in the room

By webfeeds.brookings.edu
Published On :: Mon, 13 Jun 2016 16:03:00 -0400


The debate surrounding net energy metering (NEM) and the appropriate way to reform this policy is under scrutiny in many U.S. states. This is highly warranted since NEM policies do indeed need reforming because NEM often results in subsidies to private (rooftop) solar owners and leasing companies. These subsidies are then “paid for” by non-NEM customers (customers without private rooftop solar installations). The fundamental source of the NEM subsidy is the failure of NEM customers (customers with private rooftop solar installations) to pay fully for the grid services that they use 24/7. These subsidies are well-documented and underpin much of the regulatory reform efforts underway across the United States.[1]

In a recent Brookings paper, “Rooftop solar: Net metering is a net benefit,” Mark Muro and Devashree Saha contend that net metering is a net benefit for non-NEM customers.[2] I fundamentally disagree with their findings, and argue that NEM is not a net benefit; it is, in fact, a tariff that much of the time results in a subsidy to NEM customers and a cost shift onto non-NEM customers. As Executive Director of the Institute for Electric Innovation, a non-lobbying organization focused on trends in the electric power industry, I have followed this debate and written about it for several years.

Much of the talk about NEM focuses too often on the “value” of the energy that is sold back to the grid by a NEM customer. In reality, the amount of energy sold back to the grid is relatively small. The real issue is the failure of NEM customers to pay fully for the grid services that they use while connected to the grid 24/7, as shown in Figure 1.[3] Customers need to constantly use the grid to balance supply and demand throughout the day, and the cost of these grid services can be sizeable. In fact, for a typical residential customer in the United States with an average electricity bill of $110 per month, the actual cost of grid services can range from $45 to $70 per month–however, the customer doesn’t see that charge.[4] That means, in the extreme, if a customer’s energy use “nets” to zero in a given month because the customer’s private solar system produced exactly what the customer consumed, that customer would pay $0 even though that customer is connected to the local electric company’s distribution grid and is utilizing grid services on a continuous around-the-clock basis.[5]

Although exactly netting to zero energy in a month is highly unlikely, this example demonstrates the point that the customer would pay nothing, despite using grid services at a cost ranging from $45 to $70 per month. Over the course of one year, this customer could receive a subsidy resulting from NEM of between $540 and $840. Over the life of a private rooftop solar system, which ranges from 20 to 25 years, this is a significant subsidy resulting from NEM.

Granted, this is an extreme example, and most NEM customers will pay for some portion of grid services. However, the fundamental source of the NEM subsidy is the failure of NEM customers to pay fully for the grid services that they use 24/7, and the cost of these services can be quite substantial. When a NEM customer doesn’t pay for the grid, the cost is shifted onto non-NEM customers.[6] It is a zero-sum game; plain and simple. This is the elephant in the room.

This issue was directly addressed by Austin Energy when the company implemented a “buy-sell” arrangement for the private rooftop solar customers in its service territory. The rationale for the buy-sell approach is that the customer buys all of the energy that is consumed on-site through the electric company’s retail tariff and sells all of the energy produced by their private rooftop solar system at the electric company’s avoided cost. This addresses the “elephant in the room” because, by buying all energy consumed at the retail tariff, the customer does pay for grid services that are largely captured through the retail tariff. It is an unfortunate fact that under ratemaking practices today in the United States, the majority of fixed costs (i.e., grid and other costs) are captured through a volumetric charge.

Hence, I fundamentally disagree with the Muro/Saha paper–NEM does need to be reformed. NEM is not a net benefit; it is a tariff that the much of the time results in a cost shift onto non-NEM customers. One of the first studies to quantify the magnitude of the NEM subsidy was conducted by Energy+Environmental Economics (E3) for the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) in 2013. There was no mention of this analysis for the CPUC in the Muro/Saha paper. The E3 study estimated that NEM would result in a cost shift of $1.1 billion annually by 2020 from NEM to non-NEM customers if current NEM policies were not reformed in California.[7] A cost shift of this magnitude–paid for by non-NEM customers–was unacceptable to California regulators. As a result, California regulators set to work to reform rates in their state; many other states followed suit and conducted similar investigations of the magnitude of the NEM subsidy.

In reviewing NEM studies, Muro and Saha chose to focus on a handful of studies that show that net metering results in a benefit to all customers. In this small group of NEM studies, they included a study that E3 conducted for the Nevada Public Utilities Commission (PUC) in 2014–perhaps the most well-known and cited of the five studies included in the Muro/Saha paper. Very soon after the E3 Nevada study was published, the cost assumptions for the base-case scenario which showed a net benefit of $36 million to non-NEM customers (assuming $100 per MWh for utility-scale solar) were found to be incorrect, completely reversing the conclusion. The $36 million benefit associated with NEM for private rooftop solar turned into a $222 million cost to non-NEM customers when utility-scale solar was priced at $80 per MWh.[8] Today, based on the two most recent utility-scale contracts approved by the Nevada PUC, utility-scale solar has an average lifetime (i.e., levelized) cost of $50 per MWh, meaning that the NEM cost shift would be far greater today. In February 2016, the Nevada PUC stated that “the E3 study is already outdated and irrelevant to the discussion of costs and benefits of NEM in Nevada…”[9] Hence, because the E3 study for the Nevada PUC that the Muro/Saha paper included has been declared outdated and irrelevant to the discussion and because costs for utility-scale solar have declined significantly, that study does not show that NEM provides a net benefit.

No doubt there is an intense debate underway about NEM for private rooftop solar, and much has changed in the past two years in terms of both NEM policies and the growth of private solar projects:

  • First, several state regulatory commissions now recognize that the NEM cost shift is both real and sizeable and that all customers who use the grid, including NEM customers, need to pay for the cost of the grid. As a result, many electric companies have proposed and state regulatory commissions have approved increases in monthly fixed charges over the past few years; this partially addresses the issue of NEM customers paying for the cost of the grid services that they use.
  • Second and related, getting the pricing right for distributed energy resources of all types is important because we expect those resources to grow significantly in the future. Work is underway in this area and it is one focus of the New York Reforming the Energy Vision proceeding; but there is still much to be done.

By focusing on a select group of studies that show that NEM benefits all customers (as stated by the authors); by excluding the E3 study for the CPUC which was fundamental to the NEM cost shift debate; and by not providing an update on the NEM debate today, I believe that the Muro/Saha paper is misleading.

In the second part of their paper, Muro and Saha suggest some helpful regulatory reforms such as moving toward rate designs that “can meet the needs of a distributed resource future” and moving “toward performance-based rate-making (PBR).” Some electric companies have already implemented PBR or some type of formula rate and PBR is under discussion in several states.[10] Lawrence Berkeley National Labs is looking closely at this and related issues in its Future Electric Utility Regulation series of reports currently underway.[11]

Mura and Saha also suggest decoupling as a way forward–I disagree. In my view, decoupling is a not solution for private rooftop solar. Revenue decoupling is currently used to true-up revenues that would otherwise be lost due to declining electricity sales resulting from electric company investments in energy efficiency (EE). Decoupling explicitly shifts costs from participating EE customers to non-participating EE customers causing the same cost-shifting problem that is created by NEM. However, a fundamental difference is that the magnitude of the cost shifting onto non-NEM customers is on a much larger scale than the cost shifting due to EE. A recent study revealed that decoupling rate adjustments for EE are quite small–about two to three percent of the retail rate.[12] In contrast, as described earlier in this paper, a NEM customer could shift a significant cost onto non-NEM customers (and the NEM cost shifting is essentially invisible to customers, which is one reason that NEM customers do not believe they are subsidized).[13]

Finally, Muro and Saha suggest that electric companies should invest in a more digital and distributed power grid. In fact, electric companies across the United States are doing just that. In 2015, electric companies invested $20 billion in the distribution system alone and this is expected to continue. Over the past five to six years, electric companies invested in the deployment of nearly 65 million digital smart meters to about 50 percent of U.S. households. In addition, electric companies are investing in thousands of devices to make the power grid smarter and more state-aware. Today, in states such as California, Hawaii, and Arizona, electric companies are investing to enable and integrate the distributed energy resources that are growing exponentially. And, in some states–where regulation allows–electric companies are offering rooftop solar or solar subscriptions to their customers.

No doubt, the electric power industry is undergoing a period of profound transformation–our power generation resource mix is getting cleaner and more distributed; the energy grid is becoming more digital; and customers have different expectations.[14]

Collaboration, good public policy, and appropriate regulatory policies are critical to a successful transformation of the power sector. In the context of this paper, this means reforming NEM so that private rooftop solar customers who use the energy grid pay for the grid. One straightforward approach is to require NEM customers to pay a higher monthly fixed charge thereby reducing the cost shift.[15] Ultimately the challenge is to make the transition of the electric power industry–including the significant growth in private rooftop solar and other distributed energy resources–affordable to all customers.

Lisa Wood is a nonresident senior fellow in the Energy Security and Climate Initiative at Brookings. She is also the executive director of the Institute for Electric Innovation and vice president of The Edison Foundation whose members include electric companies and technology companies.

[1] For a discussion of the NEM subsides in California and possible NEM regulatory reforms, see, for example: Robert Borlick and Lisa Wood, Net Energy Metering: Subsidy Issues and Regulatory Solutions, Executive Summary, Institute for Electric Innovation (IEI) Issue Brief, September 2014, and Net Energy Metering: Subsidy Issues and Regulatory Solutions, IEI Issue Brief, September 2014, www.edisonfoundation.net.

[2] Mark Muro and Devashree Saha, Rooftop solar: Net metering is a net benefit, Brookings Paper, May 23, 2016.

[3] Lisa Wood and Robert Borlick, The Value of the Grid to DG Customers, IEI Issue Brief, October 2013, www.edisonfoundation.net.

[4] At Commonwealth Edison, a distribution utility, fixed costs represent roughly 47 percent of the total customer bill. See footnote 31 in Lisa Wood and Ross Hemphill, “Utility Perspective: Providing a Regulatory Path for the Transformation of the Electric Utility Industry,” in Recovery of Utility Fixed Costs: Utility, Consumer, Environmental, and Economist Perspectives, LBNL Report No. 5, (forthcoming) June 2016.

[5] Wood and Borlick, The Value of the Grid to DG Customers.

[6] An example of the size of the NEM subsidy is shown in Borlick and Wood, Net Energy Metering: Subsidy Issues and Regulatory Solutions, Executive Summary.

[7] Energy+Environmental Economics, Inc., California Net Energy Metering Ratepayer Impacts Evaluation, 28 October 2013, p. 6.

[8] See Docket No. 13-07010, E3 Study filed 7/2/14, at 18-21, 128-120 at the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada; see also footnote 19 on page 48 in the Modified Final Order (Docket No. 15-07041) of the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada, February 12, 2016. The E3 authors did recognize that their results were highly dependent on the cost of utility-sited solar and included sensitivity analyses.

[9] Footnote 19 on page 48 in the Modified Final Order (Docket No. 15-07041) of the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada, February 12, 2016.

[10] Commonwealth Edison is one example. See Ross Hemphill and Val Jensen, Illinois Approach to Regulating Distribution Utility of the Future, Public Utilities Fortnightly, June 2016.

[11] Mark Newton Lowry and Tim Woolf, Performance-Based Regulation in a High Distributed Energy Resources Future, Report No. 3, LBNL-1004130., January 2016.

[12] Pamela Moran, A Decade of Decoupling for U.S. Energy Utilities: Rate Impacts, Designs, and Observations, Graceful Systems LLC, February 2013.

[13] Also, the amount of cost-beneficial EE is limited because the more you achieve, the less cost-beneficial the next increment of energy savings becomes. This “diminishing return” aspect means that EE increases only when it makes economic sense. In contrast, no such economic limit applies to NEM.

[14] Lisa Wood and Robert Marritz, eds., Thought Leaders Speak Out: Key Trends Driving Change in the Electric Power Industry, Volumes I and II, Institute for Electric Innovation, December 2015 and June 2016.

[15] A forthcoming LBNL report focuses on the issue of fixed charges, Recovery of Utility Fixed Costs: Utility, Consumer, Environmental, and Economist Perspectives, LBNL Report No. 5, (forthcoming) June 2016.

Authors

      
 
 


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Thai Tourist Trade Contributing to Burma Elephant Trafficking

By www.treehugger.com
Published On :: Tue, 24 Jul 2012 14:57:00 -0400

A new video from the Ecologist Film Unit shows how baby elephants are being smuggled into Thailand from Burma for tourism.


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This pianist plays classical music to soothe blind elephants (Video)

By www.treehugger.com
Published On :: Wed, 19 Sep 2018 13:00:17 -0400

Music is a comforting thing, especially for these rescued elephants living in an animal sanctuary.


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How elephant poaching helped fund Kenya terrorist attack

By www.treehugger.com
Published On :: Tue, 24 Sep 2013 09:00:00 -0400

Al-Shabaab, the al-Qaeda-backed Somali terror group responsible for Saturday's attack in a Nairobi mall, receives significant funding from the illegal poaching. This is why the US sees wildlife trafficking as a national security issue.


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Rare Video of Wild Cambodian Elephant Released by Wildlife Conservation Society

By www.treehugger.com
Published On :: Mon, 27 Dec 2010 10:50:00 -0500

There are only an estimated 116 wild Asian elephants in Cambodia's Seima Protection Area, and until now most of the photographic evidence of them has be taken by camera traps. New footage released by the Wildlife Conservation Society changes that. The


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You can now virtually walk among the elephants of Samburu National Reserve

By www.treehugger.com
Published On :: Wed, 16 Sep 2015 10:15:03 -0400

Google and Save the Elephants teamed up to bring Street View to the Kenyan wildlife reserve to show its residents and spread the need for conservation.


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Sri Lankan farmers have an ingenious way to deter wild elephants

By www.treehugger.com
Published On :: Wed, 15 Jan 2020 10:00:00 -0500

It involves planting another surprising crop.


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Photo of the Day: Family matters with northern elephant seals

By www.treehugger.com
Published On :: Tue, 17 Sep 2013 06:00:00 -0400

A female northern elephant seal protects her newborn pup as she warns away a young male with amorous intentions for her.


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Honeybee pheromones scare away elephants

By www.treehugger.com
Published On :: Tue, 31 Jul 2018 13:48:52 -0400

A new scientific study could save a whole lot of elephants.


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Elephants learning to secretly migrate at night and chat about safety

By www.treehugger.com
Published On :: Mon, 05 Mar 2018 14:01:22 -0500

We may be killing them at an abysmal rate, but these smart and social creatures seem to have a plan.


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Plot twist! Elephants come up with a foolproof way to survive ivory poachers

By www.treehugger.com
Published On :: Mon, 12 Nov 2018 12:57:05 -0500

Never ever underestimate the intelligence of Mother Nature.


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This is how you do it: 4 elephant poachers convicted in Congo

By www.treehugger.com
Published On :: Fri, 30 Nov 2018 11:26:27 -0500

An increase in maximum sentences for wildlife crimes are being delivered by the Republic of Congo – here's how one gang's arrest and conviction went down.


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Elephant poaching declines in Africa, but 15,000 still illegally killed each year

By www.treehugger.com
Published On :: Wed, 29 May 2019 09:53:11 -0400

Even though there has been notable progress, at current poaching rates elephants are still in danger of becoming virtually extinct on the continent.


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Once catastrophic, elephant poaching at Niassa Reserve drops to zero

By www.treehugger.com
Published On :: Wed, 19 Jun 2019 16:43:15 -0400

Before 2015, the Mozambique reserve lost many thousands of elephants due to rampant poaching – now they’ve just had a full year without any illegal deaths.


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Excited Elephants Run To Greet New Rescued Baby Elephant

By feedproxy.google.com
Published On :: Wed, 06 May 2020 13:00:00 PDT

This video is from 2017 but it just makes us feel so warm and happy that we had to let it surface once more! 

The video is only a bit over a minute but filled with a lot of emotions, excitement, and love, that you can just feel. 

Elephants are truly remarkable animals, so intelligent and gentle, you can just tell they have a big heart. 


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Watch Video: Karan Johar cries after his kids Yash and Roohi compares him to an 'elephant'

By www.mid-day.com
Published On :: 25 Apr 2020 02:18:00 GMT

If you find yourself feeling bored and at a loss for what to do next while you're quarantined at home, you only have to head on to Karan Johar's Instagram page and check out videos of his twin babies. His kids, Roohi and Yash Johar are super adorable, and they keep entertaining themselves and everyone else with their shenanigans. From calling papa KJo's clothes 'girl clothes' to annoying mama Hiroo Johar, Yash and Roohi will surely bring a smile to your face.

Recently, Karan Johar shared another sweet video of his babies trying to play a game and it ended up on a hilarious note. In the video, he is seen asking his daughter, "Roohi, if you were an animal, what would you be?" "Peppa Pig," answers Roohi. When he asked the same question to Yash, he said, "Peppa Pa". When he came back to Roohi and asked which animal would he be? she answered "Elephant", with a broad smile.

Sharing the video, the director-producer wrote, "Well guess which animal I remind them of #lockdownwiththejohars #toodles #season 2 @officialpeppa (sic)". Watch the playful banter of Karan Johar and his kids Yash and Roohi:

 
 
 
View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Karan Johar (@karanjohar) onApr 24, 2020 at 5:53am PDT

Earlier the filmmaker had shared a video in which his kids were seen sitting on a sofa with a guitar in their hand and trying really hard to sing in their adorable voices.

 
 
 
View this post on Instagram

Clearly singing is not in our genes! Apologies in advance ! #lockdownwiththejohars #toodles

A post shared by Karan Johar (@karanjohar) onApr 22, 2020 at 12:19am PDT

Before this, Yash and Roohi had hilariously mocked their filmmaker dad's designer kurta in a video shot in KJO's walk-in closet.

 
 
 
View this post on Instagram

Now they think I am wearing my mothers clothes!!!! #lockdownwiththejohars #season2 #toodles #weareback

A post shared by Karan Johar (@karanjohar) onApr 20, 2020 at 3:57am PDT

If this video doesn't pull at your heartstrings, we don't know what will! Several of Karan Johar's fraternity friends and social media followers couldn't help but laugh out loud at his predicament.

Catch up on all the latest entertainment news and gossip here. Also, download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news


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Coronavirus outbreak: Not police, elephant patrols streets of Kerala amid lockdown

By www.mid-day.com
Published On :: 16 Apr 2020 21:54:15 GMT

Amid the rising number of coronavirus outbreak, a shocking video of an elephant walking on the empty streets in Kerala's Munnar district has taken the internet by storm. The heartwarming video, which has gone viral was shared by Indian Forest Service officer Sudha Ramen, who said that the elephant in the video is called Padaiyappa.

On Thursday, Sudha took to Twitter and shared the beautful video where the elephant can be seen wandering on the empty streets of Kerala amid lockdown due to coronavirus. While sharing the video with over 25,000 followers, Sudha wrote: Tusker 'Padaiyappa' on his night patrol to check on the lockdown in Munnar Town.

She further said that sighting wild elephants in Kerala is a common sight. Talking about the elephant, Sudha said that Padaiyappa has been visiting the town every now and then and is quite acquainted with the local. She said that it appears as if the elephant is on some special task this time.

In the 37-seconds video clip, the tusker can be seen walking down the empty streets of Munnar on night as the state fights the coronavirus crisis. In another tweet, Sudha said that although the elephant looks calm its best to to stay away from wild elephants, especially when it's a lone tusker.

Since the time it was shared., the video has garnered over 3,0000 views leaving netizens in awe of the elephant. One user said, "Have heard the name from locals. Seeing him for the first time," while another user wrote: It actually gives an idea why not all cities can go lock down from 10.00 pm till 05.00 am? Explaining the video, a third user commented saying, "Nature wants to bring itself back. Wonderful."

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Coronavirus outbreak: After elephant, wild bears patrol streets of Andhra Pradesh amid lockdown

By www.mid-day.com
Published On :: 19 Apr 2020 02:30:32 GMT

After a heartwarming video of an elephant walking on the empty streets in Kerala's Munnar district went viral, another viral video showing wild bears roaming freely in Tirumala, Andhra Pradesh amid lockdown has taken the internet by storm.

The viral video was shared by Twitter user Susanta Nanda, an Indian Forest Service officer who is working in Odisha. Susanta shared the video with his 30,000 followers with the caption: It's a pair of bears strolling at Tirumala to see if everything is ok in gods abode.

In the 10-seconds video clip, the wild bears can be seen crossing the empty streets of Tirumala, Andhra Pradesh amid the nationwide lockdown due to coronavirus. While sharing the video, Susanta jokingly said that the bears are making sure that everything if everything is okay in 'God's abode'. Susanta's God's abode reference was to the temple of Lord Venkateshwara which is located in Tirumala.

The short video clip went viral and has garnered over 15,000 views with 1,500 likes. Hundreds of netizens took to the comments section of the post to share their views. One user wrote, "Amazing," while another commented, "I wonder if these wild life strolling streets had their life goals to do so one day." A third user jokingly said, "Night patrol party of dear bears."

On the same day, IFS Susanta had also shared a viral video where a monkey was seen flying a kite from the terrace of a building. The video garnered over 20,000 views and brought a smile on everyone's face.

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Shocking! Viral video shows elephant chasing bikers away

By www.mid-day.com
Published On :: 1 May 2020 05:44:06 GMT

In a hair-raising video making rounds of social media, an elephant was seen charging on two bikers, forcing them to abandon their vehicles and run away. The video shared on Twitter by forest officer Susanta Nanda that was filmed by a user shows the bikers, ignoring the instructions given by the forest as they tried to cross the roads at the time as the elephant.

The user who filmed the video Sreedhar V, said while posting the video, "These two-wheeler riders did not listen to FD staff and decided to go ahead while elephants were crossing and got charged at." Nanda tweeted while sharing the video, "Gently saying no. Enough is enough. When the elephant is with calf, the gentle giant can be a real giant."

The video, shared on Wednesday garnered more than 6,500 views on Twitter with 609 likes and was retweeted 129 times. Users commenting on the video posted on how man-animal conflict puts human beings and animals in danger.

What do you think about the video?

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Maharashtra proposes tie-up for tourist homestay on Elephanta Caves island

By www.mid-day.com
Published On :: 24 Jan 2018 16:07:50 GMT

The Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) is working on a tie-up between hospitality provider Airbnb and locals for offering home-stay to tourists visiting the Elephanta Caves island located in Mumbai Harbour. The policy aims to overcome the security concerns due to high security installations facing the island that does not allow construction of hotels and night stay.



Tourism Minister Jaykumar Rawal said the 29th two-day Elephanta Festival, beginning January 27, will be held on the island itself again. After the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, the festival venue was shifted to the Gateway of India in south Mumbai. "Seventy years after Independence, the island is soon to get proper electricity connection depending upon the testing of the electricity meters," the minister said. Rawal said there are about 1,200 to 1,500 homes on the Elephanta island, also known as Gharapuri Island, located east of Mumbai.

The minister said no new constructions are allowed on the island due to high-security installations of ONGC and the Navy. The Caves are declared a heritage site by the UNESCO and protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). Rawal said the government in a tie-up with the Mumbai Port Trust and the Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) is planning a cable car over the sea for travelling to the island. The island is expected to get proper electricity connection within a week's time.

"The Elephanta festival will coincide with the culminating phase of the Mumbai Shopping Festival that will end on January 31," he said, adding that the Elephanta fest will comprise activities like treasure hunt at Elephanta, a sculpture and a painting contests with prize money. Besides this, the festival will have art, dance and music performances by Zia Nath, Sangeeta Trivedi, Sumeet Nagdev, Hans Raj Hans and others, Rawal said.

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MARTIN SAMUEL: Why Eddie Jones's future as England head coach is the real elephant in the room

By www.dailymail.co.uk
Published On :: Thu, 30 Jan 2020 22:31:04 GMT

MARTIN SAMUEL - CHIEF SPORTS WRITER: The last team to win the Six Nations on the back of a losing Rugby World Cup final was - oh wait, sorry, there isn't one.


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Heartwarming moment five elephants are rescued after getting stuck in a disused goldmine in Malaysia

By www.dailymail.co.uk
Published On :: Wed, 21 Aug 2019 11:34:14 GMT

This is the heartwarming moment five elephants were rescued from an abandoned goldmine in Malaysia. Video shows wildlife officers digging a ramp to help free the elephants.


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Pygmy elephant is found riddled with SEVENTY bullet holes after poachers killed it for its tusks

By www.dailymail.co.uk
Published On :: Tue, 01 Oct 2019 06:44:53 GMT

WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT: A male Borneo pygmy elephant was found dead in a river in Malaysia last week, and medics have confirmed the animal died after being shot 70 times at close range.


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The 'world first' transparent jungle bubbles in Thailand that let guests elephant-watch and stargaze

By www.dailymail.co.uk
Published On :: Wed, 29 Jan 2020 11:38:43 GMT

The pods, called Jungle Bubbles, have been installed at the five-star Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp & Resort in Chiang Saen, northern Thailand.


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Snack-happy elephants reach out to gorge themselves on sugar cane

By www.dailymail.co.uk
Published On :: Thu, 13 Feb 2020 01:56:29 GMT

Two elephants were travelling through Nakhon Sawan, northern Thailand, on a heavy-load lorry when it stopped at a red light on Saturday. They reached out to grab bunches of sugar cane.


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Worker has to pull out 50lbs of dung from constipated elephant's rear

By www.dailymail.co.uk
Published On :: Fri, 14 Feb 2020 11:56:09 GMT

The 60-year-old elephant, Boon Peng, was suffering abdominal pains and struggling to walk at his enclosure in Chiang Mai.


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Lunch to go! Wild elephant stops traffic to teach his son how to steal food from vehicles 

By www.dailymail.co.uk
Published On :: Wed, 26 Feb 2020 17:27:52 GMT

Two elephants stomped onto a road in Chachoengsao, Thailand and started looting food from passing vehicle, causing motorists to stop dead in their tracks.


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Traffic-stopper! Spectacular moment a herd of 50 elephants ambles across a highway in Thailand 

By www.dailymail.co.uk
Published On :: Wed, 15 Apr 2020 10:31:24 GMT

A herd of adult and baby elephants crossed a major highway in Chachoengsao. Crowds gathered either side of a road block to witness the majestic animals in a rare occurrence in the area.


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Our thousand-mile trip of a lifetime across the African bush to track elephants

By www.dailymail.co.uk
Published On :: Sat, 02 May 2020 23:02:15 GMT

Planet Earth film-maker Vanessa Berlowitz, her husband and young son didn't realise just how big an adventure it would be


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James Argent shares throwback snap of himself feeding elephants during rehab

By www.dailymail.co.uk
Published On :: Tue, 07 Apr 2020 15:17:11 GMT

The reality star shared a throwback snap from his time feeding the elephants while in rehab in Thailand on Instagram on Tuesday.


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MARTIN SAMUEL: Why Eddie Jones's future as England head coach is the real elephant in the room

By
Published On :: Thu, 30 Jan 2020 22:31:04 +0000

MARTIN SAMUEL - CHIEF SPORTS WRITER: The last team to win the Six Nations on the back of a losing Rugby World Cup final was - oh wait, sorry, there isn't one.


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Sumatran elephant found with trunk hacked off and face mutilated after straying from enclosure 

By www.dailymail.co.uk
Published On :: Fri, 17 Apr 2020 19:38:50 GMT

A male elephant was found on Wednesday afternoon in the Riau province of Indonesia. The elephant lived in the southeast Tesso elephant area of Riau's Tesso Nilo National Park.


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Fearless safari guide calmly shoos away a curious elephant

By www.dailymail.co.uk
Published On :: Thu, 20 Feb 2020 16:45:35 GMT

Eugene Troskie, 34, was repairing a waterhole's wooden perimeter in the Lions Place Lodge in Greater Kruger National Park, South Africa, when the inquisitive elephant noticed him.


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Adorable elephant calf takes a tumble

By www.dailymail.co.uk
Published On :: Sat, 11 Apr 2020 23:32:18 GMT

Every youngster loves nothing more than playing in the dirt - even this baby elephant on South Africa's Madikwe game reserve.


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Meghan Markle's Disney elephants documentary: trailer released

By www.dailymail.co.uk
Published On :: Fri, 27 Mar 2020 04:03:08 GMT

The Duchess of Sussex's first gig after quitting the royal family has been revealed - with Meghan voicing a Disney documentary on elephants.


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Meghan Markle is 'absolutely fascinated' by matriarchal leadership of elephants, say filmmakers

By www.dailymail.co.uk
Published On :: Fri, 03 Apr 2020 11:05:04 GMT

Filmmakers Mark Linfield and Vanessa Berlowitz told People magazine how Meghan Markle clearly related to mother elephants as she navigated being a first-time mother herself.


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Meghan Markle says she 'understands' elephants in interview

By www.dailymail.co.uk
Published On :: Mon, 20 Apr 2020 18:54:00 GMT

In the interview, Meghan said she was 'grateful' to have been involved in the Disney+ documentary Elephant which she hopes will teach people how similar humans are to elephants.


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