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Sanity Break #1
Believe in long shots! A timely reminder from an unlikely source. The story behind glorious event is .
Headlines that matter
SUPREME COURT BAILS OUT ARNAB After being rebuffed by the Bombay High Court, the Republic TV news owner turned to the highest court—which did the needful, so to speak. his release on interim bail in a ruling that offered a stirring defense of personal liberty. > “If this court were not to interfere today, we are travelling on a path of destruction of personal liberty undeniably…Is this > what our state governments will do to those who have to be nailed…? Don’t watch the channel if you don’t like… Left to myself I > will not watch… If state governments target individuals in this manner, let’s send out a message that the Supreme Court is > there.” Of course, there are many others who are languishing in jail, also targeted by local officials—but sadly without the benefit of the Court’s intervention. Activists like 83-year old who has been reduced to going to court just to beg for a straw—because his hands shake due to Parkinson’s disease. has a short list here. A QUICK TRUMP UPDATE The President has moved on almost everyone at the top of the Pentagon—part of what many leading journalists an attempted “coup,” while others insist it is a cover up. Also: He’s an “election defense fund” that will instead funnel money toward his own debts. In Trump-related news: His big ban on TikTok appears to have fizzled out amidst this drama. has that story. In more upbeat US news: Kamala Harris’ husband Doug Emhoff will soon be the first Second Gentleman in the nation’s history—and he plans to quit his day job (while Jill Biden keeps hers). A political expert : > “We’ve been waiting for this sort of gender switch for decades now… There is a lot of symbolism from a man stepping back from > his high-powered career in order to support his wife’s career.” AMBANI IS NOT #1 ON THIS LIST Mukesh-bhai is the richest man in Asia by a mile. But he is only #3 on the 2020 list of Indian philanthropists—and by a mile, as well. At #1: Wipro founder Azim Premji who gave away Rs 7,904 crore of his money—which is Rs 22 crore per day! He is followed by HCL Technologies' Shiv Nadar with Rs 795 crore. Mr Ambani’s total: Rs 458 crore. Guess not all contests are worth winning. () THE GREAT PANDEMIC: A QUICK UPDATE * The Indian government is poised to announce a of $20 billion to help kickstart a shrinking economy. This on top of the $27 billion package of incentives to manufacturers announced on Wednesday. * Delhi’s numbers continue to soar— new daily cases for the very first time. * shows that previous cold infections offer some level of immunity from Covid—especially for kids. * Fake Covid-negative certificates are the in places like France, Brazil and the UK—typically used by tourists to board international flights. Point to remember: 19 Indian passengers from Delhi to Wuhan who tested positive on arrival also had similar certificates. * On a lighter note, a famous bookstore in Oregon is now selling a designer that replicates the scent of books for pandemic-deprived customers: “With hints of violet, wood and biblichor, the $24.99 perfume aims to replicate the smell of old paper that ‘creates an atmosphere ripe with mood and possibility, invoking a labyrinth of books; secret libraries; ancient scrolls; and cognac swilled by philosopher-kings.’" * Also pivoting in the time of Covid: everyone’s fave beer company Bira which is planning to a range of carbonated drinks, juices, sports drinks and sparkling water. * A good read: on why India holds the key to the vaccine for most of the developing world. A BIZARRE BBC SCANDAL * Back in 1995, BBC scored a major scoop: An exclusive, first-of-its-kind candid interview with Princess Diana where she talked openly about her marital problems and struggle with bulimia. * The interviewer: Martin Bashir. The interview made waves across the world and was hailed as “the scoop of the century.” * Turns out the scoop was secured under false pretenses. Bashir forged bank documents to make Diana believe that her personal royal staff were being bribed—by tabloid journalists and security forces—to spy on her. * Worse, when BBC finally ordered an internal investigation in 1996, it let Bashir off the hook as an “honest man” who was “deeply remorseful.” But blacklisted the designer who created the documents—thinking they were going to be used as movie props. * Now, Diana’s brother Earl Spencer is on a rampage. BBC is promising yet another inquiry. But Bashir is out of commission thanks to a quadruple bypass surgery and complications from Covid. * Why this story matters: Sometimes the line between a “respectable” news source and a tabloid is very, very thin. And it’s always good to remember that when you read the news. * has the most details. THREE COOL THINGS One: During the upcoming T20 international series with India, the Australian cricket team will debut a that pays tribute to the nation’s indigenous tribes—and designed by two Indigenous women. According to authorities, “The design is an ode to the ancestors and past, present and future aboriginal cricketers.” Two: Playboy Mexico will make history by featuring the first-ever transwoman on its cover. This is especially important because the country has the second highest rate of murders of trans women in the world. Point to note: She is ever tran woman to appear in the magazine: > “[I]n 1981, Caroline (Tula) Cossey, a transgender English model, appeared in a Playboy pictorial for the James Bond film ‘For > Your Eyes Only’ alongside other Bond girls [in the United States]. She was outed shortly afterward by a British tabloid, but > returned to the pages of Playboy in 1991 for a solo pictorial, a first for a transgender woman.” The US edition also featured Ines Rau as the first ever trans Playmate of the Month in 2017. The Playboy Mexico cover is : Three: It’s never too late to create things of great beauty. Splainer subscriber and supporter Aparna Jain started teaching herself how to paint three years ago, and turned it into a daily practice. One painting a day for 15 minutes every morning at 5:45 am. That hobby turned into a passion during the lockdown—and now a small but exquisite collection of table linen featuring her no less exquisite floral watercolours. You can check them out—and grab a set—at her . This is the one we are eyeing (PS: we don’t get paid for supporting the amazing work of our subscribers. We happily do it for free!):
Sanity Break #2
This is the grand prize winner of the Bug Photography Award taken by Mofeed Abu Shalwa—who first began taking pictures of bugs to help overcome his childhood phobia of insects. This lovely thing is a palm weevil—whose larvae can excavate holes up to a metre long in palm trees, weakening and even killing the host plant. of creepy crawly winners is truly remarkable. Feel free to admire them—at a safe and very great distance.
Feel Good Place
The real winner of the IPL: Nattakan Chantam. (h/t founding member Dipika Kalra) Every woman’s Bumble nightmare. This. For no reason whatsoever except that we can’t stop watching it.
I recommend
I RECOMMEND EDITOR’S NOTE Namita Kulkarni is an artist, yoga teacher and writer. Her personal blog is one of the top 50 yoga blogs in the world. For Namita, reading is an inherently political act and so we asked her to share the books that transformed her view of the world and herself. Well, it was either that or late-night desserts—which are her other great passion:) For anyone who has been paying any attention to patriarchy’s ever-growing f***ery, you know by now that the game is rigged. There is no justice to be had from/within systems designed to oppress us. For me, books have been a lifeline. These three offer a radical rethink of our beliefs, systems and ways of living. They are relevant now more than ever because they point toward the cultural resets we can create for a better world. For anyone who is done being “nice” and settling for crumbs, this book by Mona Eltahawy will speak to your soul. Open to any page, skim through any paragraph and before you know it, you’re on fire—in the most energizing, life-affirming sense of the phrase. The seven sins are: Anger, Attention, Profanity, Ambition, Power, Violence, Lust. The very things forbidden to women are exactly what we need to disrupt patriarchy. The chapters are filled with anecdotes, news stories from various countries (including surprisingly perceptive ones from India)—offered with ruthless hilarity and a no bs precision in exposing the deceptions of the patriarchy. You will be entertained while being radicalized. Thank me later. This book by Sonya Renee Taylor explores radical self-love as the foundation of who we are—not as another destination we need to strive toward. I first chanced upon Sonya via one of her compelling —which I HIGHLY recommend. If you’ve spent three minutes watching any of those, you won’t need any convincing to read her book, which includes this quote: “Equally damaging is our insistence that all bodies should be healthy. Health is not a state we owe the world. We are not less valuable, worthy, or lovable because we are not healthy. Lastly, there is no standard of health that is achievable for all bodies.” This resonated with me all the more as a yoga teacher working in an industry that largely thrives on equating health with self-worth. Detaching one from the other will instead improve both our self-worth and health, in that order. There’s some hoes in this book (I hope you sang that?) by Inga Muscio. My favorite chapter is titled ‘Whores’. Did you know that Princess Diana once called herself the highest paid prostitute in the world? This is just one of many fascinating anecdotes and insights in this chapter about reclaiming the word ‘whore’, and the history of whoredom. Also, I don’t know about you, but I like the idea of reclaiming the word ‘c**t’—one of the most derogatory expletives assigned to female genitalia. Coincidence much? Not in a world where misogyny is baked into our language and bursts open in our most loaded cuss words. For a fun social experiment, read this book on public transport in a c**t-fearing society such as.. I dunno ..most of human-occupied Earth? As actor Margaret Cho said of this book, everyone who was born of a c**t should read this book. I’m inclined to agree. PS from the editor: It is our editorial policy to asterisk most expletives out of respect for our diverse audience—even though we curse like sailors:) In this instance, it is not intended to undermine Namita’s point about the importance of reclaiming this word. Note: This is NOT sponsored content. We use this section to spotlight the recommendations of people we trust and admire. The real winner of the IPL: Nattakan Chantam. (h/t founding member Dipika Kalra) Every woman’s Bumble nightmare. This. For no reason whatsoever except that we can’t stop watching it.
