A Delhi Horror Story
This is BBC’s wonderfully iterated visualisation of daily . Ok, this isn’t exactly a break from the current insanity, but it’s no less thought-provoking. Also: very pretty to look at (at least).
ATTENTION: WE NEED YOUR HELP! It’s been two months since we set out on this excellent journey—and we’ve been growing ever since. A big reason: your personal recommendation! That loving support has been priceless in keeping splainer alive and well. But as a boot-strapped baby startup, we need to keep up the momentum—more so in these difficult times. So pretty please: tell everyone you know about splainer! Share your love with friends & fam, on your social media handles and WhatsApp groups. Be sure to copy/paste that unique referral link at the bottom of your daily email (or at the bottom of your account page at the top right). Just so we can send you that thank you gift! 🙏❤️️ (More on that in our ) A RIOT IN BANGALORE * Two police stations and the residence of a Congress MLA became the target of an angry 4,000-plus Muslim mob. * The trigger: a Facebook post by the nephew of the MLA that was allegedly derogatory to the Prophet Muhammad. * The police first used tear gas and lathis to disperse the crowd—and then fired shots which left three dead. * The nephew and 145 rioters have been arrested. Under the scanner: a local Muslim group called Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI). * The state government the attack was an “organized way to create unrest." * The MLA, R. Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy, an appeal: “We’re all brothers. Whatever crime has been committed, let the law teach them a lesson… I appeal to our Muslim brothers and everyone else to maintain peace.” * has the overview. has a detailed timeline of the riot. has the politics. * Silver lining: formed a human chain to protect a Hanuman temple from the mob. See clip . A KAMALA HARRIS UPDATE * Within hours, President Trump tore into Joe Biden’s newly selected running mate—calling her “nasty” four times in a row (watch the ). explains why Harris crystallizes Trump’s ‘woman problem’. * Biden and Harris also made their first joint appearance. has that story. * But iPhone’s auto-correct still hasn't caught up with US politics. It tries Kamala with ‘Kampala’—the capital of Uganda. * Related read: on why progressives are anxious about Harris. explains why Biden picked her. * In South Asian origin-related problems: CNN offered to correctly pronouncing ‘Comma-la’. * : A Fox News host having a meltdown because someone tried to correct his pronunciation. More fun: this that has kids teaching Americans how to say it right. THE GLOBAL PANDEMIC: A QUICK UPDATE * The Gamaleya National Centre—which developed the dubious Russian vaccine—claims that it plans to hold Phase 3 trials and start “mass production” in India. But members of the government’s Covid taskforce say they what the Russians are on about: “This vaccine has not even undergone Phase 3; this vaccine is not even mentioned in the World Health Organisation’s inventory of (candidate) vaccines against Covid-19.” * released by the International Labour Organisation says that 50% of young people between the ages of 18 and 29 are at risk for anxiety and depression due to the pandemic. Mental well-being is lowest for young women and the younger end of that age group. Also: 38% are uncertain of their future career prospects, and 42% reported a sharp drop in their income. * The picture in rural India is increasingly grim. As disease spreads through the countryside, residents are of social distancing—and are abandoning face masks. * In related news: A of slum dwellers in Uttar Pradesh shows that 95% are willing to be vaccinated—but only 36% are willing to pay for it. * Meanwhile in China, a 68-year-old woman has six months after she recovered from the disease. The upside: Chinese virologists claim that reinfected patients are not infectious. Point to note: her close contacts were not infected. TWITTER GIVES MORE CONTROL OVER TROLLS You can now decide who can reply to your tweets—limiting it to those who follow you or the people you choose to tag in your tweet. The rest of the janata can still view, RT or ‘like’ the tweets. The end result: You will now be trolled on RTs rather than your own TL. has the story. See the for a guide. MCDONALD’S IS SUING ITS FORMER CEO Stephen Easterbrook was ousted last year for having inappropriate relationships with employees. Now the company to recover the $42 million in stocks they paid out as part of his severance package. The reason: They claim to have found new and more damning evidence of his crimes: > “That evidence consisted of dozens of nude, partially nude, or sexually explicit photographs and videos of various women, > including photographs of these Company employees, that Easterbrook had sent as attachments to messages from his Company email > account to his personal email account.” APPLE IS VERY ANGRY AT A ‘PEAR’ The global giant is suing a five-person startup called Prepear because their company logo is… a pear?! Apparently, this isn’t the first time: > “Before attacking us, Apple has opposed dozens of other trademark applications filed by small businesses with fruit-related > logos. Many of those were changed or abandoned. Most small businesses can't afford the tens of thousands of dollars it would > take to fight Apple." Making all this crazier: Prepear is an app for cooking recipes. See the below 🙄 :
Dua Lipa hosted the Jimmy Kimmel show. In one segment, she interviewed a bunch of old people about… Dua Lipa. The result: a delightful of the singer herself. The segment starts at the 4:15 mark.
A LIST OF GOOD READS * Amit Majmudar in the pens a powerful meditation on being a father to identical twins—each with a very different destiny—and the relationship between spirituality and science. * from Nisha Susan’s latest book of short stories is both intriguing and highly unsatisfying—kinda like hooking up as a teenager. * We read a lot in this internet age, but we forget everything we read just as easily. explains why it happens and how to make it stop. (h/t subscriber Niket Raja) * Why were medieval Europeans obsessed with insanely long and pointy shoes? Surely you want to know, and is eager to tell you. * What are those insanely overpriced MasterClass videos really selling? answer: “It reminds me of a kind of Spotify for careerist inspiration, a platform for dispensing assorted self-help and personal-development bonbons for the young capitalist striver.” This is a definite lunchtime read.
... Uncle Joey! Matt LeBlanc dancing on stage with Taylor Swift looks exactly like what you’d expect. exactly what she wanted in life—even as a Miss Femina 1998 contestant. Related thought: For the love of god, will leopard skin ever go out of style? (h/t founding member Devanshi Jain) . If your kitty-loving heart wants more, there’s a of gorgeous vintage photos of famous people with cats (esp. authors, actors and musicians).
I RECOMMEND EDITOR’S NOTE Protima Tiwary describes herself as “a digital nomad trying to travel the world one wellness vacation at a time.” She is a content creator with Google's #teampixel and brand consultant, but follows her true passion as a fitness/travel blogger—which is all about leading a mindful lifestyle. You can follow Protima’s adventures on her very popular Insta account I have been trying to follow a sustainable lifestyle for over 18 months. A big part of that is supporting local brands and initiatives, and think more deeply about what I buy. These are some of the ways in which I have tried to learn and do better in recent months. : This Netflix documentary helped me a lot when I just about realised that I want to move towards a slow, more mindful lifestyle. No, this film won’t shame you or make you feel guilty. But it reveals how your purchases have a huge impact on you and the environment. My favourite quote from their : “Minimalists don’t focus on having less, less, less. We focus on making room for more: More time, more passion, more creativity, more experiences, more contribution, more contentment, more freedom … Minimalism is the thing that gets us past the things so we can make room for life’s important things—which aren’t things at all.” : I stumbled upon this range of aromatherapy skin, hair and wellness products two years ago. I had just started making mindful choices about my beauty purchases, and this brand offered an opportunity to try chemical-free products that were also super affordable. I have been a loyal customer ever since! My favourite products include the lavender face wash and the hair fall control shampoo plus cream conditioner. I work out five days a week, and wash my hair almost every day. But I’ve never faced any problems, be it dry or thinning hair. Their combo packs also make thoughtful gifts for friends and family. : My friends and I formed this non-profit initiative that promotes a more mindful way of living. Over the past year, we have held clothes swaps and second-hand book sales in Pune, Mumbai and Bangalore. And all the money collected was donated to NGOs and to kids living in Mumbai slums. During the lockdown, we also conducted a lot of virtual sales and events—like a music, dance and arts festival—to raise money for a COVID relief fund created by our co-founder. Note: This is NOT sponsored content. We use this section to spotlight the recommendations of people we trust and admire. A LIST OF GOOD READS * Amit Majmudar in the pens a powerful meditation on being a father to identical twins—each with a very different destiny—and the relationship between spirituality and science. * from Nisha Susan’s latest book of short stories is both intriguing and highly unsatisfying—kinda like hooking up as a teenager. * We read a lot in this internet age, but we forget everything we read just as easily. explains why it happens and how to make it stop. (h/t subscriber Niket Raja) * Why were medieval Europeans obsessed with insanely long and pointy shoes? Surely you want to know, and is eager to tell you. * What are those insanely overpriced MasterClass videos really selling? answer: “It reminds me of a kind of Spotify for careerist inspiration, a platform for dispensing assorted self-help and personal-development bonbons for the young capitalist striver.” This is a definite lunchtime read. ... Uncle Joey! Matt LeBlanc dancing on stage with Taylor Swift looks exactly like what you’d expect. exactly what she wanted in life—even as a Miss Femina 1998 contestant. Related thought: For the love of god, will leopard skin ever go out of style? (h/t founding member Devanshi Jain) . If your kitty-loving heart wants more, there’s a of gorgeous vintage photos of famous people with cats (esp. authors, actors and musicians).
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