A Train to Nowhere
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Sanity Break #1
SANITY BREAK This week, a sign outside a chemist’s shop in Ludhiana went viral—in a country where sons take over the ‘family business’ and daughters are deemed ‘paraya dhan’. tracked down Mr Gupta and his daughter Akanksha (there is only one). Says Mr Gupta, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave the slogan ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ but I added another aspect to it, ‘Beti Badhao’. A daughter’s name can also take family businesses ahead.” 👏🏽
Headlines that matter
HEADLINES THAT MATTER US-CHINA SLUGFEST OVER HONG KONG There’s a big battle brewing between the two superpowers that could have lasting consequences for the world order: * The trigger is China’s plan to pass a new that threatens the autonomy of Hong Kong. The law—whose details are unclear—is likely to crack down on free speech and dissent, bringing the city in line with the mainland. * Now, the United States has a special trading relationship with Hong Kong—i.e. it benefits from lower tariffs and other preferential benefits. This is key to the city’s status as a global financial hub. * But this benefit is conditional on HK maintaining partial autonomy—which the State Department has to certify to Congress each year. * And that brings us to the State Secretary Mike Pompeo’s bombshell move. He sent a notice to Congress declaring: “No reasonable person can assert today that Hong Kong maintains a high degree of autonomy from China, given facts on the ground.” * It isn’t clear as yet if Hong Kong will lose its special trading status. But the US-China relationship—already frayed over the pandemic—is likely to get even uglier. * And it isn’t good news for the city—which has the most to lose, both in terms of freedom and prosperity. offers more analysis of the impact. * In related news: Trump has offered between India and China to resolve recent border tensions. NASA CANCELS ITS BIG LAUNCH The US space agency was planning to send its astronauts back into space for the first time since 2011—and in collaboration with Elon Musk’s SpaceX. But bad weather forced it to nix the plan a mere 17 minutes before liftoff. The new date for departure: Saturday, May 30. () THE COVID EFFECT: THE GLOBAL EDITION No singing in Germany: The country has reopened bars and restaurants, but has firmly on public singing, i.e. church choirs. The reason: We “inhale and exhale very deeply” when we sing, and “if there are virus particles floating in the air then they can get into the lungs relatively quickly.” Point to note: one of the most infamous superspreader events in the US was a choir practice in Washington state. IT offices get Covid-ready: Indian companies are getting ready to get at least a small percentage of their employees back to the office. In the works: everything from apps that restrict employee movement to facial recognition systems. has more details. A period-sized problem: The lockdown has been exceptionally hard for women in rural areas who have no access . Many have been forced to make do with “old cloth or bits of hay, mud or ash wrapped in rags to manage the bleeding.” TWITTER FACT-CHECKS TRUMP For the first time ever, the platform slapped ‘fact checking’ labels on two of the US Prez’s tweets—labelling them potentially misleading. What he claimed in those tweets: mail-in electoral ballots can lead to widespread voter fraud. () AN UPDATE ON THE LATEST COVID GYAAN Is 6 feet enough? That’s the distance recommended to ensure social distancing. But a new suggests that the virus can travel as far as 20 feet under certain conditions. In hot and dry weather, the droplets we exhale form “aerosol particles that are able to carry the virus and float in air for hours.” Beware your immune system? The multiple organ failure in some patients that mystifies doctors may be due to a cytokine storm—i.e. your body’s overreaction to the presence of an invader. offers an in-depth look at exactly how the immune system reacts to the virus—triggering “a ferocious rampage through the body, from brain to toes.” Mystery of very ill children: For over a month, there have been reports of a mysterious illness affecting children—and it is clearly linked to the virus. did some digging to figure out what we know and don’t know about this frightening phenomenon. ELON MUSK & TOM CRUISE KI JODI Two of the oddest men in the world are coming together to make a movie that will be shot at least partly in outer space—in collaboration with NASA, no less. And the project now has a director: Doug Liman of ‘The Bourne Identity’ and ‘American Made’ fame. We predict: a movie that is either seriously awesome or very, very bad. () COVID A**HOLE OF THE DAY Kent RO had a very bright idea: why not sell our atta maker by shaming the household help! The result: the Instagram ad below that triggered rightful rage. It has since been .
Sanity Break #2
SANITY BREAK A Korean design house has created the coolest kind of public art: an anamorphic illusion using the largest and highest definition outdoor advertising screen. has more details.
Smart & Curious
SMART & CURIOUS A LIST OF GOOD READS * There was a time when remote working and flex time was all the rage. But it never really worked out. And it may not last this time around either. explains why remote work is hard. * asked whatever happened to Ravi Shastri—the outspoken rebel of the 80s and 90s. Here’s . * There’s been plenty of writing on India’s airline woes. But reminds us that without a cursed Indigo or GoAir, we may be headed back in the future— to the good old days when flying was a privilege of the rich. * There’s also been a lot written on the devastation wreaked by Amphan. But this report truly captures what has been lost in the Sunderbans. * offers a fun read on corsets and their return to celebrity fame. (Image: ) THE LATEST STREETWEAR ACCESSORY: A CAR The collaboration between the uber-chill skateboard brand Supreme and Lamborghini marks the evolution of streetwear—and its male customers who now want new playthings that remind them of childhood. Like cars! () A LIST OF INTRIGUING THINGS * An flew a whopping 7,500 miles—surviving ocean crossings and high winds and travelled across 16 countries. * Scientists are working on a “that could see farther and in finer detail than the human eye, with potential to restore sight or even surpass healthy normal sight—including seeing in the dark.” Enuf said. * is re-creating the Bond DB5 from the 1964 movie “Goldfinger,” starring Sean Connery—down to the last detail except for that ejector seat! Also: the machine gun won’t shoot bullets either. * Hong Kong will become the world’s first airport to a “full-body disinfection channel.” A POWERFUL VIDEO ON DOMESTIC VIOLENCE We are not going to say much about this public service starring Nandita Das except: please watch!
Weekend advisory
LIFE ADVISORY HAPPY NEWS FOR ALL RUNNERS, JOGGERS ETC. Doctors say you don’t need to wear a face mask—in fact, you should not wear one! Reason one: it restricts the amount of oxygen you breathe in. Reason two: a sweaty mask loses its ability to repel microbes. Just don’t run in groups or in crowded places. () ARE YOU RAISING A PICKY EATER? According to a new pediatric study, parents who restrict certain foods or demand that their kids eat a certain amount of food turn them into fussy and exasperating brats. The reason: “These kids probably have ‘thousands of negative memories about food,’ such as conflict over meals, unexpected tastes and discomfort.” () HERE’S WHY INTERMITTENT FASTING ISN’T WORKING Everyone is raving about all the weight they lost on IF. But what if it's just not happening for you? New research suggests that the alternating between eating freely and not very much isn’t a great idea. Reason one: we unconsciously overeat when we know that tomorrow is starve-yourself day. Reason two: we hardly move our bodies on days that we do fast. Even the simplest tasks like washing dishes fall by the wayside. ()
Feel Good Place
THE FEEL GOOD PLACE ? Scratch that! It’s a life-endangering truck ride up in the Himalayas—and it’s winning the internet! wants you to know he is working out. He’s trying to achieve ‘180 landings’—which looks very hard, boring and highly unnecessary unless you are being paid a lot of money to be in that kind of shape. Which he is. is working on a new story: The Ickabog. And she wants you to illustrate the book for her. Just send your entries to her publishers. hilariously mocks academic theories that make outlandish claims—such as the link between meat-eating and aggressiveness. was declared extinct—thought to have disappeared, oh, about 100,000 years ago. It has now suddenly come back to life!
