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Tuesday November 3 2020

A Very Blue Danube

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Sanity Break #1

These are some of the vintage photos included in ‘Loving: A Photographic History of Men in Love 1850s-1950s’—and offer moving testimony to the ability of love to flourish in the midst of fear and persecution. has many more from this wonderful collection.

Sanity Break #1

Headlines that matter

JACINDA ARDERN’S INCLUSIVE CABINET After a landslide victory, the New Zealand PM announced several groundbreaking appointees to her government. Nanaia Mahuta is now the first Maori woman to become Foreign Minister. Also making history: India-born Priyanca Radhakrishnan who will hold not one but three portfolios. Her father R Radhakrishnan is an IIT grad and currently settled in Chennai. And he had typical Indian dad advice for his newly appointed daughter:   “Today, I spoke to her after hearing about her new role. She is thrilled. She is the first Indian to become a Minister in the New Zealand Government. But I have advised her to not forget the family even while pursuing a career in politics.” 🙄 has more details. has more on Mahuta. BABA KA DHABA DEBACLE It was a rare feel-good story in the midst of a pandemic. Gaurav Wasan—a food journalist with a YouTube channel—posted a video that featured an elderly couple struggling to run a dhaba in Delhi. The plight of 80-year old Kanta Prasad, and his wife Badami Devi —and the donations and crowds poured in thanks to celebs like Sonam Kapoor.  But all this goodwill has now ended in a police complaint filed by Prasad against Wasan.  The accusation: Wasan solicited donations to his bank account, and kept most of the money—transfering only Rs 2.3 lakhs to Prasad, who thinks he actually received 20-25 lakhs. Wasan has since posted details of his bank transactions, and the police has launched an investigation. has the most details. THE GLOBAL PANDEMIC: A QUICK UPDATE * Prince William back in April—at the exact same time as his father Charles. But he kept it secret because "there were important things going on and I didn't want to worry anyone". * Think the PM Cares fund is a problem? The Trump White House to a Republican donor to test plasma therapy technology—at a company located in his luxury condo.  * The first fully see-through ClearMask is for people with hearing difficulties: “Even people who have hearing aids, cochlear implants or full hearing ability may struggle in understanding someone who has their mouth covered… They hear a sound but can’t decipher it. They're left filling in the blank if they can’t see the person’s mouth.” * Indian Community Welfare Fund was set up to aid Indian citizens in an emergency situation abroad. The embassy in Saudi Arabia, for example, has Rs 23.58 crores lying in its fund. And yet none of the embassies touched one paisa to help desperate citizens stranded by the pandemic. has more on this important and outrageous story. * Two new papers suggest that unsanitary living conditions and poor access to clean drinking water may explain our low fatality rates. The reason: Indians have a more robust immune system due to a lifetime exposure to multiple viruses. has more. * An artificial intelligence model can detect via coughs recorded on the phone. The reason: While such cases do not exhibit visible symptoms, there are minute differences in how they cough. * Burger King is to eat at all fast food restaurants—including arch rival McDonald’s: "We never thought we'd be asking you to do this, but restaurants employing thousands of staff really need your support at the moment… Getting a Whopper is always best, but ordering a Big Mac is also not such a bad thing." * has an important read on how the pandemic has driven the Benarasi sari to the brink of extinction.   JOHNNY DEPP LOSES HIS LIBEL CASE The actor sued the tabloid Sun for describing him as a “wife beater.” And what followed was a very public and very lurid trial—as he and his ex-wife Amber Heard offered competing accounts of toxic marriage. The result: The judge that Depp is indeed a wife-beater: “I have found that the great majority of alleged assaults of Ms Heard by Mr Depp have been proved to the civil standard.” He said that Heard had proved 12 out of the 14 assaults alleged by her. The fallout for Depp according to a legal expert:   > “Although not a criminal determination of guilt, it is difficult to see how Depp will ever be able to shake off the ‘wife > beater’ label now, personally and professionally. The judge expressly endorsed the notion that Depp had a ‘monster side’ and > held that he did assault Heard and put her ‘in fear of her life’.”   Coming : Depp is suing Heard and the Washington Post for $50 million in a US court next year—while she him for $100 million.   A POPULAR PAINKILLER IS KILLING PEOPLE Acetaminophen (or paracetamol) is the most common drug used for headaches and other body pain. And it is indeed safe in recommended doses. But newly published research shows that precisely because it is seen as harmless, people tend to take higher and higher doses—which can result in poisoning that damages the liver, and even cause death. As the leading researcher :   > “One problem with paracetamol is that it is not effective for all patients or against all forms of pain… If the drug doesn’t > help to ease someone’s symptoms, they may be tempted to increase the dosage without consulting a medical professional. That’s > the real problem.”   So please treat your pain meds with the respect and caution they deserve.   A HAPPY CHAMELEON STORY Researchers the elusive Voeltzkow's chameleon in Madagascar—after 100 years! It was last spotted in 1913 before World War I. While the males are a boring green, the females are serious divas—sporting exotic patterns flecked with bright colours, including blue, red, purple and orange. And they change their ‘outfit’ depending on their mood. You can see these beauties below:   In other happy news: A train in the Netherlands crashed through a barrier—and would have fallen 10 metres into the water. Except it was saved by a whale sculpture, and left perching precariously on its tail. See the movie-worthy scene below  

A Very Blue Danube

Sanity Break #2

Sometimes, when the time we live in feels terrible, it always to remember that other times have been worse.

Sanity Break #2

Smart & Curious

A LIST OF CURIOUS FACTS One: The Concordia University of Michigan recently debuted a rather unfortunate and/or glorious new line of athletic wear. has this funny story, and it turns out that this isn’t really the university’s fault.   Two: The latest iPhone version iOS 14 has a ‘Back Tap’ feature that turns the back of your phone into a tappable ‘screen’. explains.   Three: This 85-year old school building in Shanghai to its new location.   Four: Mikhail Gorbachev blamed the American TV series ‘Dallas’ for the fall of the Soviet Union—or at least, that’s Eurythmics co-founder Dave Stewart.   Five: Octopi can literally taste with their tentacles—and scientists have finally discovered how they do it. explains.   Six: Seeing faces in clouds—and other random objects—is called ‘pareidolia’ and may be a sign of creativity and capacity for originality. has more on this new finding.   Seven: Right now, millions and millions of red crabs are migrating to Christmas Island in Australia to breed. And it like this.  

Smart & Curious

Feel Good Place

One: Best performance as a dead body goes to…       Two: Best goes to…   Three: Best goes to...  

Feel good place

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