Bubbles, Bubbles Everywhere
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Sanity Break #1
SANITY BREAK Choreographer Jamar Roberts’s “Cooped” was meant to be a statement about quarantine. But it is all the more powerful when viewed through the lens of the protests. Read more about him .
Headlines that matter
HEADLINES THAT MATTER CYCLONE NISARGA: NOT SO BAD AFTER ALL The storm proved less fearsome than expected. It hit Alibaug mid-afternoon at 110 km/hour, but quickly weakened to 60-70 km/hour by 5:30 pm. But this is what it looked like at its worst. GOOGLE SUED FOR SNOOPING Your ‘incognito’ browsing is not quite incognito. Google just got sued for $5 billion for tracking user activity even when in stealth mode. Google Ad Manager and Google Analytics continue to collect data—tracking the “most intimate and potentially embarrassing things” they search for online. Google’s response: “As we clearly state each time you open a new incognito tab, websites might be able to collect information about your browsing activity.” Clearly, not clearly enough. () RAGE OVER RACISM: A US UPDATE * The police officer who pressed his knee into George Floyd's neck has been charged with a new, more serious count of second-degree murder. More importantly: the three other officers on scene have now been indicted for aiding and abetting. () * If you read one thing about President Trump and the protests, make it this account of his surprise visit to a church. This is 48 minutes—pieced together by multiple eyewitnesses—and the result is astonishing and shocking. * profiles the protesters killed in demonstrations across the United States. * explains why the Blackout Tuesday protest—ceasing all business and social media activity for a day—became controversial, and ultimately, counterproductive. * Last not least: Trump and the Statue of Liberty. There have been many Trump memes, but pretty much sums it up. THE SHAMEFUL DEATH OF AN ELEPHANT Someone in Kerala fed a pregnant elephant a pineapple stuffed with firecrackers. It exploded in her mouth and she died standing in a pond of water. The killing has shocked many in a nation that has recently witnessed countless images of suffering. Perhaps because there are no political calculations or historic inequality that can explain this seemingly inexplicable cruelty. Worse: a similar incident occurred . Kerala’s chief wildlife warden has promised the culprits will be found and arrested. : > “Farmers are known to keep pineapples and other fruits stuffed with firecrackers to kill wild boars that ravage the crops. Under > the Wildlife Protection Act, capturing, trapping, poisoning or baiting of any wild animal or even attempting to do so carry a > fine of up to ₹25,000 or a jail term of up to seven years, or both.” A Kerala forest officer also : "No one would have fed the pineapple to the elephant. The animal must have found it lying somewhere and must have consumed it herself not knowing what lies ahead for her." Also: you can sign to add your voice to the collective call for justice. But we may also want to think about how to minimise human-wildlife conflict in a sustainable way. Or else there will be plenty other such pineapples and dead animals in the future. THE LATEST COVID GYAAN IS HERE : First, Lancet published a study that showed hydroxychloroquine was not just ineffective as a Covid-19 treatment—but likely to cause dangerous side-effects. WHO cancelled its HCQ trials and France stopped using the anti-malarial drug. But India was not convinced, and we have continued to use it—not for treatment but as a protective measure for frontline workers. Now, this plot mein twist: Lancet has red flagged the study—pointing to serious problems with the database used to arrive at its results. In fact, the New England Journal of Medicine has raised concerns about another study using the same database—and authored by the same set of researchers: Mandeep Mehra, Desai SS and Frank Ruschitzka. The result: WHO is reviving its HCQ trials. And we’re no wiser than before. : In terms of treatment, a new human trial confirmed convalescent plasma therapy as a safe treatment option for severe cases. Point to note: this was the largest such trial and the results have been peer-reviewed. What is ? That’s when doctors transfer blood plasma from patients who have recovered from Covid-19—since it has antibodies—to save critically ill patients. The hope is that the antibodies will help them fight back the virus. Around the world, the consensus is that people can go back to workplaces with adequate distancing—and thermal scanners. But here’s : > “One recent study showed that about 70% of patients sick enough to be hospitalized for Covid-19 did not have fevers. Coupled > with the fact that most people infected with the coronavirus do not have symptoms, screening for temperatures will miss at least > 86% of infected individuals, and likely miss an even higher percentage.” FACEBOOK HAS A NEW INDIAN DEAL It has hooked up with Saregama, one of India’s oldest and largest music labels. Insta and Facebook users will soon be able to add an old Mohammed Rafi song to their posts and stories via ‘music stickers’. Spotify recently sealed a deal with Saregama as well. () MODI-JI HAS A NEW BOOK… WE THINK A new biography of the PM—titled ‘Narendra Modi-Harbinger of Prosperity & Apostle of World Peace’—was recently released. And the chief guest at the launch was a former Supreme Court Chief Justice, no less. But this intriguing, unearthed a wealth of intriguing facts about the book and its authors. We insist you go down this bizarre rabbit hole. WEF PLANS TO OPEN FOR BUSINESS The glitzy World Economic Forum is usually reserved for very special—i.e. very powerful, influential or rich—people. And it will be held as scheduled next January. But this time, the forum plans to ‘open’ its doors to us plebes… virtually. : > "Next year’s event, according to the head of the WEF, will operate in the form of “twin summits” that take place both at Davos > and online… [T]housands of young people around the world will be given the opportunity to join a “powerful virtual hub network” > to interact with Davos leaders in 2021. The more than 400 “hubs,” located all over the world, will be “open to everyone." Aww, we’ve always wanted to visit a WEF hub. A STAGGERING LOSS OF TREES In 2019, the world lost a football pitch-sized area of tropical rainforest every six seconds. A total of 9.3 million acres were destroyed due to farming, wildfires, logging, and mining. ()
Sanity Break #2
SANITY BREAK In 1900, a German chocolate company produced a series of imagining life in the year 2000. They are both delightful and—given our reality in 2020—highly optimistic.
Smart & Curious
SMART & CURIOUS A LIST OF INTRIGUING THINGS * A man a 75-day meditation retreat and asked on Twitter: ‘‘Did I miss anything?” * Austria turn the house where Hitler was born into a police station—to ensure it doesn’t become a shrine. * Researchers have a 110-million year old fossilised stomach of a dinosaur. We now know exactly what it had for dinner. * Vogue UK has a new kind of for its July issue—which will feature a community midwife, a train driver and a supermarket worker. A LIST OF GOOD READS * So why is a tiger more likely to be infected by Covid-19 than a dog? explains. * What do your favourite flowers mean? offer a fun guide. * The internet dramatically changed the global environmental movement, and for good. deep dive is an important reminder of the upside of the internet—at a time when it is easy to demonise. * We are looking forward to checking out Megha Majumdar’s ‘A Burning’ after reading this rave review in . * Saurabh Sharma profiles two young Hindi journalists who cycled for ten days from Delhi to Lucknow to cover the migrant crisis. This is a reminder that some of the best and bravest journalism isn’t in English. * has a great feature on Indian handicraft artisans who are turning to creating pandemic-themed art to cope with losing their livelihoods. EVERYONE’S MAD AT THESE ADORABLE OTTERS Singapore’s otters have long been beloved by city residents—as long as they knew their place. But thanks to the lockdown, they’re now wandering around shopping centres and even a hospital lobby. Cue a massive backlash. But hey, they have Singapore PM Lee on their side. He declared: "Rather than being focused on protecting 'territory', we must find ways to coexist and thrive with our local flora and fauna." ()
Weekend advisory
LIFE ADVISORY SO YOU WANNA HAVE SOME SAFE SEX… Well, you better reach for a condom… and a face mask! A new Harvard study looked at the risk factors attached to sexual activity and recommended: > “minimising the number of sexual partners, avoiding sex partners with symptoms consistent with SARS-CoV-2, avoiding kissing and > sexual behaviours with a risk for fecal-oral transmission or that involve semen or urine, wearing a mask, showering before and > after sexual intercourse, and cleaning of the physical space with soap or alcohol wipes.” Whew! Just reading that made us too tired to have sex. () SO YOU WANNA TAKE A MORATORIUM ON THAT LOAN… It is tempting to opt for a no-cost EMI to buy a phone or laptop. But now you are planning to opt for a moratorium to stem the bleeding bank balance. explains why that is a terrible idea. SO YOU WANT TO LEARN INDIGO’S SECRET SAUCE… Tune into Scroll’s latest initiative to support the restaurant industry—where they feature one star Indian chef who shares his recipes and techniques on Facebook and Instagram. Their first star curator: former Indigo owner—and current founder of Qualia—Rahul Akerkar. We’re excited… and we don’t even cook. () SO YOU WANNA STAY BRALESS… One of the great womanly joys of the lockdown was the ability to stay bra-free all day (at least for many of us). But is it a good idea (feminist ideals apart)? The answer is no—not if you have large breasts. ()
Feel Good Place
THE FEEL GOOD PLACE : a best and most honest guide. : a very awesome invention that allows you to hug grandma. : The best and most honest assessment. A guide to hitching a ride.
