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Sanity Break #1
SANITY BREAK Russians are just so extra! They’ve taken the Getty Museum Challenge—to recreate famous works of art while self-isolating—to a ! We are in love! (h/t Founding Member, Maneesh Goyal)
Headlines that matter
HEADLINES THAT MATTER JAIR BOLSONARO HAS COVID Brazil’s 65-year-old president took off his mask to deliver the news to reporters, saying: “There’s no reason for fear. That’s life.” (Watch him ) He previously claimed that even if he became infected, he was sure to recover because of his “athlete’s background.” And ever since the pandemic began, Bolsonaro has called fear about the virus “overblown”—often attending rallies without a mask. Point to note: Brazil is the worst-hit nation in the world with more than 1.6 million cases and 65,000 deaths. () WORRIES ABOUT GALWAN show that both India and China have dismantled their encampments at the point of conflict. But military sources that the agreement will result in a loss of Indian territory. > “With Chinese troops already having intruded more than 2 km into areas that India has traditionally claimed, occupied and > patrolled, a mutual pullback of 2 kilometres would create a 4-kilometre-deep “buffer zone” that would lie entirely in Indian > territory. Senior military officers point out that Indian troops have historically patrolled up to the areas of PP14, PP15, PP17 > and PP17A. A ‘mutual pullback’ and ‘buffer zone’ agreement would mean these areas would now be out of bounds.” that this is an indirect means to enforce China’s interpretation of the Line of Actual Control. More such buffer zones are planned in Lake Pangong and Hot Springs—the other hotspots on the Ladakh border. Point to note: other officials insist these zones are temporary and will be dismantled once disengagement is complete. ALSO IN RETREAT: TIKTOK The company has in Hong Kong, and plans to exit within days. The reason: the imposition of a highly restrictive national security law on the city. Google, Facebook, WhatsApp, Microsoft, Twitter, and Zoom have temporarily stopped processing Hong Kong government requests for user data—out of concern that it may be used to squash free speech. TikTok, however, has bailed entirely for another reason—the need to distance itself from its Chinese parent company Bytedance. And why is that? Because the and are threatening to ban the app—accusing it of turning over user data to the Chinese government. In TikTok-related news: Capitalising on TikTok’s exile from India, Instagram has rolled out its own video-sharing program called Reels. explains how it works. Also coming soon: An to Zoom and JioMeet. THE INDIAN PANDEMIC: A QUICK UPDATE * The number of cases: 742,416. Number of deaths: 20,642. Number of recoveries: 456,830. * While India has now conducted more than 10 million tests, the number is still low compared to China (90 million), Russia (21 million) and the United States (38 million). Our rate of testing: 7,400 tests per million. * The worrying bit: the actual number of people being tested may be even lower. The reason: multiple tests are conducted on the same person. And in earlier months, each person who tested positive also had to undergo an ‘exit test’. has more details. * A must read: ’ investigation into the thriving black market for two critical Covid treatment drugs: remdesivir and tocilizumab. * Also in short supply: used to treat diseases like AIDS. The culprit: the lockdown that disrupted supply chains and access to health services. This has created a global shortage since India accounts for more than 80% of generic antiretrovirals produced worldwide. * India also has a . No, it’s not a shortage but a surplus. In the early months, medical consensus emphasised putting patients on ventilators as quickly as possible. But now it has shifted toward giving them oxygen support instead—because it is far less invasive and has fewer long-term effects. The result: Indian companies who rushed to manufacture ventilators have very few takers for their product. TEST CRICKET IS BAAACK! England and West Indies will play their first match today in Southampton—according to the rules set out in a 74-page booklet issued by the English board. There will be no handshakes at the toss. Umpires will carry their own balls, and call for breaks to sanitise the stumps. Also this: “If the ball goes into the stands for six then squad players wearing gloves will throw it back. Nobody else is allowed to touch it.” () RUSSIA’S ICE CREAM PROBLEM President Putin is being urged to ban an ice cream because it amounts to “propaganda” for homosexuality. A women’s group claims it is targeting children: "They're quietly promoting these nice rainbow colours, using nice words, they're advertising an ice cream called Rainbow." The maker of the offending ice cream insists: “We believe that the rainbow is sunlight after the rain, not the LGBT flag.” Point to note: While homosexuality is legal in Russia, it is illegal to advocate or “promote” it. Also: the rampant homophobia has led to horrific instances of anti-gay violence. () YO-YO MA PAYS TRIBUTE TO ENNIO MORRICONE The legendary composer—best known for his scores for spaghetti Westerns like ‘The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly’— on Monday. In tribute, Yo-Yo Ma out this performance of the Love Theme from ‘Cinema Paradiso’.
Sanity Break #2
SANITY BREAK Dior’s for its Autumn-Winter collection is very odd and very compelling. There are forest nymphs in black gowns, mermaids and goat-men (?!). Excellent time-pass for your lunch break. PS: skip to the 1:25 mark if you want to get to weird bits asap!
Smart & Curious
SMART & CURIOUS A LIST OF INTRIGUING SEX/LOVE THINGS * was recovered from a 1711 pirate shipwreck. Also: “The urethral syringe contained mercury, which most likely treated pirates aboard ailing from syphilis.” Just sayin’! * was used to achieve the ‘pure and germless kiss’. Recommended usage as per magazine: “use this small racket after washing it in an antiseptic.” Umm, no. * titled ‘The Kiss’ is intended as a companion piece to the more famous ‘The Thinker’—and has been called “the frankest—and most popular—images of carnal love in the history of art”. But Rodin himself dismissed it as “a large sculpted knick-knack following the usual formula.” For a boundary-breaking Rodin sculpture of female sexuality, scroll to see the ‘Iris, Messenger of the Gods.’ A SHORT LIST OF GOOD READS * essay on why we travel and how India changed him is a must-read. * This column makes a passionate and provocative argument against putting products on sale! * explains how ‘white’ became a metaphor for all things good. * has an excellent write-up on Chennai-based comedian Abhishek Kumar who created the priceless Miss Janaki.
Weekend advisory
LIFE ADVISORY IMPROVE THAT VIDEO-CON EXPERIENCE magazine offers seven handy tips to improve every aspect of a Zoom (or JioMeet) meeting—be it clearer video, fuller audio, and better connections. Also guaranteed to improve your Zoom experience: ! (a big thank you to our founding member Stuti Johri for this priceless tip!) UP THE LAUGHTER (YOGA) QUOTIENT IN YOUR LIFE Curious about Hasya Yoga? There’s more to it than just laughing maniacally in the middle of your local park. Brazilian instructor Sandro Lobo explains to BBC News how and why faking laughter actually works. HAVE MORE ATMA NIRBHAR CHOCOLATE Chocolate makes everything better. So forget about Zoom calls or even yoga. Just pick one of these 11 delicious Indian chocolates curated by .
Feel Good Place
THE FEEL GOOD PLACE offers an expert guide to making a Ritviz song in two minutes. It’s brilliant! great wisdom on a very important subject: how to get away with daylight robbery! a lesson in military strategy: how to defeat a vastly superior furry foe!
Reading Habit
READING HABIT WORDS WITH DEEPANJANA PAL Each month, will bring a short, snappy and fun interview with an author to give you a quick peek into their reading and writing habits. This week, Deepanjana Pal, author of ‘’, tells us why she’d like to live as Bertie Wooster. Which fictional character would you like to switch lives with? Bertie Wooster — partly because I really want a Jeeves to manage my life for me right now (especially the household chores) and partly because it would be nice to glimpse the buttery privilege of being a rich white man. A book that’s overhyped, according to you. Just one? ‘’. A book that made you cry. So many. The first that comes to mind is ‘’. A sentence that you are proud of having written. I’m still working on that. What is the one word you’d like to erase from your vocabulary? Praxis. TCR’S PICKS FOR THE WEEK Here’s a round-up of some of our favourite literary reads and a short podcast for you to delve into. * to President Snow’s enigmatic backstory in this short narration of Suzanne Collins’ ‘’ and uncover his journey to ruthlessness. * Read this extremely important on why using the right pronoun matters. * We’ve all heard of true crime novels. Now, brace yourselves for a new genre – . (And yes, there are book recommendations.) * what NK Jemisin and other authors have to say about writing characters of other identities, and what they keep in mind while doing so. This is an old one, but worth reading. * Follow an assistant director’s as he reaches out to strangers in search of an unpublished German book. Brought to you by SMART & CURIOUS A LIST OF INTRIGUING SEX/LOVE THINGS * was recovered from a 1711 pirate shipwreck. Also: “The urethral syringe contained mercury, which most likely treated pirates aboard ailing from syphilis.” Just sayin’! * was used to achieve the ‘pure and germless kiss’. Recommended usage as per magazine: “use this small racket after washing it in an antiseptic.” Umm, no. * titled ‘The Kiss’ is intended as a companion piece to the more famous ‘The Thinker’—and has been called “the frankest—and most popular—images of carnal love in the history of art”. But Rodin himself dismissed it as “a large sculpted knick-knack following the usual formula.” For a boundary-breaking Rodin sculpture of female sexuality, scroll to see the ‘Iris, Messenger of the Gods.’ A SHORT LIST OF GOOD READS * essay on why we travel and how India changed him is a must-read. * This column makes a passionate and provocative argument against putting products on sale! * explains how ‘white’ became a metaphor for all things good. * has an excellent write-up on Chennai-based comedian Abhishek Kumar who created the priceless Miss Janaki. LIFE ADVISORY IMPROVE THAT VIDEO-CON EXPERIENCE magazine offers seven handy tips to improve every aspect of a Zoom (or JioMeet) meeting—be it clearer video, fuller audio, and better connections. Also guaranteed to improve your Zoom experience: ! (a big thank you to our founding member Stuti Johri for this priceless tip!) UP THE LAUGHTER (YOGA) QUOTIENT IN YOUR LIFE Curious about Hasya Yoga? There’s more to it than just laughing maniacally in the middle of your local park. Brazilian instructor Sandro Lobo explains to BBC News how and why faking laughter actually works. HAVE MORE ATMA NIRBHAR CHOCOLATE Chocolate makes everything better. So forget about Zoom calls or even yoga. Just pick one of these 11 delicious Indian chocolates curated by . THE FEEL GOOD PLACE offers an expert guide to making a Ritviz song in two minutes. It’s brilliant! great wisdom on a very important subject: how to get away with daylight robbery! a lesson in military strategy: how to defeat a vastly superior furry foe!
