Going, Going...
This between a daughter and her mother—who suffers from Alzheimer’s—is all the Friday feels you need.
HURRICANE LAURA SMASHES THROUGH US COASTLINE The Category 4 storm with wind speeds of up to 150 miles/hour—and with storm surges up to 20 feet. It is one of the most powerful storms in US history. At least six and thousands of homes and buildings were ripped apart. See drone footage . In related disaster news: of the wildfires tearing through California went viral. AP photographer Noah Berger’s response: “It doesn’t take a lot, you just look at that sign and think, ‘That’s 2020’.” CHRISTCHURCH VICTIMS FIND CLOSURE Brenton Tarrant—the terrorist responsible for killing 51 Muslim worshippers at two mosques in New Zealand— to life without parole. It is the first time the penalty has been imposed in the nation’s history. The ruling came after days of heart-breaking victim testimonies. One example . INDIA HITS A NEW COVID RECORD The number of daily cases jumped to over 75,000 on Tuesday—and was the by any country in the world. This sudden surge came of weeks of fairly stable growth—at around the 60K range. The main reason: the highest single-day rise in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. In related unhappy news: Four members of in the Andamans have contracted the disease. The tribe has only 50 remaining members. A tainted toilet in China: Traces of the virus have been detected in —specifically, on the sink, faucet and shower handle in the bathroom. The flat was located directly above a family that tested positive. What this suggests: “the airborne pathogen may have wafted upwards through drain pipes.” Yikes! A tainted airline toilet: A woman who was evacuated from Milan to Seoul contracted the disease—despite wearing an N95 respirator mask. The reason: she removed the mask when she used the toilet. Researchers : “The toilet was shared by passengers sitting nearby, including an asymptomatic patient. She was seated three rows away from the asymptomatic patient." Double yikes! RHEA CHAKRABORTY SPEAKS UP She shared a desperate appeal which said: > “There is a threat to my life and my family’s life. We have informed the local police station and even gone there, no help > provided. We have informed the investigation authorities to help us get to them, no help arrived.” Chakraborty also spoke at length to India Today TV about her relationship with Sushant Singh Rajput, and the charges she is facing. Read the highlights on or watch the Rajdeep Sardesai . AND THE INTERNATIONAL BOOKER PRIZE GOES TO… Marieke Lucas Rijneveld, who for the best fiction translated into English. They are the youngest ever winner at the tender age of 29. The prize-winning novel: ‘The Discomfort of Evening’—which the judges deemed “visceral and virtuosic.” Rijneveld—who was raised in a strict Christian family—identifies not as trans, but as “in between”: > “As a small child I felt I was a boy, I dressed like a boy and behaved like a boy, but children at that age are still neutral in > their gender. In adolescence, when the separation became clear, I dressed like a girl and became a girl, then at 20 I went back > to the boy I was at primary school… It’s difficult for my parents to understand that I’m not the girl that they raised. It’s not > in the Bible.” ‘The Discomfort of Evening’ mirrors Rijnveld's childhood experiences. Their parents are yet to read their novel. ANUSHKA-VIRAT BABY COMETH Mr Kohli on Twitter with the photo below, accompanied by this message: “And then, we were three! Arriving Jan 2021 ❤️🙏” Also going viral: This funny making fun of the expected media frenzy. Our favourite response: Sivakami Sivakumar’s which said, “Can Virat handle the captaincy once he's a father? Will he be able to focus on the job? Career ending move, this.” Well played! GOOD DOPE FOR STRESSED ELEPHANTS Three elephants—which have recently lost their alpha female—will be given liquid doses of the cannabinoid CBD through their trunks. The experiment at the Warsaw zoo will be the first such treatment for large mammals—which has already been used to help dogs and horses. The aim: to find a non-pharmaceutical intervention to help animals held in captivity. Will the ellies get high? Nope. the veterinarian-in-charge, “Contrary to what some would imagine, the elephants won’t be using cannabis pipes nor will they be getting huge barrels of it.” VOGUE COMMISSIONS BLACK ART The cover of its September issue will feature the work of Kerry James Marshall and Jordan Casteel—rather than the traditional airbrushed photograph. The theme: Hope. The one below is by Marshall who created a fictional Black female character in a white evening dress by Virgil Abloh’s Off-White. And it’s very lovely. You can check out Casteel’s equally lovely .
This is the perfect Onam-themed . Our fave bit: Mahabali’s adorably wiggly bottom! (h/t subscriber Shilpashree Jagannathan)
A LIST OF CURIOUS FACTS * 92-year-old Nguyen Van Chien’s hair is five metres long—which he hasn’t cut, washed or combed for nearly 80 years. Yes, there is . * An anonymous New Zealander paid a record-setting $5,291 for an "extremely rare variegated Rhaphidophora tetrasperma"—i.e. a house plant—on an auction site. The final purchase price: roughly $1,325 per leaf. And yes this is a bona fide . * Yes, there is such a thing as —and it combines doomscrolling and, well, masturbating. Yes, the virus has birthed many a new and wondrous activity. * Scientists have built an army of that can fit inside a hypodermic needle! One possible use (in the distant future): to investigate the human body from the inside. * Last but definitely not least: behold ! Yup, that’s exactly what you think it is. ONE SERIOUSLY ALARMING FACT Russia just dropped declassified footage of the biggest thermonuclear bomb of all time: “Tsar Bomba”—tested by the Soviet Union in 1961. See the 100-ton nuclear bomb below. TBH, it made us nauseous but it is certainly something to behold and know. has more.
A SHORT LIST OF KHANA DELIVERY OPTIONS * Bangalore: Order your tiffin dabbas , domestic help turned master chef. We hear she also makes a mean . More on her . * Mumbai: A of personal recommendations from foodie and writer Joanna Lobo * Delhi: Vir Sanghvi’s of home delivery options—but some are pricier than others. * Onam: Tis the season for sadya. rounds up excellent options in Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore. A SHORT LIST OF HANDY GUIDES * Three for…. er, beauty addicts: toning mist, mouthwash, anti-inflammatory ice cubes. * One critical tip to help . TLDR: don’t ever indulge in ‘just in case’ peeing. * Three very effective strategies your messy flat.
: We all have a learning curve. Some are steeper than others. : It’s never ever wrong to make fun of Jason Statham. Behold an entire of cartoons doing just that. Caption for this one: “At his home gym in the Hollywood hills, Jason Statham practises medium distance flying headbutts on his specially made headbutt training area.” : Sometimes, you just gotta flex. : Sometimes, you really, really gotta flex.
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