Election Badge
Wednesday August 5 2020

Going Up in Smoke

Read More

Sanity Break #1

of Bharatnatyam—in the loosest sense of the word—has purists up in arms. But we totally ❤️️ the upbeat and goofy vibe. This is a perfect ‘hump day’ share! Check out Insta account for more of the same.

Sanity Break #1

Headlines that matter

VIVO SAYS NO TO IPL Border tensions have claimed their latest victim. BCCI, the Indian cricket board, has unofficially confirmed that the Chinese smartphone company will not be the official sponsor for the upcoming tournament in UAE. This is not a breakup but a ‘break’—as in a one-year moratorium, after which both sides will ink a fresh deal. An official told :   > “There is a lot of negative sentiments against the Chinese companies and it is likely to grow, hence it is felt by both the > sponsor as well as BCCI it will be better to take a break and wait for the situation to improve.”   Point to note: Most Indian outlets are framing this as a BCCI decision, based on reporting from BCCI sources. And there was from rightwing Hindu groups to dump Vivo. But it isn’t clear who pulled the trigger.    The lost meal ticket: Vivo signed a Rs 22 billion five-year contract—after Pepsi walked out of a contract for Rs 3.9 billion in 2017. And most that the deal was a “highly overvalued one and close to 40% above what should’ve been.”  BCCI kept Rs 2.2 billion each year, divvying up the rest of the Rs 4.4 billion annual rev among the eight teams. It will be difficult to find an equivalent replacement within 45 days. One league source told : "Even if the Board can get a replacement at 50% of the value, it'll be an achievement.”   Also worth noting: The eight franchises are already unhappy that they will not earn from stadium tickets—since the games will be closed. The loss of their cut of Vivo moolah will add to this year’s bad news. There’s now among the team owners.   TIKTOK’S AMERICAN DRAMA CONTINUES The Chinese state-controlled media—which closely reflect the government’s view— the forced sale of its US operations, warning that Beijing “will by no means accept the ‘theft’ of a Chinese technology company, and it has plenty of ways to respond if the administration carries out its planned smash and grab.”   President Trump, OTOH, is doing his best to live down to everyone’s worst expectations. He told Microsoft—TikTok’s most likely buyer—that the US government must get a cut of the sale proceeds. :    > “It’s a little bit like the landlord-tenant... Without a lease, the tenant has nothing. So they pay what’s called key money. The > United States should be reimbursed, or should be paid a substantial amount of money, because without the United States, they > don’t have anything.”   Apparently, Microsoft does not have the right to buy TikTok “unless we give it to them.” thinks this makes company CEO Satya Nadella the “kingmaker,” while others :   > “Microsoft should be ashamed of themselves for going along with this. They’re not just trying to win a deal, they’re enabling a > President to paint gray ethical if not legal lines which had been black and white.”   THE GLOBAL PANDEMIC: A QUICK UPDATE * Someone gave Trump a bunch of charts. He then flung them at an Axios reporter, making wild claims about US numbers. The is comedy gold, while the full interview is .  * Speaking of Americans, lots of them are sneaking to Canada—which has banned all non-essential movement across the border. And it’s making Canadians very angry because they don’t want visitors from "the biggest petri dish in the world." * Also in the US: Colleges are making plans to reopen—which includes strict guidelines on when to immediately shut down. According to the , these include “a student death, high rates of employee absenteeism, limited isolation facilities and a two-week upward swing in the percentage of tests coming back positive.” * Scientists that a second wave is likely to hit France in autumn or winter.  * Closer to home: In a worrying new trend, recovered patients in Mumbai are heading back to hospital —“a severe scarring of tissues in the lungs that causes shortness of breath, requiring oxygen support for long durations and, in some case, for the rest of the life.” * Also in India: Authorities claim that two Indian vaccines are already in Phase II trials, but the doctors who actually supervise them . * Plus: We stumbled on this 3D image of the spike protein of the coronavirus—the bit that attaches to our cells—on . The original source .  It looks unfairly cool.     AN AWESOME ‘GOT MILK?’ CHALLENGE Katie Ledecky has five Olympic gold medals and 15 world championship gold medals—and she just won the internet by swimming the entire length of a pool with a glass of chocolate milk on her head. The aim: to promote drinking milk. The result: which you can enjoy whether or not you like milk. A BIG BREAKTHROUGH IN SUICIDE PREVENTION The United States has approved a nasal spray to help alleviate treatment-proof depression—which puts people at a high risk for suicide. The key ingredient is a chemical version of ketamine, aka the party drug Special K. Named Spravato, it can be self-administered but only under supervision of a doctor, and cannot be taken home. Point to note: Currently available treatments for major depression are ineffective in 30-40% of patients. ()   WHATSAPP HAS A NEW ‘FAKE NEWS’ TOOL It’s called ‘search the web’, and it allows you to do just that when you get a forwarded message that has been shared at least five times. explains how it works—though it isn’t available in India as yet.   ALFONSO CUARÓN TO PRODUCE MARATHI MOVIE The Oscar-winning director—best known for ‘Gravity’ and ‘Roma’—will be executive producer of ‘The Disciple’. The reason: Cuarón is the mentor of director Chaitanya Tamhane, of whom he said:    > "He was part of most of Roma's process and I jumped to the opportunity to be part of the process of his second film The > Disciple. I believe Chaitanya is one of the most important new voices of contemporary cinema."   Point to note: Tamhane’s previous film ‘Court’ won Lion of the Future awards at the Venice Film Festival. 'The Disciple' will be the first Indian movie in nearly 20 years to compete for the big prize at any major European film festival. ()   AUDI DROPS A TASTELESS AD The advertisement (see image below) was widely condemned as “provocative” and “sexually suggestive.” Not helping matters: The accompanying slogan that read "Lets your heart beat faster - in every aspect." The automaker has dropped the ad and apologised. ()  

Going Up in Smoke

Sanity Break #2

Dominique Fung’s nudes are surreal reflections on the objectification of Asian women. The ‘trauma of being fetishized’ has never been this scathing or lovely. Read more about her .

Sanity Break #2

Smart & Curious

A LIST OF CURIOUS FACTS One: People are using their smartphones to, er, jack off… literally. During the lockdown, there have been 11 million downloads for vibrator apps—as in the kind that control how your phone vibrates. has more of the mind-boggling deets.    Two: Scientists have discovered how human sperm really ‘swim’—and it has blown the mind of the entire scientific community. No, they do not wiggle side to side like little eels. Please observe! (Don’t worry. It’s totally SFW) ()   Three: Did you know that most red wines ought to be served slightly chilled? explains. Four: Yes, there is such a thing as ‘snack meditation’—i.e. the art of mindfully eating a french fry or a Dorito or a scoop of ice cream. However, please feel free to lay into your broccoli like Chunk the Groundhog. Is this gratuitous misuse of cute animal videos? Yes. ()

Smart & Curious

Feel Good Place

: It may be hazardous to be an enthusiastic football fan. : God’s littlest creatures are divine! : This is the look of love. : A good job will eventually find a good dog. This one waited patiently outside a Hyundai showroom in Brazil, and was eventually rewarded with his own employee ID card—that gives him the run of his workplace.  

Feel good place

Reading Habit

READING HABIT KASHMIR IN LITERATURE The topic of Kashmir tends to be contentious—a truth that hasn’t changed since 1947. And yet, the region finds its way into a plethora of fiction and nonfiction books that provide insight into the troubles faced by the people living there. On this first anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370, we picked old and new favourites to remind us of its importance in our daily conversations. If you’re looking for a starting point, here are some of our recommendations.   by Neerja Mattoo: When we think of Kashmir today, all that comes to mind is the strife and war. But Kashmir is more than that. And that’s precisely why you need to read Neerja Mattoo’s book where she explores the lives of four female Kashmiri poets—Lal Ded, Habba Khatun, Rupa Bhavani and Arnimal—and examines why their poetry was so important given the socio-economic and religious conditions of their time. Each section is followed by a selection of the poet’s work, helping us appreciate their poetry more due to a deeper understanding of their lives.   —Nirbhay Kanoria, TCR Co-Founder   by Agha Shahid Ali: Each poem within this collection paints a heartbreakingly stark and poignant picture of Kashmir. Agha Shahid Ali’s book talks about the effects of the Kashmir insurgency in the 1990s that led to a complete shutdown of the postal services in the valley. You can’t help feel the poet’s pain as he writes about a home, people and a land that appear lost to him forever—making it one of the most profound literary works to emerge during this period. —Oishani Mitra, TCR Editor   by Nitasha Kaul: Future Tense interconnects the stories of three people—Fayaz, Shireen and Imran—whose lives have been touched by the violence around them. The book digs deep into our psyche and shows us how the common people have been embroiled in the ongoing Kashmir conflict for a long time. —Prasanna Sawant, TCR Writer   If you’re looking for more books to read on Kashmir, take a look at this .   BOOKS RELEASING THIS WEEK * : When a killer, who stalks and murders women, resurfaces years later, it is up to Agent Will Trent and forensic pathologist Sara Linton to stop him. But is this the original killer, or a copycat? Read Karin Slaughter’s book to find out. (August 05, 2020) * : Perfect for fans of Erin Morgenstern’s , Beth Cartwright’s magical realism book is the story of Marea, whose search for her estranged father leads her to a magical city full of mermaids and mysteries. This enchanting tale is sure to blow the rainy-day blues away. (August 10, 2020) * : In this book, author Sarah Frier goes behind the scenes of Instagram to show us how this social media marvel changed the global economy and started the ‘influencer’ business model that has launched thousands of careers. (August 10, 2020) * : In this novel by Peter Swanson, an FBI agent and a bookshop owner race against time to prevent murders that bear a strong resemblance to crimes from classic novels. We’re hooked already! (August 10, 2020) * : This insightful book by Amit Malviya and Salman Khurshid shows us both sides of the Citizenship Amendment Act, its history and its politics, in order to help us make better sense of the ongoing debate on the subject. (August 10, 2020) Some of the other books we’re looking forward to this week include , and . Brought to you by A LIST OF CURIOUS FACTS One: People are using their smartphones to, er, jack off… literally. During the lockdown, there have been 11 million downloads for vibrator apps—as in the kind that control how your phone vibrates. has more of the mind-boggling deets.    Two: Scientists have discovered how human sperm really ‘swim’—and it has blown the mind of the entire scientific community. No, they do not wiggle side to side like little eels. Please observe! (Don’t worry. It’s totally SFW) ()   Three: Did you know that most red wines ought to be served slightly chilled? explains. Four: Yes, there is such a thing as ‘snack meditation’—i.e. the art of mindfully eating a french fry or a Dorito or a scoop of ice cream. However, please feel free to lay into your broccoli like Chunk the Groundhog. Is this gratuitous misuse of cute animal videos? Yes. () : It may be hazardous to be an enthusiastic football fan. : God’s littlest creatures are divine! : This is the look of love. : A good job will eventually find a good dog. This one waited patiently outside a Hyundai showroom in Brazil, and was eventually rewarded with his own employee ID card—that gives him the run of his workplace.  

Reading Habit

archivetitle dog ic

Show No Evil

March 28 2024

What you can watch online is likely to shrink dramatically in the coming years.

Read More
Dance of Self-Destruction

March 27 2024

Why did Netflix and other OTT platforms in India slide so rapidly down the greasy pole of self-censorship?

Read More
No Proof Required

March 26 2024

The unprecedented arrest of Arvind Kejriwal reveals the high price of an anti-corruption law that may keep him in jail.

Read More
Devil Comes To Moscow

March 25 2024

The attack in Moscow is a reminder that ISIS is not dead and making sure it is not forgotten.

Read More
loader