Hire and Fire
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Sanity Break #1
K-Pop darlings BTS performed a lovely of their first all-English song ‘Dynamite’ (among others) for NPR’s Tiny Desk concerts. It offers a rare look at a boy band best known for their glitzy visuals and choreography.
Headlines that matter
Psst from the editor: Loving splainer? Please spread the word to everyone you know—and every group or social media platform you can think of. Be sure to use the referral link—always available at the bottom of your account page (at the top right corner of your screen). Every subscription helps us grow and thrive! Also: did you know you can subscription? Our subscribers have bought subs for their loved ones for every occasion: birthdays, weddings, anniversaries… and just because! As you well know, we are the gift that truly keeps on giving. Lol! So please to be doing the needful 🙏🏽 🙏🏽 🙏🏽 DEEPIKA PADUKONE DRAGGED INTO RAJPUT CASE The Narcotics Control Bureau has to Deepika Padukone, Sara Ali Khan, Shraddha Kapoor and Rakul Preet Singh as part of its Rhea Chakraborty investigation. The official reason: Chakraborty named the actors when questioned by the police after her arrest. In the case of Padukone, reports cite “some allegedly incriminating Whatsapp conversations” involving the actor, her manager and employee of Kwan talent management company. We assume this is the nonsense being currently aired on Times Now and Republic TV—the 2017 WhatsApp messages which are being peddled as #DeepikaMaalChats. offers an excellent and scathing takedown of this television witch-hunt—which also spares you the trauma of having to watch it yourself. As for Sara Ali Khan, this is what the police : “In a statement to the NCB, a boatman Jagdish Das had said Sushant used to party at his Lonavla farmhouse with Ms. Chakraborty, Ms. Khan and others, where weed and alcohol were common.” We ask again: Are there no men in Bollywood who do drugs? Also: even respected news outlets like are now calling this the “Bollywood drug nexus case” 🤮 (We rarely offer our unvarnished opinion but this is plain egregious) Meanwhile in Bihar...: The top cop who kicked off this entire mess on behalf of Rajput’s family has retired. Gupteshwar Pandey is now positioning himself as a ‘crusader cop’ who got ‘justice for Sushant’—and may run in the upcoming state elections. Also: he’s released music video/ campaign ad. In other Bollywood news: The Mumbai Police have an FIR against director Anurag Kashyap—who has been accused by actor Payal Ghosh of sexually assaulting her in 2013. He has been charged with rape, assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty, wrongful restraint and wrongful confinement. BREONNA TAYLOR VERDICT SPARKS ANGER, VIOLENCE * In March, the police entered Taylor’s residence using a battering ram—in search of drugs. * Her boyfriend reached for his licensed gun—unsure of what was happening—and hit one police officer in his leg. * The police in turn discharged 32 rounds, killing Taylor. * Yesterday, the jury decided none of the police officers are responsible for her death. Only one was convicted—but of shooting bullets into the neighbouring apartment building. * Protests spread across Louisville, and now one police officer has been shot. The city has declared a state of emergency, and called in the National Guard. has more details. THE GREAT PANDEMIC: A QUICK UPDATE * The minister of state for railways of Covid last night. He is the first union minister to succumb to the disease. To date, the neta death toll includes six MLAs and three MPs. * The UK controversial 'human challenge' trials in January. In such a trial, the participant is first given the vaccine and then deliberately infected with the virus to see if it works. There’s no word on which vaccine will be tested in this way. * Also in the UK: the virus with ultraviolet light are patrolling London's biggest train station, St Pancras International. * The Indian government that 85% of the population will become infected if we do not follow Covid safety procedures. For example: wearing a mask. * Saudi Arabia has from India, Brazil and Argentina. TESLA FAILS TO IMPRESS CEO Elon Musk that his company will be ready to roll out a $25,000 electric car… in three years! Tesla’s stock promptly tanked—wiping off its market value. explains why investors are increasingly unhappy with Musk—and sceptical of his grand announcements. In other Tesla news: The company is suing the US government to overturn President Trump’s tariffs on the parts it imports from China. The filing argues that the decision “was arbitrary and capricious because… [the government] failed to consider relevant factors when making its decision, and failed to draw a rational connection between the facts found and the choices made." Tesla wants the tariffs to be declared void and a refund of the amount it has already paid plus interest! () In other electric car news: Volkswagen unveiled its Tesla competitor: ID.4, a compact SUV for $39,995. In other words, the Germans (almost) have a mass-market cheap electric car right now! has more. Also unveiled today: The first online Apple store in India. has all the deets. A ROHINGYA HORROR IN BANGLADESH More than 300 refugees—trying to sail from Bangladesh to Malaysia—have been imprisoned on a small island in the Bay of Bengal. They are being held in appalling “jail-like conditions, with up to five people per 50-square ft room.” Worse: the women report being beaten and raped by the guards. Why this matters: The Bangladesh government plans to move a large part of the million Rohingya refugees who are currently living in Dhaka to this island. () JK ROWLING THRIVES AMID TRANSPHOBIA OUTRAGE Her new thriller ‘Troubled Blood’ is the bestseller in the UK—despite anger over one of its characters: a cross-dressing serial killer. And the author is doing little to douse the flames. A new row broke out when Rowling to buy merch from a website that sells items with transphobic messages. The message on the tee Rowling recommended: This Witch Doesn’t Burn. THE DOXING OF INTERFAITH INDIAN COUPLES An important Buzzfeed News investigation shows that Twitter did nothing to protect Hindu-Muslim couples from being targeted by trolls—who were sharing their personal information on the platform. > “‘This is going to be a long thread,’ one of the accounts involved in the doxing said, following it up with 17 more tweets. Each > tweet contained pictures of government documents including names, ages, occupations, addresses, and photographs of Hindu-Muslim > couples in India.” How are they getting all this information? According to the Special Marriage Act, interfaith couples have to announce their intent to get married to the government and wait 30 days for approval. The Kerala government has now uploaded their applications online—for everyone to see and misuse. This is a must read.
Sanity Break #2
“Koi haath bhi na milayega jo gale miloge tapaak se Yeh naye mizaj ka shehr hai zara fasle se mila karo…” Translation: “Today, nobody is interested in even shaking hands let alone embracing them, This is the new trend in our city, to meet from a distance…” Lovely and poignantly apt lines from one of India’s greatest poets, —and one of the 20 exquisite bits of Urdu poetry in this of ‘social distancing shayari'. The other poets include Ahmad Faraz, Mir Taqi Mir, Nasir Kazmi, and Shahryar. (h/t founding member Pooja Pillai)
Smart & Curious
A LIST OF CURIOUS FACTS One: A Canadian backpacker met the Beatles in Rishikesh in 1968. And he’s now made a documentary about that encounter fifty-odd years later—with rare clips and images! has the story. below features the Beatles at their hippie-est! Two: distressed Gucci jeans feature fake grass stains and cost $763. Now, we’re distressed. Three: The American-owned part of the International Space Station is now open for business. … Estée Lauder! The company will film an ad for its skincare serum at the ISS—featuring 10 bottles of "Advanced Night Repair" which will be soon sent into space. Four: Savile Row is no longer a gentlemen-only shopping club. The London street associated with the world’s finest suits has a new occupant: , a tailoring house that makes suits just for women. A unique and, of course, very expensive first. founder Daisy Knatchbull below.
Feel Good Place
: Bengaluru Unkil meets single mother. Enuf said. : Two strangers on a train. This one gave us the feels. : Snow leopard selfies! : Animal rescue videos are all the same… except when they include an ungrateful Mama Swan!
I recommend
I RECOMMEND EDITOR’S NOTE Ankita Dasgupta loves art. It’s her day job at the in Mumbai. It's her after hours passion on . She curates and designs in her spare time, and is an art history devotee. We asked her to recommend a starter guide to pop art on the internet. Ankita’s choices are as refreshing, delightful and whimsical as her. Globetrotting in high heels, eating carbs with fish, playing with animals and children are a few of my favourite things…. And of course, art! I am particularly partial to watercolours, charcoal & graphite. Everyone knows about the great artists, galleries and museums. I’ve put together a selection that’s a little different and a lot of fun! WATERCOLOURISTS ON INSTAGRAM Watercolour is one of the toughest mediums to work with, and these incredibly talented artists have successfully tamed this fickle form. : A delightful mix of nostalgia, serenity and the timeless glamour of French culture, Thierry’s artworks take you to that dreamlike vacation you had in Paris where you abandoned every shred of responsibility and simply soaked in the city’s cultural delights. : There’s only one word that comes to mind when you first see this lovely miniaturist’s ‘paintings for ants’, and that is—CUTE! Without a reference for scale, one wouldn’t believe how realistic and detailed her works are in a canvas that’s literally coin sized. : There’s an intentional friskiness to the overall look and feel in his work. For example: stamping his paintings with coffee mug stains. The fast-paced city dweller has quirky ways of adding character and energy to his urban landscapes. ART IN YOUR NETFLIX BANK... Attention! There’s so much more to Netflix than action, drama and rom-coms, trust me! Here are some of my favourites for the art-lover in you. : It doesn’t matter who or where you are. Art, colour and design influence every human being’s life at every level. This series will tell you the how and the why. : Decadent pyrotechnic displays, opulent fireworks, the sky’s the limit for his explosive passion, literally so. Kick back after a day of WFH and watch this artist create amazing artwork on the ultimate canvas: the sky above. : This is a beautiful and inspiring story—starring Sally Hawkins and Ethan Hawke—of a folk artist who overcame a million hurdles including excruciating arthritis and a toxic marriage. This film showcases the healing power of art. Ensure zero interruptions for 100% inspo. OFFBEAT PORTRAIT ARTISTS ON YOUTUBE... Face-makers who have set new benchmarks for artists… : is a miniaturist who makes the cutest little faces out of clay! But that description does little justice to his work. This man is just wow. There, I said it. : Is that a black-and-white photograph? What!? She sketched that? Czech artist Silvie Mahdal’s portraits are creating waves on social media thanks to her hyper-realistic techniques and flawless finesse. : Oil-on-canvas is this artist’s choice of medium. Prepare to be mesmerised by the seamlessly blended mix of colours. Also useful: his meticulous guides for the rookie painter. Note: This is NOT sponsored content. We use this section to spotlight the recommendations of people we trust and admire. A LIST OF CURIOUS FACTS One: A Canadian backpacker met the Beatles in Rishikesh in 1968. And he’s now made a documentary about that encounter fifty-odd years later—with rare clips and images! has the story. below features the Beatles at their hippie-est! Two: distressed Gucci jeans feature fake grass stains and cost $763. Now, we’re distressed. Three: The American-owned part of the International Space Station is now open for business. … Estée Lauder! The company will film an ad for its skincare serum at the ISS—featuring 10 bottles of "Advanced Night Repair" which will be soon sent into space. Four: Savile Row is no longer a gentlemen-only shopping club. The London street associated with the world’s finest suits has a new occupant: , a tailoring house that makes suits just for women. A unique and, of course, very expensive first. founder Daisy Knatchbull below. : Bengaluru Unkil meets single mother. Enuf said. : Two strangers on a train. This one gave us the feels. : Snow leopard selfies! : Animal rescue videos are all the same… except when they include an ungrateful Mama Swan!
