There Was Something in the Air...
SANITY BREAK This is a for a presidential run featuring a fake Tom Cruise. It’s not new, but no less hilarious—and just as timely given Kanye’s recent announcement of his presidential bid.
HEADLINES THAT MATTER A CHINA UPDATE: ANOTHER RETREAT, ANOTHER BAN Troops have 2 km at another point called Hot Springs. And leaky government sources say they have embraced a : Lower rhetoric, suspend patrols, keep eye on friction points, and keep troops in rear areas. Architects of this policy: “Besides the Prime Minister and the NSA, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Home Minister Amit Shah were instrumental in finalising this approach.” And this master strategy doesn’t have an acronym?? Now, this is disappointing. Related read: looks at whether China’s aggression on the Ladakh border was a grand plan or a Himalayan blunder. A related military rule: We may have lost TikTok, but our brethren in uniform will soon lose out , as well. They have been asked to delete 30 additional apps and accounts due to “security considerations.” A related show of priorities: The government has set up a committee to “coordinate investigations” into the linked to the Gandhi family. The BJP recently claimed that one of them had received funds from China to “conduct studies that are not in the interest of the country.” HARVARD AND MIT SUE TRUMP The lawsuit seeks to block the recent immigration directive that evicts international students enrolled in universities that have taken all their coursework online (see our explainer ). The filing states: "[F]or many students, returning to their home countries to participate in online instruction is impossible, impracticable, prohibitively expensive, and/or dangerous." () In other Trump & education news: A tell-all book published by his niece, Mary Trump, says that he paid someone to —to help him get into the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. Point to note: Ever since Hollywood celebs were caught doing the same for their kids, UPenn revokes the degree of anyone caught cheating on their admission application. In other batshit presidential news: Kanye West has finally shared his plans to run for president. The name of his party: Birthday party. The reason: “because when we win it’s everybody’s birthday”. His campaign slogan: “YES!”—a cryptic, all caps reboot of Obama’s ‘Yes, we can!’ His advisers: Kimmie and Elon. His politics: as right wing come-to-Yeezus as you expect them to be. Yes, the 2020 election is going to be all kinds of crazy. For more, read his interview. AN ALARMING COVID PREDICTION FOR INDIA A new global study out of MIT predicts that India will witness 287,000 cases a day by February—if there is no vaccine to halt the spread. Total number of cases by spring 2021: 200-600 million! And we will be #1 on the list of worst-affected countries, followed by the US, South Africa and Iran. The silver lining: These are indicators of risk and not precise predictions. The study also found that a high perception of risk significantly brought the numbers down. In other words, we can save ourselves if we remain vigilant about Covid-safety. () IN RELATED COVID NEWS: * can get tested without a doctor’s prescription—with or without symptoms. * Also: the government has on secularism, nationalism and citizenship from the Class 9-11 syllabus. The reason: authorities are nixing 30% of the syllabus to make up for time lost due to the lockdown. * ICICI is giving 80% of its frontline employees an for stellar work during the lockdown. * CIPLA has launched the of the Covid treatment drug Remdesivir—and at Rs 4,000 it is the cheapest in the world. Point to note: Remdesivir is in high demand and for tens of thousands on the black market right now. APPLE MUSIC IS KILLING YOUR BATTERY IPhone users that the latest software update—iOS 13.5.1—is a disaster. Due to some kind of bug, Apple Music is draining their batteries—even when the app is not in use! There are some reports of the phone heating up. offers some possible fixes. NAME THAT DOG ON YOUR RIGHT As you may know, we’ve asked our subscribers to help rescue our dog from nameless-ness. And the suggestions have been so very helpful and—quite frankly—delightful. For example, this beauty from Arcopol Chaudhuri: > “I propose we call him/her Anchor. > > > > I even yelled the name loud a couple of times, and said it softly too: I can see a mouthy name for Anchor to come trotting to me > from whichever room he/she is in, carrying the table of contents of each newsletter between his/her jaws. > > > > 'Anchor, the splainer dog.' > > 'Anchor, fetch me the news!!' > > 'Anchor, where's my splainer?' > > 'Anchor! Anchor! Sit down, Anchor.' > > 'Anchor! Why does that dog on Republic TV not know his job nor his manners? And he cares to call himself an anchor? Bark at him, > bite him!'” 😂😂 If you have another such gem, please do share!!
SANITY BREAK These are from a deep sea exploration just off the coast of Western Australia. We would have preferred it set to music than commentary… but hey, these strange creatures are no less gorgeous for it. We suggest hitting mute and playing a tune of your choice.
SMART & CURIOUS A SHORT LIST OF CURIOUS FACTS , we women are more likely to have uncharitable thoughts about our exes than men. But that may not be our fault. Positive feelings are associated with the ex being more supportive and being open about sexuality. So, of course, we leave men with better memories. Duh! so obsessed with Justin Bieber as a child that she would just watch the video for "As Long As You Love Me." and “just sob.” It was so bad that her parents considered taking her to a therapist. There’s no accounting for taste in children. known to humans is growing so rapidly that it outshines all the stars in its galaxy—and swallows at least one sun a day. Or rather, it did so 12.5 billion years ago. That’s how far away it is from us. A thought we find very comforting. in Madurai is making mask-shaped parottas—which are never, ever to be confused with parathas, North Indian people!
LIFE ADVISORY SO YOU WANT TO TAKE A COVID-SAFE ROAD TRIP... A Bangalore startup, , is renting out luxury motorhomes/RVs. And they come with a driver, an itinerary, hot water and in-van dining! Be warned: The one thing they do not offer is affordability. A two-day trip from Bangalore to Kabini costs Rs 45,000. SO YOU WANT TO DO GOOD AND BUY SOMETHING PRETTY… Check out ‘’. You can buy a limited edition of ceramic plates featuring the work of 20 global artists. Each plate sold sponsors 60 meals for migrant workers (h/t founding member Sindhu Nair). Also: you can buy a bunch of from an impoverished Madhubani painter in Bihar. SO YOU WANT TO RECORD YOUR FAMILY HISTORY... Will our grandkids remember the lives of our grandparents? Do we? Maybe the pandemic is making us sentimental, but we’re seriously contemplating this guide to creating your own oral family history. And in the age of Zoom, JioMeet and Skype it is very, very doable.
THE FEEL GOOD PLACE at English pronunciation snobs courtesy this fierce young woman. on determination in the face of adversity from this little baby. in uber-patriotism from across the border. Twitter trolls, please take notes.
Bird flu is not new but its recent unprecedented spread is raising fears of a deadly mutation.
Read More
Why is the BJP looking weak and beleaguered in a key swing state.
Read More
The lesser known problem of recycling solar panels.
Read More
A lively look back at our pehla election of 1951. We’ve come a long way.
Read More