When Elephants Cry
SANITY BREAK Almost everyone instantly recognises Rene Magritte’s most famous painting, ‘The Son of Man’—featuring that famous bowler hat. But this one—‘The Therapist’—is our favourite. And it speaks to us more powerfully during this time. We don’t know exactly what it means, but that’s the way Magritte would have liked it. As he once , “If one looks at a thing with the intention of trying to discover what it means, one ends up no longer seeing the thing itself, but of thinking of the question that is raised."
HEADLINES THAT MATTER AMAZON AUR AIRTEL KI JODI The company is in early talks to shell out $2 billion for a 5% stake in Airtel—which, if true, is likely a response to Jio’s recent investment bonanza. Reliance’s Jio Platforms has been flooded with cash from the likes of Facebook, Silver Lakes and others. The Ambani v. Bezos wars are heating up! () PANDEMIC UPDATE: THE INDIA EDITION Unlock rules for stepping out: Shopping malls will reopen—but without gaming arcades or movie theatres. You can go to a temple—but there will be no prasad or touching the idols. As for restaurants, they can operate at 50% capacity with disposable napkins and menus. Offices must have staggered hours and set the AC between 24-30 degrees. () A big spike in rural India: The number of cases has jumped anywhere in rural areas—primarily due to the return of migrants from cities. In related news, are still stuck in relief camps or shelter homes—with zero social distancing. Point to note: The least affluent Indians may have lost Rs 4 trillion due to the lockdown. Delhi’s testing positive: tested in the city came up positive last week—i.e. a whopping 25.7%. In North East and South East Delhi—where testing rates are lower than the city average—the percentage of positive results was more than 38%. In definitely not unrelated news, the Delhi government that Ram Manohar Lohia hospital—one of Delhi’s largest government hospitals—is not testing samples properly. Many of the so-called positive samples re-tested by the government have proved to be false. Also: Anyone coming into Delhi from outside will now have to home quarantine . PANDEMIC UPDATE: THE GLOBAL EDITION * : George Floyd’s autopsy report shows that he had previously tested positive for coronavirus. * : Under pressure from the US, Beijing has agreed to allow 95 foreign airlines to fly to one Chinese destination once a week. * : is airlifting its test samples to the United States as its labs run out of capacity—and at least 30,000 of them have been ‘voided’. The reason: they were not analysed in time. These people now have to be tested all over again. * : was one of the few nations that decided not to go into lockdown—and double down on ‘herd immunity’. Now, 4,500 people are dead, and the government’s chief epidemiologist admits he may have been wrong. * : is also in unlock mode, and experts are most worried about its commuter trains—which are infamously jam packed. While authorities plan to open carriage windows and disinfect ticket machines, it will do very little to mitigate the risk—which is as high as being in a crowded nightclub. RAGE OVER RACISM: IN VIDEOS AND IMAGES A man sang ‘’ outside the White House—marking a rare moment of peace and harmony. lined the streets in Idaho to protect themselves from protesters. Also: This is just plain nuts! Star Wars actor John Boyega went viral for this in London—in which he says he may not have a career after this. Turns out he . RIP BASU CHATTERJEE The man who gave us the most beloved movies of the 1970s—Chit Chor, Rajnigandha and Khatha Meetha—passed away at the age of 93. offers a detailed tribute and some lovely throwback photos. FREE ZOOM HAS A PRIVACY COST The video conferencing platform announced it will provide end-to-end encryption for its users—in response to widespread concerns about its privacy policy. But that little benefit is only available for those who pay. Company CEO Eric Yuan explained, “Free users for sure we don’t want to give [end-to-end encryption] because we also want to work together with FBI, with local law enforcement in case some people use Zoom for a bad purpose.” Translation: Only bad guys don’t pay for Zoom! () MERE NOT-SO PYAARE MITRON The Mitron app was supposed to be a made-in-India alternative to Tik Tok for desh bhakt Indians. Turns out it’s just a crappy rip-off with that makes the user vulnerable to hackers. The Mumbai IT cell is now asking everyone to uninstall the app. It has already been pulled off the Google Play Store. from the Play Store: Remove Chinese Apps which auto-uninstalled all made-in-China apps because it violates Google policy.
SANITY BREAK This gorgeous , MUSA Isla Mujere, has hundreds of life-size statues submerged underwater. They are made of a special marine cement that encourages the growth of corals and marine life. The aim: to divert tourists from Cancun, Mexico’s endangered coral reef by creating an eco-friendly destination in a less endangered location!
SMART & CURIOUS A LIST OF INTRIGUING THINGS * Your chicken manchurian may soon be . The government has given Zomato, Swiggy et al permission to start testing. * Did you know that Princess Di stopped after her divorce because the entwined ‘C’s reminded her of Charles and Camilla? You can thank us later. * Scientists have successfully grown that they’ve transplanted into mice. * A key to losing weight is to convert ‘bad’ white fat cells to ‘good’ brown fat cells through a process (duh!)—i.e. exercising and eating certain foods. * Did you know that it is that determines who is the highest ranking female gorilla? Even apes know that older women rock! * The world’s most luxurious brunch is (used to be) served every Sunday at The Mulia in Nusa Dua, Bali. Now, this is an older pre-pandemic but the pretty pictures still make us happy. A LIST OF GOOD READS * has a must-read on how the pandemic is changing the world’s children. * Travel’s next big thing is going to be contactless travel. For example: using the hotel app to open doors, change the temperature etc. tells you what is real and what is hype. * Ezeugo Nnmadi Lawrence in explains why he is tired of being a black man in India. This is powerful and important. * has a great and timely excerpt from Amitav Ghosh’s latest book ‘The Great Derangement’—and it’s all about Mumbai’s vulnerability to cyclones. * explains why upcycling is the coolest part of ethical fashion. Hey, just look at these Burberry shorts! SAY HELLO TO MONOSUIT! apparently makes the “world’s first high-tech seamless jumpsuit made of recycled yarns.” It uses a technology that allows clothes to be recycled “without losing quality, without using new resources from the planet and without leaving a negative environmental footprint.” Its latest rollout, Second Skin, has a built-in mask and gloves—and looks like it belongs in a Blade Runner movie, which is exactly right.
LIFE ADVISORY GOOD FOOD FOR YOUR GOOD KIDS Our Exec Editor Sunainaa Chadha’s greatest passion is creating healthy, delicious and unique snacks for kids—sparked by her own attempts to coax her daughter to eat right. Want to know more about how diet affects the development of young children? Check out her live conversation with the founder of The Dancing Bond on Insta today at 5:30 pm. Link is . If you’re in Delhi and want to order yummy snacks for your child, check out her handle . THE LINK BETWEEN ALCOHOL AND GENDER A new study shows that estrogen makes drinking alcohol more rewarding to female mice than their male counterparts. Researchers say this may explain why women may spiral more quickly from problematic drinking to severe drinking: “Estrogen has ‘potent effects’ on the dopamine system and increases the vulnerability of females to develop addiction to substances like alcohol.” () A LIST OF HANDY GUIDES * has a series of guides on how to live with your face mask—from making it more comfortable to preventing skin irritation. Just keep scrolling. * As you may know, the government has decided to ban WeTransfer, the file-sharing app. Here are . * tells you everything you need to know about deep-cleaning your fridge. * Love Animal Crossing? Here’s how you during Wedding Season.
THE FEEL GOOD PLACE to Covid-19 marketing phrases. = this travesty. Related time pass: Take ‘Would You Rather’ quiz on Indian food. . All you need is your month of birth and initial of your first name. This Mexican senator kicks ass. The 66-year old forgot to turn off the video on her government meeting on Zoom—while changing her clothes! She was caught topless on screen, and the screen grabs were soon trolled. : > “I am Malu Micher, and I am not ashamed to have shown part of my intimacy by accident, because it is exactly the notion that a > woman is "just her body" that has allowed and fomented the objectification of women against which I have always fought.” A series of good news alerts: * are hatching on Galapagos islands. * Members of the Tollygunge Club in Kolkata have managed to save uprooted by the cyclone. * New Zealand will provide in schools to fight period poverty.
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