Election Badge
Wednesday July 15 2020

Yerrr Out!

Read More

Sanity Break #1

SANITY BREAK This made us tear up. There is a cat, there is memory, there is loss. That’s all we will say. Highly recommended by founding member Pooja Pillai who reminds us, “A lovely story about a cat and mortality is as good a reason as any to have a good cry :).”

Sanity Break #1

Headlines that matter

HEADLINES THAT MATTER WORLD GANGS UP ON CHINA : President Trump signed something called the Hong Kong Autonomy Act. It does two things. One, it yanks Hong Kong’s special trading status—i.e. all the preferential treatment it received in the form of lower tariffs etc. Two, it slaps fresh economic sanctions on Chinese companies which backed the recent national security law—that makes illegal any kind of political dissent in HK.   : The Chinese company—set to roll out 5G connectivity around the world—has been accused of spying on behalf of Beijing. As per the decision, any purchase of Huawei equipment for the country’s 5G networks will become illegal from the end of this year. Telecommunication companies that already have Huawei equipment have until the end of  2027 to rip it out. The US and India have already banned Chinese companies from their telecom networks.   : for the 59 recently banned Chinese apps, including TikTok—and has given the companies three weeks to respond. One of the questions: “In the aftermath of the Pulwama Attack of 2019, did the company/app censor content relating to the attack or its perpetrators?" The implication: Chinese apps are manipulating what information is seen by their Indian users. Related video: looks at whether other countries will follow in India’s footsteps and ban TikTok.   TRUMP CANS F-1 RULE Indian students in the US can breathe easy: “Facing eight federal lawsuits and opposition from hundreds of universities, the Trump administration on Tuesday rescinded a rule that would have required international students to transfer or leave the country if their schools held classes entirely online because of the pandemic.” Excellent. ()   THE GREAT GLOBAL PANDEMIC: A QUICK UPDATE * A looked at antibodies produced by 90 Covid patients—and found that they plummet over time. Around 60% had significant levels in the first few weeks, but that number went down to 16.7%  after three months.  * What this means: Just as with the flu, being infected once may not offer long-term protection from Covid.  * As worries grow about the virus spreading through air, many are looking at . Specifically: “energetic waves of ultraviolet light, known as germicidal UV or GUV, are delivered in the right dose to wipe out viruses, bacteria and other microorganisms.” * Quantas nearly all of its international flights until March 2021. * A squirrel in Colorado has been bubonic plague. Why this is making everyone nervous: it comes a week after a hospital in Mongolia reported a patient infected with the same disease.    AMBANI’S EMBARRASSMENT OF RICHES Google is in talks to for a stake in Jio Platforms—which encompasses all of Reliance’s digital and telecommunications businesses. If the rumour is true, Google will join 12 other investors—including Facebook, Qualcomm and Intel—who together will invest $15.6 billion in the company. Point to note: Mukesh-bhai is now the in the world. His net worth ($72.4 billion) is now higher than Elon Musk and Google co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page.    In Jio-related news: The telecom authorities recently barred 4G postpaid plans offered by Airtel and Vodafone which promise faster connectivity at a higher price. The reason: it may result in slower internet speeds for those who cannot pay, and is therefore discriminatory. Both companies have taken the government to court. Turns out that decision was based on a complaint filed by Jio—which now wants to be part of the court case. ()   In more news of Reliance rivals: Flipkart just raised another , most of it coming from its majority investor Walmart. Airtel has tied up with the US company, Verizon Communications, to —a competitor to Zoom and JioMeet. It will be free for three months.    NEPAL PM STOKES NEW AYODHYA ROW The country’s Prime Minister Oli has taken an increasingly defiant—even hostile—stance towards India. The latest salvo: off-the-cuff comments at a cultural event, where he said :   > “Although the real Ayodhya lies at Thori in the west of Birgunj, India has claimed the Indian site as the birthplace of Lord > Ram… We also believe that deity Sita got married to Prince Ram of India. Actually, Ayodhya is a village lying west of Birgunj… > The place called Thori, near Birgunj is the real Ayodhya, where Lord Ram was born. In India there is great dispute on Ayodhya. > But, there is no dispute in our Ayodhya.”   Of course, his comments made Indian netas —and brought Congress and BJP together in a rare moment of unity. Now, the Nepal Foreign Ministry has hastily that his “remarks were not meant to debase the significance of Ayodhya and the cultural value it bears.”   THERE’S A NEW PRIDE FLAG IN TOWN  The rainbow is out. Pride marches, brands and activists have instead embraced ‘The Progress Flag’: “Designed by Daniel Quasar in 2018, it features black and brown stripes to represent people of colour, and baby blue, pink and white to include the trans flag in its design.”  

Yerrr Out!

Sanity Break #2

SANITY BREAK SRK in a of ‘When Harry met Sejal’ set to a beautiful old Kishore Kumar song. This is sheer moody genius.

Sanity Break #2

Smart & Curious

SMART & CURIOUS It’s not a nightie: It’s , and Amreeki folks are buying them for hundreds of dollars. Also called in one case: ‘Nap Dress’. All Indian aunties are cackling with glee.   It’s not just a poster: It’s an artistic ode to New York’s ‘111 Days of Hell’, which was by Governor Andrew Cuomo. And it features Donald Trump sitting on the moon, and something called a ‘Boyfriend Point’.   It’s not a shooting star: It’s a comet called NEOWISE and it is currently visible to the naked eye—an event that won’t happen for another 6,800 years. That’s a photo of it over the Stonehenge. More photos are , and the International Space Station footage is .   It’s not a cake: No, wait everything is cake. Yes, the biggest craze on the internet is to cut into all sorts of things—a hand, a potted plant, a rat—for the big reveal, i.e. (fake) cake! below. More of the same . Funny .

Smart & Curious

Weekend advisory

LIFE ADVISORY TEST YOUR PERCEPTION OF TIME The pandemic has warped our sense of time. Months sometimes drag, but hours fly by. Or maybe it is vice versa. offers a simple set of visual tests that show you how our brain warps our perception of time. We found it a useful reminder of how we experience life right now.   ‘CAUTION FATIGUE’ IS REAL It’s easy to get angry at people who won’t wear face masks. But all of us are becoming more and more tired of social distancing. explains exactly why our brains start to lose motivation, and how to deal with it...   ARE FACE SHIELDS BETTER THAN FACE MASKS? Yes, they don’t come in pretty colours, and look a lot weirder than masks. But many experts say that face shields are more effective in some ways, and a lot more comfortable. has more. Also, while we’re on the subject, here’s a funny on-point WhatsApp forward from our subscriber Indrani Chakraverty.  

Weekend advisory

Feel Good Place

THE FEEL GOOD PLACE receives entirely unhelpful and hilarious advice from Benedict Cumberbatch, David Tennant, Rory Kinnear, Sir Ian McKellen, Dame Judi Dench, and Prince Charles. (h/t subscriber Neetha Raman)  take on Zoom: were rats… 😂

Feel Good Place

Reading Habit

READING HABIT MONSOON AND COMFORT READING There’s something about the incessant rain that makes us seek comfort — in the form of our favourite cosy corner, a hot drink and a well-loved book. They all work together to cocoon us in a warm hug, chase away those rainy-day blues, and bring a much-needed smile to our faces.   If you can’t figure out which book to read this monsoon, here are some of our favourites (along with our beverage of choice) to help you out.    by Amitav Ghosh: This is my go-to book during the monsoon in Bombay. The novel explores the Partition of India, nostalgia for lost homes, and memories of spaces. The young narrator is transported to far-off places like London simply through his cousin’s descriptions. The book allows you to reimagine boundaries and travel, as you remain holed up at home. As I travel through the pages with Ghosh, moving back and forth in time and history, I long for a cutting chai from my local adda. —Rhea Pereira, TCR Community Manager   by Anuja Chauhan: Set in Delhi, this book is the story of five sisters, but focuses on Debjani (the fourth sister) and her frequent clashes with Dylan, a journalist. It’s one of those feel-good books that are best read on days when the dark skies and incessant rains get you down. Sort of like a desi , this book goes really well with hot chocolate since the combination helps to put you in a sweet mood. —Prasanna Sawant, TCR Writer    by Seanan McGuire: I remember gobbling up this book (and the others in the series) one monsoon, a few years ago. ‘Rosemary And Rue’ is the first in this urban fantasy series that follows the changeling P.I. Toby Daye as she navigates the streets of San Francisco and the world of Faerie. I return to the series each monsoon with a large mug of coffee to find previously undiscovered moments from the books, and to prepare myself for the new book that always releases at the start of September.  —Oishani Mitra, TCR Editor    by Trevanian: This is the story of a retired assassin and his quest for revenge on the Mother Company. It can be read as an action-packed thriller or as a deep and philosophical meditation on life. It’s perfect for the monsoon, and pairs well with a glass of rum and coke. —Devanshi Jain, TCR Co-Founder If you’re looking for more books to read during the monsoon, take a look at this .   BOOKS RELEASING THIS WEEK * : Xiaolu Gu’s beautiful novel of love is told through snippets of conversation between two lovers and shows us how they navigate the cultural differences between them as their relationship develops. (July 15, 2020) * : Even though women are at the front and centre of every conceivable field today, they are still paid less than their male counterparts. Annabelle Williams, a former financial journalist, uncovers the shocking truth behind this discrimination, and what we can do about it. (July 15, 2020) * : Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, the authors of this book, published an article with sexual abuse allegations against Harvey Weinstein in 2017. That article kicked off the #MeToo movement that ultimately led to Weinstein’s imprisonment, and this book tells us how it all happened. (July 20, 2020) * : Tokunaga, a manzai comedian, feels insecure in his profession, but a chance encounter with the eccentric Kamiya changes his life forever. Naoki Matayoshi’s novel of two starkly different people becoming unlikely friends is just what you need after a hard day of work. (July 20, 2020) * : Following up on the success of , Hussain Zaidi’s latest thriller brings back our heroes in uniform to face familiar enemies with unfamiliar twists. (July 20, 2020) Brought to you by SMART & CURIOUS It’s not a nightie: It’s , and Amreeki folks are buying them for hundreds of dollars. Also called in one case: ‘Nap Dress’. All Indian aunties are cackling with glee.   It’s not just a poster: It’s an artistic ode to New York’s ‘111 Days of Hell’, which was by Governor Andrew Cuomo. And it features Donald Trump sitting on the moon, and something called a ‘Boyfriend Point’.   It’s not a shooting star: It’s a comet called NEOWISE and it is currently visible to the naked eye—an event that won’t happen for another 6,800 years. That’s a photo of it over the Stonehenge. More photos are , and the International Space Station footage is .   It’s not a cake: No, wait everything is cake. Yes, the biggest craze on the internet is to cut into all sorts of things—a hand, a potted plant, a rat—for the big reveal, i.e. (fake) cake! below. More of the same . Funny . LIFE ADVISORY TEST YOUR PERCEPTION OF TIME The pandemic has warped our sense of time. Months sometimes drag, but hours fly by. Or maybe it is vice versa. offers a simple set of visual tests that show you how our brain warps our perception of time. We found it a useful reminder of how we experience life right now.   ‘CAUTION FATIGUE’ IS REAL It’s easy to get angry at people who won’t wear face masks. But all of us are becoming more and more tired of social distancing. explains exactly why our brains start to lose motivation, and how to deal with it...   ARE FACE SHIELDS BETTER THAN FACE MASKS? Yes, they don’t come in pretty colours, and look a lot weirder than masks. But many experts say that face shields are more effective in some ways, and a lot more comfortable. has more. Also, while we’re on the subject, here’s a funny on-point WhatsApp forward from our subscriber Indrani Chakraverty.   THE FEEL GOOD PLACE receives entirely unhelpful and hilarious advice from Benedict Cumberbatch, David Tennant, Rory Kinnear, Sir Ian McKellen, Dame Judi Dench, and Prince Charles. (h/t subscriber Neetha Raman)  take on Zoom: were rats… 😂

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