Caste-ing the First Stone
The first episode of ‘Empire’—a BBC Radio 2 series written by comedian Anuvab Pal—just dropped. And at 28-minutes, it is perfect lunch-break listening. To help further pique your interest: The other voice actors include Stephen Fry and Rasika Dugal (of Suitable Boy fame). Listen to it .
MAMATA’S INJURED LEG The Bengal chief minister has suffered a above her left heel—and has been advised not to put weight on it. Banerjee—who alleges she was attacked by four-five men—has urged “calm and restraint” and continue campaigning: “I hope I will be able to return to the field in two-three days… But I might have to use a wheelchair for a few days.” Meanwhile, local authorities indicate the entire thing may have been : > “‘The report has revealed a group of men from among hundreds who were running behind the chief minister’s car at Birulia market > in Nandigram on Wednesday evening to catch a glimpse of her had tripped after hitting a four-feet high concrete pole that stood > on the 12-feet wide road and fell on the car’s door that she had left ajar while waving at the mass’, said sources. > > > > The door, which was heavy since it was a bullet-proof vehicle, went and hit the CM even as she was trying to set her left foot > on the ground from her seat in the front. This caused severe injury to her left foot,’ an official quoted the preliminary > report.” In other CM-related news: Uttarakhand has a new leader: Tirath Singh Rawat who replaced his predecessor Trivendra Singh Rawat—who was forced out by the BJP party. The reason: He had become highly unpopular and dictatorial. has a good explainer on the two Rawats. ‘BOMBAY BEGUMS’ IN TROUBLE The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has asked Netflix to stop streaming the series. The move was triggered by complaints directed toward it on Twitter. One of them : “From normalization of minors indulging in casual sex we now have a web series showing minors having Cocaine.” The NCPCR has now sent a notice claiming that “this type of content will not only pollute the young minds…(it) may also result in abuse and exploitation of children at the hands of perpetrators/offenders.’’ Hello, new (Indian Express) NEW CHARGES AGAINST SUU KYI The Myanmar military has now accused the ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi of accepting $600,000 (Rs 4.36 crore) and 11kg of gold in bribes. Meanwhile, a UN human rights investigator has accused the military of committing "crimes against humanity." The number killed during the protests is now 70. () MEXICO EMBRACES POT Lawmakers approved a bill to legalize marijuana—and become the world’s largest market for recreational cannabis. Why this matters: > “Mexico, given its size and its worldwide reputation for being damaged by the drug war, to take this step is enormously > significant… North America is heading toward legalization.” OTOH, it is unlikely to make a dent in those drug wars with cartels now focused on profitable illegal drugs like fentanyl and methamphetamines. has more on the impact. THE GREAT PANDEMIC: A QUICK UPDATE * It’s official. As part of the four-nation Quad summit agreement (explained ), India has sealed a deal to manufacture and supply the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine to Southeast Asia and Pacific countries. To which we say: er, what about ghar ki moolis like us? * Maharashtra and Punjab are most certainly in the middle of a second wave, but experts say a is unlikely. * Norway, Iceland and Denmark have put the Oxford vaccine to investigate reports of people developing blood clots after being vaccinated. Indian medical authorities too are taking a closer look at deaths and hospitalisations related to such clotting. * Covaxin has now for emergency use based on the latest trial data—and can be administered without a person’s consent. * The International Olympic Committee has struck a happy —which will supply vaccines to inoculate the athletes participating in the Tokyo summer games. * A big pandemic trend: ‘’ who take fake trips to work. Clearly, they haven’t experienced Bangalore traffic. * confirms the obvious: Yes, your dog has become fat in the pandemic, as well. But this is not true of cats: “What we are hearing from pet owners is that their dog is at their side, engaging in treat-seeking behavior, while their cat is annoyed they are home.” Hahahaha! * Last not least, Toronto now thanking PM Modi for providing vaccines to Canada. They look like this: THREE KEY DISCOVERIES One: This one is bad news. Thanks to climate change, forests are not able to restore themselves after wildfires—as trees are being replaced instead with shrubs and grass: > “Forest mortality researchers say while this does not mark the end of the forests, it may well be the end of many forests as > we’ve known them. Iconic species such as giant sequoias and Joshua trees are succumbing in remarkable numbers. The landscapes of > beloved wild places and national parks are, in turn, being transformed. And the changes being observed today—in which > slow-growing trees that have survived for hundreds of years are dying in a drought or wildfire—cannot be undone in our > lifetimes.” The problem is especially bad in California—where 129 million trees have died since 2010. () Two: The study of a woman who was buried 4000 years ago may dramatically reset our ideas of the role of women in ancient Europe. Buried with a trove of ornate jewellery—including a silver diadem (see below)—she appears to have been a powerful ruler of the region now in modern-day Spain. More interestingly: “Other burials of high-status El Argar women also indicate great wealth, but men were never buried with such riches.” This suggests that these Bronze Age communities could have been ruled by women. () Three: An Indian researcher has discovered why Agadmator—a popular YouTube chess channel—was blocked last year for not adhering to ‘community guidelines’. : the AI used by the platform identifies words like ‘black’, ‘white’, and ‘attack’ — as hate speech. Why this matters: > “If we try to monitor speech, just using AI, without any human moderation, these are some of the potential risks that might > happen. This is what we tried to show through the chess example, which is easy to understand for everyone.” THREE ARTSY THINGS One: Beeple’s Non Fungible Token (NFT)—a digital collage called ‘Everydays—The First Five Thousand Days’ sold for $69.3 million. Yup, that’s crazy! has the story. Read our if you want to understand this NFT madness. Also, this is what it looks like: Two: A Ukrainian Rubik’s cube champion has turned into a Rubik’s cube artist—using the toy to construct pop portraits of famous people (). Yes, it isn’t exactly high art, but then again, Beeple. Three: In case you’re thinking of an apartment refresh, according who research such things, the most Instagrammable paint colour is a deep, dark , as in the rooms :
Here’s a perfect Friday bit of cheesiness: Aamir Khan and Elli AvrRam in the music vid for ‘’—from the upcoming flick ‘Koi Jaane Na’. We started laughing when the pipe made its entrance, and couldn’t stop giggling thereafter. Also: Did he really double-tap her ass? Which woman could resist that? Lol!
SO YOU WANNA WATCH SOMETHING... What happens when a director and his cameraman decide to enter the roughest neighbourhood to film a rap video of a newly released gangster? Not a lot of good. Be it ‘’ or ‘’, the French have earned a reputation for making great television. And for that sole reason, we plan to check out this 10-part crime thriller—which is in the found-footage format (think ‘’), running only 8-13 minutes per episode. Also: The trailer looks very good. It’s currently streaming on Netflix. : This Spanish period drama set in 1609 Basque Country centres on five women accused of being witches—who plot an escape from their impending doom. This is a dark, psychological thriller that may not be to everyone’s taste. It’s already out on Netflix. : Two adorable puppets and Michelle Obama bring you a cooking show for kids! They travel across the world meeting famous chefs like Samin Nosrat and José Andrés, and, of course, eating delicious food. What’s not to like? You can also read People’s interview with the former FLOTUS . It drops on Netflix on March 16! A LIST OF GOOD READS * Planning to go see ‘Roohi’—the Rajkummar Rao ‘horror comedy’—this weekend? advice: don’t. * An older but good read: Ruchika Sharma in looks at the transformation of Shiva from a meat-lover to a shudh shakahari. * Also a newer read from : A lovely piece about an 1857 play that dramatised the Indian Rebellion aka Sepoy Mutiny with action, comedy and romance. Comedy? * Imaan Sheikh in pens a lovely tribute to Helen (sign in required). * offers a very different and interesting way to learn a language as an adult. * Want to learn something new just for a lark? offers 17 websites that help you do just that. * makes a fascinating connection between low literacy rates in Africa and France’s insistence on shoving French down the throats of its former colonies. * takes a closer look at the connection between anxiety and diet. * spotlights the rise of ‘fun pants’—a delightful Gen Z trend that favours whimsical, silly and bold designs. * We loved the photos in this write up on women Sumo wrestlers. * has a lovely essay on the important lives of solitary bees—who live outside the hive. * assures us that there is no good reason to eat three whole meals a day.
For U2 fans. Ofc, we think the doggie in the background makes it perfect! When the wind ruins your blow dry... The only way to serve your nachos. Be this kid!
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