Shredded!

Sanity Break #1

We fell in instant love with the extraordinary portraits in Christian Tagliavini's ‘Circesque’—which takes the tired stereotypes of circus artists and turns them into an eye-popping feast for your eyes! The is just to get you interested enough to check them out in all their wondrous glory on .

Headlines that matter

FACEBOOK UNPLUGS THE NEWS Furious at a media bill that would force it to pay news publishers for stories people post on its platform, Facebook blocked all news content on February 17 (explained ). There was great furore, and everyone took sides—accusing one or the other for arrogance. After hurried negotiations, Oz leaders say, "Facebook has re-friended Australia”—i.e. come to an agreement: > “Going forward, the government has clarified we will retain the ability to decide if news appears on Facebook so that we won't > automatically be subject to forced negotiation. We have come to an agreement that will allow us to support the publishers we > choose to, including small and local publishers." All news sharing services will be restored soon. () TIGER WOODS IN A CAR CRASH The legendary golfer was involved in a serious accident in California. His SUV crossed the centre divide of a boulevard and rolled over multiple times. Woods—who was conscious—had to be removed through the windshield, and has “compound fractures in his legs.” The car was travelling at high speeds down a slope. : > "The interior, the cabinet of the vehicle was more or less intact. The front end was totally destroyed, the bumpers, everything > totally destroyed, airbags deployed, all of that. However, thankfully the interior was more or less intact, which kind of gave > him the cushion to survive what otherwise would have been a fatal crash.” A GREAT QATARI SHAME Government data shows that more than 6,500 migrant workers from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have died in Qatar between 2011-2020. And labour experts say that most are linked to the unprecedented construction in the country as it prepares for the 2022 football World Cup: “A very significant proportion of the migrant workers… were only in the country because Qatar won the right to host the World Cup.” And the cause of death is often termed as ‘natural’ to hide other causes. For example, being forced to work long hours in the sun in summer. has more on this exclusive investigation. In other Qatar-related news: A German beach volleyball duo is boycotting the upcoming tournament in the country. The reason: female players have to wear shirts and long trousers rather than the usual bikinis—"out of respect for the culture and traditions of the host country." One of them : > "We are there to do our job, but are being prevented from wearing our work clothes… This is really the only country and the only > tournament where a government tells us how to do our job—and that's what we're criticizing." Also getting tough: China, which will host the Winter Olympics next February, and is facing calls for an international boycott due to its appalling human rights record (See: Hong Kong, Uighurs etc.). And the US and UK governments are tentatively mulling it. But the Beijing-owned media has already issued a threat: “If any country is encouraged by extremist forces to take concrete actions to boycott the Beijing Winter Olympics, China will definitely retaliate fiercely.” () THE GREAT PANDEMIC: A QUICK UPDATE * Contradicting their , Union government officials insist that variants are for the current surge—but they spoke only of the South Africa and UK variants, and did not acknowledge any homegrown versions. * A 105-year-old woman who beat Covid to beating the disease: nine gin-soaked golden raisins eaten every morning. The recipe: “Fill a jar. Nine raisins a day after it sits for nine days.” Just saying... * The Philippines has offered to trade its nurses in exchange for free vaccines from Germany and the UK. The nurses union is : “We are disgusted on how nurses and healthcare workers are being treated by the government as commodities or export products.” * People who wear glasses may be 2-3 times to get infected. READY FOR AN ‘EXERCISE SNACK’? A new study shows that there may be an easy way to stay healthy at a time when gyms are hazardous to your health. It’s called exercise snacking, as in short bursts of activity (as short as 20 seconds!) that you “snack” on throughout the day. And it offers significant health benefits, according to : > "The beauty of exercise snacks is that you don’t need any equipment. Even climbing three flights of stairs, three times per day, > three days per week for six weeks resulted in a modest increase in fitness in non-exercisers. This small amount of activity is > enough to improve insulin metabolism in people who are overweight, confirming earlier research indicating two minutes of > moderate walking every 20 minutes reduces blood sugar following a high-sugar test drink." THREE ANIMAL THINGS Panthers for Ambani: Two black panthers were transferred from a government zoo in Assam to Reliance’s zoological park in Gujarat—which is set to become one of the world’s biggest zoos. Assam officials insist that no law was broken—and the transfer is part of a standard exchange programme between zoos. It will get two pairs of zebras from Israel with Reliance’s help. But activists have staged protests, demanding the return of the panthers. () Ardhanarishwar birdie: A birder in Pennsylvania spotted a rare cardinal that is bright red like a male on one side and brownish white like a female on the other. It is a bilateral gynandromorph—which happens when an egg has two different sex chromosomes instead of one. () A ‘miracle’ puppy: born in Oklahoma has more limbs than she needs. Due to a rare disorder, she was born with two pelvic regions, two lower urinary tracts, two reproductive systems, two tails and six legs. the vets taking care of her, “It is likely that she was going to have a litter mate but they did not separate in utero.” Such puppies rarely survive. The good news: “Her organs appear to be in great shape, she is peeing and pooping, and is very strong! She nurses well and is growing appropriately so far.” AN EXCELLENT MONOLOGUE Splainer subscriber Sowmya Swaminathan’s “deeply personal” monologue will be part of the ‘Page to Stage’ virtual event. The show premiers this Saturday (February 27) at 6.30 pm, and the tickets are only Rs 50. We hope to show up to give her some love. Tickets and more info . Sowmya has more on the monologue and her plans to donate the proceeds on .

Sanity Break #2

We discovered Kiran + Nivi thanks to splainer subscriber Aparna Jain’s . We are , as you will be too:)

Smart & Curious

A LIST OF CURIOUS FACTS One: This deer—discovered in Tennessee on a busy street unaware of where it was—has hair growing inside his eyeballs. When examined, the cause turned out to be “corneal dermoids”—when normal skin is found in abnormal locations on the body. () Two: Synagogues in Mumbai will celebrate Purim on Thursday. And gods of the lockdown willing, the octogenarian Kolet sisters—Hannah and Shosannah—will sing ‘Esther Ranichi Katha’. That’s the ‘story of Esther’ in Marathi verses interspersed with Hebrew, sung kirtan style. has this charming story. Three: Yuri Tolochko, a Kazakh bodybuilder, married his sex doll with great fanfare—and was blissfully wedded until she had to be sent to the shop. He has since found himself a second ‘wife’: “Her name is Lola and she is shaped like a giant chicken.” Ok, file this under ‘very icky fact’. has an interview plus photos. Four: Did you know Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey drinks a ‘salt shake’ every morning: “a morning mix of Himalayan pink salt, lemon juice and water.” has all the details you could possibly want on this only-in-Silicon Valley health fad. Five: This gorgeous floating research station designed by Lenka Petráková is called 8th Continent. And it isn’t just eye candy. The award-winning construction is split up into : > “[T]he Barrier, which collects waste and generates energy from the tides; the Collector, which is used to sort and recycle ocean > waste; the Research and Education Centre; the Greenhouse, where water can be processed and plants can be grown; and the Living > Quarters to support staff and researchers.” And let’s not forget, it … swoon!