The Great Decrease
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Sanity Break #1
This insanely detailed origami figure is made from a single piece of paper by 23-year-old Finnish artist Juho Könkkölä. See the other beauties over at his —and read more about him over at .
Headlines that matter
FARMER PROTESTS: THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS Who killed Navneet Singh? On Republic Day, a farmer from Uttar Pradesh died—for reasons no one can agree on. The police insist he died because his tractor turned over. A piece on his autopsy report—with a video of his body—claimed he may have been shot twice. Then published this based on the testimony of UK experts: > “However, photographic and video footage of Singh’s body, as well as the postmortem report, indicate he suffered an injury > consistent with at least one fatal gunshot wound through the head, according to doctors who reviewed the evidence.” And now finally, did its investigation, and concluded this: > “A forensic expert with 13 years of experience with postmortems, who is also a senior resident at one of the leading government > medical institutions in the country, examined the postmortem report. According to the expert, the only possible explanation for > the injuries recorded by the doctors is that Navreet was hit by two bullets.” Also this: A number of (including Rajdeep Sardesai) have been charged with sedition just for reporting on the possibility that Navneet Singh just may have—allegedly been shot. Barricades galore! The borders of Delhi resemble a war zone as the police erect multiple layers of concrete and wire barricades. It has cut off all essential supplies—creating severe water shortages. Also cut off: internet connectivity until February 3—but even that is likely to be extended. Plus this: the police have blocked access to 100 portable toilets constructed by the farmers, and will not allow street cleaners to clear the growing mounds of garbage. Protesters are now worried about the spread of infectious diseases. has that story. what Ghazipur looks like now. A thought: Who is more worried? The one who digs the moat, or the ‘barbarian at the gate’? Whatever one’s view of the farm laws, this is not a good look for the government. Staying defiant: Union leaders say they will remain at the protest sites if needed. Check out this on the state of negotiations. Mandeep Punia is out: The freelance reporter was arrested on the Singhu border while he was reporting on the violence for Caravan magazine. He has been granted bail with a bond of Rs 25,000: “[T]he court said no recovery of evidence was required from the accused and keeping him further in judicial custody would not serve any “cogent purpose.” has more. No crazy metal batons: After photos of those weird kirpans/épées/lathis wielded by Delhi police went viral, senior officials have tried to roll back the new look. Here’s : > “Sixty sword-like metal batons were reportedly distributed in Shahdara district to police officials on Monday for protection > from rioters armed with swords. ‘The decision to use the metal baton was taken after many security personnel were injured by > protesters armed with swords during their recent clashes with the police,’ a senior police officer said.” Senior officials were apparently “taken aback” by this move and have insisted it is withdrawn. Running with the flag: In order to counter allegations of being anti-national, 2000 all the way from Rohtak to Ghazipur with the tiranga. See below: No reporters, please! The new rules of the Delhi borders: No reporters allowed, even if they have a press pass. Watch this video to see how this is being implemented. Rihanna feels the kisan pain: This is what she out last night. Yes, she did. Joining her: who expressed solidarity. Also launching a maha protest: 10 central trade unions who have called for a nationwide protest today against privatisation and to press for the scrapping of the new labour laws (explained ). Actions planned include: “massive demonstrations/ mobilizations at the workplaces, and industrial centres/areas and also burning the copies of the Labour Codes.” has more. JEFF BEZOS IS STEPPING DOWN In a surprise move, the Amazon CEO says he will quit his job later this year, and pass the baton on to the company’s top cloud executive Andy Jassy. Bezos will take on the role of executive chairman instead: > “Bezos said he will stay engaged in important Amazon projects but will also have more time to focus on the Bezos Earth Fund, his > Blue Origin spaceship company, The Washington Post and the Amazon Day 1 Fund.” So he’s not exactly quitting. () As for Amazon India: It won a reprieve in the Delhi High Court—which issued an interim order suspending the Future Group’s deal with Reliance. Back in August, Future inked a Rs 250 billion deal to sell its chain of stores to Reliance—and Amazon has been trying to block it ever since (explained at length ). The company has taken the case to an independent arbitration organisation in Singapore—which put a hold on the Reliance buyout. But its other efforts in India—including complaints to Sebi—have failed… until now. Key parts of the ruling offer a big boost to Amazon. The judge said he was of the ‘prima facie’ view that the Singapore tribunal’s restraining order on Future was enforceable in India—“in the same manner as an order of this court.” He also said: “This court is satisfied that immediate orders are necessary to protect the rights of the petitioner (Amazon)” until the matter is settled. () THE GREAT PANDEMIC: A QUICK UPDATE * The very shady Sputnik V vaccine—which was rolled out without stage 3 trials—may actually work very well. in Lancet suggest that the Russian vaccine is 91.6% effective. * Australia is saying ‘no, thank you’ to a planned cricket series in South Africa. : The new and more infectious variant, of course. * Did you know that a secret CIA program linked to Osama bin Laden is the reason many Pakistanis don’t trust vaccines? has more. * The 100-year old Tom Moore won everyone’s hearts during the lockdown when he raised £33 million for UK charities during the lockdown—by simply walking 100 laps of his garden. He died yesterday after being admitted to hospital after testing positive last week. has more. WORST INDIANS IN THE WORLD? Twelve children under the age of five were admitted to a hospital after they were administered hand sanitiser drops instead of polio vaccine in Maharashtra. The good news: the kids are fine. Also: Three officials including a health worker, doctor, and ASHA worker have been suspended. For what it’s worth, we think that’s a light sentence. () TECH COMPANIES WITH GENDER ISSUES One: Google has agreed to shell out $3.8 million in back pay and interest to 2,565 women because of its sexist hiring practices: > “At issue were allegations that the company paid women engineers less than their male counterparts and had a hiring process that > disadvantaged both women and Asian applicants for software engineering roles.” The reason for this generosity: It will help fob off the Department of Labor which now "won't audit 39 Google locations for five years." () Two: Yeah, we’re not on TikTok any more. But apparently there is a silhouette challenge—which kicked off as “a way for people to feel sexy and good in their bodies.” Inevitably, trolls used tech to turn all the good feels into an : > “There are now many videos on YouTube instructing people how to use editing software or apps to change the contrast and color in > a way that reduces the silhouette effect. Because participants are just a silhouette in the challenge, many are wearing less > clothing, or lingerie, or nothing at all. The goal of the editing is to reveal their bodies.” FOUR BITS OF FUN NEWS Nike does good: The company unveiled a hands-free for people who can’t or won’t put their shoes on or take them off: > “The 'Go FlyEase' shoe is marketed as not requiring hands to put on and take off. The company said it was inspired in part by > Asian cultures, where it’s customary to remove shoes before entering a home. The debut also comes at a time when people are more > conscious of not touching dirty surfaces, like the bottom of shoes.” Er, isn’t this why we have Bata chappals? Jokes aside, it is also a big improvement for people with disabilities. In any case, it looks like this: Myanmar aerobics: A military coup is no laughing matter—but an who is to such weighty matters is funny indeed. Emails from your palak: MIT scientists have to detect explosive material in the ground soil and “wirelessly relay this information” back to them. The reason for such unsought innovation: “scientists believe it could be used to help warn researchers about pollution and other environmental conditions.” Welcome to Hollyboob? Six people have been arrested for creatively altering the famous ‘Hollywood’ sign in Los Angeles. They claim they were trying to raise awareness of breast cancer (yeah, right!). The sign is a magnet for creative vandals—who previously changed it to read Hollyweed. ()
Sanity Break #2
The perfect cure for that mid-week slump: Pandas Mei Xiang and Tian Tian at the Smithsonian National Zoo in DC.
Smart & Curious
A LIST OF CURIOUS FACTS One: Did you know that Pierce Brosnan is an artist? And the prints of his portrait of Bob Dylan sold for at auction in 2018. We’re not particularly impressed with his skillz, but hey it’s fun to know! Two: Speaking of Hollywood types with hobbies, this bar in Milan was entirely designed by director Wes Anderson—of ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’ fame. Apparently, it has the same “whimsical atmosphere” as his films. You can check that out , but we are more curious about Pink Zebra in Kanpur—which is on the list of best six in the world. We are impressed! Three: Scientists have all sorts of mad theories about how the world—and all the continents within it—will look like hundreds of millions of years from now. rounds up the entire lot of them, but (based on a 2016 study) looks the coolest. Yes, we are shallow like that. Four: Last not least, a bunch of very serious scientists published titled “Magnetic resonance imaging of male and female genitals during coitus and female sexual arousal.” Yes, they took MRIs of people having sex. It won them the IgNoble award—and celebrated its in 2019.
Feel Good Place
Duck surfing… We wanna be this racoon in Toronto Is there anything funnier than Mamata-di showing off her Hindi skillz just in time for election time? We think not.
