A list of good reads
- While the number of Covid deaths in Africa are among the lowest in the world, the pandemic had a huge impact on mental health. Quartz explains why Africans are the saddest people on the planet right now.
- Vox looks at a highly successful experiment which involved giving money and therapy to at-risk young men in danger of turning into criminals. And it appears to have worked!
- Wired has a guide to those web site pop-ups asking you to set your cookie preferences—and tells you what to do with them.
- Feminism in India has an excellent essay on LinkedIn—which many men mistake for Tinder.
- The Quint decodes RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s recent speech on Muslims, mosques and what it means to be Indian. Does it mark a softer approach to Hindutva?
- Elle has a very good personal essay on the “perpetually single woman.”
- Scroll looks at the deeply flawed grievance redressal system of UIDAI—the top regulatory authority overseeing Aadhaar cards.
- Vanity Fair looks at the impact of the ugly trial and its outcome on the careers of Amber Heard and Johnny Depp.
- After a Reddit thread went viral, everyone was busy outraging over the Swedish “tradition” of not feeding children who’ve been invited home to play with their kids. Washington Post looks at whether this is actually true. TLDR: sorta.
- The Guardian offers a break from the polarised meat vs vegetarian debate—arguing that even small changes to a meat-based diet can have a significant impact on climate change.
- Also taking the ‘small steps matter’ line: The Atlantic on how the pandemic has changed our relationship with exercise… in a good way!
- The India Forum looks at why Hindutva has greater traction in Karnataka—compared to other Southern states.
- Also in The India Forum: A must-read essay by a trainer who runs PoSH (anti-sexual harassment) workshops for workplaces. There are a lot of surprising insights in this piece.
- Mint Lounge has a fun profile of Dolly Jain—who drapes saris for celebrities.
- Inc looks at a simple hack that neuroscience claims can vastly improve your sleep.
- BBC News explains why your favourite colour is most probably blue.
