The Third Slip: Issue 133 - Fighting fire with FIR
Hello, Slippers! Welcome to The Third Slip - the weekly newsletter that is a swimming pool in an ocean of news. We like to think we have a shallow end and a deep end, but really we're for the jump-in-and-pop-out-at-the-side-where-the-bar-is-located-to-drink-a-beer-by-the-poolside kinda swimmer. Sham-page socialists if you will. Cheers!
This is issue 133, the first for the month of October 2019, in a week in which Narendra Modi showed us how he is the leader of the world in using the word appropriate as a verb as opposed to an adjective by “writing” an op-ed praising Mahatma Gandhi in NYT. What a dream run for the best PM of all time where ghosts from the past are written out and ghosts from the present are writing articles for him. The ghosts of the future are unavailable for comment because climate change has wiped them out. On with the news…
At Home
Dissenting into chaos
The few celebrities who wrote a letter to Modi beseeching him to stop communal violence now have an FIR against their names. How could the best filmmakers in the country not see this plot twist? Yes, having a spine is now anti-national. Supine is the patriotic position.
Turning over a new leaf
Who said Mumbai’s municipal corporation is good for nothing? All you librandus complaining about potholes and nagging for better public transport saying the government doesn’t do anything quickly can now take back your words: For hardly hours after the High Court declared Aarey not a forest, the BMC’s men were off and running, chopping 100 trees late at night, and close to 2000 in 1 day, even though they needed to do that only 15 days later. What initiative! They also made sure nothing would get in their way: Lathi-charging activists and even taking lessons from Kashmir, imposing Section 144. Before you know it, the whole of that ugly forest will be converted into a nice gleaming car-shed that could have been made anywhere else. Think about that next time your car has a flat thanks to a pothole, you newsletter-reading elitist.
Kafi fail
Remember Kafil Khan, the UP paediatrician who worked at the government hospital that never paid its oxygen bills and had its supply cut off? The guy who spent his own money trying to save kids? And subsequently went to jail for this? Well, he got out of jail only to have new charges framed against him, and if at this point you want to give up MBBS and become a PPT-maker, nobody will blame you.
Para-dies on Earth
There are several anti-national publications claiming that there is abuse and casualties in Kashmir and all. Such lies. That guy who the army stripped and electrocuted? All fake news. The first person who died after scrapping article 370 is a 17-year-old kid? Rubbish.
Plastic smile
The environment is good but economics is better - the government rolls back its ban on single-use plastics. Meanwhile, Adani’s power plants don’t need to comply with all those annoying norms and regulations that everyone else seems to be subject to.
We couldn't Keralas
Guess which state topped NITI Aayog’s School Education Index. And guess which was at the bottom. Go on, take a guess.
At least the trains...
IRCTC’s IPO got oversubscribed 112 times! We know what you're thinking... No there's no Tatkal quota.
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International stuff
Mood is doom
The UN has declared that the mood around the world is pretty damn dark and bleak. Thank goodness for TTS to cheer you up on Monday, eh?
Growing concern
With so many people suffering, the only solace is that at least markets are booming and capitalism is happening, right? WTO forecasts trade growth slowing from 2.6% to 1.2%. Oh, well.
Whodunit
Brexit is like the middle part of a mystery novel. Or like an excited dog chasing its own tail: Lots of activity and noise but eventually ends up in the same place. As it was this week (please assume this is default till we report otherwise). The EU has had enough of trying to convince Britain to remain and is clearly moving on (so is ex-PM Theresa May, who’s taken up trekking and wants to write a mystery novel).
In the impeach of health
After last week’s revelation that Trump asked Ukraine to dig up dirt on Biden (which set impeachment proceedings in motion), it turns out he asked Australia for help too, and brazenly asked China, too. Well, at least this is some sort of international diplomacy. There’s now a second whistleblower, and Trump’s working off steam lashing out at everyone (including his own intelligence agencies and central bank), while asking for migrants to be shot, their DNA samples collected, and asking aides for an estimate for a border wall moat filled with snakes.
Hack eye: Decision Review System
Speaking of Russian interference: Putin & co are taking what’s worked in America and implementing it in Africa. What’s more, Iran is now getting into the hacking game, probably inspired by Russia. Oh and while we’re on that, China is exporting its surveillance tech to other authoritarian regimes. How heartwarming to see globalisation of such ideas happening :’)
Once in a lifetime trip
Searching for a vacation destination? Saudi Arabia now has tourist visas. *how to add crying while laughing emoji?*. It might be a good time to remember that one year ago, its leader butchered a dissident journalist (something that’s inspired other dissidents). Maybe they could have “End the misery of life” packages.
Fight and Flight!
Hong Kong’s still in protest mode, as is Haiti. Iraq, feeling left out nobody wants to fight with it, goes to war with itself. Pakistan says there could be a nuclear war with India - in which case we might not have to worry about everything else this cheerful newsletter has. Half the world’s militaries are using drones! Which means long distance strikes can become commonplace.
Seeing red
China’s 70th anniversary of communist rule this week and the Hong Kong protests are still on, where someone got shot at!
Tech
Amazon grace
More and more small sellers are having their balls in the not-so-trustworthy hands of an increasingly ruthless Amazon.
Taking stock
Reality is fast catching up with VC-funded charities like Uber - where perks and morale are vanishing like it's the company’s stock price.
Mess-age
“The public siding with Facebook” might not be a very common phrase but it could be soon - the US, UK & Australia wants the company to stop end-to-end encryption, and if they get their way, your sidey texts and Whatsapp family group forwards are potentially trackable.
WeSee
The most Silicon Valley (show, not region) app right now is something that scans people’s faces and tells you if they’re a VC or not.
Equality in e-quality
Remember net neutrality? Tech’s biggest headache before all these scandals and things? Here’s how it’s doing now after a mixed court ruling. Basically, the decision upheld most of the FCC’s original stance against net neutrality but also allowed states to make their own provisions.
LinkedOut: The best things we read this week
Algae, not trees. That’s what we need to fight climate change.
Take a look at America’s most polarizing companies among Republicans & Democrats. We’d love to see a list like this for India.A look at the tech helping dogs to talk to humans (eventually).
Greta Thunberg’s approach is reminiscent of the youth-led activism of the 1960s.
Computers are increasingly controlling the global financial market (hey, computers - siphon off some into our Patreon, please? We’ll be nice)
Fascinating: FB’s ‘voted’ button could be Trump’s secret weapon for 2020.
The NBA is trying hard to get a footing in India.
That’s it for this week. If you’d like to get in touch with us, we’re on Twitter (Chuck | Tony). Or you can reach us on good ol’ email. Until next week, may you face a surprise test in which the surprise is the realisation that you knew more than you gave yourself credit for. Bye!