Singer’s new documentary about the 1960s Laurel Canyon music scene shows why there is no substitute for creative collaboration

Bob Dylan’s son, the musician and performer Jakob Dylan, has urged young people to get together in person to make music and not to rely on technology, after fronting an elegiac film about how the ageing “giants” of rock gathered together to share ideas and refine their sounds.

Digital files now allow singers and musicians to hear each other across great distances, and even to collaborate on new songs, but it should never replace the habit of playing together, Dylan argues.

Russian media pours scorn on Europe, but the only progressive way forward for our common continent is together

In the early 1990s Russia used to have a strong sense of belonging in Europe. This began to change: the post-Soviet shock therapy reforms were a punishing transition to a free-market society, when a kilogram of sausage cost about the same as a monthly pension and many families experienced malnutrition and hunger. The sudden shift to a more “westernised” way of running the economy left many impoverished, which was eventually capitalised on – after the oligarchic power wars – by a new political leader who embraced a conservative, nationalist rhetoric: Vladimir Putin.

Today, Russian television presenters feed us stories about a European continent in decay, where “aggressive migrants” run amok, where social services take children away from their parents for being “slapped”, where “sexual minorities” destroy traditional families.

About 80 per cent of stars in the Milky Way’s central bulge have relatively close encounters with another star, which can fling off any planets orbiting them

More than $8bn (£6.5bn) are pledged to help develop a vaccine and fund research into treatments.

Tiger Shroff and Disha Patani's relationship has been the talk of the town ever since both the actors joined the Hindi film industry. They both have been spotted together multiple times together by their fans and the paparazzi on lunches and dinners and movie screenings. And the duo has also got the company of Shroff's sister Krishna Shroff a lot of times. Not just that, even Disha and Krishna share a great bond and keep uploading their pictures and videos on social media.

And now, talking to Mumbai Mirror, Krishna has spilled the beans on Disha, her relationship with Tiger, and if they both are staying together during the lockdown. Let's hear the answer of the third question first. She says, "She isn't, but she lives close by. We go grocery-shopping sometimes." So here's hoping there are no more rumours floating around about this news since it has been cleared once and for all. Coming to her relationship with Tiger, she was candid on this question too.

"Tiger and Disha have been friends for ages. We connected over fitness. Since Tiger is a loner, I figured she is a cool girl if my brother is spending so much time with her," says Krishna. Speaking about her own thoughts on the lockdown and the fact that she's staying with her beau Eban Hyams, she says, "As long as we have a roof over our head and food on the table, I can't complain. Staying with him (Eban) makes the lockdown easier, hope he can be with his family when the restrictions are relaxed."

Also, it was reported that Jackie Shroff is stuck at their farmhouse between Pune and Lonavala. To this, Krishna states, "He went there for the weekend just before the lockdown. It has been tough but we are in touch." Here's hoping the actor is safe and sound and returns soon!

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Pic courtesy/YouTube

Consuming a ketogenic diet not only helps to lose weight but also helps maintain vision in patients with glaucoma, a study conducted over mice has found. Ketogenic diet is a diet which has high fat, low protein and low carbohydrates.

Glaucoma is a progressive disease in which damage to the cells that transmit visual information to the brain leads to vision loss and, in some cases, blindness. Higher rates of glaucoma in people with diabetes suggests a potential connection between this eye disease and metabolic stress.

The findings led by Denise Inman from the Northeast Ohio Medical University in the US showed that a low carb and high-fat diet protects retina cells and their connections to the brain from degeneration.

Switching mice destined to develop glaucoma to a low carbohydrate, high fat diet protects the cells of the retina and their connections to the brain from degeneration.

The results, published in the journal JNeurosci, found that feeding mice, genetically modified to develop glaucoma, a ketogenic diet composed of nearly 90 per cent fat for two months protected retinal cells from degeneration by increasing energy availability.

Although further research into this intervention is required, these findings suggest that a ketogenic diet may help to maintain vision in patients with glaucoma, the researchers said.

(Edited by mid-day online desk, with inputs from IANS)

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In what it termed a 'surgical closure' on trespassing and track crossing, Western Railway authorities on Thursday morning permanently shut the age-old Jogeshwari railway track crossing, inviting both bouquets and brickbats. With an average of 35 to 38 deaths from crossing tracks here every year, the station authorities were forced to make this move. The railways also posted teams of policemen between the tracks and the fencing on Thursday to avoid any chaos. The first day of this closure saw many angry locals along with commuters who welcomed the move.

"This is julum. How will we cross now? The government should not do this. They should have built escalators for people like us and then shut down the crossing," Mohammad Ansar, a senior citizen arguing with an RPF constable said. "Yeh accha kiya [good job]," was another reaction. "They should have done this earlier. But it is better late than never. The public here used to jump the tracks very often," another commuter Ramesh Narayan said.

Abundance of FOBs
On visiting the station, mid-day found that there are three big foot-over bridges here, one at the Churchgate end connecting east to west, the other one is in the middle connecting the station to the west side and the third one is at the Virar-end, again connecting east to west and the Harbour line station through a walkway. However, the only one at the Churchgate end sees heavy traffic during rush hours. The bridge is connected to a wide elevated deck. The only problem is with the narrow staircase landing on platforms one and two. The WR intends to widen platforms and extend them towards Churchgate for 15-car trains.

"We are saving lives. Closing the open holes in the walls was a priority to stop people from crossing tracks. The bridge access is being improved but things do not happen overnight. There is a short-term and a long-term plan in place which the Western Railway is working on," Western Railway Mumbai Divisional Railway Manager Sunil Kumar told mid-day.

"The Western Railway has elaborate plans to widen the existing platform one and two soon," Western Railway's chief public relations officer Ravinder Bhakar said. Bhakar said that the widening (by two metres) of platform one and two is planned by reducing the width of platform three and four. This will be done under platform extension work in connection with the 15-coach work. A total of four escalators, one in the first phase and three in the second phase are planned too.

"At present the width of the platform is only 7.5 metres, which will be increased to 9.5 metres by realigning tracks. The staircases will be widened to six metres and the station manager's room will be shifted to the elevated deck. There is also a plan to build one foot-over bridge to connect the Harbour line platform with the east side of the station," he added. The WR also plans to have a long-distance train terminal at Jogeshwari towards the Borivali end of the station later.

Also Read: Mumbai bridge collapse: CST foot overbridge was audited after 2017 stampede

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After waiting for a year, most fans of Avengers Endgame would have left the cinema hall in tears. As the final credits rolled, what had come to an end wasn't just the longest feature film in the series, but also an era of comic goodness we knew as the Marvel Cinematic Universe, or the MCU.

Celebrating the culmination of the 22-movie series, the folks at Cancetta Mumbai, a social media-handling firm, will organise a gathering for all Mumbaikars to meet like-minded fans and discuss the conclusion of the series.

"It's the Star Wars of this generation," says curator Anthony Stephen Mendes. The event will include fun activities like cosplay and scene recreations, fact-sharing sessions, and character-based rapid-fire rounds. There's even a quiz where the winners will stand a chance to bag cool merchandise from the series.

A still from the film

The meet-up is sure to take you on a trip down memory lane from what started with an experimental move at the end of Iron Man (2008) over a decade ago to a movement and hysteria that has resulted in a new genre of movies and growing fan base, stemming from readers of the original comic books. "The gathering is an offline way to bid goodbye to one of the best cinematic universes of all time," adds Mendes. The event is open to all but participants below 21 years will have to be accompanied by parents.

On Tonight, 7 pm onwards at Doolally Taproom, 135 Kwality House, Kemps Corner.
Call 48931314
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To support India in its efforts to financially assist those impacted by the disruption caused by the outbreak, Facebook announced the launch of Facebook Fundraisers, a platform that will allow people to start a fundraiser for a cause dear to them.

In addition to this, Hungama Artist Aloud, a platform that supports and promotes independent content, is bringing back #StayAtHome #StayEntertained, for a second season. A series of multilingual, multi-genre and multi-talent digital concerts, will come together for this effort to raise funds for Goonj, which is working to ease the hardships faced by daily-wage earning families.

Having kicked off on April 27, the series saw artistes like Himani Kapoor, Shashaa Tirupati, Sujata Majumdar, Hardeep Grewal, Poorvi Koutish, Siddharth Basrur, Paroma Dasgupta, Dev Negi, Astitva, The Suryansh Project, Preety Bhalla, Shreya Sharma and Sanah Moidutty perform live from their homes.

Shreya Sharma

Shreya Sharma says, "(While we are) comfortable in our houses and air conditioned rooms, a lot of migrant workers are in the sweltering heat without rations or basic sanitary needs. Doing even the smallest can help them to survive this pandemic."

Sanah M adds, "I'll be singing a few songs that I've sung for movies, a few covers, and will possibly take up some audience requests."

Preety Bhalla

Preety Bhalla says, "Social media is a very important platform through which people can reach out to each other especially during this lockdown. So this is a great medium where we as artists can do something from our side by performing for them and thus raise funds for the needy."

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On the occasion of their 38th wedding anniversary, evergreen actor Hema Malini and Dharmendra thanked fans for sending their warm wishes to them.

Malini (71) took to Twitter on Saturday and shared a picture with her husband on the occasion. She tweeted, "Dharam ji & I thank all those who have wished us on our wedding anniversary today. It is your blessings & good wishes that have always been with us all through these years."

Dharam ji & I thank all those who have wished us on our wedding anniversary today. It is your blessings & good wishes that have always been with us all through these years🙏 pic.twitter.com/tEtO6L4Boj

— Hema Malini (@dreamgirlhema) May 2, 2020

Daughter Esha Deol also showered anniversary wishes on her parents by sharing a picture of them on Instagram. Wishing for infinite years of togetherness of her parents, she wrote, "Happy wedding anniversary my darling parents! My mamma & papa, I love u both soooooooo much & pray to God to bless you both with infinite years of togetherness, love, happiness & the best of health! @dreamgirlhemamalini @aapkadharam. Love you, Esha, Bharat, Radhya & Miu."

The post received more than 18,000 likes within an hour after the post was put up.

Several celebrities including Tusshar Kapoor commented on the post and wished the couple. "Happy anniversary to this wonderful couple," he wrote.

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This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

The nation witnessed 85 Indian and global stars come on one platform to raise funds for GiveIndia COVID-19 relief fund for a fundraiser concert that was held live on May 3, 2020. Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao kickstarted the philanthropic extravaganza by singing classic melodies of hope for the virtual audience.

Sharing heartfelt messages of hope with the audience, Aamir and Kiran made sure to urge everyone to contribute to the fundraiser. The classics they chose were- Aa Chal Ke Tujhe by Kishore Kumar and Raj Kapoor's Kisi Ki Muskurahaton Se from Anari and they both sang them beautifully.

Aamir Khan also said that we are passing through a difficult stage and it is important to help the needy and expressed that people should not lose hope. Kiran also said that everyone should come together in tough times.

I for India was a home-to-home fundraiser concert that went live on Facebook on Sunday, May 3, 2020, at 7:30 pm. The concert was a no-sponsors, only-donors approach where 100% proceeds from the fundraiser concert went to the India COVID Response Fund, to support on-ground relief efforts.

The vision for the concert by leaders from the entertainment industry, including Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao was three-pronged: to entertain those locked down in their homes, to pay tribute to those who are working on the frontlines and to raise funds for those who have no work and no home and do not know where their next meal is coming from. The concert features performances and personal messages from the entertainers from across the world.

With the nation facing a lockdown to curb the spread of COVID-19, these efforts by personalities like Aamir Khan inspire many others. Though this is not the first time he has extended his support to help the people affected by the lockdown, the personal touch that Aamir and Kiran gave in order to raise funds is commendable.

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Despite the sealed borders keeping him from returning home to India, Sonu Nigam has been neck-deep in work, supporting causes for daily-wagers, and raising awareness for relief funds for the country. It's been a month since Nigam, who is currently holed up in Dubai, began the cumbersome task of breathing life into a passion-project, the brainchild of his industry associate Srinivas. Along with Indian Singers Rights Association CEO Sanjay Tandon, the duo reached out to 100 artistes from across India for the creation of the 14-language track, One nation one voice, which is set to be unveiled by Lata Mangeshkar.

"We had been struggling to find a Sindhi [singer], and that's when we reached out to Ghanshyam Vaswani. Though disconnected from mainstream [music], he has been a ghazal singer for decades. My mother was proficient in Sindhi. So Ghanshyamji and I collaborated for those portions. Similarly, Papon [worked on] the Assamese [verses], Bhajan Soporiji and Kailash Kher did the Kashmiri track, Mame Khan crafted Rajasthani [verses] and Krishna [Beura], the Odia portions," Nigam tells mid-day of the song that also includes lines in Bengali, Marathi, Malayalam, and Tamil.

The coalescing of an assortment of home-bound artistes for a single track becomes simpler when employing a digitally transferable background score that they can individually lay their vocals on. But Nigam was creating an acapella piece, which didn't have instruments to play second fiddle in supporting his endeavour.

"We sent two songs to all the singers. One [included] the base track that had been created by [a select few], and included sounds, layers and harmonies. No instruments were used to create this, and it was upon this piece that the singers [recorded their vocals]. We also gave them a reference piece of how we wanted the song to sound, but offered an empty space [for them to experiment]." Those singers who do not have a home-studio had to let the acapella piece play in the background as they recorded their vocals over it, he informs.

There's a peculiar cheer in his voice when he talks of Asha Bhosle's involvement in this number. "With her being by our side, this project has become invaluable. At 86, she has opened this song like a boss. You find yourself wondering how someone at that age can sing so beautifully. I was reduced to tears on hearing her 30-second performance."

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Zoya Akhtar is a pioneer when it comes to thinking outside the box and delivering the best of content. The director has done it once again with the "I for India initative" to help reduce the impacts of Covid-19.

The initiative has been making headlines ever since it was announced with everyone waiting for the event to go live. Spanning over four hours, the Facebook live event saw 85+ celebrities from Bollywood take part in it including international celebrities like Will Smith and Mick Jagger joining in as well along others.

The event saw artists do various performances in the safety of their homes to raise money for GiveIndia.org to support frontline workers fighting the Covid-19 pandemic and also to help people like daily wage workers who have been affect due to the ongoing crisis.

The vision for the concert was three-pronged: to entertain those locked down in their homes. To pay tribute to those who are working on the frontlines. And to raise funds for those who have no work and no home and do not know where their next meal is coming from.

Needless to say, the concert was a huge success and managed to raise substantial amounts of funds that will indeed benefit those in need. The 'I for India' initiative was organised by Zoya Akhtar and Karan Johar.

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A few weeks back, actress Puja Banerjee took to her Instagram account and shared a romantic and passionate picture with her beau Kunal Verma and announced that she's about to tie the knot with him. However, little did she expect that the Coronavirus outbreak would turn our lives upside down. But as they say- Love conquers all.

Yes! You read that right, the couple has successfully got married and is together forever now. Now you all must be wondering how that happened. Well, Banerjee took to her Instagram account and shared this heartening news with all her fans. Read it from start to finish.

Have a look right here:

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

This is a pic from last year durga puja sindoor khela. TODAY WAS SUPPOSED TO BE OUR WEDDING BUT THE SITUATION IS SUCH THAT WE HAVE CANCELLED ALL OUR CEREMONIES ALTHOUGH WE HAD REGISTERED OUR MARRIAGE BEFORE A MONTH SO WE ARE OFFICIALLY MARRIED AND TOGETHER FOREVER NOW. WITH THE BLESSING OF OUR PARENTS AND GRANDPARENTS WE STARTING OUR NEW LIFE NEED ALL OF UR BEST WISHES. OUR FAMILY IS HAPPY AND SO ARE WE BUT GIVEN CIRCUMSTANCES OUR HEART GOES OUT TO ALL THE PEOPLE WHO ARE FIGHTING FOR THEIR LIVES RIGHT NOW AND TO ALL THE FAMILIES WHO LOST THEIR LOVED ONES . OUR PRAYERS WITH ALL OF YOU AND A SMALL CONTRIBUTION FROM OUR SIDE AS THE MONEY WE WERE TO SPEND FOR OUR MARRIAGE FUNCTION WE ARE DONATING TO PEOPLE WHO ARE IN NEED NOW 🙏 THIS IS NO TIME TO CELEBRATE BUT WE WILL CELEBRATE WITH OUR LOVED ONES ONCE THE WORLD BECOMES A HAPPY PLACE AGAIN.🙏 JAI MATA DI

A post shared by Puja Banerjee (@banerjeepuja) onApr 15, 2020 at 6:59am PDT

This has to be the most unique wedding of all time that has united two people and two souls and a bond has formed without any social media pictures or any grand celebrations. Just the husband and the wife and their undying love! But we are sure once the lockdown ends, both Puja and Kunal will throw a grand party and invite all their friends and family members to celebrate this moment.

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A few weeks ago, reports about Karan Kundra and Anushka Dandekar's break up began surfacing on social media and fans were worried. One of the most loved couples of Tinsel Town was suddenly no longer together? Well, the good news is they are very much together and their Instagram video is proof. They both shared the same video on their respective accounts to silence all the speculations.

It was a video that was all about virtual dating and was truly edited crisply and fantastically. Anusha wrote- "Ok so it's been over 6 weeks of lockdown. Karan and I are virtual dating! Obviously I worked out some amazing ways to keep the love alive! @bumble_india also has an amazing Video Chat feature so you guys can connect with your Bumble matches while staying home. Why don't you give these tips a go? Also don't forget to tell us how it went! Remember you can still find the love of your life or reunite with yours soon, this will help keep it special." (sic)

Have a look right here:

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

Ok so it’s been over 6 weeks of lockdown😅💔 soooo Karan and I are virtual dating! Obviously I worked out some amazing ways to keep the love alive! 💯 @bumble_india also has an amazing Video Chat feature so you guys can connect with your Bumble matches while staying home. Why don’t you give these tips a go? Also don’t forget to tell us how it went! 😘❤ Remember you can still find the love of your life or reunite with yours soon, this will help keep it special. 💛💛💛 @kkundrra @bumble_india

A post shared by Anusha Dandekar (@vjanusha) onMay 3, 2020 at 6:01am PDT

Now here's hoping all those people who were mourning their break-up cheer up and we hope they continue sharing such charming videos on social media to keep all of us happy!

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