The past year has seen mounting consciousness of issues of violence, harassment and targeted abuse of women due to the #MeToo movement, which has led to accountability for several powerful men accused of abusing women, and greater awareness of women’s day-to-day experiences. And yet, as alleged sexual abuser Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the Supreme Court […]
Stars that are similar to the sun in every way we can measure are mostly more active than the sun, which hints that the sun’s activity may ramp up someday, risking solar eruptions
Global warming has already made parts of the world – including cities in Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates – hotter than the human body can withstand
The NI Executive says agreeing how to relax measures is the most crucial decision it will ever make.
We are excited to announce a new release of the React Developer Tools, available today in Chrome, Firefox, and (Chromium) Edge!
A lot has changed in version 4! At a high level, this new version should offer significant performance gains and an improved navigation experience. It also offers full support for React Hooks, including inspecting nested objects.
Visit the interactive tutorial to try out the new version or see the changelog for demo videos and more details.
react-dom
0-14.x: Not supported15.x: Supported (except for the new component filters feature)16.x: Supportedreact-native
0-0.61: Not supported0.62: Will be supported (when 0.62 is released)React DevTools is available as an extension for Chrome and Firefox. If you have already installed the extension, it should update automatically within the next couple of hours.
If you use the standalone shell (e.g. in React Native or Safari), you can install the new version from NPM:
npm install -g react-devtools@^4The new DevTools provides a way to filter components from the tree to make it easier to navigate deeply nested hierarchies.
Host nodes (e.g. HTML <div>, React Native <View>) are hidden by default, but this filter can be disabled:
If you are working with React Native version 60 (or older) you can install the previous release of DevTools from NPM:
npm install --dev react-devtools@^3For older versions of React DOM (v0.14 or earlier) you will need to build the extension from source:
# Checkout the extension source
git clone https://github.com/facebook/react-devtools
cd react-devtools
# Checkout the previous release branch
git checkout v3
# Install dependencies and build the unpacked extension
yarn install
yarn build:extension
# Follow the on-screen instructions to complete installationWe’d like to thank everyone who tested the early release of DevTools version 4. Your feedback helped improve this initial release significantly.
We still have many exciting features planned and feedback is always welcome! Please feel free to open a GitHub issue or tag @reactjs on Twitter.
The flower tattoo on the woman's right forearm is the only identifier
Deja vu seems to have struck the Rabale MIDC police. Close to a year after they found the headless body of a murdered woman who could be identified only because of a tattoo, another such case has come to light, this time of a woman, whose body was found highly decomposed, with the only mark of recognition being a flower tattoo on her right forearm.
The highly decomposed body was found on April 9
The police found the body on April 9, after being alerted by the control room about a foul smell emanating from a sewer carrying industrial waste close to Airoli railway station. When a team visited the spot, they saw the highly decomposed body of a woman with maggots all over it. Her face was beyond recognition. A closer examination helped cops lay hands on their only clue - the tattoo.
The woman was wearing this kurta
Dumped or hacked
Speaking to mid-day, inspector P Jadhav of Rabale police station said, "We saw the upper body on a dry surface, while her legs were submerged in the sewer water. The deceased was removed from the water and upon examination, the tattoo was found on the forearm. A dupatta was also found around her neck. Prima-facie, we suspect the deceased might have been known to the assailant and that the body could have either been dumped or the accused may have hacked the woman to death."
Armed with only the flower tattoo on the right forearm of the deceased, and a picture of the chudidar and decomposed body, policemen have fanned across Mumbai, Thane and neighbouring areas looking for some clue from the missing persons register, whose description could match with that of the remains.
Limited clues
A parallel investigation is being done by the local crime branch, who also visited the spot. Tushar Doshi, deputy commissioner of police (crime) said, "We have limited clues in hand. We could not find any tailor's name on the greenish yellow Punjabi kurta that the deceased was wearing. We could not find anything concrete from the spot, as there was a lot of muck and waste in and around the area where the body was found; it was already in a decomposed state."
The local police have already started showing the tattoo to tattoo artists in and around the area. Cops are also checking if a bar dancer or woman employee from the MIDC industrial area have gone missing in the last few days. Meanwhile, the autopsy has thrown up details about the way the woman was killed. The remains were sent to the NMMC hospital's Vashi post mortem centre. During the course of the procedure, autopsy surgeon Dr Bhushan Jain confirmed the woman was strangulated to death and had also suffered a head injury. Dr Jain said, "The incident might have happened around three to five days ago, as the upper body and face had been eaten up by maggots. The body was in a highly decomposed state. The death was due to strangulation and head injury."
Ante mortem injuries
A source at the police station said prima-facie it seems that the deceased might have been between 30-35 years old, the injuries on the body were ante mortem (before death) injuries and a dupatta, possibly worn by the woman, was used to strangulate her. Since the body was partly submerged in water, early signs of decomposition were visible on the lower remains, whereas the upper remains were highly decomposed. Rabale police have registered a case of murder and destruction of evidence against unknown assailant(s).
Also Read: Navi Mumbai headless torso case: Horrific details of the brutal murder
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Anirban Blah, co-founder of talent agency Kwan Entertainment, was rescued by the traffic police on Friday while attempting suicide on old Vashi bridge. On October 16, four anonymous women had levelled allegations of sexual harassment against Das, speaking exclusively to mid-day. Following this paper’s report, Blah was asked by Kwan’s management to "step aside" from his position on Tuesday afternoon.
The incident happened around 12.30 am when the traffic police received a tip-off about a man trying to jump off Vashi bridge. During counselling by the police, Blah said that was depressed after losing his job.
An actress shared her two-year-long ordeal which started with Blah bumping into her at a meeting and later asking her to participate in an ‘unnatural sex set-up’. Another model told mid-day that Blah had asked her to strip when she visited his home for a professional meeting.
With the accounts of harassment going viral following mid-day’s report, Blah was relieved of his position and his stake was transferred to the remaining 10 partners. A statement from Kwan dated October 17 read, "The other 10 partners have taken over the entire stake of Anirban Blah in KWAN to ensure his exit. In this regard, the partners and Anirban will enter into the necessary legal documentation to ensure the exit is in accordance with the law."
Also Read: Kwan's Anirban Das Blah loses stake in his company
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An infuriated Varun Dhawan has called out the virus for making the world come to a standstill. He took to social media to share a video of him hurling the choicest of expletives.
The Street Dancer 3D actor can be heard saying, 'Corona ki... (sic)," and then the beeping begins. Though he is seen screaming, netizens were unable to decipher what he was saying. This was Dhawan's way to vent his fury at the pandemic. The video ends with a huge smile on Varun's face.
The actor captioned the clip, saying: "#badwordsgoodvibes. I feel better #indiafightscorona". Check it out:
Fans found it amusing. They felt he had spoken his mind but without offending anyone. Actors Tiger Shroff, Rakul Preet Singh and Huma Qureshi dropped laughing emojis in the comment section.
Veejay-show host Anusha Dandekar wrote: "hahaha."
The ongoing lockdown period is sure giving actors a time to explore their creativity. Some are busy cooking, others brooming, still others are writing poems while some are trying to be singers.
Earlier, Varun Dhawan took to rapping. The actor came up with a rap video about the coronavirus lockdown, urging people to stay indoors. "You can't go to the parlour, you can't go to the street, you can't go to sabzi mandi," Varun raps in the video, which features clips of the popular cartoon television series "Teletubbies", Shah Rukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan from "Devdas" and, of course, stills of PM Narendra Modi.
Sharing the rap video on Instagram, Varun wrote: "varundvn #LOCKDOWN #vararaps Stay indoors stay safe
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Farhan Akhtar is a multifaceted package of entertainment and his skills know no bounds. The actor has given the audience of the Indian film industry several memorable characters on-screen that. The audience saw one of the actor's most meaningful and poetic characters in Bollywood in the film Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. He donned the role of an advertising copywriter. His character in the film was given to all things art and delivered to us mesmerizing poetry which captured the essence of the film in it and gave a meaningful message out to the viewers.
In the sports biopic Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, Farhan Akhtar played the eminent role of the world champion runner and Olympian Milkha Singh. His character was inspirational to watch on screens and certainly gave the motivation they required to chase their goals. 'The Sky Is Pink' saw Farhan playing the intense role of a husband and a father in the biographical dram film, proving his versatility and his ability to play characters from one end of the spectrum to another.
The actor has won several accolades with his remarkable roles in his films and those films are known to gain commercial popularity as well. However, this time around Farhan is all set to step into the boxing ring with Toofaan where he won't be pulling any punches or leaving any stones unturned with his acting skills.
Farhan's previous noteworthy roles promise the audience an even more pre-eminent character on-screen.
The film is scheduled to release on the 18th of September 2020, presented by Excel Entertainment and directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra.
Toofaan is an Excel Entertainment Production in association with ROMP Pictures. So be ready to be blown away by a storm in Toofaan!
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A day shy of the announcement of the lockdown, Toofan filmmaker Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra had taken off to the village of Kale, after wrapping up the film's shoot. And even as he continues to help out-of-work labourers near Lonavla, his team of editors is hard at work in Mumbai, working from home.
"Our editors keep sending me files, while the sound designers have also been forwarding their edits. We are doing our bit from home," Mehra tells mid-day of the boxing drama starring Farhan Akhtar, which was set to release in September before the pandemic played havoc with the film industry's 2020 line-up. "We will revisit [the release date] since we don't think life will be back to normal before September. It's better to focus our energy on [restoring normalcy]."
Meanwhile, in Kale, where Mehra has a getaway home, he has been helping those who have been rendered out of work owing to the pandemic. "[They were employed for] construction work, which has been stopped. So, they have no source of income. Every morning, we make packets of rice, dal, aata, and oil with the help of [locals], and aid the tribes who live in hills. With permission from the gram panchayat, we will also help the daily wagers by providing them ration."
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A slow and steady weight loss plan is always a good idea, but losing weight too fast means putting your health at a risk which can lead to severe issues. So, be wise about undertaking excessive exercising or going for a crash diet. Pooja Chaudhary, wellness consultant, Healthians, an online diagnostic center that offers at-home services, lists down the common factors to take care of during a weight loss regime:
Losing weight around 0.45 kg-0.9 kg per week is a safe bet. But losing more than that can be considered as rapid weight loss which can have an impact on the health. At the start of exercise plan or diet plan, people witness a sudden weight loss of 2-3 kg. This is actually the water weight.
Angeli Misra, Co-founder of Lifeline Laboratory, lists down a few side effects of losing weight too fast:
1. It could damage your liver: Alcohol is not the only factor that puts you at a risk of developing a fatty liver. Sometimes following a surgery to reduce weight can also affect your liver.
2. Loose skin: Rapid weight loss leads to loose skin as skin loses elasticity.
3. It may slow down your metabolism: Excess of everything is bad. Excessive exercises and crash dieting can slow down your metabolism as you easily and soon get tired. Due to that your body works slow and you feel a sense of fatigue.
4. Other side effects: Losing weight fast by doing excessive exercise, swimming and crash diet may be linked to several other side effects like hunger, fatigue, irritability, muscle cramps, dizziness, constipation or diarrhea.
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Researchers have found that a common antibacterial substance found in toothpaste may combat life-threatening diseases such as cystic fibrosis (CF) when combined with a drug.
The study, published in the journal Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, found that when triclosan -- a substance that reduces or prevents bacteria from growing -- is combined with an antibiotic called tobramycin, it kills the cells that protect the CF bacteria, known as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, by up to 99.9 per cent.
CF is a common genetic disease with one in every 2,500 to 3,500 people diagnosed with it at an early age. It results in a thick mucus in the lungs, which becomes a magnet for bacteria.
These bacteria are notoriously difficult to kill because they are protected by a slimy barrier known as a biofilm, which allows the disease to thrive even when treated with antibiotics, the researcher said.
"The problem that we're really tackling is finding ways to kill these biofilms," said lead author Chris Waters, Professor at the Michigan State University.
According to the researcher, there are many common biofilm-related infections that people get such as ear infections and swollen, painful gums caused by gingivitis.
But more serious, potentially fatal diseases join the ranks of CF including endocarditis, or inflammation of the heart, as well as infections from artificial hip and pacemaker implants, the researcher added.
For the study, the researchers grew 6,000 biofilms in petri dishes, added in tobramycin along with many different compounds, to see what worked better at killing the bacteria.
Twenty-five potential compounds were effective, but one stood out, the researcher said.
"It's well known that triclosan, when used by itself, isn't effective at killing Pseudomonas aeruginosa. But when I saw it listed as a possible compound to use with tobramycin, I was intrigued. We found triclosan was the one that worked every time," said Alessandra Hunt from the Michigan State University.
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The iconic R.K. Studios set in the eastern suburbs of Mumbai, Chembur is up for sale. The Studios was built by the late filmmaker-actor Raj Kapoor, the scion of the Kapoor family. Actress Kareena Kapoor Khan, her father Randhir Kapoor and uncle Rishi Kapoor have spoken about this huge "emotional loss". R.K. Studios was gutted in fire on September 16, 2017, which burnt the living memories of the late Raj Kapoor and films made under that banner.
Talking about the Studios's sale, Rishi Kapoor spoke to Mumbai Mirror about the strength they had to gather before taking this descision of letting go of their memories. "For a while, we did juggle with the idea of renovating the place with state-of-the-art technology. However, in reality it isn't always possible for a phoenix to rise from the ashes. We Kapoors are very emotional lot but then..."
"The investment in rebuilding the Studios would just not have yielded sufficient revenue to keep it going. Believe me, we had to take the larger picture into account and take a level-headed decision. Even before the fire, for years R. K. Studios had become a huge white elephant, toting up losses. The few bookings we would get from films, TV serials and ad shoots would expect free paR.K.ing space, air-conditioning and discounts," told Rishi Kapoor to the publication.
The report also states that the main reason behind selling the Studios is that it is located in Chembur and no longer favoured by the filmmakers, who mostly build their sets at Studios in Andheri and Goregaon's Film City.
"We brothers are strongly bonded. But who knows about our children and grand-children? What if differences crop up in the next generation? The Studios would only end up in litigation as so many industrial and textile estates have. There would be family differences and only lawyers would end up charging heavy sums of fee. Do you think my father would have liked to see his labour of love becoming the subject of courtroom proceedings?" elaborated Rishi Kapoor.
Reminiscing the memories of the famous R.K. omelette sandwich and ginger tea from the Studios, he said, "True, there are so many wonderful memories there. So much film history, but that would be like clutching on to straws in the wind."
When asked by the tabloid if there were any mixed feelings, he said "Not really. We had to place a stone on our hearts (Chhati pe patthar rakkhar, soch samajh kar decision liya hai)."
Films like Awara, Mera Naam Joker, Aa Ab Laut Chalein, Henna, Bobby, Boot Polish and many other films have been shot at the iconic R.K. Studios.
Also Read: Bollywood Celebs 'Heartbroken' Over Sale Of RK Studios
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Eleven years since work began on the fifth and sixth railway lines between Diva and Thane, the project still awaits completion. Certain to miss its March 2019 deadline, the project across nine kilometres, has been facing several hurdles since its inception. mid-day took a walk along the stretch this week to get the ground report.
Rapid work at stations
Near Diva, on the line towards CSMT, space still needs to be created near the existing level-crossing for the new lines, and rails will have to be aligned to the old tracks. Slightly ahead, work of levelling land next to the mangroves is being done in patches while work on Mumbra station is being done at a rapid pace.
After Mumbra, the new line bypasses the existing line to cross over the creek and the highway with a rail-overbridge. The line from this point to the new Kalwa station is complete with work on the station under process. Between Kalwa and Thane, the major bridges have been completed, but work of building walls and levelling is still under process at certain places.
'Too many hurdles'
Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation (MRVC) officials said that there have been delays because of too many external hurdles and complications. "The alignment meant rehabilitating people, with the involvement of numerous state government bodies," a senior official said. An MRVC spokesperson said that the project should be completed in 2019 itself.
The 2008 project
The project, which was sanctioned in 2008 as part of MUTP 2B, is crucial for the Central Railway as it will segregate the outstation and local train rail corridors and thus decongest the line. It has already missed deadlines in December 2015 and December 2017.
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Representational picture
San Francisco: To help small and large businesses reach out to 1.3 billion people who use Messenger every month, Facebook has launched an Augmented Reality (AR) tool for them. With this tool, the businesses can leverage the "Camera Effects Platform" to easily integrate AR into their Messenger experience, bringing the virtual and physical worlds one step closer together.
"When a person interacts with your business in Messenger, you can prompt them to open the camera, which will be pre-populated with filters and AR effects that are specific to your brand," David Marcus, Vice President of Messaging Products, said in a blog post on Tuesday.
From there, people can share the image or video to their story or in a group or one-to conversation or they can simply save it to their camera roll.
"To date, there are over 300,000 active bots on Messenger, and over 8 billion messages are exchanged between people and businesses each month -- that's 4 times the amount of messages exchanged since just last year," Marcus informed as Facebook began its annual two-day F8 Developers' Conference in San Jose on Tuesday.
"Today, there are 200,000 developers actively building experiences, forging connections between people and the brands they love and bringing real value to their everyday lives," the post added.
To begin with, ASUS, Kia, Nike and Sephora will launch AR effects for their Messenger experiences.
Facebook also announced that buyers and sellers in its Marketplace will be able to communicate across languages with "M Translations".
"Now when people connected through Marketplace receive a message in a language that is different from their default language in Messenger, M will ask them if they want to translate the message.
"This will help drive commerce between buyers and sellers despite language barriers. At launch, translations from English to Spanish (and vice-versa) will be available in Marketplace conversations taking place in the US," the post further said.
Facebook will gradually roll out "M suggestions for translations" in additional languages and countries.
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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
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San Francisco: Facebook has announced a new tool for website owners and developers that will alert them about phishing attacks on their platforms. "We are extending the capabilities of our 'Certificate Transparency Monitoring' tool to make it easier for developers to learn about new domains that are maliciously created to implement phishing attacks," security engineer David Huang and software engineers Bartosz Niemczura and Amy Xu said in a blog post late on Wednesday.
Phishing websites try to trick people into revealing their passwords, credit card numbers, or other sensitive information.
The tool, announced during the F8 annual developer conference in San Jose, alerts website owners of these scams so that they can take action to protect their domain and the people who use their websites.
"Certificate Transparency Logs" are designed to keep a record of all valid security certificates issued by publicly-trusted Certificate Authorities.
"We have been using these logs to monitor certificates issued for domains owned by Facebook and have created tools to help developers take advantage of the same approach," the post said.
Using these tools, developers can learn about certificates that are mis-issued for the domains they control.
"We are extending the capabilities of our tool to send alerts when certificates are issued for potential phishing domains," the post added.
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Do you also start watching a video on YouTube and lose track of time following the recommended/autoplay list? Google wants to tell you that it is concerned over this habit of yours and has inserted a nifty new feature to its video service.
As part of its focus on digital well-being, Google has added a feature to YouTube called 'take a break' which notifies you when you have exceeded a specific amount of consecutive viewing time, The Verge reports.
The feature is optional, and just like how you might scold a little one for exceeding their television viewing time, the feature will show you a prompt when you lose track of time.
You can enable it through the Settings menu and selecting 'Remind me to take a break'. You can choose from options ranging from 15 minutes to 180 minutes.
Whether or not it really contributes to a healthy digital well-being is something we are yet to see, but it surely gives an easy way of timing the consumption of the addictive video service.
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Surgeons are developing a new smartphone-based tool that can detect urethral or urine blockage, potentially making it easier for patients to test themselves for the condition from the comfort of their own homes.
The novel technique could take high-speed photography which could capture subtle differences between a normal steady stream of liquid and a stream of liquid with an obstruction.
Urethral strictures are a slowing or blocking of the natural flow of urine due to an injury or infection. It is normally diagnosed by uroflowmetry, a test administered at a physician's office.
"The problem is that patient follow-up after we treat this condition is very poor," said Matthew Gretzer, Associate Professor at the University of Arizona in the US.
"But we need patients to come back to our clinic for a uroflow test to determine if the obstruction is still present," he added.
In order to test Gretzer's hypothesis on high-speed photography, the team created a model of a urethral structure using tubing hooked to a saline bag that could drain through.
Saline fluid was passed through the tubing with and without blockages, created using 3D printed strictures,placed within the tubing. High-speed photography captured both the regular and blocked stream of liquid exiting the tube.
Gretzer contended that photos can be a medium to diagnose blockages and he hopes that patients could send him these images to analyse and make the diagnosis. He plans to create a mobile app which can be downloaded by the patients.
"All patients would need to do is take high-speed images of their urine flow using a strobe light," Gretzer said.
"Strobe light apps are readily available right now for people to use on their phones".
According to the researchers, as fluid exits an opening, a natural breakpoint occurs where the liquid stream forms droplets, but with obstructions in place, it changes.
The results showed that by analysing photos, they could measure the length to this point of droplet formation. This length then directly related to the presence of an obstruction in the tube.
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Australia's new head coach and former batsman Justin Langer interacts with the media at Melbourne on May 3. He replaced Darren Lehmann. Pic/Getty Images
Australia have a great coach in Justin Langer to guide them through one of their worst cricketing crises. Correction: They have a batting great as coach. The majority of permanent coaches of the Australian cricket team were not Test greats. In fact, the last batting great to wear the coach's cap was Bob Simpson; their first ever coach.
It was under Simpson that newly-appointed coach Justin Langer made his Test debut for Australia — in the summer of 1992-93 — when the West Indies were still the number one team in the world. Langer will not forget it. How could he? The first ball he faced in Test cricket, off the swift Ian Bishop, landed firmly at the back of his helmet. The blow left him dizzy and dazed at the Adelaide Oval. Interestingly, he was also knocked down in his 100th Test — at Johannesburg in 2006 — when he was hit hard behind the right ear by South African Makhaya Ntini to play no further part in the match.
Much like that delivery, Langer's entry into international cricket in the early 1990s was hard. He expected to be on the flight with Allan Border's England troops in 1993, but he didn't find favour with the selectors. He only became a regular one-drop batsman for his country five years down the line, before combining splendidly with Matthew Hayden in the opening position.
He was part of the 1997 Ashes series in England, but did not feature in any of the five Tests. That did not stop him from playing the perfect team man. Mark Taylor was in the throes of a treacherous slump that got the critics dissecting every one of his innings. Langer and his skipper happened to be batting together in the side game against Derbyshire, who were captained by former teammate Dean Jones. Taylor slashed at one off Philip DeFreitas and Jones dropped the catch at slip. At the end of the over, Taylor exclaimed to his junior partner, "That's bloody it, mate. I just can't f****n play!" The young bull (that's what Taylor called Langer when he related this incident in his autobiography Time to Declare) refused to accept the negativity from his skipper. "Mark, that's bloody rubbish," Langer shot back and added, "Of course, you can play. You know that. Just watch the bloody ball really close, stick in here and it will come."
Taylor listened to Langer's advice and ended up hitting his first straight drive in six months to score 63 in 181 minutes. In the next game — the opening Test of the 1997 Ashes — Taylor helped himself to a second innings hundred. The following year, while Langer continued to deal with his in-out, in-out situations, he toured Pakistan where his teammates nicknamed him Arthur Morris.
In The Power of Passion, one of Langer's four literary works, he revealed that Morris (who was part of Don Bradman's 1948 Invincibles) used to be asked often by cricket lovers about how it felt to be in the same team as Bradman. Now, Morris happened to be at the non-striker's end when Bradman was famously bowled by Eric Hollies for a duck in his last Test innings at The Oval in 1948. The dismissal prevented The Don from ending up with a three-figure batting average. Morris used to remind his audience about the fact that while Bradman's duck was most talked-about, people forget that he scored 196 in that same innings. Similarly, Taylor's 334 not out is celebrated as an epic performance, but Langer scored a hundred in that innings — his first in Test cricket — at Peshawar, but it never gets talked about. Given the shared irony of their stories, the Arthur Morris moniker stuck.
Langer ended his career in 2006-07, when Australia claimed the Ashes back after England regained the urn in 2005. Gripping cricket notwithstanding, not many Australians will look back on that contest, their first Ashes series loss since 1986-87, with pleasure. While the Australians were playing poorly in 2005 and were made to follow on at Trent Bridge, my Australian friend Andrew Ramsey, who was reporting the series for The Australian newspaper, was asked to pen a piece for The Times in London.
The guest writer was critical of Australia's performance. As Ramsey left his room for the breakfast lounge in the team hotel at Nottingham, he bumped into Langer, who told him that he read the article. Ramsey was expecting a negative reaction, but Langer called Ramsey's analysis "spot on." He patted him on his shoulder twice and ran towards the elevator to join his teammates in the team bus.
Acceptance is a great trait to have. Langer has many more, developed ever since his 11-year-old eyes watched on television his Western Australian hero Dennis Lillee shatter Viv Richards' stumps off the last ball on Boxing Day in 1981 at Melbourne. Lillee's incredible inswinger made Langer yearn to play for Australia someday. Doubtless, he'll want to be a great coach now.
mid-day's group sports editor Clayton Murzello is a purist with an open stance. He tweets @ClaytonMurzello Send your feedback to mailbag@mid-day.com
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Sanjukta Basu
Delhi-based photographer Sanjukta Basu had an epiphany right before her 39th birthday. "I was introspecting on the years gone by, and realised that although I had achieved much, I didn't think I had reached a 'destination'. It was as if I was lost at sea, and needed direction. But then I decided to embrace the fact that I go where the wind takes me. I was going to be 40, and this was me. I wasn't going to change. That's how my first tattoo took shape in my mind," says Basu, who once practiced law.
And so, her first tattoo was a sailboat, with a wave and birds in flight, with the line "wherever the wind takes me". This was also the time the idea of a project on women with tattoos took shape. Typically, some of them got one to signify something profound, like a break up with a lover or a violent relationship. Others didn't think it needed a reason. "The project is about challenging the stereotype around women with tattoos. They don't get them because they are slutty or hippie, or because they are reckless," she argues.
The photographer, who is on the lookout for new subjects to shoot in Mumbai and Delhi, says, ideally, all women should get in touch with her and tell her their stories. Sunday mid-day got Basu to shares some of her favourites.
Vimala is an aviation professional, and loves wings. Years after she got married to the man she loved, she realised he was addicted to gambling, and draining her of finances. At 48, when she found herself free from the toxic relationship, she got a tattoo — a heart with wings. It was time to fly again.
Parama, Sanjukta's first subject for the Women And Body Art project, is not one person. Within her sits the essence of Kolkata, the city she comes from and loves. The tattoo on her forearm and is an image of Kolkata landmark Victoria Memorial, an angel atop it. It signifies her belief that something good lies in everything she sees.
Archana, a women's rights activist, grew up in a protective, privileged Tamil Brahmin family. While she has grappled with body image issues, she also didn't know that you could be anything else other than a doctor, an engineer or a lawyer. When she went to college, she met women from a variety of backgrounds and, before she knew it, the seeds of female solidarity had been sown. Her first tattoo is a symbol of feminism, and she got it on the day she learnt that feminism in fact, had a symbol.
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Missed out on last week's Zal? You can read it here.
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An average 18.39 per cent voter turnout was recorded in the first four hours in Maharashtra's 17 seats on Monday as polling for the fourth and last phase of Lok Sabha elections in the state was underway. Polling began at 7 am and long queues were seen outside many booths, some of which were decorated with balloons and 'rangolis'.
Mumbaikars took to the social media platform and posted their voting experience on Twitter. As many as 3.11 crore voters spread across the Mumbai metropolitan region and northern and western Maharashtra are eligible to exercise their franchise to decide the fate of 323 candidates in the fray in these 17 seats. Around 40 polling booths in these constituencies, including 26 in suburban Mumbai, are being managed by women.
#VoteKarMumbai
— Sushant shetty (@The_Outlaw_Poet) April 29, 2019
Citizens braving the hot weather and long queues to make their voices count at St Anthony school, Malvani church, Malad (w) pic.twitter.com/u88glP96iD
If you ain't voting then you ain't getting any right to rant about the government.
— SA (@Bts_sonia3) April 29, 2019
Use the opportunity to vote rather than enjoying the 'holiday".#VoteKarMumbai #VoteBecauseYouCan #VoteForChange pic.twitter.com/Tj3EkYhi3A
My first vote as a responsible citizen of India ð®ð³ @narendramodi @PMOIndia @TanmayNPatel @siddhar98531723 @Republic_Bharat @ECISVEEP I appeal everyone to vote for better ð®ð³ do your duty as a responsible citizen ðð» #2019Elections #VoteKarMumbai pic.twitter.com/L4B6rE3RNB
— Chowkidar shraddha shetty (@sssshetty499) April 29, 2019
#VoteKarMumbai Took 2.5 hrs to cast my vote due to EVM failure. Anyway guys use your wisdom before you cast your precious vote. pic.twitter.com/w4FLL8xb5J
— Sibu Varghese (@35ce5c7275f049b) April 29, 2019
#Keep phones at #home when you go to vote #LokSabhaElections2019 #VoteKarMumbai pic.twitter.com/uHKrcFr5Yy
— Richa Pinto (@richapintoTOI) April 28, 2019
I have Done my National Duty.Have You?#VoteKarMumbai #VoteForIndia pic.twitter.com/79i0T77cxh
— Shubham Anil Dhande (@ShubhamADhande) April 29, 2019
Monday done right âï¸âï¸ #VoteKarMumbai #MumbaiVotesForNation pic.twitter.com/dAG7atOCCY
— Smita Diwan (@smitadiwan) April 29, 2019
Voting experience for the first time was quite good. All the officers and staff were doing great job and are cooperative with the people. #VoteKarMumbai #VoteIndia #VotingRound4 #UnitedByVote pic.twitter.com/1kosbophnn
— Bhanushali Disha (@dbhanushali01) April 29, 2019
Family trip to the polling booth is more important than a family trip over an extended weekend to a nearby tourist destination.Lonavala,Khandala etc etc will still be there next weekend,the polling booth won't.#LokSabhaElections2019 #VoteKarMumbai #Democracy #Elections2019 pic.twitter.com/uoss2FZsWI
— Rohit D (@rohitd1999) April 29, 2019
#VoteKarIndia #VoteKarMumbai #vote We did, did you? Pls go and vote, make a difference. pic.twitter.com/i1bd6qLF5W
— Prasanna R Coondapur (@prax3) April 29, 2019
Finished voting. Took us about 1.5 hours, but it's worth it if we get our voice heard and get to participate in this democracy. #Elections2019
— Smriti Sant (@temporarysant) April 29, 2019
Also, lots of first time voters! High time, but big ups! Today, I feel hopeful. Sweaty, but hopeful. #VoteKarMumbai pic.twitter.com/OSmCg2ZTtw
Ultra senior citizens with full of energy voted. feeling proud of them as my uncle & aunt!!#MumbaikarVoteKar #IndianElections2019 #Vote4Nation #VoteKarMumbai #VoteKar#DeshKaMahaTyohar@abpmajhatv @zeemarathi @zee24taasnews @ZeeTV @ECISVEEP @narendramodi @narendramodi_in pic.twitter.com/OdDkwToRXp
— Mangirish Herwadkar (@hmangirish) April 29, 2019
My First Vote to strengthen Democracy ð
— Prathamesh Thanekar (@One_two_ka_four) April 29, 2019
I Appeal you all to vote wisely ð#VoteForIndia #VoteKarMumbai #LokSabhaElection2019 #VoteBecauseYouCan pic.twitter.com/Pr2HESJiAj
The voting figures till 11 am in other constituencies are as follows: Dhule- 18.26 per cent, Dindori - 21.06 per cent, Nashik- 17.22 per cent, Palghar- 21.46 per cent, Bhiwandi- 17.25 per cent, Thane-17.43 per cent, Mumbai-North- 19.46 per cent, Mumbai-North West 17.64 per cent, Mumbai-North East-18.39 per cent, Mumbai-North Central- 16.21 per cent, Mumbai-South Central-16.80 per cent, Mumbai- South 15.51 per cent, Maval- 18.23 per cent, Shirur- 18.65 per cent and Shirdi 20.55 per cent.
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On April 3, welfare groups across the city, along with medical professionals and lawyers, issued a press release demanding the immediate withdrawal of the civic body's plans to convert any building in Mahul into a quarantine centre. They cited health concerns, due to the neighbourhood's high pollution levels. And yet, a month on, nearly 30 residents of Panchsheel chawl in Govandi's Lumbini Baug have been shifted to a makeshift quarantine facility at Videocon Society, Mahul. The residents had come in contact with a 55-year-old woman from their basti, whose cause of death was posthumously ruled as COVID-19.
The quarantine centre, where residents of Chembur's Cheetah Camp have also been shifted, houses approximately 100 people. The building's first and second floors are currently being used as a quarantine facility, with not more than two people to a room. The chawl residents say that the place lacks basic amenities such as running and drinking water as well as the presence of permanent medical staff. The premises is also covered with dust, has shabby sanitation facilities. Further, there has been no segregation between children and adults so far.
Smoke coming from a nearby oil refinery pollutes the area's air
The April 3 press note states that Mahul has been declared "uninhabitable" by at least two Indian courts "given the toxic environment due to the presence of polluting industries."
Citing hazardous air quality conditions, it further reads: "Mahul is completely unfit for human habitation, much less for treatment and care. To establish a quarantine centre in Mahul would not be beneficial from the health point of view, but would prove detrimental towards efforts taken by MCGM to control this pandemic."
Residents say the water is dirty and the toilets not fit for use. They argue that they were better off at their chawl
A 22-year-old resident of Lumbini Baug says, "One of the main problems is the amount of dust. If there was any running water, we ourselves would have washed the premises. This dust can cause sneezing and coughing among people who have allergies or weak immune systems."
He adds, "There is no running water in the toilets. At home, we were at least taking our own Vitamin C tablets, maintain a healthy diet, and eating nutritious food. We expected basic facilities at the centre. There is also no permanent medical staff present here. We have not received any therapy or medical treatment yet."
Advocate Lara Jesani, one of the signatories to the April 3 press note, says: "It is dangerous for people to be quarantined in Mahul because of the high level of pollution in the area. The place is congested and poorly planned and therefore creates health hazards for people who may already have a weak immune system, making it harder for them to cope with the virus."
M East Ward Assistant Commissioner Sudhanshu Dwivedi refused to comment or discuss the issue. Bilal Khan of the Ghar Bachao Ghar Banao Andolan says, "In cases filed by us, the High Court has passed two orders declaring Mahul polluted and unfit for habitation and hence, directed the government to shift the Mahul residents to an environmentally safe place. Coronavirus causes severe acute respiratory syndrome."
The faulty design and poor sanitation of the Mahul buildings [as established from CSA report] can also result in further spread of infection, thereby endangering the residents. "Without trying other abundantly available options it is shocking that the government has sent people to such a toxic environment and that too, as a quarantine measure."
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Around 50 students from hostels run by the Social Welfare Department in Mumbai's Worli area have requested the state government to let them go home amid the lockdown.
While the department has ensured that these students are provided with food, a majority of them hail from rural Maharashtra and are scared due to the increasing number of COVID-19 patients in Mumbai — particularly in Worli.
There are three Social Welfare Department-run hostels in Worli's BDD Chawls — building number 116 and 118. While the hostel in building 118 is a boy's hostel, building number 116 has both boys and girls.
Ashok Bansode, resident student
Ashok Bansode, an engineering student who hails from Akkalkot in Solapur said, "Initially, we were getting proper food. But as the cases kept rising in Worli area, restrictions came in place and now we are just being served dal and rice every day. We are also wondering whether or not the department will take responsibility for us."
The hostel management asked the students to get their medical check-ups done before seeking permission to travel home. But considering their financial conditions, nobody has money to arrange for private transportation.
"The way arrangements were done for students in Kota, we should also be given such help. We cannot arrange for our own transportation," Bansode added.
Suraj Kamble, another resident student said, "We should be taken home directly where we can remain in home quarantine. But if we are sent to any institutional quarantine or told to travel through railways, that can put us in danger of contracting the virus. All the Kota students are in home quarantine currently,"
Sachin Bansode, member of Chhatrabharati — a students' organisation which is helping these stranded students to go back home — said, "These students too have the right to go back home. Many of them are from rural parts of Maharashtra and don't have funds to head home on their own. We are in the process of understanding how they can be helped without compromising on safety."
Three
Total no. of Social Welfare Department hostels in BDD chawl
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Dear Diana,
I have been going around with this guy for the last five months. As I am quite a chirpy person, I have lots to tell him. I keep jabbering about everything and anything. He has been giving me a patient hearing. But to my dismay, I have now realised that he has been telling his friends that I talk too much. He tells them that he needs to stuff cotton wool in his ears for peace and tranquility. Some common pals have been telling me that what he is doing is wrong. I find this behaviour of his irritating. Why should he be talking about my inadequacies? I may be a chatterbox, but if he has a problem, he needs to tell me, and not others. I find it strange that he listens to whatever I say and then goes around telling tales behind my back.
— Shreela
Illustration/Uday Mohite
Dear Shreela,
This guy is not telling you anything, but revealing his discomfort to his pals. This is strange, if you two are in a relationship and are serious about each other. It is wrong of him to go around blurting out whatever you tell him to common pals. You have every right to be upset with him. You may be of a cheerful disposition, but he cannot go around talking about your inadequacies to friends. He is ridiculing you and having a hearty laugh with his gang of pals. If you are talking about your personal life, you need to be cautious. You never know what he has been telling others and might blurt out personal details too. At the same time, you need to tell him to refrain from doing it. You need to explain to him that you are telling him stuff in confidence. A relationship is based on trust. If he refuses to change, it is better you go your way.
Megastar Amitabh Bachchan on Wednesday condoled the demise of ace actor Irrfan Khan with a heavy heart. The star called the passing of Khan the 'most disturbing and sad news' and said that he 'left us too soon, creating a huge vacuum.
The 77-year-old actor took to Twitter and conveyed his deepest condolences. He tweeted, "just getting news of the passing of Irfaan Khan .. this is a most disturbing and sad news... An incredible talent .. a gracious colleague .. a prolific contributor to the World of Cinema .. left us too soon .. creating a huge vacuum .. Prayers and duas."
T 3516 - .. just getting news of the passing of Irfaan Khan .. this is a most disturbing and sad news .. ðÂÂÂ
— Amitabh Bachchan (@SrBachchan) April 29, 2020
An incredible talent .. a gracious colleague .. a prolific contributor to the World of Cinema .. left us too soon .. creating a huge vacuum ..
Prayers and duas ðÂÂÂ
Irrfan passed away at Mumbai's Kokilaben Hospital on Wednesday while battling rare cancer. He was 53. Khan was last seen on screen in 'Angrezi Medium'. He was not a part of the film's promotions owing to his ill health. He was regarded as a fine actor by fans and critics alike with critically acclaimed films like 'The Lunchbox' and 'Paan Singh Tomar' to his credit.
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The casting couch is a dark and depressing reality of the Hindi film industry that has time and again exposed the grime tucked beneath the glamour. Some of the most successful actors and actresses have gone through this horrific process and exposed this brutal truth. The latest one to do the same is someone who's currently going through the best phase of his career - Ayushmann Khurrana.
Talking to Pinkvilla about facing the casting couch during the initial days of his struggles in Bollywood, he made some shocking revelations. He said, "A casting director had told me, 'I'll give you the lead role if you showed me your tool.' I told him I'm straight and I politely refused his offer." He also shed some light on how the process of auditions began to change as years passed by and how it was accompanied by rejections.
He stated, "Initially, there used to be auditions where they would take your solo test. Then suddenly, the number started increasing and there would be 50 people in the same room. When I protested, they asked me to leave. So I have faced rejections. Also, I'm well equipped to handle failure now because of the failures I saw at the very beginning of my career. Had I never witnessed the lows, I don't think I would be able to handle it if it came now."
Today, the actor, who's become a bonafide movie star, has eight consecutive hits in a row and will be now seen in three films very soon, which include Gulabo Sitabo with Amitabh Bachchan, an untitled crime thriller directed by Anubhav Sinha, and a comedy with Alaya F directed by Anurag Kashyap's sister Anubhuti Kashyap.
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As an actor taking his initial steps into Bollywood, Avinash Tiwary knows that his next offering must be significantly noteworthy if he hopes to live up to the acclaim he received for his last film, Laila Majnu. Evidently then, he isn't willing to forgo the toil he put into understanding and acquiring the mindset of Dawood since early November when work on Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani's Dongri to Dubai first kicked off.
After the shooting was stalled in March when the lockdown was announced, Tiwary says being attuned to the character for the forthcoming leg, is becoming increasingly arduous for him. "I hope we start [shooting] soon so that I can finish it. I don't want to sit with this part for too long. As much as it is liberating to be on the OTT platform, it is suffocating to be in this mould and state of mind. It eventually gets to you because you can't live in that space forever."
It was across several sets in Mumbai that filming for the screen adaptation of Hussain Zaidi's book began, only to come to a halt on March 17. "A lot of portions are still to be shot. Now, we have no idea when we will roll again."
Having an artiste as fine as Kay Kay Menon to share screen space with implies Tiwary has abundant opportunity to grow while working on the offering. "When I started out as an actor in theatre, I would idolise him. I try and learn from everything he does on sets."
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