In The Buzz Cut, we bring you a round-up of all the weird, controversial, and wonderful stories we’ve been reading all week.
American president Joe Biden managed to charm a whole nation with an 11-minute interaction. At a NASA meet, he said that Indian-Americans are impressively taking over the U.S. — hat-tipping to the 55 Indians occupying key positions in his administrations. “You guys are incredible,” he said fondly. Biden had pledged to make his Cabinet the most diverse and representative in U.S. history — he hasn’t disappointed so far.
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The royal empire struck back at Meghan Markle ahead of the broadcast of her Sunday interview with Oprah Winfrey. But the war of words is just starting: a trailer clip of Oprah’s interview with Harry and Meghan preludes the internal strife, conflict, and power dynamics at play. “How do you feel about the palace hearing you speak your truth today?” Oprah asks Markle in the clip. We’ll know soon enough.
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American singer Dolly Parton knows how to put on a show. She rendered a Covid19 vaccination-themed version of her 1974 hit song “Jolene” — it went something like “Vaccine, vaccine, vaccine, vaccine. I’m begging of you please don’t hesitate.” The novelty and lyricism around the jab posed the next obvious question: can other songs be repurposed for a noble cause?
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Nuclear waste has an unpredictable life — ranging from days to thousands of years. How does India manage its nuclear power plants and deal with radioactive waste? The answer can be traced back 10 years ago, to a Fukushima nuclear plant in the aftermath of a devastating tsunami. It might be time to look back, as long-term nuclear waste emerges as “an indefinite time problem.”
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The Woody Allen-Mia Farrow HBO documentary rehashes the contested events of 1992 — when Allen’s adopted daughter alleged sexual harassment. The Allen v. Farrow dynamic digs deep into how popular culture frames women and victims’ experiences, and how delegitimizing Dylan Farrow’s claim is a disservice to survivors everywhere. The portrayal may not be balanced, but “then again, in cases of abuse allegations, is even-handedness exactly what we want?” The production has been called a “hatchet job” by Allen, but that’s just one man’s opinion.
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Marvel Cinematic Universe’s TV debut has been a surprising — and unequivocal — hit. The 9-part “WandaVision” dropped its season finale just yesterday, and it’s going to be a while before easter eggs are unhatched. Till then, here’s a breakdown of what each of those menacing commercials between the episodes could mean.
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Norway has introduced a novel — but radical approach — in responding to patients with psychosis who rely heavily on powerful drugs.The Scandinavian country plans to offer a drug-free treatment to distance itself from the malaise of addicition. One person said, “I feel like for the first time ever I’m starting to find myself.”
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There are many takeaways from Disha Ravi’s arrest. One of those was how tech giants like Google and Facebook — home to the notorious “toolkit” — functioned behind the scenes and allowed a free-rein to the Indian government to malign climate activists.
