Completely satisfied Monday! When you’re a fan of fantasy fiction, you might need observed how extremely white most key characters are — whether or not in The Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter. Immediately you’ll meet an rising fantasy writing star from Sierra Leone who’s altering the very colour of the style, go to an unlikely nation the place feminist co-living is taking off, decode why the oil trade is on a very slippery floor and get nostalgic with the most effective TV present reunions past Mates.
Isabelle Lee, Reporter, and Charu Sudan Kasturi, Senior Editor
1. Joe Blow to Voting Rights
West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin stated he’ll vote towards an bold and wide-ranging voting rights invoice proposed by his fellow Democrats as a result of it may deepen the political divide inside the nation. Manchin, a average, holds what’s virtually a veto in a divided Senate, and his determination successfully kills plans for the regulation geared toward strengthening voter rights protections. Do you agree with Manchin’s determination? Vote here or on Twitter. (Sources: NYT, CNBC)
2. African Shot within the Arm
Senegal is teaming up with a Belgian pharma agency to fabricate COVID-19 vaccine doses starting early subsequent yr. It’s a transfer that might considerably enhance Africa’s immunization drive, which is at the moment lagging far behind different components of the world. In the meantime, the U.S. is struggling towards a pointy fall in vaccination charges. (Reuters, WaPo)
3. The Chips Are Down
They usually’ll probably keep down for some time. A worldwide scarcity of semiconductor chips may final till mid-2022, Singapore-based producer Flex has warned. The crunch may hobble a variety of producing industries, from electronics to vehicles. (Supply: FT)
4. Andean Cliffhanger
Marxist schoolteacher Pedro Castillo took a slim lead over conservative Keiko Fujimori in early counts after Peru’s presidential runoff on Sunday, although the end result was too near name. Fujimori is the daughter of autocratic former President Alberto Fujimori and faces corruption prices. But she’s a favourite amongst buyers frightened by Castillo’s plans to lift taxes on large firms to fund training and well being. (Sources: WSJ, Al Jazeera, AP)
5. Royal Child Tribute
Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, have named their new child daughter Lilibet “Lili” Diana in a nod to Queen Elizabeth’s pet title (Lilibet) and Harry’s mother Diana — arguably the 2 most influential girls from the British royal household over the previous century. (Supply: Guardian)
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Fantasy Females: Tomorrow’s Tolkiens
They’re rewriting the principles of fantasy.
1. Rebecca Kuang
As a toddler, she would beg her mother and father for inexperienced bean popsicles. Immediately the world of fantasy is begging her for extra. Need a journey by way of trendy Chinese language historical past through a collection of fantasy novels? That’s the journey Kuang takes you on with The Poppy War, her award-winning trilogy the place the protagonist is modeled on Kuang’s musing, “What if Mao Zedong was a teenage woman?” It’s Game of Thrones crossed with Star Wars. And 25-year-old Kuang, whose household moved from China to the U.S. when she was 4, is quickly constructing a physique of labor that might maintain its personal towards each these classics.
2. Namina Forna
She grew up bingeing on The Lord of the Rings, strolling by way of Sierra Leone’s countryside fantasizing that she was in Center Earth. However when J.R.R. Tolkien’s classics have been become motion pictures, she noticed that nobody — not even the dangerous guys — seemed like her. So she determined to carve out her personal fantasy world … one which’s now taking the style by storm. Counting on the legends of historic African goddesses and warriors instructed to her by her grandparents, Forna is creating another Black historical past narrative outside of slavery that’s difficult the Eurocentric lens that dominates the fantasy world.
3. Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Think about a coming-of-age Regency drama not very totally different from Bridgerton, however the place the characters of the Duke of Hastings and Daphne Bridgerton had magical telekinetic powers? Welcome to a Mexican panorama far faraway from something you’ve seen earlier than. Garcia’s books will transport you to a world of supernatural love, very actual racism and Mayan folklore. When she was younger, the creator buried herself in books and films. Immediately her books are being made into movies.
Sneak Peek Into … Cambodia
It’s dominated by an authoritarian regime however relies on openness to vacationers from around the globe. Dive deep into the curious contradiction that’s Cambodia.
1. Martial Grasp
As a younger teen,San Kim Sean needed to be an motion star. Six many years later, you probably haven’t heard of both Sean or his most well-liked martial artwork, bokator. That’s the world’s loss. This historic Khmer combating kind impressed muay thai however was practically killed off by the Khmer Rouge. However Sean’s outlived their brutal regime. Now he’s reviving bokator in order that it outlives him. Read more on OZY.
2. Feminist Co-living
Might the important thing to getting extra girls within the workforce be feminist dormitories? It’s actually working in Cambodia! Younger girls can apply to stay in a burgeoning variety of dormitories that home solely females as they full their training or work in Phnom Penh. The unofficial slogan within the dormitories? “If not now, when?” We couldn’t agree extra. Read more on OZY.
3. Sacred Tattoos
Historic script, spiritual deities and mythological creatures come collectively in your physique whenever you get a conventional Khmer tattoo. This millennium-old custom, handed down by monks and soothsayers, is believed to endow you with success. Read more on OZY.
Immediately on ‘The Carlos Watson Present’
From the second he was conceived to John Coltrane, music has all the time been in Moby’s life. Immediately the musician with 20 million data offered shares his troublesome rise from a childhood on meals stamps residing in an deserted manufacturing facility to fame and problem with sobriety. Watch later today.
What’s Going On With Oil?
Few commodities seize the state of the financial system higher than oil. So what ought to we make of the dramatic seesaw in its current fortunes?
1. On a Excessive
After OPEC and its allies relaxed restrictions on the manufacturing of crude final week,oil prices soared to a two-year high. The oil trade clearly believes it’s set for a return to pre-pandemic demand ranges.
Terrific TV Reunions
When you’re nonetheless fascinated with the ‘Mates’ reunion present from two weeks in the past, we’ve received the right begin for this week with a few of our different favourite reunion reveals.
1. ‘Parks and Recreation’
Ever questioned how Leslie Knope would react to a pandemic? Or simply how good Ron Swanson can be at social distancing? Look no additional than AParks and Recreation Special. They even raised cash for Feeding America’s COVID-19 Response Fund.
2. ‘Reunited Aside’
This Josh Gad YouTube series reunites the casts of a few of your favorites, together with Frozen, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and Ghostbusters. Every episode is an ideal dose of nostalgia and luxury. It’s additionally a fundraiser for the charity Motion Towards Starvation.
3. ‘The Sound of Music’
However if you wish to get actually misty-eyed and fall in love with the unrivaled great thing about Salzburg, Austria, another time, watch this Fiftieth-anniversary reunion of a number of the forged of The Sound of Music as they recount reminiscences of their time with Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer … and the methods they performed whereas on set!
