Opinion post

There’s a caveman-sized gap in the wellness industry. Brian Johnson, better known as Liver King, has embodied the “ancestral living” movement for the past couple of years, his jacked, sunburnt, Caucasian physique defining the aesthetic for his millions of devotees, regardless of what their own actual ancestors may have looked like. Johnson’s Instagram and TikTok accounts, followed by more than 5 million people, showcase his ripped body—supposedly built solely through lengthy, grueling workouts and regular consumption of raw beef liver and testicles—and he has popularized certain phrases, such as “Why eat vegetables when you can eat testicles?” through a volume-forward posting strategy. His thriving retail operation, Ancestral Supplements, hawks desiccated cow liver and bull testicle capsules. His “Nine Ancestral Tenets,” a collection of nouns and verbs, are “sleep, eat, move, shield, connect, cold, sun, fight, and bond.” Today, Johnson is also the defendant in a … [Read more...] about After Liver King’s fall, the ancestral living movement will need a new dad

At the end of October, Shutterstock, one of the leading stock image companies on the internet, announced it was partnering with OpenAI to launch a new tool that would integrate the generative-AI DALL-E 2 into its online marketplace. The announcement was a huge win for the still-burgeoning AI industry, but was met with shock and outrage by creatives all over the internet, many of whom see generative AI like DALL-E 2 as an existential threat to their livelihoods and the use of their images for machine learning as a form of theft. “It’s disappointing to know we have so little respect and it’s worrying to now be competing with bots for sales,” an anonymous Shutterstock photographer told Artnet News in October. So, now that the dust has settled, how is the company feeling about its OpenAI partnership? Is it still bullish on a future where machines are making our stock images for us? “I think there are two choices in this world,” says Shutterstock CEO Paul Hennessy. “Be the … [Read more...] about Generative AI tools are already changing the creativity landscape—and some artists aren’t happy about it

Supporters of ex-President Jair Bolsonaro storm Brazilian government buildings. (Image: AFP/File) Adages don’t come more prosaic than “football is a game of two halves”. But there is profoundness in the anodyne. Just ask Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe, our two stalwarts at the FIFA World Cup final in 2022 in Lusail, Qatar. Argentina and France squared off, each with the divine right to add a third star to their sacred crest. La Albiceleste and Messi on the scoresheet in the first half, a rampant 2-0 and all set to take the Jules Rimet trophy to the Americas. And then, Kylian Mbappe, widely touted to be the greatest since Pele, having already won the last World Cup in his teens, had something to say. Another two goals were scored in this half, except by Les Bleu, and 2-2 it was. Extra Time followed the same script, a goal on each side, 3-3, and then penalties. For a while, it looked like Kylian Mbappe, would have two World Cup titles at the age of 23, a feat achieved by the … [Read more...] about December 2022: In South America, it was the best of times, it was the worst of times

Wrestlers Bajrang Punia, Anshu Malik, Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik at Jantar Mantar in Delhi on January 19. (Source: AFP) Winner by fall. That would sound good in a wrestling competition. Sadly, fans of Indian sport are bracing themselves to see the fall of either the Wrestling Federation of India President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh or an elite grappler Vinesh Phogat. She made sexual harassment charges against him when staging a protest along with fellow wrestlers at the Jantar Mantar. The image of Indian sport, not just wrestling, has taken a beating. And everyone who cares for sport in the country will agree that things should never have come to such a pass. India is now left with an either-or situation and with nobody coming out of this sordid episode smelling of roses. To be sure, sport must be played in a psychologically safe environment, and it is imperative that it is not just elite sport that gets the attention. While the elite athletes in national camps may have … [Read more...] about Institute a mechanism to deal with sexual harassment cases in sports

Former New Zealand player Simon Doull (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images) He may have played just 32 Test matches and 42 one-day internationals (ODIs), but he is one of the most familiar Kiwi faces around the world for his commentary and his role as a cricket expert. Former New Zealand pacer Simon Doull is still one of those rare former players who doesn’t believe in mincing his words while giving his opinions. Recently, Moneycontrol.com spoke to the 53-year-old on a range of issues related to Indian and world cricket. Here is an edited excerpt. It was a bit disappointing the way rain spoiled the last India-NZ series in New Zealand. Yeah, it is, I think India were looking for some answers, looking to find out a few things about the one-day side, figure out some players whether are good enough to play, and I am not sure that they have got a lot of answers, they have probably figured out that Washington Sundar when fit should probably be in the playing 11, they have figured … [Read more...] about Shubman Gill, Umran Malik have real potential, says Kiwi expert Simon Doull

Sania Mirza at the 2023 Australian Open. Mirza was planning to resign from Grand Slams in 2022, but postponed the move after an injury denied her the kind of ending she wished for. (Image source: Twitter/MirzaSania) It could have been a fairy-tale ending to a fairly fairy-tailish career, but Sania Mirza came oh-so-close to it. On Friday, Mirza and partner Rohan Bopanna lost in the mixed doubles final of the Australian Open at Melbourne, to Brazilian pair Luisa Stefani and Rafael Matos 6-7 (2) 2-6. Mirza had said that this would be the last time she is playing in a Grand Sports professionals who dedicate the best part of their lives, from the early years till into their 30s, to a particular discipline, find it difficult to let go. The buzz of competition, the excitement of travel, the rigour of training can be addictive, but they call it time when the body and mind say enough. The decision, though, is not always easy to stick by. “My journey of my professional career … [Read more...] about Sania Mirza’s last Grand Slam was a fairytale-like ending to a long and hard journey

China doctors battle covid surge (Image: AFP) A furious, wide-ranging argument is unfolding on the internet in China over the reversal of the government’s strict pandemic policies and the massive COVID surge that followed. The divisions are challenging the Communist Party’s efforts to control the narrative around its pandemic pivot. Since the party abandoned “zero-COVID” last month, many online commenters have staked out opposing positions over seemingly all manner of questions. Who should be blamed for the explosion of cases and deaths? Is a top government-appointed health expert trustworthy? Is omicron really less severe, as Chinese officials now say, when hospitals seem to be filling up with sick patients? They are even arguing over whether people should be allowed to set off fireworks during the upcoming Spring Festival holiday, after many did so during the New Year. The digital finger-pointing reveals a country that is deeply polarized, with each side distrustful and … [Read more...] about As China reopens, online finger-pointing shows a widening gulf

Representative image China is on course to overtake Japan as the world’s largest car exporter, riding on its growing manufacturing and technological heft of home-grown electric vehicle (EV) makers, the South China Morning Post has said. China emerged as the world’s second-largest vehicle exporter after overtaking Germany in 2022. It shipped 3.11 million units—2.53 million cars and 580,000 commercial vehicles—during the year, an increase of 54.4 percent from 2021, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM). Also Read: From disciplinarian to cheerleader: Why China is changing its tone on business In the first 11 months of 2022, foreign car brands still accounted for 50.8 percent of the market, according to data from CAAM. However, in the EV segment, Chinese brands enjoyed an 84.7 percent share in the same period. “Rising exports are a clear sign that Chinese carmakers’ development and manufacturing capabilities have largely improved … [Read more...] about China on track to zip past Japan to be world’s biggest car exporter

Representative image. The market succumbed to major selling pressure on January 27, with the benchmark indices falling nearly 2 percent despite a positive trend in global peers, as participants turned cautious ahead of key events next week – Union Budget 2023 and the US Federal Reserve meeting. Bears took a strong lead for a second consecutive session, which resulted in a loss of Rs 11.75 lakh crore of wealth during 2 sessions, as the BSE market capitalisation fell from Rs 280.39 lakh crore, to 268.64 lakh crore as of 14:46 hours IST. The mayhem At the same time, the BSE Sensex plunged 1.93 percent, or 1,160 points, to 59,045, while the Nifty50 tanked 2.1 percent, or 375 points, to 17,517. The broader markets were also caught in the bear trap with the BSE Midcap and Smallcap indices declining 1.5 percent and 2.5 percent, respectively as breadth was largely in the favour of sellers. Nearly 5 shares declined for every share rising on the BSE. Read More All … [Read more...] about Indices down 2% as pre-Budget selling wipes off Rs 12 lakh crore investor wealth

Representative image There’s a price to be paid for being early in investing even if you get the broader story right, as US stock market bears are learning the hard way. While recession remains a very real threat, data released Thursday confirmed that it could take several quarters for the US economy to run out of momentum. Gross domestic product increased at a 2.9% annualised rate in the last quarter of 2022, Commerce Department data showed, while a separate report showed that already low initial jobless claims declined. The latest reports come on top of evidence that households still have stockpiles of excess savings accumulated during the COVID-19 pandemic that could take months or longer to deplete. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 Index is up about 12% from its Oct. 12 low, and many investors have missed the bounce because they’ve been hunkering down ahead of the widely predicted recession. To be sure, it’s hard to look at Thursday’s numbers and conclude that the bears are … [Read more...] about US GDP and jobs data show the stock market bears are still early