Hello, 2019: Revelry and reflection greet new year

Christina Aguilera pumped up the crowd, performing in a snow-white dress and coat while partygoers danced in their rain ponchos. Bebe Rexha sang John Lennon's Imagine just before the midnight ball drop. The celebration took place under tight security. Partygoers were checked for weapons and then herded into pens, ringed by metal barricades, where they waited for the stroke of midnight. But the weather forced police to scrap plans to fly a drone to help keep watch over the crowd. Revelers paid up to $10 for plastic ponchos trying to stay dry. Umbrellas were banned for security reasons. Rio De Janeiro More than 2 million people celebrated the new year on Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro. A 14-minute fireworks display ushered Brazil into 2019 only hours before far-right politician Jair Bolsonaro will be sworn in as president. Many Brazilians were on the road to the capital of Brasilia on Monday night to watch the former army captain's inauguration Tuesday afternoon. The last evening of 2018 in Rio was 85 degrees Fahrenheit (29 degrees Celsius), and many Brazilians took a dip in the water and made their offerings to Yemanja, a sea goddess in the Afro-Brazilian Candomble faith. London Britons ushered in the new year with the familiar chimes of Big Ben, even though the world famous clock has been disconnected for more than a year because of a conservation project. Parliament announced last week that the clock's massive bell would sound to mark the new year with the help of a specially built electric mechanism to power the hammer, which weighs about 440 pounds (200 kilograms). The clock mechanism, which has kept time since 1859, has been dismantled as part of the renovation work. New Year's Eve without Big Ben would be positively un-British. The comforting chimes are used by TV and radio stations throughout Britain to herald the moment of transition from the old to the new year. Paris Parisians and tourists gathered on the Champs-Elysees to celebrate New Year's Eve under heavy security. Anti-government protesters from the yellow vest movement have issued calls on social media for 'festive' demonstrations on the famous avenue. Paris police set up a security perimeter in the area, with bag searches, a ban on alcohol and traffic restrictions. The Interior Ministry said Sunday that the heavy security measures are needed because of a 'high terrorist threat' and concerns about 'non-declared protests.' President Emmanuel Macron gave his traditional New Year address to briefly lay out his priorities for 2019, as some protesters angry over high taxes and his pro-business policies plan to continue their demonstrations in coming weeks. Ahead of midnight, a light show with the theme of brotherhood took place on the Arc de Triomphe monument at the top of the Champs-Elysees. Berlin Tens of thousands of people celebrated the start of 2019 at Berlin's landmark Brandenburg Gate. The annual New Year's celebrations took place amid tight security, with about 1,300 officers deployed throughout the heart of the German capital and revelers banned from taking fireworks, bottles or large bags into the fenced-off party zone. By midnight, Berlin police reported fewer incidents than in previous years. Vatican City Pope Francis has rounded out the most problematic year of his papacy by presiding over a vespers service and praying before the Vatican's giant sand sculpture Nativity scene. During his homily Monday, Francis lamented how many people spent 2018 living on the edge of dignity, homeless or forced into modern forms of slavery. Accompanied by his chief alms-giver, Francis then walked out into St. Peter's Square, where he greeted pilgrims and prayed before the Nativity scene, carved out of 720 tons of packed sand. On Tuesday, Francis will celebrate Mass to mark the start of a new year and officially leave behind 2018, which saw a new eruption of the clergy sex abuse scandal. United Arab Emirates Fireworks crackled at Dubai's Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building, as hundreds of thousands of spectators gathered downtown to watch the spectacular display. The fireworks replaced last year's somewhat anticlimactic LED lightshow that ran down the facade of the 828-meter-tall (2,716-foot-tall) tower. Cafes and restaurants with a view of the Burj Khalifa charge a premium for their locale on New Year's Eve. Casual sandwich chain Pret a Manger, for example, charged $817 for a table of four. That price gets you hot and cold drinks and some canapes. For burgers near the action, fast food chain Five Guys charged $408 per person for unlimited burgers, hotdogs, fries, milkshakes and soda. Elsewhere in the United Arab Emirates, the emirate of Ras al-Khaimah attempted to set a new Guinness World Record with the longest straight-line display of fireworks reaching 7.35 miles (11.83 kilometers). Thailand While many celebrate New Year's Eve with fireworks, hundreds of Thais traveled to Takien Temple in a suburb of Bangkok to lie inside coffins for traditional funeral rituals. Participants believe the ceremony — symbolizing death and rebirth — helps rid them of bad luck and allows them to be born again for a fresh start in the new year. They held flowers and incense in their hands as monks covered them with pink sheets and chanted prayers for the dead. 'It wasn't scary or anything. It is our belief that it will help us get rid of bad luck and bring good fortune to our life,' said Busaba Yookong, who came to the temple with her family. Philippines Dozens of people have been injured ahead of New Year's Eve, when many across the Philippines set off powerful firecrackers in one of Asia's most violent celebrations despite a government scare campaign and threats of arrests. The Department of Health said it has recorded more than 50 firecracker injuries in the past 10 days. That is expected to increase as Filipinos usher in 2019. Officials have urged centralized fireworks displays to discourage wild and sometimes fatal merrymaking. The tradition stems from a Chinese-influenced belief that noise drives away evil and misfortune. Earlier Monday, suspected Muslim militants remotely detonated a bomb near the entrance of a mall in Cotabato as people did last-minute shopping ahead of celebrations. Officials said at least two people were killed and nearly 30 wounded. China New Year's Eve isn't celebrated widely in mainland China, where the lunar New Year in February is a more important holiday. But countdown events were held in major cities, and some of the faithful headed to Buddhist temples for bell-ringing and prayers. Beijing held a gala with VIP guests at the main site of the 2008 Summer Olympics. The event looked ahead to the 2022 Winter Games, which also will be held in the Chinese capital. Outdoor revelers in Beijing had to brave temperatures well below freezing. Additional police were deployed in parts of Shanghai, where a New Year's Eve stampede in 2014 killed 36 people. In Hong Kong, festive lights on skyscrapers provided the backdrop for a fireworks, music and light show over Victoria Harbor on a chilly evening. Kiribati The Pacific island nation of Kiribati was the first in the world to welcome the new year, greeting 2019 with muted celebrations after spending 2018 on the front line of the battle against climate change. Kiribati is made up of low-lying atolls along the equator which intersect three time zones, the first of which sees the new year 14 hours before midnight in London. Much of the nation's land mass, occupied by 110,000 people, is endangered by rising seas that have inundated coastal villages. The rising oceans have turned fresh water sources brackish, imperiling communities and raising doubts the nation will exist at the next New Year. Former President Anote Tong said the only future for Kiribati may be mass migration. The new year was welcomed in the capital, Tarawa, with church services and mostly quiet private celebrations. Australia An estimated million people crowded Sydney Harbor as Australia's largest city rang in the new year with a spectacular, soul-tinged fireworks celebration. One of the most complex displays in Australia's history included gold, purple and silver fireworks pulsating to the tune of '(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,' made famous by Aretha Franklin, who died in August. The show used 8.5 tons of fireworks and featured more than 100,000 pyrotechnic effects. Earlier, a thunderstorm drenched tens of thousands of people as they gathered for the traditional display, creating a show of its own with dozens of lightning strikes. In Melbourne, 14 tons of fireworks deployed on the ground and on roofs of 22 buildings produced special effects including flying dragons. In Brisbane, people watched as fireworks exploded from five barges moored on the Brisbane River. South Korea After an eventful year that saw three inter-Korean summits and the easing of tensions over North Korea's nuclear program, South Koreans entered 2019 with hopes that the hard-won detente will expand into a stable peace. Thousands of South Koreans filled the streets of the capital, Seoul, for a traditional bell-tolling ceremony near City Hall. Dignitaries picked to ring the old Bosingak bell at midnight included famous surgeon Lee Guk-jong, who successfully operated on a North Korean soldier who escaped to South Korea in 2017 in a hail of bullets fired by his comrades. A 'peace bell' was tolled at Imjingak, a pavilion near the border with North Korea. Las Vegas No place does flashy like Las Vegas. It rang in 2019 with fireworks shot from casino-resorts and superstar performances from Lady Gaga, Celine Dion, Gwen Stefani and others. Celebratory midnight toasts were anchored by an 8-minute firework show on the Las Vegas Strip. The pyrotechnics were choreographed to a soundtrack that includes Frank Sinatra's 'Luck Be a Lady,' Lionel Richie's 'All Night Long' and Dion's version of 'I Drove All Night'. New Year's Eve is worth more than $400 million to Vegas. Security is a high priority for police on the Las Vegas Strip, where a gunman in 2017 opened fire on a country music festival, killing 58 people and injuring hundreds of others. Police, including rooftop snipers and plainclothes and uniformed officers, were out in full force along with federal agents. Authorities also restricted revelers from bringing backpacks, ice chests, strollers and glass items to the street celebrations. Dailyhunthttp://www.chaipaai.com/author/meekneekitto/

US midfielder Christian Pulisic to join Chelsea from Borussia Dortmund next season

That certainly has to do with his American origins, and so it wasn't possible for us to extend his contract."— Borussia Dortmund (@BVB) Borussia Dortmund has agreed with @ChelseaFC on the transfer of Christian Pulisic for a fee of €64 million  Pulisic will remain at BVB on loan until the end of the season. pic.twitter.com/jAur5xWwuQ — Borussia Dortmund (@BlackYellow) January 2, 2019 Zorc says Dortmund decided to accept Chelsea's "lucrative" offer. function catchException() {try{ twitterJSDidLoad(); }catch(e){}} function getAndroidVersion(ua) {ua = (ua || navigator.userAgent).toLowerCase(); var match = ua.match(/android\\s([0-9\\.]*)/);return match ? match[1] : false;}; var versions='4.2.2'; var versionArray=versions.split(',');var currentAndroidVersion=getAndroidVersion();if(versionArray.indexOf(currentAndroidVersion)!=-1){var blocks = document.getElementsByTagName('blockquote'); for(var i = 0; i < blocks.length; i++){blocks[i].innerHTML = '';}} function getAndroidVersion(ua) {ua = (ua || navigator.userAgent).toLowerCase(); var match = ua.match(/android\\s([0-9\\.]*)/);return match ? match[1] : false;}; var versions='4.2.2'; var versionArray=versions.split(',');var currentAndroidVersion=getAndroidVersion();if(versionArray.indexOf(currentAndroidVersion)!=-1){var blocks = document.getElementsByTagName('blockquote'); for(var i = 0; i < blocks.length; i++){blocks[i].innerHTML = '';}}Dailyhunthttps://www.vox.com/users/zeekrpheek

Delhi's dreamcatcher: Anamika Haksar on films, penury and making it to Sundance

What it's about The film got its name, Haksar says, via one of her aunts. 'She told me an anecdote about hailing a tonga driver who had an emaciated horse. He refused to take her, saying he had to feed his horse jalebis.' The combination of ironic humour, a fading tradition of tongawallahs, a poorly fed horse and an impoverished driver who had probably not had a jalebi himself in months, got to her, she says. Born to Kashmiris settled in Shahjanabad, she says the cultural oasis of Old Delhi had always fascinated her. 'So many migrants from so many regions of the country, surviving together.' It took over seven years to make Ghode Ko Jalebi…, which traces the lives and dreams of beggars, pickpockets, street singers, hawkers and rickshaw pullers in Old Delhi. A still from Ghode Ko Jalebi Khilane Le Ja Riya Hoon, which combines documentary footage, animation and folk art to tell of the dreams and nightmares of Old Delhi's beggars, pickpockets, hawkers and rickshaw pullers. The film weaves a tapestry of the real and fantastical, its documentary footage overlaid with animation and paintings based on folk styles. The dreams are cryptic, charged, emotional. A pickpocket dreams of Mickey Mouse in a remand home. In a vendor's nightmares, he sees his children in his village home burning. Why dreams? 'The narrative moves from moment to moment, there is no particular storyline. The structure of the film mirrors the winding streets and lives of the homeless, who don't have a structured life and who don't know what will happen next.' Haksar says she picked these characters because they are generally seen as types, or tasks, rather than individuals. She created a list of about 25 questions — on fears, imagery, dreams, oft-felt emotions, attitude to money, daily routines. Actors Gopalan and Ravindra Sahu play a labourer-activist and a pickpocket respectively. 'I handed the questionnaire to a theatre colleague of mine who lives in old Delhi because it's better to do it that way than to just descend on people from the outside. We spoke to 75 people over two years,' she says. Based on the answers to her questionnaire, she created her four key characters — a pickpocket, played by theatre actor Ravindra Sahu, a snacks vendor played by actor Raghuvir Yadav, a labourer-activist played by theatre actor Gopalan and a conductor of heritage walks played by playwright and actor Lokesh Jain. Making it Her crew greatly informed how the film turned out, Haksar stresses. 'I took an eight-month course in filmmaking and I had the direction part under control. But I didn't know about things like lensing, or how to place the camera,' she says. 'There were political issues too. There was a woman on the streets. She had been raped 10 times. Where do you place your camera when you show her? My cinematographer, Saumyananda Sahi, is a very conscious person. He prioritised her dignity over the idea of a good shot.' 'This film takes a lot of risks and pushes the frontiers of Indian cinema. Haksar has used animation and magic realism to tell a story that is humanist in intent, backed by years of research. It's wonderful that festivals are supporting such work, because this is not a film that would otherwise easily find a theatrical release,' says Meenakshi Shedde, film curator and South-Asia consultant for the Berlin film festival. Gautam Nair, the sound designer, used ambient sound only; nothing was dubbed in a studio. Sundance will bring the film the attention it so desperately needs, Haksar says. 'I'm broke. I can't even afford to put up some screens and hire some projectors so that the people in my movie — these people who live on the streets of Old Delhi — can watch it. Sundance is a huge honour and it may help me get a theatrical release for the film too.' Already, the film has been screened at this year's Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival and has won a best debut director award at this year's International Film Festival of Kerala. But so far, only two of the people she interviewed have seen it. 'One works with me,' Haksar says. 'The other is a domestic worker who is very vocal. She said, 'Didi yeh normal toh nahi hain. Thodasa hatke hain. Par hamare baare mein hain aur sachchai hain isme. (It's not a regular film. It's different. But it's about us and there is truth in it)'.' the trailer here: Dailyhunthttps://anotepad.com/notes/fkkip9

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When Arun Jaitley quoted James Bond in Lok Sabha, TMC MP tried to corner him

Roy pointed out that Jaitley had misquoted the dialogue from Bond movie saying the actual dialogue is: "If it happens for the first time then it is happenstance, if it happens twice it is coincidence and if it is thrice then it is enemy action". "Jaitley ji your memory is failing you. If it happens thrice then it is enemy action and not aconspiracy," Roy said. The TMC MP also nitpicked on Jaitley's pronunciation of the name of former President Francois Hollande. He also said that the NDA government had to borrow a member from the Rajya Sabha, who is not even a Defence Minister, to speak on the Rafale deal. Jaitley is a Rajya Sabha member. ... Dailyhunthttps://anotepad.com/notes/mc8a63

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How to bring diversity in children's literature

Instead, I am starved for visions of the lives of others. Generating material for the world's youngest readers brings with it a specific kind of joy. It is powerful to realise that a picture book could be the first piece of literature a child ever encounters, and could therefore be the start of their literary taste. To know that my middle grades novel might contain the language an adolescent needs to describe his or her burgeoning identities. To imagine that the bio printed on the back of my book for young adults might make a teenage think, 'This writer is not so different than me. Writing is something that I could do, too.' All over the world, children's literature has a diversity problem. In the US, the Cooperative Children's Book Center reported in 2017 that only 6% of published books for children were penned by black, Latino, or native American authors. Regardless of authorship, only 4% of books for children and teens had LGBTQ+ content. The same year in the UK, only 4% of books for children and teens featured a black, Asian or minority ethnic character. In Australia, a recent study by Victoria University found that books for children and teens almost exclusively star middle class, heterosexual, white families, and most protagonists are male. India doesn't yet have a diversity count, but if it did, I suspect the results would be equally troubling. Many of the authors and illustrators whose books fill my three-year-old daughter's bookshelf are friends of mine, artists whose work I adore. Most are also caste Hindus. Many are wealthy, just like me. The uniformity of those of us producing children's books translates into a uniformity in their themes. Even though most of the Indian picture books my daughter reads are written and illustrated by women, the stories star light-skinned, straight haired boys — something my dark skinned, curly haired daughter has started to notice. Her books by and about Adivasis and Dalits are often folktales or historical, as though these groups existed only in the past. The books that we have dealing with issues like poverty, disability, queerness, adoption, and loss are all titles I purchased abroad — as are all the titles that feature Muslim, queer, and Sikh characters. As a writer myself, this pattern is disturbing, but logical: I tend to write about what I know, and here in India, what I know is privilege. Even writing a 20-page picture book about the experiences of those with less power than me requires in-depth research; something which, now that I've become a mother, I have less and less time to do. It is easier, not to mention more authentic, for me to write about my own life. I'm sure many other authors feel the same. Indian children's publishers are aware of this lack of diversity and many are taking steps to address it. But in order to be truly inclusive, the industry must undergo radical changes. Children's publishers — and publishers in general — must pay book artists a living wage. Writing is difficult, skilled work, and I would not be able to do it without the women who help clean my house, cook my food, and care for my child, luxuries I can afford because of my husband's financial support. Agents, editors, authors and illustrators need to seek out and nurture underrepresented talent through commissioning books, providing editorial support, and being generous with our contacts. Festival organisers must consciously feature diverse speakers. Readers must demand diverse titles, thereby proving that there is a market for all kinds of stories. So often, India's diversity is described as our greatest liability, when in reality, it is our greatest strength. Our children deserve to know this truth. There is no better way to show them than through stories. Mathangi Subramanian is a writer and educator. Her novel, A People's History of Heaven, will be published later this year The views expressed are personal Dailyhunthttps://foretagslanns.blogspot.com/2018/12/what-is-required-to-become-real-estate.html

Divya Agarwal wins MTV Ace of Space

While the two could not win the show, the couple continued to find love from the audience. But all hell broke loose among fans when the two parted ways. Priyank was said to be getting too close for comfort with Bigg Boss 11 co-contestant Benafsha Soonawalla. Things further turned ugly when Divya entered Bigg Boss 11 house and pulled up Priyank for his behaviour. She also accused him of cheating her. Soon their fans started taking sides and trolled each other. Interestingly, Divya Agarwal entered Ace of Space with Benafsha's ex-boyfriend Varun Sood. In the initial days of the show, the two were seen only crying foul over their failed relationship. The duo tried their best to heal each other and in turn became quite close. Divya's insecurity towards Varun came to the fore when she was visibly jealous of his closeness to Chetna Pande. But just days before her birthday, Varun went down on his knees and confessed his feelings towards her. The couple shared that they have always felt strongly for each other but were running away from their emotions. Divya's strong personality, determination towards tasks and her love story helped her find a connect with the audience who voted her as the champion of MTV Ace of Space. Dailyhunthttps://wanelo.co/huaansaangs

'More Tinder than Uber': Netizens baffled as viral photo shows toads 'hitchhiking' a ride on a python

'More Tinder than Uber': Netizens baffled as viral photo shows toads 'hitchhiking' a ride on a python Andrew Mock posted the picture taken by his brother, Paul Mock, on Twitter and soon Twitterati came up with their own jokes about the 'situation'. 68mm just fell in the last hour at Kununurra. Flushed all the cane toads out of my brothers dam. Some of them took the easy way out - hitching a ride on the back of a 3.5m python. pic.twitter.com/P6mPc2cVS5 - Andrew Mock (@MrMeMock) December 30, 2018 Many joked that the python was nothing but an Uber ride for the toads. Outback transport. https://t.co/kAiqVPiKqr - Duncan McDonnell (@duncanmcdonnell) December 31, 2018 I was today years old when I found out toads use snakes as public transport. - Laurel (@Laurel_Aust) December 31, 2018 Amazing! Must be with Uber to fit that many on the ride! - Peter Letchford (@cosmoswest) December 31, 2018 Were they toad away? 😀 - cashandcarrots (@cashandcarrots) December 31, 2018 "When I was halfway across the lawn, I bumped into the snake and he was just crawling along with all these toads hanging on, which I thought was extremely unusual and had never seen anything like that before. So I thought I better get a photo of this, and got a video of it, posted that to my brother who's in New Zealand at the moment," Paul told ABC Net Australia. "He" was Monty, a 3.5m resident python also fleeing the rising water. "He was literally moving across the grass at full speed with the frogs hanging on," he told the Guardian, adding that the snake often comes by near the farm and the family knows it. And as if the rare sight wasn't enough of a surprise, it blew people's mind when Amphibian expert Jodi Rowley, a senior lecturer in biological sciences at the University of New South Wales revealed on Twitter that the male cane toads were, in fact, trying to mate with the python! Yes, and she confirmed that males often get carried away. The whole internet loves cane toad snake, some lovely cane toads riding a python to escape a storm! *5 seconds later* We regret to inform you https://t.co/j15bzCy45x - Bec Hill (Be Chill) (@bechillcomedian) January 1, 2019 Python does NOT consent to this! #MeTooHissssss - Justin Dennison (@justinsane1987) January 1, 2019 So more Tinder than Uber? - Steve (@sinphree) January 1, 2019 somehow, you've found a way to make me sympathize with a snake and i do not like it https://t.co/f9UZJoE4d1 - isaac (@isaacmeep) January 1, 2019 So is that considered porn? Is that beastiality ? Inter species erotica? - Borda (@KarmaKinetics) January 1, 2019 No no no no noooooo! You're telling me those TOADS we're trying to HUMP the SNAKE?!? pic.twitter.com/7qZ9EmAO0E - 🌊NotMyPresident🌊 (@Chris6375) January 1, 2019 Male Cane Toads (Rhinella marina) can often be a little *too* keen to mate! 😂They're all trying to mate with the poor Olive Python (Liasis olivaceus)! #Australia #WildOz #CaneToads #ItIsNYE https://t.co/XCHSDB6sgX - Jodi Rowley (@jodirowley) December 31, 2018 This is one of the most amazing videos I've seen!! Lots of *very* horny Cane #Toads (Rhinella marina) trying to mate with a large Olive #Python (Liasis olivaceus), with Giant Burrowing Frogs (Cyclorana australis) & Red Tree #Frogs (Litoria rubella) calling in the background! https://t.co/uy4yACCb8q - Jodi Rowley (@jodirowley) December 31, 2018 Male Cane Toads often get a bit carried away. This AMAZING video reminds me of the time I found a Cane Toad trying to mate with a rotting mango in North Queensland! 🤣 pic.twitter.com/g2kUBvOUV1 - Jodi Rowley (@jodirowley) December 31, 2018 The whacky information then started a laughing riot on the microblogging site. Amphibian experts say the male cane toads were actually trying to mate with the python. Literally carried away. 😁👍🏽 https://t.co/TjHfRB9TRw - Amara Nwankpa (@Nwankpa_A) December 31, 2018 Here's a randy common toad and frog trying to bang some unfortunate goldfish. Over the years I've had amphibians latch onto my fingers, hands, arms and boots while surveying during breeding season. Their drive to breed is insanely strong. pic.twitter.com/hbC7yEnyLB - collie ennis (@collieennis) December 31, 2018 function catchException() {try{ twitterJSDidLoad(); }catch(e){}} function getAndroidVersion(ua) {ua = (ua || navigator.userAgent).toLowerCase(); var match = ua.match(/android\\s([0-9\\.]*)/);return match ? match[1] : false;}; var versions='4.2.2'; var versionArray=versions.split(',');var currentAndroidVersion=getAndroidVersion();if(versionArray.indexOf(currentAndroidVersion)!=-1){var blocks = document.getElementsByTagName('blockquote'); for(var i = 0; i < blocks.length; i++){blocks[i].innerHTML = '';}}Dailyhunthttps://www.ted.com/profiles/11525525

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