Pinned
Ashis Basu
@ashis.bsky.social
· Mar 13
Nandini Das · Dark Propensities: Opium Inc.
Despite European and British efforts to emphasise the ‘traditional’ use of opium in both India and China, neither...
www.lrb.co.uk
Smoke and Ashes: Opium’s Hidden Histories by @amitav.bsky.social a stellar review by @rentravailer.bsky.social
“Ghosh pays attention to the role that writers have played in our collective inheritance of the histories in Smoke and Ashes.”
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
“Ghosh pays attention to the role that writers have played in our collective inheritance of the histories in Smoke and Ashes.”
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Reposted by Ashis Basu
It’s been one of those days in the office…
January 3, 2026 at 3:21 PM
It’s been one of those days in the office…
Reposted by Ashis Basu
Recently, I developed an interest for American history, which is relevant given that America is in the news daily. I settled on “The Rise and Fall of the Second American Republic” by @ProfMSinha who is an authority on American history. Her writing is lucid, and well researched.
January 3, 2026 at 3:22 PM
Recently, I developed an interest for American history, which is relevant given that America is in the news daily. I settled on “The Rise and Fall of the Second American Republic” by @ProfMSinha who is an authority on American history. Her writing is lucid, and well researched.
Reposted by Ashis Basu
Migrants are at the heart of our art, our music, our whole history. That’s what the right won’t admit to you | Rowan Williams
Migrants are at the heart of our art, our music, our whole history. That’s what the right won’t admit to you | Rowan Williams
From Britain’s medieval buildings to western pop and contemporary art, these creations showcase our interwoven stories, says former archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams
www.theguardian.com
January 3, 2026 at 1:48 PM
Migrants are at the heart of our art, our music, our whole history. That’s what the right won’t admit to you | Rowan Williams
Reposted by Ashis Basu
The bioscience startup has attracted billions in investment – and a flurry of criticism, but founder tells the Guardian plans to bring back the woolly mammoth will not be derailed @pgreenfielduk.bsky.social
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
‘They didn’t de-extinct anything’: can Colossal’s genetically engineered animals ever be the real thing?
The bioscience startup has attracted billions in investment – and a flurry of criticism, but founder tells the Guardian plans to bring back the woolly mammoth will not be derailed
www.theguardian.com
January 2, 2026 at 12:18 PM
The bioscience startup has attracted billions in investment – and a flurry of criticism, but founder tells the Guardian plans to bring back the woolly mammoth will not be derailed @pgreenfielduk.bsky.social
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Reposted by Ashis Basu
Woohoo! Chickenpox vaccines are on the menu in the UK - finally!!
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Ignore the sceptics: with this new vaccine, chickenpox could become a thing of the past | Wes Streeting
Thousands develop serious complications from the varicella virus. Today the NHS rolls out a new jab, alongside measles, mumps and rubella, says health secretary Wes Streeting
www.theguardian.com
January 2, 2026 at 12:06 PM
Woohoo! Chickenpox vaccines are on the menu in the UK - finally!!
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
A helpless baby elephant has won the Thai public’s sympathy but her case has shed light on the pressures facing herds across Asia
By Ana Norman Bermúdez in Suphan Buri, Thailand
Great piece!
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
By Ana Norman Bermúdez in Suphan Buri, Thailand
Great piece!
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
What makes an elephant abandon her calf – and is it a growing problem?
A helpless baby elephant has won the Thai public’s sympathy but her case has shed light on the pressures facing herds across Asia
www.theguardian.com
January 2, 2026 at 12:10 PM
A helpless baby elephant has won the Thai public’s sympathy but her case has shed light on the pressures facing herds across Asia
By Ana Norman Bermúdez in Suphan Buri, Thailand
Great piece!
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
By Ana Norman Bermúdez in Suphan Buri, Thailand
Great piece!
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Reposted by Ashis Basu
There’s never been a better time to learn what’s at stake and how to protect yourself from invasive age verification mandates. Head over to EFF.org/Age to explore our explainers, user-friendly guides, technical breakdowns, and advocacy tools. The fight to protect the internet begins with you.
Age Verification and Age Gating: Resource Hub
Age verification (or age-gating) laws generally require online services to check, estimate, or verify all users’ ages—often through invasive tools like ID checks, biometric scans, or other dubious
www.eff.org
January 1, 2026 at 4:00 PM
There’s never been a better time to learn what’s at stake and how to protect yourself from invasive age verification mandates. Head over to EFF.org/Age to explore our explainers, user-friendly guides, technical breakdowns, and advocacy tools. The fight to protect the internet begins with you.
The Colla Indigenous people claim Rio Tinto’s plans to extract the key mineral will harm fragile ecosystems and livelihoods @graceliv.bsky.social
www.theguardian.com/global-devel...
www.theguardian.com/global-devel...
‘The source of all life is here’: plan to mine lithium in Chilean salt flat sparks fears of water scarcity
The Colla Indigenous people claim Rio Tinto’s plans to extract the key mineral will harm fragile ecosystems and livelihoods
www.theguardian.com
January 1, 2026 at 5:01 PM
The Colla Indigenous people claim Rio Tinto’s plans to extract the key mineral will harm fragile ecosystems and livelihoods @graceliv.bsky.social
www.theguardian.com/global-devel...
www.theguardian.com/global-devel...
Talking About Our 10 Best Books of 2025 www.nytimes.com/2025/12/02/b...
Talking About Our 10 Best Books of 2025
www.nytimes.com
January 1, 2026 at 3:49 PM
Talking About Our 10 Best Books of 2025 www.nytimes.com/2025/12/02/b...
Reposted by Ashis Basu
"my one plea as we ring in the new year with Zohran being sworn in as mayor is to take some fucking wins
he’s not going to be perfect, there will be setbacks & disappointments, but take some joy and some pride in the good that comes out of this
good things are more durable when we celebrate them"
he’s not going to be perfect, there will be setbacks & disappointments, but take some joy and some pride in the good that comes out of this
good things are more durable when we celebrate them"
January 1, 2026 at 1:43 PM
"my one plea as we ring in the new year with Zohran being sworn in as mayor is to take some fucking wins
he’s not going to be perfect, there will be setbacks & disappointments, but take some joy and some pride in the good that comes out of this
good things are more durable when we celebrate them"
he’s not going to be perfect, there will be setbacks & disappointments, but take some joy and some pride in the good that comes out of this
good things are more durable when we celebrate them"
While GLP-1 drugs promise an easy fix, our bodies still need what they have always needed: healthy food and regular exercise @profdevisridhar.bsky.social
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
The WHO learned to love ‘anti-obesity’ jabs in 2025. I don’t fully agree, but I get it | Devi Sridhar
While GLP-1 drugs promise an easy fix, our bodies still need what they have always needed: healthy food and regular exercise, says chair of global public health at the University of Edinburgh, Prof De...
www.theguardian.com
January 1, 2026 at 1:46 PM
While GLP-1 drugs promise an easy fix, our bodies still need what they have always needed: healthy food and regular exercise @profdevisridhar.bsky.social
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Reposted by Ashis Basu
why worry about risks & harms of allegedly "powerful AIs" potentially "turning on us", when the puppetmasters of shitshow AIs are already harming & screwing people & planning to intensify these efforts for profit❓
December 31, 2025 at 10:31 AM
why worry about risks & harms of allegedly "powerful AIs" potentially "turning on us", when the puppetmasters of shitshow AIs are already harming & screwing people & planning to intensify these efforts for profit❓
As young people take on a messy dating landscape, they’ve created their own lexicon to match. Here’s like what phrases ‘bird theory’ and ‘monkey branching’ mean
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
How to talk dating like gen Z: 51 (hyperspecific) terms for love, sex and bad behavior
As young people take on a messy dating landscape, they’ve created their own lexicon to match. Here’s like what phrases ‘bird theory’ and ‘monkey branching’ mean
www.theguardian.com
January 1, 2026 at 12:17 PM
As young people take on a messy dating landscape, they’ve created their own lexicon to match. Here’s like what phrases ‘bird theory’ and ‘monkey branching’ mean
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
Happy New Year Everyone!
From my memories.
Ten year old me: Why is new year important?
Dad: 👇
“The new year is the beginning of a new year, but it’s also an opportunity to make new beginnings, to set new goals, and above all be grateful for the life that you have.”
From my memories.
Ten year old me: Why is new year important?
Dad: 👇
“The new year is the beginning of a new year, but it’s also an opportunity to make new beginnings, to set new goals, and above all be grateful for the life that you have.”
January 1, 2026 at 11:55 AM
Happy New Year Everyone!
From my memories.
Ten year old me: Why is new year important?
Dad: 👇
“The new year is the beginning of a new year, but it’s also an opportunity to make new beginnings, to set new goals, and above all be grateful for the life that you have.”
From my memories.
Ten year old me: Why is new year important?
Dad: 👇
“The new year is the beginning of a new year, but it’s also an opportunity to make new beginnings, to set new goals, and above all be grateful for the life that you have.”
Reposted by Ashis Basu
Start 2026 on a positive note by reading about 13 climate litigation wins from the last 12 months - what could be achieved in the next 12? #climatejustice
Greenwashing, illegality and false claims: 13 climate litigation wins in 2025
Legal action has brought important decisions, from the scrapping of fossil fuel plants to revised climate plans
www.theguardian.com
January 1, 2026 at 9:23 AM
Start 2026 on a positive note by reading about 13 climate litigation wins from the last 12 months - what could be achieved in the next 12? #climatejustice
Since then, videos verified by BBC Persian have shown demonstrations in the cities of Karaj, Hamedan, Qeshm, Malard, Isfahan, Kermanshah, Shiraz and Yazd. Police were also seen using tear gas in an attempt to disperse demonstrators.
bbc.com/news/article...
bbc.com/news/article...
Protests spread across Iran for third day after currency hits record low
The Iranian rial hit a record low against the US dollar on Sunday, prompting shopkeepers in Tehran to stage protests, which have quickly spread.
bbc.com
December 30, 2025 at 11:48 PM
Since then, videos verified by BBC Persian have shown demonstrations in the cities of Karaj, Hamedan, Qeshm, Malard, Isfahan, Kermanshah, Shiraz and Yazd. Police were also seen using tear gas in an attempt to disperse demonstrators.
bbc.com/news/article...
bbc.com/news/article...
Tatiana Schlossberg, an environmental journalist and a granddaughter of President John F. Kennedy, has died, her family said Tuesday. She was 35 years old.
www.wsj.com/articles/tat...
www.wsj.com/articles/tat...
Tatiana Schlossberg, Granddaughter of JFK, Dies at 35
The environmental journalist wrote in November of her leukemia diagnosis.
www.wsj.com
December 30, 2025 at 11:46 PM
Tatiana Schlossberg, an environmental journalist and a granddaughter of President John F. Kennedy, has died, her family said Tuesday. She was 35 years old.
www.wsj.com/articles/tat...
www.wsj.com/articles/tat...
Reposted by Ashis Basu
And it is of course fierce, trenchant, and to the point and everyone should read it.
When Rebecca Solnit asks you to turn a thread into an essay, you fucking do it. jessica.substack.com/p/cbs-news-f...
bsky.app/profile/rebe...
bsky.app/profile/rebe...
December 30, 2025 at 10:31 PM
And it is of course fierce, trenchant, and to the point and everyone should read it.
Reposted by Ashis Basu
Israel will not stop unless they are stopped
December 30, 2025 at 11:17 PM
Israel will not stop unless they are stopped
Tatiana Schlossberg, Kennedy Daughter Who Wrote of Her Cancer, Dies at 35
“An environmental journalist and child of Caroline Kennedy, she recently wrote of her battle with leukemia in The New Yorker, drawing worldwide sympathy.”
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/30/u...
“An environmental journalist and child of Caroline Kennedy, she recently wrote of her battle with leukemia in The New Yorker, drawing worldwide sympathy.”
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/30/u...
Tatiana Schlossberg, Kennedy Daughter Who Wrote of Her Cancer, Dies at 35
www.nytimes.com
December 30, 2025 at 11:42 PM
Tatiana Schlossberg, Kennedy Daughter Who Wrote of Her Cancer, Dies at 35
“An environmental journalist and child of Caroline Kennedy, she recently wrote of her battle with leukemia in The New Yorker, drawing worldwide sympathy.”
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/30/u...
“An environmental journalist and child of Caroline Kennedy, she recently wrote of her battle with leukemia in The New Yorker, drawing worldwide sympathy.”
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/30/u...
Reposted by Ashis Basu
My year-end column, on Trump’s Golden Age of Awful:
No matter how low one’s expectations were for 2025, the most striking thing about the year when Donald Trump became President again is how much worse it turned out to be. @sbg1.bsky.social assesses the damage.
newyorkermag.visitlink.me/rOJcEZ
newyorkermag.visitlink.me/rOJcEZ
Donald Trump’s Golden Age of Awful
A damage assessment of the President’s first year back in the White House.
newyorkermag.visitlink.me
December 30, 2025 at 9:19 PM
My year-end column, on Trump’s Golden Age of Awful:
Donald Trump’s Golden Age of Awful
“No matter how low one’s expectations were for 2025, the most striking thing about the year when Donald Trump became President again is how much worse it turned out to be.” @sbg1.bsky.social
www.newyorker.com/news/letter-...
“No matter how low one’s expectations were for 2025, the most striking thing about the year when Donald Trump became President again is how much worse it turned out to be.” @sbg1.bsky.social
www.newyorker.com/news/letter-...
Donald Trump’s Golden Age of Awful
A damage assessment of the President’s first year back in the White House.
www.newyorker.com
December 30, 2025 at 11:40 PM
Donald Trump’s Golden Age of Awful
“No matter how low one’s expectations were for 2025, the most striking thing about the year when Donald Trump became President again is how much worse it turned out to be.” @sbg1.bsky.social
www.newyorker.com/news/letter-...
“No matter how low one’s expectations were for 2025, the most striking thing about the year when Donald Trump became President again is how much worse it turned out to be.” @sbg1.bsky.social
www.newyorker.com/news/letter-...
Tatiana Schlossberg, journalist and granddaughter of JFK, dies at 35
She announced her terminal cancer diagnosis in a New Yorker essay that took aim at Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whom she called “an embarrassment.”
www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2...
She announced her terminal cancer diagnosis in a New Yorker essay that took aim at Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whom she called “an embarrassment.”
www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2...
Tatiana Schlossberg, journalist and granddaughter of JFK, dies at 35
In November, she announced her terminal cancer diagnosis in a New Yorker essay that took aim at one of her cousins, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
www.washingtonpost.com
December 30, 2025 at 11:38 PM
Tatiana Schlossberg, journalist and granddaughter of JFK, dies at 35
She announced her terminal cancer diagnosis in a New Yorker essay that took aim at Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whom she called “an embarrassment.”
www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2...
She announced her terminal cancer diagnosis in a New Yorker essay that took aim at Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whom she called “an embarrassment.”
www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2...