Assi, which is directed by Anubhav Sinha, a filmmaker who has steadily shifted from traditional narrative to something incisive and more political, comes with an urgency that is hard to ignore. The topic itself—sexual violence, justice, and the uneasy apparatus that sits between crime and accountability—may be the source of this urgency, but it also seems as though Sinha has lost interest in nuance. The protagonist of the movie is Parima, a survivor whose life has been subtly altered by violence, who is portrayed with unnerving restraint by Kani Kusruti. There are no dramatic monologues from her character. Rather, her…
Author: errica
Recent satellite photos show the ice to be brittle, almost tentative. The language used by scientists who are researching these patterns has changed. Not so sure. Exercise more caution. 2026 might end up being one of those years that is later referred to as a turning point, even though not many people realized it at the time. Historically, the Arctic has melted in the summer and frozen in the winter. That cycle characterized it. However, things have changed. Once appearing to be a permanent rhythm, temperatures in the region have risen three to four times faster than the global average.…
As is often the case, the cold came stealthily. Overnight, sidewalks solidified into glass, automobile windshields became opaque, and breath hung in the air like smoke. People in Chicago automatically pulled their coats tighter when they saw the ghostly swirls of steam rising off Lake Michigan. It’s difficult to ignore how intimately cold weather feels, how it clings to your skin and won’t go away. However, the Earth is warming at the same time. People have been uneasy about that contradiction for years. Politicians have made fun of it, neighbors have debated it over dinner, and even scientists, at least…
The Milky Way stretches across the sky like a faint bruise on a clear night far from city lights. Sagittarius A*, our galaxy’s invisible anchor, is located somewhere in that hazy band, hidden behind distance and dust. Astronomers have been talking about it with a certain quiet assurance for decades. an extremely massive black hole. In the dark, four million suns were crushed. Some physicists are hesitant, though, except now. There is a chance that Sagittarius A* is not even a black hole. Einstein’s equations have ruled with almost religious authority in some academic hallways, and that statement still sounds…
When people discuss breast milk in the same way that they discuss used electronics or furniture, it’s unnerving. Posts like “100 ounces frozen,” “dairy-free donor,” and “local pickup only” blend together when you browse through specific parenting groups on the internet. Occasionally, a sweet and comforting picture of a baby is included, seemingly as evidence of innocence. These pictures may be intended to foster trust, but they also give away how intimate and vulnerable this new market is. At midnight, a mother might be standing over her freezer in a quiet suburban kitchen, carefully writing labels on plastic bags. After…
Depending on your position, the “portable fusion reactor” line lands in a different way. It sounds like provocation in a seminar room at a university. It can sound like marketing is taking precedence over metal on a windy industrial site, where temporary fencing, cables, and scaffolding are still the most common technologies. However, there is a feeling that the fusion community in the UK is purposefully using offensive language. Their goal is to transform fusion from a “majestic science project” into something more like a product roadmap, complete with suppliers, deadlines, and awkward cost discussions—not because the physics became instantly…
The thought of the Chicago Bears playing somewhere other than Chicago is almost unnerving. Soldier Field sits like a recalcitrant relic along Lake Michigan on chilly Sundays, its concrete edges catching lake-effect winds that eat away at patience and jackets alike. Fans still arrive early, standing next to pickup trucks with faded Bears decals and holding coffee in gloved hands. It has never seemed glitzy. It feels genuine in part because of this. That authenticity seems to be negotiable now. In a clear attempt to entice the Bears away, Indiana lawmakers recently passed legislation establishing a stadium authority in Hammond,…
Election season in Kathmandu is a time of change. While loudspeakers attached to old vans scuttle through traffic, repeating promises that sound urgent yet oddly familiar, party flags droop loosely across winding streets, brushing against tangled electrical wires. Even though many voters may have heard these promises before, they still take the time to listen. Unusual circumstances surround the upcoming March 5, 2026, election in Nepal. After the country was rocked by youth-led protests in September 2025, which resulted in dozens of deaths and the installation of an interim government, the previous parliament was dissolved. It feels more secure now…
The sight of Sean Strickland prior to a fight makes you uneasy. Not because he appears uneasy. He doesn’t. His hands are loose, his shoulders relaxed, and he appears to be staring into space, as if he were waiting at a bus stop. Tension is typically evident in fighters. Strickland appears bored most of the time. He might use boredom as one of his weapons. He walked slowly across the concrete floor of the Toyota Center in Houston, past production cables and equipment crates, without recognizing anyone, just hours before he faced Anthony Hernandez. Staff at the arena gave him…
Seeing Tokischa enter a room has a disconcerting quality. Not that she’s trying to hide. On the contrary. She shows up already vulnerable, defying anyone’s reaction. She wore a vintage white Vivienne Westwood dress that exposed more than most artists would dare to wear to the Premio Lo Nuestro awards in Miami. Rapid camera flashes captured reactions nearly as much as her actual presence. Perhaps the shock was just what was needed. She was raised in Santo Domingo, in areas where music was more of an atmosphere than an aspiration. From passing motorcycles, dembow rhythms echoed, bouncing off open windows…