Burden

“Two bullocks yoked together.” Nothing like this sentence to make you feel the weight of a monogamous relationship. In Shashi Deshpande’s novel, That Long Silence these were the protagonist Jaya’s words for her own marriage. A claustrophobic metaphor of togetherness. As long as the yoke is there, the pair can only walk in mutual bondage, in one direction. Intimacy is a shackle and a commandment. PREMIUM Love in Mumbai. (Shashi S Kashyap/HT PHOTO) Bullocks are yoked in labour. Not in love. Their collective tread…

The doctor who taught me about human reproduction at medical school was in fact a veterinarian. More is known about a sheep’s rhythms than a woman’s, he said, setting the tone in our first tutorial, presumably because ewes drive a healthy profit. I was disappointed. I felt that menstruation and pregnancy shouldn’t be narrated to us like they would be for any other animal. These aren’t just biological events, but experiences coloured by memory and anticipation. What about days of frantic maxi pad changes in school cubicles…

Rivers, lakes, and other inland waters are an underappreciated source of natural greenhouse gas emissions. Credit: U.S. National Park Service, Public Domain In a new pair of studies, a global team of scientists reassessed greenhouse gas emissions stemming from rivers, streams, lakes, and reservoirs. The studies update previous estimates of greenhouse gas emissions from inland water sources at a global scale.…

Credit: CC0 Public Domain A Vanderbilt University Medical Center-led team has developed a scale to measure trustworthiness in biomedical research among minority populations—a landmark tool for researchers to use to improve their own trustworthiness, and thus participation in research. The Perceptions of Research Trustworthiness…

Criteria to qualify for new US semiconductor subsidies could be "burdensome" for companies such as Samsung Electronics Co Ltd and SK Hynix Inc, South Korea's trade minister said. Conditions include sharing excess profit with the US government, and three industry sources said the application process itself could expose confidential corporate strategy. Subsidies would come from a $52 billion pool of research and manufacturing funds earmarked under the United States' so-called CHIPS Act, for which the Commerce Department…

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Nearly two-thirds of New Zealanders are worried about the cost of living, and a quarter are worried about putting food on the table. But the shame that can come with financial stress is preventing some people from seeking help. According to a recent survey, a third of New Zealanders were not…

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Imagine waking up before dawn every day to fetch water for your family. You trek to the nearest water source, miles away, with only a jerrycan to carry the precious liquid. You brave scorching heat or heavy rain, while trying to avoid dangerous animals and strangers along the way. This is the…

Britain will make another attempt to reform its data protection law with the objective of easing the compliance burden for businesses while remaining sufficiently in line with the European Union to keep information flowing. The government said it would bring an updated Data Protection and Digital Information Bill back to parliament after its earlier proposals were paused in September for further consultation with industry. The country's current data rules mirror the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the…

Photos via Marvel Studios/Remix by Danny Peterson There’s a lot riding on The Marvels. Perhaps more than Marvel Studios can handle.  By the time the movie premieres, the Marvel Cinematic Universe will be officially halfway through its Multiverse Saga. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will have premiered, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania naysayers will have had time to refill their half-empty cups, and Phase Five will once more get the chance to right the wrongs of its underwhelming predecessor – Phase Four.  As…

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain It's good practice for employers to consult staff when forming policies or guidelines. However, for some staff from diverse backgrounds, this creates extra work and pressure. "Cultural load" in the context of the workplace is the invisible workload employers knowingly or unknowingly place on…