Splashy affair
The first State visit of the prime minister, Narendra Modi, to the United States of America was a splashy affair. About 5,000 people, including supporters, protesters and onlookers, gathered on the lawns outside the White House to catch a glimpse of the moment, holding signs of “Hail Modi”. However, several signs also read “Say No to Modi” in protest against his administration’s abuse of human rights in India.
Modi’s visit started with the celebration of International Yoga Day at the United Nations headquarters in New York City after which he headed to DC. He was a guest at Blair House, which is the president’s guest house for visiting foreign dignitaries. Modi was then welcomed at the White House State dinner, which was attended by the who’s who of the Indian diaspora and other A-listers. The president, Joe Biden, had an awkward moment when he put his hand on his heart as the Indian national anthem started playing. After realising that the band was not playing the American one, he slowly lowered it.
Sabrina Siddiqui, the White House correspondent for The Wall Street Journal, questioned Modi about the claims of discrimination against minorities in India during his joint press conference with Biden. She was subsequently attacked online by Modi’s allies, but the White House stood with her in solidarity, condemning her harassers.
According to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in March, about 40% of American adults have never heard of Modi. A similar number applies to most other world leaders. Of those who do know him, 37% have little or no confidence in his ability to do the right thing regarding world affairs, compared to 21% who are confident about him.
Imperfect beauty
The world’s ugliest dog contest, an annual contest held in Petaluma, California, took place last week. The winning title this year went to Scooter, a seven-year-old grey Chinese crested canine with wispy hair, a small tail and two reversed back legs from a deformity at birth. It uses a wheeled cart to move around but can balance on its two front legs.
Scooter was brought by his breeder to a shelter in Arizona to be euthanised but then was rescued and given a “chance at finding a good home and a fairly normal life,” according to its biography. Scooter’s owner held it proudly at the event after it was crowned the winner, with its little tongue sticking out from the side of the mouth. “Today Scooter is not only surviving but thriving,” says its biography.
The event is held to promote the adoption of all kinds of dogs. The competition has been taking place for the past 50 years and aims to celebrate “the imperfections that make all dogs special and unique”, according to the website. The winning pooch gets a prize of $1,500 and a trophy.
Costly thrills
The OceanGate’s missing submersible, Titan, captivated the world for three days as the US Coast Guard and rescue teams from Canada and other countries scoured the ocean to find signs of life and debris. The five on board, including the founder, were wealthy billionaires and descended into the ocean depths despite knowing the risks involved with such expeditions. There has been a marked rise in the thrill-seeking trend lately, especially amongst the wealthy. CNN has called it “extreme tourism”.
In addition to ocean exploration, companies like Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin are working on space tourism. Other smaller companies are offering millionaires the chance to explore rarely-seen nature. For example, White Desert Antarctica offers luxury trips to the South Pole for $100,000 per person. The travel company, Black Tomato, provides ‘get lost’ trips that take you to unknown and uncharted destinations.
Miles to go
A man from New Jersey, Tom Stuker, has been found to have travelled more miles by air than anyone else in history. This can be attributed to the purchase of a United Airlines lifetime pass in 1990 for $290,000. Stuker is a car consultant and has flown more than 23 million miles, always first class. He is also able to sell or auction his accrued miles while enjoying the other membership benefits like plush lounges, or using his points for luxury hotels and cruises around the world.
According to The Washington Post, Stuker would have spent $2.44 million in 2019 if he had travelled without his pass on the 373 flights that he flew on. In case you’re wondering how you can land such a deal, you’re out of luck because United Airlines has since discontinued the offer.
