THG Recom. 13: Twitter's continuing woes and a Estonian movie explaining Ukrainian mood

Plus podcasts on project Freakonomics and imminent water wars

Two back to back original posts last week after my ABC trip mean that this installment of THG Recommendations is coming later than usual.

Twitter

The pace at which Twitter has been unraveling under Elon Musk has been astonishing. Here are some more essential reads on Twitter saga:

Inside the Twitter meltdown

The Guardian also reported with similar findings today:

Exodus continues at Twitter as Elon Musk hints at possible bankruptcy

Cinema:

For those of you in Nepal, movies from two festivals are now available at Festivalscope site: TFL Film Parade until 13 November and Nepal-EU Film Festival until 28 November.

One movie you should not be missing is Little Comrade from Estonia directed by Moonika Siimets:

In the midst of Stalinist tyranny, six-year-old Leelo’s mother is sent to a prison camp. Haunted by her mother’s last words telling her to be a good kid, Leelo vows to be on her best behavior in the confusing grown-up world in the hope that it will bring her mother back.

This synopsis is an understatement for the evocative recreation of the fatal absurdities of Stalinist rule in countries like Estonia through sublime storytelling. The movie, besides captivating you for 1h 40m, lets you know why Ukrainians are spending their lives and treasure to resist the murderous regime of Vladimir Putin now.

Podcast:

Ever a fan of Freakonomics, the book and everything else with the name? Or heard about them? Either way, you cannot miss this podcast from If Books Could Kill, :

Episode: Freakonomics

I guess many of you have heard by now the assertion that the next world war, if/when it comes, will be about water. To know more about the dire geopolitical implications of the rifts over water resources amid the evolving climate crisis, please listen to this thoughtful episode of The Red Line:

Water wars

Water is the most precious resource known to man, but some countries are currently preparing to wield it as a weapon. Through the building of hydroelectric dams, the shrinking of water supplies, or plain geography, water is set to reshape the balance of power in many of the world's geopolitical flashpoints. So where are these flashpoints, who is set to gain the upper hand, and how will climate craft a new reality for these nations? To answer that, we sat down with a panel of geopolitical experts.

In Nepali media, I wrote a brief essay for Setopati on why I felt like visiting the future cemetery of a 2b strong Gangetic civilization while in Annapurna Base Camp.

Photo: Spectacle at the edge of the precipice:

I took this photo from the Annapurna Base Camp early in the morning one day late last month. The sky was clear, the montains looked magnificent and you really felt special to be there witenssing the beauty at that moment. But few, if any, seemed to notice that they were jostling for the most photogenic spot near the edge of the precipice and the relentless landslides risked bringing down the entire ABC settlement some day. Let alone realizing that the vanishing glaciers in the Himalaya similarly risk bringing down the entire Gangetic civilization.

And finally a sincere plea: as we are seeing the (most likely) collapse of Twitter, the platforms like Substack will be much more useful for all of us in the future. So, if you are yet to subscribe THG, please do so. If you already subscribe, please spread the word about THG through Twitter (while it is alive), email or whatever other medium you have. If you think someone in your circle may be particularly interested or benefited by the kind of content THG generates, please suggest them to check this out.