1. Rising sea levels - As temperatures increase, polar ice caps are melting, causing sea levels to rise. This can lead to flooding in coastal areas and the displacement of millions of people.
2. Droughts - With rising temperatures, the amount of water evaporating from the land increases, leading to more frequent and severe droughts.
3. Heat waves - Heat waves are becoming more frequent and intense, leading to heat-related illnesses and deaths.
4. Extreme weather - Climate change is leading to more extreme weather events such as hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods.
5. Food insecurity - Rising temperatures can lead to crop failure, leading to food insecurity.
6. Changes in ecosystems - Climate change is causing changes in the habitats of many species, leading to species extinction.
7. Ocean acidification - As carbon dioxide levels increase, the acidity of the ocean increases, leading to changes in marine ecosystems.
8. Air pollution - As temperatures increase, air pollution becomes more of a problem, leading to respiratory illnesses.
9. Spread of diseases - As temperatures increase, diseases that were once confined to certain regions can spread to other areas.
10. Mental health issues - Climate change can lead to feelings of hopelessness and despair, leading to mental health issues.
Climate change is a frightening phenomenon, with the potential to cause immense destruction to our planet and the people who inhabit it. It is important to be aware of the potential consequences of climate change, and to take action to mitigate its impacts.
to educate ourselves and others on the causes and effects of climate change. We must work together to ensure that our planet remains habitable for future generations.
Conclusion:
Climate change is a frightening prospect, with the potential to cause immense destruction to our planet and the people who inhabit it. It is important to be aware of the potential consequences of climate change, and to take action to mitigate its impacts. We must work together to ensure that our planet remains habitable for future generations.
Time travel 'theoretically possible,' study says: 'The math checks out'
Marty McFly and Doc Brown may have traveled back in time and slightly altered their futures in the "Back to the Future" series, but a newly published study suggests paradox-free time travel is "theoretically possible."
The research, published in Classical and Quantum Gravity, suggests that if time travel were possible and a person changed events in the past, the future would eventually correct itself so the paradox does not exist.
“The maths checks out – and the results are the stuff of science fiction,” the study's co-author, University of Queensland professor Fabio Costa, said in an interview with the university.
Christopher Lloyd, left, as Dr. Emmett Brown, and Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly in the 1985 film, "Back to the Future." (Universal Pictures Home Entertainment via AP)
TIME TRAVEL IS POSSIBLE – BUT ONLY IF YOU HAVE AN OBJECT WITH INFINITE MASS
“Say you traveled in time, in an attempt to stop COVID-19’s patient zero from being exposed to the virus," Costa continued. “However if you stopped that individual from becoming infected – that would eliminate the motivation for you to go back and stop the pandemic in the first place. This is a paradox – an inconsistency that often leads people to think that time travel cannot occur in our universe. Some physicists say it is possible, but logically it’s hard to accept because that would affect our freedom to make any arbitrary action. It would mean you can time travel, but you cannot do anything that would cause a paradox to occur.”
The paradox, or variation, described in the study is a "grandfather paradox." According to the study's abstract, this would allow the observer to "interact in such a way to prevent their own time travel," also known as killing their grandfather and thus preventing being born.
Although confusing, due in part to Einstein's theory of general relativity, which predicts the existence of closed time-like curves (CTCs), CTCs are possible, which would allow a person to interact with a past version of themselves and not cause harm to them in the future.
“In the coronavirus patient zero example, you might try and stop patient zero from becoming infected, but in doing so you would catch the virus and become patient zero, or someone else would,” University of Queensland student and study lead author Germain Tobar added. “No matter what you did, the salient events would just recalibrate around you."
Tobar continued: "This would mean that – no matter your actions - the pandemic would occur, giving your younger self the motivation to go back and stop it. Try as you might to create a paradox, the events will always adjust themselves, to avoid any inconsistency. The range of mathematical processes we discovered show that time travel with free will is logically possible in our universe without any paradox.”
Time Travel Isn’t Possible…or Is It?
Special relativity teaches us that the three dimensions of space and the solitary dimension of time are woven together like a fabric. It’s impossible to think of them as separate entities, only a singular unified entity — space-time. We can’t think of motion through space without being mindful of motion through time, and vice versa. Left-right, up-down, back-forth and past-future are all on equal footing.
And yet, time does seem a little different. We have complete freedom of movement within space, but we cannot avoid our future. Time seems to have an “arrow,” whereas the spatial dimensions are ambidextrous. Given the unity between time and space, it leads to the obvious question: Is time travel, of any sort, possible? Under any circumstances? At all? [How Time Travel Works in Science Fiction (Infographic)]
Into the Future: Sure
Oddly enough, the answer is yes! We cannot avoid moving into our futures, but we can control the rate that we move through time. This is a consequence of another lesson from relativity: Not all clocks are the same.
The speed at which you move through space determines the speed at which you move through time. In the succinct phrase: Moving clocks run slow.
IF you could build a big enough rocket (don’t ask me how, that’s an engineering problem) to provide a constant acceleration of 1g (9.8 meters per second per second; the same acceleration as provided by the Earth’s gravity at its surface), you could reach the center of the Milky Way galaxy — a healthy 20,000 light-years away — in just a couple decades of your personal time.
You could stop for a few hours, have a picnic near Sagittarius A* (the black hole at the center of the galaxy), and then hop back in to your rocket and come back to Earth.
By the time you return you’ll be eligible for retirement benefits, if the institution providing those benefits is even around, because while you only traveled for a few decades according to the clock on your ship, about 40,000 years would’ve passed on the Earth.
Closing the Loop
Time is relative, but it still flows in the same direction for everyone. To ask if we can go into reverse is the domain of general relativity (GR) — this is the mathematical language we use to not only understand gravity, but the full connection between space-time and motion.
In GR, we ask a slightly more technical question: Is there any arrangement of matter and energy (the stuff that warps space-time) to permit the existence of closed time-like curves, or CTCs? I know this is jargon but it’s a fun phrase to toss around at parties. “Curve” here means a path, “time-like” means you never go faster than the speed of light, and “closed” means it returns to its starting point — in other words, its own past.
So, Oracle of Einstein, are CTCs permitted? Yes! Well….
The Possibilities are Finite
There are about half a dozen known configurations of space-time that allow CTCs, or time travel into the past. For example, Kurt Gödel (of Gödel’s Incompleteness Theorem fame) discovered that if the expansion of the universe was accelerating (which it is) and the universe is also rotating, CTCs would be allowed and we could travel into our past on a whim.
As far as I can tell, Gödel used this solution to point out to Albert Einstein that perhaps GR wasn’t all it was cracked up to be — I mean, come on, shouldn’t any self-respecting theory of the natural world avoid such an obviously absurd solution?
But Gödel’s point was moot — all observations indicate that the universe is not rotating, so that particular solution does not apply to our universe, and time travel into the past is verboten.
Ah! But what if we were to construct an infinitely long massive cylinder and set it spinning on its axis near the speed of light. It would drag on space-time around it, and certain paths around that spinning cylinder would end up in their own past. Good thing there are no infinitely long massive cylinders in the universe, or we might have to worry.
Wait, I’ve got one: If you make a wormhole (a shortcut between two distant locations in space-time) and send one end racing off near the speed of light and bring it back, the normal time-dilation effects would put one end in the “future” of the other, so you could waltz right through the wormhole throat and end up in your past. What’s that? Wormholes require “negative mass” to exist, and negative mass does not exist in the universe? Well, hmm.
Into the Past: Nope
It’s the same story every time (pardon the too-hard-to-resist pun). For every scenario we concoct in general relativity to allow CTCs and time travel into our own past, nature finds a way to confound our plans and rule out the scenario.
What’s going on? General relativity allows — in principle — time travel into the past, but it appears to be ruled out in every case. It seems like something funny is afoot, that there ought to be some fundamental rule to disallow time travel. But there isn’t one. We can’t point to any particle interaction at the subatomic level that clearly prevents the formation of CTCs.
The inevitable progression of time from the past to the future resembles another indomitable law of nature: entropy. That’s the iron law of thermodynamics that states that closed systems go from ordered to disordered. (This law explains why an egg will never just happen to unscramble itself if you leave it alone long enough). Is time linked to entropy? Maybe, but that’s the subject of another article….
This story was originally published on Space.com.
“Time Travel Isn’t Possible … or Is It?” was originally published by NBC Universal Media, LLC on August 31, 2017 by Paul Sutter. Copyright 2017 NBC Universal Media, LLC. All rights reserved.
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Is Time Travel Possible? Only Since 1895
Yoel Fink, who is a professor in the departments of materials science and engineering and electrical engineering and computer science, a Research Laboratory of Electronics principal investigator, and the senior author on the study, says digital fibers expand the possibilities for fabrics to uncover the context of hidden patterns in the human body that could be used for physical performance monitoring, medical inference, and early disease detection.
Or, you might someday store your wedding music in the gown you wore on the big day — more on that later.
Fink and his colleagues describe the features of the digital fiber today in Nature Communications. Until now, electronic fibers have been analog — carrying a continuous electrical signal — rather than digital, where discrete bits of information can be encoded and processed in 0s and 1s.
"This work presents the first realization of a fabric with the ability to store and process data digitally, adding a new information content dimension to textiles and allowing fabrics to be programmed literally," Fink says.
MIT PhD student Gabriel Loke and MIT postdoc Tural Khudiyev are the lead authors on the paper. Other co-authors MIT postdoc Wei Yan; MIT undergraduates Brian Wang, Stephanie Fu, Ioannis Chatziveroglou, Syamantak Payra, Yorai Shaoul, Johnny Fung, and Itamar Chinn; John Joannopoulos, the Francis Wright Davis Chair Professor of Physics and director of the Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies at MIT; Harrisburg University of Science and Technology master's student Pin-Wen Chou; and Rhode Island School of Design Associate Professor Anna Gitelson-Kahn. The fabric work was facilitated by Professor Anais Missakian, who holds the Pevaroff-Cohn Family Endowed Chair in Textiles at RISD.
Memory and more
The new fiber was created by placing hundreds of square silicon microscale digital chips into a preform that was then used to create a polymer fiber. By precisely controlling the polymer flow, the researchers were able to create a fiber with continuous electrical connection between the chips over a length of tens of meters.
The fiber itself is thin and flexible and can be passed through a needle, sewn into fabrics, and washed at least 10 times without breaking down. According to Loke, "When you put it into a shirt, you can't feel it at all. You wouldn't know it was there."
Making a digital fiber "opens up different areas of opportunities and actually solves some of the problems of functional fibers," he says.
For instance, it offers a way to control individual elements within a fiber, from one point at the fiber's end. "You can think of our fiber as a corridor, and the elements are like rooms, and they each have their own unique digital room numbers," Loke explains. The research team devised a digital addressing method that allows them to "switch on" the functionality of one element without turning on all the elements.
A digital fiber can also store a lot of information in memory. The researchers were able to write, store, and read information on the fiber, including a 767-kilobit full-color short movie file and a 0.48 megabyte music file. The files can be stored for two months without power.
When they were dreaming up "crazy ideas" for the fiber, Loke says, they thought about applications like a wedding gown that would store digital wedding music within the weave of its fabric, or even writing the story of the fiber's creation into its components.
Fink notes that the research at MIT was in close collaboration with the textile department at RISD led by Missakian. Gitelson-Kahn incorporated the digital fibers into a knitted garment sleeve, thus paving the way to creating the first digital garment.
What is White Fungus And Who Are At Risk? How it is Deadlier Than Black Fungus? All You Need to Know
New Delhi: At a time when Black Fungus continues to claim the lives of people across cities, cases of White Fungus were reported in parts of the country on Thursday. Several confirmed cases have been reported across states, which many believe to be the newest epidemic on the rise. Off late, 4 cases of white fungus have been detected in Bihar, which is battling a devastating COVID-19 surge right now. This White Fungus is believed to be deadlier than the Black Fungus. In the recent past, the country has reported a spike in Black Fungus cases. A number of states such as Rajasthan, Telangana, Gujarat, Haryana and Assam on Thursday declared Black Fungus as notifiable disease. Also Read - All About MIS-C, The New Disease Found in Children After COVID-19
What is While Fungus and What are its symptoms? As per latest updates from doctors, the symptoms of this rare fungal disease are similar to that of coronavirus infection. As this fungus attacks the lungs, the disease can be detected by performing HRCT test on an infected patient. However, there little evidence available as to what exactly makes this new infection more threatening. However, doctors say unlike the black fungus, the white fungus infection spreads more easily to the vital organs, including the lungs, kidneys, intestines, stomach, private parts and even the nails and causes widespread infection. Also Read - 2-DG Anti-COVID Drug: DRDO Explains Who Can be Given This New Medicine
White Fungus cases detected in Patna on Thursday.
How white fungus cases were detected? According to a report in Zee News, Dr SN Singh, head of the Microbiology, Department of PMCH confirmed white fungus cases, and said that all four patients showed all the symptoms of the COVID-19 virus, but tested negative in every test. Moreover, the doctor also stated that during a detailed investigation, it turned out that they were infected with white fungus. Also Read - New Coronavirus Symptom in Patients After Vaccination - All You Need to Know
Is White Fungus deadlier than black fungus? Health experts believe that the White Fungus infection is more dangerous than black fungus as it not only affects the lungs but other parts of the body such as nails, skin, stomach, kidney, brain, private parts, and mouth.
Who is at risk of White Fungus? Health experts suggest that people with low immunity are at a greater risk. People with pre-existing medical issues like diabetes or those on steroids for a long time are also likely to get infected with White Fungus.
After Black Fungus, Now Watch Out For White Fungus; Experts Explain Symptoms
This article is a part of a series by The Better India to share verified information about COVID-19 care. While several posts on various aspects of fighting COVID-19 are being circulated on social media and messaging services like WhatsApp, we urge you not to trust unverified content. To separate fact from fiction, we will be sharing the videos and content with doctors and experts and bring you their responses with scientific research-backed information.
As India sees a spike in Black Fungus or Mucormycosis cases, the medical fraternity has yet another problem to tackle. This time it is being referred to as ‘White Fungus’. White Fungus affects many parts of the body, including lungs, nails, skin, stomach, kidney, brain, mouth and vagina. This type of fungus usually lives on the skin, inside the body and in the environment, without causing any problems.
Dr Bahot and Dr Maurya
1. What is White Fungus? What are the symptoms to watch out for?
Dr Bahot: White Fungus or Candidiasis is an infection caused by a yeast called Candida. This infection looks like white coloured patches, hence the name. This infection can affect the oesophagus and cause difficulty in swallowing food. White patches are commonly seen around the oral cavity, like the tongue, palate and the oesophagus.
These white patches are visible on physical examination.
Dr Maurya: It is yet another form of fungal infection and is caused due to a compromised or low immune system. Diabetic and cancer patients are at a higher risk of contracting this infection. The infection has been seen in skin, nails, lungs, kidney and even the brain.
We are seeing this develop in patients who have been on steroids as a part of their recovery plan for COVID-19. This is a developing fungus and we are still trying to understand what course of treatment would work best for it. While an anti-fungal will be required, it still requires some research. The mortality rate of White Fungus is currently unknown.
2. Who is at risk of contracting White Fungus?
Dr Maurya: Immunocompromised patients, patients who have been on steroid medication for long, diabetics, cancer patients, patients who have undergone organ transplants and those on immunosuppressant drugs are at risk of contracting White Fungus.
Dr Bahot: Additionally, patients who are prone to asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder (COPD), who use steroid-based inhalers and do not gargle post the usage, are also at risk of developing White Fungus.
3. Does White Fungus spread very rapidly?
Dr Bahot: Yes, the White Fungus is of two types – superficial and deep. The superficial one does not spread rapidly, however, the deep fungal infection, which we are currently seeing, spreads very rapidly. Candidiasis is seen in patients who are immunocompromised.
4. How can we prevent White Fungus?
Dr Maurya: The steps to keep White Fungus at bay are similar to what we ask patients to follow for all other infections. Keep your sugar levels under control, do not overuse steroids, ensure that you are taking steroids only under the supervision of a medical practitioner. Follow good hygiene, especially oral hygiene. Always wear a mask given that the White Fungus can spread via spores that can be inhaled.
Dr Bahot: The difference that strikes you immediately is the colour. As the name suggests, Black Fungus is black and White Fungus is white in colour. In terms of their occurrence in the body, Black Fungus takes more immunosuppressants to appear while the White Fungus takes fewer immunosuppressants to show up in the body.
However, during these COVID-19 times, both are rampantly seen given that severe immunosuppressants are being administered to COVID-19 patients. The original source of this White Fungi is Candida, which is in the air, soil and everywhere.
6. Symptoms of White Fungus and Black Fungus are as follows (with inputs from doctors):
White Fungus:
Cough
Fever
Diarrhoea
Dark spots on lungs and reduced oxygen level.
Black Fungus:
Headache
Facial pain
Nasal congestion
Loss of vision or pain in the eyes
Swelling in cheeks and eyes
Black crusts in the nose.
(Edited by Yoshita Rao)
Black Fungus vs White Fungus: What we know so far, symptoms and treatment
Amid the second wave of COVID-19 in India, a sudden rise in Black Fungus cases have been reported from several parts of the country. Meanwhile, a couple of days ago, cases of White Fungus were reported from Patna, Bihar, which was considered more dangerous than Black Fungus.
Dr Honey Savla, Internal Medicine, Wockhardt Hospital explains what Black and White Fungus are, their symptoms and treatment below. Take a look.
What is Black Fungus?
Black fungus is called Mucormycosis. It’s a rare fungal infection caused due to exposure to mucor mould which is present in the environment. One may also catch it when the fungus "enters the skin through a cut, burn, or other types of skin trauma."
Symptoms of Black Fungus
- Watery eyes
- Pain in the eyes
- Severe headache
- Discoloration or blackening of tissue on nose and cheeks
- Congestion in the nose
- Loss or blurred vision
- Toothache
- Swelling in eyes or cheeks
- Bleeding from the nose
How is Black Fungus treated?
After infecting a person, the Black Fungus doesn't remain static, it spreads through the nose, attacks the eyes and then reaches the brain. If the infection reaches the brain, it becomes difficult to treat the patient and the chances of survival are quite less. All the tissues infected must be surgically removed. Some patients end up losing the eye/s and, in some cases, the upper jaw. The wise use of steroids in consultation with a doctor and controlling sugar level is a must. Patients might need an intravenous anti-fungal procedure spanning four to six weeks.
Meanwhile, the Centre has requested states to make it a notifiable disease. It is also taking steps to address the shortage of Amphotericin B, the drug required to treat the disease. As many as 20 vials of this injection are required to treat each infected person with each vial costing between Rs 5,000 and Rs 6,000.
What is White Fungus?
White Fungus is a fungal infection where there is formation of whitish membranes or discharge caused by candida group of organisms. White fungus is a fungal infection called candidiasis. It can be caused by the unsterile use of oxygen cylinders or the overuse of steroids. It attacks body parts such as lungs, skin, nail, brain, kidney, mouth etc. Besides adults, young children are prone to White Fungus infection too. This fungus turns to be more dangerous if it is systemic. If it affects the lungs or blood then the chances of survival are less compared to if it affects other parts of the body.
Symptoms of White Fungus
- Whitish patches in the oral cavity
- White discharge
- Skin lesions
- Symptoms of pneumonia of cough, chest pain and low oxygen level.
How is White Fungus treated?
Anti-fungal drugs can be used to treat patients infected with White Fungus. Candidiasis can be treated with fluconazole or itraconazole orally. Topical applications will be required for infections in the oral cavity or genitourinary regions. Serious infections in critically ill patients are treated with caspofungin or micafungin. Additionally, White Fungus can be prevented by proper sanitisation of ventilators/oxygen cylinders and also, by taking accurate care of the medical types of equipment that are used on the patients.
On World No Tobacco Day, See Rujuta Diwekar's "Injurious To Health" List
World No Tobacco Day 2021: Rujuta Diwakar tells us 4 things that are as bad as cigarettes
On World No Tobacco Day, celebrity nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar added chips, chocolates, colas and alcohol to the list of "injurious to health'' food and beverages. The four sugary and popular items "are the new cigarettes and they need to be treated like that," she said and underscored the need of a health warning on them just like cigarettes. Rujuta Diwekar's strong message came with #WorldNoTobaccoDay.
Here's what she posted on Instagram.
A few days ago Ms Diwekar wrote on Twitter: "We are the diabetes capital of the world not because a few individuals are overeating and under exercising, but because of - -no regulations on junk food, unwalkable cities and towns, pollution, poor investment in public health. It's the same stuff that puts us at covid risk."
The award-winning nutritionist who keeps Bollywood A-listers like Kareena Kapoor Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan Shahid Kapoor among others in shape and fighting fit, is a believer of 'eat local, think global'. Without mincing words, she has busted myths like skipping rice, ghee for staying in shape. On World No Tobacco Day, Ms Diwekar took the opportunity to encourage people to avoid alcohol, chips and colas, known to be loaded with things that are unhealthy.
Facebook Inc. (FB) is launching a dating feature in the U.S. that allows users to find romantic relationships on its platform.
Facebook users over the age of 18 can opt-in to Facebook Dating, as the feature is dubbed, and create a dating profile that helps them find people with common interests, events and groups. The dating profile will be separate from the users' main profile.
Instagram posts can be directly integrated into the dating profile. The company will eventually allow Facebook and Instagram Stories to be added to dating profiles as well.
Users will also be able to add Instagram followers and Facebook friends to 'Secret Crush' lists.
Facebook will only suggest matches who have opted-in to the service. Facebook won't match users with friends unless the user puts them in their Secret Crush list and both parties add each other to the list.
Dating activity won't be shared with the rest of Facebook, the company said.
The social-media company said that it has worked with security experts to ensure safety, security and privacy. Facebook Dating users will be able to report and block anyone, prohibit people from sending photos, links, payments or videos in messages, and receive accessible safety tips from the company.
The dating service is also available in 19 other countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, Singapore and Thailand to name a few.
Write to Kimberly Chin at kimberly.chin@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
September 05, 2019 11:13 ET (15:13 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2019 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
Facebook is testing a video speed-dating service where users have to pledge to create a safe space, be kind - and, please, don't ghost
Facebook is testing a new app that lets users speed date over video.
The app, called Sparked, matches users for 4-minute "dates." A second date would last 10 minutes.
Facebook already has one dating app, Facebook Dating, which is similar to rivals like Hinge.
See more stories on Insider's business page.
Facebook is testing out a new speed dating service that lets users date over video.
CONSTELLATION BRANDS, INC.
The new service, called Sparked, will offer "video speed dating for kind people," according to a landing page for the app. Users won't need public profiles and won't have to swipe through matches or direct message with people to set up dates. Sparked is free to use but does require a Facebook account, according to the landing page.
The Verge's Ashley Carman was the first to report about the new app. According to The Verge, which went through the sign-up process, the app will cycle through video dates that last for 4 minutes. If both users have a good time, they can schedule a second date that lasts 10-minutes. If the second date goes well, users are prompted to keep in touch on another platform, such as Instagram, iMessage, or email, according to The Verge.
Before going through the sign-up process, users have to agree to a set of rules: be kind, make the app a safe space, and show up for your dates. Kindness is mentioned several times during the sign-up process for Sparked, including a step where users will have to explain what makes them a kind dater. The responses will be "reviewed by a human at Sparked" before they can go on dates, The Verge reports.
Prospective users are also asked whether they're looking to date women, men, non-binary people, or trans people during the sign-up process, according to The Verge.
Sparked is made by Facebook's NPE team - short for New Product Experimentation - which tests new, standalone services for Facebook. When The Verge went through the sign-up process, it was placed on a waitlist, so it's unclear if and when the app will be live.
A spokesperson for Facebook did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment on Sparked.
The video speed dating aspect of Sparked bears some resemblance to Chatroulette, the late-aughts website that cycled through randomized webcam feeds. The app skyrocketed in popularity just months after it launched in 2009, but quickly drew nudity and graphic content.
While video dating would be a new service for Facebook, it wouldn't be the social media giant's first foray into dating apps. Facebook launched Facebook Dating in September 2019, which competes with apps like Hinge or Bumble by allowing users to build a profile and sift through potential matches - like Hinge, users can "like" others' profiles and comment on their photos to start a conversation.
While Facebook Dating hasn't become as popular as rivals like Tinder, Facebook has a key advantage in the dating space: a user base that numbers in the billions, which makes it easier for users to have their profile information flow into a dating profile.
Many dating apps ban people convicted of felonies. Does that make anyone safer?
"Inside Out" by Keri Blakinger is a partnership between NBC News and The Marshall Project, a nonprofit newsroom covering the U.S. criminal justice system. The column draws on Blakinger’s unique perspective as an investigative journalist and formerly incarcerated person.
Jason Hernandez got out of prison in 2015 and started making up for lost time. He’d done nearly 18 years on federal drug conspiracy charges, and only escaped life behind bars because then-President Barack Obama granted him clemency. He settled down near Dallas, began volunteering in schools, visited the White House and wrote a book.
Then he decided to start dating, so he downloaded Tinder. He was open about his past, and at first, it was fine. But a couple months ago, he got a notification: “Your account has been banned.”
Jason Hernandez, shown at a park near his home, has been banned from multiple dating apps. Zerb Mellish / for The Marshall Project
Although he can’t prove the reason why, he’s been booted from half a dozen other apps with similar prohibitions tucked into their terms of service: People with felonies — anything from a $10 drug conviction to capital murder — are banned for life. These policies aren’t new, but their enforcement has been haphazard.
That could change. Match Group, which owns Tinder and a host of other dating sites, plans to launch a feature allowing daters to run background checks on potential matches. The company says its efforts are aimed at keeping users safe. But civil rights advocates say the record checks extend an unfair practice of imposing “collateral consequences” long after people have finished their sentences, and will disproportionately affect people of color without actually improving safety.
“Meeting strangers can be risky, and I worry that this approach will mislead people into thinking they’re safe,” said Sarah Lageson, a Rutgers University sociologist who studies the growing use of online criminal records. “It’s using the justice system as a barometer of someone’s worth.”
Jason Hernandez didn't make a secret of his past in his online dating profile, shown here on Hinge. Courtesy of Jason Hernandez
Match Group wouldn’t say when or why the company created its ban, but a spokeswoman said Match would “continue to develop and evolve” its policies. “We understand and share the concerns raised about the impact our policies have on people who have been incarcerated, many of whom are victims of the inequities of the criminal justice system,” she said.
The practice of banning people from certain rights or activities because of a criminal conviction was once known as civil death. People who were convicted of felonies lost all property and rights before the usual punishment: execution. Now, the collateral consequences of a conviction typically last far longer than any court’s sentence.
In some states, people with felonies cannot serve on juries or buy pepper spray, and can be disqualified from getting an electrician license or fostering kids. Employers often exclude applicants with criminal backgrounds, some schools won’t admit students with felonies, and many apartments ban people with misdemeanors.
As someone with a criminal history, these are problems I understand. More than a decade ago, I was arrested in upstate New York with 6 ounces of heroin and sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison. Afterward, I stopped doing drugs, finished college and became a journalist.
I am white and grew up in the suburbs, but even for someone with such privilege, collateral consequences are everywhere — and they make it harder to reintegrate into the community. In the past decade, I’ve been turned down for jobs, rejected from volunteering at an animal shelter and told I don’t qualify for more apartments than I can count. When I was looking for a new place during the pandemic, I found that people cared far more about my decade-old drug conviction than about whether I took Covid-19 seriously. Hundreds of apartment listings barred people convicted of felonies, but I only saw one that mentioned pandemic safety.
Whether they’re tucked into terms of service or hidden in unspoken biases, collateral consequences have an outsize impact on communities of color.
“Even though only 8 percent of the population has a felony record, 33 percent of Black men have felony records, so any ban on people with felony records disproportionately affects Black communities,” said Amreeta Mathai, an American Civil Liberties Union lawyer who’s pushing the rental app Airbnb to stop banning people with “serious” felonies from using the service. (Airbnb did not offer a comment, but referred me to the company’s online policy.)
Most major dating apps ask users to verify that they haven’t been convicted of felonies when they sign up — but that language is easy to miss in the terms of service, and it’s on an honor system. Generally, it only comes up if another user makes a report. The policies don’t provide exceptions for nonviolent crimes, and the ban never expires.
When I started contacting the companies to ask about their policies, eHarmony said no one had time to comment, while Coffee Meets Bagel and Zoosk didn’t respond. (All three companies ban people convicted of felonies.) Bumble — which does not explicitly ban people with felonies but booted Hernandez anyway — asked to set up a call, then stopped responding. Facebook Dating and Grindr, which don’t have bans, didn’t respond on the record. A representative for Meet Group said that only two of the company’s apps — Skout and GROWLr — have a ban, based on policies it inherited when it acquired those apps. The representative said Meet Group would reconsider that part of the policy.
Match Group came under scrutiny after a 2019 ProPublica investigation found registered sex offenders on the company’s free apps, which include Tinder, Plenty of Fish and OKCupid. That’s because the company only did the pricey background checks needed to enforce the felony ban on its paid site, Match.com.
After implementing new safety measures last year, in March the company announced its investment in Garbo, a nonprofit aiming to create more accessible background checks, focused on preventing dating violence. When Garbo’s app launches later this year, users will be able to pay what the organization describes as a small fee, enter a first name and a phone number and in a few minutes get a stranger’s criminal record, or at least part of it. (A Match Group representative said any money collected will go to Garbo; Match won’t receive any profits.)
“We realized that the opportunity to build an equitable background check existed with the focus on reporting violence,” founder Kathryn Kosmides said. “We make the effort to filter out drug possession, loitering, things like that.”
But Garbo will also provide access to arrests and cases that never resulted in convictions. Pointing out that many abusers aren’t convicted as often as they’re accused, Kosmides said those records will help people make more informed decisions. Someday she hopes to expand the service to vet passengers on ride-share apps like Uber and Lyft.
Legal experts say that relying on arrests and dismissed cases undermines the presumption of innocence and won’t necessarily improve safety. And they note that while some dating app users may feel safer if people who committed certain crimes are filtered out of an app, prior convictions may not be an indication of danger.
The felony bans also have not stopped complaints of sexual violence linked to dating apps. A recent ProPublica investigation based on interviews with more than 50 current and former dating company employees found that they lacked clear policies to prevent and respond to alleged assaults.
“You could have someone with an old drug conviction, and how is it keeping anyone safer to ban them?” said Jenny Roberts, a law professor at American University who studies collateral consequences. “But a current drug user in a nice neighborhood that police aren’t policing, they’re allowed on that website. It creates a false sense of security.”
Hernandez received this notice from Tinder that his account was banned. Zerb Mellish / for The Marshall Project
Instead, experts said improved dating app safety could come from better identity verification practices. And helping people who are seeking long-term relationships could make everyone safer.
“The things that make us safer are things like having a stable family, getting married, being able to buy a house — participating in all these social institutions that have been around for a long time helps make sure the crime rate doesn’t go up,” said Lageson, the Rutgers sociologist. “So if you’re worried about public safety, the best thing you can do is bring people into relationships.”
Though Hernandez, the former prisoner, can’t prove that he got booted because of his felony, he says it was the only way his account violated the terms of service. “How can you hold something against me that I did in 1993?”
He’s hoping that the companies will reconsider their policies. But for now, he’s doing his online dating on Facebook.👫👫👫👫👫👫👫👫👌👌👌👌👌👌👍👍👍👍👍
10 Highly-Rated Indian Web Series You Cannot Afford to Miss
While popular Indian web series such as 'Sacred Games' and 'The Family Man'—with veteran artists in the leading cast—have managed to invite applause from viewers and critics, there are several other hidden gems that can be found across OTT platforms.
These masterpieces—although not mainstream—are highly appreciated for their representation of common yet complex issues that are often faced by the people of the country. From highlighting the struggles of IIT, MBBS and IAS aspirants to showcasing a dysfunctional yet 'together' Indian family, or following the lives of teenagers who are entering a new life stage, these Made-in-India shows celebrate each one of us.
1) TVF's Aspirants
A mini-series by The Viral Fever, 'Aspirants' follows the lives of three friends, Abhilash, Guri and SK, who aspire to crack India's most competitive civil services examination, UPSC CSE. Jumping back and forth from the past to the present, the series captures the struggles and drama in each of their lives.
IMDb Rating: 9/10
2) Please Find Attached
A Dice Media show on YouTube, the 5 episode mini-series revolves around two young millennials who attempt to strike the right balance between their personal and professional lives in suburban Mumbai.
IMDb Rating: 8.3/10
3) Kota Factory
The first black-and-white Indian web series ever made, TVF's Kota Factory is set in the city of Kota, which sees students from all across the globe each year, with the hope to get admission in a coaching center for a range of competitive examinations including JEE and NEET. The story follows the life of Vaibhav Pandey, who arrives in Kota to prepare for the JEE (IIT) exam.
IMDb Rating: 9/10
4) Panchayat
Panchayat is a Hindi-language comedy-drama web series with Jitendra Kumar in the lead. The story showcases an engineering graduate who becomes the secretary of a Panchayat office in a remote village in Uttar Pradesh, due to the inability to land a better job.
IMDb Rating: 8.7/10
5) Inside Edge
Inside Edge is an Indian sports-drama series on Amazon Prime Video, which centers on the Mumbai Mavericks, a fictional T20 cricket team, whose owners operate a league-wide spot-fixing syndicate.
IMDb Rating: 8/10
6) Operation MBBS
Operation MBBS chronicles the lives of three first year students—Huma, Sakshi and Nishant—who are admitted to one of the best MBBS colleges in the country. The show follows their journey as they navigate through friendships, hardships and medical student life.
IMDb Rating: 8.2/10
7) Gullak
Set in quaint by-lanes in the heart of India, Gullak is a collection of disarming and relatable tales of the Mishra family that includes Santosh and Shanti Mishra, and their two sons Aman and Annu.
IMDb Rating: 9.1/10
8) What The Folks
What The Folks is a journey of how modern Indian families are breaking stereotypes, overcoming generation gaps, and growing to love one another despite having starkly different world views.
IMDb Rating: 8.2/10
9) Adulting
'Adulting' is a coming-of-age story that follows the lives of roommates and best friends—Ray and Nikhat—who help each other face the trials and tribulations of young adulthood, as they step into a new stage of life together.
IMDb Rating: 7.6/10
10) Little Things
A cohabitating couple in their 20s navigate the ups and downs of work, modern-day relationships, and discovering themselves, in the bustling city of Mumbai.
IMDb Rating: 8.3/10
Maharani Web Series Release Date Live Streaming Review Rating Trailer Cast & Crew
One of the much-anticipated web series of India, “Maharani” has now released for the fans on 28th May 2021, that is, on Friday. The web series features, Huma Qureshi in the main lead role and in fact, is inspired by the life of Indian Politian, Rabri Devi Yadav. The web series solely depict the life of Rabri Devi who served as the Chief Minister of Bihar three times in a row. There are many movies and series that are based on the political life of male politicians. However, with this series, one will get to know the insight of what it takes for a female to establish a place in the male-dominated profession.
The genre of the web series is drama and is created and written by Subhash Kapoor, while the series is directed under the direction of Karan Sharma and is produced under the banner of SonyLIV and features, Huma Qureshi in the role of Rabri Devi. The web series is released in the Hindi Language and consists of a total of 10 episodes and is streaming on the popular OTT platform at Sony LIV.
Maharani Web series: Plot
The web series revolves around the life of “Rani Bharti” who is a housewife and also the wife of Chief Minister of Bihar, “Bheema”. Rani is a small-town woman and all she knows is how to take care of her family and her life revolves around her husband and her children. However, her life took a major turn when all of a sudden, her husband resigns from the post of CM of Bihar and the best part is that he announced that she will be the successor of the thrown. All the party members were extremely excited to hear who will be appointed as the candidate for the upcoming CM elections in Bihar, however, to their utter surprise, they got to know that Rani is appointed as the successor of Bheema.
Maharani Web series: Cast
Huma Quershi in the role of Rani Bharti
Sohum Shah in the role of Bheema Bharti
Kani Kusruti in the role of Kaveri Sridharan
Inaamulhaq in the role of Parvez Alam
Amit Sial in the role of Navin Kumar
Maharani Web series: Review
The web series, “Maharani” is definitely very inspiring and the way Huma has portrayed the role of Rani on the screen is definitely a treat to watch. She has done her absolute best and one must have to say that she has done a fabulous job. Besides her, Sohum has also done absolutely amazing and has portrayed the role of Bheema effortlessly. The web series showcases the life of Rabri Devi, who became a prominent figure in the history of Indian politics. One should definitely give a try to this web series and give your feedback in the comment section. Stay tuned with us, for the latest updates.
Vidya Malavade On Doing Web-Series Bamini and Boys, Mismatched and Flesh
A conversation with Indian actor Vidya Malavade who rose to fame with Shahrukh Khan starrer film Chak De India. Vidya has recently worked in popular web-series like Mismatched, Flesh and Bamini and Boys.
Here’s an excerpt from a conversation with her:
You have recently worked in a lot of web series. Was this transition from Bollywood to OTT planned or it happened gradually?
It wasn’t planned. Nobody knew a few years ago that web-series would take over and there would be so incredible content come to you at your house on your TV.
I am not a big planner anyway. I plan smaller things. But in the bigger picture, I let life happen.
I have done about six web-shows until now and all of them have done quite well and I am happy about it.
As an actor, what difference do you see in OTT and films in terms of your process and audience response?
As an actor, there’s no difference really. But most of the times, on a movie set, we have a little time to do retakes. But for a web-series, it feels like everybody is working really fast because there are so many episodes to be shot in a little time, so everybody’s is kinda running out of time all the time.
But otherwise, as an actor, my process remains the same because it’s a character, whether I am playing in a film or a web-show.
In your recent web-series Bamini and Boys, you play a sexy diva. It’s very different from what you have done before. So, what made you sign this project?
That’s exactly why I wanted to do it because everybody has always seen me in very serious roles and this is when I just decided, ‘Come on, let’s just have some fun.’ And I actually really had a lot of fun because as you said, Bamini is glamourous, diva-ish and sexy. She is a bit of a child woman. I have never played a character who is so animated. So, it was a lot of fun for me to do that. That was one of the reasons I decided to do this.
Also, I generally really like to watch sitcoms. It is one of my favourite genres. And I am very happy with the response we are getting on our show. It’s been at No. 1 on Disney Plus Hotstar since two weeks because it released exactly two weeks ago. So, I guess people are liking it. People are appreciating not just the way I look in it but also the way we have all performed. And it’s very light-hearted. Right now, the situation around is so heavy and depressing, so this is just a little light-hearted, fun thing to watch. It’s a little mindless as well but I am happy to do this.
How was your experience shooting Bamini and Boys? Did you have fun on sets?
Of course. The boys are great. They are such good actors. If you are working with such great talent, then you yourself have to lift up your game a little bit. And it sort of encourages and makes everybody come together to do better work.
It was great working with them and the entire crew. It was a small unit of some 50-60 people and we were shooting in a two-storey bungalow. It was very nice but hectic at the same time. There were days when I was changing 8-10 outfits one after the other. So, it was really crazy.
Your previous web-series ‘Mismatched’ that came out on Netflix last year was a huge hit. What was your experience working with Prajakta Koli who is a big YouTuber and much younger in age?
Praju is really sweet. I am not a big YouTube person. So, I had no idea who Prajakta was and what kind of stuff she did. So, when I went on set, I realised Oh my god! There’s whole other world. People are YouTube stars.
The girl is talented. She is so amazing. She has been doing this (Mostly Sane YouTube Channel) for, I think, the last 6 years and the number of people that love her, it’s so heartwarming to see that. And the kind of content that she makes really clicks with the audience of the country. It was great working with her and the entire cast and crew.
I think, it’s really nice to work with these younger actors sometimes because they are so prepared with everything. They have gone to their acting schools, they have worked on their characters and they come on set fully prepared with their lines and what they want to do with their character.
I remember when I reached the sets of Bamini and Boys, the boys were not able to get over me. They were like, ‘Oh my God! You have been our long time crush. You are the Chak De Girl. It’s one of our favourite films and we can’t believe we are shooting with you.’
So, there’s this whole Chak De Girl thing that happened on sets of Mismatched and Bamini and Boys. They are so impressed by the film and my character.
For people to remember the film and my character after 10-12 years, it is quite admirable. I feel really blessed.
You are recognized as Chak De Girl even after so many years. How has been your journey and what changed after Chak De for you?
I am the same person. But with time, I have become a little more aware.
Talking about the journey as an actor, I signed a few films right after Chak De. But the market crashed and either the films crashed or they didn’t start or got stalled. There was a lul for a while. But I am also a yoga teacher and that kept me going. My Instagram is full of that, if you know.
But the great times started about 3-4 years ago when the web world opened up. And not just stars, but really good actors started getting their dues. They started getting really good work. So, I am just glad that I am one of them who got to play such diverse characters in the last 2-3 years.
And you’ll see around in every web series, you’ll find somebody or the other who is so outstanding would have never got their dues in the movies. And not just actors, the web-world has opened a plethora of opportunities for technicians as well.
Any reunion plans for the Chak De Girls?
I have no idea. But I think, this is something you need to ask the Yash Raj Films. Maybe, they can do this!
But once in a while, we have our reunion anyways. Quite a few girls are away in their hometowns or have moved away or whatever. But the ones who are in Mumbai, and sometimes those who come down from Delhi, we catch up. We met before the first lockdown at my house. It was 7-8 of us. It was really cool. They had come for lunch and they stayed till late at night. It was very nice. It feels like you start off where you left the last time. So that feeling is very nice.
Once the lockdown is lifted, what’s the one thing you would want to do first?
As soon as the lockdown is lifted, we are going to start shooting again because we have 8 days of work left on Bamini and Boys. So, we need to finish with that ASAP and deliver that.
And then, I have to start another project that I am prepping for right now. It’s going to be one of the most complex characters that I have ever played. So, that’s the immediate plan. June is going to be full of shooting, I hope.
Apart from that, I really want to travel and go to the US because I haven’t seen my family in two years. I would want to go and see my sisters, their children and my mother. So, that’s the one thing I want to do.
The next project of yours will be a film or web-series?
It is a web-series with one of the most amazing directors. I remember I had written a message to him after I had seen one of his films and said that even if I get to play a tree in your film, I would do it because he is such a wonderful director. And I feel like it is a dream come true.
Which character of yours do you like the most- Zeenat Karim or Bamini?
(Laughs) You know thet both came out of me, so I like both of them. I can’t really decide but I do like Zeenat a lot because she is goofy.
Bamini also I like very much because she is really like out there. She is struggling with her professional and personal life but still, she is out there.
So, between Zeenat and Bamini, I don’t want to choose. But if I have to, I might just say 51% of Zeenat and 49% of Bamini. I love them both. But I like how clumsy and innocent Zeenat is.
You do keep up your Instagram game all the time, just like Bamini.
Yes, I guess. I don’t know if there wasn’t Instagram, then somebody would have thought of casting me as Bamini . I don’t know because everything I have always played is so subdued, proper, traditional and serious, more than anything.
So, this idea of me playing Bamini might have come from Instagram. I have no idea.
What was the difference between shooting Flesh and Bamini and Boys?
Flesh was an extremely dark series. What my character was going through and the entire storyline was very guttural and visceral. For me as an actor, I can’t stay in that space for a very long time because then I’ll just go mental. So it’s very important for me to come back to being Vidya after the pack-up. And I can do it. But when I am on set and just before the shot, is when I get into the character.
Just because it was so intense, I rememeber I have cried, it used to make my blood boil and it used to make me feel depressed and sad.
But on the other side, my director and the other team were mad people. There was also a lot of madness going on. So, it was fun also. Once all te crying was done, they;d be cracking jokes.
As opposed to that, doing Bamini and Boys was completely different. It was a lot of fun. Also, as it was shot very quickely, we were in this mad rush all the time. Eveything was falling apart on the set. There were a lot of problems and we were continuosly finding solutions or improvising.
Since it is 10-12 minutes of episodes, sometimes we used to finish it in one take.
On the other hand, playing Zeenat was a breeze. I had the best time.
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