#GBUF #sriGINthoughts #26May25 #GoodBadUglyFunnyTrusk
Last week, education found itself in the spotlight – twice, through
incidents that unfolded tens of thousands of miles apart.
๐ In Singapore, the prestigious National University of
Singapore (NUS), currently ranked 8th globally, decided it was time for some
spring cleaning. Unfortunately, this meant literally dumping over 9,000 books
from the now-defunct Yale-NUS College library—into the bin. The university
cited an “operational lapse” while following “standard library practice.” Many,
however, saw it as a “1984” moment of historic revisionism: throw away the
books, and perhaps you can erase the memory of the Yale-NUS experiment altogether.
After a solid public furore (and a lot of egg on the institutional face), NUS
salvaged most of the books and is now giving them away for free on May 28.
#ShredEducation ๐
๐ As NUS shredded its books, Donald Trump attempted to shred
Harvard—by attempting to block it from enrolling or hosting foreign students.
While a judge has temporarily stalled this draconian measure, the damage is
done. Thousands of students are now left uncertain about their academic
futures. Universities across the U.S. are on tenterhooks, waiting for the next
political guillotine to drop. Students across the world are looking more
seriously at alternatives in Europe and Asia. O #MAGAEducation, what a rage! ๐ซ
๐ Speaking of rage, road rage is universal. Someone overtakes
you from the wrong side. Someone honks incessantly. Someone else flashes the
middle finger. Your blood pressure spikes. You breathe in, chant “All is well,”
and slowly return to normal. Unfortunately, elephants don’t quite work the same
way. On a Malaysian highway near an elephant crossing, a conscientious driver
stopped and turned off his car’s headlights to let a herd pass. The impatient
drivers behind him, however, honked—startling the pachyderms. The result? Three
elephants ambled up and smashed the first car to smithereens. Rage is truly
universal. #ToughTuskers ๐
๐ถ In Singapore, the rules around pets in public housing (HDB
flats) are strict. Only certain breeds of dogs are allowed, and only one dog/cat
per flat. It’s a no-pets policy otherwise – much like that infamous condominium
in Bangkok that made news last week. But humans being humans, rules tend to get
bent. One flat owner housed a noisy, rule-breaking dog, much to the frustration
of a neighbour. So, what did the neighbour do? He took matters into his own
hands, or more accurately, his own fangs. He released two large snakes into the
corridor, declaring: “I couldn’t carry the bigger one today!” Somewhere,
Salazar Slytherin is smiling. #EyeForAnEye ๐
๐ Meanwhile, in the U.S., the political corridors are
shifting—yet again. Elon Musk, once an ardent cheerleader of DOGE and certain
political figures, appears to be stepping back. Following the passing of
Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill,” Musk is apparently disillusioned. He has hinted
at reducing his political involvement to focus instead on achieving a
“sustainably abundant future.” But Trump is sustaining his abundant rhetoric ensuring
the future is a guesswork for all. He’s threatened a 25% tariff on phone
makers, called Putin “absolutely crazy” (pot, meet kettle?), and delayed
tariffs on the EU after their calls for “respect.” #SwampIsThick ๐ฆ
₹ And India, now the world’s fourth-largest economy, ahead of
Japan with a GDP of approximately $4.3+ trillion, is on a diplomatic overdrive. She
sent out envoys all over the world on a PR blitz to tell the world on how Operation
Sindoor was a necessary and repeatable action against a truant Pakistan. Naturally,
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, the diplomat-par-excellence is drawing all the
attention with his suave and eloquent deriding of DJT, sitting in NY. #DipOps ๐ฃ
And finally, the best for last.
๐ Kush Maini just became the first-ever Indian to win
an F2 race at Monte Carlo. That alone is a tremendous achievement. But the wag
had a little extra spice: “He’s from Bengaluru. After navigating the
moon-craters they call roads over there, Maini must’ve become ‘bahoot khush’ at
seeing a proper, smooth road, and floored it!” ๐คฃ I am sure people would hope that
some of the enhanced GDP would flow onto the roads & not just flood waters!
#SmoothRace ๐ฉ
Views are personal. Any hurt unintentional.
