Latest news with #Juggernaut
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- First Post
Netflix's 'The Royals' actress Bhumi Pednekar and Ananya Panday like Zoya Akhtar's post that says 'Industry people are shady'
One user commented- 'Totally agree — when the industry starts showing its shady side, it's the universe sending a clear sign.'⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ read more Zoya Akhtar, one of the most gifted filmmakers of the industry, has shared a post on Instagram that has gone viral. It says 'Industry people are shady.' Netflix's 'The Royals' actress Bhumi Pednekar and Ananya Panday liked the post as well. One user commented- 'Totally agree — when the industry starts showing its shady side, it's the universe sending a clear sign.'⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Sometimes you just have to read between the shadows and move like 'Kahin pe nigahen, kahin pe nishaana'👀 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Here's to trusting those signs and playing the game smarter every time.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In an interview with Juggernaut, the filmmaker addressed the much-talked about debate around nepotism. Speaking to the portal, she revealed, 'That is a conversation to be had. Everyone needs to have the same kind of education, job opportunities, et al. But when you turn around and say Suhana Khan shouldn't be in my film, it's banal because it's not going to change your life whether she's in my film or not. You have to talk about what is going to change your life.' Addressing the issue in another interview Agastya is Amitabh Bachchan 's grandson, Suhana is Shah Rukh Khan 's daughter, and Khushi is Boney Kapoor and the late Sridevi's daughter. In an interview with The Indian Express, Akhtar addressed the debate around nepotism in the film industry and said, 'There is definitely a conversation of have and have nots, there is definitely a conversation of people with privilege and those without.'
Hindustan Times
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Arthur Conan Doyle turns 166: What Sherlock Holmes means to these 3 Indian mystery authors
Authored by: Soumya Duggal Born over a century and a half ago, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was Victorian England's version of a multi-hyphenate. A physician, activist, social commentator and (later) Spiritualist, he was most well-known for his prolific writing career, giving the literary world one of its crown jewels: the razor-sharp but eccentric detective Sherlock Holmes. This 'master detective' archetype shaped the whodunnits of not only Golden Age writers Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers in the 1920s and '30s, but also Satyajit Ray decades later. As Doyle turned 166 years old yesterday, we spoke to three Indian murder mystery novelists to unpack the enduring appeal of his Sherlock Holmes novels and short stories, especially as modern society challenges the imperialistic notions that shaped the art as well as the artist. 'I first discovered Doyle's novels when I was about 11 or 12. It was a mouldering, old hardback that I randomly picked off a shelf in my grandparents' home in Calcutta. I remember the sheer drama of the stories…the deadly herbs that induced madness (The Adventure of the Devil's Foot), the terror caused by curious dancing stick figures (The Adventure of the Dancing Men),' recalls author Samyukta Bhowmick, adding, 'Children love unsettling, thrilling stories — or at least I did.' Young Bhowmick, enthralled by the vast world penned by Conan Doyle, enjoyed journeying from Mormon country in Utah to the Reichenbach Falls to the dark heart of Sussex, all from the comfort of her cosy bed. Now an author herself, she wrote A Fatal Distraction, published by Juggernaut in October 2024, which follows the unlikely journalist duo Mridula and Monami as they solve the death cases cropping up in the chaotic universe of Delhi tabloid journalism. The novel is a critical but entertaining take on the hypocrisies of media and high society. A post shared by Sam Bhowmick (@sambhwmck) 'The relationship between my detectives is similar to that of Holmes and Watson (and also Poirot and Hastings). My main character also shares some of Holmes's misanthropic tendencies and his sense of his own superiority,' Bhowmick says. 'But,' she further reflects on her own authorial position, 'as an Indian and a woman, I'm also writing a response to Golden Age fiction. It can't just be a homage. I don't occupy the same 'space' in the world as Doyle did, and my characters don't have the Victorian confidence and certainty of a Holmes or Watson.' It's a telling point, for Mridula and Monami are as curious and determined as they can be self-doubting and cautious, priming the readers to relate to and even empathise with the detective figure. Author Divyaroop Bhatnagar, whose Mussoorie Murders was published by Om Books International in September 2023, also discovered the adventures of Sherlock Holmes rather young: 'My father was an aficionado of detective and crime fiction. He died young, but he left behind a vast collection of classic crime fiction. I started reading Conan Doyle probably around the age of 10 and must have reread his Sherlock Holmes stories dozens of times.' Set in the Queen of Hills, Bhatnagar's narrative is built around twin murders, interwoven with a subplot featuring Doyle, Christie and Rudyard Kipling as characters. 'Holmes embodied the perfect example of an intellect sans emotion. Avijit Sikdar, the detective in my novel, shares similarities with Holmes. His love of order, immaculate sense of dress and even the tall, lean appearance are all reminiscent of the great master,' he states, adding, 'Yet, like Hercule Poirot, Sikdar is more human than Holmes.' A post shared by Bookmonk (@readwithjaipahuja) 'Doyle inspired a number of writers in India, most notably Satyajit Ray, whose Feluda is a self-confessed fan of Sherlock Holmes. The Holmesian mystique is strong and lasting. I see young people devouring his books even today,' affirms Bhatnagar. According to Roy, Holmes' investigative process, ostensibly based on forensic acumen and dispassionate truth-seeking, drew upon ethnographic stereotypes of his time to demonise racial 'others' and played upon his readers' fears of alien contagions that might have travelled from the colonies. 'In A Study in Scarlet, The Adventure of the Devil's Foot and The Speckled Band, spaces like South America, Africa and India are represented through strangely horrific indigenous poisons (or even a poisonous snake), all of which are used in murders within England,' she elaborates. Roy's first detective novel, Stroke of Death, published by Hachette India in September 2024, is set in colonised Bengal in the early twentieth century, fusing history and mystery with equal nuance. She concedes that it was initially difficult to ignore Doyle's literary influence while characterising her own detective figure, Inspector Dhananjoy Lahiri. 'Ultimately, though, my novel contains only an obligatory hat tip to Holmes, and distances itself from the long shadow cast by Doyle's creation. As such, Lahiri is someone whose rationality does not overwhelm his sensitivity. He is able to view justice as being far too complex to have simplistic, black-and-white solutions. Not surprisingly, he has read and rejected the Holmesian model of detection!' A post shared by Sejuti | Books | Music | Shows 🇮🇳 (@booksandsejuti) As calls for a progressive, compassionate and equitable society grow, especially in light of climate disasters and geopolitical tensions, it is interesting to rethink the essential traits of the detective. Bhowmick echoes Roy's views on adopting an investigative, critical lens into the archetypes and tropes of our literary past: 'India lurks in the background and subtext of the Holmes stories, imbued with imperialistic prejudices. But such assumptions are in direct contrast to the rational and scientific Holmesian temperament. But again, who can say that Holmes, a habitual user of mind-altering substances, was a purely rational creature — a creation of the head and not the heart?' This might be one answer to the literary predicaments of our time: Should politically problematic 'masterpieces' be banished from the canon, and can art truly be separated from its artist? These questions have knocked down many a classic off its pedestal. And so, perhaps instead of dismissal, we could opt for engagement, full of conformities and departures, appreciation and criticism, pleasure and pain, in favour of an ever-evolving literary tradition.
Hindustan Times
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
‘The woman who ran Delhi AIIMS': From the memoirs of institute's 1st woman chief
On the morning of October 31, 1984, Dr Sneh Bhargava, newly appointed as the first woman director of Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), walked into a nightmare. Hours after her historic promotion, the blood-soaked body of then prime minister Indira Gandhi was wheeled into the hospital's casualty ward, her saffron sari pierced by 33 bullets. 'The cold metal of the gurney against the skin would have made any patient wince,' Bhargava writes in her memoir, The Woman Who Ran AIIMS, published by Juggernaut. The scene was surreal. Gandhi's daughter-in-law Sonia, 'in shock,' managed only to whisper, 'She has been shot,' before collapsing. Senior surgeons scrambled as bullets 'tumbled out and clattered to the floor,' but hope had already vanished. 'She had no pulse,' Bhargava recalled. Blood transfusions turned desperate—Gandhi's rare B-negative blood ran out, O-negative stocks dwindled, and a Sikh perfusionist operating the heart-lung machine fled, fearing mob retribution. Though declared dead on arrival, Gandhi's death required a grim charade. With President Zail Singh abroad and Rajiv Gandhi campaigning, Bhargava was ordered to delay announcing the death for four hours to prevent a power vacuum. 'Our job... was to keep up the charade that we were trying to save her life, when in fact she was dead when she was brought to AIIMS,' she wrote. Outside, anti-Sikh riots raged, claiming thousands. Bhargava deployed police to shield Sikh staff and turned her own home into a sanctuary. 'Many of the injured were brought to AIIMS with burns caused by being doused with petrol and set alight,' she wrote — a harrowing testament to the violence that tested her leadership. Her ascent to AIIMS' helm was a battle in itself. Appointed by Indira Gandhi, Bhargava faced sexist whispers that 'a woman could not possibly handle the task.' After the assassination, sceptics warned she wouldn't last. 'You've missed your chance... they'll lobby hard to stop you,' colleagues told her. But Rajiv Gandhi, upon taking office, confirmed her appointment. 'In my time as director, I had the privilege of interacting with two prime ministers... before handing over the reins,' she wrote. Her tenure soon became a minefield of political interference. When a Member of Parliament's relatives squatted illegally in an AIIMS flat, Bhargava ordered their eviction. The politician thundered: 'I will shake the walls of the institute if you evict my kin.' Bhargava's reply was icy: 'The walls of AIIMS—and my shoulders—are not that weak. You're on the wrong side of the rules.' Long before she became director, Bhargava had witnessed how power could distort medical protocol. In 1962, as a junior radiologist, she prepared a barium drink for Jawaharlal Nehru's chest X-ray, only for security personnel to discard it, insisting she mix a new batch under their watch. The scan revealed an aortic aneurysm—a fatal ticking bomb. When Nehru died in 1964 from a ruptured aorta, Bhargava recalled grimly: 'My initial diagnosis had been correct.' But another scan in 1963 became a fiasco. Overruling her recommendation to use seasoned AIIMS staff, seniors brought in outsiders whose botched injections left Nehru's arms 'blue, purple, and angry.' He left in a full-sleeved kurta to hide the bruises. Years later, Dr KL Wig would write in his memoir: 'I chose the wrong person... many good ones were available.' Rajiv Gandhi's own visits to AIIMS mixed danger with audacity. After a Sri Lankan soldier struck him with a rifle butt during a parade, X-rays showed no fracture. 'We sent him home with painkillers,' Bhargava writes. But when his son Rahul suffered a graze from an arrow near his temple, Rajiv attempted to drive himself to AIIMS to test a new car gifted by Jordan's king. Bhargava refused. 'You cannot enter my premises driving a car without proper security... dismiss me if you must,' she told him. He relented. Beyond political skirmishes, Bhargava's memoir delivers a scathing indictment of the systemic rot in Indian healthcare. She laments the rise of kickbacks between general practitioners and specialists—a 'cycle of greed' that, she wrote, has 'murdered the family doctor.' Radiologists bribe doctors for referrals, inflating scan costs to recover the payoffs. 'Why be a GP earning peanuts when you can extort as a specialist?' she wrote. Patients are routinely misdirected. 'A backache patient sees a neurosurgeon, not a GP. The result? Unneeded MRIs, missed kidney issues—a tunnel of errors.' The human cost is grave. Surgeons have suicide rates twice the general population, yet 'pride is a physician's fatal flaw.' At AIIMS, two students died by suicide under academic pressure. 'Resident doctors work 18-hour shifts, eat junk, sleep on stools. We've normalised cruelty,' she wrote. The Covid-19 pandemic deepened that despair. 'COVID broke their spirit. Yet, how many sought help?' And yet, Bhargava found glimmers of humanity in medicine. She remembered surgeons praying in temples before complex operations. 'They'd pray harder than the patient's kin. That's care,' she wrote. But such devotion, she fears, is fading. 'Medicine is now tech-savvy but soul-starved. We're emotionally bankrupt,' she warned. Her crusade to modernise AIIMS faced resistance. In the 1970s, bureaucrats scoffed at her push for CT scanners and ultrasounds: 'India is too poor.' Her retort stung: 'We buy jets for 300 travellers' pleasure but deny millions healthcare tech.' Decades later, those machines revolutionised diagnostics. 'Technology bridges urban-rural chasms,' she argued, championing AI and telemedicine to address India's radiologist shortage. Her tenure also meant navigating internal sabotage. Dr Lalit Prakash Agarwal, a former dean, became a disruptive force in the 1970s, derailing progress and undermining colleagues. 'He stirred envy, digging for dirt in well-run departments,' she wrote. Indira Gandhi eventually sacked him in 1980 after learning of the chaos. Housing posed another major challenge. Designed for a much smaller staff, the AIIMS campus was bursting at the seams. Bhargava pushed to relocate slums occupying hospital land, but bureaucrats stonewalled her. Frustrated, she confronted Rajiv Gandhi directly during a public durbar. Her persistence paid off: 50 new flats were sanctioned for AIIMS staff. It was a testament to her grit. 'Every VIP thought AIIMS was their fiefdom. But patients came first—even if it meant staring down a minister,' she writes. At 95, Bhargava offered a final, unflinching lesson: 'Leadership is a crown of thorns. You bleed, but humility is your shield.' From navigating a prime minister's assassination to battling corruption and complacency, her story is one of resilience and principle. Her legacy lives on in the halls of AIIMS—a place that treats 1.5 million patients a year—and in her call for medicine to rediscover its lost heart. 'Where it's loved, there's love for people,' she writes. 'Be a healer, not a vendor. Or this noble profession will bleed out.'
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
PKE Stock Up 3% Despite Q4 EPS Fall Y/Y Due to Tax Charge Headwind
Shares of Park Aerospace Corp. PKE have climbed 3.4% since the company released its fiscal fourth-quarter 2025 results. This gain outpaced the S&P 500's 1.1% advance over the same time. However, over the past month, Park's 5.7% increase significantly trailed the broader market's 12.6% surge, suggesting more muted investor enthusiasm relative to the benchmark despite its post-earnings uptick. For the fiscal fourth quarter ended March 2, 2025, Park Aerospace reported earnings per share (EPS) of 6 cents compared with 13 cents in the same quarter last year. Excluding special items, EPS were 12 cents, slightly up from 11 cents in the prior-year period. (See the Zacks Earnings Calendar to stay ahead of market-making news.) The company reported net sales of $16.9 million, modestly up from $16.3 million in the year-ago quarter. Net earnings before special items were $2.4 million, nearly flat compared to $2.3 million a year earlier. Including special items, net earnings fell to $1.3 million from $2.7 million, a 53.4% decline, largely due to a $2.2 million non-cash tax charge tied to potential repatriation of funds from the Singapore subsidiary. Park Aerospace Corp. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Park Aerospace Corp. Quote Gross margin improved in the fourth quarter, with gross profit rising to $5 million from $4.5 million, and gross margin expanding to 29.3% from 27.3% a year earlier. Operating income also grew to $2.9 million versus $2.6 million. Selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses increased to $2.1 million from $1.9 million, but as a percentage of sales, they remained relatively stable at 12.4% versus 11.5%. Adjusted EBITDA for the quarter reached $3.4 million, up from $3.2 million in the prior-year period. Chairman and CEO Brian Shore emphasized the importance of operational discipline and transparency, stating that the company deliberately avoids issuing typical guidance ranges, opting instead to explain known business dynamics. He highlighted that the fiscal fourth quarter benefited from a reduction in excess inventory buildup seen in the previous quarter, positively impacting both margins and earnings performance. President and COO Mark Esquivel noted that customer-driven ramp-ups, particularly around the 'Juggernaut' program involving GE Aerospace, have supported the recovery of factory output levels. Management also reiterated its intent to maintain strong pricing and profitability standards across its aerospace and defense customer base. The quarter was affected by a $1.1 million storm damage charge related to Park's Newton, Kansas facility, which notably compressed reported GAAP earnings. Additionally, the company recorded a $2.2 million non-cash tax charge related to potential repatriation from its Singapore subsidiary and a $0.1 million tax benefit linked to expiring tax statutes. These items weighed on the bottom line despite underlying operational improvements. Management pointed out that the year's performance was uneven, with earlier quarters impacted by customer order timing, inventory adjustments, and production inefficiencies. However, by the end of fiscal 2025, operations appeared to stabilize, with leaner inventory levels and improving finished goods turnover. Full-year revenues rose 10.8% to $62 million from $56 million in fiscal 2024. GAAP net earnings for the year totaled $5.9 million, down 21.3% from $7.5 million. Adjusted EPS came in at 29 cents compared to 37 cents in the prior year. Excluding special items, EPS stood at 39 cents, up from 38 cents in the prior-year quarter. For the full year, Adjusted EBITDA improved 6% to $11.7 million from $11 million, driven in part by cost containment and higher capacity utilization in the final quarter. Shore noted that the company anticipates ongoing benefits from higher production volumes tied to long-term aerospace contracts. He also cautioned that first-quarter fiscal 2026 sales could dip sequentially to between $5.2 million and $5.6 million, reflecting quarterly variability and order timing, not underlying demand weakness. During the quarter, Park Aerospace finalized a new supply agreement with an Asian customer involving ablative materials for hypersonic missile applications. Management also confirmed a licensing arrangement with an unnamed OEM for Iron Dome-like defense technology. These moves reflect continued progress in expanding the company's presence in strategic aerospace and defense sectors. Additionally, the company is exploring a major manufacturing expansion, potentially at its Newton, Kansas site or elsewhere, citing the need to scale for future aerospace programs. This underscores Park's longer-term capital planning in anticipation of sustained industry demand. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Park Aerospace Corp. (PKE) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research ( Zacks Investment Research Sign in to access your portfolio
The Spinoff
18-05-2025
- Politics
- The Spinoff
What kind of economy produces the highest adolescent suicide rate? Ours
New Zealand places alarmingly low for child and youth mental health among other wealthy countries, according to a new Unicef report. This reflects political choices – and this week's budget is a chance to prioritise what really matters. The latest Unicef Innocenti Report Card 19: Fragile Gains – Child Wellbeing at Risk in an Unpredictable World ranks Aotearoa 32nd out of 36 wealthy countries for overall child wellbeing. We are rock bottom for child and youth mental health, with the highest youth suicide rate among EU and OECD countries. It is a competition no one wants to win. The Unicef rankings are a wake-up call, but they're not surprising. They reflect choices. Political ones. This isn't just theory for me. In my former role as executive officer of Child Poverty Action Group, I saw firsthand how political decisions shape lives. In that role I worked with advocates, communities and academics pushing for systemic change. A core part of that work involved advocating for long-term solutions, instead of just charity. It was about improving systems that were never designed with the dignity and wellbeing of people in mind. It is important, necessary work. But what has become increasingly clear to me is, if we really want to fix poverty, if we want children to flourish, we have to go as far upstream as we can. We have to radically improve the economic system that underpins it all. Because the truth is, our current system is working exactly as it was designed to, just not for the greater good of everyone. As Toby Manhire's podcast series Juggernaut shows, neoliberalism, the dominant economic system we live under, was deliberately designed to give more power to the market: deregulating corporations and privatising the public. And our politicians really went for it. Taxes were overhauled and welfare budgets were slashed. We were told that economic gains would trickle down. Instead, the approach devalued our own people and created rampant wealth inequality. As Max Rashbrooke details, New Zealand had the biggest increase in income disparity in the developed world between 1985 and 2005. And it was during the 1980s and 1990s that we saw an upward trend in our overall suicide death rate. Child poverty, inequality and mental health crises aren't bugs, they are features of the system. Today, young people face a future that feels increasingly out of reach. Home ownership is slipping away, tertiary education is expensive, and the climate crisis looms large. They're being told, implicitly or explicitly, to expect a lower quality of life than their parents. This isn't the natural way of things and it demands a serious and future-focused response from our politicians. Budget 2025 is around the corner, and it will tell us, once again, what our leaders value. It will show us if our decision-makers are choosing to prioritise what really matters: real support for mental health, liveable incomes, access to quality housing and education, and the wellbeing of our communities. So, what would I like to see in the government's budget? Intergenerational thinking. Yes, I want to see increased funding for youth mental health services, but if we are truly to go to the root cause of the problem, the budget would include a commitment to public housing and housing affordability so that every child in Aotearoa can grow up in a stable housing environment. Housing instability is more than just a roof issue, it's a stress factory for families. Constant moves can chip away at a child's sense of community, identity and safety. It would include a commitment to real, sustained action on climate change. Not just vague targets, but serious investment in reducing emissions. Rewiring Aotearoa and Recloaking Papatūānuku are two examples of climate action that actually save money. The mental toll of living through climate anxiety is real, especially for young people who are increasingly aware that the world they're inheriting is in crisis. A future-focused budget would treat the climate crisis not as tomorrow's problem, but as today's emergency, and invest accordingly. It would include more examples of community wealth building in action. 'Community wealth building' might sound like jargon, but it's working overseas to grow jobs and prosperity. At its heart, it's a simple idea: keep jobs, resources and decision-making in local hands. One of the best examples of this was the earlier version of the healthy school lunch programme, a model that created local jobs, supported small businesses, and strengthened communities. Instead of funnelling money to distant, multinational corporations, this approach helps keep wealth circulating locally. And it's not just smart economics, it's intergenerational thinking. By strengthening the social and economic fabric now, we create the conditions for young people to thrive in the decades ahead. The budget should also include new metrics of success. We have to ask ourselves what the purpose of the economy actually is, and what metrics we should be using to measure it? In Aotearoa, we still measure success by how fast GDP grows. But did you know that oil spills and car crashes grow GDP? While unpaid care isn't counted? But GDP doesn't tell us if children are fed, if they feel safe, if they can access mental health support when they're struggling. It doesn't tell us if policies help people live with dignity and connection. What gets measured gets managed, and we're measuring the wrong things. A wellbeing economy flips the script. It doesn't ask 'how fast is GDP growing?' but 'is our economy delivering what people and the planet need to thrive?' It demands new measures of success, ones that actually tell us if what we are doing counts. Those indicators might include livable incomes, access to housing, health and education; and an environment that can support future generations. The things that truly show whether we're on the right path, both for our generation and for those to come. We can make this shift, but it demands courage and genuine leadership to break away from a failing status quo. Imagine a future where we lead not in youth suicide statistics, but in pioneering an economy designed around wellbeing and long-term impact.
