Up to eight people can play Human: Fall Flat together online, and only two can play it locally, but it’s better to play it locally anyway. The intentionally kludgy controls for the Schmoo-like main dude, and the constant obstacles he faces, create slapstick humor better enjoyed with a friend. Also: You might need a second brain to solve the harder puzzles.
Available on: Windows, Linux, macOS, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Stadia, Nintendo Switch, Android, iOS, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5
(Picture used for representational purpose only)
HYDERABAD: Justice T Amarnath Goud of the Telangana high court has convicted six officers in a contempt case and sentenced them to jail for six months along with a penalty of Rs 2,000 each.
The judge convicted IAS officers — A Santha Kumari (special chief secretary of environment and forest sciences) and D Amoy Kumar (Rangareddy district collector) — and IFS officers — R Shobha (principal chief conservator of forests) and Sunita M Bhagwat — and along with divisional forest officer Janakiram and additional collector and forest settlement officer S Tirupati Rao in the case and imposed jail terms and penalties on them.
The judge handed out the sentences for violating the court orders in a land case in Rangareddy district.
The judge handed out the sentences under the Contempt of Courts Act for violating the court orders issued in respect of 383 acres of land belonging to Mohammed Sirajuddin and nine others of Maheswaram mandal in Rangareddy district.
The land was sought to be converted into a reserve forest by dispossessing the owners of their property. Despite advice from the forest settlement officer that the action of the revenue and forest officials was not feasible and despite a court order to either acquire the land or return the same to the owners, the officials had failed to do so inviting contempt of court charges.
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Sources said developers hit upon this idea after making efforts to sell undivided share of land in unapproved layouts and unregistered venture projects with Telangana Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) to gullible buyers. (Picture used for representational purpose only)
HYDERABAD: The Telangana municipal administration and urban development (MA&UD) department has told the registration and stamps department not to register farmland or plots below 20 guntas (2,000 square metres).
The move comes after officials realised some property developers were registering open plots in illegal layouts in the name of ‘farm plots’. Unauthorised layout registration was banned by the state government in September 2020.
Sources said developers hit upon this idea after making efforts to sell undivided share of land in unapproved layouts and unregistered venture projects with Telangana Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) to gullible buyers.
The developers were trying to take advantage of the fact that one does not need a layout copy to register agricultural land. “Besides stopping registration of farm plots below 20 guntas, we have also asked the registration department to insist on the layout copy if a farm plot abuts a new road,” MA&UD department principal secretary Arvind Kumar told STOI.
He said the decision to stop registration of plots in unauthorised layouts had paid dividends and the government was able to control illegal ventures across the state. The government banned registration of non-agriculture properties not having either a layout copy in case of open plots or a sanctioned plan in case of buildings.
Following this decision, thousands of layouts, which were developed without seeking approvals from the civic bodies, were stuck as layouts and plots could not be regularised under the layout regularisation scheme (LRS). Soon after banning illegal plots, 25 lakh applications were filed under the LRS, an official said.
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HYDERABAD: Two persons, which includes a Nigerian national, were arrested by cybercrime sleuths of Rachakonda police for allegedly conning many persons in the pretext of providing jobs, matrimonial alliances and others.
The accused, Fidelis Obinna, a Nigerian national and his accomplice Anil Kumar Pandey were arrested from Delhi and police seized 4 mobile phones, 13 cheque books of different bank accounts, 65 debit or ATM cards, 19 swiping machines, Republic of Nigeria passport, Rs 30,000 cash from them besides freezing Rs 6.27 lakh cash in bank accounts.
Obinna first came to India on a visiting visa. Later, from his Nigerian friends in India, he learnt conning people by befriending victims through social media. Obinna befriended Anil Kumar to use latter’s banking accounts to withdraw the ill-gotten money earned by cheating victims.
The accused, to deceive the victims, used to create fake social media accounts using photographs of Europeans. He duped several victims by assuring them to provide jobs or cheat the victims by promising to marry after collecting money, offering gifts and others.
The accused was arrested based on the bank account and phone number details. The accused used to destroy the phone and SIM cards used by them during the commission of an offence.
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Val Lewton was a producer who, in a sense, made a bargain unheard of in the history of Hollywood ego, trading prestige for freedom. He took a job as head of the horror department at RKO, and was given only three restrictions: The movies had to be cheap, relatively short, and the studio would provide titles (so, for example, we have a revisionist take on Jane Eyre and scathing critique of colonialism titled…I Walked with a Zombie). Other than that, he had free rein. The apex of this period was 1942’s Cat People, a stylish psychosexual noir directed by Jacques Tourneur that was much more about repressed trauma and existential dread than monsters…but there were enough horror movie trappings to make it a hit.
The 1944 follow-up is a direct sequel, focusing on two of the original’s main characters and their daughter, but in tone, it’s wildly divergent. A ghost story of sorts, the young girl is haunted, literally, by her parents’ past, but the threat is more emotional than physical. It’s a wonderful, and wonderfully humane, treatment of deeply damaged characters, all of whom are worthy of empathy (living or dead). Director Robert Wise (West Side Story, The Sound of Music, The Haunting, etc., etc., etc.) and company also build some stunning set-pieces, making the most of the film’s barely existent budget. I can only imagine the reaction of 1944 audiences who paid to see a horror movie about curses and cat people only to get a dark but big-hearted, fantasy. Surely the greatest trick Val Lewton ever played.
Where to stream: Digital rental
Hey, did your phone just ding? It sounded like a match. Congrats! But oh, what’s this? The match is someone super hot you swiped right on with the assumption they’d never actually swipe right back?
It’s all fun and games when you’re maniacally swiping late at night, approving every cool-looking person who appears on the screen, but it gets more serious when you remember they’re real people who can—and just might—like you back. It’s a blessing and a curse to go out with someone who is drop-dead gorgeous or has an ultra-cool job. On the one hand, it’s a dream come true…but on the other, it can be a mortifying reminder of your own insecurities. Here’s how to get ready for a date with someone you think is out of your league.
The key here is that you need to remember that they swiped right or agreed to go on this date because they saw something worthwhile in you. That alone should have you feeling great, no matter what it is about this other person that is making you so nervous.
“If someone agreed to the date and they’re not ghosting you, they most likely don’t think there’s a ‘league’ issue,” said Hannah May, a 26-year-old Chicagoan who describes herself as a lifestyle blogger and amateur dater.
“Remember that you have a lot to offer,” she said. “You need to focus on yourself and work on yourself before dating, period, or you’re not going to get anything out of it.”
Type out a list of all the cool, wonderful things about you. Ask a few trusted friends to contribute to what we’re sure is an already-lengthy list of your terrific attributes. Read that list. Internalize it. You’re fun! You’re attractive! The out-of-your-leaguer thought so when they agreed to meet up, so ask yourself why you’re experiencing self-doubt.
If the nasty internal monologue is the result of, say, put-downs from an ex, remember that those insults came from a place of hurt or maybe even projection, likely at a rough time as the relationship was disintegrating. Don’t let the negative, warped opinion of someone whose association with you was negative impact the way you see and project yourself going forward. You’re a lot cooler than you think you are, and you deserve to date someone awesome.
What would you tell a friend in this situation? Imagine that a beloved, lifelong pal came to you and said they were nervous for a date with someone hotter or more established than they are. You’d bug out, right? You’d—gently—tear them to bits for being so hard on themselves.
We all have people who love us, from family members to friends. Think about how hurt your mom or brother would be to hear you negatively comparing yourself to someone else. When you do this, you’re implying your own friends and loved ones have bad taste, you know. And they don’t!
If this person is a big-shot in the movie industry, don’t go to a Hollywood hot spot. If they’re a publishing powerhouse, don’t go to the bookstore. If you feel they have a slammin’ body, avoid the beach. Essentially, don’t go somewhere that is going to exacerbate the feelings of inadequacy you’re already experiencing and give them a leg up, even if they don’t realize you’re perceiving them to have the edge on you here. Instead, suggest a date location that is more neutral and doesn’t lend itself as a highlight to whatever you see as the incredible attribute in them that is making you so nervous.
Have you ever seen the cover of a tabloid? If you have—and we know you have—then you know that even the hottest, most accomplished people in the world go through breakups. Ask yourself why that might be. Is it possible that being attractive or talented isn’t the only thing that matters in a relationship?
You already know that looks, awards, accolades, and clout get people far, but in order for anyone to have fulfilling relationships, they have to have substance, too.
Consider this: There is more to the person you’re about to meet up with than their angelic bone structure or high-paying job. Moreover, whatever else there is to them might actually suck. To put it plainly, you might not like them. If they were as perfect as you’re envisioning them to be, would they not already be securely snatched up by some equally-fancy person?
May pointed to advice that her cousin gave her: “Instead of worrying about if they like you, worry about if you like them. This mindset shift also helps with any jitters or anxiety.”
Don’t overcorrect here and go into the date thinking they’re damaged goods or anything, but be reasonable. A hot bod does not a perfect mate make.
Look, you’re feeling nervous and insecure. That’s fine; it happens to everyone. But don’t take out your feeling of inadequacy on this person, who is probably perfectly nice and normal and likely has no idea you think they occupy some unreachable level of greatness. As we’ve established, they agreed to hang out with you for a reason. They think you’re interesting and attractive. This is almost certainly not a romcom-style joke where they’re going on a pity date with you, but even if it were, that would only be further proof they suck and are not the one for you.
“I’ve wasted so much time in my life overthinking texts and what to say and I feel like those situations never work out,” said May, who advises against worrying so damn much. “If someone’s for you, you won’t have to overthink your interactions or be left feeling confused.”
Don’t go into this defensively or expecting the worst. Give yourself a stern talking-to, go on the date, figure out if you have anything in common, and go from there like you would with anyone else. Whatever hangups you have are totally your own; this person has no idea that you don’t think you’re good-looking or you feel like you’re not advancing in your career. They just want to learn about you, so let them. Allow them and yourself to be surprised.
