Illegal gatherings continue to rise in prediction fulfilment

May 29 2021

In a fulfilment of the ‘partying black market’ prediction by Pocci, photos have been surfacing showing large groups gathered and huddled together despite the current health restrictions. These gatherings seem to be on the rise as speculated by professional events organisers. They stated that people are fed up of staying indoors and having the entertainment sector closed and thus have to resort to illegal gatherings such as these.

Many have called for authorities to work on the situation by finding ways to reopen the entertainment and cultural sectors in safe ways. Deputy Prime Minister Chris Fearne has in fact just recently revealed that vaccination certificates will be issued in the coming week to allow for a gradual return to normality. The events will still be small and collected however as health authorities still advise that an unchecked reopening would not fare well.

#MaltaDaily

Photo Source: Andrew Pace FB

Peaky Blinders final season finished filming

May 29 2021

The final season of immensely popular ‘Peaky Blinders’ has wrapped up filming. Director Anthony Byrne shared on Instagram that the cast and crew are ‘Done and Done and Done’, bringing fans closer to seeing the climax of the soon to be 6 season arc. Tommy Shelby and his crew will be rounding up their story arcs in this final season, with actor Cillian Murphy stating that it will be very weird to finally say goodbye to his character.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Anthony Byrne (@antobyrne75)

Cillian also pointed out that it was immensely difficult shooting this final season without Helen McCrory, who played Polly, having just passed away. This last season is being dedicated fully to her. If being this close to the ending feels too bittersweet, fret not, for creator Steven Knight has repeatedly hinted at a movie for the franchise’s full ending. So there might still be a bit left of Peaky Blinders.

#MaltaDaily

Photo Source: Smithsonian Magazine

Meet the Rat Children of Pakistan

May 28 2021

One of the most bizarre religious practices the world has ever seen has resulted in the creation of a group of people in Pakistan called ‘the Rats of Shah Dola.’ Also known as the rat children of Pakistan, these are people who stick out as being beggars with very small heads and flat foreheads wearing long robes. How did this come to be?

In short, Shah Dola was a Sufi Saint who took care of babies born with mental disabilities and abandoned by their parents. These children had to beg to earn their keep and survive their lifestyle. It was also said that the saint could bless childless couples with children. There was a catch however.

The couple who prayed for a child would have to donate their firstborn to Shah Dola’s service. Desperate childless parents abided by the rule far after his death, and to this day, the saint’s shrine in Gurjat still saw firstborns left there.

The administration of the shrine put a heavy iron cap on the head of these children, restricting the growth of brain and skull. This resulted in these children growing up with mental disabilities and physical features which many people unfortunately associate with rats.

Despite the government of Pakistan attempting to take control and ban the practice, no official efforts were made to stop the practice. People still give money to the beggars due to superstitious beliefs that should they not work charity with them, their own children would be born with similar disabilities. Media outlets attempting to shed light on the practice did not stop it from happening, and it goes on to this day.

#MaltaDaily

COVID-19 makes its way into our dreams

May 28 2021

The idea that COVID-19 has affected our day to day lives is something we’ve grown accustomed to. It has changed our social interactions, our shopping, our work life, and every other domain we would otherwise go through without batting an eye. But who would have thought that research is showing that COVID-19 is even affecting how and what we dream about.

Harvard Medical School psychologist Deirdre Barrett has conducted research by collecting some 15000 dreams and dissecting how dreams were affected throughout the pandemic’s unwelcome stay. Barrett’s initial work found that the first wave, dreams of breathing inability and being covered in insects increased drastically.

Homeschooling and lockdowns also changed the nature of dreams, with people finding themselves in prisons or taking surprise tests in the safety of their homes upon dozing off. After the pandemic’s first six months, the more day to day problems of the pandemic worked their way into the psyche.

People started to dream about forgetting to wear masks and being surrounded by massless people which leads to a sense of anxiety. The shift seems to have been dreams about catching the virus (insects, sharks, breathlessness) to social anxiety (crowds, forgetfulness, etc.)

With two-third respondents women and one-third men, Barrett published her work in ‘Pandemic Dreams’, a short anthology of dreams collected from 2020 onwards. Not even the dream world is safe from this pandemic as the themes we encounter in waking life seem to have seeped into our unconscious. Have you ever had COVID-19 related dreams? Leave them in the comments below!

#MaltaDaily