621 lines
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621 lines
69 KiB
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<meta content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0, user-scalable=yes" name="viewport"/>
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<title>28 January, 2022</title>
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<title>Daily-Dose</title><meta content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" name="viewport"/><link href="styles/simple.css" rel="stylesheet"/><link href="../styles/simple.css" rel="stylesheet"/><style>*{overflow-x:hidden;}</style><link href="https://unpkg.com/aos@2.3.1/dist/aos.css" rel="stylesheet"/><script src="https://unpkg.com/aos@2.3.1/dist/aos.js"></script></head>
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<body>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-down" id="daily-dose">Daily-Dose</h1>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-right" data-aos-anchor-placement="top-bottom" id="contents">Contents</h1>
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<ul>
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<li><a href="#from-new-yorker">From New Yorker</a></li>
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<li><a href="#from-vox">From Vox</a></li>
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<li><a href="#from-the-hindu-sports">From The Hindu: Sports</a></li>
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<li><a href="#from-the-hindu-national-news">From The Hindu: National News</a></li>
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<li><a href="#from-bbc-europe">From BBC: Europe</a></li>
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<li><a href="#from-ars-technica">From Ars Technica</a></li>
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<li><a href="#from-jokes-subreddit">From Jokes Subreddit</a></li>
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</ul>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-new-yorker">From New Yorker</h1>
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<ul>
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<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Does Biden’s Presidency Hang on the Crisis with Russia?</strong> - Potentially at stake is everything America has built since Biden was born and the United States became a superpower. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/bidens-presidency-may-hang-on-the-crisis-with-russia">link</a></p></li>
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<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Stephen Breyer’s Decision to Retire Is in Keeping with His Careful Supreme Court Tenure</strong> - Breyer knows what a major crossroads the Court is at, with the conservative super-majority feeling its strength. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/stephen-breyers-decision-to-retire-is-in-keeping-with-his-%20careful-supreme-court-tenure">link</a></p></li>
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<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Record Levels of Gun Violence and the Democrats’ Dilemma</strong> - Amid continued calls for police reform and a surge in firearm deaths, the Biden Administration and Mayor Eric Adams are trying to balance public safety and politics. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/record-levels-of-gun-violence-and-the-democrats-dilemma">link</a></p></li>
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<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Supreme Court Appears Ready, Finally, to Defeat Affirmative Action</strong> - Moderate conservative Justices voted with liberals to protect the program in the past, but there are no such Justices now. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/the-supreme-court-appears-ready-finally-to-defeat-affirmative-%20action">link</a></p></li>
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<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>What Makes Putin Fear Ukraine?</strong> - The Kyiv-based journalist Nataliya Gumenyuk says that the country’s embrace of democracy and anti-corruption efforts makes it a threat to the Russian leader. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/what-makes-putin-fear-ukraine">link</a></p></li>
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</ul>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-vox">From Vox</h1>
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<ul>
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<li><strong>Ukraine has more than Russia to worry about</strong> -
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<figure>
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<img alt="A woman walks past a tank in Kyiv, Ukraine." src="https://cdn.vox-
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cdn.com/thumbor/BpaBuP3EolrGhvmG-VwEOuidMNU=/0x0:7285x5464/1310x983/cdn.vox-
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cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70442947/1366743890.0.jpg"/>
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<figcaption>
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A young woman walks past a World War II-era Soviet T-34 tank at an outdoor commemorative display extolling the WWII battles and victories of the Soviet Union on January 25 in Kyiv, Ukraine. | Sean Gallup/Getty Images
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</figcaption>
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</figure>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
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A Ukrainian journalist on the Kremlin’s escalation, NATO, and a former president’s treason charges.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="YHBwsu">
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<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/01/10/fact-sheet-u-s-diplomatic-engagement-with-
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european-allies-and-partners-ahead-of-talks-with-russia/">“Nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine”</a> is a line you often hear from Western officials <a href="https://www.vox.com/22894163/russia-ukraine-putin-biden-nato">as they struggle to find</a> a diplomatic offramp to <a href="https://www.vox.com/2021/12/8/22824015/russia-ukraine-troops-
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tensions-putin-biden-nato">Russia’s military buildup around Ukraine</a>.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="llGGyl">
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But Ukraine, the country at the center of all this — the one that would actually be invaded (<a href="https://www.cfr.org/global-conflict-
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tracker/conflict/conflict-ukraine">again</a>) by Russian forces — sometimes seems like a bit player in a greater geopolitical drama, with Moscow and Washington the stars. This is largely by design, because, when it comes to NATO, Russian President Vladimir Putin sees America as the main actor.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="FHnYxs">
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Ukraine gets this, too. Kyiv is hosting a <a href="https://www.deutschland.de/en/news/baerbock-in-kiev-and-then-on-to-moscow">rotating cast of European</a> and <a href="https://www.state.gov/secretary-blinkens-travel-to-ukraine-germany-and-switzerland">US officials</a>, and receiving <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukraine-gets-weapons-west-says-it-needs-
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more-2022-01-25/">arms shipments</a> (<a href="https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2022-01-26/germany-europe-us-
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ukraine-russia">plus some helmets</a>) by the day, but Ukraine also sees Russia using this escalation to extort larger concessions from the West. Ukraine, better than anyone, understands it isn’t joining NATO anytime soon.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="AnxqHl">
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“In Ukraine, this is seen as one of the fake conditions that Russia is trying to bring to justify their aggression,” says<strong> </strong><a href="https://kyivindependent.com/author/oleksiy-sorokin">Oleksiy Sorokin</a>, the political editor and chief operating officer of the <a href="https://kyivindependent.com/about/">Kyiv Independent</a>, an English-language media outlet that <a href="https://www.rferl.org/a/kyiv-post-staff-new-project/31573725.html">formed in November</a> after journalists from the Kyiv Post were fired after pushing back against what they saw as editorial interference by the Post’s owner.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="j4tTfs">
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Which is why the mood in Ukraine hasn’t exactly reached a fever pitch of panic over a possible Russian incursion. The relative calm, Sorokin said, is because Ukrainians constantly face threats and meddling from Russia, especially after Moscow’s 2014 invasion. And beyond Russia, Ukrainians have their own domestic politics to worry about, including, right now, the <a href="https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-proshenko-treason-
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court/31658423.html">charges of treason against a former president</a>. That case is bringing up renewed questions about President Volodymyr Zelensky, an outsider who came in <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-
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europe-59667938">promising to strengthen the rule of law</a> and crack down on Ukraine’s longstanding problems with corruption. “There’s been an extremely big centralization of power going on,” Sorokin said. “And there’s a lot of warning signals and markers that allow us to believe that Zelensky is not really true on his word of fighting corruption.”
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="YFwwRO">
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Sorokin offered Vox the view from Ukraine about Russia’s escalation and the prospect of conflict, and how that has — and hasn’t — affected Ukraine’s domestic political divisions and turmoil.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Y49WAf">
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Our conversation, edited and condensed for clarity, is below.
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</p>
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<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="YMAK50"/>
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<h4 id="ntglqB">
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Jen Kirby
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</h4>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="FGtOfs">
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Over here, it feels like we’re constantly hearing the drumbeats of war. What is the mood in Ukraine, as much as you can sum up?
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</p>
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<h4 id="stDwzQ">
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Oleksiy Sorokin
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</h4>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="RxujgL">
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I think, obviously, after the recent comments by the US, the comments coming from the UK, some people are worried. I know a lot of my friends who don’t follow politics are now asking me questions: “Is Russia actually going to invade?”<em> </em>But on the streets, in general, people carry on with their lives, because for many Ukrainians, we’re accustomed to war.
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</p></li>
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</ul>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="hTivHC">
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For eight years, Russia has been invading Ukraine, has been trying to meddle with Ukrainian internal affairs. So having Russia on our tail, having this constant threat of Russia going further — I think many Ukrainians are used to it. That’s why we’re probably more calm than some people in the West.
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</p>
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<h4 id="XlLL64">
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Jen Kirby
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</h4>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="mGNPnv">
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That’s fair enough! You mentioned recent comments from the US. I feel like there’s been so many comments; is there anything in particular you’re referring to?
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</p>
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<h4 id="Wgicx2">
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Oleksiy Sorokin
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</h4>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="f9EW5I">
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Yes. I think the comments coming from President Joe Biden that a <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2022/01/19/biden-ukraine-
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russia-527440">“minor incursion”</a> would be less of a big deal, and cause internal conflict for NATO members. That’s the comment that <a href="https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/ukraine-president-volodymyr-zelensky-says-no-such-
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thing-as-minor-incursions/news-story/3eb69bba3dde97e1ff2fd10faa69338a">struck many Ukrainians</a> because for us, we are already at war with Russia, and having a US president saying that, well, some invasion is less costly than others, got a lot of people in Ukraine worried.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="6zu1O2">
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But we know that the presidential administration then <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/01/20/harris-insists-us-wont-accept-minor-incursion-by-russia-
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ukraine/">went back on their comments</a> saying that actually any move into Ukraine would be considered an invasion, and I think for many people that calmed the Ukrainian community, and a lot of Ukrainian politicians as well.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="F9qKxd">
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But also, if we’re talking about comments by the American side, we see that Ukrainian officials, they tend to say that <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/ukraine-believes-russian-invasion-not-imminent-but-western-
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allies-remain-concerned">nothing unusual is happening</a>, that everything is fine, that we are continuing business as usual, we know that everything is okay. And then we have the American officials, for example, <a href="https://www.politico.com/newsletters/national-security-daily/2022/01/18/psaki-russia-could-at-any-point-launch-an-
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attack-in-ukraine-495761">Jen Psaki saying that Russia will invade</a>, we see <a href="https://www.vox.com/22894163/russia-ukraine-putin-biden-nato">Biden saying that Putin has to do something already</a>. Those comments are getting people worried.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="OdmV0S">
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The problem that we’re facing now is that Ukrainian officials are trying to calm people down, and Western officials are heating up [the threat].
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</p>
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<h4 id="8Iz0Vl">
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Jen Kirby
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</h4>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="x2AJP3">
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That’s interesting. I wonder, from your perspective as a journalist, do you think that Ukrainian officials are underselling the threat, or are Western officials overselling the threat of a Russian invasion?
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</p>
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<h4 id="xI7SZY">
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Oleksiy Sorokin
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</h4>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="AZerO9">
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I think it’s both. I think that the truth is somewhere in the middle. There’s obviously an increased threat of Russia launching a full-scale invasion. But I would say the comments coming from particularly the US are kind of going overboard, because we see that every day or every two days, American officials are saying that Russia will invade. And I know that they might have some kind of intel that we in Ukraine don’t have. But I still think that those comments are causing — I wouldn’t say panic — but some worries, not only [for] the Ukrainian public, but also some politicians.
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</p>
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<h4 id="3W8l8k">
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Jen Kirby
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</h4>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="eaTMN4">
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What is the perspective on some of Russia’s demands, most notably Putin’s request that NATO doesn’t expand eastward and so denies Ukraine membership? I know the US and its allies have said that this is a nonstarter, but I wonder if the US and Russia came to some sort of agreement on keeping Ukraine out of NATO, what the reaction might be?
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</p>
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<h4 id="9ltFZ4">
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Oleksiy Sorokin
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</h4>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="zJYXen">
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I think, well, it’s not even that I think, there are polls that say that <a href="https://www.iri.org/resource/iri-ukraine-poll-shows-support-eunato-membership-concerns-over-economy-and-
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vaccines-covid">most Ukrainians want to join the European Union and NATO</a>. So I would say that for Ukraine, having a condition of never joining NATO is just an impossible condition to follow. What I would say is that this whole conflict was caused by Russia wanting Ukraine out of NATO, Ukraine wasn’t a part of NATO, and in the near future, everybody understands that Ukraine is not going to join. First of all, because Ukraine already has a war [with] Russia; second of all, corruption. A lot of other things that keep Ukraine from NATO.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="hx4XIa">
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This whole notion, this discourse of basically Russia causing an escalation to keep Ukraine out of NATO, is wrong, because Ukraine wouldn’t join NATO in the near future. So this is just like, in Ukraine, this is seen as one of the fake conditions that Russia is trying to bring to justify their aggression. But the real reason for Russian aggression is that Russia denies Ukrainian statehood. Even if NATO says that Ukraine won’t join NATO in the year, the next 10 years, realistically, nothing would have changed, because Ukraine wouldn’t have joined anyway.
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</p>
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<h4 id="2xHhoV">
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Jen Kirby
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</h4>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="adQMvb">
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I am curious about Ukraine’s internal dynamics. It seems that Zelensky, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-
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europe-48007487">the president who was elected in 2019</a>, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/12/22/ukraine-zelensky-akhmetov-poroshenko/">is extremely unpopular</a>.
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</p>
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<h4 id="xXzypO">
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Oleksiy Sorokin
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</h4>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="CbgfeW">
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Well, he’s actually very popular. I wouldn’t say he’s extremely unpopular. He’s the most popular politician in Ukraine.
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</p>
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<h4 id="a74RL8">
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Jen Kirby
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</h4>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="OGrxhc">
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But his poll numbers have <a href="https://www.kyivpost.com/ukraine-politics/survey-most-ukrainians-
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disapprove-of-zelenskys-actions.html">been in the 20s</a>!
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</p>
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<h4 id="nifvt9">
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Oleksiy Sorokin
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</h4>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="PsGxbv">
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For Ukraine, that’s extremely popular. If a sitting Ukrainian president has over 20 percent of total support, he’s the most popular person. In Ukraine, only one person was reelected. So yes, that’s considered very high numbers.
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</p>
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<h4 id="fJ5eAe">
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Jen Kirby
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</h4>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="1JsPLM">
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Got it. So then why is Zelensky still the most popular politician in Ukraine?
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</p>
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<h4 id="Sv4hLn">
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Oleksiy Sorokin
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</h4>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="O2RUN1">
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Well, oddly enough, Zelensky is still considered a new guy, and he still doesn’t have this long tale of past misfortunes as a politician. For example, his main opponent [Petro] Poroshenko, despite being only president for like five years [from 2014-2019], he was a politician since the early 2000s. So with him, he’s considered this established politician. But as for Zelensky, he’s still considered this new guy in town, and a lot of people still have high hopes for him as a politician, as opposed to his main opponents.
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</p>
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<h4 id="IJ67gN">
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Jen Kirby
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</h4>
|
|||
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|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="KyFaUx">
|
|||
|
|
That former president you mentioned, Poroshenko, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/01/17/poroshenko-ukraine-return/">is basically being accused of treason</a>. What’s going on there?
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<h4 id="QyfEMX">
|
|||
|
|
Oleksiy Sorokin
|
|||
|
|
</h4>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="GBgSRk">
|
|||
|
|
Well, yes, this is a very interesting case, because it’s developing amid the ongoing Russian military buildup, so many people are saying that this case is happening in the worst possible time. But actually, it’s ongoing for several years. It’s just Poroshenko <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukraine-accuses-former-president-poroshenko-treason-2021-12-20/">who was charged with high treason</a> in December.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="SGgSRM">
|
|||
|
|
The <a href="https://kyivindependent.com/national/explainer-is-poroshenko-treason-case-justice-or-political-
|
|||
|
|
persecution/">substance of this case</a> is basically: when Poroshenko was president, he allowed the import of coal from Russian-occupied Donbas, which the current prosecution says was helping Russian-backed militants in eastern Ukraine to get financing. That’s why he’s accused of high treason. Meanwhile, supporters of Poroshenko and his defense offer that the money was paid to Ukrainian companies, and there isn’t any treason.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="uRPH5Q">
|
|||
|
|
The Ukrainian popular <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/17/world/europe/petro-poroshenko-russia-ukraine.html">opinion is split</a>. Around 50 percent of people say that this is a politically motivated case. One, because Zelensky is known for making comments against Poroshenko and basically explicitly promising to have Poroshenko and his officials prosecuted, which adds to this notion of Zelensky going after Poroshenko. Also, we know that Zelensky and his inner circle have a very low opinion of their political opponent, which can add to the notion of Zelensky wanting him behind bars. Also the prosecutor- general of Ukraine, Iryna Venediktova, is a former MP [member of Parliament] from Zelensky’s Servant of the People party. So a lot of people in Ukraine rightfully believe that the prosecution is dependent on the president.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<h4 id="tAO0Dv">
|
|||
|
|
Jen Kirby
|
|||
|
|
</h4>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="1qNJmk">
|
|||
|
|
Zelensky came in to clean up corruption, which has been <a href="https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/12/17/ukraine-russia-corruption-putin-democracy-oligarchs/">a long-standing problem in Ukraine</a>. But this question about whether this is a politically motivated prosecution certainly doesn’t look great for a guy who promised to commit to democracy and rule of law. How do you see it?
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<h4 id="2zwZAk">
|
|||
|
|
Oleksiy Sorokin
|
|||
|
|
</h4>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="eFrT4E">
|
|||
|
|
A lot of people rightfully believe that under Zelensky there’s been a curtailing of a lot of democratic institutions. For example, Zelensky is alleged of controlling the prosecutor-general, he’s alleged of controlling the Investigation Bureau. He’s also known as having direct influence on Parliament, which, according to the constitution, he doesn’t have to have. So under Zelensky, there’s been an extremely big centralization of power going on. And there’s a lot of warning signals and markers that allow us to believe that Zelensky is not really true on his word of fighting corruption, and clearing Ukraine of this long-standing practice of the president influencing both the parliament and law enforcement.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<h4 id="3oo7dM">
|
|||
|
|
Jen Kirby
|
|||
|
|
</h4>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="lOVB6R">
|
|||
|
|
I wonder if you see a disconnect in that, especially with respect to the current tensions around Russia. You have Zelensky and his administration turning to the West and making the case for democracy and for his agenda in the face of Russia’s authoritarianism — but at the same time, he’s not quite following through at home.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<h4 id="WsbKcF">
|
|||
|
|
Oleksiy Sorokin
|
|||
|
|
</h4>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="wDJzFT">
|
|||
|
|
Well, I think that happens with many Ukrainian politicians who say that they’re pro-Western, and who <em>are</em> actually pro- Western and tend to bring Ukraine closer to the European Union. But meanwhile, in Ukraine, they tend to follow policies that would not fly with many European officials.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<h4 id="ane0C3">
|
|||
|
|
Jen Kirby
|
|||
|
|
</h4>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="DBHeq8">
|
|||
|
|
Poroshenko and Zelensky both oriented themselves toward the West. I’m wondering if that has caused divisions within the pro-European, pro-NATO political camp within Ukraine?
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<h4 id="ita5JX">
|
|||
|
|
Oleksiy Sorokin
|
|||
|
|
</h4>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="kP8MZp">
|
|||
|
|
After the Russian invasion in 2014, most Ukrainian politicians, at least publicly, say that they’re supporting the Euro-Atlantic course of Ukraine. Ukraine in its constitution has a line saying that Ukraine must tend to seek joining NATO and the European Union. So all those people in power, they kind of have to follow that line. And they do. We see the most popular Ukrainian politicians, they always say that they’re 100 percent for joining both NATO and the European Union — the fact that all of them hate each other, that’s a completely different problem here.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<h4 id="Mx9D9h">
|
|||
|
|
Jen Kirby
|
|||
|
|
</h4>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="o3D3ZQ">
|
|||
|
|
What I was trying to get at a little bit was whether pro-Russian politicians would potentially be able to exploit or capitalize on the weaknesses within, or dissatisfaction with, pro-Western politicians. But it sounds like what you’re saying is, at least openly, there’s not very many pro-Russian politicians left in Ukraine.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<h4 id="xVzAj9">
|
|||
|
|
Oleksiy Sorokin
|
|||
|
|
</h4>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="JXUlYp">
|
|||
|
|
Those who are left, they’re marginalized. For example, it’s a standing practice that nobody is going to seek to bring into a coalition the Opposition Platform Party, which is the only pro- Russian party in Ukraine right now. Even though they have an electoral support rate of around 10 percent, even maybe going up to 15 [percent]. That’s their electoral ceiling. And it’s not possible for them to jump higher, because they’re explicitly labeled as being pro-Russian. And the pro-Russian base in Ukraine right now is pretty low, especially with people from Crimea and eastern Donbas not being able to vote because they live in Russia-occupied regions, so this space is shrinking each year.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<h4 id="rpNBgY">
|
|||
|
|
Jen Kirby
|
|||
|
|
</h4>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Ex8UMg">
|
|||
|
|
To get back to Zelensky. Are there concerns he might exploit Russian escalation to consolidate more power?
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<h4 id="4TUP0q">
|
|||
|
|
Oleksiy Sorokin
|
|||
|
|
</h4>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="6g5TLf">
|
|||
|
|
I think it’s actually the opposite. This ongoing conflict and Russian escalation is hurting Zelensky’s electoral support. Because a lot of people in Ukraine feel that Zelensky, at least publicly, is not doing enough. And you can get the frustration of many Ukrainians who feel that the president is not doing a good job of first informing Ukrainians about what’s really happening, and second of not preparing Ukraine for a possible invasion.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<h4 id="bVjrXH">
|
|||
|
|
Jen Kirby
|
|||
|
|
</h4>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="7Cm53X">
|
|||
|
|
Zelensky <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60140392">recently said something like</a> “calm down, don’t go out and buy matchsticks and buckwheat just yet.” And, as you say, Ukrainians are kind of used to living with this threat from Russia. What do people want to see if they feel Zelensky isn’t doing enough right now?
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<h4 id="6lfltn">
|
|||
|
|
Oleksiy Sorokin
|
|||
|
|
</h4>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ImyLdc">
|
|||
|
|
I think [the] general assumption of the situation is that there shouldn’t be a panic, because many people in Ukraine believe that Russia is using this situation to extort the West and basically demand concessions from the West.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="hK0SrH">
|
|||
|
|
But again, if Russia goes and further invades Ukraine, then there’s many Ukrainians who are ready to fight back. And we also know that the Ukrainian army right now in 2022, is a completely different force from what it was in 2014, when basically, Ukrainian defense was the sole responsibility of volunteers and volunteer battalions, which has its ups and downs. Right now, the Ukrainian army is a powerful force, which a lot of Ukrainians believe can defend the country from Russia. If we look at the polls, then 72 percent of Ukrainians have 100 percent confidence in the army, fully support and fully trust everything that the army does, and the Ukrainian army is the <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/12/10/1062938902/ukrainian-military-long-on-morale-but-short-
|
|||
|
|
on-weaponry">most popular government institution in Ukraine</a>.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<h4 id="a89TyJ">
|
|||
|
|
Jen Kirby
|
|||
|
|
</h4>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="sFyMl3">
|
|||
|
|
In some respects you’re right, Putin is using Ukraine to win concessions from the West. But the invasion option is open to him, especially if he does not win concessions. What do you think might happen, at least in the short to medium term?
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<h4 id="vBbgYJ">
|
|||
|
|
Oleksiy Sorokin
|
|||
|
|
</h4>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="lhQ2Af">
|
|||
|
|
I personally don’t think that Russia will conduct a full-scale invasion. I also think that Russia — the only way Putin backs down is if he is able to save face. Because with him, it’s always about pride, it’s always about showing that he is a master strategist, that he knows how to do geopolitics. So I feel that Russia will continue this escalation until it can present something to [its] domestic viewership. Something it can gain from this whole situation.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Nk3In8">
|
|||
|
|
But the problem with my personal arguments is that I used, to base it on, some kind of rational thinking, which I’m not sure that the Kremlin has, and that every argument I make, can be broken by the will of a single person living in the Kremlin. And that’s Vladimir Putin. So the only actual assessment of the situation which I think would be fair, is that nobody knows.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<ul>
|
|||
|
|
<li><strong>It’s going to take a lot more than Neil Young to change Spotify’s mind about Joe Rogan</strong> -
|
|||
|
|
<figure>
|
|||
|
|
<img alt="Neil Young onstage playing guitar." src="https://cdn.vox-
|
|||
|
|
cdn.com/thumbor/pRWRcKrY7n_iE7NLaTEePFfD2IA=/0x0:2223x1667/1310x983/cdn.vox-
|
|||
|
|
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70440962/1177217191.0.jpg"/>
|
|||
|
|
<figcaption>
|
|||
|
|
Neil Young performing in 2019. | Paul Bergen/Redferns
|
|||
|
|
</figcaption>
|
|||
|
|
</figure>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
|||
|
|
Other musicians aren’t boycotting the music service. Will you?
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="GinaXj">
|
|||
|
|
Sometimes it’s hard to predict the future.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ZRGhcA">
|
|||
|
|
Other times it’s really easy: Back in the spring of 2020, it was <a href="https://twitter.com/pkafka/status/1262816224070811651">incredibly</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/pkafka/status/1262819311237898241">obvious</a> that by <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/2020/5/19/21263967/joe-rogan-spotify-exclusive-deal-podcast">paying Joe Rogan a ton of money</a> for the exclusive rights to his podcast, Spotify would inevitably find itself under fire. Because a big part of Rogan’s appeal — we don’t know how big his audience is, but double-digit millions seems reasonable — is courting controversy by interviewing the likes of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="6eWePN">
|
|||
|
|
Sure enough, the list of people criticizing Spotify over its Rogan deal — and the content Rogan has put out since then — includes <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/xg8jq4/spotify-joe-rogan-transphobic">Spotify’s own employees</a>, who complained that his podcast is transphobic, and <a href="https://spotifyopenletter.wordpress.com/2022/01/10/an-open-letter-to-
|
|||
|
|
spotify/">270 doctors and other health experts</a>, who wrote an open letter saying Rogan’s podcasts were “mass- misinformation events” that have been “provoking distrust in science and medicine” during the pandemic, for hosting the likes of Robert Malone, an anti-vaxxer who’s been banned by Twitter.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="KFhIGN">
|
|||
|
|
And now rock star Neil Young, <a href="https://neilyoungarchives.com/news/1">who said</a> those doctors’ open letter opened his eyes to the “dangerous life-threatening Covid falsehoods found in Spotify programming,” has taken his music off the service in protest.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="mcDCLd">
|
|||
|
|
So. How big a deal is this?
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="PFIZIA">
|
|||
|
|
Here’s one data point: My brother-in-law just texted me asking for recommendations for a new streaming service. Young’s argument — that by paying for Rogan’s podcast, “Spotify has become the home of life-threatening Covid misinformation. Lies being sold for money” — has hit home for him. (For the record, you can still find Young’s music on Amazon, Apple, and every other streaming platform.)
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="gGEGw4">
|
|||
|
|
Here’s a competing data point – a list of prominent musicians following Young’s lead and pulling their catalogs from Spotify as well:
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<figure class="e-image">
|
|||
|
|
<img alt=" " src="https://cdn.vox-
|
|||
|
|
cdn.com/thumbor/iN12zxc7KPBZ2wFqW1EJDsXok4Q=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-
|
|||
|
|
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23199849/Screen_Shot_2022_01_27_at_4.07.34_PM.png"/>
|
|||
|
|
</figure>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="SVqBhP">
|
|||
|
|
It’s possible, of course, that things could change. Back when Neil Young was making popular music in the 1960s and ’70s, famous musicians routinely made political arguments, and sometimes even put their own livelihoods at risk in doing so. The Nixon administration, for instance, put John Lennon under FBI surveillance and at one point tried to deport him because of his work protesting the Vietnam War.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="sZhHfZ">
|
|||
|
|
But that level of activism is almost completely absent from today’s lineup of popular musicians, who will sometimes tweet about things they don’t like but generally leave it at that. Taylor Swift has fought with Spotify, Apple, and a music manager who bought the rights to her catalog, but those disputes were all about money and control, not ideology or vaccines.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="c2U7DL">
|
|||
|
|
To his credit, Young — a <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2012/1/31/2761597/neil-young-music-steve-jobs-piracy-is-the-new-radio">famously cantankerous character</a> who has <a href="https://www.vox.com/2015/7/15/11614738/neil-young-quits-music-streaming-
|
|||
|
|
services-over-sound-quality">complained about streaming for years</a> — is clear-eyed about what his pullout will mean: “I sincerely hope that other artists can make a move, but I can’t really expect that to happen,” he wrote on his website this week.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="JcKIxe">
|
|||
|
|
So unless there are <em>a lot</em> of people like my brother-in-law, expect Spotify to do what it has done every time people have complained about their deal with Rogan: nothing.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Mc4N1b">
|
|||
|
|
Spotify is betting billions of dollars that podcasting will be a meaningful business, and Rogan is the biggest podcaster in the world. It would have to take much, much more than the absence of a legacy act that hasn’t released a popular song since 1989 to get it to change course.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="7NyqpU">
|
|||
|
|
Spotify will take issue with that characterization, of course. It says it takes all this stuff very seriously, and routinely examines content on its service to see if it violates content policies, which it has yet to disclose publicly. Here, for the record, is the company’s statement:
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<blockquote>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Zpggmz">
|
|||
|
|
“We want all the world’s music and audio content to be available to Spotify users. With that comes great responsibility in balancing both safety for listeners and freedom for creators. We have detailed content policies in place and we’ve removed over 20,000 podcast episodes related to COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic. We regret Neil’s decision to remove his music from Spotify, but hope to welcome him back soon.”
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
</blockquote>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="JlcG6t">
|
|||
|
|
It’s worth pointing out here that Spotify, like other tech companies that distribute media, is fundamentally uncomfortable making decisions about what kind of media it does and doesn’t want to distribute. See, for instance, its 2018 decision to remove musicians like R. Kelly — who had long been accused of sexual misconduct — from its playlists but not from the service itself. After a few weeks of criticism from artists and managers, it <a href="https://newsroom.spotify.com/2018-06-01/spotify-policy-update/">abandoned the policy</a>. (Kelly was convicted on <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/09/27/nyregion/r-kelly-trial-news#r-kelly-verdict-racketeering-sex-
|
|||
|
|
trafficking">racketeering and sex trafficking charges</a> three years later; his music remains on Spotify.)
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="3LcfuN">
|
|||
|
|
And while Spotify often argues that, just like YouTube, Twitter, or Facebook, it’s simply a neutral platform that connects creators with people who want to engage with the stuff those creators make, that argument doesn’t work in Rogan’s case: While he’s not technically working for Spotify, he is very much getting paid by them, to make stuff you can’t hear anywhere but Spotify.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="tGonPO">
|
|||
|
|
But so far that distinction hasn’t mattered. Every so often, Spotify gets asked about Rogan, and the company answers with the equivalent of a shrug. “For us, it’s about having a diverse voice of people, for a global audience,” content chief <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/22296132/spotify-
|
|||
|
|
strategy-dawn-ostroff-joe-rogan-interview">Dawn Ostroff told me</a> a year ago. “And he happens to remain wildly popular.”
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="aKFJmX">
|
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Expect more questions to arise next week, when Spotify announces its quarterly earnings. Don’t expect a different answer.
|
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</p></li>
|
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|
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<li><strong>Can giving parents cash help with babies’ brain development?</strong> -
|
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<figure>
|
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<img alt="The face and shoulders of a smiling baby lying on its back atop a background of $100 bills." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/BhqqsxFJmRwLpP4xipLNASKpkVY=/514x0:4626x3084/1310x983/cdn.vox-
|
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cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70426876/GettyImages_1075715128.0.jpg"/>
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<figcaption>
|
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Getty Images/iStockphoto
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</figcaption>
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</figure>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
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A new study suggests that regular cash payments to parents can speed up brain activity in infants.
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</p>
|
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="L4PVZw">
|
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|
2021 featured a remarkable policy experiment in the United States. On July 15, <a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/22543868/biden-child-tax-credit-july-15-monthly-payment">the federal government began sending monthly checks</a> to parents for up to $300 per child. The checks phased out for top earners but otherwise had no strings attached. Parents could use the money however they wanted. It was a policy that is <a href="https://www.vox.com/2016/5/23/11440638/child-benefit-child-allowance">common in other countries</a> but had never been tried before in the United States.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="l0MTsd">
|
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Debate over the bill tended to focus on its effect on parents. Detractors worried that the measure would <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/10/14/press-
|
|||
|
|
pause-rush-extend-child-tax-credit/">deter parents from working</a>, while supporters argued any <a href="https://www.cbpp.org/research/federal-tax/benefits-of-expanding-child-tax-credit-outweigh-small-employment-
|
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|
|
effects">blowback on labor would be minimal</a>. But an equally if not more important question came up less often: What does the expanded child tax credit mean for children?
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</p>
|
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Ggaj5g">
|
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A new study suggests that direct cash payments like the tax credit might meaningfully alter the neurological development of newborns in families that receive the money. The paper, <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/119/5/e2115649119">published today</a> in the <em>Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</em> (<em>PNAS</em>), examines an <a href="https://www.babysfirstyears.com/">experiment</a> called Baby’s First Years that has been giving one group of hundreds of low-income mothers $20 per month for several years, and has been giving another group $333 per month over that same period. The experiment hopes to explore the neurological effects of large-scale cash transfers on the development of young children, akin to those conducted in 2021 through the child tax credit.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="DXQVhn">
|
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The <em>PNAS</em> paper, the first to come out of the Baby’s First Years experiment, compares brain wave activity in infants in households receiving $20 per month to infants in households receiving $333 per month. What they find is striking: Babies in houses getting more money show more high-frequency or “fast” brain activity than babies in houses getting less money. That’s a sign that the cash gifts directly changed brain development, according to Kimberly Noble, a professor of neuroscience and education at Teachers College, Columbia University, and a co-author of the new study. “As kids get older, they tend to have more fast brain activity,” Noble said. “And kids who have more of that fast brain activity tend to score higher” in subsequent tests of cognitive ability.
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</p>
|
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="EdVMxo">
|
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Katie McLaughlin, a professor of psychology at Harvard not involved in the study who studies brain development in children, told me the <em>PNAS </em>paper is “maybe one of the most important papers to come out on the effects of early adversity on early development broadly, and brain development in particular.” Allyson Mackey, a professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania not involved in the study, agreed and argued the changes to brain wave patterns were highly significant: “My prediction is that the brain effects of cash transfer will grow as kids grow up.”
|
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</p>
|
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="7goK76">
|
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|
|
After the paper’s release, other commentators have been more reserved, with prominent Columbia statistician <a href="https://statmodeling.stat.columbia.edu/2022/01/25/im-skeptical-of-that-claim-that-cash-aid-to-poor-mothers-
|
|||
|
|
increases-brain-activity-in-babies/">Andrew Gelman arguing</a> that “the data are too noisy to learn anything useful about the effects of this particular treatment on this particular outcome.” King’s College London psychologist <a href="https://twitter.com/StuartJRitchie/status/1486096592503455750">Stuart Ritchie was similarly skeptical</a> about the usefulness of brain scans in infants, and about the authors’ decision to include variables in their analysis that they didn’t “preregister,” or say they were going to look at before the study’s start.
|
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</p>
|
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="hVZRFv">
|
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|
|
The paper is especially relevant as Congress debates reauthorizing the expanded child tax credit. “This is the first study showing a monthly cash payment having a causal impact on kids,” Noble told me. And while we can <a href="https://link.vox.com/view/608adc1091954c3cef0282c3f1tdk.5eq/e75a4a3d">debate</a> how handing out cash to parents would affect those parents’ choices, Noble argues that the study “shifts attention to the children, who are blameless in terms of how they got to their life circumstances.”
|
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</p>
|
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="YIbJyz">
|
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|
|
Poor children did nothing to deserve being poor — and by making them less poor, cash payments seem like they may alleviate some of the developmental harms of poverty.
|
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</p>
|
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|
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<figure class="e-image">
|
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|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><img alt="Two mothers stand, each holding a baby. One woman carries a
|
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|
|
sign that reads “Congress must continue the child tax credit!”" src="https://cdn.vox-
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|
|
cdn.com/thumbor/2MZoOK22xV8m13SRkzy1-qLEXgI=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-
|
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|
|
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23185925/GettyImages_1358862098.jpg"/> <cite>Alex Wong/Getty Images</cite></p>
|
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|
|
<figcaption>
|
|||
|
|
A pair of mothers and their babies join a rally in front of the US Capitol in December to urge the extension of the expanded child tax credit.
|
|||
|
|
</figcaption>
|
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|
|
</figure>
|
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|
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<h3 id="Ko3ECq">
|
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|
|
Brain waves, explained for babies (and other non-neuroscientists)
|
|||
|
|
</h3>
|
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="kEtZ3f">
|
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I have <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-
|
|||
|
|
politics/2017/7/17/15364546/universal-basic-income-review-stern-murray-automation">written</a> a <a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2019/3/6/18249290/child-poverty-american-family-act-sherrod-brown-michael-
|
|||
|
|
bennet">lot</a> about <a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/22280404/mitt-romney-child-allowance-tax-credit-
|
|||
|
|
biden">cash</a> <a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2019/11/25/20973151/givedirectly-basic-income-kenya-study-
|
|||
|
|
stimulus">programs</a>, especially cash programs for parents, but I’m a policy journalist, not a neuroscientist. So my big questions when I first heard about the <em>PNAS</em> study were: What is a brain wave? And why should I care if it’s fast or slow?
|
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|
|
</p>
|
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|
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="cfLjRc">
|
|||
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|
This is the very, very simplified answer I got from Noble: One way that neurons in your brain communicate with each other, transmitting instructions and information, is through electrical signals. Some of these signals are sent at a very rapid pace; some are sent more slowly. Neuroscientists use Greek letters to distinguish low-frequency from high-frequency brain waves; “delta waves” are the lowest frequency signals detected in the brain, and “gamma waves” are the highest.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ihhTdc">
|
|||
|
|
For nearly a century, researchers have used a technique called electroencephalography (EEG) to measure brain waves by placing electrodes on the scalp that can respond to electrical activity in the brain. One innovation of the Baby’s First Years study is conducting EEGs in infants’ homes, rather than in a lab, which might be unfamiliar and stressful. Sonya Troller-Renfree, a postdoctoral fellow at Teachers College and the study’s lead author, helped to pioneer infant-friendly protocols for such research by using a portable EEG cap that babies can wear in their homes. Troller-Renfree wasn’t at liberty to share photos for this article, but she showed me a few privately; the EEG hats look like swim caps, or tight-fitting winter hats, with straps you can fasten around the chin.
|
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|
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</p>
|
|||
|
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Sd7Ixq">
|
|||
|
|
Going into the study, the authors hypothesized that they would see more high- frequency brain waves in babies whose families received substantial cash. That might indicate that the babies’ cognitive functions are developing more quickly. “On average, several higher-order skills, things like language development, tend to be associated with more of that fast brain activity,” Noble said. “Infants and toddlers with more of that fast brain activity often develop more verbal proficiency, higher social/emotional skills, other forms of cognitive skills.”
|
|||
|
|
</p></li>
|
|||
|
|
</ul>
|
|||
|
|
<h3 id="r3HQiy">
|
|||
|
|
What cash does to baby brains
|
|||
|
|
</h3>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="lozy6r">
|
|||
|
|
The Baby’s First Years experiment began in 2018 with a cohort of new mothers; the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/07/upshot/stimulus-children-poverty-
|
|||
|
|
brain.html">experiment recruited participants</a> in hospital maternity wards in New York City, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Omaha, and New Orleans, screening specifically for mothers with low incomes. The newly released study is based on EEGs of 1-year-olds conducted in 2019. In 2020 and 2021, the researchers behind the experiment suspended in-person data collection due to Covid-19; they judged it not safe for survey-takers to visit private homes indoors. They’re hoping later this year to return to in-person data collection, but as it stands, the only EEG data that exists is for 1-year- olds.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="RrfCLZ">
|
|||
|
|
The researchers argue the data confirmed their hypothesis: There was more high-frequency brain wave activity in children whose families got $333 a month. The cash seemed to lead to more high-frequency, or fast, brain activity. For the highest-frequency gamma brain waves, the effect size of cash was 0.23 standard deviations, which in education research would be <a href="https://scholar.harvard.edu/files/mkraft/files/kraft_2019_effect_sizes.pdf">considered a large effect</a>.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="OxamVn">
|
|||
|
|
That said, almost no research to date, other than <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15532128/">studies about Romanian children raised in government institutions</a> and randomized to receive either high-quality foster care or remain in the institution, measured the effects of social policies on infants’ EEG results. It’s just uncharted territory. So comparing to the effect size of, say, <a href="https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w21766/w21766.pdf">preschool</a> or <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959475219303093">tutoring</a> on test scores doesn’t necessarily tell us much.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ui9GCD">
|
|||
|
|
“We cannot do an apples-to-apples comparison because we do not have brain waves data for other interventions,” Katherine Magnuson, a professor in the school of social work at the University of Wisconsin and another co-author on the study, told me. Lisa Gennetian, a professor of public policy at Duke and another co-author, chimed in after Magnuson: “There isn’t another apple. There isn’t even an orange.”
|
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|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="YLNKAk">
|
|||
|
|
Noble stressed that the brain wave activity here at least correlates with outcomes later in life in other studies. Romanian children raised in institutional care had <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20497899/">more low-frequency brain activity</a>, and less high-frequency brain activity, and also were likelier to show ADD or ADHD behaviors later on. Prior studies looking at EEG scans of infants and toddlers have found that <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2610686/">the rate of high-frequency gamma brain waves</a> <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21295619/">is correlated to better language abilities</a> and <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27003830/">memory</a> later in the child’s life. Those results aren’t necessarily causal; it’s not clear that having different brain activity causes, in some sense, better language abilities later on. But the fact that they correlate is at least suggestive that children with fast brain wave activity whose mothers received the high cash gift might have better developmental outcomes in the future, too.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="iKBp2o">
|
|||
|
|
Some observers were more apprehensive about reaching strong conclusions from the study. <a href="https://statmodeling.stat.columbia.edu/2022/01/25/im-skeptical-of-that-claim-that-cash-aid-to-poor-mothers-
|
|||
|
|
increases-brain-activity-in-babies/">Columbia’s Gelman notes</a> that before the study was conducted, when the researchers “preregistered” their hypothesis, they stated that they expected an increase in alpha and gamma waves and a decrease in theta waves. Only the gamma waves result was statistically significant. There’s some possibility that by random chance, if you compare enough wave types, <em>one</em> of them will seem significantly different, even if there’s no actual effect on babies’ brains. (Psychiatrist and blogger Scott Alexander <a href="https://astralcodexten.substack.com/p/against-that-poverty-and-infant-eegs">explains this “multiple comparisons” phenomenon well in this post</a>.) The paper also includes effects on beta waves, which were significant but weren’t in the preregistered hypothesis; generally speaking, adding new variables that weren’t preregistered is frowned upon in science.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="BhKWUi">
|
|||
|
|
Noble notes that all of these details were included in the paper, and argues that the results are robust because of what is known as “regional analysis” — analysis that looks at where in the brain differences between the high-cash and low-cash children showed up. “If they had come from, say, parts of the brain that support vision, we might have been very skeptical that we were seeing something meaningful,” Noble wrote me in an email. “But they came from parts of the brain that are critical for supporting higher-order thinking.”
|
|||
|
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</p>
|
|||
|
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="SaFuoi">
|
|||
|
|
The study was also not equipped to determine which mechanisms were most important in driving the brain wave results. But it’s not hard to imagine mechanisms by which cash for parents could help children. “My first hunch is that you’re reducing parental stress and giving parents more bandwidth, time, and emotional and cognitive energy to be spending with their kids,” said McLaughlin, the Harvard psychology professor.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="132PSZ">
|
|||
|
|
But what’s exciting is that because Baby’s First Years is a randomized experiment — meaning that the only systematic difference between the two study groups was how much money they received — we can be reasonably confident the cash is a primary cause of whatever changes the researchers find in babies’ brains, if their statistical analysis is reliable. And we can be reasonably confident it will be a causative factor in whatever future outcomes the Baby’s First Years researchers find.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Li2xut">
|
|||
|
|
“Ten years from now, this will not be the only or the most important finding,” Magnuson told me. There’s plenty more the study is about to learn about what cash payments, similar to those the Biden administration pioneered, do for the development of young children.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="05jcGK">
|
|||
|
|
<strong>Update, January 27, 3:50 pm: </strong>This article has been updated to incorporate criticisms of the study made after its initial release, as well as the researchers’ responses to those criticisms.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-the-hindu-sports">From The Hindu: Sports</h1>
|
|||
|
|
<ul>
|
|||
|
|
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Australian Open 2022 | Nadal through to final, stays on track for record 21st major</strong> - Nearly all of the long rallies in the first two sets went the sixth-seeded Spanish left-hander’s way.</p></li>
|
|||
|
|
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Ranji Trophy to be held in two phases: Jay Shah</strong> - Mr. Shah noted that his team is working closely to mitigate any kind of health risk caused by the pandemic, while ensuring a highly competitive red-ball cricket contest</p></li>
|
|||
|
|
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Indian cricket will be spineless if Ranji trophy is ignored: Ravi Shastri</strong> - If it is not held this year, it will severely affect the BCCI’s feeder line like the India A team, which is primarily selected on the basis of Rani Trophy performances</p></li>
|
|||
|
|
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>F1 extends Singapore Grand Prix contract until 2028</strong> - The race has generated more than S$1.5 billion in incremental tourism receipts and drawn more than 5,50,000 unique international visitors to Singapore since its debut, according to organisers</p></li>
|
|||
|
|
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Australian Open 2022 | 44-year history on the line for Barty in Australian final</strong> - Barty goes into January 29 final on a 10-match winning streak and having lost just 21 games in six matches without dropping a set. She has also won 81 of her past 82 service games</p></li>
|
|||
|
|
</ul>
|
|||
|
|
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-the-hindu-national-news">From The Hindu: National News</h1>
|
|||
|
|
<ul>
|
|||
|
|
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Poultry sector objects to making their farms assessable for gram panchayat taxes</strong> - They contend that poultry farming is not a commercial, but an agricultural activity much like sericulture where silkworms are cultivated to produce silk</p></li>
|
|||
|
|
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>India to convert 150 villages into ‘Villages of Excellence’ with technical help from Israel: Tomar</strong> - The Israel government has established 29 Centre of Excellence (CoEs) in 12 States</p></li>
|
|||
|
|
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Land registrations, particularly of agri lands pick up, as govt is set to revise market values of lands</strong> - Revised market values likely to be effective February 1</p></li>
|
|||
|
|
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Omicron hits restaurant industry hard with 30% fall in revenues</strong> - Jayesh Ranjan launches city chapter of National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI)</p></li>
|
|||
|
|
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Debate in Parliament and not jeer at each other for nation to be world leader: SC</strong> - ‘After 75 years of Independence, elected members are expected to show statesmanship and not brinkmanship’</p></li>
|
|||
|
|
</ul>
|
|||
|
|
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-bbc-europe">From BBC: Europe</h1>
|
|||
|
|
<ul>
|
|||
|
|
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Ukraine crisis: Biden warns Russia may invade next month</strong> - Tens of thousands of Russian troops are at Ukraine’s border, sparking fears of an invasion.</p></li>
|
|||
|
|
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Ukraine crisis: Vladimir Putin’s geopolitical jigsaw</strong> - Invasion or fear strategy: the Russian leader keeps everyone guessing on his real plans for Ukraine.</p></li>
|
|||
|
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<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Ukraine crisis: BBC tries to track down official bomb shelters in Kyiv</strong> - Ukrainian authorities have mapped out Kyiv’s bomb shelters, but can the BBC’s Sarah Rainsford find them?</p></li>
|
|||
|
|
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Aldo Moro: Note announcing murdered Italy PM’s abduction sold at auction</strong> - The note, which sold for €26,000, announced Aldo Moro’s abduction by communist insurgents in 1978.</p></li>
|
|||
|
|
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Disney: Minnie Mouse to swap her dress for a trouser suit</strong> - The iconic cartoon mouse is getting a temporary outfit makeover, to mixed reviews from Disney fans.</p></li>
|
|||
|
|
</ul>
|
|||
|
|
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-ars-technica">From Ars Technica</h1>
|
|||
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<ul>
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<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Rocket Report: NASA boosts commercial launch, Another Chinese Falcon 9?</strong> - Also, we enjoy more renderings of Chinese rockets that look like a Falcon 9. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1828168">link</a></p></li>
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<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Exploring mind-bending questions about reality and virtual worlds via The Matrix</strong> - NYU philosopher David Chalmers chats with Ars about his new book <em>Reality+</em>. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1827805">link</a></p></li>
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<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Microsoft fends off record-breaking 3.47 Tbps DDoS attack</strong> - While a crude brute-force attack, DDoSes are growing ever more potent. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1829974">link</a></p></li>
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<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Biologists name new species of branching worm after legendary King Ghidorah</strong> - Only two other species of these rare, curious beasts have been discovered to date. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1827794">link</a></p></li>
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<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Omicron-specific vaccine boosters are now in humans as trials begin</strong> - The boosters may be ready in March, but what comes next is anyone’s guess. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1829980">link</a></p></li>
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</ul>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-jokes-subreddit">From Jokes Subreddit</h1>
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<ul>
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<li><strong>A soldier ran up to a nun. Out of breath he asked, “Please, may I hide under your skirt. I’ll explain later.”</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
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<div class="md">
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
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The nun agreed…
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
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A moment later two Military Police ran up and asked, “Sister, have you seen a soldier?”
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
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The nun replied, “He went that way.”
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
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After the MPs ran off, the soldier crawled out from under her skirt and said, “I can’t thank you enough, sister. You see, I don’t want to go to Iraq.”
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
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The nun said, “I understand completely.”
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
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The soldier added, “I hope I’m not rude, but you have a great pair of legs!”
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
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The nun replied, “If you had looked a little higher, you would have seen a great pair of balls…. I don’t want to go to Iraq either…
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</p>
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</div>
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<!-- SC_ON -->
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Adnan22khan"> /u/Adnan22khan </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/semkzb/a_soldier_ran_up_to_a_nun_out_of_breath_he_asked/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/semkzb/a_soldier_ran_up_to_a_nun_out_of_breath_he_asked/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
|
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<li><strong>A girl was a prostitute, but she didn’t want her grandma to know.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
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<div class="md">
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
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One day, the police raided a whole group of prostitutes at a sex party in a hotel and the girl was among them.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
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The police took them outside and had all the prostitutes line up along the driveway when suddenly, the girl’s grandma came by and saw her granddaughter.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
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Grandma asked, “Why are you standing in line here, dear?”
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
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Not willing to let her grandmother know the truth, the girl told her grandmother that the policemen were there passing out free oranges and she was just lining up for some.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
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“Why, that’s awfully nice of them. I think I’ll get some for myself,” and she proceeded to the back of the line.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
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A policeman was going down the line asking for information from all of the prostitutes.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
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When he got to Grandma, he was bewildered and exclaimed, “Wow, still going at it at your age? How do you do it?”
|
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</p>
|
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
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Grandma replied,
|
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
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“Oh, it’s easy, dear. I just take my dentures out, rip the skin back and suck them dry.”
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</p>
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</div>
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<!-- SC_ON -->
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/WorldlyReplacement63"> /u/WorldlyReplacement63 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/sedm9s/a_girl_was_a_prostitute_but_she_didnt_want_her/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/sedm9s/a_girl_was_a_prostitute_but_she_didnt_want_her/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
|
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|
<li><strong>A wife was making a breakfast of fried eggs for her husband…</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
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<div class="md">
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
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Suddenly, her husband burst into the kitchen. “Careful,” he said, “CAREFUL! Put in some more butter! Oh my gosh! You’re cooking too many at once. TOO MANY! Turn them! TURN THEM NOW! We need more butter. Oh my gosh! WHERE are we going to get MORE BUTTER? They’re going to STICK! Careful. CAREFUL! I said be CAREFUL! You NEVER listen to me when you’re cooking! Never! Turn them! Hurry up! Are you CRAZY? Have you LOST your mind? Don’t forget to salt them. You know you always forget to salt them. Use the salt. USE THE SALT! THE SALT!”
|
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</p>
|
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
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The wife stared at him. “What in the world is wrong with you? You think I don’t know how to fry a couple of eggs?”
|
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</p>
|
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
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|
The husband calmly replied, “I just wanted to show you what it feels like when I’m driving.”
|
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</p>
|
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</div>
|
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<!-- SC_ON -->
|
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|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/dkb52"> /u/dkb52 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/sed6id/a_wife_was_making_a_breakfast_of_fried_eggs_for/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/sed6id/a_wife_was_making_a_breakfast_of_fried_eggs_for/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
|
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|
|
<li><strong>A man is in court. The Judges says,“on the 3rd August you are accused of killing your wife by beating her to death with a hammer, how do you plead?”</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
|
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<div class="md">
|
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
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“Guilty”, said the man in the dock. At this point a man at the back of the court stood up and shouted “You dirty rat!” The Judge asked the man to site down and to refrain from making any noise. The Judge continued “….. and that also on the 17th September you are accused of killing your son by beating him to death with a hammer, how do you plead”? “Guilty”, said the man in the dock. Again the same man at the back stood up and shouted even louder, “You dirty rotten stinking rat”!! At this point the Judge called the man to the bench and said, “I have already asked you to be quiet, if you continue with these outbursts, I will have to charge you with contempt of court. I can understand your feelings, but what relationship have you to this man?” He replied “He is my next door neighbor”. The Judge replied, “I can understand your feelings then, but you must refrain from any comments”. The man replied “NO, your Honor, you don’t understand. Twice I have asked if I could borrow a hammer, and BOTH TIMES he said he didn’t have one”!!!
|
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|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
</div>
|
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|
|
<!-- SC_ON -->
|
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|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/KathleenSnellhpDV"> /u/KathleenSnellhpDV </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/sdxqdj/a_man_is_in_court_the_judges_sayson_the_3rd/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/sdxqdj/a_man_is_in_court_the_judges_sayson_the_3rd/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
|
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|
|
<li><strong>A Chinese general, an American Officer, and a random drunk asshole sit down in a bar and start to brag.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
|
|||
|
|
<div class="md">
|
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
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|
|
“If all our bombers were to be airborne at once,” says the American, “you wouldn’t be able to see any part of the sky”.
|
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|
|
</p>
|
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|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
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|
|
“Hah” boasts the Chinese General, “if all our soldiers were to march at once, you wouldn’t be able to see an inch of the ground.”
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
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|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
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|
|
The situation grows tense, and the drunk guy says “I know a guy in town who has a cock that’s two feet long!”
|
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|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
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|
|
An embarrassed silence falls, as he’s essentially called their bluff.
|
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|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
|||
|
|
The American shrugs. “I suppose, if all our bombers rose, you could see some of the sky. I may have exaggerated.”
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
|||
|
|
“Yes, yes”, says the Chinese general grudgingly, “if all our soldiers marched together, surely you could see some of the ground. Let’s be real.”
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
|||
|
|
“Well, okay ,” the drunk guy says , “Maybe my guy lives a little outside of town .”
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
</div>
|
|||
|
|
<!-- SC_ON -->
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/whoarewetointerfere"> /u/whoarewetointerfere </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/se91zv/a_chinese_general_an_american_officer_and_a/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/se91zv/a_chinese_general_an_american_officer_and_a/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
|
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|
|
</ul>
|
|||
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|
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|
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