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<h1 data-aos="fade-down" id="daily-dose">Daily-Dose</h1>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" data-aos-anchor-placement="top-bottom" id="contents">Contents</h1>
<ul>
<li><a href="#from-new-yorker">From New Yorker</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-vox">From Vox</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-the-hindu-sports">From The Hindu: Sports</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-the-hindu-national-news">From The Hindu: National News</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-bbc-europe">From BBC: Europe</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-ars-technica">From Ars Technica</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-jokes-subreddit">From Jokes Subreddit</a></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-new-yorker">From New Yorker</h1>
<ul>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The New Doves on Ukraine</strong> - Could the U.S. prevent a war by giving up on NATO expansion? - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/annals-of-inquiry/the-new-doves-on-ukraine">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Did Omicron Come from Mice?</strong> - Throughout the pandemic, SARS-CoV-2 has transmitted easily from humans to other species. Some scientists now believe that animals could spread new variants back to us. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/science/elements/did-omicron-come-from-mice">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>What the “Involution” Olympics in Beijing Suggest About Chinas Future</strong> - The Winter Games are constrained not only by the pandemic but also by the Communist Partys determination to suppress any challenge that could test its grip. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/what-the-involution-olympics-in-beijing-suggest-about-chinas-%20future">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Hidden Mothers of Family Photos</strong> - The female image is ubiquitous on social media, yet when it comes to pictures of parents with their children many moms feel disappeared. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-hidden-mothers-of-family-photos">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A Gambling Sharp Breaks Into the N.F.L.</strong> - Warren Sharp says hes the only analyst “in the betting space” who works with N.F.L. teams. Do those dual roles constitute a conflict of interest? - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/sports/sporting-scene/a-gambling-sharp-breaks-into-the-nfl">link</a></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-vox">From Vox</h1>
<ul>
<li><strong>How gray wolves divided America</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="A gray wolf standing alone on a barren estuary." src="https://cdn.vox-
cdn.com/thumbor/4M4GKFBKtvu3819Ho_5BfD9PCY4=/0x0:4000x3000/1310x983/cdn.vox-
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70501379/GettyImages_1166676884.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
A federal judge restored protections for gray wolves in much of the US. | Getty Images
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Many people love wolves. How did saving them become so controversial?
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="qLH8yX">
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="tbeLwO">
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="80x7ab">
After a 15-month break, the gray wolf is back on the endangered species list. That might sound like bad news, but its actually seen as a major victory for the iconic species, which is revered by Indigenous tribes and a powerful symbol of wildlife conservation.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="NMtppa">
The gray wolf gained the protections of “endangered” status in <a href="https://www.vox.com/22371558/montana-wolves-hunting-
deer-elk-moose">1974</a> but lost them in 2020 when the Trump administration removed the animal from the list. The <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/10/climate/wolves-endangered-species-list.html">Biden administration defended the removal in court</a>, but a federal judge overturned it on Thursday and restored protections for the species across much of the US. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and the Biden administration now have 60 days to decide whether or not to appeal.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="G1neHv">
Environmental groups <a href="https://defenders.org/newsroom/judge-restores-federal-
protections-gray-wolves">applauded</a> US District Judge Jeremy Whites<strong> </strong>ruling, which comes less than a year after hunters in Wisconsin killed <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/03/us/wisconsin-wolves-
killings.html">more than 200 wolves</a> in three days, exceeding the limit set by state officials. Lawmakers in<strong> </strong><a href="https://www.vox.com/22371558/montana-wolves-hunting-deer-elk-moose">Montana</a> and <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/idaho-bill-90-percent-of-wolves-to-be-killed">Idaho</a> have also<strong> </strong>passed a suite of bills that allow hunters to kill more wolves with tactics that conservation groups have called <a href="https://www.vox.com/22371558/montana-wolves-hunting-deer-elk-moose">cruel</a>. But Whites decision will not affect all of these populations: It only applies to wolves that live outside of the Northern Rockies (Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming) and New Mexico, where they were already protected.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="vTMBm7">
But what is an endangered species, anyway? The answer is surprisingly complicated, said John Vucetich, a renowned wolf expert and professor at Michigan Technological University. Vucetich led one of the longest-running research projects of any animal, in Isle Royale National Park, a set of islands in Lake Superior. He told Vox that wolves deserve to be protected — but theyve gotten caught up in the culture wars, which gave them the reputation as one of the nations most controversial species.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="kbLlbO">
Our conversation has been edited for clarity and length.
</p>
<h3 id="8ONeWl">
Sibling rivalries and food fights: Wolf packs are like human families
</h3>
<h4 id="mAA6hu">
Benji Jones
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="qJAP5b">
Whats it like to get to know a wolf?
</p>
<h4 id="ckP6mQ">
John Vucetich
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ha7JWZ">
Wolves<strong> </strong>live in families. We call them packs, but it is literally a family — typically a pair of parents and their offspring. Sometimes theres an uncle or cousin or grandparent.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="qX3gYo">
The nature of our fieldwork allows us to follow individual wolves from one day to the next. During our field season, which lasts about seven weeks, we get a really intimate view of what the wolves are doing and how theyre relating to one another. We get to know them as individuals. And all wolves are individuals.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="hF3t3y">
If you think the dynamics within a human family or between human families are interesting and complicated — think of <em>Romeo and Juliet</em> or <em>West Side Story</em> — the same complexities occur within and between wolf packs. Im not exaggerating. Sibling rivalries, parent-offspring conflicts, and then conflicts between families … its mostly focused on access to reproduction or food.
</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " src="https://cdn.vox-
cdn.com/thumbor/1p3XK7MBKk0W8dazGIOAX3S_4zo=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23235727/GettyImages_961493134.jpg"/> <cite>Getty Images</cite></figure></li>
</ul>
<figcaption>
Gray wolves in Montana.
</figcaption>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="wjoJ8B">
Their lives are really difficult because of how difficult it is to get food. The lifespan of a wolf is about 12 years, but in the wild, its about four. The most common causes of death are starvation and wolves killing one another, and when theyre killing one another, theyre typically fighting over food.
</p>
<h3 id="y3hJwk">
When is an animal endangered?
</h3>
<h4 id="zbS0uk">
Benji Jones
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="fCRUB8">
Gray wolves received federal protection under the Endangered Species Act. Then wolves in most states lost protection under the Trump administration. This new ruling restores those protections. How did we get here?
</p>
<h4 id="jvRRxN">
John Vucetich
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="2YYClJ">
The big picture is pretty simple. We, as an American people and the Fish and Wildlife Service, havent figured out what it means for a species to be endangered or not. And if you dont understand what it means to be endangered, then you cant reliably rule whether particular species like wolves are endangered or not.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="xey4kx">
We know, very clearly, that gray squirrels and rabbits are not endangered. We know that tigers are endangered. The question is really about where the boundary lies.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="VktvwJ">
Thats what was at stake in the court case — and thats whats at stake with any future decisions about wolves. In a very narrow sense, wolves are re-listed because of a judges decision. Thats because a few environmental organizations <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/534232-green-groups-sue-after-trump-administration-lifts-
protections-for">sued</a> to restore the protections.
</p>
<h4 id="SByNXp">
Benji Jones
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="IymCvw">
How do we still not know where to draw that line? The Endangered Species Act has been around for nearly half a century.
</p>
<h4 id="df9ZL2">
John Vucetich
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="FCUytL">
From one perspective, its absolutely baffling. When the Endangered Species Act was created in 1973, among the first things it did was list species that had already been considered<strong> </strong>endangered for a long time. It just created a category for them. Many of these species were in such a dire condition that there wasnt really a need to know where the line was.
</p>
<h4 id="BYHq74">
Benji Jones
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="xgspSc">
How do you understand the question of what makes a species endangered? And where do wolves fit in?
</p>
<h4 id="ZwDdkq">
John Vucetich
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="bvIijz">
In the last couple of hundred years, in particular, humans have not done well by quite a few species. So, the question is: When have we done enough harm to say, “Thats enough, and corrective action is required”?
</p>
<div class="c-float-left">
<figure class="e-image">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><img alt=" " src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/80SXigBjy3lXS1YjXyvH4zyG6-8=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23235292/john_green_hat_JE1H7787.jpg"/> <cite>Courtesy of R. Peterson</cite></p>
<figcaption>
John Vucetich, a renowned wolf expert and biology professor at Michigan Technological University.
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Y6vVxo">
The slightly more technical aspect here involves a debate about the legal definition of an endangered species. It is, verbatim, “a species that is at risk of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range.” Its this phrase that has really captured a lot of attention.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="K39RVr">
Over the past 15 to 20 years, the Fish and Wildlife Service has made decisions that hinge on its interpretation of that definition. And this lawsuits concern was basically that the FWS hasnt yet answered the question: What is an endangered species? This court decision reinforces the need for that.
</p>
<h4 id="zWRuZZ">
Benji Jones
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="LcJtxF">
Do you think that the gray wolf is still at risk of extinction?
</p>
<h4 id="VonTXI">
John Vucetich
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="tYVlvc">
Wolves absolutely do not fit the definition of a recovered species. Wolves, unquestionably, are to be considered legally endangered.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="aTYw9Y">
There are a lot of wolves in the world, and a good number of them are in the Lower 48. But a species isnt considered endangered only if its at imminent risk of extinction. Its about when have humans done enough damage to a species that corrective action is required.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="K4MTKU">
Go back to that legal definition — that language, “throughout all or a significant portion of its range.” Its the basis for asking the question: How much damage is too much? In the Lower 48, wolves currently occupy about 15 percent of their historic range. Its really hard to imagine that you could lose 85 percent of the species range and say, “Thats no big deal.”
</p>
<h3 id="4V1Bm0">
How gray wolves divided America
</h3>
<h4 id="o9vtxv">
Benji Jones
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="69RzmR">
It seems like few animals are as controversial as gray wolves in the US these days. How did they become so politicized?
</p>
<h4 id="vCMNYv">
John Vucetich
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="FHukAD">
If you look at sociological data, wolves are not controversial. The Endangered Species Act is also not at all controversial. Even people who self-identify as Republicans or politically conservative have really strong, positive views about the Act.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="5tnLTY">
The controversy does not come from constituents. It comes from special interest groups leaning hard on members of Congress. One would be gun rights advocates. Theyve decided that wolf recovery is a bad idea. Land rights advocates, too, have tended to take a strong position against the Act, more so than wolves alone. Farmers and ranchers also have a strong lobbying group.
</p>
<h4 id="JpXpFw">
Benji Jones
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="A6cvC4">
Why are these groups so against wolves?
</p>
<h4 id="Q8ckOm">
John Vucetich
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="gJX1uQ">
The intensity and the vitriol doesnt match anyones real-world experience of what wolves actually do. Wolves have long been symbols for all thats good — and all thats evil — in the world.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Kc7eIr">
I think they may have been co-opted into the culture wars. The boundaries dont always make sense — what do abortion, immigration, climate change, and wolves have in common? Theres also the so-called rural-urban divide. Rural people have a tendency to be less supportive of wolves, which maps onto some elements of the culture wars as well.
</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><img alt=" " src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/DRrxa-
OxHJ1ma0Q2PxEnZvKwWDQ=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23235923/GettyImages_523649758.jpg"/> <cite>Getty Images</cite></p>
<figcaption>
An injured moose in Isle Royale National Park wearing a radio collar.
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h4 id="hWxOrQ">
Benji Jones
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ChsxAg">
What has working with wolves taught you about saving species?
</p>
<h4 id="JBD9CQ">
John Vucetich
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="CTUJEc">
My greatest understanding of humans is through and about wolves. Some people love them and some people hate them, and my greatest interest is to understand why we are the way we are. But Ive learned that no matter what side youre on, we have a deep inability to explain ourselves to each other.
</p>
<h4 id="OQVBjA">
Benji Jones
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="G0x0fj">
Has that made you rethink the larger goals of nature conservation?
</p>
<h4 id="uXNgEH">
John Vucetich
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="RY5FmN">
Without a doubt. There are two big shortcomings in conservation, and one is that not even conservation professionals agree about what it means to conserve nature.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="89oDCo">
Some people are interested in conservation for its own sake: There are species out there that weve done poorly by and we should conserve them no matter what value they are to humans, even if it means impairing human value. In contrast, there are people who believe we need to conserve nature because our well-being depends on it.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="qUYCWW">
Other people want to conserve nature but dont want to harm any individual animals to get there. This becomes important when it comes to <a href="https://www.vox.com/down-to-earth/22796160/invasive-species-climate-change-range-shifting">invasive species</a>. A lot of invasive species management is about killing them. Theres no agreement about what conservation means and what ultimately motivates it.
</p>
<h4 id="A6aXfl">
Benji Jones
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Ydare3">
Is there a “right” reason to conserve nature? Where do you fall?
</p>
<h4 id="DobWfU">
John Vucetich
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="qLlKXv">
I havent decided. If you are inflexible and say human well-being should always trump conservation, the future is very bleak for biodiversity. Whereas if conservation should always trump human well-being, theres an extraordinarily bleak future for human well- being.
</p>
<h4 id="ieltcB">
Benji Jones
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="zotnnT">
If wolves recover across their historic range, there will likely be even more backlash. How do we learn to live with these predators?
</p>
<h4 id="oqBDSt">
John Vucetich
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="4jX1Xi">
Most people dont have to do anything. Even if you live in wolf country, youre not likely to see one or be directly impacted by one. And if you are among the few people who do have a chance of encountering them, either through livestock depredation or through the loss of a pet, you just have to know a few things.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="fnjqJA">
Theres extremely good advice for how to take care of your pets, such as keeping your dog on a leash. There are also lots of husbandry practices that are known to reduce the risk of losing livestock. You cant make it zero in all cases. We just have to decide to create systems that compensate farmers in a reasonable way.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ZUmoOX">
We live on a very crowded planet. That crowding creates conflicts between humans, and between humans and biodiversity. We have to learn how to coexist and give up some of the things that we want so that other people can get by.
</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>New York Mayor Eric Adams is an imperfect vegan. And thats okay.</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/qVBPwi-
ypR8YeGkTrpbF6Lpj4s0=/167x0:2834x2000/1310x983/cdn.vox-
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70501291/GettyImages_1236340019.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
Eric Adams stops for lunch to try a vegan sandwich by Plantega at Marinellos Gourmet Deli in Brooklyn. As mayor, Adams has come under fire for occasionally eating fish while saying he eats a strict plant-based diet. | Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The mayors “fishgate” debacle highlights the need for more nuanced food politics.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="DSj8iC">
Vegans are often caricatured as ascetic zealots, ready to spill paint on the first person they see wearing a fur coat, or ruin the next dinner party they attend by sharing graphic details about how animals are turned into meat.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="E9cSLN">
But as with many social movements, a vocal minority has come to represent the whole, while the data tells a very different story of who is and isnt a vegan.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="qIIg1V">
For most people who try it, veganism is short-lived. A <a href="https://faunalytics.org/a-summary-of-faunalytics-study-of-
current-and-former-vegetarians-and-vegans/">study</a> in 2014 by animal advocacy group Faunalytics found that 84 percent of self-defined vegetarians and vegans eventually go back to eating meat. One <a href="https://www.esquire.com/uk/food-
drink/news/a16780/vegetarians-drunk-eating-meat/">survey</a> of 1,789 vegetarian Brits found that over one-third of them “cheat” when theyre drunk, and only one-fifth said they rarely drop their dietary standards. In fact, Faunalytics research found that a leading reason for people quitting vegetarianism and veganism was because it was too hard to maintain a “pure diet.”
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="kGFPEH">
In a recently published <a href="https://faunalytics.org/going-veg-many-paths/">follow-up study</a>, Faunalytics found that even among those who generally stick with veganism or vegetarianism months into their journey, a little over half still ate a small amount of animal products.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="tpczvm">
Knowing the average self-defined vegetarian eats meat now and then, and that most vegans quit, the news that New York City Mayor Eric Adams occasionally eats fish while saying he eats a strict plant-based diet came as no surprise to me — nor did the finger-pointing backlash in the media and on Twitter. (Disclosure: Mayor Adamss senior assistant is a friend of mine.)
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="nLwkzz">
Grub Street called allegations over his fish-eating “<a href="https://www.grubstreet.com/2022/02/vegan-mayor-eric-adams-may-be-a-
pescatarian.html">explosive</a>,” and Eater reported Adams was “under fire” for repeatedly ordering fish. When a Politico reporter asked an Adams spokesperson about the fish allegation on Saturday, the official <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2022/02/05/eric-adams-restaurant-00005935">denied it</a>. When pressed by reporters, days later, Adams <a href="https://www.politico.com/newsletters/new-york-playbook/2022/02/08/adams-embraces-facial-
recognition-00006587#:~:text=%E2%80%9CLet%20me%20be%20clear%3A%20Changing,eaten%20fish%2C%E2%80%9D%20he%20said.">replied</a>, “Let me be clear: Changing to a plant-based diet saved my life, and I aspire to be plant-based 100 percent of the time. I want to be a role model for people who are following or aspire to follow a plant-based diet, but as I said, I am perfectly imperfect, and have occasionally eaten fish.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="roHNHW">
Adamss spokesperson shouldnt have lied in the first place, especially when some suspect the mayor has <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/07/nyregion/eric-
adams-fish-vegan.html">stretched the truth</a> on other matters. But the initial denial wasnt surprising: When high- profile vegans bend the rules, the <a href="https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people-events/article/3002492/ariana-
grande-rawvana-5-vegan-celebrities-who-got">public reaction can get ugly</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="pNPoW2">
Critics are often quick to judge veganism as a strict ideology and lifestyle that demands far too much of its adherents, but when its adherents fail to meet those demands, those critics swiftly brand them as hypocrites. You just cant win if youre an imperfect human who is also concerned about animal agricultures enormous contribution to any number of problems — from <a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/22905381/meat-dairy-eggs-climate-change-emissions-rewilding">climate change</a> to <a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/21437054/chickens-factory-farming-animal-cruelty-
welfare">animal cruelty</a> to <a href="https://www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk/news/201603-plant-based-diets/">personal</a> and <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2021/05/10/farm-pollution-deaths/">public health crises</a> — and wants to adjust their diet accordingly, though maybe not completely.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="vyxiKM">
Its tempting to chalk up the melee over Adamss food choices to the cynical Twitter mob and political media set on scoring easy points against a politician <a href="https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/eric-adams-nyc-mayor/">unpopular</a> with much of the Democratic Partys left-of-center contingent (even if that unpopularity <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-01-18/two-thirds-of-new-yorkers-approve-of-mayor-adams-s-first-
weeks">isnt necessarily shared</a> with New York voters as a whole). But I think theres something bigger to be learned from it: our glaring inability to have a nuanced conversation about food choices and food politics.
</p>
<h3 id="EaBE3i">
The case for loosening the rules of veganism
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="pfvhUl">
You could say that Adams just shouldnt call himself a vegan or strictly plant-based if he eats <em>any</em> amount of animal products, but theres value to normalizing being an imperfect vegan — which is exactly what many vegans are.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="dJqUsK">
Voxs Jerusalem Demsas put it well in a <a href="https://twitter.com/JerusalemDemsas/status/1490709975026618375">tweet</a>: “Its bad that being 90% vegan or vegetarian means that youre no longer in the club. Would be a lot more valuable if 50% of people were vegan half the time than if just 2% of the population were vegan 100% of the time.”
</p>
<div id="49GOhK">
</div></li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" dir="ltr" lang="en">
This is right and its bad that being 90% vegan or vegetarian means that youre no longer in the club. <br/><br/>Would be a lot more valuable if 50% of people were vegan half the time than if just 2% of the population were vegan 100% of the time. <a href="https://t.co/ahZFvOr29s">https://t.co/ahZFvOr29s</a>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">— Jerusalem (<span class="citation" data-cites="JerusalemDemsas">@JerusalemDemsas</span>) <a href="https://twitter.com/JerusalemDemsas/status/1490709975026618375?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 7, 2022</a></p>
</blockquote>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Dpqouh">
The more purist sect of the vegan movement would disagree with that idea and disapprove of Adamss occasional fish consumption, arguing that any support of Americas cruel and polluting factory farm system is unjust. But most who advocate for veganism long enough begin to lower their expectations of people and institutions after learning just how difficult it is to influence one persons diet, let alone the <a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/22883795/food-industry-plant-based-vegan-meat-dairy-climate-
pledges">corporate</a> and <a href="https://www.vox.com/videos/2021/9/29/22700589/beef-industry-meat-production-future-
perfect">public policies</a> that shape how people eat.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="dtrR7A">
Loosening the rules of veganism, perhaps by elevating the fuzzy term “plant-based,” which Adams is more fond of using to describe himself than “vegan,” is a way to welcome more people into the club — hopefully inspiring more people to eat more vegan food even if not 100 percent of the time. Imagine how much smaller the climate movement would be if, to join, members could never travel by plane or buy new clothes (or eat a burger, for that matter).
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="7jJ0dy">
From the early 1990s to the early 2000s, the US vegan movement did primarily<strong> </strong>focus on a 100 percent, all-or-nothing approach to eating. That approach generated more attention for the cause, but didnt have much of an effect on broader food politics: Meat consumption <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/per-capita-meat-consumption-by-type-kilograms-per-year?country=~USA">continued to rise</a> while the share of vegans and vegetarians <a href="https://animalcharityevaluators.org/blog/is-the-
percentage-of-vegetarians-and-vegans-in-the-u-s-increasing/">went largely unchanged</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Ph6Lnu">
Even though Americans tell pollsters they dont want animals abused for food, its simply too hard for most people to become and stay vegan in a world not built for veganism. And most people are unwilling to pay a premium for the tiny sliver of animal products produced in higher-welfare conditions — that is, if <a href="https://www.vox.com/22838160/animal-
welfare-labels-meat-dairy-eggs-humane-humanewashing">such animal welfare claims can even be trusted</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="75ki6n">
So, over the last decade, much of the vegan movement embraced less-meat campaigns like Meatless Monday, Vegan Before 6 pm, Reducetarianism, and Weekday Vegetarianism. <a href="https://www.onestepforanimals.org/index.html">One group</a> simply advocates that people stop eating chickens, since they <a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/22430749/beef-chicken-climate-diet-vegetarian">suffer disproportionately</a> compared to cattle and pigs<strong> </strong><strong> </strong>and make up <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/animals-slaughtered-for-meat?country=~USA">95 percent</a> of land animals raised for food. In other words, a no-chicken diet has nearly the same impact on animal welfare as a vegetarian diet.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ZhUQoy">
That fact should call into question the utility of labels like “vegetarian” and “vegan,” since they fail to fully capture the real-world impact of food choices. Rather, thinking more about the <a href="https://animalvisuals.org/projects/1mc/">animal welfare</a>, <a href="https://www.vox.com/future-
perfect/22430749/beef-chicken-climate-diet-vegetarian">environmental</a>, and <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/wellness/from-fish-to-bacon-a-ranking-of-meats-in-order-of-
healthiness/2019/07/02/2de2dce0-9435-11e9-aadb-74e6b2b46f6a_story.html">health effects</a> of different animal products, and the quantity in which theyre consumed, is more useful — though this approach doesnt slot nicely into a simple label.
</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><img alt=" " src="https://cdn.vox-
cdn.com/thumbor/4KDKa7D4QmBTDs1aq0JyA1ANAC8=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23233829/chickencow.jpeg"/> <cite>Amanda Northrop/Vox</cite></p>
<figcaption>
Because chickens are so much smaller than pigs and cows, more chickens suffer for the food we eat.
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="kuqeed">
Whether this shift to more nuanced less-meat messaging has had a significant effect is also up for debate — Americans continue to eat <a href="https://www.dailylivestockreport.com/documents/dlr%2002-23-21.pdf">record amounts of meat</a>, though theyre also eating record amounts of <a href="https://www.plantbasedfoods.org/2020-retail-sales-data-
announcement/#:~:text=Plant%2Dbased%20food%20retail%20sales,to%20%247%20billion%20in%202020&amp;text=The%20plant%2Dbased%20food%20market,up%20on%20food%20amid%20lockdowns.">plant- based alternatives</a> (and <a href="https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/tofu-market">tofu</a>).
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="aDwlaH">
But the “less meat, more plants” messaging certainly helped make the conversation more palatable to Americans, only about <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/267074/percentage-americans-vegetarian.aspx">5 percent</a> of whom identify as vegetarian but around a <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/282779/nearly-one-four-cut-back-
eating-meat.aspx">quarter</a> of whom say they are cutting back on meat.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="LTq5q0">
Aside from messaging, theres no shortage of changes that could be easily made in grocery stores, restaurants, and other places where people eat that would influence them to consume more plant-based food, whether or not they think of themselves as vegetarian or vegan. Those changes include <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jan/26/plant-based-food-restaurants-
climate-menu-messages">notes on restaurant menus</a> that explain the environmental impact of meat, selling meat and dairy alternatives <a href="https://www.plantbasedfoods.org/marketplace/pbfa-and-kroger-plant-based-meat-study/">next to animal products</a> in grocery stores, placing <a href="https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/19_Report_Playbook_Plant-
Rich_Diets_final.pdf">vegetarian dishes</a> next to meat-based dishes on menus, and making plant-based food <a href="https://thebreakthrough.org/blog/alt-meat-prices-beef-and-emissions">more affordable</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="yXThPR">
But to really move the needle on reducing meat consumption — something humanity must do if were to get anywhere close to reaching <a href="https://www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk/news/change-what-we-eat-to-solve-the-climate-crisis/">Paris climate agreement targets</a> — we need to focus on politicians platforms more than their own food choices. That means implementing policies to modify<strong> </strong>meat-heavy menus with more plant-based foods, something Adams is bent on accomplishing.
</p>
<h3 id="EU6Ocr">
How Adams is trying to change the way New Yorkers eat
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="vT0Cob">
Both progressives and animal welfare supporters have serious gripes with some of Adamss policy proposals, such as bringing back <a href="https://www.thecity.nyc/2021/12/16/22840330/eric-adams-returns-solitary-confinement-to-rikers-
island">solitary confinement</a> to Rikers Island, rolling back <a href="https://pix11.com/news/local-news/adams-pushes-
for-major-changes-to-bail-reform-in-ny-as-crime-spikes/">cash bail reform</a>, and installing machines that drown city rats in an <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens-monday-edition-1.5276257/pickling-the-problem-
nyc-launches-alcohol-and-vinegar-trap-to-curb-rat-infestation-1.5276258">alcohol and vinegar solution</a>. (Notably, Adams has spoken more about going vegan for his health and the environment, rather than for <a href="https://www.gothamgazette.com/130-opinion/10922-mayor-adams-show-new-york-care-animal-rights">animal welfare</a>.)
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="zOmxkF">
At the same time, its difficult to find another politician whos as willing to challenge Americas unsustainable meat habit that other politicians, including many of his fellow Democrats, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/01/opinion/climate-sustainability-agriculture-lobby.html">help perpetuate</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="6iEr7s">
<a href="https://www.nycfoodpolicy.org/brooklyn-borough-president-eric-l-adams-on-food/">As Brooklyn borough president</a>, Adams advocated for Meatless Monday in 15 Brooklyn public schools (which was implemented), and worked with then-Mayor de Blasio to bring it to all 1,700 New York City public schools.
</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<pre><code> &lt;img alt=" " src="https://cdn.vox-</code></pre>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">cdn.com/thumbor/ugAReTxp5AJRrmoGwvBiihvVWis=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox- cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23233213/GettyImages_1135200158.jpg" /&gt; <cite>Spencer Platt/Getty Images</cite></p>
<pre><code> &lt;figcaption&gt;Cafeteria workers prepare a meatless lunch during a visit by then-New York Mayor Bill de Blasio and </code></pre>
Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza at PS130, a Brooklyn public school, for an announcement about Meatless Mondays.
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="YqAYHp">
He also advocated for Meatless Monday at 11 public hospitals, a plant- based nutrition program at Bellevue Hospital (which was also implemented and is now <a href="https://gothamist.com/food/mayor-adams-expand-plant-based-eating-clinic-all-five-boroughs">expanding city- wide</a>), and committed $1 million to urban agriculture. Now as mayor hes phasing in “<a href="https://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/news/2022/02/03/adams%E2%80%94nyc-public-schools-to-introduce%E2%80%94vegan-
fridays-">Vegan Fridays</a>” for the citys school lunch program.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="7Na9sh">
Of course, Vegan Fridays was criticized, too. Some <a href="https://thecounter.org/new-york-city-vegan-fridays-school-lunch-food-program-eric-
adams/">noted</a> that meals <a href="https://twitter.com/jenchung/status/1489645998104354817">werent totally vegan</a>, or they werent <a href="https://twitter.com/jessicaramos/status/1489667540699729921">sufficiently healthy</a>. Implementing city-wide changes to how citizens eat can be just as tough as change at the individual level, but I hope more of us give it a try — even if we do it imperfectly.
</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Kamila Valieva failed her drug test. Blame her coaches.</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-
cdn.com/thumbor/Uve4iFu6OJQDB2I1e8ZsrmVaSjo=/225x0:2430x1654/1310x983/cdn.vox-
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70498766/1238368716.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
Kamila Valieva and her coach Eteri Tutberidze. | Anne-Christine Poujoulat/AFP via Getty Images
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Russian skater Kamila Valieva is a minor. The adults in her life should be held responsible.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="osmqK6">
The big question surrounding 15-year-old Kamila Valieva is whether or not shell be allowed to skate in the Olympic womens individual event.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="SzNTk6">
The <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/10/sports/olympics/kamila-valieva-
trimetazidine.html">International Testing Agency (ITA) said</a> that Valieva, who helped the Russian women win the team event and became the first woman in history to land a quadruple jump at the Olympics, tested positive for trimetazidine, a banned heart medication that is purported to improve endurance. <a href="https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/figure-skating-russias-valieva-shows-up-practice-again-
beijing-2022-02-11/">Russia</a> wants her to skate, claiming a misunderstanding and perhaps Western jealousy. The ITA and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) will attend a hearing on behalf of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to appeal Russias decision to let her skate. The International Skating Union (ISU) will determine medals and results <a href="https://ita.sport/news/beijing-2022-the-ita-informs-on-figure-skater-kamila-valieva/">after the hearing,</a> which will happen before Tuesdays event.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="zD0qp4">
Lost in the shadow of this news, perhaps, are other important questions: how a 15-year-old girl got the medication, and why she would feel like taking it was a good idea.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="V9BCqu">
Valieva, along with her quad-landing teammates Alexandra Trusova and Anna Shcherbakova, all train with coach Eteri Tutberidze. Tutberidze is the single most dominant coach in womens figure skating, as her girls — most of her skaters become champions before the age of 18 — have taken home Olympic golds and silvers, World Championships, European Championships, and international champions.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="iOdwQV">
But amid all that success, none of Tutberidzes champions have gone to multiple Olympics. Theyve retired, many citing injury, in four-year windows. Even more distressing is how there seems to be a pattern of abusive practices when it comes to diet restriction and over- training.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="TRRxBI">
When the IOC, ISU, and Russia convene, theyll decide Valievas future. But it would behoove them and the sport to look beyond the athlete in question and also focus on the adults in charge.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="AfItCg">
Tutberidzes girls land jumps no other women in the world can do and are some of the most amazing skaters on the planet. But whats the price they pay to become so?
</p>
<h3 id="4AcjGE">
Kamila Valievas coach Eteri Tutberidze has a history of injured skaters and diet restrictions
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="OZDgcU">
The unfortunate truth about womens figure skating is that puberty is seen as the enemy. Smaller, leaner skaters have an advantage because of the physics involved. Lighter skaters have an easier time getting up in the air; having less mass and being narrow allows them to spin faster (think of a pencil, spinning between your fingers). Because puberty tends to add weight, height, and more fat to a womans body, its not uncommon to see it adversely affect female skaters. Weve seen that skaters can hit more difficult jumps before they hit puberty, and then lose those jumps as their bodies change. Its not impossible for female skaters to regain those highly difficult jumps post-puberty, but they remain the exception rather than the norm.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="uTTUdO">
The downside to this, as you might expect in any elite sport, is coaches and athletes will try to physically change athletes bodies to keep or obtain those advantages. Hence, womens figure skating is a sport thats peppered with athletes who have had <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/archive/ca/entry/figure-skating-eating-
disorders_a_23359385">eating disorders</a> like bulimia and anorexia.
</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="
" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/1LPesYFCvKBnyfWWCXx_hy991rw=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23235492/1040294400.jpg"/> <cite>Fredrik von Erichsen/picture alliance via Getty Images</cite>
<figcaption>
Yulia Lipnitskaya performs at the Sochi Olympics.
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="kERAcQ">
And some of those stories have come from Eteri Tutberidzes former students.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="N4i5ze">
Back in 2014, Yulia Lipnitskaya became one of the Olympic Games breakout stars when she won a gold medal at 15. She was known for her spins and incredible flexibility. After Sochi 2014, she had middling results and ended her career in 2017 while suffering from a knee injury. In September of that year, <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/winter/figure-
skating/olympic-champ-lipnitskaya-anorexia-1.4285781">she revealed</a> to the Russian press she had been suffering from anorexia for “not just for one year, or two, or three” years and sought treatment at a rehab center in Israel. At the time, there were <a href="https://aleteia.org/2017/12/29/a-troubling-trend-among-olympic-figure-skaters/">reports</a> that Lipnitskaya was encouraged by Tutberidzes team to sustain herself through “<a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2018/2/16/eating-disorders-the-dark-side-of-figure-skating">powdered nutrients</a>” to keep the weight off.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="rtzsKN">
Lipnitskaya never made it to the 2018 Olympics, where Tutberidzes dynamic duo of Alina Zagitova and Evgenia Medvedeva shined. Zagitova and Medvedeva combined for the silver in the team event, and then went gold and silver, respectively, in the womens singles event. At the time, Zagitova was 15 and seemed like an improved version of Lipnitskaya who could land very difficult jumps. She nabbed a gold that year.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="qDqOXq">
After the Olympics, she was asked in an interview with the Russian website, Sport Express, about her growth spurt and puberty. She told them that her and her coaches plan to deal with the changes of puberty was to restrict her diet.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="pnLkkK">
“And in terms of puberty, when you become fat — it seems to me that these are all fictions. You just need to shut your mouth and dont eat! Or at least a little. I eat, but in small quantities,” Zagitova <a href="https://www.sport-express.ru/figure-skating/news/alina-zagitova-pubertat-eto-vydumki-zakryt-rot-i-ne-
est-1386749/">said</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="4UkOHB">
Granted, there might be nuances lost in translation. At the time, Zagitova was 15 and may not have chosen her words wisely. But this wasnt the first time she talked about what sounds like, at best, a very restrictive diet and, at worst, an eating disorder.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="CH9x5H">
In a 2019 interview with Russian Glamour, Zagitova explained that she and team Tutberidze restricted her food intake and that she abstained from drinking water. She essentially used water as a rinse. She <a href="https://deadspin.com/alina-zagitova-says-she-didnt-drink-
water-during-the-20-1832459869">said</a>:
</p>
<blockquote>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="yoovLO">
No, I dont like chips. Well, perhaps its because I dont eat them. I like sweets — chocolate, candy. Generally, I restricted myself during the Olympic Games. I was, you can say, not drinking water at all. That is, we just rinsed our mouths and spit it all out.
</p>
</blockquote>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="0bn3xo">
In another 2019 interview, <a href="https://olympics.com/en/news/alina-zagitova-technical-artistic-quads-
artistry">Zagitova lamented</a> that the game had passed her by, that she was too old (at 19) to hit quads, and that if she had any hope at landing one, shed need to first lose weight. Zagitova has since retired from the sport.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="0qGRtu">
Medvedeva, who was Zagitovas main rival, had a career punctuated with back and foot injuries. She left Tutberidze after the Olympics to train in Canada with coach Brian Orser. Orser is known for coaching champions like Yuna Kim and Yuzuru Hanyu.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="LoHaGj">
While in Canada, Medvedeva opened up about how the <a href="https://olympics.nbcsports.com/2018/10/09/yevgenia-medvedeva-on-coaching-change-moving-past-controversy-and-new-
outlook-on-figure-skating/">training methods were different</a>, and how Orsers club did not pit her against her rivals. In a <a href="https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/threads/vaytsekhovskayas-interview-with-medvedeva.105441/">2019 interview</a> with the Russian site RSport, she explained how she had severely restricted her diet and was now working with a nutritionist with Orser. She seems to allude to the same calorie restriction and water weight that Zagitova references:
</p>
<blockquote>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="xoETny">
I understood that I should be as “dry” as possible. I weighed in Pyeongchang one and a half kilograms less than a year before the World Championships in Helsinki. It was a difficult period, but I had no other choice … I didnt have too many muscles then, and in this case the body retains water very much. You become heavy and “swollen.” Therefore, everything was really very tough and caused decent damage to the body. Now, fortunately, all these problems are in the past.
</p>
</blockquote>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="VnALt8">
Medvedeva returned to Tutberidze in 2020 because of the pandemic. And in a<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8z00IP-hYc&amp;t=379s"> 2021 interview</a> with Russian media, Tutberidze said that Medvedeva gained weight and blamed Orser and Medvedeva for her poor scores. <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CDTqWNoH-G-/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link">Tutberidze hasnt been afraid of lashing</a> out against Medvedeva and other skaters who have left her training academy. Often those skaters, like Medvedeva, return.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="5VOJ1y">
“So we did all we could for her under the circumstances,” Tutberidze said. In that same interview, she mentions that she trains her students 12 hours a day.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="EPFpYn">
Medvedeva has since retired, <a href="https://fs-gossips.com/evgenia-medvedeva-i-had-my-first-love-it-ended-ugly-in-a-difficult-moment-
right-after-the-olympics-he-told-me-in-plain-text-thank-you-i-dont-need-you-anymore/">citing permanent injuries to her back</a>. She can only turn it one way.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="UB3gSm">
While Lipnitskaya, Zagitova, and Medvedeva are all retired now, the stories alluding to weight restriction and injury among Tutberidzes current crop of students continue.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="EX8t6Z">
In a 2019 interview with <a href="https://youtu.be/S7DnYBFKypk">Russian sports channel Sport24</a>, Daniil Gleikhengauz, who choreographs at Tutberidzes school, talked about Anna Shcherbakova. Shcherbakova is a favorite to medal this year. The interviewer talks about how she was amazed that Shcherbakova can eat “two shrimps” for dinner and be full.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="1zGu3G">
Again, there could be nuances and humor lost in translation. The host is seemingly joking about Scherbakovas appetite and willpower. But given Lipnitskayas history, Zagitovas mentality about weight loss, and Medvedevas frank answers to the Russian press, the idea that Scherbakova severely restricts her diet doesnt seem like a joke.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="HgL9nf">
As former Olympic skaters, physicists, and experts explained to me earlier this month, skating is an incredibly taxing sport on the body. Hence the injuries that skaters power through to win. Its even more terrifying to consider those injuries on the bodies of young girls who are extremely thin, severely restricting their diet, or in a scenario like Lipnitskayas, not eating at all.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="2oH3yx">
Trusova and Scherbakova have reportedly been dealing with nagging injuries as they skate. Aliona Kostornaia, who was once seen as a lock for the Olympic team and medal threat, pulled out of the Russian Nationals this year due to an <a href="https://olympics.com/en/news/alena-
kostornaia-russian-nationals-2021-injury">unspecified injury</a>. And <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9To1STHs3lY">Daria Usacheva</a>, who is one of Tutberidzes prized pupils and Russian junior champion, appeared to suffer a very painful and serious injury this past <a href="https://olympics.nbcsports.com/2021/11/12/nhk-trophy-results-figure-skating-short-program/">November</a>. Injuries are usually kept close to the vest in the Russian press.
</p>
<h3 id="Ia9NfV">
Are skating and the media that covers it complicit?
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="o1S2zF">
Amid Valievas failed doping test and accounts of what sure seems like disordered eating and careers cut very short due to injury, it raises the question of what skatings governing bodies are doing about this. The answer seems to be rewarding her.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="kBzN3W">
In 2020, the International Skating Union awarded Tutberidze its “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4wHHGsg8oo">best coach</a>.” And if youve been watching NBCs figure skating coverage, commentator and former skater Johnny Weir has been — up until news of Valievas failed doping test broke — talking about spending time at her coaching facility and the splendid time he had getting to know Tutberidze and the girls. Weir posted on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CWU-KdXsTDh/">Instagram</a> in <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CWREUlQsU9O/">November</a>, about how thankful he was to visit the school. In hindsight, these decisions havent aged well.
</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Russian skating coach
Eteri Tutberidze." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/_1bhGJVWpajqXghMdV94gXQuH8A=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23235499/1238354080.jpg"/> <cite>Dimitris Isevidis/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images</cite>
<figcaption>
Eteri Tutberidze looks on!
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="HWofqZ">
“If people start to look under the hood of whats going on in Team Tutberidze, that might actually be positive for the sport because it would really shine a light on adolescent girls being abused physically, mentally, emotionally. And now pharmacologically, with these drugs,” said Dave Lease, who runs the skating analysis YouTube channel <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZdpUHkQvR0">The Skating Lesson</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="5FGd2M">
While he acknowledges that Tutberidzes skaters are talented, Lease has been critical of Tutberidze on his show, specifically calling into question her training practices. He has spoken with guests about allegations of eating disorders and possible doping (prior to Valievas positive test). He says whats happening at Tutberidzes school is analogous to the abuse that happened at US Gymnastics and the Karolyis ranch. Saying that Tutberidzes coaching practices are “abusive” has gotten Lease harangued in the Russian press.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="h9i098">
“It doesnt take a genius to realize that theres something aberrant taking place with Tutberidzes training methods as opposed to training methods around the rest of the world,” <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tKTKPuqWe8&amp;feature=youtu.be">he said</a>. “I dont think that any intelligent person who follows figure skating should be surprised. The clues have been there.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="zZNwxr">
The clues Lease refers to are accounts from former skaters, but also Russian press interviews about diets, the injuries from over-training, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkKWAcuW2H8">interviews with coaches</a> about possible doping, and Russias history with state-sponsored doping.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="qPeMKl">
Since the news broke, former skaters like <a href="https://twitter.com/AdamRippon/status/1492113667785211907?s=20&amp;t=kwCn3bVtXqCzQuiyKNDsyQ">Adam Rippon</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CZzClsMA_EX/">Katarina Witt</a> have spoken out about holding Russia and the adults surrounding Valieva responsible. And in an interview with the <a href="https://www.20minutes.fr/sport/jo/3233787-20220211-jo-2022-quoi-ressemble-camp-entrainement-patineuse-russe-kamia-
valieva">French newspaper 20 Minutes</a>, top ice dancing coach Romain Haguenauer said the result hadnt surprised him. He said:
</p>
<blockquote>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="86mwTi">
When Valievas name came out, I wouldnt say people werent surprised, but lets say its been stuff thats been around for years. … To see these kids between the ages of 12 and 15 doing quadruple jumps … its true that there are always questions from the [jumps] specialists. Im not one, but I know plenty of people who are and all of them have always been extremely surprised that it happened all of a sudden. Before Sochi, Russia did not shine in womens skating. … And then, all of a sudden, every year they bring out four new kids rocking quads.
</p>
</blockquote>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="lLnWy5">
One of the problems surrounding skating is that it goes mainstream once every four years, not unlike gymnastics. Mainstream interest peaks during the Olympics and wanes sharply after, so unless theres something newsworthy that happens — like Valievas failed test — most viewers dont follow the skaters or Tutberidze enough to know her or her skaters history. In Russia where these women are considered top athletes, Lease says, Tutberidzes success outshines any criticism.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="peeAqx">
Its also especially difficult for casual viewers to know about the controversies when you have NBC and commentators like Weir talking glowingly about the academy. For many devout skating fans, though, Tutberidzes methods have been an open secret for years.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="TQ6ND7">
“I know many intelligent people who follow the sport and like to watch the sport, but maybe they arent completely immersed. And they prefer to watch skating and see these beautiful young skaters and be amazed and choose to look the other way,” he said. “Or they choose to not know, and not look too far into why they are so amazing.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Q6iuZF">
</p></li>
</ul>
<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>IPL auction 2022 | Auctioneer Hugh Edmeades collapses due to low blood pressure</strong> - He was immediately stretchered off for medical attention</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>KKR get Shreyas Iyer for ₹12.25 crores, Rabada bags million dollar deal from Punjab</strong> - Ravichandran Ashwin got ₹5 crore winning bid from Rajasthan Royals while Trent Boult, with his left-arm swing bowling, laughed his way to the bank with a handsome ₹8 crore bid from Rajasthan Royals</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>From remote village to Odisha Ranji team, plumber Prashant Rana set to live dream</strong> - Right-arm fast medium bowler is one of five new faces in State team</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>IPL Auction 2022 live updates| CSK retains Deepak Chahar for 14cr., Umesh Yadav goes unsold</strong> - A total of 590 players are up for new contracts in the IPL auction, with franchises entitled to spend upto ₹561.50 crore</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 vs West Indies | Our middle-order batting in this series was good, says skipper Rohit</strong> - “What we were worried about was how we were challenged in the middle overs, but our middle order batting in this series was very good,” Rohit said after the end of the series</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>Rubber Board prepared to fight diseases</strong> - It has a clinic that addresses any disease situation real-time</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>IIST has a role in ISROs first launch of the year</strong> - INSPIRESat-1 one of the three satellites to be launched aboard PSLV C-52 tomorrow</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>Water level in Papanasam, Manimuthar dams</strong> - Water level in Papanasam dam stood at 104.55 feet (maximum permissible level is 143 ft.) with an inflow of 221.07 cusecs and a discharge of 1,204.75 c</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>Uttarakhand Assembly elections | Do not let Congs agenda of appeasement to succeed: PM Modi</strong> - PM Modi, addressing a rally in poll-bound Uttarakhand, said the Congress has no understanding of the countrys cultural legacy and is disrespectful towards the armed forces</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>Double-murder case | Himachal Pradesh police nabs two men from Punjab</strong> - The accused were arrested by a three-member SIT, a press note said.</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 tensions: Russia invasion could begin any day, US warns</strong> - President Biden and Vladimir Putin to talk as the US says Russia could invade Ukraine “at any time”.</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>Paris attacks trial: How I persuaded Salah Abdeslam to open up</strong> - The lawyer who cross-examined Salah Abdeslam explains how she avoided confrontation with him.</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>Covid protests: Hundreds fined as convoy heads to Paris</strong> - Thousands of demonstrators opposed to Frances coronavirus regulations are trying to enter the city.</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>How Ouka the dog started flying on a paraglider</strong> - Ouka the dog and his owner Shams can be seen flying in the French Alps.</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>Macron refused to take Russian Covid test</strong> - A source says the health procedure was unacceptable amid reports France was protecting Mr Macrons DNA.</p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-ars-technica">From Ars Technica</h1>
<ul>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>$3.6 billion bitcoin seizure shows how hard it is to launder cryptocurrency</strong> - A “laundry list” of technical measures to cover wrongdoers tracks didnt work. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1833543">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>This Ancient Roman ceramic pot was probably a portable toilet, study finds</strong> - Its the first time parasite eggs have been found in concreted layers of a Roman pot. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1833400">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Police in Spain dismantle a SIM-swapping ring that drained bank accounts</strong> - Banks still use SMS for 2FA, much to the satisfaction of crooks. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1833644">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>FDA, Pfizer abandon 2-shot COVID vaccine in kids under 5, citing new data</strong> - The vaccine maker and regulator will wait for data on a third shot, expected in April. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1833565">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>COVID causes “substantial” longterm cardiovascular risks, huge study finds</strong> - COVID will affect cardiovascular health, health care for years to come, authors say. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1833541">link</a></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-jokes-subreddit">From Jokes Subreddit</h1>
<ul>
<li><strong>The wife has just phoned me to tell me that 3 women in her office have received flowers today and they are absolutely gorgeous.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
I said, “Thats probably why !!”
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/VERBERD"> /u/VERBERD </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/sqeoem/the_wife_has_just_phoned_me_to_tell_me_that_3/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/sqeoem/the_wife_has_just_phoned_me_to_tell_me_that_3/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><strong>I asked my kid for a phone book. They rolled their eyes and said “OK boomer, we dont use those anymore” and handed me their phone.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Now their phone is smashed and they are furious, but I got that spider!
</p>
</div>
<!--
SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/MikeNoble91"> /u/MikeNoble91 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/sqih1z/i_asked_my_kid_for_a_phone_book_they_rolled_their/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/sqih1z/i_asked_my_kid_for_a_phone_book_they_rolled_their/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><strong>A penis has a sad life.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
His hair is a mess; his family is nuts; his next-door neighbor is an asshole; his best friend is a pussy, and his owner beats him habitually.
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/NikonDexter"> /u/NikonDexter </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/sqgl5w/a_penis_has_a_sad_life/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/sqgl5w/a_penis_has_a_sad_life/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><strong>Difference between a cult and a religion</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
In a cult, theres a guy at the top that knows its a scam.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
In a religion, that guy is dead.
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Henri_Dupont"> /u/Henri_Dupont </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/sqg80n/difference_between_a_cult_and_a_religion/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/sqg80n/difference_between_a_cult_and_a_religion/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><strong>Two men broke into a drugstore and stole all the Viagra.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The police put out an alert to be on the lookout for the two hardened criminals.
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/BoreddHuman"> /u/BoreddHuman </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/sq46lz/two_men_broke_into_a_drugstore_and_stole_all_the/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/sq46lz/two_men_broke_into_a_drugstore_and_stole_all_the/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
</ul>
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