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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>How Significant Is Russias Partial Ban from SWIFT?</strong> - The move demonstrates the seriousness of the effort to punish Putins regime, but the effects may be limited. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/business/currency/how-significant-is-russias-partial-ban-from-swift">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Turning the Focus on Americas Oligarchs</strong> - Could the scrutiny of Putins favored billionaires hastened by the war in Ukraine extend to the hidden money that subverts democracy in the United States? - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/turning-the-focus-on-americas-oligarchs">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>“Z” Is the Symbol of the New Russian Politics of Aggression</strong> - In the days following the latest Russian invasion of Ukraine, the letter came to stand for devotion to the state, murderous rage, and unchecked power. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/z-is-the-symbol-of-the-new-russian-politics-of-aggression">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>What Google Search Isnt Showing You</strong> - The search engine has made up so much of our online experience for so long that it can be hard to imagine something better. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/culture/infinite-scroll/what-google-search-isnt-showing-you">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The West Wages Economic War on Russia</strong> - As Ukrainians defend their country from invasion, much of the rest of the world hits Putin with severe sanctions. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/podcast/politics-and-more/the-west-wages-economic-war-on-russia">link</a></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-vox">From Vox</h1>
<ul>
<li><strong>“The alarmists were right all along”: A Moscow journalist on Putin and the new Russian reality</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="Putin sitting across from a large screen that shows several participants in the meeting." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/eJbeepyv2IhkSc-g-W5bdjN_kzE=/680x0:6120x4080/1310x983/cdn.vox-
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70607920/GettyImages_1238533405.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
Russian President Vladimir Putin takes part in a meeting of the Russian Emergencies Ministry Board via a video link from Moscows Kremlin. on February 16. | Alexei Nikolsky/TASS vis Getty Images
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
An independent journalist describes what life is like inside Russias parallel universe.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="hJPbXe">
Almost everyone outside Russia views Vladimir Putins decision to invade Ukraine the same way: as an obscene and unnecessary atrocity.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="9dLpKY">
But thats because the outside world can see clearly whats happening on the ground in Ukraine. For the average Russian, the picture looks very different. They<strong> </strong>know theres <em>something</em> happening in Ukraine, but its not a “war” — its a “special military operation.” And if you watch the news, which is controlled by the state, youre not seeing images of bombed apartment buildings or dead civilians on the streets, because thats what a war looks like and theres definitely not a war in Ukraine.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="cM7KEI">
Indeed, Putin <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/04/world/europe/russia-censorship-media-crackdown.html">signed a law</a> last week<strong> </strong>mandating up to 15 years in prison for spreading “false information” about the conflict, which includes using words like “war” or “invasion.” And while the state has largely<strong> </strong>controlled media in Russia, it has now <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/dispatch/russia-blocks-its-last-independent-television-
channel">shut down</a> the last remaining independent channel and is even <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/04/world/europe/russia-facebook-ukraine.html">blocking Facebook</a> in the hope of controlling the internet as well.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="WCTDDd">
So whats it like to live in this totalizing parallel universe? What are Russians seeing? What are they hearing? Most importantly, what do they believe?
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ocvah0">
To get some answers, I reached out to Alexey Kovalyov, a former editor for the Moscow Times and now an editor at <a href="https://support.meduza.io/en">Meduza</a>, an independent news site formerly headquartered in Russia but now based in Latvia (the site has been blocked by the Russian government). Kovalyov was living in Moscow and escaped to Latvia last week as Putins regime imposed even heavier restrictions on press freedom.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="3zb6Ka">
We talked about what messages are getting through in Russia, how the media environment has evolved in the past couple of weeks, and if he believes reality might finally crash through the fog of state-sanctioned disinformation.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="iieUlx">
A lightly edited transcript of our conversation follows.
</p>
<h4 id="28hVb3">
Sean Illing
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="3nJohB">
Can you give me a sense of what its like on the ground right now in Russia?
</p>
<h4 id="o81Gqm">
Alexey Kovalyov
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="X7OYd3">
Ive been gone for a week now, but there was already a massive bank run when I was still there. Now I hear the currency controls are creating all kinds of chaos and its getting harder to buy things, and thats probably going to open up black markets for all sorts of essential goods. So the reality of whats happening is already bleeding into everyday life for Russians.
</p>
<h4 id="Nc9S2G">
Sean Illing
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="LllyvW">
People can see the consequences of whats happening, but who do they blame? Why do they think this is happening?
</p>
<h4 id="mpbjBO">
Alexey Kovalyov
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="a37mcM">
People are just now seeing the immediate consequences of something they dont fully understand yet. Theres an instinct in Russia, when you see a long line anywhere snaking around the corner, you just know you need to be in it, even if you dont know why. You just know something bad is happening, you need to be in that line. Thats sort of whats happening now.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="kMx598">
But its really hard to say what people believe. I mean, Ive seen polling from a week ago showing that 68 percent of Russians support the war, but thats <a href="https://wciom.ru/analytical-
reviews/analiticheskii-obzor/specialnaja-voennaja-operacija-v-ukraine-otnoshenie-i-celi">a state polling agency</a>. And the polling doesnt even use the word “war” because that would be unthinkable and the state has banned that language. So who knows what people really believe?
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="025Bg8">
I can tell you what happens when you try to explain to people whats happening in Ukraine, and remember that lots of people here have relatives in Ukraine. When you try to tell them, “This is your aunts apartment building in Kyiv. You see? Its in ashes. Its being bombed,” they dont believe it, even if you show them the pictures. They say — and I know this from personal experience — “No, this couldnt be happening, because they told us that were not harming civilians, that this isnt a war. And if that is happening, it must be because these Ukrainian nationalists are bombing their own people so as to provoke the Russian army into fighting back and killing civilians.” Thats what were talking about here.
</p>
<div class="c-float-right">
<aside id="fHcMSi">
<q>“These people are getting the shit beat out of them by the police. Theyre the bravest people in Russia right now because they know what theyre facing.”</q>
</aside>
</div>
<h4 id="isUGlS">
Sean Illing
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="QFX6GD">
We dont really have a reliable indicator of public opinion in Russia, right? As you said, the polling is suspect and its now a police state, so how do we distinguish between what people say they believe and what they actually believe?
</p></li>
</ul>
<h4 id="9dJBHs">
Alexey Kovalyov
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ZSQ9Gc">
We have no idea. What these polls reflect is how many people actually tune in to state media, which tells them what to think and what to say.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="t5frov">
Even the poll I mentioned, like I said, it doesnt ask people about a “war,” it asks them if they support a “special military operation” in Ukraine. And then it asks what you think the goals of this special military operation [are] and gives you choices like “The denazification of Ukraine” or “The protection of Russian-speaking peoples in Ukraine.” None of them reflect whats happening in Ukraine. Theyre just letting people choose between the various talking points being pounded by the state.
</p>
<h4 id="k8VIWd">
Sean Illing
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Q62iQf">
Whats it like to be a journalist right now in Russia? And just to be clear, Im not asking about the hacks and the nihilists shilling for the state. Im asking about the journalists and the writers who object to this totalitarian nightmare, but they also face enormous risks if they break ranks.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="btLEMe">
Are they finding ways to tell the truth without telling the truth? Or are they all just getting the hell out of there while they still can?
</p>
<h4 id="b7pfZ3">
Alexey Kovalyov
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="YSRtSG">
I frankly dont know many journalists who are still there. I know a few people who still remain in Russia and they made a conscious decision to stay, and I admire their bravery. I wish I was in a position to make that decision, but I didnt. My family begged me to get out. My own mother cried with joy when I called from across the border to tell her that I was safe.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="NT5tXo">
But its not like all this happened overnight. We at Meduza were <a href="https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2021/04/23/russia-declares-independent-news-site-meduza-a-foreign-
agent-a73722">declared foreign agents</a> last year by the government, and that was the government painting a huge target on our backs, calling us traitors and enemies of the people. So this has been a long time coming. Weve been preparing for this moment for several years. Its not unexpected. What is unexpected is how quickly it happened.
</p>
<h4 id="UPsZLG">
Sean Illing
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="MGky1C">
It does seem like theres been a shift in the regimes approach to media and propaganda. For a long while, Russia has <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-
politics/2020/1/16/20991816/impeachment-trial-trump-bannon-misinformation">“flooded the zone”</a> and bombarded the population with so many contradictory accounts of reality that they werent sure what to believe, or they were too cynical to believe anything. But now its full Orwellian control of reality, and thats a much heavier lift because its not about undermining consensus, which is easy; its about enforcing one.
</p>
<h4 id="GLQPoy">
Alexey Kovalyov
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="WFw27S">
Yeah, absolutely. There has definitely been a shift. And I have to be honest, there were a handful of people here who have been warning about this for a long time, who were telling people like me that this was going to be a fascist dictatorship one day, and weve been dismissing these people. We were like, “Come on, Putin is a cynic, hes evil in so many ways, but at least hes a rational guy. All he wants to do is get himself insanely rich. Hes not going to do anything really drastic.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="j4bN37">
But we were all fucking wrong. The alarmists were right all along, and almost every one of them is either dead or in jail or exiled.
</p>
<h4 id="Yiyx07">
Sean Illing
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="4QysqI">
People outside Russia are seeing <a href="https://www.cnn.com/videos/world/2022/03/07/russia-anti-war-
protests-steve-hall-intvu-ac360-wknd-vpx.cnn">the videos</a> of people protesting on the streets in Moscow and St.  Petersburg, and I think a lot of us want to believe that Putin cant contain this, that there will be a revolt. But I worry that thats mostly wishful thinking. Are you convinced that this will put a real dent in Putins regime?
</p>
<h4 id="yqSTjJ">
Alexey Kovalyov
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="c8r5QP">
No, not really. What youre seeing from these protesters on the streets is possibly the bravest thing Ive seen, and its mostly women who are facing real violence and serious prison time. These people are getting the shit beat out of them by the police. Theyre the bravest people in Russia right now because they know what theyre facing.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="djC8Si">
But were talking about a few thousand people in a country of over 140 million people. Its not nearly enough to even put a dent in Putins regime. What its really going to take is the silent majority, or Putins passive electorate, who for all these years have just been doing what theyre told, theyre going to have to make a stand. But I have no idea what it would take for these people to wake up. I really have no idea.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="pGVIns">
All I know is that were in uncharted waters. All these major foreign media outlets, like the New York Times and the BBC, are <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/04/business/western-media-operations-
russia.html">fleeing Moscow</a>. Thats never happened. The New York Times has had a bureau in Moscow throughout the entire 20th century, including three revolutions and two world wars and the entire Cold War. But now Moscow isnt safe for the New York Times. I really dont have the words to describe how unpredictable this situation is.
</p>
<div class="c-float-right">
<aside id="Fxd7ne">
<q>“The alarmists were right all along, and almost every one of them is either dead or in jail or exiled”</q>
</aside>
</div>
<h4 id="DPkMTo">
Sean Illing
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Ia6E05">
Again, I dont want to dreamcast here, but is it possible that Putin isnt as popular as he appears? Is it possible that theres an undercurrent of discontent waiting to be tapped?
</p>
<h4 id="NLvJFD">
Alexey Kovalyov
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="YBQqcq">
Maybe. Its so hard to know. You cant trust any of the polling data, especially the polling run by state-owned organizations. The state controls the entire media apparatus in Russia, and thats incredibly hard to puncture. We just dont know what people are thinking or what they truly believe or whats possible. No one knows.
</p>
<h4 id="NizfHz">
Sean Illing
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="xP8Smu">
As the pain of this war becomes more real, as the soldiers start returning home in coffins, as the economy continues to crater, maybe reality will come crashing through the fog of propaganda.
</p>
<h4 id="fv9tTA">
Alexey Kovalyov
</h4>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="0cpUS0">
I guess well find out, wont we? Weve been interviewing parents of Russian soldiers, and not professional volunteer soldiers, but conscripts, people who were drafted into the army. These are 20-year-olds who, after a few months of boot camp, were shipped off to the front line and told this was all a training exercise. Many of these soldiers have been captured by the Ukrainians, and their parents are absolutely crushed because they were told their kids were at training drills. So theres a lot of confusion.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="qaScDP">
But Im not sure reality will come crashing through, or that itll happen soon enough. <a href="https://www.vox.com/22968949/russia-sanctions-swift-
economy-mcdonalds">Sanctions</a> move slow. Even though this military campaign has been such an obvious failure, unless someone in Putins close circle convinces him to pull back, which is unlikely, this is going to drag on and more people will die.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="soXZ5G">
Who knows what that will mean? Will it spark a nationwide revolt? I dont know. Heres what I know: The Russian government has been preparing for this moment for a long time, and theyve built up a police state to crush any signs of resistance with extreme violence.
</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Can Russian oligarchs influence Putins war?</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="A close-up view of Putins face from the side as he gazes into the distance." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ePJzK4G5SkJojjsgtGlhNN1kxmk=/12x0:3287x2456/1310x983/cdn.vox-
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70605411/1238872506.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on March 2, 2022. | Mikhail Klimentyev/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Their muted reactions to sanctions reveal Putins power — and isolation.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="X4mT10">
Sanctions are one of the key ways the <a href="https://www.vox.com/22968949/russia-sanctions-swift-economy-mcdonalds">US and Europe are retaliating against Russia</a> for its <a href="https://www.vox.com/2022/2/23/22948534/russia-ukraine-war-putin-explosions-invasion-
explained">invasion of Ukraine</a>. These sanctions are throttling the Russian economy, and theyre particularly making life and business difficult for Russias oligarchs, an elite group of uber-wealthy people who began wielding enormous influence on Russian politics as they got rich during the privatization of the post-Soviet state.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Zfx13o">
Foreign governments around the world are seizing many oligarchs assets and yachts, banning them from travel, and cutting them off from doing most business with the US and Europe. The goal is to squeeze Russias wealthiest citizens, to censure and compel them to pressure Russias President Vladimir Putin to end his campaign against Ukraine.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="gXnF0U">
“Its the trillion-dollar question,” said Oliver Bullough, a journalist who writes <a href="https://www.codastory.com/newsletters/oligarchy/">a newsletter about oligarchy</a> at Coda. “Can these people restrain Putin?”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="NkiVgi">
But its important to realize that since Putin was elected in 2000, the oligarchy in Russia doesnt work the way it used to; its members have a lot less power and influence than they once did. These punishing sanctions have so far prompted only muted comments about Ukraine from a few oligarchs, many of whom are based outside of Russia.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Ug5Nkb">
“Putin has brought oligarchy in-house,” Bullough told Recode. “And now weve got much more of a system akin to the Tudor court of Henry VIII, with a king and then a number of aristocrats around him who own their property as long as hes prepared to tolerate them.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="iSnIb9">
“The word oligarchy is a bit out of date, in a weird way, but we dont have a better one,” Bullough added.
</p>
<h3 id="6W8Rrx">
The limited power of Putins oligarchs 2.0
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="POYmtL">
Since Russia invaded Ukraine last month, the world has been grappling with questions of how the conflict might end, and whether Putins advisers or the countrys class of elites — once so <a href="https://cardinalscholar.bsu.edu/handle/handle/187644">influential</a> within the Kremlin — could play a part.
</p></li>
</ul>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="SzMyh5">
But the idea that individual oligarchs could sway Putin now is a misunderstanding of modern Russia, said Ben Judah, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and author of <em>Fragile Empire: How Russia Fell In and Out of Love with Vladimir Putin</em>. “Thats how Russia operated 15 or 20 years ago,” Judah said, “not how Russia operates today.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="suqe0u">
Reining in Russias oligarchs was something Putin promised during his first campaign for president, and he didnt wait long to start. In 2003, Putin arrested and jailed Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who owned a 78 percent stake in Russias massive Yukos oil company and was at the time Russias wealthiest man. Khodorkovsky was officially charged with <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/26/world/police-in-russia-seize-oil-
tycoon.html">financial crimes</a>, but he was also funding Putins opposition parties.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="mfUv2J">
The example Putin set by arresting Khodorkovsky was clear: “The oligarchs essentially realized that they owned their wealth only as long as [Putin] wanted them to own it. That changed their entire approach to politics. It also increased their motivation to get more wealth outside of Russia, to get as much as possible offshore, where it would be safe,” Bullough told Recode.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Bbx39I">
Meanwhile, a new kind of oligarch gained power: the siloviki, which mainly describes businessmen who have connections to the Federal Security Service, the police, and the military. The siloviki were instrumental in Putins consolidation of power, serving as his muscle. Theyve become extremely wealthy thanks to their proximity to the president, creating a class of “silovarchs” who are even more dependent on Putin than oligarchs who accumulated their wealth in the 1990s.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="yfNTm2">
All Russian oligarchs power and wealth is tenuous, and they know it. Thats why the limited number who have spoken up so far about the war are ones who hold foreign passports or reside outside of Russia. Some oligarchs, and <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/russian-oligarch-
children-athletes-putin-b2023862.html">even their children</a>, have called for peace — but without explicitly condemning Putin.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="IbgZJu">
Oleg Deripaska, a Russian industrialist currently worth a little over <a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/oleg-deripaska/?sh=664ebebf804c">$2 billion, according to Forbes</a>, called peace “very important.” “The whole world will be different after these events and Russia will be different,” he <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/war-dividing-russian-ukrainian-brothers-billionaire-fridman-
says-2022-02-27/">wrote on Telegram</a>. He was sanctioned by the US government back in 2018 for his ties to Putin in the wake of allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 US election.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="hf7OVp">
Mikhail Fridman, founder of Alfa Bank, called the invasion a tragedy <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/business-60557081">during a press conference</a>. But when asked about using his influence to put pressure on the Kremlin, Fridman responded, “You should understand that its a very sensitive issue,” and said that he could not put his partners and staff at risk by commenting on Putin. He was sanctioned by the EU on February 28.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="CBLGeb">
Evgeny Lebedev, who owns British newspapers the Independent and the Evening Standard, <a href="https://www.standard.co.uk/news/world/president-vladimir-
putin-please-stop-ukraine-war-evgeny-lebedev-b985076.html">wrote an op-ed in the Standard</a> imploring Putin to stop the war. Lebedev holds dual Russian and British citizenship; hes also a member of the British peerage. He has not been sanctioned.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Ce8H2c">
Again, these measured reactions from oligarchs shouldnt come as a surprise. Stanislav Markus, a University of South Carolina professor who has extensively researched Russias oligarchs, told Recode that direct criticism of Putin would be “a pretty dangerous position to hold.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="WWA2df">
“When it came to this decision to go all-in in Ukraine, Putin took the decision essentially alone,” said Judah, the Atlantic Council senior fellow. “Over the last few years, Putin has become increasingly distant from the old so-called inner circle and the Russian elite in general.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="0cnqlg">
Judah cited a scene from the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/21/putin-angry-spectacle-amounts-to-declaration-war-ukraine">security council meeting</a> Putin called on February 21, shortly before invading Ukraine. Sergey Naryshkin, director of Russias Foreign Intelligence Service, stammered when Putin asked if he supported recognizing the independence of <a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/02/22/1082345068/why-luhansk-and-donetsk-are-key-to-understanding-the-latest-escalation-
in-ukrain">Donetsk and Luhansk</a>, two Ukrainian territories that have been controlled by pro-Russia rebels for almost a decade.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="fDxfJF">
“The way Putin spoke to him made him so scared that he forgot what topic was being discussed,” Judah said. “So if Sergey Naryshkin is that frightened of Putin, seemingly that distanced from him, theres very little chance for those businessmen to simply walk in and stop him.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="nUfter">
The narrative that Putins siloviki — or other oligarchs — could meaningfully dissent is “wishful thinking,” Judah said.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="KhiiWT">
“[The sanctions] may indeed cause grumbling and dissatisfaction and fear in the political system,” he continued. But when it comes to what might happen with Putin, he said we should think about “what happens to dictators, not what happens to strongmen with governments.”
</p>
<h3 id="7DrPh6">
How Putins war could influence power in the long run
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="8eWKMy">
If this war truly was <a href="https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2022/02/ukraine-invasion-putin-is-ruling-
alone.html">Putins decision</a> alone, then hes both in control and in isolation.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ou4vcT">
Squeezing Russias oligarchs may not lead to Putin doing an about-face in a war that hes already indicated hes <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2022/2/23/22945781/russia-ukraine-putin-speech-transcript-
february-22">willing to sacrifice</a> so much for. But that doesnt necessarily mean it wont have an impact later. These sanctions will have aftershocks; if anything, they reveal to the Russian oligarchy the limits of their power and how their fortunes are tied up with an authoritarian whos begun closing them off from almost the rest of the world in pursuit of war.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="e9v0ub">
How theyll react is an open question.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="hzoXz8">
Markus, whose research investigates what Russias oligarchs want and how they try to influence the government, told Recode that part of the reason they havent pushed back often against their government is that the existing global financial playground lets them keep so much capital offshore. With so much of their wealth stashed outside of the Kremlins grip, theres less of a pressing need to demand that the Kremlin reform.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="FZBGw6">
Prolonged sanctions could increase desire among Russias elite for institutional change, even as achieving it remains difficult. Over the years, <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2017/07/06/russian-oligarch-vladimir-yevtushenkov-falls-from-grace-again">Putin has shown them</a> how easy it is to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/28/sergei-pugachev-putins-
banker-interview-lives-in-fear">fall out of his favor</a>, and the dire consequences of that.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="CRnI4c">
“If before, they thought, Whatever the Kremlin does, I still have my profitable trade with the United States or Europe or whomever, I dont need to get political in Russia, now, more and more, theyre being pushed against the wall,” Markus said.
</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>“My children love being Texans”: A father of a trans teen weighs whether his family can stay</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-
cdn.com/thumbor/AW6kVa9m9VjEM25isvWsGSFgioY=/222x0:3778x2667/1310x983/cdn.vox-
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70605231/1235388632.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
LGBTQ rights supporters gather at the Texas State Capitol to protest state Republican-led efforts to restrict the participation of transgender student athletes on September 20, 2021, in Austin. | Tamir Kalifa/Getty Images
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott wants parents investigated for child abuse over seeking gender-affirming care for their children.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="h7bgKA">
Investigations of parents of children who have received gender-affirming care are already underway in Texas, just weeks after Gov. Greg Abbott ordered child protective services to look into “any reported instances of these abusive procedures.” Other families are left wondering if they are the next targets.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="pmrdg4">
“Its just who they are, so we support them,” said Claudio, the father of a trans teen in Houston, who is being referred to by a pseudonym to protect his familys privacy. “Getting tarred with the label of child abuser for doing that is demoralizing and obviously pretty horrible.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="uHtRI6">
Abbotts February <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/02/23/greg-abbott-gender-affirming-care-child-abuse-
directive/">directive</a> was based on a non-binding opinion from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, targets the parents of trans minors who have received treatments including gender reassignment surgery, hormone therapy, and puberty blockers. They could face criminal charges or have their children taken away by state authorities as a result. The move came after GOP lawmakers in the Republican-controlled state legislature tried to ban gender-affirming care for trans minors last year. The bill passed the Texas Senate, but failed in the House.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="2Bi8IE">
Theres already a court fight, and a hearing set Friday that could decide whether to block enforcement of Abbots directive statewide. (A judge <a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/03/02/1084092301/a-judge-has-blocked-a-texas-investigation-of-one-transgender-teens-
parents">ruled in favor</a> of the family of a trans teen on Wednesday, halting the states investigation into that family.)
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Adq78u">
But even if the policy is ultimately thrown out in court, it has made the parents of trans children, including Claudio, wary of staying in Texas for fear of further anti-trans acts. We spoke after Wednesdays ruling; our conversation is below, lightly edited for length and clarity.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="dQyxR0">
<strong>Could you tell me a little about your family and how you have been affected by this directive?</strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="GQIAeq">
My son came out to us several years ago. Hes been on hormone replacement therapy. Hes had top surgery, so I suspect that he would be of interest to the government goons.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="g0mqKx">
Its been pretty scary. Its been the cause of some internal family division. My wife and my kid are more defiant. “We should fight this. This is where we live and this is the time to take a stand.” Im a lot more of a scaredy cat and just want to move to a different state where my childrens future is not in doubt.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="rNzP8i">
<strong>Do you fear being the target of an investigation as a result of the directive?</strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="MHmbZb">
My wife immediately caught on to the fact that this was a non-binding opinion from the AG that basically cascaded through the governor to child protective services. She thought at the beginning that nothing would actually happen and that it was political posturing more than anything that would have consequences while I was pretty scared. There was a lot of anger and dispute about it. We had our differences there.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="HTMgqm">
I think to some extent weve both been validated. The ACLU and Lambda Legal strongly state that it is in fact a non- binding opinion and has no real weight and <a href="https://www.aclu.org/cases/doe-v-abbott">theyre contesting in court</a>. Were watching the court cases hanging off the edge of our seat, of course. But at the same time, child protective services has started investigations, famously <a href="https://www.chron.com/politics/article/Texas-
transgender-child-investigation-law-16968898.php">this one of their own employee</a>, which has super ugly overtones.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Kq9ZU3">
There is part of me that is just scared that the gender police is going to come knocking on my door. Were scared, and were frustrated and were very sad that this is happening in our home.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="23SAVK">
<strong>At least one of the hospitals in the Houston area has </strong><a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/07/us/texas-childrens-hospital-hormone-therapy-transgender/index.html"><strong>stopped offering</strong></a><strong> gender-affirming care as a result of the directive. What do you think about that? </strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="0pvSPh">
Texas Childrens is trying to prevent its physicians from [facing potential criminal penalties] because they are supposed to be mandatory reporters for this so-called “child abuse.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="RBnkWM">
But gender-affirming care — especially the varieties that are usually used in children, such as puberty blockers — are validated and accepted by pretty much every child medical society in the US and the world. Lots of scientific studies have validated the value of gender-affirming care for children and, of course, adults.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="0hW0Zf">
Its disappointing to see a hospital buckle under the pressure, especially one as prestigious as Texas Childrens. Fortunately, it doesnt affect us personally, but its demoralizing to see them do that.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="3b5N4c">
<strong>How seriously are you considering leaving Texas?</strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="uQLYhA">
Weve lived in Texas about two decades and when I got here, one of the things that really impressed me about the place was that it had a very live-and-let-live kind of vibe. It was an impression, but the people were all super friendly. The general Texas attitude was “We dont get in each others business.” That doesnt seem to be the case anymore.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="AKihVs">
Im not speaking for the rest of my family here, but Ive personally been wanting to leave for a while ever since weve been having to watch the legislature closely and watch the blow by blow every session for the last couple of sessions, trying to see if they are going to pass anti-trans bills. Weve been lucky so far. They seem to be filed for political posturing more than with the intent of actually getting passed.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="6awwfE">
The governors order kind of caught us off guard. If this continues and this gets enforced more broadly, I think we are going to have to leave, and that sucks because weve lived here for almost two decades. We love living in Houston. Weve been pretty happy here. But we are going to do whats right for our family and obviously we cannot stay here with the state threatening to take away our children, who we love very much and were just trying to support their gender identity. Its a shitshow, what can I say?
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="z0V0D1">
<strong>How does it feel for some people in this state to think that what your family has collectively gone through is child abuse? </strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="IQInMW">
Words would only fail me. None of us are perfect parents. I dont know if you have children, but its always a struggle to try to do the right thing for your kids and no one that I know is wishing their kids to be transgender. Its something <a href="https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/publications/trans-adults-united-states/">that happens</a>. Its something that you end up having to deal with.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="McKVlN">
Its difficult to wrap your mind around it. Thats one of the reasons I ended up being a part of a [support group for families of trans kids]. It was hard for me to accept it. It was hard for me to wrap my head around it. Its always been a struggle. But weve tried to do whats right for our children. Weve consulted an incredible number of specialists, psychiatrists, pediatricians, psychologists and we try to do whats right for our kids and whats right by our kids.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="1h4CPW">
My child was suicidal. My child was hospitalized in a mental hospital because of suicidal ideation. And the moment they told us that they were transgender was the moment that they started getting better. A lot of the time, you dont get to choose. Your kids are who they are. And a lot of times, your choice is between having a transgender kid or having a dead kid. And I very much know that Id rather have an alive kid who is getting better and thriving.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ipZYOB">
Those of us that get to live with transgender children, we know that its no picnic, that its not something that they seek out. But its a profound realization that they come to. Some people come to that realization when theyre 40, and some people come to that realization when theyre 14. Its just who they are, so we support them. Getting tarred with the label of “child abuser” for doing that is demoralizing and obviously pretty horrible. Its been rough.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Iuo2Wy">
<strong>Im so sorry that your family has gone through that.</strong>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="FrUwll">
So am I. We can fight, and we hope it doesnt come to that, but if we have to fight in court, were going to fight in court. If things get really bad, I guess were going to leave. There are 49 other states and there are a few of them that dont do this kind of nonsense. My children love being Texans and they love living in Houston. The reason we did not leave when the legislature was considering some horrible anti-trans bills was because the kids did not want to leave, and theyre the ones that are most likely to be affected by all of this.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="UihpeA">
Im just a middle-aged dad. Of course, I have skin in the game, but it doesnt affect me to the same level that it affects them personally. And my son wants to stay here, so here we are. Were following his lead. Hes brave and young and we want to support him, even though it puts us at risk.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="NKAlpd">
But I dont know how much risk were going to be willing to take, so at some point, we might decide to cut our losses and pick up and leave. We dont want to, but my family left Europe after World War II, after they were [targeted] by the Nazis, and thats a lesson that gets etched in your brain pretty strongly even through generations. Persecution scares you extra.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Z4HIUK">
<em>If you, your child, or anyone you know is anxious, depressed, or needs to talk, there are people who want to help.</em>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="uOleFQ">
<a href="https://www.crisistextline.org/"><em>Crisis Text Line</em></a><em>: Text CRISIS to 741741 for free, confidential crisis counseling </em><br/><a href="https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/talk-to-someone-now/"><em>The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline</em></a><em>: 1-800-273-8255</em>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="pqKjTV">
</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>Malinga joins Rajasthan Royals as fast-bowling coach; Upton returns</strong> -</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>Eng vs WI Test Day 3 | Bonner century anchors West Indies to 62-run lead</strong> - Home side batted all day to overturn a 109-run deficit</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>Peluche is expected to score</strong> -</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>Priceless Beauty may make amends</strong> -</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>Sreeshankar gets his rhythm back, ready to soar</strong> - Long jumper looks to better his National record at the indoor Worlds</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>Govt. appoints ex-financial services secretary Debasish Panda as IRDAI chief</strong> - The appointment of IRDAI chairman comes nearly 9 months after the vacancy was created</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>Mann to take oath as Punjab CM on March 16; AAP's victory roadshow in Amritsar on Sunday</strong> - The oath-taking ceremony will be held at Khatkar Kalan.</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>Kerala Budget: Taking forward gains in local governance</strong> - LDF project to eradicate extreme poverty gets special 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>Kerala Budget: Rural development sector gets ₹6,096 crore</strong> - ₹260 crore for Kudumbashree activities</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>Mobile ration shops planned</strong> -</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 war: Large Russian convoy redeploys near Kyiv - satellite images</strong> - Images of the convoys redeployment appear to signal a renewed push towards the Ukrainian capital.</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>Watch: Our correspondent on the front line, with Ukraines troops</strong> - The BBC spent a week with Ukrainian forces in Kharkiv as they fight to stop a further Russian advance.</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 war: I have 20 children here, please send help</strong> - Tens of thousands of children in Ukrainian state care are in desperate need to get out of the country.</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>War in Ukraine: US condemns reports Russia may seize firms assets</strong> - On Thursday, the US Congress passed a bill which includes almost $14bn in emergency aid for Ukraine.</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>War in Ukraine: Facebook to allow calls for violence against Putin</strong> - In response, Russia has called on the US to stop the “extremist activities” of parent company Meta.</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>Rocket Report: Ariane 6 workers are “hyperstressed,” SpaceX retort to Rogozin</strong> - “The project adds another dimension to the representation of humanity in space.” - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1838646">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>DeepMinds new AI tool helps resolve debate over ancient Athenian decrees</strong> - Ithaca system restores text, can also ID location and date of damaged inscriptions - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1839561">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Feds extradite ransomware suspects from 2 prolific gangs in a single week</strong> - Man arriving from Ukraine accused of causing Kaseya supply chain attack. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1840246">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Router and modem rental fees still a major annoyance despite new US law</strong> - ISPs dissuade customers from using their own routers, Consumer Reports tells FCC. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1840245">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A transistor made using two atomically thin materials sets size record</strong> - A key transistor component is made from the edge of a sheet of graphene. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1840243">link</a></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-jokes-subreddit">From Jokes Subreddit</h1>
<ul>
<li><strong>Having too much sex can cause memory loss.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
I read it on page 14 in a medical journal on the 14th November 2019 at 3.19pm
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Thepunkster12"> /u/Thepunkster12 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/tblbss/having_too_much_sex_can_cause_memory_loss/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/tblbss/having_too_much_sex_can_cause_memory_loss/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><strong>A vacuum cleaner salesman came to my door, poured a bag of dog shit on my carpet and said, “Sir, if this vacuum cant clean it completely, Ill eat whatevers left.”</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
I said, “I hope youre hungry cause they cut off the electricity this morning.”
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/haddock420"> /u/haddock420 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/tbckln/a_vacuum_cleaner_salesman_came_to_my_door_poured/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/tbckln/a_vacuum_cleaner_salesman_came_to_my_door_poured/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><strong>Sara goes to the gynecologist for an examination.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
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She gets up on the examining table with her feet in the stirrups, and the doctor, with his head now between her legs, whispers to himself “My, what a large vagina. My, what a large vagina. My, what a large vagina. My, what a large vagina.”
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“I heard you the first time! How many times must you say that?”
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“I only said it once!”
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/nothinlefttochoose"> /u/nothinlefttochoose </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/tbfqt9/sara_goes_to_the_gynecologist_for_an_examination/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/tbfqt9/sara_goes_to_the_gynecologist_for_an_examination/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><strong>Karen goes to the doctor not feeling well. Karen: Doctor, Ive not been feeling well lately..</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
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Doctor: Ive looked at your lab reports and Im afraid I have some bad news.
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Karen: Dont give me this lab nonsense. I believe in homeopathic medicine, faith-based approaches and healing crystals. All my life, they have never failed me. Now will you do things my way or do I need to see the manager?!?
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Doctor: Sure, well do things your way. No need to raise your temper. Why dont we try an astrology based approach?
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Karen: At last a sensible approach.
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Doctor: So, whats your star sign?
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Karen: its cancer.
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Doctor: Well what a fucking coincidence.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/B-L-O-C-K-S"> /u/B-L-O-C-K-S </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/tbawlh/karen_goes_to_the_doctor_not_feeling_well_karen/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/tbawlh/karen_goes_to_the_doctor_not_feeling_well_karen/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><strong>Three people want to get into heaven</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
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St Nicholas is the gatekeeper.
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He says they must give him something related to Christmas to get in.
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The first person reaches into his pockets and pulls out a leaf
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St Nick looks confused, and says “How does this relate to Christmas?”
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She replied “Mistletoe”, St Nicholas smiles and lets her in.
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St Nick looks to the next person who reaches into their pockets and pulls out a set of keys.
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St Nick, amused, laughs and says “Tell me how this relates to Christmas”
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“They jingle, like jingle bells” they reply
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St Nick, pleased lets them in.
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St Nick looks to the last person, and asks “What have you brought for me”
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The man, looking pleased reaches into his pocket and pulls out a skimpy pair of knickers.
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St Nick, bewildered and red in the face demands an explanation
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“What on earth! How does this relate to Christmas?”
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The man replied, “theyre Carols.”
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/chada398"> /u/chada398 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/tbea0a/three_people_want_to_get_into_heaven/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/tbea0a/three_people_want_to_get_into_heaven/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
</ul>
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