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<title>12 December, 2020</title>
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<title>Daily-Dose</title><meta content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" name="viewport"/><link href="styles/simple.css" rel="stylesheet"/><link href="../styles/simple.css" rel="stylesheet"/><style>*{overflow-x:hidden;}</style><link href="https://unpkg.com/aos@2.3.1/dist/aos.css" rel="stylesheet"/><script src="https://unpkg.com/aos@2.3.1/dist/aos.js"></script></head>
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<body>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-down" id="daily-dose">Daily-Dose</h1>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-right" data-aos-anchor-placement="top-bottom" id="contents">Contents</h1>
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<ul>
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<li><a href="#from-new-yorker">From New Yorker</a></li>
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<li><a href="#from-vox">From Vox</a></li>
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<li><a href="#from-the-hindu-sports">From The Hindu: Sports</a></li>
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<li><a href="#from-the-hindu-national-news">From The Hindu: National News</a></li>
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<li><a href="#from-bbc-europe">From BBC: Europe</a></li>
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<li><a href="#from-ars-technica">From Ars Technica</a></li>
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<li><a href="#from-jokes-subreddit">From Jokes Subreddit</a></li>
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</ul>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-new-yorker">From New Yorker</h1>
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<ul>
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<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Dianne Feinstein’s Missteps Raise a Painful Age Question Among Senate Democrats</strong> - Older lawmakers’ foibles and infirmities are coming under new scrutiny, violating an unspoken culture of complicity and coverup. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/dianne-feinsteins-missteps-raise-a-painful-age-question-among-senate-democrats">link</a></p></li>
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<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Distinct Political Paths of Barack Obama and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez</strong> - In elevating the New York congresswoman and gently criticizing her ideas, Obama has opened up a new conversation in the Democratic Party. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/the-distinct-political-paths-of-barack-obama-and-alexandria-ocasio-cortez">link</a></p></li>
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<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Britain’s Vaccine Program Brings Joy and Chauvinism</strong> - Brexit colors a rare bright day in the country’s management of the pandemic. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-the-uk/britains-vaccine-program-brings-joy-and-chauvinism">link</a></p></li>
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<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>What an F.D.A. Committee Weighed in Voting for the Pfizer COVID Vaccine</strong> - In the present circumstances, one could imagine a far more fraught F.D.A. hearing than the one that took place on Thursday. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/the-fdas-advisory-committee-recommends-approval-of-pfizers-covid-vaccine">link</a></p></li>
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<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Fighting COVID-19 in the Amazon, with Herbs and the Internet</strong> - Indigenous groups in Ecuador have been finding ways to trace and treat the disease. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/fighting-covid-19-in-the-amazon-with-herbs-and-the-internet">link</a></p></li>
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</ul>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-vox">From Vox</h1>
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<li><strong>The FDA has authorized the first Covid-19 vaccine in the US</strong> -
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<figure>
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<img alt="An elderly couple wearing protective face masks walk past the Pfizer Inc. headquarters where the wall reads, “Science will win,” on December 9, 2020, in New York City." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/NWV19gkREY1u7KOZPc8X0E6aSIc=/543x0:4703x3120/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/68493783/GettyImages_1230032451.0.jpg"/>
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<figcaption>
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The Covid-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech has been recommended for an emergency use authorization by the FDA’s vaccine advisors. | Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images
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</figcaption>
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</figure>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
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The first doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine are expected to ship soon.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="fQb7ag">
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The <a href="http://fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-takes-key-action-fight-against-covid-19-issuing-emergency-use-authorization-first-covid-19">Food and Drug Administration</a> on Friday evening granted an emergency use authorization (EUA) to the <a href="https://www.vox.com/coronavirus-covid19">Covid-19</a> vaccine developed by <a href="https://www.vox.com/22163957/fda-pfizer-covid-19-vaccine-biontech-eua-meeting-approval">Pfizer and BioNTech</a>, making it the first Covid-19 vaccine in the United States to begin distribution outside of clinical trials.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="A2JWz8">
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The first <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/24/world/pfizer-vaccine-distribution.html">6.4 million doses</a> could ship within days.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="3QeUod">
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The announcement came after an advisory committee to the Food and Drug Administration, the <a href="https://www.fda.gov/advisory-committees/advisory-committee-calendar/vaccines-and-related-biological-products-advisory-committee-december-10-2020-meeting-announcement">Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee</a>, voted 17 to 4, with 1 abstention, to recommend and EUA for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. The committee specifically voted on whether the benefits of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine outweigh the risks in people aged 16 years and older.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="YTLOEB">
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The highly anticipated regulatory green light means health workers facing high exposure to the disease and residents of long-term care facilities can now start receiving the first doses of the two-dose vaccine.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="qKZWRc">
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That a vaccine for a disease only discovered late<strong> </strong>last year would be ready so quickly is already an unmatched scientific feat, but the fact that it’s also based on a <a href="https://www.vox.com/2020/8/13/21359025/coronavirus-vaccine-covid-19-moderna-oxford-mrna-adenovirus">new technology</a> that yielded 95 percent efficacy in preventing disease makes the announcement all the more remarkable.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="oOwO5u">
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“The tireless work to develop a new vaccine to prevent this novel, serious, and life-threatening disease in an expedited timeframe after its emergence is a true testament to scientific innovation and public-private collaboration worldwide,” said FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn in a statement.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="CSv3kH">
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The approval of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine in the US follows green lights from regulatory agencies in <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/vaccine-rollout-plan-phac-1.5833912">Canada</a> and the <a href="https://www.vox.com/2020/12/2/21983642/uk-first-approves-pfizer-vaccine-biontech-covid-19">United Kingdom</a>. Next week, the vaccine advisory committee will consider another EUA for the Covid-19 vaccine using a similar approach developed by <a href="https://www.vox.com/2020/11/30/21726327/moderna-covid-19-vaccine-results">Moderna</a>.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="pSDY0F">
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But an EUA is only one step forward.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="SorbS2">
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The vaccine must then be shipped to health facilities and administered in two doses. These steps present their own challenges, ranging from keeping the vaccine at the <a href="https://www.vox.com/21552934/moderna-pfizer-covid-19-vaccine-biontech-coronavirus-cold-chain">frigid temperatures</a> it requires to getting patients to come back for a follow-up shot. Meanwhile, many of the health systems administering shots are struggling to care for a huge surge of <a href="https://www.vox.com/2020/11/12/21560902/covid-19-risk-hospitalizations-chart-texas-illinois">hospitalized Covid-19 patients</a>.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="tG7AdO">
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This rollout will be part of the largest vaccination effort in history. But there will not be enough doses for everyone at the outset, even for people placed at the front of the line. Pfizer and BioNTech expect to produce 50 million doses of their vaccine around the world before the end of the year, enough for 25 million people — half of which has been pledged for the US. The first doses to roll out will be a <a href="https://www.vox.com/2020/12/10/21611674/covid-19-vaccine-pfizer-biontech-fda-distribution-hospitals">crucial test</a> of the vaccine distribution system in the United States, as well as a test of public acceptance and of the integrity of the clinical trial process.
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</p>
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<h3 id="iNd8nq">
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The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is cleared for emergency approval. Now what?
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</h3>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="4UDflv">
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One of the first challenges for the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is getting it where it needs to go. That’s complicated by the fact that the vaccine requires temperatures of minus 70 degrees Celsius (minus 94 degrees Fahrenheit) or lower, some of the coldest temperature constraints of any Covid-19 vaccine under development. Maintaining the <a href="https://www.vox.com/21552934/moderna-pfizer-covid-19-vaccine-biontech-coronavirus-cold-chain">cold chain</a> from factories to distribution hubs to hospitals is crucial; otherwise, the vaccine may spoil and become ineffective.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="2dnnZL">
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Pfizer has developed its own temperature-controlled shipping containers that use dry ice to maintain the recommended temperatures for their vaccine for up to 10 days. But longer storage will require ultra-cold freezers, and not many clinics have the requisite hardware, so timing the shipments will be key. There may also be shortages of <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/12/09/covid-vaccine-dry-ice-sales-skyrocket-as-hospitals-prepare-to-deliver-shots.html">dry ice</a>.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ZoFvE0">
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The next hurdle is figuring out who gets the vaccine first. The 6.4 million doses available at the outset are nowhere near enough to quench the raging Covid-19 pandemic that is still reaching new peaks in daily<strong> </strong>hospitalizations and fatalities.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="aQVhV8">
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An advisory committee to the <a href="https://www.vox.com/2020/12/2/21754854/covid-19-vaccine-cdc-advisory-recommendation">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</a> voted at the beginning of this month on a set of guidelines that prioritize health care personnel, as well as staff and residents of long-term care facilities. But these groups alone add up to about <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/acip/meetings/downloads/slides-2020-12/COVID-02-Dooling.pdf">24 million people</a>, so states and local governments and health groups are having to narrow these groups further.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Qm1dJA">
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Pfizer and BioNTech’s vaccine also has to be administered as two doses spaced 21 days apart. That poses a problem because experiences with other vaccines show that <a href="https://www.vox.com/coronavirus-covid19/22163315/covid-19-vaccines-doses-pfizer-moderna">people are really bad at getting follow-up shots</a>. As many as half of patients failed to get their second dose of the hepatitis B vaccine, for example. For the Covid-19 vaccine, side effects from the first dose, scheduling conflicts, or supply shortages may inhibit recipients from getting the second dose.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="7CUQGE">
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The good news is that the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine may offer some protection against Covid-19 from the first dose, although it takes a few days for the shielding to build up. In fact, some experts, including former FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb, argued that the entire allotment of doses should be given to as many people as possible, as fast as possible, rather than withholding injections to give to people as second shots.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="tYJVKR">
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“We should get as many shots in our arms as possible right away,” he told <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2020/12/07/covid-vaccine-pfizer-board-member-disagrees-us-distribution-plan/3860363001/">USA Today</a> on Monday. “The idea that we need to cut (the doses) in half and give half of it now and hold onto it, so we have supply in January to get the second dose … I just fundamentally disagree with that.”
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="RK4s0B">
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But other experts say <a href="https://twitter.com/fperrywilson/status/1337130432261984256">there isn’t yet enough data</a> on a single dose to know whether it will provide enough protection from the virus for the broader population.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="7hj1HJ">
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Meanwhile, the FDA is likely to authorize another Covid-19 vaccine in the coming weeks, clearing the way for the distribution of 25 million doses of the Moderna vaccine, enough for 12.5 million people on the two-dose regimen.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="fm9dEI">
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Moncef Slaoui, the scientific lead for Operation Warp Speed, the program from the Department of Health and Human Services to accelerate and deploy Covid-19 vaccines, said he expects 20 million Americans will be vaccinated in December, 30 million more in January, and 50 million more in February as more vaccines with promising early results are approved.
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</p>
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<h3 id="Rb2nGD">
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The clinical trials for Covid-19 vaccines must continue, but they’re going to get harder to complete as placebo participants leave to get vaccinated
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</h3>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="AelNjj">
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An EUA is a critical step, but it’s not full approval, and it signals that the FDA still wants answers to key questions, like long-term safety. The standards for an EUA for a vaccine is that there is an urgent public health need, the proposed vaccine may have a beneficial effect, and that there are no approved alternatives. The FDA also set a minimum threshold of 50 percent efficacy for a Covid-19 vaccine, a line that several vaccines have completely vaulted.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="2D8tD5">
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So far, Pfizer and BioNTech are only reporting two months of observational safety for their phase 3 clinical trial, although the companies have committed to continue monitoring their more than 43,000 trial participants.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="P0ohzK">
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But at the same time, Covid-19 is spreading rampantly in the United States, and more than 20,000 people in Pfizer and BioNTech’s trial have received a placebo rather than the actual vaccine, leaving them vulnerable to the disease. Of the 178 reported cases of Covid-19 in the trial pool, 169 were in the placebo group. Of those, 9 in the placebo group and 1 in the vaccine group experienced severe Covid-19. As time goes on, more people in the placebo group will likely get sick and some will fall severely ill, requiring hospitalization. Without intervention, some of these people in the placebo group may die.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="RrWJDE">
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The EUA now presents a huge dilemma for the clinical trial. People in the placebo group may be at risk of Covid-19, but if they receive the vaccine, it would diminish the value of the trial and make it harder to answer questions about safety and efficacy, particularly in vulnerable subgroups like older adults.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="xXkmlw">
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And since this is a double-blind clinical trial, neither the recipients nor the companies know who received the vaccine and who received the placebo. Vaccinating the placebo group would require breaking this blind, and if participants find out which group they’re in, they could change their behavior. People who received the vaccine may engage in riskier behavior while people in the placebo group may end up taking more precautions if they decide not to get vaccinated themselves. Those changes in behavior will make it harder to isolate the effects of the vaccine.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="eQNf0D">
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William C. Gruber, senior vice president for vaccine clinical research and development for Pfizer, told the FDA vaccine advisory committee on Thursday that the company has an ethical obligation to inform trial participants that the vaccine has received an EUA, but they are working on coming up with ways to maintain the integrity of the trial as much as possible.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="CdXpXp">
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“Eligible participants in the placebo group will have the option to receive the vaccine,” Gruber said. “We are currently in discussions with the FDA about the best way to vaccinate placebo recipients.”
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="tDoiqS">
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Gruber added that the study will continue for 24 months regardless, with ongoing monitoring of the trial participants. This sort of large-scale and long-term follow-up is key because there may be rare complications that emerge that weren’t detected over a shorter time frame or were not present in the selected pool of participants in the trial.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="t1gt4i">
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Already, the rollout of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine in the UK has revealed that people with <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/people-with-severe-allergies-shouldnt-get-covid-19-vaccine-says-u-k-regulator-after-reactions-11607515727">severe allergies</a> could face complications.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="djxzlt">
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“[T]he expectation would be that subjects with known severe reaction — allergic reaction — should not take the vaccine until we understand exactly what happened here,” Slaoui <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/independent-panel-scrutinize-vaccine-public-meeting/story?id=74626659">told reporters</a> on Wednesday.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="SpF0Ep">
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More people receiving this inoculation will further clarify any problems and concerns. But it will take months before the vaccine will start to constrain new Covid-19 cases since tens of millions of people would need to have immunity before the spread starts to slow down. And while the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine has demonstrated effectiveness against disease, it’s still not clear how well it prevents asymptomatic infection. Scientists don’t yet know if people who are vaccinated could still transmit the virus to other people without getting sick themselves.
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That means that until there is widespread vaccination, hospitals will still be battling severe Covid-19 as case numbers reach grim new heights. And handwashing, social distancing, and mark-wearing will remain the orders of the day for months to come, even for people lucky enough to receive a vaccine.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="KmF48j">
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</p></li>
|
|||
|
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<li><strong>EU leaders agree to deeper cuts to greenhouse gas emissions by 2030</strong> -
|
|||
|
|
<figure>
|
|||
|
|
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/CMfivfnogs52yiZl7cS5aUtbxb0=/0x0:5973x4480/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/68499991/1230063918.0.jpg"/>
|
|||
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|
<figcaption>
|
|||
|
|
President of the European Council Charles Michel, left, talks with the German Chancellor Angela Merkel, center, and the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen at the end of the second day of an EU Summit on December 11, 2020, in Brussels, Belgium. | Thierry Monasse/Getty Images
|
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</figcaption>
|
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</figure>
|
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|
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
|||
|
|
The plan confirms Europe’s status as a global leader on climate change.
|
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</p>
|
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="KGtm0d">
|
|||
|
|
It might have taken 21 hours, but the European Union’s 27 member states have agreed to toughen targets for cutting greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55 percent from 1990 levels by 2030 — a vast improvement from the 40 percent target set in 2019.
|
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</p>
|
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="bjHup4">
|
|||
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|
Last December, the European Commission — the political bloc’s executive arm — unveiled the <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/info/strategy/priorities-2019-2024/european-green-deal_en">European Green Deal</a>, which set the goal <a href="https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2019/12/11/21010681/european-green-new-deal-climate-change-cop25">for reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2050</a>. Now, <a href="https://www.vox.com/22167974/anniversary-paris-agreement-climate">five years after the Paris climate agreement</a>, the EU has agreed to cut emissions even further amid rising concern that <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/dec/02/us-biden-rejoining-paris-agreement-un-secretary-general-climate-emissions">saving humanity</a> from the worst effects of climate change will be impossible without strong leadership.
|
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</p>
|
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="k70Zml">
|
|||
|
|
The increased target is featured in the EU’s<strong> </strong>$2.2 trillion coronavirus recovery and long-term budget package that was finalized on Friday. The plan will be officially announced on December 12 at the UN’s <a href="https://www.climateambitionsummit2020.org/">Climate Ambition Summit 2020</a>, which will be the largest gathering of leaders from governments, businesses, and civil society groups since the Paris accord was signed.
|
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</p>
|
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="fEcOqW">
|
|||
|
|
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen celebrated the decision in a <a href="https://twitter.com/vonderleyen/status/1337296607860101120?s=20">tweet</a>, saying<strong> </strong>their “ambitious proposal” to slice emissions would put the EU “on a clear path towards climate neutrality in 2050.”
|
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</p>
|
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ir52xI">
|
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|
|
The agreement, reached after final talks began on Thursday, faced some hurdles. Poland held up the process by <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/eu-summit-climate/eu-summit-goes-through-night-as-poland-holds-out-on-climate-deal-idUKL4N2IR1DR">demanding</a><strong> </strong>that future emissions targets be determined by GDP, meaning the bloc’s poorer countries — like Poland — could pollute more than wealthier ones. It was an unsurprising ask as<strong> </strong>Poland’s economy <a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/poland-coal-energy-green-deal-eu/">relies on using coal, a big emissions contributor</a>.
|
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</p>
|
|||
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="DxI715">
|
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|
|
That issue was tabled, though, with members <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/eu-summit-climate/eu-summit-goes-through-night-as-poland-holds-out-on-climate-deal-idUSKBN28L0N3?il=0">agreeing</a> to meet next year on the matter. That paved the way for the historic announcement, one that could hopefully make the EU a greater leader in curbing climate change.
|
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|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<h3 id="bLJK7m">
|
|||
|
|
The EU is demonstrating leadership on curbing greenhouse gas emissions
|
|||
|
|
</h3>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="0FHXDs">
|
|||
|
|
The EU as a bloc has long cared about cutting emissions, but Friday’s announcement shows just how serious it is.
|
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|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="YCa9gX">
|
|||
|
|
“It demonstrates a strong commitment inside Europe to figure out how to put together political support for climate change,” David Victor, professor of international law at the University of California San Diego, told me. Victor called the newly agreed-upon targets the “most aggressive so far.”
|
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|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="MiWzNq">
|
|||
|
|
Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, which currently<strong> </strong>holds the rotating presidency of the EU, said it was “worth losing a night’s sleep” to get the deal done. “I don’t want to imagine what would have happened if we hadn’t been able to achieve such a result,” she <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/11/world/europe/eu-climate-emissions.html">added</a> during statements to the press Friday. Others, like European Council President<strong> </strong>Charles Michel — who has <a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/charles-michel-pledges-bold-eu-action-against-climate-change/">urged bolder action</a> — agreed, <a href="https://twitter.com/eucopresident/status/1337296150580383744?s=20">declaring</a> that the announcement proved Europe is the “leader in the fight against climate change.”
|
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|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="CObuBd">
|
|||
|
|
But not everyone thinks the plan’s cuts are enough. Pascal Canfin, chair of the European Parliament’s environment committee, wanted the cuts to be 60 percent, not 55 percent. “Having the parliament supporting 60 percent helps the progressive countries in the council to drive ambition upwards,” Canfin told <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/oct/08/eu-parliament-votes-carbon-greenhouse-gas-emissions-reduction-2030">the Guardian</a> back in October.
|
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|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="cPqDCd">
|
|||
|
|
And it’s not like the EU will just magically meet its targets. It must now do the hard work of turning that ambition into reality.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="vDlPIY">
|
|||
|
|
“Announcements are relatively easy,” Victor said. “What’s really hard is implementation. There’s no date for that. That process is ongoing.”
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="xK2k6N">
|
|||
|
|
“The details really matter, and many of the details are unknowable until real governments start trying to meet these targets,” Victor continued, “but it is certainly possible.”
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="hgEK0S">
|
|||
|
|
Still, the stricter emissions benchmark is the latest EU commitment to lead on addressing climate change. The hope now is that it follows through on its pledge.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="fqX99V">
|
|||
|
|
</p></li>
|
|||
|
|
<li><strong>Netflix’s new musical The Prom won’t solve small-town bigotry. But it’ll have fun trying.</strong> -
|
|||
|
|
<figure>
|
|||
|
|
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/jtockC30wlDjUGooqVquOnnzZ1w=/178x0:3370x2394/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/68499703/TP_22436RC.0.jpg"/>
|
|||
|
|
<figcaption>
|
|||
|
|
MELINDA SUE GORDON/NETFLIX
|
|||
|
|
</figcaption>
|
|||
|
|
</figure>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
|||
|
|
Ryan Murphy’s film adaptation of the Broadway show is a patchy form of resistance. At least Meryl is charming!
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ObFgOD">
|
|||
|
|
Ryan Murphy’s new Netflix adaptation of the 2018 Broadway musical <em>The Prom</em> has a lot to live up to. The musical garnered a devoted audience and critical acclaim <strong>over its short run</strong>, as well as seven Tony nominations. And while it <a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/2019/6/9/18659081/2019-tony-awards-winners-losers">didn’t actually win anything</a>, its glitzy tongue-in-cheek showbiz narrative about two girlfriends fighting to attend their high school prom made it perfect fodder for Murphy’s small-screen milieu of mixing queer stories with musicals and camp.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="rFQFgo">
|
|||
|
|
On Netflix, <em>The Prom </em>has gotten a glow-up, with its Broadway cast of veteran character actors traded up for A-listers across the board, including Meryl Streep and James Corden as aging Broadway divas clinging to relevance by turning to social activism. Their focus? A small Indiana high school where a civil rights battle over prom night leads to a noxious moment of small-town ostracism — one based on an equally ugly true story.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<div class="c-float-right">
|
|||
|
|
<aside id="9jNgQY">
|
|||
|
|
<div>
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
</div>
|
|||
|
|
</aside>
|
|||
|
|
</div>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="WelxlU">
|
|||
|
|
<em>The Prom</em>’s solution to the deeply complex problem of American bigotry is to do theater to it. Its conceit is one part a blatantly romanticized show of optimism wrapped in a love letter to Broadway, and one part a bittersweet gesture of empathy toward anybody who’s grown up as a small-town misfit. Oh, and it’s also a musical comedy in the classic singing/dancing/jokes sense.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="6uCRMZ">
|
|||
|
|
I wasn’t sold on this concept when <em>The Prom</em> debuted onstage, because it felt too easy, outdated, and possibly even exploitative. And I had my doubts about whether Murphy would be able to more successfully meld the show’s exploration of<strong> </strong>queer identity with its over-the-top Broadway fantasy. But while the film has made very few changes to the stage version, the small-screen treatment blessedly works just fine: The jokes land, the cast is superb, the score is still charming, and fans of the show will have little to complain about.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<h3 id="nS3Xka">
|
|||
|
|
A small town’s furor over gay rights becomes a dramedy of errors when Broadway stars arrive
|
|||
|
|
</h3>
|
|||
|
|
<figure class="e-image">
|
|||
|
|
<img alt=" " src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/77fz88uTfEUpAuh_XbAo0oPgIWY=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22162952/Screen_Shot_2020_12_11_at_12.41.35_PM.png"/> <cite>Netflix</cite>
|
|||
|
|
<figcaption>
|
|||
|
|
Oh, my god, it’s <em>Meryl.</em>
|
|||
|
|
</figcaption>
|
|||
|
|
</figure>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="JBKmwy">
|
|||
|
|
Our story opens in the middle of a two-fold crisis. At James Madison High, the local PTA, headed by an angry mom (Kerry Washington), has just voted to cancel the spring prom over one student’s request to attend the dance with her girlfriend. The principal (<a href="https://www.vox.com/2015/9/10/9302117/key-and-peele-series-finale">Keegan-Michael Key</a>) vows to petition the courts over the PTA’s decision, much to the chagrin of the student herself, Emma (newcomer Jo Ellen Pellman, cast after a highly publicized nationwide talent search, just as you’d expect from the creator of <em>Glee</em>).
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="uVWQKD">
|
|||
|
|
Meanwhile, in New York, a crew of self-absorbed theater veterans (Meryl Streep, James Corden, Nicole Kidman, and Andrew Rannells) is facing a crisis of their own — a flood of bad reviews. Newly downtrodden, they decide to embark on a show of social activism to make themselves look good to critics. Their cause celèbre, chosen entirely at random, is Emma’s quest to go to prom with a girl.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="oYkf9D">
|
|||
|
|
The city slickers promptly travel to Indiana and barge into the situation unannounced, with loud, showy messages of tolerance. “There will be banners! And <em>choreography</em>!” Corden’s Barry, himself a gay Midwestern transplant, declares. LuPone-ish diva Dee Dee Allen intones, “I read three-quarters of a news story and knew I had to come,” and all hell breaks loose.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="bP1xJ9">
|
|||
|
|
Initially, the theater troupe just makes things worse, and the film relishes in dipping into some of the more outré cliches of small-town life, like having our heroes perform an ill-advised song about tolerance at a monster truck rally. But the biggest complication of all is one closer to home: Emma’s girlfriend Alyssa (Ariana DeBose), unlike Emma herself, is closeted. In fact, she’s one of the popular girls — and the daughter of the mean PTA mom. (Before the controversy, going to prom together was intended to be Alyssa’s coming-out moment.)
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="3Kxxgp">
|
|||
|
|
And while our Broadway stars are having their own moments of growth and change as they start to support Emma for real, Alyssa has to decide whether she’s really ready to come out and risk the full force of her town’s ostracism. This tension culminates in a punishing<strong> </strong>moment of full-on hate, when the town finally allows Emma to have her prom — but at an ugly cost.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<h3 id="KT8URx">
|
|||
|
|
<em>The Prom</em> is self-aware about its own escapist fantasy — but it’s not always an easy sell
|
|||
|
|
</h3>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="DR8kRD">
|
|||
|
|
When I saw <em>The Prom</em> in previews in 2018, I felt distinctly like the only buzzkill in an otherwise ecstatic crowd. It was clear that the show was already beloved by its audience, who fully embraced its Sorkin-esque liberal escapism and its deliberately campy approach to ideological warfare in the American heartland.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="EKsqC0">
|
|||
|
|
But for me, the conceit didn’t quite land. The two narratives, one about narcissistic but well-meaning showbiz veterans glomming onto a social justice fad and the other about deep-seated small-town bigotry, didn’t fully cohere, and it seemed naive rather than romantic to pretend they could. It was a version of queer Americana that felt teleported in from the ’90s without many updates; hell, the <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/07/20/mississippi.lesbian.settlement/index.html">heartbreaking true story</a> that <em>The Prom</em> is based on was itself nearly 10 years old.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="b0UpSO">
|
|||
|
|
Further, as a queer kid who lived for many years in an Indiana town well-established as <a href="https://www.visitbloomington.com/things-to-do/lgbtq-travel/">one of the most gay-friendly places in the nation</a>, I bristled at <em>The Prom</em>’s constant treatment of the state, and by proxy the “flyover states” at large, as a generic monolith. Although the entire show is an ironic send-up of misguided white liberalism, it also openly embraces its own white liberal fantasy of tolerance. The low point in this regard comes when one of the New Yorkers, Trent (Rannells, looking fully the part of a rejected church youth group leader), seamlessly converts a bunch of gullible teen bigots into acceptance and love, simply by singing a litany of hypocritical Bible dictums. It’s the kind of argument that only centrist democrats who get their political arguments from <em>The West Wing</em> believe actually works on real Bible belt churchgoers; but miraculously, in <em>The Prom,</em> it works faster than you can say Leviticus.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="58NKSu">
|
|||
|
|
Still, it’s very clear the show <em>knows</em> it’s an escapist fantasy — and that’s even clearer in the Netflix adaptation, which sharpens its satirical points throughout and gifts Key with a small but sincere song that screams <em>The Prom</em>’s self-awareness about using the theater as an idealized version of reality. It helps that during the pandemic shutdown of Broadway, <em>The Prom</em>’s depiction of New York as a shining mecca of tolerance is as much of an escapist dream as everything else about it. The film gives us permission to dream big, of a place far, far away — in this case impossibly far away, even if it’s just Manhattan.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="UaCjpy">
|
|||
|
|
Murphy has always had a flair for merging camp and pathos, and it’s put to good use here. The big first-act closer, “Tonight Belongs to Me,” is both a rousing rip-roaring ensemble dance number and a horror show, as it serves as the big reveal for Emma’s punishment, courtesy of the entire student body and their parents. This moment, which to me felt too glossy and glitzy onstage to fully convey the emotional impact of the town’s cruelty, plays better here, scaled down to the pain on Pellman’s face.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="hHiTyG">
|
|||
|
|
Other moments from the Broadway show also play better on screen, even though they conversely lose scale. Most notable among them is “The Lady’s Improving,” the second-act showstopper that Meryl Streep delivers without a lot of accompanying pizazz just by being Meryl Streep. It’s the highlight from a score that frequently slaps, even if the lyrics do a lot of obvious scenery-chewing.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="EM5qYB">
|
|||
|
|
I had, and still have, serious qualms about the decision to model this entire story on an <em>actual</em> incident of small-town bigotry, one that resulted in the student ultimately winning a lawsuit against the school district — after moving away. It all just feels too easy, easier than it was in real life. Emma does endure plenty of hardship — like many queer kids, she’s kicked out of her house after coming out and the town makes her the scapegoat for the PTA’s own intolerance. But the bright-eyed ease and plucky courage with which she endures this, even forging a bond with Barry over their shared experiences of isolation, makes her feel one-dimensional. The story’s insistence that <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/it-gets-better-how-viral-video-fueled-movement-lgbtq-youth-n1240608">it gets better</a> blares from every chorus, but the complex challenges modern-day queer (and entirely absent genderqueer) teenagers face largely feel pushed to the side.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="RCHPmI">
|
|||
|
|
Still, <em>The Prom</em> clearly wasn’t intended to be a deep treatise on its subject; it’s <em>a musical comedy</em>, after all. Instead, it presents itself as a celebration of the optimism and humanity that still thrives in such small towns — despite suggesting that those of us who can do so should find a way to relocate someplace better. But if that feels jaded, <em>The Prom</em> still has all the cheeky magic of singing and dancing against the backdrop of local hotspots. If common ground can be found through overblown dance breaks at a Cinnabon or a quiet song at the local Applebee’s, the film suggests, perhaps it can be found anywhere.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="QnnRnm">
|
|||
|
|
We might call it the <em>Footloose</em> philosophy of American politics. It’s a patchy, untenable form of resistance, but it’s undeniably fun.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="PJ0kPv">
|
|||
|
|
<em>The Prom</em> is streaming on Netflix.
|
|||
|
|
</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>Yuvraj Singh hopes for swift resolution to farmers’ issues, distances himself from father’s comments</strong> - “As a proud Indian, I am indeed saddened and upset by the statements made by Mr. Yograj Singh,” he wrote on Twitter.</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>New Zealand’s Ross Taylor dropped for Pakistan T20 series</strong> - The veteran batman’s omission was because of the form of Devon Conway and Glenn Phillips, selector Gavin Larsen said.</p></li>
|
|||
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<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Premier League | Set-piece goals fire West Ham to 2-1 comeback win over Leeds</strong> - Two headed goals from set pieces by midfielder Tomas Soucek and defender Angelo Ogbonna helped West Ham United fight back from a goal down to beat Le</p></li>
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<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Tenno Sho expected to score in the Racing Patrons Trophy</strong> - Tenno Sho, who has been well tuned, is expected to score in the Racing Patrons Trophy (1,600m), the main event of the races to be held here on Saturd</p></li>
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<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Natarajan, Shardul and Washington to stay back</strong> - Shardul Thakur, T. Natarajan and Washington Sundar have been retained as back-up and net bowlers for India’s Test series in Australia, starting on Dec</p></li>
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</ul>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-the-hindu-national-news">From The Hindu: National News</h1>
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<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>European ambassadors vouch by ‘green economy’ for sustainability, job creation</strong> - They also visited Water Metro project sites and also probed the potential to collaborate in waste management</p></li>
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<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Attack on Nadda convoy: MHA calls 3 West Bengal IPS officers to serve in central deputation</strong> - The decision has been taken under the rules governing the all India service officers, the official said.</p></li>
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<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Eight injured in reactor blast at IDA Bollaram</strong> - More than five fire engines roped in to control the fire</p></li>
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<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Farmers in Haryana picketing at several toll plazas</strong> - A large number of police personnel have been deployed at the toll plaza to maintain law and order</p></li>
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<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Amaravati is posited to be a city that is exclusive for the benefit of a few people: Advocate General</strong> - Advocate-General (A-G) S. Sriram insisted in the High Court on Saturday that it should be satisfied with the legality, bona-fides and constitutionalit</p></li>
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</ul>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-bbc-europe">From BBC: Europe</h1>
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<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Pushbacks: Migrants accuse Greece of sending them back out to sea</strong> - Greece insists such accusations are an insult but some migrants documented their trips with GPS.</p></li>
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<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Brexit: UK-EU talks continue as Navy boats put on standby</strong> - Four Navy boats get ready to patrol UK fishing waters in event of no deal, as negotiations resume.</p></li>
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<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Covid: Trials to test combination of Oxford and Sputnik vaccines</strong> - The aim is to see whether mixing two vaccines could improve protection against Covid-19.</p></li>
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<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Climate change: EU leaders set 55% target for CO2 emissions cut</strong> - All-night talks lead to a goal of cutting CO2 emissions by 55% by 2030, rather than 40%.</p></li>
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<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Austria court overturns primary school headscarf ban</strong> - The constitutional court rules that the law, brought in last year, breached rights on religious freedom.</p></li>
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</ul>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-ars-technica">From Ars Technica</h1>
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<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Head of FDA on chopping block as Trump rages over vaccine authorization [Updated]</strong> - FDA has now authorized the first COVID-19 vaccine amid pressure. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1729464">link</a></p></li>
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<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Apple is full-steam ahead on replacing Qualcomm modems with its own</strong> - SVP Johny Srouji told Apple employees that development kicked off this year. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1729406">link</a></p></li>
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<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Apple’s app store is an illegal monopoly, rival Cydia claims in suit</strong> - Apple argues the iPhone and its app store are part of the same product. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1729391">link</a></p></li>
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<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Where do I go now that CentOS Linux is gone? Check our list</strong> - CentOS was the most famous “RHEL rebuild” by far—but there are others. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1729387">link</a></p></li>
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<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Facebook says hackers backed by Vietnam’s government are linked to IT firm</strong> - Group is known for its robust, custom-made malware. IT firm says the link is a mistake. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1729408">link</a></p></li>
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</ul>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-jokes-subreddit">From Jokes Subreddit</h1>
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<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A blonde pays $1,000,000 to use a stadium to prove blondes are smart.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
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<div class="md">
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
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She fills the stadium with 80,000 other blondes and calls one up to prove, on live TV, that blondes are smart. She starts simply with a math question. “What’s twenty plus three?” She asks the young volunteer. The little blonde thinks and timidly whispers into the mic “nine?” Soon a chorus of 80,000 blondes yell out “Give her another chance! Give her another chance!” The lead blonde agrees and calms the crowd. She decides to go really easy and asks the young blonde volunteer, “ok dear, what’s two plus two?” The little blonde thinks for about thirty seconds, and hesitatingly whispers “four?” In unison 80,000 blondes scream out “Give her another chance! Give her another chance!….”
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
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Edited for typo
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</p>
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</div>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Foxholeatheist38"> /u/Foxholeatheist38 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/kbi1dd/a_blonde_pays_1000000_to_use_a_stadium_to_prove/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/kbi1dd/a_blonde_pays_1000000_to_use_a_stadium_to_prove/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
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<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>What do you do when a blonde throws a grenade at you?</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
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<div class="md">
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
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You pull the pin and throw it back!
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</p>
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</div>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Homelesscat23"> /u/Homelesscat23 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/kb99qy/what_do_you_do_when_a_blonde_throws_a_grenade_at/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/kb99qy/what_do_you_do_when_a_blonde_throws_a_grenade_at/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
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<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>I watched my first porn today</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
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But damn I was so young back then
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</p>
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</div>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/humutg"> /u/humutg </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/kbfdab/i_watched_my_first_porn_today/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/kbfdab/i_watched_my_first_porn_today/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
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<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>What’s brown and rhymes with Snoop?</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
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<div class="md">
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
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Dr. Dre
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</p>
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</div>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/tikimurrayreg"> /u/tikimurrayreg </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/kbk7yl/whats_brown_and_rhymes_with_snoop/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/kbk7yl/whats_brown_and_rhymes_with_snoop/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
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<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>I saw my dwarf neighbor standing at the bus stop this morning so I stopped him.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
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I saw my dwarf neighbor standing at the bus stop this morning so I stopped him.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
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I said, “Jump in! I’ll give you a lift!”
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
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“Fuck off!” he said.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
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And I just thought to myself, “What an ungrateful person he is.” So I zipped up my backpack and kept on walking.
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</p>
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</div>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/ncklpz"> /u/ncklpz </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/kb9dzn/i_saw_my_dwarf_neighbor_standing_at_the_bus_stop/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/kb9dzn/i_saw_my_dwarf_neighbor_standing_at_the_bus_stop/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
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</ul>
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