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<title>01 February, 2022</title>
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<title>Covid-19 Sentry</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"/><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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<h1 data-aos="fade-down" id="covid-19-sentry">Covid-19 Sentry</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-preprints">From Preprints</a></li>
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<li><a href="#from-clinical-trials">From Clinical Trials</a></li>
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<li><a href="#from-pubmed">From PubMed</a></li>
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<li><a href="#from-patent-search">From Patent Search</a></li>
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</ul>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-preprints">From Preprints</h1>
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<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>An institutional analysis of gender (in)equalities, covid-19 and governance of elite women’s football in Australia, England and USA.</strong> -
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Purpose – Women’s football faces an existential threat from COVID-19. Using case studies, the authors explore the COVID-19 responses of three highly ranked national football associations (Australia, England and the USA) and their professional women’s football leagues to (a) compare and shed new insights into the wide range of phased responses and</div></li>
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<ol start="2" type="a">
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<li>establish recommendations for other nations to navigate major crises with their social and ethical responsibilities to women’s football. Design/methodology/approach – Drawing on institutional theory, a framework analysis was undertaken examining 71 articles to analyse the gendered global impacts of COVID-19 on women’s football. Findings – Results highlight several important recommendations for nations to consider during the pandemic: (1) maintain active communication with the community to allay worries about the future of women’s football, (2) gather support from health and government officials, (3) seek out commercial and broadcasting partnerships to drive revenue, and (4) the interests of women’s football are best served when responsibility for the elite women’s league does not rest (solely) with national football associations. Social implications – The authors argue that sport is an interwoven part of society and cannot be separated from gender equality issues irrespective of the pandemic. Originality/value – The study is first to explore institutional pressures and football governing bodies during COVID-19 and provides a framework for nations to manage major crises.
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<div class="article-link article-html-link">
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/preprints/sportrxiv/ut6zm/" target="_blank">An institutional analysis of gender (in)equalities, covid-19 and governance of elite women’s football in Australia, England and USA.</a>
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</div></li>
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</ol>
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<ul>
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<li><strong>Young adults view smartphone tracking technologies for COVID-19 as acceptable: the case of Taiwan</strong> -
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Taiwan has been successful in controlling the spread of SARS-CoV-2 during the COVID-19 pandemic; however, without a vaccine the threat of a second outbreak remains. Young adults who show few-to-no symptoms when infected have been identified in many countries as driving the virus’ spread through unidentifiable community transmission. Mobile tracking technologies register nearby contacts of a user and notifies them if one later tests positive to the virus, potentially solving this issue; however, the effectiveness of these technologies depends on their acceptance by the public. The current study assessed attitudes towards three tracking technologies (telecommunication network tracking, a government app, and Apple and Google’s Bluetooth exposure notification system) among four samples of young Taiwanese adults (aged 25 years or younger). Using Bayesian methods, we find high acceptance for all three tracking technologies (> 75%), with acceptance for each technology surpassing 90% if additional privacy measures were included. We consider the policy implications of these results for Taiwan and similar cultures.
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</div>
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<div class="article-link article-html-link">
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://psyarxiv.com/mznrb/" target="_blank">Young adults view smartphone tracking technologies for COVID-19 as acceptable: the case of Taiwan</a>
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</div></li>
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<li><strong>Public acceptance of Privacy-Encroaching Policies to Address the COVID-19 Pandemic in the United Kingdom</strong> -
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<div>
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The nature of the COVID-19 pandemic may require governments to use privacy-encroaching technologies to help contain its spread. One technology involves co-location tracking through mobile Wi-Fi, GPS, and Bluetooth to permit health agencies to monitor people’s contact with each other, thereby triggering targeted social-distancing when a person turns out to be infected. The effectiveness of tracking relies on the willingness of the population to support such privacy encroaching measures. We report the results of two large surveys in the United Kingdom, conducted during the peak of the pandemic, that probe people’s attitudes towards various tracking technologies. The results show that by and large there is widespread acceptance for co-location tracking. Acceptance increases when the measures are explicitly time-limited and come with opt-out clauses or other assurances of privacy. Another possible future technology to control the pandemic involves “immunity passports”, which could be issued to people who carry antibodies for the COVID-19 virus, potentially implying that they are immune and therefore unable to spread the virus to other people. Immunity passports have been considered as a potential future step to manage the pandemic. We probe people’s attitudes towards immunity passports and find considerable support overall, although around 20% of the public strongly oppose passports.
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</div>
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<div class="article-link article-html-link">
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://psyarxiv.com/njwmp/" target="_blank">Public acceptance of Privacy-Encroaching Policies to Address the COVID-19 Pandemic in the United Kingdom</a>
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</div></li>
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<li><strong>The acceptability and uptake of smartphone tracking for COVID-19 in Australia</strong> -
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<div>
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In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, many Governments are instituting mobile tracking technologies to perform rapid contact tracing. However, these technologies are only effective if the public is willing to use them, implying that their perceived public health benefits must outweigh personal concerns over privacy and security. The Australian federal government recently launched the `COVIDSafe’ app, designed to anonymously register nearby contacts. If a contact later identifies as infected with COVID-19, health department officials can rapidly followup with their registered contacts to stop the virus’ spread. The current study assessed attitudes towards three tracking technologies (telecommunication network tracking, a government app, and Apple and Google’s Bluetooth exposure notification system) in two representative samples of the Australian public prior to the launch of COVIDSafe. We compared these attitudes to usage of the COVIDSafe app after its launch in a further two representative samples of the Australian public. Using Bayesian methods, we find widespread acceptance for all tracking technologies, however, observe a large intention- behaviour gap between people’s stated attitudes and actual uptake of the COVIDSafe app. We consider the policy implications of these results for Australia and the world at large.
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</div>
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<div class="article-link article-html-link">
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://psyarxiv.com/7tme6/" target="_blank">The acceptability and uptake of smartphone tracking for COVID-19 in Australia</a>
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</div></li>
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<li><strong>EFL Students’ Self-Regulated Learning Strategies during the Covid-19 Pandemic</strong> -
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In the current contexts of Vietnam, college students are taking entirely or partially online courses due to the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. Thus, students should develop and optimally employ self-regulated learning strategies for effective learning outcomes. Research also indicates that self-regulation among students is linked to the 21st century skills. With this in mind, the present study attempts to investigate the self-regulated learning strategies of English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) students from a local university in Vietnam. The study aims to identify EFL students’ self-regulation level, correlation between their two cognition knowledge and cognition regulation, and the correlation between their self-regulation level and GPA. Data is collected via a survey questionnaire encompassing two core components of cognition knowledge and cognition regulation. The results show a high level of the involved students’ self-regulation, a correlation between their cognition knowledge and cognition regulation, but a gap between their self-regulation level and GPA. On the obtained findings, pedagogical implications are addressed, and further research is suggested.
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</div>
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<div class="article-link article-html-link">
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/rn9c6/" target="_blank">EFL Students’ Self-Regulated Learning Strategies during the Covid-19 Pandemic</a>
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</div></li>
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<li><strong>The Reshaping of Professional Discourse among Young Military Leaders during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Ukraine</strong> -
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<div>
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The research aimed to outline the features of “new normal” communication behavior of young military leaders due to the COVID-19 pandemic influence. To study this critical problem we used some general scientific and empirical methods like literature analysis, synthesis and theoretical modelling, pedagogical experience, statistical data processing. The author found that the changes include development of closed and indirect forms, introduction of new lexical, grammatical, and stylistic units, fake information spread, misuse of information and communication technologies (ICT), periodical refusal to message with non-verbal tools. The findings show that professional discourse among young military leaders changes fast because of the COVID-19 pandemic. And the transformations involve different communication behavior, the more significant role of leaders in study group especially in the context of peer-to-peer learning, critical thinking development, independent production and comprehension of professional utterances, higher responsibility of a speaker. The experiment demonstrates that military officers and cadets are likely to cope with new “rules of the game” and they continue to carry out security tasks prioritizing discipline, considerable motivation, psychological readiness to high-risk conditions and adaptability to counteract dramatic challenges. The article is one of the early researches reviewing the features of young military leaders’ discourse and describing its current transformations. The research can contribute to developement of recommendations for professional discourse improvements and, consequently, to enhance the efficiency of professional activities of military officers.
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</div>
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<div class="article-link article-html-link">
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/c56m7/" target="_blank">The Reshaping of Professional Discourse among Young Military Leaders during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Ukraine</a>
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</div></li>
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<li><strong>Good work in the COVID-19 recovery: priorities and changes for the future</strong> -
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Employment is a wider determinant of health, and the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted working lives, with individuals having to adapt to new ways of working. These new experiences may shape what kind of work people want in future. This research used a sample of working adults in Wales to identify the workforce9s priorities for future work, and the employment changes that they have considered making since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Data was collected at two time-points (May-June 2020; December 2020-January 2021) in a nationally-representative longitudinal household survey across Wales. Work priorities remained largely stable throughout the pandemic, however the desire to work close to home increased as the pandemic progressed. Those in poorer health prioritised flexibility, and were more likely to consider retiring than their healthier counterparts. Becoming self-employed was more likely to be considered by those with limiting pre-existing conditions or low mental well-being. Over 20% of the total sample had considered retraining, with those with low mental well-being, younger individuals and those experiencing financial insecurity being more likely to consider doing so. Furloughed individuals were more likely to consider retraining, becoming self-employed, securing permanent employment and compressing their working hours. Those prone to facing insecurity within their working lives (those that were furloughed, those experiencing financial insecurity, and those in ill-health) were all more likely to consider changing their employment conditions - these groups may require additional support in accessing secure and flexible work. Action is needed to ensure that good work, that is good for health, is equally accessible for all.
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</p>
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</div>
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<div class="article-link article-html-link">
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.01.31.22270163v1" target="_blank">Good work in the COVID-19 recovery: priorities and changes for the future</a>
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</div></li>
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<li><strong>The course of COVID-19 in allergic rhinitis patients receiving allergen-specific immunotherapy</strong> -
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Introduction: The aims of presenting study were trying to expose the course of SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus) in patients with allergic rhinitis (AR), to compare the prevalence of SARS- CoV-2 infection, hospitalization and pneumonia rates in patients with AR receiving allergen immunotherapy (AIT) and patients did not receive AIT (non-receivers) and to define possible risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 positivity in patients with AR. Materials and Methods: A total of 419 patients with AR who were being followed up in a tertiary allergy clinic between 1 June 2020 and 31 December 2020, were selected for the study. Only patients who were receiving active- continuous treatment for allergic rhinitis during the study period, were included in the study. Results: Seventy-nine patients (18.9%) became infected with the SARS-CoV-2 [32 patients (19.6%) in AR patients with AIT and 47 patients (19.0%) in non-receivers] and the rate of pneumonia was 2.4% [12.7% of SARS-CoV-2 (+) patients]. There was no significant difference was determined between the AR patients with AIT and the non-receivers in regard to the rate of SARS-CoV-2 infection, pneumonia, and hospitalization (p: 0.864, p: 0.081, p: 0.113). There was a significant difference between the groups in terms of gender, duration of disease, sensitivity to allergens (atopy), and serum IgE levels (p: 0.009, p: 0.001, p: 0.001, and p: 0.001). The accompanying comorbidities, eosinophil count, AIT, and duration of AIT were not found to be associated with an increased risk SARS-CoV-2 PCR positivity. However, the female gender was shown to be associated with a decreased risk for SARS-CoV-2 PCR positivity (OR, 0.571; 95% confidence interval, 0.330-0.987; p: 0.045) Conclusion: The course of SARS-CoV-2 is similar in patients with AR who underwent AIT and patients with AR who did not undergo AIT, and AIT does not seem to increase the risk for SARS-CoV-2 infection.
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</p>
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</div>
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<div class="article-link article-html-link">
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.01.29.22270072v1" target="_blank">The course of COVID-19 in allergic rhinitis patients receiving allergen-specific immunotherapy</a>
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</div></li>
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<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Quantitative risk assessment of COVID-19 and serious illness among spectators at mass gathering events with vaccine- testing package implementation</strong> -
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While mass gathering events have resumed in conjunction with vaccine-testing (VT) packages, their effects on reducing COVID-19 risk remain unclear. Here, we used an environmental exposure model to analyze the effects of vaccinations and proof of negative test results on reducing infection risk and serious illness among spectators at mass gathering events. We then analyzed the difference in risk with and without VT and regular seat zoning. Risk of infection and serious illness were quantified using a model incorporating parameters such as vaccination coverage, vaccine prevention effectiveness, and sensitivity of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or qualitative antigen tests. When vaccine prevention effectiveness was 50% (corresponding to 4 months for the delta variant and 1-2 months for the omicron variant after the second vaccine dose), the risk of infection and serious illness among vaccinated spectators were 0.32-0.40 and 0.13-0.16 times of those who tested negative, respectively. In contrast, the risks of infection and serious illness among vaccinated spectators without measures such as mask wearing were 4.0 and 1.6 times higher than those among unvaccinated spectators with such measures, respectively. The risk of infection with an 80% vaccination coverage and a vaccine prevention effectiveness of 20% (corresponding to 5-6 months for the delta variant or 3-4 months for the omicron variant after the second vaccine dose) was comparable to that of a 20% vaccine coverage and a vaccine prevention effectiveness of 80% (corresponding to 1-3 months for delta variant after the second vaccine dose). Regarding zoning, there was little difference in risk with a vaccination coverage of ≥80%. Adherence to individual measures after vaccination and maintenance of high vaccine effectiveness among spectators at stadiums are important for reducing risk of infection and serious illness. Furthermore, seat zoning did not affect overall infection risk reduction.
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.01.30.22269980v1" target="_blank">Quantitative risk assessment of COVID-19 and serious illness among spectators at mass gathering events with vaccine-testing package implementation</a>
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<li><strong>Remote parent-implemented intervention for young children on the autism spectrum during the COVID-19 home confinement period in Geneva, Switzerland: the experience of parents and therapists.</strong> -
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In the spring of 2020, autism intervention programs in Geneva, Switzerland, were forced to close during a state- mandated home confinement period, in the response to the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Therapists from three programs were asked to move early, intensive intervention sessions to an online video-conferencing format, providing primarily remote parent-implemented intervention sessions over a two-month period. In this study, we assessed the participation and satisfaction of 45 families from diverse cultural and socio-economic backgrounds, with 43 young children on the autism spectrum, and 5 toddlers who were suspected of having autism, as they experienced intervention services via telehealth for the first time. We provided questionnaires, to both the parents and the therapists working with them. Parents, regardless of socioeconomic status or cultural background, were highly motivated and engaged to learn the intervention strategies, with most families reporting high levels of satisfaction with the intensive, remote parent coaching model. The majority of parents reported that they progressed more in their interaction skills with their child with the daily remote coaching sessions, compared to services they received prior to the pandemic. Additionally, parents reported a positive experience with a much higher frequency of coaching sessions than has previously been studied. In our monitoring of child developmental progress, we observed a pattern of continued significant improvement across domains, without any stagnation of progress during the telehealth period. Our findings support previous studies that have demonstrated the benefits of telehealth services for young families with children on the autism spectrum, and go further to demonstrate high levels of satisfaction and motivation with caregivers from diverse cultural and socio- economic backgrounds, when provided with a high frequency of remote parent-implemented intervention.
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</p>
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.01.30.22270029v1" target="_blank">Remote parent-implemented intervention for young children on the autism spectrum during the COVID-19 home confinement period in Geneva, Switzerland: the experience of parents and therapists.</a>
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<li><strong>Significant Broad Spectrum Antiviral activity of Bi121 Against Different Variants of SARS-CoV-2</strong> -
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The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic infected 343 million people with over 5.59 million deaths. New mutated lineages of SARS- CoV-2 such as Omicron are evolving faster. Broad-spectrum viral inhibitors that block the initial stage of infection by reducing virus proliferation and disease severity is an unmet global medical need. We studied Bi121, a standardized polyphenolic-rich compound isolated from Pelargonium sideodes, against recombinant Vesicular Stomatitis Virus (rVSV)-pseudotyped SARS-CoV-2S (spike) that represent mutations in the spike protein of six different variants of SARS- CoV-2. Bi121 was effective in neutralizing all six rVSV-{Delta}G-SARS-CoV-2S variants expressing different mutations. The antiviral activity of Bi121 was then assessed against three variants of SARS-CoV-2 (USA WA1/2020, Hongkong/VM20001061/2020, B.1.167.2 (Delta)) using RT-qPCR and plaque assays in two different cell lines (Vero cells and HEK-ACE2). Bi121 showed significant activity toward all the three variants tested, suggesting a broad-spectrum activity.
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.01.29.477140v1" target="_blank">Significant Broad Spectrum Antiviral activity of Bi121 Against Different Variants of SARS-CoV-2</a>
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</div></li>
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<li><strong>High Frequencies of PD-1+TIM3+TIGIT+CTLA4+ Functionally Exhausted SARS-CoV-2-Specific CD4+ and CD8+ T Cells Associated with Severe Disease in Critically ill COVID-19 Patients</strong> -
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SARS-CoV-2-specific memory T cells that cross-react with common cold coronaviruses (CCCs) are present in both healthy donors and COVID-19 patients. However, whether these cross-reactive T cells play a role in COVID-19 pathogenesis versus protection remain to be fully elucidated. In this study, we characterized cross-reactive SARS-CoV-2-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, targeting genome-wide conserved epitopes in a cohort of 147 non-vaccinated COVID-19 patients, divided into six groups based on the degrees of disease severity. We compared the frequency, phenotype, and function of these SARS-CoV-2-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cells between severely ill and asymptomatic COVID-19 patients and correlated this with alpha-CCCs and beta-CCCs co-infection status. Compared with asymptomatic COVID-19 patients, the severely ill COVID-19 patients and patients with fatal outcomes: (i) Presented a broad leukocytosis and a broad CD4+ and CD8+ T cell lymphopenia; (ii) Developed low frequencies of functional IFN-gamma-producing CD134+CD138+CD4+ and CD134+CD138+CD8+ T cells directed toward conserved epitopes from structural, non-structural and regulatory SARS-CoV-2 proteins; (iii) Displayed high frequencies of SARS-CoV-2-specific functionally exhausted PD-1+TIM3+TIGIT+CTLA4+CD4+ and PD-1+TIM3+TIGIT+CTLA4+CD8+ T cells; and (iv) Displayed similar frequencies of co-infections with beta-CCCs strains but significantly fewer co- infections with alpha-CCCs strains. Interestingly, the cross-reactive SARS-CoV-2 epitopes that recalled the strongest CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses in unexposed healthy donors (HD) were the most strongly associated with better disease outcome seen in asymptomatic COVID-19 patients. Our results demonstrate that, the critically ill COVID-19 patients displayed fewer co-infection with alpha-CCCs strain, presented broad T cell lymphopenia and higher frequencies of cross reactive exhausted SARS-CoV-2-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. In contrast, the asymptomatic COVID-19 patients, appeared to present more co-infections with alpha-CCCs strains, associated with higher frequencies of functional cross-reactive SARS-CoV-2-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. These findings support the development of broadly protective, T-cell-based, multi-antigen universal pan-Coronavirus vaccines.
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.01.30.478343v1" target="_blank">High Frequencies of PD-1+TIM3+TIGIT+CTLA4+ Functionally Exhausted SARS-CoV-2-Specific CD4+ and CD8+ T Cells Associated with Severe Disease in Critically ill COVID-19 Patients</a>
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<li><strong>Differences between Omicron SARS-CoV-2 RBD and other variants in their ability to interact with cell receptors and monoclonal antibodies</strong> -
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SARS-CoV-2 has caused immeasurable damage worldwide and available treatments with high efficacy are still scarce. With the continuous emergence of new variants of the virus, such as Omicron, Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta - the so- called variants of concern, the available therapeutic and prevention strategies had to return to the experimental trial to verify their effectiveness against them. This work aims to expand the knowledge about the SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain (RBD) interactions with cell receptors and monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). Special attention is given to the Omicron variant and its comparison with the others, including its sublineage BA.2 and two new ones (B.1.640.1 and B.1.640.2/IHU) recently found in France. By using constant-pH Monte Carlo simulations, the free energy of interactions between the SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain (RBD) from different variants and several partners (Angiotensin- Converting Enzyme-2 (ACE2) polymorphisms and several mAbs) were calculated. It was evaluated both the impact of mutations for the RBD-ACE2 and how strongly each of mAb can bind to the virus RBD, which can indicate their therapeutic potential for neutralization. RBD-ACE2-binding affinities were higher for two ACE2 polymorphisms typically found in Europeans (rs142984500 and rs4646116), indicating that these types of polymorphisms may be related to genetic susceptibility to COVID-19. The antibody landscape was computationally investigated with the largest set of mAbs so far in the literature. From the 33 studied binders, groups of mAbs were identified with weak (e.g. S110 and Ab3b4), medium (e.g. CR3022), and strong binding affinities (e.g. P01prime, S2K146 and S230). All the mAbs with strong binding capacity could also bind to the RBD from SARS-CoV-1, SARS-CoV-2 wt, and all studied variants. These mAbs and especially their combination are amenable to experimentation and clinical trials because of their high binding affinities and neutralization potential for current known virus mutations and a universal coronavirus.
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.01.29.478316v1" target="_blank">Differences between Omicron SARS-CoV-2 RBD and other variants in their ability to interact with cell receptors and monoclonal antibodies</a>
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<li><strong>In silico analysis of predicted differential MHC binding and CD8+ T-cell immune escape of SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.529 variant mutant epitopes</strong> -
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Introduction: The B.1.1.529 (Omicron) SARS-CoV-2 variant has raised global concerns due to its high number of mutations and its rapid spread. It is of major importance to understand the impact of this variant on the acquired and induced immunity. Several preliminary studies have re-ported the impact of antibody binding and to this date, there are few studies on Omicron CD8+ T-cell immune escape. Methods: We first assessed the impact of Omicron and B.1.617.2 (Delta) variant mutations on the SARS-CoV-2 spike epitopes submitted to the Immune Epitope Database (IEDB) with positive outcome on MHC ligand or T-cell assays (n=411). From those epitopes modified by a mutation, we found the corresponding homologous epitopes in Omicron and Delta. We then ran the netMHCpan computational MHC binding prediction on the pairs of IEDB epitopes and matching homologous epitopes over top 5 MHC I alleles on some selected populations. Lastly, we applied a Fisher test to find mutations enriched for homologous epitopes with decreased predicted binding affinity. Results: We found 31 and 78 IEDB epitopes modified by Delta and Omicron mutations, respectively. The IEDB spike protein epitopes redundantly cover the protein sequence. The WT pMHC with a strong predicted binding tend to have homologous mutated pMHC with decreased binding. A similar trend is observed in Delta over all HLA genes, while in Omicron only for HLA-B and HLA-C. Finally, we obtained one and seven mutations enriched for homologous mutated pMHC with decreased MHC binding affinity in Delta and Omicron, respectively. Three of the Omicron mutations, VYY143-145del, K417N and Y505H, are replacing an aromatic or large amino acid, which are reported to be enriched in immunogenic epitopes. K417N is common with Beta variants, while Y505H and VYY143-145del are novel Omicron mutations. Conclusion: In summary, pMHC with Delta and Omicron mutations show decreased MHC binding affinity, which results in a trend specific to SARS- CoV-2 variants. Such epitopes may decrease overall presentation on different HLA alleles suggesting evasion from CD8+ T-cell responses in specific HLA alleles. However, our results show B.1.1.529 (Omicron) will not totally evade the immune system through a CD8+ immune escape mechanism. Yet, we identified mutations in B.1.1.529 (Omicron) introducing amino acids associated with increased immunogenicity.
|
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</div>
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<div class="article-link article-html-link">
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.01.31.478157v1" target="_blank">In silico analysis of predicted differential MHC binding and CD8+ T-cell immune escape of SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.529 variant mutant epitopes</a>
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</div></li>
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<li><strong>Virucidal activity and mechanism of action of cetylpyridinium chloride against SARS-CoV-2</strong> -
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<div>
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Objective: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the pathogen causing the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) global pandemic. Recent studies have shown the importance of the throat and salivary glands as sites of virus replication and transmission. The viral host receptor, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), is broadly enriched in epithelial cells of the salivary glands and oral mucosae. Oral care products containing cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) as a bactericidal ingredient are known to exhibit antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 in vitro. However, the exact mechanism of action remains unknown. Methods: This study examined the antiviral activity of CPC against SARS-CoV-2 and its inhibitory effect on the interaction between the viral spike (S) protein and ACE2 using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: CPC (0.05%, 0.1% and 0.3%) effectively inactivated SARS-CoV-2 within the contact times (20 and 60 s) in directions for use of oral care products in vitro. The binding ability of both the S protein and ACE2 were reduced by CPC. Conclusions: Our results suggest that CPC inhibits the interaction between S protein and ACE2, and thus, reduces infectivity of SARS-CoV-2 and suppresses viral adsorption.
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</div>
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<div class="article-link article-html-link">
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.01.27.477964v1" target="_blank">Virucidal activity and mechanism of action of cetylpyridinium chloride against SARS-CoV-2</a>
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</div></li>
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</ul>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-clinical-trials">From Clinical Trials</h1>
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<ul>
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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>Quantifying Viral Load in Respiratory Particles That Are Generated by Children and Adults With COVID-19 Infection</strong> - <b>Condition</b>: COVID-19<br/><b>Intervention</b>: Device: COVID-19 Aerosol Collection<br/><b>Sponsor</b>: <br/>
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Massachusetts General Hospital<br/><b>Recruiting</b></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>A Study to Evaluate the Safety and Immunogenicity of Booster With AZD1222, mRNA-1273, or MVC-COV1901 Against COVID-19</strong> - <b>Condition</b>: COVID-19 Vaccine<br/><b>Interventions</b>: Biological: Half dose of MVC-COV1901; Biological: Full dose of MVC-COV1901; Biological: AZD1222; Biological: Half dose of mRNA-1273<br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corp.; Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></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>Efficacy of Breathox Device Inhalation Therapy in the Treatment of Acute Symptoms Associated With COVID-19 and in the Prevention of the Use of Health Resources</strong> - <b>Condition</b>: COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>: Drug: BREATHOX 5 sessions; Drug: BREATHOX 10 sessions<br/><b>Sponsors</b>: UPECLIN HC FM Botucatu Unesp; Liita Holdings LTD<br/><b>Recruiting</b></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>A Study to Evaluate the Safety, Tolerability, and Immunogenicity of MVC-COV1901 or MVC-COV1901(Beta) Against COVID-19</strong> - <b>Condition</b>: COVID-19 Vaccine<br/><b>Interventions</b>: Biological: MVC-COV1901(Beta); Biological: MVC- COV1901<br/><b>Sponsor</b>: Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corp.<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></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>Exercise Fatigue Parameters and Endothelial Function in Pediatric Patients With a History of COVID-19 Infection or MIS-C</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: COVID-19; MIS-C Associated With COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>: <br/>
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Device: Cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET); Device: Peripheral Arterial Tonography (PAT) using the EndoPAT™ device; Diagnostic Test: Endothelin<br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Rambam Health Care Campus; The Baruch Padeh Medical Center, Poriya<br/><b>Recruiting</b></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>Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of TF0023 in Treatments for COVID-19 in Hospitalized Adults</strong> - <b>Condition</b>: COVID-19 Pneumonia<br/><b>Intervention</b>: Drug: TF0023<br/><b>Sponsor</b>: <br/>
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Techfields Inc<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></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>Immunogenicity of an Inactivated COVID-19 Vaccine</strong> - <b>Condition</b>: COVID-19<br/><b>Intervention</b>: Biological: Inactivated COVID-19 Vaccine<br/><b>Sponsor</b>: Sinovac Research and Development Co., Ltd.<br/><b>Recruiting</b></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>Short Daily Versus Conventional Hemodialysis for COVID-19 Patients</strong> - <b>Condition</b>: COVID-19<br/><b>Intervention</b>: Other: Short daily dialysis<br/><b>Sponsor</b>: <br/>
|
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Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences<br/><b>Completed</b></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>Non-inferiority Trial on Monoclonal Antibodies in COVID-19</strong> - <b>Condition</b>: COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>: Drug: Bamlanivimab Etesevimab; Drug: Sotrovimab; Drug: Casirivimab-Imdevimab<br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata Verona; Agenzia Italiana del Farmaco; Azienda Sanitaria-Universitaria Integrata di Udine<br/><b>Recruiting</b></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>Efficacy and Safety of Ingavirin®, 90 mg Capsules in Patients With COVID-19</strong> - <b>Condition</b>: COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>: Drug: Ingavirin®, 90 mg capsules; Drug: Placebo<br/><b>Sponsor</b>: Valenta Pharm JSC<br/><b>Recruiting</b></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>Availability and Advice on Test Uptake During the COVID-19 Pandemic: a Vignette Study.</strong> - <b>Condition</b>: COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>: Behavioral: Customised testing advice; Behavioral: Regular testing advice; Behavioral: LFT available; Behavioral: No LFT available<br/><b>Sponsor</b>: <br/>
|
||||
National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM)<br/><b>Completed</b></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>A Prospective, Phase II Study to Evaluate Safety of 101-PGC-005 (’005) for Moderate to Severe COVID-19 Disease Along With Standard of Care</strong> - <b>Condition</b>: COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>: Drug: 101-PGC-005 (’005) + SOC; Drug: Placebo + SOC<br/><b>Sponsor</b>: 101 Therapeutics<br/><b>Recruiting</b></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>To Evaluate Safety & Immunogenicity of DelNS1-2019-nCoV-RBD-OPT1 for COVID-19 in Healthy Adults Received 2 Doses of BNT162b2</strong> - <b>Condition</b>: Covid19<br/><b>Interventions</b>: Biological: DelNS1-2019-nCoV-RBD-OPT1; Biological: Matching placebo<br/><b>Sponsor</b>: The University of Hong Kong<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></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>Increasing COVID-19 Testing in Chicago’s African American Testing Desserts</strong> - <b>Condition</b>: COVID-19 Pandemic<br/><b>Intervention</b>: Behavioral: COVID-19 Testing<br/><b>Sponsor</b>: Rush University Medical Center<br/><b>Recruiting</b></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>Phase 2b Booster Vaccination (TURKOVAC) Against COVID-19</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: COVID-19; Sars-CoV-2 Infection<br/><b>Interventions</b>: Biological: TURKOVAC-Dollvet; Biological: TURKOVAC-Koçak<br/><b>Sponsor</b>: Health Institutes of Turkey<br/><b>Recruiting</b></p></li>
|
||||
</ul>
|
||||
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-pubmed">From PubMed</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>Molecular Mechanism of SARS-CoVs Orf6 Targeting the Rae1-Nup98 Complex to Compete With mRNA Nuclear Export</strong> - The accessory protein Orf6 is uniquely expressed in sarbecoviruses including severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) which is an ongoing pandemic. SARS-CoV-2 Orf6 antagonizes host interferon signaling by inhibition of mRNA nuclear export through its interactions with the ribonucleic acid export 1 (Rae1)-nucleoporin 98 (Nup98) complex. Here, we confirmed the direct tight binding of Orf6 to the Rae1-Nup98 complex, which competitively inhibits RNA binding. We determined the…</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>ACE2 Shedding and the Role in COVID-19</strong> - Angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), a transmembrane glycoprotein, is an important part of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS). In the COVID-19 epidemic, it was found to be the receptor of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2). ACE2 maintains homeostasis by inhibiting the Ang II-AT1R axis and activating the Ang I (1-7)-MasR axis, protecting against lung, heart and kidney injury. In addition, ACE2 helps transport amino acids across the membrane. ACE2 sheds from the…</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>A persistent high ambient temperature waned the community spread of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 in Pakistan</strong> - The recent pandemic caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has increased the global concern over its transmission and prevention. Since there was an incontrovertible perception that environmental conditions might affect the spread of SARS-CoV-2, we analyzed the environmental variables impact on SARS-CoV-2 transmission in Pakistan. Our analytical study revealed that when the temperature remained high for consecutive 10 to 15-days, a significant decrease is…</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>Epigenetic Changes and Functions in Pneumoconiosis</strong> - Pneumoconiosis is one of the most common occupational diseases in the world, and specific treatment methods of pneumoconiosis are lacking at present, so it carries great social and economic burdens. Pneumoconiosis, coronavirus disease 2019, and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis all have similar typical pathological changes-pulmonary fibrosis. Pulmonary fibrosis is a chronic lung disease characterized by excessive deposition of the extracellular matrix and remodeling of the lung tissue structure….</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>Spike-Dependent Opsonization Indicates Both Dose-Dependent Inhibition of Phagocytosis and That Non-Neutralizing Antibodies Can Confer Protection to SARS-CoV-2</strong> - Spike-specific antibodies are central to effective COVID19 immunity. Research efforts have focused on antibodies that neutralize the ACE2-Spike interaction but not on non-neutralizing antibodies. Antibody-dependent phagocytosis is an immune mechanism enhanced by opsonization, where typically, more bound antibodies trigger a stronger phagocyte response. Here, we show that Spike-specific antibodies, dependent on concentration, can either enhance or reduce Spike-bead phagocytosis by monocytes…</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>In Silico Studies on Psilocybin Drug Derivatives Against SARS-CoV-2 and Cytokine Storm of Human Interleukin-6 Receptor</strong> - Various metabolites identified with therapeutic mushrooms have been found from different sources and are known to have antibacterial, antiviral, and anticancer properties. Over thousands soil growth-based mushroom metabolites have been discovered, and utilized worldwide to combat malignancy. In this study, psilocybin-mushroom that contains the psychedelic compounds such as psilacetin, psilocin, and psilocybine were screened and found to be inhibitors of SARS- CoV-2 Mprotease. It has been found…</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>Effect of glycyrrhizic acid on phospholipid membranes in media with different pH</strong> - Glycyrrhizic acid (GA) is the active ingredient in licorice root, which exhibits a wide range of biological activities, including anti-inflammatory and antiviral activities. In particular, the virus-inhibiting effect of GA on SARS- associated coronavirus was demonstrated. In addition, GA was found to be capable of increasing bioaccessibility of other drugs when used together. All these effects can be based on the ability of GA to incorporate into cell membranes and change their physical and…</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>The perils of hotel technology: The robot usage resistance model</strong> - The COVID-19 outbreak has accelerated the development of service robots. However, service robots in some hotels have been put aside despite successful adoption. This study thus focuses on hotel employees’ inhibited continuous usage intention by examining the challenges of benefiting from service robots. A robot usage resistance model (RURM) has been proposed based on the results. In this model, lack of authentic anthropomorphous features and low usability as technological characteristics could…</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>Anti-mycobacterial activity of heat and pH stable high molecular weight protein(s) secreted by a bacterial laboratory contaminant</strong> - CONCLUSIONS: The present study highlights the anti-mycobacterial activity of high molecular weight protein(s) present in culture filtrate of LC-1, which may be tested further to target M. tuberculosis. The heat and pH stability of these proteins add to their characteristics as therapeutic proteins and may contribute to their long shelf life. LC-1 being a human commensal can be tested in future for its potential as a probiotic to treat tuberculosis.</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>Combinatorial approach of vitamin C derivative and anti-HIV drug-darunavir against SARS-CoV-2</strong> - CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the present work suggests that bioinformatics tools are suitable for recognizing potential candidates in an emergency, and herein the selected ‘anti-HIV-drug-vitamin c derivatives’ cocktails may potential-cum- fewer toxic regimens against COVID-19 treatment.</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>UV-4B potently inhibits replication of multiple SARS-CoV-2 strains in clinically relevant human cell lines</strong> - CONCLUSIONS: These results highlight UV-4B’s antiviral potential against several strains of SARS-CoV-2.</p></li>
|
||||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>COVID-19 and Preeclampsia: Overlapping Features in Pregnancy</strong> - Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a global respiratory disease with unique features that have placed all medical professionals in an alarming situation. Preeclampsia is a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy affecting 8%-10% of India’s pregnant population. Assuming that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) enters host cells through the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor, the resulting symptoms are due to vasoconstriction, caused by disturbances in the…</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>In-silico investigation of some recent natural compounds for their potential use against SARS-CoV-2: a DFT, molecular docking and molecular dynamics study</strong> - Since its first appearance in December 2019, SARS-CoV-2 has infected many people all over the world, causing serious health problems in many people and causing many deaths, but no specific drug has been developed yet. SARS-CoV-2 main protease (SARS-CoV-2 M^(pro)) has an important role in viral replication and transcription, so inhibition of this enzyme is proposed to be an attractive route for the treatment of COVID-19. Natural compounds have been used in the treatment of many diseases…</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>Antiviral and anti-inflammatory drugs to combat COVID-19: Effects on cardiac ion channels and risk of ventricular arrhythmias</strong> - Introduction: Drugs with no indication for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases (e.g., drugs employed to treat COVID-19) can increase the risk of arrhythmias. Of interest, a six-fold increase in the number of arrhythmic events was reported in patients with severe COVID-19. In this study, we reviewed (i) the pro-arrhythmic action of drugs given to patients with COVID-19 infection, and (ii) the effects of inflammatory cytokines on cardiac ion channels and possible generation of arrhythmias….</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>Inactivation of plant and animal viruses by proanthocyanidins from <em>Alpinia zerumbet</em> extract</strong> - Alpinia zerumbet (Pers.) B.L. Burtt and R.M. Smith belongs to the Alpinia genus in the Zingiberaceae family. In East Asia, Alpinia zerumbet has been widely used as food and traditional medicine. Previously, we identified proanthocyanidins (PACs), an anti-plant-virus molecule in A. zerumbet, using Nicotiana benthamiana and tomato mosaic virus (ToMV). Here, we found that PACs from A. zerumbet, apple, and green tea effectively inhibited ToMV infection. Additionally, the PACs from A. zerumbet…</p></li>
|
||||
</ul>
|
||||
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-patent-search">From Patent Search</h1>
|
||||
<ul>
|
||||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>IDENTIFICATION AND ALARM SYSTEM FOR FACIAL CORONA MASK USING CNN BASED IMAGE PROCESSING</strong> - tThe covid-19 epidemic is the world’s largest wake-up call for people to pay attention to their own and society’s health. One thing to keep in mind is that there is a segment of the population that has been exposed to the covid-19 virus and has generated antibodies without developing any significant illnesses and is continuing to be healthy. This indicates that a significant section of the population, even excluding the elderly, lacks the necessary bodily immunity to combat a Viral infection. As terrible as covid-19 is on a global scale, developing personal health standards and preventative measures for any pathogenic virus as a community would have spared many lives. In’this work, a camera is combined with an image processing system to recognise facial masks, which may be improved in a variety of ways. First and foremost, this method is meant to identify masks on a single person’s face. While this method is efficient in identifying someone has a mask, it does not ensure that they will wear it all of the time. The most effective update for this task is to install a camera with a wide field of view so that many individuals can be seen in the frame, and the faces of those who aren’t wearing markings can be identified, as well as the number of people and the timing. - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=IN346889253">link</a></p></li>
|
||||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>ANTIMICROBIAL SANITIZING FORMULATION</strong> - An antimicrobial sanitizing formulation, comprising, i) isopropyl alcohol in the range of 0.1%- 80% w/w, ii) an emollient in the range of 0.1%-15% w/w, iii) hydrogen peroxide in the range of 0.1 0.13% w/w, iv) citric acid in the range of 0.1% to 2.0% w/w, v) silver nitrate in the range of 0.1% to 0.5% w/w, and vi) a fragrance imparting agent in the range of 0.1% to 2.0% w/w. - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=IN346888094">link</a></p></li>
|
||||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A HEALTH BAND WITH A BIOMETRIC MODULE AND WORKING METHOD THEREOF</strong> - The present invention discloses a health band with a biometric module and method thereof. The assembly includes, but not limited to, a plurality of sensors configured to gather health data associated with a predefined symptom of a medical condition of a user; a memory unit configured to store the data and an interface, which is configured to determine the medical condition using the data;a processing unit configured to execute the application; and a notification facility configured to provide a notification upon receiving from the interface an instruction associated with the notification, wherein the notification is associated with a drug reminder and the like. - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=IN346889061">link</a></p></li>
|
||||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>RNA 검출 방법</strong> - 본 발명은 RNA의 분석 및 검출 방법에 관한 것이다. 특히, 본 발명은 특히, 본 발명은 짧은 염기서열의 RNA까지 분석이 가능하면서도 높은 민감도 및 정확도로 정량적 검출까지 가능하여 감염증, 암 등 여러 질환의 진단 용도로도 널리 활용될 수 있다. - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=KR346026620">link</a></p></li>
|
||||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>REUNION OF PHOTOTHERMAL THERAPY WITH MXENE ADSORBED UREMIC TOXINS AND CYTOKINES: A SHILED FOR COVID-19 PATENTS</strong> - The COVID-19 pandemic has created havoc throughout the world. The disease has proved to be more fatalfor patients having comorbidities like diabetics, lungs and kidney infections, etc. In the case of COVID-19 patientsI having kidney injury, the. removal of uremic toxins from the blood is hindered and there is a rapid surge in the levelj of cytokine hormone resulting in the death of the patient in a short interval of time. To resolve this issue,iI; researchers have examined that the immediate removal of these toxins can improve the condition of the patient to a |greater extent. Studies have also found the presence of SARS CoV-2 viral RNAs in the blood of COVID-19patients, which risks their life as well as impacts the blood transfusion process, especially in the case ofasymptomatic patients. Hence it is required to control the surge of cytokines and uremic toxins as well as disinfectthe blood of the patient from the virus. MXenes, having a foam-like porous structure and hydrophilic negativesurface functionalization have greater adsorption efficiency as well as superior photothermal activity. Utilizingthese properties of MXenes, the MXene membranes can be used in the dialyzer that can help in the efficient andBiuick removal of the uremic toxins, cytokines, and other impurities from the blood. Along with this the greaterTJAdsorption efficiency of MXenes to amino acids result in the trapping of the SARS CoV-2 viruses on the surface J)3>f the MXene. Many researchers as well as the WHO have proved the efficient reduction of the viral copy numbersjjvith the increase of temperature. Hence, followed by the trapping of the viruses, the implementation of"Zphotothermal Therapy can result in the inactivation and denaturation of the viruses and their respective viral RNAsBJlby the produced heat. The same process can be repeated several times to get better results. This whole process canr>oQ-esult in impurity-free and infection-free blood, that can be returned back to the body of the patient or can be!— I Sitilized for the blood transfusion process without any risk of infection.IM - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=IN346889224">link</a></p></li>
|
||||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>REDUCING AND STOPPING OXYGEN WASTAGE IN HOSPITAL</strong> - In an aspect, the present invention discloses a system (200) for prevention and reduction of oxygen wastage from oxygen mask (202). The system (200) includes the oxygen mask (202) having straps; a tension sensor (204), the tension sensor being sensitive towards tension produced in the straps as the oxygen gets leakage through sides of the mask (202); a processor configured in alignment with the tension sensor (204); and a buzzer (206) in alignment with processor. - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=IN346042219">link</a></p></li>
|
||||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>编码SARS-COV-2病毒C.37突变株抗原的DNA分子、DNA疫苗及应用</strong> - 本发明涉及生物技术领域,具体而言,提供了一种编码SARS‑COV‑2病毒C.37突变株抗原的DNA分子、DNA疫苗及应用。本发明提供的SEQ ID NO:1核酸序列在真核表达系统中能够高效转录和表达,而且具有免疫原性,表现在体液免疫和细胞免疫应答中,以此作为活性成分的核酸疫苗同样具有良好的免疫原性。 - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=CN347705379">link</a></p></li>
|
||||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>SARS-COV-2病毒B.1.617.2突变株DNA疫苗及应用</strong> - 本发明涉及生物技术领域,具体而言,提供了一种编码SARS‑COV‑2病毒B.1.617.2突变株抗原的DNA分子、DNA疫苗及应用。本发明提供的SEQ ID NO:1核酸序列在真核表达系统中能够高效转录和表达,而且具有免疫原性,表现在体液免疫和细胞免疫应答中,以此作为活性成分的核酸疫苗同样具有良好的免疫原性。 - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=CN347705359">link</a></p></li>
|
||||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Hung Thanh Phan COVID-19 NEW SOLUTION</strong> - - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=AU344983394">link</a></p></li>
|
||||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A METHOD TO REVEAL MOTIF PATTERNS OF COVID-19 USING MULTIPLE SEQUENCE ALIGNMENT</strong> - This present invention consists of different levels of computation and work in a pipeline manner i.e., input of one will be output of another and it is sequential process. Input data given in form of nucleotide sequence (DNA) of different COVID-19 patients (1). Using these nucleotide sequence perform mutation if possible and arrange them in a sequential order (2). Arrange number of nucleotide sequences of different patients in row wise and also compute number of characters in each row. (3). Compute frequency of occurrence of character in column wise and create a matrix having 4 rows and maximum sequence length will be the column size (4). Find the character like A, T, C, and G which one has maximum score and similarly find for each column to produce a final sequence (5). - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=IN346039750">link</a></p></li>
|
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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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<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>
|
||||
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-new-yorker">From New Yorker</h1>
|
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<ul>
|
||||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Three Economic Scenarios for an Election Year</strong> - With ten months to the midterms, growth is strong but inflation is hurting the chances of Joe Biden and the Democrats. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/three-economic-scenarios-for-an-election-year">link</a></p></li>
|
||||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>How Beijing Is Playing the Olympics</strong> - China has long been fascinated with Olympic glory, but the run-up to the Winter Games has been beset by extraordinary pressures from the realms of politics, diplomacy, and public health. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/02/07/how-beijing-is-playing-the-olympics">link</a></p></li>
|
||||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>What the Killing of Two N.Y.P.D. Officers Means for New York</strong> - The test for Mayor Eric Adams is whether he can curb the recent spike in shootings while balancing police tactics against the rights of poor communities. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-local-correspondents/what-the-killing-of-two-nypd-officers-means-for-new-%20york">link</a></p></li>
|
||||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Alejandro Zambra Reads Bruno Schulz</strong> - The author joins Deborah Treisman to read and discuss “Loneliness,” by Bruno Schulz, which was published in a 1977 issue of the magazine. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/podcast/fiction/alejandro-zambra-reads-bruno-schulz">link</a></p></li>
|
||||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Molière to the Panthéon!</strong> - The playwright deserves France’s high literary honor as he was a champion of that quality of unschooled intelligence we call common sense. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/moliere-to-the-pantheon">link</a></p></li>
|
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</ul>
|
||||
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-vox">From Vox</h1>
|
||||
<ul>
|
||||
<li><strong>Web3 is the future, or a scam, or both</strong> -
|
||||
<figure>
|
||||
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-
|
||||
cdn.com/thumbor/hMO7AIprpPcrO5TYo33tI0jGhP8=/645x0:6149x4128/1310x983/cdn.vox-
|
||||
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70456847/GettyImages_1317721355.0.jpg"/>
|
||||
<figcaption>
|
||||
CryptoPunk digital art non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are displayed on a digital billboard in Times Square in New York City in May 2021. | Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images
|
||||
</figcaption>
|
||||
</figure>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
So what exactly is Web3, and why is everyone in Silicon Valley obsessed with it?
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="n1jedd">
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="7ehIXL">
|
||||
Web3 is a scam.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Ug8yUI">
|
||||
Web3 is a world-changing opportunity to make a better version of the internet and wrest it away from the behemoths who control it today.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="WPEvnY">
|
||||
Web3 will make some people a lot of money. But many other people will lose their shirts on it.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="G9WpnE">
|
||||
I know! I’m confused, too.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="VGAW0c">
|
||||
The fact that Web3 is hard to define — I’ll try to do that in a bit — isn’t necessarily a bug. It’s a nascent idea floated by a mix of buzz, optimism, confusion, theological battles, and pure unadulterated speculation, which means it’s incredibly malleable. You can explain why Web3 is a fundamental remaking of the internet, and some people will take you very seriously. And you can argue that it’s an MLM scheme built to enrich people who are already rich, and find plenty of people nodding along.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="5wXOMZ">
|
||||
What you can’t do, right now, is ignore Web3 if you work in or around tech. Because it’s all anybody has wanted to talk about for the past several months.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="KzaUFl">
|
||||
I see and hear Web3 pitches, debates, and dunks daily. When I talk to investors, executives, or just people who work or dabble in tech, it usually takes them a minute or two to tell me — either with pride or embarrassment — that “they’ve gone down the rabbit hole” into Web3 and are convinced there’s something very Big and Important down there. Maybe the fact that the stock market in general — and the tech sector specifically — has been tumbling in recent weeks will cool interest in this stuff eventually. But it certainly hasn’t yet.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="2HrCjW">
|
||||
This week, for example, <a href="https://blog.youtube/inside-youtube/letter-susan-
|
||||
our-2022-priorities/">YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki</a> announced that Web3 represented a “previously unimaginable opportunity to grow the connection between creators and their fans”; on the same day, <a href="https://twitter.com/Fwiz/status/1486020750607740928">two of her executives announced</a> they were leaving to join … <a href="https://twitter.com/jamiebyrne/status/1486035690303328258?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet">Web3 companies</a>.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="giwZQa">
|
||||
This stuff also makes people irrationally angry — even by Twitter standards. Last month, we got to see Elon Musk team up with Jack Dorsey to have a <a href="https://fortune.com/2021/12/23/web3-elon-
|
||||
musk-marc-andreessen-jack-dorsey-twitter-fight/">Web3 Twitter spat/wrestling match with Marc Andreessen</a>, perhaps Silicon Valley’s most prominent VC, and Chris Dixon, who works at Andreessen’s firm and may be the most prominent Web3 evangelist.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="G2Anq7">
|
||||
No surprise: These men have a lot to gain and lose, depending on the way this shakes out.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
<div class="c-image-grid">
|
||||
<div class="c-image-grid__item">
|
||||
<figure class="e-image">
|
||||
<img alt=" " src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/XA2ojppBVkTV8J04P7au9pooAIc=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-
|
||||
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23208179/GettyImages_604311102.jpg"/> <cite>Steve Jennings/Getty Images for TechCrunch</cite>
|
||||
<figcaption>
|
||||
Venture capitalist Marc Andreessen speaks onstage during a TechCrunch conference in San Francisco in 2016.
|
||||
</figcaption>
|
||||
</figure>
|
||||
</div>
|
||||
<div class="c-image-grid__item">
|
||||
<figure class="e-image">
|
||||
<pre><code> <img alt=" " src="https://cdn.vox-</code></pre>
|
||||
cdn.com/thumbor/pbNvwXIioxOyPm9ZRmSVrQ3rtZ8=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox- cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23208156/GettyImages_1233272334.jpg" /> <cite>Marco Bello/AFP via Getty Images</cite>
|
||||
<figcaption>
|
||||
Jack Dorsey, then the CEO of Twitter, speaks during a cryptocurrency conference in Miami in June 2021.
|
||||
</figcaption>
|
||||
</figure>
|
||||
</div>
|
||||
</div>
|
||||
</div>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="wlCtVO">
|
||||
Web 3 “is intrinsically tied with financial value,” says <a href="https://twitter.com/ljin18">Li Jin</a>, a venture capitalist and one of the few prominent women in the Web3 world. “Anytime you introduce financial success, that’s what really incites strong emotion.”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="LCD1LI">
|
||||
It’s easy to dismiss all of this out of hand, especially if you’re an oldster like me who has seen tech bubbles before. But lots of interesting and important things were hatched during tech bubbles — like the web browser you’re using to read this story right now — even if people blew a lot of money on a lot of dumb stuff while the bubble was inflating. So when and if the bubbles deflate — which may be exactly what’s happening now — you can still find value in the aftermath.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Y5DN1l">
|
||||
Which means maybe people like Tina He, a 25-year-old product designer-turned- startup CEO, will be right. Six months ago, He co-founded Station, which she’d like to be the Web3 version of LinkedIn, connecting workers anywhere in the world. Instead of relying on a résumé to tell prospective employers or co-workers what you’ve done, He thinks Station will use tech to provide comprehensive, verified evidence of your actual work so people can evaluate you based on your output, not your job title or credentials.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Pr3t5Q">
|
||||
She thinks Web3 is a big, big idea, big enough to transform her life and the lives of people around the world.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="hUiIzM">
|
||||
“It’s an immense opportunity to give people the opportunity to transcend time, space, and financial constraints,” she tells me. “To pursue what they want, and be legitimized by the work they do — not just their identity that was given to them.”
|
||||
</p></li>
|
||||
</ul>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="hA6LRL">
|
||||
That techno-optimism is bracing when you hear it on the phone. In print, it can seem like a fairy tale. But in the world I live in, or at least the one I’m adjacent to, it’s increasingly the norm. Which is why a flurry of tech workers who are already very well compensated are <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/20/technology/silicon-
|
||||
valley-cryptocurrency-start-ups.html">leaving their current gigs</a> at established web 2.0 companies for something Web3.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="RocwEt">
|
||||
So I’ve been spending time — and trying to adopt a mindset of cautious skepticism — attempting to figure out Web3 for myself. Spoiler: I didn’t quite figure it out. But I found enough smart, thoughtful people who are genuinely fascinated with this stuff to make me think that there still may be something here, even while so much of it is nonsensical or worse. So I’ll keep paying attention. You might want to, too.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<h3 id="6nicyj">
|
||||
So WTF is Web3?
|
||||
</h3>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="OMfQtE">
|
||||
Let’s start here: At its core, Web3 is a rebranding of crypto and blockchain, the technology based around a worldwide network of computers that talk to each other and validate and record transactions without human intervention or centralized oversight.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Tsg2O9">
|
||||
Blockchain tech has been around in some form for more than a decade, and for much of that time most people who thought about it focused on bitcoin, the digital currency created in 2009 that was most closely associated with blockchain. But you couldn’t really do much with bitcoin except buy or sell it and debate whether it was going up or down. And it has gone up, a lot: At the end of 2014, a single bitcoin was worth around $400; today, even after crashing more than 40 percent from its peak, it’s worth $38,000.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="CrNU7p">
|
||||
Now you can actually do some things with the blockchain. Not many things, yet. And most of it is still about buying and selling stuff — except now instead of digital currency, you can also buy and sell digital art, or plots of digital land or other items you can earn in a handful of video games. Which is why you’ve seen headlines about someone paying <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/11/22325054/beeple-christies-nft-sale-cost-everydays-69-million">$69 million for a digital collage</a>, or someone mistakenly <a href="https://www.cnet.com/news/how-a-300k-bored-ape-yacht-club-nft-was-
|
||||
accidentally-sold-for-3k/">selling a digital ape cartoon</a> that was supposed to be worth $300,000 for $3,000. Or maybe you’ve heard about <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/05/14/people-in-philippines-earn-cryptocurrency-playing-nft-
|
||||
video-game-axie-infinity.html">“play to earn” video games</a> that are supposed to let you make real money by acquiring digital goods you can sell to other gamers.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<figure class="e-image">
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><img alt="A man gestures at artwork
|
||||
on his computer screen." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/6o9Ehq0nqdz7N4T_aLhM-
|
||||
yfDD2o=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23207741/GettyImages_1232276034.jpg"/></p>
|
||||
<cite>Roslan Rahman/AFP via Getty Images</cite>
|
||||
<figcaption>
|
||||
Blockchain entrepreneur Vignesh Sundaresan, also known as MetaKovan, at his home in Singapore. The NFT shown, “Everydays: The First 5,000 Days,” is by the artist Beeple. In March 2021, Sundaresan bought the NFT for $69.3 million.
|
||||
</figcaption>
|
||||
</figure>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="yVCeJ4">
|
||||
It’s entirely possible that this is all Web3 will be: an interesting way for people to collect and/or speculate on digital artifacts. That’s potentially meaningful for people who create art and people who like to buy art — and here you can use the word “art” broadly, meaning “things people like to look at or consume somehow.” But if it stops there, it’s not world-changing.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="3hwar1">
|
||||
But Web3’s most fervent evangelists think it goes much further. They believe it will bring about a remaking of the entire internet. Hence the name.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="fhNcQT">
|
||||
Web1, the argument goes, was about getting normal people onto the internet, helped along first by browsers — <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosaic_(web_browser)">that’s Marc Andreessen’s work, not coincidentally</a> — and then via internet access and search services like AOL and Yahoo. Web2 was about converting the time people spent on the internet, and all the content they share online, into real businesses, and then consolidating those businesses into massive operations that now seem too big to fail (think Facebook and Google).
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="mbBphx">
|
||||
But with Web3, the argument goes, you take control back from the Facebooks of the world.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="PniI9w">
|
||||
How’s that supposed to happen? Well, it’s complicated. And, for the most part, theoretical. But: The blockchain lets people create their own money, without permission from any country or bank. It could also, Web 3 boosters say, let them build anything on the internet they want, without having to rely on existing platforms like Google or Facebook, or tools like Amazon’s AWS cloud computing services. And crucially, the new services could be owned, in part, by the people who built and use them.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="55SQKF">
|
||||
And that idea, many of Web3’s believers tell me, is the thing that gets them excited, for multiple, intertwined reasons. There’s the possibility of profit, for starters: Many of the folks who are intrigued by Web3 also feel stymied by the current version of the internet, where their ability to create meaningful new companies — especially those aimed at consumers — seems capped by the current internet giants, who can buy, build, or crush upstarts.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="9s7i0V">
|
||||
“The reason why VCs and startup people who are not baked into the old winners are excited about this is the opportunity to create new winners,” says an investor who is all-in on Web3 … but doesn’t want me to use his name.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="coiYqs">
|
||||
And some of the interest in Web3 comes from political fears, real or imagined: You might like the fact that Donald Trump lost his social media access a year ago, but you should also be worried that a handful of companies could deplatform the former president of the United States, Web3 advocates say. In a Web3 world, Donald Trump would only get kicked off a social network if the social network’s users — who would be the social network’s owners — wanted that to happen. And even if they did, there would be other platforms on Web3 for Donald Trump — or any other person you like, instead of loathe — to set up shop instead.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<figure class="e-image">
|
||||
<img alt=" " src="https://cdn.vox-
|
||||
cdn.com/thumbor/D3bazQkJ8RevY8OQcYJRwsUdFBA=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-
|
||||
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23208007/GettyImages_1233864204.jpg"/> <cite>Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images</cite>
|
||||
<figcaption>
|
||||
Former President Donald Trump speaks about legal actions targeting Facebook, Google, Twitter, and their CEOs during a press conference at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, in July 2021.
|
||||
</figcaption>
|
||||
</figure>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="eP6Vk4">
|
||||
But I think the primary appeal of Web3 comes from the fact that it really doesn’t exist yet. So in its yet-to-arrive shape, it could be anything. And that sounds great to people longing for something new, whether they’re young techies who’ve only known a world where a handful of giant tech companies dominate the internet, or wizened folks who remember the initial excitement and possibilities of the early web days.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<h3 id="9tXe4g">
|
||||
The possibilities are seemingly endless. And mostly theoretical.
|
||||
</h3>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="X8pHfz">
|
||||
That new part sounds great. And so does the part about bringing back the spirit of the mid-90s, when no one knew what could and couldn’t be done because no one had tried it yet.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="nGG7Nt">
|
||||
But, also: I remember that even in the web’s earliest days, you could easily imagine ways it might be helpful to you, an average person. Sports scores delivered to your desk instead of a nightly newscast or a daily newspaper. Sending an email to someone on the other side of the world instead of dropping a letter into a mailbox. Recipes! Porn! Fill in your own blanks.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="CiPREx">
|
||||
With Web3, though, I find myself squinting and trying to figure out how I’m going to use it beyond buying and selling digital collectibles. Again, that’s a real business and a real pastime. But I’m not really into it, and plenty of other people won’t be either. So what else is there?
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="WVfSw1">
|
||||
Right now, not much, many Web3 advocates concede. But they also argue that I should broaden my mind. Start with NFTs: That’s “<a href="https://www.theverge.com/22310188/nft-explainer-what-
|
||||
is-blockchain-crypto-art-faq">non-fungible tokens</a>,” which are the Web3 items you’re most likely to have heard about. NFTs are the blockchain version of a title for a car or a deed to a house — they’re supposed to prove that you own at least a part of the digital thing in question. (Whether that’s true or not, and <a href="https://mashable.com/article/non-fungible-tokens-nfts-right-click-save">what “ownership” means for a digital good anyone can copy</a>, is a whole other discussion.)
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<figure class="e-image">
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><img alt=" " src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/neV1nyvKo-Kkwu7zMX9Vniyu_os=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-
|
||||
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23208253/GettyImages_1326145036.jpg"/> <cite>Noam Galai/Getty Images</cite></p>
|
||||
<figcaption>
|
||||
Tim Berners-Lee auctions the source code for the World Wide Web as an NFT at Sotheby’s in New York City in June 2021.
|
||||
</figcaption>
|
||||
</figure>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="VdhF8y">
|
||||
You’ve heard about NFTs because that’s the art experiment someone named <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/11/arts/design/nft-auction-christies-beeple.html">Beeple sold for $69 million</a>. Or maybe someone on Twitter has tried to convince you that <a href="https://twitter.com/woozy_pelican/status/1443653174427070470?s=10">you should buy some digital lion cartoons</a> because they’re going to be the next digital ape cartoons.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="F3Ba2g">
|
||||
Here’s Paris Hilton on the Tonight Show this week, comparing digital ape NFTs with Jimmy Fallon — right before Hilton announced that she’d be giving everyone in the Tonight Show audience one of her own line of NFTs, which don’t exist yet.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<div id="uYiCw2">
|
||||
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" dir="ltr" lang="en">
|
||||
Deeply strange <a href="https://t.co/ycilbi1iNL">pic.twitter.com/ycilbi1iNL</a>
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">— James Kelleher (<span class="citation" data-cites="etienneshrdlu">@etienneshrdlu</span>) <a href="https://twitter.com/etienneshrdlu/status/1485956332989693953?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 25, 2022</a></p>
|
||||
</blockquote>
|
||||
</div>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="G9tM3A">
|
||||
NFTs barely existed two years ago. <a href="https://www.reuters.com/markets/europe/nft-sales-hit-25-billion-2021-growth-shows-signs-
|
||||
slowing-2022-01-10/">L</a>ast year, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/markets/europe/nft-sales-
|
||||
hit-25-billion-2021-growth-shows-signs-slowing-2022-01-10/">people spent a reported $25 billion</a> on them. This seems as bubble-y as a bubble can get.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="wPRNCk">
|
||||
But! The fact that NFTs are supposed to be automated contracts that cut out the need for humans to review and approve their terms and execution means that a) you can apply the technology to any digital good and b) you can write interesting rules into the contract that, say, pay the original creator of the NFT a slice of the transaction price any time the asset is sold. That could, in theory, create new ways to fund and profit from all kinds of new projects, and it might make more sense than traditional models.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="VrzelD">
|
||||
<a href="https://mirror.xyz/">Mirror</a>, for instance, is a Web3 version of the online publishing platform Medium: an easy way to write stuff on the internet. But it also offers the ability to sell “editions” of your work to fans and super- fans — like this <a href="https://adamd.mirror.xyz/ef3BZjrJGk7bb1ElhVdz5AMWxEAN7GIOQhsXMKTmOWY">article</a>, by journalist Adam Davidson, about his interest in … Web3.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="pkFDpv">
|
||||
Does that make it more interesting than regular Medium, which sells subscriptions to bundles of writers using regular old credit cards, or Substack, which sells subscriptions to individual writers using credit cards? Maybe?
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ypJt5M">
|
||||
In theory, Davidson will capture more of the value people place on his work than he would if was using a traditional platform, and the people who purchase his work can benefit if other people think it’s valuable because they can sell it to someone else. And if that happens, Davidson can get a slice of that sale, too, so his work can keep generating income for him even after he’s sold it. For a certain kind of creator — likely one who’s very online and willing to continually market themselves and their work — <a href="https://future.a16z.com/nfts-thousand-true-fans/">this could be very intriguing</a>.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="tGh2kY">
|
||||
Meanwhile, other Web3 believers think the most important part of the tech has nothing to do with buying stuff. They’re most interested in the way it can help people organize themselves online and create organizations that could rival or replace existing companies like Facebook or Google. That’s primarily through something called DAOs — <a href="https://ethereum.org/en/dao/">decentralized autonomous organizations</a> — which are essentially internet collectives, where automated blockchain tech is supposed to make it easy to divvy up ownership and decision-making power among members. You can get into a DAO by buying into it, or you can get equity based on work you’ve done for the group, or whatever.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<figure class="e-image">
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><img alt=" " src="https://cdn.vox-
|
||||
cdn.com/thumbor/Bma_GOtsQoZIItdAATocZ_qQ2Po=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-
|
||||
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23208272/GettyImages_1356438782.jpg"/> <cite>Cindy Ord/Getty Images</cite></p>
|
||||
<figcaption>
|
||||
Guests view an NFT art piece by German artist Mario Klingemann at a Tezos exhibition in Miami Beach, Florida, in November 2021. Tezos is an energy-efficient blockchain adopted by NFT artists.
|
||||
</figcaption>
|
||||
</figure>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="uVj9dH">
|
||||
But like NFTs, there’s a good chance that if you’ve heard of DAOs before, it’s probably because you’ve heard of the most head-slapping versions of them, like the DAO that comically raised millions to buy a copy of the US Constitution, then found itself <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/19/business/ken-griffin-
|
||||
constitution.html">outbid by a Wall Street tycoon</a>. Other nonsensical DAOs include one that <a href="https://www.nssmag.com/en/sports/28191/dao-nba">wants to buy an NBA team</a>, or one that bought a rare-ish copy of a <em>Dune</em> book and thought that would give them the ability to make a movie or show based on its contents. Spoiler: <a href="https://medium.com/@spicedao/development-on-the-original-animation-has-begun-7879d785d013">It doesn’t</a>.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="rnxAPn">
|
||||
But more rational people who talk up DAOs think they are an excellent way to quickly and fairly spin up groups of people to work together, whether it’s a full-fledged company or a one-off project. You can, say, efficiently hand out equity stakes in a project to financial investors, strategic partners, and people who are actually working on it — all stuff that traditionally takes lots of lawyers and paperwork and time, and gets even more complicated if those participants live in different states or countries.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="UIHtsF">
|
||||
And, in theory, you can also measure the work that each participant contributes to a project — one person wrote code, another helped with marketing, someone else helped manage a Discord server where the DAO members meet up. That’s where Tina He’s Station would like to come in, by tracking that work and making it easy to find and start collaborating with people who are looking for work. Again, all of this is mostly theoretical for the time being, but I’ve talked to very sober people who tell me DAOs will be transformative for, say, startups that want to quickly get off the ground: One investor tells me the difference in speed is like the difference between email and the kind that arrives in an envelope.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="xW53Ke">
|
||||
“Right from the beginning of any project, you can now have an instrument of sharing the value of that project with more stakeholders,” says Jonathan Glick, an entrepreneur and investor who’s become intrigued by Web3 in general and DAOs in particular. “It is a quantum leap improvement in the way to organize people around projects.”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<h3 id="Ruabze">
|
||||
The good, the bad, and the unknown
|
||||
</h3>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="3Xn4Gz">
|
||||
All of that sounds … interesting. But if there’s anything that Web2.0 taught us, it’s that even the most exciting technology comes with complications and unintended consequences. At first blush, Twitter seemed like a fun way to tell people what you had for lunch, and then for a moment like a tool that could help <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_media_and_the_Arab_Spring">liberate oppressed populations</a>. It took a while for us to realize it could also be a cesspool of hate and lies. This time around, we ought to be much more thoughtful about possible downsides.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="rp4YdQ">
|
||||
For starters, people much smarter than me argue that blockchain is an incredibly bad way to utilize computing power, and that crypto currency “mining” — <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/09/03/climate/bitcoin-carbon-footprint-electricity.html">stringing racks of computers together to generate crypto currency</a> — is an irresponsible waste of energy in a world facing a dire climate crisis; some estimates peg yearly bitcoin electrical usage as the equivalent of a country the size of Sweden. (Reasonable people also argue that <a href="https://hbr.org/2021/05/how-much-energy-does-bitcoin-actually-consume">these concerns are overblown</a>, or that future crypto efforts will become more energy efficient.)
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<figure class="e-image">
|
||||
<img alt=" " src="https://cdn.vox-
|
||||
cdn.com/thumbor/XEkIDHoRWx96xsUYfk_ENnzeDnA=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-
|
||||
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23207900/GettyImages_934468372.jpg"/> <cite>Lars Hagberg/AFP via Getty Images</cite>
|
||||
<figcaption>
|
||||
Two technicians inspect bitcoin mining at Bitfarms in Saint Hyacinthe, Quebec, in 2018.
|
||||
</figcaption>
|
||||
</figure>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="rDddw2">
|
||||
Another bracing challenge is that Web3, at least in its current form, is not even remotely user-friendly. In the course of writing this, I thought I’d try buying an NFT to support Davidson’s work on Mirror. I downloaded <a href="https://metamask.io/">MetaMask</a>, a popular crypto “wallet” — a place for you to store the keys to your crypto assets — that runs as a Chrome browser extension. Then I dutifully recorded the 12-word “seed phrase” that’s the only way to access your account if you forget your password, and that MetaMask warns you to keep incredibly safe (they suggest, among other strategies, placing it in a safety deposit box, and tell you that if you lose it you’ll never be able to access your account again, ever.) Then I needed to buy some ethereum to put into my account, which MetaMask suggested I do using services like <a href="https://www.sendwyre.com/">Wyre</a>, which I’d never heard of before — and which it turns out I can’t use in New York because it’s <a href="https://support.sendwyre.com/hc/en-us/articles/360055233754-Geographic-Restrictions-">not licensed</a> here. At which point I bailed because I wasn’t remotely ready to connect my savings account to a crypto service I’d never heard of before. It’s probably fine. But what if it isn’t?
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="HMHUo3">
|
||||
Davidson, by the way, says he was scammed out of $28,000 as he started to learn the Web3 ropes. He’s still a believer.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="WYrJfO">
|
||||
Also, because Web3 is so new — and because the very concept of it rejects centralized control or management — right now, there’s very little in the way of consumer protection. None, basically. Web 3 fans argue that you don’t need government agencies or megaplatforms protecting you and your assets because their system of linked computers creates a “trustless” economy. Since every transaction is recorded in public and verified by the blockchain, you’re not supposed to need the oversight of Big Government or Big Companies. In reality, Web3 has plenty of ineptitude, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-01-24/how-traders-bought-1-million-in-nfts-at-massive-discount-due-
|
||||
to-an-opensea-bug">costly bugs</a>, and outright scams, like intriguing <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/tekashi-6ix9ine-trollz-nft-scam-hack-1272511/">projects that disappear</a> as soon as the organizers collect your money. Or in crypto terms: You’ve been “rugged,” as in, you’ve had the rug pulled out from under you.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="r88FWY">
|
||||
Speaking of misbehavior: New tech doesn’t mean we are a new species. Which means that even the most optimistic version of Web3 may recreate some of the existing problems of Web2 or the rest of the world.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<figure class="e-image">
|
||||
<img alt=" " src="https://cdn.vox-
|
||||
cdn.com/thumbor/ub9RKyA0HB0-ZY2bTWKCmSgz2I4=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-
|
||||
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23207755/GettyImages_1238070181.jpg"/> <cite>Jason Redmond/AFP via Getty Images</cite>
|
||||
<figcaption>
|
||||
Visitors read about Web3 and NFTs during the opening weekend of the Seattle NFT Museum on January 29.
|
||||
</figcaption>
|
||||
</figure>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="B1nxqx">
|
||||
While boosters like to point out that Web3 allows anyone anywhere with a web connection to participate, no matter who they are or what they look like — many Web3 folks are completely anonymous — its early user base and supporters certainly seem to skew as male as traditional tech does today. The fact some of the most vocal boosters tend to take on a public tone that’s alternatively proselytizing and defensive also makes me dubious about the whole thing. Then again, perhaps that’s because so much of the Web3 discourse happens on Twitter, which still seems designed to bring out the worst in people.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="d2ZrCB">
|
||||
And basic supply and demand still exists on Web3, which means we may still have hierarchies where people in developing countries are willing to do more work for less pay than people who are already rich. For instance: Axie Infinity — a “play to earn” game — quickly developed a huge user base/workforce in the Philippines, leading to reports that the <a href="https://restofworld.org/2021/axie-infinity/">game represented a new way for people to make a living</a>; as new players flooded the game and depressed the value of Axie’s currency, those players are reportedly <a href="https://forkast.news/headlines/earnings-axie-infinity-below-minimum-wage/">making less than that country’s minimum wage</a>.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="JJZWVs">
|
||||
Meanwhile, I continue to struggle with one of the key Web3 pitches: that you can now <a href="https://twitter.com/cdixon/status/1455366569429712900?lang=en">own your digital assets on the internet</a>. Which seems fine and maybe useful for stuff I really want to own. But I also don’t want to have to engage in a transaction everytime I do something on the internet. And I don’t necessarily want to own the platforms and services I use on the internet. I’m fine that former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and his investors made a lot of money from me and other Twitter users because I got to use Twitter for free. I’m also fine with the fact that Twitter could decide to kick me off its platform, and that I wouldn’t have any recourse, except to go somewhere else, because that means Twitter can also deplatform people who are genuinely bad actors.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ZjTgnd">
|
||||
In the Web3 world, the power of the platforms to deplatform is something to fear. In my world, it’s the difference between trusting your security at a club to a bouncer versus a mosh pit. I’ve had fun in mosh pits! But I also appreciate a guy who can kick out a goon.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="9nfdjc">
|
||||
So … I don’t know. Web3 turns on a lot of my early warning indicators that light up when things don’t make sense to me. And I’m convinced that a lot of people who are piling into NFTs and lots of other get-rich-quick pitches are going to get burned because that’s what happens to most people who go for get-rich-quick pitches.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="g4eFEc">
|
||||
We may find out quite soon, especially if the value of the crypto currencies that fuel so much of Web3 keeps falling. On the other hand, if only some of the claims Web3 fans make about it end up panning out, then the tech world is headed for a reshuffling, at the very least. And the fact that I can’t tell you what the future is going to look like doesn’t mean I won’t keep looking at it. So I’ll keep my eyes on this stuff.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="oGIu6x">
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<ul>
|
||||
<li><strong>8 tips to help you keep eating less meat in 2022</strong> -
|
||||
<figure>
|
||||
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-
|
||||
cdn.com/thumbor/MZEocWeMnUFd9Fgc6m7vkaKwR6w=/179x0:4630x3338/1310x983/cdn.vox-
|
||||
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70456804/GettyImages_1139350892.0.jpg"/>
|
||||
<figcaption>
|
||||
People draw chalk art promoting veganism at a climate protest in Madrid, Spain, in 2019. | John Milner/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
|
||||
</figcaption>
|
||||
</figure>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
Veganuary’s over — here’s how to make your less-meat habit stick in 2022.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="q7Y7uO">
|
||||
This year, a record 629,000 people signed up for <a href="http://veganuary.com">Veganuary</a> — the challenge to eat vegan during January (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=227594756201444">pronounced vee-gan- you-airy</a>, in case you need a hand).
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="TApNmL">
|
||||
Though meat consumption is <a href="https://farmdocdaily.illinois.edu/2021/05/an-overview-of-meat-consumption-in-the-united-
|
||||
states.html#:~:text=From%201999%20to%202006%2C%20meat,pounds%20per%20person%20in%202020.">still on the rise</a>, nearly a <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/282779/nearly-one-four-cut-back-eating-meat.aspx">quarter of Americans</a> say they are at least cutting back — for their health, <a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/21437054/chickens-
|
||||
factory-farming-animal-cruelty-welfare">animal welfare</a>, or to curb meat production’s <a href="https://www.vox.com/21562639/climate-change-plant-based-diets-science-meat-dairy">acceleration of climate change</a>.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="mAMlxD">
|
||||
But Veganuary is in the rearview mirror now, and if you’re like many people, much of that excitement for the fresh start of the new year has worn off, and your resolve to stick with your resolutions may be fading — or has evaporated altogether.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<div class="c-float-right">
|
||||
<div id="vC9Ebh">
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
|
||||
</div>
|
||||
</div>
|
||||
</div>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="4c8IYr">
|
||||
There’s no shortage of information on how to begin eating less meat, or go vegetarian or vegan — but there’s not a lot of guidance on how to make it stick. And for most, it doesn’t — a <a href="https://faunalytics.org/a-summary-
|
||||
of-faunalytics-study-of-current-and-former-vegetarians-and-vegans/">2014 study</a> conducted by animal advocacy nonprofit Faunalytics found that 84 percent of people who go vegetarian or vegan go back to eating meat.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="HL2XYg">
|
||||
“That’s a stat that shook a lot of people pretty hard,” Jo Anderson, a psychologist and Faunalytics’ research director, told me.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="bFXZqC">
|
||||
But a lot of good came out of it as well, because it gave researchers a better picture of reality — and a lot of data on what makes people lapse. Reasons range from boredom with food options, feeling unhealthy, the sense that being a vegetarian made them “stick out in a crowd,” and the belief that it was too difficult to maintain a purely meat-free diet.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="pLbes4">
|
||||
But the world has changed a lot since 2014 — <a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/22883795/food-industry-plant-based-vegan-meat-dairy-climate-pledges">plant- based options</a> are much more plentiful, and meat-free eating is more mainstream than ever. The <a href="https://www.thrillist.com/eat/nation/reducetarianism-plant-based-diet">conversation around eating less meat</a>, rather than no meat, has expanded as well, which may help sidestep the “purity” problem some lapsed vegetarians experience.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<figure class="e-image">
|
||||
<img alt=" " src="https://cdn.vox-
|
||||
cdn.com/thumbor/G1hK5XaLpKyNL_Of0UjKJ1seEYU=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-
|
||||
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23202853/GettyImages_1237645619.jpg"/> <cite>Mark Kerrison/In Pictures via Getty Images</cite>
|
||||
<figcaption>
|
||||
A sign outside a pub in Eton, United Kingdom, advertises a special Veganuary menu on January 10. Two million people have now signed the Veganuary pledge to try vegan food since the campaign began in</figcaption></figure></li>
|
||||
</ul>
|
||||
<ol start="2014" type="1">
|
||||
<li>
|
||||
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="rvmBxq">
|
||||
Researchers’ understanding of what helps people maintain their less-meat or no-meat habits has improved too. In 2019 and 2020, Anderson and her colleagues at Faunalytics conducted a <a href="https://faunalytics.org/going-veg-many-paths/">new</a> <a href="https://faunalytics.org/going-veg-motivations-and-
|
||||
influences/">study</a>, surveying 222 people for six months as they embarked on a vegetarian or vegan diet.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="6yWk20">
|
||||
They found that almost three-quarters of participants aiming to go vegetarian or vegan took weeks or months to ease into the diet. A little over half still ate a small amount of animal products after six months. To me, the takeaway here is that practicing patience and accepting imperfection are okay — probably even helpful — in making a less meat-heavy diet work for you. And for the vast majority of us, aiming for less meat, rather than no meat, is more achievable and sustainable.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Dk6FER">
|
||||
I spoke with Anderson for <a href="http://vox.com/meatless">Meat/Less</a>, Vox’s 5-part newsletter on how to eat less meat — which includes practical tips to eat more plant-based and food for thought on the impact of our food choices. When it comes to making it stick, Anderson shared eight tips.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<h2 id="MuqF3P">
|
||||
Define your why
|
||||
</h2>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Bk6TpR">
|
||||
According to Anderson, having a strong internal motivation is key to adopting a new habit and, more importantly, making it stick.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="H2MPVG">
|
||||
“Finding something within yourself as to why you’re going vegetarian or reducing — whether that’s for animals<strong> </strong>or health — and linking it to your identity helps with success in the long term,” Anderson says. External motivations, like trying to please a friend or partner, may be effective in the short term but likely won’t work for the long haul.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<figure class="e-image">
|
||||
<img alt=" " src="https://cdn.vox-
|
||||
cdn.com/thumbor/G-CTB7sLnUVJgDvb13vdFvcXesY=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-
|
||||
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23207061/WAM5040.jpg"/> <cite>Jo-Anne McArthur/We Animals Media</cite></figure></li>
|
||||
</ol>
|
||||
<figcaption>
|
||||
Vegan activists march in Toronto’s 2015 Veggie Pride Parade.
|
||||
</figcaption>
|
||||
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="O0IbWn">
|
||||
“People who are committed tend to succeed,” Anderson said.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Jl3Gbl">
|
||||
This finding came from her <a href="https://faunalytics.org/going-veg-motivations-and-influences/">new research</a>, which found that more than 90 percent of people who go into their vegetarian or vegan journey with a strong commitment stick with it for at least six months.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<h2 id="YcfMN7">
|
||||
Choose a specific, achievable goal, especially if you’re reducing
|
||||
</h2>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="SxaDzj">
|
||||
The boundaries of vegetarianism and veganism are clear, but not so much with “<a href="https://www.reducetarian.org/faq">reducetarianism</a>” — simply eating less meat. How much less? Which kinds of meat will you still eat and which won’t you? Will you cut out meat for particular days or meals?
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="gUXKhp">
|
||||
Setting clear boundaries, like “<a href="https://www.grubstreet.com/2012/07/mark-bittman-vb6-book-
|
||||
march-2013.html">vegan before 6 pm</a>,” “<a href="https://www.ted.com/talks/graham_hill_why_i_m_a_weekday_vegetarian?language=en">weekday vegetarianism</a>,” or <a href="https://www.mondaycampaigns.org/meatless-monday">Meatless Monday</a>, and boundaries that are <em>achievable for you</em>, is critical.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="5OkYud">
|
||||
“Shaping your goals to match what you can reasonably achieve over a longer term, as opposed to the dream-big, pie-in-the-sky approach, is a lot more likely to succeed,” Anderson told me. “And you can come back in six months or a year and say, ‘I’m doing really well with this, I’m going to go one step further.’ That’s better than trying for something huge and giving up.”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="JdvjdT">
|
||||
And a big part of determining what’s achievable is thinking about what you want to — or don’t want to — change, at least at this point in time. For example, if you do want to go vegetarian but don’t want to stop eating, say, bacon, then go vegetarian except for bacon.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="n1HAfM">
|
||||
That might sound odd, but you’ll have nearly the same impact for animals and the environment as a vegetarian, and you’ll probably stick with it longer than if you tried to go completely vegetarian.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<h2 id="jp4BJ5">
|
||||
Find social support
|
||||
</h2>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="fxFRoP">
|
||||
Whether it means a friend or family member doing it with you, or simply explaining to friends and family members why it’s important to you that they support your choices, harnessing social ties can help new habits stick.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="z3VMql">
|
||||
It’s also good to meet other people who care about this issue — you can find them by volunteering for animal welfare or environmental organizations, or looking for a <a href="https://link.vox.com/click/61dadc6a824ff53f362e1322/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubWVldHVwLmNvbS90b3BpY3MvdmVnZXRhcmlhbi8/60917b09ac7e007ef63b187dB3c2a00d9">vegetarian group on Meetup</a>. There are also robust online communities, like <a href="https://link.vox.com/click/61dadc6a824ff53f362e1322/aHR0cHM6Ly9yZWRkaXQuY29tL3IvdmVnZXRhcmlhbg/60917b09ac7e007ef63b187dBca272049">r/vegetarian</a> and <a href="https://link.vox.com/click/61dadc6a824ff53f362e1322/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cucmVkZGl0LmNvbS9yL3ZlZ2FucmVjaXBlcy8/60917b09ac7e007ef63b187dBe803d7b1">r/veganrecipes</a> on Reddit, and <a href="https://link.vox.com/click/61dadc6a824ff53f362e1322/aHR0cHM6Ly9jaGFsbGVuZ2UyMi5jb20v/60917b09ac7e007ef63b187dBfa640960">Challenge 22</a>, an organization that facilitates online community for new vegans and gives participants access to dietitians and mentors.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<h2 id="wHFHAM">
|
||||
Try a wide range of new foods, and have realistic expectations
|
||||
</h2>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="T2fL7d">
|
||||
Reducing your meat intake or going vegetarian will probably spur you to try a lot of new cuisines and foods, some of which you may love<strong> — </strong>and some not so much. So be sure to experiment with an open mind.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<figure class="e-image">
|
||||
<img alt=" " src="https://cdn.vox-
|
||||
cdn.com/thumbor/F0Exi1JsAARkQayeSxxP9wWDyYA=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-
|
||||
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23202845/GettyImages_1176503628.jpg"/> <cite>Manjunath Kiran/AFP via Getty Images</cite>
|
||||
<figcaption>
|
||||
A chef displays a varieties of dishes at a food stall at a vegetarian food festival in Bangalore, India, in 2019.
|
||||
</figcaption>
|
||||
</figure>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="siF90P">
|
||||
And experiment with a realistic mind — today’s <a href="https://www.vox.com/2019/5/28/18626859/meatless-meat-explained-vegan-impossible-burger">plant-based meat, egg, and dairy products</a> are better than ever, but they’re not perfect replicas of animal-based foods. For a list of the best meat and dairy alternative products, tips on how to cook tofu and other plant proteins, how to find vegetarian-friendly restaurants in your area, and more, sign up for Vox’s <a href="http://vox.com/meatless">Meat/Less e-course</a>.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<h2 id="tHoe3u">
|
||||
Learn the basics of plant-based nutrition
|
||||
</h2>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="GOPLAd">
|
||||
This tip comes from me — according to the <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19562864/">American Dietetic Association</a>, well-planned vegan and vegetarian diets are healthy and nutritionally adequate, and can contribute to the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. But let’s be clear: Eating plant-based is not going to cure cancer, give you perfectly glowing skin, or make you feel amazing all the time, as some of the more fringe corners of the vegan internet might suggest.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="bTTgtz">
|
||||
And as Faunalytics found in its 2014 study, some just don’t feel healthy on a vegetarian diet. That might mean a plant-based diet is just not doable for everyone, or it could mean that those people would have benefited from eating more nutritious foods. (After all, potato chips and Oreos are vegan — but that doesn’t make them good for you.)
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="S79mss">
|
||||
If you’re going fully vegan, the first question friends and family might ask you is: “Where will you get protein?” Americans are protein-obsessed, with <a href="https://link.vox.com/click/61e173ee824ff5544dfb7801/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc3RhdGlzdGEuY29tL3N0YXRpc3RpY3MvOTkzNzI1L2NvbnN1bWVyLWRpZXQtc2hhcmUtdXMv/608adc1691954c3cef02a132B40ef2176">1 in 7</a> reportedly following a high-protein, low-carb diet. But there are many <a href="https://www.theveganrd.com/vegan-nutrition-101/vegan-nutrition-primers/plant-protein-a-vegan-nutrition-
|
||||
primer/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Meat/Less%20%E2%80%93%20Day%20Four">plant-based foods high in protein</a>, like beans, tofu, tempeh, peanut butter, plant-based meat products, nuts, and soy milk. Plus, most people far exceed the recommended daily amount of protein.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<figure class="e-image">
|
||||
<img alt=" " src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/NKoLhjZ6DJs279nOSlncW8PPOvU=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-
|
||||
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23201427/protein_requirement_per_country__1_.jpeg"/>
|
||||
</figure>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="d9ipKg">
|
||||
Unless you’re an Olympic weightlifter, you don’t really need to worry about whether you’re getting enough protein. “On a vegetarian or vegan diet, you can get enough protein if you eat an adequate number of calories from a variety of whole foods,” according to <a href="https://health.clevelandclinic.org/13-of-the-best-vegetarian-and-vegan-
|
||||
protein-sources/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Meat/Less%20%E2%80%93%20Day%20Four">Nancy Geib</a>, a registered dietitian at the Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Diabetes and Nutrition. And even if you are an Olympic weightlifter, it’s <a href="https://www.mensjournal.com/food-drink/vegan-diet-american-olympic-weightlifter-
|
||||
kendrick-farris/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Meat/Less%20%E2%80%93%20Day%20Four">possible to compete at that level</a> as a vegetarian or vegan (and <a href="https://www.bustle.com/p/8-olympic-athletes-who-are-
|
||||
vegan-
|
||||
vegetarian-7917019?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Meat/Less%20%E2%80%93%20Day%20Four">other Olympic sports, too</a>).
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="qBDsEr">
|
||||
If you’re going fully vegan, be mindful to supplement with <a href="https://www.theveganrd.com/vegan-nutrition-101/vegan-nutrition-primers/iron-a-vegan-nutrition-primer/">vitamin B12</a> and to get enough <a href="https://www.theveganrd.com/vegan-nutrition-101/vegan-nutrition-primers/iron-a-vegan-
|
||||
nutrition-primer/">iron</a> — whether through supplementing with a vitamin and/or eating a lot of iron-rich plant foods, like lentils, beans, soy products, nuts, seeds, dark leafy greens, and oats.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="3IxLGX">
|
||||
However, if you’re going vegetarian or just trying to cut back on meat intake, these nutrients will be less of a concern, but it doesn’t hurt to learn more; I recommend this series of <a href="https://www.theveganrd.com/vegan-nutrition-101/vegan-nutrition-
|
||||
primers/">vegan nutrition primers</a> from registered dietitian Ginny Messina.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<h2 id="8NN6HS">
|
||||
Plan for challenges and setbacks
|
||||
</h2>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="c1wKMq">
|
||||
<a href="https://link.vox.com/click/61dadc6a824ff53f362e1322/aHR0cHM6Ly9wdWJtZWQubmNiaS5ubG0ubmloLmdvdi8yOTgwODY0Lw/60917b09ac7e007ef63b187dB87d1a655">One small study</a> (200 participants) found that 77 percent of people maintained their New Year’s resolutions for one week, but only 19 percent kept them for two years.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="UtE0Tn">
|
||||
One way to avoid that fate is to plan ahead for challenges and setbacks. Is it going to be your mother-in-law insisting you try her meatloaf that gets you, or perhaps chicken wings at the bar with friends? (Or, maybe these will be your welcomed exceptions.)
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ynvqYb">
|
||||
“Everyone’s challenges are different,” Anderson says. “Thinking about them in advance and planning for them — what your reaction is going to be at the time — is really useful.” Deciding in advance means your response is planned, so you don’t necessarily have to think of it as failure.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="OstKQe">
|
||||
Anderson recommends “quit” apps, like Quitzilla, to reframe your thinking. “You can customize [the app] for any habit you want to break (such as animal product consumption), and — the key part — when you have a setback, there’s a reset button you hit which immediately starts the timer again, so you never have the sense that a failure equals quitting.”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<h2 id="VmvvCl">
|
||||
Go easy on yourself
|
||||
</h2>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="wwtK7h">
|
||||
Change is hard. If you have trouble sticking with a plan, guilt won’t help, but modifying your plan could.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="NNrOT9">
|
||||
Anderson says that if you find yourself feeling guilty, or your inner voice is shaming you for perceived failure, try this reframing technique: “Imagine a rude stranger saying to your best friend or significant other: ‘You’re a failure with no self-control for eating that pepperoni.’ How would you respond if you heard<strong> </strong>that? Take whatever you would say to that stranger — hopefully a strongly worded defense! — and say it back to your inner voice.”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<h2 id="qGbw31">
|
||||
You’re more than a person with a New Year’s resolution. You’re a reducetarian now.
|
||||
</h2>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Orz0k7">
|
||||
“Identity is a crucial part of behavior,” Anderson says. “Despite the subtlety of the wording, there’s a world of psychological difference between eating less meat and being a <a href="http://reducetarian.org">reducetarian</a>. Labels have pros and cons, but thoughtfully applying them to ourselves can help reinforce a behavior we want to maintain, by reminding us that this behavior is not just a one-off but a central piece of who we are now.”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="BO9mhR">
|
||||
Labels can make us feel better about ourselves, because it “feels good to be part of a group we see as good,” Anderson <a href="https://faunalytics.org/no-label-identity-in-a-time-of-
|
||||
transition/">writes</a>. Of course, there’s a dark side to taking membership of any group too seriously: in-group bias — when we favor people like us, and are prejudiced against those who are less like us.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Xzvp1G">
|
||||
Vegetarians, environmentalists, and other passionate do-gooders can get a bad rap for in-group bias, so it’s critical to keep that instinct in check and, well, not be a jerk about it.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="PU2bTu"/>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="bcqcbM">
|
||||
<em>Want more resources on how to eat plant-based? Sign up for </em><a href="http://vox.com/meatless"><em>Meat/Less</em></a><em>, Vox’s 5-part e-course.</em>
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<ul>
|
||||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Olympics are meant to be a beacon of progress. A century of film tells another story.</strong> -
|
||||
<figure>
|
||||
<img alt="A line of men crouch at the starting line of a race." src="https://cdn.vox-
|
||||
cdn.com/thumbor/kGjbYXrWpE7L487J4SQg1F9Y2MI=/802x0:2002x900/1310x983/cdn.vox-
|
||||
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70456748/olympics5.0.jpeg"/>
|
||||
<figcaption>
|
||||
The Olympics promote a story of peace and friendship across borders — a story that’s retold in every official documentary. | Criterion
|
||||
</figcaption></figure></li>
|
||||
</ul>
|
||||
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
Digging into the Olympics’ official narrative on film to see what the movies really say.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="POm8Js">
|
||||
The Olympics want to tell a story — and it’s the same story, year after year. In this tale, humanity is on an upward trajectory, on a march of progress toward peace and unity. Each Games is meant to be evidence of this, a celebration of international friendship, everyone moving toward a common goal. At the start, we light a flame carried in a giant relay race across continents, a symbol of spreading enlightenment; at the end, we invite everyone to join us at the next event.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="7KW1jw">
|
||||
It’s a compelling tale. It’s also a story told by an unreliable narrator, especially when you look at what’s actually happened in the world over the years since 1896, when the Games were revived. Reality could use a little more culling and shaping to fit into the metanarrative. That’s likely why, starting in 1912, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) commissioned official films that commemorated and captured the events, both as an archive and to help in preserving the IOC’s vision of the Games as a way to promote world peace.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="h4gPDL">
|
||||
Back then, of course, the Games weren’t televised; now you can watch every second of the events on TV and streaming platforms, if you want. But the IOC has carried on commissioning the films, even in the television age. You can stream all of the official films (through the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games) on the <a href="https://olympics.com/en/original-series/official-films/">official Olympics website</a>; many of them are quite long, upward of four hours, and narrated solemnly by sonorous men who tell you what’s going on and why it matters.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<figure class="e-image">
|
||||
<img alt="A female gymnast captured in time-lapse photography rising to a handstand
|
||||
on a balance beam." src="https://cdn.vox-
|
||||
cdn.com/thumbor/eWmXRYc4fXD8Gv_LuBQBvsbyOPU=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-
|
||||
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23199586/olympics6.jpeg"/> <cite>Criterion</cite>
|
||||
<figcaption>
|
||||
From Kon Ichikawa’s incredible <em>Tokyo Olympiad</em>.
|
||||
</figcaption>
|
||||
</figure>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="VOT8pf">
|
||||
The IOC’s official films are often stunning or memorable as cinema in their own right, far from the perfunctory documentaries you might expect. Kon Ichikawa’s 1965 <em>Tokyo Olympiad</em>, funded by the Japanese government to document the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, is a triumph of filmmaking on any subject, crafted as subtly and gorgeously and intimately as you could hope (and beginning, naturally, with a stunning image of the rising sun).
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="AjLhQH">
|
||||
<em>Visions of Eight</em>, an anthology film about the 1972 Munich Games, includes, among other things, segments by Miloš Forman (just a few years before he directed <em>One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest</em>) and Arthur Penn (several years after his <em>Bonnie & Clyde</em> rocked Hollywood), and it screened at Cannes. Tony Maylan’s goofy but delightful <em>White Rock</em> features tough-guy acting icon James Coburn wandering around Innsbruck, the site of the 1976 Winter Games, chatting about how hard all these sports are and making fun of the viewer for thinking he was going to do the luge. Ten films from the legendary Bud Greenspan, ranging from the 1984 Games in Los Angeles to the 2010 edition in Vancouver, round out the collection, eschewing just documenting the events — which anyone could have watched on TV — and instead digging deeply into the kind of human interest stories that would come to mark televised athletic coverage since the 1990s.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="QIRaKO">
|
||||
But for more context — and more than just the official story — the best source is the Criterion Channel’s <a href="https://www.criterionchannel.com/100-years-of-olympic-films-1912-2012">100 Years of Olympic Films</a> collection, which includes the IOC’s documentaries through 2012, but also a handful of films made outside the official canon. For instance, a 1927 short film by Jean de Rovera, <em>The Olympic Games as They Were Practiced in Ancient Greece</em>, runs about eight and a half minutes in black and white and features athletes striking poses against dark backgrounds while the camera glides around, showing us some version of the Games’ history.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="q4LVbC">
|
||||
And while there’s plenty of evidence that host cities for the Olympic Games <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/24/business/olympics-
|
||||
economics.html">often experience economic and environmental disruptions</a> (or worse), the impact of the Games on local residents rarely comes up in the IOC’s official films. For that, you’ll have to turn to <a href="https://www.criterionchannel.com/the-odyssey">Asif Kapadia’s short 2012 documentary <em>The Odyssey</em></a>, about the upheaval caused by the 2012 Games to the lives of disadvantaged Londoners and the British economy at large. (It’s neither an official IOC film nor part of Criterion’s official collection, but it’s streaming on the Criterion Channel.)
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="NfkEPb">
|
||||
There are the more infamous contributions, too, the most notable of which, from a cinematic perspective, are the beautiful, reprehensible <em>Olympia</em> films directed by Leni Riefenstahl, Adolf Hitler’s favorite filmmaker. Subtitled “Festival of Nations” and “Festival of Beauty,” the two propaganda films document the 1936 Games, held in Berlin two years after the Nuremberg rallies. They’re official in the sense that they were commissioned by Hitler himself, but certainly <em>not</em> by the IOC. Riefenstahl had already made <em>Triumph of the Will</em> when she undertook <em>Olympia,</em> and they’re showcases of stunning visual spectacle and equally distressing ideology. Hitler is prominent in the films, sitting in the stands, laughing with advisers, and watching the events avidly, looking for all the world like just a normal guy — which was, of course, the point. Equally prominent is Jesse Owens, the Black American who would win four gold medals and be credited with “<a href="https://odi.osu.edu/inaugural-odi-hall-fame-
|
||||
awards-honorees">single-handedly crushing Adolph Hitler’s myth of Aryan supremacy</a>,” an assertion that despite Owens’s extraordinary performance at the Games is, at best, hyperbolic.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<figure class="e-image">
|
||||
<img alt="Two divers gracefully move through space." src="https://cdn.vox-
|
||||
cdn.com/thumbor/UFJMdPoz4GENfcoZWIN9YK6PzDM=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-
|
||||
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23199590/olympics2.jpeg"/> <cite>Criterion</cite>
|
||||
<figcaption>
|
||||
Leni Riefenstahl’s <em>Olympia</em> films are among the more infamous — and beautiful — of the Olympics documentaries. (They’re also decidedly <em>not</em> commissioned by the IOC.)
|
||||
</figcaption>
|
||||
</figure>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="AABpdZ">
|
||||
The lengthy opening sequence of <em>Olympia</em> features gorgeous, muscular, ostentatiously Aryan-looking athletes performing what looks almost like a dance, symbolizing the enlightened perfection of the ancient Greek Olympics that she and Hitler’s regime wished to connect to the Fatherland’s present-day athletes — superior beings, the epitome of humanity. It’s disturbing to watch; highly praised at the time, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20160810-how-leni-
|
||||
riefenstahl-shaped-the-way-we-see-the-olympics">Riefenstahl’s techniques</a> in the film are a staggering achievement, but knowing how they cloak heinous genocidal ideology, it’s hard to watch. (After all, the next two Games, in 1940 and 1944, were canceled because of World War II.)
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="U2F1JL">
|
||||
But if Riefenstahl’s artistry was being used in service of an evilly lofty rhetoric, it’s not wholly out of keeping with the ethos of the entire Olympics enterprise. Watching the films — including, and maybe especially, the IOC’s “official” documentaries — a series of themes emerges which begin, after a while, to feel just a tad over the top. Since they were revived in 1896, the goal of each Olympics has been to celebrate the limitless potential of humankind, the feeling that people can accomplish anything they set their minds on. Progress, in the Olympic arena, feels inevitable. Watching the films, you remember that there is no record so staggering set in one that it can’t be broken in the next. (As far as I can tell, the oldest world athletic record still standing was set at the 1983 Track and Field World Championships, by Jarmila Kratochvílová, in the women’s 800-meter event; she set it five months before I was born.) Skaters who looked incredible in St. Moritz in 1948 are matched by ten-year-olds today.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="8di0Hz">
|
||||
But what rarely makes it into the film is the dark side of things. The history of the Olympics themselves is littered with abuse and scandal, even recently. When I was a 12-year-old, glued to Kerri Strug’s history-making vault in the 1996 Olympic Games — a moment, incidentally, that mystifyingly doesn’t appear in the IOC’s official film from the time — I watched, rapt, as her coach Bela Karolyi carried her to the podium. But it would be years before I knew about the abuse many of those same gymnasts would <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/2018/1/18/16906714/usa-gymnastics-terminates-agreement-karolyi-ranch-larry-nassar">allege at the training ranch that Karolyi ran</a>, decades before more <a href="https://www.vox.com/22585637/gymnastics-tokyo-
|
||||
olympics-2021-abuse-larry-nassar">abuse scandals rocked USA Gymnastics</a> to its core. I didn’t know then that <a href="https://slate.com/culture/2021/07/kerri-strug-simone-biles-vault-atlanta-legacy-injuries.html">Strug probably didn’t have to vault that second time</a> to clinch the team’s gold. It didn’t really occur to me at the time that a girl’s long-term physical health was probably worth more than a gold medal. Last year, when <a href="https://www.vox.com/22596910/simone-biles-withdrawal-olympic-gymnastics-team-finals-results">Simone Biles pulled out of competition</a> citing her own health, it seemed most people hadn’t learned that lesson.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<figure class="e-image">
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><img alt="Gymnast Simone Biles upside down in the air over a balance beam." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/TYvXkX7OnsK3Cbut2-N1ZDNx1_8=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-
|
||||
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23199721/GettyImages_591464872.jpg"/> <cite>Clive Brunskill/Getty Images</cite></p>
|
||||
<figcaption>
|
||||
Simone Biles on the balance beam.
|
||||
</figcaption>
|
||||
</figure>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="w1NKWx">
|
||||
History tells us that the official Olympics story is more myth than fact. The genius of both the IOC’s full archive and Criterion’s longitudinal collection is that it tells a story that’s not in any of the individual films alone. Some Olympic Games don’t have a film because they didn’t happen, another casualty of a deeply bloody century. (In addition to 1940 and 1944, the 1916 Games didn’t happen, due to World War I.) Others carry giant asterisks next to them because of boycotts — the US sat out the 1980 Moscow Olympics to protest the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, and four years later the Soviet Union and its allies skipped the Games in Los Angeles.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="hWRvdq">
|
||||
Having been revived in 1896, just before the start of the bloodiest century (so far) in human history, the Olympic Games have uneasily moved through geopolitical strife and upheavals. At times, they’ve turned a (perhaps necessary) blind eye to genocides, regional wars, official policies of segregation, and even several pandemics; the 1918 influenza pandemic <a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-virus-
|
||||
outbreak-tokyo-health-antwerp-6bd4ca3f18691f3e69b3a43e61dc476a">haunted the 1920 Games in Antwerp</a>, while the 2020 Tokyo Games were postponed to 2021.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="uyfP2e">
|
||||
Watching them unfold over time under the eye of talented filmmakers, you start to trace the pattern that marks the 20th century and, by the looks of it, the 21st, too. We need desperately to believe in progress, even as the evidence suggests it is, at best, not an upward climb, but we’re terrible at enacting it. You can’t watch Hitler in the stands or be reminded of the genocide in Sarajevo by a moment of silence at the start of a massive celebration without feeling the unease, too. There’s a history of obfuscations, abuses, and atrocities trailing in the Games’ wake. The athlete’s well-deserved triumph is theirs to celebrate. But if the goal of the Olympics is to foster world peace, the track record of success isn’t all that great.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="dcrdB3">
|
||||
Truth be told, “world peace” is probably too much to ask of an athletics competition, an unreasonable burden to saddle the skiers and swimmers and gymnasts with. They’re chasing another goal, and that’s ultimately what makes the Games so engrossing. Improbably enough, another Olympic Games is about to start, with the same themes of glory and progress and friendship and peace; it’s worth a look backward to be reminded that the future has never really been in the Games’ hands.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-the-hindu-sports">From The Hindu: Sports</h1>
|
||||
<ul>
|
||||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Union Budget 2022 | Sports Budget increased by ₹305.58 crore, emphasis on Khelo India and National Youth Schemes</strong> - The Sports Authority of India’s budget had been reduced by ₹7.41 crore to ₹653 crore</p></li>
|
||||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>IPL Auction: Dhawan, Shreyas, Ashwin in top bracket along with Cummins, Rabada, Smith</strong> - A total of 370 Indian players and 220 overseas cricketers will be up for grabs, with as many as 48 players having chosen to place themselves in the ₹2 crore bracket</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>Beijing Olympics | 24 COVID-19 cases detected among games-related personnel</strong> - Eighteen of the cases were found among new airport arrivals, according to a notice on the Beijing 2022 official website.</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>A Grand Slam that will be remembered for long</strong> - Barty and Nadal gave the tournament a happy ending after Djokovic controversy</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>Canada stuns United States</strong> - Closes in on World Cup berth with four games left</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>Over half of all news shows have aggressive content: Study</strong> - Panels moderated by men far more hostile, finds women’s media group</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>Union Budget 2022 proposes allocation of ₹48,000 crore outlay for PM Awas Yojana</strong> - “In 2022-23, 80 lakh houses will be completed for eligible beneficiaries of PM Awas Yojana, both rural and urban,” FM Sitharaman said</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>Farmers describe 2022 Union Budget as disappointing</strong> - Farmers’ leader says the budget seems to be tailor-made for big-time private investors while there is no mention of some of their demands, including statutory guarantee of Minimum Support Price (MSP) for agricultural produce</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>Assam, Arunachal tribal culture showcased in London R-Day function</strong> - Music and dance of Rabha and Nyishi communities were the flavour of a stage tableau</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>Union Budget 2022 | ‘Very depressing’, says Shiv Sena; NCP finds it disappointing</strong> - While Shiv Sena MP Vinayak Raut claimed the budget has misled people, Maharashtra NCP president called it an “election manifesto”</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>Russia-Ukraine tensions: Zelensky praises allied response</strong> - President Volodymyr Zelensky highlights the support of allies and announces an expansion of the army.</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>Boris Johnson visits Ukraine for talks as Russian invasion fears rise</strong> - The UK PM will hold talks designed to avert war, while Russia masses tens of thousands of troops.</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>Denmark Covid restrictions lifted despite increase in cases</strong> - It is the first EU country to drop nearly all restrictions, despite relatively high case numbers.</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>Austria’s Covid vaccine law comes into force amid resistance</strong> - The country is the first in Europe to make vaccination against Covid-19 mandatory for over-18s.</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>Longleat welcomes first southern koala joey</strong> - The joey was born six months ago at Longleat safari park but has only recently started leaving its mother’s pouch.</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>Omicron may have FDA rethinking vaccine strategy for kids under 5 [Updated]</strong> - If the goal is baseline protection, we can get there with 2 doses, Gottlieb says. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1830733">link</a></p></li>
|
||||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Physicists discover that clouds of ultracold atoms can form “quantum tornadoes”</strong> - The effect is similar to the macroscale phenomenon of Kelvin-Helmholtz clouds. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1830456">link</a></p></li>
|
||||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>New York Times spends “low seven figures” to buy Wordle</strong> - Game’s creator will be stepping aside and handing over the reins to the NYT. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1830746">link</a></p></li>
|
||||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Peloton launches a $90 forearm-worn heart-rate monitor with LED indicators</strong> - The arm-worn strap uses optical sensors and features an LED array for quick device info. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1830692">link</a></p></li>
|
||||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Surprise eruptions are Earth’s overlooked threat</strong> - We knew that volcano was prone to eruptions—but there are many we’re not sure about. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1830374">link</a></p></li>
|
||||
</ul>
|
||||
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-jokes-subreddit">From Jokes Subreddit</h1>
|
||||
<ul>
|
||||
<li><strong>A farmer buys a young cock. As soon as he gets home it fucks all of his 150 hens. The farmer is impressed. At lunch, the cock again screws all 150 hens. Next day it’s fucking the ducks and the geese too</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
|
||||
<div class="md">
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
Sadly, later in the day the farmer finds the cock lying on the ground half-dead and vultures circling over its head. Farmer yells , “You deserve it, you horny bastard!”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
The cock slowly opens one eye, looks up at the sky and whispers , " Shhhhhh, They’re about to land!!!"
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
</div>
|
||||
<!-- SC_ON
|
||||
-->
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/YZXFILE"> /u/YZXFILE </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/shdk62/a_farmer_buys_a_young_cock_as_soon_as_he_gets/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/shdk62/a_farmer_buys_a_young_cock_as_soon_as_he_gets/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
|
||||
<li><strong>Four guys have been going to the same fishing trip for many years.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
|
||||
<div class="md">
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
Two days before the group is to leave, Ron’s wife puts her foot down and tells him he isn’t going.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
Ron’s mates are very upset that he can’t go, but what can they do. Two days later the three mates get to the camping site only to find Ron sitting there with a tent set up, firewood gathered, and dinner cooking on the fire.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
“Shit Ron, how long you been here? How did you talk your missus into letting you go?”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
"Well, I’ve been here since last night. After dinner at home yesterday evening, I was sitting in my chair and my wife came up behind me and put her hands over my eyes and said, ‘Guess who?’
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
I pulled her hands off, and she was wearing sexy brand new lingerie. She said she had been reading ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ and she had a devilish look in her eyes!!!
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
She took my hand and led me to our bedroom. The room had candles and rose petals all over.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
On the bed she had handcuffs, and ropes!
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
She told me to tie her up and cuff her to the bed, so I did.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
And then she said, ‘Do whatever you want.’
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
So . . . . here I am!"
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
</div>
|
||||
<!-- SC_ON -->
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/tenebralupo"> /u/tenebralupo </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/sh81uq/four_guys_have_been_going_to_the_same_fishing/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/sh81uq/four_guys_have_been_going_to_the_same_fishing/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
|
||||
<li><strong>A guy was playing golf one day and he got lost</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
|
||||
<div class="md">
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
He saw a lady up ahead of him and went to her and said, “Can you please help me, I don’t know what Hole I’m on.”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
She told him “You are one hole behind me. I’m on 7; you’re on 6.”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
He thanked her and continued playing golf.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
Later, he got lost again.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
He saw the same lady and went to her again kind of embarrassed.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
“I’m sorry to bother you again but I’m lost; can you please tell me what hole I’m on.”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
She told him, “You are one hole behind me. I’m on 14; you are on 13.”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
Again, he thanked her and continued playing golf.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
When he finished he saw her in the clubhouse.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
He went up to her and asked if he could buy her a drink for helping him out.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
She accepted.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
As they were drinking and talking, he asked her what she did for a living.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
“I’m in sales,” she said.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
He replied, “No kidding; so am I.”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
“What do you sell?”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
She responded that it was too embarrassing to tell; but after he kept pleading to know what she sold, she finally said that she would tell him if he promised not to laugh.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
He promised.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
She said, “I sell sanitary napkins.”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
He immediately fell to the floor laughing hysterically.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
She said, “You promised you wouldn’t laugh”.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
He replied (still with tears in his eyes), “I’m sorry, but I couldn’t help it. I sell toilet paper….. I’m still one Hole behind you.”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
</div>
|
||||
<!-- SC_ON -->
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/orgasmic2021"> /u/orgasmic2021 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/shs7zo/a_guy_was_playing_golf_one_day_and_he_got_lost/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/shs7zo/a_guy_was_playing_golf_one_day_and_he_got_lost/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
|
||||
<li><strong>Everything is relative</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
|
||||
<div class="md">
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
There were two evil brothers. They were rich, and used their money to keep their ways from the public eye. They even attended the same church, and looked to be perfect Christians.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
Then, their pastor retired, and a new one was hired. Not only could he see right through the brothers’ deception, but he also spoke well and true and the church started to swell in numbers. A fund-raising campaign was started to build a new assembly.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
All of a sudden, one of the brothers died. The remaining brother sought out the new pastor the day before the funeral and handed him a cheque for the amount needed to finish paying for the new building. “I have only one condition,” he said. “At his funeral, you must say my brother was a saint.” The pastor gave his word, and deposited the cheque.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
The next day, at the funeral, the pastor did not hold back. “He was an evil man,” he said. “He cheated on his wife and abused his family.” After going on in this vein for a small time, he concluded with,
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
“But compared to his brother, he was a saint.”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
</div>
|
||||
<!-- SC_ON -->
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/DinglebarryHandpump"> /u/DinglebarryHandpump </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/shfx6q/everything_is_relative/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/shfx6q/everything_is_relative/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
|
||||
<li><strong>A duck walks into a psychiatrist’s office…</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
|
||||
<div class="md">
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
He sits on the couch and the two stare at each other in silence for a moment. Eventually the duck says, “Quack.”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
“Get out of here!” yells the psychiatrist. “I won’t be ridiculed in my office.”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
The duck travels to another psychiatrist’s office. He sits on the couch. The two look at each other in silence for a time. Again, the duck says, “Quack.”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
“An insult!” shouts the psychiatrist. “I’ll have you know I was top of my class. Get out!”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
The duck travels to a third psychiatrist. He sits on the couch. They stare at each other for a short while. The psychiatrist says, “You hate your father, you worry about money, and you’re lonely”.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
“Finally,” says the duck. “Those other two quacks were idiots.”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
ed note: I came up with this while brushing my teeth this morning. Maybe I’m a depressed duck.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
</div>
|
||||
<!-- SC_ON -->
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/mykreau"> /u/mykreau </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/sh6f8t/a_duck_walks_into_a_psychiatrists_office/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/sh6f8t/a_duck_walks_into_a_psychiatrists_office/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
|
||||
</ul>
|
||||
|
||||
|
||||
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|
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Reference in New Issue