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<title>31 July, 2023</title>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-down" id="covid-19-sentry">Covid-19 Sentry</h1>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" data-aos-anchor-placement="top-bottom" id="contents">Contents</h1>
<ul>
<li><a href="#from-preprints">From Preprints</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-clinical-trials">From Clinical Trials</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-pubmed">From PubMed</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-patent-search">From Patent Search</a></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-preprints">From Preprints</h1>
<ul>
<li><strong>Disease diagnostics using machine learning of immune receptors</strong> -
<div>
Clinical diagnoses rely on a wide variety of laboratory tests and imaging studies, interpreted alongside physical examination findings and the patient’s history and symptoms. Currently, the tools of diagnosis make limited use of the immune system’s internal record of specific disease exposures encoded by the antigen-specific receptors of memory B cells and T cells, and there has been little integration of the combined information from B cell and T cell receptor sequences. Here, we analyze extensive receptor sequence datasets with three different machine learning representations of immune receptor repertoires to develop an interpretive framework, MAchine Learning for Immunological Diagnosis (Mal-ID), that screens for multiple illnesses simultaneously. This approach is effective in identifying a variety of disease states, including acute and chronic infections and autoimmune disorders. It is able to do so even when there are other differences present in the immune repertoires, such as between pediatric or adult patient groups. Importantly, many features of the model of immune receptor sequences are human-interpretable. They independently recapitulate known biology of the responses to infection by SARS-CoV-2 and HIV, provide evidence of receptor antigen specificity, and reveal common features of autoreactive immune receptor repertoires, indicating that machine learning on immune repertoires can yield new immunological knowledge. This framework could be useful in identifying immune responses to new infectious diseases as they emerge.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.04.26.489314v4" target="_blank">Disease diagnostics using machine learning of immune receptors</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>A mechanical modelling framework to study endothelial permeability</strong> -
<div>
The inner lining of blood vessels, the endothelium, is made up of endothelial cells. Vascular endothelial (VE)-cadherin protein forms a bond with VE-cadherin from neighbouring cells (homophilic bond) to determine the size of gaps between the cells and thereby regulate the size of particles that can cross the endothelium. Chemical cues such as Thrombin, along with mechanical properties of the cell and extracellular matrix (ECM) are known to affect the permeability of endothelial cells. Abnormal permeability is found in patients suffering from diseases including cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and COVID-19. Even though some of the regulatory mechanisms affecting endothelial permeability are well studied, details of how several mechanical and chemical stimuli acting simultaneously affect endothelial permeability are not yet understood. In this article, we present a continuum-level mechanical modelling framework to study the highly dynamic nature of the VE-cadherin bonds. Taking inspiration from the catch-slip behaviour that VE-cadherin complexes are known to exhibit, we model VE-cadherin homophilic bond as cohesive contact with damage following a traction-separation law. We explicitly model the actin-cytoskeleton, and substrate to study their role in permeability. Our studies show that mechano-chemical coupling is necessary to simulate the influence of the mechanical properties of the substrate on permeability. Simulations show that shear between cells is responsible for the variation in permeability between bicellular and tri-cellular junctions, explaining the phenotypic differences observed in experiments. An increase in the magnitude of traction force that endothelial cells experience results in increased permeability, and it is found that the effect is higher on stiffer ECM. Finally, we show that the cylindrical monolayer exhibits higher permeability than the planar monolayer under unconstrained cases. Thus, we present a contact mechanics-based mechano-chemical model to investigate the variation in permeability of endothelial monolayer due to multiple loads acting simultaneously.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.07.28.551049v1" target="_blank">A mechanical modelling framework to study endothelial permeability</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Phenotypic grouping of Catheter-Associated Escherichia coli from COVID-19 isolation wards using Hierarchical clustering in Surabaya</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Introduction Moderate to critical COVID-19 patients may be indicated for urinary catheter use due to risk of immobility and ventilator or oxygen use. In intensive care units, 18-81.7% of all patients use urinary catheter. Almost all patients with urinary catheter suffered from bacteriuria in 30 catheter-days. Hospital associated isolate tracing is mainly performed using complex molecular tests that is not vastly available. This study aims to trace catheter associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) isolates using common hierarchical clustering method that is vastly available Methods This is a descriptive study presenting collection of Escherichia coli culture data performed by dr. Soetomo Public Hospital microbiology laboratory from 26 March 2020- 31 March 2021. Hierarchical clustering were performed using statistical software using Ward s clustering method. Results There are 36 E.coli associated with CAUTI. Isolate biochemistry profile and minimum inhibitory concentrations profiles were clustered into 3 clades for each profile. A total of 9 cluster combinations were found. Cluster ID 1 was melibiose fermenters, Cluster ID 2 was non-Arginine utilizer, and Cluster ID-3 was Arginine utilizer. Cluster MIC A consist of third generation Cephalosporin resistant isolates, Cluster MIC C was multi-susceptible isolates. Chi-square test between cluster ID and MIC showed no significant differences between number of isolates per group (X2, p = .430, CI = 95%). Conclusion CAUTI associated E.coli is divided into 9 clusters. This indicates no cluster dominates the isolates, thus CAUTI is not caused by hospital transmission but normal flora carried by the admitted patient.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.07.26.23293190v1" target="_blank">Phenotypic grouping of Catheter-Associated Escherichia coli from COVID-19 isolation wards using Hierarchical clustering in Surabaya</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>High connectivity and human movement limits the impact of travel time on infectious disease transmission</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The speed of spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic highlights the importance of understanding how infections are transmitted in a highly connected world. Prior to vaccination, changes in human mobility patterns were used as non-pharmaceutical interventions to eliminate or suppress viral transmission. The rapid spread of respiratory viruses, various intervention approaches, and the global dissemination of SARS-CoV-2 underscore the necessity for epidemiological models that incorporate mobility to comprehend the spread of the virus. Here, we introduce a metapopulation susceptible exposed infectious recovered (SEIR) model parameterised with human movement data from 340 cities in China. Our model replicates the early case trajectory in the COVID-19 pandemic. We then use machine learning algorithms to determine which network properties best predict spread between cities and find travel time to be most important, followed by the human movement Weighted Personalised PageRank. However, we show that travel time is most influential locally, after which the high connectivity between cities reduces the impact of travel time between individual cities on transmission speed. Additionally, we demonstrate that only significantly reduced movement substantially impacts infection spread times throughout the network.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.07.26.23293210v1" target="_blank">High connectivity and human movement limits the impact of travel time on infectious disease transmission</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Integrating Mental Health and Psycho-Social Support (MHPSS) into infectious disease outbreak and epidemic response: an umbrella review and operational framework</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Introduction Infectious disease outbreaks have a substantial impact on people9s psychosocial well-being. Yet, mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) interventions are not systemically integrated into outbreak and epidemic response. Our review aims to synthesise evidence on the effectiveness of MHPSS interventions in outbreaks and propose a framework for systematically integrating MHPSS into outbreak response. Methods We conducted an umbrella review in accordance with the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology for umbrella reviews. Results We identified 23 systematic literature reviews, 6 of which involved meta-analysis, and only 30% (n=7) were of high quality. Most of the available literature was produced during COVID-19 and focused on clinical case management and medical staff well-being, with scarce evidence on the well-being of other outbreak responders and MHPSS in other outbreak response pillars. Conclusion Despite the low quality of the majority of the existing evidence, MHPSS interventions have the potential to improve the psychological well-being of those affected by and those responding to outbreaks. They also can improve the outcomes of the outbreak response activities such as contact tracing, infection prevention and control, and clinical case management. Our proposed framework would facilitate integrating MHPSS into outbreak response and hence mitigate the mental health impact of outbreaks. Review registration PROSPERO CRD42022297138.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.07.27.23293219v1" target="_blank">Integrating Mental Health and Psycho-Social Support (MHPSS) into infectious disease outbreak and epidemic response: an umbrella review and operational framework</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>The Impact of Post Embryo Transfer SARS-CoV-2 Infection on Pregnancy in In Vitro Fertilization: A Prospective Cohort Study</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Abstract Importance: Limited knowledge exists on the effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection after embryo transfer, despite an increasing number of studies exploring the impact of previous SARS-CoV-2 infection on IVF outcomes. Objective: This prospective cohort study aimed to assess the influence of SARS-CoV-2 infection at various time stages after embryo transfer on pregnancy outcomes in patients undergoing conventional in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection-embryo transfer (IVF/ICSI) treatment. Design: The study was conducted at a single public IVF center in China. Setting This was a population-based prospective cohort study. Participants: Female patients aged 20 to 39 years, with a body mass index (BMI) between 18 and 30 kg/m2, undergoing IVF/ICSI treatment, were enrolled from September 2022 to December 2022, with follow-up until March 2023. Exposure: The pregnancy outcome of patients was compared between those SARS-CoV-2-infected after embryo transfer and those noninfected during the follow-up period. Main Outcomes and Measures: The pregnancy outcomes included biochemical pregnancy rate, implantation rate, clinical pregnancy rate, and early miscarriage rate. Results: A total of 857 female patients undergoing IVF/ICSI treatment were included in the analysis. We observed the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection within 10 weeks after embryo transfer. The biochemical pregnancy rate and implantation rate were lower in the infected group than the uninfected group (58.1% vs 65.9%; 36.6% vs 44.0%, respectively), but no statistically significant. Although, the clinical pregnancy rate was significant lower in the infection group when compared with the uninfected group (49.1%vs 58.2%, p &lt; 0.05), after adjustment for confounders, this increased risk was no longer significant between the two groups (adjusted OR, 0.736, 95% CI, 0.518-1.046). With continued follow-up, a slightly higher risk of early miscarriage in the infected group compared to the uninfected group (9.3% vs 8.8%), but it was not significant (adjusted OR, 0.907, 95% CI, 0.414-1.986). Conclusions and Relevance: The study9s findings suggested that SARS-CoV-2 infection within 10 weeks after embryo transfer may have not significantly affect pregnancy outcomes. This evidence allays concerns and provides valuable insights for assisted reproduction practices.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.07.25.23293116v1" target="_blank">The Impact of Post Embryo Transfer SARS-CoV-2 Infection on Pregnancy in In Vitro Fertilization: A Prospective Cohort Study</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Mask exposure during COVID-19 changes emotional face processing</strong> -
<div>
Faces are one of the key ways that we obtain social information about others. They allow people to identify individuals, understand conversational cues, and make judgements about other’s mental states. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States, widespread mask-wearing practices were implemented, causing a shift in the way Americans typically interact. This introduction of masks into social exchanges posed a potential challenge – how would people make these important inferences about others when a large source of information was no longer available? We conducted two studies that investigated the impact of mask exposure on emotion perception. In particular, we measured how participants used facial landmarks (visual cues) and the expressed valence and arousal (affective cues), to make similarity judgements about pairs of emotion faces. Study 1 found that participants with higher levels of mask exposure used cues from the eyes to a greater extent when judging emotion similarity than participants with less mask exposure. Study 2 measured participants’ emotion perception in both April and September 2020 – before and after widespread mask adoption – in the same group of participants to examine changes in the use of facial cues over time. Results revealed an overall increase in the use of visual cues from April to September. Further, as mask exposure increased, people with the most social interaction showed the largest increase in the use of visual facial cues. These results provide evidence that a shift has occurred in how people process faces such that the more people are interacting with others that are wearing masks, the more they have learned to focus on visual cues from the eye area of the face.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://psyarxiv.com/yjfg3/" target="_blank">Mask exposure during COVID-19 changes emotional face processing</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Scoring epidemiological forecasts on transformed scales</strong> -
<div>
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Forecast evaluation is essential for the development of predictive epidemic models and can inform their use for public health decision-making. Common scores to evaluate epidemiological forecasts are the Continuous Ranked Probability Score (CRPS) and the Weighted Interval Score (WIS), which can be seen as measures of the absolute distance between the forecast distribution and the observation. However, applying these scores directly to predicted and observed incidence counts may not be the most appropriate due to the exponential nature of epidemic processes and the varying magnitudes of observed values across space and time. In this paper, we argue that transforming counts before applying scores such as the CRPS or WIS can effectively mitigate these difficulties and yield epidemiologically meaningful and easily interpretable results. Using the CRPS on log-transformed values as an example, we list three attractive properties: Firstly, it can be interpreted as a probabilistic version of a relative error. Secondly, it reflects how well models predicted the time-varying epidemic growth rate. And lastly, using arguments on variance-stabilizing transformations, it can be shown that under the assumption of a quadratic mean-variance relationship, the logarithmic transformation leads to expected CRPS values which are independent of the order of magnitude of the predicted quantity. Applying a transformation of log(x + 1) to data and forecasts from the European COVID-19 Forecast Hub, we find that it changes model rankings regardless of stratification by forecast date, location or target types. Situations in which models missed the beginning of upward swings are more strongly emphasised while failing to predict a downturn following a peak is less severely penalised when scoring transformed forecasts as opposed to untransformed ones. We conclude that appropriate transformations, of which the natural logarithm is only one particularly attractive option, should be considered when assessing the performance of different models in the context of infectious disease incidence.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.01.23.23284722v2" target="_blank">Scoring epidemiological forecasts on transformed scales</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Prolonged exposure to lung-derived cytokines is associated with inflammatory activation of microglia in patients with COVID-19</strong> -
<div>
Neurological impairment is the most common finding in patients with post-acute sequelae of COVID-19. Furthermore, survivors of pneumonia from any cause have an elevated risk of dementia. Dysfunction in microglia, the primary immune cell in the brain, has been linked to cognitive impairment in murine models of dementia and in humans. Here, we report a transcriptional response in human microglia collected from patients who died following COVID-19 suggestive of their activation by TNF- and other circulating pro-inflammatory cytokines. Consistent with these findings, the levels of 55 alveolar and plasma cytokines were elevated in a cohort of 341 patients with respiratory failure, including 93 unvaccinated patients with COVID-19 and 203 patients with other causes of pneumonia. While peak levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines were similar in patients with pneumonia irrespective of etiology, cumulative cytokine exposure was higher in patients with COVID-19. Corticosteroid treatment, which has been shown to be beneficial in patients with COVID-19, was associated with lower levels of CXCL10, CCL8, and CCL2 - molecules that sustain inflammatory circuits between alveolar macrophages harboring SARS-CoV-2 and activated T cells. These findings suggest that corticosteroids may break this cycle and decrease systemic exposure to lung-derived cytokines and inflammatory activation of microglia in patients with COVID-19.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.07.28.550765v1" target="_blank">Prolonged exposure to lung-derived cytokines is associated with inflammatory activation of microglia in patients with COVID-19</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>New design strategies for ultra-specific CRISPR-Cas13a-based RNA-diagnostic tools with single-nucleotide mismatch sensitivity</strong> -
<div>
The pressing need for clinical diagnostics has required the development of novel nucleic acid-based detection technologies that are sensitive, fast, and inexpensive, and that can be deployed at point-of-care. Recently, the RNA-guided ribonuclease CRISPR-Cas13 has been successfully harnessed for such purposes. However, developing assays for detection of genetic variability, for example single-nucleotide polymorphisms, is still challenging and previously described design strategies are not always generalizable. Here, we expanded our characterization of LbuCas13a RNA-detection specificity by performing a combination of experimental RNA mismatch tolerance profiling, molecular dynamics simulations, protein, and crRNA engineering. We found certain positions in the crRNA-target-RNA duplex that are particularly sensitive to mismatches and establish the effect of RNA concentration in mismatch tolerance. Additionally, we determined that shortening the crRNA spacer or modifying the direct repeat of the crRNA leads to stricter specificities. Furthermore, we harnessed our understanding of LbuCas13a allosteric activation pathways through molecular dynamics and structure-guided engineering to develop novel Cas13a variants that display increased sensitivities to single-nucleotide mismatches. We deployed these Cas13a variants and crRNA design strategies to achieve superior discrimination of SARS-CoV-2 strains compared to wild-type LbuCas13a. Together, our work provides new design criteria and new Cas13a variants for easier-to-implement Cas13-based diagnostics.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.07.26.550755v1" target="_blank">New design strategies for ultra-specific CRISPR-Cas13a-based RNA-diagnostic tools with single-nucleotide mismatch sensitivity</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Butyrate Protects against SARS-CoV-2-induced Tissue Damage in Golden Hamsters.</strong> -
<div>
Butyrate, produced by gut microbe during dietary fiber fermentation, plays anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects in chronic inflammation diseases, yet it remains to be explored whether butyrate has protective effects against viral infections. Here, we demonstrated that butyrate alleviated tissue injury in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-infected golden hamsters with supplementation of butyrate before and during the infection. Butyrate-treated hamsters showed augmentation of type I interferon (IFN) response and activation of endothelial cells without exaggerated inflammation. In addition, butyrate regulated redox homeostasis by enhancing the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) to inhibit excessive apoptotic cell death. Therefore, butyrate exhibited an effective prevention against SARS-CoV-2 by upregulating antiviral immune responses and promoting cell survival.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.07.27.550811v1" target="_blank">Butyrate Protects against SARS-CoV-2-induced Tissue Damage in Golden Hamsters.</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Multiscale modelling of chromatin 4D organization in SARS-CoV-2 infected cells</strong> -
<div>
SARS-CoV-2 is able to re-structure chromatin organization and alters the epigenomic landscape of the host genome, though the mechanisms that produce such changes are still poorly understood. Here, we investigate with polymer physics chromatin reorganization of the host genome, in space and time upon SARS-CoV-2 viral infection. We show that re-structuring of A/B compartments is well explained by a remodulation of intra-compartment homotypic affinities, which leads to the weakening of A-A interactions and enhances A-B mixing. At TAD level, re-arrangements are physically described by a general reduction of the loop extrusion activity coupled with an alteration of chromatin phase-separation properties, resulting in more intermingling between different TADs and spread in space of TADs themselves. In addition, the architecture of loci relevant to the antiviral interferon (IFN) response, such as DDX58 or IFIT, results more variable within the 3D single-molecule population of the infected model, suggesting that viral infection leads to a loss of chromatin structural specificity. Analysis of time trajectories of pairwise gene-enhancer and higher-order contacts reveals that such variability derives from a more fluctuating dynamics in infected case, suggesting that SARS-CoV-2 alters gene regulation by impacting the stability of the contact network in time. Overall, our study provides the first polymer-physics based 4D reconstruction of SARS-CoV-2 infected genome with mechanistic insights on the consequent gene misregulation.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.07.27.550709v1" target="_blank">Multiscale modelling of chromatin 4D organization in SARS-CoV-2 infected cells</a>
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<li><strong>A nine-year investigation of industry payments to emergency physicians in the United States between 2013 and 2021</strong> -
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Objectives To examine the characteristics and trends in the industry payments to emergency physicians since the inception of the Open Payments Database in 2013 and the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Methods Using the Open Payments Database between August 2013 and December 2021, this population based cohort study examined all research and general payments made by the healthcare industry to emergency physicians registered in the National Plan and Provider Enumeration System in the United States. We performed descriptive analyses on payment data and generalized estimating equations for payment trends. Results Among 50,483 active emergency physicians, 28,678 (56.8%) accepted a total of $457,640,796.73 payments from the healthcare industry between 2013 and 2021. 56.6% and 1.3% of all emergency physicians received general and research payments, respectively. 20.8% ($94.98 million) of overall industry payments were general payments. Median general and research payments per-physician (interquartile range) were $133.21 ($44.78-$355.77) and $62,842.97 ($10,320.00-$273,285.28), respectively. The top 1% of emergency physicians received 86.2% of overall general payments, respectively. The number of physicians receiving general payments decreased by 2.9% (95% CI: -3.2 to -2.5, p&lt;0.001) annually between 2014 and 2019 and 47.8% (95% CI: -49.8 to -45.6, p&lt;0.001) in 2020. Although there were no significant changes in research payments before the COVID-19 pandemic, the research payments significantly increased by 69.4% (95% CI: 28.9 to 122.7, p&lt;0.001) in 2021 compared to those in 2020. Conclusions The majority of emergency physicians accepted general payments from the healthcare industry, but the number of emergency physicians accepting general payments significantly decreased since the inception of the Open Payments Database.
</p>
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<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.07.24.23293098v1" target="_blank">A nine-year investigation of industry payments to emergency physicians in the United States between 2013 and 2021</a>
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<li><strong>Industry payments to anesthesiologists in the United States between 2014 and 2022</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Background: Financial relationships between physicians and the healthcare industry could be beneficial to improve patient care, but could lead to conflicts of interest. However, there was no study specifically evaluating the extent of financial relationships between anesthesiologists and the healthcare industry in the United States. Methods Using the Open Payments Database between 2014 and 2022, this longitudinal cross-sectional study examined the size, prevalence and trends of general (non-research) payments made by the healthcare industry to all anesthesiologists in the United States. Results: Over the nine-year period, 67.0% of all anesthesiologists received general payments totaling $272.0 million over nine years, while 21.0% to 35.3% of anesthesiologists received one or more general payments each year. Median annual general payments to anesthesiologists ranged from $57 to $115. The top 1%, 5%, and 10% of anesthesiologists received 73.4%, 90.3%, and 94.8% of all general payments, respectively. There were no constant yearly trends in the total amounts and per-anesthesiologist general payments between 2014 and 2019, but significant declines occurred in 2020, likely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Pain medicine physicians received the highest median general payments of $4,426 in nine-year combined total amounts, followed by addiction medicine ($431), critical care medicine ($277), and general anesthesiology ($256). Conclusion: This study reveals significant financial relationships between the healthcare industry and anesthesiologists, with a disproportionate concentration of payments among a minority of anesthesiologists. While no clear trends in payments were evident before the pandemic, there was a substantial reduction during the COVID-19 outbreak.
</p>
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<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.07.24.23293096v1" target="_blank">Industry payments to anesthesiologists in the United States between 2014 and 2022</a>
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<li><strong>Age- and sex-specific differences in immune responses to BNT162b2 COVID-19 and live-attenuated influenza vaccines in UK adolescents</strong> -
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Key to understanding COVID-19 correlates of protection is assessing vaccine-induced immunity in different demographic groups. Sex- and age-specific immune differences have a wide impact on outcomes from infections and immunisations. Typically, adult females make stronger immune responses and have better disease outcomes but suffer more adverse events following vaccination and are more prone to autoimmune disease. To understand better the mechanisms underlying these differences in vaccine responses, we studied immune responses to two doses of BNT162b2 Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in an adolescent cohort (n=34, ages 12-16), an age group previously shown to make significantly greater immune responses to the same vaccine compared to young adults. At the same time, we were able to evaluate immune responses to the co-administered live attenuated influenza vaccine, which has been shown to induce stronger immune responses in adult females. Blood samples from 34 adolescents taken pre- and post-vaccination with COVID-19 and influenza vaccines were assayed for SARS-CoV-2-specific IgG and neutralising antibodies, and cellular immunity specific for SARS-CoV-2 and endemic betacoronaviruses. IgG targeting influenza lineages contained in the influenza vaccine was also assessed. As previously demonstrated, total IgG responses to SARS-CoV-2 Spike antigens were significantly higher among vaccinated adolescents compared to adults (aged 32-52) who received the BNT162b2 vaccine (comparing infection-naive, 49,696 vs 33,339; p=0.03; comparing SARS-CoV-2 previously-infected, 743,691 vs 269,985; p&lt;0.0001) by MSD v-plex assay. However, unexpectedly, antibody responses to BNT162b2 and the live-attenuated influenza vaccine were not higher among female adolescents compared to males; among infection-naive adolescents, antibody responses to BNT162b2 were higher in males than females (62,270 vs 36,951 p=0.008). No sex difference was identified in vaccinated adults. These unexpected findings may result from the introduction of novel mRNA vaccination platforms, generating patterns of immunity divergent from established trends, and providing new insights into what might be protective following COVID-19 vaccination.
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<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.07.24.23293091v1" target="_blank">Age- and sex-specific differences in immune responses to BNT162b2 COVID-19 and live-attenuated influenza vaccines in UK adolescents</a>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-clinical-trials">From Clinical Trials</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>Effects of Exercise Training on Patients With Long COVID-19</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Long COVID-19<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Behavioral: Exercise training<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital<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>Smell in COVID-19 and Efficacy of Nasal Theophylline (SCENT 3)</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: theophylline;   Drug: Placebo<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Washington University School of Medicine<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>Lymph Node Aspiration to Decipher the Immune Response of Beta-variant Recombinant Protein Booster Vaccine (VidPrevtyn Beta, Sanofi) Compared to a Bivalent mRNA Vaccine (Comirnaty Original/Omicron BA.4-5, BioNTech-Pfizer) in Adults Previously Vaccinated With at Least 3 Doses of COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine.</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Procedure: Lymph node aspiration / Blood sampling<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris<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>COVID-19 Trial of the Candidate Vaccine MVA-SARS-2-S in Adults</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Covid19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: MVA-SARS-2-S;   Other: Placebo<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf;   German Center for Infection Research;   Philipps University Marburg Medical Center;   Ludwig-Maximilians - University of Munich;   University Hospital Tuebingen;   CTC-NORTH<br/><b>Withdrawn</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>Immunoadsorption vs. Sham Treatment in Post COVID-19 Patients With Chronic Fatigue Syndrome</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   Fatigue;   Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Procedure: Immunoadsorption vs. sham immunoadsorption<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Hannover Medical School<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>Non-ventilated Prone Positioning in the COVID-19 Population</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   COVID-19;   Proning;   Oxygenation;   Length of Stay<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Other: Proning group;   Other: Control group<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center<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>HD-Tdcs and Pharmacological Intervention For Delirium In Critical Patients With COVID-19</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   COVID-19;   Delirium;   Critical Illness<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Combination Product: Active HD-tDCS;   Combination Product: Sham HD-tDCS<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Suellen Andrade;   City University of New York<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>Safety, Efficacy, and Dosing of VIX001 in Patients With Neurological Symptoms of Post Acute COVID-19 Syndrome (PACS).</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome;   Cognitive Impairment;   Neurological Complication<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Drug: VIX001<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Neobiosis, LLC<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>A Study on the Safety and Immune Response of a Booster Dose of Investigational COVID-19 mRNA Vaccines in Healthy Adults</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   SARS-CoV-2<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: CV0701 Bivalent High dose;   Biological: CV0701 Bivalent Medium dose;   Biological: CV0701 Bivalent Low dose;   Biological: CV0601 Monovalent High dose;   Biological: Control vaccine<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   GlaxoSmithKline;   CureVac<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>PROTECT-APT 1: Early Treatment and Post-Exposure Prophylaxis of COVID-19</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   SARS-CoV-2<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: Upamostat;   Drug: Placebo (PO)<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine;   Joint Program Executive Office Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Defense Enabling Biotechnologies;   FHI Clinical, Inc.;   RedHill Biopharma Limited<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>A Clinical Evaluation of the Safety and Efficacy of Randomized Placebo Versus the 8-aminoquinoline Tafenoquine for Early Symptom Resolution in Patients With Mild to Moderate COVID 19 Disease and Low Risk of Disease Progression</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   COVID 19 Disease;   Mild to Moderate COVID 19 Disease;   SARS-CoV-2;   Infectious Disease;   Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: Tafenoquine Oral Tablet;   Drug: Placebo<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   60P Australia Pty Ltd<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>Impact of COVID-19 on Sinus Augmentation Surgery</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Bone Loss<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Procedure: Sinus lift in patients with positive COVID-19 history;   Procedure: Sinus lift with negative COVID-19 history<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Cairo University<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>Expressive Interviewing Agents to Support Health-Related Behavior Change</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Mental Stress<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Other: Expressive Interviewing<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   University of Michigan;   University of Texas at Austin<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>Immunogenicity and Safety of an Inactivated SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine Coadministered With Two Attenuated Vaccines</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   SARS-CoV-2 Infection;   Varicella;   Measles;   Mumps;   Rubella<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: Inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine coadministered with vricella vaccine;   Biological: Inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine coadministered with MMR;   Biological: Inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine administered alone<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Shanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention;   China National Biotec Group Company Limited<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>Impact of Breathing Exercises and Meditation on Improving Quality of Life in Glaucoma Patients</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   Glaucoma;   Depression;   Anxiety;   Quality of Life;   Sleep Disorder<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Behavioral: Breathing Exercises followed by Meditation<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Lawson Health Research Institute<br/><b>Not yet 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>Understanding the pivotal roles of ACE2 in SARS-CoV-2 infection: from structure/function to therapeutic implication</strong> - In December 2019, a novel respiratory tract infection, from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), was detected in China that rapidly spread around the world. This virus possesses spike (S) glycoproteins on the surface of mature virions, like other members of coronaviridae. The S glycoprotein is a crucial viral protein for binding, fusion, and entry into the target cells. Binding the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of S protein to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE 2), a…</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>Oral cavity infection by the SARS-CoV-2: emphasizing the essence of masking and peptide therapeutics</strong> - The SARS-CoV-2 has infected many people globally with the ravaging COVID-19; a disease, which has become challenging for every aspect of modern healthcare. The saliva and oral mucosa are sites of high risk for increased viral loads, and aside from the usual epithelial functions like lining and protection, the oral mucosa is also specialized for crucial functions, such as secretion, mastication, sensory perception, and taste perception. The human ACE2 receptor has been extensively studied for its…</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>ABO blood grouping and COVID-19: a hospital-based study in Eastern India</strong> - CONCLUSION: Blood group A is associated with an increased susceptibility to COVID 19 infection than other blood groups. Cases of this blood group are also associated with more critical care needs and a higher viral load on testing.</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>Dipyridamole and adenosinergic pathway in Covid-19: a juice or holy grail</strong> - CONCLUSION: Our study concluded that DIP has a potential therapeutic effect in the management and treatment of Covid-19. This could be attained either directly, through anti-SARS-CoV-2, anti-inflammatory, and anti-platelets properties, or indirectly, through augmentation of extracellular adenosine, which has anti-inflammatory and immune-regulatory effects. However, extensive randomized clinical trials, and clinical and prospective research in this area are required to demonstrate the safety 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>Mega-scale desalination efficacy (Reverse Osmosis, Electrodialysis, Membrane Distillation, MED, MSF) during COVID-19: Evidence from salinity, pretreatment methods, temperature of operation</strong> - The unprecedented situation of the COVID-19 pandemic heavily polluted water bodies whereas the presence of SARS-CoV-2, even in treated wastewater in every corner of the world is reported. The main aim of the present study is to show the effectiveness and feasibility of some well-known desalination technologies which are reverse osmosis (RO), Electrodialysis (ED), Membrane Distillation (MD), multi effect distillation (MED), and multi stage flashing (MSF) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Systems’…</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>An RBD bispecific antibody effectively neutralizes a SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant</strong> - Potent neutralizing antibodies (nAbs) against SARS-CoV-2 are a promising therapeutic against the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. However, the continuous emergence of neutralizing antibody escape variants makes it challenging for antibody therapeutics based on monospecific nAbs. Here, we generated an IgG-like bispecific antibody (bsAb), Bi-Nab, based on a pair of human neutralizing antibodies targeting multiple and invariant sites of the spike receptor binding domain (RBD): 35B5 and 32C7. We…</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>Effects of official information and rumor on resource-epidemic coevolution dynamics</strong> - Epidemic-related information and resources have proven to have a significant impact on the spread of the epidemic during the Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The various orientation role of information has different effects on the epidemic spreading process, which will affect the individual’ awareness of resources allocation and epidemic spreading scale. Based on this, a three-layer network is established to describe the dynamic coevolution process among information dissemination,…</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>Green synthesized silver nanoparticles using <em>Cyperus rotundus</em> L. extract as a potential antiviral agent against infectious laryngotracheitis and infectious bronchitis viruses in chickens</strong> - CONCLUSIONS: The results highlight that C. rotundus green synthesized silver nanoparticles could have antiviral activity against infectious laryngotracheitis virus (ILTV) and infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) in chickens.</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>Deciphering and targeting host factors to counteract SARS-CoV-2 and coronavirus infections: insights from CRISPR approaches</strong> - Severe respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and other coronaviruses depend on host factors for the process of viral infection and replication. A better understanding of the dynamic interplay between viral pathogens and host cells, as well as identifying of virus-host dependencies, offers valuable insights into disease mechanisms and informs the development of effective therapeutic strategies against viral infections. This review delves into the key host factors that facilitate or…</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>Investigating novel thiazolyl-indazole derivatives as scaffolds for SARS-CoV-2 M<sup>Pro</sup> inhibitors</strong> - COVID-19 is a global pandemic caused by infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Remdesivir, a SARS-CoV-2 RNA polymerase inhibitor, is the only drug to have received widespread approval for treatment of COVID-19. The SARS-CoV-2 main protease enzyme (M^(Pro)), essential for viral replication and transcription, remains an active target in the search for new treatments. In this study, the ability of novel thiazolyl-indazole derivatives to inhibit M^(Pro) is evaluated. These compounds were synthesized…</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>Antibody response to inactivated COVID-19 vaccine in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus after the booster immunization</strong> - CONCLUSIONS: Patients with T2DM showed impaired antibody responses after booster vaccination for more than 6 months. Decreased anti-BA.4/5 responses give rise to the possibility of breakthrough infections for both patients with T2DM and HCs.</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>Azithromycin exposure during pregnancy disturbs the fetal development and its characteristic of multi-organ toxicity</strong> - AIMS: Azithromycin is widely used in clinical practice for treating maternal infections during pregnancy. Meanwhile, azithromycin, as an “emerging pollutant”, is increasingly polluting the environment due to the rapidly increasing usage (especially after the COVID-19). Previous studies have suggested a possible teratogenic risk of prenatal azithromycin exposure (PAzE), but its effects on fetal multi-organ development are still unclear. This study aimed to explore the potential impacts of PAzE.</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>Nicotinamide Efficiently Suppresses Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus and Porcine Deltacoronavirus Replication</strong> - Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) and porcine deltacoronavirus (PDCoV), members of the genus Coronavirus, mainly cause acute diarrhea, vomiting and dehydration in piglets, and thus lead to serious economic losses. In this study, we investigated the effects of nicotinamide (NAM) on PEDV and PDCoV replication and found that NAM treatment significantly inhibited PEDV and PDCoV reproduction. Moreover, NAM plays an important role in replication processes. NAM primarily inhibited PEDV and PDCoV…</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>Analogs of the Catechol Derivative Dynasore Inhibit HIV-1 Ribonuclease H, SARS-CoV-2 nsp14 Exoribonuclease, and Virus Replication</strong> - Viral replication often depends on RNA maturation and degradation processes catalyzed by viral ribonucleases, which are therefore candidate targets for antiviral drugs. Here, we synthesized and studied the antiviral properties of a novel nitrocatechol compound (1c) and other analogs that are structurally related to the catechol derivative dynasore. Interestingly, compound 1c strongly inhibited two DEDD box viral ribonucleases, HIV-1 RNase H and SARS-CoV-2 nsp14 3’-to-5’ exoribonuclease (ExoN)….</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>SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein Is Capable of Inducing Cell-Cell Fusions Independent from Its Receptor ACE2 and This Activity Can Be Impaired by Furin Inhibitors or a Subset of Monoclonal Antibodies</strong> - Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which was responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, efficiently spreads cell-to-cell through mechanisms facilitated by its membrane glycoprotein spike. We established a dual split protein (DSP) assay based on the complementation of GFP and luciferase to quantify the fusogenic activity of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. We provide several lines of evidence that the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2, but not SARS-CoV-1, induced cell-cell fusion…</p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-patent-search">From Patent Search</h1>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-down" id="daily-dose">Daily-Dose</h1>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" data-aos-anchor-placement="top-bottom" id="contents">Contents</h1>
<ul>
<li><a href="#from-new-yorker">From New Yorker</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-vox">From Vox</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-the-hindu-sports">From The Hindu: Sports</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-the-hindu-national-news">From The Hindu: National News</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-bbc-europe">From BBC: Europe</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-ars-technica">From Ars Technica</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-jokes-subreddit">From Jokes Subreddit</a></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-new-yorker">From New Yorker</h1>
<ul>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Boss and His Botched Coverup</strong> - The latest charges against Donald Trump show him and his Mar-a-Lago band to be as lame as the Watergate plumbers. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-bidens-washington/trump-indictment-the-boss-and-his-botched-coverup">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Why Did Economic Forecasters Get Their Recession Call Wrong?</strong> - Not only has the economy outperformed predictions but it’s growing at a faster rate than experts think is sustainable in the long run. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/why-did-economic-forecasters-get-their-recession-call-wrong">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>How UPS and the Teamsters Staved Off a Strike—for Now</strong> - With work stoppages under way or looming in a variety of industries, is the U.S. in the midst of a “hot labor summer”? - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/how-ups-and-the-teamsters-staved-off-a-strike-for-now">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Georgia’s Broad Racketeering Law May Now Ensnare Donald Trump</strong> - Fani Willis, the Fulton County district attorney, often relies on Georgia’s capacious <em>RICO</em>{: .small} statute—though critics say that she has stretched it past the law’s intent. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-the-south/georgias-broad-racketeering-law-may-now-ensnare-donald-trump">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Regina Spektor on “Home, Before and After,” and a Trip to the Boundary Waters</strong> - The singer talks to the music critic Amanda Petrusich about her most recent album, and the writer Alex Kotlowitz makes an annual pilgrimage to the northern woods of Minnesota. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/podcast/the-new-yorker-radio-hour/regina-spektor-on-home-before-and-after-and-a-trip-to-the-boundary-waters">link</a></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-vox">From Vox</h1>
<ul>
<li><strong>The unexpected pitfalls of work-from-home parenthood</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="Illustration of a woman working at a desk while she rocks a cradle with her foot." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/vFMQGn1yNkXFEsJpEZALL5snt0o=/464x0:4465x3001/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72499069/GettyImages_1394036981.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
Working from home as a parent comes with its own problems. | Getty Images/iStockphoto
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
For all its benefits, the practice can be a double-edged sword — especially for moms.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="FwFAbz">
In March 2020, millions of American parents turned kitchen tables into desks, closets into boardrooms, and Zoom meetings into <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jun/18/children-interrupting-zoom-meetings-could-be-the-reboot-corporate-culture-needed">opportunities for impromptu dance performances</a> when they started working from home to <a href="https://www.vox.com/22060380/covid-parents-burnout-schools-closed-kids-pandemic">care for their kids</a> during the pandemic.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="V97fHv">
Of course, some parents worked from home before the pandemic began, but by making the practice far more common, the lockdowns helped entrench a new role in American families and society at large: that of the work-from-home parent. Now, more than three years after the pandemic began, it looks like that role is here to stay.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="PiENH0">
Despite company attempts to call workers <a href="https://www.vox.com/technology/2023/5/15/23721410/return-to-office-remote-work-commercial-real-estate">back to the office</a>, remote work has stabilized at <a href="https://wfhresearch.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/SIEPR1.pdf">about 25 percent</a> of total days worked, up from 5 percent of days in 2019, said Nicholas Bloom, an economics professor at Stanford University and a co-founder of the project <a href="https://wfhresearch.com/">WFH Research</a>. Parents, especially mothers, are more likely to take advantage of remote policies when they’re available: in 2022, moms worked an average of 33.6 percent of their days from home, compared with 32.4 percent for dads and 27.7 percent for men with no kids, according to WFH Research. And what started out as an emergency measure when schools and many workplaces were closed has become, at this point, the only way many parents (again, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2022-08-10/work-from-home-jobs-haven-t-made-things-easier-for-women#xj4y7vzkg">especially moms</a>) can imagine balancing their many competing responsibilities.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="7TzTR6">
The setup has a lot of perks. Tonya Abari, a Nashville-based writer and editor who works from home alongside her husband and two kids, 8 and almost 2, says she loves being there for milestones and more quotidian moments alike: “when they start walking or when my daughter has a concert or a soccer game.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="firAkr">
“I’m a family person,” she said. “Home is the epicenter for everything for me.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="LS3Ixs">
But working from home is also a double-edged sword for parents, who can find themselves taking on a disproportionate share of household and child care responsibilities on top of their paid work. The effect is more pronounced for parents whose partners work outside the home, and for moms, <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/05/09/facts-about-u-s-mothers/">who still do the majority of child care</a> in American families. Research conducted during the period of pandemic lockdowns found that when just one parent worked remotely, “the parent who’s working from home becomes the housewife,” said Jennifer Glass, a family demographer at the Population Research Center at the University of Texas, Austin. That was true to some degree when the father was the one working remotely, but “it was way more true when it was Mom.”
</p>
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The ability to work from home is, in many ways, a privilege — those who never have the option to work remotely, like many service-sector workers, tend to <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2023/02/10/hybrid-workers-earn-more-than-remote-and-in-person-workers-new-research.html">earn less</a> and have less control over their time. Still, the rise in work-from-home parenthood threatens to deepen inequities in families and workplaces. To remedy these inequities, work-from-home parents need what, to some degree, all parents need: fair work schedules, affordable and flexible child care options, and a society that values care and domestic work as the necessities that they are. “Appreciation and respect for parents, and caregivers in general, will make things easier,” Abari said. “I think it starts there.”
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<h3 id="tk3ACa">
Working from home has real benefits for parents…
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Sct5ED">
It’s not hard to see why working from home is appealing for parents. At the most basic level, most work schedules <a href="https://www.vox.com/22914503/school-closings-covid-closures-pandemic-child-care">do not match up</a> with children’s school calendars, leaving parents scrambling to figure out care for kids during <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2023-06-01/rising-2023-summer-camp-costs-show-waitlists-have-usurped-fun">summer</a> and other school breaks, as well as <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/23557282/afterschool-education-childcare-expanded-learning">every afternoon</a>. There’s also the need to take care of <a href="https://www.vox.com/23498851/day-care-child-care-infections-colds-germs-health-workers">sick kids</a> (a near-weekly reality for many families even in non-pandemic times), attend parent-teacher conferences and other school events, and manage the innumerable tiny tasks that tend to crop up when you are responsible for young people who cannot reliably feed or clothe themselves. Paid child care can fill in some of these gaps — and is the only option for many families with babies and toddlers — but it’s <a href="https://blog.dol.gov/2023/01/24/new-childcare-data-shows-prices-are-untenable-for-families">expensive</a> and often difficult or impossible to find, especially after school and in the summer.
</p>
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Remote work offers parents the same thing it offers everybody else: time. A <a href="https://bfi.uchicago.edu/working-paper/time-savings-when-working-from-home/">2023 study</a> found that getting rid of the commute to the office saved American workers an average of 72 minutes a day, time parents can use to pick up their kids at school or camp, help them with homework, or just hang out with them.
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Working from home “allows me to both do the really mundane shit of going to doctor’s appointments and being able to take care of a sick child, but also being able to insert little moments with my kids throughout the day,” said Jo Piazza, host of the podcast <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/under-the-influence-with-jo-piazza/id1544171101"><em>Under the Influence</em></a> and a mother of three. With her older kids home for summer vacation right now, she can choose to take an hour in the middle of her day and go on a hike with them.
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“Moms often have tremendous mom guilt being away from their kids all the time,” Piazza said. “My answer to it is that I can pop in and out for little things, and I feel like we’re getting to spend some meaningful moments together.”
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For Abari, remote work is a necessity at this point in her family’s life. They don’t have family nearby to help, and with the cost of formal child care, “it’s cheaper and easier for us just not to have it,” she said. “We are the child care.”
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Working from home also allows Abari, who is Black, to avoid the racism, sexism, and microaggressions that have been “very present in my life from school all the way up through my professional life,” she said. “I just wouldn’t consider returning to a place of business because I don’t want to deal with those things.”
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It’s a common theme for workers of color — in <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/23/us/return-to-office-anxiety.html">one 2021 survey</a>, 97 percent of Black workers said they preferred a remote or hybrid workplace. Remote work has also allowed <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/05/business/pregnancy-remote-work.html">pregnant people</a> to sidestep some of the <a href="https://www.politico.com/newsletters/women-rule/2023/07/07/the-decade-long-journey-to-pregnancy-accommodations-00105167">pregnancy discrimination</a> that remains a stubborn problem in the American workplace, because no one can see their bellies growing over Zoom.
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For all these reasons, many parents have embraced remote work, even after the Covid restrictions lessened and children returned to in-person school. As lockdowns eased, parents returned to in-person work, but at lower levels than non-parents.
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Employers are continuing to try to get their workers <a href="https://www.vox.com/technology/2023/5/15/23721410/return-to-office-remote-work-commercial-real-estate">back into the office</a> — Citigroup, for example, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-06-22/citigroup-to-reprimand-staff-for-flouting-return-to-office-rules#xj4y7vzkg">announced in June</a> that its employees would face consequences for a lack of attendance. But workers with the power to choose are resisting, with one in two finance professionals <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-06-05/work-from-home-is-so-valuable-that-some-would-quit-if-asked-to-return-to-office#xj4y7vzkg">saying in a June survey</a> that they’d quit rather than go back in full-time.
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“Hybrid work is here to stay,” Glass said. The past few years have been a “giant experiment,” and mostly a successful one — “productivity didn’t plummet, and people liked it,” she said. “It’s going to be very difficult to dial that back.”
</p>
<h3 id="vsJ3qt">
…But being a work-from-home parent comes with its own problems
</h3>
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Remote work doesn’t solve all the problems of working parenthood. With younger children especially, sick days are still sick days — it’s nearly impossible to get work done while taking care of a toddler who’s home from day care. Even if you have in-home child care or another parent doing the heavy lifting, working from home with kids around is still difficult. “You are much more accessible to inevitably get pulled into more child care, often with no warning, such as during a Zoom call,” said Bloom, the WFH Research co-founder and a father of four.
</p>
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Working where you live can also make it easy for household tasks to encroach on work time. “There’s a complete mishmash of work with house responsibilities,” said Piazza, who has worked from home for six years. “Because I’m here, I feel obligated to do home things as I’m working.”
</p>
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Then there’s the inequality factor. During lockdown, moms tended to shoulder the burden of child care and remote school in heterosexual two-parent families, even when both parents were working from home. In <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/06/upshot/pandemic-chores-homeschooling-gender.html">an April 2020 survey</a>, 64 percent of moms in such families said they were responsible for the majority of child care, compared with 35 percent of dads.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="vuTqcm">
Glass, the family demographer, and her team also studied parents during lockdown, and found that when a father worked from home, “he managed to protect his time, and wives would talk about ways that they attempted to protect his time.” For example, if both parents worked remotely, “Mom’s desk was the counter or the kitchen or the dining room table, whereas Dad got a room with a closed door.”
</p>
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With children back in school, child care, and camp, the pressures on working parents have eased up somewhat since 2020. But some of those inequalities remain. Piazza’s husband also works from home, she said, but he doesn’t feel the same obligation to do housework and child care during the day. “He is not rushing downstairs to pick up a crying baby,” she said.
</p>
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Indeed, there’s a risk that the ability of some moms to work from home will become simply a Band-Aid imperfectly slapped on America’s crumbling care infrastructure. If a mom works from home, she can quickly become the family’s caregiving backup plan, as <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2022-08-10/work-from-home-jobs-haven-t-made-things-easier-for-women#xj4y7vzkg">Anne Helen Petersen writes at Bloomberg</a>: “When the day care shuts down because it’s short-staffed or one of the kids is sick, she can cover.” But the more that happens, the more the family further entrenches the <a href="https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2023/03/counting-invisible-work-in-household-division-of-labor/#:~:text=When%20asked%20about%20division%20of,they%20shared%20the%20work%20equally.">unequal division of labor</a> that already exists in most heterosexual partnerships.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="xrlrkt">
And of course, one mom working from home may be able to take care of her own kid when the day care is closed, but her individual flexibility (or her workplace’s) does nothing for the many parents who can’t work from home: people who work in hospitality, health care, warehouses, and other sectors where reporting in person is a requirement. People in jobs that can’t be remote are more likely to be low-income, to be people of color, and to be recent immigrants, Glass said. When schools were closed in 2020 and 2021, they reported the most work-family conflict.
</p>
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These workers struggle with “overwork, and inflexibility, and the inability to predict when you’re going to be called into work,” as well as with “the fact that we don’t have a child care system that is suitable for people who have odd weekend or evening shifts,” Glass said.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="c5svBz">
The increase in remote and hybrid work over the last two years has done nothing for this group, even though they have the same parenting needs and concerns as everybody else. And even for those who <em>can</em> work from home, there’s a risk of a vicious cycle, in which moms have more caregiving responsibilities, so they spend more time at home, so they pay a career penalty, so they end up picking up even more caregiving responsibilities (and suffer a worsening <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/07/upshot/a-child-helps-your-career-if-youre-a-man.html">motherhood penalty</a> when it comes to their earnings and future financial security).
</p>
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Mothers are already <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/07/upshot/a-child-helps-your-career-if-youre-a-man.html">less likely to be hired</a> and are paid less than men with similar qualifications, and some experts fear that remote work could worsen the penalty moms already pay. In <a href="https://www.egonzehnder.com/reversing-the-she-cession">a 2021 study</a> by consulting firm Egon Zehnder, more than 7 in 10 C-suite professionals said that remote workers might be passed over for leadership roles because they weren’t in the office. Unless implemented very intentionally, remote work could end up leading to career dead ends for women, Brigid Schulte <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/11/15/women-remote-work-penalty-solutions-520601">told Politico</a> the same year: “You are mommy tracked to the billionth degree.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="fKnYRS">
Many work-from-home parents are clear that they like the flexibility the setup offers, as Petersen notes. But they never signed up to be, as she puts it, “one-woman safety nets.” If American work and family cultures get too reliant on the work-from-home mom, then nothing substantive has to change.
</p>
<h3 id="CNS7Wj">
Work-from-home parents need more child care options and better schedules — just like everyone else
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="zo2hSb">
Indeed, what families really need now, experts say, is a shift in employer expectations, policy priorities, and larger cultural attitudes — one that would benefit both work-from-home parents and those who go to work in person.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="cmc3B0">
“There are a lot of assumptions that no matter what kind of job you have, if you’re working in the home, it is somehow less-than than being in an office” and that “you can take on all of the burden of parenting because you’re the one that’s at home,” Piazza said. “Those kinds of attitudes just have to change.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="quGwG5">
Employers can do their part by setting boundaries around work hours and meeting times so as not to disadvantage remote employees, Erin Grau, COO of the consulting company Charter, <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/11/15/women-remote-work-penalty-solutions-520601">told Politico</a>. Companies like Etsy have also embraced hybrid work for everyone — including executives — to avoid penalizing parents or others who prefer remote work.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Ogg9i7">
Improving the accessibility of child care is also part of the equation. “If I had assistance with child care, I could even do more work and I could be more of a contribution to society,” Abari said. Reducing costs is important, she said. In April, Democrats in Congress <a href="https://www.kaine.senate.gov/press-releases/kaine-murray-scott-reintroduce-child-care-for-working-families-act-to-tackle-child-care-crisis-and-get-families-the-child-care-and-pre-k-they-need">introduced a bill</a> to make child care more affordable for working- and middle-class families, but it is unlikely to pass.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="xZ9iUW">
Flexibility and quality, though, are also crucial. “There has to be a trust factor,” Abari said. She’d like to see a kind of coworking space for remote-working parents that allows them to bring their kids and check on them periodically throughout the day. “Where are those places?” she asks. “There are none here.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="xZP2hI">
Parents also need reasonable working hours and predictable work schedules, experts say, regardless of how their jobs are structured. <a href="https://www.vox.com/22568452/work-workweek-five-day-four-jobs-pandemic">Fair workweek laws</a> that aim to guarantee predictable schedules, for example, could result in a <a href="https://www.vox.com/22321909/covid-19-pandemic-school-work-parents-remote">more just economy for all</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="nEWYcj">
Finally, parents and experts alike are calling for a cultural shift toward actually valuing the work of caregiving and setting up workplaces and communities with parents in mind, rather than forcing them to figure everything out on their own. “We’re ushering in the next generation of leaders and change makers,” Abari said. “In order for us to be able to do that, we need support.”
</p>
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</p></li>
<li><strong>The enduring allure of a good love triangle</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="Belly Conklin and Conrad and Jeremiah Fisher (played by Lola Tung, Christopher Briney, and Gavin Casalegno) stand in a row. " src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/rdo4RHDJiNLDeDFTB9mJDZHX1jY=/59x0:1742x1262/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72499006/Screen_Shot_2023_07_26_at_1.04.51_PM.0.png"/>
<figcaption>
Love triangles like the one in <em>The Summer I Turned Pretty</em> are classic tales that keep us wanting more. | IMDB
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</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
How love triangles capture our hearts and our attention.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="xKsxEm">
Jenny Han’s young adult trilogy <em>The Summer I Turned Pretty,</em> and its Amazon Prime TV show adaptation, depicts a classic love triangle, with a few notable twists. Teen protagonist Belly (Lola Tung) is caught between the love of two brothers, Conrad (Christopher Briney) and Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno). In season one, Belly was deeply in love with the quiet, brooding Conrad: the ultimate symbol of the unavailable boy you just have to have. Because Conrad was reticent about his feelings, Belly ended up making out with his brother Jeremiah — a bubbly, blond, Abercrombie model-esque boy next door whose affection came more easily.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="pGSDH0">
I’m a huge fan of love triangles, but even I have to admit that <em>The Summer I Turned Pretty</em> is a little … intense. All this romantic turmoil happens while the boys’ mom, Susannah (Rachel Blanchard), is dying of cancer. Add to that Belly’s mother, Laurel (Jackie Chung), is best friends with Susannah. They raised their children together as fictive kin, and it makes the whole thing feel slightly incestuous. Still, while it gives me a tummy ache, that tension and taboo is partly why this series is so beloved and why viewers are locked in. As viewers and readers of romance, many of us are drawn to love triangles more than any other trope.
</p>
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For writers and showrunners, there’s a clear financial benefit in feeding our hunger for love triangles. It’s more likely to lead to more books, TV seasons, and movies, and it increases reader/audience engagement. This is what Ethan Calof, PhD candidate in English and Comparative Media Analysis and Practice at Vanderbilt University, calls “social community formation.”
</p>
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“If you’re drawing out a tense, emotional love triangle plot through multiple books, it strengthens community formation by encouraging readers to join teams for a ship war. And ship wars are not an accidental happenstance,” they say, citing <em>Twilight</em> and how Team Edward and Team Jacob generated countless fanfiction and merchandise opportunities. (Remember <a href="https://press.nordstrom.com/news-releases/news-release-details/nordstrom-launch-exclusive-twilight-saga-new-moon-apparel-and">Nordstrom’s <em>Twilight</em> clothing line</a>?) Even in <em>The Summer I Turned Pretty</em>, the fourth wall is broken a bit when Belly’s brother Steven (Sean Kaufman) and her best friend Taylor (Rain Spencer) argue about whether they’re Team Conrad or Team Jeremiah, echoing online fan defenses of the respective love interests.
</p>
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Calof says that literary binaries and tropes provide readers with “a sense of comfort, a clear debate to weigh in on, and a digestible sense of conflict that keeps a story propelling forward.” They explain, “Joining a broader team is just a manifestation of this instinct — the comfort of being part of a large group, and an exploration that deepens as each sequel is published.” So that callout to the fandom, while a bit ham-fisted, was purposely meant to continue the lucrative communities that can build around love triangles.
</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Conrad and Jeremiah Fisher stand in their swim trunks with towels over their shoulders." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/QmsW3IQK4m2fJePoDJwD0Cg2e0U=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24811553/Screen_Shot_2023_07_26_at_1.25.22_PM.png"/> <cite>IMDb</cite>
<figcaption>
In <em>The Summer I Turned Pretty</em>, Belly Conklin is torn between Conrad (Christopher Briney) and Jeremiah Fisher (Gavin Casalegno), two brothers she grew up with.
</figcaption>
</figure>
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Despite how this shows up in the digital age, love triangles are a centuries-old obsession. “When reading a love triangle plot through a monogamous lens, each potential partner represents an aspect of the protagonist’s personality, or a moral choice, or one side of a binary,” Calof says. “Most of Jane Austen’s novels feature a female protagonist choosing between two or more men, one virtuous and one immoral, with her protagonists eventually choosing the virtuous side and resolving a moral dilemma,” they point out. “Anne Elliot from <em>Persuasion </em>chooses the clever but less pedigreed Wentworth over her manipulative cousin William, Elizabeth Bennett chooses the shy and wealthy Mr. Darcy over the charming adulterer Mr. Wickham, Emma chooses the honest Mr. Knightley over the shallow Frank Churchill.”
</p>
<div class="c-float-right">
<aside id="JZsDsx">
<q>Love triangles are hyper-focused on the act of choosing, the ebb and flow of affection and attraction</q>
</aside>
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Despite our love of building community around uniting behind one love interest or the next, or our general consensus that one love interest is superior — no one likes Wickham over Darcy — some might say that our interest in love triangles might point to a wider cultural desire to explore polyamory. While I don’t doubt that many are curious about exploring options outside of the dominant form of monogamous relationships, I disagree that the classic love triangle is a good example of this. For the most part, love triangles are the antithesis of what most people say polyamory is intended to be about: loving multiple people equally and simultaneously. In contrast to this definition of polyamory, love triangles are hyper-focused on the act of choosing, the ebb and flow of affection and attraction. Aimée Lutkin, an entertainment writer for Elle magazine and author of <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-lonely-hunter-aim-e-lutkin/1140385195"><em>The Lonely Hunter: How Our Search for Love Is Broken</em></a>, says, “There’s still a real monogamous bent within these love triangles. They have to choose one. It’s very rarely that the ending is like, ‘Yeah, I’ll date both the brothers.’”
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Many forms of polyamory are also centered around the idea that love shouldn’t be hierarchical. But the love triangle as a trope is about the constant battle for primacy. As one potential lover rises in esteem, the other falls. It’s either a roller coaster or a steady, depressing road trip of rejection for one party (Jacob from <em>Twilight</em> never stood a chance), not a stable and equal development of love for all involved. In fact, the person in the middle of the love triangle (in this case, Belly) usually doesn’t love both equally. One is usually a more comforting, safe love (ahem, we’re looking at you, Michael from <em>Jane the Virgin</em> ) and the other is their fated lover that their heart can’t live without, the OTP, or One True Pairing, like Joey and Pacey from <em>Dawson’s Creek</em>. And, spoiler alert, in this series, it’s so obviously Conrad. Keshav Kant, romance novel consultant and executive director of Off Colour, says that love triangles are reminiscent of “fake open relationships where you want to test the waters to see who else is out there because the one you got at home is starting to get a little stale.”
</p>
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In other series too, the brooding older guy usually wins over the younger, more exuberant one, a pattern that might suggest that love triangles are often about leaving youth behind for adulthood. One notable exception is <em>Outlander</em>, where Claire rejects the love of her serious dark-haired academic husband Frank, going back in time to 18th-century Scotland and falling in love with the younger, red-haired, mischievous Jamie Fraser. In that case, Claire’s choice might reflect a desire for adventure and youth, and a rejection of the traditional trappings of adulthood and womanhood.
</p>
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In this idea of choice, there are also lessons. Sometimes people get focused on one option, thinking that there is only one romantic partner for them. That obsession can be unhealthy, leading people to eschew others in favor of chasing someone who might not even be the best fit. That’s why dating around is healthy. Laurel speaks to this briefly in the last episode of season two, telling Belly she wants her to have many lovers before she settles down. Of course, Belly just runs to Jeremiah instead of finding an entirely new person.
</p>
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It’s the toxicity of the situation that makes a portion of the <em>Summer I Turned Pretty </em>fandom criticize Belly, often calling her selfish and narcissistic for pitting two brothers against each other during their mother’s terminal illness and even after their mother’s death. There’s an argument to be made that perhaps Belly and the boys are engaging in their own self-destructive tendencies.
</p>
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Unsurprisingly, our attraction to love triangles isn’t always a wholly positive thing. “Love triangles can sometimes appeal to our narcissistic tendencies as they place us in the center of a conquest and divide strategy,” says Avigail Lev, psychotherapist and founder and director at the Bay Area CBT Center. Who can forget Jules’s selfish scheming in <em>My Best Friend’s Wedding, </em>where the well-being of everyone else took a back seat to her desire to get with Michael? “We become the focal point, the object of desire for two individuals who compete over our affection,” Lev says. “This dynamic can give us a sense of satisfaction, as if we have conquered something, triumphed over others.”
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An interesting part of this love triangle is Conrad and Jeremiah’s deceased mom Susannah’s culpability (and by extension, the other two dads and Laurel’s, since none of them intervened). Susannah, who considered Belly a daughter, made it clear to Belly, from her childhood, that she knew Belly was “destined for one of her boys.” It’s an immense amount of pressure to put on a child, and I pointed out to Lutkin that it felt almost like incestuous grooming to me, since they were raised as cousins. Lutkin responded, “I’m glad you said the word ‘grooming’ because I was definitely not putting that word to it, but I was thinking about how manipulative it was of Susannah. … It was incestuous and bizarre how Susannah was pushing this idea that she was gonna end up with one of the boys, especially so close to her death, which is obviously gonna be a stronger blow to Belly [if those relationships don’t work out].”
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There’s also the added pressure of the beach house, an absurdly expensive home in coastal Massachusetts that Belly and Laurel have been constantly told by Susannah is their house too. Season two revolves around Belly, Conrad, and Jeremiah attempting to save the house as Susannah’s older half-sister Julia (Kyra Sedgwick) attempts to sell it. But crucially, even if they save the home from being sold, unless Belly marries one of the boys, this home will never belong to her. It adds an unspoken layer of pressure that likely makes her hesitant to branch out outside of these two boys, because if she does, she’ll have to contend with another woman eventually being the head of a household that she was led to believe was hers her entire life. Through this lens, Belly’s choice to engage in this love triangle takes on a new dimension. If she chooses the wrong brother, she loses a major part of her identity and an inheritance that ethically should be partly hers.
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<q>The love triangle as a trope is about the constant battle for primacy. As one potential lover rises in esteem, the other falls.</q>
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Within that, there is insight into why the love triangle might appeal more to marginalized groups. “Generally people go to [the romance genre] to seek what they want or what they’ve been denied,” Kant says. “If you love ‘enemies to lovers,’ [you might] want someone who’s gonna love you even if they see you at your worst. If you love ‘friends to lovers,’ you are someone that wants comfort and security because maybe that’s been missing for you.” For traditional love triangles, she says what people are likely seeking is the feeling of being desired.
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Due to desirability politics that usually (and falsely) spread the idea that people of color, trans people, disabled people, fat people, and people with mental illnesses are unworthy of being these sought-after objects of desire, it might feel validating for viewers to see protagonists — especially if they exist at one of these marginalizations — being desired by not just one, but two love interests. Part of why women of color enjoyed shows like <em>Never Have I Ever</em>, <em>Jane the Virgin</em>, and<em> From Scratch</em> is because they featured South Asian, Latinx, and Black women at the center of a love triangle — and therefore at the center of desire. After days of people sharing on Twitter about how common the trope of the “<a href="https://twitter.com/Ari3mu/status/1681697283283337216">disposable Black girlfriend</a>” is, it’s no wonder viewers are hungry for something different. The idea of choices can feel alluring and empowering for anyone, but especially for people who’ve been told their choices are limited or even nonexistent. Still, even though Belly is half-Korean, she doesn’t really exist at many other intersections of marginalization. It’s not lost on viewers that the center of a love triangle is still nondisabled, conventionally attractive, or light-skinned.
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Readers of the trilogy like myself know how this love triangle is going to end, but viewers are waiting with bated breath to see the resolution in season three. And in the meantime, despite ourselves, we’re all drawn to the drama. As Lev says, “The drama surrounding a love triangle can be addictive, drawing us in and making us feel like active participants in the romantic turmoil. It evokes intense emotions, heightens the stakes, and adds excitement to our lives.”
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My confession is this: There’s nothing I love more than a love triangle. I was raised on Joey/Pacey/Dawson, Elena/Stefan/Damon, and Bella/Edward/Jacob. I was #TeamRafael for every second of <em>Jane the Virgin</em>, and <a href="https://www.vox.com/2018/11/28/18112712/kal-ho-naa-ho-khnh-shah-rukh-khan-cultural-influence"><em>Kal Ho Naa Ho</em></a> makes me cry every time. But even though love triangles can be useful sources of life lessons, they’re probably best left in fiction. In real life, they can make things hurtful and complicated. Date around, have lots of lovers, and be polyamorous if you’d like, but resist the urge to be the center of this kind of story.
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<em>Nylah Burton is a writer based in Denver, Colorado. Her work has appeared in New York Magazine, Essence, and British Vogue.</em>
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<li><strong>America’s most popular dog wasn’t bred for this heat</strong> -
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<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/y76-Et0gMhEe3C7_NajHQosX9SQ=/320x0:5440x3840/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72498964/GettyImages_997816902.0.jpg"/>
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A French bulldog. | Getty Images/iStockphoto
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Frenchies and other flat-faced dogs struggle to breathe all year. Extreme heat is making it worse.
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Earlier this year, <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/22369273/frenchie-doodle-designer-dogs-problems-breeder-shelter">the French bulldog</a> — or the “Frenchie,” as the breed is affectionately known — was <a href="https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/dog-breeds/most-popular-dog-breeds-2022/">named</a> the United States’ most popular dog, ending the Labrador’s 31-year reign. But some of the characteristics that make the Frenchie so irresistibly cute — the scrunched-up flat face, the little button nose, the giant tongue — can also make it hard for them to breathe, especially during the record-breaking <a href="https://www.vox.com/climate/23805954/extreme-heat-waves-el-nino-climate-change-solutions">heat waves</a> gripping much of the US and the world this summer.
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Frenchies, along with English bulldogs (ranked 6th) and pugs (ranked 35th), and around <a href="https://www.hsvma.org/brachycephalic#:~:text=There%20are%2024%20dog%20breeds,Apso%2C%20Brasileiro%2C%20and%20Pekingese.">20 other</a> flat-faced breeds, are <a href="https://www.acvs.org/small-animal/brachycephalic-syndrome/">brachycephalic</a>, meaning they have unusually short skulls. This makes the soft palate at the back of their mouths too long for their heads, which <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/feb/27/this-is-a-calamity-the-surgeons-keeping-pugs-and-bulldogs-alive">blocks airflow</a> into the windpipe and lungs. Some of the traits that make it harder for them to breathe are obvious to the naked eye, like their <a href="https://smallanimal.vethospital.ufl.edu/clinical-services/surgery/soft-tissue-surgery/brachycephalic-syndrome/#:~:text=Brachycephalic%20Airway%20Syndrome%20incorporates%20stenotic,any%20combination%20of%20these%20disorders.">narrow nostrils</a> and <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7998523/#:~:text=The%20present%20study%20documents%20the,English%20bulldogs%20compared%20to%20pugs.">large tongues</a>.
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Taken together, these conditions make them highly susceptible to brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome, or BOAS, which <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9673814/">veterinarians say</a> is a chronic, lifelong, debilitating respiratory disease that degrades their quality of life. Brachycephalic breeds also have <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37021744/#:~:text=The%20mean%20life%20expectancy%20of,mortality%20at%20a%20young%20age.">shorter lifespans</a>; in the United Kingdom, French bulldogs have the lowest life expectancy of all breeds, at an astonishingly short <a href="https://www.vettimes.co.uk/news/life-tables-study-sheds-light-on-dog-breed-life-expectancy/">4.5 years</a>. One University of Cambridge study found that <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0130741#sec011">90 percent</a> of Frenchies tested had some level of airway restriction.
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Some owners put their dogs through <a href="https://www.vet.cam.ac.uk/boas/about-boas/management-treatment">invasive surgeries</a>, like widening their nostrils, just to give them some relief.
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“Imagine breathing with somebody holding your nose … and your throat’s really swollen,” said bioethicist Jessica Pierce, drawing from an <a href="https://dogtime.com/how-to/pet-safety/53229-summer-heat-deadly-brachycephalic-dogs">article</a> in DogTime. “Imagine breathing like that all the time.”
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It’s estimated that <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jvim.13933">around half</a> of Frenchies, pugs, and English bulldogs suffer from BOAS, though many may not get the veterinary care they need as <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9673814/#:~:text=In%20a%20recent%20survey%20of,2022).">most owners</a> see the clinical signs of BOAS — snorting, snoring, and heavy breathing — as normal.
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“You’ll have people say that the snuffling sound is so cute, and it’s actually a dog struggling to breathe,” said Pierce, who has authored books on animal behavior and welfare, most recently <a href="https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/W/bo200521445.html"><em>Who’s a Good Dog?</em></a> “I think it’s just a lack of empathy, and a lack of awareness.”
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Just like for humans with respiratory issues, extreme heat makes it all the worse: Brachycephalic dogs are <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7303136/">much more likely</a> to suffer heat-related illness events than other breeds.
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Emma Goodman Milne, a veterinarian in France, said that unless you live in an especially cool climate, there are “vast swathes of the day that [brachycephalic dogs are] incapable of exercising comfortably because a) they can’t breathe, and b) they can’t heat-regulate either. So they’re much more prone to heat exhaustion and heatstroke, and I think people often underestimate that.”
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Milne said that while individual dogs vary, brachycephalic breeds tend to begin panting at much lower temperatures than other dogs — a difference of around 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Given that temperatures are <a href="https://www.vox.com/climate/2023/7/5/23784587/hottest-day-heat-wave-recorded-temperature-climate-change">expected to rise</a> in the years ahead, we may want to add one more task to humanity’s climate change adaptation to-do list: Stop breeding dogs that struggle so much in the heat.
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“It’s just a low-hanging fruit if you want to reduce dog suffering,” said Pierce.
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<h3 id="YKrbgB">
How to keep your dog cool on a warming planet
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There’s a lot we can do for brachycephalic breeds — and all dogs — to keep them cool as summers get hotter (and <a href="https://www.noaa.gov/noaa-wildfire/wildfire-climate-connection#:~:text=A%202016%20study%20found%20climate,in%20the%20western%20United%20States.">smokier</a>).
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The most obvious and effective thing to prevent heat exhaustion and heatstroke is to avoid the heat. This summer, I’ve taken to walking my dog, Evvie, in the mornings and evenings (while keeping daytime walks under 10 minutes). I try to not get too far from home in case she starts to display signs of <a href="https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/general-pet-care/hot-weather-safety-tips#:~:text=Know%20the%20symptoms%20of%20overheating,temperature%20of%20over%20104%20degrees.">overheating</a>: According to the ASPCA, those include excessive panting, difficulty breathing, increased heart rate, drooling, mild weakness, or collapse. More severe symptoms can include “seizures, bloody diarrhea, and vomit along with a body temperature of over 104 degrees.”
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If you haven’t already, identify your closest 24/7 emergency veterinarian office in the event your dog’s health goes downhill fast in extreme temperatures. And if your dog is really hot, be mindful to not cool them down too rapidly or too much, which can cause a condition called rebound hypothermia.
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For the sake of my dog’s health and happiness, I abandon all sense of fashion on these walks and wear a <a href="https://petamiusa.com/products/classic-dog-treat-training-fanny-pack?utm_campaign=gs-2020-02-29&amp;utm_source=google&amp;utm_medium=smart_campaign&amp;gad=1&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQjwiIOmBhDjARIsAP6YhSWXrhaeJGv0hg27W0AeBHhnDcDRWLBVtlrZ13QzRXsUiVxZKA4P9mIaAmYOEALw_wcB">decked-out fanny pack</a> big enough to store a little water bowl and bottle of water if it’s particularly hot and sunny. Pierce’s daughter puts a <a href="https://www.chewy.com/b/cooling-vests-gear-2465">cooling vest</a> on her dog Poppy.
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<img alt=" " src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/tCZDReBWncsHl--Pl_BFdNcNZTQ=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24816606/image000000.jpg"/> <cite>Sage Madden</cite>
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Poppy the dog wearing a cooling vest.
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Beyond the air temperature, there’s asphalt, which can get exceptionally hot and cause injury to dogs.
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“A good rule of thumb is to place a hand on the surface of the pavement for 10 seconds. If the pavement is too hot for your hand, then it’s too hot for your pets’ paws,” said Lori Bierbrier, senior medical director for ASPCA Community Medicine, in an email to Vox. And since dogs’ bellies are so low to the ground, heat rising from the asphalt affects them more than it does us. When possible, walk on grass and dirt. (Disclosure: This summer I attended a media fellowship program at Vermont Law and Graduate School that was funded by the ASPCA.)
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When it’s very hot, keep outdoor time to a minimum, especially for the dogs most at risk of heat exhaustion. In addition to brachycephalic breeds, that group includes dogs who are overweight, senior dogs, puppies, and those with lung and heart conditions.
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Amid their humans’ busy schedules, dogs may already be <a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2023/4/11/23673393/pets-dogs-cats-animal-welfare-boredom">quite bored</a>. With fewer opportunities for walks and exercise, they could become even more frustrated during the hot summer months, so be sure to play with them indoors. If possible, arrange doggy play dates (a few times a week, I get my dog <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5klU0EphXM">together</a> with a neighbor’s).
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<img alt=" " src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/9srHBTYeF5aMIR7pv_GvhwONNJ0=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24816635/FullSizeRender.JPEG"/> <cite>Courtesy of Lynn Rose</cite>
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Evvie, the author’s dog, and her friend Sorin, take a break to beg for treats while playing indoors.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="lZ5sw9">
Brachycephalic breeds, which struggle to exercise because of their respiratory issues and heat intolerance, could be extra bored.
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“Their level of frustration is very high,” Milne said. “You’ll often hear people say that brachycephalics are good pets because they don’t need much exercise.” But they do — they’re just not in good enough shape to be very active, she said. University of Cambridge researchers consider dogs with BOAS to have <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0130741#sec012">“exercise intolerance.”</a>
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And of course, never, ever leave your dog alone in a parked car. “The temperature inside your parked car may be as much as 20 degrees hotter than the temperature outside,” Bierbrier said. “Not only can it lead to a fatal heat stroke, it’s illegal in many states.”
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<a href="https://aldf.org/project/an-avoidable-tragedy-dogs-in-hot-cars/">Fourteen states</a> have “Good Samaritan” laws that allow you to legally break into a parked car with an animal inside if you have a good-faith, reasonable belief that their health or life is at imminent risk. In most of these states, you must first contact law enforcement; familiarize yourself with the laws in your state ahead of time in case you come across a suffering animal in a car.
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Beyond tips and best practices to keep dogs comfy in the summertime, Pierce offers another idea that’s easy to implement: Adopt a dog adapted to your local ecosystem. If you’re in Alaska, getting a chihuahua is not a smart choice, and if you’re in the desert, a shaggy — or brachycephalic — dog is probably going to have a hard time.
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“If a dog is well adapted to their ecosystem, they’re going to have more freedom to enjoy it without us having to put boots and coats [on them], and keep them in the air conditioning, and just have a little bit more freedom to be dogs.”
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The growing backlash against breeding flat-faced dogs
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Brachycephalic dogs’ poor quality of life raises more fundamental questions about whether we should be breeding dogs prone to painful chronic conditions in the first place.
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In addition to respiratory distress, brachycephalic breeds are <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5508944/">also more prone</a> to eye diseases, digestive disorders, urinary tract infections, dental disease, pneumonia, skin disease, and intervertebral disk disease than other breeds.
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“The French bulldog is a breed that’s been broken to accommodate us,” as Vox contributor Tove Danovich put it in a <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/22369273/frenchie-doodle-designer-dogs-problems-breeder-shelter">2021 feature story</a> about the breed.
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Milne put it even more bluntly: “The suffering of [brachycephalic] animals is as tangible as if they were physically beaten on a regular basis.”
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Humans continue to breed and buy Frenchies in vast quantities, despite their well-documented health issues, because we find their physical qualities so cute, Pierce said. In an <a href="https://aeon.co/essays/breeding-dogs-to-be-cute-and-anthropomorphic-is-animal-cruelty">essay for Aeon</a>, she wrote about how the trend of dogs designed to look like cute human babies — round faces, big eyes, little noses — is hurting the very animals we so dearly love.
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Sometimes, their behavior that appears cute is actually an attempt to cope with pain, Milne pointed out. There are loads of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/shorts/KOz4lHydqIc">social</a> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1076740032390674">media</a> posts of Frenchies exhibiting abnormal behavior: sleeping sitting up — something they do because it’s harder to take in air while lying on their side — or sleeping with a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/catthevet/photos/a.302946656580281/1649594701915463/?type=3">hollow toy</a> in their mouth in an effort to increase airflow.
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<img alt=" " src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/833L_fkuENKx5vIwnfbnv07Y46s=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24816657/unnamed__6_.jpg"/> <cite>Courtesy of Emma Goodman Milne</cite>
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A pug recovers from an anaesthetic and their mouth has been propped open with a bandage roll so they can breathe during recovery.
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As the Frenchie has grown in popularity, so too has the backlash — especially from veterinarians on the front lines, who see brachycephalic dogs suffering.
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“The moral burden on the veterinary profession is absolutely massive. … You’ve got people who’ve wanted to be veterinarians their whole lives, who are just morally crushed by the fact that they’re just picking up the pieces” from the sudden increase in Frenchies and their health issues, Milne said. “And breeders are just churning them out and making a fortune from them.”
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In 2017, she founded <a href="http://vetsagainstbrachycephalism.com/">Vets Against Brachycephalism</a>, which has garnered support from 1,600 veterinarians across 66 countries.
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Milne’s concerns began in veterinary school, as she learned about the common health issues faced by certain breeds (brachycephalics as well as others, like corgis and dachshunds, which are bred to have short limbs and long bodies). “I sort of thought to myself, ‘Well, this is a bit mad, because if we know that they’ve all got these [issues], why isn’t anyone doing anything about it?” she said, wondering why her profession wasn’t doing more to help stop the breeding of dogs known to be prone to serious welfare issues. “Then I got into practice, and it was just awful. You got to the point where you could predict, pretty much, what you were going to see and do and advise within probably 80 to 90 percent accuracy … just based on what breed the dog was.”
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The <a href="https://www.bva.co.uk/media/4232/bva-position-on-brachycephalic-dogs-exec-summary.pdf">British Veterinary Association</a> has called on the companion animal community to reduce demand by avoiding imagery of brachycephalic dogs in advertising and social media campaigns. The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), in its <a href="https://www.avma.org/news/health-screening-test-rolled-out-brachycephalic-dog-breeds">policy</a> on responsible breeding practices, states that it “discourages breeding companion animals with deleterious characteristics, since these features often require surgical correction or life-long medical or behavioral management.”
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The <a href="https://www.avma.org/javma-news/2017-03-01/avma-passes-policy-responsible-pet-breeding">original draft</a> of the policy, written by the AVMA’s Animal Welfare Committee, stated that “companion animals exhibiting inherited characteristics that negatively affect the animal’s health and welfare should not be bred,” including brachycephalism. But the callout of brachycephalism, along with other conditions, was removed after opposition from breeding clubs. One of those was the American Kennel Club, whose chief veterinary officer, Jerry Klein, argued that such a policy could lead to breed bans and eventual extinction for some breeds. (The American Kennel Club makes much of its <a href="https://s3.amazonaws.com/cdn-origin-etr.akc.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/27162848/2022_Annual_Report.pdf">income</a> from people <a href="https://www.akc.org/register/dog/">registering</a> their dogs, from which they get a certificate stating their dog is “purebred,” among other benefits.)
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="izJl2W">
“Who’s going to make the decision about what dog is the right dog?” Klein told Vox. “You know, the perfect dog with no problems? What a bland world that would be.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="gdKZRc">
Klein said he doesn’t like to use the word “suffer” in relationship to the serious health issues experienced by many brachycephalic dogs. “I’ve had a bad back, that’s suffering,” he joked. “Trust me.” Rather, he said, the best way to put it is that these breeds “have a higher predilection for having certain predictable conditions related to breathing.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="7VdUbx">
The American Veterinary Medical Association didn’t respond to a question about whether brachycephalic dogs fall into the category of animals with “deleterious characteristics” as mentioned in its final policy.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="nlUGSP">
Breed bans are precisely what Milne of Vets Against Brachycephalism wants.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="IuXDqD">
“We’ve got 200, 300 breeds of dog,” she said. “If you took away 40, who cares? We never had those breeds before [modern pet ownership] … Why are we so concerned about it? We should be concerned for their innate health, shouldn’t we?” said Milne. (Starting in the mid-1800s, the goals of <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/22369273/frenchie-doodle-designer-dogs-problems-breeder-shelter">breeding shifted</a> largely from purpose-based — hunting and herding — to aesthetics.)
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="41Lo48">
“Lots of people don’t understand the difference between breeds and species. … Breeds don’t exist in nature, they’re completely man-made,” Milne said. “We as a species have to admit that we went badly wrong, and we need to drastically change that.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="8jlvTf">
Some countries have taken action. Last year, <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2022/02/02/norway-bans-breeding-british-bulldog-king-charles-spaniel/9318784002/">Norway</a> banned the breeding of English bulldogs and cavalier King Charles spaniels; an appeals court <a href="https://news.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=210&amp;Id=11279110&amp;f5=1">overturned</a> the English bulldog ban, which is currently <a href="https://kommunikasjon.ntb.no/pressemelding/dog-breeding-ends-up-in-the-supreme-court?publisherId=16958427&amp;releaseId=17960789">under review</a> in the country’s supreme court. In 2014, the Netherlands <a href="https://www.vettimes.co.uk/news/dutch-to-crack-down-on-breeding-of-dogs-with-too-short-snouts/">banned</a> the breeding of around 20 short-snouted breeds, and lawmakers are now <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/dutch-weigh-law-ban-cruelly-overbred-pets-2023-06-22/">weighing a ban</a> on possessing and advertising breeds with traits proven to cause health problems. Milne said similar efforts are underway elsewhere in Europe.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="odMfDe">
Klein believes a better approach would be getting Frenchie, pug, and English bulldog breeders to select for healthier dogs in order to reduce BOAS in the gene pool, and there are <a href="https://ofa.org/diseases/rfgs/">efforts</a> to do so, he said, which are supported by the main brachycephalic breeding clubs. He also said dog trends are fickle — that breeds go through phases in popularity.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="kmlq0D">
We should hope the Frenchie doesn’t maintain a 31-year hold on the title of America’s most popular dog breed, as the Labrador has — and that it’s not replaced with another breed so vulnerable to inherited disorders. The relationship between pet owners and their animals is already <a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2023/4/11/23673393/pets-dogs-cats-animal-welfare-boredom">out of balance</a>, with humans often taking much more than we give. Phasing out the breeding of dogs prone to serious welfare issues is the least we can do.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="G6QOHi">
In the meantime, there are millions of dogs languishing in shelters and in need of a home. Preferably one with central air conditioning.
</p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-the-hindu-sports">From The Hindu: Sports</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>IAU Ageas Federation Life Insurance 50km World Championship on November 5 in Hyderabad</strong> -</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Hyderabad FC signs up winger Makan Chothe on a three-year deal</strong> -</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>No one from my family is contesting WFI elections: Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh</strong> - BJP MP Brij Bhushan had claimed that 22 out of 25 State units attended a meeting hosted by him on July 30</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>International Olympic Committee asks Randhir Singh to continue as OCA president</strong> - Randhir Singh, who earlier served as OCA’s secretary general and became its acting president after Sheikh Ahmad’s exit in 2021, will continue to be the acting chief of the continental body during the Hangzhou Asian Games, starting in the last week of September.</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>World University Games | Sangampreet Singh Bisla, Avneet Kaur clinch individual gold medals in archery</strong> - Bisla got the defeated South African Christian de Klerk 149-147; Avneet prevailed over U.S.A.’s Alyssa Sturgill 144-144 in shoot-off</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>MLC urges CM to set up govt. dental college in Visakhapatnam</strong> -</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>‘KCR failed to come to the rescue of flood victims’</strong> - Congress team submits memorandum to CS</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>IMD predicts normal monsoon in August-September</strong> - It said normal to above normal rainfall is very likely over east-central India, parts of the east and northeast region and most subdivisions along the Himalayas</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>Validity of prevailing electricity tariffs extended up to September 30</strong> - Proceedings on a writ petition before the Kerala High Court in connection with industrial electricity tariffs is still ongoing. The next hearing is scheduled for August 1</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Parliament proceedings | 3,110 money laundering, 12,000 FEMA cases registered by ED in last 3 years: Govt.</strong> - The total money laundering cases registered in these three years stand at 3,110</p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-bbc-europe">From BBC: Europe</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Ukraine war: ‘People call us the Ghosts of Bakhmut’</strong> - The BBC is given exclusive access to a team of elite Ukrainian snipers on night raids near Bakhmut.</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>Wagner pauses fighter recruitment and focuses on Africa and Belarus - Prigozhin</strong> - The mercenary group’s head says it is deciding on its next goals, but has urged fighters to stay in touch.</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>David Hunter: British husband who killed wife in Cyprus released</strong> - David Hunter “can’t describe” how freedom feels after killing wife Janice in an assisted suicide.</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 considers banning protests burning Quran and other religious texts</strong> - The Danish government is exploring banning protests destroying holy texts over security concerns.</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>Russia storm: High winds kill 10 in central Volga region</strong> - Eight of the victims died when trees fell on their campsite near a lake in Mari El region.</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>A jargon-free explanation of how AI large language models work</strong> - Want to really understand large language models? Here’s a gentle primer. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1956916">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Instead of obtaining a warrant, the NSA would like to keep buying your data</strong> - The agency opposes an amendment that prevents it from using data brokers. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1957520">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The 2023 Porsche Cayman GT4 RS is the best sports car on sale today</strong> - Transplanting the 911 GT3’s flat-six engine created a remarkable car. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1957399">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Communal stargazing using your phone: The Unistellar eQuinox 2, reviewed</strong> - Stargaze with up to 10 of your friends no matter how bad the light pollution is. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1957544">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy launches world’s most massive communications satellite [Updated]</strong> - SpaceX has again launched a competitor’s satellite, this time a 10-ton behemoth. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1956756">link</a></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-jokes-subreddit">From Jokes Subreddit</h1>
<ul>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A biker walks into a bar and sits down on a bar stool near the end of the bar.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
He takes a look at the menu and it reads as follows: Hamburger - 2.99 Cheeseburger - 3.99 Chicken Sandwich - 4.99 Hand Jobs - 19.99 The crusty old biker waves the bartender down, and up walks this tall, busty, beautiful redhead in her mid-twenties.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
She smiles at the biker coyly, and he asks in a quiet voice “Are you the one who gives the hand jobs?” The bartender blushes slightly and says “Yes, I am” with a sexy little smile.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The biker grins and says “Well wash your hands, because I want a cheeseburger.”
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Impossabearr"> /u/Impossabearr </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/15e4dzs/a_biker_walks_into_a_bar_and_sits_down_on_a_bar/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/15e4dzs/a_biker_walks_into_a_bar_and_sits_down_on_a_bar/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>What happened to the Twitter employee, that told Elon Musk not to rename the company?</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
He became an X employee!
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/island_architect"> /u/island_architect </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/15ebnxe/what_happened_to_the_twitter_employee_that_told/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/15ebnxe/what_happened_to_the_twitter_employee_that_told/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A bus driver was called into court for killing 24 children and 6 adults</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The judge asks the bus driver “why did you kill all those innocent people?”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The bus driver, looking a little sad, says “I didn’t mean too, It was by mistake!”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“How did it happen?” Asks the judge.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“Well-” said the bus driver, "I was driving to a bus station but suddenly, on the road, I saw a rabbit.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
I swerved into the woods and hit a tree. I managed to escape but all the other people just didn’t make it in time and the bus exploded. Everyone but me perished."
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“Why did you not just run over the rabbit?” Asks the judge.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“I tried!” Says the bus driver, “But it ran into the woods!”
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Impossabearr"> /u/Impossabearr </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/15e4fwc/a_bus_driver_was_called_into_court_for_killing_24/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/15e4fwc/a_bus_driver_was_called_into_court_for_killing_24/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A Turk, a Frenchman and an Englishman were traveling by train.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
When it got hot in their room in the train, the Frenchman opened the window and a fly flew in.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
To show his skill, the Frenchman drew his sword and hit the fly with one blow and it split in two. While the others looked on in amazement, the Frenchman took his business card out of his pocket and handed it to the Englishman and Turk. And it said “The best swordsman in France”.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Seeing this, the Englishman immediately opened the window and another fly flew in. He drew his bow and threw an arrow, the fly got stuck to the wall, he took out his business card from his pocket and it said “The best archer in England”.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Then the Turk opened the window, another fly came in, Turk took his knife out of his pocket and threw it at the fly. The fly fell to the ground and after a few minutes and flew back.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Seeing this, the Englishman and the Frenchman burst out laughing and the Turk took his business card out of his pocket and gave it to the Englishman and the Frenchman.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“Fastest circumciser in Turkey”
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Dust_88"> /u/Dust_88 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/15dtfmp/a_turk_a_frenchman_and_an_englishman_were/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/15dtfmp/a_turk_a_frenchman_and_an_englishman_were/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A Frenchman, an Italian and a Russian all end up in hell. The Frenchman begs to make one last call home to see how his family is coping. The devil says fine, it’ll cost you an extra thousand years in the flames. The Frenchman agrees, and tearfully listens to his wife doing his brother.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The Italian begs to call home to see how his daughters are doing. That’ll be an extra thousand years in the flaming pit, says the devil. So be it, says the Italian, and weeps as he listens to his children selling the farm.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Now I want to call home, says the Russian, and grabs the receiver. He hears his neighbours robbing his house. How much is that, he asks the devil, who replies that it costs nothing. How dare you, shouts the Russian, you took a thousand agonising years off the frog and the eyetie, what’s wrong? Is my pain not good enough for you?
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
No, no, says the devil, local calls are free.
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/reelfishybloke"> /u/reelfishybloke </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/15dkj9s/a_frenchman_an_italian_and_a_russian_all_end_up/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/15dkj9s/a_frenchman_an_italian_and_a_russian_all_end_up/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
</ul>
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