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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>What can be impact of civil authorities faulty mortality registration on COVID-19 mortality count in the state of Bihar, India- Evidence from NFHS-5</strong> -
<div>
Several local / global / national / international agencies have been estimating the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on mortality count in different regions. On 30 January 2020 the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). Death toll was only 171 on 30-01-2020 and by 31 -12- 2020, this figure increased to 1 813 188. The estimates of global deaths attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 as published by WHO is at least 3 million, which is 1.2 million more than officially reported. Objective of this research study is to find out number of deaths in the household in the three years preceding the survey registered with the civil authorities’ with another objective of this research study is to estimate the excess mortality due to COVID-19 in a simple way to be understood by most of the readers. The total sample size was 35,834 households, 42,483 women of age 15-49 (including 6,350 women interviewed in PSUs in the state module), and 4,897 men of age 15-54 for the state of Bihar. This sample size was based on the size needed to produce reliable indicator estimates for each district. Household questionnaire regarding number of deaths in the household in the three years preceding the survey were collected and utilized to produce information in 19 languages using CAPI (Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing). This cross sectional survey study revealed that only 37.1 percent of deaths of households members due to any cause were registered with the civil authorities in the three years preceding the survey, of which 28 percent of deaths are at age 0-4, 45 percent of deaths occurred at age 25-34, and 41 percent of deaths occurred at age 35 and above (see table-1 and 2 for more details).
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/tk74d/" target="_blank">What can be impact of civil authorities faulty mortality registration on COVID-19 mortality count in the state of Bihar, India- Evidence from NFHS-5</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Tixagevimab/cilgavimab pre-exposure prophylaxis is associated with lower breakthrough infection risk in vaccinated solid organ transplant recipients during the Omicron wave</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The neutralizing monoclonal antibody combination of tixagevimab/cilgavimab has been shown to reduce the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection in unvaccinated individuals during the Alpha (B.1.1.7) and Delta (B.1.617.2) waves. However, data on efficacy and safety of tixagevimab/cilgavimab in vaccinated solid organ transplant recipients during the Omicron wave is limited. To address this, we conducted a retrospective cohort study comparing 222 solid organ transplant recipients who received tixagevimab/cilgavimab for pre-exposure prophylaxis and 222 age-matched vaccinated solid organ transplant recipients who did not receive tixagevimab/cilgavimab. Subjects were followed for a mean of 67 (standard deviation 18) days. Kaplan-Meier estimates of the 60-day incidence of breakthrough infection were 1.8% in the tixagevimab/cilgavimab group and 4.7% in the control group (P = 0.045). Adverse events were uncommon, occurring in 4% of our cohort and most were mild. There was no significant change in serum creatinine or liver chemistries in kidney and liver transplant recipients respectively. In conclusion, we found that tixagevimab/cilgavimab use is safe and associated with a lower risk of breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 infection in vaccinated solid organ transplant recipients during the Omicron wave.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.05.17.22274980v1" target="_blank">Tixagevimab/cilgavimab pre-exposure prophylaxis is associated with lower breakthrough infection risk in vaccinated solid organ transplant recipients during the Omicron wave</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Variation in the ACE2 receptor has limited utility for SARS-CoV-2 host prediction</strong> -
<div>
Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from humans to other species threatens wildlife conservation and may create novel sources of viral diversity for future zoonotic transmission. A variety of computational heuristics have been developed to pre-emptively identify susceptible host species based on variation in the ACE2 receptor used for viral entry. However, the predictive performance of these heuristics remains unknown. Using a newly-compiled database of 96 species we show that, while variation in ACE2 can be used by machine learning models to accurately predict animal susceptibility to sarbecoviruses (accuracy = 80.2%, binomial confidence interval [CI]: 70.8 - 87.6%), the sites informing predictions have no known involvement in virus binding and instead recapitulate host phylogeny. Models trained on host phylogeny alone performed equally well (accuracy = 84.4%, CI: 75.5 - 91.0%) and at a level equivalent to retrospective assessments of accuracy for previously published models. These results suggest that the predictive power of ACE2-based models derives from strong correlations with host phylogeny rather than processes which can be mechanistically linked to infection biology. Further, biased availability of ACE2 sequences misleads projections of the number and geographic distribution of at-risk species. Models based on host phylogeny reduce this bias, but identify a very large number of susceptible species, implying that model predictions must be combined with local knowledge of exposure risk to practically guide surveillance. Identifying barriers to viral infection or onward transmission beyond receptor binding and incorporating data which are independent of host phylogeny will be necessary to manage the ongoing risk of establishment of novel animal reservoirs of SARS-CoV-2.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.05.16.492068v1" target="_blank">Variation in the ACE2 receptor has limited utility for SARS-CoV-2 host prediction</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Unsupervised outlier detection applied to SARS-CoV-2 nucleotide sequences can identify sequences of common variants and other variants of interest</strong> -
<div>
As of February 2022, the GISAID database contains more than one million SARS-CoV-2 genomes, including several thousand nucleotide sequences for the most common variants such as delta or omicron. These SARS-CoV-2 strains have been collected from patients around the world since the beginning of the pandemic. We start by assessing the similarity of all pairs of nucleotide sequences using the Jaccard index and principal component analysis. As shown previously in the literature, an unsupervised cluster analysis applied to the SARS-CoV-2 genomes results in clusters of sequences according to certain characteristics such as their strain or their clade. Importantly, we observe that nucleotide sequences of common variants are often outliers in clusters of sequences stemming from variants identified earlier on during the pandemic. Motivated by this finding, we are interested in applying outlier detection to nucleotide sequences. We demonstrate that nucleotide sequences of common variants (such as alpha, delta, or omicron) can be identified solely based on a statistical outlier criterion. We argue that outlier detection might be a useful surveillance tool to identify emerging variants in real time as the pandemic progresses.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.05.16.492178v1" target="_blank">Unsupervised outlier detection applied to SARS-CoV-2 nucleotide sequences can identify sequences of common variants and other variants of interest</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Differential Evasion of Delta and Omicron Immunity and Enhanced Fusogenicity of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.4/5 and BA.2.12.1 Subvariants</strong> -
<div>
The rising case numbers of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.4, BA.5, and BA.2.12.1 subvariants has generated serious concern about the course of the pandemic. Here we examine the neutralization resistance, infectivity, processing, and fusogenicity of spike from the BA.4/5 and BA.2.12.1 SARS-CoV-2 variants compared with other Omicron subvariants and Delta. Critically, we found that the new Omicron subvariants BA.4/5 and BA.2.12.1 were more resistant to neutralization by mRNA-vaccinated and boosted health care worker sera and Omicron-BA.1-wave patient sera than were the BA.1 and BA.2 variants. Interestingly, Delta-wave patient sera neutralized more efficiently against not only Delta but also BA.4/5 and BA.2.12.1 variants that also contain substitutions at position L452, similar to Delta. The BA.4/5 and BA.2.12.1 variants also exhibited higher fusogenicity, and increased spike processing, dependent on the L452 substitution. These results highlight the key role of the L452R and L452Q mutations in BA.4/5 and BA.2.12.1 subvariants.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.05.16.492158v1" target="_blank">Differential Evasion of Delta and Omicron Immunity and Enhanced Fusogenicity of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.4/5 and BA.2.12.1 Subvariants</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Prophylactic treatment of Glycyrrhiza glabra mitigates COVID-19 pathology through inhibition of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the hamster model and NETosis.</strong> -
<div>
Severe coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is accompanied with acute respiratory distress syndrome &amp; pulmonary pathology, and is presented mostly with inflammatory cytokine release, dysregulated immune response, skewed neutrophil/ lymphocyte ratio, and hypercoagulable state. Though vaccinations have proved effective in reducing the COVID-19 related mortality, the limitation of use of vaccine against immunocompromised, comorbidity, and emerging variants remains a concern. In the current study we investigate for the first-time the efficacy of Glycyrrhiza glabra (GG) extract, a potent immunomodulator, against SARS-CoV-2 infection in hamsters. Prophylactic treatment with GG showed protection against loss in body weight and 35-40% decrease in lung viral load along with reduced lung pathology in the hamster model. Remarkably, GG reduced the mRNA expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and Plasminogen activator inhibito-1 (PAI-1). In-vitro, GG acted as potent immunomodulator by reducing Th2 and Th17 differentiation and IL-4 and IL-17A cytokine production. In addition, GG also showed robust potential to suppress ROS, mtROS and NETs generation in a concentration dependent manner in both human polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) and murine bone marrow derived neutrophils (BMDNs). Taken together, we provide evidence for the protective efficacy of GG against COVID-19 and its putative mechanistic insight, which might be developed as a future immunomodulatory approach against various pathologies with high cytokine production, aberrant neutrophil activation including coronavirus infection.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.05.16.492112v1" target="_blank">Prophylactic treatment of Glycyrrhiza glabra mitigates COVID-19 pathology through inhibition of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the hamster model and NETosis.</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>SARS-CoV-2 accessory proteins ORF7a and ORF3a use distinct mechanisms to downregulate MHC-I surface expression</strong> -
<div>
Major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC-I) molecules, which are dimers of a glycosylated polymorphic transmembrane heavy chain and the small protein {beta}2-microglobulin ({beta}2m), bind peptides in the endoplasmic reticulum that are generated by the cytosolic turnover of cellular proteins. In virus-infected cells these peptides may include those derived from viral proteins. Peptide-MHC-I complexes then traffic through the secretory pathway and are displayed at the cell surface where those containing viral peptides can be detected by CD8+ T lymphocytes that kill infected cells. Many viruses enhance their in vivo survival by encoding genes that downregulate MHC-I expression to avoid CD8+ T cell recognition. Here we report that two accessory proteins encoded by SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, downregulate MHC-I expression using distinct mechanisms. One, ORF3a, a viroporin, reduces global trafficking of proteins, including MHC-I, through the secretory pathway. The second, ORF7a, interacts specifically with the MHC-I heavy chain, acting as a molecular mimic of {beta}2m to inhibit its association. This slows the exit of properly assembled MHC-I molecules from the endoplasmic reticulum. We demonstrate that ORF7a reduces antigen presentation by the human MHC-I allele HLA-A*02:01. Thus, both ORF3a and ORF7a act post-translationally in the secretory pathway to lower surface MHC-I expression, with ORF7a exhibiting a novel and specific mechanism that allows immune evasion by SARS-CoV-2.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.05.17.492198v1" target="_blank">SARS-CoV-2 accessory proteins ORF7a and ORF3a use distinct mechanisms to downregulate MHC-I surface expression</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Excess all-cause mortality across counties in the United States, March 2020 to December 2021</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Official Covid-19 death counts have underestimated the mortality impact of the Covid-19 pandemic in the United States. Excess mortality, which compares observed deaths to deaths expected in the absence of the pandemic, is a useful measure for assessing the total effect of the pandemic on mortality levels. In the present study, we produce county- level estimates of excess mortality for 3,127 counties between March 2020 and December 2021. We fit two hierarchical linear models to county-level death rates from January 2015 to December 2019 and predict expected deaths for each month during the pandemic. We compare observed deaths to these estimates to obtain excess deaths for each county-month. An estimated 936,911 excess deaths occurred during 2020 and 2021, of which 171,168 (18.3%) were not assigned to Covid-19 on death certificates as an underlying cause of death. Urban counties in the Far West, Great Lakes, Mideast, and New England experienced a substantial mortality disadvantage in 2020, whereas rural counties in these regions had higher mortality in 2021. In the Southeast, Southwest, Rocky Mountain, and Plains regions, there was a rural mortality disadvantage in 2020, which was exacerbated in 2021. The proportion of excess deaths assigned to Covid-19 was lower in 2020 (76.3%) than in 2021 (87.0%), suggesting that a larger fraction of excess deaths was assigned to Covid-19 later in the pandemic. However, in rural areas and in the Southeast and Southwest a large share of excess deaths was still not assigned to Covid-19 during 2021.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.04.23.22274192v3" target="_blank">Excess all-cause mortality across counties in the United States, March 2020 to December 2021</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Racial differences in vaccine acceptance in a rural southern US state</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Introduction: To assess vaccine acceptance among adults living in a largely rural Southern state. Methods: Data were collected between October 3 and October 17, 2020 using random digit dialing. Participants included residents aged 18+, able to understand English or Spanish, and provide informed consent. The primary outcome was a multi- dimensional COVID-19 vaccine acceptance measure. Scores varied between -3 to +3. Results: The sample (n=1,164) was weighted to be representative of the state9s population. Black participants had the lowest overall vaccine acceptance (0.5) compared to White participants (1.2). Hispanic participants had the highest scores (1.4). In adjusted models, Black participants had 0.81 points lower acceptance than White participants, and Hispanic participants had 0.35 points higher acceptance. Hispanic participants had the highest scores for all five vaccine acceptance dimensions, relatively equivalent to White participants. Black participants had consistently lower scores, especially perceived vaccine safety (mean -0.2, SD 0.1). Conclusions: The lowest vaccine acceptance rates were among Black participants particularly on perceived vaccine safety. While Black participants had the lowest acceptance scores, Hispanic participants had the highest. This variability shows the value of a multi-dimensional vaccine acceptance measure to inform COVID-19 vaccination campaign strategies.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.05.12.22274953v1" target="_blank">Racial differences in vaccine acceptance in a rural southern US state</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>SARS-CoV-2 Spike evolution influences GBP and IFITM sensitivity</strong> -
<div>
SARS-CoV-2 spike requires proteolytic processing for viral entry. The presence of a polybasic furin-cleavage site (FCS) in spike, and evolution towards an optimised FCS by dominant variants of concern (VOCs), are linked to enhanced infectivity and transmission. Here we show that interferon-inducible antiviral restriction factors Guanylate binding proteins (GBP) 2 and 5 interfere with furin-mediated cleavage of SARS-CoV-2 spike and inhibit the infectivity of early- lineage Wuhan-Hu-1, while VOCs Alpha and Delta have evolved to escape restriction. Strikingly, we find Omicron is unique amongst VOCs, being restricted by GBP2/5, and also IFITM1, 2 and 3. Replacing the spike S2 domain in Omicron with Delta shows S2 is the determinant of entry route and IFITM sensitivity. We conclude that VOC evolution under different selective pressures has influenced sensitivity to spike-targeting restriction factors, with Omicron selecting spike changes that not only mediate antibody escape, and altered tropism, but also sensitivity to innate immunity.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.03.07.481785v2" target="_blank">SARS-CoV-2 Spike evolution influences GBP and IFITM sensitivity</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Neuropathic symptoms with SARS-CoV-2 vaccination</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Background and Objectives: Various peripheral neuropathies, particularly those with sensory and autonomic dysfunction may occur during or shortly after acute COVID-19 illnesses. These appear most likely to reflect immune dysregulation. If similar manifestations can occur with the vaccination remains unknown. Results: In an observational study, we studied 23 patients (92% female; median age 40years) reporting new neuropathic symptoms beginning within 1 month after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. 100% reported sensory symptoms comprising severe face and/or limb paresthesias, and 61% had orthostasis, heat intolerance and palpitations. Autonomic testing in 12 identified seven with reduced distal sweat production and six with positional orthostatic tachycardia syndrome. Among 16 with lower-leg skin biopsies, 31% had diagnostic/subthreshold epidermal neurite densities (≤5%), 13% were borderline (5.01-10%) and 19% showed abnormal axonal swelling. Biopsies from randomly selected five patients that were evaluated for immune complexes showed deposition of complement C4d in endothelial cells. Electrodiagnostic test results were normal in 94% (16/17). Together, 52% (12/23) of patients had objective evidence of small-fiber peripheral neuropathy. 58% patients (7/12) treated with oral corticosteroids had complete or near-complete improvement after two weeks as compared to 9% (1/11) of patients who did not receive immunotherapy having full recovery at 12 weeks. At 5-9 months post-symptom onset, 3 non-recovering patients received intravenous immunoglobulin with symptom resolution within two weeks. Conclusions: This observational study suggests that a variety of neuropathic symptoms may manifest after SARS-CoV-2 vaccinations and in some patients might be an immune-mediated process.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.05.16.22274439v1" target="_blank">Neuropathic symptoms with SARS- CoV-2 vaccination</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Legal Restrictions and Mitigation Strategies Amongst People with Disabilities During COVID-19</strong> -
<div>
The impact of physical disability on protective behaviors during COVID-19 has been little studied. This retrospective study compared the 699 the self-declared behaviors of 699 people with disabilities before and after the relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions in England. We found that people with disabilities in England showed high compliance with protective behaviors and mitigation strategies during a period of legal restrictions. Following the lifting of restrictions, respondents engaged in less social mixing, fewer distancing and hygiene behaviors and were less likely to use face coverings. Hierarchical regressions revealed that socio-economic status, age, and gender moderated protective behaviors: while those with higher socio-economic status were more relaxed with regard to hygiene and distancing behaviors they were more cautious about mixing with others after the end of restrictions. Age, (male) gender, and being unvaccinated were positively associated with relaxation in the use of facemasks in public places, not needing a carer with fewer out-of-home visits. Taken together these findings suggest that the removal of restrictions had an unequal impact on the population of England, placing a disproportionate burden on some people with disabilities.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://psyarxiv.com/8daew/" target="_blank">Legal Restrictions and Mitigation Strategies Amongst People with Disabilities During COVID-19</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Providing normative information increases intentions to accept a COVID-19 vaccine</strong> -
<div>
Despite the availability of multiple safe vaccines, vaccine hesitancy may present a challenge to successful control of the COVID-19 pandemic. As with many human behaviors, people’s vaccine acceptance may be affected by their beliefs about whether others will accept a vaccine (i.e., descriptive norms). However, information about these descriptive norms may have different effects depending on the actual descriptive norm, people’s baseline beliefs, and the relative importance of conformity, social learning, and free-riding. Here, using a pre-registered, randomized experiment (N=) embedded in an international survey (23 countries), we show that accurate information about descriptive norms can increase intentions to accept a vaccine for COVID-19. These effects are largely consistent across the 23 included countries, but are concentrated among people who were otherwise uncertain about accepting a vaccine. Providing normative information in vaccine communications partially corrects individuals’ underestimation of how many other people will accept a vaccine. These results suggest that presenting people with information about the widespread and growing acceptance of COVID-19 vaccines helps to increase vaccination intentions.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html- link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://psyarxiv.com/srv6t/" target="_blank">Providing normative information increases intentions to accept a COVID-19 vaccine</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Persistence of disproportionate gender participation in virtual conference Q&amp;A sessions</strong> -
<div>
Due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, virtual conferences have become not only more popular and widespread, but necessary. Virtual conferences come with big hopes for inclusion in science. At in-person conferences, there are large gender disparities in Q&amp;A participation, and it is unclear how the shift to virtual would impact gendered Q&amp;A participation. Gendered Q&amp;A participation was tested in four virtual conferences that varied in gender representation and Q&amp;A structured format. In virtual conferences, men continued to take a disproportionate amount of time and space in Q&amp;A sessions. Disproportionate participation did not significantly vary between in-person and virtual formats and did not systematically vary by how the Q&amp;A session was organized. In an all-chat virtual conference, gender differences in volubility were attenuated among higher status academics. Gendered participation and volubility were impacted by which sub-discipline the symposium was in. Future research should focus on the cultural factors that promote or mitigate gender disparities in participation.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html- link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://psyarxiv.com/hkba6/" target="_blank">Persistence of disproportionate gender participation in virtual conference Q&amp;A sessions</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>The COVID States Project #87: Parent Information Sources and Children COVID Vaccination</strong> -
<div>
The path to FDA authorization for vaccines in young children has been complex. On February 1, 2022 Pfizer and BioNTech responded to requests from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to seek emergency authorization of their COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 6 months through 4 years on a rolling basis. This authorization would have allowed children to begin receiving the first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine while data comparing two or three course vaccine regimens for children were still being collected. However, on February 11, 2022 the FDA reversed course and announced it would wait for data on the effectiveness of the third dose before granting emergency authorization. Most recently, Moderna announced it was seeking authorization for its vaccine for children under 6 and the FDA has laid out a timeline for examining the authorization requests and data in June. This back and forth has only added to the already confusing information environment for parents surrounding the entire COVID-19 pandemic and decisions about vaccination. Some parents of children under 5 reported frustration to The New York Times at the inconclusive and confusing nature of the vaccine approval process, along with the overall feeling of being left behind while the rest of the world opens up. Others were relieved that they could wait on the decision to vaccinate until more complete data were available. In light of this confusion, it is important to understand where parents are getting information about vaccinating their children against COVID-19. In this report we examine where parents are seeking information about their children’s health and vaccination decision-making, as well as who they discuss these important decisions with. We gathered this information by asking parents to select which sources they use from a list, as well as from an open-ended response question. We find that there is quite a bit of overlap in sources between these two methods.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html- link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/5m2jf/" target="_blank">The COVID States Project #87: Parent Information Sources and Children COVID Vaccination</a>
</div></li>
</ul>
<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>The Role of Glutathione Deficiency and MSIDS Variables in Long COVID-19</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Dietary Supplement: NAC (N-acetyl cysteine) , Alpha lipoic acid (ALA), liposomal glutathione (GSH)<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   University of California, Irvine;   Hudson Valley Healing Arts Center<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>Study to Evaluate the Efficacy of IN STI-9199 in Treating Symptomatic COVID-19 in Outpatient Adults and Adolescents</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: STI-9199;   Drug: Placebo<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:  <br/>
Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc.<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 to Evaluate the Safety and Immunogenicity of Omicron COVID-19 Vaccine (Vero Cell), Inactivated in Population 18 Years Old of Age and Above</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Biological: Omicron COVID-19 Vaccine (Vero Cell), Inactivated<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   China National Biotec Group Company Limited;   Beijing Institute of Biological Products Co Ltd.;   Shulan (Hangzhou) 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>Study on Sequential Immunization of Omicron Inactivated COVID-19 Vaccine and Prototype Inactivated COVID-19 Vaccine in Population Aged 18 Years Old and Above</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: Omicron COVID-19 Vaccine (Vero Cell), Inactivated;   Biological: COVID-19 Vaccine (Vero Cell), Inactivated<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:  <br/>
China National Biotec Group Company Limited;   Beijing Institute of Biological Products Co Ltd.;   Hunan Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention<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>Neuro-inflammation and Post-infectious Fatigue in Individuals With and Without COVID-19</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Radiation: [18F]DPA-714 positron emission tomography (PET) scan<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Amsterdam UMC, location VUmc;   ZonMw: The Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development<br/><b>Enrolling by invitation</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Phase II Safety Single-arm Study of CDK4/6 Inhibition With Palbociclib in Hospitalized, Moderate COVID-19 Cases to Prevent Thromboinflammation</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Drug: Palbociclib<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   biotx.ai GmbH<br/><b>Active, not recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Phase I Clinical Trial of COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine in Adults Aged 18 Years and Older</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: COVID-19 mRNA vaccine;   Biological: Placebo<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   CanSino Biologics Inc.<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>Phase II Clinical Trial of COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine in Adults Aged 18 Years and Older</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: COVID-19 mRNA vaccine;   Biological: Placebo<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   CanSino Biologics Inc.<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>THEMBA II T-Cell Vaccine: Vaccination With saRNA COVID-19 Vaccines</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: AAHI-SC2 Vaccine;   Biological: AAHI- SC3 Vaccine;   Biological: EUA or approved vaccine<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   ImmunityBio, Inc.<br/><b>Recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>To Evaluate SSD8432/Ritonavir in Adults With COVID-19</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: SSD8432 dose;   Drug: SSD8432 placebo<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Jiangsu Simcere Pharmaceutical Co., 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>The Use of Chinese Herbal Medicine and Vitamin C by Hospital Care Workers in HK to Prevent COVID-19</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Drug: Chinese herbal medicine<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:  <br/>
Hong Kong Baptist University<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>Evaluation of SSD8432 and Ritonavir in Adult Subjects With COVID-19 Placebo-Controlled, Phase II Clinical Study</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: SSD8432 dose1;   Drug: SSD8432 dose2;   Drug: SSD8432Placebo<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Jiangsu Simcere Pharmaceutical Co., 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>To Evaluate SSD8432/ Ritonavir in Adults With COVID-19</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19 Patients<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: SSD8432 dose 1/Ritonavir;   Drug: SSD8432 dose 2/Ritonavir<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Jiangsu Simcere Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.<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>Safety, Reactogenicity, and Immunogenicity Study of a Lyophilized COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19 Pandemic<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: A Lyophilized COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine;   Biological: Placebo<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Wuhan Recogen Biotechnology Co., 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>Home-based Exercise Program in Patients With the Post-COVID-19 Condition</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   Long COVID;   Post-acute COVID-19 Syndrome<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Other: Home- based physical training<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   University of Sao Paulo<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>Computational studies on potential new anti-Covid-19 agents with a multi-target mode of action</strong> - A compound that could inhibit multiple targets associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection would prove to be a drug of choice against the virus. Human receptor-ACE2, receptor binding domain (RBD) of SARS-CoV-2 S-protein, Papain-like protein of SARS-CoV-2 (PLpro), reverse transcriptase of SARS-CoV-2 (RdRp) were chosen for in silico study. A set of previously synthesized compounds (1-5) were docked into the active sites of the targets. Based on the docking score, ligand efficiency, binding free energy,…</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>Using cfRNA as a tool to evaluate clinical treatment outcomes in patients with metastatic lung cancers and other tumors</strong> - Aim: We report an exploratory analysis of cfRNA as a biomarker to monitor clinical responses in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), breast cancer, and colorectal cancer (CRC). An analysis of cfRNA as a method for measuring PD-L1 expression with comparison to clinical responses was also performed in the NSCLC cohort. Methods: Blood samples were collected from 127 patients with metastatic disease that were undergoing therapy, 52 with NSCLC, 50 with breast cancer, and 25 with CRC. cfRNA was…</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>RHAMNETIN IS A BETTER INHIBITOR OF SARS-COV-2 2’-O-METHYLTRANSFERASE THAN DOLUTEGRAVIR: A COMPUTATIONAL PREDICTION</strong> - CONCLUSION: Rhamnetin showed better inhibitory activity at the target’s active site than Dolutegravir.</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>Nano drug (AgNPs capped with hydroxychloroquine): Synthesis, characterization, anti-covid-19 and healing the wound infected with S. aureus</strong> - Almost existing anti-viral drugs are only organic molecules that are able to circumvent the system the virus works with, which leaves it facing the immune system of our bodies and then kills it. Unfortunately, this type of pharmacological fight did not succeed in a way to overcome this virus, so it became necessary to think outside the box, to find a drug that would kill the virus or alter its protein structure. This research aims to prepare silver nanoparticle (AgNPs) by the green method…</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 engineering improves neutralization activity against K417 spike mutant SARS-CoV-2 variants</strong> - CONCLUSION: Our studies have outlined a strategy to identify and engineer neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 variants.</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 renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibitors on COVID-19</strong> - Since the onset of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the possible roles of renin-angiotensin system (RAS) inhibitors in COVID-19 have been debated as favorable, harmful, or neutral. Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) not only is the entry route of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection but also triggers a major mechanism of COVID-19 aggravation by promoting tissue RAS dysregulation, which induces a hyperinflammatory state in several organs,…</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>Ultraviolet-coupled advanced oxidation processes for anti-COVID-19 drugs treatment: Degradation mechanisms, transformation products and toxicity evolution</strong> - Remdesivir (RDV), dexamethasone (DEX) and hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) were widely used in the treatment of COVID-19 pneumonia, possibly causing environmental risks and drug-resistance viruses. This study elucidated the degradation mechanisms and potential toxicity risks of the three anti-COVID-19 drugs by UV and ultraviolet-coupled advanced oxidation processes (UV/AOPs). All the drugs could be degraded by more than 98% within 3 min under the following optimal conditions: pH of 5.0 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>Molnupiravir inhibits SARS-CoV-2 variants including Omicron in the hamster model</strong> - The recent emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant of concern (VOC) containing a heavily mutated spike protein capable of escaping preexisting immunity identifies a continued need for interventional measures. Molnupiravir (MK-4482), an orally administered nucleoside analog, has demonstrated efficacy against earlier SARS-CoV-2 lineages and was recently approved for SARS-CoV-2 infections in high-risk adults. Here we assessed the efficacy of MK-4482 against the earlier Alpha, Beta and Delta…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The potential of remdesivir to affect function, metabolism and proliferation of cardiac and kidney cells in vitro</strong> - Remdesivir is a prodrug of a nucleoside analog and the first antiviral therapeutic approved for coronavirus disease. Recent cardiac safety concerns and reports on remdesivir-related acute kidney injury call for a better characterization of remdesivir toxicity and understanding of the underlying mechanisms. Here, we performed an in vitro toxicity assessment of remdesivir around clinically relevant concentrations (C(max) 9 µM) using H9c2 rat cardiomyoblasts, neonatal mouse cardiomyocytes (NMCM),…</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>Olverembatinib inhibits SARS-CoV-2-Omicron variant-mediated cytokine release in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells</strong> - No abstract</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>Invalidation of dieckol and 1,2,3,4,6-pentagalloylglucose (PGG) as SARS-CoV-2 main protease inhibitors and the discovery of PGG as a papain-like protease inhibitor</strong> - The COVID-19 pandemic spurred a broad interest in antiviral drug discovery. The SARS-CoV-2 main protease (M^(pro)) and papain-like protease (PL^(pro)) are attractive antiviral drug targets given their vital roles in viral replication and modulation of host immune response. Structurally disparate compounds were reported as M^(pro) and PL^(pro) inhibitors from either drug repurposing or rational design. Two polyphenols dieckol and 1,2,3,4,6-pentagalloylglucose (PGG) were recently reported as…</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>Synergistic deciphering of bioenergy production and electron transport characteristics to screen traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for COVID-19 drug development</strong> - BACKGROUND: Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been used as an “immune booster” for disease prevention and clinical treatment since ancient China. However, many studies were focused on the organic herbal extract rather than aqueous herbal extract (AHE; decoction). Due to the COVID-19 pandemics, this study tended to decipher phytochemical contents in the decoction of herbs and derived bioactivities (e.g., anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties). As prior works revealed, the efficacy of…</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>Molecular docking analysis reveals the functional inhibitory effect of Genistein and Quercetin on TMPRSS2: SARS- COV-2 cell entry facilitator spike protein</strong> - CONCLUSION: The compounds, Quercetin and Genistein, can inhibit the TMPRSS2 guided priming of the spike protein. The compounds could reduce the interaction of the host cell with the type I transmembrane glycoprotein to prevent the entry of the virus. The critical finding is that compared to Genistein, Quercetin exhibits higher binding affinity with the catalytic unit of TMPRSS2 and forms a stable complex with the target. Thus, enhancing our innate immunity by consuming foods rich in Quercetin…</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>Famotidine activates the vagus nerve inflammatory reflex to attenuate cytokine storm</strong> - CONCLUSIONS: These observations reveal a previously unidentified vagus nerve-dependent anti-inflammatory effect of famotidine in the setting of cytokine storm which is not replicated by high dosages of other H2R antagonists in clinical use. Because famotidine is more potent when administered intrathecally, these findings are also consistent with a primarily central nervous system mechanism of action.</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>Repurposing the natural compounds as potential therapeutic agents for COVID-19 based on the molecular docking study of the main protease and the receptor-binding domain of spike protein</strong> - Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) enters the cell by interacting with the human angiotensin- converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor through the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of spike (S) protein. In the cell, the viral 3-chymotrypsin-like cysteine protease (3CLpro) enzyme is essential for its life cycle and controls coronavirus replication. Therefore, the S-RBD and 3CLpro are hot targets for drug discovery against SARS-CoV-2. This study was to identify repurposing drugs…</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>Amelia Bedelia, Meet Samuel Alito</strong> - What the Supreme Court Justice’s leaked draft opinion reveals about originalism. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/abortion-supreme-court-leak-samuel-alito-originalism-amelia-%20bedelia">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>DeafBlind Communities May Be Creating a New Language of Touch</strong> - Protactile began as a movement for autonomy and a system of tactile communication. Now, some linguists argue, it is becoming a language of its own. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/culture/annals-of-inquiry/deafblind-communities-may-be-creating-a-new-language-of-%20touch">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>What the “Life of the Mother” Might Mean in a Post-Roe America</strong> - “We are going to see more deaths and more injuries,” Ghazaleh Moayedi, an ob-gyn in Dallas, said. “I don’t have to speculate about that at all.” - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/science/annals-of-medicine/what-the-life-of-the-mother-might-mean-in-a-post-roe-%20america">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Problem with Blaming Robots For Taking Our Jobs</strong> - For decades, the effects of automation have been fiercely debated. Are we missing the bigger picture? - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/books/under-review/the-problem-with-blaming-robots-for-taking-our-jobs">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Great Crypto Grift May Be Unwinding</strong> - As an inevitable crash occurs, many of the swindles and alleged swindles are coming to light. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/the-great-crypto-grift-may-be-unwinding">link</a></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-vox">From Vox</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Are microloans encouraging women to join risky multilevel marketing schemes?</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Fodxer9ufJkwFUAQwG-
fJudCWMo=/222x0:2779x1918/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70882502/159254701.0.jpg"/></figure></li>
</ul>
<figcaption>
The corporate headquarters of Herbalife, a multilevel marketing company some women join through Grameen America’s microloans program. | Patrick Fallon/Bloomberg via Getty Images
</figcaption>
<pre><code>&lt;/figure&gt;</code></pre>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
If you give women microloans to “start a small business,” many of them will sign up for MLMs selling cosmetics and weight loss products.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="hg0L5l">
A decade ago, microloans <a href="https://link.vox.com/click/27711196.1002/aHR0cHM6Ly92b2wxMS5jYXNlcy5zb20ueWFsZS5lZHUva29tcGFuaW9uLWZpbmFuY2lhbC1ncm91cC9taWNyb2ZpbmFuY2Uvb3JpZ2lucy1taWNyb2ZpbmFuY2UtZ3JhbWVlbi1iYW5r/608adc1091954c3cef027f33Ba7beaf43">were considered</a> one of the most promising approaches to alleviating global poverty. The concept is simple: through organizations like Kiva, donors can make small (as little as $25) loans to entrepreneurs in poor countries. The entrepreneurs would use the money to start a business and repay the loan, which could then be used to help someone else. The movement was launched by Bangladeshi economist Muhammad Yunus and his Grameen Bank, which the <a href="https://link.vox.com/click/27711196.1002/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubm9iZWxwcml6ZS5vcmcvcHJpemVzL3BlYWNlLzIwMDYveXVudXMvYmlvZ3JhcGhpY2FsLyM6fjp0ZXh0PU11aGFtbWFkJTIwWXVudXMlMjBhbmQlMjBHcmFtZWVuJTIwQmFuayxZdW51cyUyMHdhcyUyMHRoZSUyMGJhbmsncyUyMGZvdW5kZXIu/608adc1091954c3cef027f33B726a2067">Nobel Peace Prize winner</a> founded in 1983.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="03rb0x">
In recent years, though, some of the hype around microloans has cooled. While they can be useful under certain circumstances — like where people have high variation in income and little access to credit — they’re far from a panacea.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="VioOYP">
As <a href="https://link.vox.com/click/27711196.1002/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cudm94LmNvbS9mdXR1cmUtcGVyZmVjdC8yMDE5LzEvMTUvMTgxODIxNjcvbWljcm9jcmVkaXQtbWljcm9maW5hbmNlLXBvdmVydHktZ3JhbWVlbi1iYW5rLXl1bnVz/608adc1091954c3cef027f33Bbfd67691">Stephanie Wykstra wrote for Vox in 2019</a>, “Rather than see microcredit as it was portrayed in its heyday — as a way to get people out of poverty — we should see it through a different lens: as a way to expand options for poor people by offering more reliable financial services. Extremely poor people need these services just like everyone else, and the availability of capital to deal with irregular and at times unpredictable incomes is a huge help to them.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="5vb9Q1">
That’s less exciting, but it’s not nothing. Cheap loans probably won’t transform many poor people’s lives, but they can make it a bit easier for them to absorb shocks and smooth out their consumption, and that can still be well worth doing.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ktV0Ok">
A recent study of Grameen America, a Grameen Bank affiliate that makes loans to poor women in the US, brought to my attention some of the genuine benefits that microloans can have in underserved communities, but also a surprising way that microloans can go wrong: if they encourage women to start businesses that are outright scams or pyramid schemes.
</p>
<h3 id="P8kku2">
A surprising side effect of microfinance
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="oFkj9M">
The <a href="https://www.mdrc.org/sites/default/files/Grameen_36-month_Report_FINAL.pdf">study</a>, by MDRC, which does evidence-based evaluations of programs for social change, overall finds that Grameen America had the expected small — but good — results for many participants. The women who participated in Grameen’s program were more likely to have credit scores and run small businesses, and they ended up with slightly higher savings than the control group. That might not be life-changing, but it is good news.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="rBgYiU">
However, one detail in the report struck me as worrying. Grameen America only makes grants for women who start or expand small businesses. Some of the women profiled in the MDRC study ran taco stands or hairstyling businesses, home day cares, or Etsy-based craft shops.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="NWVHSb">
But some of them signed up for <a href="https://www.investopedia.com/terms/m/multi-level-
marketing.asp">multilevel marketing businesses</a>, in which you purchase hundreds or thousands of dollars of inventory from a centralized company and then resell it at small margins, all while working to sign up your friends and family members to sell the company’s products as well.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="5HVvVE">
Grameen’s structure — where loan recipients apply for a loan as a group, and support each other in their small businesses at regular center meetings — can mesh well with the MLM model of selling through friends and families. Mercedes, a participant in Grameen America’s loans program who was interviewed in the MDRC piece, described the center meetings as a place where she made sales, said: “We all help each other. … At times, I have made new clients. I have my Mary Kay cards. I pass around my cards while I’m here [in the meeting]. Someone else gives me hers, and I pass around mine. And that’s how it’s done. So that the business is more productive.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="70lKa6">
If MLMs are a good thing, then that’s a heartwarming story. But if they’re predatory, then it’s a troubling one. So making sense of Grameen’s track record requires diving into the question of how MLMs work, and whether they’re leaving Grameen recipients worse off.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="NFL8rn">
Multilevel marketing (MLM) companies have been the subject of a <a href="https://link.vox.com/click/27711196.1002/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubWFzaGVkLmNvbS83OTE0OTgvd2h5LXNvbWUtY3VzdG9tZXJzLWFyZS1jYWxsaW5nLWhlcmJhbGlmZS1udXRyaXRpb24tY2x1YnMtYW4tbWxtLXNjYW0v/608adc1091954c3cef027f33B3fe1dca1">long- running campaig</a>n by many consumer advocates who argue they should be regulated more strictly, or even banned. Most participants in multilevel marketing schemes earn <a href="https://link.vox.com/click/27711196.1002/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cud2FzaGluZ3RvbnBvc3QuY29tL2J1c2luZXNzLzIwMTgvMDkvMjcvd2h5LXRoYXQtbXVsdGlsZXZlbC1tYXJrZXRpbmctYnVzaW5lc3MtaXMtcHJvYmFibHktbm90LWdvaW5nLXBheS1vZmYv/608adc1091954c3cef027f33Bd81b4c3f">very little money</a> from selling their products.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="fFmnMG">
Herbalife, an herbal supplement that’s popular for weight loss, is one multilevel marketing scheme that’s <a href="https://www.barrons.com/articles/SB50001424053111904370004577390241476503930">popular with some Grameen loan recipients</a>, to the point where some Herbalife sale locations <a href="https://www.barrons.com/articles/SB50001424053111904370004577390241476503930">appear to be clustered around Grameen loan offices</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="t1bYxv">
So how profitable is Herbalife? There’s an <a href="https://seekingalpha.com/article/4140907-instead-of-providing-reality-check-herbalifes-new-official-compensation-
disclosure-falsely">ongoing tussle between consumer advocates</a> and the company about how much they need to disclose about that. In their mandatory 2020 statement of average gross compensation, the company reported that <a href="https://assets.herbalifenutrition.com/content/dam/regional/nam/en_us/consumable_content/marketing_materials/guides/2020/10-Oct/Statement_of_Average_Gross_Compensation_USEN.pdf">90 percent of first-year distributors got paid less than $1,246 a month</a>, and half get less than $200 in a month. That might sound not too bad for a side gig, but that number is before expenses, so if you spent $1,000 buying their products to sell, or if you had any other business expenses like a storefront or advertising, you could actually lose money.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="jUa2gS">
Those participants who find success often earn most of their money from enrolling other participants, which can make the whole thing sound more like a pyramid scheme than a legitimate business. Running a pyramid scheme <a href="https://link.vox.com/click/27711196.1002/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZnRjLmdvdi9uZXdzLWV2ZW50cy9uZXdzL3NwZWVjaGVzL3B5cmFtaWQtc2NoZW1lcw/608adc1091954c3cef027f33B28722c23">is illegal</a>, but MLMs are allowed since there is a product, even though they exhibit many pyramid scheme-like structures and incentives.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="7ABRLK">
Nonetheless, many of them have clashed with regulators. In 2016, Herbalife <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/cases/160715herbalife-stip.pdf">agreed to fully restructure its US operations and paid $200 million in fines</a> in response to a regulator complaint accusing the company of “making false or misleading income representations” and “compensation structure that causes or is likely to cause harm to participants.”
</p>
<h3 id="2FgRss">
The perils of MLMs
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="yCs12r">
Grameen has <a href="https://www.barrons.com/articles/SB50001424053111904370004577390241476503930#articleTabs_article%3D1">taken criticism</a> for years because some of its loan recipients used their loans to run an MLM, but there was still an open question: Was Grameen actually causing recipients to join an MLM, or just giving them financial access that they used to do something they were going to do anyway?
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="OEeNnv">
The MDRC report sheds some light on that. “Grameen America increased the rate of women operating a direct-selling/MLM business,” the report concludes. “36 percent of women in the Grameen America group and 26 percent of those in the control group reported operating a direct-selling/MLM business about 36 months after study entry. … Thus, much of the increase in business ownership at 36 months appears to have been driven by operating direct-selling/MLM businesses.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="uXZ1Pw">
Another crucial question — whether the women who joined MLMs through Grameen ended up worse off for it — is harder to answer. The study compared the women who got loans through Grameen to a control group, and then conducted some subgroup analyses looking at the outcomes specifically for the women who ran MLMs, as opposed to the women who did something else with their loans.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="0A0xdR">
The problem with subgroup analyses is that, in general, a study that has a large enough sample size to detect the primary effect it is looking for is not going to have a large enough sample size to detect subgroup differences. That makes the MDRC report frustratingly inconclusive on the question of whether the women who joined MLMs through Grameen ended up worse off.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="uGt4jb">
One thing the report measured is “material hardships” — whether the women reported struggling to make ends meet. Grameen loans helped with that — unless you spent them on an MLM. The report finds: “There was no impact on the number of material hardships reported among women who were either already operating or intending to operate a direct-selling/MLM business.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="5sCOsy">
On the other hand, Grameen’s staff pointed me to a different statistic that was much more positive for the MLMs: The women running MLMs reported higher “net income” than the women running conventional businesses.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="1647636946.049559">
“If you ask me as a guess, I would assume they’re not doing as well [as the women who started other businesses],” Stephen Nunez, one of the MDRC study designers, told me, “but unfortunately the subgroup analysis is not powered to give you an answer.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="QU8iQ2">
Complicating matters further, some women do both: running a small storefront, for example, in which they sell both MLM products and other products, or switching what kind of business they spend their loans on over time. “Our members often juggle more than one entrepreneurial activity at a time to make ends meet, so many of them are involved in other entrepreneurship activities while participating in direct sales at the same time,” Grameen told me.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="fsGkDO">
With the small sample and mixed measures, one might end up defaulting to whatever they already believed about MLMs: If you thought they were fine, then this data isn’t going to change your mind, but if you thought they were harmful and a bad idea, this data is certainly not going to reassure you.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="QdnTRb">
I tend to be skeptical about MLMs, so MDRC’s findings — while they also highlight many genuine benefits of the Grameen loan program — do give me serious pause about the value of microloans in the US. It’s not just that they may not be that effective in lifting people out of poverty, but that by making it more likely that participants may end up enmeshed in MLMs, they could be actively making people’s lives worse.
</p>
<h3 id="o2K1jS">
Where recipient autonomy can go wrong
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="3iA2MV">
Much of what makes MLMs damaging is that participants are encouraged to aggressively push sales on their friends and families, which means that any gains in income from the participant are often coming at the expense of their immediate community and support network. More fundamentally, going into debt to join an MLM is <a href="https://link.vox.com/click/27711196.1002/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cudm94LmNvbS90aGUtZ29vZHMvMjI3MzI1ODYvZnRjLW1sbS1yb2hpdC1jaG9wcmEtYnVzaW5lc3Mtb3Bwb3J0dW5pdHktcnVsZQ/608adc1091954c3cef027f33Be86346c3">strongly discouraged</a> by financial experts. Grameen’s microloans have interest rates between 15 and 18 percent (which is not out of line with norms in the industry, but certainly isn’t trivial).
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="VZMjwM">
Taking out such a high-interest loan to join an MLM seems unwise, and granting loans to women who express intent to spend the loan on an MLM seems like a bad anti-poverty policy.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="0WZkFf">
“Grameen America does not advise members about their business choice or refuse loans based on business type as long as borrowers can prove their funds are being used for business purposes and the business is legal,” Grameen America told me when I reached out. “It is our experience that our members know how best to put their business loans to use and the type of business they believe will be successful for them. Our data shows many members start off in one kind of business, e.g. direct sales, and then pivot into other types of businesses as they cycle through our program.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="La98pF">
In general, I respect it when charities commit to recipient autonomy.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="mRby36">
But Grameen doesn’t just give people loans and trust them to do whatever seems best with the money, like <a href="https://link.vox.com/click/27711196.1002/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cudm94LmNvbS9mdXR1cmUtcGVyZmVjdC8yMDIwLzMvMjAvMjExODYwMDcvY29yb25hdmlydXMtcGFuZGVtaWMtZG9uYXRlLWhlbHAtY2FzaC1iZW5lZml0cw/608adc1091954c3cef027f33Bec683c5d">direct cash giving programs</a>. They require recipients to spend the loans on a small business, and they make loan decisions in part based on what business the recipients are running.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="8nyRrz">
One account included in the MDRC report from a person with loan-issuing responsibilities (who is not named) describes the following process: “People who I see have an Herbalife club, I give them $1,000. $1,500 for people who you see walking around with their pursues and clothing [to sell]. … That is, everything is a matter of analyzing the person. If I see a young woman who is selling Mary Kay, mmmh, okay, $1,000.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="fBRwbo">
Grameen absolutely is deciding what uses of money are legitimate under their program and which aren’t. They’ve chosen to consider multilevel marketing schemes a “small business,” when one could reasonably instead have a policy that a “small business” can’t involve signing up as part of a multilevel marketing/direct selling company.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="VLrcX2">
Effective anti-poverty interventions are hard. But it seems to me there’s some low-hanging fruit here: If you’re going to give people loans to start small businesses, target people who are starting their own businesses rather than joining MLMs.
</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Kendrick Lamar’s Auntie Diaries is a clumsy attempt at trans acceptance</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-
cdn.com/thumbor/Za_seRnsp2cw9vl8EGv66t6OUJM=/469x0:7113x4983/1310x983/cdn.vox-
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70882297/GettyImages_1238460188.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
Kendrick Lamar performs during halftime at Super Bowl LVI in February 2022, in Inglewood, California. | Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Why the controversial song on “Mr. Morale &amp; the Big Steppers” falls flat.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="HYKedl">
After a five-year break, rapper and Pulitzer Prize winner Kendrick Lamar has returned with <em>Mr. Morale &amp; the Big Steppers</em>, his final album under the Top Dawg Entertainment imprint. The album offers 18 tracks, split in half into an A-side and a B-side. Fans are excited about this project, but it has its shortcomings. While tracks like “Count Me Out” and “Mother I Sober” skillfully discuss topics like spirituality and family trauma, the highly anticipated return from the 14-time Grammy winner is muddied with uneasiness by way of homophobic and transphobic slights on track 15, “Auntie Diaries.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="zUoD44">
The song purports to peer into the pages of Lamar’s diary, looking across the years at his relationship with his transgender uncle and cousin. “Auntie Diaries” wants to reconcile two somewhat opposed concepts: the journey he’s been on to understanding his loved ones, and the devotion he still feels to religion and the teachings he grew up learning. It’s a deeply felt tension among many in Black communities, but Lamar isn’t quite able to bring the tension to a place of a proper release. Such heavy subject matter comes at the risk of carelessness, due to the use of microaggressions that are often seen as harmless to those not on the receiving end: cisgender people.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="2oVJlj">
Since the album’s release, it immediately sparked discourse surrounding “Auntie Diaries,” questioning if the art and its intended message outweigh the harm done. There seem to be two prominent sides, either prepared to absolve Lamar or condemn him. But it’s not that black and white. It’s as gray as the world we live in.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="LnghiK">
Some fans are <a href="https://twitter.com/sadboiinfinite/status/1524978336434425869?s=21&amp;t=cdq7MQsVbTA_va62zYhrNQ">revering</a> the song as a pro-LGBTQ+ (specifically trans) <a href="https://twitter.com/tillwefree/status/1525191735860768769?s=21&amp;t=cdq7MQsVbTA_va62zYhrNQ">anthem</a> in hip- hop, a <a href="https://twitter.com/ndiiyaz/status/1524983538071834631?s=21&amp;t=cdq7MQsVbTA_va62zYhrNQ">revolutionary</a> development for a genre that has long helped fuel the flames of hate toward queer folks. While it is understandable why listeners might come to this conclusion, it is not entirely the case. Although Lamar may be well-intentioned in aiming to tell a story about learning from his ignorant past, his lyrics have not transcended that past. “Auntie Diaries” falls into harmful tropes, including deadnaming, misgendering, and using a homophobic slur.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Pktdia">
For those of us living at the intersection of being Black and queer, good intentions are not enough, especially when active harm comes with them. In Black communities that revere religious teachings, queerness and questions about gender identity are often fraught topics — written off as inherent sins and not up for further debate. There is little space in these communities for the queer Black experience, but there’s also an expectation that queer Black people should be able to understand and forgive religious homophobia. And to some degree, we — I — can. I can understand why people cling to a belief system. But then, the same grace and understanding must be given to Black queer people who believe there was a better way to deliver the intended message of “Auntie Diaries.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="WWGbjx">
At the beginning of “Auntie Diaries,” Lamar repeats, “Heart plays in ways the mind can’t figure out,” followed by spiritual teacher and No. 1 New York Times bestselling author <a href="https://eckharttolle.com/about/">Eckhart Tolle</a> narrating, “This is how we conceptualize human beings.” This intro gives a disclaimer that the track will tell the story of how Lamar grew up and learned how to conceptualize the queer people in his family while in a religious environment that condemned them.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="0Q8MlZ">
In verse one, the Compton native recalls misunderstanding his uncle’s queerness as a child. Then he shifts to the present day and explains his ideologies and affirms his uncle’s gender, all while describing all the things he looked up to him for and loved about him. Weaving back into his mindset as a kid, Lamar pulls from childhood memories to show his love for his uncle as a person who was always present in his heart.
</p>
<figure class="e-image"></figure></li>
</ul>
<img alt="Kendrick Lamar performs on the Frank Stage on the first day of the three-day Day N Vegas hip-hop music
festival at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds in Las Vegas." src="https://cdn.vox-
cdn.com/thumbor/uR53Q57bT1QWOUojxvxn0IfOrss=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23520941/GettyImages_1236549165.jpg"/> <cite>Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images</cite>
<figcaption>
Kendrick Lamar performs at the Day N Vegas hip-hop music festival in Las Vegas, in November 2021.
</figcaption>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="mW35v4">
The verse articulates the “nature versus nurture” that plays out within children who intrinsically love their family members but learn to resent those who don’t conform to the binary. Lamar shares his adolescent confusion fueled by the hate he witnessed his uncle experience from their family, “Asked my momma why my uncles don’t like him that much. And at the parties, why they always wanna fight him that much.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="t67eWl">
For many Black queer folks with nieces and nephews, this is the flip side of an experience that rings true. For the past 15 years, I’ve been an unctie (my recent preferred title as a nonbinary person). My niece and nephew, whom I love unconditionally, have witnessed the vitriol from religious family members who saw me as nothing more than an abomination. They have wondered about the same questions young Kendrick did. I have my one-on-one relationships with them, and they know me as someone loving, caring, and respectful. Still, these two conflicting views create an internal battle of binary ideologies — not around gender, but of what is right and what is wrong. It’s a lot for any child to unpack, and it’s a context that is important to understand when considering the intention of “Auntie Diaries.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="3sQ64z">
Throughout the song, the homophobic slur appears, first in verse two. Lamar uses it to admit his adolescent ignorance of the word’s harm and how it was commonly understood to be synonymous with joking around. In verse two, Lamar raps:
</p>
<blockquote>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="9bUJ4e">
Back when it was comedic relief to say, “F *****”<br/>F *****, f *****, f *****, we ain’t know no better<br/>Elementary kids with no filter.
</p>
</blockquote>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="s9jKQ4">
There’s truth to these bars. To this day, homophobia and transphobia are justified by comedians. Take, for example, the 2021 high-profile critique of comedian Dave Chappelle’s Netflix special <em>The Closer,</em> <a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/22738500/dave-chappelle-the-closer-daphne-dorman-trans-controversy-comedy">which included transphobic jokes</a>. The defense for many is that as long as it’s meant to be a joke, it doesn’t qualify as harm. This ideology is especially present in Black religious communities like the one Lamar grew up in. It’s an ideology that he tries to critique honestly by stating his complacency. But his delivery is clunky at best.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="69h8tz">
Lamar is as familiar as anyone with the way that words can hurt, especially bigoted words spewed by an outsider.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ysfnav">
In 2018, Lamar brought a <a href="https://youtu.be/KEcugkqcHO8">white fan onstage</a> to rap his 2012 track “m.A.A.d City” with him. The fan rapped the lyrics verbatim, using the n-word numerous times. This led Lamar to cut the fan off, saying, “You gotta bleep one single word.” This event would serve as an example of the harm bigoted words cause to a community when spewed by an outsider who has no right to reclaim them. At the end of “Auntie Diaries,” his cousin Mary-Ann says:
</p>
<blockquote>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="CdZw7v">
Kendrick, ain’t no room for contradiction<br/>To truly understand love, switch position<br/>“F*****, f *****, f *****,” we can say it together<br/>But only if you let a white girl say “N****”
</p>
</blockquote>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="0uBKNx">
But while well-intentioned, Lamar still contradicts himself by choosing to say the F-slur on the song in the name of art instead of bleeping it out. “You gotta bleep one single word” doesn’t register here for him. This ultimately outweighs what is a well-intentioned raw reflection and makes it fall flat.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ImHtlI">
Another harmful misstep is the song’s consistent misgendering, which casts a pall over his attempts to unlearn his ignorance toward queer and trans people. In the song, Lamar raps, “My auntie is a man now. I think I’m old enough to understand now. Drinking Paul Masson with her hat turned backwards.” While acknowledging his uncle is a man, Lamar still refers to him as “auntie” and “her,” invalidating their gender identity. He does this again in verse three, but this time also deadnaming his cousin Mary-Ann. Lamar raps:
</p>
<blockquote>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="kqarWb">
Demetrius is Mary-Ann now<br/>He’s more confident to live his plan now.
</p>
</blockquote>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="no8Jr1">
In verse four, Lamar raps about Mary-Ann, who was more religious and subservient than he was to the spiritual teachings they grew up with. When their preacher singles out Mary-Ann, Lamar begins to question those teachings. He stopped misgendering her, acknowledging that she was exactly who she’s always been: the cousin he had loved since childhood.
</p>
<div class="c-float-right">
<aside id="771SKr">
<q>For those of us living at the intersection of being Black and queer, good intentions are not enough, especially when active harm comes with them</q>
</aside>
</div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="gSmJpR">
The juxtaposition of religion and being queer is one of reality. It’s often assumed queer people aren’t spiritual or cannot hold certain religious beliefs because many organized religions see us as sinful. The same thing happened to me when I came out at 17. The church I grew up in my whole life turned its back on me. The gossip got so bad that I would fake being sick to miss service and bargain internally that all would be fine if I did not act on my supposed sin. But that suppression ate at me from the inside until I realized that if God truly made no mistakes, then I was precisely who I was meant to be.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="SQ8Pth">
Seeing such hate led even my own Southern Baptist mother to question her beliefs. We stopped attending church. Something similar clicks for Lamar when his cousin Mary-Ann is singled out by their congregation, as he raps, “The day I chose humanity over religion, the family got closer, it was all forgiven.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Lhw2Ln">
Lamar’s realization — that leading with the heart and loving thy neighbor is the way — is a testament to his attempt to grow more open-minded. He is tying back to the intro of “Auntie Diaries,” about the battle between heart and mind. It shows that while still ignorant, he is willing to start seeing things differently than what he’s known. That sliver of understanding is why I believe the intent behind the song was genuine and not in bad faith. But because of this, it can also be a place for him to receive critique and listen to queer and trans folks so that he can become a true ally.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="qVlx3u">
The subject matter of “Auntie Diaries” should have been handled with more care. True allyship requires nuance, and with more actionable methods, his intentions would be clearer-cut. Perhaps a feature from a queer rapper who could directly speak to the experience of receiving such hate from family would’ve helped the case here. There are many queer rappers who could have fulfilled this gap, including Santana, Lil Nas X, Isaiah Rashad, and others who have the background to discuss these issues. In moments like this, it’s important to amplify and listen to the critiques of queer and trans people who want to be respected as the human beings we are. For many cisgender heterosexual people, doing the bare minimum is seen as full acceptance, despite ignorantly misgendering, deadnaming, and using the F-slur the way Lamar did.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="avOpKj">
Many of us understand that breaking the binary one was taught is a process. But are we not deserving of that same grace and understanding, to be heard, loved, and shown humanity? I believe we are, and it starts with hearing us out about our firsthand experiences. When we call out the harm done to our community, give us the grace to listen.
</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>The air conditioning paradox</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-
cdn.com/thumbor/IggpJcJhP_0XM0SWdJcF5O4PseY=/368x0:3569x2401/1310x983/cdn.vox-
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70882225/GettyImages_1240701120a.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
A woman fans her child with a sheet of paper as a fan sits idle amid a power outage during a heat wave in Jacobabad, Pakistan, on May 11. | Aamir Qureshi/AFP via Getty Images
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
How do we cool people without heating up the planet?
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Ats3mg">
The world is now 1.1 degrees Celsius — 2 degrees Fahrenheit — <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/world-of-change/global-temperatures">warmer on average</a> than it was at the dawn of the Industrial Revolution. But baked into that seemingly small change in the average is a big increase in dangerous extreme temperatures. That’s made cooling, particularly air conditioning, vital for the survival of billions of people.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="es1uBy">
The devastation of extreme temperatures is playing out right now in several places around the world. A gargantuan <a href="https://www.vox.com/23057267/india-pakistan-heat-wave-climate-change-coal-south-
asia">heat wave over India and Pakistan</a>, where 1.5 billion people live, is now in its third week. Just <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2022-05-03/india-s-heatwaves-are-testing-the-limits-of-human-
survival">12 percent of India’s population</a> has air conditioning, but even those people are suffering. The heat has triggered power outages, water shortages, and killed dozens, although the true toll may not be known for weeks.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="QknBjg">
Swaths of western Europe are also facing a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/may/16/unusually-high-temperatures-to-hit-western-europe-this-
week">heat wave</a>, with temperatures forecasted to breach 40°C, or 104°F, later this week.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="CJkomj">
Closer to home, Texas is currently facing a <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2022/05/08/texas-record-heat-
midwest/">record-breaking heat wave</a> just as <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2022/05/13/texas-power-
conservation-heat/">six power plants suddenly went offline</a>. The state’s grid operator, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, asked residents to avoid using large appliances and set thermostats to 78 degrees Fahrenheit between 3 pm and 8 pm.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="If4jqB">
These searing temperatures are just the latest in a pattern of increasingly hot weather. A heat wave that would have been a once-in-a-decade event in the 1800s is now hotter and happens nearly three times as often. Heat waves that used to occur once every 50 years are now nearly five times as frequent and reach higher temperatures. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/07/heat-records-broken-all-around-the-world-
in-2021-says-climatologist">Heat records are broken</a> so often they barely register as news. In its <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/">latest review of climate science</a>, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said it is “virtually certain” that heat waves have become more frequent and intense across most land areas since the 1950s.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="r3zFhz">
Extreme heat events are also occurring over a wider region of the globe, from the <a href="https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2019/9/25/20881595/ipcc-report-ocean-cryosphere-2019">depths of the ocean</a> to the icy reaches of the <a href="https://www.vox.com/2020/6/23/21300279/arctic-siberia-temperature-heat-
wave-record-russia-fire-climate-change">Arctic</a>. Heat waves are now such devastating events with long-lasting wounds that some countries say they should be <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/25/climate/heat-wave-names-
greece.html">named like hurricanes</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="zWen0I">
But the most severe risks from high temperatures are in places like India and Pakistan, regions closer to the equator that are already hot and have dense, growing populations. They also have less wealth, so fewer can afford cooling when thermometers reach triple digits.
</p>
<aside id="Kidwog">
<div>
</div>
</aside>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="5ML8eV">
The planet is only going to heat up more, rendering <a href="https://www.vox.com/22951182/climate-change-report-ipcc-un-adaptation-warming">parts of the world unlivable</a>. The most <a href="https://www.vox.com/22620706/climate-change-ipcc-report-2021-ssp-scenario-future-warming">optimistic scenario</a> is that global average temperatures will rise 1.5°C (2.7°F) this century, which will lead to even more intense and frequent heat waves. Right now, though, the world is on course to shoot well past this target.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="hMxnOT">
Regardless of whether humanity gets its act together and drastically cuts emissions of the greenhouse gases that are warming up the planet, billions of people today and into the future desperately need to cool off. Their lives and livelihoods are at stake, making this one of the most urgent technology and policy challenges.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="b8jwU9">
But staying cool amid the heat poses a paradox: The tactics for cooling can end up worsening the very problem they’re trying to solve if they draw on fossil fuels, or leak refrigerants that are potent heat-trapping gases. And the people who stand to experience the most extreme heat are often those least able to cool off.
</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " src="https://cdn.vox-
cdn.com/thumbor/goTW2Hw_8tTQCJZEsnH34MrEj5c=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23519947/AP22122468975646a.jpg"/> <cite>Manish Swarup/AP</cite></figure></li>
</ul>
<figcaption>
A worker drinks water next to power lines during a heat wave in New Delhi, India, on May 2.
</figcaption>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="XkBfpt">
Solving this conundrum requires untangling issues of equity and justice, as well as developing better tools for cooling, beyond just ACs. It also requires rethinking the role of cooling in society. It is not a luxury, but a necessity for living in the world that we’ve created for ourselves.
</p>
<h3 id="XveNBk">
Heat is dangerous and costly, even before it reaches extremes
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="QW6rt3">
Ambient temperatures are so foundational to our well- being that it’s easy to overlook their importance and the threat they pose. Extreme heat has been the <a href="https://www.weather.gov/hazstat/">deadliest weather phenomenon</a> in the United States over the past 30 years, according to the National Weather Service.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="8EKz0B">
That’s because heat has so many ways of hurting people. High temperatures make it harder for humans to shed excess heat. When air reaches temperatures higher than body temperatures, more heat flows into the human body than flows out. That can cause hyperthermia, heat stroke, and death. Some medications can become less effective with heat, while others can <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/risks-for-some-medications-rise-as-temperatures-
climb/2020/06/25/0ba887e4-ae90-11ea-856d-5054296735e5_story.html">make people more susceptible</a> to high temperatures.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="M9msUb">
During warmer weather, pollutants like ozone form faster, which can lead to breathing problems. In addition, the stress from heat is cumulative. High <a href="https://www.vox.com/energy-and-
environment/2019/7/19/20700662/heat-wave-2019-health-new-york-washington">temperatures at night</a> are particularly worrying because it means people have little relief from the heat during the day. Because of climate change, <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/09/200930194912.htm">nights are actually warming faster</a> than daylight hours.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="b7le27">
And when extreme heat combines with humidity, the weather can turn lethal. To measure the risk from these conditions, scientists track the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2021/07/24/wet-bulb-temperature-extreme-heat/">wet-bulb temperature</a>, which measures temperature and humidity conditions where water will not evaporate. Higher wet-bulb temperatures mean it’s harder for a person to cool off by sweating. A healthy person can withstand a wet-bulb temperature of 35°C, or 95°F, <a href="https://climate.nasa.gov/ask-nasa-climate/3151/too-hot-to-handle-how-climate-change-may-make-some-places-
too-hot-to-live/">for six hours</a>. Older adults, young children, and people with underlying health conditions start to suffer at much lower thresholds.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="niAmXI">
But high temperatures can cause harm well before they reach the tip of the thermometer. For people who work on farms, on construction sites, in kitchens, or in factories, hotter temperatures <a href="https://ftp.iza.org/dp14560.pdf">lead to more injuries</a>. Avoiding these risks has costs, too, as workers weigh lost wages against the potential for harm at work. Even in cooler workplaces like offices, studies have found that high temperatures <a href="https://epic.uchicago.edu/news/hot-temperatures-decrease-worker-productivity-
economic-output/">reduce productivity</a> and <a href="https://indoor.lbl.gov/publications/room-temperature-and-
productivity">performance</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="w2ZnhU">
“The knock-on effects of heat are extraordinary,” said <a href="https://fletcher.tufts.edu/people/rachel-kyte">Rachel Kyte</a>, dean of the Fletcher School at Tufts University, who coauthored a 2018 report titled “<a href="https://www.seforall.org/system/files/gather-
content/SEforALL_CoolingForAll-Report.pdf">Chilling Prospects: Providing Sustainable Cooling for All</a>.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="RPWj3g">
That adds up to a huge economic toll. By <a href="https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/content-series/the-big-
story/heat-is-killing-us-and-the-economy-too/">one estimate</a>, heat costs the US economy $100 billion per year, a number poised to rise to $200 billion by 2030 and $500 billion by 2050, if nothing is done to mitigate climate change or the resulting harm.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="k1PMa8">
There’s some debate among researchers about whether <a href="https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2018/1/17/16851398/polar-vortex-cold-deaths-human-health-heat-
waves">extreme heat poses a greater public health burden</a> than extreme cold, but rising average temperatures mean that record-breaking cold events are becoming much less common, while heat records will continue to inch higher.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="rRyTUX">
High temperatures with little relief could also pose political challenges. “If you can’t get cool, and you have lots of young people living in cities, that is a recipe for social disruption,” Kyte said. “Nothing will radicalize you more than no job, nowhere to get cool, and nowhere to get healthy or safe food.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="jMyiI1">
Yet in much of the world, air conditioning isn’t treated as essential. In the US, few states have <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/deadly-heat-waves-spread-access-air-conditioning-becomes-lifesaving-
question-n1277213">mandates for cooling in housing</a>, whereas most states and municipalities have a minimum heating requirement for landlords. The federal government does offer low-income households money to help pay for energy bills, including cooling and heating, but those households have to have cooling in the first place. AC is not required in <a href="https://www.fayobserver.com/story/news/2018/07/23/hud-ac-not-public-housing-requirement/6323689007/">federal public housing</a>.
</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " src="https://cdn.vox-
cdn.com/thumbor/hf5BU8mhFBiGF9bHgNUPQhLsuTQ=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23519587/GettyImages_1236542593.jpg"/> <cite>Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images</cite>
<figcaption>
Felisa Benitez, 86, wipes sweat from her brow while taking a break on the porch of her home, where temperatures reached 99 degrees, at San Fernando Gardens public housing in Pacoima, California, in August 2021.
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="XWzTS1">
So a huge part of the challenge in preventing harm from heat is getting people and policymakers to recognize the threat and treat cooling as a lifesaving tool.
</p>
<h3 id="ITzauX">
The climate paradox of air conditioning
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="6wpbnk">
Cooling technologies, particularly air conditioning, have been reshaping societies around the world since <a href="https://www.asme.org/topics-
resources/content/global-cooling-the-history-of-air-conditioning">Willis Carrier</a> invented a device to <a href="https://www.williscarrier.com/m/1876-1902.php">prevent humidity from messing with ink</a> at a Brooklyn printing plant in 1902.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="HIVxjI">
These changes have had far-reaching and unexpected effects. In his 2014 book <em>How We Got to Now: Six Innovations That Made the Modern World</em>, author Steven Johnson connected the dots between the <a href="https://theworld.org/stories/2014-10-04/how-air-conditioning-got-ronald-reagan-elected-president">spread of air conditioning</a> and the election of Ronald Reagan: ACs made the southwestern US more hospitable, and the growing population of the region became an important base of support for Reagan.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="YaSBla">
<a href="https://www.vox.com/2015/3/23/8278085/singapore-lee-kuan-yew-air-conditioning">Lee Kuan Yew</a>, Singapore’s first prime minister, said air conditioning was the sine qua non of his country’s formation.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="rOC09o">
There are now roughly <a href="https://www.iea.org/reports/cooling">2 billion air conditioners</a> in use around the world today, with half of those units in the US and China alone. Cooling systems like ACs, fans, and ventilation account for about 20 percent of energy use in buildings globally, according to the <a href="https://www.iea.org/reports/cooling">International Energy Agency</a>. That adds up to two-and-a-half times as much electricity consumed globally for cooling as the entire continent of <a href="https://www.iea.org/reports/africa-
energy-outlook-2019">Africa uses</a>.
</p>
<aside id="ISNE4d">
<div>
</div>
</aside>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="N7xxDh">
Cooling is not just for people. Refrigeration and freezing are essential for producing, storing, and transporting food, <a href="https://www.vox.com/21552934/moderna-pfizer-covid-19-vaccine-biontech-coronavirus-cold-chain">medicine</a>, electronics, and, as Carrier found, <a href="https://chinapreservationtutorial.library.cornell.edu/content/climate-
control">books</a>. By 2050, AC energy use is poised to triple on its current course, <a href="https://www.iea.org/reports/cooling">according to the IEA</a> — which is roughly equivalent to the amount of electricity China uses today.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="3RIGHq">
Within the current crop of air conditioners, there is wide variation in efficiency and the power sources they use. The spaces they cool aren’t all insulated the same ways, either.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="wD0Vca">
There is also a huge gap in access. The IEA notes that for the nearly 3 billion people living in the hottest parts of the world, only 8 percent of them have ACs. And within countries, ACs are not distributed evenly. Access varies by income, but also by location. Last summer’s massive heat wave across the Pacific Northwest was especially worrying because so few people in the region have air conditioners due to the ordinarily mild climate. Seattle has the <a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/cities/articles/2021-07-09/air-conditioning-trends-in-americas-biggest-
cities">lowest percentage of households with air conditioning</a> of any major metro area in the US. That likely contributed to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/08/11/climate/deaths-pacific-northwest-heat-
wave.html">hundreds of excess deaths</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="oRffBq">
Disparities in access to air conditioning also <a href="https://www.vox.com/22638093/air-conditioning-worsens-climate-change-ac">fall along racial lines</a>. Black residents in New York City account for half of heat-related fatalities despite being 22 percent of the population; access to air conditioning is a key factor. Another is that neighborhoods with predominantly racial minority residents have fewer green spaces, foliage, and tree cover. Instead, their neighborhoods often have more concrete and asphalt. That worsens <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2021/7/14/22575481/nyc-urban-heat-island-effect-thermal-camera-surface-
temperature">the heat island effect</a> and makes temperatures in these areas rise higher than their surroundings.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="1kfvbB">
It’s also a law of nature that you can’t cool a space without heating up another. In cities, the heat from running ACs at night can <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/2013JD021225">raise ambient temperatures</a> by 1°C, or 1.8°F.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="u9VnZJ">
Air conditioners pose another direct problem for the climate. Many of them use refrigerants that are also powerful heat-trapping gases. Chemicals like hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) can be upward of <a href="https://ozone.unep.org/system/files/documents/Benefits%20of%20Basing%20Policies%20on%2020%20GWP%20of%20HFCs.pdf">12,000 times more potent</a> at trapping heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide. Small coolant leaks multiplied by billions of AC units could be devastating for the climate.
</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/xT5ONA4TlNmuvvyKXsxTZJL_25M=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23520001/GettyImages_1320094377.jpg"/> <cite>Wang Biao/VCG via Getty Images</cite>
<figcaption>
An employee tests the performance of air conditioner units at a workshop in Fuyang, China, in May 2021.
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="xgdDOw">
The good news is, there is a lot that can be done. And some of that work is underway now.
</p>
<h3 id="Aznd8V">
Cooling in the climate change era requires a multi-pronged strategy
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="rzWoB4">
In current heat waves around the world, the priority must be saving as many lives as possible, even if the only options draw on fossil fuels.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="5pmAB8">
“You can’t not give people power because the only power you can give them is power with too much coal in the energy mix,” Kyte said.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="9POP0C">
However, taking the temperature down has to remain an urgent priority, even after the weather cools off.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="K1qpix">
There are many ways to curb the climate impacts of ACs. “The answer lies first and foremost in improving the efficiency of air conditioners, which can quickly slow down the growth in cooling-related electricity demand,” wrote Fatih Birol, executive director of the IEA, in a <a href="https://www.iea.org/reports/cooling">2018 report</a>. With greater energy efficiency, air conditioners do more with less. Also, homes and businesses need better insulation and sealing to prevent waste.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="25pZYh">
Another method is to manufacture more air conditioners that don’t use HFCs or other heat-trapping gases. Many countries, including the US, are <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2021/5/4/22419429/epa-new-rules-air-conditioners-refrigerators-hfcs">phasing out HFCs</a>. The US Senate will soon vote to ratify the <a href="https://www.vox.com/2021/5/4/22417242/air-conditioning-
refrigerators-epa-michael-regan-regulation-hfcs-hydrofluorocarbons">Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol</a>, an international treaty that commits to cutting HFCs 85 percent by 2050.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="DbuMkO">
At the same time, there is going to be a massive market for sustainable cooling technologies. “There are billions of people that aspire to be wealthy, and as your income starts going up, you’re going to want to have access to cooling,” Kyte said.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="GruJxl">
The electricity that powers air conditioners needs to come from sources that don’t emit greenhouse gases, so dialing down coal, oil, and natural gas power on the grid and ramping up wind, solar, and nuclear energy is crucial.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="XsNlp9">
Technology alone is not enough. ACs are only useful for people who work indoors, but millions still labor outside. Reducing outdoor air temperatures requires careful planning to ensure adequate shade and measures like cool roofs. For some jobs, workers will have to take on schedules that keep them out of the sun during the hottest times of day. In some places, the only tolerable times to <a href="https://www.npr.org/2016/06/29/483843456/when-the-going-
gets-hot-construction-workers-get-nocturnal">work outdoors are at night</a>.
</p>
<aside id="oy55tr">
<div>
</div>
</aside>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="eMyG8D">
Cooling may also require a more collective approach. Rather than installing ACs on every individual home, some areas can use <a href="https://austinenergy.com/ae/commercial/commercial-
services/district-energy-cooling/district-energy-cooling">district cooling systems</a>. And in emergencies, people will need <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/climateandhealth/docs/UseOfCoolingCenters.pdf">public cooling centers</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="egiuXm">
Regulators need to step in, too. The US currently doesn’t have a national workplace standard for heat exposure, but the <a href="https://www.osha.gov/heat-exposure/rulemaking">Occupational Safety and Health Administration</a> is now in the process of developing a rule to protect workers from high temperatures. Governments also need to enforce tougher standards for energy efficiency in cooling.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="agS7i1">
The fixes for extreme heat don’t stop at the border. The countries that have <a href="https://www.vox.com/energy-and-
environment/2019/4/24/18512804/climate-change-united-states-china-emissions">historically burned the most fossil fuels</a> now have the wealth to cope with rising temperatures, while those who contributed least to the problem are facing the most dangerous heat with the fewest resources. Ergo, rich countries are obligated to help places facing dangerous heat deploy cooling, and to help pay for it.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="waQ5bt">
“I think that the economic case and the global security case for investing in these countries’ ability to deploy hyper-efficient, nonpolluting technologies is pretty damn clear,” Kyte said. “We’re all living on the same planet.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="cHnIl3">
So while billions of people are facing more devastating and extreme heat, protecting them and avoiding as much warming as possible benefits everyone on Earth. Air conditioning is now an unfortunate necessity, but it’s also an opportunity to address some of the underlying injustices of climate change.
</p>
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="P1kSYw">
</p>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-the-hindu-sports">From The Hindu: Sports</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>U.S. men's and women's soccer teams strike equal pay deal</strong> - U.S. Soccer becomes the first Federation in the world to equalize FIFA World Cup prize money awarded to both women's and men's teams for participation in their respective World Cup</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>Indian football | SC appoints Committee of Administrators to manage AIFF</strong> - The Supreme Court said the All India Football Federation’s current state of affairs is not in the interest of proper governance of the federation, thereby appointing a Committee of Administrators to take charge</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>Compound archers ensure two medals</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>England recall Anderson, Broad for first two New Zealand Tests under Stokes</strong> - As England take on New Zealand in a three-Test home series in June, Stuart Broad and James Anderson make their return to the squad under the new captain-coach duo of Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum</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>Matthew Mott named head coach of England men's limited-overs side</strong> - Mott had been in charge of the Australian women's side since 2015 and led them to back-to-back Twenty20 World Cups and also guided them to the 50-over title earlier this year</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>Cabinet amends biofuels policy, advances ethanol blending target to 2025-26</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>State govt. joins OTT bandwagon with CSpace</strong> - Platform to promote low-budget, independent films to be launched on November 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>Heavy rains affect normal life in three districts</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>KPPL will be made a competitive enterprise: Minister</strong> - Company management to be given the liberty to adopt creative measures</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>APERC removes restrictions on power supply to industries in Andhra Pradesh</strong> - Move comes after DISCOMs report improvement in situation</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>Russian soldier pleads guilty in first war crimes trial of Ukraine conflict</strong> - The soldier was accused of killing an unarmed civilian in the first war crimes trial of the conflict.</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>Retired colonel speaks out on Russian TV</strong> - Mikhail Khodarenok gives a rare insight saying the military operation in Ukraine can only get worse.</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>Ivan Kuliak: Russian gymnast given one-year ban for wearing pro-war symbol on podium next to Ukrainian</strong> - Russian gymnast Ivan Kuliak is given a one-year ban for wearing a national war symbol on the podium at an event in Qatar in March.</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>Germany beer bottle shortage: Industry warns of ‘tense’ situation</strong> - Rising energy costs and a shortage of lorry drivers could lead to a beer bottle shortage this summer.</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>Cyclist abandons race after popping cork in eye</strong> - Biniam Girmay is forced to abandon the Giro d’Italia one day after making history as the first black African winner of a Grand Tour stage.</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>MacBook buying guide: The right M1 laptop for each use case</strong> - Still on Intel? Here’s a quick primer on your options for an M1-based laptop. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1854530">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>For All Mankind sets its alternate timeline sights on Mars in S3 trailer</strong> - “There is a primal urge in all of us to explore.” - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1854518">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>FDA obliterates formula maker’s defense of contamination linked to baby deaths</strong> - Proposed consent decree with FDA will require Abbott to take corrective actions. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1854801">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>iOS 15.5 and macOS 12.4 bring updates to Podcasts, digital payments, and more</strong> - tvOS, watchOS, HomePod, Studio Display, and Swift Playgrounds also got updates. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1854776">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Google backtracks on legacy GSuite account shutdown, won’t take user emails</strong> - Click this link to stop your GSuite account from being shut down! We’re serious. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1854600">link</a></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-jokes-subreddit">From Jokes Subreddit</h1>
<ul>
<li><strong>Let’s have illegal aliens hunt down sex offenders for a chance at citizenship.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
We’ll call it “Aliens vs. Predators”
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/proychow1"> /u/proychow1 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/urz67b/lets_have_illegal_aliens_hunt_down_sex_offenders/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/urz67b/lets_have_illegal_aliens_hunt_down_sex_offenders/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><strong>The Husband Store</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Credit to <a href="https://www.reddit.com/u/SoHiHello">u/SoHiHello</a>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
A store that sells new husbands has opened in New York City, where a woman may go to choose a husband. Among the instructions at the entrance is a description of how the store operates:
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
You may visit this store ONLY ONCE! There are six floors and the value of the products increase as the shopper ascends the flights. The shopper may choose any item from a particular floor, or may choose to go up to the next floor, but cannot go back down except to exit the building!
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
So, a woman goes to the Husband Store to find a husband. On the first floor the sign on the door reads:
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Floor 1 - These men Have Jobs. She is intrigued, but continues to the second floor, where the sign reads:
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Floor 2 - These men Have Jobs and Love Kids. “That’s nice,” she thinks, “but I want more.” So she continues upward. The third floor sign reads:
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Floor 3 - These men Have Jobs, Love Kids, and are Extremely Good Looking. “Wow,” she thinks, but feels compelled to keep going. She goes to the fourth floor and the sign reads:
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Floor 4 - These men Have Jobs, Love Kids, are Drop-dead Good Looking and Help With Housework. “Oh, mercy me!” she exclaims, “I can hardly stand it!” Still, she goes to the fifth floor and the sign reads:
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Floor 5 - These men Have Jobs, Love Kids, are Drop- dead Gorgeous, Help with Housework, and Have a Strong Romantic Streak. She is so tempted to stay, but she goes to the sixth floor, where the sign reads:
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Floor 6 - You are visitor 31,456,012 to this floor. There are no men on this floor. This floor exists solely as proof that women are impossible to please. Thank you for shopping at the Husband Store.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
PLEASE NOTE:
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
To avoid gender bias charges, the store’s owner opened a New Wives store just across the street.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The first floor has wives that love sex.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The second floor has wives that love sex and have money and like beer.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The third, fourth, fifth and sixth floors have never been visited.
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Tornado31619"> /u/Tornado31619 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/urs10v/the_husband_store/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/urs10v/the_husband_store/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><strong>Wheel Chair bound congressman Madison Cawthorn lost his primary tonight.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Now it’s not just his doctors telling him that he can no longer run.
</p>
</div>
<!--
SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/IHateYuumi"> /u/IHateYuumi </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/us4rtn/wheel_chair_bound_congressman_madison_cawthorn/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/us4rtn/wheel_chair_bound_congressman_madison_cawthorn/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><strong>A pilot and a lesbian walk into a (coffee) bar</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
An old Pilot sat down in Starbucks and ordered a cup of coffee. As he sat sipping his coffee, a young woman sat down next to him.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
She turned to the pilot and asked, ‘Are you a real pilot?’
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
He replied, ‘Well, I’ve spent my whole life flying biplanes, Cubs, Aeronca’s, Neiuports, flew in WWII in a B-29, and later in the Korean conflict, taught 50 people to fly and gave rides to hundreds, so I guess I am a pilot – what about you?’
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
She said, ‘I’m a lesbian. I spend my whole day thinking about naked women. As soon as I get up in the morning, I think about naked women. When I shower, I think about naked women When I watch TV, I think about naked women. It seems everything makes me think of naked women.’
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The two sat sipping in silence.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
A little while later, a young man sat down on the other side of the old pilot and asked, ‘Are you a real pilot?’
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
He replied, ‘I always thought I was, but I just found out I’m a lesbian.’
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/_A_rock__"> /u/_A_rock__ </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/urvg2w/a_pilot_and_a_lesbian_walk_into_a_coffee_bar/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/urvg2w/a_pilot_and_a_lesbian_walk_into_a_coffee_bar/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><strong>Q: why is semen white and urine yellow?</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
A: it’s so you can tell if you’re coming or going.
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Ninja_In_Shaddows"> /u/Ninja_In_Shaddows </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/uruo81/q_why_is_semen_white_and_urine_yellow/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/uruo81/q_why_is_semen_white_and_urine_yellow/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
</ul>
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