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<title>22 December, 2023</title>
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<title>Covid-19 Sentry</title><meta content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" name="viewport"/><link href="styles/simple.css" rel="stylesheet"/><link href="../styles/simple.css" rel="stylesheet"/><link href="https://unpkg.com/aos@2.3.1/dist/aos.css" rel="stylesheet"/><script src="https://unpkg.com/aos@2.3.1/dist/aos.js"></script></head>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-down" id="covid-19-sentry">Covid-19 Sentry</h1>
<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>MixOmics Integration of Biological Datasets Identifies Highly Correlated Key Variables of COVID-19 severity.</strong> -
<div>
BackgroundDespite several years since the COVID-19 pandemic was declared, challenges remain in understanding the factors that can predict the severity of COVID-19 disease and complications of SARS-CoV-2 infection. While many large-scale Multiomic datasets have been published, integration of these datasets has the potential to substantially increase the biological insight gained allowing a more complex comprehension of the disease pathogenesis. Such insight may improve our ability to predict disease progression, detect severe cases more rapidly and develop effective therapeutics. MethodsIn this study we have applied an innovative machine learning algorithm to delineate COVID-severity based on integration of paired samples of proteomic and transcriptomic data from a small cohort of patients testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection with differential disease severity. Targeted plasma proteomics and an onco-immune targeted transcriptomic panel was performed on sequential samples from a cohort of 23 severe, 21 moderate and 10 mild COVID-19 patients. We applied DIABLO, a new integrative method, to identify multi- omics biomarker panels that can discriminate between multiple phenotypic groups, such as the varied severity of disease in COVID-19 patients. ResultsAs COVID-19 severity is known among our sample group, we can train models using this as the outcome variable and calculate features that are important predictors of severe disease. In this study, we detect highly correlated key variables of severe COVID-19 using transcriptomic discriminant analysis and multi-omics integration methods. ConclusionsThis approach highlights the power of data integration from a small cohort of patients offering a better biological understanding of the molecular mechanisms driving COVID-19 severity and an opportunity to improve prediction of disease trajectories and targeted therapeutics.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.09.14.557558v2" target="_blank">MixOmics Integration of Biological Datasets Identifies Highly Correlated Key Variables of COVID-19 severity.</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Tracking SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern in wastewater: an assessment of nine computational tools using simulated genomic data</strong> -
<div>
Wastewater-based surveillance (WBS) is an important epidemiological and public health tool for tracking pathogens across the scale of a building, neighbourhood, city, or region. WBS gained widespread adoption globally during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic for estimating community infection levels by qPCR. Sequencing pathogen genes or genomes from wastewater adds information about pathogen genetic diversity which can be used to identify viral lineages (including variants of concern) that are circulating in a local population. Capturing the genetic diversity by WBS sequencing is not trivial, as wastewater samples often contain a diverse mixture of viral lineages with real mutations and sequencing errors, which must be deconvoluted computationally from short sequencing reads. In this study we assess nine different computational tools that have recently been developed to address this challenge. We simulated 100 wastewater sequence samples consisting of SARS-CoV-2 BA.1, BA.2, and Delta lineages, in various mixtures, as well as a Delta-Omicron recombinant and a synthetic novel lineage. Most tools performed well in identifying the true lineages present and estimating their relative abundances, and were generally robust to variation in sequencing depth and read length. While many tools identified lineages present down to 1% frequency, results were more reliable above a 5% threshold. The presence of an unknown synthetic lineage, which represents an unclassified SARS-CoV-2 lineage, increases the error in relative abundance estimates of other lineages, but the magnitude of this effect was small for most tools. The tools also varied in how they labelled novel synthetic lineages and recombinants. While our simulated dataset represents just one of many possible use cases for these methods, we hope it helps users understand potential sources of noise or bias in wastewater sequencing data and to appreciate the commonalities and differences across methods.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.12.20.572426v1" target="_blank">Tracking SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern in wastewater: an assessment of nine computational tools using simulated genomic data</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Deciphering Abnormal Platelet Subpopulations in Inflammatory Diseases through Machine Learning and Single-Cell Transcriptomics</strong> -
<div>
Introduction: The transcriptional heterogeneity of activated platelets, play a significant role in contributing to negative outcomes in sepsis, COVID-19, and autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Despite this, our understanding of these heterogeneous platelet responses remains limited. In this study, we aim to investigate the diverse transcriptional profiles of activated platelets in these diseases, with the goal of deciphering this platelet heterogeneity for new therapeutic strategies to target abnormal and pathogenic platelet subtypes. Materials and methods: We obtained the single cell transcriptional profiles of blood platelets from patients with COVID-19, sepsis, and SLE. Utilizing machine learning algorithms, Deep Neural Network (DNN) and eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGB), we discerned the distinct transcriptomic signatures indicative of fatal versus survival clinical outcomes. Our methodological framework incorporated source data annotations and platelet markers and used SingleR and Seurat for detailed profiling. Additionally, we implemented Uniform Manifold Approximation and Projection (UMAP) for dimensionality reduction and visualization, aiding in the detection of various platelet subtypes and their correlation with disease status and patient outcomes. Results: Our study identified distinct platelet subpopulations that are associated with disease severity. We demonstrated that alterations in platelet transcription patterns can exacerbate endotheliopathy, potentially heightening the risk of coagulation in fatal patients. Moreover, these changes can also influence lymphocyte function, indicating a more extensive role for platelets in inflammatory and immune responses. Conclusions: Enhanced transcriptional heterogeneity in activated platelets is linked to adverse outcomes in conditions such as sepsis, COVID-19, and autoimmune diseases. The discovery of these unique platelet subpopulations paves the way for innovative therapeutic strategies targeting platelet activation, which could potentially improve patient outcomes.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.12.20.572680v1" target="_blank">Deciphering Abnormal Platelet Subpopulations in Inflammatory Diseases through Machine Learning and Single-Cell Transcriptomics</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Persistence of an infectious form of SARS-CoV-2 post protease inhibitor treatment of permissive cells in vitro</strong> -
<div>
Reports have described SARS-CoV-2 rebound in COVID-19 patients treated with nirmatrelvir, a 3CL protease inhibitor. The cause remains a mystery, although drug resistance, re-infection, and lack of adequate immune responses have been excluded. We now present virologic findings that provide a clue to the cause of viral rebound, which occurs in ~20% of the treated cases. The persistence of an intermediary form of infectious SARS-CoV-2 was experimentally documented in vitro after treatment with nirmatrelvir or another 3CL protease inhibitor, but not with a polymerase inhibitor, remdesivir. This infectious intermediate decayed slowly with a half-life of ~1 day, suggesting that its persistence could outlive the treatment course to re-ignited SARS-CoV-2 infection as the drug is eliminated. Additional studies are needed to define the nature of this viral intermediate, but our findings point to a particular direction for future investigation and offer a specific treatment recommendation that should be tested clinically.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.12.20.572655v1" target="_blank">Persistence of an infectious form of SARS-CoV-2 post protease inhibitor treatment of permissive cells in vitro</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Humoral immune responses to the monovalent XBB.1.5-adapted BNT162b2 mRNA booster</strong> -
<div>
Continued SARS-CoV-2 evolution and immune escape necessitated the development of updated vaccines, and a monovalent vaccine incorporating the XBB.1.5 variant spike protein is currently being rolled out. Amidst the emergence of the highly mutated BA.2.86 lineage and against the backdrop of pronounced immune imprinting, it is important to characterize the antibody responses following vaccination, particularly in the elderly. Here, we show that the monovalent XBB.1.5-adapted booster vaccination substantially enhanced both binding and neutralising antibody responses against a panel of variants, including BA.2.86, in an older population with four or more previous vaccine doses. Furthermore, neutralizing antibody titers to XBB.1.5 and BA.2.86 were boosted more strongly than titers to historical variants were. Our findings thereby suggest increased vaccine induced protection against both antigenically matched variants, as well as the more distant BA.2.86 variant, and support current vaccine policies recommending a monovalent XBB.1.5 booster dose to older individuals.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.12.21.572575v1" target="_blank">Humoral immune responses to the monovalent XBB.1.5-adapted BNT162b2 mRNA booster</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Appraising the decision-making process concerning COVID-19 policy in postsecondary education in Canada: A critical scoping review protocol</strong> -
<div>
Responses to COVID-19 in Canadian postsecondary education have overhauled usual norms and practices, with policies of unclear rationale implemented under the pressure of a public health emergency. However, despite the unprecedented nature of these policies and their dramatic impact on millions of lives, the decision-making process leading to them has not been documented or appraised. Drawing from macro and micro theories of public policy, specifically the critical tradition in policy studies exemplified by Carol Bacchi’s approach “What is the problem represented to be” (WPR), we will conduct a scoping review of COVID-19 policies in Canadian postsecondary education, guided by Arksey and O’Malley’s framework for scoping reviews and by the team-based approach of Levan and colleagues. Data will include diverse and publicly available documents to capture multiple stakeholders’ perspectives on the phenomenon of interest, and will be retrieved from university, newsletter, and legal websites through combinations of search terms adapted to specific data types. Two reviewers will independently screen, chart, analyse and synthesize the data and disagreements will be resolved through full team discussion. By identifying, summarizing, and appraising the evidence, our review should inform practices that can contribute to effective and equitable public health policies in postsecondary institutions moving forward.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/u3e28/" target="_blank">Appraising the decision-making process concerning COVID-19 policy in postsecondary education in Canada: A critical scoping review protocol</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Comparison of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern in primary human nasal cultures demonstrates Delta as most cytopathic and Omicron as fastest replicating</strong> -
<div>
The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic was marked with emerging viral variants, some of which were designated as variants of concern (VOCs) due to selection and rapid circulation in the human population. Here we elucidate functional features of each VOC linked to variations in replication rate. Patient-derived primary nasal cultures grown at air-liquid-interface (ALI) were used to model upper-respiratory infection and human lung epithelial cell lines used to model lower-respiratory infection. All VOCs replicated to higher titers than the ancestral virus, suggesting a selection for replication efficiency. In primary nasal cultures, Omicron replicated to the highest titers at early time points, followed by Delta, paralleling comparative studies of population sampling. All SARS-CoV-2 viruses entered the cell primarily via a transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS2)-dependent pathway, and Omicron was more likely to use an endosomal route of entry. All VOCs activated and overcame dsRNA-induced cellular responses including interferon (IFN) signaling, oligoadenylate ribonuclease L degradation and protein kinase R activation. Among the VOCs, Omicron infection induced expression of the most IFN and IFN stimulated genes. Infections in nasal cultures resulted in cellular damage, including a compromise of cell-barrier integrity and loss of nasal cilia and ciliary beating function, especially during Delta infection. Overall, Omicron was optimized for replication in the upper-respiratory system and least-favorable in the lower-respiratory cell line; and Delta was the most cytopathic for both upper and lower respiratory cells. Our findings highlight the functional differences among VOCs at the cellular level and imply distinct mechanisms of pathogenesis in infected individuals.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.08.24.553565v2" target="_blank">Comparison of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern in primary human nasal cultures demonstrates Delta as most cytopathic and Omicron as fastest replicating</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Integrated histopathology, spatial and single cell transcriptomics resolve cellular drivers of early and late alveolar damage in COVID-19</strong> -
<div>
The most common cause of death due to COVID-19 remains respiratory failure. Yet, our understanding of the precise cellular and molecular changes underlying lung alveolar damage is limited. Here, we integrate single cell transcriptomic data of COVID-19 donor lungs with spatial transcriptomic data stratifying histopathological stages of diffuse alveolar damage (DAD). We identify changes in cellular composition across progressive DAD, including waves of molecularly distinct macrophages and depleted epithelial and endothelial populations throughout different types of tissue damage. Predicted markers of pathological states identify immunoregulatory signatures, including IFN-alpha and metallothionein signatures in early DAD, and fibrosis-related collagens in organised DAD. Furthermore, we predict a fibrinolytic shutdown via endothelial upregulation of SERPINE1/PAI-1. Cell-cell interaction analysis revealed macrophage-derived SPP1/osteopontin signalling as a key regulator during early DAD. These results provide the first comprehensive, spatially resolved atlas of DAD stages, highlighting the cellular mechanisms underlying pro-inflammatory and pro-fibrotic pathways across alveolar damage progression.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.12.20.572494v1" target="_blank">Integrated histopathology, spatial and single cell transcriptomics resolve cellular drivers of early and late alveolar damage in COVID-19</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Deep profiling of antigen-specific B cells from different pathogens identifies novel compartments in the IgG memory B cell and antibody-secreting cell lineages</strong> -
<div>
A better understanding of the bifurcation of human B cell differentiation into memory B cells (MBC) and antibody-secreting cells (ASC) and identification of MBC and ASC precursors is crucial to optimize vaccination strategies or block undesired antibody responses. To unravel the dynamics of antigen-induced B cell responses, we compared circulating B cells reactive to SARS-CoV-2 (Spike, RBD and Nucleocapsid) in COVID-19 convalescent individuals to B cells specific to Influenza-HA, RSV-F and TT, induced much longer ago. High-dimensional spectral flow cytometry indicated that the decision point between ASC- and MBC-formation lies in the CD43+CD71+IgG+ Activated B cell compartment, showing properties indicative of recent germinal center activity and recent antigen encounter. Within this Activated B cells compartment, CD86+ B cells exhibited close phenotypical similarity with ASC, while CD86- B cells were closely related to IgG+ MBCs. Additionally, different activation stages of the IgG+ MBC compartment could be further elucidated. The expression of CD73 and CD24, regulators of survival and cellular metabolic quiescence, discerned activated MBCs from resting MBCs. Activated MBCs (CD73- CD24lo) exhibited phenotypical similarities with CD86- IgG+ Activated B cells and were restricted to SARS-CoV-2 specificities, contrasting with the resting MBC compartment (CD73-/CD24hi) that exclusively encompassed antigen-specific B cells established long ago. Overall, these findings identify novel stages for IgG+ MBC and ASC formation and bring us closer in defining the decision point for MBC or ASC differentiation.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.12.19.572339v1" target="_blank">Deep profiling of antigen-specific B cells from different pathogens identifies novel compartments in the IgG memory B cell and antibody-secreting cell lineages</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Predicting the Trend of SARS-CoV-2 Mutation Frequencies Using Historical Data</strong> -
<div>
As the SARS-CoV-2 virus rapidly evolves, predicting the trajectory of viral variations has become a critical yet complex task. A deep understanding of future mutation patterns, in particular the mutations that will prevail in the near future, is vital in steering diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccine strategies in the coming months. In this study, we developed a model to forecast future SARS-CoV-2 mutation surges in real-time, using historical mutation frequency data from the USA. To improve upon the accuracy of traditional time-series models, we transformed the prediction problem into a supervised learning framework using a sliding window approach. This involved breaking the time series of mutation frequencies into very short segments. Considering the time-dependent nature of the data, we focused on modeling the first-order derivative of the mutation frequency. We predicted the final derivative in each segment based on the preceding derivatives, employing various machine learning methods including random forest, XGBoost, support vector machine, and neural network models, in this supervised learning setting. Empowered by the novel transformation strategy and the high capacity of machine learning models, we witnessed low prediction error that is confined within 0.1% and 1% when making predictions for future 30 and 80 days respectively. In addition, the method also led to a notable increase in prediction accuracy compared to traditional time-series models, as evidenced by lower MAE, and MSE for predictions made within different time horizons. To further assess the method's effectiveness and robustness in predicting mutation patterns for unforeseen mutations, we categorized all mutations into three major patterns. The model demonstrated its robustness by accurately predicting unseen mutation patterns when training on data from two pattern categories while testing on the third pattern category, showcasing its potential in forecasting a variety of mutation trajectories. To enhance accessibility and utility, we built our methodology into an R-shiny app (https://swdatpredicts.shinyapps.io/rshiny_predict/), a tool with potential applicability in studying other infectious diseases, thus extending its relevance beyond the current pandemic.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.12.19.572480v1" target="_blank">Predicting the Trend of SARS-CoV-2 Mutation Frequencies Using Historical Data</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Inverse folding of protein complexes with a structure-informed language model enables unsupervised antibody evolution</strong> -
<div>
Large language models trained on sequence information alone are capable of learning high level principles of protein design. However, beyond sequence, the three-dimensional structures of proteins determine their specific function, activity, and evolvability. Here we show that a general protein language model augmented with protein structure backbone coordinates and trained on the inverse folding problem can guide evolution for diverse proteins without needing to explicitly model individual functional tasks. We demonstrate inverse folding to be an effective unsupervised, structure-based sequence optimization strategy that also generalizes to multimeric complexes by implicitly learning features of binding and amino acid epistasis. Using this approach, we screened ~30 variants of two therapeutic clinical antibodies used to treat SARS-CoV-2 infection and achieved up to 26-fold improvement in neutralization and 37-fold improvement in affinity against antibody-escaped viral variants-of-concern BQ.1.1 and XBB.1.5, respectively. In addition to substantial overall improvements in protein function, we find inverse folding performs with leading experimental success rates among other reported machine learning-guided directed evolution methods, without requiring any task-specific training data.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.12.19.572475v1" target="_blank">Inverse folding of protein complexes with a structure-informed language model enables unsupervised antibody evolution</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Cell type-specific adaptation of the SARS-CoV-2 spike</strong> -
<div>
SARS-CoV-2 can infect various human tissues and cell types, principally via interaction with its cognate receptor ACE2. However, how the virus evolves in different cellular environments is poorly understood. Here, we used experimental evolution to study the adaptation of the SARS-CoV-2 spike to four human cell lines expressing different levels of key entry factors. After 20 passages, cell type-specific phenotypic changes were observed. Selected spike mutations were identified and functionally characterized in terms of entry efficiency, ACE2 affinity, spike processing, TMPRSS2 usage, entry pathway and syncytia formation. We found that the effects of these mutations varied across cell types. Interestingly, two spike mutations (L48S and A372T) that emerged in cells expressing low ACE2 levels increased receptor affinity, syncytia induction, and entry efficiency under low-ACE2 conditions. Our results demonstrate specific adaptation of the SARS-CoV-2 spike to different cell types and have implications for understanding SARS-CoV-2 tissue tropism and evolution.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.12.20.572504v1" target="_blank">Cell type-specific adaptation of the SARS-CoV-2 spike</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Temperature impacts SARS-CoV-2 spike fusogenicity and evolution</strong> -
<div>
SARS-CoV-2 infects both the upper and lower respiratory tracts, which are characterized by different temperatures (33 degrees C and 37 degrees C, respectively). In addition, fever is a common COVID-19 symptom. SARS-CoV-2 has been shown to replicate more efficiently at low temperatures but the effect of temperature on different viral proteins remains poorly understood. Here, we investigate how temperature affects the SARS-CoV-2 spike function and evolution. We first observed that rising temperature from 33 degrees C to 37 degrees C or 39 degrees C increased spike-mediated cell-cell fusion. We then experimentally evolved a recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus expressing the SARS-CoV-2 spike at these different temperatures. We found that spike-mediated cell-cell fusion was maintained during evolution at 39 degrees C, but was lost in a high proportion of viruses evolved at 33 degrees C or 37 degrees C. Consistently, sequencing of the spikes evolved at 33 degrees C or 37 degrees C revealed the accumulation of mutations around the furin cleavage site, a region that determines cell-cell fusion, whereas this did not occur in spikes evolved at 39 degrees C. Finally, using site-directed mutagenesis, we found that disruption of the furin cleavage site had a temperature-dependent effect on spike-induced cell-cell fusion and viral fitness. Our results suggest that variations in body temperature may affect the activity and diversification of the SARS-CoV-2 spike.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.12.20.572501v1" target="_blank">Temperature impacts SARS-CoV-2 spike fusogenicity and evolution</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Is Covid-19 “vaccine uptake” in postsecondary education a “problem”? A critical policy inquiry</strong> -
<div>
Since the launch of the Covid-19 global vaccination campaign, postsecondary institutions have strongly promoted vaccination, often through mandates, and the academic literature has identified “vaccine uptake” among postsecondary students as a problem deserving monitoring, research, and intervention. However, with the admission that vaccines do not stop viral spread, that older-age and co-morbidities are major determinants of poor outcomes, and that many vaccine side effects disproportionately affect the young, it cannot be assumed that a risk-benefit analysis favours vaccinating postsecondary students. Drawing from critical policy studies, I appraise the literature on Covid-19 vaccine uptake in postsecondary education. I find that this literature reflects the “scientific consensus”, hardly acknowledging contradictory medical evidence, ignoring coercive elements underlying “vaccine acceptance”, and neglecting ethical tensions built into the very design of vaccination policies. I discuss potential explanations for my findings, and their implications for academia’s role in society in the COVID-19 era and beyond.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/753uy/" target="_blank">Is Covid-19 “vaccine uptake” in postsecondary education a “problem”? A critical policy inquiry</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>COVID-19 vaccines and autoimmune disorders: A scoping review protocol</strong> -
<div>
Background Two years into the global vaccination program, important questions about the association between COVID-19 vaccines and autoimmune diseases have arisen. A growing number of reports have documented associations between COVID-19 vaccination and autoimmunity, suggesting, for example, a causal link between vaccination and new-onset and/or relapsing autoimmune disorders such as type 1 diabetes mellitus, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, systemic lupus erythematosus, Graves disease, and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. These autoimmune phenomena have occurred with various COVID-19 vaccines and research is required to elucidate the underlying mechanisms and causal directions, for example, whether persons with no history of autoimmune disorders may experience them upon vaccination or persons with autoimmune disorders may experience exacerbation or new adverse events post-vaccination. Methods and analysis Specific objectives of this scoping review will address the following questions: Can COVID-19 vaccination trigger and/or exacerbate autoimmune disorders? Are persons with autoimmune disorders at higher risk of experiencing additional autoimmune disorders? What are the mechanisms connecting autoimmune disorders with COVID-19 vaccination? Can COVID-19 vaccination interact with immunosuppressive therapy in persons with autoimmune disorders? Does the risk of autoimmune disorders following COVID-19 vaccination differ by vaccine type, age, gender, or other still unidentified characteristics (e.g., SES)? What is the consensus of care concerning COVID-19 vaccination in persons with autoimmune disorders and what evidence informs it? Our review will follow Arksey and O’Malley’s (2005) framework, enhanced by Levac et al.’s team-based approach (2010), and adhering to the recommendations of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) Checklist. To capture the broadest range of perspectives on the phenomenon of interest, data will be synthesized through numerical summaries describing general characteristics of included studies and thematic analysis. Subgroup analysis of primary outcomes will be performed to compare findings according to 1) the previous existence of autoimmune disorder, 2) the presence of relevant co-morbidities, 3) vaccine type; and other relevant factors that we may encounter as the research proceeds. Significance COVID-19 has triggered the largest vaccination campaign in history, targeting literally the global human community. Drug safety is a crucial aspect of any medical intervention, critical to a proper assessment of the balance of risks and benefits. Our investigation should yield information useful to improve medical and public health practice in multiple ways, including assisting in clinical decision-making, policy development, and ethical medical practice.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/kc4be/" target="_blank">COVID-19 vaccines and autoimmune disorders: A scoping review protocol</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>A Study to Evaluate the Safety, Tolerability, and Immunogenicity of a Combined Modified RNA Vaccine Candidate Against COVID-19 and Influenza.</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: Influenza; COVID-19 <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Biological: Influenza and COVID-19 Combination A; Biological: Licensed influenza vaccine; Biological: COVID-19 Vaccine; Biological: Influenza and COVID-19 Combination B; Biological: Placebo <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: BioNTech SE; Pfizer <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>Transcranial Pulse Stimulation (TPS) in Post-COVID-19</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: Post-COVID-19 Syndrome; Fatigue <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Device: Transcranial pulse stimulation Verum; Device: Transcranial pulse stimulation Sham <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Medical University of Vienna; Campus Bio-Medico 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>A Phase 3 Clinical Study to Evaluate the Efficacy, Safety and Immunogenicity of Booster Vaccination With Recombinant COVID-19 (XBB) Trimer Protein Vaccine (Sf9 Cell) (WSK-V102D).</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: COVID-19 <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Biological: Recombinant COVID-19 (XBB) Trimer Protein Vaccine (Sf9 Cell) (WSK-V102D); Biological: Recombinant COVID-19 Variant Vaccine (Sf9 Cell) (WSK-V102); Biological: Placebo <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: WestVac Biopharma Co., Ltd.; WestVac Biopharma (Guangzhou) 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>Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of “Formosa 1-Breath Free (NRICM101)” in Subjects With the Symptoms of COVID-19 or Influenza-like Disease</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: Influenza Viral Infections; COVID-19 <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Drug: Formosa 1-Breath Free (NRICM101); Drug: Placebo control drug <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: China Medical University Hospital; Tian-I Pharmaceutical,. Co. Ltd.; China Medical University, China; Qualitix Clinical Research 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>Restoring Energy With Sub-symptom Threshold Optimized Rehabilitation Exercise for Long COVID</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: Long Covid19; Exercise Intolerance, Riboflavin-Responsive <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Behavioral: Restoring Energy with Sub-symptom Threshold Aerobic Rehabilitation Exercise; Behavioral: Light Stretching/Breathing Exercises <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Columbia University; New York University <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>A Pilot Study of Liraglutide (A Weight Loss Drug) in High Risk Obese Participants With Cognitive and Memory Issues</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: Multiple Sclerosis; Long COVID; Long Covid19; Obese; Obesity; Obesity, Morbid; Acute Leukemia in Remission <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Drug: Liraglutide Pen Injector [Saxenda]; Other: Medication Diary <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: University of Chicago <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>EXERCISE TRAINING USING AN APP ON PHYSICAL CARDIOVASCULAR FUNCTION INDIVIDUALS WITH POST-COVID-19 SYNDROME</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Behavioral: Exercise; Behavioral: Control <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: University of Nove de Julho <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 Phase 1 Trial of Recombinant COVID-19 Trivalent Protein Vaccine （CHO Cell）LYB002V14 in Booster Vaccination</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: SARS-CoV-2; COVID-19 Vaccine <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Biological: 30μg dose of LYB002V14; Biological: 60μg dose of LYB002V14; Biological: placebo <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Guangzhou Patronus Biotech Co., Ltd.; Yantai Patronus Biotech 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>COVID-19 Vaccine Effectiveness Against Recurrent Infection Among Lung Cancer Patients and Biomarker Research</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: COVID-19 Recurrent; Lung Cancer; Vaccination; Antibody; Chemotherapy; Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Biological: Any Chinese government-recommended COVID-19 booster vaccine <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Peking Union Medical College 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>IMMUNERECOV CONTRIBUTES TO IMPROVEMENT OF RESPIRATORY AND IMMUNOLOGICAL RESPONSE IN POST-COVID-19 PATIENTS.</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: Long Covid19; Dietary Supplements; Respiratory Tract Infections; Inflammation <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Dietary Supplement: Nutritional blend (ImmuneRecov). <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Federal University of São Paulo <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>Physical Activity Coaching in Patients With Post-COVID-19</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: Post-COVID-19 Syndrome <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Behavioral: Self-monitoring; Behavioral: Goal setting and review; Behavioral: Education; Behavioral: Feedback; Behavioral: Contact; Behavioral: Exercise; Behavioral: Report; Behavioral: Social support; Behavioral: Group activities; Behavioral: World Health Organization recommendations for being physically active <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: University of Alcala; Colegio Profesional de Fisioterapeutas de la Comunidad de Madrid <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 on Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome in Improvement of COVID-19 Rehabilitated Patients by Respiratory Training</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: COVID-19, Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome, Dyspnea, Incentive Spirometer <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Device: breathing training <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Tri-Service General Hospital <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>Ensitrelvir for Viral Persistence and Inflammation in People Experiencing Long COVID</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: Long COVID; Post Acute Sequelae of COVID-19; Post-Acute COVID-19 <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Drug: Ensitrelvir; Other: Placebo <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Timothy Henrich; Shionogi 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>Low-intensity Aerobic Training Associated With Global Muscle Strengthening in Post-COVID-19</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>: COVID-19 <br/><b>Interventions</b>: Procedure: muscle strengthening <br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Centro Universitário Augusto Motta <br/><b>Completed</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>Repurposing ebselen as an inhalable dry powder to treat respiratory tract infections</strong> - Respiratory tract infections (RTIs) are one of the leading causes of death globally, lately exacerbated by the increasing prevalence of antimicrobial resistance. While antimicrobial resistance could be overcome by developing new antimicrobial agents, the use of a safe repurposed agent having potent antimicrobial activity against various RTIs can be an efficient and cost-effective alternative to overcome the long and complex process of developing and testing new drugs. Ebselen, a synthetic…</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>Inhibitory effects against SARSCoV-2 main protease (M<sup>pro</sup>) of biflavonoids and benzophenones from the fruit of Platonia insignis</strong> - The SARS-CoV-2 mutation and the limitation of the approved drug against COVID-19 are still a challenge in many country healthcare systems and need to be affronted despite the set of vaccines to prevent this viral infection. To contribute to the identification of new antiviral agents, the present study focused on natural products from an edible fruit with potential inhibitory effects against the SARS-CoV-2 main protease (M^(pro)). First, LC-ESIMS analysis of Platonia insignis fruits was performed…</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 SARS-CoV-2 RNA Rebound After Nirmatrelvir/Ritonavir Treatment in Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trials - United States and International Sites, 2021-2022</strong> - Rebound of SARS-CoV-2 shedding or COVID-19 signs and symptoms has been described after treatment with nirmatrelvir/ritonavir (Paxlovid). The direct association of nirmatrelvir/ritonavir to COVID-19 rebound remains unclear because most reports are based on individual cases or nonrandomized studies. Viral RNA shedding data from two phase 2/3, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials of nirmatrelvir/ritonavir (Evaluation of Protease Inhibition for COVID-19 in High-Risk Patients…</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>Synthetic graphene-copper nanocomposites interact with the hACE-2 enzyme and inhibit its biochemical activity</strong> - This study demonstrates the copper nanocomposite-induced enzymatic inhibition of human angiotensin I-converting enzyme-2 (hACE-2) by complex stabilization through the formation of the enzyme nanocomposite. The immediate application of this work is related to ACE-2 as a mechanism of SARS-CoV-2 entry into cells. Moreover, ACE-2 enzyme regulation is a potential therapeutic strategy in hypertension and cardiovascular disease, diabetes, lung injury, and fibrotic disorders. Thus, inhibition of ACE-2…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A two-stage design enhanced biodegradation of high concentrations of a C16-alkyl quaternary ammonium compound in oxygen-based membrane biofilm reactors</strong> - Quaternary ammonia compounds (QAC), such as hexadecyltrimethyl-ammonium (CTAB), are widely used as disinfectants and in personal-care products. Their use as disinfectants grew during the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic, leading to increased loads to wastewater treatment systems and the environment. Though low concentrations of CTAB are biodegradable, high concentrations are toxic to bacteria. Sufficient O(2) delivery is a key to achieve high CTAB removal, and the O(2)-based Membrane Biofilm…</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>CNP blocks mitochondrial depolarization and inhibits SARS-CoV-2 replication in vitro and in vivo</strong> - The COVID-19 pandemic has claimed over 6.5 million lives worldwide and continues to have lasting impacts on the world’s healthcare and economic systems. Several approved and emergency authorized therapeutics that inhibit early stages of the virus replication cycle have been developed however, effective late-stage therapeutical targets have yet to be identified. To that end, our lab identified that 2’,3’ cyclic-nucleotide 3’-phosphodiesterase (CNP) inhibits SARS-CoV-2 virion assembly. We show…</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 insights to the anti-COVID-19 potential of α-, β- and γ-cyclodextrins</strong> - SARS-CoV-2 viral infection is regulated by the host cell receptors ACE2 and TMPRSS2, and therefore the effect of various natural and synthetic compounds on these receptors has recently been the subject of investigations. Cyclodextrins, naturally occurring polysaccharides derived from starch, are soluble in water and have a hydrophobic cavity at their center enabling them to accommodate small molecules and utilize them as carriers in the food, supplements, and pharmaceutical industries to improve…</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>Combined in vitro/in silico approaches, molecular dynamics simulations and safety assessment of the multifunctional properties of thymol and carvacrol: A comparative insight</strong> - Bioactive compounds derived from medicinal plants have acquired immense attentiveness in drug discovery and development. The present study investigated in vitro and predicted in silico the antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral properties of thymol and carvacrol, and assessed their safety. The performed microbiological assays against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica Typhimurium revealed that the minimal inhibitory concentration values ranged from (0.078 to 0.312…</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 dynamics, molecular docking, DFT, and ADMET investigations of the Co(II), Cu(II), and Zn(II) chelating on the antioxidant activity and SARS-CoV-2 main protease inhibition of quercetin</strong> - The natural flavonol quercetin (Q) is found in many vegetables, fruits, and beverages, and it is known as a strong antioxidant. Its metal ion chelation may increase its antioxidant activity. The present study aims to explore the Co(II), Cu(II), and Zn(II) chelating on the antioxidant effectiveness and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2) main protease (M^(pro)) inhibitory of quercetin using Density-functional theory (DFT), molecular docking, and molecular dynamics…</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>Integrated metabolomics and transcriptomics analyses reveal metabolic responses to TGEV infection in porcine intestinal epithelial cells</strong> - Transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV) is a coronavirus that infects piglets with severe diarrhoea, vomiting, dehydration, and even death, causing huge economic losses to the pig industry. The underlying pathogenesis of TGEV infection and the effects of TGEV infection on host metabolites remain poorly understood. To investigate the critical metabolites and regulatory factors during TGEV infection in intestinal porcine epithelial cells (IPEC-J2), we performed metabolomic and transcriptomic…</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>Inhibition potential of natural flavonoids against selected omicron (B.1.19) mutations in the spike receptor binding domain of SARS-CoV-2: a molecular modeling approach</strong> - The omicron (B.1.19) variant of contagious severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is considered a variant of concern (VOC) due to its increased transmissibility and highly infectious nature. The spike receptor-binding domain (RBD) is a hotspot of mutations and is regarded as a prominent target for screening drug candidates owing to its crucial role in viral entry and immune evasion. To date, no effective therapy or antivirals have been reported; therefore, there is an…</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>Inhibition of the lysine demethylase LSD1 modulates the balance between inflammatory and antiviral responses against coronaviruses</strong> - Innate immune responses to coronavirus infections are highly cell specific. Tissue-resident macrophages, which are infected by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in patients but are inconsistently infected in vitro, exert critical but conflicting effects by secreting both antiviral type I interferons (IFNs) and tissue-damaging inflammatory cytokines. Steroids, the only class of host-targeting drugs approved for the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19),…</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>Toxin release by conditional remodelling of ParDE1 from Mycobacterium tuberculosis leads to gyrase inhibition</strong> - Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative agent of tuberculosis, is a growing threat to global health, with recent efforts towards its eradication being reversed in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Increasing resistance to gyrase-targeting second-line fluoroquinolone antibiotics indicates the necessity to develop both novel therapeutics and our understanding of M. tuberculosis growth during infection. ParDE toxin-antitoxin systems also target gyrase and are regulated in response to both…</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>Unraveling viral drug targets: a deep learning-based approach for the identification of potential binding sites</strong> - The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has spurred a wide range of approaches to control and combat the disease. However, selecting an effective antiviral drug target remains a time-consuming challenge. Computational methods offer a promising solution by efficiently reducing the number of candidates. In this study, we propose a structure- and deep learning-based approach that identifies vulnerable regions in viral proteins corresponding to drug binding sites. Our approach takes into…</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>Inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 NSP-15 by Uridine-5’-Monophosphate Analogues Using QSAR Modelling, Molecular Dynamics Simulations, and Free Energy Landscape</strong> - SARS-CoV-2 is accountable for severe social and economic disruption around the world causing COVID-19. Non-structural protein-15 (NSP15) possesses a domain that is vital to the viral life cycle and is known as uridylate-specific endoribonuclease (EndoU). This domain binds to the uridine 5’-monophosphate (U5P) so that the protein may carry out its native activity. It is considered a vital drug target to inhibit the growth of the virus. Thus, in this current study, ML-based QSAR and virtual…</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>How Netanyahu’s Right-Wing Critics See Israel’s Future</strong> - Danny Danon, the former Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations, believes there’s no path forward for a Palestinian state. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/how-netanyahus-right-wing-critics-see-israels-future">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>An Unpermitted Shooting Range Upends Life in a Quiet Town</strong> - Residents of Pawlet, Vermont, were accustomed to calm and neighborly interactions. Then a new resident moved in. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/us-journal/one-mans-war-against-a-small-towns-rules">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>There Are No Safe Places in Gaza</strong> - As Israel’s military campaign has expanded into southern Gaza, displaced families have been forced to move again and again. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/there-are-no-safe-places-in-gaza">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Colorado’s Top Court Kicked Trump Off the Ballot. Will the Supreme Court Agree?</strong> - A legal scholar analyzes how the nine Justices are likely to view the blockbuster decision. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/colorados-top-court-kicked-trump-off-the-ballot-will-the-supreme-court-agree">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>When Americans Are the Threat at the Border</strong> - Many people charged with trafficking in Tucson are U.S. citizens, suffering from the same problems of poverty and addiction that plague the rest of the country. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/when-americans-are-the-threat-at-the-border">link</a></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-vox">From Vox</h1>
<ul>
<li><strong>This year’s “great man” biopics have a couple of things in common</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="A man in old-age makeup smoking a cigarette and clasping his hands, seated at a table." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/593zC6iIIVjppki4z5-mIoFYcpU=/375x0:1815x1080/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72989687/AAAAQcQG5dXnplb_IeQswpK1l6v_XJNcd00wztrnk7Es4I00es0BLVq_r9OyqCzO_AbWJYLDTWDQ05Pj2vr656iQ0iQf11Bg94qS6fXXXeNoLNvQmbGSc9HJQNeHw3WhEs_jHTVdO0dnna4Br_FIZ3JMG_zhDrk.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
Bradley Cooper as Leonard Bernstein in <em>Maestro.</em> | Netflix
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
What Oppenheimer, Napoleon, Maestro, and Ferrari have to say about the men at their centers.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="HBkWmw">
This has been a banner year for <a href="https://www.vox.com/movies">movies</a> about Great Men.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="98oTXC">
Now first let me clarify what I mean by the term Great Men. I don’t mean “men who are good,” for instance. This is not a moral judgment. Great Men can be bad men as well — bad for society, bad to their loved ones, etc. I mean, rather, movies about towering male figures whose names convey a certain amount of awe. Men like father of the atomic bomb J. Robert Oppenheimer, composer Leonard Bernstein, French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, and carmaker Enzo Ferrari. These are men who have made an impact on the world, sometimes for ill. They are men history has deemed worthy of studying and that filmmakers with big budgets behind them have deemed worthy of exploring.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="cTOzhm">
But the Great Man movie presents an interesting challenge: The directors don’t need to prove that their subjects are interesting — decades of media coverage have done that — they need to prove why they can tell their stories in an engaging way that doesn’t feel like a Wikipedia entry and actually captures the essential mystique of these guys.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="TuGsbx">
With <a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/23800888/oppenheimer-review-physics-donne-trinity-christopher-nolan-fission-fusion-manhattan-project"><em>Oppenheimer</em></a>, <em>Maestro</em>, <a href="https://www.vox.com/2023/11/30/23981269/napoleon-josephine-marriage-divorce-ridley-scott-bonaparte-history-true-story"><em>Napoleon</em></a>, and <em>Ferrari</em>, Christopher Nolan, Bradley Cooper, Ridley Scott, and Michael Mann, respectively, have all seemingly taken on a challenge to reinvent the biopic formula as they pursue their passion projects about these icons. While their films differ in tone and execution, they’ve all attempted in similar ways to subvert typical biopic conventions.
</p>
<h3 id="3VqHpH">
Getting inside their heads
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="GLcgoq">
With <em>Oppenheimer</em>, Christopher Nolan makes his intentions plain on the first page of his screenplay. “Peer into my soul,” he writes. “J. Robert Oppenheimer, aged fifty, close-cropped greying hair.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="fzHH5t">
Nolan wrote his script for the blockbuster film in the first person, essentially taking on the persona of the man behind the invention of the most destructive weapon the world has ever seen. You can see this as an act of hubris on the part of the director, but it is also a mission statement: Nolan wants to crack open Oppenheimer’s brain. His goal is not just to unpack his brilliance but also the guilt that arises after the US government takes his discovery and uses it to destroy Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="A man in a wide brimmed hat and suit smokes a pipe in a desert with phone lines behind him." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/p9YJ4dIN3hkfruXC8sX_nw55I4Y=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25171287/2rpm9ptjmfnzwhmwbbtb4mgj.jpeg"/> <cite>Universal</cite>
<figcaption>
Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer in <em>Oppenheimer</em>.
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="vhEhbo">
With his understanding of theoretical physics, Oppenheimer can envision the cosmos. Nolan uses those visions as both a demonstration of his intelligence and his capacity for harm. What at first seem like interludes to demonstrate Oppenheimer’s scientific imagination — shots of contextless explosions — morph into the horrors that plague his mind once the bomb has been deployed. Nolan uses Oppenheimer’s own tools to explain him, and to a certain extent, so do Cooper, Scott, and Mann.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="kWJRK3">
As Cooper tackles Leonard Bernstein in <em>Maestro </em>— both as director and in the lead role —<em> </em>he tries to use Bernstein’s music as a way into his psyche. Cooper consciously stays away from trying to expressly articulate what made Bernstein a great composer and conductor, a choice that can be frustrating for viewers who want a simple timeline of his highs and lows. Instead, he offers musical sequences that seek to capture the chaos of living as Bernstein, a man of effusive love, who was also semi-closeted, seeking relationships with men outside his marriage to Felicia Montealegre (Carey Mulligan). The most successful of these moments are the dream dance, wherein Lenny and Felicia are drawn into a production of “Fancy Free,” the ballet Bernstein composed for Jerome Robbins, and the performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 at Ely Cathedral in the UK. The latter offers no magical realism, but Bernstein’s (and in turn Cooper’s) effort is magical. You can see the effect he has on people in that exertion and the way he throws himself into his work.
</p>
<aside id="wi8b2G">
<div>
</div>
</aside>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="gZ6SYR">
For Michael Mann, the director of <em>Ferrari</em>, his hero is like his engines: powerful but sometimes almost mechanical in his ambition. The sound of these contraptions is what fuels Mann’s film, a hum of energy that is almost like a score, and Driver seems to match his performance to that rhythm. He barrels into scenes with the furor of his cars, which, it should be noted, are also death traps, a pertinent detail. Enzo is surrounded by death, specifically the death of his son Dino, who has passed before the movie begins.
</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="A man with white hair and sunglasses in a dark suit stands in front of a white brick wall." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/fRBmC24sqoTVSQopwKvTbdbbGQ4=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25171294/Screen_Shot_2023_12_18_at_11.35.10_AM.png"/> <cite>Neon</cite>
<figcaption>
Adam Driver as Enzo Ferrari in <em>Ferrari</em>.
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="FgSDrm">
Speaking of death: War is the tool by which Ridley Scott illuminates Napoleon (Joaquin Phoenix). It’s through the impeccably staged, if not particularly accurate, battle sequences we can see Napoleon’s cunning and insecurity. He’s an ingenious strategist who does not know when to stop, his self-aggrandizement taking precedence over everything else.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="48yhht">
Whether physics, music, cars, or war, the filmmakers try to use what makes these men so revered as a way of both idolizing and humanizing them. The audience may not relate to their genius, but they can understand it through what they produced. In turn, the hope is that we can also understand their torment.
</p>
<h3 id="TPlueO">
Accessing them by the women around them
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="qYmTPV">
What is a Great Man without the women around him? All of these films try to define their Great Men by their key relationships, and, yet, this is where they most often falter. For as much as each of these (male) directors tries to put the wives and girlfriends of these guys on equal footing, they are still mostly hypnotized by the Great Man himself.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="hlaPCM">
It’s in <em>Ferrari </em>that<em> </em>this seems like the biggest stretch. Mann sets his film during a period of Enzo Ferrari’s life in 1957 where Enzo is pulled between his wife and business partner Laura (Penélope Cruz) and his mistress Lina Lardi (Shailene Woodley) with whom he has a young child. Enzo and Laura’s son has died, and Enzo is resistant to allowing Lina’s child to bear his name — a sign of guilt. Both these female characters fall into easy archetypes: Laura is fiery and persistently furious. She is wracked by grief and understandably angry at Enzo for his philandering. Lina, meanwhile, is a patient and calming force, almost a motherly figure both to Enzo and his illegitimate heir. They are each reduced to the proverbial angel and devil on his shoulders.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="y4RKiL">
This mistress-versus-wife paradigm is also present in <em>Oppenheimer</em>, which has slightly more success with the dynamic. Oppenheimer’s <a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/23998242/sex-scenes-poor-things-oppenheimer-passages-discourse">lover</a> Jean Tatlock (Florence Pugh) isn’t as developed a character as her real-life counterpart deserves — she led a fascinating life that gets short shrift in the movie — but her presence is nonetheless haunting. Tatlock is a physical representation of the way humans are collateral damage for Oppenheimer, as evidenced by her disturbing death likely by suicide but possibly by assassination over Communist ties and connection to Oppenheimer. (A gloved hand alludes to the latter, which remains just a theory.) Meanwhile, Oppenheimer’s wife Kitty (Emily Blunt) serves as an example of the way the heartbreak of loving a person like him can harden someone. After they wed, she quickly falls into alcoholism but is loyal to the end, especially in her crucial testimony scene. Being in his presence has certainly taken a toll.
</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="A man in 19th century French military garb stands in the foreground while a desert battle rages behind." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/aIQgLGe1gjRmMcKwOT2okuCWOL0=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25171306/Napoleon_Photo_0105.jpg"/> <cite>Columbia</cite>
<figcaption>
Joaquin Phoenix as Napoleon in <em>Napoleon</em>.
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="BFZIJR">
The difficulty of being married to a Great Man is never more evident than in Napoleon’s relationship with Josephine (Vanessa Kirby) in <em>Napoleon</em>. His love letters to her offer a sort of framework for the film, but that love is both suffocating and deficient. He punishes her when she cheats on him, and when she can’t bear him an heir he divorces her and takes away her title.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="bR9icX">
Cooper, meanwhile, tries the hardest to put Bernstein’s spouse on equal footing, framing <em>Maestro </em>essentially as the complicated love story between Lenny and Felicia. Still, it is a love story about what it means to love a Great Man. Mulligan’s performance is a wonderful demonstration of a woman compartmentalizing her feelings. She wants to love Lenny and all of his facets — knowing about his bisexuality — but finds she is fighting to define herself as he strays. That in itself makes her a secondary figure in the narrative. For as much as <em>Maestro</em> is about Lenny and Felicia, Lenny is still the main draw and Felicia’s arc is partly about her knowing that.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="gned5B">
It’s the ultimate conundrum of all of these movies. As much as someone may try to subvert the myth of the Great Man, it is hard not to fall under his spell. All of these movies have their moments of virtuosity, some more than others, and when they are at their best they capture why the Great Man is so entrancing.
</p></li>
<li><strong>We dined out less this year — but it wasn’t just about the price</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="A hand giving a black restaurant bill holder to another hand." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/BiCteKu-z4d-Xjuz4c0QHBtAfeQ=/0x1:1998x1500/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72989602/GettyImages_88305841__1_.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
It was a year we ate in extremes. | Getty Images
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The shifting value of going out to eat.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="n63kuw">
2023 was a year of extremes in eating: We went out to buzzy restaurants with the <a href="https://www.bonappetit.com/story/top-restaurant-trends-2023">flamboyant ambience</a> of nightclubs — or we sat at home, scrounging up two olives and a tortilla chip for a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/08/style/girl-dinner.html">girl dinner</a>. More often, it was the latter.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="PosdMx">
As the dust settles around a turbulent couple of years of being stuck at home or stuck in outdoor <a href="https://www.today.com/food/are-outdoor-dining-igloos-safe-what-experts-want-you-know-t196471">dining bubbles</a>, it’s clear that something has changed in dine-out culture. There are no longer Covid lockdowns or social-distancing rules restricting businesses and patrons, and other activities — like <a href="https://www.vox.com/money/23862850/flights-travel-delays-fees-nightmares-compensation-airlines">air travel</a> and concerts — have either fully recovered to pre-pandemic levels or <a href="https://www.axios.com/2023/05/06/why-concerts-expensive-tickets">even surpassed them</a>. Overall, <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy/23998805/pandemic-excess-savings-us-economy-recession">consumer spending is strong</a>. But we’re still dining out less than we used to.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="x9OYCx">
And while we are going out to eat less (according to location analytics firm Placer.ai, visits to sit-down restaurants this past quarter were <a href="https://www.placer.ai/blog/placer-ai-white-paper-recap-november-2023">down nearly 5 percent</a> year over year), when we do eat out, experts told Vox, we’re flocking to the hottest of fine-dining spots that have gone viral online. The spontaneity of a dinner at a new Neapolitan pizzeria or ramen shop <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2017/06/26/study-millennials-spending-eats-up-their-savings/103206984/">several times a week</a> is gone; this year, dining out became rarefied.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="5YU9FE">
Ballooning bills at restaurants may have pushed us in these wildly divergent directions. People <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/money/blueprint/credit-cards/top-states-with-the-most-restaurant-inflation/">spent more on restaurants this year</a> even as visits fell because of the rising prices of everything from ingredients (whether it’s <a href="https://restaurant.org/research-and-media/research/economists-notebook/economic-indicators/food-costs">meat, sugar</a>, or <a href="https://pos.toasttab.com/blog/on-the-line/butter-prices">butter</a>) to labor. Amid the grousing about the cost of eating out, however, came a personal reevaluation of what we want out of a visit to a restaurant — what we get out of the experience and how much that’s truly worth.
</p>
<h3 id="Ei9FJX">
The state of dining out, by the numbers
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="qCwpN1">
To be clear, there hasn’t been an exodus from restaurants, exactly, but the anticipated rebound from the pandemic is stalling.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="uVNfLy">
We still left our homes in search of convenient food. Visits to fast food joints, fast casual places (think Cava or Chipotle), and specialty coffee stores — <a href="https://www.vox.com/food/23711010/fast-food-dining-delivery-automation">places where takeout remains a popular option</a> — saw increased traffic most of this year compared to 2022. Late-night <a href="https://www.nrn.com/quick-service/taco-bell-drives-strong-quarter-yum-brands">Taco Bell runs</a> were way up. But anywhere you’d sit down to eat and tip afterward drew sparser crowds.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="VYBnCk">
The drop-off is steeper depending on where you look. It’s been a “terrible year” for restaurants in San Francisco, says Soleil Ho, a food writer and cultural critic at the San Francisco Chronicle. Local reports note <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/food/restaurants/article/bay-area-struggles-18411322.php">empty dining rooms</a> and waves of restaurant closures. “It’s actually a sort of hangover from the pandemic,” Ho says. Restaurants in the Bay Area, home to one of the <a href="https://www.bonappetit.com/restaurants-travel/best-new-restaurants/article/sf-city">hottest food cities of the 2010s</a>, have been among those <a href="https://sfist.com/2023/04/28/restaurant-scenes-in-sf-and-chicago-hit-hardest-by-pandemic-says-opentable/">struggling hardest in the country to regain their pre-Covid bustle</a>. <a href="https://www.vox.com/technology/2023/4/21/23692515/tech-workers-software-engineers-layoffs-meta-coding">Tech layoffs</a> have hit the region hard, tightening belts and clearing out the once-busy downtown landscape. In a city like San Francisco, that leaves its mark on the dining scene.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="78BIur">
“When I was a restaurant critic, I would go out to these Michelin-starred restaurants on the weekdays,” Ho says. “A lot of times, the people around me were in tech — they were just there casually, spending $300 a meal, just to hang out and look at their phone and eat a tasting menu.” These tech workers were the backbone of the city’s fine-dining scene, and Ho sees them much less now.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="QqlNN5">
Khushbu Shah, contributing editor at Food &amp; Wine and the Los Angeles-based author of the food newsletter <a href="https://khushbushah.substack.com/">Tap Is Fine</a>, echoes the sentiment. Shah says the restaurant industry there is starting to feel “some of the reverberations of the pandemic now,” years out from lockdowns, in part because the Covid aid for businesses and <a href="https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2023/08/21/americas-pandemic-savings-are-running-out">customers has finally run out</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="BKJ9QO">
It’s unclear how many restaurants closed for good because of Covid, though a <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2022/06/21/covid-restaurant-closures/">Washington Post estimate last year</a> said that there were 72,700 more restaurant and bar closures than normal in 2020. Restaurant openings rose this year, but there are still <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/25/business/restaurant-closures/index.html">fewer places to eat</a> than before.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="WOkkoo">
According to OpenTable, the restaurant reservation site, there were 19 percent fewer diners in 2021 than there were pre-pandemic. In 2022, restaurants rebounded but were still nearly 4 percent short. This year, that number dipped an additional percentage point. Almost three years later, people still aren’t back in the swing of a beloved social pastime.
</p>
<h3 id="iFIGOD">
Are restaurant prices the only problem?
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="djUltm">
Maybe the answer to the decline in going to restaurants is mind-numbingly simple: They got too expensive. Since January 2020, Bloomberg found, menu prices have soared by a <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2023-inflation-economy-cost-of-living/">hard-to-stomach 24 percent</a>. But it’s likely that there’s something more than price at play. There’s a kind of fatigue setting in as wait times for walk-ins at the most popular restaurants grow and <a href="https://www.bonappetit.com/story/restaurant-reservation-culture-explained">getting a reservation has become a competitive sport</a>. If people are eating out less because of the expense, why does it feel like even more of a rat race to get a table?
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="k0UlEo">
Inflation has walloped restaurants; just look at any breakdown of why a particular menu item costs as much as it does now, whether it’s a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/14/nyregion/nyc-costs-lobster-roll-fries.html">$32 lobster roll</a> or a <a href="https://www.bonappetit.com/story/expensive-shrimp-cocktail-restaurant-trend">$30 shrimp cocktail</a>. Certain <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/inflation-margarine-butter-egg-prices-reason-why/">staple ingredients</a> have soared in price, but when the charge for particular dishes double or triple, <a href="https://www.bonappetit.com/story/upscale-restaurants-raising-prices-inflation">particularly in fine dining</a>, it’s hard to see the increase as anything but opportunistic. New York-based food critic Ryan Sutton, who writes <a href="https://www.thelotimes.com/">The LO Times</a> newsletter, has been tracking some of the <a href="https://ny.eater.com/2023/1/5/23539650/per-se-thomas-keller-tasting-menu-inflation-2023-nyc-restaurants">most egregious increases</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="XhWX9i">
“I think to a certain extent, you’re seeing people getting priced out of restaurants, even though you aren’t necessarily seeing those restaurants do poorly,” Sutton tells Vox.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="u9iVtS">
In a metropolis like New York, there’s a hefty segment of wealthy people who can afford a four-figure dinner. There are still crowded restaurants and long lines. Meanwhile, while inflation has slowed and the unemployment rate is almost as low as it was in 2019, the <a href="https://www.vox.com/money/23691406/layoffs-history-job-insecurity-corporate-downsizing-q-a">onslaught of layoffs</a> that received so much attention last year have not only continued, but <a href="https://www.challengergray.com/blog/job-cuts-jump-in-november-2023-from-october-second-time-this-year-cuts-lower-than-same-month-year-ago/">intensified</a>. The people absent from the dining scene because they’re tightening their belts on luxuries, particularly as pandemic relief has been fully depleted and <a href="https://www.vox.com/student-loan-debt">student loan</a> payments have returned, are by nature invisible.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="QiI8LO">
Even people who could afford to splurge on more meals out may be struggling to adjust to the “psychological aspect” of paying $25 for a martini, says Sutton. It’s a turn-off because higher prices happened quickly — they arrived like a burst of flame, not a frog being slowly boiled in a pot.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="0hMuhK">
At the same time, in Austin — the Texas capital sometimes called Silicon Valley 2.0 — the well-paying tech industry has been fueling the growth of high-end restaurants with broad appeal, such as restaurants serving, say, New American cuisine with pricey burgers. Or the latest craze in the city, according to <a href="https://www.eater.com/">Eater</a> Austin editor Nadia Chaudhury: <a href="https://medium.com/@foodrepublic/nyc-is-in-the-midst-of-an-omakase-craze-heres-why-you-should-care-94c79cde16ef">omakase</a>, an ultra-upscale style of Japanese dining where an entire multi-course meal is curated and prepared in front of you by the chef. It can run hundreds of dollars per person.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="EFlv3K">
It’s a sign of how people’s sense of value has been jostled. It’s go big or go home. When people do go out to eat, they’re frequently seeking out the most viral (like <a href="https://ny.eater.com/2023/2/14/23597157/bad-roman-italian-restaurant-quality-branded-opening-manhattan-nyc">Bad Roman</a>), most feted (like <a href="https://blog.resy.com/2023/02/how-to-get-into-tatiana/">Tatiana</a>), even the most expensive places. <a href="https://data.yelp.com/state-of-the-restaurant-industry-2023.html">Yelp reports</a> that interest in four-dollar-sign restaurants on its platform, which indicates the priciest options, has been consistently rising since the pandemic.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="bNEbkw">
Eating out, as a result, has become an exhausting hustle, requiring cunning and perseverance. For places diners really want to get into, there are a raft of <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/10/23/dining/restaurant-reservations-nyc.html">how-to guides</a> and people are even using <a href="https://ny.eater.com/2022/2/15/22910632/free-rezy-reservation-booking-telegram-group-manhattan-restaurants-nyc">under-the-table group chats</a> to bypass the usual reservation system. Sutton recalls that at Sailor, a new bistro in Brooklyn, he was recently quoted a four-hour wait. The phenomenon has spawned a modern-day version of the <a href="https://www.latimes.com/sports/sportsnow/la-sp-sn-yogi-berra-turns-90-quotes-20150512-story.html">old Yogi Berra joke</a>: “Nobody goes there anymore. It’s too crowded.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="p1a4FZ">
“Either a restaurant has lines out the door or they’re begging people to come in,” says Shah. Those in-between spots — the restaurant doing just okay — are fewer and farther between.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="9F36M5">
In some ways, it has to do with capital. The omakase-style restaurant is the perfect type of ritzy place to attract investors and big restaurant groups, and a perfect example of dining out becoming increasingly bifurcated into two extremes. The restaurants that succeed really succeed and tend to be backed by investors. The ones that struggle really struggle.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="iqWERR">
There’s no dearth of creative, passionate people wanting to open a unique place to dine, but it’s not enough to be talented if you don’t have ample capital. In 2020, the <a href="https://www.npd.com/news/press-releases/2022/despite-a-rough-two-years-u-s-independent-restaurants-still-represent-over-half-of-u-s-commercial-restaurant-units-and-are-recovering/">number of independent restaurants</a> — those that have just one or two locations — fell by 8 percent. It recovered just 1 percent last year. <a href="https://www.nrn.com/finance/report-63-independent-restaurants-paying-more-rent-vs-january">Rising rent</a> has left independent restaurants struggling to keep their doors open. Meanwhile, <a href="https://thecounter.org/pf-changs-new-york-city-chain-restaurants/">chain restaurants have boomed</a>, flattening the diversity of the dining scene.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Pt2aCf">
The experience of dining out is also more likely to be treated as entertainment now, says Sutton — a bombastic experience where there’s loud music, wild lighting, or <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/03/style/jello-shots-cocktails-bars.html">mixologist-crafted jello shots</a>. But if a restaurant is an entertainment venue, few other options in the category have seen as much price inflation in the past few years. “You do not see theater ticket prices doubling,” notes Sutton, though they <a href="https://www.americantheatre.org/2023/09/28/are-the-ticket-prices-too-damn-high/">have indeed gone up</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ZhftC3">
It makes sense, then, that people are more precious about where they eat. If a restaurant experience isn’t remarkable, is it worth the astronomical price and the hassle of getting in?
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="capbCx">
For me, personally, 2023 has been the year of casual dinner parties — get-togethers of four or five people, where we eat a home-cooked meal and there’s no <a href="https://www.bonappetit.com/story/restaurant-time-limits-explained">90-minute time limit</a> before we have to leave the table.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Jay6vC">
“If you feel like going out to eat tonight, and you go to a place and there’s an hour wait, you’re gonna get frustrated, right?” says Chaudhury. “So it’s just easier to go to a friend’s house, honestly.”
</p>
<h3 id="xZm9bU">
The new normal — or a return to reality?
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="otowjg">
The fact is, going to restaurants <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-09-11/fast-food-s-got-a-netflix-problem-as-americans-prefer-to-dine-in">peaked more than two decades ago</a>. In 2000, the average American went out to eat about 216 times. By 2018, it was down to 185 times. It raises the question of whether eating out less in 2023 was part of a long slide back to normal rather than a failure to return to the status quo.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="1PYKTl">
Restaurants are old, but dining out only became more affordable for the average American in relatively recent decades — a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1985/10/30/garden/new-american-eating-pattern-dine-out-carry-in.html">New York Times piece from 1985</a> reports on a “dramatic change in the eating habits of many Americans” who increasingly sought out restaurants. Around this time, the <a href="https://newrepublic.com/article/153335/foodie">“foodie”</a> was born.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="FUgsOE">
Through the decades, the state of the restaurant industry has only rarely not appeared to be touch-and-go. In the mid to late 2010s, there were murmurs of a restaurant bubble poised to pop at any moment. Food journalist <a href="https://www.thrillist.com/eat/nation/american-restaurant-industry-bubble-burst">Kevin Alexander documented</a> how scores of independent establishments were shuttering, unable to keep up with rising rent, labor costs, and “a pandemic of similar restaurants” making it hard to stand out from the pack. In short, it was too hard to run a restaurant, and it was too hard working in a restaurant. “One of the unintended consequences of the Golden Age of Restaurants was unreasonable customer expectations for virtually every eating experience,” Alexander wrote.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Vzo4xX">
Those 2016 observations may have been a harbinger of what was to come, right down to the word “pandemic.” Among the common reasons people give for why they eat out less now is the amorphous feeling that there’s been a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/30/dining/restaurant-prices-service.html">decline in service quality</a>, one <a href="https://www.pymnts.com/restaurant-innovation/2023/restaurants-declining-service-threatens-diner-loyalty/">Pymnts survey</a> confirms — a further degradation of the experience for which they’re paying much more in 2023. And they may not be wrong: There are fewer people working in restaurants today than before the pandemic. What we’ve gained instead is a more honest reckoning of what’s on the menu: what it costs to prepare a meal — sometimes multiple courses of it — and have a human serve it to you.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="lHGV0P">
Some of the menu inflation has gone to wage increases for restaurant workers. Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics says the <a href="https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes353031.htm">median hourly wage in May 2022</a> for servers (which <a href="https://www.bls.gov/oes/2022/may/oes_tec.htm">includes tips</a>) was $14, up from $11 in <a href="https://www.bls.gov/oes/2019/may/oes353031.htm">May 2019</a>, which means a server working 40 hours a week all year would have gone from making about $22,880 to $29,120 before taxes. Meanwhile, the work remains grueling; it’s still dangerous, especially when <a href="https://www.vox.com/coronavirus-covid19">Covid-19</a> cases flare back up again periodically. And in the last few years, Americans have become notably worse tippers. According to an <a href="https://www.bankrate.com/personal-finance/tipping-survey/">annual Bankrate survey</a>, 77 percent said they always tipped at table-service restaurants in 2019. This year, only 65 percent did. Perhaps to combat this and retain staff, many restaurants have added automatic gratuities to checks, further irking some diners.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ecHcOg">
What we pay for when we dine out isn’t just the sustenance, but an alchemy now most often called “vibes” — the lighting, the decor, the crowd, whatever banter is shared with your server. There’s so much pleasure in being inside a great restaurant, but there’s an undercurrent of discomfort, too. It’s an experience where, for a few hours, another human being is entirely focused on your satisfaction. As in so many service jobs, there’s an inequality of power baked into the interaction, a vibe that has become harder to ignore since 2020. Food and culture writer <a href="https://www.aliciakennedy.news/p/on-cost">Alicia Kennedy has summed up</a> this tension as a kind of hostility lurking within hospitality: “One person has to be nice, the other person does not.” This discomfort has always existed, but the difference today is that we name it more explicitly and put a higher price on the labor of tolerating it.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="zdkmtK">
There is something sad about the idea that the restaurant’s presence in our day-to-day lives may be shrinking. The last thing I did before New York locked down was to have dinner at a neighborhood Vietnamese spot. It was elegant and well-known, yet the reservation was a breeze to get, and looking at the bill didn’t feel like a gut punch. After all, the relaxed pleasure of being ensconced elbow to elbow with other people, getting a little full and a little drunk, is almost too gratifying to pin a price on.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="0qxF9P">
And maybe that’s the confusion, the internal debate, we’re seeing play out now. What is dining out worth today? When is it worth that? For many, on most days, when the cost doesn’t meet the threshold — home cooking it is. For others, on certain special occasions, there’s still no better place to enjoy a meal than a popular restaurant. Its value may have even gone up, in recognition of all that a meal out can provide: a break from the mundane, a place to be seen, where someone is always nice to you.
</p></li>
<li><strong>What does Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’s credits scene say about the future of the DCU?</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/hzeGd9x7t0SkcXJdcJ_a4Rt-ZxU=/435x0:1776x1006/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72988505/rev_1_AQM_JWFP_0060r_High_Res_JPEG.0.jpeg"/>
<figcaption>
Jason Momoa as Aqauman in <em>Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.</em> | Warner Bros. Studios/DC Comics
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Is there a future for Jason Momoa’s Aquaman?
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="NJ9xbo">
<strong>Spoiler warning: This post contains spoilers for </strong><em><strong>Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.</strong></em>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="PV7kRX">
<em>Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom</em> is truly so much movie. The film marks the return of Aquaman a.k.a. Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa) — who, after ascending to the throne of Atlantis, has to fight off David Kane’s a.k.a. Black Manta’s (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) attack on the undersea kingdom, complete with light necromancy and zombies, a sonic death gun, and a cephalopod sidekick. The adventure takes our hero to the deep sea, a mutant jungle, a parched desert, and Antarctica, and includes themes about global warming and racism (apparently, Atlanteans have extreme prejudice against surface dwellers). The movie has a feeling of finality — not just for the soggy king, but the entire DC Comics onscreen universe as we’ve known it.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="VU0zVp">
Given all that, and especially with <a href="https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a46159424/jason-momoa-aquaman-future-update/">Momoa’s future as Aquaman in doubt</a>, was there anything left for Warner Bros. to show in a credits scene? Another adventure, perhaps?
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="THfU3i">
<em>Aquaman 2</em> has one credits scene, and it’s a callback to one of the movie’s goofy jokes.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="bJM6Gl">
In the film, Aquaman has to free his brother Orm (Patrick Wilson) from the Deserters, which involves him breaking into a maximum-security desert jail. (For citizens of Atlantis, being far from water is its own kind of punishment.) The two go on a quest to fight Kane, but not before Aquaman plays a joke on his little brother.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="SGmBt4">
Orm hates the surface world, but Aquaman tells him that his prejudice is limiting his life. Orm’s mindset means missing out on good things like hamburgers, beer, and tacos. Orm begins to soften his view after hearing all these fantastic things — mostly food, mostly alcohol — that his brother can’t stop gushing about. Aquaman then picks up a cockroach and tells his brother that they’re the shrimp of the land and people eat them all the time. Intrigued, Orm gobbles one up and likes the taste, much to Aquaman’s dismay.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="lFkJnH">
The credits scene shows Orm finally enjoying the burger and beer his brother waxed poetic about, but not before a cockroach crawls on the table. Orm crushes the bug, stuffs it into his burger, and takes a big bite. A huge smile stretches over Orm’s face as he savors the taste, and the scene cuts to black.
</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Orm and Aquaman stand amid a pile of rubble in the movie Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/eHsTk1Im_3YaQ_odqyzXrRv3Wi4=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25179157/rev_1_AQM_FP_0006_High_Res_JPEG.jpeg"/> <cite>Warner Bros. Studios/DC Comics</cite>
<figcaption>
BROTHERS!
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="togWQs">
Obviously, the credits scene is a reference to Orm’s gross taste but also, on a positive note, his openness to rethinking his prejudices and finding beauty in the surface world. It also seems to indicate that this iteration of Aquaman is done.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="5phRjL">
Usually, <a href="https://www.vox.com/22893634/marvel-post-credits-scene-history">credits scenes</a> tease our hero’s next movie. Both Warner Bros. and Marvel have done this quite a bit, introducing <a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/2023/3/16/23643089/shazam-fury-of-the-gods-credits-scene-explained">superhero teams</a> and even some <a href="https://www.vox.com/2022/7/7/23191688/thor-love-thunder-credits-scenes-hercules-brett-goldstein">villains</a> in their movie credits scenes. But for Warner Bros.’ heroes especially, that future looks a little more bleak.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="3kqyVI">
<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/10/25/james-gunn-peter-safran-named-new-heads-of-warner-bros-dc-studios.html">In October</a>, director James Gunn and Peter Safran were named co-chairs and co-chief executive officers of DC Studios — the people in charge of superhero storytelling. When Gunn and Safran were appointed, a cinematic overhaul of the universe was announced with a new slate of projects on the horizon. None of those future projects featured the studio’s existing iterations of its heroes, including Aquaman, Shazam, and the Flash. Since then, the <a href="https://ew.com/movies/zachary-levi-addresses-shazam-fury-of-the-gods-box-office/"><em>Shazam</em> sequel </a>and the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/comics/2023/07/01/the-flash-box-office/"><em>Flash</em> standalone</a> were considered box office bombs, which certainly doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence in their future appearances.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="kfYoyl">
With <em>Aquaman 2</em>’s credits scene opting to go for a joke, paired with the movie’s extremely tidy ending and no big bad on the horizon, there’s no tease for Aquaman’s next big adventure — unless it’s all about sharing a burger with his brother.
</p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-the-hindu-sports">From The Hindu: Sports</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Bajrang Punia to return Padma Shri in protest over WFI chief election</strong> - Bajrang Punia’s decision to return the award comes a day after Sakshi Malik announced retirement from wrestling because Sanjay Singh, a Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh loyalist, was elected as the WFI president</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>NATIONAL SHOOTING TRIALS | Sift Kaur Samra tops rifle 3-position with ease</strong> - Rhythm Sangwan is in top form in the women’s 25-metre sports pistol, beating qualification topper and Olympic quota winner Manu Bhaker</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>Virat Kohli returns due to family emergency, Gaikwad ruled out of Test series against South Africa</strong> - Virat Kohli is expected to be back in time for the first Test against South Africa in Centurion on December 26.</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>Khawaja to challenge ICC reprimand, says armband was for a bereavement</strong> - ICC regulations prevent cricketers from displaying messages of political, religious or racial causes during international matches</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>Unfortunately haven’t been able to give Samson chance at No. 3, says K.L. Rahul</strong> - Samson, elevated to No.3 spot, smashed his maiden ODI century in the third and final match against the Proteas on December 21 as India won by 78 run</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>Here are the big stories from Karnataka today</strong> - Welcome to the Karnataka Today newsletter, your guide from The Hindu on the major news stories to follow today.</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>Centre authorises release of ₹1,404.5 crore to Kerala as ‘additional instalment’ of tax share</strong> - This is in view of upcoming festive season</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>What causes inflation in India: Demand or supply issues? | Data</strong> - Supply-side factors account for about 55% of the CPI headline inflation, an RBI article concludes</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>Delhi court grants police 60 more days to complete NewsClick probe</strong> - The court passed the order on a plea moved by the Delhi Police that sought more time to complete the investigation</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>How homes in Thiruvananthapuram get a makeover for Christmas</strong> - Home-proud residents on bringing home the Christmas cheer</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>Stunned Prague students mourn and no-one mentions killer</strong> - A shrine appears outside a university building for the 14 students murdered in Prague’s Old Town.</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>‘Blood all over the faculty’ - eyewitnesses recount Prague attack</strong> - Fourteen people were killed in the worst mass shooting in Czech history on Thursday.</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>Prague: Dramatic video from city shows people leaping from building ledge</strong> - A gunman entered Charles University killing 14 people in one of the country’s worst fatal shootings.</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>France closes Niger embassy after row with military junta</strong> - Niger’s military leaders have ordered all French troops to leave the country by Friday.</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>France split over environmental effects of Christmas trees</strong> - The majority of the Christmas tree plantations in Burgundy rely on the use of chemical treatments.</p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-ars-technica">From Ars Technica</h1>
<ul>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Rocket Report: Vulcan stacked for launch; Starship aces test ahead of third flight</strong> - “We look forward to flying our next crewed flight soon.” - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1992244">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Laptops’ 2023 quantum leap: 5 computers we’ll still be talking about in 2024</strong> - You likely didn’t want these PCs this year, but they may impact your future devices. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1989702">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Debt-laden Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount consider merger</strong> - WBD could have 2nd most streaming subscribers if reported meeting leads to deal. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1992627">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Google might already be replacing some Ad sales jobs with AI</strong> - When AI can make assets and text for ads, you don’t need humans to do it anymore. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1992648">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Galaxy-scale winds spotted in the distant Universe</strong> - These winds can drive gas out of galaxies, shaping their future evolution. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1992614">link</a></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-jokes-subreddit">From Jokes Subreddit</h1>
<ul>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>I met a girl at a bar one night.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
We hit it off pretty well and she brought me back to her place. We had a nightcap before she invited me to her bedroom. Surprisingly, she had a real thing for stuffed animals, and they took up all the wall space in her room, literally stacked from floor to ceiling. Hell, I didn’t care; I was ready to get down to business. And get down to business I did. I pulled out all the stops. I was really quite impressed with my passion and stamina by the time things wound down and as I lay there, catching my breath, I eventually turned to her and asked, “so, was that as good for you as it was for me?”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“Uhh, choose any item from the bottom shelf.”
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/bumpy713"> /u/bumpy713 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/18o4lvy/i_met_a_girl_at_a_bar_one_night/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/18o4lvy/i_met_a_girl_at_a_bar_one_night/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>TV crew goes to the countryside</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
</p><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">A TV crew goes down to a farmer to explore how a day in the countryside unfolds. They ask him to describe how his day goes.</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"></p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
</p><ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">Well, I get up in the morning, and I have a shot of moonshine…
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"></p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
</p><ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">Hold on, hold on, this won’t do!! We can’t tell our viewers that you’re drinking first thing in the morning. You know what, say that you get up and read the newspaper. There you go!
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"></p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
</p><ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">Alright, I get up in the morning, and I read the newspaper. I feed the pigs, and then I read another newspaper. In the morning, I’m out in the workshop, and I read two or three books. For lunch, I read two magazines, then I walk around the estate, reading another book. In the evening, I bring in the animals, and then I read the evening newspaper. After that, I would go to the library, but it’s only open until ten, so then we go over to my buddy Joe’s place, ’cause he’s got a printing press…
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"></p>
</li></ul></li></ul></li></ul></div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/crufter"> /u/crufter </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/18obnnm/tv_crew_goes_to_the_countryside/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/18obnnm/tv_crew_goes_to_the_countryside/">[comments]</a></span></li>
</ul>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Sister Mary Had a Question for her 4th Grade Class</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Sister Mary asked her students, “Does anyone know what part of your body goes to heaven first?”<br/> Little Johnny excitedly raised his hand in the back, but Sister Mary, with a practiced smile, called on Suzy instead.<br/> “The heart, Sister,” Suzy declared, “because that’s where we hold our love for Jesus!”<br/> “A delightful answer, Suzy,” Sister Mary beamed. “Does anyone else have a different thought?”<br/> Johnny’s hand shot up again, but Sister Mary hesitated. Instead, she addressed another student, Margaret.<br/> “The brain, Sister,” Margaret said confidently, “because that’s where we contemplate Jesus and his teachings.”<br/> “Great answer, Margaret! I appreciate your thoughtful response.”<br/> Finally, only Johnny’s hand remained raised. Begrudgingly, Sister Mary called on him.<br/> “Yes, Johnny?”<br/> “The feet, Sister,” Johnny said.<br/> Sister Mary raised an eyebrow. “Okay, Johnny, why do you think your feet are the first thing to go to heaven?”<br/> “Well, the other day, I walked into my parents’ room and my mother’s feet were in the air, and she was yelling, ’I’m coming, God! I’m coming!”
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/FunnyKozaru"> /u/FunnyKozaru </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/18o2mqg/sister_mary_had_a_question_for_her_4th_grade_class/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/18o2mqg/sister_mary_had_a_question_for_her_4th_grade_class/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A guy and his monkey walks into a bar</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The monkey grabs some olives off the bar and ate them. Then he grabbed some sliced limes and ate them. He then jumped onto the pool table and grabbed one of the balls. To everyone’s amazement he stuck it in his mouth and somehow swallowed it whole.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The bartender looked at the guy and said
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“Did you see what your monkey just did?”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“No, what?”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“He just ate the cup ball off my pool table. Whole!”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“Yeah that doesn’t surprise me, he eats everything in sight. Don’t worry, I’ll pay for the cue ball.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The man finishes his drink, pays his bill, paid for the stuff his monkey ate and left.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Two weeks later the man came back and had his monkey with him. He ordered a drink and the monkey started to run around the bar. He found a cherry, grabbed it and stuck it up his ass, pulled it out then ate it. Then the monkey found a peanut and then once again stuck it up his ass, pulled it out,then ate it.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The bartender asks, “Did you see what that filthy ape just did?”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“No, what?”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“He stuck both a cherry and peanut up his arse, pulled it out, then ate them!”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“Yeah that doesn’t surprise me. He’ll eat anything. But ever since he had to shit out that cue ball, he measures first.”
</p>
</div>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/HospitalQuiet619"> /u/HospitalQuiet619 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/18o2mca/a_guy_and_his_monkey_walks_into_a_bar/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/18o2mca/a_guy_and_his_monkey_walks_into_a_bar/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Three Men Sit in a Russian Prison Cell</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
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Two recently arrested men share a prison cell along with a mysterious stranger, quietly awaiting his fate in the shadows. Clutching the prison bars, the two new arrivals strike up a conversation.
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The first man asks: <em>“So what are you in for?”</em>
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The second man replies: <em>“The NKVD arrested me because I supported Menshnekov.”</em>
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The first man is clearly surprised. <em>“Huh. I’m in here because I was against Menshnekov.”</em>
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They both turn around to find the mysterious stranger slowly leaning forward into the light. <em>“I’m in here because I</em> <strong><em>AM</em></strong> <em>Menshnekov!”</em>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/form_d_k"> /u/form_d_k </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/18ny4i3/three_men_sit_in_a_russian_prison_cell/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/18ny4i3/three_men_sit_in_a_russian_prison_cell/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
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