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<title>18 August, 2021</title>
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<title>Covid-19 Sentry</title><meta content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" name="viewport"/><link href="styles/simple.css" rel="stylesheet"/><link href="../styles/simple.css" rel="stylesheet"/><link href="https://unpkg.com/aos@2.3.1/dist/aos.css" rel="stylesheet"/><script src="https://unpkg.com/aos@2.3.1/dist/aos.js"></script></head>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-down" id="covid-19-sentry">Covid-19 Sentry</h1>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-right" data-aos-anchor-placement="top-bottom" id="contents">Contents</h1>
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<ul>
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<li><a href="#from-preprints">From Preprints</a></li>
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<li><a href="#from-clinical-trials">From Clinical Trials</a></li>
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<li><a href="#from-pubmed">From PubMed</a></li>
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<li><a href="#from-patent-search">From Patent Search</a></li>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-preprints">From Preprints</h1>
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<li><strong>Child, parent, and family mental health and functioning in Australia during COVID-19: Comparison to pre-pandemic data</strong> -
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The COVID-19 pandemic presents significant risks to the mental health and wellbeing of families. This study aimed to examine: (1) patterns of parent and child (0–18 years) mental health, parent substance use, couple conflict, parenting practices, and family functioning during COVID-19 compared to pre-pandemic data; and (2) associations between parent, child, and family outcomes during the pandemic and both pre-existing risk factors and COVID-19 stressors. Participants were Australian mothers (81%) and fathers aged 18 years and over who were parents of a child 0–18 years (N=2,365). Parents completed an online self-report survey assessing mental health, substance use, couple conflict, parenting, and family functioning during ‘stage three’ COVID-19 restrictions in April 2020. Data were compared to pre- pandemic data from four Australian population-based cohorts. Compared to pre-pandemic estimates, during the pandemic period parents reported higher rates of parent mental health symptoms (Cohen’s d=0.26-.81, all p<.001), higher parenting irritability (d=0.17-.46, all p<.001), lower family positive expressiveness (d=-0.18, p<.001), and higher alcohol consumption (22% vs 12% drinking four or more days per week, p<.001). In multivariable analyses, pre-existing financial deprivation and COVID-19 stressors were associated with greater severity in parent and child mental health symptoms, parent emotion dysregulation, parenting irritability, couple conflict and family positive/negative expressiveness. Parents and children with pre-existing mental health conditions had elevated difficulties during the pandemic across most domains. Our data suggest wide-ranging, detrimental family impacts associated with the COVID-19 pandemic; and support policy actions to assist families with financial supports, leave entitlements, and social housing.
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<div class="article-link article-html-link">
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://psyarxiv.com/ydrm9/" target="_blank">Child, parent, and family mental health and functioning in Australia during COVID-19: Comparison to pre-pandemic data</a>
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</div></li>
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<li><strong>T Cell Predominant Response to AAV-Spike Protects hACE2 Mice from SARS-CoV-2 Pneumonia</strong> -
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<div>
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Prevention of COVID-19 is widely believed to depend on neutralization of SARS-CoV-2 by vaccine-induced humoral immunity, raising concern that emerging escape variants may perpetuate the pandemic. Here we show that a single intramuscular injection of Adeno-Associated Virus-6 (AAV6) or AAV9 encoding a modified, N-terminal domain deleted spike protein induces robust cellular immunity and provides long-term protection in k18-hACE2 transgenic mice from lethal SARS-CoV-2 challenge, associated weight loss and pneumonia independent of vaccine-induced neutralizing humoral immunity. In both mice and macaques, vaccine-induced cellular immunity results in the clearance of transduced muscle fibers coincident with macrophage and CD8+ cytotoxic T cell infiltration at the site of immunization. Additionally, mice demonstrate a strong Type-1 polarized cellular immunophenotype and equivalent ex vivo T cell reactivity to peptides of wt and alpha (B.1.1.7) variant spike. These studies demonstrate not only that AAV6 and AAV9 can function as effective vaccine platforms, but also that vaccines can provide long-term efficacy primarily through the induction of cellular immunity. The findings may provide an alternative approach to containment of the evolving COVID-19 pandemic and have broader implications for the development of variant-agnostic universal vaccines against a wider range of pathogens.
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</div>
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<div class="article-link article-html-link">
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.08.16.456441v1" target="_blank">T Cell Predominant Response to AAV- Spike Protects hACE2 Mice from SARS-CoV-2 Pneumonia</a>
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</div></li>
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<li><strong>Seasonal betacoronavirus antibodies expansion post BNT161b2 vaccination associates with reduced SARS-CoV-2 VoCs neutralization</strong> -
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SARS-CoV-2 vaccination is known to induce antibodies that recognize also variants of concerns (VoCs) of the virus. However, epidemiological and laboratory evidences indicate that these antibodies have a reduce neutralization ability against VoCs. We studied binding and neutralizing antibodies against the Spike RBD and S2 domains of the Wuhan- Hu-1 virus and its alpha and beta VoCs and of seasonal betacoronaviruses (HKU1 and OC43) in a cohort of 31 health care workers vaccinated with BNT162b2-Comirnaty and prospectively followed post-vaccination. The study of sequential samples collected up to 64 days post-vaccination showed that serological assays measuring IgG against Wuhan-Hu-1 antigens were a poor proxy for VoCs neutralization. In addition, in subjects who had asymptomatic or mild COVID-19 prior to vaccination the loss of nAbs following disease can be rapid and protection from re-infection post-vaccination is often no better than in naïve subjects. Interestingly, in health care workers naïve for SARS-CoV-2 infection, vaccination induced a rapid and transient reactivation of pre-existing seasonal coronaviruses IgG responses that was associated with a subsequent reduced ability to neutralize some VoCs.
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</p>
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<div class="article-link article-html-link">
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.08.15.21262000v1" target="_blank">Seasonal betacoronavirus antibodies expansion post BNT161b2 vaccination associates with reduced SARS-CoV-2 VoCs neutralization</a>
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</div></li>
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<li><strong>Efficacy and Safety of Ayurveda Intervention AYUSH 64 as add-on therapy for patients with COVID 19 infections: An open labelled, Parallel Group, Randomized controlled clinical trial</strong> -
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COVID-19 pandemic impacted human health and the global economy. There is a huge uncertainty about the management of this disease, many drugs including some older drugs are being tested for efficacy and safety including the medicines from the complementary and alternative system. The Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences, India9s apex body for Ayurvedic research and development under the Ministry of AYUSH, has developed a poly-herbal drug called AYUSH 64 for covid 19 which is considered to be having role in the COVID-19. This study was designed with the aim of assessing the efficacy and safety of AYUSH 64 in mild covid-19 patients as add on therapy with standard treatment. It was an open labelled, comparative, parallel group, Randomized controlled clinical trial. Total 60 stage I (mild) COVID 19 positive subjects were recruited, 30 were assigned to AYUSH 64 as an add on therapy along with the standard treatment and 30 were assigned to standard treatment as per the protocols. RT-PCR test was done as per government guidelines and protocol. Along with the RT-PCR clinical laboratory tests were also performed at screening as well as on the discharge as per the study schedule. Absolute events of negative RT-PCR at day 5 were more in the AYUSH 64 group as compared to control group but it was not statistically significant (70% Vs 54%, p=0.28). There was no significant difference between AYUSH 64 and control group for fever and respiratory symptoms or important lab parameters. No serious adverse event was reported from any group. AYUSH 64 has no significant beneficial effect as compared to control group, this may be because of the less sample size or no actual effect which need to be confirmed by studies with large sample size.
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<div class="article-link article-html-link">
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.08.10.21261836v1" target="_blank">Efficacy and Safety of Ayurveda Intervention AYUSH 64 as add-on therapy for patients with COVID 19 infections: An open labelled, Parallel Group, Randomized controlled clinical trial</a>
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</div></li>
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<li><strong>Inhibitors of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 family proteins exhibit potent and broad-spectrum anti-mammarenavirus activity via cell cycle arrest at G0/G1 phase</strong> -
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Targeting host factors is a promising strategy to develop broad-spectrum antiviral drugs. Drugs targeting anti- apoptotic Bcl-2 family proteins that were originally developed as tumor suppressors have been reported to inhibit multiplication of different types of viruses. However, the mechanisms whereby Bcl-2 inhibitors exert their antiviral activity remain poorly understood. In this study, we have investigated the mechanisms by which obatoclax (OLX) and ABT-737 Bcl-2 inhibitors exhibited a potent antiviral activity against the mammarenavirus lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV). OLX and ABT-737 potent anti-LCMV activity was not associated with their pro-apoptotic properties, but rather their ability of inducing cell arrest at G0/G1 phase. OLX and ABT-737 mediated inhibition of Bcl-2 correlated with reduced expression levels of thymidine kinase 1 (TK1), cyclin A2 (CCNA2), and cyclin B1 (CCNB1) cell cycle regulators. In addition, siRNA-mediated knock down of TK1, CCNA2, and CCNB1 resulted in reduced levels of LCMV multiplication. The antiviral activity exerted by Bcl-2 inhibitors correlated with reduced levels of viral RNA synthesis at early times of infection. Importantly, ABT-737 exhibited moderate efficacy in a mouse model of LCMV infection, and Bcl-2 inhibitors displayed broad-spectrum antiviral activities against different mammarenaviruses and SARS-CoV-2. Our results suggest that Bcl-2 inhibitors, actively being explored as anti-cancer therapeutics, might be repositioned as broad-spectrum antivirals.
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<div class="article-link article-html-link">
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.08.16.456587v1" target="_blank">Inhibitors of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 family proteins exhibit potent and broad-spectrum anti-mammarenavirus activity via cell cycle arrest at G0/G1 phase</a>
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<li><strong>The influence of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern on national case fatality rates</strong> -
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Background: During 2021 several new variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus appeared with both increased levels of transmissibility and virulence with respect to the original wild variant. The Delta (B.1.617.2) variation, first seen in India, dominates COVID-19 infections in several large countries including the United States and India. Most recently, the Lambda variant of interest with increased resistance to vaccines has spread through much of South America. Objective: This research explores the degree to which new variants of concern 1) generate spikes and waves of fluctuations in the daily case fatality rates (CFR) across countries in several regions in the face of increasing levels of vaccination of national populations and 2) may increase the vulnerability of persons with certain comorbidities. Methods: This study uses new, openly available, epidemiological statistics reported to the relevant national and international authorities for countries across the Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Daily CFRs and correlations of fatal COVID-19 infections with potential cofactors are computed for the first half of 2021 that has been dominated by the wide spread of several variants of concern as denoted by the World Health Organization. Results: The analysis yields a new quantitative measure of the temporal dynamics of mortality due to SARS-CoV-2 infections in the form of variations of a proxy case fatality rate compared on a country to-country basis in the same region. It also finds minimal variation of correlation between the cofactors based on WHO data and on the average apparent case fatality rate.
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</p>
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<div class="article-link article-html-link">
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.08.10.21261870v1" target="_blank">The influence of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern on national case fatality rates</a>
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<li><strong>Rapid initiation of nasal saline irrigation: hospitalizations in COVID-19 patients randomized to alkalinization or povidone-iodine compared to a national dataset</strong> -
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Objective: To determine whether nasal irrigation initiated within 24 hours of a positive PCR test result reduces hospitalizations for COVID-19. Design, Setting and Participants: Prospective case:cohort trial comparing clinical outcomes in patients aged 55 years or older who were PCR positive at a community testing site in Augusta, Georgia. Patients randomized to initiate one of two nasal irrigation regimens within 24 hours of testing were compared to outcomes in the CDC national database for the same time period. Interventions: Participants were assigned on alternate days to one of two pressure-based nasal irrigation systems (NAVAGE, Rhinosystems Inc.) or Neilmed Sinus Rinse (Neilmed Inc.), and randomized to include 2.5ml povidone-iodine or 0.5 teaspoon sodium bicarbonate to the standard saline rinse twice daily for 14 days with 14-day follow-up. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was hospitalization for COVID-19 symptoms within 28 days of enrollment by daily self-report confirmed with phone follow-up and hospital records compared to hospitalization rates publicly available from the CDC. Secondary outcomes in enrolled patients compared symptom resolution and home exposure, adherence to nasal irrigation, and any impact of irrigation system or antiviral or alkalization addition to the irrigant. Of 79 patients assigned to nasal irrigation (63.99[7.96] years, 36[45.6%] female, 43[54.4%]male), 0/37 assigned to povidone-iodine and 1/42 patients in the alkalinization group had a COVID-19 related hospitalization (1.26%). From September 22 to December 21, 2020, in patients 50+ years the CDC reported 1022977 cases with 197777 hospitalizations, or 19.33% (OR:0.054, 95%CI0.0074 to 0.38, p=0.0036). Full daily diaries were completed by 62 patients, averaging 1.79 irrigations/day. There were no statistical differences in symptomatic outcomes by irrigation unit used, but symptom resolution in 14 days was more likely in the povidone-iodine group (21/27) than the alkalinization group (17/35, p=0.019). Conclusion: Patients who initiated mechanical isotonic saline nasal debridement within 24 hours of a positive COVID-19 PCR test were 19 times less likely to be hospitalized than the national rate. Further research is required to determine if adding betadine to irrigation reduces morbidity and mortality of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.08.16.21262044v1" target="_blank">Rapid initiation of nasal saline irrigation: hospitalizations in COVID-19 patients randomized to alkalinization or povidone-iodine compared to a national dataset</a>
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<li><strong>Virologic features of SARS-CoV-2 infection in children</strong> -
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Background: Data on pediatric COVID-19 has lagged behind adults throughout the pandemic. An understanding of SARS-CoV-2 viral dynamics in children would enable data-driven public health guidance. Methods: Respiratory swabs were collected from children with COVID-19. Viral load was quantified by RT-PCR; viral culture was assessed by direct observation of cytopathic effects and semiquantitative viral titers. Correlations with age, symptom duration, and disease severity were analyzed. SARS-CoV-2 whole genome sequences were compared with contemporaneous sequences. Results: 110 children with COVID-19 (median age 10 years, range 2 weeks-21 years) were included in this study. Age did not impact SARS-CoV-2 viral load. Children were most infectious within the first five days of illness, and severe disease did not correlate with increased viral loads. Pediatric SARS-CoV-2 sequences were representative of those in the community and novel variants were identified. Conclusions: Symptomatic and asymptomatic children can carry high quantities of live, replicating SARS-CoV-2, creating a potential reservoir for transmission and evolution of genetic variants. As guidance around social distancing and masking evolves following vaccine uptake in older populations, a clear understanding of SARS-CoV-2 infection dynamics in children is critical for rational development of public health policies and vaccination strategies to mitigate the impact of COVID-19.
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.05.30.21258086v2" target="_blank">Virologic features of SARS-CoV-2 infection in children</a>
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<li><strong>Genomic reconstruction of the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in England</strong> -
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The evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic continuously produces new variants, which warrant timely epidemiological characterisation. Here we use the dense genomic surveillance generated by the COVID-19 Genomics UK Consortium to reconstruct the dynamics of 71 different lineages in each of 315 English local authorities between September 2020 and June 2021. This analysis reveals a series of sub-epidemics that peaked in the early autumn of 2020, followed by a jump in transmissibility of the B.1.1.7/Alpha lineage. Alpha grew when other lineages declined during the second national lockdown and regionally tiered restrictions between November and December 2020. A third more stringent national lockdown suppressed Alpha and eliminated nearly all other lineages in early 2021. However, a series of variants (mostly containing the spike E484K mutation) defied these trends and persisted at moderately increasing proportions. Accounting for sustained introductions, however, indicates that their transmissibility is unlikely to have exceeded that of Alpha. Finally, B.1.617.2/Delta was repeatedly introduced to England and grew rapidly in the early summer of 2021, constituting approximately 98% of sampled SARS-CoV-2 genomes on June 26.
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.05.22.21257633v3" target="_blank">Genomic reconstruction of the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in England</a>
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<li><strong>Excess Mortality in Suicide caused by COVID-19 in Japan</strong> -
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Background: Countermeasures against COVID-19 outbreak such as lockdown and voluntary restrictions against going out adversely affect human stress and economic activity. Particularly, this stress might lead to suicide. Object: We examined excess mortality attributable to suicide caused by COVID-19. Method: We applied the NIID model to suicide deaths from October 2009 through March, 2021 for the whole of Japan by gender. Effects of the great earthquake that struck in eastern Japan on March 11, 2011 were incorporated into the estimation model. Results: Significant excess mortality in suicide was found between July, 2020 and March, 2021 for both genders. It was greater among females than among males. In total, 2665 excess cases of mortality were identified. Discussion and Conclusion: Excess mortality during the four months was more than two times greater than the number of COVID-19 deaths confirmed by PCR testing. Countermeasures against COVID-19 should be chosen carefully in light of suicide effects.
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.02.13.21251670v6" target="_blank">Excess Mortality in Suicide caused by COVID-19 in Japan</a>
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<li><strong>Treating COVID-19 with Anticoagulation based on Kabir Bleeding Risk Score</strong> -
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Three large randomized clinical trials named the ATTACC, ACTIV-4a, and REMAP-CAP were terminated early as these trials showed use of therapeutic anticoagulation among non-critical COVID-19 patients increased the probability of survival to hospital discharge as well as reduced the need for cardiovascular or respiratory organ support. These clinical trials also showed when a COVID-19 patient presents with a critical stage, therapeutic anticoagulation does not provide any benefit. The authors also had approx. two thousand five hundred COVID-19 encounters and found that anticoagulation doses can be titrated up or down based on D-Dimer trends and many patients do not need therapeutic anticoagulation, rather an intermediate dose (Lovenox 0.5mg/kg subQ BID or equivalent) anticoagulation can be sufficient for those who have a higher risk of bleeding. The author developed the Kabir bleeding risk score-based treatment strategies for COVID-19 patients which can be visited by clicking on the following link: .
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/qghux/" target="_blank">Treating COVID-19 with Anticoagulation based on Kabir Bleeding Risk Score</a>
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<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Pseudotyped Bat Coronavirus RaTG13 is efficiently neutralised by convalescent sera from SARS-CoV-2 infected Patients</strong> -
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RaTG13 is a close relative of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, sharing 96% sequence similarity at the genome-wide level. The spike receptor binding domain (RBD) of RaTG13 contains a large number of amino acid substitutions when compared to SARS-CoV-2, likely impacting affinity for the ACE2 receptor. Antigenic differences between the viruses are less well understood, especially whether RaTG13 spike can be efficiently neutralised by antibodies generated from infection with, or vaccination against, SARS-CoV-2. Using RaTG13 and SARS-CoV-2 pseudotypes we compared neutralisation using convalescent sera from previously infected patients as well as vaccinated healthcare workers. Surprisingly, our results revealed that RaTG13 was more efficiently neutralised than SARS-CoV-2. In addition, neutralisation assays using spike chimeras and mutants harbouring single amino acid substitutions within the RBD demonstrated that both spike proteins can tolerate multiple changes without dramatically reducing how efficiently they are neutralised. Moreover, introducing the 484K mutation into RaTG13 resulted in increased neutralisation, in contrast to the same mutation in SARS-CoV-2 (E484K). This is despite E484K having a well-documented role in immune evasion in variants of concern (VOC) such as B.1.351 (Beta). These results indicate that the immune- escape mutations found in SARS-CoV-2 VOCs might be driven by strong antibody pressures, and that the future spill-over of RaTG13 and/or related sarbecoviruses could be mitigated using current SARS-CoV-2-based vaccination strategies.
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.08.17.456606v1" target="_blank">Pseudotyped Bat Coronavirus RaTG13 is efficiently neutralised by convalescent sera from SARS-CoV-2 infected Patients</a>
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<li><strong>Membrane fusion and immune evasion by the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant</strong> -
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The Delta variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has outcompeted previously prevalent variants and become a dominant strain worldwide. We report here structure, function and antigenicity of its full-length spike (S) trimer in comparison with those of other variants, including Gamma, Kappa, and previously characterized Alpha and Beta. Delta S can fuse membranes more efficiently at low levels of cellular receptor ACE2 and its pseudotyped viruses infect target cells substantially faster than all other variants tested, possibly accounting for its heightened transmissibility. Mutations of each variant rearrange the antigenic surface of the N-terminal domain of the S protein in a unique way, but only cause local changes in the receptor-binding domain, consistent with greater resistance particular to neutralizing antibodies. These results advance our molecular understanding of distinct properties of these viruses and may guide intervention strategies.
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.08.17.456689v1" target="_blank">Membrane fusion and immune evasion by the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant</a>
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</div></li>
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<li><strong>Next generation infection prevention clothing: Non-woven Fabrics Coated with Cranberry Extracts Capable of Inactivating Enveloped Viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 and Multidrug-resistant Bacteria</strong> -
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The Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic is demanding rapid action of the authorities and scientific community in order to find new antimicrobial solutions that could inactivate the pathogen SARS-CoV-2 that causes this disease. Gram-positive bacteria contribute to severe pneumonia associated with COVID-19, and their resistance to antibiotics is increasing at an alarming rate. In this regard, non-woven fabrics are currently used for the fabrication of infection prevention clothing such as face masks, caps, scrubs, shirts, trousers, disposable gowns, overalls, hoods, aprons and shoe covers as protective tools against viral and bacterial infections. However, these non-woven fabrics are made of materials that do not possess antimicrobial activity. Thus, we have developed here non-woven fabrics with antimicrobial coatings of cranberry extracts capable of inactivating enveloped viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 and the phage phi 6, and two multidrug-resistant bacteria: the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis. The non- toxicity of these advanced technology was ensured using a Caenorhabditis elegans in vivo model. These results open up a new prevention path using natural and biodegradable compounds for the fabrication of infection prevention clothing in the current COVID-19 and future pandemics.
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.08.14.456330v1" target="_blank">Next generation infection prevention clothing: Non-woven Fabrics Coated with Cranberry Extracts Capable of Inactivating Enveloped Viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 and Multidrug-resistant Bacteria</a>
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<li>**Molecular basis of a dominant SARS-CoV-2 Spike-derived epitope presented by HLA-A*02:01 recognised by a public TCR** -
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The data currently available on how the immune system recognizes the SARS-CoV-2 virus is growing rapidly. While there are structures of some SARS-CoV-2 proteins in complex with antibodies, which helps us understand how the immune system is able to recognise this new virus, we are lacking data on how T cells are able to recognize this virus. T cells, especially the cytotoxic CD8+ T cells, are critical for viral recognition and clearance. Here we report the X-ray crystallography structure of a T cell receptor, shared among unrelated individuals (public TCR) in complex with a dominant spike-derived CD8+ T cell epitope (YLQ peptide). We show that YLQ activates a polyfunctional CD8+ T cell response in COVID-19 recovered patients. We detail the molecular basis for the shared TCR gene usage observed in HLA-A*02:01+ individuals, providing an understanding of TCR recognition towards a SARS-CoV-2 epitope. Interestingly, the YLQ peptide conformation did not change upon TCR binding, facilitating the high-affinity interaction observed.
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<div class="article-link article-html-link">
|
||||
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.08.15.456333v1" target="_blank">Molecular basis of a dominant SARS- CoV-2 Spike-derived epitope presented by HLA-A*02:01 recognised by a public TCR</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>Pulmonary Rehabilitation Post-COVID-19</strong> - <b>Condition</b>: COVID-19<br/><b>Intervention</b>: Other: Exercise program (virtual/remote)<br/><b>Sponsors</b>: University of Manitoba; Health Sciences Centre Foundation, Manitoba; Health Sciences Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba<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>Targeting de Novo Pyrimidine Biosynthesis by Leflunomide for the Treatment of COVID-19 Virus Disease</strong> - <b>Condition</b>: COVID-19<br/><b>Intervention</b>: Drug: leflunomide<br/><b>Sponsor</b>: <br/>
|
||||
Ashford and St. Peter’s Hospitals NHS Trust<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>Double Blind Randomized Clinical Trial of Use of Colchicine Added to Standard Treatment in Hospitalized With Covid-19</strong> - <b>Condition</b>: COVID-19 Infection<br/><b>Intervention</b>: Drug: Colchcine<br/><b>Sponsor</b>: <br/>
|
||||
Asociacion Instituto Biodonostia<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>COVID-19 Administration of Single-Dose Subcutaneous or Intramuscular Anti- Spike(s) SARS-CoV-2 Monoclonal Antibodies Casirivimab and Imdevimab in High-Risk Pediatric Participants Under 12 Years of Age</strong> - <b>Condition</b>: COVID-19<br/><b>Intervention</b>: Drug: casirivimab and imdevimab<br/><b>Sponsor</b>: <br/>
|
||||
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
|
||||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Phase I/II Study of COVID-19 DNA Vaccine (AG0302-COVID19 High-dose)</strong> - <b>Condition</b>: COVID-19 Lower Respiratory Infection<br/><b>Interventions</b>: Biological: AG0302-COVID19 for Intramuscular Injection; Biological: AG0302-COVID19 for Intradermal Injection<br/><b>Sponsors</b>: AnGes, Inc.; Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development<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>Efficacy, Immunogenicity and Safety of COVID-19 Vaccine , Inactivated in Children and Adolescents</strong> - <b>Condition</b>: COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>: Biological: Inactivated COVID-19 Vaccine; Biological: Controlled vaccine<br/><b>Sponsor</b>: Sinovac Research and Development 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>Preventive Dendritic Cell Vaccine, AV-COVID-19, in Subjects Not Actively Infected With COVID-19</strong> - <b>Condition</b>: COVID-19<br/><b>Intervention</b>: Biological: AV-COVID-19<br/><b>Sponsors</b>: <br/>
|
||||
Aivita Biomedical, Inc.; PT AIVITA Biomedika Indonesia; Kariadi Hospital; Central Army Hospital RSPAD Gato Soebroto<br/><b>Completed</b></p></li>
|
||||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Immunogenicity And Safety of COVID-19 Vaccine , Inactivated Co -Administration With Quadrivalent Influenza Vaccine And 23-valent Pneumococcal Polysaccharide Vaccine</strong> - <b>Condition</b>: COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>: Biological: Experimental Group1; Biological: Experimental Group 2; Biological: Experimental Group 3<br/><b>Sponsor</b>: <br/>
|
||||
Sinovac Research and Development 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>Utilizing the Crosstalk Among Aerosolized Phenformin , Methylene Blue, Photodynamic Therapy , Zinc and Potassium for Treating Severe COVID-19 Infection and Its Inflammatory Complication</strong> - <b>Condition</b>: COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>: Combination Product: Combination therapy plus Standard therapy; Radiation: Photodynamic therapy; Drug: Standard therapy<br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Amr kamel khalil Ahmed; Faculty of Medicine , Kafrelshiekh University, Egypt.<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>Examination of The Effects of Telerehabilitation in Painful Healthcare Workers With and Without COVID-19 Infection</strong> - <b>Condition</b>: COVID-19 Respiratory Infection<br/><b>Intervention</b>: <br/>
|
||||
Other: Progressive Myofascial Relaxation Exercise<br/><b>Sponsor</b>: Abant Izzet Baysal 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>Safety of an Inactivated SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine for Prevention of COVID-19 in Children and Adolescents</strong> - <b>Condition</b>: COVID-19<br/><b>Intervention</b>: Biological: Experimental Group<br/><b>Sponsor</b>: <br/>
|
||||
Sinovac Research and Development 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>A Phase Ⅰ Clinical Trial of SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine (Vero Cells), Inactivated in Healthy Population Aged 3 to 17 Years(COVID-19)</strong> - <b>Condition</b>: COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>: Biological: SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine (Vero Cells), Inactivated; Biological: Placebo<br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Shenzhen Kangtai Biological Products Co., LTD; Beijing Minhai Biotechnology Co., Ltd; Hunan Province Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<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 Ⅱ Clinical Trial of SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine (Vero Cells), Inactivated in Healthy Population Aged 3 to 17 Years(COVID-19)</strong> - <b>Condition</b>: COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>: Biological: SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine (Vero Cells), Inactivated; Biological: Placebo<br/><b>Sponsors</b>: Shenzhen Kangtai Biological Products Co., LTD; Beijing Minhai Biotechnology Co., Ltd; Hunan Province Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
|
||||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Phase 2b Dose-confirmatory Trial to Evaluate the Safety, Immunogenicity and Potential Efficacy of an VSV-ΔG SARS- CoV-2 Vaccine</strong> - <b>Condition</b>: COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>: Drug: IIBR-100; Drug: Placebo<br/><b>Sponsors</b>: <br/>
|
||||
NeuroRx, Inc.; Cromos; Iqvia Pty Ltd; Brilife Georgia; Israel Institute for Biological Research<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>CRISPR/Cas9-modified Human T Cell ( PD-1and ACE2 Knockout Engineered T Cells ) for Inducing Long-term Immunity in COVID-19 Patients</strong> - <b>Condition</b>: COVID-19 Respiratory Infection<br/><b>Intervention</b>: Drug: PD-1 and ACE2 Knockout T Cells<br/><b>Sponsor</b>: Mahmoud Ramadan mohamed Elkazzaz<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
|
||||
</ul>
|
||||
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-pubmed">From PubMed</h1>
|
||||
<ul>
|
||||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Computational screening of 645 antiviral peptides against the receptor-binding domain of the spike protein in SARS- CoV-2</strong> - The receptor-binding domain (RBD) of SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein plays a vital role in binding and internalization through the alpha-helix (AH) of human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (hACE2). Thus, it is a potential target for designing and developing antiviral agents. Inhibition of RBD activity of the S protein may be achieved by blocking RBD interaction with hACE2. In this context, inhibitors with large contact surface area are preferable as they can form a potentially stable complex with…</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>Identification of Natural Compounds as SARS-CoV-2 Entry Inhibitors by Molecular Docking-based Virtual Screening with Bio-layer Interferometry</strong> - Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which enter the host cells through the interaction between its receptor binding domain (RBD) of spike glycoprotein with angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor on the plasma membrane of host cell. Neutralizing antibodies and peptide binders of RBD can block viral infection, however, the concern of accessibility and affordability of viral infection inhibitors has been raised….</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>Generation and Characterization of a Nanobody Against SARS-CoV</strong> - The sudden emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) has caused global panic in 2003, and the risk of SARS-CoV outbreak still exists. However, no specific antiviral drug or vaccine is available; thus, the development of therapeutic antibodies against SARS-CoV is needed. In this study, a nanobody phage-displayed library was constructed from peripheral blood mononuclear cells of alpacas immunized with the recombinant receptor-binding domain (RBD) of SARS-CoV. Four…</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>Drug repurposing based on a Quantum-Inspired method versus classical fingerprinting uncovers potential antivirals against SARS-CoV-2 including vitamin B12</strong> - The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the need to identify new therapeutics at pace, including through drug repurposing. We employed a Quadratic Unbounded Binary Optimization (QUBO) model, to search for compounds similar to Remdesivir (RDV), the only antiviral against SARS-CoV-2 currently approved for human use, using a quantum-inspired device. We modelled RDV and compounds present in the DrugBank database as graphs, established the optimal parameters in our algorithm and resolved the Maximum…</p></li>
|
||||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Oral nano-curcumin formulation efficacy in the management of mild to moderate outpatient COVID-19: A randomized triple-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial</strong> - CONCLUSION: Oral nanoformulation of curcumin can significantly improve recovery time in patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 in outpatient setting. Further studies with larger sample size are recommended.</p></li>
|
||||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>SARS-CoV-2 variant prediction and antiviral drug design are enabled by RBD in vitro evolution</strong> - SARS-CoV-2 variants of interest and concern will continue to emerge for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic. To map mutations in the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the spike protein that affect binding to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), the receptor for SARS-CoV-2, we applied in vitro evolution to affinity-mature the RBD. Multiple rounds of random mutagenic libraries of the RBD were sorted against decreasing concentrations of ACE2, resulting in the selection of higher affinity RBD…</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>Inhaled High Dose Nitric Oxide is a Safe and Effective Respiratory Treatment in Spontaneous Breathing Hospitalized Patients with COVID-19 pneumonia</strong> - CONCLUSIONS: In spontaneous breathing patients with COVID-19, the administration of inhaled NO at 160 ppm for thirty minutes twice daily promptly improved the respiratory rate of tachypneic patients and systemic oxygenation of hypoxemic patients. No adverse events were observed. None of the subjects was readmitted or had long-term COVID-19 sequelae.</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>Regulation of the Dimerization and Activity of SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease through Reversible Glutathionylation of Cysteine 300</strong> - Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), encodes two proteases required for replication. The main protease (M^(pro)), encoded as part of two polyproteins, pp1a and pp1ab, is responsible for 11 different cleavages of these viral polyproteins to produce mature proteins required for viral replication. M^(pro) is therefore an attractive target for therapeutic interventions. Certain proteins in cells under oxidative…</p></li>
|
||||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Repurposing methylene blue in the management of COVID-19: Mechanistic aspects and clinical investigations</strong> - The severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the most recent coronaviruses, which has infected humans, and caused the disease COVID-19. The World Health Organization has declared COVID-19 as a pandemic in March</li>
|
||||
</ul>
|
||||
<ol start="2020" type="1">
|
||||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">The SARS-CoV-2 enters human hosts majorly via the respiratory tract, affecting the lungs first. In few critical cases, the infection progresses to failure of the respiratory system known as acute respiratory distress syndrome acute respiratory distress…</li>
|
||||
</ol>
|
||||
<ul>
|
||||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Specific COVID-19 Symptoms Correlate with High Antibody Levels against SARS-CoV-2</strong> - Lasting immunity will be critical for overcoming COVID-19. However, the factors associated with the development of high titers of anti-SARS-CoV-2 Abs and how long those Abs persist remain incompletely defined. In particular, an understanding of the relationship between COVID-19 symptoms and anti-SARS-CoV-2 Abs is limited. To address these unknowns, we quantified serum anti-SARS- CoV-2 Abs in clinically diverse COVID-19 convalescent human subjects 5 wk (n =</li>
|
||||
</ul>
|
||||
<ol start="113" type="1">
|
||||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">and 3 mo (n = 79) after symptom…</li>
|
||||
</ol>
|
||||
<ul>
|
||||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Pandemic COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2: genetic structure, vaccination, and therapeutic approaches</strong> - We give a summary of SARS-genetic CoV-2’s structure and evolution, as well as current attempts to develop efficient vaccine and treatment methods for SARS-CoV-2 infection, in this article. Most therapeutic strategies are based on repurposing of existing therapeutic agents used against various virus infections and focused mainly on inhibition of the virus replication cycle, enhancement of innate immunity, and alleviation of CRS caused by COVID-19. Currently, more than 100 clinical trials on…</p></li>
|
||||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Anti-drug antibodies to antibody-based therapeutics in multiple sclerosis</strong> - Multiple sclerosis is the major demyelinating autoimmune disease of the central nervous system. Relapsing MS can be treated by a number of approved monoclonal antibodies that currently target: CD20, CD25 (withdrawn), CD49d and CD52. These all target potentially pathogenic memory B cell subsets and perhaps functionally inhibit pathogenic T cell function. These consist of chimeric, humanized and fully human antibodies. However, despite humanization it is evident that all of these monoclonal…</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>Computational study for identifying promising therapeutic agents of hydroxychloroquine analogues against SARS- CoV-2</strong> - Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and its derivatives have recently gained tremendous attention as a probable medicinal agent in the COVID-19 outbreak caused by SARS-CoV-2. An efficient agent to act directly in inhibiting the SARS-CoV-2 replication is yet to be achieved. Thus, the goal is to investigate the dynamic nature of HCQ derivatives against SARS-CoV-2 main protease and spike proteins. Molecular docking studies were also performed to understand their binding affinity in silico methods using the…</p></li>
|
||||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Combination of natural antivirals and potent immune invigorators: A natural remedy to combat COVID-19</strong> - The flare-up in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that emerged in December 2019 in Wuhan, China, and spread expeditiously worldwide has become a health challenge globally. The rapid transmission, absence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 drugs, and inexistence of vaccine are further exacerbating the situation. Several drugs, including chloroquine, remdesivir, and favipiravir, are presently undergoing clinical investigation to further scrutinize their effectiveness and validity in the…</p></li>
|
||||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Zinc thiotropolone combinations as inhibitors of the SARS-CoV-2 main protease</strong> - Numerous organic molecules are known to inhibit the main protease of SARS-CoV-2, (SC2Mpro), a key component in viral replication of the 2019 novel coronavirus. We explore the hypothesis that zinc ions, long used as a medicinal supplement and known to support immune function, bind to the SC2Mpro enzyme in combination with lipophilic tropolone and thiotropolone ligands, L, block substrate docking, and inhibit function. This study combines synthetic inorganic chemistry, in vitro protease activity…</p></li>
|
||||
</ul>
|
||||
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-patent-search">From Patent Search</h1>
|
||||
<ul>
|
||||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>SARS-COV-2 BINDING PROTEINS</strong> - - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=AU333402004">link</a></p></li>
|
||||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>자외선살균등</strong> - 본 발명은 사람의 의복이나 사용한 마스크 등에 부착하여 있다 호흡기로 유입되어 감염을 유발할 수 있는 COVID-19와 같은 유해균류를 간편하게 살균하기 위한 휴대용 자와선살균등에 관한 것이다. 반감기가 길고 인체에 유해한 오존을 발생하지 않으면서 탁월한 살균능력이 있는 250~265nm(최적은 253.7nm) 파장의 자외선을 발광하는 자외선램프를 본 발명의 막대형의 자외선살균등 광원으로 사용하고 비광원부를 손으로 잡고 의복이나 사용한 마스크 등 유해균류가 부착되었을 것으로 의심되는 곳에 자외선을 조사하여 간편하게 유해균류를 살균하므로써 감염을 예방하기 위한 휴대용 자외선살균등에 관함 것이다. - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=KR332958765">link</a></p></li>
|
||||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A Protein chip and kit for detecting SARS-CoV-2 N protein and its preparation method</strong> - - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=AU333400881">link</a></p></li>
|
||||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Protein chip and kit for detecting the SARS-CoV-2 S antigen</strong> - - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=AU333400883">link</a></p></li>
|
||||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Cabina de desinfección de doble carga exterior</strong> - - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=ES331945699">link</a></p></li>
|
||||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A Novel Method COVID -19 infection using Deep Learning Based System</strong> - - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=AU331907400">link</a></p></li>
|
||||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>EMPUNADURA DE RAQUETA O PALA PARA JUEGO DE PELOTA CON DISPENSADOR LIQUIDO POR CAPILARIDAD INSERTADO</strong> - - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=ES331563132">link</a></p></li>
|
||||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR COVID- 19 DIAGNOSIS USING DETECTION RESULTS FROM CHEST X- RAY IMAGES</strong> - - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=AU330927328">link</a></p></li>
|
||||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>System zum computergestützten Nachverfolgen einer von einer Person durchzuführenden Prozedur</strong> -
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
Ein System (2000) zum computergestützten Nachverfolgen einer von einer Person (1) durchzuführenden Testprozedur, insbesondere für einen Virusnachweistest, bevorzugt zur Durchführung eines SARS-CoV-2 Tests, wobei das System (2000) umfasst:</p></li>
|
||||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">eine Identifizierungseinheit eines Endgeräts (30), die eingerichtet ist zum Identifizieren (201) der Person</li>
|
||||
</ul>
|
||||
<ol type="1">
|
||||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">unmittelbar vor einem Durchführen der Testprozedur durch die Person (1);</li>
|
||||
</ol>
|
||||
<ul>
|
||||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">wobei die Identifizierungseinheit des Endgeräts (30) weiter eingerichtet ist zum Identifizieren (202) zumindest eines Testobjekts (20), bevorzugt einer Testkassette, insbesondere für einen SARS-CoV-2 Test, mehr bevorzugt eines Teststreifens, weiter bevorzugt ein Reagenz in einem Behälter, weiter bevorzugt eines Testsensors, unmittelbar vor der Durchführung der Testprozedur, die Identifizierungseinheit aufweisend:</li>
|
||||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">eine Kamera (31) des Endgeräts (30), eingerichtet zum Erfassen (2021) eines Objektidentifizierungsdatensatzes (21) als maschinenlesbaren Datensatz; und</li>
|
||||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">eine Auswerteeinheit (33) des Endgeräts (30), eingerichtet zum Vergleichen (2022) des erfassten Objektidentifizierungsdatensatzes (21) mit einem Objektdatensatz</li>
|
||||
</ul>
|
||||
<ol start="420" type="1">
|
||||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">eines Hintergrundsystems (40);</li>
|
||||
</ol>
|
||||
<ul>
|
||||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">eine Nachverfolgungseinheit des Endgeräts (30), die eingerichtet ist zum Nachverfolgen (203) einer oder mehrerer Positionen der Person (1) während der Durchführung der Testprozedur mittels Methoden computergestützter Gesten- und/oder Muster- und/oder Bilderkennung mittels eines Prüfens, ob beide Hände (12) der Person (1) während der gesamten Durchführung der Testprozedur in einem vordefinierten Bereich oder einem von der Kamera (31a) des Endgeräts (30) erfassbaren Bereich sind;</li>
|
||||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">die Nachverfolgungseinheit des Endgeräts (30), zudem eingerichtet zum Nachverfolgen (203) von einer oder mehreren Positionen des zumindest einen Testobjekts (20) anhand der Form des Objekts während der Durchführung der Testprozedur mittels Methoden computergestützter Gesten- und/oder Muster- und/oder Bilderkennung; und</li>
|
||||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">einer Anzeigeeinheit (34) des Endgeräts, eingerichtet zum Anleiten (204) der Person (1) zum Durchführen der Testprozedur während der Durchführung der Testprozedur.</li>
|
||||
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|
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<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=DE333370869">link</a></p></li>
|
||||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Mascarilla impermeable</strong> - Mascarilla impermeable, que comprende un cuerpo de cubrición de la nariz y boca, así como medios de fijación a la cabeza del usuario, se caracteriza por que los medios de cubrición de la zona de la nariz y boca se constituyen a partir de dos cuerpos de distinta naturaleza; una superficie (1) tridimensional superior que cubre la zona de la nariz y la boca, de naturaleza impermeable, que se remata inferiormente en unos medios de filtración (3) interiores, debidamente protegidos superiormente de la humedad a través de la superficie (1). - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=ES329916792">link</a></p></li>
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<title>Daily-Dose</title><meta content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" name="viewport"/><link href="styles/simple.css" rel="stylesheet"/><link href="../styles/simple.css" rel="stylesheet"/><style>*{overflow-x:hidden;}</style><link href="https://unpkg.com/aos@2.3.1/dist/aos.css" rel="stylesheet"/><script src="https://unpkg.com/aos@2.3.1/dist/aos.js"></script></head>
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<body>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-down" id="daily-dose">Daily-Dose</h1>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-right" data-aos-anchor-placement="top-bottom" id="contents">Contents</h1>
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<ul>
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<li><a href="#from-new-yorker">From New Yorker</a></li>
|
||||
<li><a href="#from-vox">From Vox</a></li>
|
||||
<li><a href="#from-the-hindu-sports">From The Hindu: Sports</a></li>
|
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<li><a href="#from-the-hindu-national-news">From The Hindu: National News</a></li>
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<li><a href="#from-bbc-europe">From BBC: Europe</a></li>
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<li><a href="#from-ars-technica">From Ars Technica</a></li>
|
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<li><a href="#from-jokes-subreddit">From Jokes Subreddit</a></li>
|
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</ul>
|
||||
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-new-yorker">From New Yorker</h1>
|
||||
<ul>
|
||||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Return of the Taliban</strong> - Their comeback has taken twenty years, but it is a classic example of a successful guerrilla war of attrition. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/the-return-of-the-taliban">link</a></p></li>
|
||||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Does the Great Retreat from Afghanistan Mark the End of the American Era?</strong> - It’s a dishonorable end that weakens U.S. standing in the world, perhaps irrevocably. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/does-the-great-retreat-from-afghanistan-mark-the-end-of-the-%20american-era">link</a></p></li>
|
||||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The U.N.’s Terrifying Climate Report</strong> - Scientists predict hotter heat waves and worse flooding in the decades ahead, but the catastrophe is evident everywhere this summer. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/08/23/the-uns-terrifying-climate-report">link</a></p></li>
|
||||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Trying—and Failing—to Save the Family of the Afghan Who Saved Me</strong> - Twelve years ago, Tahir Luddin helped us both escape after we were kidnapped by the Taliban. Now I am struggling to get his family out of Kabul. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/trying-and-failing-to-save-the-family-of-the-afghan-who-saved-me">link</a></p></li>
|
||||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Mississippi’s Hospital System Is Rapidly Approaching Statewide Failure</strong> - Despite the efforts of Miss U.S.A. and the state’s top medical experts, COVID-19 cases are soaring. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/us-journal/mississippis-hospital-system-is-rapidly-approaching-statewide-%20failure">link</a></p></li>
|
||||
</ul>
|
||||
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-vox">From Vox</h1>
|
||||
<ul>
|
||||
<li><strong>Solar farms are often bad for biodiversity — but they don’t have to be</strong> -
|
||||
<figure>
|
||||
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-
|
||||
cdn.com/thumbor/EquuknynipA0o_OPYbM2ED0jLCg=/75x0:2326x1688/1310x983/cdn.vox-
|
||||
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69740967/566039551.0.jpg"/>
|
||||
<figcaption>
|
||||
An endangered tortoise hunkers under desert foliage outside of the BrightSource Ivanpah Solar construction site in an area deemed safe, in November 2011. | Mark Boster/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images
|
||||
</figcaption>
|
||||
</figure>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
Yes, we can have clean energy and tortoises too.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="GpBbqm">
|
||||
<em>This story is part of </em><a href="https://www.vox.com/down-to-earth"><strong>Down to Earth</strong></a><em>, a Vox reporting initiative on the science, politics, and economics of the biodiversity crisis.</em>
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="TeQPC0">
|
||||
Every several years — sometimes just once a decade — when the rains come in just the right amounts and at just the right times, rare flowers speckle the Mojave Desert in California. Some, like the <a href="https://www.calflora.org/app/taxon?crn=3439">Barstow woolly sunflower</a>, emerge from plants no larger than a thumbnail. They spring forth from seeds that have persisted in the dry soil for years, waiting for just such a sporadic event.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="6wEpRG">
|
||||
In these brief “super-blooms,” the desert floor looks “like a carpet of wildflowers unfurled across the landscape,” said <a href="https://www.aridlab.org/phd-candidates-and-students">Karen Tanner</a>, a researcher at University of California, Santa Cruz. The quick flash of flora helps replenish the seeds for future generations.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="zEXR5H">
|
||||
At other times, large sections of this deceptively fragile ecosystem look “like the moon,” Tanner said. Which, under the punishing sun, makes it seem like an ideal place to build large solar installations. Swaths of the desert, which spans four states, have already been converted to solar facilities, and more are on the way — in the Mojave and across the US. More than <a href="https://cbey.yale.edu/research/maximizing-land-use-benefits-from-utility-
|
||||
scale-solar">4,600 square miles</a> of land is projected to be covered by solar installations by 2030.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="82mW9g">
|
||||
A massive expansion of solar electricity is a crucial part of US plans to reach <a href="https://www.vox.com/22579218/clean-energy-standard-electricity-infrastructure-democrats">80 percent renewable energy</a> by the beginning of the next decade. This is essential to cutting<strong> </strong>carbon emissions and slowing catastrophic climate change — which poses a dire threat to plants and animals the world over, humans included.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="hi45Nh">
|
||||
But<strong> </strong>the race to erect large-scale, maximally efficient solar operations could hurt local ecosystems if operators aren’t careful. Based on her research, Tanner suspects many of these solar projects as they are traditionally executed are causing more local harm than some realize. She has spent nearly a decade closely studying — often on hands and knees with a magnifying glass — experimental solar plots in the Mojave, all located within six miles of four large solar installations. Her most <a href="https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/eap.2349">recent findings</a>, published earlier this year, have noted that solar panels <a href="https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ecs2.3089">changed the immediate microhabitat</a> and had a detrimental impact on rarer plants, such as the Barstow woolly sunflower.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="pKAOLC">
|
||||
One thing is clear to her: “It’s just not enough to do one survey in one year and be like, ‘Oh yeah, there’s nothing here. Go ahead and install the infrastructure,’” she said.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ihSveR">
|
||||
Solar doesn’t have to be a zero-sum game that prioritizes either clean energy <em>or</em> biodiversity, scientists told Vox. Many projects and studies are currently looking for ways that solar installations can better protect — and potentially even improve — local ecosystems, along with the bottom lines of operators and even nearby landholders like farmers. These solutions can be as simple as prioritizing native plants or picking a location that’s already been disturbed by humans.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<figure class="e-image">
|
||||
<img alt=" " src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/KgUSG5uTn4WqM49EUPFpURGvBQs=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-
|
||||
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22779292/Tanner_2_Eriophyllum_mohavense_on_caliche_pan.JPG"/> <cite>Karen Tanner/UC Santa Cruz</cite>
|
||||
<figcaption>
|
||||
The rare and tiny Barstow woolly sunflower in the California Mojave Desert germinates only in exceptional years and would be easily missed by even a year-long environmental site survey for a new solar development, of which there are many in the area.
|
||||
</figcaption>
|
||||
</figure>
|
||||
<h3 id="1sPOSm">
|
||||
The darker side of solar
|
||||
</h3>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="47tkrY">
|
||||
Solar installations, on the scale needed to supply<strong> </strong>power grids, are massive by necessity, transforming the lands where they’re located into a new kind of built environment. They can alter<strong> </strong>everything from sun exposure to moisture to surface temperatures. This can have unintended and unexpected impacts on local plants, animals, and even <a href="https://sfamjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1751-7915.13620">the area’s microbiome</a>.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="n2ECW5">
|
||||
Photovoltaic panels shade the land while blocking some areas from rainfall and dousing others with heavy runoff. This changes the growing conditions for plants, with implications for other connected species. The other prominent form of solar, concentrating solar — in which mirrors focus the sun’s rays — generates so much heat that it “can incinerate insects and burn the feathers of birds that fly through,” <a href="https://www.usgs.gov/staff-
|
||||
profiles/jeffrey-e-lovich?qt-staff_profile_science_products=0#qt-staff_profile_science_products">Jeffrey Lovich</a>, a research ecologist with the US Geological Survey who studies the environmental impacts of these installations, wrote to Vox.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="PZD4f4">
|
||||
In areas like the US Southwest, solar installations appear to contribute to <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960148116301422">bird mortality</a>. Scientists aren’t entirely sure why this is, but one prevailing idea, known as the “lake-effect” hypothesis, is that migrating waterfowl making their way through the arid landscape mistake the installations for bodies of water and crash into them.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="oqA9VL">
|
||||
Large solar facilities in particular can also <a href="https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/fee.1517">fragment</a> important <a href="https://conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/csp2.319">wildlife habitat</a> or migration corridors via fences and landscape alteration, and can restrict gene flow for animal as well as plant populations.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="S1HYgM">
|
||||
Operators of these installations are generally keen to cut the costs of construction and maintenance, so most solar facilities replace the existing land cover with graded packed dirt, gravel, or mowed grass, further harming local biodiversity. “‘Blade-and-grade’ site prep that removes all vegetation clearly has a negative effect on biodiversity,” Lovich said. He expects mowed grass would “stress plant communities and the animals that use them.”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<figure class="e-image">
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><img alt="USA - Energy - Solar Farm" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/nHqB8OTI-
|
||||
CfE-hPNxLuEJ1TsH7c=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22787482/529797820.jpg"/></p>
|
||||
<cite>Tim Rue/Corbis/Getty Images</cite>
|
||||
<figcaption>
|
||||
The Desert Sunlight Solar Farm is a 550-megawatt solar power plant in the Mojave Desert.
|
||||
</figcaption>
|
||||
</figure>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="sLrWfh">
|
||||
Many of the impacts remain unknown. It’s often difficult for researchers to gain access to solar facilities and the environmental data they collect — “even though the majority of facilities are situated on publicly owned lands,” Lovich and colleagues noted in <a href="https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/fee.1517">a 2017 paper</a>.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="fCg3Uh">
|
||||
But it’s possible to dial down the potential harms of big solar farms. The type of solar infrastructure — whether concentrated solar or photovoltaic, and whether panels are fixed or rotating, high, or low — affects the potential downsides of large-scale installations. So does the nature of the<strong> </strong>landscape itself.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<h3 id="5SFYvm">
|
||||
How solar can help native plants and crucial pollinators
|
||||
</h3>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="qutLil">
|
||||
Some solar operators are reimagining their facilities as prime protected habitats for native plants, bringing back key local species and potentially improving lands that humans have already disturbed. “Solar can be a net benefit in terms of restoring a native habitat and improving ecosystem services, like storm water control and carbon storage and sequestration,” said <a href="https://www.anl.gov/profile/leroy-j-walston-jr">Leroy Walston</a>, a landscape ecologist with Argonne National Laboratory who studies the relationship between renewable energy and the environment.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="QxRXDR">
|
||||
One in-vogue mitigation measure is pollinator-friendly foliage. At one experimental solar installation in Minnesota, pollinator- friendly plants helped boost energy yields a tad (by making the microclimate a touch cooler) and slightly reduced long- term maintenance costs (due to less-frequent mowing), according to <a href="https://cbey.yale.edu/research/maximizing-
|
||||
land-use-benefits-from-utility-scale-solar">a 2019 analysis</a> from the Center for Business and the Environment at Yale University. The report also noted bigger wins: The plants helped reduce erosion, increasing groundwater stores and bolstering crop yields.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<div class="c-float-right">
|
||||
<aside id="rYyVZF">
|
||||
<q>“Solar can be a net benefit in terms of restoring a native habitat and improving ecosystem services” —Leroy Walston</q>
|
||||
</aside>
|
||||
</div>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="nseJjS">
|
||||
Experts have brought up <a href="https://insideclimatenews.org/news/28112020/pollinator-friendly-solar-greenwashing-
|
||||
risk/">concerns</a> that solar operators will use a few flowers to green the image, but not the substance,<strong> </strong>of their operations.<strong> </strong>To help prevent this, some 15 states now have <a href="https://fresh-
|
||||
energy.org/beeslovesolar/pollinator-friendly-solar-scorecards">pollinator-friendly solar scorecards</a> that aim to measure the actual impact of solar projects on the crucial creatures that carry pollen from plant to plant.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="G3Sx2m">
|
||||
“They are voluntary, but they do help solar facilities to attain an objective certification that they’re pollinator-friendly, that’s been helpful to encourage some use of pollinator habitat at solar facilities,” said <a href="https://www.evs.anl.gov/about-evs/staff/detail/index.cfm?/Hartmann/Heidi">Heidi Hartmann</a>, a colleague of Walston who works as a program manager for land resources and energy policy at Argonne. For example, the California renewable electricity provider MCE is now asking its facilities on arable land to use “<a href="https://www.mcecleanenergy.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/MCE-Feed-In-Tariff-Schedule_2020.pdf">reasonable efforts</a>” to hit a certain score on these pollinator tallies.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="nHZHwE">
|
||||
Walston calls for an even broader approach to solar — one that focuses not only on bees and butterflies, but<strong> </strong>on native habitat restoration overall. Native plants are keenly tuned to the local environment, thriving in specific climate conditions, improving soil retention, and often benefiting the widest range of other area species, in ways<strong> </strong>non- native, flashy pollinator species might not.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="nEhefV">
|
||||
Hartmann and Walston have modeled the impact of switching from maintained grass to native plantings. They found that in the US Midwest, native plants would bring in three times the number of pollinators. They’d also boost the carbon storage potential of the soil by 65 percent and would be more effective, once established, at keeping weeds at bay, which could reduce the need for harmful herbicide use.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<figure class="e-image">
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><img alt="Country’s Largest Urban Solar “Farm” Generates Electricity For
|
||||
Chicago" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/t7IUZVd3xZ3xWecPbMrjKoF5Ay0=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-
|
||||
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22787504/103772537.jpg"/> <cite>Scott Olson/Getty Images</cite></p></figure></li>
|
||||
</ul>
|
||||
<figcaption>
|
||||
Solar photovoltaic panels generate electricity at an Exelon solar power facility on September 1, 2010, in Chicago.
|
||||
</figcaption>
|
||||
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="f7eWwu">
|
||||
“The equation is complex,” said <a href="https://www.lightsourcebp.com/us/2021/05/all-hands-on-deck-alyssas-story/">Alyssa Edwards</a>, vice president of environmental affairs at solar producer Lightsource BP, about the company’s impact on local habitats. Lightsource advertises itself as protecting ecosystems and boosting biodiversity. “Pollinator habitat, considerations of seed availability, vegetation height, insurance requirements, fire risk, and cost all come into play. Not to mention that pollinator habitat may not be the right choice for all sites, as other initiatives may be more valuable contributions to sustainability.” The company, a joint venture with<strong> </strong>the oil and gas giant BP, says it’s working on various solar projects that incorporate pollinator habitat, conservation of short-grass prairie land, and even animal grazing.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="D8huDk">
|
||||
<a href="https://www.fws.gov/refuges/features/wildlife-corridors.html">Wildlife corridors</a> are another way solar installations could help support<strong> </strong>biodiversity. But for large sites to become a part of corridors, they may require substantial adjustments to fencing and other built infrastructure (and even then, they’d probably pose barriers to some larger species).
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="orMbih">
|
||||
As more sites incorporate biodiversity as a benchmark, the devil is in the details. Tanner and others have found that solar panels can actually increase the number of plant species that grow beneath them, especially in harsh environments like the desert. However, some of these additional species are invasive or threaten to outcompete the smaller, rarer native ones that could tolerate such extreme desert conditions.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="KGr47C">
|
||||
These kinds of wrinkles make it all the more important that scientists and operators actually measure their impact on ecosystems — that they’re “pausing for a moment and considering what sort of species we are considering that are making up the diversity,” Tanner said.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<h3 id="uEkzZ1">
|
||||
Build solar on lands that humans have already messed with, one expert says
|
||||
</h3>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="fg6drl">
|
||||
Solar operators tend to look for new sites based on sun and climate conditions, but also proximity to the existing power grid — and a utility company in the market for their energy. Scientists told Vox that firms should also look for places that humans have disturbed, because the local ecosystem may have less to lose.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="us8D2M">
|
||||
Lovich suggests siting more solar farms on “brown fields, roof tops, abandoned agricultural fields, dry lakes, and even airports — where wildlife are unwanted.” They’re also well-suited for <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-021-00693-8.epdf?sharing_token=didQC1xUqt1qyGVnt3Z12dRgN0jAjWel9jnR3ZoTv0Mb3g4mLTCIVkzQOaSaqfLUi1Bq6MCdtZK6XJUm5MJAMPv8iXZ-
|
||||
uGljoJVz2bpMqUAvDY2ySHIn9UMZbdBvvphuM4bCei4t3oXznuu_ozlQ8e3S_s2Ozy2Khvnhy81rHCk%3D">canals</a> and <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/mach/science/floating-solar-farms-how-floatovoltaics-could-provide-power-without-taking-
|
||||
ncna969091">human-made reservoirs</a>, where they’re sometimes called “floatovoltaics,” not least because they can slow water loss by evaporation. These less-conventional arrangements may have higher up-front costs, but the eventual environmental costs will be lower.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<div class="c-float-left">
|
||||
<figure class="e-image">
|
||||
<img alt="Ivanpah
|
||||
Solar Project, California Desert" src="https://cdn.vox-
|
||||
cdn.com/thumbor/wFhNEqlZv8Qbtd_75ywTqff_CRM=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-
|
||||
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22786239/184251630.jpg"/> <cite>Joe Sohm/Visions of America/Universal Images Group via Getty Images</cite>
|
||||
<figcaption>
|
||||
A solar thermal tower at Ivanpah Solar Project Bechtel in the Mojave Desert.
|
||||
</figcaption>
|
||||
</figure>
|
||||
</div>
|
||||
<div class="c-float-right">
|
||||
<figure class="e-image">
|
||||
<img alt="A Desert
|
||||
Tortoise With Radio Transmitters" src="https://cdn.vox-
|
||||
cdn.com/thumbor/f3K7iGWrCMR7MEvCMzfRMlpH-2Q=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-
|
||||
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22786321/688501110.jpg"/> <cite>Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images</cite>
|
||||
<figcaption>
|
||||
A desert tortoise with radio transmitters installed on his back, in Joshua Tree National Park, California, May 2017.
|
||||
</figcaption>
|
||||
</figure>
|
||||
</div>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="XBzzWO">
|
||||
Building on an ecologically sensitive site can also be costly. Take for example BrightSource Energy, which spent <a href="https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-
|
||||
xpm-2012-mar-04-la-me-solar-tortoise-20120304-story.html">at least $56 million relocating threatened desert tortoises</a> from its Ivanpah solar development site in the Mojave Desert. Although these efforts allowed the project to go through, scientists are still learning about the consequences. <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0134250">An early study</a> found that the relocated tortoises needed<strong> </strong>more time and effort to settle into normal movement patterns, potentially exposing them to additional threats. But as Lovich pointed out, “since tortoises are long-lived, results for the long term are not yet available.”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="vzWexS">
|
||||
Such experiences have not deterred other desert sun-seeking operations. “Solar farms are operating or planned in excellent tortoise habitat affecting hundreds to thousands of tortoises,” Lovich said. Simply moving the tortoises — pricey as it may be — is not a sure cure. “Translocation has a checkered history of success,” he said.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="4Q07Kn">
|
||||
Lovich is currently studying the <a href="https://news.bloomberglaw.com/environment-and-energy/massive-desert-solar-project-experiment-in-tortoise-
|
||||
survival">impact of the Gemini Solar Project</a> in Nevada, which would cover 11 square miles of <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/solar-powers-land-grab-hits-a-snag-environmentalists-11622816381">publicly owned tortoise habitat</a> and is home to hundreds of these long-lived, vanishing animals. For this project, the plan is to capture the animals, place them in a holding center for up to two years during construction, and then release them into the facility grounds “to see how they fare,” Lovich said.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="UwYq4s">
|
||||
“All energy sources will come with a cost to some wildlife,” Lovich and his colleagues noted in <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ab8846">a 2020 paper</a>. “The best mitigation strategy is to avoid developing sensitive and pristine areas.”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="U9Vf8D">
|
||||
Other landscapes would not only tolerate solar farms, but could benefit from them. For example, a pollinator-friendly solar installation could add yield for farmers whose soy, citrus, almonds, cotton, or alfalfa needs some pollination help. More than 500 solar facilities already exist within easy buzzing-distance — less than a mile — from these crops in California, Massachusetts, and North Carolina, respectively,<strong> </strong>according to <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.8b00020">a 2018 study</a> by Walston, Hartmann, and their colleagues. Nationally, more than 1,350 square miles of cropland would benefit if existing solar installations added pollinator-friendly plants, they concluded.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="PtX8TI">
|
||||
As solar has moved into lands that could otherwise be farmed, it has caused <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/solar-energys-growth-
|
||||
sows-concerns-over-farmland-1488991708">some tension</a> with local residents. But solar farms and actual farms don’t necessarily need to be in opposition. It’s possible to <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-47803-3">co- locate solar and crops</a> into “agrivoltaic systems,” which can feature grazing grass, corn grown for biogas, and even lettuce and tomatoes that may flourish under solar panels. Other crops could even be grown <a href="https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2015/ee/c4ee03132f#!divAbstract">under semi-transparent solar panels</a>.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<h3 id="KMJuXM">
|
||||
Solar can protect plants and animals while it helps the planet
|
||||
</h3>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="oI0fBo">
|
||||
Redesigning solar developments — and steering them to the places where they won’t cause harm — isn’t easy.<strong> </strong>Maximizing energy output means finding locations with the right combinations of sun, temperature, wind, and humidity (one study pegged <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-47803-3">the best spots</a> as croplands, grasslands, and wetlands) and packing solar-harvesting devices as densely as possible. All of these often work at cross-purposes with supporting a diverse range of plant and animal species.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<figure class="e-image">
|
||||
<pre><code> <img alt=" " src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/XqNT5X1WKRA9uFQLsXxfbM-</code></pre>
|
||||
jHwk=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22787664/566026843.jpg" /> <cite>Mark Boster/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images</cite>
|
||||
<figcaption>
|
||||
Bureau of Land Management biologist Larry LaPre and BrightSource biologist George E. Keyes Jr. check on the tortoise population in protective pens at the BrightSource Ivanpah Solar construction site in 2011.
|
||||
</figcaption>
|
||||
</figure>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="vogxb2">
|
||||
Additionally, permits for these facilities are typically done at a very local level. (President Barack Obama had instructed <a href="https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2015/11/03/mitigating-impacts-natural-resources-development-
|
||||
and-encouraging-related">these sorts of projects on federal lands to have a mitigation strategy</a> — an order that President Donald Trump <a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2017/03/31/2017-06576/promoting-energy-
|
||||
independence-and-economic-growth">struck down</a> his second month in office.) So it’s a patchwork of different levels of regulations and approval processes, some of which are more in tune with thoughtful evaluation of sites and long-term impacts. There is “more education that can be done at local government levels,” Hartmann said.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="dXjFsA">
|
||||
Without more thorough <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ab8846">before-and-after research</a>, we may remain in the dark about how these large facilities are changing the landscapes they cover. If site evaluations are performed over a relatively brief period of time — such as a single season in the run-up to the construction of a solar farm — operators could easily miss key aspects of biodiversity, like the Barstow woolly sunflower, which waits for just the right pattern of rare desert rain to emerge.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="9aa0Fv">
|
||||
“We’re just starting to scratch the surface and determine how different organisms are likely to respond” to solar, said Tanner, the UC Santa Cruz researcher. For now, it behooves us to mess with their environment as little as possible, she noted, and to preserve as much as we can. “Especially in a context of climate change, we don’t know what species are going to be able to pass through that aperture in the future.”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="2M3Ree">
|
||||
As the world barrels toward climate catastrophe, scaling up carbon-neutral energy production as quickly as possible couldn’t be more urgent. “We need all the help we can get, and we need to move quickly,” Tanner said. On a planetary scale, clean electricity can help safeguard all species, and could arguably be worth the trade-off if it harms a few local species in the process.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ITRWp3">
|
||||
But maybe there doesn’t need to be a trade-off, Tanner suggested. “I’m not sure it’s an either-or question,” she said.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<ul>
|
||||
<li><strong>How free college became a perk for American workers</strong> -
|
||||
<figure>
|
||||
<img alt="A woman is taking notes in a journal in front of a computer in a well-lit room. " src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/FBqhKF5OWJYJZj-R5YkolJVPdEw=/406x0:6955x4912/1310x983/cdn.vox-
|
||||
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69740941/GettyImages_1135940046.0.jpg"/>
|
||||
<figcaption>
|
||||
Most American adults don’t have a college degree; corporations are stepping in to make college more affordable — provided that you work for them. | Getty Images
|
||||
</figcaption>
|
||||
</figure>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
As employees quit their jobs at record rates, companies like Target and Walmart are offering better benefits to retain them.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="pGJwe8">
|
||||
In an ideal world, every college student in America could graduate without debt. The reality, as we know, is much different: Collectively, Americans owe nearly $1.6 trillion in student loans in 2020, an amount so large that it’s regarded almost as an abstraction. That’s part of the reason why Logan, a graduate of Arizona State, was dead set against taking on any debt for his bachelor’s degree. Instead of loans, he turned to his employer: Starbucks. “It was crucial that I graduate without debt, even if that meant living with my parents,” said Logan, who asked to withhold his name for privacy reasons. “I have friends who owe $30,000 at 23. That just didn’t seem worth it to me.”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="1t65Sq">
|
||||
As college becomes an essential precursor for long-term employment, corporations are stepping in where the government has yet to take action. Decades ago, employers weren’t fixated on hiring college-educated workers. As technology began automating more jobs at the turn of the century, employers started seeking out — and prioritizing — college graduates. Many current job listings <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/07/20/majority-americans-lack-college-degree-why-do-so-many-
|
||||
employers-require-one/">require applicants</a> to have at least an associate’s degree, despite <a href="https://www.census.gov/content/census/en/data/tables/2019/demo/educational-attainment/cps-detailed-tables.html">a majority of American adults</a> lacking that level of education.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="imjwYT">
|
||||
<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/07/business/target-cover-free-college-tuition-employees-trnd/index.html">Target</a> and <a href="https://corporate.walmart.com/newsroom/2021/07/27/walmart-to-pay-100-of-college-tuition-and-books-for-
|
||||
associates">Walmart</a>, two of America’s largest retail chains, recently announced free college initiatives for employees that will come into effect this fall. Eligible workers will be able to enroll in an online undergraduate program from a pre-selected list of schools and degrees at no cost.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Qblje0">
|
||||
These education benefits are not solely altruistic; they’re part of a greater corporate effort to attract and retain workers, who have left their jobs at record rates this year. Many are <a href="https://www.vox.com/22545398/jobs-quitting-retail-workers-pandemic-
|
||||
sales">leaving customer-facing roles</a> that require them to manage unruly, aggressive customers while enforcing pandemic safety guidelines, and are migrating to industries that might offer better conditions, hours, and perks. To coax workers back, major employers have promised to increase wages and <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/08/10/employers-add-perks-like-retirement-bonuses-and-tuition-to-draw-
|
||||
workers.html">improve benefits</a>, promising pay bonuses, retirement plans, and, in the case of companies like Target and Walmart, the opportunity to receive a free college or vocational degree.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="rDIUHa">
|
||||
These higher education initiatives, while beneficial, are not entirely new. Starbucks <a href="https://www.vox.com/2014/6/16/5814408/the-real-
|
||||
target-of-starbucks-tuition-plan-college-dropouts">began its partnership</a> with Arizona State University in 2014, offering to fully cover employees’ tuition for online undergraduate courses. Walmart’s program is an update to its existing <a href="https://www.vox.com/2018/6/1/17413326/walmart-college-tuition-worker-pay-unemployment">“$1 a day” </a>college benefit first launched in 2018. At the time, employees could pursue a degree in business or supply chain management at one of three institutions: University of Florida, Brandman University, or Bellevue University.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="HmkUuO">
|
||||
It’s also <a href="https://www.glassdoor.com/blog/tuition-assistance-companies/">not uncommon</a> for companies to provide tuition reimbursement or discount benefits to eligible workers. Many have a policy of reimbursing part- and full-time workers for tuition, usually up to $5,250 (the tax-free limit) every year. In recent years, though, some companies have taken it one step further. Disney, Discover, and Chipotle, to name a few, have partnered with Guild Education, a private company, to offer a number of pre-selected online degrees from both public and private institutions for employees at no cost.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="4HtUnW">
|
||||
The popularity of these corporate benefits coincides with a greater legislative push for college affordability, as <a href="https://www.vox.com/2019/6/24/18677785/democrats-free-college-
|
||||
sanders-warren-biden">more Democrats and progressives</a> rally for free college and student debt cancellation. A majority of Americans support measures to reform student debt and college costs, but until fairly recently, the federal government has done little to offset these growing problems.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="egvxJS">
|
||||
“The private sector is increasingly encroaching on the government’s space because the government is leaving so much space to begin with,” wrote Vox’s Emily Stewart in a recent article on <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods/22585831/starbucks-bathroom-privatization-
|
||||
government">corporate social responsibility</a>. “Corporations are swooping in with solutions because the solutions coming from public officials and entities aren’t working or are nonexistent.” In this case, the solution is to offer working adults the chance to attend college for free, with a few caveats.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<aside id="J6cR9k">
|
||||
<div>
|
||||
|
||||
</div>
|
||||
</aside>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="PTydtt">
|
||||
According to Paul Freedman, the president of the learning marketplace at Guild Education, the company sought to invert the traditional tuition reimbursement model, which typically benefits older, senior-level employees with time and money to spare. Guild Education serves as a middleman between employers and learning institutions, in addition to providing services on its platform, like one-on-one coaching, for student-workers.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="qdV3ZA">
|
||||
“If you’re requiring employees to pay out of pocket costs upfront, that’s a very restrictive policy,” he told Vox. “We’re helping employers figure out which institutions best serve working adult learners, and with our platform, we try to eliminate any friction that comes with the college application process.”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="nbuA6A">
|
||||
While the option is convenient, most employers select degrees from institutions that align with their own internal careers, which might not always serve the personal interests of all employees. In some cases, workers may have more limited options and have to pay out of pocket if they choose to pursue an in-person program (although they can apply for reimbursement). The online degrees offered are typically in fields vetted by the employer for specific internal career paths, generally related to business, science, or technology.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="5kSHyL">
|
||||
“Education is a hard thing to judge the value of,” said Joshua Goodman, an associate professor of education and economics at Boston University. “Some of these employers are partnering with public institutions, which is a good thing since there might be more forms of accountability, but it’s still not a guarantee that what they’re going to produce is valuable for students and will help them in the labor market.”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<div class="c-float-right">
|
||||
<aside id="grudnv">
|
||||
<q>“Education is a hard thing to judge the value of”</q>
|
||||
</aside>
|
||||
</div>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="PN1Be1">
|
||||
While the pandemic has made virtual learning — and by extension, online college programs — more popular than ever, prospective employers still don’t appear to value online degrees much, Goodman said. An online degree could be grounds for promotion within a specific company. The reality of the larger labor market, however, is much more complex.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="eHBTAP">
|
||||
“Research has shown that employers are less likely to call you back, compared to a candidate who graduated from a brick-and-mortar institution,” Goodman told Vox. Still, these factors are dependent on the program, and whether students are receiving a degree that’s distinguished as online.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="03bkWQ">
|
||||
It’s too early to tell how beneficial these corporate-sponsored programs might be. The initiatives are fairly new and managed by private companies, so there is limited data available for researchers to establish concrete conclusions. They do, however, appear to benefit low-income students and adult workers without existing undergraduate degrees, who don’t have the money or time to attend school while working full-time. For them, finishing college without debt could be life- changing.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="NZqWT6">
|
||||
“Most students want to graduate debt-free, but the reality is, it’s pretty rare to get a full-ride scholarship if you’re not an outstanding student or athlete,” Logan, the former Starbucks employee, told Vox. In his two-and-a-half years at the company, he enrolled in online classes at Arizona State to get a degree in organizational leadership. Logan initially put down $5,000 to enroll, an amount that was later reimbursed through his paycheck every semester until he graduated.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="oYDBPB">
|
||||
The program’s benefits kept Logan at Starbucks until he graduated, but when Logan began his job search, there were limited, low-paying opportunities to climb the corporate ladder, at least from his position as a shift supervisor. He was offered the role of assistant store manager when he announced his departure, but he didn’t think about staying, since the starting salary was so low. Ultimately, Logan stayed at Starbucks for the duration of his classes, but not for very long afterward.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="JwHU7e">
|
||||
With turnover rates in food service and retail at an all-time high, employee retention is crucial. It saves money and time involved in hiring, onboarding, and training new workers. By extending an employee’s work-span at a company, these education programs end up helping employers as much as the workers who take advantage of them, from the positive publicity to the <a href="https://www.meratas.com/blog/reasons-to-offer-tuition-reimbursement-as-an-employer">tax deductions</a> that benefit companies’ bottom line. Research has backed this up: Employees who take advantage of education benefits are <a href="https://www.nber.org/digest/feb03/why-companies-pay-college">more productive</a> and likelier to stay longer with their employers than those who don’t.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="zZBQ0k">
|
||||
In late July, Target said it will commit $50 million a year to education initiatives until 2025. Dan Price, an entrepreneur and CEO of an online credit card processing company, <a href="https://twitter.com/DanPriceSeattle/status/1422989461999153153">pointed out</a> that, when calculating the cost per worker, Target isn’t actually breaking the bank: An online degree only costs about $147 per worker per year. Not every worker seeks out these benefits, or is even eligible for them. For every success story like Logan’s, there are many untold experiences from those who failed to qualify or are struggling to balance work and school, including those not enrolled in corporate-sponsored online programs.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<div id="WUQP8w">
|
||||
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" dir="ltr" lang="en">
|
||||
Target got glowing stories for offering workers ‘free tuition’<br/><br/>Fine print: It’s spending $50M/year - $147 per worker. The free offer applies to Target-friendly degrees.<br/><br/>Target last year<br/><em>Added $15B in revenue<br/></em>Gave CEO $56M raise<br/>*Paid median worker $24k<a href="https://t.co/gRQ5nZepBb">https://t.co/gRQ5nZepBb</a>
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
— Dan Price (<span class="citation" data-cites="DanPriceSeattle">@DanPriceSeattle</span>) <a href="https://twitter.com/DanPriceSeattle/status/1422989461999153153?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 4, 2021</a></blockquote></div></li>
|
||||
</ul>
|
||||
|
||||
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="9ZRM1z">
|
||||
Kenneth Kane, a 22-year-old former Chipotle employee, put in a year’s worth of work at the company in the hopes of receiving the company’s tuition reimbursement benefit. To qualify, according to Chipotle’s current standards, workers have to be employed for at least four months and put in an average of 15 hours a week before they could apply, and work an additional six months before any reimbursement is cashed out. Kane told Vox he had submitted most of his paperwork, and was initially approved for the benefit. Later on, Kane learned that he didn’t qualify for the reimbursement because he hadn’t worked enough hours.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="dD2B6f">
|
||||
“I hadn’t worked enough hours in the last however-many weeks when they evaluated my work schedule,” Kane told Vox. “Although you have to work an average of 15 hours a week, which is pretty doable, I wasn’t informed that this average would be determined within a certain period of time.”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="OBiNVC">
|
||||
For employees attending college in-person, these requirements can be challenging to meet, especially since students’ schedules are subject to extended breaks. “It really isn’t ideal for a regular college student, especially if you’re from out of town,” Kane added. “You have to plan to start work before the semester you qualify for and stay for a certain period after the semester ends.” Plus, when the turnover rate is high, fewer people end up qualifying for the benefits. “It’s food service,” he said. “It’s not a fun place to work, especially when you’re a student.”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="6yQtiy">
|
||||
The reality of retail and food service work is still bleak. When an employee is hired, they are, first and foremost, expected to work. College benefits are only benefits, after all — something that’s expected to concern workers after hours, not while they’re on shift. Some employees are on the<a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/walmart/comments/ouykvd/ive_been_working_at_my_store_for_2_years_now_and/"> brink of quitting</a>, but stay on the job to reap the college benefits. On public forums like Reddit, <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/walmart/comments/n0s3n0/any_other_college_students_here/">student-employees</a> have complained about the struggle to balance work and in-person school, when managers are scheduling them for shifts they haven’t requested, <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Target/comments/mrkcgi/me_checking_my_schedule_next_week_and_being/">adding in extra hours</a>, or acting exasperated when they <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/walmart/comments/lobxj9/college_students_does_your_store_make_it/">request time off </a>for exams and breaks. In one anonymous post on the Walmart subreddit, a part-time employee claimed that they felt pressured by their manager <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/walmart/comments/p1uh8k/has_anyone_elses_coachpeople_lead_asked_them_to/">to switch into full-time</a> due to staffing shortages, despite attending college.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="sczskh">
|
||||
It’s uncertain whether the promise of a free college degree will keep workers at a low-paying, labor-intensive job for very long. It boils down to an individual’s circumstance. The concept of debt-free college is theoretically more available to working Americans than ever, but the terms and conditions — of who can access higher education and what type of degree a student can earn — can too often be decided by private corporations.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<ul>
|
||||
<li><strong>Why Biden was so set on withdrawing from Afghanistan</strong> -
|
||||
<figure>
|
||||
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/OZImtndGG1Ab-
|
||||
VmNwzOL2GOGaE4=/163x0:2830x2000/1310x983/cdn.vox-
|
||||
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69740865/GettyImages_1234717458_copy.0.jpg"/>
|
||||
<figcaption>
|
||||
President Joe Biden went against the military establishment to withdraw troops from Afghanistan. | Oliver Contreras/Sipa/Bloomberg via Getty Images
|
||||
</figcaption>
|
||||
</figure>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
Even in 2009, he didn’t believe the military had a strategy for victory.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Z19t5h">
|
||||
To understand President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan against the advice of the US military establishment, you need to go back to a debate that played out more than a decade ago, during the early years of Barack Obama’s presidency.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="DHEjIa">
|
||||
In 2009, the new Obama administration debated whether to “surge” troop levels in Afghanistan after nearly eight years of war had failed to quell the insurgency from the overthrown Taliban forces. Top generals asked early that year for 17,000 more US troops and then, having gotten those, asked for an additional 40,000 to try to weaken the Taliban and strengthen the Afghan government.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="io2zZw">
|
||||
Then-Vice President Biden was consistently one of the biggest skeptics of the military’s recommendations. Throughout months of debate, he repeatedly raised the inconvenient point that the generals’ preferred strategy seemed extremely unlikely to lead to actual victory. “We have not thought through our strategic goals!” he shouted during the Obama administration’s first meeting on the war in Afghanistan.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<figure class="e-image">
|
||||
<img alt=" " src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/xTfmdZJcrrPo_Rb51o_sKkOA-bs=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-
|
||||
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22788609/GettyImages_566466263_copy.jpg"/> <cite>Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images</cite>
|
||||
<figcaption>
|
||||
Barack Obama, Joe Biden, and Hillary Clinton attend an Afghanistan policy review in the White House Situation Room on October 9, 2009.
|
||||
</figcaption>
|
||||
</figure>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="c97XyK">
|
||||
All this was documented at the time in Bob Woodward’s deeply reported 2010 book <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Obamas-Wars-Bob-Woodward/dp/1439172501"><em>Obama’s Wars</em></a>. Biden did not actually support withdrawal at the time — he pushed for a more limited mission focused on counterterrorism, accompanied by a smaller troop surge than the military wanted.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="2cnoxz">
|
||||
But his dark view of the long-term picture was clearly vindicated in the decade since. Now that Biden is president and has actually withdrawn from the war — leading to a Taliban takeover of Afghanistan — it’s worth revisiting that past debate, as outlined in Woodward’s book, to understand why his mind was so firmly made up.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<h3 id="NDftri">
|
||||
What Biden argued in 2009
|
||||
</h3>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="GGOakd">
|
||||
The US initially invaded Afghanistan in 2001 because its Taliban regime had sheltered Osama bin Laden’s terrorist group al-Qaeda; the military deposed the Taliban and sent bin Laden fleeing from the country by the end of that year.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="7qZWgw">
|
||||
After that, Americans became distracted by a separate war of choice in Iraq, while a Taliban insurgency brewed in Afghanistan and terrorist groups relocated to Pakistan and other countries.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="caWnjt">
|
||||
So a grueling, months-long debate unfolded during Obama’s first year in office over what, exactly, the US’s goals should then be in Afghanistan, and whether many more troops were needed to accomplish them. Woodward chronicles this debate in <em>Obama’s Wars</em> in exhaustive detail. Military leaders wanted tens of thousands more troops to implement an expansive counterinsurgency mission in an effort to stabilize the country, <a href="https://www.npr.org/2011/12/16/143832121/as-
|
||||
the-iraq-war-ends-reassessing-the-u-s-surge">as had just been done</a> in Iraq.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ea26X1">
|
||||
Biden didn’t buy it. At every step, he tried to argue for less — for a more limited mission than the military was asking for. During meetings, this often made him the skunk at the garden party as he made a few noteworthy arguments:
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="gDzkkD">
|
||||
<strong>Building a functioning nation-state in Afghanistan was impossible.</strong> Woodward writes that during one October meeting, Biden asked the generals, “If the government’s a criminal syndicate a year from now, how will troops make a difference?” He followed up with, “If a year from now there is no demonstrable progress in governance, what do we do?” He didn’t receive a convincing answer to either question.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="b45EWV">
|
||||
Later on, he wrote memos to Obama arguing for “no full counterinsurgency” and “no nation-building.” He thought the military’s goals of strengthening Afghanistan’s military and police force were doomed. And he said the following at a meeting with National Security Council leaders, per Woodward:
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<blockquote>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ElRXZK">
|
||||
Historically, [Biden] said, it’s been very difficult—impossible—for foreign interventions to prevail in Afghanistan. With tens of thousands of troops on the ground already, if we can’t do it with this number and we don’t have a reliable partner in the Afghanistan government, then it seems irresponsible to inject additional troops on top of that. We’re just prolonging failure at that point, he said.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
</blockquote>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="NzOajj">
|
||||
<strong>The Afghan Taliban posed little threat to the US homeland. </strong>Biden wrote a six-page memo to Obama in which he questioned intelligence reports portraying the Taliban as a new al-Qaeda recruiting foreign fighters that posed a transnational terrorist threat. “Biden indicated that, based on the way he read the intelligence reports, the phenomenon was grossly exaggerated,” Woodward writes. “The vice president did not see evidence that the Pashtun Taliban projected a global jihadist ideology, let alone designs on the American homeland.”
|
||||
</p></li>
|
||||
</ul>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="u51sAM">
|
||||
At a meeting discussing the US strategy in Afghanistan, Biden asked, “Is there any evidence the Afghan Taliban advocates attacks outside of Afghanistan and on the U.S., or if it took over more of Afghanistan it would have more of an outward focus?” An intelligence official responded that there was no evidence.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="vPjSMW">
|
||||
<strong>The fall of Afghanistan’s government wouldn’t be so bad.</strong> Woodward describes a phone conversation between the president and vice president near the end of the review, during which Biden said “it would not be that bad if the Karzai government fell.” The book does not elaborate on what exactly Biden meant by this, but Obama disagreed, arguing that “the downside was too great.”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<h3 id="C5mLxj">
|
||||
But Biden didn’t argue for full withdrawal back then
|
||||
</h3>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="q3inyb">
|
||||
Biden diagnosed the problems well, and he was likely the high-level official most skeptical of the Afghanistan war in the Obama administration. But though his logic arguably pointed toward a withdrawal of troops in the near future, he didn’t argue for that — it simply seemed too unpalatable. Officials were not ready to stomach the Taliban retaking the country.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="EzL2J5">
|
||||
Instead, Biden proposed a smaller surge of 20,000 troops rather than 40,000, with a mission of “counterterrorism” as opposed to counterinsurgency. (Think targeting terrorists rather than nation-building.) The military fired back that that would be insufficient. Obama <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/02/world/asia/02prexy.html">ended up agreeing</a> to send 30,000 troops and satisfy most of the military’s demands, in part because he did not want to “break with” then-Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Woodward writes.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<figure class="e-image">
|
||||
<img alt=" " src="https://cdn.vox-
|
||||
cdn.com/thumbor/_HFcBI9XFOA5IhDs6zyCwpl4K-8=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-
|
||||
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22788621/GettyImages_1180052179_copy.jpg"/> <cite>Shah Marai/AFP via Getty Images</cite>
|
||||
<figcaption>
|
||||
Then-Vice President Joe Biden visits members of the Afghan National Army at a training center in Kabul on January 11, 2011.
|
||||
</figcaption>
|
||||
</figure>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Kh05qh">
|
||||
After a few years with the heavily expanded troop presence that, as Biden predicted, did not result in Afghanistan becoming a functioning government or in security forces capable of defeating the Taliban, Obama began a troop drawdown in his second term. Since then, US policy has essentially been to kick the can down the road.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="yhUb6U">
|
||||
In 2015, <a href="https://www.vox.com/2015/10/15/9539565/afghanistan-obama">then-Vox staffer Max Fisher wrote</a>, “The war is already lost, and has been for years,” adding that the only remaining mission was “to temporarily stave off Afghanistan’s inevitable collapse, a few months at a time.”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="kBZnSs">
|
||||
Former President Donald Trump continued that can-kicking until 2020, when he reached <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-51689443">a deal</a> with the Taliban to end the war. It then fell on Biden to decide whether to stick with that arrangement. He did so — <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/17/us/politics/biden-afghanistan-withdrawal.html">rejecting advice from his generals</a> — and a Taliban takeover has now occurred. But his decision was no doubt grounded in the fact that he’s had these debates before.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-the-hindu-sports">From The Hindu: Sports</h1>
|
||||
<ul>
|
||||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A winning Snake boat waits out the pandemic</strong> - Thomas Daniel’s affection for his family boat, a Nehru Trophy winner, inspires a 1000 pages scrap book that records, in photographs and news, the life and times of Kerala’s boat races since 1975</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>Neeraj Chopra catches fever, leaves welcome function midway at home village</strong> - Mr. Chopra has been on a busy schedule since his return to the country last Monday after winning India’s first Olympic medal in athletics</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>First batch of Indian athletes leaves for Tokyo Paralympics amid warm send-off</strong> - The 8-member group was accorded a send-off at the Indira Gandhi International Airport by officials of Sports Ministry, Sports Authority of India and Paralympic Committee of India.</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>First major test for long jumper Shaili</strong> - Neeraj’s breakthrough gold likely to inspire those at u-20 Worlds</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>Mark Wood a major doubt for third Test against India</strong> - Wood, who landed awkwardly on his right shoulder while fielding on day four of the second Test at Lord’s, bowled through the pain on the final day</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>‘Palaharam’ packs for Onam turn hot sellers</strong> - Add that crunch and a dash of sweetness to your Onam with these ethnic snacks</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>Manipuri Language Day to be observed in Imphal</strong> - Language activists taken aback by the conditions imposed for the first time</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>Cabinet nod for ₹ 11,040 crore National Mission on edible oils-oil palm</strong> - The Cabinet on Wednesday approved the National Mission on Edible Oils – Oil Palm (NMEO-OP) with a financial outlay of ₹ 11,040 crore to promote the d</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>Kerala will complete digital resurvey in four years: Revenue Minister</strong> - Cabinet approves ₹807.98-crore project for extending resurvey to 1,550 villages</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>Four separatist leaders held for ‘selling’ Pakistani MBBS seats, using money to fund terrorism</strong> - The probe into the case suggested that the money collected from the parents of the aspiring or potential students was used, at least partly, to support and fund terrorism and separatism, the spokesperson said.</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>Afghan crisis: Chaos as Europeans scramble to evacuate Kabul</strong> - Several countries rush to fly people out, as the Dutch government is criticised for reacting slowly.</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>Lithuania says Belarus officers illegally pushed migrants over border</strong> - Video shows 12 Belarusian officers in riot gear as migrants scramble towards Lithuanian territory.</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>I don’t believe Taliban pledge on women’s rights, Priti Patel says</strong> - The bulk of Afghans resettled in the UK will be persecuted minorities, the home secretary says.</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>Teenage pilot Zara Rutherford begins solo round-world record bid</strong> - Zara Rutherford completes the first leg of her journey from Belgium to England.</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 wildfire: Thousands evacuated as blaze rages near Riviera</strong> - Firefighters clear campsites in the Var region as some 5,000 hectares are destroyed by fire.</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>Not-a-Linux distro review: SerenityOS is a Unix-y love letter to the ‘90s</strong> - Although it’s nowhere near ready for prime time, there’s a lot to love here. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1787896">link</a></p></li>
|
||||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Pandemic of unvaccinated continues to rage as states set new COVID records</strong> - Seven states have hit new peaks for COVID hospitalizations. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1788016">link</a></p></li>
|
||||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>German chemists identified over 7,700 different chemical formulas in beers</strong> - Team combined two mass spectrometry techniques to analyze samples in 10 minutes. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1787854">link</a></p></li>
|
||||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Updated app from Apple brings iCloud Passwords to Windows</strong> - It’s certainly not on par with 1Password, but it’s a welcome addition anyway. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1787787">link</a></p></li>
|
||||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>iPhone keyboard for blind to shut down as maker cites Apple “abuse” of developers</strong> - Apple falsely claimed that FlickType broke “full access” rule, developer says. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1787881">link</a></p></li>
|
||||
</ul>
|
||||
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-jokes-subreddit">From Jokes Subreddit</h1>
|
||||
<ul>
|
||||
<li><strong>I saw a homeless man with a sign that read “$1 for a dirty joke”</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
|
||||
<div class="md">
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
Seemed like a good investment to me so I gladly handed over a dollar.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
Homeless man: “Look there, you can see a Rooster right? How many legs does it have?”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
Me: “Two?”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
Homeless man: “Correct, now how many wings does this Rooster have?”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
Me: “Two?”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
Homeless man: “Right, now how many eyes this Rooster have?”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
Me: “Two?”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
Homeless man: “Correct again! Now look over there, you see a Cat right?
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
Me: “Yes, I see a cat”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
Homeless man: “how many hairs on that cat’s whiskers?”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
Me: “I don’t know?”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
Homeless man: “Bro, why you know so much about cock and know nothing about pussy?”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
</div>
|
||||
<!-- SC_ON -->
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/NamesAre4TombStones"> /u/NamesAre4TombStones </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/p6dxv3/i_saw_a_homeless_man_with_a_sign_that_read_1_for/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/p6dxv3/i_saw_a_homeless_man_with_a_sign_that_read_1_for/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
|
||||
<li><strong>Russian Prime Minister Medvedev comes to President Putin and nervously tells him to abolish time zones.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
|
||||
<div class="md">
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
“Why”? Putin asks
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
" I fly to another city, call home and everyone is asleep. I woke you up at 4AM in the morning, but I thought it was only evening. - I call Angela Merkel to congratulate her on her birthday and she tells me she had it yesterday. - I wish the Chinese President a happy New Year, and he says it will be tomorrow."
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
“Indeed” Putin replies “but that’s only minor stuff, remember when that Polish plane crashed with the president? I called them to express my condolences, but the plane hadn’t taken off yet!!”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
</div>
|
||||
<!-- SC_ON -->
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/logikb"> /u/logikb </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/p69yey/russian_prime_minister_medvedev_comes_to/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/p69yey/russian_prime_minister_medvedev_comes_to/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
|
||||
<li><strong>An innocent joke to cheer you up…</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
|
||||
<div class="md">
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
Lulu, a little girl asks her mum, “Mum, can I take Daisy (a dog) for a walk around the block?”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
Mum replies “No, because she is in heat.”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
“What does that mean?” asked Lulu.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
“Go and ask your father. I think he’s in the garage.”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
Lulu goes out to the garage and says, “Dad, can I take Daisy for a walk around the block? I asked Mum, but she said the dog was on the heat, and to come ask you.”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
He took a rag, soaked it in petrol, and scrubbed the dog’s backside with it to disguise the scent.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
“Ok, you can go now, but keep her on the leash and only go one time around the block.”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
Lulu left and returned a few minutes later with no dog on the leash… Surprised, Dad asked, “Where’s Daisy?”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
Lulu said, “She ran out of petrol about halfway round the block, so another dog is pushing her home!”
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
</div>
|
||||
<!-- SC_ON -->
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/marblechocolate"> /u/marblechocolate </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/p6jvo2/an_innocent_joke_to_cheer_you_up/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/p6jvo2/an_innocent_joke_to_cheer_you_up/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
|
||||
<li><strong>I have a fear of overly intricate buildings.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
|
||||
<div class="md">
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
I have a complex complex complex.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
</div>
|
||||
<!-- SC_ON -->
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Complainingg-"> /u/Complainingg- </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/p6ncbf/i_have_a_fear_of_overly_intricate_buildings/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/p6ncbf/i_have_a_fear_of_overly_intricate_buildings/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
|
||||
<li><strong>Never accept tea offered by the Russian President</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
|
||||
<div class="md">
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||||
You don´t know what Vladimir Putin.
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
</div>
|
||||
<!-- SC_ON -->
|
||||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/logikb"> /u/logikb </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/p69zh9/never_accept_tea_offered_by_the_russian_president/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/p69zh9/never_accept_tea_offered_by_the_russian_president/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
|
||||
</ul>
|
||||
|
||||
|
||||
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|
||||
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Reference in New Issue