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<title>05 May, 2022</title>
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<title>Daily-Dose</title><meta content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" name="viewport"/><link href="styles/simple.css" rel="stylesheet"/><link href="../styles/simple.css" rel="stylesheet"/><style>*{overflow-x:hidden;}</style><link href="https://unpkg.com/aos@2.3.1/dist/aos.css" rel="stylesheet"/><script src="https://unpkg.com/aos@2.3.1/dist/aos.js"></script></head>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-down" id="daily-dose">Daily-Dose</h1>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-right" data-aos-anchor-placement="top-bottom" id="contents">Contents</h1>
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<ul>
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<li><a href="#from-new-yorker">From New Yorker</a></li>
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<li><a href="#from-vox">From Vox</a></li>
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<li><a href="#from-the-hindu-sports">From The Hindu: Sports</a></li>
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<li><a href="#from-the-hindu-national-news">From The Hindu: National News</a></li>
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<li><a href="#from-bbc-europe">From BBC: Europe</a></li>
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<li><a href="#from-ars-technica">From Ars Technica</a></li>
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<li><a href="#from-jokes-subreddit">From Jokes Subreddit</a></li>
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</ul>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-new-yorker">From New Yorker</h1>
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<ul>
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<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>What’s Missing from Alito’s Decision to Revoke the Right to Abortion</strong> - In a leaked draft, the Justice points to “history and tradition” but ignores the context of both the past and the present. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/whats-missing-from-the-drafted-decision-to-overturn-roe-v-wade">link</a></p></li>
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<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Amazon’s Campaign to Derail a Second Staten Island Union Drive</strong> - Meetings with management, job improvements, and Krispy Kreme doughnuts persuaded many workers to vote no. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/dispatch/amazons-campaign-to-derail-a-second-staten-island-union-drive">link</a></p></li>
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<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>What J. D. Vance’s Victory in the Ohio Republican Primary Means for Trumpism</strong> - The “Hillbilly Elegy” author will be a strong favorite in the race for the U.S. Senate, where he would become one of its youngest and most controversial members. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-political-scene/what-j-d-vances-victory-in-the-ohio-republican-primary-%20means-for-trumpism">link</a></p></li>
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<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>What an Unprecedented Supreme Court Leak Says About the Future of Abortion—and About Precedent Itself</strong> - The fragility of the right to an abortion has become synonymous with the fragility of the Court’s legitimacy. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/what-an-unprecedented-supreme-court-leak-says-about-the-future-%20of-abortion-and-about-precedent-itself">link</a></p></li>
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<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A Visionary Show Moves Black History Beyond Borders</strong> - “Afro-Atlantic Histories,” now at the National Gallery of Art, offers an epic survey of the diaspora. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/a-visionary-show-moves-black-history-beyond-borders">link</a></p></li>
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</ul>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-vox">From Vox</h1>
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<ul>
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<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>These batteries work from home</strong> -
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<figure>
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<img alt="A person standing in their garage next to Tesla batteries installed and wired into the house." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/lDSZobGMI48hlK9mUD7uzUegO5A=/40x0:1600x1170/1310x983/cdn.vox-
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cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70834866/1238753659.0.jpg"/>
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<figcaption>
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People are installing battery packs inside their homes. | Susan Stocker/Sun Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
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</figcaption>
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</figure></li>
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</ul>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
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How batteries can help power homes, buildings, and the grid.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="eCzjM8">
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="cQrkjr">
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It seems as though everyone is talking about electric vehicle batteries lately. Automakers are racing to make these batteries <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/23027110/solid-state-lithium-battery-tesla-gm-
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ford?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Recode%205.4.22&utm_term=Recode">more powerful</a> so they can convince more people to buy EVs, and the Biden administration is <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/05/02/white-house-announces-3point1-billion-for-us-ev-battery-
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manufacturing-.html?utm_term=Autofeed&utm_medium=Social&utm_content=Main&utm_source=Twitter&utm_campaign=Recode%205.4.22#Echobox=1651514706">spending billions</a> to make the United States a manufacturing hub for next-generation battery technology. But even as EV batteries soak up the spotlight, another kind of battery is gaining momentum: home batteries.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="XG2fYd">
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The concept of a home battery is simple. In the same way that a laptop battery powers a laptop when it’s not plugged into an outlet, a home battery powers a home when it’s not receiving power from the grid or a renewable energy source. Hundreds of thousands of people have already installed <a href="https://twitter.com/TeslaSolar/status/1461049247537717256?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1461049247537717256%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https://insideevs.com/news/548921/tesla-
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installed-250000-powerwalls-
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globally/&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Recode%205.4.22&utm_term=Recode">Tesla Powerwalls,</a> solar-powered home battery packs that provide a few hours of backup power. And as extreme weather events, like last year’s devastating winter storm in Texas, have <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/2021/7/3/22560691/power-grid-climate-change-heat-
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wave?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Recode%205.4.22&utm_term=Recode">stretched the power grid to its limits</a>, even more consumers <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/08/25/extreme-weather-pushing-consumers-
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to-solar-and-residential-
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storage.html?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Recode%205.4.22&utm_term=Recode">have started buying these</a> and <a href="https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/commentary/2022/02/06/texans-are-turning-to-solar-and-
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batteries-to-protect-their-homes-against-power-
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outages/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Recode%205.4.22&utm_term=Recode">other types of home batteries</a>.
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</p>
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<div class="c-float-right">
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<aside id="alapXV">
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<div>
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</div>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="8IHRqt">
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The government is throwing its support behind similar kinds of upgrades to the power grid. On Tuesday, the Energy Department said that it would <a href="https://www.energy.gov/articles/biden-administration-announces-316-billion-bipartisan-
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infrastructure-law-boost-
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domestic?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Recode%205.4.22&utm_term=Recode">spend more than $3 billion</a> from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law on EV batteries as well as batteries meant for <a href="https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2021-06/FCAB%20National%20Blueprint%20Lithium%20Batteries%200621_0.pdf?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Recode%205.4.22&utm_term=Recode">long- term energy storage</a>, including batteries that could one day power people’s homes and businesses. This money will fund projects focused on boosting the US’s supply of <a href="https://www.energy.gov/articles/biden-administration-
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announces-316-billion-bipartisan-infrastructure-law-boost-
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domestic?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Recode%205.4.22&utm_term=Recode">key battery components</a>, as well as developing the country’s <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/05/02/white-house-
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announces-3point1-billion-for-us-ev-battery-
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manufacturing-.html?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Recode%205.4.22&utm_term=Recode">overall battery manufacturing capacity</a>. The hope is that these investments will help the US build more batteries that could then be installed not only in people’s homes but also in neighborhoods and throughout the grid, playing a critical role in easing the growing pressure <a href="https://www.vox.com/2018/5/9/17336330/duck-curve-solar-energy-supply-demand-
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problem-caiso-nrel?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Recode%205.4.22&utm_term=Recode">on the country’s aging energy infrastructure</a> — and making it more resilient.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="fWdrfc">
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“We have to build clean homes and start with clean homes that are fully electrified, which use batteries to stabilize their load and be part of a clean grid,” Ryan Brown, the CEO of the small battery startup Salient, told Recode. “Otherwise, there’s just not a really good prospect for solving climate change.”
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="C1kale">
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This week, Salient announced a partnership with a Texas-based sustainable homebuilder, Horton World Solutions, to demonstrate <a href="https://www.globenewswire.com/news-
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release/2022/05/04/2435642/0/en/Salient-Energy-Partnering-with-Horton-World-Solutions-for-Residential-Energy-
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Storage.html?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Recode%205.4.22&utm_term=Recode">its new zinc-ion battery technology</a>. If all goes according to plan, the companies will install these batteries in more than 200,000 homes over the next decade.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="px6ih2">
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Home batteries vary in size and energy storage capacity, and while many are based on familiar lithium-ion technology, some take advantage of being stationary to use more abundant materials, like zinc. Each battery — some people install multiple for more storage — is usually about as big as a television and typically costs at least <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/guides/choosing-a-solar-panel-and-
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backup-battery/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Recode%205.4.22&utm_term=Recode#what-will-
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this-cost-and-do-you-really-need-it">a few thousand dollars</a>. Beyond Tesla, there are a few large electronics companies like <a href="https://www.solarreviews.com/blog/lg-chem-battery-
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review?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Recode%205.4.22&utm_term=Recode">LG Chem</a> and <a href="https://na.panasonic.com/us/energy-solutions/battery-
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storage/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Recode%205.4.22&utm_term=Recode">Panasonic</a> — both of which <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/the-top-10-ev-battery-
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makers?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Recode%205.4.22&utm_term=Recode">are in the EV battery business</a> — that sell home battery packs, as well as lesser-known battery makers like Salient, <a href="https://www.generac.com/all-products/clean-
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energy/pwrcell?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Recode%205.4.22&utm_term=Recode">Generac</a>, and <a href="https://enphase.com/installers/storage?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Recode%205.4.22&utm_term=Recode">Enphase</a>.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="FpYdOh">
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Bigger batteries or large battery banks could power many homes simultaneously. While these giant battery systems wouldn’t fit into a single residential building, they <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/battery-
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storage-soars-on-u-s-electric-
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grid-11640082783?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Recode%205.4.22&utm_term=Recode">could be connected directly to the power grid</a> or to microgrids that <a href="https://energynews.us/2021/09/24/minneapolis-
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battery-pilot-will-test-vision-for-sharing-solar-power-with-
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neighbors/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Recode%205.4.22&utm_term=Recode">power an entire apartment building or neighborhood</a>. Compared to a home battery in a single-family home, this sort of setup would allow entire communities of people to access electricity when power is unavailable or extra-expensive — this is why some experts say they’re a much more equitable approach to the future of energy.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="uj6xkN">
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Regardless of their scale, home batteries and other types of stationary batteries have become a critical part of the effort to increase the world’s supply of renewable energy in the fight against climate change. The reason is straightforward: Because the sun isn’t always around to power solar panels and there isn’t always wind to power turbines, utility companies and individuals alike <a href="https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20201217-renewable-power-the-worlds-largest-
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battery?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Recode%205.4.22&utm_term=Recode">need batteries to store their renewable energy</a> to ensure that it’s available when people actually need it. Stationary batteries ultimately expand the overall capacity of the grid, which is especially important as we move to <a href="https://www.vox.com/2016/9/19/12938086/electrify-
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everything?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Recode%205.4.22&utm_term=Recode">electrify things that are currently powered by fossil fuels</a>.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="BjVUAG">
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“We also see potential increased adoption of electric vehicles and even heat pumps for replacing gas furnaces,” Dharik Mallapragada, a research scientist at MIT’s Energy Initiative, told Recode. “Batteries can come in handy there because they can basically shift consumption … in terms of how much you’re drawing from the grid.”
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="KuErzG">
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In addition to his administration’s latest investment in battery technology, President Joe Biden in March <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-
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room/presidential-actions/2022/03/31/memorandum-on-presidential-determination-pursuant-to-section-303-of-the-defense-
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production-act-of-1950-as-
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amended/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Recode%205.4.22&utm_term=Recode">used the Defense Production Act</a> to order production of critical materials needed for <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2022/03/30/critical-minerals-defense-production-
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act/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Recode%205.4.22&utm_term=Recode">stationary storage</a>, which he called “essential to the national defense.” Some <a href="https://www.newsday.com/long-
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island/politics/solar-battery-storage-lipa-
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pseg-u84791?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Recode%205.4.22&utm_term=Recode">state</a> <a href="https://energynews.us/2022/02/04/4-things-to-know-about-connecticuts-new-energy-storage-incentive-
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program/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Recode%205.4.22&utm_term=Recode">governments</a>, along with utilities, have also started offering financial incentives for people to buy home batteries as well as <a href="https://portal.ct.gov/PURA/Press-Releases/2022/Connecticut-Launches-Statewide-Battery-Storage-
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Program?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Recode%205.4.22&utm_term=Recode">commercial battery banks</a>. California has even <a href="https://www.solarpowerworldonline.com/2021/08/california-energy-
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commission-mandates-solar-storage-new-commercial-
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buildings/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Recode%205.4.22&utm_term=Recode">updated</a> its state energy code to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/11/business/energy-environment/california-solar-
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mandates.html?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Recode%205.4.22&utm_term=Recode">require</a> that all new commercial and high-rise multifamily buildings install batteries, as well as solar panels.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="uQUYg8">
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“Within the next few years, everybody will realize that they will need a battery,” Jehu Garcia, a battery reseller who runs a DIY YouTube channel about batteries, told Recode. “Right now it’s kind of up for grabs: Who’s gonna make the move first? Is it going to be the homeowners, or is it going to be the utilities? But it’s going to happen either way.”
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="yCLTl9">
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Even the EV industry is investing in the stationary battery business. In addition to offering its Powerwall batteries to individuals, Tesla recently finished building <a href="https://www.montereycountyweekly.com/blogs/news_blog/pg-es-new-tesla-powered-system-gives-moss-landing-another-
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battery-storage-
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boost/article_c6233e3e-bf41-11ec-b500-f3deb6b9ab0e.html?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Recode%205.4.22&utm_term=Recode">one of the world’s largest batteries</a> for PG&E in Northern California, and has also started work on <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2021-03-08/tesla-is-plugging-a-secret-mega-battery-into-the-texas-
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grid?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Recode%205.4.22&utm_term=Recode">another utility- scale battery</a> outside Houston that could power 20,000 homes. CATL, a Chinese company that’s arguably the world’s <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/22/business/china-catl-electric-car-
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batteries.html?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Recode%205.4.22&utm_term=Recode">largest EV battery manufacturer</a>, last month announced plans to <a href="https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220419005482/en/Broad-Reach-Power-and-CATL-Announce-Large-Purchase-of-
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Battery-Storage-Systems-for-
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Texas?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Recode%205.4.22&utm_term=Recode">produce</a> 900 battery systems for a Texas-based renewable energy company that will support the state’s beleaguered power grid. Meanwhile, GM is designing its Ultium batteries so that they could eventually be repurposed to <a href="https://www.engadget.com/gm-is-placing-all-of-its-ev-eggs-in-the-ultum-battery-
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basket-163038784.html?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Recode%205.4.22&utm_term=Recode">provide long-term energy storage</a>, and Nissan announced earlier this year that it would <a href="https://www.automotiveworld.com/news-releases/nissan-partners-with-enel-to-launch-innovative-second-life-storage-
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system-for-used-electric-car-
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batteries/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Recode%205.4.22&utm_term=Recode">test a similar idea</a> using its EV batteries at a power plant in Spain.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="2yoCgL">
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All this represents progress, but it also serves as a reminder that we may need all the batteries we can get. The International Energy Association estimates that in order to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050, the world will need to boost the world’s battery storage capacity from the 17 gigawatts we had in 2020 to <a href="https://www.iea.org/reports/energy-
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storage?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Recode%205.4.22&utm_term=Recode">585 gigawatts by the end of the decade</a>. That means that batteries may need to be ubiquitous — <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/22969335/california-gm-electric-cars-power-grid-batteries-
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blackouts?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Recode%205.4.22&utm_term=Recode">inside people’s cars</a>, in the basement of apartment buildings, and on site at power plants. As intimidating as this task seems, it’s just one piece of the very complicated puzzle of figuring out how to combat climate change.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="YHDrBc">
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<em>This story was first published in the Recode newsletter. </em><a href="https://www.vox.com/pages/newsletters"><em>Sign up here</em></a><em> so you don’t miss the next one!</em>
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</p>
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<ul>
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<li><strong>The horrific bird flu that’s wiped out 36 million chickens and turkeys, explained</strong> -
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<figure>
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<img alt="A white and buff-feathered chicken looks at the camera on a black background." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/kUnxgzvMeLuVCanVE1bs9alJ6dU=/0x0:4032x3024/1310x983/cdn.vox-
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cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70834770/GettyImages_1225752997__1_.0.jpg"/>
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<figcaption>
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Getty Images/Rizky Panuntun
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</figcaption>
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</figure>
|
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||
Bird flu currently poses little threat to humans, but it’s hell for the birds.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="oEgpmk">
|
||
The final month of Minnesota Timberwolves basketball was livelier than ever this season, and not just because they nearly upset the Memphis Grizzlies in their first-round playoff series.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="mMmKe9">
|
||
During one game in mid-April, a woman <a href="https://www.marketwatch.com/story/glue-girl-protests-timberwolves-owners-
|
||
alleged-animal-rights-abuses-by-trying-to-glue-herself-to-the-court-at-an-nba-
|
||
game-11649877862#:~:text=The%20Timberwolves%20franchise%20said%20in,Glue%20Girl%E2%80%9D%20on%20social%20media.">glued her hand</a> to the court. A few days later, another woman <a href="https://www.localmemphis.com/article/sports/basketball/chain-lady-grizzlies-timberwolves-western-conference-game-
|
||
one-memphis-
|
||
beale/522-06155372-88ca-4246-b768-b7ef53af5231#:~:text=Zoe%20Rosenberg%20was%20arrested%20Saturday,Timberwolves%20Western%20Conference%20playoff%20game.">chained herself</a> to the goal post. The following week, a third woman, dressed as a referee, <a href="https://www.pennlive.com/sports/2022/04/animal-rights-activist-tackled-after-bolting-on-court-in-ref-jersey-
|
||
during-grizzlies-timberwolves-game-4.html">stormed the court</a> before removing her jacket, exposing a shirt underneath that read “Glen Taylor roasts animals alive.”
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ZhPyIb">
|
||
The protests, coordinated by the animal rights group Direct Action Everywhere, were aimed at the Timberwolves’ majority owner Glen Taylor. Taylor also owns Rembrandt Enterprises, a large Iowa egg producer that has culled — meaning deliberately killed — 5.3 million of its hens in response to a widespread bird flu outbreak (and then <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2022/apr/28/egg-
|
||
factory-avian-flu-chickens-culled-workers-fired-
|
||
iowa?utm_term=Autofeed&CMP=twt_gu&utm_medium&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1651139345">laid off</a> nearly all of its staff).
|
||
</p>
|
||
<figure class="e-image">
|
||
<img alt=" " src="https://cdn.vox-
|
||
cdn.com/thumbor/feqzbKoKNaUVqkcbwYrnTmf0XIg=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-
|
||
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23433856/GettyImages_1391615988.jpg"/> <cite>Carlos Gonzalez/Star Tribune via Getty Images</cite>
|
||
<figcaption>
|
||
Alicia Santurio disrupted a Minnesota Timberwolves basketball game in April, protesting the team’s owner, Glen Taylor, who also owns an Iowa egg farm that culled 5.3 million chickens in response to a bird flu outbreak.
|
||
</figcaption>
|
||
</figure>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="isrrEG">
|
||
The virus, known as the <a href="https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/newsroom/stakeholder-info/sa_by_date/sa-2022/hpai-sc">Eurasian H5N1 avian influenza</a>, began tearing through Europe, Asia, and Africa in late 2021 and is still raging, with Europe experiencing its worst bird flu outbreak <a href="https://www.euractiv.com/section/agriculture-food/news/france-to-push-eu-states-
|
||
to-approve-avian-flu-vaccine-for-poultry/">on record</a>. It<strong> </strong>was first detected in the US in January and has since spread to at least 32 states, resulting in the <a href="https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/animalhealth/animal-disease-information/avian/avian-
|
||
influenza/hpai-2022">death of more than 36 million chickens and turkeys</a> and triggering a spike in <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2022/04/16/bird-flu-egg-prices/">egg prices</a>.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="9FFMSv">
|
||
While the virus has a <a href="https://www.acvp.org/page/Bird_Flu_Factsheet#:~:text=Most%20AI%20viruses%20cause%20asymptomatic,chickens%20with%20nearly%20100%25%20mortality.">near 100 percent mortality rate</a> among infected poultry — and can spread rapidly among birds, especially in packed industrial farming conditions — it’s currently believed to pose little threat to human beings. It only rarely spills over to people, and only to those who come into close contact with infected birds. Even when there are human infections, “the viruses are unable to efficiently transmit between humans,” notes Michelle Wille, a virus ecologist at the University of Sydney.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="XUziXV">
|
||
But when certain strains of avian flu do manage to infect humans, it can be deadly. From 2003 to 2021, a little <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abo1232">more than half of the 863 people</a> who contracted an earlier strain of H5N1 died. The H5N1 strain currently spreading appears to be <a href="https://www.statnews.com/2022/04/29/10-people-under-watch-after-bird-flu-detected-in-man/">less transmissible and less severe</a> to humans than those that infected people in the past, and only two people have tested positive for the strain — a man in the United Kingdom last December, and a man in <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2022/04/28/bird-flu-first-human-case-current-h-5-n-1-strain-located-
|
||
us/9579770002/">Colorado last week</a>.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="coJvM5">
|
||
The Colorado man — a prison inmate who had come in direct contact with presumably infected birds <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2022/s0428-avian-flu.html">while working at a culling operation</a> as part of a pre-release work<strong> </strong>program — experienced a few days of fatigue and recovered after being treated with an antiviral drug. Around 10 people who came into contact with him are under close observation.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="VNa0d0">
|
||
Beyond the occasional one-off case in close human contacts, the bigger worry is that an unchecked flu that spreads among birds has plenty of opportunities to <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16409141/">mutate in a way</a> that allows it to transmit efficiently from person to person, thereby kicking off a new influenza pandemic. A widespread bird flu outbreak in 2005 raised alarm bells and prompted the US Senate to <a href="https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2005/09/senate-approves-4-billion-
|
||
prepare-flu-pandemic">allocate</a> $4 billion to prepare for a possible influenza pandemic — though when a new flu pandemic did break out in 2009, the origin was <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/information_h1n1_virus_qa.htm">ultimately found in a swine virus</a>.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="fqFoe9">
|
||
So far, the bird flu has mostly been a problem for birds. It’s not the disease that’s killing most of them, however — it’s their owners.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="HjzDXU">
|
||
When chicken, turkey, and egg companies detect one infected bird, they <a href="https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/animalhealth/animal-disease-information/avian/avian-
|
||
influenza/hpai-2022">kill the whole flock</a> in an effort to slow the spread of the virus. And they’re doing so using a variety of excruciating methods, including spraying birds with a suffocating water-based foam or closing off barn vents to raise temperatures so the birds die by heat stroke, a practice called ventilation shutdown, which can take <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/21590311-ncsu-pre-publication-version-from-awi-03302017">1.5</a> to <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1056617119301916?via%3Dihub">3.75</a> hours to kill them.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<figure class="e-image">
|
||
<img alt=" " src="https://cdn.vox-
|
||
cdn.com/thumbor/2xkDu2gSGj_Af66pzkyHkoLSYC4=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-
|
||
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23438209/2LDKg_the_bird_flu_has_resulted_in_the_death_of_more_than_36_million_chickens_and_turkeys_since_february__2_.png"/> <cite><a class="ql-link" href="https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/animalhealth/animal-disease-
|
||
information/avian/avian-influenza/hpai-2022" target="_blank">USDA APHIS</a></cite>
|
||
</figure>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="uyBbp2">
|
||
“It’s horrendous,” says Craig Watts, a former large-scale chicken farmer and currently a director of field operations for the Socially Responsible Agriculture Project, a nonprofit that advocates against industrial livestock operations. “I’ve been in those houses when the power went out and the generator didn’t kick on. In just a few minutes [the heat] is unbearable. … I can’t imagine that going on for hours and hours.”
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="PDMPPP">
|
||
According to <a href="https://www.stormlake.com/articles/five-million-layers-snuffed-as-avian-flu-hits/">the Storm Lake Times</a>, a newspaper based near Rembrandt’s operation, the company<strong> </strong>used ventilation shutdown plus, or VSD+, meaning they also pumped heat into their barns to kill the birds faster, a practice being employed in several states.<strong> </strong>Rembrandt Enterprises did not respond to a request for comment.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="geGdmb">
|
||
The situation is horrific, but given the industrialized nature of the US poultry industry and its response to past bird flu outbreaks, animal advocates say it’s unsurprising. Nearly all birds raised for meat and eggs in the US are raised on factory farms, where producers raise <a href="https://www.sentienceinstitute.org/us-factory-farming-estimates">hundreds of thousands to millions of animals</a> per year. And most of these animals are genetically identical, which could make them <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081103192314.htm">more vulnerable to bird flu</a>. Some experts say the intensification of animal farming — raising more animals closer together — could also be <a href="https://archpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13690-017-0218-4">increasing the virulence and transmission rate</a> of bird flu strains.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="SliMoO">
|
||
Dena Jones of the Animal Welfare Institute says the <a href="https://www.ers.usda.gov/webdocs/outlooks/86282/ldpm-282-02.pdf?v=539">2014-2015 bird flu outbreak</a> in the US, which led to the culling of more than 50 million animals — the largest cull in US history — didn’t prompt any real change in the industry.<strong> </strong>Instead, mega operations that raise millions of birds per year are continuing to be built across the country, from <a href="https://www.statesmanjournal.com/story/news/2022/02/24/oregon-mid-
|
||
willamette-valley-foster-farms-oregon-mega-chicken-farms-scio-stayton-salem/6882099001/">Oregon</a> to <a href="https://www.wkow.com/archive/new-egg-farm-to-bring-three-million-chickens-to-rock-
|
||
county/article_2cfd2f82-8b19-5870-a0d6-f16186c3a355.html">Wisconsin</a> and <a href="https://civileats.com/2021/04/07/a-huge-new-chicken-cafo-in-west-virginia-has-stoked-community-resistance/">West Virginia</a> to <a href="https://waterkeeper.org/news/how-big-poultry-in-north-carolina-became-a-pollution-
|
||
threat/">North Carolina</a> as US <a href="https://www.nationalchickencouncil.org/about-the-industry/statistics/per-
|
||
capita-consumption-of-poultry-and-livestock-1965-to-estimated-2012-in-pounds/">chicken</a> and <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/183678/per-capita-consumption-of-eggs-in-the-us-
|
||
since-2000/#:~:text=In%202020%2C%20consumption%20of%20eggs,by%20the%20total%20U.S.%20population.">egg</a> consumption rises.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<div class="c-float-right">
|
||
<div id="WfVVcc">
|
||
<div>
|
||
|
||
</div>
|
||
</div>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="aK0i0g">
|
||
“We’re doubling down on this same system by raising more animals with less genetic diversity and higher density in larger operations, and all of that contributes to making it difficult to humanely kill an animal during an emergency,” Jones said.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="POlKjF">
|
||
There are <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/8/1/6/htm">culling methods</a> that kill the birds much quicker than ventilation shutdown, such as spraying them with nitrogen-filled foam or gassing them in small enclosures, a method some producers are using to address this outbreak. There’s also a race to create an effective bird flu vaccine that could be used to slow the spread of future outbreaks, a race the USDA is <a href="http://nifa.usda.gov/about-
|
||
nifa/blogs/aphis-nifa-funded-research-protecting-nations-poultry-industry">partially funding</a>.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="DexH3j">
|
||
Considering the speed at which bird flu spreads among commercial poultry flocks, and how painful it is for infected birds, the industry has no choice but to mass cull. But the USDA’s approval of ventilation shutdown in 2015 and the rise of its use in recent years, combined with the slow pace of vaccine approval and adoption, mean that for the time being, the birds themselves will continue to receive little consideration in the fight against bird flu. The ongoing expansion and intensification of US animal agriculture, along with a rise in animal disease outbreaks, might also mean that we need to learn how to live with the bird flu and the looming threat it poses.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<h3 id="IXTCTt">
|
||
Bird flu spread, explained
|
||
</h3>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="SY0dFV">
|
||
Migratory waterfowl, like ducks, geese, and terns, are the natural hosts of highly pathogenic avian influenza strains, but can largely — <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abo1232">though not always</a> — carry and spread the virus without showing symptoms.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="wCOVW8">
|
||
Wild birds <a href="https://www.usgs.gov/faqs/can-wild-birds-spread-avian-
|
||
influenza-domestic-poultry">rarely</a> come into direct contact with farmed chickens and turkeys, most of which are raised in large indoor barns — especially in more developed economies — but instead spread the virus when their fecal droppings, saliva, or nasal secretions contaminate animal feed or land on surfaces like farmworkers’ clothing or farm equipment. Researchers say the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6553608/">global poultry trade</a> also contributes to the worldwide spread of the bird flu through the import and export of infected poultry.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="rJ6ZZ6">
|
||
Once any birds test positive for the virus, the <a href="https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/emergency_management/downloads/hpai/ventilationshutdownpolicy.pdf">whole flock</a> is culled, as the flu can quickly spread to the tens of thousands of other hens, chickens, or turkeys in a single farm. And the flu itself is <a href="https://extension.umn.edu/poultry-health/avian-influenza-basics-
|
||
noncommercial-poultry-flock-owners">agonizing</a> for infected poultry. Chickens have trouble breathing and suffer from extreme diarrhea, and sometimes develop swelling around their head, neck, or eyes. Turkeys’ wings can become paralyzed and they might experience tremors.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<figure class="e-image">
|
||
<img alt=" " src="https://cdn.vox-
|
||
cdn.com/thumbor/CPaIeMKCokkLoI_WjsoZoL6UUGk=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-
|
||
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23433878/GettyImages_1182547600.jpg"/> <cite>Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images</cite>
|
||
<figcaption>
|
||
A turkey farm in Illinois in 2019. Over the last few months, millions of chickens and turkeys have been culled — primarily at large-scale farms — to slow the spread of the bird flu.
|
||
</figcaption>
|
||
</figure></li>
|
||
</ul>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Kg9hMY">
|
||
Bird flu outbreaks have been <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6553608/">recorded</a> in commercial poultry flocks since at least the 19th century, but the frequency accelerated — and became a bigger issue in the poultry industry — starting in 1997, when an outbreak of H5N1 in Hong Kong chicken farms led to 18 infections in people, six of whom died. Officials responded by culling all <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-birdflu-hongkong/hong-kong-culls-chickens-at-
|
||
market-bans-trade-as-h5n1-found-idUSTRE7BK0JO20111221">1.3 million chickens</a> in Hong Kong in the winter of 1997-98. Since then, outbreaks have occurred around the world every <a href="https://doc.oie.int/dyn/portal/digidoc.xhtml?statelessToken=USHi9N-71EDqawTHVX0wYrVCjSlZ8B8vx8qFYu3Ngcw=&actionMethod=dyn%2Fportal%2Fdigidoc.xhtml%3AdownloadAttachment.openStateless">few years</a>.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="lfRRnb">
|
||
And not much beyond mass culling can be done to slow the spread once it starts. Adel Talaat, a professor of microbiology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, says we should improve <a href="https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2022/02/aphis-ups-its-game-of-surveillance-for-bird-flu-sporadic-human-infections-
|
||
possible/">disease surveillance</a> and farm biosecurity to help prevent new outbreaks and slow the spread, but a vaccine that could reliably reduce transmission would go a long way.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Sk7Kl4">
|
||
At the moment, there aren’t any <a href="https://www.aphis.usda.gov/publications/animal_health/2015/fs-hpai-vaccine-use.pdf">highly</a> <a href="https://www.thepoultrysite.com/articles/should-we-vaccinate-against-bird-flu">effective</a> vaccines on the market, but Talaat is working to develop one using a database of thousands of avian influenza antigens to create a “composite” vaccine that he hopes will protect against current and future virus strains. “Our job is to try to stop this cycle of transmission,” Talaat says. “Because if you stop the cycle of transmission you will be able to basically stop the mutation and stop the replication of the virus.”
|
||
</p>
|
||
<figure class="e-image">
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><img alt="A scientist with
|
||
gloved hands hold a flask toward the camera." src="https://cdn.vox-
|
||
cdn.com/thumbor/5oPYXunyGp8_l2lp9ONOU_NVXUg=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-
|
||
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23433865/Talaat_Adel_lab20_3849.jpg"/> <cite>Jeff Miller/UW-Madison</cite></p>
|
||
<figcaption>
|
||
Adel Talaat, a professor of microbiology at University of Wisconsin-Madison, is developing a bird flu vaccine he hopes can be used to slow the spread of future bird flu outbreaks.
|
||
</figcaption>
|
||
</figure>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="5x0wFC">
|
||
He estimates it could take up to five years until he completes his work and hopefully receives USDA approval, and says a mass vaccination program in the early phase of a bird flu outbreak could be effective at slowing the spread of the virus.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="sTFsCc">
|
||
“In a big country [like the US], once we start seeing any one case, we know it’s going to go throughout the states — state by state — so we really should start an aggressive campaign for vaccination right away,” Talaat says.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="t3GoN2">
|
||
Aside from the ineffectiveness of currently available bird flu vaccines, they’re also made in such a way that it’s <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23402101/">impossible to distinguish</a> vaccinated, non-infected birds from infected birds. And because no country wants to import meat from potentially infected birds, the vaccines have been a non-starter. Talaat hopes his vaccine will solve this long-standing problem.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ELHEIv">
|
||
A spokesperson with the National Turkey Federation told Vox over email that the trade group “supports vaccine development and believes it can be done relatively quickly. However, World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) rules impose severe trade penalties for vaccine use, and we are encouraging USDA to work aggressively for a change in those rules.”
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="vm5X7i">
|
||
“Decisions on vaccinations require many data and we’re investigating an avian influenza vaccine that could distinguish from the wild-type virus,” Rick Coker, a USDA spokesperson, said over email. “We do not have a time frame on any potential vaccine or how it would be used.”
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="TUx2vn">
|
||
There are also <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/sep/18/could-gene-editing-chickens-
|
||
prevent-future-pandemics">efforts underway</a> to create a <a href="https://www.vox.com/22994946/gene-editing-farm-
|
||
animals-livestock-crispr-genetic-engineering">gene-edited</a> chicken breed immune to bird flu. But for now, the primary way to prevent the flu from killing poultry is by killing poultry.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<h3 id="0OMBdU">
|
||
Toward less cruel culling methods
|
||
</h3>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="rheVWK">
|
||
During the 2014-2015 bird flu outbreak, the <a href="https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/emergency_management/downloads/hpai/2015-hpai-final-report.pdf">most common</a> culling method in the US entailed spraying turkeys with suffocating water-based foam; with this method, it <a href="https://www.cfsph.iastate.edu/Emergency-Response/Just-in-Time/15-Euthanasia_Water-based-Foam-For-Poultry-
|
||
Depopulation_HANDOUT.pdf">takes seven to 15 minutes</a> for the birds to die, and it <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/mar/08/theyre-cooking-them-alive-calls-to-ban-cruel-killing-methods-
|
||
on-us-farms">causes significant pain</a>. The second-most common method was gassing hens with carbon dioxide in small enclosures, which can render birds unconscious <a href="https://www.avma.org/sites/default/files/resources/AVMA-
|
||
Guidelines-for-the-Depopulation-of-Animals.pdf">within 30 seconds</a>.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="lb8LAr">
|
||
But <a href="https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/emergency_management/downloads/hpai/2015-hpai-final-report.pdf">according to the USDA</a>, deploying these methods was sometimes too slow to meet the need of depopulating infected flocks within 24 hours. So, at the end of 2015, fearing another wave of outbreaks, the <a href="https://www.wattagnet.com/articles/24288-ventilation-shutdown-for-avian-flu-depopulation-approved">USDA approved ventilation shutdown</a> — closing off air vents so the temperature rises, which can take hours for the birds to die by heat stroke. The USDA now says ventilation shutdown alone, without added heat or CO2, should only be used as a <a href="https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/emergency_management/downloads/hpai/ventilationshutdownpolicy.pdf">last- resort</a> measure.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="MQmZNu">
|
||
Over email, Coker with the USDA told Vox that ventilation shutdown plus should only be used under “constrained circumstances,” like when depopulation by water-based foam or CO2 gassing is not possible. Various factors, like epidemiological information and housing and environmental conditions are weighed by USDA personnel, farm operators, and state officials when deciding whether or not to use VSD+. “Should VSD+ be authorized on- site, responders will carry it out quickly and as humanely as possible,” he said.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="r3iUu2">
|
||
Despite the policy to only use it under constrained circumstances, VSD+ has already been employed in at least six states and on millions of birds during this current outbreak.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="rAIlGD">
|
||
Will Lowrey, an attorney with the animal rights group Animal Outlook who has submitted public records requests on VSD+, found that in addition to being used on the 5.3 million Rembrandt hens, it has also been used on commercial poultry farms in Kentucky, Delaware, Minnesota (Jennie-O/Hormel), Missouri (Tyson Foods), and Wisconsin.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="xMa2NK">
|
||
Producers do have some incentive to use VSD+ over other culling options. To <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/document/APHIS-2022-0031-0001">receive reimbursement</a> for costs incurred during depopulation and disposal, they have to use a culling method <a href="https://www.avma.org/sites/default/files/resources/AVMA-Guidelines-for-the-Depopulation-of-
|
||
Animals.pdf">permitted</a> by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), a nongovernmental trade group, and VSD+ generally<strong> </strong>requires less labor and supplies than most other methods.<strong> </strong>But it’s an inhumane practice.<strong> </strong>
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="NLNMrb">
|
||
In the AVMA’s <a href="https://www.avma.org/sites/default/files/resources/AVMA-Guidelines-for-the-Depopulation-of-Animals.pdf">culling guidelines</a> for VSD+, the organization cites <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/21590311-ncsu-pre-
|
||
publication-version-from-awi-03302017">research</a> conducted at North Carolina State University in 2016 meant to replicate and study ventilation shutdown. Researchers placed one chicken at a time in a small enclosure and pumped in heat, carbon dioxide, or both. Animal Outlook obtained footage from that experiment via a Freedom of Information Act request and shared it with <a href="https://theintercept.com/2022/04/14/killing-chickens-bird-flu-vsd/">Marina Bolotnikova for the Intercept</a>. You can view the experiment below (warning: it’s graphic).
|
||
</p>
|
||
<div id="Cykzx9">
|
||
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0; padding-bottom: 56.25%;">
|
||
|
||
</div>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="nZEEGZ">
|
||
In the video, a bird appears to be gasping for air, unable to stand, and according to a veterinarian <a href="https://theintercept.com/2022/04/14/killing-
|
||
chickens-bird-flu-vsd/">interviewed by the Intercept</a>, showing signs of attempting to vocalize (the video has no audio). It took around 91 minutes for the birds to die of just ventilation shutdown, 53 minutes when heat was added, 11.5 minutes when carbon dioxide was added, and nine minutes when both heat and carbon dioxide were added. <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1056617119301916?via%3Dihub">Other research</a> has found that times are much longer for hens in stacked cage systems, as opposed to turkeys and chickens raised for meat who live on barn floors.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="VkmzSQ">
|
||
A <a href="https://hsvma.memberclicks.net/assets/pdfs/Open_Letter_AVMA_01_06_22.pdf">coalition</a> of<strong> </strong>more than<strong> </strong>1,500 veterinarians, appropriately called Veterinarians Against Ventilation Shutdown, say the process is<strong> </strong>inhumane and are calling on the American Veterinary Medical Association to classify it as “not recommended” for culling. An investigator with Direct Action Everywhere — the group that’s been disrupting Minnesota Timberwolves games — says they entered a Rembrandt facility after depopulation and allegedly found some birds who had survived ventilation shutdown plus.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="NdO4hV">
|
||
“On the floor and in the cages we found … upwards of 100 chickens [still alive],” the investigator, who spoke with me on the condition of anonymity, said. “If you [extrapolate that for] the parts of the facility we didn’t go into, maybe several hundred chickens were still stuck in cages or running around loose.”
|
||
</p>
|
||
<div id="dRP57u">
|
||
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0; padding-bottom: 56.25%;">
|
||
|
||
</div>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="394XcM">
|
||
Jones says more humane methods need to be prioritized, like nitrogen-filled foam and small-enclosure gassing, which knock animals unconscious before they die.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="J6JdC7">
|
||
Despite the challenges that come with these methods — increased costs and labor, among others — Watts, the ex-chicken farmer, says change would be a matter of the industry prioritizing animal welfare.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="CG5r00">
|
||
“I hear the industry argument about everything costing too much,” he said. If they’re serious about animal welfare, you and I [wouldn’t be] having this discussion on what could be done better — they would already be doing it.” He wants to see the industrialized model that dominates US agriculture today — the model he once raised birds in — replaced by farms with smaller flock sizes, and where birds are given outdoor access and more space.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="c8VPAY">
|
||
Factory-farming animals is an inherently risky business. And when a system that crams tens of thousands of birds together is faced with a highly-transmissible, lethal virus, that system is largely defenseless. At best, industry can work to minimize harm, but only if it’s willing to pay increased costs. But the <a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/21437054/chickens-factory-farming-animal-cruelty-welfare">conditions on today’s meat and egg farms</a> — and the approval and adoption of ventilation shutdown — demonstrate a drive toward efficiency, not welfare.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="XkZKIY">
|
||
“In the short term, it would be my preference to see something more painless and quick” used to cull the birds,” says Watts. “In the long term, what we’re looking at is a very flawed system — it’s time to just basically push it off a ledge and reboot and start over.”
|
||
</p>
|
||
<ul>
|
||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Over 60 million Americans have taxes so simple the IRS could do them automatically</strong> -
|
||
<figure>
|
||
<img alt="Employees work at desks in a room crowded with stacks of paper files." src="https://cdn.vox-
|
||
cdn.com/thumbor/aMF_JA2ZuDZdOC8Ros67IaP1lsE=/0x0:5444x4083/1310x983/cdn.vox-
|
||
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70834654/1239754955.0.jpg"/>
|
||
<figcaption>
|
||
IRS employees sort through returns at a facility in Ogden, Utah. | Alex Goodlett/Washington Post via Getty Images
|
||
</figcaption>
|
||
</figure></li>
|
||
</ul>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||
“Automatic returns” could vastly simplify tax season for millions of people.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="qH6vgG">
|
||
For many Americans, doing your taxes isn’t all that complicated. It’s just data entry.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="JzBMug">
|
||
The actual work of doing your taxes mostly involves rifling through various Internal Revenue Service forms you get in the mail. There are W-2s listing your wages, 1099s showing miscellaneous income like from one-off gigs, 1098s showing mortgage interest or tuition payments, etc.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="oo6xuD">
|
||
But here’s the thing about those forms: The IRS has them, too. For many people, the IRS has all the information it needs to calculate their taxes, send taxpayers a filled-out return, and have them sign it and send it right back to the IRS if everything looks in order.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="45RqU3">
|
||
This <a href="http://qz.com/628020/filing-your-income-taxes-is-a-pain-and-that-is-not-an-accident/">isn’t a purely hypothetical proposal</a>. Countries like Denmark, Belgium, Estonia, Chile, and Spain already offer such <a href="https://www.oecd.org/tax/administration/36280368.pdf">”pre-populated returns”</a> to their citizens. And a <a href="https://www.nber.org/papers/w30008">new paper estimates</a> that at least 41 percent of American households — some 62 million tax filing units — could have their entire tax returns handled this way with no further intervention necessary.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<h3 id="s5wRnn">
|
||
Tens of millions of unnecessary returns
|
||
</h3>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="FxLd5G">
|
||
The paper is by four economists: Lucas Goodman and Andrew Whitten at the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Tax Analysis, Bruce Sacerdote of Dartmouth, and Katherine Lim of the Minneapolis Fed. Half the authors working at the Treasury helps explain the dataset the paper uses: a randomized, representative sample of actual tax returns filed in 2019. The IRS strictly regulates who gets to use this kind of granular tax data (it must be for tax policy work), but it’s a goldmine for those researchers.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="RobNzC">
|
||
In this case, the IRS data let the authors actually generate “pre-populated returns” for taxpayers, based on information the IRS already knew, and then compare those returns to the ones actually filed by taxpayers. If they match, that means a pre-populated return policy could work for that person.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="wTxRBA">
|
||
“A pre-populated return is deemed successful if its calculated tax liability is approximately equal to the tax liability actually reported on the 2019 tax return,” the authors explain. This was one of two methods they used; the second sorted through the IRS returns looking for complications that would prevent a pre-populated return from being correctly compiled. That approach tended to produce higher estimates of how many returns could be put together automatically.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Y9zoEL">
|
||
The former, more conservative approach found that 41 percent of returns, representing 62 million tax units, could have accurate returns pre-prepared by the IRS in this fashion. (A tax unit could be a single person, a single parent-headed family, a married couple and their offspring, etc. — whoever’s represented by the tax return.) The less conservative approach, counting everyone without complications that might prevent an automatic return, puts the number at 73 million returns, or 48 percent.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="E4pywE">
|
||
Pre-populated returns could also help people who aren’t currently filing taxes. In the US, many people are not required to file an income tax return, usually because they earn too little money to trigger that requirement or because the money they do get is from a partially exempt source like Social Security. But those people often would benefit from filing a return because of benefits like the earned income and child tax credits. Those credits are refundable, meaning that you don’t have to have a positive income tax burden to receive them; the earned income tax credit (EITC) in particular is designed to mostly go to low-income people who don’t earn enough to owe income taxes.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="FjrZZm">
|
||
Despite those benefits, some <a href="https://www.eitc.irs.gov/eitc-central/participation-rate/eitc-participation-rate-by-states">22 percent of eligible taxpayers don’t claim the EITC</a> in a typical year; by <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0047272721001869">one estimate</a>, two-thirds of those not receiving the benefit didn’t get it because they didn’t file a tax return. The bundling of social assistance programs with a complex tax code <a href="https://www.russellsage.org/publications/administrative-burden">places significant burdens on less-wealthy Americans</a> trying to access those programs.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="9BYTem">
|
||
So the authors of the automatic filing paper estimated how many non-filers could get tax benefits under an automatic filing system. They estimate that 7.2 million tax units who aren’t required to file are owed refunds, averaging some $411 each. Those units would be likelier to get their refunds under a pre-populated filing system.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<h3 id="WCda5m">
|
||
Ending tax returns … for everybody?
|
||
</h3>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ve8rrg">
|
||
For the tens of millions of households for whom pre-populated filing works, it could be a huge leap forward. But 41-47 percent of households is not a majority, and in an ideal world, the other 53-59 percent of tax units would be able to benefit from a system like this too. So what are the barriers preventing them?
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="OF7Z4d">
|
||
The paper’s appendix table A2 estimates the share of returns with different attributes that prevent a pre- populated return from working. The most common, affecting 16.2 percent of returns, is Schedule C or self-employment income: People have a different estimate for their earnings from self-employment or odd jobs than the 1099 forms sent to the IRS indicate. They might have significant business expenses or jobs that didn’t trigger a 1099 form that alter their actual taxes due.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="maIRO2">
|
||
The next most common, affecting 10.9 percent of returns, is itemized deductions. These have become much less frequently done since <a href="https://www.taxpolicycenter.org/taxvox/anybody-
|
||
can-itemize-their-deductions-most-dont-want">the standard deduction was increased by the Trump tax bill in 2017</a>, but almost everyone who itemizes claims the charitable deduction or the state property tax deduction. Both of those rely on information that isn’t consistently reported to the IRS, so they can’t be included on pre-populated returns.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ht42wU">
|
||
Both of those are tricky issues to get around. Especially with the rise of “gig economy” employers like Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash that issue 1099s and treat employees as contractors, <a href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-
|
||
soi/19rpgigworkreplacingtraditionalemployment.pdf">more and more</a> <a href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-
|
||
soi/19rpindcontractorinus.pdf">low-income people</a> are relying on self-employment income where discrepancies can arise that make auto-filing impossible. You could resolve the itemized deduction issue by eliminating itemized deductions, but I somehow doubt the people whose taxes you’d simplify in the process would thank you for it.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="td8FQ2">
|
||
Other problems, though, might be easier to fix. A significant share of taxpayers had wage income that was different from what their W-2 forms indicated; better wage reporting requirements for businesses might get around that. Difficulties determining what share of pension income is taxable also came up a fair amount, which a simpler pension taxation system might address. As a <a href="https://www.irs.gov/individuals/irs-tax-volunteers">volunteer tax preparer</a>, I’ve had pension issues come up a lot and our current system is mindbogglingly complex. I love thinking about taxes and, nonetheless, <a href="https://www.irs.gov/publications/p575#en_US_2021_publink1000226781">learning the “simplified method” for pension taxation</a> made me want to die.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="bbrUnC">
|
||
But even if “only” two out of every five returns can be done by the IRS automatically, it’s worth asking: why aren’t they? Even if “only” 62 million households would benefit, that would still save a huge amount of time and angst every year, and make tax season run much more smoothly.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="aunbI6">
|
||
The <a href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/i1040gi.pdf#page=108">IRS estimates</a> that the average non-business filer spends nine hours a year filing their 1040. Even if we assume returns capable of being auto-filled are less complex and only take half as long, that adds up to 279 million hours of life, or nearly 32,000 <em>years</em> of life, not wasted if 62 million filers were able to auto-file their taxes. Sounds nice!
|
||
</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>Kushal Das molestation charges: Bajaj lodges complaints with NCW, writes to FIFA, AFC</strong> - Ranjit Bajaj questioned why AIFF has not yet contacted him and asked for evidence despite the grave charges against Das</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>Ooty May 7 races postponed by a day</strong> -</p></li>
|
||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Crown Consort, Dedicated Boy, Forever Together, Once You Go Black and Philosophy shine</strong> -</p></li>
|
||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>IPL 2022 | Coach Jayawardene on Mumbai Indians’ poor ‘structuring’ of line-up</strong> - Mumbai Indians are already out of the IPL having lost eight games on the bounce before logging home their first point</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>FIFA World Cup 2022 | Three million ticket requests for final; 1.4m for England-U.S. match</strong> - FIFA has received 2.5 million ticket requests to see Argentina play Mexico on November 26 at the 80,000-capacity Lusail Stadium</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>Joint action plan mooted to decongest Thamarassery pass</strong> - Entry of heavy trucks and multi-axle vehicles likely to be regulated</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>Data | India’s press freedom ranking slips to 150, its lowest ever</strong> - In the 2022 edition of the Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders, India ranked at the 150th position, eight positions lower than last year</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>Major transformer upkeep drive takes off in CESC districts</strong> - ₹50 cr. set aside for the maintenance which also includes replacement of unsafe and old transformers</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>Tension marks Duggirala MPP election</strong> -</p></li>
|
||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Govt. will ensure fair compensation to those affected by NLC land acquisition: Minister</strong> -</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>Shell profits nearly triple as oil prices surge</strong> - The energy giant says pulling out of Russian oil and gas activities had cost the firm $3.9bn.</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>Donbas fighting: Risking capture to evacuate the vulnerable from the front line</strong> - Civilian volunteers are going to the front line, but some have been detained by Russian forces.</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>Ukraine war: Zelensky plea as Russians seek Mariupol endgame</strong> - The Ukrainian president appeals for fresh UN help as Russians reportedly enter the city’s last holdout.</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 elections: Left forms coalition to fight Macron</strong> - Four French left-wing parties agree in principle to form an alliance for June’s parliamentary elections.</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>Ukraine war: Russia denies it plans to declare war on 9 May</strong> - The Kremlin has so far only referred to the war in Ukraine as a “special military operation”.</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>What we can learn from the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, 50 years later</strong> - For 40 years, researchers deceived test subjects about the true purpose of the study. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1851436">link</a></p></li>
|
||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Lenovo’s new Slim laptops delight the digits with carbon and glass</strong> - Lenovo plays with textures and high-end parts for a new range of ultralight clamshells. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1851849">link</a></p></li>
|
||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Today’s best deals: Star Wars, Chromebooks, AirTags, iPads, and more</strong> - Dealmaster also has deals on Kindles, Google Nest, Roku, and more. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1852062">link</a></p></li>
|
||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>This is what the Salisbury Plain looked like before Stonehenge</strong> - The monument’s builders didn’t have to clear dense forests after all. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1852278">link</a></p></li>
|
||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Despite unknowns, FDA officials make the case for annual fall COVID shots</strong> - In JAMA viewpoint, FDA leaders say a fall booster decision should come next month. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1852318">link</a></p></li>
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</ul>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-jokes-subreddit">From Jokes Subreddit</h1>
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<ul>
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<li><strong>An Australian, an Irishman and a Scouser are in a bar.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
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<div class="md">
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
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They’re staring at another man sitting on his own at a table in the corner. He’s so familiar, and not recognizing him is driving them mad. They stare and stare, until suddenly the Irishman twigs: ‘My God, it’s Jesus!’ Sure enough, it is Jesus, nursing a pint. Thrilled, they send him over a pint of Guinness, a pint of Fosters and a pint of bitter. Jesus accepts the drinks, smiles over at the three men, and drinks the pints slowly, one after another. After he’s finished the drinks, Jesus approaches the trio. He reaches for the hand of the Irishman and shakes it, thanking him for the Guinness. When he lets go, the Irishman gives a cry of amazement: ‘My God! The arthritis I’ve had for 30 years is gone. It’s a miracle!’ Jesus then shakes the Aussie’s hand, thanking him for the lager. As he lets go, the man’s eyes widen in shock. ‘Strewth mate, the bad back I’ve had all my life is completely gone! It’s A Miracle.’ Jesus then approaches the Scouser who says,
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
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’Back off, mate, I’m on disability benefit.
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</p>
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</div>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Johnwba88"> /u/Johnwba88 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/uitl2q/an_australian_an_irishman_and_a_scouser_are_in_a/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/uitl2q/an_australian_an_irishman_and_a_scouser_are_in_a/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
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<li><strong>Two fish are in a tank. One turns to the other and says</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
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<div class="md">
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
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“Okay, you man the guns. I’ll drive.”
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</p>
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</div>
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<!-- SC_ON -->
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Anthadvl"> /u/Anthadvl </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/uiu3gh/two_fish_are_in_a_tank_one_turns_to_the_other_and/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/uiu3gh/two_fish_are_in_a_tank_one_turns_to_the_other_and/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
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<li><strong>Elon Musk and Bill Gates combined their enormous wealth and power to develop the most effective penis enlargement pill ever created.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
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<div class="md">
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
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They’re calling it Elongates.
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</p>
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</div>
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<!-- SC_ON -->
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Silvermusicman"> /u/Silvermusicman </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/uiltcw/elon_musk_and_bill_gates_combined_their_enormous/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/uiltcw/elon_musk_and_bill_gates_combined_their_enormous/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
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<li><strong>Just saw Amber Heard try to fake cry during the trial.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
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<div class="md">
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
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Can’t really tell if she’s a shitty actress or just a shitting actress.
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</p>
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</div>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/angrykumu"> /u/angrykumu </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/uirhdp/just_saw_amber_heard_try_to_fake_cry_during_the/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/uirhdp/just_saw_amber_heard_try_to_fake_cry_during_the/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
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<li><strong>Dedicated to Amber Heard</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
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<div class="md">
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
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After a night of drinking, Brian crept into bed beside his wife who was already asleep.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
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He gave her a peck on the cheek and fell asleep.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
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When he awoke, he found a strange man standing at the end of his bed wearing a long flowing white robe. “Who the hell are you?” demanded Brian, “and what are you doing in my bedroom?”
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
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The mysterious Man answered “This isn’t your bedroom and I’m St. Peter.”
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
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Brian was stunned “You mean I’m dead!? That can’t be; I have so much to live for. I haven’t said goodbye to my family and friends. You’ve got to send me back straight away.”
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
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St. Peter replied " Yes, you can be reincarnated but there is a catch. We can only send you back as a dog or a hen."
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
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Brian was devastated, but knowing there was a farm not far from his house, he asked to be sent back as a hen. A flash of light later, he was covered in feathers and clucking around pecking the ground.
|
||
</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
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This isn’t so bad he thought, until he felt this strange feeling welling up inside him.
|
||
</p>
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||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
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The farmyard rooster strolled over and said “So you are the new hen. How are you enjoying your first day here?”
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
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“It’s not so bad” replies Brian " but I have this strange feeling inside like I’m about to explode."
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
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“You’re ovulating” explained the rooster, “don’t tell me you’ve never laid an egg before.”
|
||
</p>
|
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
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“Never” replies Brian.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||
“Well just relax and let it happen.”
|
||
</p>
|
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
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And so he did and after a few uncomfortable seconds later, an egg pops out from under his tail.
|
||
</p>
|
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||
An immense feeling of relief swept over him and his emotions got the better of him as he experienced motherhood for the first time.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||
When he laid his second egg, the feeling of happiness was overwhelming and he knew that being reincarnated as a hen was the best thing that had happened to him ever!
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||
The joy kept coming and as he was just about to lay his third egg he felt an enormous smack on the back of his head and heard his wife shouting …
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||
“Brian, wake up ye drunken bastard, you’re shitting in the bed”.
|
||
</p>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<!-- SC_ON -->
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Remarkable-Youth-504"> /u/Remarkable- Youth-504 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/uig2y0/dedicated_to_amber_heard/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/uig2y0/dedicated_to_amber_heard/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
|
||
</ul>
|
||
|
||
|
||
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